Theo
Theo bristled when he heard the knock on the door of his mansion hidden in the mountains outside of Las Vegas. Only one person in the world dared intrude upon his solitude.
“Germaine. How are you?” Theo asked, opening the door to his friend.
“I’m well. And you?” Germaine asked.
“Getting by. I was just taking a nap,” Theo said.
“When aren’t you sleeping?”
“You know I’m just waiting for death to come so I can be with Savannah again,” Theo said, referring to his mate who had died more than two hundred years ago in the great war.
“Savannah would want you to live and embrace life,” Germaine said.
“So, what’s the occasion for the visit?” Theo asked, brushing his dark hair out of his face, eager to change the subject.
“I’m sure you remember there is a clan ritual coming up in a few days. You do plan to attend, yes?” Germaine asked.
Theo heaved a huge sigh and closed his eyes. Attending a social event was the last thing he wanted to do. He really preferred to be left alone. He briefly thought about hiding out in one of the thousands of places he had all over the world. However, he knew that would go over like a ton of bricks with the elders.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll be there,” Theo grunted.
They talked for a few more minutes, and then Germaine left.
The rituals of his dragon clan were very significant to them. The only reasonable excuse for not going was to be on your deathbed. Even then, you should get someone to wheel you into the event.
This was even more true for Theo since he was one of the most powerful members of his clan. When there was a ritual or some other event, attendance was mandatory.
Theo watched Germaine leave and closed the door after him. Germaine had been his only friend for a long time. He was the only person who hadn’t constantly pressed Theo to find another mate and start living again. Germaine left him alone, although he did check in on Theo once in a while.
Theo O’Pry stood six foot four and had a thick head of hair. He usually had a short, scruffy mustache and beard that women found irresistible. However, he wasn’t interested in any women since his beloved Savannah died.
He had been calmly waiting for death for the past two hundred years, preferring to spend his time sleeping in his dragon form. He had no interest in participating in life. He had several very profitable companies, which he had turned over to the clan leaders to run for him. He just waited for the time when he could be with Savannah.
The bad thing was that at four hundred years old, he was still a relatively young dragon. He could live centuries longer.
Restless, Theo walked outside and breathed in the fresh smell of pine. He thought about what Germaine said. Savannah would have wanted him to enjoy life. She would have wanted him to take the leadership role in the clan that was rightfully his.
He had to admit that Savannah would have even wanted him to find love again. He had tried about a hundred years ago. Yet, every female he held had Savannah’s face and her voice. He could only hear the thoughts in his mind that he had betrayed her by looking at another woman. He found no joy in searching for another mate.
Theo could imagine the nagging but well meaning voices of the elders and others telling him that he needed to assume his duties in the clan. That two hundred years was long enough to mourn for the woman he loved.
He would give his right wing to avoid going to the ritual ceremony. That wouldn’t work anyway. They would expect him to get his one winged butt there.
Theo sniffed the air. There was something – different. He sensed danger lurked close by. It wasn’t necessarily going to strike today or even tomorrow, but it was coming fast and hard.
He shook his head and told himself it was simply his morose mood that made him think this. His mansion was hidden among the trees in the middle of acres and acres of mountain land that he owned. He had purposely created stories of darkness and evil that thrived in the area to keep humans away. It seemed to have worked because the only people he had seen getting close were Germaine and Ivan, the clan elder, who was his grandfather.
A few years ago, some drunk teenagers had dared to come close to his private land. One by one, he had captured them in the darkness and tied them up in a clearing. He made their binds loose enough for them to get out.
The only thing they had seen of him was his glowing red eyes. The kids told the story of how they had been attacked and were going to be burned alive in a huge fire pit, but they managed to escape from the demon that had tied them up. They reported that the demon chased them all the way down the mountain, stopping at the stream because it wasn’t able to cross running water.
None of that was true, but hey, if it kept people away, he didn’t care what kind of story they told.
He was ready for another nap. He figured he could sleep for the next few days until it was time for the ritual, and then he could get up, go, then come back and take another nap.
However, as he turned to go into his mansion, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and a chill race down his spine. He couldn’t shake the feeling that danger was imminent.
