Chapter 17: Beck - The Dragon's Muse

Chapter 17

Beck

Everything looks bright and new this morning. Birds chirp gleefully in verdant trees and a tranquil breeze whispers through the tall grasses as Nori and I walk hand in hand along the cobbled path toward The Dancing Daisy.

In my chest, my dragon is stretched out on his back, lazing peacefully as he basks in the feeling of having Nori by our side. It feels great not to be at odds with him lately, our hearts united in prioritizing Nori. Neither of us even pushed to go for a swim this morning, not while there were so many other things we could do to bring a smile to Nori’s face the first time she stayed over.

Being with Nori like this feels so natural, so perfect, that I can’t imagine my future without her in it. I’m already dreading having to say goodbye again later. If I had it my way, she’d quit that job that makes her so unhappy, move in with me, and lie on the couch all day, reading to her heart’s content. I can take care of her. I want to take care of her. We could—

Interrupting my daydream, Nori asks, “Does Lucille know about us?”

My brow pulls down as I consider that, wondering if I messed up. “Yes. Is that okay?” Wanting to be as truthful with her as possible, I add, “I asked her to help me with ideas to court you, and she suggested the candies since you’ve been wanting to try them. I also saw her early this morning for our weekly tea date, though I only dropped off her bread and couldn’t stay for actual tea. But I did promise to have a cup during book club. Besides, she shooed me away very quickly when she heard you stayed with me, and said she didn’t want me to leave you alone too long.”

A smile lifts the corners of Nori’s mouth. “That’s really kind of her. I’ll be sure to thank her later. I’m sorry that I kept you away though.”

I shake my head. “I’m not. And don’t worry, we’ve decided to move our Saturday tea dates to Monday mornings.” Lucille and I discussed the possibility of Nori staying over more frequently and that it might interfere with our usual schedule, so moving the date to a weekday made the most sense. I’d hate being distracted while spending time with Lucille, which is a big possibility if I knew Nori was waiting for me in my bed.

Nori stops walking as concern bleeds into her voice. “I hope it’s not because of me.”

My dragon sits up and pushes against my chest, wanting to reassure Nori. Reading my intention, he relaxes again as I brush my thumb across the back of Nori’s hand. “Of course it is because of you. But in the best way possible. Lucille likes that I have a… special someone. And she’s happy that someone is you. It was her suggestion to change the days.”

“I also like having a special someone,” Nori says, her gaze bouncing between my eyes and my mouth.

Unable to resist, I band an arm around Nori and draw her against me. She lifts onto her toes as I lower my head, our lips meeting in the most gentle caress. We remain like that for a while, simply breathing each other in, before I reluctantly loosen my hold on her and we continue toward the island’s biggest hill.

After a short while of walking in companionable silence, Nori squeezes my hand. “Can I ask you a big favor?” The question is slow, her voice unsure, coming out like she’s doubted if she should even ask it.

“Of course,” I say easily, not seeing one thing I’d ever deny her.

Nori can’t quite meet my eyes as she asks, “Can you maybe write down some of the nice things you said last night? I’m going to need them to sustain me during the week until I get to see you again.”

My feet slow to a stop and I turn to Nori, tipping her chin up to meet her sparkling eyes. “Of course. I can come up with even more, because my muse never ceases to inspire me.”

Pulling her lip into her mouth, Nori tries to hide her pleased smile. “Really?”

I take a quick look around to make sure we’re still alone while my dragon scents the air. He gives me a nod of approval and sends scales flitting over my cheeks and down my jaw, relishing in the way Nori’s eyes track the peacocking move.

“I can write chapters dedicated to your scent,” I whisper against her neck, dipping low to nibble at the base of her throat. “Especially the way you smell right here.”

Nori tilts her head to the side, granting me more access. “Uhm, maybe you shouldn’t do that.”

I lift my head to meet her eyes again, confused at the different signals I’m getting. “I’m sorry. Did I do something wrong?”

“Not at all,” Nori says quickly. “It’s just… I’m not wearing any underwear, and if you keep touching me or kissing me, all of Starry Hill will probably smell it.”

“What happened to your panties?”

Pink steals across Nori’s cheeks. “They kind of got a little wet last night. Can’t really wear them again.”

Skimming my hands down her sides, I let my palms rest on her hips, feeling no evidence of underwear under my fingertips. “So right now you only have this dress on. Nothing else?” I ask, my voice gruff with lust, barely resisting the desire to bunch her dress up and see for myself.

“Yup.” Nori pops the p as she traces the scales on my chest. There’s a teasing glint in her eye, almost like she knows the effect she has on me and is enjoying it very much.

Needing her to fully understand how much I want her, how much I desire to please her, to worship her, I cup her ass and pull her against me. “Nori, if book club wasn’t one of the most important things in your life today, I’d be throwing you over my shoulder and carrying you home so I can lick your cunt over and over again until you come on my face. Then I’ll—”

“No. Don’t tell me,” Nori pleads with a laugh, pressing a finger to my mouth. “If you keep going I’m going to be dripping down my legs before we get there.”

I open my mouth enough to swirl my tongue around the tip of her finger, a tease of what I want to do. “I can always lick you clean.”

“Shinsu,” Nori gasps, her scent blooming beautifully.

Kind of seeing her point, and not wanting to share that part of her with the rest of the town, I relent. Partially. “Okay. After book club, and then all night long.”

“What about your game night with the boys?”

Oh fuck. I totally forgot about them. Should I cancel Knights and Castles tonight or would that be too rude considering we canceled last weekend too? I’m not ready to say goodbye to Nori so soon. But how to balance it all?

“I can take you home after?” I suggest slowly. “Or you can stay another night? They won’t mind if you hang out with us. You can sit on the couch and read while we play.”

“I’d like that,” Nori says with a coy smile. “But only if you’re sure.”

“With you, always,” I reply. In the back of my mind I wonder how I’m going to concentrate on books this morning and a campaign later when I have so much to look forward to with Nori after.

My dragon spins in circles a couple of times, elated at how well everything is going with Nori and excited about the prospects of our future. Together.

* * *

I help Nori set up for book club, carrying a couple of chairs over from The Singing Seahorse next door, but when I try to arrange them in a neat row facing the pair of orange chairs, she quickly takes over and rearranges them in a loose circle.

“I really appreciate your help, but I think maybe this way it looks more collaborative instead of like a lecture,” Nori says with a slight wince as she places her hand on my forearm.

“That makes sense.” I look around the room, shifting my weight from foot to foot, wondering what else I can do to distract myself so I don’t pull Nori into my arms and kiss those beautiful lips the way they deserve to be kissed.

Like Lucille can sense I need direction, she glances at me from the refreshments table where she’s laying out napkins. “Beck dear, would you mind restocking the candies while Eleanor and I finish setting up?”

“Of course.” I lean down and limit myself to giving Nori a quick kiss, lingering only long enough to enjoy the way she sways into me before I disappear into the back room and go about my routine of refilling all the jars for the display wall.

I’m on the second jar when my dragon lifts his head, sensing someone new arriving. Halting my movements, I strain my ears and recognize Maisie’s cheerful humming. My dragon relaxes again but remains wary, knowing there will be many creatures around Nori today. It’s not that we distrust anyone in particular, but she’s our priority and keeping her safe and happy is of paramount importance to us.

Maisie gasps loudly as she enters The Dancing Daisy. “Fucking hells, Eleanor! You look magnificent. I love your curls! Is this your natural texture?”

Nori’s response is very demure. “Thank you. It’s definitely something to get used to, but I’m kind of enjoying how it feels.”

“That’s the most important thing,” Maisie says wisely. “As long as you’re comfortable in your body then it’s no one else’s business. Though, I hope Beck has been showering you with much-deserved compliments. You really do look beautiful.”

I want to shout, “Of course I am because my Nori looks like the epitome of feminine grace today.” Instead, I stay quiet and let the women continue their conversation.

A bashful huff of a laugh escapes from Nori. “He has been quite generous with his kind words.”

Hearing Nori say that makes me think back to last night and how much she enjoyed me telling her exactly what I think of every lovely feature of hers. Not only will I write down some of the things I’ve already told her, but from today I’ll be keeping a notebook that I can fill with letters and thoughts I have of her each day.

I honestly think I won’t ever run out of complimentary things I can say about my Nori. Beyond thoughts pertaining to her beauty, there’s much to say about her sweet heart, her smart brain, and her quick wit too.

“I’m glad,” Maisie says. “If he doesn’t treat you right then you just let me know. I’ll gather the girls and we’ll go have a talk with him.”

Thankfully, Nori is quick with her refusal. “There won’t be any need for that.”

“Good. Want to see your book club’s first themed cupcakes?” Maisie asks, seemingly ready for a change of topic.

There’s a sharp intake of breath from Nori, then she exclaims, “Maisie! These are gorgeous!”

Peeking out from the back room, I quickly glance at the quaint cupcakes and the bloody knives sticking out of them, glad that Maisie truly matched the theme of the book, before I resume my task.

“Thank you. I’m really proud of how they turned out,” Maisie says. “Very on theme for our murder mystery, don’t you think? And the knives are edible. And of course it’s just raspberry compote and not blood and guts bubbling out of the frosting.”

“You’re a genius,” Nori praises. “And thank you for coming. I’m so happy to have you here.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Seriously,” Maisie emphasizes. “Sorry I didn’t RSVP earlier, I just wasn’t sure if I could stay for book club because I had an order for a birthday cake that also had to be delivered this morning. Thankfully Ren offered to take it into Cape Easton for me so I can be free to attend. You can imagine the list of instructions I gave him to deliver that cake in perfect condition. Thank fuck he has a tail to use for extra balance. Well, that tail is good for many other things too, if you know what I mean. And Viggo volunteered to take Ren and the cake so Beck could be here for you.”

“What?” Nori breathes out. “I didn’t know.” Satisfaction rolls through me that I was able to organize everything to be here for Nori today. Eliciting Viggo’s help wasn’t that hard to do once I explained to him why I couldn’t ferry creatures to and from Cape Easton today. Turns out that Starry Hill really supports courtship.

Maisie continues, “It’s really all good. Ren’s happy to help. He’s sad he had to miss book club though, because we read the book together. Maybe he can join for the next one.”

Lucille joins the conversation as they discuss other book and cake pairings, and slowly more creatures filter into the shop, each one making some kind of favorable remark when they notice Nori’s lovely curls. I move at a snail’s pace in the back, wanting Nori to live in the moment without me stealing any of her attention. She deserves all their accolades for what she accomplished today.

Starry Hill truly values community, and Nori has created a new opportunity with this book club for us bibliophiles to come together. But the cherry on top of this literary cake is how much Lucille loves the fresh light Nori has been able to shine on The Dancing Daisy and the way she’s breathed new life into the shop.

I recognize Peregrine’s voice as the satyr asks someone, “Can you believe Beck missed karaoke last night? He’s never missed a night that I can remember.” The owner of Starry Hill’s clothing store, The Crowned Boot, has always enjoyed a good gossip session, and I guess it’s my turn to be the subject of their discussion.

Unsure if they know I’m here in the back, I keep absolutely still as I process this observation. I do enjoy karaoke, but I always sing the same song. It didn’t even enter my mind to go last night once Nori was in my arms. Perhaps we can go together next weekend and we can duet the song. That’s a suggestion I’ll be sure to make later.

Marisol speaks next, her yawn still apparent as she says, “Can you blame him? If I had Eleanor with me, I wouldn’t want to go anywhere.” I didn’t think the siren would come today, considering how late she usually closes the pub on weekends. It makes me so happy to know that the town is showing up for Nori, even if it’s not strictly convenient for them to do so on a Saturday morning.

Maisie’s voice is filled with innuendo. “Eleanor, hope you made it worth his time and serenaded him with your own voice all night long. Or did Beck give you a private performance?”

I can just imagine Nori’s blush as she replies neutrally, “I haven’t heard him sing in years. But we used to make up dances and sing together all the time as kids.”

Peregrine hums conspiratorially. “Well, every Friday night is karaoke night. You have to come next week and join us. It’s so much fun.”

Not even daring to breathe, I wait for Nori’s response. “I’d love to, but I don’t know if my schedule would allow it. I often work late, so it might be tight coming here straight after work and making it before everything’s over.”

“Just move here already. We know you want to,” Maisie says, sounding very eager to have Nori a permanent part of the Starry Hill community.

My dragon bolts upright, pressing his head against my chest to hear Nori’s answer as nervous scales flit over my skin. Sharing my anxious thoughts with my dragon, I bombard him with a flurry of questions. Will she refuse? Will she say she’s considering it? Shouldn’t I be the one asking her these questions? What do we do if she says yes? What do we do if she says no?

Lucille’s voice pulls me back from my panic spiral as she tells the others, “Stop harassing Eleanor. Let her take her time.”

Nori’s tiny sigh is barely audible, so I quickly shuffle some boxes, making a little more noise so human ears can pick up on my presence before I exit the back room with the refilled jars and stack them in their proper locations.

Tilly waves at me from across the room. “Morning, Beck. You staying for book club?”

“Of course,” I answer simply and incline my head at the other creatures in attendance, a few more than RSVP'd. “Shall I get more chairs?” I ask Nori, quickly counting heads and finding we’re now at eight attendees instead of the five we expected. Nine, if I count Aurelius, the mothman who owns The Lonely Rake next door, hovering by the entrance.

“Yes, please. I think we need a couple more, if you don’t mind,” Nori says, placing a hand on my arm. Everyone else fades away as I look at the most beautiful woman in existence and I fight against the urge to pick her up and carry her home so I can make love to her until our bodies are spent and our souls are aligned.

Tilly’s voice cuts through my notions. “Both Doc Calla and I wanted to come today, but one of us had to man The Bandaged Heart. We had to flip a coin to help us decide who got to come, and the other will join for next month’s pick.”

Richard, who brought themed pies from The Flowering Teapot, had a similar experience with Annamae, but she graciously let him come today while she stayed behind to tend to their customers.

Peregrine simply decided to close his shop, saying the first new event on the calendar is more important than the few stragglers who’ll come peruse his clothing store on a Saturday morning.

Eventually, everyone is seated after a few of us carry more chairs over. They snack on cupcakes and pies while sharing their thoughts on the book, discussing plot points and favorite characters. A few came with notebooks, others with annotated copies so similar to how Nori writes in the margins of her own books.

I enjoy every second of watching Nori in her element, talking about all the Easter eggs and red herrings and how they’re woven into the romance subplot, even if it’s still a mystery book.

Maisie sits forward in her seat and everyone’s heads turn to look at her. “I totally liked the mystery of it all. And the fact that he killed the competition so he can be sure to get the girl. I mean, is there anything more romantic than a guy stepping out of his comfort zone to win your heart?”

That thought has my attention. Have I stepped enough out of my comfort zone for Nori? Can I do more to win her heart? I know she’s said she’s mine, but how do I fully convince her to move in and spend the rest of her life with me?

There are a couple of noises of agreement from the others before Maisie continues, “My only complaint is where was the smut? The ravishing? I wanted him to rip her clothes off. No, for her to rip his off when she realized what he’s done and reward him for all his effort.”

Ravishing? Ripping clothes off? That, I can do. I’ve wanted to do that and explore the curves hiding underneath Nori’s clothes for months. Last night I had the privilege of getting a small taste of her, but I’m ready for the full meal, to devour Nori and…

“Yeah, I agree,” Aurelius says with an enthusiastic nod, bringing me back to the present. “This book would’ve been perfect if there was a deliciously smutty reward for the reader at the end.” Throughout the meeting, Aurelius positioned his seat closest to the door so he could hear if a customer needed help at his shop, popping back to assist them before returning to the discussion.

Peregrine wiggles his eyebrows. “Or in the middle.” The smile the satyr sends the mothman’s way has Aurelius’s feathery antennae twitching excitedly.

Tapping her pencil against her notebook, Nori asks, “So you’re saying you want more smut?”

Maisie balls her hands and brings them to her chest. “We need smut. All the smut.

“Scandalize us,” Marisol adds, waving a hand against her face like she’s hot.

Would Nori want to be scandalized? Would two cocks be considered scandalous for a human?

Tilly holds up a finger. “But still give us plot.”

Peregrine adds, “And a mystery.”

A slow smile creeps over Nori’s face and she leans back in her seat. “Mission accepted,” she purrs.

In this moment, Nori looks so comfortable and so sure of herself while being the center of everyone’s attention. The sight of her at ease like this, talking about a topic she’s truly passionate about, makes pride bubble up in me, scales slowly flowing over my chest as my dragon echoes my thoughts.

I knew I loved Nori, but realizing just how much almost brings tears to my eyes. It takes monumental effort not to be swept away by my emotions and to sit still while she continues to shine in what looks to be her natural habitat.

“It’s not too tall of an order?” Lucille asks Nori with a tilt of her head.

“I might have just the book for that,” Nori says and starts ticking off on her fingers. “It has a little bit of mystery and a whole lot of smut. It has an FMC escaping a sex cult, and a knight ready to annihilate anyone who dares harm her, but he keeps telling himself that he doesn’t have any real feelings for her.”

“Yesss,” Maisie practically growls. “Give me more of that. I love some secret pining. Where do we sign up?”

Nori looks around the room and studies the different expressions of everyone present. “Would you be interested in different types of book clubs? Like one can be more smutty romance and one can remain as closed-door mysteries where romance is only a subplot? You don’t have to answer right now, I’ll have a signup sheet on the refreshment table after this, but if you’re comfortable with it, maybe by a show of hands, how many of you would want to join for the smutty romance pick?”

Almost everyone raises a hand, and I quickly raise one in support too. If Nori is coming to Starry Hill, then I’m doing everything and anything to spend more time with her. I’ve never read a smutty book before, but from what the other women have been hinting at, I might just learn something from them.

Richard clears his throat. “I’ll raise a hand for Annamae. And one for Calla. They already read a lot of romance, so having others besides them and Lucille to discuss their type of books with might be fun. And if that book comes in audiobook format, even better. Annamae likes to listen while she bakes. But I’ll keep to the tame mysteries, if that’s okay.”

Aurelius hesitates for a couple of seconds before he finally asks, “Is it possible to meet on a Sunday afternoon or evening? That way more of us can attend and don’t have to worry about our own shops or have to close them.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you, Aurelius,” Peregrine says, effectively causing the mothman’s entire face to turn pink, his wings giving a small flutter of pleasure at the compliment.

“Yes. Then we can alternate meetings. One week mysteries, one week smutty picks, and we can add more if you’re up for it,” Tilly suggests as she absentmindedly rubs her stomach. “But don’t feel pressured to say yes to any or all of it.”

There are more murmurs of agreement, and Nori steals a quick glance at me. Her voice turns shy as she says, “I can ask Beck if he wouldn’t mind ferrying me about so much.”

It feels weird to hear her call me Beck again, but I’m glad she did so in front of the book club, because I’m only Nori’s Shinsu. For now. When the time is right, I’ll reclaim the name fully. But not before I explain to Nori why I stopped using it in the first place.

“He doesn’t,” they all answer in unison.

I echo, “I don’t.” And silently add, “This way I’m sure to have you all weekend, every weekend.”

Maybe it’s too soon to ask Nori if she wants to move in with me, even if she’ll only stay on weekends, but just in case she says yes, I’ll clear out half of my closet and prepare her a reading corner this week. I’ll do anything to turn my old mill into a place that she can call home, somewhere she’ll always feel welcome and loved.