“Better,” she mumbled before collapsing against the bed.
Kaida turned to look at him, her eyes frantic with worry. “Bren, I…”
“I guess I know why she can’t go to the hospital,” he said.
“I can explain,” Kaida said.
“Can you?” He stared wide-eyed at her. “So, when exactly did grizzly bears develop the ability to shoot fucking flames out of their mouths?”
“We’re not bear shifters.”
“No shit, Sherlock.” Bren’s legs were rubber and if it hadn’t been for the singed ceiling and the smell of sulphur in the air, he could almost convince himself that the pregnant woman lying in his guest bed wasn’t breathing fire. “What are you?”
“Dragons,” Kaida said.
He staggered backward, barely noticing when Kaida reached out and grabbed his arm to steady him. “Dragons are extinct, everyone knows that,” he said through lips that felt like they’d been given a healthy dose of Novocaine.
“We aren’t. We’ve only pretended to be,” Kaida said. “I know this is a shock but -”
His apartment buzzer went off, a long jolting buzz that made him jump.
“Are you expecting someone?” Kaida had stiffened and her hand was squeezing his arm in a tight grip.
“No,” he said.
“It’s Jarvis,” Sika panted. She was still trying to shove her pants down her legs.
“He couldn’t have gotten here this quickly,” Kaida said. “Honey, it isn’t possible.”
“He flew,” Sika said.
“No,” Kaida said as the buzzer went off again. “He wouldn’t have, Sika. He knows it’s against the rules.”
“My mate is here. Let him in!” Sika growled angrily. Bren watched in alarm as her chest began to glow through her shirt.
“Stop making her angry,” he said. “She’ll set my goddamn apartment on fire.”
Kaida spun around and ran out of the room. After a moment, Bren followed her. She pressed the button next to the front door. “Hello?”
“Kaida! Let me in!”
Kaida pressed the button and stared frantically at Bren as Sika made another shout of pain.
“Go,” he said, “I’ll wait for Jarvis.”
Kaida ran back to the spare bedroom, and Bren opened his front door. Within less than a minute, a man was opening the door to the stairwell and running down the hallway toward him. He was about Bren’s height with long black hair tied back in a ponytail. Streaks of green ran through his hair, the colour matching the flecks of green in his golden eyes. He was wearing a pair of track pants and nothing else. His bare feet slapped against the wood floor as he pushed past Bren.
“Where is she?” he shouted. “Where is my mate?”
“Down the hallway, first door on the left.” Bren closed the door and leaned against it as Jarvis ran toward the spare room. He looked at the phone in his hand before shoving it back into his pocket and heading to the bedroom.
He stepped into the room. Kaida had helped Sika remove her pants and underwear and draped a sheet from the linen closet across Sika’s lower body. Jarvis, the muscles in his arms bulging, grunted as he pushed the bed across the room toward the wall with the open window. The heat in the room was intense and Sika moaned again.
“Jarvis, I can’t control my flame.”
“I know, my love. It’s not your fault,” he said. He popped the screen out of the window and tossed it on the floor before sticking his head out the window and looking around. He smiled at Sika. “Blow your flame out the window, my sweet. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes,” Sika groaned.
It was a smart idea, Bren had to give him that. The window faced a narrow alley that wasn’t visible from the street.
“It hurts so bad,” Sika said.
“I am sorry, Sika,” Jarvis said. He climbed onto the bed and gently pushed Sika forward until he was sitting behind her. She rested against his chest and he smoothed her hair away from her sweaty face. “I know it hurts, but soon you will be holding our hatchling in your arms.”
He glanced at Kaida who nodded. She was kneeling on the bed between Sika’s legs. Taking a deep breath, Bren said, “What can I do?”
“Do you have any fans?” Kaida said. “It will help to cool her.”
“Yeah.” He hurried out of the room and grabbed the fan from his bedroom and the large one from the storage closet. He plugged them in and aimed the larger one directly at Sika. She moaned when the cool air washed over her, and Jarvis kissed her cheek.
“Better, my love?”
“Yes, I… fuck!” She turned her head and blew another short burst of flame out the open window. “Fuck, it hurts! The hatchling is coming! I have to push!”
Kaida looked under the sheet. “I can see its head. Push, Sika.”
Sika turned her head and buried her face in Jarvis’s neck to muffle her scream as she pushed. Panting, she collapsed against Jarvis, her head lolling on his chest.
“Good, my love. You’re doing so well,” Jarvis said.
She blew out more flame as her body tensed. “There’s another contraction starting.”
“Push,” Kaida said.
Sika pushed again and Kaida said, “The head is free. Can you give me another big push?”
The heat intensified in the room and Bren wiped away the sweat that was making his eyes sting as Sika pushed again. Her chest glowed bright red and she blew out another burst of fire before crying out in agony.
“Good, Sika!” Kaida shouted. “Good! Another push!”
“Jarvis!” Sika cried.
“You must push, my love. Right now. Bring our hatchling into the world.” Jarvis’s voice was calm. He kissed Sika’s sweaty cheek. “Push, Sika.”
She pushed again, her body straining with the effort and Kaida shouted, “A towel, Bren. I need a towel!”
He ran for the linen closet, grabbing two large towels. When he returned to the room, he stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the baby that Kaida was holding.
“You have a son,” she said to Sika and Jarvis.
Sika started to cry, and Jarvis hugged her tightly. Bren brought the towels over. He couldn’t take his eyes off the baby. He was covered in a fine layer of green scales, and as Kaida took a towel from him and wiped the baby clean, his little face scrunched up.
“Step back, Bren,” Kaida said.
He stepped back on his still-rubbery legs, the clean towel clenched tightly in his fists as the baby’s mouth dropped open. He blew out smoke and a tiny puff of flame.
“Good, little one,” Kaida rubbed the baby’s scale-covered back, “do it again.”
The baby blew out another breath of smoke and fire and then one more before he wailed his first sound.
Sika sobbed loudly, and Kaida held out her hand for the clean towel. Bren handed it to her and Kaida set the baby on Sika’s chest before covering him with the towel. Jarvis and Sika stared at their son, pressing kisses on his face and the top of his head. Kaida glanced at Bren. “I need a sharp and sterilized knife to cut the umbilical cord.”
Bren tore his gaze from the baby. “Right. I’ll, uh, go boil some water and sterilize a knife.”
He backed out of the room and leaned against the wall, his legs shaking as violently as a shed in an earthquake. He’d just seen a dragon being born. A goddamn dragon.
Chapter Fourteen
“Are you all right, Bren?” Kaida joined him at the table.
He honestly didn’t know how to answer that. He settled on, “I think so.”
She took his hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry.”
“How are Sika and the baby?” he asked, linking their fingers when she tried to release his hand.
“Good,” she said. “She’s tired but the baby seems healthy and he is already eating.”
“That’s good. So, dragon babies are born with scales, huh?”
“Yes. But they’ll fall off in a few days,” Kaida said.
“Are they always green?”
“No. The colour of the scales indicates what colour our dragon is. Just like the flecks of colour in our eyes and the streaks in our hair.”
He made a soft snort. “And here I was thinking you guys all bought your contact lenses at the same place. Some detective I am, huh?”
“I’m sorry I lied to you,” she said. “But I had to.”
“Why don’t you reveal yourselves to other shifters?” he asked.
“Honestly? I don’t really know. For as long as I can remember, shifters have believed us to be extinct. They thought that even before they revealed themselves to the humans. Even if other shifters believed we still lived, we would never have allowed them to divulge our existence to the humans.”
He stared at her silently and after a moment, she said, “We must remain a secret, Bren. If the humans found out… can I trust you to keep our secret?”
“Are you kidding me?” He sat back in his chair, releasing her hand and running both of his hands through his hair. “I’ll take this to my goddamn grave. If my father knew dragons existed…”
“I am sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to drag you into this, but we were shopping in the city and Sika went into labour so quickly. There was no time to get her home.”
“It’s fine. You did what you had to do.”
Jarvis walked into the kitchen and sat down next to Kaida.
“How is she?” Kaida asked.
“She and the hatchling are sleeping.” Jarvis looked tired but extremely happy. “I have a son, Kaida.”
She smiled at the dragon shifter and kissed his cheek. “You do. A beautiful healthy son.”
Jarvis held his hand out to Bren. “Thank you, human. I owe you a great debt for helping my mate and my son.”
Bren shook his hand. “Congratulations.”
“Can she travel, do you think?” Kaida asked.
“She says she can, but I don’t want her to. She is exhausted and sore,” Jarvis said.
“You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need,” Bren said.
Jarvis smiled gratefully at him. “Thank you, human. We should be able to return to the clan tomorrow, but I know my mate would appreciate some time to recover.”
“Do you want a beer?” Bren asked.
Jarvis nodded, and Bren grabbed three beers from the fridge. He opened them and handed a bottle to Jarvis and to Kaida. He raised his own bottle. “To a healthy boy.”
“A healthy boy,” Jarvis and Kaida echoed, and clinked their bottles against his.
They drank in silence for a few minutes before Kaida said, “Does the clan know?”
“Yes. I called Walter and told him,” Jarvis said.
“They must be freaking out,” Kaida said.
“I had no choice. You know how everyone is on pins and needles waiting for the hatchling. If Sika and I didn’t return tonight, they would have thought the worst. I assured them the human would keep our secret,” Jarvis said.
“Did they believe you?” Kaida glanced nervously at Bren.
“I think so.”
“You think so or you know so?” This time there was no denying the anxiety in Kaida’s voice.
“What’s wrong?” Bren said.
Kaida shook her head. “Nothing. Everything’s fine.”
Bren stared at her in disbelief. Smiling faintly at him, Kaida turned back to Jarvis. “How did you get here so quickly?”
“You know how.” Jarvis took two big swallows of his beer.
“That was a terrible risk, Jarvis,” Kaida said.
“I had no choice. My mate needed me. Besides, it was overcast today. I flew above the clouds until I reached the human’s home.”
“You may have been seen,” Kaida said.
“Wait, are you telling me you changed into your dragon form and flew here?” Bren said.
“I did,” Jarvis said.
“It’s forbidden,” Kaida said. “We are only allowed to fly at night and only at certain times.” She squeezed Jarvis’ hand. “You will be banished if they find out, Jarvis.”
“Only if they find out. I’m not planning on telling them. Are you?”
She shook her head and then stared at Bren who immediately shook his head as well. “My lips are sealed.”
“Are you returning to the clan tonight?” Jarvis asked.
Kaida hesitated. “I thought I would stay. In case Sika needed me. If that’s all right with you, Bren?”
“Mi casa es su casa,” he said. “Although we might have to order out for dinner, I wasn’t planning on eating at home tonight and don’t have any groceries in the house.”
Kaida flushed as Jarvis finished his beer and stood. “I’m going to sit with Sika and the hatchling. Thank you again – both of you.”
He leaned down and kissed the top of Kaida’s head before shaking Bren’s hand again. When he was gone, Kaida said, “I’m sorry about our date tonight.”
“No big deal. We can reschedule.”
She stared at him in surprise. “You still want to go on a date. Even after knowing what I am?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Why not?” he said.
“You do realize how dangerous I am to you, right?”
“I’m tougher than I look, remember?”
“Bren, I’m a dragon.”
“Yep, I know.” He drank another sip of beer as she stared at him in frustration.
“I could accidentally hurt you when we’re in bed together,” she said.
“Whoa, what’s all this ‘in bed’ talk?” he said with a grin. “I don’t care what you’ve heard about us humans. I don’t put out on the first date, lady.”
She didn’t smile at his humour. “Bren, this isn’t a joke. I could hurt you.”
“How?” he said. “Explain to me how you could hurt me while we’re having sex, because unless you shift to your dragon form while we’re banging, I don’t -”
“Sometimes I lose control of my flame when I’m having an orgasm,” she said in a low voice. “What if that happened? Is sex with me worth the risk of being burned alive?”
“I am pretty attracted to you,” he said.
“Bren, be serious,” she said.
He leaned forward. “Look, I don’t think you’ll hurt me. I think you’ll have better control than you believe you will. Worse comes to worse, we make sure the bed is near an open window. If you need to let loose with a little fire, you can aim it toward the window. Problem solved.”
She sighed and rubbed at her forehead. “It isn’t that simple, human.”
“It is,” he said.
“I want to sleep with you,” she said. “You know I do. Hell, every time I touch you, I lose my damn mind and start to think we could have sex, that everything will be fine. But if I hurt you, I couldn’t live with myself.”
“You won’t hurt me,” he said.
She closed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead again. “You don’t know that. And I can’t take that risk.”
* * *
“You should be sleeping.” Bren was sitting at the kitchen table when she snuck quietly into the room. The light over the stove was on and it cast a dim glow over his face. He looked tired and depressed, and she sat in the chair next to him, the guilt she felt worsening.
“I can’t sleep knowing that you’re sleeping on the couch in your own damn place,” she said. “Let’s trade spots.”
“I told you before,” he said. “I’m not making you sleep on the couch. You’re my guest, you can have my bed.”
“It’s after midnight and you look exhausted,” she said.
He picked at a chip in the handle of the mug that sat in front of him. “I’ll be fine.”
“Are you always this stubborn?” she asked.
“Yes.”
His blunt honesty made her smile. “Good to know. We could share the bed in a strictly platonic kind of way.”
He stared at her and she blushed. “Sorry. Forget it, that was a stupid suggestion and -”<
br />
“It wasn’t.” He stood up and set the mug in the sink before holding his hand out. “Let’s go to bed.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded, squeezing her hand when she took his. “I’m positive. Honestly, I’m too tired and too thrown by the realization that dragons exist to be up for sex anyway. I’ll behave, I promise.”
“I’m not worried about that,” she said in a low voice as they crept past the guest room, “I promise I won’t do anything to you either.”
He shut the bedroom door behind them and hesitated at the side of the bed. “Do you mind if I lose the t-shirt?”
She shook her head, ignoring her dragon’s purring when Bren shucked his shirt and left it on the floor. He had a great body. An amazing body, actually, and she was itching to touch the light layer of hair that covered his chest. He was still wearing a pair of sleep pants and for a moment she hoped he would lose them as well.
She berated herself internally as Bren climbed into the bed. She had just told him she wouldn’t do anything to him for God’s sake.
She slid into the bed. His bed was queen sized, big enough that there was an empty space between their bodies. That was a good thing, she told herself.
“Thank you for loaning me a shirt to sleep in.” She smoothed his shirt down as she turned on her side to face him.
“No problem.” He was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling with his arms tucked up under his head.
“Are you all right, Bren?” she asked.
“I will be. It’s just a lot to… absorb,” he said.
She stared worriedly at him, wondering if there was even anything she could say or do to help him.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course,” she said.
“How do you guys survive? I mean, money wise. None of you work in the city, right?”
“Dragons have done very well with investments and stock,” she said. “Each clan has its own financial person who manages the clan’s investments. The money we earn is split between the members of the clan depending on size of family. But, if a dragon wants to earn their own money for additional things, they can get a job.”
The Dragon's Mate (Book Seven) Page 16