I laughed. “Holden doesn’t need to be in heat to be like this. He’s basically desperate for sex all the time.”
“Kymar!” Laszlo had to call the other dragon a few more times before he finally sat up, bringing Holden with him. “What?”
“You two need to take this somewhere else.”
“I thought you didn’t want me revealing myself outside your home.”
I could sense Laszlo growing more impatient. Instinctively I knew his dragon was about to come out. “I’m happy to have my driver take you to a hotel or wherever you would like to go.”
Kymar shook his head. “I’m taking Holden home, so you’ll just have to take the risk of someone seeing me.”
Holden looked thoroughly lust drunk. I laid a hand on Laszlo’s arm. “I’m not sure about this.”
He laid his hand over mine. “Your friend will be fine. Kymar can be difficult, but he won’t harm Holden.”
“I give you my word,” Kymar said, and I sensed only sincerity from him. “Your friend will love every minute of being with me.”
Holden grinned. “You’ve got your dragon, Roman. I should get one too.”
I supposed he was right, and I couldn’t really stop him.
Kymar scooped Holden up in his arms. “Enjoy your little holiday fest. We’re off for a celebration of our own.”
Laszlo sighed as Kymar carried my friend from the room. “I’ll be right back. I want to tell him the best route to take not to be seen.”
While Laszlo was gone, I studied the tree, finding the best spots for the turquoise ornaments. Decorating a tree felt so normal, but I was in a dragon’s house—a dragon I’d just spent my heat with—and my best friend was going home with another dragon. It was absolutely ridiculous but also the most fun I’d ever had. I tried to imagine what it would’ve been like to know dragons were real as a kid. I would’ve been thrilled. I was thrilled now. I just felt like I shouldn’t be.
Enjoy this. He’s all yours.
Laszlo returned a few moments later. “I can only hope no one noticed Kymar flying away, or if they did, they convinced themselves he was just a very large bird.”
I hoped so too. “I guess it must be hard, having to hide all the time. Do you get to spend much time in your dragon form?”
Laszlo frowned. “Not nearly as much as I’d like.”
“Are you going to let me see you? More than just the scales on your arm, I mean.”
“Would you like that?”
“Yes.” Kymar had been breathtaking as a dragon, and I knew Laszlo would be even more beautiful.
“Let’s hang the last of these ornaments. I do just love them in here, don’t you? And then, why not? I’ve already had one dragon in my yard. There might as well be another.”
I felt like it was Christmas for me already. “That sounds perfect, and these ornaments really are lovely. This whole room is like a magical wonderland.”
“I’m so glad you think so.” Laszlo smiled, then tilted his head, studying the tree. “I almost wish I had bought more of these, though.”
If he added many more, the poor tree might fall over. “I think you’d need another tree if you’d bought any more ornaments.”
“I think you’re right. Where should we put it?” He glanced around the room as if trying to decide.
“I didn’t mean you actually needed another one.”
“Can anyone ever have too many Christmas trees?” he asked.
His glee was absolutely adorable. “I love how happy the lights and ornaments make you. When you’re excited like this, you seem more…” I paused, not wanting to offend him. Maybe he wanted to seem dangerous and intimidating.
“More what?”
“Human maybe. Easier for me to talk to. Not like some magical, mythical creature.”
“I thought you got over the idea that I was a myth when you felt me inside you.”
Heat filled my face, and my body responded to the memory of Laszlo’s considerable girth buried in my ass. But I was determined to spend some time with him doing something other than having sex.
“There,” he said, placing the final ornament on the tree. “What do you think?”
It was a lot like Laszlo himself, big and flashy and almost more than it needed to be. “It’s beautiful.”
“I agree. Are you ready to see my dragon now?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “That sounds like innuendo.”
“Would you like it to be?”
“No, you promised me some cookies, and I expect you to follow through.”
“I won’t disappoint you.” He took my hand and led me to the French doors that opened onto a beautiful courtyard.
“As you saw with Kymar, we retain our ability to think in our dragon form, so you don’t have to be afraid.”
I’d never seen Laszlo so unsure. Was he truly worried I wouldn’t like his dragon? I had no doubt I would find it as fascinating as I found his human form.
“I’m not afraid. I want to see your dragon so I can know all of you.”
He let go of my hand and backed away, taking maybe ten or twelve large steps into a grassy area beside the garden. He stripped quickly and tossed his clothes aside. Then the air shimmered around him like it had when Kymar had transformed. I saw the rainbow swirl of Laszlo’s scales, and his wings unfurled as the shimmer of magic faded. He stood before me a shimmering dragon who seemed to be made of rainbows. I’d never seen anything so beautiful.
“Oh, Laszlo! You’re incredible like this! Your scales are so complex and so gorgeous.”
I thought he smiled. It wasn’t quite as easy to tell in this form. He flexed his wings, extending them fully. Then he moved them up and down a few times and lifted himself a few feet off the ground. As he let himself drop back to earth, he lifted his head and blew a jet of fire into the air. I knew he was showing off, preening to impress me, and it was working.
A few moments later, the air around him sparkled with magic, and he was human again.
“You liked my dragon?”
“How could I not?” Had there been omegas in his past who hadn’t been able to accept all of him? I reached up and cupped his cheek. “Your dragon form is just as amazing as your human one. I adore them both.”
“Oh, Roman, tell me you won’t leave me.”
My breath caught. How could someone as powerful as Laszlo look vulnerable? I wanted to tell him I would stay as long as he wanted me, but I knew I couldn’t do that. “Can we put off talking just a little longer? I want to live in this fantasy for the rest of the day.”
Pain flashed in his eyes, but it was gone almost instantly. “For just a little longer. If that’s what my mate needs.”
“Right now, I need cookies.”
He grinned. “Let me grab my clothes, and we’ll go to the kitchen.”
If you’ve never seen a dragon making cookies, you’ve missed out. Imagine an exuberant three-year-old turned loose with sprinkles, colored sugar, and an array of candy toppings, and you might come close.
Laszlo surprised me by making the gingerbread dough himself. We rolled it out together and chose cookie cutters from his huge collection. I used a few different Santas, snowmen, and Christmas trees and tried to mimic the decorating from my favorite bakery.
But Laszlo chose a dragon wearing a Santa hat—had it been made especially for him? He piled on sprinkles, sugar, little candy pearls, and edible silver stars that looked like they’d been cut from tinfoil. I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous he was being.
He huffed. “I like to have fun. If I wanted ones without flair, I’d simply order them.”
He was so incredibly hot, and the things he’d done to me during my heat took me beyond any pleasure I’d ever experienced, but it was this cookie-decorating side of Laszlo that really made me want to stay.
A voice inside me insisted I was where I was supposed to be. Was Laszlo right? Was I meant to be his mate?
I wanted to be, because any man who could care for me the
way he had and then immerse himself so thoroughly in tree decorating and cookie baking, was the kind of man I’d like to spend forever with.
8
Lazlo
I had an incredible day with my mate despite the unexpected appearance of Kymar and the exposure of our secret identity to Roman’s friend. As happy as Holden had been to leave with Kymar, I didn’t think he was going to betray us, and Roman would have eventually told him anyway. But now the time had come for a serious discussion with my mate. I didn’t want to do anything to spoil the happiness I felt radiating from him, but the news I needed to share probably wouldn’t bring him the same joy it did me.
The next months wouldn’t be easy for him, and he would need me to care for him and protect him as our bond continued to strengthen. I knew it was wrong to force him to stay with me, but he would long for me if we spent much time apart. The longing for a mate could grow so bad, it physically harmed a human, and in his condition, I couldn’t risk that.
I watched him for another few moments as he dipped one of the cookies he had so carefully decorated into a large glass of milk and gave a contented sigh as he tasted it. “These are amazing. Who would’ve known a dragon would turn out to be one of the best bakers I’d ever met?”
I gave him a mock scowl. “I thought you said my cookies were ridiculous.”
“You have to admit you went a little crazy with the decorating. But the cookies themselves? They’re the best gingerbread I’ve ever had.”
His praise made my heart flutter as it always did. There was no higher compliment for a dragon than knowing his mate was pleased with what he provided. I stood and circled the kitchen counter where we’d been standing, eating warm cookies right off the pan. Roman looked up at me. “What’s wrong?”
He’d been honest with me. I owed him the same. “I’m afraid what I need to say will upset you, but the time has come.”
Roman squeezed my hands. “I’m sorry I made you put this off, but I just… I just wanted this day with you.”
“You can have all the days with me that you want.”
He shook his head. “I have to return to my real life, Laszlo.”
But even as he said it, he shifted on the stool, widening his legs and pulling me in so he could rest his head against my chest. I hugged him tightly against me and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. As I drew in a deep breath, I confirmed that his scent had indeed changed. I hadn’t imagined it. I laid a hand against his abdomen and let my magic feel, needing final confirmation before I spoke.
He pulled back and looked up in surprise. “What was that?”
“Dragon magic.”
“It felt… warm, strange. What were you doing?”
“Confirming something I was nearly certain of.”
Roman frowned. His confused look would have been adorable if I weren’t so concerned about how he was going to react. “In nine months, you’re going to give birth to a dragon shifter.”
His mouth dropped open, and he blinked several times. “What?”
“You’re pregnant.”
“No. I’m on birth control. I haven’t missed a dose. I can’t be.”
“I wouldn’t have told you if I wasn’t certain. Your scent has changed, and my magic can feel the life inside you, the life we created.”
“How is that even possible? I’m human, and you’re…”
“A dragon. But I’m a dragon shifter. There used to be what we call pure dragons who had no human form, but they died out long ago. My species existed alongside them for thousands of years. We have always been both dragon and human, and our children are born live in human form rather than from eggs like the pure dragons’ whelps. We have always bred with human omegas.”
Roman twisted his hands together. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
I could feel his turmoil, and it made my heart break. I’d longed for a child for hundreds of years, and now I could have one and a mate by my side, but my mate was not ready. “I know this comes as a shock, and I’m sorry if it’s not what you want. I just ask that you… that you really consider having this child. Dragon babies are rare, especially for any dragon who hasn’t bonded with their true mate. Only a mated pair have a real chance of producing young.”
Roman laid his hand against his abdomen “You think I don’t want this child?”
Was I wrong? “I thought that you… that you might feel you had to…” I couldn’t bring myself to say it, when I wanted this baby so much, but I would not force him to stay with me or to have my child no matter how much my dragon roared at me to do just that.
I had thought I would keep him up here as part of my hoard when I didn’t know him, when he was just a gorgeous omega who smelled like everything I’d ever wanted. I brought him back here as a treasure for me to collect, but Roman was so much more than that. He was my mate, and I cared for him more than I ever imagined possible. The thought of raising a child with him, a beautiful child who might look like him, felt as warm as the summer sun on my scales.
Roman reached for my hand. “I’ve always wanted children. But I’ve never met an alpha I truly cared about, and I couldn’t afford a child on my own, so I wasn’t sure when that would happen for me. You really believe I’m really pregnant?”
“I know you are. Do you think, eventually, you could be happy about it?”
He closed his eyes for a moment, and I held my breath until he answered. “The strange thing is, I already am. I’m scared and overwhelmed and totally shocked. I wouldn’t have done this intentionally, and I still don’t quite understand how it happened. I mean I understand how, but it shouldn’t have been possible when I took precautions.”
“Dragon magic. Our mate bond must be so strong that it overrode your precautions and made you fertile.”
He frowned. “I’m not even going to try to analyze whether that’s possible, but I… I want this. I want to have your child.”
“So you believe me?”
He frowned. “About the pregnancy or—”
“That we’re meant to be together.”
“I want to.”
My dragon wasn’t satisfied with his answer, but my human side knew better than to push when I’d already gained so much. “You can believe it. I promise you.”
“You’re not like I thought a dragon would be.”
“How so?”
“You’ve been so concerned about me, wanting to make sure I was cared for and then you were nice to Holden and even Kymar when I could tell he was driving you crazy.”
“Kymar can be an idiot, but he’s not really bad. He means well most of the time.”
Roman’s forehead wrinkled. “You said Holden would be okay with him?”
“He will be. Kymar has the mildest temper of any dragon I’ve met. He’ll show your friend a good time, and he’ll bring him safely home.”
“So dragons aren’t really as scary as humans have been taught?”
My dragon protested his demeaning comment. “We can be very scary. If someone tried to harm you, they would find out exactly how fierce a dragon can be.”
Roman shivered. “I shouldn’t like that as much as I do.”
“Of course you should. Protection is the least of what you can expect from a dragon mate.”
“So what happens now?” he asked.
“You stay here forever and let me spoil you and protect you. We raise our beautiful baby together and then have more children.”
“While buying up every Christmas decoration in town?”
Joy rushed through me. “Of course. I plan to go bigger and better every year.”
Roman wrinkled his nose and looked around at the decorations my staff and I had placed on nearly every surface in the kitchen. “I’m not entirely sure that would be possible.”
My dragon was more than ready to accept this challenge. The very idea that he couldn’t find more treasure was insulting. “It’s never a good idea to challenge a dragon.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. And
as to your plan for our future, I do actually have a job.”
“Call your boss and resign.”
My mate bit his lip before responding. “I know you want to spoil me. I know you have an entire hoard of treasure to share with me, but this is all new, and I need some independence. When I moved here, I’d just walked away from a very wealthy family with absolutely nothing. I chose to give up all they offered because I didn’t want them telling me who I should be. I don’t have a lot now, but I’ve earned it all myself. The idea of being completely dependent on someone… I just can’t do that… not right now anyway.”
My dragon hated the idea of our mate working, but I knew better than to fight Roman on this. I wanted to have my mate here with me all the time. I wanted to spend the next months nesting and getting to know him, but maybe one day, he would want that too. The mate bond might make the separation too hard, or he might simply realize I would never ask him to change who he was, but for now, as much as it would pain me to agree with him leaving here each day, I knew I risked losing him if I tried to trap him here.
“I have a compromise.”
Roman raised a brow, obviously skeptical about what I would propose.
“You move in with me, and we begin to build our nest together, but you keep your job, and I won’t interfere with you coming and going as often as you need to. I will make sure you are safe, though.”
“How? By sending the bodyguard with me?”
Roman seemed to be joking, but that was precisely what I would do. “You’re my mate. Giving you a bodyguard is the least I can do.”
“I work in a small-town gift shop. It’s not exactly dangerous.”
“You’re my mate, and you’re carrying our child. I will see you protected at all times.”
He exhaled harshly. “You’re not going to relent on this, are you?”
“I will not.”
He either realized how important it was to me or accepted that winning an argument with a dragon was virtually impossible, because he let me pull him back into my arms. As he cuddled against me, he said, “I accept your bargain, but if I realize I need some space—”
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