"Well, don't you look gorgeous," Dave complimented Liana smiling. "You certainly clean up well."
"Thank you," Liana said actually blushing at the sincerity of Dave's words.
She had to admit she did look rather good. Her hair had been curled, until it hung in soft waves around her face and it was a deep chestnut brown that seemed to shine from whatever Brigid had done to it, as normally, it was rather dull or at least didn't have an inner shine to it.
She was wearing the fanciest dress she had ever had on her slim form that was no longer underweight like it had been for years, while she had lived on the street. The dress was a deep blue, that could be considered royal or nearly anyway and it barely went past her knees. Liana considered it scandalously short, but she also knew that this was the style now. She was wearing a necklace that had actually belonged to her mother and was one of the few possessions that she had kept from her past and also a bracelet that Brigid had loaned her that went well with the necklace.
The way that Dave was openly admiring her body made Liana blush all over again.
"Shall we go, gorgeous?" Dave asked, as he offered Liana his arm.
"Yes, we shall," Liana said taking his arm. She wasn't entirely sure what it was about this man that made her feel all flushed and made her want to act all giddy, like she supposed a school girl would feel in the midst of her first crush. She didn't know what a school girl crush felt like for sure of course, because she hadn't been at that age where most people started to get crushes on the opposite sex by the time her mother had been murdered. She had only been 12 after all, though she was well aware that some girls did develop a romantic interest in someone at that age, but she hadn't been one of them. To many things going on in her life for her to even think about such things and no man would have given her the time of day before, not in her ragged clothes and severely underweight frame.
Dave proudly escorted Liana to his car, and Liana could swear that his chest puffed out just a little bit more when he caught some residents of her apartment building gazing at her admiringly, not that there were many out and about. Those that saw her didn't seem to recognize her as someone that lived in the building, as she just looked to different. She supposed they weren't used to seeing her all dressed up.
Liana knew very well the male ego, as that was one thing she had learned and just like any man, human or supernatural Dave was proud to have such a beautiful woman as his date for the evening. It didn't matter that she considered herself average in looks at best, she knew Dave saw her as a beautiful woman, one he was proud to escort to his car.
"Here you go, gorgeous," Dave said, as he opened her door for her.
"Thank you," Liana said, as she got into the passenger seat and waited for Dave to close the door.
"You're quite welcome," Dave said giving her the power of his smile.
Oh, that smile, Liana thought. She wondered if Dave knew what a devastating affect his smile had on her and made her say yes, to dating him when she had been going to say no, no matter how attracted she had been.
He probably did, Liana thought cynically. After all, weren't men supposed to use their looks to get women to date them? She knew she was stereotyping as some men weren't like that, but Dave certainly used his smile and the twinkle in his eyes to devastating effect, on her at least. She couldn't help but wonder how many women Dave had used his looks on and suddenly she felt insanely jealous of those other women and she wasn't entirely sure why.
Dave drove the car expertly out of the parking lot and then casually started a conversation with his mate. It wasn't long before Liana had revealed more than she had ever had to anyone except for Brigid. Liana wondered how Dave had gotten so much information out of her because usually she was more on guard, but he had done so expertly, so expertly she hadn't even realized how much she had revealed at first. She hadn't told him anything that was really secret, but she had told him far more than she had intended. She was really going to have to watch what she told Dave until she was sure that she could trust him, as she had revealed too much already.
They arrived at the restaurant then and Liana stared in amazement, as it was certainly the fanciest she had ever been to. She'd heard of this place, but she had never been and didn't figure she'd ever eat here.
"My lady?" Dave asked politely from her side of the car, and Liana hadn't even seen him get out on his side or open her door for her, so she must've really been lost in her thoughts.
Liana took Dave's hand and he gently closed her door once she was standing beside him
"This way, I made a reservation," Dave said.
"I've never been anywhere so fancy," Liana said.
"Well, now, you have and we'll be doing this again at some point, so you better get used to it," Dave said with a charming grin.
Liana said nothing, though she could get used to going to such places very easily and she wasn't sure if she should.
Dave said nothing, even though he could see his mate just thinking that this relationship would never last and she didn't need to get used to being treated so royally. He would squash her doubts if it was the last thing he ever did, as he would never break up with her, though he was aware she could break up with him. If that happened he would do everything in her power to get her back.
Hopefully though, that wouldn't be necessary.
~~~Dave and Liana~~~
Several weeks later
Dave arrived at Liana's apartment when he knew she would be up for the day, carrying a bakery bag from his mate's favorite place.
Liana had relaxed in the last several weeks, but he could still sense a wariness about her, as if she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Dave had figured it was time to tell her his secret and Brigid had agreed. It had to do with something his daughter had seen, Dave knew.
Dave knew that Liana was still concerned about the men that were hunting her, would harm him or Brigid and while he could understand, he could protect himself and he had made sure that his daughter had the best protection he could provide. Liana didn't know that however, but he would tell her to assuage her fears. Brigid had told him how to get her to sit down and listen and how to make sure that she believed him, as his very existence depended on it and he knew it.
He knocked on the door and it was opened only a moment later. "Dave! I wasn't expecting you," Liana exclaimed. "Did I miss the fact that we had a date or something?"
"No, I just thought that we could spend the day together," Dave said smiling charmingly. "I brought your favorite."
Dave waved a bakery bag under her nose and Liana practically groaned in want, as she smelled the delicious aroma of fresh baked goods.
"You sure do know my weakness," Liana said, as she gestured him inside.
"Yeah, I do," Dave grinned.
"I loved these as a kid, but then for a long time I couldn't afford them," Liana said, as she took a bite of one of her favorite pastries.
"I'll be happy to bring you as many as you like," Dave offered.
"You know I've tried to replicate these and have failed. I'm not exactly sure how they make them," Liana said taking another bite.
"Everybody has their secrets," Dave offered.
"That's true," Liana said eyeing Dave curiously. "You sure have kept what kind of supernatural you are to yourself for a long time. I don't understand what the big secret is. I have to admit I've been insanely curious. Why the mystery? The only thing I can figure is that you're afraid I'm going to run away from you once I find that out. I think it's totally unfair that you know a lot about my past, but I know almost nothing about yours. I don't even know how old you really are. There are rumors of course."
"Yes, I'm aware of the rumors," Dave said calmly, "and they're nowhere near the truth. Some of them are so exaggerated that it's ridiculous."
"So am I finally got to find out what kind of supernatural you are?" Liana asked curiously.
"Yes, but only if you promise not to say anything until I'm done with my explanation. What I'm going to tell you is going to sound rather far-fetched, but I promise you it's the truth. I want you to promise me you'll actually listen to me and do not dismiss what I'm about to say without proof."
"Wow! This secret must be a doozy," Liana said, as she eyed Dave rather warily again.
"I suppose it is," Dave said. "Or at least it is to most people."
"Okay, why don't we go sit down and you can tell me what you've been to keeping such a deep dark secret. I have to admit that Brigid trusts you, which says a lot, as she's very careful about what information she gives to other people, so I have to take her opinion into account."
"Yes, Brigid is a very intelligent and careful young woman," Dave agreed. What Dave didn't say was that he had raised her to be so, because he knew very well that people could be very duplicitous and deceitful.
"She said that you'd been friends for a long time," Liana said.
"That's very true," Dave agreed.
"And she knows your secret," Liana added.
"Yes, she does," Dave agreed.
"I can understand actually, you've known her for a long time," Liana admitted. "Whatever kind of supernatural you are you don't want many people to know."
"No, I don't," Dave agreed, happy that his mate was so intelligent.
"So you going to tell me or not?" Liana asked, as she ate the last of her pastry, enjoying every bite.
"Why don't we go sit down first," Dave suggested. He gently led Liana into what passed for her living room.
"Alright, I'm sitting down now," Liana said, once she had taken a seat on the couch that she had found at a secondhand store. All her furniture was secondhand actually, as she really couldn't afford anything new or at least she couldn't have before Dave had been so generous, but new furniture wasn't exactly a priority.
Dave took an invisible breath and then begin to tell her exactly what he had been keeping from her.
Liana shook her head several times in denial, but she sat there and listened just to she promised Dave she would
"What you're telling me is impossible," Liana said. "Dragons were supposed to die out hundreds of years ago."
"Don't you recognize the falsity in that statement?" Dave asked calmly. "Think about what you said."
Liana did what he asked, even as she wanted to leap up, call Dave crazy and throw him out of her small apartment.
"Do you really think I would tell you that I'm one of the last dragons if I wanted you to trust me, if it wasn't true?" Dave asked after a few minutes of rather tense silence.
Dave had made a rather good point, Liana admitted.
"Supposed to," Liana said suddenly. "They were supposed to have all been killed, several hundred years ago."
"Exactly, supposed to," Dave said. "The dragons started that rumor themselves, as their population was getting rather low due to dragon hunters. There are not many of us left or at least there wasn't centuries ago. Unfortunately, dragons are very valuable, because they can be used as potions ingredients in both light and dark potions. Our skin for example is nearly impervious to magic. Somebody could make a suit of armor out of our skin and they would be protected from virtually anything. Of course it doesn't make them invulnerable as they're ways to get around that, but still..."
"It would be very hard to kill someone that was wearing something like that," Liana said quietly.
"Exactly," Dave agreed. "I won't say that dragons aren't still extremely rare, but we still do exist we've just been more careful for the last few centuries. We tell very few people that we're still around. I would say at the time we were close to extinction that there were no more than 30, maybe 40 of us left. I'm sure that number has grown quite a bit over the last few hundred years, but that doesn't mean that our population isn't still relatively small compared to other species, particularly humans "
"There's also the fact that your blood is very magical and extremely powerful," Liana said quietly. "It can be used for any number of things, not all of them good."
"Which is another reason we went into hiding," Dave said. "I'm not against donating a little blood to a worthy cause, but I don't want it to be used in some sort of dark spell that kills a lot of supernaturals or even humans. I, at least, have been very careful about when I transform and I haven't transformed in quite awhile."
"Will you transform for me to prove what you say?" Liana asked quietly, her expression and body language unreadable. Dave nodded slowly.
"I will, but not here as there just isn't room for one thing. I'm quite huge in my dragon form," Dave said. "Probably at least eight or nine times the size I am in my human form, maybe even more."
"We can go somewhere more private for that," Liana agreed. "After you do prove it to me I want to know why you told me this, as really, we haven't known each other all that long at all."
"There is a very good reason I told you," Dave agreed easily, "and yes, I will tell you as soon as I provide proof that I'm not lying."
"I also want to know what Brigid has to do with you as you both have said that you've known each other for a long time."
"That's easily explained," Dave said. "She's my daughter."
"Your daughter?" Liana asked truly startled.
"Before you say anything, I should say she's my adopted daughter. I found her as a babe, practically on my doorstep. She was abandoned and I took her in," Dave explained. "I raised her from the time she was no more than a few months old."
"Which explains why you're so close," Liana said slowly, as she tried to absorb what she had learned.
"Yes," Dave said. "I never officially adopted her, because I didn't want to bring attention to the fact that she had been abandoned. I thought she might have relatives that were looking for her for less than savory purposes. I didn't know you see and while I tried to do some investigating quietly I really didn't have much information to go on so it was really impossible. I named her Brigid, which means born in flames. I thought it was a rather appropriate name considering that I'm a dragon and it's also the name of a goddess in pre-Christian Ireland and who is a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Sidhe or elves in other words. It's an ancient and powerful name."
"It's definitely an appropriate name for the daughter of a dragon," Liana said. "Brigid sure does know how to keep a secret."
"She knew what was at stake if she said anything to the wrong person or even if somebody who didn't have good intentions overheard her," Dave said quietly.
"So when would you like to do this demonstration," Liana asked.
"Anytime you like," Dave said. "I have the perfect place to take you for that demonstration you want."
"How far away?" Liana asked.
"A couple of hours," Dave said. "It's out in the countryside and nobody lives close by."
"You sure do live far way," Liana commented.
"It's just the place I go when I want privacy. I have a place here in the city too," Dave explained shrugging.
"Two different places?" Liana asked. "You must be pretty well-off, but I suppose you're a dragon, so you have treasure somewhere."
"Maybe I'll show you some time," Dave said and Liana stared at him in amazement.
"You'll show me where you keep your treasure? That's a lot of trust. You barely know me," said Liana her voice amazed.
"There is a reason," Dave reminded Liana gently.
"I'll be very interested to hear what that reason is," Liana said.
"You will," Dave promised, with a charming smile, making Liana weak in the knees.
"Alright, for some reason, I trust you and not just because Brigid says I can," Liana said. "I'm not entirely sure why, which makes me uncomfortable, but for now, you have my trust on a conditional basis."
"I'm glad you do," Dave said quietly really wanting to take the woman he loved in his arms, but knew it was too soon for such a move. He didn't want to scare Liana off. "Even if at the moment that trust is conditional."
"Well, if you prove what you say I'll trust you a little more," Liana said. She didn't have to tell Dave that if he betrayed her, her trust would be totally broken, as Dave was an intelligent man and knew that she was rather careful about trusting anyone.
Considering what Dave knew of her past he couldn't really blame her for that.
"It took Brigid forever to gain my complete trust but now she's my best friend," Liana added.
"I know she told me all about it," Dave said. "Why don't you meet me in an hour. This will be an overnight trip, if that's okay with you."
"Is it really going to take you that long to show me your true form?" Liana asked.
"It's not that so much, it's just that it's a long trip out there and it's already early afternoon. It would just be easier to spend the night there and come back in the morning or we can put off showing you my form," Dave explained.
Liana nearly groaned at that, but she did understand Dave's point. It was the weekend so she didn't have to return to work until Monday, but if they didn't go today then they wouldn't have enough time to go and come back, because it was already early Saturday evening. Dave had said it was a couple of hours drive one way, which meant four hours altogether. While that wasn't precisely a long trip Liana couldn't afford to miss work on Monday or she'd be fired, so they would have to leave today. Unless of course, she wanted to wait until next weekend, which was a big no.
"Alright," Liana agreed. "I'll meet you at the café around the corner in an hour. I'm assuming you don't have to pack a bag."
"No, I have clothes at my place," Dave agreed. "I even have a shaving kit and toothbrush."
"Alright then, I'll meet you in an hour," Liana said and Dave took that for the hint it was and left her to pack.
Liana's stared at the door after Dave had left and wondered why she had believed him so easily, as normally, she was a very suspicious person.
Well, she figured it was one of those situations where she would be provided proof or Dave would prove himself a liar, which she didn't see happening, as it was clear he was hoping for a more serious relationship, something she wouldn't provide unless she trusted him completely.
~~~Dave and Liana~~~