Page 40 of Taught By the Dragon
He chuckled. “We all have our faults.” He gently kicked his good foot against hers. “So, tell me what happened.”
Sighing, she turned to lean next to him, against the counter. “I think I made Percy mad. But I wasn’t trying to do it. I just wanted to help her, and she shouted at me.” She bit her lip and then added, “Part of me thinks I should leave her alone. And yet, she always looks so sad and lonely and in need of a friend. I don’t know what to do, Dad.”
He studied his daughter’s profile a second, and his dragon spoke up.Tell her some more about her mum. It might help her understand.
Bronx had always said Violet was too young, that someday she could handle the truth. But Violet was only a few years younger than Edith had been when Bronx found her. Only five years younger than Percy.
And yes, both of those females had suffered a lot more and grown up fast. However, if he continued to think of his daughter as a little girl and treat her as such, it would most likely drive her away at some point.
Sighing, he looked forward again. Not looking into her eyes made it easier to talk. “It was the same with your mother, in the early days.” He heard Violet suck in a breath, but he didn’t look at her. If he wanted to finish, he couldn’t be distracted. “You know she was hurt when I found her hiding in an abandoned boat shed, not far from Stonefire. However, what I never shared was that she’d been badly beaten by her bastard former boyfriend.”
Violet gasped. “What?”
He crossed his arms over his chest and gripped his arms. “Yes. She hadn’t made dinner the way he wanted, and he hit her repeatedly until she passed out.” He gripped his arms tighter. “As soon as he left for work the next day, she fled with little more than the clothes on her back. Since he kept most of the money tightly in his control, she could only afford a train ticket as far as Keswick in the Lake District. Then she walked and walked, until she couldn’t manage it any longer.”
When his late mate had eventually shared her story, he couldn’t believe she’d made it as far as the lake near Stonefire. But Edith had said that wanting to live had given her strength she hadn’t known she had.
Violet asked quietly, “How did you finally convince her to trust and like you?”
“I was patient. She recovered under my mum’s care, in a different cottage. Eventually, she was well enough to receive visitors. I went every day, talked to her about anything and everything, even if she didn’t say much. But then one day, well, I got her to laugh. And the rest is history.”
He smiled at the memory of when he’d shared the latest argument with his inner dragon. It’d been silly, about trying to pluck up one of his younger brothers in his dragon form before tossing him into the lake as payback for a prank. But Edith had never thought about brotherly dragon antics and had found it hilarious.
Her smile had caught his eye, and he’d worked every day after to make her do it again and again.
His daughter said, “I’m glad you told me, Dad. I’m sorry she was hurt, but at least in the end, she found you, didn’t she?”
He looked at his daughter, who looked so like her mother, and he felt a flicker of sadness. “Your mum would’ve been so proud of how you’ve grown up, Vi. I mean it. Despite her rough past, once she felt safe and came out of her shell, she always wanted to help others, if she could—volunteering, watching some of the clan children when needed, or even just helping to stock the underground rooms we use in case of emergencies.” He smiled. “You remind me a lot of her at times.”
“Will you tell me more?”
At the eagerness in her eyes, he suddenly wondered why he’d put this off for so long. Violet, of all people, deserved to hear about Edith, rough past and all.
As he debated what to say next, he heard something drop and crash onto the floor in the hallway. He turned and said, “Who’s there?”
Percy poked her head from around the doorway. “I’m sorry. I can come back later.” She hesitated and then looked at Violet. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”
Violet waved for Percy to come into the room. Once she did, Violet said, “It’s okay. I know sometimes you need time alone after spending so many years like that. I guess I was just really eager to give you the latest book I found.”
Percy smiled shyly. “I read it and loved it. Thank you for bringing it to my room.” She shifted her feet. “I can leave you two alone again.”
As she turned, Bronx said, “No, stay, if you want. I’m sure Violet could use our help in the kitchen.”
Violet nodded. “Yes. I need to get these biscuits into the oven, and then we can chop stuff up for dinner.”
For a second, Bronx thought Percy would leave. But she turned slowly around and nodded. “Okay.”
And soon Violet put them both to work.
* * *
As she chopped vegetables,Percy kept stealing glances at both Bronx and Violet. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop on their conversation. She’d just been waiting for an opening to apologize to Violet.
True, she could’ve come back later. However, she’d been afraid that if she didn’t apologize as soon as possible, she might lose her nerve, ruining her relationship with Violet. Funny how a week ago she wouldn’t have given a shit about what someone felt or thought. And now? She wanted to mend fences with a teenager.
Hearing about how Violet’s mother had been beaten made her understand Bronx a little better. Not to mention it reinforced his words about liking to help people. After all, he’d mated a desperately broken and hurt female, making her laugh, and eventually had a daughter with her.
In a way, it gave Percy some hope.
