AN: Please read and review. I get really happy whenever I get reviews. Y'all are lucky I'm putting a chapter up this week. I have exams this week, but tomorrow I have none, so I finished this chapter today. Please let me know what you think. The italics part near the end is Lyla's dream.

As usual, I do not own anything that looks familiar to you.

Chapter 8

"This is beautiful," I said.

"It's not as beautiful as you," Draco replied.

"That's a cheesy line, Draco," I laughed.

"It may be cheesy, but it's true. You are beautiful." He leaned in and kissed me.

I found myself unable to stop myself from kissing him back. His lips were so soft that I just wanted to get lost in them. He licked my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth to grant him access. My hands went up to his hair and got tangled in the silky locks as our tongues battled for dominance. His hands were on my hips and he pulled me closer. I moaned at the contact. It was then that I realized what was happening.

"I'm sorry, Draco, but I don't feel comfortable with this yet," I said, breathlessly.

"What's wrong. We're going to get married. Why can't we make out?" he asked.

"Because I know that making out will lead to other things and we barely know each other. I'm not ready for that and you should respect me enough to back off."

"I do respect you. I can't help it that I find you irresistible."

"Trust me, Draco. I will probably have some very nice dreams about you tonight, but we just can't right now. I want to get to know you before we take it to the bed. Brian and I dated for a year before we took things to the next level and we knew each other since primary school."

"I understand, love. I do. We will go at your pace."

"Thank you. It's just, I'm still trying to process everything that's happened in the last couple of days, plus I'm five years behind in school and I have to try to play catch up. It's going to be tough for me."

"Like I said, we will take it at your pace. If you want to go slower than a snail's pace, we will."

"Thank you. I think it's nearly time for us to start playing again, so we should go back inside."

"You go on ahead. I want to stay out here for a few more minutes."

"If your sure…" I said unsure.

"I'm sure. I will be in there shortly. I promise," Draco insisted.

"Ok. I will see you after we're done playing then," I said as I turned away, heading back inside.

When I entered the room, I saw Brian, David, Kyle and Michael on stage waiting for me. I jumped on stage and we got ready for the next set. We didn't even announce that we were starting up again. We just jumped right into the first song. Draco had come in from outside at this time and stood near the front of the stage. He was right in front of me.

Our first song was "S & M" by Rihanna. I thought it was perfect because Draco made me hot and bothered while we were outside and I wanted to give him a little payback. As I sang the song, I made sure to dance provocatively. It helped that my outfit was sexy as all hell. I could see him shifting his weight from one foot to the other, showing how uneasy he was. When we finished the crowd went wild, and I could see that some of the adults were looking not too happy.

The rest of the songs were pretty tame compared with the first one. We performed "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO, "Grenade" by Bruno Mars, "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz, "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, and "We R Who We R" by Ke$ha. I loved dancing to "We R Who We R". You just can't help but dance during songs like that. The only songs I sang were "S & M" and "We R Who We R". The crowd loved it and when we came down, they swarmed us. Many of them were asking us if we were going to perform at the winter ball at Hogwarts. I let the others answer for me. I could see mom and dad giving me disapproving looks from across the room so I made my way over to them.

"We're very disappointed in you, Lyla Marie Zabini," Daddy said.

"Why, daddy? You said that it was my birthday and that I could do whatever I wanted," I explained.

"I know that's what I said, but I thought you were at least going to be proper and make smart choices about the songs you were going to play."

"Dad, this is a party for teenagers. I wasn't going to play stupid waltzy stuff. I wanted to have fun, so I played modern, fun songs. If you didn't notice, all of the kids enjoyed it and had fun. That's what this party was for, isn't it?"

"That isn't the point. Go change. That outfit is not appropriate."

"Are you kidding me?" I asked.

"I beg your pardon," mother exclaimed. "You do not talk to us like that, young lady."

"I'm sorry, but this is how I was raised. I was raised to be an independent woman, and I believe these clothes are appropriate for a party," I explained.

"They may be appropriate for what you consider a party, but they are not appropriate to meet the Dark Lord. He is on his way, and you better be changed before he gets here," dad instructed.

"Why is he coming to our birthday party?" I asked.

"He heard of your return and wishes to meet you."

"What if I refuse?"

"He will probably punish you severely. Trust me, you do not want to feel the Dark Lord's wrath. It is now 11:45. He will be here at 12:05."

"Is it just going to be him?"

"No. Since he will be here and many of his followers are here, he is going to have a full meeting, so the rest of his inner circle will be here as well."

I left the ballroom to go back to the bathroom and change back into my dress from earlier. I don't think there is much difference to it from my previous outfit, but apparently it was appropriate. I slipped on my shoes and made my way back into the ballroom. A lot of the younger people left, leaving mostly adults in the room. It was 12 midnight. Some kids my age I saw still here included Blaise, Draco, and Marcus. There were others that I didn't know.

I wandered over to my brothers and Draco and wrapped my arm around Draco's waist. He leaned over and placed a kiss to the top of my head. "What's this going to be like?" I asked.

"He's going to ask his spies for any new information they've collected and if they don't have anything, they will be punished. Then he will rant about Potter and plan raids and attacks. I don't know what he will do with you there, though," Draco explained.

"Just make sure that you don't speak or make any noise unless he speaks to you or you are asked a direct question," Blaise added.

"I'll keep that in mind," I said.

It was now 12:05 and dad came up to us and told us it was time to go into the meeting. We made our way down the hall and into a large study. There were already 20 other people there, standing in a circle around a throne, yet the throne was included in the ring. Everyone was knelt down on one knee. We joined the circle and they also went down on one knee. It was difficult for me in my outfit, but I followed suit.

"Welcome my followers," a cold voice said. It sent shivers down my spine. "Please stand." We all got to our feet. "Tonight is a special night. One of our own, Joshua Zabini, has found his long lost daughter. Lyla, please step forward." I stepped forward and had enough sense kneel again before him. "There is no need for that child. Please rise to your feet. A pretty thing like you should only be on your knees for one thing and you are not needed for that tonight," he said and everyone laughed. I knew right away what he was referring to. "You are promised to Draco Malfoy, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir," I replied in a shaking voice.

"Are you scared or nervous, child?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," I said in the same way.

"Why?"

"I have never been in the presence of a Lord or someone with such power. It's a little intimidating."

"There is no need to fear me, dear. As long as you do as I say and do not make me mad, no harm will befall you."

"Thank you, sir," I said.

"Now, I am aware of your mother's family inheritance. Have any of you received the gift of your mother's family?" he asked.

"Yes, My Lord," dad said. "It was Lyla."

"Really now? Isn't that interesting. Tell me, Lyla, what is your form?"

"I am a dragon, My Lord," I replied taking the cue from my father to call him My Lord.

"I would very much like to see that."

"If I were to show you my form, My Lord, it would be best if we go out into the yard."

"That isn't an option, child," he spat. "Going out into the open is a huge risk to my safety. Do you wish for me to be killed?" he raged.

I sank to my knees. "No, My Lord! I was merely saying that if I were to transform in here, I would cause damage to the house. It could be very dangerous and I do not wish to harm anyone in my transformation. I'm just looking out for everyone in here, My Lord, including you."

He seemed to calm at my words. "Thank you for your concern, child. You shall show me another time when we can find a safe location."

"Thank you, My Lord."

"Now, child, what do you know about your particular inheritance?" the Dark Lord asked.

"I don't know anything about it, My Lord. I would love to research it, but I'm afraid I don't have the time."

"Why do you not have the time?"

"I am very behind in my schooling, sir. Since my family did not raise me, I did not go to a school like Hogwarts. I know nothing about this world or culture."

"I will allow you to leave now so that you can do your research. For the rest of the summer, you are to study your school material during the day, and research your inheritance at night."

"Thank you, My Lord."

"You may leave," he dismissed me. I curtsied and left the room.

I made my way to the library and started looking through the bookshelves for anything that might have information on dragons. By the time I got through the creature section, I had a stack of books on a table in front of my chair. I set my computer up and got to work.

I was so immersed in my reading I didn't notice the time fly by. By the time I started getting tired, it was 6 in the morning and the sun was starting to come up. I had 20 pages of notes on my computer all about dragons. I learned that dragons are keepers of knowledge and they have mates. The books I read described the dragon mating process. I knew my mating would be different. The bad thing about that is I couldn't be prepared for what was going to happen.

Draco came in and wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind. "Shouldn't you get to bed?" he asked as he kissed me on my head.

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm heading there now. I just finished up my books."

"Do you want me to walk you up to your room?"

"No, I'll be fine. I need some time alone to think about what I've learned."

"Okay. Just know that I will be here for you."

I grabbed my computer and went up to my room. I put my computer on my desk and crawled into bed after changing into some pajamas.

I slowly opened my eyes later in the afternoon and tried to recall my dream.

I was walking the halls of a castle when I saw a black clad figure turning a corner. My curiosity was getting the best of me, so I followed him. He sped up and I did the same. He went through a door and it didn't shut all the way so I crept up and listened to what was being said inside.

"I can't believe that I am her mate," his deep voice said. My knees went weak just at the sound of his voice. "She is a student. How am I supposed to handle this?"

The image faded and I was in the library. I was going through and touching all the books and all the knowledge or stories inside the books were transported into my head. It was like I gained knowledge by just touching a book.

So, my mate was a dark man with a sexy deep voice. Well, that definitely rules out Draco. I went down to the library to start studying for school since I slept so late. It was at least one in the afternoon. I sat at a table and saw many books sitting there. Some included Miranda Goshawk's Standard Book of Spells, Bathilda Bagshot's A History of Magic, and Phullida Spore's One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. I sat down with a sigh and grabbed the first book. Just like in my dream, all the information was instantly in my head without even opening the book. I did the same with all the other books sitting on the table and the same thing happened.