Malcolm is back.

Four days went by in a flash. In four days, Xander almost strangled Delaney out of frustration but Keir's spirit was hovering around him like a dark cloud. He truly understood what Erick meant when he said that the woman treats people like walking trees. But it still did pay off because Delaney agreed to hunt with him, but only after presenting the issue as a challenge. The woman liked to be challenged.

They had gone into the forest, with Xander pretending to be very inexperienced. He knew he didn't need the arrows. All he had to do was exude his predatory aura but he had to stall for time, hoping that Delaney would slip up and say something she shouldn't. To his dissapointment, she said nothing. She even threatened to cut off his tongue, claiming he talked too much.

They caught a deer and he realised that her hunting skills weren't a bluff like he had thought. She was good at aiming and had stable hands that hit the target on the first shot.

Xander knew that Malcolm's house was somewhere near the forest, so the sole purpose for the hunt was going into Malcolm's house. He thought it would be easy to convince Delaney but he didn't expect that the woman would start a fire in the middle of the forest and roast the meat which she ate wholeheartedly.

"You can finish up the rest. I'll be going now." she said, picking up her belongings and stuffing a piece of meat in her mouth.

"Where are you going?" Xander asked, getting ready to follow her, but she stopped him.

"I'm going to sleep. You don't need to follow me. I don't even know why you challenged me when your hunting is so poor." Xander replied with a sneer. His hunting skills were poor? Predatory genes ran through his blood and this woman dared to make mockery of his hunting skills? He would make sure to teach her a lesson once Keir was done with her.

___

Delaney only walked a short distance before arriving at Malcolm's house. The house was not too far from the village and not too deep in the forest. It was the right dwelling place for a loner like him.

Delaney was startled when she found the door unlocked but she didn't think anyone would intrude Malcolm's home. Sure enough, she found the man himself sitting on the couch, going through some paperwork.

"You're back," Malcolm acknowledged her with a nod then continued perusing the pages with a serious expression. Delaney didn't seem to mind being ignored and sat opposite him leisurely. She took off her shoes then walked barefoot to the kitchen and came back with a glass of wine. Malcolm looked up from his book and regarded her with an unfathomable expression.

"You're still drinking?" he asked and Delaney shrugged.

"What can I do? It's hard to maintain your sanity when you're sober." Malcolm put down his book and walked across the room to the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf attached to the wall. "It's not a good habit." he muttered, seemingly looking for something.

Their relationship was as strange as their personalities. They didn't engage much in conversations and they didn't need to because the two had a mutual understanding.

To Delaney, Malcolm was like a father figure. A teacher. Although he didn't show her affection, he sheltered her and fed her. He protected her from her wicked stepmother and the people who were out to get her. He taught her everything she needed to know and much more so that she could protect herself in his absence. With his help, she found her footing in the society.

She knew if she weren't associated with Malcolm, she would probably be dead by now. In her heart she had more respect for him that anyone she had ever known.

Although they lived in the same house, and under the same roof, she barely knew anything about Malcolm. But she thought it was better that way. He didn't interfere with her life and only cautioned her about the drinking and her good for nothing family once in a while.

Malcolm found what he was looking for and his knitted eyebrows visibly relaxed. He sat back on the couch and turned the book back and forth before handing it to Delaney.

Delaney was dozing off when Malcolm waved the book across her face. She sat up, then taking the book, dusted it off. She could tell it was old from the dusty smell and torn pages. The cover was also removed.

"What is this?" She asked, perusing through the pages.

"I want you to read that. You must go through every single page." Delaney stared at him, confused. The book was actually written upto some point and the rest seemed to be recorded notes. She could tell it was Malcolm's handwriting.

"Listen Delaney," he started, clasping his hands together, "I don't have much time. You need to know everything there is about these creatures." Delaney who had been drinking the entire day looked at him a little lost.

"What creatures? what are you talking about?" she slurred.

"First you have to quit this drinking habit. You won't be able to handle anything in a drunken state." He sighed then continued, "I shouldn't have delayed this information for so long. Now it does not matter if you're ready or not." he said solemnly and her brows furrowed.

"Malcolm what are you talking about?" The blurriness that had started to cloud her senses dissipated as she looked at Malcolm keenly. Malcolm had never been one to give pep talk so she knew that whatever he was talking about was a serious matter.

"That book has everything you need to know about dragons." Delaney looked through the pages and she was stunned to find a drawing of a dragon. The dragon in the drawing had wild blue eyes that triggered a memory in her mind and her frown deepened. Below the drawing were a few names, some pointers and some language she couldn't understand.

"Why do I need to know about dragons?" she asked not looking away from the book. She turned the page and saw a pair of sharp, dark eyes that caught her attention. They looked very familiar but she couldn't remember anyone with such eyes. Below it there was the name Keir. 'Keir?' Delaney worked her brain trying to remember the name but she was certain she had never heard of it.

"Delaney," Malcolm called and she looked up, "you're a tamer."

____

A/N

Sorry for the late update everyone.

I decided to switch the title of the book with my other book. I think this one suits it better. Tell me what you think (｡♡‿♡｡)