Resurgence

Chapter 1:

I walked home from my grocery store with the thought of my wife smiling at my return. Life couldn't be better for me these days. I had my business, my wife, and a place to finally call home. I was as normal as a Dragon could get I supposed. The occasional message from my Kingdom would keep me up to date to my other responsibility. I was the heir to the throne of the Water Dragon clan. My Father, King Urokai of the Seas, ruled the waters with peace. I agreed with almost everything he did, besides his constant badgering to get me to come home and do my rightful duties as heir. Our subjects didn't mind the quiet struggle between my father and I about what I was supposed to do. I had told him that I would leave the Kingdom to him until he decided it was time and then I would take over as was my duty to my people, which could take a few more centuries. Dragons lived forever unless killed by another dragon or God. I wasn't ready to serve my nation completely yet. He just didn't understand. The sky was turning darker as the sun left for the day. I briskly quickened my pace to get home. I reached the mini mansion and raced up the stairs. I opened the door and smelled a roast cooking in the oven. My wife, ever the homemaker. I walked into the kitchen and came up behind her, placing my hands on her slender hips and kissing her neck, loving her smell. She shivered and laughed as she turned to face me. "Good evening, my love."

"Good evening to you too." She kissed my lips quickly and smiled. She turned back around to her stove, stirring some gravy. "How was work today?" I sat down at the table and picked up a magazine, thumbing through it.

"The same." I answered. "How was your day?"

"I went over to Willy's and helped her clean. It was rather dusty. I'm just glad Vampires don't have allergies, otherwise I would have been sneezing and weezing all day." I loved the way she smiled, the way she looked, the cute tone in which she spoke. I loved everything about her and I had for so long. It was torture to see her every week when she came by the grocery store. I let myself grow older to hide what I was, while she remained the same year after year. I was just so happy that we were finally reunited. My father didn't know about Nicole yet. I didn't think he'd be too happy about me marrying a Vampiress either. Nicole was a Heartened vampire. She had her heart returned for doing a good deed. My wife was completely good-natured unless you hurt someone she loved. Then she was down right scary. Her sister Victoria, however, won being scary hands down. She was the most powerful female vampire on the planet. I would expect her to be scary. Victoria was also recently Heartened. Her and her fallen angel, Landon, lived happily with us in this house. We had our bedrooms placed at opposite ends of the house for privacy sake. I noticed Nicole was taking out the roast, setting on the counter.

"That smells delicious, Nicki."

"Oh this is an old recipe from my mom's cookbook." She pointed at a yellowing paged book that was standing on a bookstand. "She used to make this for Vicki and me every Sunday after church. I thought it was high time I tried making it myself." She smiled again. Cute. I wanted to devour her instead of the roast that was sizzling on the counter. Nicole carved the rare meat delicately thin and then drizzled the gravy on top. Potatoes and carrots lined the outside of the meat. My mouth began to water. "Honey?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you set the table for four?" She asked serenely. I nodded and got up, getting the plates and silverware set. She rushed out of the kitchen to fetch her sister and brother-in-law. The three of them were back downstairs in mere seconds it seemed. Fortunately, the table was almost ready. "You guys hump like rabbits. Every frickin' second of the day. It's a wonder the bed hasn't broken yet." Nicole teased. It was an ongoing joke at which couple spent the most time in bed.

"Oh hush you," Victoria scolded, "I hear roars from Dragon breath over there almost every evening." I glared at her.

"I was not in this conversation Victoria." Nicole patted my shoulder playfully.

"Well, I'm the only one that can make him roar." My face flushed and I turned away. I was not used to such open talk about sexual escapades.

"Let's just eat, please." Landon whined, but he still had a smirk on his face. "This smells great sis."

"Yes it smells just like when mom used to make it." Victoria chimed.

"Thank you guys, but you haven't even tried it yet." She blushed in embarrassment. I took a bite, the meat melted in my mouth and I moaned in satisfaction. I was always hungry. My appetite for anything and everything seemed to always get me into trouble. Why do you think I owned a grocery store for? It seemed even when I was in my human form, my stomach was still the size it would be if I was in my dragon form. That's how I had always described it. Nicole had yet to see my dragon form. I was nervous to show her. I was afraid that I would frighten her by it. The last time I changed forms was when I was trying to prove to Victoria what I truly was. It was a good thing because I was allowed to be a part of Nicole's life again. I was able to help save her from that evil Demon Prince Zander. I still somewhat resented Landon for bringing his baggage with him, so to speak, into the vampiress' life. Landon was a good guy though and a perfect balance to Victoria's dark moods. He was light and she was dark, a yin and yang in perfect harmony together. Me and Nicole were similar and opposites at the same time. I was the more reserved one while she was the more outgoing and talkative one. Our similarities ran from liking the same music and movies to our love for food. She cooked and I ate. It worked well for both of us. "Tetzuya? How is it?" She queried me out of my reverie.

"Amazing as usual, beautiful." I kissed her cheek and took another heaping serving.

"Geez, Dragon…the amount of food you can consume could feed a third world country." Victoria stated.

"You have no idea how many different hungers I have, Vampiress." I flashed a little fang of my own. She raised her lips in return to show hers. Mine were bigger. I smiled.

"Hey now, hey now! I hope those hungers only consist of me and my food." I took the opportunity to make a PDA. A little thing I rarely did. Oh well, a dinner and a show I suppose.

"Oh yes, Nicole…they do. Don't you worry your pretty little curls." I leaned over and nibbled her ear, letting a long fang slide down. I felt her tense a little and shiver from my erotic touch. She turned beet red and returned to her meal.

"Tetzuya!" Nicole slapped my shoulder. Victoria and Landon ate silently after that. We finished eating and everyone chipped in with the clean-up except Nicole. She was the cook and her one rule was the cook never cleans. We all abided by that rule if we wanted to eat another one of her excellent dishes. The night grew darker outside as the clock struck 10pm. Nicole was in the library reading one of her cheesy romance novels when I found her after cleaning. "Oh, are you ready for bed, sweetie?" She grinned.

"Reading another of those silly novels? Don't I give you enough romance?" I glanced at the half naked man on the front cover and raised my eyebrow.

"Of course you do, my Dragon. I just like reading romance too. It's my favorite genre. Unlike Vicki, all she reads is Thrillers. Talk about boring." She looked over at her sister's shelves; all of the bindings were dark colors. Nicole's shelves were littered with fluorescent pinks and purples, bright colors, happy colors. Her and her sister were so opposite. I laughed aloud. "What?"

"Oh nothing." I mused.

"No really, you never laugh without a good reason." She got up and placed her book on a shelf. My wife stared me down and did the dreaded hand on the hip pose.

"I was only laughing at how different you and Victoria are. Look at her books versus yours." She did.

"I know, funny isn't it? I wish she could smile a little more. Landon has brought some light in her life, but she'll never be the same after what that jerk did to her over 300 years ago." Nicole sat down in the wing-backed chair. I sat across from her in the chair's twin.

"Nobody ever told me what really happened to Vicki and why she wanted to give away her heart." It was true, Victoria never told anyone what really happened 300 years ago before she was turned. Nicole sighed and looked absently into space as if remembering. "Did she ever tell you?" Nicole looked at me with a shadow in her eyes. How terrible could Victoria's life have been for her to take such a leap?

"I was the only one there right by her side and tried to help her through it. She chose the drastic step to become a Vampire. She didn't want to die; otherwise, she would have committed true suicide. She just wanted a different life, one without love."