Please.
Oh god!
On cue, she started blinking and swallowing, working hard to hold back those blasted tears. It didn’t help, the lump in her throat seemed to grow. Flip! She waved her hand in front of her eyes. Manual drying, it worked every time. Within seconds, she was feeling more composed.
Louise walked over to her purse and pulled out the pregnancy test. It had been stuffed at the bottom of the thing for two whole days. She was a chicken. Well, no more wing-flapping and clucking for her. It was time to find out for sure.
She pulled out the box and took out the instructions. Of course, she knew exactly how the thing worked and realized that this was a further delay tactic but she humored herself. She ignored the part about using urine in the morning in early pregnancy because she was … might be pregnant with a dragon shifter’s baby. In which case, she was further along. It would mean that she was nearing the end of her first trimester already.
Panic welled up and she forced herself to breath. She needed to be clinical about this. Try to distance herself so that she could think clearly.
Right, she needed to urinate on the stick for a couple of seconds and then she’d know within a minute or two. It was easy. She made her way to the bathroom and followed the instructions to the letter. She put the stick on the basin and walked away, before pacing back.
One thing was for sure, Granite had never lied to her. She was certain he hadn’t lied about being infertile. Although, that’s not actually what he’d told her. He’d said that he’d only become fertile once mated, and then only when his mate was on heat. It was all too mind-boggling. From the sound of things, he’d had sex with plenty of women and had never made any of them pregnant before. Not that he knew of. Then again, if the Earth dragons were impregnating human women, it would have become headline news. Dragon shifters were very different to humans. It would be apparent very quickly that the child wasn’t entirely human.
She clutched her chest. What if she was pregnant? She would have to tell Granite. Maybe he would feel obligated to be with her. She would hate that. On the other hand, she would be forced to live with the shifters and maybe she’d have to watch him take another woman as a mate. That would be sheer hell.
Louise had always wanted a family, she’d been desperate for children. Broody as hell as each of her friends fell pregnant and had their own bundles of joy. She wanted a child so badly it hurt, yet, not like this, not with a man who didn’t love her. She wanted love and a family. She wanted all of it, not just one part.
Life didn’t work that way though. It really didn’t. Her situation was not unique. At least she was in a position to take care of herself … to take care of them if it came to that.
A baby.
She forced herself to keep breathing. She pushed down the nerves and anxiety. Louise picked up the stick but didn’t dare look. She squeezed her eyes closed for a few seconds. Another thought entered her mind. What if she wasn’t producing the human pregnancy hormone?
The stick would change color if HCG was detected in the urine indicating a positive result. If she was pregnant but not producing HCG, there would be a false negative. She’d cross that bridge if it came to it. She was worrying about things that she couldn’t control.
Louise pulled in a deep breath which she’d held in her lungs. It was time. She looked at the stick and choked out a sob.
There were two lines.
Two.
They were both thick and dark. She was pregnant. Deep down she’d known it. She sat down on the toilet seat.
Pregnant.
She was going to have a baby. Granite’s baby. It wasn’t meant to be like this. It was all wrong. A mess.
Louise blinked hard. She swallowed a couple of times. Then she flapped her hand like a mad woman in front of her face. None of it helped. Not one little bit. She eventually made a moaning noise and covered her face with both her hands. Tears poured down her cheeks. It wasn’t meant to be like this.
Chapter 28
Granite enjoyed the wind beneath his wings and the pitch-black silence of the night. The lair was just ahead. He flapped his great wings, feeling more tired than he’d been in a long time. He welcomed the fatigue. Maybe he would actually get some sleep tonight. A dragon could hope.
He had to be up early tomorrow. There was much to get done before his appointment with the new doctor in the afternoon. After that, his day would go to hell. Silver … he hated the blasted metal, couldn’t wait until he was over it. Until they were all cured of the curse.
He just prayed he actually would sleep tonight. He wasn’t going to hold his breath. It had eluded him of late. It was why he was so cranky. Lack of sleep had given him a short fuse. His males tiptoed around him. Not that he’d ever been a great sleeper before, but things were worse ever since—
He cut the thought in its tracks and focused on flying the last few feet. Granite slowly descended to the balcony. Many of his males were back already. The next team of scouts would have already headed out.
His body cracked as it folded back in on itself. There was a pulling sensation that lasted a handful of seconds.
“Thanks for coming out with us,” Sand gave him a tap on the back. “I see you put your name down for two shifts next week as well.”
Granite nodded. “Yeah, it’s good for me to stay in touch with the goings on.”
“Yeah, but you’re still putting in just as many office hours as well as going through the Resistance Therapy. At this rate, you’ll burn yourself out.”
“Thanks, mom.”
Sand raised his brows. “I mean it. Don’t overdo it.”
“I won’t.”
“How are you doing?”
“Great!” he forced a smile. Why did his brothers keep asking him that? It was becoming annoying.
“Are you joining the hunt in two weeks’ time?” Sand asked, looking distinctly excited.
“Definitely!” Granite answered immediately. “I’m ready to take a female and start a family. The whole nine yards.”
“Good,” his brother rumbled low. “I’ll stick with you so that when you cast your hard-won female aside I’ll be there to take her for myself.”
“Find your own damn female. I plan on playing for keeps this time.”
“If you say so,” Sand laughed. It fucked him off, so instead of continuing the ridiculous conversation, Granite walked towards the double doors that led into the great hall, leaving Sand and his irritating chuckle behind him.
Just as he was about to exit the main hall, Rock pushed the door open. “My lord.” The male lowered his head in both respect and greeting.
“How was the scout trip?”
“Good!” Granite didn’t feel like elaborating. The sooner he got showered, fed and in his bed the better.
“Sorry I missed it, I was man-down after my session today. Those three weeks off definitely took us back some.”
Granite grunted instead of responding. It was true. It had taken three weeks to replace the allergist who left. Not saying her name or thinking about her in any way. It had put them behind in the therapy.
Rock frowned. “I’m still disappointed that she just up and left out of the blue like that.”
Fuck this conversation! Granite took a step towards the door, not wanting to hear any more.
“I’m sure she had a good reason,” Rock continued. “Louise would not have just left unless—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Granite growled as he turned back to face the male. “I thought I made it clear that there was to be no more talk of that female. I don’t want to hear her name ever again.”
Rock looked taken aback. The male was one of his best warriors but he could be as thick as two planks sometimes. He tried to unclench his fists and failed. Tried to stop more adrenaline from flooding his system and failed there too.
“I understand, my lord.” Rock looked at the ground for a few moments before locking eyes with him. “You are hurting, it is understandable. You miss the
female so—”
Something inside him snapped. Granite lashed out. He punched Rock. It was short, hard and right in the nose. There was a cracking sound and the male flew back several feet, he was unconscious before he hit the ground.
Granite instantly regretted his actions. What the fuck had the male been thinking?
Rock’s nose was flat and it gushed blood. Both his eyes were swelling shut. Shit, he’d totally over-reacted. The male had spouted nonsense but that didn’t mean he deserved to have his lights punched out.
At the same time, he had disobeyed a direct order. “Help him,” Granite barked at some bystanders. “Take him to a healer,” he added.
Several males went to help Rock. By then a small crowd had gathered. “What happened?” he heard someone murmur.
“Rock mentioned something about our previous human doctor. The one who left,” another person answered, speaking under his breath.
“Oh! So?”
“We are not permitted to speak of her or interact with her when we are in Walton Springs. The female is a traitor.”
Granite felt himself bristle over the insult. He quickly pushed the emotion aside. It was true. The female was a traitor.
“Well then, it is understandable,” the other person said as Granite strode from the room. He hoped that this was the last he would hear of it. The last he would hear of her. Louise was dead to him.
Three days later …
Her hand shook, so she clutched the envelope a little tighter.
“Please wait here,” she addressed the cab driver through his open window.
He gave a nod. “No problem, miss. I’ll wait for as long as you need.”
“Thank you.” She turned towards The Cockpit. “Here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself as she walked towards the packed bar. She was glad she had taken a cab instead of trying to drive herself. She was a nervous wreck.
Louise opened the door and loud music accosted her. It was rowdier than it had been before. Maybe it was because she was there for entirely different reasons. It was very smoky as well. The smell of cigarettes made her feel queasy.
Best she get this over with quickly. The sounds of women giggling irritated her. Louise scanned the room, there were groups of huge, muscular men everywhere. She tried to find someone she knew, or at the very least, someone who would know her. A familiar face would help right now.
Their chests were covered so she wasn’t sure which dragons were which. There were guys from all four tribes present.
She checked the bar area. Her heart leapt. There was Rock. Thank god! Not only a familiar face but a friendly one. He was sure to help her.
She made a beeline for him, ignoring the women who clustered around him like buzzing flies.
“Rock.”
He looked her way. Aside from the cigarette smoke, perfume filled her nostrils now too. This place smelled like a brothel … not that she knew what a brothel smelled like. She was pretty sure that this was it though.
“Rock!” She managed to elbow her way past one of the women who glared at her.
The dragon shifter finally looked her way. There were still a couple of women between them. He was head and shoulders above the ladies so she could see him, at least. She expected recognition to light his features but it didn’t happen.
“Rock, it’s me, Louise,” she had to raise her voice over the loud noise. Over the chatter of the women. She was wearing jeans and a sweater so maybe he didn’t recognize her.
He finally reacted, but not in the way she thought he would.
“Oh fuck!” he cursed. “It’s you. You’d better leave doctor, do it now.” He took a few steps back. He looked scared of her.
“Rock, wait. What’s wrong?”
His eyes were wide and his face was pale. He turned his body away from her, keeping his eyes glued on her. It looked like he was getting ready to run. “I’m not Rock.” He put a hand up. “Don’t come any closer.”
The guy was acting like she had the plague. Then she realized what he had just said. “Of course, you’re Rock. You don’t have to lie to me. I’m sorry I left like that.”
“Save it female,” he growled.
One of the women grabbed him around the waist, she turned and glared at Louise. He looked exactly like Rock, from his dark hair to his blue eyes, why was he lying to her?
“Stay far away from my brother, from all of us. We are not permitted to talk with you, or to speak of you, or we will have to face serious consequences.”
“What are you talking about? What do you mean? You have to be Rock, I mean, look at you.”
“Rock is my twin, leave now before there is trouble. He broke Rock’s face, pulverized his nose.” It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know who he was talking about. “My brother took several hours to regain consciousness. His nose had to be re-broken and reset.” He looked around him, genuine fear etched into every muscle. “Please, female, I cannot be seen talking with you. Go!”
“Holy shit!” one of the shifters from a nearby group growled. “That’s her. Holy fuck! Let’s move out,” he shouted to those around him. The odd guy reacted … the other Earth dragons reacted as well, recognizing her. “We need to go.” The noise picked up after that and not in a good way. Guys pointed. They looked afraid of her.
“Wait!” she shouted after them. Her whole body felt numb. “I’ll go.”
Her mind raced a mile a minute. She couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Once the door was closed behind her, she gulped down air. Now she smelled like cloying perfume and cigarette smoke. The queasiness eased slightly with the fresh outside air. She swallowed thickly trying to get the rolling of her stomach under control.
Her cab, it was still there. Thank god! Walking as quickly as she could, Louise went over and got in. Granite had pulverized Rock’s nose. The shifters were shit-scared to be seen anywhere near her. Granite must really hate her. This was going to be more difficult than she had thought.
“Please take me back home,” she blurted.
The guy gave a nod and pulled off. It was only then that she realized she still held the envelope. It was crumpled up in her hand. It didn’t matter. She had to tell Granite, he needed to know somehow. She would have to find another way to get the message to him. It needed to be his decision whether he wanted to be in the baby’s life or not.
Chapter 29
Four days later … (6 weeks pregnant)
“Step away from the gate and do it now.” The man was muscled. Bigger than a human, but not as big as a dragon shifter. His eyes were narrowed on her, his mouth drawn in a sneer. He wore black gear, including a bulletproof vest. The outfit reminded her of something a SWAT officer would wear just before crashing into a building.
“Please, just take the letter, give it to your commander. Then have him take it to one of the kings.”
The guy pointed to a painted yellow line on the floor. It was two feet behind where she was standing. “Get behind that line and do it now.”
“Please, just take the letter.” She threw the envelope between the bars. It landed just inside the gate. The big guy kept his eyes on her, he growled. He was definitely non-human; she was at the right place.
“Step back behind the line. I’m not going to ask you again.”
“What’s going on?” Another guy approached them. He was bigger than the first. He wore black pants and t-shirt. His head was clean-shaven. His dark eyes landed on her. They were impassive.
“This female is up to no good. She won’t move back, insists on handing us a letter,” he spoke like it was the craziest thing he had ever heard. “Wants it delivered to one of the kings.” He laughed and shook his head.
Louise wore perfume. She didn’t want them to smell her unborn child. She’d decided not to tell them that she was pregnant with a dragon shifter baby. Her heart-rate kicked up a few notches at the thought. She tried to calm herself down. Tensions ran high between the different dragon tribes. She wasn’t sure how things stood between th
e dragons and the different species. If they found out about her pregnancy, they might use her and her unborn child against the dragon shifters. The vampires seemed to be helping the dragon shifters find mates but she still couldn’t take any chances. She had to tread carefully.
“Please,” she could hear the desperation in her voice. “Take the letter and give it to one of your kings. I’m not a threat to you or your people.”
The mean guy looked at her pointedly. “That’s what they all say. Just because you are an attractive female does not mean that we trust you.”
“It’s a letter for goodness sake. Are you afraid of a letter?”
One of the mean guy’s lips pulled back in a silent snarl. He had long canines. They were sharp. Clearly, they were vampires. Big, strong, blood-sucking vampires. She forced herself to keep breathing and to stay calm.
The bigger guy bent down.
“No, Titan!” the mean one snarled out the words. “This could be a trap.” He scanned behind her. “A way to divert our attention and bomb the gate.”
Louise frowned. “Bomb the gate. No—”
“Quiet!” the mean one said.
“I think it’s okay.” The bigger one picked up the envelope. “It’s addressed to Granite.” He frowned. “There is no Granite at the castle.” He took a step towards her.
Louise could see that he planned on giving back the letter. “Give it to one of the kings. Granite isn’t a vampire.”
“Then why did you bring it here?” the big guy asked.
Forbidden Dragon (The Bride Hunt Book 5) Page 22