“I don’t care what he thinks. I just need a ride.”
“I’m at Kymar’s house now, but—”
“Never mind. I’ll call an Uber or something.” I would just have to take care of myself.
“Don’t you still have your car?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure where my keys are. I haven’t been using it, and I’d have to ask Laszlo or one of the servants, and—”
“Wait. You haven’t talked to Laszlo about this?”
“No. I smelled him all over Pierre, and Pierre had just come from his bed. The last thing I want is to listen to him make up excuses.”
“Roman, I think you should—”
“I thought you would be supportive.”
“I am. If I were there, I would come get you, but I really think you should talk to Laszlo before you leave.”
He was probably right. A part of me knew I wasn’t thinking clearly, and it wasn’t like I could just run away when there was the baby to think of. Laszlo wasn’t going to forget about me when I was carrying his child. But I needed some space and time to think. I’d known things couldn’t really be as perfect as they seemed, but I hadn’t thought it would end like this.
I wiped more tears away and managed to focus on my phone long enough to request a ride. Thank goodness I’d still been working, so I had some money saved up. I gathered my bundle, knowing I must look absurd but not having the energy to care what a random driver thought of me. I made my way downstairs as quietly as I could and waited on the front porch steps, praying the driver would arrive before Laszlo came looking for me. If he’d sent Pierre to my room, he obviously wasn’t intending to visit me first thing the way he usually did. Was it from guilt? It really didn’t matter. As long as he gave me time to get away.
11
Laszlo
I took longer than usual in the shower that morning. The warm water felt so good pounding against my stiff neck and shoulders. I hadn’t been sleeping well since Roman had moved to his own room. Night after night of tossing and turning had made me stiff and sore.
If I hadn’t known I was keeping Roman from getting the rest he needed, I would have insisted he move back in with me. I hated thinking of him down the hall, feeling sick and all alone. Eager to see him, I dressed quickly, choosing a dark purple shirt he particularly liked on me and pairing it with black dress pants. Even if he didn’t feel up to more than being coddled by me, I still liked to look nice for him. I wished there was a way I could make him feel better. Between money and the power that naturally came with being a dragon, I could usually solve my problems fairly easily, but I couldn’t fix this.
My inability to do more for my mate was making me cranky, and the last thing I wanted was to make him feel worse, which meant I’d been spending less time with him for the last few days. But that was wearing on me too, and maybe also on him. Our mate bond wanted us to be together. Maybe it was time for me to try again to convince him he didn’t need to work. Then he could get more rest, and we could nest together and plan for the baby. I understood his reluctance to depend on me. He still wasn’t quite convinced our mate bond was real. Once he believed that, he would understand it was something I would never willingly break. He was mine, and I would always provide for him, I just needed to convince him of that.
I slipped on my watch and checked my appearance in the mirror once more. Pleased to see that I looked as good as I’d hoped, I stepped out of my dressing room and froze. Pierre had been here. I could smell him. The sheets had been stripped from my bed, even though it was too early for Richards to have sent someone to my room, and I’d asked that Pierre not be assigned to clean here. Maybe Richards had sent him for some unknown reason, but I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
I walked more swiftly than usual to Roman’s room, but when I knocked, he didn’t answer. I opened the door, worried he was in the bathroom too weak to respond to me. His room looked like a tornado had run through it: drawers hung open, his belongings were scattered around, his comforter was thrown to the floor, and the sheet was missing from his bed. Something was definitely wrong.
I tried the kitchen first. Maybe he’d actually woken hungry and had gone to get something to eat. Not that his needing breakfast would explain the state of his room. When I entered the dining room, it was empty, so I headed for the kitchen. Several of the staff were breakfasting at the kitchen counter, and Martha was chopping vegetables. “Have any of you seen Roman?”
Martha frowned and shook her head. “I assumed he was still resting.” I glanced at the others, but they all said they hadn’t seen him either, including Pierre, though his cheeks looked a bit red. I considered asking him what he’d been doing in my room but finding Roman was more important.
I headed back toward the stairs and let myself transform partially. I could follow Roman’s scent far better in my dragon form than I could as a human. When I neared the stairs, the smell of my mate grew stronger. Had he returned to his room? I started up the stairs, but quickly realized I’d lost the trail. I returned to the foyer and moved toward the door. Had he thought fresh air would help him feel better? Why wouldn’t he go into the courtyard off the conservatory?
I opened the front door and saw him immediately. He was seated on the steps holding a strange bundle that seemed to be made from his bedsheet.
I became fully human again, not wanting to startle him. “Roman? What are you doing out here?”
He jumped at the sound of my voice, but when he turned to face me, there was fury in his eyes. “I’m waiting on a ride.”
“Were you called into work? My driver could surely take you. And what have you got with you?”
“I’m not going to work. I’m going…” His voice broke and trailed off. I took a step toward him, but he leaned away. “I don’t know where I’m going. Somewhere that’s not here. I can’t stay here not when you’re…”
He pressed his lips together, and I could tell he was trying not to cry.
“Pet, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“Don’t call me that.”
“All right.” Now I was really worried. “Please talk to me. I don’t understand what’s wrong.”
He snorted. “You don’t have to pretend to be so worried.”
“But I am worried. Please, Roman, talk to me.” I heard the sound of a car coming up the drive. “Who’s coming to get you?”
“An Uber.”
My dragon protested and smoke puffed from my nostrils. “I won’t have you leave with a stranger. My driver—our driver—can take you wherever you need to go, but please talk to me before you leave.”
“You really don’t have to pretend anymore.”
He sounded so devastated. It was breaking my heart. “I’m not pretending. Please explain what’s wrong.”
“I guess I’m not fit to be a dragon’s mate, because I wanted it to be just us.”
“What do you mean ‘just us’?” The car came closer and my dragon grew more agitated, wanting to send the stranger away from my lair. Why had Roman called him here?
“I need some time,” Roman said as he stood. I reached for his arm, but he jerked away. “I just can’t handle this right now.”
“Roman, please. Don’t leave when I don’t even know where you’re going or why.”
Even if he got into the car, I wouldn’t let him out of my sight. I’d follow him even if I had to shift into my dragon form and fly after him. I didn’t care who saw me, not when my mate’s safety was at stake.
He grabbed the bundle as the car came to a stop. I fought to stay in human form as Roman opened the door, intending to let himself be whisked away from me.
“Roman, don’t do this. Whatever is wrong, we can fix it. I promise.” I laid my hand on his shoulder sending the warmth of my dragon magic into him, hoping maybe that would get through to him when my words could not.
He turned to look at me, eyes wide. “You don’t… you don’t smell like him.”
“Smell like who?”
“
Like Pierre. If you slept with him, then you should smell like him just like he smelled like you.”
My dragon roared inside me. What had that boy done? “I have not slept with Pierre since well before I met you. After I showered this morning, I could smell him in my room, and the sheets from my bed were missing, but I dismissed it as a housekeeping mix-up.”
“You really… You haven’t…”
“No, pet. I only want you.”
“H-he came to my room and told me you’d sent him, that you wanted him to see if I needed anything. He smelled like you, like your bed. He said dragons have voracious appetites, and you needed—”
“Do you need a ride or not?” the driver asked. Roman gave me a deer-in-headlights look. I wondered if he’d forgotten the driver entirely when he’d realized I hadn’t betrayed him.
“Don’t worry, pet. I’m going to take care of everything.” My dragon wanted revenge, but I managed to be civilized long enough to pull several bills from my wallet, hand them to the driver, and spit out the words, “You can go.”
I closed the car door and took Roman’s bundle from him, then I guided him toward the steps. By the time I shoved the front door open, my dragon could no longer be denied. I set Roman’s bundle down and stalked toward the kitchen, fury making me his and sending curls of smoke through the air. Pierre had hurt my mate, and he was going to pay.
“Laszlo, where are we going?” Roman asked as he raced after me.
“Pierre” was the only word I could get out.
“What are you going to do?” He sounded scared, but my dragon was too single-minded to pay attention.
Make him pay. Scales rushed along my arms, and my fingers turned to talons.
“Laszlo. Wait. What he did was wrong, but you can’t…”
I knew Roman was talking, but I couldn’t really comprehend his words. My dragon was insisting on having his way, shoving my human’s concerns aside as I moved faster and faster toward the kitchen.
Avenge our mate.
I burst into the kitchen, shirt hanging in shreds from my upper body, face partially transformed, emitting smoke with every breath.
Martha screamed and dropped the bowl she’d been holding. Pierre jumped off his stool and scrambled backward as the others sat frozen.
I ignored them all except the bastard who’d harmed my mate. I glared at him, and a small jet of fire shot from my mouth.
Rend. Tear. Kill, my dragon urged.
Pierre dropped to his knees. “Please. I’m sorry. I was wrong.” He looked behind me to where I knew my mate stood. “Roman, I lied. He hasn’t touched me since he met you. I’m so sorry, please don’t let him eat me. I don’t know why I did it. I just… I mean he’s a dragon, and how was I going to find another one? I… I just wanted another chance to be a dragon’s mate.”
I hissed, wanting to remind him that Roman was my mate, and I could have no other. But I was too far gone to speak as a human.
12
Roman
I rushed toward Laszlo worried he might actually roast Pierre with his dragon fire. As much as I loved watching Pierre grovel, I had to stop my mate before he seriously hurt the little brat.
“Laszlo! Laszlo!” He acted as though he didn’t hear me as he snarled and hissed. He took another lumbering step toward Pierre and shot another jet of fire that scorched the floor right by Pierre’s feet.
I laid a hand on Laszlo’s shoulder like he’d done to me when I had been determined to leave. I might not have dragon magic, but there was a connection between us, an awareness I’d never felt with anyone else. I hoped that would be enough. I thought about how much I loved him and how sorry I was that I’d jumped to conclusions. Holden had told me not to, and I’d known better, but I’d been so excited to feel better, then Pierre had said what he had, playing into my fears that the connection I’d felt had never been real, and I’d lost the ability to think rationally.
“Laszlo, you have to stop.”
He hissed at Pierre, and Pierre shrank down and covered his head.
“Please stop. For me. For your mate.” I felt a tremble run through him. “Don’t hurt him, Laszlo. You’ll regret it later.”
He roared, but it was half-hearted compared to how he’d sounded earlier.
“You can send him away, but your mate is asking you to leave him unharmed.”
Laszlo released one last puff of smoke before magic shimmered around him, and he became fully human once more.
He snarled at Pierre, still looking menacing despite his lack of pointy teeth and talons. “Pack your things. I want you off my property in the next hour, or I’ll rethink my mate’s request to spare you.”
Pierre looked at me. “Thank you.”
“Cross me again, and I’ll let him eat you.”
“I… I won’t. I promise.”
He backed away, watching Laszlo warily. I could see the terror in his eyes. Once he reached the kitchen door, he ran.
He looked so distraught, I almost felt sorry for him. Was that what Laszlo had meant by someone being dragon-struck? Was he so bedazzled by Laszlo that his obsession had led him to this? “Does he have someplace to go?”
Laszlo frowned. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t want him here, but I don’t want him turned out on the street.”
“Richards?” Laszlo called.
The butler had appeared in the kitchen doorway. He’d either heard the scene Laszlo was making or sensed there was trouble afoot. “I’ll take care of it, sir.”
“Thank you.”
I looked back at my mate. “Can we talk?”
Laszlo nodded, but the concern in his eyes told me he was still worried I would leave him. I’d never really wanted to, but after weeks of worrying I wasn’t enough for him, I couldn’t bear the pain of confronting him and learning I’d been right. But now that I had felt the strength of our bond so clearly, I could no longer deny how real it was. I would never leave him.
I held out my hand to my mate, and he took it. With just that simple touch, his tension lessened. As I led Laszlo out of the kitchen, I heard Martha order everyone back to work.
I walked toward the conservatory, since Pierre’s smell might still linger in our bedroom. I was moving back into the room even if my sickness returned. Where the Christmas tree had stood, there was now a collection of small potted trees all wrapped in fairy lights. I knew several of them would bloom this spring, and I was already anxious to see how beautiful they would be.
We sat on the sofa that overlooked the courtyard. There was so much I needed to say, but Laszlo pulled me into his arms. I allowed myself to rest my head against his shoulder and enjoy his warmth for several moments. When I pulled back, he cupped my face, brushing his thumb back and forth over my cheekbone. “You’re not as pale as you have been in the mornings, and you haven’t been sick since I found you outside. Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, but I don’t know how long it will last. When I woke this morning, I didn’t feel nauseous for the first time in weeks. I was coming to surprise you when Pierre came to my room.”
Heat flashed in Laszlo’s eyes. “To surprise me?
I licked my lips deliberately. “I was going to slip into your bed and—”
“Our bed.”
“Into our bed and have my way with you.”
“And then that brat ruined it. I should have already sent him away. I—”
I laid my finger over his lips. “You tried. Do you think he’s dragon-struck? Can it last this long?”
“It shouldn’t, but maybe since we… I should have seen the signs.”
“Let’s not talk about him anymore.”
He brushed a gentle kiss across my lips. “I don’t deserve you.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing about you. I’ve never been cared for like I have been by you.”
Laszlo huffed. “You’re carrying our child. Of course I’m going to take care of you.” He started to say something else, then stopped.
“
What is it?”
“Why didn’t you come talk to me? Why would you believe…?
“Ever since you first brought me here, I’ve been certain something would eventually happen to bring this fantasy to an end. I’ve been living in a dream world, and—”
“This isn’t a dream.” His eyes shifted, showing the swirl of color. “You’re my mate. Our child is growing inside you. This is your real world.”
I let out a long breath. “I didn’t truly believe that until today. When I felt your magic course through me, I realized the connection I felt when I was near you was our bond, that it was so real I could feel it, so real I could use the connection to stop you when you would have let your dragon take over.”
“You felt it? Our mate bond?”
His eyes lit up with joy just like they had when we’d decorated the tree or when he spoke of sparkly treasure. “I did. I do now, and I want to feel it always”
He took both my hands in his. “I love you, Roman. I’m so sorry I’ve never told you that.”
My heart skipped a beat. He loved me. He hadn’t just claimed me because he thought I was pretty or kept me because of our child. He loved me, and I could feel that love through our bond. “I love you too. I’ve known for weeks, but I was afraid to say it, afraid I might shatter this dream world, but it really isn’t just a dream, is it?
“No, pet. It’s not a dream at all.”
I put my arms around his neck and pulled him to me. “Kiss me. Show me how very real you are.”
13
Laszlo
I pulled Roman to me and kissed him so thoroughly his eyes were glazed over when I pulled back. “Wow.”
“Did that feel real enough?”
He brought his hand up to his lips and brushed his fingertips over them. “Yes.”
“Are you certain? I’m very willing to show you more.”
“I want more, not because you need to prove anything, but it’s just… It’s been so long since I didn’t feel sick, and…”
The Christmas Dragon's Mate Page 8
