The hunters and a handful of Indulf’s guards had arrived moments after the base was burning. By then, Ivarsson had been riddled with bullet wounds designed to take down a dragon. He wouldn’t have survived if they hadn’t brought him and Dominique back to Byrelmore, where he was patched up by the mages and left in this room to heal. Dominique had stayed by his side almost the whole time.
Now, though, he was finally healed enough to get up and move around… if he wasn’t cuffed in place. It didn’t bother him so much, not this time. Dominique was safe, and that was all that mattered.
The door opened, and he looked over eagerly, expecting to see Dominique return from getting some food. His eyes widened when he saw who it was instead—Indulf. The king was alone, wearing a business suit with a vest but no jacket. He stared for a moment at Ivarsson before gesturing at the chair.
“May I sit?”
“I wouldn’t expect a king to ask permission.” Ivarsson nodded.
Indulf smirked as he sat. “I try to be fair.”
“I know.” Ivarsson sighed as he studied his younger brother. If they had been raised together, would he have liked Indulf? Would he have wanted to protect him? “Fairer than our father ever was.”
Indulf inclined his head, acknowledging the compliment. He shifted, seeming a little uncomfortable, and steepled his fingers before him. “I wanted to thank you. Without your… efforts… we never would have found Jenson. She could have hurt a lot more people.”
Ivarsson had to chuckle at that. His efforts indeed. “Less people would have been hurt if I hadn’t… well.” He turned his face away briefly, even though he didn’t like to show this sort of emotion in front of Indulf.
“Perhaps. But thank you all the same.”
Heat flushed in Ivarsson’s cheeks and he scowled, uncomfortable. “I didn’t do it for you.”
“I am well aware.” Indulf’s voice was amused. A pause, and then he continued, his voice softer, no longer amused. “I never knew about you.”
Ivarsson glanced back at him, almost unwillingly. Never knew about him? That didn’t sound right. He thought that their father would have warned his brother about him, telling him about a possible threat to his claim to the throne. Why would Ivar remain so silent on the issue? Was it… Was it that his father regretted his actions? Had he felt guilty about it? Or did he merely not want his chosen heir to distrust him, to think that one day he might be the one who was replaced?
“There is something I want to know.” Indulf’s voice was hesitant, but still had a ring of authority that only a king could have. “And I want you to answer honestly.”
“You won’t know if I don’t.”
Indulf frowned a moment but continued anyway. “Do you hate me?”
Ivarsson blinked in surprise. That wasn’t what he had been expecting… but as he stared at his half-brother, he pondered the question. Did he hate Indulf? No. Maybe he had never hated him. He hated their father, yes, but Indulf? “No.”
“Do you still want to take the throne?”
That was more than one question. Ivarsson glared at him for a moment before reluctantly shaking his head. “No. I wouldn’t know what to do with it even if I got it.”
Indulf studied him for a moment longer before speaking again. His voice was so low Ivarsson almost missed it. “Could we be brothers?”
“I—” Ivarsson closed his mouth. He didn’t know what to say to that, didn’t know what to think even. What was there to say? Could they be brothers? They were brothers. By blood. There was nothing either of them could do to change that. That wasn’t what Indulf was asking. “Are you offering me a position in the royal family?”
Irritation flashed in Indulf’s eyes as he nodded curtly. “But not as king.”
“I know that.” Ivarsson scratched at his head with his free hand. “Dominique said that you’d forgive me. I didn’t believe it. I’m not sure I would. Our father certainly never would have.”
“I’m not our father. And I have never been angrier with him than I was when I found out about you. Now answer the damn question already.”
At one point, he would have accepted in a heartbeat. He would have laughed at Indulf’s naivety and used the position to get himself closer to the throne. He’d have overthrown Indulf through his own generosity and not felt a whit of guilt for it. Now, though… He didn’t want to be that angry, bitter, heartless person who handed Dominique over to the likes of Jenson. He didn’t want to be the kind of person who thought of only himself and nobody else.
So. If he accepted the position now, what would he do with it? Would the temptation to go back to his old ways of wanting the throne prove too much? Would he erase all the things he’d learned from Dominique and turn his back on her?
His heart hurt just thinking of the possibility. He shook his head, eyes hardening. “No.”
Indulf’s shoulders slumped and disappointment flashed in his eyes.
“It’s not because…” Ivarsson hesitated a moment before he sighed. “It’s not because I don’t want to be your brother. I would… I would like that. I never thought that I’d have a family. But you have to understand, I have a lot of centuries of resentment. And so much of my life was dedicated to taking the throne. I can’t risk that greed coming back. I’d lose—”
He cut himself off, unwilling to be that vulnerable before Indulf. But he understood without hearing it.
“Dominique.”
Ivarsson clenched his jaw.
“She’s everything to you. I know. Anna’s the same to me…” Indulf cocked his head, that intense look of concentration back. “I know that she was your original target. Dominique told me. So, you know that this offer wasn’t easy for me. But I believe it when she says you’ve changed. You should too.”
He stood, hesitated a moment longer and headed for the door. Once there, though, he stopped and turned back. “She’s waiting for you, you know. It won’t be easy, Ivarsson. Nothing ever is. But I can promise that it’s worth it.”
Ivarsson wasn’t entirely certain what he was talking about but nodded anyway. After the king was gone, he lapsed back into his thoughts, considering what he had just been offered. Could they be brothers? Perhaps…
The door opened again, and this time it was Dominique. He smiled at her as she rushed to his side, as though they had been parted for days rather than a few hours. She cupped his face in her hand and gave him a questioning look. For a moment, he couldn’t respond. Instead, he was overwhelmed by how good she was. After everything she had gone through, all the pain and heartache. And yet, she still managed to care. Managed to love. Gratitude welled in him so strongly that he had to blink away a tear.
She kissed him lightly and gave him a small smile. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. For the first time in a very long time, yeah.” His smile widened as he found her hand with his. “Thank you, Dominique. You saved me.”
“Of course, I did,” she replied at once. “I’m your mate.”
“Yes, you are.”
Dominique tapped his chest with her finger, playing with one of the buttons there. “And what did Indulf want?”
Ivarsson explained briefly, and Dominique burst out in a squeal. Her eyes brightened, and she kissed him, lightly at first and then deepening—but pulled away before things could get too heated. She gave him a self-satisfied smirk and nodded. “I thought so. He’s looking for a way to go easy on you. To reduce your jail time. Maybe even circumvent it altogether.”
He blinked in surprise. Had… had that been what Indulf was after? He lay there, stunned, as the thoughts tripped around his head. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask her how she knew, but she cut him off with another kiss. Her smile was so wide that her face couldn’t contain it, and somewhere deep inside of him, he knew that the next time he saw Indulf, he could change his answer. They could be brothers, because there was nothing that could ever tempt Ivarsson to the throne again. Not when it would mean losing Dominique. His mate.
“I love y
ou,” he whispered hoarsely, saying the words out loud for the first time. “I love you so much. I know I’m not worthy of you, but I will spend every day for the rest of my life proving myself. I will become worthy, I promise.”
Dominique kissed him again. Her eyes shone with tears, but he knew they were happy tears. “I love you, too. And you don’t have to prove anything, Ivarsson. Just be who you really are.”
And then her mouth was against his again. Her hand lay flat on his chest. The kiss lingered, deepened, and desire and love coursed through his veins. Dominique moaned into his mouth, and everything in his body tightened in anticipation. His dream from so long ago rushed back to him, and he grinned as he tugged on her hips, pulling her over him.
“Gods,” she moaned, kissing his neck and making her way down his chest. “I’ve imagined this so much…”
Ivarsson laughed. “Let’s see how the real thing compares then, shall we?”
*****
THE END
Hopefully, you enjoyed reading my book as much as I did writing.
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Other Books in this Series
The Dragon King’s Prisoner (Book 1)
The Dragon Warrior’s Baby (Book 2)
The Dragon Beast’s Virgin (Book 3)
The Dragon Prince’s Second Chance (Book 4)
The Dragon’s Guard Princess (Book 5)
The Dragon Hunters’ Temptation (Book 6)
The Dragon Fighter’s Witch (Book 7)
Also by Jasmine Wylder
Savage Brotherhood MC
Tornado (Book 1)
Blizzard (Book 2)
Thunder (Book 3)
Hurricane (Book 4)
Typhoon (Book 5)
Twister (Book 6,)
Cyclone (Book 7)
Storm (Book 8)
Dragon Secrets
The Dragon’s Secret Baby (Book 1)
The Dragon's Secret Bride (Book 2)
The Dragon's Secret Prize (Book 3)
The Dragon's Secret Son (Book 4)
The Dragon's Secret Queen (Book 5)
Rocky Mountain Shifters
Alpha’s Desire (Book 1)
Beta’s Destiny (Book 2)
Alpha’s Love (Book 3)
Beta’s Second Chance (Book 4)
Fated Bears
The Bear Shifter's Virgin (Book 1)
The Bear Shifter's Second Chance (Book 2)
The Bear Shifter's Nanny (Book 3)
The Bear Shifter's Baby (Book 4)
The Bear Shifter's Mate (Book 5)
Bound by Fate
The Vampire's Bride Awakening (Book 1)
The Vampire's Secret Baby (Book 2)
Standalone Stories
The Billionaire Wolves’ Virgin
Her Dragon Professor
The Alpha Bear’s Magician
The Vampire’s Nanny
Bonded to the Alpha Wolf
The Wolf Prince’s True Mate
A Secret Baby for the Vampire
Claimed by Two Navy Shifters
Her Two Dragon Princes
The Billionaire Shifter’s Secret Baby
About Jasmine Wylder
Jasmine Wylder is a Real Estate Agent by day and an emerging Paranormal Romance Author & Adventurer by night. Hailing from California, her passion for sultry stories, steamy scenes, and all-things romance began early on and it has stayed with her ever since.
When she isn’t creating captivating storylines, Jasmine loves spending time in the great outdoors, practicing yoga, painting, and treating herself to fine cuisine. She is also an avid animal lover (dogs in particular) and is the proud owner of a Husky named Luna and a Yorkie named Anya.
Whether it’s out-of-this-world love (literally), dragon shifters setting your heart ablaze, or unquenchable vampiric desire, Jasmine has you covered!
Currently, Jasmine is in the midst of crafting paranormal romances and tries to escape to the countryside every so often to get the full writer’s experience.
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The Dragon Villain's Prey Page 10
