by Eliza Gayle
“Oh my Goddess, what is going on?” Kenzie hit his shoulder to get his attention. “Is everything okay?”
He didn’t have to respond because Rafe let out a loud whoop and fist pumped the air.
“Kitty’s pregnant.”
“Holy shit. Really? It worked! This is amazing,” Kenzie cried as she landed a hard kiss across his lips. He growled, wanting to take that kiss much deeper. But all too soon she broke away.
“You did it, Simon. You’re a real hero.”
He wanted to feel that celebratory rush she felt as she processed the news, but he felt a little more cautious towards the situation. Kitty had been pregnant before. Many times in fact. Which meant he had a lot of baseline results he could compare to her blood tests taken today. Now he needed to get to his lab to find out.
Rafe gave him a smile as he slipped through the exit, obviously headed to the clinic.
“You want to go too, do you not?”
She had her hands on his cheeks holding him so that he had to focus on her. Not that he wasn’t already looking at her.
“I’m with you, Kenz. It can wait.”
“Liar,” she laughed. “You think I don’t know you by now, Mr. Lab Geek.”
“Hey!” he protested, although not too much. She wasn’t far from the truth. He spent an enormous amount of time with fluid samples, a microscope and various other lab equipment.
“C’mon, let’s go. But I’m driving this time. No argument.”
He laughed as he carried her outside. He knew that meant she was flying and he was riding. What she didn’t fully know was how much he loved it when she did. As a dragon she was lethal and a little scary, but also more breathtaking than anything he’d ever seen in his life.
Plus she’d get them there in a fraction of the time. How could he complain about that? He had to get his eyes on those test results so he could compare.
He placed her on the ground and took several steps back so she could do her thing. Her magic shimmered and he got a brief flash of her naked before her transformation began.
“You’re such a tease. Don’t think I don’t know you just did that on purpose, you wench.”
By the time she turned to look at him, he was facing the dragon in all her red and black glory. He wasted no more time getting into position on her back. He had the rest of his life to admire this gorgeous creature.
In true Kenzie fashion, she sensed his urgency and lifted into the air as he settled at the edge of a wing. Fortunately, the sun had already dipped below the horizon. There was more to Kenzie’s sun aversion than her simply not liking it. He’d learned her eyes were sensitive to bright light. He’d created some drops she could take if she needed to be outside during the day to lessen the irritation, but she still preferred to fly only at night and sleep during the day.
The schedule actually worked well for them. While she slept through most of the day, he worked at the clinic, continuing his research and taking care of any patients who needed his help.
Like Kitty.
Her blood tests had given him hope and they would soon be ready to test his perfected serum on another female shifter. Of course it would work. He’d known it from day one despite that tiny niggle of doubt. Although Kenzie continued to warn him that his ego was going to get him in trouble in more ways than one.
Kenzie made a steep dive as they approached the clinic and Simon reveled in the wind tossing his hair and the amazing view of the surrounding land as they zipped along the tree line. He loved this place. Couldn’t ever imagine leaving it.
All too soon, Kenzie’s claws were digging into the dirt after a smooth landing and he scrambled off her back.
“Thanks, babe.”
She responded with a shimmer of magic that transformed her back to human. “You didn’t seem to mind the ride this time.”
He reached forward and brushed a wisp of red hair from in front of her eyes and swiped it around her ear. “I never do. I just like giving you a hard time about it.” He planted a quick kiss across her lips, wishing they had more time before Rafe arrived behind them. A repeat performance behind the clinic sounded really good right about now.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” The words came out breathless and he knew that had nothing to do with the exertion of flying. She did that effortlessly.
He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her flush against his body. “Always, Kenzie. You know you drive me crazy.”
“A stiff breeze drives you crazy,” she laughed.
He tried to be offended and failed. She was right. Being with her made him insatiable. “Can you blame me? You’re fucking hot.”
“You two are killing me.”
He and Kenzie whirled to find Marci waiting for them at the back door of the clinic. She had a file in her hand that clearly said she was expecting him.
“Now you know how the rest of the world feels when Bhric comes around.” He swiped the folder out of her hands. “I assume you texted me because these results are different from anything before.”
A broad smile crossed her face. “You’re damn right. I wouldn’t have gotten anyone’s hopes up otherwise.”
He turned back to Kenzie and held up the file. “You ready to see what your brilliant mate was able to do, thanks to you?”
She rolled her eyes, but he saw the excitement in her nonetheless.
What she didn’t know was that she was next. He thought of the small piece of paper locked up in a new hidden safe in his lab under three layers of DNA coded security. He didn’t care how long it took. He was going to give her the choice of becoming a mother back whether she needed it or not.
She grabbed his arm. “Let’s go, smarty pants. Dazzle me with your brilliance.”
Marci shook her head and disappeared back inside and Kenzie followed.
Nope, she had no idea, but she soon would.
His mate, the love of his life, would know the true freedom of choice if it was the last thing he ever did…
Epilogue Part 2
Another week later.
Kenzie bent her head and nuzzled the little bundle of baby boy nestled in her arms. This sweet child’s arrival had been touch and go through his entire labor and delivery. Right down to the moment Simon had delivered him via cesarean with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, his poor little face as blue and angry as a stormy night sky.
Her Simon. The love and mate of her life had breathed life into his little lungs and the babe had pretty much taken the world by storm ever since.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said without taking her gaze from the first male shifter born in the Dragon in almost two decades. She’d not been here all that long, but it was now her home and she was happy to see that life here would not only go on, but it would now thrive. More babies were on the way and she couldn’t be happier for it.
“I doubt that,” Simon grumbled from his position just inside the doorway. “Unless you’ve decided to break your promise and invade my privacy without permission.”
She laughed, placing one last kiss on the babe’s forehead before turning her gaze to her mate. “I don’t have to read your mind to know what you’re thinking. You, Simon, are an open book.”
He rumbled something under his breath and she smiled while returning the sleeping child to his cradle. “Be careful what you wish for, mate of mine. I never promised I wouldn’t use magic on you.”
Before she made it two feet in his direction, Simon crossed the room and pushed her back against the wall. “Okay then, Ms. Smartass. If you think you know everything, what am I thinking?” He uttered the words against her neck and she nearly lost her train of thought.
Nearly.
“Well, I’d venture to guess that your train of thought just changed as I now feel your arousal pressed into me.”
“Damn right,” he snarled. “Although to be honest, since meeting you I’ve practically been in a constant state of arousal, so that’s not an impressive guess.”<
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She twisted her head to the side and looked up at him. “You want impressive. Okay, wolf man. How about this?” She pushed at his shoulders and forced some space between them. If they were going to have this conversation, she didn’t want him getting distracted. “When you were standing at the door watching me with Brady, you were thinking about how close you might be to a breakthrough.”
A sharp intake of breath told her she was not only right, but she certainly had his attention now. Good. Because it was imperative that he listen carefully this time.
“You’re going to have to be a little more specific, babe. You know I’ve got a lot of research projects in the works and a couple of them look very promising.”
“I’m talking about the one that pertains to me.” She looked to the side before continuing. “The project you have going that hopes to find a way for us to have a child without the worry that it would grow too aggressive or dangerous.”
Kenzie swore the air in the room suddenly stilled. It also grew warmer, which didn’t make sense. Her dragon was at peace today.
“Simon—“
“How did you know?” He growled. “Who told you?” In those clipped words she felt his anger pressing hot and prickly across her skin, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
“No one told me. No one had to.”
“Bullshit, Kenzie. How else would you know?”
“I’m not an idiot,” she snapped. “I know you. You’ve sacrificed your whole life up to now to find a cure for infertility in shifters and I’m supposed to believe you wouldn’t do the same for me?”
He let out what sounded like a frustrated breath, his hand swiping through his hair at the same time.
“I knew Lara wasn’t telling the whole truth about the infertility spell. No matter how well she tried to cloak her scent, I still knew.”
“How come you didn’t say anything?”
She closed her eyes and took a calming breath. “Because at the time I needed to believe her. I was just as scared of mating with you as I was of living without you. I had to go with the flow until I could breathe again and get past the rioting of my own emotions. Plus, if my brothers didn’t believe it to be permanent, there would have been a lot more resistance.”
He reached up and brushed her hair from the side of her face and tucked a lock between her eyes. “Look at me, Kenzie.”
She slowly opened her eyes and blinked at the blazing orange centers of his normally crystal clear blue eyes. “Simon,” she gasped. “What’s going on?”
“I made a vow to you that night. I will find a way to fix this, I promise.”
“What if I don’t want you to fix it?” she whispered.
He shook his head. “I know you’re afraid of the risk, but I won’t let us go down that road until I’m certain of the outcome.”
She scoffed at him. “You’re good, hon, but no one can be that certain. It would be scientifically impossible to know for sure without a live test.” When he started to say something else she pressed her fingers to his lips to stop him. “But that isn’t what I mean.” She took another deep fortifying breath. “I don’t need to have a child.”
His eyes narrowed and she could see the disbelief in them. All shifters seemed hardwired with the desire to procreate and yet, she didn’t.
“I’m sorry if that disappoints you.” She tried to say more, to find an explanation that made sense, but the lump in her throat made it impossible.
He stepped forward again and gathered her in his arms. Immediately his heat and love for her surrounded them both, giving her the comfort she constantly craved from him. Even her dragon stirred.
“I am not disappointed. Ever. If we don’t ever break that spell because you don’t want to, that’s one thing. But to keep it in place because you don’t have a choice? That I can’t live with.”
“What difference does it make if I don’t want a baby?” She tried to push him away again. “If this is about obligation to the clan, save it. I’ve heard that lecture enough times in my life.”
A rumble deep from within Simon rolled through him and straight into her. The fact it carried heat again gave her pause. Blue flames in his eyes, blasts of heat when there shouldn’t be any. These thoughts triggered the memory of the first night they met in the Dark Moon bar.
He’d been able to detect her mating scent. A feat no one other than a dragon should have been able to do. But he was a wolf. She’d seen his shifted form many times. He also smelled like a wolf…
“It’s not about obligation. I don’t give a shit about that. My gift to our clans is the gift of science. I don’t owe anyone else more than that. And thanks to you and our mating, I believe our scientific breakthroughs have enormous potential.”
She hadn’t heard half of what he’d said. There was no getting this nagging idea out of her head. It couldn’t be a mistake.
“Simon, oh my Goddess. How did I not see it sooner?”
His brow furrowed in obvious confusion. “Right? You and I have a different path than everyone else, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have the choice to change your mind should that day ever come.”
A laugh bubbled up in her throat. “We are definitely not thinking the same thing. Can we agree to disagree on the baby making thing for now and get to the real heart of the matter? You’ve been holding out on me.”
“Kenzie, baby, what the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about you, Simon. I don’t know why you’ve been hiding it. Especially from me. But it’s so damned obvious I feel like an idiot for not realizing sooner.”
“Realizing what?”
She leaned forward, making sure to lower her voice so that no one outside this room would hear her. “You’re not just a wolf are you?”
His face went slack and the emotions disappeared from his expression. Except for his eyes. Those flamed bright orange at the center again, giving her all the confirmation she needed. He had at least some dragon in his blood.
“No,” he answered flatly, seemingly reluctant to divulge anything further. “Does that matter?”
It was her turn to frown. “You’d better not be insulting me with even a whiff that I might be like your council or their cronies. I can and will kick your ass if that’s what you’re trying to pull.”
He snarled and bent to place his teeth at her neck. “You know that’s not what I meant, but damned if your threat isn’t making me hard again.”
She sighed. “Again? Whatever. Stop trying to change the subject just because you want to get in my pants again.”
“That’s not what I want to get into, Kenzie.”
“You know what I mean. Tell me about this. I’m dying to hear about the dragon in your family history.
He pulled back and looked down on her. “There is no dragon, babe. Just unidentified DNA and answers I can’t get because I believe they are a few generations removed and either no one knows or they won’t tell me.”
“Oh, trust me. It’s dragon. It explains quite a bit too.”
“Because a dragon can’t be attracted to a plain old wolf?”
The cut of his insult struck instantly and she snarled in response. “I thought you weren’t going to piss me off? You could be part squirrel and I wouldn’t care. You know that so don’t pretend you don’t. Although I might object to a snake, because I really don’t like those.” A shudder ran down her spine at the mere thought.
“I am definitely not a snake, Kenzie. I’m not kidding about the unknowing part. There are parts of my genetic sequence that literally match nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
“Including mine?”
“Yes. Including yours. Every time I get a new sample I cross check everything.”
The idea of that sounded more than a little weird. And oddly invasive. She was going to let that go for now, but maybe soon they would have a little refresher on what might constitute an invasion of privacy.
“Well, I’m no scientist, but I have other
gifts on my side, including my instincts. And my instincts are freaking out over that little piece of you that screams dragon. Like the extreme heat you carry unlike other wolves. And don’t get me started about how the fire inside you flares in your eyes when you are extremely aroused or pissed off beyond belief.”
“Are you seriously asking the scientist to put his faith in your gut instinct over all the scientific testing I have done?”
“Yep,” she said, nodding. “And maybe, just maybe the answers you seek reside in you not me.” When he didn’t say anything more right away she asked him one final question, “Did I just blow your mind?”
“As usual, yeah. But I like it when you do that.” He tightened his hold around her for a few seconds before running his hands up her sides until his long, strong fingers cupped her breasts and stroked across her nipples.
The excitement of their connection sent a sizzle across her nerve endings as her buds tightened and her sex quickened.
“You are a wolf with a one track mind.”
“Mmm hmm,” he mumbled across her skin as he placed kiss after kiss across her bare chest just above her shirt line.
“It’s all the science talk, isn’t it?” She laughed.
“Of course, so keep that in mind every time you bring this up. I’ll need way more than just talk.” He nipped at her skin repeatedly until she began to squirm in his arms. He drove a hard bargain, but she had a feeling she could live with it.
Just then, as if on cue, baby Brady squirmed in his cradle and let out a series of mews.
“Calder’s coming for his son. I can scent the bear in both of them.” Her statement came out more of a whine than she’d meant, but talk about bad timing.
“My office. Ten minutes.”
“Bossy wolf.”
“Dragon tease.”
The grin spreading across her face threatened her sanity just as much as the pleasure would when he got his hands on her naked again. Life sure had taken a strange turn when she’d landed in Deal’s Gap and she was counting on the quirky small town and the man she couldn’t get enough of to keep life interesting.