Still as stone, Saul failed to utter a word, but an underlying sense of his happiness snaked into her senses. “Mine?” he finally whispered.
“Yours,” she confirmed.
“I never thought... how is this possible?”
“Mahasti told me there are legends of a dragon warrior born from a female dragon and a mortal man.”
“My father always told me those are only stories and tall tales to frighten us... or I wouldn’t have given away...” Saul swallowed and gazed beyond her, through her, revealing thoughts of great importance weighing on his troubled mind. “That matters none at the moment.” The abrupt change in his mood treaded a fine divide between thrilled and morose.
“Saul?” she whispered again.
“It is merely difficult to believe... This news pleases me greatly, my love.” Saul dipped his head to place his bearded jaw against her smooth cheek and sighed. “I am undeniably happy.”
“Then why are you so distant now? What happened?”
Saul inhaled a deep breath. In the little time since their relationship began, reading his emotional state became a fine art. Her new husband was an open book, wearing his feeling on his sleeves. “Trouble. But you have suffered enough worry this day. Now is time for celebration.”
“Don’t protect me like I’m some delicate flower. What’s happening?”
The silence told Chloe all she needed to know. When he turned his head away, she raised a hand to his face and directed him back to her. Eyes the color of rich liquid gold gazed down at her. “I met with Maximilian and Brigid. It did not go as planned.”
“I’m here to listen to you,” she reminded him. “That’s what being married is about.”
“They will not accept the cessation of our betrothal. Rather, Brigid will not accept and her father has no inclination to dissuade her from pursuing this to the end.”
Cold swept over Chloe, an icy kiss leaving goosebumps over her arms. “What does that mean? Why won’t they?”
“Her father does not consider our union as a true mating bond,” he spoke slowly.
“He can’t be serious. You told me that you chased her for decades while he said nothing.”
“Indeed, and he said as much during our meeting. He is a mediator in this and nothing more. Maximilian was quite fair, all things considered, but Draconic Law is indisputable. Once pledged, both parent and child must release me. He is willing, but she stands firm in her decision to have me, and he will not force her.”
“What if you told them that I’m carrying a half-dragon child?”
Saul shook his head. “I am reluctant to share as much with the rest of my kind. We are a traditional lot, set in our ways, and easy to anger. Change becomes terrifying when it is not guided by our own hands.”
“In other words, you’re afraid they’ll try to kill me.”
Saul nodded his head. “And I would lay down my own life before I allowed harm to come to either of you.”
Chloe blinked away the hazy field spreading over her vision until her eyes no longer stung with impending tears. I won’t cry and worry him even more. I won’t. “What happens now, Saul?”
Saul’s weary sigh and reluctance to speak became clear with his next words. “Our baby has changed everything, so now we wait for Brigid to make her next move, and we prepare for the worst. According to our laws, you have usurped her claim by breeding with me and she would have every right to issue a challenge if you were also a dragon.”
“But I’m pregnant!”
“To a female dragon, that means nothing, my love. But because you are human, we have the right to refuse. She cannot force you to obey our laws.” His strong arms squeezed her close, conveying the security she craved, but how could he possibly protect her from an envious fire breathing dragon?
“I’m terrified,” she breathed out on a shaky breath.
“So am I, but we will weather this storm together.”
Chapter 12
Saul and Chloe celebrated their good news in the morning, surrounded by their close friends. Amid laughter and jokes, they were able to ignore the threat overshadowing the joyous occasion.
After breakfast and tea, the two girls stole Mahasti and Leiv away for a day of exploring Los Angeles together. Saul remained true to his word by arranging for Marcy to walk onto the set of a movie as an extra, and she caught a passing glimpse of one of her favorite male actors.
“Damn, he’s sexier in real life than he is photoshopped and airbrushed.”
“Definitely,” Chloe agreed.
They stopped for haircuts, visited top landmarks, walked Hollywood, and caught a double matinee feature. Eventually, Marcy googled a boutique on her phone and dragged Chloe away to shop for leggings, slip-on shoes, and little dresses with ribbons and elastic beneath the tits. Half an hour into their shopping spree, Chloe realized she was ecstatic to tell the world about her child.
I’m so glad she convinced me to come out with her.
“You’re rocking that new haircut, too, chica. I didn’t think you’d ever cut it like that.”
Chloe ran her fingers through her short bob of blonde hair. “Thanks. It’s nice to splurge and not worry about money for once.”
“This is the life. The stuff we always dreamed about in high school,” Marcy sighed in contentment and gazed out the car window. “I’d go bonkers if I had to drive in all that city traffic. It’s worse than Houston.”
“Leiv and Mahasti make it pretty easy to arrive in style.”
“They’re an awesome team. Thanks,” Marcy called to the front seat.
Leiv chuckled. “You are very welcome. Ah, now, Mahasti. This is a good time to take us to the estate.”
“With pleasure.”
They’re such lovebirds. If he spent any more time moon-eyeing her, he wouldn’t be able to drive. Chloe giggled and whispered her thoughts to Marcy. She nodded her agreement.
The genie whisked them away from Los Angeles to the secluded driveway leading up to the estate. As Leiv angled the car for the garage and hit the automatic remote, a sporty convertible cruised down the lane toward Saul’s home.
“Oh man, is that a Ferrari?” Marcy pressed her face against the window.
“It is trouble. Only trouble,” Leiv muttered.
Chloe swore under her breath when she recognized Brigid in the driver’s seat. Her wind-tousled hair gave her a Just-Got-Fucked look that Chloe couldn’t pull off. Without prompting, Mahasti transported Chloe and Marcy both inside the house. The moment the mist dissipated, Chloe bolted for the front door. She beat Saul to it.
“Why are you here?” Chloe demanded after she jerked the door open. Saul attempted to budge her, and in a fit of childish pique, she drove her elbow into his ribs. His audible ‘oof’ assured Chloe that she was stronger than she appeared.
“I came to see my betrothed,” Brigid answered, snide tone filled with as much venom as a coral snake.
“Then we will speak outside. You are no longer welcome within my home. Chloe, stay inside.”
Chloe followed Saul despite his warning for her to keep clear of Brigid. She didn’t trust the female dragon. Not one bit.
“I have spoken of this, Brigid. My mind will not be changed,” Saul growled. “Chloe is my wife. My mate.”
“She is an insect. An inferior—” Brigid cut herself off abruptly and her nostrils flared. She inhaled deeply and twisted to face Chloe. “What have you done? What manner of atrocity did you commit to pull this off, Saul? This mortal smells of dragon’s blood.”
Crap! Why didn’t she notice that before?!
Unlike Chloe, Saul didn’t seem worried about the revelation. He drew himself up, proud and strong, and met Brigid’s gaze without a flinch. “The child she carries is mine, Brigid. The cherished result of a true mating.”
“An abomination,” Brigid hissed between her teeth.
The deplorable insult stabbed Chloe in the heart. She opened her mouth to fire a retort, but Saul beat her to it.
�
�A child,” her husband said. “A beautiful child I will raise, love, and treasure alongside a woman who is every bit your superior. Now leave us.”
Brigid trembled with rage. A hot flush swept over her porcelain cheeks as fury curved her teeth and elongated her claws. Instinctual self-preservation drove Chloe to fall back a step. “Slay her at this moment, Saul, and all shall be forgiven. It isn’t too late to make amends for this. You can make things right in my father’s eyes.”
Saul didn’t budge. “Maximilian and the rest of the Conclave know you for what you are: a self-absorbed child. Be gone from my estate.”
The change took place in an instant. Leather slacks split and white linen burst at the seams. Ember red dragon’s hide covered Brigid from head to toe as she towered above Saul’s human body. As she dove forward, Saul caught her with his own considerable bulk. Shreds of his jeans fluttered to the ground. He had transformed in the blink of an eye.
Somewhere behind Chloe, Marcy shrieked as the two behemoths tumbled across the ground. They snapped and bit at each other, raking their claws like brawling lions going in for the kill.
“Saul!” Chloe screamed.
Snorting, snarling, and tearing up sod, the two beasts twisted upon the ground, each in a bid to gain the upper hand. Chloe watched as a helpless bystander until wisps of jasmine smoke surrounded and whisked her away. After the dizzying teleportation ended, she stood with the door between her and both draconic beings.
“It is unsafe to stand outside while they fight,” Mahasti told her gently. “For your safety, please stay indoors this time, Chloe.”
“What if she kills him!?” A tight vice constricted her chest, hindering her breaths until each inhalation took more effort than the last. Her lungs burned and tears fell easily down her cheeks. “Mahasti, do something, please.”
“Can’t you make them stop?” Marcy asked the genie.
“She won’t kill him, Chloe, I promise. It’s not unusual for dragons to fight to release aggression, and Brigid isn’t stupid enough to risk it. To kill Saul on his own property would be to bring the wrath of the Dragon Conclave down upon her. It would be murder.”
“Conclave?” Chloe asked.
“The Dragon Conclave. They’re a council of the eldest and most ancient wyrms. They construct Draconic Law.”
“She’s smaller than he is. She’s barely putting a dent in him, look,” Marcy murmured. Fires flared and lightning flashed in the waning twilight. Saul exhaled a mighty breath that left stars in Chloe’s eyes, releasing a storm of jagged bolts that seared Brigid’s red flanks.
She’s beautiful. Even as a dragon, she’s beautiful. But she isn’t the one he wants. All of that beauty and it’s wasted on a black soul, Chloe thought as she squeezed beside her friend to watch. She held her breath and remained glued to the small glass pane in the sturdy wooden door.
“Get her, Saul. Get her,” Marcy said under her breath. “Kick her fucking ass.”
Both girls cheered him from the safety of the house and seemed to give Saul the motivation he needed. His talons ripped down Brigid’s ribs. She reared back and made her prompt exit from the battle, quitting the field by placing yards between them. Saul advanced on her, but Brigid quickly scurried to keep the massive stone fountain between them. Her actions lent a hilarious resemblance to two kids using a parked vehicle to stave off an after school fight. It was the most ridiculous thing Chloe had seen in years.
“That thing gestating in her gut should never see the light of day!” Brigid shouted. Her labored breaths continued as she licked her wounds. Ash-colored flight feathers dangled from her wings, glistening wet with blood.
Too bad Saul didn’t rip them off completely.
“It will. That is my child. Come near my mate again uninvited and I will finish what I began this eve, Brigid. I will skin you.”
Brigid’s wild, amber eyes flicked between Saul and the door. They narrowed when she saw Chloe spectating. Then something sinister happened.
She smiled. A smile on a dragon’s face could be a truly fascinating thing, or it could be terrifying. Saul often smiled when she stroked his stomach, pet his wings, or even when she sprawled upon his softer underbelly and slumbered to the slow rhythm of his powerful heart. She lived for it and treasured his elation, but Brigid’s toothy grin terrified her.
“Hear me now, human waif. In accordance with Draconic Law, I challenge you to a duel to the death. The winner takes Saul as her mate.”
“And what if I don’t accept? You can’t make me fight you.”
“That is where you are wrong, human. You carry a dragon’s spawnling in your gut, and thus you also have a dragon’s blood in your veins. Your bastard has legitimized my challenge.”
Saul’s growl raised the fine hairs on Chloe’s nape. His motionless figure towered between the two women, an intimidating presence covered in Brigid’s blood and little of his own. “I will die before I allow you to harm a hair on Chloe’s head.”
“Then die and take those within your household to their deaths as well, knowing they will leap to your defense and suffer for it. I will have you or no one shall.” A plume of smoke drifted out from between her sharp fangs. “But if you and your bitch kneel to me now, I may allow her to remain as your consort. Warm her bed when I have no use for you.”
Chloe thrust open the door and moved onto the stoop. “I won’t share him.”
“Then you accept.”
“Chloe, don’t acknowledge the challenge. This is unprecedented, she cannot make you—”
“Once the Conclave declares your union to be invalid, I will fuck him every night as you watch. You will have my scraps and the mere honor of licking his cock clean once I have finished. Or will you fight like a woman?” Brigid’s forked tongue snaked over her lips, as sinister a gesture as her terrifying grin.
Impulse swept Chloe into their world, and left her incapable of voicing more than a single word. “Yes.”
***
“Okay, there has to be a way you can get her out of this, right?” Marcy sat beside Chloe, rubbing her shoulders while Saul paced a groove in the priceless Persian rug decorating his library floor. He wore jeans without a shirt, revealing the jagged wounds decorating his shoulders and back. Most of the injuries inflicted by Brigid’s claws and sharp teeth were already in the early stages of healing. Mahasti said he wouldn’t recover completely until he hibernated a day or two underground.
“No. No. The acceptance of a challenge remains binding until death.”
“She’s pregnant. She got upset in the heat of the moment and her hormones made her say something stupid. There’s no way anyone can expect her to fight a giant fire-breathing dragon like this. What’s she supposed to use anyway? Her bare hands against that bitch’s skin? Would they make her fight if she were a dragon like you?”
“Pregnancy is no excuse to escape a fight among our kind. While I did fight Brigid, I would not tangle with a brooding female wyrm for any amount of treasure,” Saul said. “However, Chloe is not a dragon.”
“Perhaps we can use this to our advantage. Chloe is human. She has a human’s thin skin. No claws. A fight between her and Brigid is suicide,” Leiv said. The bear shifter sat on the floor while Mahasti perused the pages of an ancient tome beside him.
“If she had only listened to me,” Saul growled. “We would not face this problem.” The anger in his voice made Chloe wince and flinch back.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to make things worse.”
Saul’s failure to answer her cut deeper than any knife. He became all business, the suit-and-tie executive of Drakenstone Studios instead of her husband. “I will appeal to the Conclave. Call in allies; those who can be trusted. Perhaps they will call off the fight once we plead our case.”
“And if they can’t? Or won’t?” Marcy asked.
Saul dragged his palm down his face. “If Chloe refuses to fight, then the Conclave will attempt to execute her for breach of her verbal contract. Anyone
who defends her will be dealt a similar fate.”
“Wow, you guys are really strict,” Marcy said.
The dragon shrugged and settled heavily into his desk chair.
“If I’m going to die then I’m going to die. Would they at least allow me to wait until the baby is born?”
“Unlikely. As I said, the Conclave may view our child as a threat to draconic values. Our traditions have always... discouraged human and dragon relations.”
“Now we know why. If a dragon can impregnate a human, it means there’d be a lot of race mixing going on,” Marcy muttered.
Like her friend, Chloe viewed the events with mixed fascination and horror. She feared what was to come, but each minute of conversation yielded something new about Saul’s world.
“Who am I kidding? The Conclave will never reverse Chloe’s acceptance,” Saul growled. “There is only one solution. I must kill Brigid. If I move swiftly, they will believe I have acted on my own, and the Conclave will be without reason to discipline the rest of you.”
“Saul, no,” Chloe spoke up. “No.”
“Here!” Mahasti suddenly called. “I have a solution.” The genie rose from her seat on the floor and crossed to Saul. He met her halfway and looked down at the pages.
Then he laughed. A deep, mirthless laugh filled with resentment. “Of course. This surprises me none.”
Chloe’s eyebrows rose toward the top of her head. “What is it?”
“Mahasti, you know as well as I do that I no longer have it,” Saul said.
“What is it?” Chloe asked again. Her voice shot higher as they continued to talk around her, ignoring her. Saul gestured with one hand toward the open pages, muttered an incoherent utterance and thrust the book away from him in frustration.
“Appeal to him for its return, Saul. Now is not the time to become frustrated,” Mahasti said.
“She is right, friend. We will contact him. Talk. Tell him what is the matter and perhaps he will allow Chloe to borrow it,” Leiv said. “You cannot make this decision alone.”
Mated by the Dragon (Loved by the Dragon, #2) Page 13
