by KD Jones
“What do we do now?”
He wanted to make love to her again, peel those jeans off of her and bury his face between her thighs. Instead of going after his own desires at that moment, he gave her a reassuring smile.
“I wanted to show you the cabin I’m building for us. We can take Wyatt. It’s not too far away and the air will be good for him.”
She looked surprised and interested. “I thought this was your room.”
“I want us to have our own space to bond as a family. We’ll come to the ranch house on many occasions, but I want to give you a home, a real home.”
He knew he had her with the promise of a single place to spend the rest of their lives.
“Fine, let’s get Wyatt. I’m wondering if you’re as good as you say you are at building things.”
He leaned down to whisper next to her ear. “Oh, I’m very good with my hands...as you know.”
Chapter 24
Emily didn’t know what to expect when she walked with Drake down the stone pathway toward the woods. He claimed to be building a cabin for them but this…this was a huge two-story log cabin with a front porch. It even included a newly added white picket fence and flower beds being excavated. She saw herself outside planting flowers every spring, Wyatt next to her playing in the dirt.
“I hope you like it. If you want anything changed, just let me know.”
“Don’t change a thing except for...”
“What?”
“Could you add a porch swing? I always wanted one of them.”
“Then you should have it. Come inside. It’s bare but the walls and ceiling are done. Just have a few issues with the electrical. We have people here who can do it in another day or so. Over the years, our people had to learn a great many things to remain self-reliant and apart from the human world.”
“Why? Why stay apart from the humans?”
“In the beginning upon our arrival, we realized that we had come to a place far less advanced than Drakonia. Then later, as humans developed weapons that would possibly injure or kill us, we had to protect who and what we were.”
“Now you’re mating humans and breeding babies.”
“Our kind is dying out slowly. The children are a blessing.”
She didn’t say anything else as they climbed the steps to the porch and entered the house. The outside might have looked like a cabin, but the inside would be from a magazine when he finished. In the entryway and formal living room, the ceiling soared into a cathedral vault with long skylights showering natural light into the kitchen, which was—good God—as big as her apartment in the Philippines. Floor to ceiling walnut cabinets lined a side wall while an island big enough for them to sleep on split the room.
Drake looked nervous as she moved forward pointing everything out. “I don’t have furniture yet but once the electrical and plumbing are done, I can have whatever style you want brought in. There’s no formal dining room but the space between the kitchen and the living room is wide enough to put a table.”
She shrugged. “I prefer non-formal dining.”
He smiled, pleased she had said that. “The bedrooms are upstairs. I thought it best to have all the bedrooms on the same level so we can get to Wyatt much faster.”
“That’s...good.”
She breathed in deeply at realizing that he really was serious about her moving in with him and being a family with Wyatt.
Her heart beat faster and tears brimmed in her eyes. She looked away quickly placing a hand on her heart. He promised to give her everything she had ever wanted...except for the one thing he hadn’t spoken of yet—love.
She turned her back to him holding Wyatt close. He snuggled securely in a baby wrap carrier. It looked sort of like a shirt she put on and the baby fit inside against her chest. Glancing down at Wyatt he looked content just being with them.
“You don’t like it?” Drake asked with concern.
“I love it,” she whispered.
More than that, she was falling in love with Drake. His dragon didn’t scare her, he fascinated her, and she felt protected and wanted.
“Emily, what are you thinking?”
Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him with a smile. “Show me the upstairs.”
His face lit up with a smile and her heart beat even faster. She loved seeing Drake happy. It warmed her heart. She wanted him and a family of her own. He knew this and had offered her all of it. All she had to do was accept him.
*****
The next day
Drake watched Emily as she reluctantly placed Wyatt in his crib in the nursery. They had to meet with the council in a few minutes to convince them Wyatt belonged with them. He held hope after showing her the cabin he had been working on. Seeing her there in his home...their home...meant the world to him.
He couldn’t wait to finally mate her fully, claim her. Then he would take her over and over, pleasuring her so thoroughly, she would never want to leave. A part of him feared he wouldn’t be enough for her. He would prove to her she belonged with Wyatt and him.
“I’m ready,” she said, stopping in front of him.
He placed a hand on her back and led her downstairs toward the large office/conference room.
In the windowless space, five people sat around a table.
“My King, I request to make the introductions.”
Reichardt nodded and motioned for him to proceed.
“Emily Campbell, this is the last of the royal council of Drakonia. King Reichardt, ruler over the dragon shifter clans of the United States. Queen Arena rules over the dragon shifter clans in Asia. King Malachi rules over Scotland, and King Rone rules the clans in most of Europe. We are still rearranging the clans for other areas since King Dyson was removed from power.”
When Drake finished, he sat with Emily next to him and waited. He had to follow their procedures and show the proper respect.
Reichardt stood to speak. “We’re gathered together today to discuss what should be done with the child.”
“Wyatt,” Emily spoke up. “His name is Wyatt.”
Reichardt smiled gently. “Wyatt. If Dyson stayed with his usual pattern, the female was probably poor and had no family ties. That would be easy to sweep under the rug.”
“Under the rug? Do you not care at all that one of your kind raped and held prisoner an innocent woman, then practically ripped that baby out of her womb and left her to die?”
King Malachi glared at Emily. “Of course, we care!”
Reichardt held up his hand trying to calm the tension in the room. “We’re still trying to find out who the mother was and if she had any family. It would be more complicated if there are family ties. We will have to let them know she died and come up with a plausible story that the family will accept.”
“They won’t be allowed to be a part of Wyatt’s life?” Emily sounded angry again.
Arena answered calmly, “No. There is no way they can raise a dragon shifter without issues coming up.”
“Issues like what?” Emily challenged.
The queen told her in plain terms. “One day, Wyatt will shift. What do you think will happen when they are sitting around the dinner table and suddenly a large dragon puts his claws in the mashed potatoes? The humans will freak out and Wyatt, out of fear and confusion, could hurt someone he cares about.”
Emily paled. Clearly she had not thought of that. Drake took her hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“Emily and I would like to adopt Wyatt. We are both already bonded to the child and we plan to mate fully. We will be able to raise him here among our people and will be able to handle any issues that may come up.”
He could tell Arena didn’t look happy about that. “So you plan to force a mating and take on a child that you did not father just to keep the girl?”
Drake growled and released Emily’s hand before standing. He was furious.
“Easy, Drake,” Reichardt said.
“I am bonded to
the baby. My dragon thinks of him as his and won’t give him up. No matter what happened between Emily and myself, I would have demanded to be allowed to adopt Wyatt. I am not forcing a mating with Emily just to keep Wyatt. She’s my true mate and I love her. If you cannot accept our mating, we won’t stay here, but know this, no one takes Wyatt from us!”
Chapter 25
Emily stared up at Drake in surprise. Did he just say he loved her? He was standing up to his own people, his leaders, refusing to give up Wyatt and refusing to give her up. No one had ever put her first.
She stood and pulled his arm to make him turn her way. “You love me?”
He blinked confused before he nodded. “More than anything.”
Tears she had been holding back trailed down her cheeks. “I’m in love with you too. I didn’t think you had the same feelings.”
He cupped her cheeks with both hands, wiping the tears with his thumbs. “The moment I saw you, my dragon scented you, I knew you were meant to be mine. How could I not fall in love with you?”
Everyone else in the room was forgotten as Drake took her in his arms and kissed her. He whispered his love for her against her lips not letting her go. She could hear voices around her.
“Okay, we have established that Drake and Emily are mating for true mate reasons. They will raise Wyatt here among our people. Everyone who agrees says yes.”
She could hear people saying yes behind her, even Arena. She took deep breaths between kisses. Those in the room began to clear out when another voice broke the fuzziness in her brain.
“We have a situation, My King!”
Emily and Drake parted to look at Elite Warrior Markus as he rushed inside the room.
Reichardt and the rest of the Drakonians stood at full attention. Warriors prepared for battle. She shivered hating to be their enemy. She gripped Drake’s arm.
“Is it Dyson?” she asked.
Everyone began talking in a strange language. What was going on? Then she heard it, a voice from outside the building. The voice sounded familiar.
“Where the hell is my daughter?”
“Daddy?”
Emily followed the large warriors out of the ranch house onto the wide wrap around porch. Drake kept her behind him no matter what she tried to do.
“Let me go, Drake.”
“Get inside.”
“No way.”
“Let me see my daughter! Emily!”
“Daddy! Don’t shoot anyone. I’m fine!”
Her father yelled out again. “I’ve got this place surrounded. If I don’t see my daughter out here in the next ten seconds, I’m going to shoot this place up with bullets and grenades!”
“Let me go, Drake, he means it. If I don’t go out there he’ll start a war. People could get hurt...Wyatt could get hurt.”
She shoved past him, but he wouldn’t let her go on her own. He followed beside her.
“Daddy! Don’t hurt anyone. I’m here and I’m fine.”
Her father was standing in the open with his jeep behind him. It didn’t look like there were others, but she knew her father had his team hidden all around. They were trained for situations like this, but nothing could prepare them to fight dragon shifters. They wouldn’t survive. She had to end this before war broke out.
“Don’t shoot, Daddy.”
“Keep away from her!”
He pointed a gun right at Drake.
She stepped in front spreading her arms wide. “No!”
“Emily, move,” Drake ordered.
“He’ll shoot you if I do,” she refused to leave.
“Emily, come here now!”
“Daddy! Stand down! I mean it! Put your damn weapons down!”
She hadn’t raised her voice to him since her mother’s death and she was beginning to shake. Everything came crashing in on her, but she would stand her ground. She had to make him understand.
“Please, Dad, I love him.”
“You’re confused,” her father said but his gun lowered half an inch.
“I know I sound crazy but if you could trust me...come inside and let me explain. I...will tell you everything.”
She looked up at Drake and he gave her his nod of agreement.
She watched as her father spoke into a walkie talkie. Then he placed his gun in his holster and walked forward. Emily took a step but Drake gripped her arm halting her.
“Drake, it’s my father. He’s not going to hurt me.”
He let her go and she took a few more slow steps before she turned into a six-year-old girl again seeing her father return from war. She ran to him and threw her herself into his arms. He squeezed her to him.
“Oh God, Emily, I thought you might be hurt or worse...dead.”
“I’m okay. These people are good and are protecting me and Wyatt.”
“Wyatt?”
“The baby...oh, Dad, you need to meet Wyatt and Drake.”
“Who the hell is Drake?”
“I am Drake. Emily, let us take your father inside so you may explain the situation,” Drake offered.
She took Drake’s hand and held on to her father’s arm pulling him with her. Everyone watched but none said a word. Drake took them to the conference room. She wanted to go to the nursery but if her father went off, he might accidentally scare Wyatt.
Chapter 26
Once he, Reichardt, Emily and her father were in the office, her father sighed. “What the hell is going on, Emily?”
“Sit, Dad...I’ll tell you everything but you’re going to want to sit for this.”
Reluctantly, her father sat and remained quiet, at least for now. She took a moment to look at her father, really look at him. His hair had lightened over the years to a salt and pepper color. Age creases outlined his mouth and eyes, and dark smudges under his bottom lids showed he had not had much sleep lately. He sported a few days’ growth of a beard. He looked tired and worried for her.
“What I am about to tell you is going to sound...strange, but I swear it’s the truth.”
“Emily Amarilla Campbell, spit it out.”
“Amarilla?” Drake asked her with a raised eyebrow.
“Shut it,” she warned Drake.
Turning her attention to her father, she sat next to him and wondered where to begin. Her mother often told her to always start with the beginning.
“I was in Vigan City for the weekend when I bumped into Drake, literally.”
“What is Drake’s last name?” her father demanded.
Drake spoke up. “I don’t have an official last , but we do use false names when we have to associate with humans.”
At the narrowed look her father gave Drake, she worried he would reach for a weapon.
“Anyway…” Emily told her father about Drake and his dragon shifting people. His eyes bugged out a bit when she mentioned they were from another planet.
“Dragon shifting aliens? Have you lost your mind? Did they drug you?” her father asked.
“Of course not! Drake wouldn’t do that. Are you going to let me continue explaining?”
Her father didn’t say anything but motioned with his hand to continue. She told him about the baby and confronting Dyson on the cruise ship. He seemed to calm a little, taking this better than she had.
“Why didn’t you call the police?”
“What for? They can’t deal with dragon shifters.”
“Then you should have called for me.”
“I didn’t know what to do, but I trusted Drake. His people did come but so did the bad dragon shifters. They follow this evil guy named…” she looked at Drake to fill in the blanks.
“You were captured by these people and taken off the cruise ship against your will.”
“I’m in no danger, Father. I was scared and ran but I’m not scared anymore. Drake is wonderful. I fell in love with him and…”
Her father blew up at that. “You’ve known him for a few days, you can’t be in love. It’s that Stockholm syndrome. There’s help for that.�
�
Emily shook her head. “No, I started to fall in love with Drake before all the crazy stuff happened, before the glowing eyes, before Wyatt. One night in his arms and I knew I was meant to be his.”
Her father paled. “Did he force you?”
Drake growled but she placed her hand in his. “He would never do that to anyone, and especially not me. I’m his true mate.”
“What does that mean?”
“His inner dragon recognizes me as his one and only. It’s their other half, like a soul mate.”
“This is a lot to take in.”
“I know, Dad, trust me, I know. Send your men away, stay a few days here and get to know Drake. You can see for yourself how he treats me. Also, I really want you to meet your grandson Wyatt. He’s amazing.”
She could tell she was getting to him. “Grandson?”
“We’re adopting him. I love him, Dad. He’s so tiny and perfect.”
He smiled at her. “Like you? I held you in my arms and knew I would fight the devil himself if he tried to take you from me.”
She smiled at him. “That’s exactly how I feel. Come, let’s go see your grandbaby.”
Chapter 27
After finally getting Wyatt down for bed, he had Emily all to himself—naked. Drake kissed her neck savoring the scent and feel of her. Being skin to skin with her felt so right, so perfect. His inner dragon felt restless wanting to claim her as their mate.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, make me your mate.”
He scraped his teeth against her before moving up and kissing her deeper. His hands moved over her sides molding her closer and closer to him. Her legs parted cradling him. His cock nudged her entrance.
Leaning back to look into her eyes, he let some of his dragon near the surface. Just enough where his eyes glowed. She cupped his cheeks in her hands and brought him to her lips again. This time, he didn’t hold back. He let his dragon fire breathe into her.
*****
Emily was a bit scared, but she wanted this more than anything. She belonged to Drake but she wanted it to be official. She could see his nervousness and it endeared him to her. When his eyes glowed, she could see him and his dragon, as one spirit, wanting to join their soul to hers.
