Seed of the Dragon: A Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance by Serena Rose Page B

hallways of my home, opening doors and looking through cupboards. I looked under all the couches and chairs, I even checked the closets but no one was there.
    A knock at the door gathered my attention and I went to open it. At the door was a tall man in a black suit with no face.
    “I’m sorry to inform you but your parents passed away, Shawn,” he said.
    I kicked him in the shin and then ran back into the house. The suited man yelped in pain and then chased me. We went around and around and around the kitchen table, knocking over a vase and two plants. I ran upstairs and into my parents’ closet, locking the door behind me.
    The man in the suit started knocking at the door viciously and yelled, “THEY’RE DEAD, THEY’RE DEAD, THEY’RE DEAD,” over and over again.
    I placed my hands on my ears to shut the man out I curled into a ball and began to cry. The sound became muffled almost and soon it disappeared. I felt as if I was floating, but warmth engulfed me. I felt so calm and collected now, so I looked up. My mother was hugging me. She smiled at me as she tightened the blanket around me.
    “Did you have a nightmare, Shawn?” she asked.
    I felt myself stumble over my words so I just nodded yes.
    “Oh no,” she said as she hugged me close.
    I was covered in tranquil and a complete feeling of calm. It was as if I was in a warm bath and the water enveloped me from the neck down. I nudged my head into my mother’s neck and hugged her back.
    “I missed you,” I said.
    “I missed you too,” my mother said back.
    I felt so small, like I was a child again, so soft and innocent. I felt as if I could redo my life and fix all of its problems, felt recharged with energy. My mother began to pull away from me.
    “Don’t go,” I said.
    “It’s time to wake up, Shawn,” my mom said.
    *   *   *
    “Please! Not yet!”
    “It’s time to wake up!” Rachel said.
    I looked up, completely out of it. Rachel was standing there instead of my mother, her hand shaking my shoulder lightly.
    “You awake?” she asked.
    I cleared my throat and responded, “Yeah, I’m awake.”
    “You’ve been sleeping for over twelve hours now so I thought I should wake you,” she explained.
    “Thanks,” I said, “I appreciate it.”
    I must’ve been tired from being up all night, plus the flight. All in all, my body was completely exhausted and needed a break so it slept all those hours.
    “Do you usually sleep this much?” Rachel asked.
    She had her hair in a bun atop her head and was wearing an apron. There were sounds in the kitchen along with the laughs of a young child. Rachel’s blue eyes sparked like sapphires and although she looked older, she was still just as beautiful as when we first met. It was a wonderful sight to greet me in the morning for once.
    “Not really, but I haven’t slept in a while,” I said.
    “Well you look much better today than you did yesterday,” Rachel laughed.
    She was looking atop my head so I brought my hand up to feel whatever she was laughing about. I had a huge cowlick that stood out and I felt my face redden. I pushed it down with my hand but it did nothing since it’d only just spring back to life. Rachel laughed and grabbed at her stomach.
    “How cute,” she said.
    “We’re having lunch in a bit if you’d like some!” another voice called from the kitchen.
    It must’ve been Rachel’s aunt.
    “I’d love some,” I called back.
    “The bathroom is over there if you’d like to freshen up,” Rachel said while gesturing to a door down the hall.
    I got up and was about to walk to where Rachel had gestured, but for a moment our eyes met. It was as if time stopped for that one section of time as I couldn’t help but admire the baby blue of Rachel’s eyes. Rachel’s mouth opened and closed and I watched her lips move in that hypnotizing fashion.
    “Sorry,” I said, turning away.
    I felt embarrassed, as if I was doing something that I shouldn’t. I looked at the ground as I