I took a deep breath. I didn’t like talking about this. It wasn’t awful but it made me feel strange. “The first time we were together, it was fine. Honestly. He was...respectful. I suppose. It was all very mechanical and cold. But a few months went by and in between the times when...we were together, that’s when he was cruel. He was angry I wasn’t getting pregnant. He’d lock me up or take away my food, even put me in chains. He hired a witch who gave me potions and cast spells on me to get me pregnant that were horribly painful and made me sick. For a while there he just left me in a dungeon to rot as if he’d forgotten about me. And then finally… I did get pregnant.
“I knew the moment it happened,” I said wonderingly. “They say shifter women just know sometimes and so did I. I could feel the little dragon inside me. I was happy for a split second. I had finally given him what he wanted. Now he would be kind to me. Now I’d have that dream I’d imagined so many times. I’d be pampered and loved because I’d given him an heir. But…”
“It’s okay, darling,” David whispered, kissing my hair. “It’s okay…”
“I knew all at once I had to escape,” I said. “If he’d treated me so badly, God knows how he’d treat a son. And I don’t even know if it’s a boy…” I rubbed my tummy and looked up at David who was only gazing at me with adoring eyes. “If it was a girl… I’d hate to think how he’d treat her… So I got away. It took some doing. Took me a few months to plan but I did it. Got away and came here to New York because it’s a big city but there’s a shifter community. Figured I could do worse, even living on the streets it would be better.”
I stopped talking a little abruptly but I felt suddenly out of words and I just breathed, resting my head on David’s chest. I felt his heart pounding and he was breathing a little heavily. He was sitting very still but when I looked up at him, his eyes were wild.
“I’m sorry I lied,” I said quickly, though apparently I was vastly misreading the cause of his anger and I should have known better. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away that I was pregnant especially after-”
“I’m going to kill him,” David whispered. He was staring straight ahead almost as if he were staring at something and not just the wall. “I’m going to murder him.”
“David-”
“He must have tracked you down somehow,” David mused. “That man who shot me that night…”
“One of his men,” I said. “Gus. He’s as just as wealthy as you are if not wealthier. But he has a lot more than just one butler working for him. He’s powerful, David. I know he tracked me down but-”
“I’m going to protect you,” David said softly, his arms wrapping around me as if even now there was some threat approaching. “No matter what. I’m going to protect you and your child. I don’t want you to worry about any of it. He won’t hurt you again.”
It was everything I wanted to hear and yet again tears pricked my eyes as I clung to him and whispered, “Thank you.”
Chapter Nine: David
My leg and shoulder felt healed. That was good because I was going to need to be at one hundred percent capacity to take on this Darien. Dana slept in my arms that night and I was glad she was calmed. I was glad she had told me everything she had told me. It made me want to trust her with my own demons. But I couldn’t sleep myself. I hardly got a wink. All I could think about was how this Darien had mistreated her.
His visit under the guise of hiring me to manage his investments had been strange, to say the least. I had sniffed him out as a dragon shifter right away, of course. I’d even mentioned it, but he’d been cagey. Normally, I might have taken him on as a client just because he was a dragon. It wasn’t as if I met dragon shifters often. But Darien, or rather “Jared,” as he’d been calling himself, had not been too interested in being friendly.
“You live here all alone?” He’d said wryly. “Single?”
It wasn’t that personal questions were so out of line or anything. It was the way he asked them, not just as if he were testing me but as if he needed the information for something. He kept looking me up and down as if appraising me. It all gave me the heebie jeebies and yet even then, I never suspected it had the slightest thing to do with Dana or anything related to her. I thought it was that he was trying to test me before deciding to hire me. But I didn’t like the way he searched my eyes and when I looked into his, they looked cold and a little empty. They reminded me too much of The Collector, the wealthy man who had kept me prisoner as his own personal novelty to trot out and show off before chaining me up again.
Somehow, even though I hadn’t thought it was about Dana, I’d also found myself lying to him. “Yes, I’m single. Nobody else lives here. Just myself and my butler.”
Dana told me later she’d been right outside the door at one point but I hadn’t sniffed her out, maybe it had been the direction of the drafts through the house that had blown her scent in the opposite direction. But that was good. Maybe that meant he hadn’t sniffed her out either. Obviously, he at least suspected something though.
Darien switched from creepy mind game conversation to sweet talking so quickly, my head spun. He’d heard about me, he said. I had such a good head for funds. I got back a great return. Anything he could do to get me to say yes…
But I’d had that bad feeling. I didn’t even know why I was saying it when I’d said no. He’d given me that icy, searching look again and I’d almost felt the fire of his dragon rearing up through his throat. I’d braced myself, suddenly feeling as if a fight was imminent. But instead he’d cordially thanked me for my time and left.
Now that I knew the truth, I knew we had to be ready for him.
In the morning, I told Dana I was going for my follow-up at the hospital. It took some doing. I had to sniff out the right shifter nurse who managed to get my cast sawed off and my chart fudged with so I didn’t look like a super-healing human who might attract attention. Normally, I might have worn it for another few weeks. But I couldn’t be hobbling around now. My shoulder was better, my leg was better, and my dragon was enraged. It was time to get back into fighting shape.
In the car on the way back to the house from the hospital, I found myself staring out at the fancy restaurants and boutiques going by on Fifth Avenue. It occurred to me that Dana had been stuck inside my place all this time. It seemed to be what she wanted and it was certainly the safest option, at least for now. But I couldn’t help fantasizing about taking her out on the town. She deserved to be completely spoiled, in my eyes. I wanted to buy her jewels, drape her in the gold of my hoard, dress her in finery. I wanted her to be my dragon queen. It wasn’t something I’d been able to admit to myself but now I felt it fully. It was an all encompassing feeling and it threatened to swallow me: I wanted her to be my mate. And more than that, I believed she was.
“How are you?” I leaned in the doorway, looking in on the library. My legs felt good. I’d left too early to have breakfast with Dana and Miles. I was planning on double-checking all the security for the mansion, making myself a huge omelette, working out a bit, and then calling my manager to see just what else she knew about “Jared.” But first I needed to check on Dana.
Dana, who was pregnant.
I kept forgetting that detail. It made me dizzy.
“I’m great,” Dana said, smiling softly. But her smile didn’t reach her eyes even as she got to her feet. She had to still be frightened about Darien. But I would make sure she had nothing to be frightened about. I had to. My gaze strayed to her stomach. We hadn’t discussed exactly how far along she was but she wasn’t showing at all.
When I thought about how she had been pregnant this whole time and how she had lived on the streets… It all made my heart threaten to break.
“Are you getting enough to eat?” I said suddenly. I racked my brain for any information I might have gained over the years about dragon shifter pregnancy. But I had no experience with it. Miles would know, I was sure. “Shouldn’t you be getting more protein?”
I walked in
, wanting so badly to hold her. We could figure out what we were later. I just hoped she let me at least pretend to be her mate who was looking out for her and our...her child. God, I was in deep.
I cradled her face in my hands and now she smiled more genuinely at me with bright eyes. “Your shoulder is better? Your leg?”
“All healed,” I said softly, stroking her cheeks. “Other shifters would heal faster but…”
“But what?” She said.
I needed to tell her about me. She had trusted me with so much of herself. I wanted to do the same. Yet I hadn’t spoken about what happened to me to anyone, not to Miles or to my friends. They only knew the basics. I’ve never opened myself up to anyone like that. It was probably why I was so strange and awkward and barely left the house.
But I wasn’t ready for that conversation yet. Besides, there were other things to do first.
“Nothing,” I whispered. “I…”
“What is it, David?” Dana slid her hands up the plains of my chest over my shirt and calmed the fire in me by a few degrees. I took a deep breath.
“There are things about me I should tell you,” I said quietly. “And I will, but…”
She nodded, seeming to seriously absorb my words. “When you’re ready,” she said, smiling kindly. “I’ll be listening.”
“Okay.” I kissed her once more and things were going to get heated, I knew, if I stood there one second longer. But they couldn’t. Not right now. Too much to do. “I’ll see you at lunch, okay?”
She hummed in agreement and I kissed her forehead, turning to go. In the hallway, I had to catch my breath for a moment. There was no understanding between us that this was the real thing, mates. Yet something had changed the night before. We just hadn’t defined it. Just now though, it had been so strong. She looked at me like she was mine. Nothing had made me feel so much like a man before, and like a true dragon. It was a drug. She was a drug. I always wanted more.
I found Miles and asked him to call our security company and check over our alarms and safeguards and beef it up if necessary. Miles seemed concerned. I didn’t feel it was right to tell him everything. But I did say that a troublemaker from Dana’s past was looking for her.
Then there was the hard part.
We were in the kitchen and I leaned on the counter and cleared my throat. “Also uh… There’s something you should know about Dana…She’s only just told me but knowing this now, I want to make sure she’s well cared for, considering…”
“Do you mean that she’s pregnant, sir?” Miles said, looking as calm as ever.
I blinked at him. “How did you-”
“I can always tell, sir,” Miles said, shrugging. “I’ve always been able to. No worries here. I’ve been sneaking some extra protein into her meals, making sure she’s getting plenty to eat for her and her little dragon. Or rather…do we know if the father was also-”
“Yes,” I said darkly. “He was a dragon.”
“I didn’t want to bring it up to her until she was comfortable,” Miles said shrugging. “I thought she would tell you in her own time and she has.”
Miles looked so calm about it. I wasn’t calm at all. Fighting Darien seemed much more calming to me even as much as the thought of him enraged. But a baby? I’d hardly even been around babies. Then again…
“What if she doesn’t want to stay?” I blurted out.
I was assuming that even if Dana didn’t want to be my mate, she would stay here. I would look after her, make sure the birth went smoothly. Help her get on her feet at the very least. And really, why should she move out unless she really wanted to? It wasn’t as if I didn’t have the room for her here. She could come and go as she pleased. The very last thing I, of all people, would ever do was make someone feel imprisoned. I hoped she didn’t feel that way now.
My thoughts raced and apparently I was wearing my anxiety on my face because Miles said, “All this will be sorted out in time, sir.” He spoke so gently, in that way he had when he knew my brain was either moving to fast or going to a dark place. “I can see that she cares for you very much, sir. And I know you care for her too-”
“Oh, Miles,” I muttered. “You don’t know.”
“She’s good for you,” Miles said. “You’ve been more lively since she came here. I think you’re good for her too.”
He looked so mischievous and I raised an eyebrow. “Don’t go play Cupid,” I said wryly. “I know how you are. Whatever happens, happens.”
“Who me?” Miles winked at me and I rolled my eyes.
My business manager was no help at all. I called and asked a hundred questions about “Jared” and got maybe five answers. Jared had produced evidence of a portfolio which my manager sent to me but none of it pointed to where Darien lived or what he might be into. It was all pretty generic except that it involved an impressive amount of money. Darien had been vague, saying he’d spoken to a friend of a friend… He’d said he lived in New England. That was something. But it could also be a lie.
When I finally hung up with my business manager, I was more tense than ever. Dana was scanning down in the library. We’d had a nice lunch, during which we’d played a lot of footsie. Every time we looked at each other now, we seemed to get lost in each other’s eyes. It was almost embarrassing. We talked about true crime and made each other laugh. That in itself was something alright. I knew I’d never laughed so much before Dana had come along. That I could make her laugh was an even bigger miracle.
In my office I sat at my desk, staring out the window. I needed to call in the real reinforcements. The idea had popped into my head immediately. But now it was more necessary than ever.
I needed my dragons.
There was no official name for the little club of considerably wealthy dragon shifter men in New York of which I was a member. There were six of us. We met up from time to time just to talk and drink high end cocktails and then go on a flight. We teased each other about our hoards and whether “size” mattered or not. Most importantly, we knew we would be there for each other when one of us was in a jam. I wasn’t the best at the social aspect of the Alpha Dragon Club as it was called among us. But when I did force myself to go out and have a little fun, it was usually because my friends from the club had cajoled me into it. I usually had an okay time too.
Now I needed my friends to come through for me.
I called Jessie first. Jessie had a mysterious job. None of us knew the exact details. He’d said a few times that the less we knew, the safer we would be. We all suspected he was in the mob or wrapped in some kind of serious criminal activity. It was dicey, and yet he was one of the most honorable men I knew.
“Who is he?” Jessie said, when I told him I was curious if he could track someone down for me.
“His name is Darien Hollis,” I said.
“Something to do with your little guardian of the night thing you do?” Jessie said. He was teasing, I could tell, and I smirked, rolling my eyes. They all liked to tease me about my habit of going out at night to protect other shifters. But they all had the same kinds of instincts even if they didn’t regularly go on patrols like I did.
“Sort of,” I said.
“Listen,” Jessie said. “I got some time right now, and I was just talking to Justin. Why don’t we come over for a drink? You can tell us all about it? We haven’t seen you in forever?”
“Oh…” I cleared my throat. I’d have to explain all about Dana then. Which was fine. Except they were going to tease the hell out of me for it. But I guess I had that coming, as big of a hermit as I’d been for so long. “Yeah, alright. Come over anytime.”
“We’re on our way,” Jessie said.
They were on their way. Great. It really wasn’t a big deal. It was only that my relationship with Dana was still somewhat undefined and I didn’t want them to push about it.
You need a push, a voice in my head that sounded startlingly like Miles said.
I really wanted that voice to shut up.
<
br /> “David!” Justin said, his voice echoing in the spacious foyer down on street level. “How the hell are you!”
Justin was grinning and looking more genuinely happy than I’d ever seen him. I put that down to his having found a mate of his own. Apparently, he’d hired her as his fake girlfriend. But it had ended up being all too real. He’d also gained a cute little dragon son out of the deal. I wondered now if I had the slightest chance of a similar fate. I’d resigned myself to a life without a mate, thinking I was too damaged and broken to be able to function with another person romantically much less father a child. Yet now...I wanted that. I wanted what Justin had.
“Hey, Justin,” I said, letting him give me a quick hug. Jessie was with him and raised his auburn eyebrows. He hugged me too, giving me a clap on the back, and we exchanged pleasantries as I took them to the sitting room where we usually hung out when they came over. The room was softly lit with big, black leather chairs and dark carpeting. It had a masculine feel to it. It was a room for cigars and brandy and there were paintings of bears and dragons on the walls. I had some fond memories of that room.
“So what is going on?” Justin said. “Jessie says you want him to track somebody down P.I. style?”
I heaved a sigh and said, “There’s a girl-”
“Aha!” Justin clapped his hands. “I knew it!”
Here we go.
I told them the whole story with...a few choice sexual details subtracted. But, of course, the two of them were not fooled for a second. I had to wonder if my face changed or something when I spoke about Dana. Perhaps I wasn’t able to hide my emotions in regards to her at all. People seemed to always know what I was feeling. It was a real pain in the ass.
“You slept with her, didn’t you?” Jessie said flatly, when I was done. I’d told them everything I knew about Darien and where Dana had come from and how I had saved her and gotten shot. Yet this was Jessie’s first response.
I looked to Justin for help and his eyebrows shot up. “Well? Did you?”
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