by Tonya Brooks
The girl was obviously not listening to a word he said because she bounced up and down in excitement while demanding, "Ohmygosh! Have you ever seen a dinosaur? Wait. Are we dinosaurs?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose to stop the smoke from erupting, closed his eyes and counted to ten before complaining, "Little one, you could try the patience of a saint."
That sobered the girl, and she dropped her head, shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry," Ember mumbled as she stared at her feet. "There's just so much I don't know, and I want to know everything."
"Brendyn will tutor you on all of the things you wish to know," he assured her and thanked the gods for that. His mage had infinite patience whereas Dragan most assuredly did not. "My purpose is to train your dragon and instruct you how to interact with her."
"Yeah, sure," she grumbled and kicked a pebble with the toe of her shoe.
"You must learn to trust your dragon's instincts just as she will trust your human logic," he imparted solemnly, determined to accomplish something in this lesson.
'Do tell,' his beast responded facetiously. 'Like you trust mine, hmm?'
'Leave me be,' he warned, in no mood to be harassed by his beast. Arguing with one's self was a futile effort. Arguing with one's dragon was maddening at best. The girl was proving to be damnably vexing, and he wanted to get the lesson over with so he could properly court his mate. 'I have better things to do than listen to you complain.'
'The problem is that you don't listen to anyone,' his dragon responded. 'Perhaps you should spend some time getting to know our daughter first. She might listen better if she actually liked you.'
"Dad?"
'She does like me,' he informed the pest in satisfaction. 'In case you've forgotten, last night Ember said I was the coolest dad ever.'
His dragon sighed wearily and replied, 'She was referring to me, not your human half.'
"Dad?"
'You're the one who scared her half out of her wits,' Dragan accused.
'Yes, and I'm trying to redeem myself in the eyes of my child,' he fired back hotly. 'Perhaps you should do the same and stop arguing with me.'
"Dad?"
The repetitive query had him snapping impatiently, "What?"
"Umm, need a little help," Ember said nervously.
While he had been arguing with himself, his daughter had been entertaining herself. She had managed to sprout one wing, and the weight of it was too much for her small human body to support. Ember lay in a tangled heap at his feet, looking up at him with an anxious expression, her lip caught between her teeth.
Was he really such an ogre that the girl was afraid that he was going to chasten her for the mishap? Such things were commonplace for fledglings, and she would know that if she'd listened to anything he'd been trying to teach her. But she obviously hadn't so maybe he was going about this all wrong.
Perhaps he needed to learn to be a father as much as she needed to learn to be a shifter. Bloody everlasting hell. It would seem that his dragon had been right. There would be no living with the beast now. Oddly enough, the contrary creature didn't bother gloating over the victory. Maybe he was mellowing with age.
The dragon's disgusted snort of denial had Dragan grinning in response. He dropped to his haunches beside the girl and said in a tone far more patient than he felt, "This will happen on occasion, little one. It's nothing to fret over."
"I'm sorry," she sighed and dropped her head back onto the pavers. "I can't seem to do anything right."
The defeated tone of her voice had him asking curiously, "What were you trying to do?"
"Nothing, but I was thinking that it was a beautiful day to fly, and my wing just popped out," she admitted.
"Then perhaps we should put it to good use and do a bit of flying," he suggested.
A huge smile covered her face before she asked, "Do you mean it?"
"Absolutely," he agreed and was overjoyed with her obvious pleasure at the prospect. "We can use the time to get to know each other better as well."
Ember's brown eyes grew round. "You want to know about me?" She squeaked.
"Of course I do," he assured her. "You're almost a teenager yet I know virtually nothing about you. It seems I have a lot to learn."
"How about for everything I tell you about me, you tell me something about you?" She queried hopefully. "You have a lot more years to cover than I do."
Dragan laughed in genuine amusement at that. "Indeed I do, litt… Ember," he corrected himself and used her name. The brilliant smile she gave him proved it had been the right decision. "We'll put aside the lessons for today and just get to know each other."
'There may be hope for you yet,' his dragon said in satisfaction.
Hopefully, the smug bastard was right.
***
Ainsley had awakened feeling more relaxed than she could recall being in a very long time. Every night since she had left him, she'd dreamed that she had slept in Dragan's arms, but this time it had felt so real that she'd expected to find him lying beside her. Waking up alone again was just one of her many regrets.
The biggest one was that she'd kept the knowledge of their daughter from Dragan. The guilt of not telling him about Ember had been a punishing load to bear, but now that he knew it felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She had hurt him by not telling him, and he'd had the right to be furious with her.
Thankfully he hadn't held it against their child.
That much was evidenced by the sight of her daughter and the man she loved frolicking through the sky. It looked like so much fun that she envied them the ability. The flying part. The whole shifting into a fire-breathing dragon, not so much. Still, it was thrilling, and she thoroughly enjoyed watching their playful antics.
Deciding to give them some much needed time to get to know each other, she had showered and changed into fresh clothes. Obviously, someone had retrieved her backpack from the garden because she'd found her freshly pressed clothing hanging in the wardrobe and her toiletries placed neatly on the bathroom vanity.
Certain that Brendyn was responsible for the thoughtful gesture, she went in search of the majordomo and found him in the completely modernized kitchen. "Thank you for putting my things away, Bren, but you shouldn't have gone to the trouble of ironing," she said gratefully.
"No trouble at all, my lady," he assured her with a smile. "Would you care for coffee?"
"I'd love a cup," she confirmed, and with a wave of his finger, a steaming cup of coffee appeared on the island before her. "How the hell do you do that?" She demanded in amazement.
"I'm a mage. Magic is what I do," he replied in amusement.
"First dragons, now magic," Ainsley said more to herself than him as she lifted the cup and inhaled the heavenly aroma. "What else don't I know about?"
"How much time do you have?" Brendyn queried as if he was prepared to tell her everything. "This could take years."
She almost choked on the swallow of coffee. "There's that much?" Ainsley asked in astonishment.
"The supernatural world encompasses a great many things, yet they are all hidden in plain sight from the world at large," he imparted. "I can assure you that Dragan is not the first shifter that you've met, but the average human will never know the difference unless they want them to."
She recalled the way that Mrs. Beecham's eyes had flashed gold. Was it possible that the school nurse was a shifter as well? That would explain why she had suggested that Ainsley get in contact with Dragan and how she had known that her daughter was more than human. Good Lord. The prospect was mind-boggling.
The thought prompted her to ask, "Are there other types of shifters?"
"Certainly," he agreed. "Wolves, all of the big cats and bears just to name a few. Practically every species of animal has its own form of shifter or did have at some time. A lot of the races are becoming extinct or have already done so. Dragan and Ember are almost the last of the golden dragons."
"They're becoming extinct?" She a
sked in surprise.
"Yes. Dragons can only produce children with their fated mate which makes the process infinitely more difficult," he confirmed.
"Fated mate?" Ainsley repeated in confusion.
"The one person created just for them," he imparted solemnly. "It's where the term soul mate originated. They are two halves of a whole and once found they simply cannot go on without each other. Which makes it almost inconceivable that you were able to stay away from Dragan for so many years."
"I don't understand," she interrupted. "Why would my leaving be inconceivable?"
"Because you are Dray's mate, my lady," the mage clarified. "If you weren't you never could have borne his child."
"What does it mean? To be a mate?" She asked curiously.
"That the two are meant to be together as one forever," Brendyn said seriously, his blacker than night eyes as solemn as his tone. "There can be no happiness for them without each other, my lady. Nothing but a lifetime of sadness and despair."
Exactly what she had felt since the day she had walked away from Dragan. My God. She was meant to be his mate. So why the hell hadn't he been miserable enough to come after her? Why had he just let her go? The only possible reason was what she had suspected all along. He hadn't loved her enough to want her to stay.
"You're trembling, Lady Ainsley," she heard Brendyn's deeply concerned voice say as if from a great distance.
"It must be the altitude," she replied absently.
"You're in need of sustenance," the majordomo deduced, and a veritable buffet appeared on the counter before her. "Please eat something."
"Thank you, Bren," she managed with a weak smile. "Tell me more about mates."
CHAPTER EIGHT
During the discussion with the mage, Ainsley had come to realize that a shifter had no choice in who their mate was. Fate made the decision for them, and the possibility of a shifter finding their mate was much smaller than it had been long ago due to the increased human population.
Since dragons lived for so long, their mates may have been dead for centuries without them ever meeting, and in more recent times, the majority of them had died never having known their mates. According to Brendyn, that was only one of the reasons why it was so difficult for shifters to claim their mates.
The ones who were lucky enough to find them had other problems. Such as their human mate could already be married and have children. In cases like that, the dragon shifter usually preferred to end their own existence rather than being tormented with the knowledge that their mate was bound to another.
It was heartbreakingly sad.
It also confirmed her belief that Dragan had not loved her as she loved him. The affection that he had felt for her had been because of their connection through the mate bond. That was why he had doted on her while she was with him. It also explained why he had greeted her so warmly when she returned.
The bond had been the only thing that had bound him to her. If he had loved her, as she still loved him, he would have come for her. Moved heaven and earth to find her. Nothing could have kept them apart. But he hadn't and the confirmation that she'd been right shredded her heart all over again.
So she'd gone back to her room and stayed there for the rest of the day. Ainsley told herself that it was to give Ember the chance to have her father's undivided attention, but she knew it was a lie. The truth was that she was trying to protect herself. Because the more time she spent with Dragan, the harder it would be to leave him.
And she would have to leave him.
Not even for her daughter's sake could she stay with a man who didn't love her. So she would give him time to teach the girl what she needed to know, but once her training was complete, they were going home. Ember could visit him if she chose to, but Ainsley never planned to see Dragan again.
Her heart just couldn't take the beating.
She should have known that he would come looking for her when she didn't join them for dinner. Hearing the light rap on her door, she had assumed it was Brendyn coming to bring her a tray. After she'd bid him enter, the dragon king had been the one who stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.
Just what she needed. To be alone in a romantically appointed candlelit bedroom with the man she loved. Her heart pounded in anticipation at the thought before her brain mercilessly squashed it. "I thought you were Bren," she said as she sat up in a cross-legged position.
"He's entertaining Ember with magic tricks," Dragan replied as he prowled toward her. "She managed to shift back into human form on her own this time. I'm pleased with her progress, but she still has much to learn. Her training should have begun years ago."
"I'm sorry," she said regretfully, having heard the rebuke in his tone. "I should have told you about her."
"Yet you didn't," he replied tonelessly as he stopped beside the bed. "Why is that?"
"I didn't want to burden you," Ainsley confessed and heard his sharp intake of breath.
"You thought that my child, our child, would be a burden to me?" Dragan rasped.
"You didn't want me, so why would you want our daughter?" She demanded and couldn't prevent the bitterness from coloring her tone.
"Not want you?" He thundered furiously. "I worshiped you!"
"Then why didn't you come for me?" She fired right back at him, a tidal wave of pain and anger surging to the surface and wiping away her common sense in the process.
"You left me," Dragan roared, and she could see his eyes glowing red in the semi-darkness.
The vivid reminder of what he was sent a chill down her spine, dampening her anger. "So you stayed away because your pride was wounded," she deduced bitterly.
"Pride be damned," he growled and grasped her shoulders to haul her up onto her knees. "I gave you my heart, and you left me, Ainsley. You. Left. Me!"
"You were supposed to come for me," she shouted right back at him as a tear slid down her cheek. "If you loved me, you would have."
"If I loved you," he repeated in something akin to a snarl and released her. "Do you know what it means when a dragon gives his heart, Ainsley? Do you have any idea of the depth of commitment that entails?"
"No," she admitted resentfully as she sank down onto the bed and curled her knees beneath her. "How could I when I didn't even know that dragons existed?"
He walked over to the door and flipped a switch, bathing the room with light. Ainsley blinked at the sudden brightness, and her mouth went dry as she saw Dragan unbuttoning his shirt. The sight of his burnished gold skin with muscles rippling beneath the surface was enough to take her breath away.
Images of her lips kissing that golden flesh, her nails digging into those broad shoulders, flooded her mind even as the heat of desire coiled low in her abdomen. Then she gasped in horror when she saw the jagged scar that slashed across his chest. "Oh, God. What happened?" She asked tremulously.
Dragan lifted his right hand, and before her eyes, his fingers grew into lizard-like claws covered in golden scales. "When a dragon gives his heart, he physically gives it," he bit out. "With these claws, I cut half of the beating heart from my chest for you, Ainsley. For you. The woman who ran from me."
"Oh my God," she breathed in horror and clapped a hand over her mouth. The uneven scar bore evidence of his words, and the golden claws certainly looked more than capable of slicing through human flesh. Unable to comprehend why he would have done such a horrendous thing, she asked in bewilderment, "Why?"
"It is the way a dragon claims his mate," he informed her stiffly as his hand returned to normal and dropped to his side. "He gives his heart to the one woman that he cannot live without, binding them together as one forever. As long as my heart beats, so will yours."
"You wanted to cut my heart out?" She choked out in disbelief.
"No. I wanted to give you mine," he replied and removed something from his pants pocket to toss it onto the bed beside her.
Wary of what it might be, Ainsley gingerly lifted the object and gasped in sho
ck. It was a solid ruby heart. Light sparkled from the multi-faceted surface, but she could see the image of a golden dragon in its depths. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen and obviously a priceless work of art. "What is this?"
"Your half of my heart," he explained in a tone devoid of emotion. "Forged by dragon fire into a jewel fit for a queen."
"This is your heart?" She squeaked in astonishment.
"No, Ainsley," he denied sadly, his velvety brown eyes as somber as his expression. "From the moment I laid eyes on you, it's been yours."
Ainsley was so focused on the beautiful gem that she didn't hear the door open or see him leave the room. She just sat there staring in shock at the priceless jewel she held. Because it was tangible proof that Dragan had loved her. So much that he had cut the beating heart out of his chest for her.
She should have been appalled that he'd done something so insane. To mutilate his body just to prove his love for her. The pain had to have been unbearable. It would have killed a human crazy enough to attempt it, but this was obviously some sort of mating ritual that dragon shifters performed.
To physically give their heart.
In some twisted, bizarre way, it was the most romantic gesture that she could imagine. Because he loved her. Dragan really loved her! Tears of joy streamed down her face as she lifted the precious treasure to her lips and placed a kiss on the smooth surface before she cradled it against her own heart.
It was like being doused in lava. Agonizing heat filled her body as fire licked through her veins, consuming her from the inside out. She screamed in pain, dropping the stone as she shot off of the bed. The door burst open, and she looked at Dragan in stunned disbelief. "It burned me," she panted breathlessly. "I'm on fire."
***
Dragan rushed across the room and pulled Ainsley against himself, absorbing the extra heat from her body into his. Within a matter of seconds, her trembling frame had gone limp against him, and he gently lifted her into his arms. Sitting on the bed, he held her protectively while she clung to him and cried.