Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
After a while, Blake lifted his head and broke the silence. “Is that… is that the door to your horde room?” he asked, nodding toward the ornate door on the other side of the room. It was made of dark mahogany, etched with vines that trailed up and down its length.
I followed his gaze and nodded. There was a brief pause. A moment of quick calculation. I’d never let anyone except my siblings into my horde room. A dragon guarded their hordes like they’d guard their own hearts. They were extensions of our very beings. Being allowed into one was the ultimate sign of trust.
“Yes, it is. Would you like to see inside?”
Blake’s amber eyes lit up. “I’d love to. If that’s alright, of course.”
“It’s more than alright.”
I got up and took his hand, leading him to the door. He went for his clothes, but I waved him off. “You can stay the way you are, it’s okay. I like it.”
“Okay, good, because I wanted you to stay naked too.” He smiled and kissed my neck.
Something had shifted between us. Any kind of wall that had been surrounding Blake was demolished.
“This is a special place for me,” I said as I pushed open the door, revealing the hidden treasure within. The room was like stepping into another world. A beautiful garden stretched out before us, filled with vibrant, rare flowers, mostly a specific kind of orchid, my mother’s favorite. Sunlight streamed down from a seemingly invisible source, casting a warm, golden glow over everything. Large monarch butterflies flitted about, and iridescent hummingbirds hovered in the air, creating a serene, magical atmosphere.
Blake gasped, his eyes wide with wonder. “This is… incredible.”
I smiled, feeling a sense of pride. “I collect rare flowers. Mostly these dawn orchids. They were my mother’s favorite. She always said they were resilient and powerful but still gentle and soft.” I stepped over to a large stone pot that held three dawn orchids. Their petals glistened as if they contained the setting sun inside of them.
Blake wandered around the room, admiring the different flowers while I admired him. “They’re beautiful.”
“They come in different colors and varieties,” I explained. “Dawn orchids never go out of bloom, no matter the season or the weather. I like that permanence. It’s so opposite to the way time normally works, shifting and pulling and tugging things in a forward direction.”
Blake turned to me, his smile as warm as the light that bathed our naked bodies. “Tell me more about your mom.”
I felt a lump in my throat, the familiar ache of loss rising to the surface. I worked hard to bury that emotion, but it was impossible for me to fully let go. “She was an amazing woman. Strong, kind, and incredibly wise. Losing her… it’s a wound that has never quite healed. I was the definition of a momma’s boy. She was my best friend. My closest confidant.”
Blake came over and took my hand. “I’m so sorry, Xavier. I can’t imagine how hard that must be.”
I nodded, feeling a wave of emotion wash over me. “It is. But these flowers… they remind me of her. They give me a sense of connection to her, even though she’s gone.”
Blake squeezed my hand. His eyes were filled with a soft compassion. “I understand. When I went through my stalking incident, I had to find ways to cope with the anxiety. One thing that helped was finding something to focus on, something that grounded me.”
“What did you do?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“I learned a breathing technique,” he explained. “Whenever I felt overwhelmed, I would take a few deep breaths, focusing on the sensation of the air filling my lungs. In and out. I’d track it, as if I could see the trail of oxygen going inside me. Then, I’d think of my feet as roots, grounding me into the dirt. It helped me feel more present, more in control.”
I nodded. What he said was simple but not something I had tried yet. I didn’t suffer from anxiety or depression, but I did believe that having tools like the ones Blake spoke about was essential for everyone. Even dragons. “Thank you, Blake. I’ll try that.”
Blake smiled. “I’m glad I could help.”
I leaned in for a kiss. Our bodies pressed together. A hummingbird dashed past my head, hunting for her next drink of nectar. I held Blake’s hands in mine, looking down into the most beautiful set of eyes I’d ever seen. “You’re a special one.”
“So are you,” he replied.
“Tell me more about your parents,” I said, wanting to know more about the people who shaped him.
Blake’s gaze softened with affection as memories ran through them. “They’re incredible. They met in college and have been inseparable ever since. Their love is something I look up to. They’ve always supported each other through everything, even when shit got hard. And trust me, our life got difficult on many occasions. It’s not easy when your dad is the target of multiple smear campaigns.” He paused, a wistful smile on his face. “I’ve always wanted something like that, a love that stands the tests that life throws at it. They’ve shown me what it means to truly care for someone, to be there through thick and thin.”