A New Beginning

Chapter 52

Tessa's POV:

"Soranto, could you come back? I think you might be taking Tessa with you."

"I'm on my way."

I lowered my head to Mom's shoulder again, hardly believing that this was actually happening.

"I thought it would take months before I hit this point," I mumbled to Mom.

She was silent for a few long moments before she sighed heavily. "Once a dragonet starts getting attached, it pulls us. We want to be with them, and the feeling is as strong and unexplainable as the call of the Morning Song."

It felt like there was something left unspoken, so I nudged her mind and sent the feeling across it, prompting her to continue.

Her voice was somewhat reluctant. "Myself and the other originals were once human, and we see the world slightly differently because of that. It also made us much slower to bond with our handlers. You have never had any reason to fear the Kymari, so there isn't anything holding you back. I should have seen it sooner, but I didn't. And to be honest, it probably wouldn't have changed anything."

I exhaled slowly, knowing she was right. It wouldn't have changed anything. It had been nearly three months since I had decided to pick Soranto as my handler. I still hadn't changed my mind – the timing had just caught me off-guard.

We waited in silence for Soranto to return. For the first time ever, he didn't bother with the doorbell. It took me a second to realize that the sound of the door opening and closing must be him. I got to my feet and took to the air to meet him.

He swiftly appeared in the living room, immediately looking for me with a concerned expression, not even acknowledging Taureen or Aeria. I had already covered half of the distance between us and aimed right for his chest instead of his shoulder pads. I collided fairly hard with his chest, glad he wasn't wearing armor.

His arms immediately came up to keep me from falling down. My emotions were still unsettled, so I wedged my head between his arm and chest to avoid letting him see my confusion.

"What happened?" Soranto asked.

"I'm not too sure," Taureen replied. "The last few times you left, she was anxious. This time, it was more noticeable and didn't fade. Tasha acts very similarly if I slip out for training and she realizes I'm gone."

I still refused to look up, too embarrassed to face the situation I had somehow created.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning then," Soranto said.

"Let me pack her harness and some other supplies."

My ears twitched as I tried to follow Taureen's movements by sound. From what I could tell, Soranto followed him through the kitchen and then towards the door.

"Can you clip it onto my belt pouch? I don't want to disturb her."

"There. Are you okay walking like that?"

"Yes, my home isn't too far."

"I'll leave the communication stream on my wrist comm open. Call me if you need to."

The sound of the door opening was followed by the smell of the outdoor air. My nostrils flared as a heavier, metallic scent seemed rather strong. Turning my head slightly, I peeked with barely opened eyes.

To my dismay, I saw a small, red dot where each of my claws were slightly digging into Soranto's shirt. I pulled my claws back and shifted my hands to the side, avoiding the small injuries I had unknowingly inflicted.