I woke up yet again, to find myself curled up against Veren's chest, something that was already becoming completely natural for me. It made my chest hurt a little, at the thought that he might not feel the same way that I had long since started feeling for him. But I just couldn't bring myself to be forward with him. Fear always held my tongue, even though I would wake up in his arms repeatedly.
Part of my subconscious was sure that he had feelings for me, I mean, why else would he sleep in my bed every night even though I knew that he could easily sense when something was wrong from his own room. Logic told me that it was just my ego, thinking that maybe he really did have feelings for me. But, then again, this wasn't entirely a world of logic. So I held onto the hope.
I slid off of his chest and off of the bed, hearing him groan the way he had every morning, and stepped toward the bathroom, amazed by how quiet the room was, with the wood never once creaking despite having been built over a hundred years before I had even arrived here. And this room had actually been empty for as long as Veren had been alive, all 20 years of his life. Which, was rather surprising, since it was considered rare for rooms to go unused for so long. There were over 300 dragon clan members living in the estate, on only 321 rooms in the building for bed chambers. The rest of the building was either the dining hall, the study, and the room that the dragon clan used for parties and get-togethers.
There were other clan houses spread out across the three large continents of this world, with well over 3000 Dragon clan members in existence at any given time.
I had also done some studying of the dragon clan, wanting to understand the beings who were now my home and starting to feel like my family. They were originally the third most powerful race, living for centuries, until they would return to the earth, sometimes having such beliefs as reincarnation.
They had once had a sister race, just as the divines had the demons, known as the phoenix. But, just as the divines had, one day they all just disappeared. I wondered if they were like the winged humanoids, or if they were more anthropomorphic, like Stella and the other workers of the clan house.
Ternia had told me that they only employed the most powerful of the races to work in the house, so that even if the dragons could not, there would always be someone ready to protect the inhabitants. And they were paid in the worlds crystal currency, well above any other job pay. Probably well deserved if they all cared for the inhabitants of the clan house in any way like Stella would care for me.
As soon as I finished in the restroom, Veren was sitting up and discussing with Stella what outfit would be best for the day before us.
"What about this one?" Stella asked, holding up a pair of blue Capri style dress pants.
"yes, that the black and white slash shirt." He agreed.
I watched as Stella pulled out a black tank top that had what looked like cuts in the fabric, where white fabric filled in the gaps. It didn't look like anything that I would have worn back on earth, but I was finding a whole new sense of fashion in Amaranth. Here, showing off your body was just as common as showing off power. Tight clothes with cleavage, expensive clothes and accessories representing a title for the people. I heard from Veren that some of the most powerful dragons of history would even walk around completely naked at times. And, while I admit that I was curious if he would ever do that, I had enough common sense to know that, that was simply impractical.
Thankfully they seemed to understand that I wasn't quite so forward in what I normally wore, so they had arranged clothes that either only showed just enough skin, or simply gave the appearance of showing skin. Even at night, when I slept, I was given clothes that would make a normal human girl blush. Something similar to a sports bra, only made with white lace embroidery and the softest material I had ever felt, and a pair of matching sleep shorts. If it weren't for the thick blankets and Veren making his way into my bed each night, I would probably have been cold at night.
I couldn't lie, I really missed having too large sleep shirts and baggy sweats. I also missed wearing shoes when I felt the cold wood or stepped on stones.
"Good morning, my lady" Stella smiled up at me, showing her random bouts of formality that she would mix in to her regular treatment of me.
She wore her typical maid outfit, with her fur having signs of shedding, making me wish that I wouldn't have been totally inappropriate for me to try petting her head. Just like many of the other works I'd seen, she brought out the animal lover in me. Especially since, even though she had a humanoid figure, she still had the attitude of a cat, one minute all sweet and lovable, the next looking down on others arrogantly. But she seemed fond of me, which I couldn't deny enjoying.
"Good morning" I smiled at her, eyeing the clothes that she had already laid out on the bed.
"Shall I help you change?" She asked.
I still flushed every time she asked, despite me telling her on my second morning that I could dress myself.
She didn't wait for my answer, giving me a smirk and laughing a playful laugh as she walked out of the room.
I looked over at Veren as he stepped off of the bed and smiled at me.
"Good morning" he said, his voice rough from sleep.
"Good morning" I said, giving him a small smile.
Part of me wanted to tell him that he didn't need to sleep in my room, but a much larger part was already lecturing the smaller part for even having such a thought. I enjoyed his closeness, but it still hurt a little, knowing that I had feelings for him, but I hadn't yet confirmed his, despite somehow knowing that he had to feel something.
I stood awkwardly as he walked past me, into the restroom, feeling his body heat just a hairs distance away from me. He closed the door, his way of signaling that I would have the privacy I needed to change, but he would be right back to inspect the outfit that he had chosen. As it turned out, he could be extremely picky on clothes. Even his own clothes had to be absolutely perfect, or he would just get rid of them.
I moved quickly, slipping into the pants, that stretched over my curves, without the need of a clasp or zipper, while the tank top hugged my body in such a way that is made my other curves either not visible at all, or way too visible. No matter how I tried, I would never be able to cover up the cleavage that was way too clear in my opinion. I didn't even have that great of breasts to begin with, yet the clothes that were chosen for me always made me look like one of those girls in high school who got all the guys just by looking perfect. Even my freckles didn't seem so bad anymore.
Strangely enough, even though I had never been able to be in the sun for more than a few minutes without burning in the past, my skin had gotten an amazing tan, and never burned here. And that was after having spent a couple hours of each day out in the sun, by the lake.
The others living in the dragon clan enjoyed the raft I had created to stay in the center of the lake, using it as a racing point, or just for lounging, though they hadn't really liked the diving board idea. Most because they could already jump really high up on their own, and didn't need such a device.
"Hmm, what should we do with your hair today?" I heard Veren asking to himself, a look of deep thought on his face, as he stood in the doorway, already dressed in clothes that I hadn't even known were in my bathroom.
He was beautiful to look at, his hair hanging free today, his black, short-sleeve t-shirt just tight enough that his muscles were visible, and his black dress pants hanging just slightly looser than my clothes were beginning to feel.
Much as I didn't want to admit it, seeing him each day had started to have weird effects on me. Nothing like the typical crush or falling for a hot guy in school. It would make my body feel hot, like a fire was lit within the pit of my stomach, and my skin would feel crawly if he was away for more than a couple hours. While it felt amazing when he was close, I hated how it felt when I couldn't see him. Like the fire would die and I'd just be filled with ice.
I obviously did my best to ignore those things, pushing through each minute that he had his own responsibilities to do, but it was slowly driving me insane. Not to sound offensive to Stella and the other feline races, but I felt like a cat trying to scratch through the walls whenever I was away from Veren.
Since the feelings were more of a physical sensation, I wasn't sure if he could sense them, the way that he could sense when I was in an emotional state. He never gave any implication of sensing it, so I had to assume that he was unaware of them. Every time he sensed my emotions, he showed some sort of reaction, either happy or frustrated. I just wished that I felt the link the way that he did, so that I might understand him better.
I stepped over to the mirror, looking at my reflection, seeing exactly what he saw. Back on earth, I had always thought myself to be average looking, at best. I wasn't super skinny, didn't have the biggest boobs, or the perfect butt. But when I knew he was looking at me, all I felt was beautiful. I no longer cared about the slight pudginess of my stomach, and the clothes always made me look like my breasts were amazing, even if the cleavage made me uncomfortable.
"Maybe a braid down my back?" I asked, trying to dig into the female fashion instincts that I had never had.
He seemed to give it some thought, then said "I'm actually thinking we give it a bit more of a wave like appearance and let it flow freely."
He walked over to stand behind me, looking at my reflection in the mirror, then looking at my hair, giving me an appraising look.
I tried to visualize what he might be seeing in his mind, looking at my hair curiously. It had grown at an unnatural rate since I had arrived here, and I wondered if there was something in the shampoo that Stella scrubbed into my head during the baths I'd had. Apparently, rather than my usual, every other day, shower, I was supposed to bathe in the large tub every day. And each day my skin felt smoother, cleaner, and my hair looked shinier and more life-like than the day before. I wondered if those cleaning products were somehow changing me to match my new world. And, while part of me didn't like that I was somehow expected to change to fit in, I also couldn't help but love how I was beginning to look.
He began to run his fingers through my hair, now reaching just past my shoulder blades, and letting his heat out through his hands, heating my hair, and giving it an all natural, wavy appearance.
I knew I should stop comparing things to how they had been back on earth, but I couldn't help but remember the few times I had tried to style my hair before, and how it had always turned out frizzy or sticky.
If Veren ever went to earth, he would probably have made a killing as a hair stylist. A soft laugh escaped me at the thought and he gave me a questioning smirk, clearly wanting to know what I was thinking. I just smiled back at him.
As soon as he was done with my hair, he stepped back from me, and I instantly missed the heat of him being so close. In the mirror, I could see the slight shadow that passed over his face, as my emotions reached him, and I hoped that he wouldn't be annoyed. But he just changed back to a cocky smile and extended his hand to me.
I flushed, turning to face him, and placing my hand in his.
"Let's get you some breakfast" he said, stepping just a bit closer to me.
I let him lead me out of my room, through the halls, to the main entrance, where a few of the dragon clan would still stare at us, and into the dining hall, to our usual place.
Kaya was already there, along with her brother, and 2 other guys, named Millan and Taslo. Millan was a water dragon, with pale skin and blue undertones, that matched vibrant pale blue hair and teal eyes. While Taslo, on the other hand, was taller, with darker skin, and red undertones, with matching red eyes. He almost bordered on what would have been African, back on earth, with such a dark skin tone. If you had asked a redneck man, back on earth, he would have thought that Taslo was one of the demons that was supposed to have been fought against.
Seeing the diversity in appearances of each dragon clan member, I was reminded once again that, had this been where I grew up, there probably wouldn't have been such hostility in my life. Everyone here lived in peace, accepting each other, no matter what they looked like. While the humans of my old world just needed the slightest push and they would start fighting anyone who was even the slightest bit different. Even the felines, canines, and reptilian races got along perfectly here. It was a rather sad thought.
I ate my breakfast, listening to everyone chat about whatever they had dreamed about, or what they had planned for the day, or even about just their random thoughts. I even gave some conversation back, something I would have hesitated to do in the past.
I couldn't have told anyone when it had happened, but this world had become my home. And these people, had settled into my heart so quickly, that they were my family. Even Ternia, who had scared me when I first met her, had become such a mother figure to me that it was hard for me if I didn't stop to talk to her for a few minutes each day, when we passed in the halls. I still missed my mom and I even missed Jacey a little, but each day here made me feel like this was where I had truly belonged from the very beginning.