Chapter 1
David Rossi stepped out of the door of the post office where he had just mailed a letter and almost ran into a young woman with gray eyes. He stared at her and saw that couldn't be more than 25. Her gray eyes were nearly glowing and the only reason he knew the color was because she had removed her cheap sunglasses, the kind with plastic frames and lenses. She also had long black hair, was small and slender, no more than five foot three. Her glowing eyes meant she had magic, which meant that he probably wouldn't have to go to the trouble of explaining or demonstrating. That his protective instincts reared up strongly was not a surprise since this young woman was his mate, the one that a seer had predicted he would find many centuries ago.
"What is your name my lady?" Dave asked courteously mastering his surprise, and shock quickly then introduced himself. "I am David Rossi."
"I am Livia Hawthorne, David Rossi and I knew we would meet."
Livia was calm not seeming frightened or scared, which was very good in Dave's opinion. Of course, if this Livia Hawthorne had known they would meet, as that meant she was also a seer or maybe an oracle as there were various methods to see the future, but that also meant she would not be frightened when they finally did meet. The glowing silver white eyes were also a dead giveaway as to her ability to see what happened in the future and also her words about how she had known they would meet. There was a certain veracity to her words that told Dave she was speaking nothing but the truth
"Perhaps we can go somewhere and talk," Dave suggested in a calm tone of voice. He was struggling to contain his emotions, his inner dragon who just wanted to swoop in and take his mate into his arms like she was some kind of treasure. "I won't harm you I swear."
"I know that already," Livia pronounced. "I've seen us talking at some kind of eating venue, one that looks very casual."
"There is a Mexican place across the street in the strip mall," Dave suggested.
"That sounds like what I've seen," Livia agreed calmly. "Lead the way."
Dave immediately turned around and headed across the little street that separated the strip mall from the post office.
The two of them were soon sitting in a booth that was over in a corner and as a private as you could expect in a casual restaurant of this type.
"So you know who I am?" Dave began once they had looked at the menu and given their orders to the waitress.
"I didn't know your name not until you gave it to me in the parking lot outside the post office," Livia said. "As for your face that is an entirely different thing."
"So that means that you're a seer or an oracle," Dave said. "So how long...?"
Dave didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence before Livia was answering him.
"Since I was about 13," Livia answered causing Dave to fall silent.
"That's usually when such powers emerge," Dave said and Livia nodded taking a bite of her meal as soon as the waitress delivered it.
"I didn't know that at the time. I thought I had a brain anomaly. I grew up in foster care and the social workers took me to numerous doctors every time I had a vision in front of them or one of my numerous foster families who then reported me to social services. I had no idea that the supernatural existed at the time. I was prescribed medication that suppressed the visions and so long as I remembered to take them they mostly worked. Sometimes though the medicine wasn't strong enough to block the vision if it really wanted to show me something. By the time I was 17 I'd had enough and took too many pills on purpose, almost the whole bottle," Livia said her voice emotionless.
"You wanted to die," Dave said barely hiding shudder at that revelation. For his mate to want to take her life was absolutely horrifying, though from what she had just said he could understand why she had as she hadn't known that she hadn't had a brain anomaly like she had been told by regular doctors since she had grown up in foster care.
If Livia had succeeded in dying, then he never would've met her his mate as she would have been already buried somewhere. He was extremely grateful that Livia hadn't succeeded with her plan. Thinking of his mate, dying to where they never met at all absolutely terrified him, as he never would have known what he was missing since Livia would've been dead and buried years ago. Dave tried his best not to let his thoughts show in his expression or body language, but he wasn't sure how successful he was.
"I wasn't really thinking of death, more of sleep and dreamlessness from my delusions," Livia corrected. "Of oblivion. If I had been thinking of death, I might not have gone through with it, but that thought never entered my mind. I suppose, I just didn't connect the dots that that's what oblivion meant and that was death."
"Well, you obviously survived the experience or you wouldn't be sitting here. Believe me, I am more grateful than I can say that you did not succeed in ending your life, even if you weren't thinking of death, but oblivion when you took those pills," Dave said more relieved then he hoped he let on. "So what happened if you don't mind telling me."
"I was found by the house mother, when I didn't come down for breakfast, as I lived in one the residences that were set aside for older foster kids. It was only a few months before I aged out of the system. I just wanted peace you know?"
"I do know," Dave said with a nod. "Sometimes children see no recourse, but to take their lives, though in your case you thought you were delusional and had mental issues, that you were broken. I know very well that the foster system is a rough place for a child to be placed, because their parents are dead and they have no living relatives."
Livia nodded in complete agreement seeing that Dave did understand that the foster care system was a rough place for a child to grow up.
"I woke up in the hospital with all these machines beeping around my hospital bed. I was hooked up to more tubes then I've ever seen before, but once I was conscious the nurse, who was a witch and could read auras, was very kind to me. She realized from my medical records that I probably had no idea that I wasn't normal, but I also wasn't delusional like I had believed for so many years, because that's what the doctors had always told me. She explained that I was seer. Since she could look at my medical records she saw what kind of medication the doctors had prescribed, also my unusual eyes and aura gave her a big clue as to what kind of paranormal I was. Apparently, I have an aura of silvery blue and humans are pure white
"After I was released from the hospital and had recovered we met for lunch and we talked for hours. We became friends after that and still are to this day. Alifair was so understanding when I told her I'd been in the foster care system since I was a baby. Of course, since she had seen my medical records she had to have seen that there were no parents listed."
"So what happened to your parents or at least your mother?" Dave asked
"I was told by one of the first social worker that looked after me that my mother died in a car crash, and then I was found in the backseat, in a car seat. My mother had ID in her pocket as she had no purse so they knew my last name. As for my first name though, it was given to me by that my first social worker."
"So you don't know who your father was?" Dave asked though it wasn't really a question."
"I have no idea," Livia shrugged. "Alifair, has said that seers usually run through the female line and so was likely my mother that had the gift."
Livia took a sip of the drink she had ordered.
"Your friend is absolutely right, that seers do tend to run through the female line, though males have been known to get a weaker version of it, but I've never heard of a really powerful one," Dave said taken the last bite out of his meal.
Unlike so many places this Mexican place certainly gave you your monies worth.
"Perhaps we can talk some more back at my place," Dave suggested. "That is if you trust me to not harm you. We could drive together or you can meet me there and I'll give you directions."
"I don't have a car," Livia said. "At least a regular size car. I did buy a motorhome from a guy who was selling it at a very good price. It's still in excellent shape. It's from 1965. It's parked at the RV park, but it's really too big to park in anyone's driveway, as it would block everything else and I would also have to go pick it up as I took the bus."
"I can drop you back off at the RV park after we're done talking if you like," Dave offered. "That way you wouldn't have to take the bus back. That's only if the bus line is still running when we're done talking as it might be late enough that they are closed for the night."
"That sounds fine," Livia agreed without argument. "I know you would never hurt me."
"No, I never will, not intentionally anyway, as you are now my life," Dave swore softly, as he smiled and kissed the back of Livia's hand then rose and offered his mate his hand.
Livia took it with with no hesitation and a small smile. She used the leverage of Dave holding her hand provided to rise gracefully to her feet following him out of the restaurant.
~~~Dave and Livia~~~
"So what do you think?" Dave asked Livia once they had arrived at his place of residence.
"Oh, Dave this is so gorgeous!" Livia said once she looked at the place and Dave called home that was too big to be called just a house and was more like a castle. It was made of different colored stones and also different styles which meant it had been updated during different historical periods. "I can't believe you live here, as there must be room for 50 people."
"Thank you for the compliment," Dave smiling in pride at his mate's positive response at her first sight of his home. "This place has been in my family for many centuries. I'm the only one left here in Montréal though."
Dave led the way in to his home and Livia looked around. "This is really nice and it looks like it's been modernized, but you kept the old-fashioned look at the same time."
"Yes, it has been modernized. I had electricity put in as soon as it was invented, also air conditioning and heat. I also had the wiring updated every time new technology is available to stop the power from going out on a regular basis from overloaded circuits."
"I bet this place cost a fortune for just the utilities alone," Livia said shaking her head in amazement as Dave gave her a tour.
"I won't say you're wrong," Dave said. "There are also problems especially doing bad storms where the power can go out for hours or days despite all the updates to the wiring. I just put it down to the fact that this house is ancient and built long before electricity was available."
"I would think you would buy something more modern and either sell this place or just leave it," Livia suggested.
"This place has been home of the Rossis ever since Canada was discovered in 1497," Dave explained. "While I don't necessarily disagree about buying something more modern the Rossis have many secrets hidden in this house, which you will learn about eventually. For one thing, you know I am a dragon shifter, correct? I am assuming that you seen me in my transformed state in your visions."
"Yeah, I have," Livia agreed calmly. "I'm assuming you have a point of bringing it up considering we just met today."
"Yeah, I do," Dave agreed smiling. "The point I was trying to make is in this house there is a huge room on the next level where I can transform into my dragon form. It is basically just an empty room. While I don't need to transform every day I'm really do every few months at least, as it relieves the pressure if I transform into my dragon form every once in a while. Occasionally, the dragon within me, wants to be free of my human body and it's easier just to transform then to resist. Their aren't many places I can transform safely without anybody seeing me, as in my dragon form I'm quite enormous. I'd be easily visible at quite a distance if I transformed outside where anybody could see me, which is why I transform in that room I mentioned sometimes. It's private and nobody can see me in my natural state unless I allow them into my home."
"I see," Livia said. "I suppose, I don't have a right to say anything, as I am living in a old mobile home from the 1960s. The difference is though, that it doesn't take much money to keep up and while the power can go out when I am hooked up to a park's power I don't have many of the problems you probably do in this mausoleum. Still, I do understand and if you have the money to keep this place up, and deal with any problems or needed repairs and then more power to you."
"Money isn't a problem, as in this case, the Rossi name comes with enough wealth to handle any problems or repairs," Dave said. "Also, I'm often not home, as I'm traveling the world. I just got back into town actually, when we ran into each other outside the post office. I know we've just met, but I'm hoping eventually, you'll agree to travel with me whenever I go on one of my trips. It would really make it much more enjoyable to have you with me."
"I have no objections to that, as I know now that we were fated to meet," Livia said. "Ever since Alifair, explained that I wasn't delusional and I stopped taking the medicine the doctors prescribed, I've stopped getting massive headaches."
"I bet that was a relief to learn that you weren't delusional," Dave said, even as he led Livia into a part of the house that actually looked lived in.
"It was, but it took me awhile to really absorb and accept it," Livia agreed smiling.
"No wonder, you thought you were a human with a mental problem that doctor's couldn't really identify. Those doctors of course were human, though I won't say supernatural doctors don't exist, because after all you met a nurse who was a witch who could see auras. We stay under the radar, so its doubtful that any paranormal works for the government in that kind of position," Dave said.
"I have learned a lot about the paranormal world ever since I met Alifair," Livia said.
"I would love to meet her sometime, but that can wait," Dave said. "I think it's much more important we get to know each other better first."
"I already know a lot about you just from my visions, though I do understand that you don't know hardly anything about me, except my name and the fact that I am a seer," Livia said, as she looked around the room they were now in.
"And some of your history. I know that you're an orphan and that you were found in the backseat of your mother's car after a car crash that killed her. I know that you took too many of the pills the doctors prescribed to you in order to get relief from what you thought were your delusions. I can guess that it was quite a relief too learn that you weren't delusional and that your brain wasn't as broken as you imagined it was that it was simply your gift starting to develop," Dave said. "We might not know a lot about each other yet, but to me that doesn't really matter, just that you're my mate. Do you know what that?"
"It means we'll be together for years to come," Livia said
"Essentially yes, except let me correct you. We'll be together for the rest of our lives not just years, but centuries."
"But I won't live that long," Livia pointed out logically, "so how can we be together for so long?"
"There is a way," Dave began. "It is mainly used by dragon shifters when they have found their mates who aren't dragon shifters themselves, which is of course a rare occurrence. When that mate isn't another dragon, there is a potion that can be prepared. Some of the ingredients are rare and expensive but that doesn't matter to me. All that matters is your agreement to join with me, to be my mate, my partner and my lover throughout the rest of our lives."
"This is something I didn't know about this world, but I suppose, that isn't really surprising considering that I grew up thinking I was human until I was 17, nearly 18," Livia said.
"It isn't well-known, except among my species," Dave explained. "It is not exactly a secret per se, just that other species don't care about anybody except their own for the most part, so don't bother to learn about any others."
"Alifair, isn't like that," Livia said.
"I said most of them, not everyone," Dave said. "Most of the other paranormal's only care about their species problems not any others unless they're a friend. The different species have been known to work together when necessary when a problem involves more then one particular type of paranormal, but that doesn't mean there isn't tension on a normal basis between the different species. Just think about the fact that humans don't always get along and then just imagine the same problem among the different species."
"That makes sense," Livia admitted.
She was learning a lot even as Dave and her sat on the comfortable sofa that was in the living area that was clear was actually used. There was a newspaper on one corner of the coffee table that looked like it had been read and a woven blanket thrown across the back of the couch, just little signs of life that made a room look actually lived in. There was also what looked like a burn on a cushion of the leather sofa where some kind of flame had caused the burn spot.
"Unlike most of the house this section looks like it's actually being put to use," Livia said.
"This is one of the rooms I actually use on a regular basis," Dave said. "I use one of the bedrooms upstairs and a guest room is available for you whenever you want to stay over, but really I only use certain parts of this gigantic castle. I use this room what would be considered the master bedroom, the den, which has a TV, the library and that's about it."
"I thought I would be sleeping with you," Livia said.
"Sure if you want to, but I thought that we should get to know each other better first before we get to that step," Dave said. "Didn't your visions show our relationship."
"Certain parts of it yes, but I didn't see everything, Alifair said that's the way the talent works. That the future gives you clues, but not a complete map."
"From what I know that is right," Dave agreed.
"You seem to know a lot about how my talent works," Livia said curiously. "Didn't you just say that mostly others stuck to their own species?"
"And I spoke the truth," Dave said. "However, I've been around for a very long time, so I have friends who're not dragon shifters, so I have picked up a lot of different facts about the different species over the centuries. Just because most species tend to stick to their own doesn't mean that those same species don't interact at all as that would be impossible. Every supernatural is told at least the basics of the other species when they are young. A lot of supernaturals don't care to mix with others and so long as they do no harm or cause no trouble then that's just fine. Just think about your friend who is a nurse at a normal hospital not one for the supernaturals. Your friend has a regular job and works among the humans. I'm assuming she uses her powers to help them as much as she can without getting in trouble, but that's just an assumption not fact."
"Alifair told me once that she went into the profession, because she wanted to help others and so went to college to get her degree. I'm not sure if she does use her powers to help her patients, but I would think, that would get her in some serious trouble by whoever governs the paranormals."
"It would get her in trouble with the leader of the witches definitely," Dave said. "You're friend probably doesn't have much power, not that there's anything wrong with that, but she's probably just a minor hedgewitch and I hate to say it, but those with strong abilities tend to ignore those with more minor powers unless they deign to take notice. There are exceptions to the rule, but if she was discovered using what abilities she had to help her human patients get better she could definitely be in serious trouble if it was discovered."
"Well, let's hope that she's not using her powers then and that she is helping her patients the normal human way, because I would hate to see her get in trouble. I mean, I'm assuming she took a big risk telling me about the supernatural world whether she was sure that I was just like her or not."
"Not as much of a risk as you think so long as it could be proven that you were one of them and until it was proven, her butt would be in the fire," Dave said. "Of course, there would be an inquiry and quite a bit of trouble, before all was said and done."
"Let's hope that doesn't happen then," Livia said
"I hope not for your friend's sake," Dave said.
"I was told years ago though and I haven't said a word to anyone so I would think that would be a point in her favor," Livia said.
"Possibly, I can't really predict what others would do, especially since I've never met them, but it doesn't really matter at the moment," Dave said. "While I would like to meet you friend at some point, I think we need to concentrate on getting to know each other better at least for right now."
"Sounds fine," Livia agreed. "I won't see her again until next week, as we've already had our lunch together, just before we met for this week."
"Have you even told your friend about me?" Dave asked.
"While I didn't even know your name before you introduced yourself outside the post office she knows about the tall dark handsome man with a beard has been in my visions ever since my power first started to manifest. She's one of the few I showed the images I drew of you before I sold them, so she knows what you look like."
"At least she won't be surprised when we finally do meet then even if she doesn't know my name just as you didn't until I introduced myself," Dave said smiling, as he hadn't enjoyed himself so much in a long time. "What about some dinner, as it is around that time?"
"I had no idea it was that late," Livia said, as she looked at her cheap watch. "We've been talking for hours and I didn't even realize it. In fact, I haven't had a single vision since we met outside the post office, but sometimes I don't get them for a few weeks at least, so perhaps it isn't so surprising, though certainly convenient."
"I bet you're glad for the break," Dave said.
Dave looked at his mate's watch without Livia, noticing and silently swore to replace it with something better as it was clear it was cheap and ill made, and those kinds of watches never lasted very long. It probably hadn't cost more than $20 and such watches broke usually within a year or so, as they weren't meant to last very long and this forced, the owner of such a cheap watch to buy a new one much sooner than if they had a more expensive one. Considering Livia lack of funds, even a $20 watch must've been expensive for her, especially if she had to replace it every year.
"Yeah, I am, but I can simply be fixing a meal or I'll be out shopping when one comes up suddenly. I can usually stall long enough to get somewhere where I can sit down, even if that's on the bench outside the grocery store or if there is a park or something nearby I'll go there."
"And you can see your surroundings when in the midst of a vision?" Dave asked concerned
"Vaguely," Livia answered. "Certainly well enough to get somewhere to sit down and not be run over by a vehicle of some kind, though I know I look rather spaced out with my weird silver eyes glowing. I've heard people comment that I looked as if I was on some kind of drug when I go into a vision where anybody can see me with my weird spaced out look."
"It's why you wear sunglasses even when there's no sun," Dave realized having wondered why Livia had been wearing sunglasses when it was a cloudy day. "Too hide your eyes from humans when they start to glow, since you can go into a vision at any time..."
"Even when I'm not in the midst of a vision the weird eyes still put people off, since they are so unusual," Livia said. "Sometimes I stare at people who annoy me without my glasses and they quickly sputter to a stop and give some excuse to leave as quickly as possible."
"It intimidates them," Dave chuckled.
"It's a trick that I learned early while in foster care and it told people I wanted to be left alone, that I didn't want to be questioned about my past. It also scared most of the bullies so they didn't bother me, except on rare occasions."
"But being in the residence there were rules I'm sure about bullying," Dave suggested.
"True, if they got caught they were given just three warnings and then they were transferred, but since you had to apply for a place in one of those residences there really wasn't much bullying going on, so it was mostly when you were out in public. I was lucky, I know that, I got a place in one of the residences, as space is limited and there is a long waiting list."
"So what do you want for dinner?" Dave asked, his stomach growling letting him know he was hungry.
"It doesn't really matter I'll eat about anything," Livia shrugged. "I'm not picky, as you either ate what they put in front of you in the residence or you bought your own if you had some money you'd earned yourself."
"Or you went hungry," Dave guessed.
"Missing one meal never killed anyone," Livia shrugged. "Some of the residents were picky eaters, so they had to get their own food or go hungry. Me, I started to find ways to earn my own money when I was on my own, so sometimes I bought my own food If I didn't like what they were serving for a meal, which didn't happen often, just occasionally."
"You don't need to worry about that anymore unless you just want to continue doing whatever it is the earn money, which I won't mind in the least. I'm not about to try to curtail your freedom to earn your own money if that's what you want to do. Of course, if you want to quit whatever job you have I have plenty of money to support us and any children we have," Dave said. "If it's something you enjoy doing I don't have a problem with it, though I don't see you working a 9 to 5 job, because of your visions."
"I like to feel useful, so I think I'll continue the way I've been, but since I've gotten my visions ever since I was 13 I don't see them stopping permanently as much as I might want them to," Livia said then explained before Dave could ask. "You were right about me not working a 9-to-5 job in a physical location, as that just wouldn't be possible, because of my visions can come upon me at any time, which prevents me from having a regular job, as I would just be fired when I kept having visions at work. It's not like my visions care what I'm doing when they want to show me something, don't care that I need to make a living. I set up a website called Livia's Memories and I draw my visions, as it's a compulsion that seems to be part of my ability. For a long time, it was my form of therapy that one of my many doctors introduced me to, as the vision seems to be purged from my mind once I have then down on paper. Each drawing is done in pencil and sells for hundreds of dollars apiece. I can fill entire sketchbooks without even realizing it when I start to draw. Of course, some of those drawings aren't sellable like the surroundings of whatever I'm drawing, but a lot of it is, especially of all people I now know exists somewhere, but have never met."
"I'll make sure I keep a lot sketchbooks on hand and also boxes of pencils," Dave promised accepting the information without even blinking.
"You'd better get quite a few as I can use at least a dozen in the course of the week and that's at a minimum," Livia warned. "I haven't surprised you with how my talent operates."
Livia observed this calmly, even as she studied Dave to see he wasn't shocked by her revelations.
"Even paranormal's with the same sort of talents can have it operate in different ways," Dave explained simply.
His tone of voice was just as calm as hers had been.
"I've known a seers that got visions when they slept and not at any other time and others do it through reading tarot cards. Seers aren't really common, but I've been around long enough to have met several over the centuries. They tend to run in certain families mostly through the female line, as has already been said earlier."
"I'm actually glad it's not common, as I think it's a rather troublesome gift and can be a pain," Livia said.
"But most seers grow up amongst their family who have at least one member with the same talent so they can be trained," Dave said. "Still yes, it can be a very troublesome talent, even for those that are trained from the time that powers start to emerge. Still, those seers learn how to handle it for the most part anyway."
"While I had no one and the one time I tried to tell one of my foster mother's about my gift, she just thought I had a vivid imagination or something," Livia said. "At least she didn't think I was crazy, that was something I suppose."
"Most children do, so I'm not surprised that your foster mother would think that," Dave said.
"Well the family sent me back into the system because they claimed my attitude changed after I revealed my visions. I never did so again, as I learned my lesson about talking about them the first time. I was already labeled as a weird kid that had delusions by the system."
"A system that just did not understand you. They didn't understand that you were special," Dave said simply, as he took Livia into his arms for the first time and hugged her and gently rubbing her back soothingly.
"Let's go get some dinner we can talk more later," Livia finally said taking great comfort in Dave's gentle, protective embrace, in his gentle hug. There was nothing sexual about Dave's embrace just comfort and protection.
It wasn't even that Dave wasn't interested in sex, but though their relationship was just beginning Livia knew that Dave loved her completely visions and all and so would be patient to get to that portion of their relationship.
"I would love to cook for you sometime, but not tonight, as we're both tired," Dave said.
"You can actually cook?" Livia teased him lightheartedly, seeming to have recovered from her early revelations.
"Yeah, I'll fix a meal for you later," Dave agreed smiling at Livia's lighthearted teasing tone. "After dinner, I'll drive you back to the RV park. We can talk more tomorrow."
The two discussed what they wanted for dinner and then Dave called the place he knew where the food was good.
The two waited in comfortable silence for it to arrive and Livia realized suddenly that she was more comfortable with David Rossi then she had been with nearly everyone else that she had ever met including the last social worker who had tried her best to help her.
~~~Dave and Livia~~~