by Naomi Sparks
Eventually, she falls asleep. I roll back towards her and stroke her long, silky black hair in my fingers. She’s so beautiful. So perfect. I lightly kiss her forehead. Why can’t we be together and have children? I know she’s supposed to be my mate. I’ve never felt anything this strongly before.
Fate can be so cruel.
How I wish things could be different.
14
Kyra
I wake up in the morning and Faris is gone. Everyone is gone. They’ve cleared out the wreckage and the dead bodies. God only knows where they put all of it. My guess is, somewhere buried under the desert sand, or maybe totally incinerated in their dragonfire, which seems to burn through pretty much anything.
All the other tents have been taken down and the group’s bikes are nowhere to be seen. The only hint that they were even there in the first place are multiple thin tire marks leading back through the clearing and the smoldering remains of a campfire. My brother’s Challenger is sitting right where he left it.
Not even a note, I think. Faris is really gone.
I can’t believe it. Never in my life have I felt so strongly about another person, and now he’s gone. Just like that. He realized there was a giant hurdle in our relationship and instead of dealing with it, he broke up with me. Like ripping off a Band-Aid.
No, I think. It’s worse than that.
I pack up the few things I have and toss them in the passenger seat of the Challenger. On the dash I see a chrome-plated skull keychain; hanging from it are the keys to my brother’s car. The engine rumbles loudly to life when I twist the ignition. It’s not the kind of car I’d drive normally, but beggars can’t be choosers. It’s either this or walk all the way back to civilization.
The drive home is uneventful, but the entire time I’m running the conversation with Faris last night over and over in my mind. He said we couldn’t have children together or I would die. But Hannah isn’t dead. She does seem very sick, sure, but most women have some degree of sickness when they are with child. That shouldn’t be too surprising.
And even if we couldn’t have children for some crazy genetic or magical reason, I’m ok with it. There are other ways to be a parent if that’s what we decide we want to do. But it has to be we deciding, not just Faris. That’s a decision we should come to, together. It isn’t fair for him to decide for me like this, even if it’s supposed to be for my own protection. That’s bullshit.
I walk through the door to my apartment and survey the place— it suddenly looks so boring and lonely. Drab. A numbness creeps through me. Returning to an ordinary life after everything I’ve seen and been through seems kind of impossible. Do I have to accept it? Bleh.
I go into my room and take a quick shower and get cleaned up. The weather is just warm enough for a short summer dress so I put on one of my favorites, along with a pair of comfortable matching wedges.
By pure habit, I flip on the television. The news is on, which seems strange for nine o’clock in the morning. But nevertheless, there’s ‘Smiling’ Ron Snidely, our Channel Ten local reporter, and he’s holding a microphone and interviewing some deputy who’s wearing a big white cowboy hat. In the background I can see the smoking remains of one of Dez’s warehouses. The whole area looks cordoned off with yellow and black crime scene tape.
“That was quite a fire, sergeant,” the reporter comments. “Does the arson unit have any idea what kind of accelerant was used?”
“The chief inspector believes that some of the chemicals used in the production of the methamphetamine were the cause,” the deputy remarks and puts his hands on his hips. “But, uh, we can’t really be sure until more testing is performed.”
“Was this a large operation?”
“Oh yes. And we had no idea that a meth production facility of this size was located out here,” the deputy explains and points all around. “We think they were processing up to fifty pounds of crystal meth per month and shipping it out all over Malheur County and the rest of Oregon. This was probably one of the biggest labs in the state, and it was right under our noses.”
“Have you made any arrests yet?” the reporter asks, and sticks the microphone back in front of the deputy.
He looks a little nonplussed at the question, but answers eagerly enough, “Not yet, Ron. But we do know who owns the property. We hope to be in contact with this individual soon.”
I shake my head at that and turn off the television. No, they won’t be talking to Dez soon, or anytime, ever. Likely, they’ll assume he hauled ass to Mexico and slowly forget about him one day when the case grows cold. I’m happy for the town’s sake, though I can’t help but feel a wave of sadness when I think about my brother.
The police won’t give up easily. Until then, I have a feeling that they’ll want to ask me some pretty serious questions. The type of questions that I really don’t want to answer, about my brother and about what happened last night. And I have no idea how much evidence I might have left behind. A little icy shock goes through me when I really think about it. My fingerprints were probably all over the shed were they kept Faris. Could they somehow tie me to Dez’s criminal activity?
Getting the hell out of town sounds like a great idea all of a sudden. But to head out on my own, all alone?
And then, I’m pissed off. The numb feeling has lifted. It’s like a burst of clarity hits out of nowhere. I am getting out of town. And I’m not going alone, either.
I’m not going to let Faris make all the decisions for me, starting right fucking now. Decision number one—we are not breaking up yet. I’ve got to talk to him. I need to make him see that he’s wrong, and that we can still be together.
I have an idea where Faris and the rest of the boys are. Surely they’ve gone to see Hannah in the hospital over in Colson. If I can get there before they leave—
And then I’m out the door. I don’t even lock it. I’m leaving my old life behind and none of that stuff is important anymore.
Taking the Challenger might not be the best bet with the authorities on the lookout for my brother, but it’s faster and about a hundred times more reliable than my beat-up old sedan. I tempt fate.
Luckily, I make it to the hospital without incident and just in time.
As I pull up, I spy Lex pushing Hannah in a wheelchair and accompanied by the others. They are making their way across the parking garage and headed towards their bikes. It’s kind of funny seeing them and knowing that they are a pack of fire-breathing dragons and not simply leather-jacket wearing bikers. Faris, however, is nowhere to be seen.
When I pull up and yell, “Hey!” out the window, the entire group turns to me with a bit of bewilderment. Either they never thought we’d meet again or they were freaked out by the sight of my brother’s car. I decide it must be the car, since everyone seems to relax once I step out the driver’s side door.
I immediately take notice of Hannah. She’s looking much better. Her color has returned and she’s even smiling.
“You look so much better,” I say to her and walk over. “I’m very happy for you. And I never did say thanks for being so supportive when I first came. Although, I guess you can probably understand why.”
Hannah acknowledges me cheerily and takes my hand. “You had every right to feel that way. If Lex had shown me his dragon like that I would have freaked out, too.”
“You did freak out,” Lex says and smiles back at her. “Well, a little. Everyone does. Faris was just overcome with emotion, I think. That’s why he decided to reveal his secret, our secret, to you like that. He’s a bold and very blunt man. He told me that he’d never felt like that about a woman before.”
“Dragons are not something a person would expect. We’re taught from a young age that such a thing exists only in fairytales. It’s a little unsettling to be faced with something like that, especially in the middle of the night and in the middle of nowhere,” I admit, and then look around. “Where is Faris, anyway?”
“Actually, here he comes now,”
Ezra answers and points two fingers towards an unmarked stairwell door, which Faris just exited. “Someone needed to, uhm, alter the hospital records. Can’t have The Clutch knowing about our little visit, ya know? You can never play it too safe with them sniffing around every corner.”
But I’m barely hearing what Ezra is saying anymore. Anger flushes through me. “Excuse me for a moment, everyone. I have a dragon that needs some sense knocked into him.”
“Uh-oh,” Galen says playfully and chuckles. The rest of the guys join in, too.
“She’s coming to get you, Faris!” Ezra calls out loudly and waves. “I think you’re in trouble, bro.”
I march right up to him and Faris stops in his tracks. He shakes his head and holds up his hands like he doesn’t want to hear it before I even have a chance to speak, ready to get this over with already.
Too bad. He’s gonna hear it.
I grab him by the arm and drag him around the corner into a more deserted part of the parking garage where we can have a bit of privacy. He doesn’t try to resist.
“You’d better listen to me,” I start off, and get right in his face before he can retort or shrug me off. “I mean it. I’m really mad at you.”
“Ok, tell me,” Faris responds. He’s watching me carefully. I can’t tell if he’s being serious or joking around by the roguish look in his eyes.
“First off, you left me out in the wilderness all alone. I could’ve been eaten by…by coyotes or something!” I’m almost yelling. The smirk Faris is barely hiding doesn’t help. I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks.
“We left the car,” Faris offers and shrugs. “I made sure it had gas and the keys so you could start it.”
I punch him in the shoulder. It’s enough to make my hand sting, though I doubt he even feels it. “That’s not how you treat a woman!”
“Ok, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You’re right. I did kind of bail on you. But it seemed like the best way. I didn’t want to argue, and I felt bad about our conversation last night.”
“What conversation?” I fume. “You said that we couldn’t be together because I couldn’t have babies with you. You never considered my response or how I felt about it. You just clammed up and went to sleep, for crying out loud.”
“We couldn’t have children because it is too dangerous for you,” he corrects. When he sees my expression to that, he holds up his hands in apology.
I give him a slight eye roll. “Whatever. But who said anything about having babies yet? Maybe I don’t even want children right now. Maybe I want to wait. No matter what though, it isn’t your place to make that decision for me or us.”
“I only want to protect you. Even if that means we can’t be together—”
I sigh. Of course that’s what he wants. Faris is a good man. And dragon. Both. He wants what is best, what is safest for me. He doesn’t want me to hurt. I get it.
“That still doesn’t mean you get to decide how my life will go, Faris. My grandfather tried to do the same thing. He tried to protect me from myself years ago. The only problem was, I never got to add my input. I repressed everything even remotely magical about myself until you came along because I was convinced by him that I would have to be literally crazy to believe it.”
“Kyra, I’m not trying to do that,” Faris says, but then relents. “It’s just that I don’t want you to come to any harm. And if I had any part in causing that harm, I don’t know how I could live with myself.”
“I’ll be your mate if you want,” I blurt out. Mate. I feel strange saying the word, but it also feels natural at the same time. Somehow, ‘girlfriend’ doesn’t have the same ring to it when it comes to having a steady relationship with a dragon. “I’ll be your mate. I want to go with you, Faris. I don’t want to stay here and be alone. But we have to be together on this.”
He looks away thoughtfully for a moment, and then nods. “I’m sorry for being too authoritarian. I think I understand what you’re saying now, Kyra.”
“Do you?” I ask. “Or do you still want to decide everything without involving me?”
“What if I decide to kiss you?” Faris says and abruptly turns me towards him and plants his velvety lips against mine. When our kiss breaks, he’s standing there and smiling hugely. My head is spinning and there’s a warm feeling bubbling up from below.
“This isn’t funny,” I say and poke his chest. “I’m still mad at you. Laughing at me is only going to make me get madder. And distracting me with kisses—”
Faris winces and takes my hand. Then he brings it up to his lips and kisses the top of it. He pulls me closer and kisses me again, even though I’m still trying to be upset with him.
“I’m not laughing at you. I’m just happy that you want to be with me. That you want to be my mate. But if you are with me, we will not have any children.”
At that, I feel magical energy surge up inside me. Faris has me both frustrated and turned on at the same time. I inadvertently make the elevator doors slide open using my power. Luckily, the elevator is empty. I take the opportunity to push Faris in, something he doesn’t expect or try to stop.
“Damn it, Faris, you’re doing it again. You’re trying to decide for me. Having children is something we need to talk about, at the right time, and decide on together. Neither of us should choose something like that alone, it isn’t fair to me or to you.”
He swipes back his thick hair and nods. “You are right. Perhaps my way of thinking is sometimes just a little too old school. You can obviously take care of yourself. It only makes sense that you wouldn’t want me controlling your life like that. Again, I apologize.”
The elevator doors slide closed, then I grab him and plant a deep kiss on his lips. My turn. I feel my temperature go up a few degrees. The bubbling excitement I’ve been feeling has escalated to a delicious, aching need to be filled.
When our lips part, Faris confides, “Kyra, I fell for you the moment I first met you. Practically from the first time I smelled your pheromones.”
“That’s kind of a weird thing to say, you know,” I reply and give him a little sideways grin. “That last part, I mean. But the truth is, I feel the same way. I wouldn’t be here now if I didn’t.”
“Good,” is Faris’s simple answer. He pulls the emergency stop button out so we won’t be interrupted.
“Not a moment too soon,” I purr and wrap both arms inside his leather jacket and around his delightfully firm midsection.
He lifts me up effortlessly and pushes me hard against the wall of the elevator. My legs instinctually go around him and his hands begin to tear at my clothes, undressing me. Our mouths cover each other like we can’t get enough. I’m so tangled up in the feeling that it’s like we are melting together.
God, I needed this so bad.
“The others are waiting for us. We should be quick,” I urge, although if I could, I’d make this last as long as possible.
Faris nods in agreement and then slides his fingers under my dress and hooks them around my panties. With a gentle tug, they are off and out of the way. He feels my wetness there and plunges a finger inside, testing it, and stirring me up even more.
I reciprocate by finding the top of his jeans, unbuttoning them, and releasing his thick cock. The feeling of it in my hand is tremendous. It’s so stiff and heavy. I stroke him a few times, hardly able to wait for him to plunge the full length inside my waiting pussy. He’s only inches away…it would be so easy to just pull him into me. I rock my hips and feel his tip brush against my entrance.
“We should be safe though, huh?” I whisper into his ear. I really, really want him to fill me up with his come. Even knowing how risky it all is, there’s just some crazy magnetism going on that makes me crave to be knocked up by him.
Faris nods and pulls out a condom from one of the pockets of his jacket and hands it to me. I open the wrapper, and carefully roll the condom over his cock. The thing is so tight it looks like he might burst out of it at any moment. Not that I’d complain.
He takes my right leg and pushes it up and against the elevator wall. I’m spread open before him when I feel him press against my slick folds. There’s only the slightest resistance and the head of his cock pops through, followed by the rest of his length.
In no time, he’s found his rhythm. I’m grinding my hips and meeting his with each thrust. Our bodies come together, flesh against flesh, and it feels like his big cock is trying to drag an orgasm out of me already.
I moan out loudly and inspire Faris to fuck me harder, not afraid to contain my voice or my pleasure here. He enthusiastically complies.
There’s a swirling sensation in my lower belly that’s growing quickly. I can feel my wetness increase and my muscles tighten. He’s pounding me so damn good. I bite down on my lip and close my eyes, intent on focusing completely on the tingling ecstasy that’s running through my entire body.
“Don’t stop,” I beg, and dig my nails into his back. Faris lifts up my other leg and effectively holds me aloft and with my back against the wall. There’s definitely no escaping his cock like this, not that I’d even want to.
Then Faris brings his mouth to my neck. I feel his warm breath there for a second and then sharp teeth touch my skin. There’s a single moment of pain which fades almost instantly. His venom pumps into me. Golden sparkles surround us and light up the elevator, then fade out and scatter across everything, only to disappear. The life-mate bond.
Oh, wow. It’s like I’m losing myself. Amazing.
The climbing, swirling sensation finally seems ready to explode from within. Warm tingles race across my skin all over. Suddenly, I feel the elevator begin to shake and rattle. The lights and buttons flicker like the whole thing is possessed. My magic ability is going into overdrive. I silently hope I don’t break the damn thing.