by KD Jones
“Come on, little guy, you need to eat.”
She hated the feeling of helplessness, only able to offer formula. He lost his mother. Emily felt her heart and soul reaching out to this child and his to her.
A thought came to her that they belonged together. How crazy was that?
She hummed a tune she remembered her mother singing to her whenever she felt scared or upset and it always calmed her. Soon the baby opened his mouth and took the rubber nipple, sucked once then twice. Finally he began a steady drinking of the formula, his big brown eyes watching her intently. His little finger clutched hers holding the bottle.
“You’re a natural with that baby,” Drake told her with a thick voice.
Emily glanced at him. “I’ve always wanted a family and a real home of my own. I mean, I had my mom for a while. She tried make my childhood happy. I hated all the moving around.”
“Moving around?”
“Yeah, my father was, and still is, in the military. He got transferred from base to base training soldiers or running missions. My mother and I followed him all over the world. I never lived in a place longer than two or three years at a time. As soon as I made friends, we would have to pack up and move again. I resented him for that. I longed for us to buy a small house with a white picket fence where we never had to leave. I would get a dog or cat and I would get to keep my friends I made. It never happened. Then my mother died.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your mother. I lost my mother a long, long time ago. I have no other family, just really close friends but otherwise I’m alone.”
“I’ve been alone too since Mom’s death. My father wanted me to move with him to his new base in Florida, but I refused. I stayed with my aunt in Georgia. Went to college there and got my teaching degree. Then I signed up for a teaching abroad program,” she said with a laugh.
She looked out the balcony doors in deep thought. How much should she tell him?
“All the years I hated moving, and I choose a career that had me...moving around. My contract is up in a few weeks and I’ll go back to the United States.”
“Do you still have contact with your father?”
“He calls occasionally, sends me presents for birthdays and Christmas, but it’s hard to talk to him. I still feel anger toward him. I know it’s not his fault my mother died, but I just...his absence left a wound inside me that I’m not sure will ever heal.”
The baby stopped sucking. Emily lifted him to her shoulder and patted his back. A tiny burp made her look at Drake and smile. He returned the smile then winced.
“Let me settle him and I’ll help you get cleaned up. I found some jogging pants and T-shirts that may be big enough to fit you,” Emily told him.
“Thank...for helping me and the babe. You’re an amazing female.”
“You’re welcome.”
She pulled the basket to her and placed the baby on the pillow inside. The little boy had the most angelic face as he slept peacefully. How could anyone want to hurt an innocent child?
Leaving the basket on the bed, she crossed to Drake. “Come on, big guy, let’s take care of you.”
Chapter 11
Drake let Emily help him to his feet. He glanced at the sleeping baby. “You’re a pro at taking care of babies.”
She snorted. “I don’t know about that, but I have done some babysitting. He still needs to be seen by a doctor.”
“We can’t...not yet. We need to wait until my people get here.”
They entered the small bathroom. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. “Good God, I look a mess.”
“We’ll get you cleaned up. I have rags to wipe you down.”
He shook his head. “I need to shower. It will be quicker and more efficient.”
“Okay, I’ll turn the water on for you.”
Emily released him, letting him lean on the countertop.
Drake began to unsnap his pants but couldn’t yet use his injured arm to do anything. He struggled. Emily moved to help him. She knelt at his feet, taking his boots off then pulled his pants off. Her green eyes looked at his manhood springing forward and he hardened for her. She looked absolutely beautiful, but the pain in is shoulder dulled some of his ardor.
She stood. “Do you think you can get in the shower on your own?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I’ll get the sweatpants and T-shirt for you. Then I’ll help you dry off.”
The thought of her hands on him drying him had his desire returning. He growled low trying to get his emotions under control. He would be no good to anyone if he pushed himself too soon without letting his body heal. He needed to shift to his dragon form to help with the healing but refused to leave the baby and Emily alone and defenseless. No, he would have to wait until his people arrived to watch over them.
Stepping into the shower, he let the water wash away the dirt and blood. He winced as he cleaned the cuts. He wet his hair and turned to rinse off his back. Done, he switched off the shower.
Emily waited for him. She had placed a towel on the floor for him to stand on and had another towel in her hand. His dragon chuffed at the anticipation of having their mate touch him again.
She looked at his shoulder in surprise. “It’s...better. I’m grateful it stopped bleeding.”
“I heal quickly,” he told her.
He would be completely healed if he shifted to his dragon form, but he’d do that soon enough.
“How’s the babe?” he asked, trying to change the subject.
“Sleeping. He’ll be ready to feed again in a couple hours,” she said absently as she used the towel to pat dry his chest.
Her fingers lightly touched him and he couldn’t hold back the growl of need. Unfortunately, his legs felt a little weak. Probably from the blood loss. As much as he wanted to make love to her, he didn’t have his strength and it would put her and the babe at risk if they got caught by his enemies unprepared, and naked.
Clearing his throat, he took the towel from her. “I’ve got this. Get some rest. My ki...friend Reichardt had a child and his wife always says she sleeps when the baby sleeps, otherwise she would never get any rest at all.”
“That’s a smart woman.” Emily smiled.
“She’s a good one; too good for Rei.”
“Are you sure you don’t want help getting dressed?”
She eyed his naked body up and down.
“I’m sure. Go lie down.”
“I’ll put the baby on the bed next to me and you can lie on the other side.”
She gave him one more lingering look before she left.
He suddenly felt the exhaustion of the day hit him. Drake needed to get off his feet before he fell again. Pulling on the jogging pants, he heard Emily talking to the baby in the other room. The fact she cared about someone she barely knew pulled at his heart. His mate was a good woman.
Chapter 12
Emily placed the baby in the middle of the bed and propped a pillow on either side of him to keep him in place. Smiling at the sleeping infant, she lay next to him and turned on her side to face him.
“We really need to find a name for you, little one. What do you think about...Oliver?”
The baby didn’t make any movement. “No...that doesn’t suit you at all. I could call you DJ...Drake Junior. I don’t know if Drake would like that or not.”
The baby made an expression lifting his little chin. “How about I just call you...Wyatt. It means little warrior.”
“I like that name,” Drake told her, walking out of the bathroom with just the jogging pants on.
She couldn’t help but admire the expanse of his exposed chest. He stood at the side of the bed. “I want to lie closest to the door so I can protect you and...Wyatt.”
She thought that had to be the sweetest thing anyone had said to her. Standing, she went to the other side of the bed. Baby Wyatt lay between them sleeping peacefully.
“Who are his parents?” she asked.
“I didn’t kn
ow the female, but I think the father is...I think she’d been forced to have a baby.”
“Was she raped?” Emily asked in concern.
“I believe so, but she wanted to keep this baby. With her last breath, she asked me to save him and to let him know she had loved him.”
“Where’s the mother?”
“Her body went up in flames, probably nothing left by now. I had to go after the male who took the baby.”
Emily gasped and tears filled her eyes. She reached out to gently touch the cheek of the baby. “Who would do something so horrible?”
“Very bad males.”
She noticed he always said males instead of men and females instead of women. “Who are you really?”
He put an arm around both the baby and her and pulled them close. Closing his eyes, he simply said, “I’m the good guy. I swear it.”
“I believe you,” she reassured him.
Soon Drake fell asleep. She leaned over to compare Wyatt to Drake. She couldn’t see a resemblance between them. A thought crossed her mind that maybe this was his son and that he had stolen him from the mother, but it didn’t fit the man she had spent time with.
Shutting her eyes, she let sleep claim her. A soft cry woke her. She checked the baby’s diaper. It needed to be changed. She grabbed another diaper from the box, baby wipes, and a changing cloth. She also pulled out another bottle of formula from the refrigerator and filled the bathroom sink with hot water.
As she changed the diaper, Baby Wyatt wiggled and wrinkled his little face. “You are just the cutest little thing.”
Wyatt gurgled in reply. Emily went to get the bottle from the bathroom. Coming back to the bed, she found Drake holding the baby in his arms.
“I’ll feed him. You get more sleep.”
“Are you sure?”
“I know I’m not experienced with children, but I promise I can feed a bottle to a babe and burp him properly.”
“His name is Wyatt,” she told him as she handed the bottle to him.
Drake looked down at the tiny infant and teased his lips with the bottle nipple. The baby immediately latched on. “Wyatt is a good name. Little warrior, yes, you definitely were born to be a warrior.”
Emily lay on the other side of the bed but couldn’t go to sleep. She found the scene before her fascinating. “You said earlier that you didn’t have any family. What happened to them?”
He paused before answering. That did not escape her notice. What could he be hiding?
“My family came from another...country. A huge battle broke out in our home land and the destruction made it unlivable. Many died including my parents and my...the female I had planned to marry. Our leader made a desperate evacuation of the rest of our people. I was charged to act as second to the leader to help with establishing a new home. It took a very long time. Our people separated into different...clans. My clan finally found a home in Arizona. The rest of the clans are spread all around the world.”
“You said you had people coming to aid you. The United States is a long ways away. It would take several days before they show.”
“There’s an ally clan in China. They should arrive by the time the sun rises.”
Did that mean that come dawn, both he and Wyatt would be gone...out of her life forever? She felt a sadness and pang of pain at the thought of them leaving.
“Do you have someone? A wife? Girlfriend? I should have asked before we…”
“No, I don’t have anyone. I didn’t really ask you either.”
“I sadly haven’t dated anyone since leaving the US three years ago.”
That seemed to surprise him. “Why? You’re gorgeous, kind, intelligent. Any male would be honored to be your mate.”
Those weird words again...male and female and mate. She had traveled to many countries, but she couldn’t figure which he came from.
She watched him burp the baby then lay him on the bed between them. Exhaustion hit her hard and she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes open.
“Sleep, Emily, I will watch over you...both of you,” Drake whispered.
Then darkness took her.
Chapter 13
The crying baby woke Emily and she frowned at seeing Drake missing once more. He had a bad habit of leaving. Wyatt let out a wail wanting her to pick him up.
The door opened and an Asian looking woman with long, straight black hair, brown eyes, and five feet tall, if that, stepped inside the room. Who the hell was this? Emily held Wyatt closer to her chest.
The woman looked from her to the baby. She didn’t like the way the woman’s eyes lit up at the sight of Wyatt. Every protective instinct kicked in.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Arena.”
“Where’s Drake?”
“He will be back soon. I came with his backup support until he can return to his own clan. What is your name?”
“Emily Campbell.”
“My people owe you a great debt. Drake told us how you took care of his injury and have been taking care of the little one for him.”
Wyatt cried, drawing her attention back to him. “Are you hungry, sweetie?”
Keeping him in her arms, she walked to the small refrigerator passing by the beautiful woman. She took out the bottle of formula and carried it to the bathroom sink and turned on the hot water.
She turned to find the Asian woman had followed her to the bathroom. “What do you want?”
“May I see the child?”
“No.” Emily pulled Wyatt tighter in her arms.
The woman raised a thin black eyebrow at her. “I just want to see him. I’ll hold him while you prepare the bottle.”
She bit her lip looking from Wyatt to the woman. She hesitated not wanting to hand the baby to this stranger. The woman—Arena—did not appear to mean harm to her or the baby. She relaxed and allowed the woman to take the baby in her arms.
The woman’s expression went from no emotion to awe. “You are a miracle, little one.”
Wyatt looked at Arena and cried, trying to wiggle as if wanting to get out of her arms.
“His name is Wyatt,” Emily told her testing the milk on her wrist.
“Wyatt?”
“It means little warrior.”
Arena smiled. “Ah...that is appropriate.”
“His bottle is ready,” Emily told her.
The woman immediately handed Wyatt back to her. She felt more at ease having him in her own arms and it seemed like he responded likewise, settling his little flying fists when he looked up at her. Emily smiled at him and she could have sworn he smiled back. Probably just gas.
“Come on, baby, let’s get you fed.”
She walked into the bedroom and sat on the end of the bed holding the bottle to Wyatt’s lips. He suckled immediately and wrapped his hand around her pinky finger. Emily lost herself in Wyatt’s eyes. As she fed him, she almost forgot the other woman had been watching her acutely.
“You’ve already bonded with him.”
Emily glanced up at her in surprise. “What?”
“You have bonded with the baby...Wyatt already.”
“That’s impossible...I mean, I only met him last night.”
Arena smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Sometimes you can bond within the first minute you meet someone. Wyatt looks directly into your eyes, reacts to your moods, relaxes in your arms; all signs that he is bonding with you.”
Emily felt a thrill inside but also fearful. She did feel a connection with him as well. What would happen when the law enforcement and social services finally got involved? They’d try to find the next of kin and if they didn’t, he’d be put in foster care until adopted.
The thought of Wyatt being separated from her made her anxious and fearful. She worried that she might be falling in love with Drake, but nothing prepared her for falling in love with this tiny bundle of joy. How would she survive losing both?
Chapter 14
Drake shifted to his human form. Reaching up to his s
houlder, he found the wounds almost completely healed. He hated leaving Emily and Wyatt at the hotel but Queen Arena herself came with her personal guard. She wanted to see the child, the first born without a true bonding between a dragon shifter and a human female.
How did they do it? How many other females had Dyson impregnated? Arena’s second-in-command Dax waited for him.
“I checked the cave and found no signs of who the female was or where she came from. Did you have to set fire to everything?” Dax asked.
“I couldn’t risk the humans finding the female or the shifter. I had to go after the baby and didn’t know when or if I would return.”
“This is a clusterfuck. How did this happen?”
“I don’t know.”
“Arena texted me that she scented an old familiar scent on the infant...mage.”
Drake looked doubtful. “That’s...impossible. All mages died out after we came through the portals centuries ago.”
Dax shook his head. “Not all of them. A handful of mages decided to live among the humans.”
“Why would they leave their own kind?”
“Some resented the fact that their inability to shift set them apart from other Drakonians. When they came to Earth, they found a kinship with the humans and felt like they could blend better with them.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“My mother had been born mage. When she came through the portal, she lived with our people for a while but eventually left with the few mages she found a kinship with.”
“Do you still have contact with her?”
“Yes. I last visited her five years ago. Her mage clan settled in the highlands.”
“If Arena suspects mage power has been used in this whole thing, we need a contact we can trust.”
“I can visit her to find out as soon as My Queen orders it. From what my mother told me, the mage people lost some of their power over the centuries.”
