Once inside, Chloe helped herself to a bubble bath. She soaked away her troubles, gave herself a pedicure, and painted her toenails an obnoxious shade of pink. Saul didn’t know any better, and had on impulse purchased her an amazing number of toiletries and feminine products, some she would never use, and others that were just... strangely colored.
“Hrm... That color isn’t really so bad,” she mumbled out loud.
She brushed out her hair, braided it, then brushed it out again in a fret. Once she decided on a ponytail, she jogged down the steps to find a snack. Had she been smarter and less angry at Saul, she would have made the usual pit stop for a Frosty instead of waiting until her stomach cramped from hunger.
“Mahasti?” Chloe stepped into the empty kitchen and frowned. She’s probably with Leiv, she realized. According to Saul, calling the djinn’s name thrice would summon her, but she didn’t want to interrupt a possible nookie time.
Especially if he changed his mind about babies. She doubted it. According to Saul, Leiv and Mahasti had centuries together... a djinn’s lifetime. She envied them.
I wish... I could be with Saul forever. She sighed. It was a foolish wish to make, although it would fortunately go unheard. Such whimsies were beyond Mahasti’s power to grant.
“Ugh, I don’t even know what I’m in the mood for,” she grumbled, searching the well-stocked refrigerator. She twisted the cap off the chocolate milk and guzzled it straight from the quart. Rich liquid cocoa distracted her for a while at least until a garlic-scented aroma reached her from the fridge shelf.
Mahasti’s curry beef marinated in a deep dish with a thin plastic sheet over the delectable cubes. Chloe peeled the edge of the saran wrap off and inhaled.
Between her and Leiv, I’m going to be four hundred pounds by the time this baby is born.
After a glance over her shoulder, Chloe surrendered to impulse, scooped two pieces from the dish, and shoved them in her mouth. The curry spices danced over her tongue, improved by the tender cuts of meat.
It didn’t taste raw in the least.
What the hell am I doing? This isn’t cooked.
Part of Chloe wanted to freak out, but deep down, she couldn’t stop herself, like a crack addict hungering for the next fix, she plucked another cube and quickly devoured it.
“Chloe?”
Chloe whirled with one hand to her mouth to find Leiv bearing a basket of glass jars filled with dark, golden-amber honey. “Uh... How much of that did you see?”
“Enough to know human women do not normally eat raw meat. Is that not bad for you and the little one?” His dark brows rose. “Mahasti.”
Her prompt appearance meant that three utterances of her name weren’t required for Leiv. “Yes?” The scent of jasmine wafted through the kitchen, smoky tendrils of the djinn’s essence circling around her semi-translucent body. Without waiting for Leiv to answer, she turned to face Chloe. “You shouldn’t eat that. It isn’t cooked,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“Um... she is aware,” Leiv said. “That is why I called you.”
“I’m sorry, I couldn't help it. They smell so good and look so... so juicy...” Chloe trailed off and eyed the plate with longing. Mahasti delivered a light smack to her reaching fingers.
“I will find you a doctor,” Mahasti said.
“Aren’t you overreacting a little? A doctor because I ate some meat?”
“Saul would never forgive me if I did not take you to a physician, Chloe. I am not an expert in human medicine, so I would prefer to be safe than sorry.”
“Saul can heal wounds with dragon magic.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “I’m not really concerned. If something’s wrong and I get food poisoning or E. coli, he’ll fix it up and we’ll both be fine. It was only a few bits of raw meat. I’m not going to collapse and die right this moment, Mahasti. Honestly. The two of you are behaving as if I swallowed Ebola.”
Mahasti didn’t answer her. She pulled out a phone and dialed.
Half an hour later, the genie and bear shifter had bundled Chloe into Saul’s car and embarked on a drive to a spur of the moment obstetrician’s appointment. The fancy building outshined any doctor’s office Chloe ever visited before, complete with marble floors, a waterfall, and a Zen garden.
The receptionist welcomed them with a smile and asked them to have a seat. They didn’t even ask Chloe for her insurance information.
“What hoops did you jump through to arrange for this?”
“Saul and I spoke of it when you returned from Las Vegas. Ultimately, he wanted the choice to rest with you, but given the circumstances...”
“I waited long enough,” Chloe finished for her. “You’re both right. I should have handled this when we returned from Vegas, but I’ve been so nervous about it that I put it off time after time.”
Mahasti smiled, attempting to ease her worries. “Trust me, Chloe, this is the finest OB I found. And now that you and Saul have married, you’ll be covered no matter what options you take. The receptionist tells me their sister midwifery center has a birthing pool if such is your desire.”
“Ugh. I don’t think I’m ready to discuss this part yet. Let’s take baby steps, Mahasti.” Baby steps. At least the pun was unintended.
“All will be well. You’ll see.”
“Maybe... I wish Marcy was here too,” Chloe sighed. She tilted her head back and shut her eyes, mourning the recent events missed by her best friend.
Mahasti’s sympathetic hand rubbed her shoulder. “You’ll see your friend again soon, Chloe.”
“Sorry. That was kind of rude of me. I really am glad you’re here. Really, it’s just—”
“What’s happening? Where am I?” a shrill voice cried from the restroom.
Chloe turned her head toward the sound. “That sounded like...” No, it couldn’t be.
Marcy emerged from the small room, dressed in shorts and a tank top with unruly dark hair hanging around her shoulders in need of a brush. Her incomplete makeup made Chloe giggle once the horrifying realization passed. She had wished her best friend into the obstetrician’s office while she applied hangover cover up. Dots of concealer under Marcy’s eyes revealed her attempt to hide a long night.
She looked absolutely ridiculous. One lined brow contrasted against its unfinished twin.
“Chloe? Shit. I must have really passed out hard last night.” Marcy turned around a few times and craned her neck to gaze at the world beyond the office windows. Sunny Los Angeles greeted her, the office yard decorated by top notch floral landscaping. “Usually I dream about shopping sprees and sexy dudes on the beach.”
Should I let her think it’s a dream?
“I mean, I thought I was up, but maybe I laid back down...” Marcy pinched her thigh, doubting in the reality around her.
The office door opened and a nurse in pink scrubs leaned out to flash a friendly smile. “Chloe Drakenstone,” she called.
“That’s me.” Without responding to Marcy’s bewildered speculations, Chloe grabbed her friend by the hand, laced their fingers, and dragged her into the back.
***
With her two best friends present, Chloe answered a series of personal questions about the state of her health while the nurse took notes. Afterward, the chipper doctor squeezed cold goop onto Chloe’s bare midriff.
“KY Jelly? Really?” Marcy asked. “Probably the only time you’ve ever needed the stuff, huh? As much as you and Saul went at it, you clearly don’t need any.”
“Marcy.”
Mahasti snickered from her seat by the wall where she had settled to remain out of the way. The very moment the appointment ended, Chloe and Mahasti were going to have a stern conversation about granting inappropriate wishes. As much as she adored the genie, a little warning would have been appreciated.
“Okay, Mrs. Drakenstone. Are you ready to see and hear your jellybean?” the doctor asked. Her obstetrician was a spritely woman with a short bob of brown hair and a freckled nose. Doctor Thompson’s reassuring s
mile melted some of Chloe’s apprehension.
“I’m ready.”
“This is so weird,” Marcy muttered.
I’m going to have to tell her when we leave. Tell her what’s really going on. She still thinks she’s dreaming all of this in her bed while she sleeps off a hangover.
Moments after the doctor placed the funny probe to Chloe’s tummy and moved it through the slick field of lubricant, a rapid ‘whoosh whoosh whoosh’ sound began. The doctor slid the probe left then right as the black and white picture came into focus.
“There’s your baby’s heartbeat. We don’t normally hear that unless the pregnancy is beyond the seven or eight week mark.”
“Is this good then?”
Doctor Thompson didn’t answer immediately. “Hm... Interesting,” she muttered.
“What is it?” Chloe jerked her eyes away from the ultrasound screen to the doctor.
“Are you positive about the date of your last period?”
“Um, yeah?”
“She was a real grouchy bitch,” Marcy added cheerfully.
“Why? Is something wrong?” Chloe’s throat tightened. Mahasti squeezed her fingers in reassurance and Marcy rubbed her shoulder.
“This fetus is rather large for gestation. I would have estimated a conception in March or early April.”
“So my baby is too big? What does that mean?”
“I wouldn’t say too big. The development appears appropriate for this size as well. Everything is there. Fingers and toes. If there’s any cause for concern, I’ll let you know,” the doctor assured her. The woman smiled again, but this time her sunny disposition failed to ease Chloe’s growing anxiety. “Your labs are a little unusual, so I’d like you to come in for a complete fasting blood work tomorrow. No food after midnight, okay?”
After wiping the goop off of Chloe’s tummy, Doctor Thompson printed a few photos and saved a digital video to a disc. Chloe left the office feeling numb and terrified, with an appointment to return. Her elation dwindled to a cold knot of fear that twisted her belly with nausea.
Marcy pinched herself again. “I don’t like this dream anymore.” Like Chloe, she looked scared and nervous. “Why can’t I wake up?” She pinched the back of her left hand and paced in a circle.
“It isn’t a dream, Marce.”
Saul’s sleek silver vehicle pulled into park. Leiv left the driver’s seat and opened the door for the women to pile into the spacious rear. Marcy hesitated at the door until Chloe pulled on her hand to coax her inside the vehicle.
“Come on, Marce. We gotta talk.” And close the damned car door before more cold air gets out. Chloe fanned herself and positioned her body to receive maximum current from the vents. Cool air rustled her hair, a godsend for a pregnant woman.
“Okay, chica, spill it. What the heck is going on?”
“You aren’t dreaming. All of this is real. You’re in California with me, but an hour ago you were back home in Texas, probably about to flat iron your hair and finish your makeup.”
“How the fuck did I get here?” Marcy demanded, her voice shooting up an octave. “Chloe, I don’t get it. How am I here?”
“I am to blame for your current whereabouts,” Mahasti answered, calm and unruffled as ever.
“Who are you?”
“I should have introduced you. Marcy, Mahasti is Saul’s um...”
“I am a djinn.”
Marcy’s eyes crossed. “A whatsa?”
“A djinn,” Chloe replied. “She’s a... a genie, Marcy. That’s how you got here. I said I wished you were with me and Mahasti made it happen.”
Silence. Marcy stared at her as if she’d grown a second or third head.
I need to prove it to her. She’s never going to believe what’s going on until she sees it for herself. “I wish we were home right now.”
The world beyond the tinted windows shimmered and faded until the congested Los Angeles streets became the winding driveway leading up to Saul’s estate. The vehicle cruised effortlessly to the garage while Marcy held a white knuckled grip on the door.
“She just...”
“I wished us back home.”
“I am so drunk,” Marcy whispered. “Someone must have spiked my drink. LSD. Something.”
“C’mon, Marcy, let’s go inside and I’ll pour you a glass of water. Then I promise to tell you everything.”
Once they reached the veranda, Chloe decided to blurt out the truth. It came easily, like ripping off a Band-Aid. “Saul is a dragon in a human body.”
“A dragon?” Appearing faint, Marcy quickly lowered into the chair before she lost her balance. “You’re surrounded by creatures out of a bad paranormal romance.” The woman rubbed her face then released a hysterical laugh. “What’s Leiv then? A werewolf?”
“Uh, bear, actually,” Chloe said.
“Christ, Chloe, are you serious? This is crazy!”
“I know... I felt the same way. God, at least you’re taking it better than I did. I freaked at him and chased him off.”
Understanding dawned in Marcy’s brown eyes. Her jaw dropped slightly. “That’s when you came back from your weekend away!”
“Yeah. I hurt his feelings.”
“So where is he now?” Marcy asked.
“He went to handle ‘very important dragon business’ and said he’d be home this evening for dinner,” Chloe said. She shrugged her shoulders and nervously settled into the lounge chair. The veranda provided a small comfort to her, and with a clear sunny day casting warm sunlight over the green pastures, the calming atmosphere was exactly what she needed.
Something may be wrong with my baby... Is this what I get for refusing to tell Freddy? Is this my punishment?
Tears stung her eyes again, bringing an abrupt end to Marcy’s laughter.
“Oh no, sweetie. What’s wrong?”
“The baby... I’m scared,” Chloe admitted. She rubbed her wet cheek with the back of her wrist. “I finally got used to the idea of being a mom and... now you know why I knew Freddy was the father. Saul’s not even human. And now it turns out I was probably pregnant before I even met Saul...”
As Marcy squeezed beside her into the chair and held her close, Mahasti arrived with lunch. She offered Chloe a handkerchief then poured peach-scented tea.
“I do not believe your former lover fathered this baby,” Mahasti said.
Chloe dabbed at her eyes. “What?”
“Who else could it be?” Marcy demanded angrily. “Chloe doesn’t sleep around and she’s already said that Saul can’t have babies with her.”
“As a djinn, I see many things, but even some truths elude me,” Mahasti admitted. “I can see your love for Saul, and I can know your heart’s truest desires, but my hands remain tied until a wish is made. And even then, some gifts are beyond my ability to grant. When Saul wished for a mate who could love him for who he truly was, I took steps to guide you back to him — but I could not make you love him. That came from within you, Chloe. I believe Saul conceived with you in the mountain.”
“You think... No. He said it isn’t possible.” I want it so bad. I want this baby to belong to Saul, but is that even possible? Can a dragon and a human conceive a child?
Mahasti shook her head. “Few things are impossible in this world, Chloe. What Saul should have told you is that it’s not probable. Leiv and I have begun to research what we can in the library.” A wistful look crossed her features. “If his mother were awakened, we could ask her,” Mahasti said.
“Does that mean what I think it means? His mother is a...” Marcy’s voice trailed off.
Chloe frowned. “A real hibernating dragon. He’s never told me where, just that she’s slept for decades and probably won’t even budge while I’m alive.” Her fingers traveled over her barely visible tummy curve. According to the doctor, her active lifestyle and tall build worked to her advantage.
“Holy shit. Dragons and genies. This is a lot to digest,” Marcy said.
“Is it r
eally possible that Saul could’ve fathered my baby?”
Mahasti’s bright smile widened, reassuring Chloe within seconds. “I believe so... I remember vague stories of a man known for his courage and half-dragon blood, born from a storm dragon and mortal man.”
“And you think my baby is like that...” Chloe closed her eyes and dragged in a deep breath. She remained that way until long after Mahasti had vanished to continue her research, leaving Chloe and Marcy to enjoy their evening tea. “I want it so bad. It seems too good to be true.”
“Holy crap, chica,” Marcy breathed out. “Your kiddo is going to be a superhero or something.”
“I guess so. If they’re right.”
“This is all so crazy,” Marcy muttered again. She drained her glass and set it aside.
“Marcy... I’m sorry for dragging you into this. Do you want to go home?”
“Hell no. I’m in this for as long as you need me.” Marcy patted her hip for her cell phone then groaned. “Dammit. I need to text Antonio and let him know tonight is canceled. And... I really hope my styling iron isn’t burning down the apartment ‘cause I had it heating up while I did my makeup.”
“Mahasti?”
The genie reappeared moments later with an iPhone in her hand. “I secured your home.”
“Thanks.” Marcy accepted the phone with tentative fingers, reluctant to take the device from the genie’s fingers.
“She’s not going to burn you or anything if you touch her. Mahasti is harmless.”
“You can never be too sure. I saw the movie Wishmaster.” The Latina flashed the other woman an apologetic smile. “Sorry,” she apologized to Mahasti.
Chloe sighed. While Marcy was her oldest pal, the developing friendship between her and Mahasti meant that she didn’t want to risk their uncertain, new relationship over a misunderstanding.
“It takes much more to offend me, my friend. There is no harm done. But please, there are more important matters at hand. While in the library, a passing thought came to me regarding how we could prove your child is dragon-blooded.”
Marcy and Chloe both stared at the genie. “Well don’t keep us waiting in suspense, chica. Come on,” Marcy encouraged her.
Mated by the Dragon (Loved by the Dragon, #2) Page 11