He couldn't let Skaldi hurt Dominique.
Another of the guards, a black-scaled female, dodged towards his neck. He grabbed her with his front legs and threw her onto her back before tearing through the delicate membrane of her wings. She kicked at his stomach, shedding scales everywhere and he clamped his teeth on her shoulder. He lifted her and threw her into the other Dragons, gaining him a precious few seconds. There was one last one holding him and he twisted hard, driving his tail spikes into its belly while clawing at its back.
His mother shouted something but he didn't care what she was ordering him to do. She began shifting, her ice-blue wings spreading behind her. Finally free, Virdi threw himself forward, his wings tucked in tight against his body. Skaldi leaped at him, her dress shredding as she took her beast's form. Virdi rolled into a ball, shifting back to human form to roll under her massive body. She wheeled around, blue fire erupting from her mouth.
His arms wrapped around Dominique. She flung her arms around his neck and he shifted again. With one scaly arm around the human, he sprang into the air. A streak of fire singed his wings and he banked left, then angled himself upwards. Skaldi's claws swiped at him. He dodged right. Spinning in the air to face back at her, he spat a ball of fire right in her eye. She threw herself to one side and rammed into the other Dragons that were taking flight. Dominique's body was safe and warm in his arms, and he tucked his legs up against his belly and flew harder.
The roars of fury behind him slowly faded away but Virdi didn't let himself slow until his wings ached so badly he thought they might fall off. Only then did he allow himself to glide to the earth.
They landed just outside of a town. Virdi clutched at Dominique to make sure she was steady, then checked her over. There was a little blood on her sleeve but otherwise, she looked fine. He went to hug her but her hand shot out, pressing against his chest, stopping him. He stared at the barrier between them, dumbfounded.
"I'm gonna be sick," she mumbled. In the next second, she was leaning on her knees, vomiting.
"We need to get you somewhere safe," Virdi said. He crouched beside her, holding her steady. "Maybe a hotel or something."
Dominque wiped her mouth and straightened. She looked at him as if he was insane.
"You need to be safe while I come up with a plan to fix this. We could get the humans involved, maybe go to the American Embassy but I've seen that look in my mother's eye before, she—"
"You're naked," Dominique blurted. "And covered in blood. They won't let you in a hotel."
Virdi glanced down at himself. His skin was slick with blood, various cuts still pouring. All of a sudden he felt quite light-headed. He opened his mouth but only sagged to his knees and lowered his head as the world swirled around him. Apparently, he had been wounded worse than he realized. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off, letting him feel the pain he was in. It made his stomach churn. Dragons healed quickly but he had been badly injured.
"I'll get a room somewhere," Dominique said. "I think I still have my credit card. We'll be able to… clean you up there."
Virdi nodded silently, not trusting himself to open his mouth. Dominique touched his shoulder and he looked up to see worry shining from her eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome. Now go quickly. I'll be right behind you."
***
It didn't take long for Dominique to find a place to stay and after she had gotten the room, she opened up a window so he could climb in. He left bloody footprints in the carpet as Dominique helped him into the shower. That was going to cause questions in the morning. As he washed himself up, she disappeared. When she returned, she had new clothes for him, as well as dozens of bandages and a full first aid kit.
"Sit on the bed so I can take care of those wounds," she ordered.
Virdi still felt light-headed, though the shower had helped a great deal. He sat on the edge of the bed while Dominique moved around him, applying gauze compresses which she wrapped with the bandages or taped down. The feel of her quick, nimble fingers taking care of him made his tense muscles relax. Her honey-jasmine scent was even more pronounced and every time she touched him, sparks flew through his blood.
She slapped a piece of gauze onto his thigh, then froze. Her eyes widened and Virdi knew why. His muscles were all relaxed–but something else had stiffened. Clearing his throat, he grabbed the towel he had brought out and slid it into his lap. He didn't look at Dominique and she got back to work quickly.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For saving me again. I know you didn't have to."
That was an odd thing to say. Virdi opened his mouth to tell her that of course he had to but why he had to was suddenly a mystery. He hadn't been thinking when he threw his attackers off and got her out of there. It must be instinct to protect the Emperor. He cleared his throat and shrugged.
"You're the Mother of the Emperor. The only people who don't want him will be people like my mother, who are afraid that he'll take away their power. The other clans will still want him to be born."
Dominique was silent again for a few minutes. "Will she hurt Esther?"
Virdi hesitated. "I don't know. She doesn't have any reason to but she also doesn't have any reason not to. I'm sorry."
Dominique blinked rapidly and turned away. Her shoulders hunched and Virdi reached to embrace her but stopped himself at the last second. He had already tried that and she had stopped him. Yes, it might have been because of the blood but he didn't know that for certain. And his little… problem was more than enough to make her wary of any physical contact.
"So what do we do now?" she asked, sniffling. She wiped her eyes. "Take off for the States and hope they don’t follow us?"
"No. Look, those royals who stopped us? Not one of them was a king or queen. They were all princes and princesses, like my mother. They don't have the authority to stop the Emperor from being born. Besides that, there are clans all over the world. We need the Emperor. And that means getting you to the Temple, so you can find your mate."
And if the mate that she ended up with wasn't good enough for her, Virdi would tear him apart. He knew he shouldn’t think such thoughts but it was the truth. He couldn’t even say why he felt so strongly about it. All he knew was that out of all the women in the world, he had terrible picks. First, a human who just wanted to use him for sex; then a Dragoness who just used him for his position. Now another human, one that he knew in his gut would devote herself completely to her mate. But she was destined to be with another.
"I'm going to shower," she blurted and raced into the bathroom. Seconds later, he heard her vomiting. Again? The stress was taking a terrible toll on her.
He dressed, wincing as his injuries pulled but Dominique had done an excellent job bandaging him up and he settled back on the bed to rest. All he needed was a good night's sleep and he would be back to normal. He had been lucky that the attack wasn't more serious than it was. They would find a way to get her back there, so she could find her mate.
As he closed his eyes, he imagined Dominique's belly round and swollen with pregnancy. His eyes snapped open. She was throwing up. Could that mean that…?
No. It couldn't be. She had only been with him, as far as he knew. He couldn’t be her mate.
But what if he was?
By the time she was done showering and came out dressed in her peasant blouse and tight pants, he had convinced himself that she was pregnant. Which meant she had either already found her mate… or he was. His emotions swung wildly, going to abject terror to fury at her cowardly mate who wouldn't be bothered to save her, to the surety that he was her mate, then back to the terror that she didn't want him to be.
His hair stood on end from all the times he ran his hands through it but he stopped dead when she stepped into the room. She didn't smell pregnant. But when in pregnancy did the mothers actually begin to have that earthy scent?
"We need to talk," she said stiffly.
She held her arms rigid
at her sides and actually glared at him. Her hostility had his heart sinking even further. There was no way that she'd want him. She only agreed to sleep with him the first time because she wanted to be left alone. And she hadn't bled, at least not noticeably. There were any number of reasons why a virgin wouldn't bleed with her first time but what if it hadn't been her first time? What if she had already been pregnant?
Or worse. What if she had told the truth about Alom not forcing her… but what if she had given herself to him? What if when Virdi had crashed in, she hadn't been trying to escape? What if Alom was her mate and the reason she was so quiet and withdrawn afterward was because she had seen him die in front of her?
If that was the case, then Virdi vowed to stay by her, protect her, as long as she wanted him to. He took a deep breath, about to ask if she was pregnant but he couldn't get the words out.
"I need to know why you're doing this," she said, pressing her hands together. "Protecting me from the other Dragons. Risking your life for me. Is this just about power? Prestige?"
"It was," Virdi admitted. "At first at least. My mother always said I was worthless and she treated me like garbage. I guess I thought that if I could increase my position, if I could make her the mother of the Dragon who brought the Emperor to the clans, then maybe I'd be worth something."
Dominique sat on the edge of the bed. Virdi sat next to her. He hated talking about his past, his mother–it made him feel weak. He knew exactly what Skaldi was, there wasn't any reason why he should want to earn her approval. But she was still his mother.
"But not anymore?" Dominique pressed. "You're not doing this for power?"
Virdi moved his hand over hers. "I care about you. A lot more than I want to."
It seemed that was all she was waiting for. Dominique launched herself into his arms, her arms wrapping around his head as she brought herself to him. Virdi started in surprise. He needed to ask her if she was pregnant… but what if she was? Either they were meant to be together, or more likely, she had already met her mate and he was not an option.
Never mind that. He wasn't going to let his thoughts ruin this for him. He deepened the kiss, pushing all his doubts away.
Chapter Thirteen
Dominique
If she had been cast adrift on the sea of confusion by all the events that had happened, having Virdi's arms wrap around her waist and pull her closer was like landing on dry land. Dominique clung to him, the turbulence in her mind calming as their lips and bodies came together. Everything was set alight by his presence; her skin, her core, her heart. She was surprised when her clothes didn't just burn off of her body. If sleeping with him before had been desirable, then this was a fever, an aching that she needed to be fulfilled.
Virdi groaned into her mouth, their tongues clashing as she opened the kiss. Her hips rocked, almost of their own accord. The friction tied a knot inside her, aching to be undone. When Virdi moved to her neck, her skin tingled and tightened.
Was it pregnancy hormones? Or something else.
"Wait," Dominique suddenly blurted.
Virdi panted, his mouth still on her neck. But he didn't keep kissing. Instead, he just hovered there, as though waiting for her to make the next move. She hated to do it but she pulled away, shaking her head. She had to tell him. They needed to figure out what they were. If all of their Dragon lore was true, her pregnancy meant that she and he were mates. But they didn't even know each other. What sort of future did they have together?
The Dragon sighed as he shifted her off him. His eyes were warm, his touch gentle as he brushed her hair from her face.
"What's wrong?"
"I… this whole situation. Would you have ever given me a second glance if the egg hadn't bonded to me?"
Virdi laughed.
Dominque frowned. She went to pull away from him but he caught her wrist and pulled her back against him. He kissed her forehead and buried his face in her hair. She pushed half-heartedly at him, wanting to stay close to him but not liking his laughter.
"Why do you think I kept coming back to that dig? It wasn't because of my fascination with archeology."
"Really?" Dominique's eyes widened. "But the way you acted around me… I thought—"
"I was trying to make you jealous," he admitted. "And the more it seemed like it wasn't working, the harder I pushed."
Dominique shoved him. "So instead of being open and honest, you decided to play games?"
"It's the only way I knew that relationships between men and women worked."
"Games don't work. I had no idea you liked me."
Virdi kissed her again. "And now that you do? What are you going to do about it?"
Dominique hesitated. Telling him could wait. If he ended up horrified about being saddled with a child, then it would ruin this moment. And Dominique needed it. Maybe that made her selfish, but she threw herself at him again and kissed him fiercely.
This time she didn't waste time questioning herself. She straddled him, pressing her whole body against him. Her heartbeat increased as the fires flared throughout her body again, setting every inch of her skin to tingling. A moan emanated from her throat when Virdi kissed it. She trailed her hands down the contours of his chest, her mouth watering as she imagined biting into the strong muscles beneath shirt and skin.
Virdi apparently had the same thought. He nipped at her collar. His hands cupped under her ass, squeezing it as he brought her closer to him. She was more than happy to give over to him. He tugged on her peasant shirt, and the elastic that held it up on her shoulders stretched, pulling over her skin. He pulled it down over her body. A giggle erupted from her throat as he followed it down with kisses, pausing a little when he exposed her breasts. The way he looked at her made everything tighten inside of her.
"They're so big," he said, lifting her a little higher so her chest was at eye level. He sucked one nipple into his mouth, rolling it around on his tongue until it was hard, then moved to the other. A snapping sensation pulled down through her body and she arched herself to him, groaning again.
Fitting the shirt over her hips posed a bit of a problem, but Virdi captured her skirt with it and left both puddled on the floor. She hadn't bought new underwear, so she was left exposed to him, utterly naked. His hands moved up and down her body. His eyes gleamed as he took her in, pressing soft kisses here and there. There was a lighter warmth mixed in with the heat of passion; she smiled at him, knowing she wouldn't be anywhere else but here, with him.
Dominique ground herself against him, shivering as it made her core tighten further, her fingers tangled in his hair. Virdi pitched her over to one side, making a startled cry burst from her. She landed on her back on the bed and Virdi rolled over her. He pinned both hands above her head. A wicked grin grew over his face as he bent over her, kissing gently then nipping at her skin. Every time his teeth touched her she gave a little cry and jerk as the coil inside her tightened a little more.
"What should I do with you?" he murmured, moving her hands so he could pin her down with one hand while the other undid his jeans. "You’re driving me crazy."
"Drive me crazy," she said, rolling her hips upwards. "With your mouth."
He took her meaning at once. With a grin, he released her and slid down her body. He moved to the edge of the bed and stripped off his clothing before he leaned between her legs. His breath on her thighs made her shiver with anticipation and she gripped the bed with both hands.
As soon as he started, Dominique's back arched. She cried out, sparks of pleasure rushing through her. She didn’t know how anything could feel so good, but it did. Her head lolled back as Virdi worked, insanely talented for his lack of experience. Was this just because he had done his research, or was it a mate thing? Did he know exactly how to zero in on exactly what she wanted because they were made for each other?
She wasn't sure how long she writhed under his ministrations before he suddenly moved up again. His strong hands gripped her thighs and spread them apart
as he pushed in. The core of her on the edge of explosion, she was helpless against the swells of pleasure that coursed through her. Her fingers dug into Virdi's body, dragging him closer.
"Not so fast," he grunted with every thrust. "I'm not ready yet."
"Not–fair!"
Dominique let out a cry, arching herself to him. Every nerve in her body was on fire, begging for release. She kissed his neck, his shoulders and brushed her teeth against his skin. Virdi shivered, his movements turning jerky. She bit down, hard and he gave one final jerk.
The air left her body, leaving her gasping and clinging to him. Everything just drifted away, pushing her mind out of her body, high above the bed. She could almost see the two of them, lying there. Her tones redder than usual, mouth slightly agape, eyes rolled into the back of her head. His back muscles tense, arms pressed into the mattress as he fought not to collapse and crush her.
With one final groan, Virdi rolled off of her. Sweat gleamed off his body and his eyes were closed. He found her hand and clung to it. Dominique admired the fine black lashes, the strong jaw, the hard muscles. What a beautiful man he was. He could have easily made it in Hollywood with looks like that. And he wanted her.
She burrowed into his arm, a sense of safety sweeping over her. Every bit of tension eased from her body. She couldn't remember being so comfortable in the same space as another person before.
If she asked him to, would he run away with her? Fly back to the United States, to live a peaceful, happy life far away from these clans? It felt like a dream.
"What are your parents like?" he asked, his voice soft.
She listened to his heartbeat, body warm with the afterglow of lovemaking. "My mom is determined. She's a strong lady and was always there to push me to be my best. When I was little, I thought she was really mean. But as I grew up, I realized she just came from a different time. In her world, women were nothing and she had to fight for everything she got. My grandparents disowned her when she got pregnant with me. I never met them."
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