“Indeed,” I answered, frowning at the grin on Julian’s face. “Is something funny about our predicament?”
“Well, actually, if I hadn’t known Orion for a long time, I might have thought he was playing a trick on me,” Julian replied. He smiled apologetically. “I didn’t mean to offend you. If you open a storybook here, you’ll find most of the people you mentioned there, in fairy tales, novels, or legends.”
“Stories are often said to have a grain of truth,” Mackenzie commented. “I suppose it is a little surprising, but I’m more interested in knowing just how much about those stories is actually true. I’m thinking that your world and ours are connected, given that we speak the same language. But you have other priorities than to deal with this. I gather you need to leave Earth and return to your world urgently, as you fear for your friends.”
It was my turn to be curious. “Earth?” That was certainly not an original name. “Is that where we are?”
At that, Orion got up and rummaged through his desk. After a few moments, he retrieved a map and pointed the general area where we were located. “This is LA.”
“What’s your world called?” Grier inquired, giving us a curious look.
“Avalon,” my mate supplied. The other men didn’t seem particularly surprised, and I hazarded a guess that there must be a legend regarding that as well.
“In any case, do you think you can help us?” I asked.
Julian took his mate’s hand and peered a little closer at Dineiro and me. “May I?” he inquired, reaching for me.
I nodded, having already expected it. As we touched, I waited for him to give his verdict on the spell. When the answer came, it wasn’t something I enjoyed hearing. “I’m afraid I can’t break this, not just yet.”
“What do you mean?” I inquired. “What is it?”
“It seems to be some sort of anchor spell,” Julian replied, “keeping you tied to Earth. I’m afraid that this magic is beyond me, but I could request a meeting with my parents. It won’t be right now, though. It’ll have to wait a couple of days.”
“A couple of days,” my mate repeated, sounding dismayed. “I suppose I can understand that. But what do we do in the meantime?”
“You get a little accustomed to Earth, of course,” Orion replied. “Worry not. I’m sure we’ll be able to keep you busy.”
Chapter Ten:
In Which a Certain Slayer Finds Out Something Very Interesting
The days slowly slipped past as we waited for an answer from Prince Julian’s parents. It didn’t really surprise me that they were taking their time. After all, they were royalty. But it was still unsettling, especially given the situation we’d left our friends in.
We had learned that Orion Walker was a very important man, indeed, but in spite of his numerous responsibilities, he still attempted to make us feel at home in his coven. We had also found out he was a vampire, a creature who lived off the blood of others. Kirril had been a little disturbed by the fact, but had quickly disregarded it as a diet quirk that really had very little relevance to the value of a person.
Like me, Grier was a shape-shifter. He spent a lot of time with us, even when his mate could not be there, and his assistance helped us a lot in understanding our new world.
There was always something to do, and we busied our time with getting accustomed to the way these earthlings lived and amused ourselves with the terrible, terrible legends they had of things I’d considered reality. I’d thought Arthurians were bad, but here, a main religion proclaimed it amazing to be a dragon slayer. Apparently, my kind were a symbol for something wicked. It made me uncomfortable, and I wondered if this was how I’d feel if I ever went to Arthuria. Victor Frankenstein was apparently notorious for creating a monster, with Igor being his humpback assistant. There were also stories about a Count Vlad Dracula, who ironically seemed a creature very similar to Orion.
Roughly a week after our arrival, we somehow found ourselves in the same park we’d landed in upon our arrival. The performers who’d greeted us that day were gone, but we were also dressed differently, having received a complete earthling outfit from Orion and Grier.
We strolled hand in hand, ignoring the gazes we got from the occasional passerby. “You know, I wonder why it bothers them,” my mate idly commented. “How is it any of their business that we’re a couple?”
“According to Orion, they find it strange.” A little girl on a bench waved at me, and I waved back with a smile. “Well, some of them.”
“I just don’t get it. I mean, my father was a little disappointed because I wouldn’t have any heirs of my own, but that’s a lot about us being a royal family. There’s nothing like that here.”
His words surprised me, although they probably shouldn’t have. The topic of children had appeared more than once during our stay, partially because of us meeting Mackenzie Scott. I hadn’t been brave enough to approach my lover about it, especially after his reaction to Mackenzie’s condition.
Just as I thought this, a sensation of nausea and weakness struck me. I stumbled and almost fell, but fortunately for me, my lover’s instincts were as good as always and he caught me before I could hit the ground.
“Baby?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern as he lifted me in his powerful arms. “Are you all right?”
“Fine,” I replied weakly. A few moments later, I contradicted myself by adding, “Oh, Goddess. I think I’m going to throw up. Just put me down. I need to…I need to throw up.”
He looked a little panicked, but he carried me away from the path and deposited me on the grass. He was excruciatingly gentle, but my stomach still protested the jostling motions, or perhaps it decided I’d eaten too much that day. Either way, I promptly vomited out my entire breakfast, which was quite an interesting feat in itself given that I didn’t have a gag reflex. All the while, my mate held my hair and whispered soft endearments in my ear.
When at last I felt a little more stable, I took a couple of deep breaths and leaned back against my mate. “Okay, that was unexpected. Maybe we should go home now.”
“Do you think you can stand?” my lover inquired.
I nodded, but when I tried to do what I’d claimed, my knees buckled. This time, Kirril cursed. “That’s it. You need medical attention.”
He rushed out of the park, paying no heed to the startled people. We found our vampire driver waiting for us outside. Since we didn’t know how to drive such a vehicle and we couldn’t exactly use our host as our own personal chauffeur, Orion had assigned several people to watch over us when he couldn’t be around.
The man in question looked surprised at our sudden appearance. “What happened?” he asked.
“Dini suddenly felt ill,” Kirril answered as he carefully slid me into the backseat of the car and followed after me. “Take us to the coven.”
The vampire wordlessly obeyed. In fact, he seemed to acknowledge the urgency in my mate’s voice, as he rushed out of his parking spot with a haste and zeal that made me a little light-headed again.
“Carefully, please,” I whispered, placing my head against my mate’s shoulder.
Our companion slowed down, and my dizziness subsided a little. I closed my eyes and held on to Kirril’s hand. His presence anchored me and made the sudden sensation of sickness fade into the background. Still, it seemed to take forever until we finally stopped in front of the coven.
Kirril brushed his lips over my temple and whispered in my mind, “Okay, baby, I’m going to pull away now and then carry you out of the car. Do you think you can handle that?”
His concern touched me, although I didn’t think it was fully warranted. A small part of me already suspected what was going on. Dragons didn’t get sick. Our immune system prevented us from catching any disease. Weapons could hurt us, but even such wounds healed easily.
The nausea was particularly disconcerting because I’d never experienced it my life. I’d never even had a stomachache, as my digestive system worked to perfect
ion. I was still having trouble computing the implications of this knowledge, and I suspected that my own confusion was the only reason why Kirril hadn’t already heard the truth behind my unprecedented sickness in my mind.
Just like he’d said, my mate helped me out of the car and hastily carried me into the house. In the foyer, we ran into Orion and Grier, who must have been alerted by a member of their staff, perhaps the driver.
“What seems to be the problem?” Orion asked. “I understand Dineiro is sick.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted. “I just need a word in private with Kirril.”
“Baby…” Kirril was obviously still very concerned. “You should have someone look you over. Perhaps a doctor from Grier’s pack? One of them is bound to…”
He abruptly trailed off as my thoughts finally slipped into his consciousness. Looking dumbfounded, he used our bond to ask, “Are you sure?”
“Not really,” I replied. “But I can’t imagine it being anything else.”
Turning toward our hosts once more, Kirril said, “With your permission, we’ll head out to our room. Dini needs to rest.”
“If you’re certain,” Grier replied, seeming very puzzled. “We could contact a healer.”
“I don’t think it will be necessary,” I answered, “but thank you.”
My mate carried me out of the foyer and up the stairs. We soon reached our quarters, and once we were inside, I found that I already felt better. Closing the door behind us, my mate ensured our privacy, then carried me to the bed.
He deposited me on the mattress with a gentleness that made my heart hurt. “Are you feeling better?” he asked me softly.
I nodded. “It was just something passing. You’re not angry, then, about this?”
“Angry?” He cupped my cheek and brushed his thumb over my lips. “Oh, baby. How could I be angry? I mean, I know I said it was strange, and Gods, I certainly didn’t expect it would happen to me, but a new life is always a blessing. I’m probably doing something seriously wrong if you thought I’d be angry.”
I released a sigh. “I just didn’t know how you’d react. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. I’m not even sure I’m really pregnant.”
“You’re sure,” Kirril told me. “I can tell. Maybe intellectually, you know that you could be mistaken, but your heart tells you it’s true.”
He was completely correct. In truth, I wanted to be right so much, that I worried I was only imagining it. We had only a week being mates and regularly having intercourse, and while dragon pregnancies usually manifested symptoms from early on, I still wasn’t sure.
In that moment, I really wished to be back in Merlinia, where I could contact my parents and perhaps ask them. But that wasn’t possible, at least not just yet, so I contented myself with lying down on the bed and pulling my mate next to me.
“Hold me, Rili,” I told him. “I want to think everything is going to be all right.”
He complied, and I cuddled to his side, taking comfort in his now-familiar scent. I missed my home and my friends. I worried about them, and now, Kirril and I had a child on the way. I wanted my baby to be born in Merlinia, where he’d be safe and happy.
“Relax, baby,” Kirril whispered in my ear. “It will happen. Prince Julian will come through for us. You’ll see.”
He brushed his lips over my forehead and then, as if taking a decision, started to pepper my face with kisses. Instantly, my body responded, like it always did to Kirril’s touch. My apprehension began to melt into arousal, and even if I knew it to be an instinctual reaction that did nothing to eliminate our very real problems, I found that Kirril’s caresses were making my anxiety disappear.
Unsurprisingly, Kirril didn’t push me in any way. His caresses were gentle, almost worshipful. He kept his touch above the waist, nearly platonic, with an edge of lazy sensuality. It relaxed me, but it also awoke my very eager libido. On an impulse, I pushed him back on the bed and straddled him, at the same time pressing my lips to his in a demanding kiss.
Kirril took it in stride, apparently not very surprised by my reaction. As I opened for him, he thrust his tongue into my mouth, his gentleness as familiar to me as his passion. Through our bond, he murmured, “Hush now. Don’t strain yourself. I’ll take care of you.”
There were numerous advantages to our new connection, but I felt particularly happy that we could communicate without even having to break our kiss. He could sense my need for him, my desire to be one with him.
We broke apart to breathe, already panting. Slowly, Kirril began to undo my shirt, the buttons yielding to his insistent ministrations. Our hosts had been wise enough to provide us with easily removable garments, so I slid out of my top with ease and dumped it on the floor. As I did so, Kirril’s hands began to travel over my now-naked chest and lower down, to my abdomen. His palm stopped there, hovering over my still-flat belly.
“I almost can’t believe it,” he whispered. “I’d always thought that I wouldn’t get to be a father, and I’d accepted it. But now…”
In spite of the comments he’d made earlier, he was clearly excited about the possibility of us having a child. “It might not happen now,” I warned him. “We don’t know for sure.”
“Perhaps.” He grinned. “But it will happen eventually. I can’t wait.”
I trailed a finger over his chest and worked on his shirt. “While we wait…What do you say we make sure I really am pregnant?”
As I spoke, I started to grind my ass against his crotch. He groaned, and his hands landed on my hips. “Are you sure it’s safe? You were sick earlier. We can do something else.”
“Well, I’m completely all right now, and I think you know exactly what we’re going to do,” I purred, flooding our bond with my arousal. “Come on, love. You wouldn’t deny me, would you?”
In response, Kirril released one of his trademark growls and flipped me over, now looming over me. “Just tell me if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable,” he said, his voice filled with gravel.
“You’ll know if that happens,” I told him. “Our bond will make sure of that. But more importantly, I trust you with everything that I am. You’d never do anything to hurt me.”
He had, once, but we were long past that. I still caught him staring at my shoulder at times, or at my wings when I had them out, and felt his regret at what he’d done and his terror at what might have happened. Now, that protectiveness had melted into something even more profound. I liked it. I felt safe with Kirril, and I wanted my mate to know it. I couldn’t allow those doubts to keep us apart. Besides, I had a feeling that my as of yet unconfirmed pregnancy would make me even more easily aroused. Already, I was anticipating feeling Kirril inside me. His kisses had awoken my beast, and now, it demanded to be given its due.
Kirril heard everything I said and wasn’t saying. I felt our minds connect, and he groaned, his blue eyes now nearly black with arousal. At first, he still seemed to be struggling, but I could tell the exact moment he snapped. He crushed his lips to mine, the gentleness becoming pure ardor.
My world turned to desire and flame. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, his intoxicating taste fanning the blaze of my already-burning passion. My cock throbbed in my pants, and I hated the material keeping my body from Kirril’s. He seemed to be of a similar mind, as without even tearing his mouth away from mine, he began to work on the stubborn buttons keeping my garments in place. I tried to help, but my reluctance to release him even for a moment made me more of a hindrance than anything else. To my credit, Kirril wasn’t very willing to move away from me either, and he only did so when it became obvious that the little sacrifice would be needed if we wanted to take things further.
I released a low whine as he broke the kiss and freed himself from my possessive embrace. His absence frustrated me more than I could have ever imagined. Kirril didn’t try to provide words of comfort, not this time. Instead, he acted, and I was more than relieved when he crawled down my body,
pressing light kisses over my chest while he worked to free me from my clothing. The shoes were easy, and when he pulled them off, he swept his fingers over the arch of my foot, making me moan with delight. He knew that I wasn’t used to wearing shoes of any kind. I didn’t actually need them, as even in my human form, my skin was harder than that of a human. However, I’d gone along with it, and the result was sore feet. I didn’t complain since it allowed me to blend into this strange world and it made my mate more comfortable than he’d been when I’d only worn his cloak. Still, it made his light massage more than a little welcome.
In his talented hands, I became a puddle of relaxed lust. He had me right where he wanted me, and no longer could I make demands or anything like that. I was at his mercy, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
However, he remained a man on a mission, and he released my feet in favor of finally undoing my pants. I wiggled out of them and congratulated myself for the decision of not wearing any of those horrid undergarments that had been supplied when Kirril’s lust spiked, flooding our bond. As he dumped my last garment on the floor, he stole a look at my face and said, “Remember. If I do anything that feels uncomfortable in any way…”
I nodded and smiled at him, wordlessly reminding him of my earlier reassurances. He grinned back, and it was the only warning I got before he engulfed my cock in his mouth.
Wet heat surrounded my prick, sweet, volcanic, and delicious. He teased me, giving and taking, licking my hard-as-nails cock from root to tip, then sucking it back in, all the way into his throat. It seemed that he had no problems with gag reflex either, although in his case, it was due to skill and experience, not a gift of nature.
My Mate's a Dragon Slayer? [A Tail Like No Other: Book One] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Page 9