Sighing, she whispered to Rafe at her side, “I still say Aaron did this on purpose.”
Rafe took a step closer toward her. “It’s my understanding that dragon-shifters treasure children, so this should be an honorable post.”
Nikki eyed Annabel shaking the gate enclosing the kids. “It sort of is, but we easily could have protected them from the outside.”
Lightly caressing her hand with his forefinger, Rafe whispered, “Not every assignment or duty will be glamorous, Nikki. But it doesn’t mean it’s any less important.”
“I know,” she muttered as she leaned against Rafe for a second.
Jack now had a toy dragon in one of his hands. Just as he approached his sister and raised his arm in preparation to hit her, Rafe leaned down and swiped it away. Jack babbled something incoherent and went back around the outside, in the opposite direction from Annabel.
Rafe chuckled. “He’s pretty determined for a one-year-old.”
“Given his parents, are you really surprised?”
Before Rafe could say anything, Annabel leaned against the gate making up the enclosure, and it tilted forward. Before one of the pieces could snap off and let the little one escape, Nikki crouched down and held it up. Keeping her voice friendly yet threaded with dominance, she said, “I know you want out, but the great hall is big and you will get lost. You need to stay in here.” The little girl grunted at Nikki’s tone and Nikki smiled. Lowering her voice, she whispered, “Besides, you can find a way to outsmart your brother. That’s more fun, isn’t it?” She pointed behind Annabel. “If you can walk to Jack, you will surprise him. Then you’ll win.”
The little girl’s green eyes moved to her brother. Nikki gave her a little pat. “Try walking. You can do it.”
Keeping one hand on the gate, Annabel took a step. Then releasing her other one, she took another wobbly step. The girl took a second to keep her balance before taking another. She was nearly to the other side when Melanie’s voice sounded behind Nikki. “Go, Annabel! I knew you’d be the first one to walk. Go to Jack.”
At her mother’s voice, Annabel looked behind her and promptly fell onto her arse. Rather than cry, the girl grunted in frustration. Nikki stood and looked to Melanie. “I think she takes after Tristan.”
Melanie sighed. “I think they both do.”
Yet despite Mel’s tone, love shone in her eyes.
Sensing Rafe’s eyes on her, she turned her head. They shared a moment of understanding—they could be cheering on their own child’s first steps in less than two years time.
Nikki’s dragon spoke up. You are better with children than you think. It will be a joy.
The thing about helping out with other people’s children is that you can give them back. I can’t do that with a babeebabe of my own.
Of course you can. We have Rafe, who can take over for a while.
Tristan, walking up to the children, prevented Nikki from answering her dragon. Melanie reached into the pen, picked up Annabel, and presented her to Tristan. “She walked, Tristan! You missed it, but I’m sure she’ll do it again. Once the twins learn something, they are out to perfect it.”
Lightly running a finger down Annabel’s cheek, Tristan smiled. “They are clever buggers.”
“Tristan,” Melanie said with a frown.
“What? I’d rather they be little buggers than angels. It’s more fun that way.” Annabel put out her arms and Tristan took his daughter. “Isn’t that right, my little bugger?”
Annabel slapped her hands against Tristan’s chest and made some enthusiastic noises. Tristan chuckled. “That’s daddy’s little girl.”
Shaking her head, Melanie moved to the other side and picked up Jack. “Don’t worry, Jack. You can be mommy’s little boy and help her get back at Daddy later. But first, your grandparents and uncle are here. Let’s go see what Uncle Oliver is up to.”
Looking across the room, Nikki spotted the gangly seventeen-year-old human male hovering at the edge of the food table. One of the teenage dragon-shifter females, Zinnia, walked up to him with a smile. As Oliver’s cheeks turned pink and he picked at the tablecloth next to him, Nikki bit her lip to keep from laughing. She said to Melanie, “You might want to rescue your brother from Zinnia. If she’s set her sights on him, he doesn’t stand a chance.”
Tristan answered, “She talks all the time about landing a human male during classes. She doesn’t seem to remember it’s illegal.”
Melanie nudged his side. “Tristan.”
Both Melanie and Tristan looked from Nikki to Rafe and back again.
As Nikki tried to think of how to respond, Rafe moved to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist. At his touch, she leaned into him. Rafe’s voice rang confident as he stated, “By the time she’s old enough to try and actually land a human, the laws will be different.”
Tristan raised his brows. “Like that, is it?”
“Yes,” Rafe answered as he tightened his grip on Nikki.
She loved the fact he was claiming her for all to see without hesitation.
Melanie spoke up. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The sooner the better, because it’s not going to be an easy fix.” She readjusted Jack on her hip, who was leaning heavily to the side in an effort to get down. “But I’ll think on it. I’m sure there has to be a way to make it happen.”
Nikki nodded. “Thanks, Mel.”
Her beast spoke up. You should’ve asked for help now.
Things are new and I don’t want to jinx it.
Her dragon grunted. I doubt Rafe will see it that way.
Speaking of the devil, Rafe tensed at her side but waited until Melanie and Tristan made their excuses and left them alone. When it was just them and the two toddlers, Rafe whispered, “Are you having regrets? Because that didn’t sound very confident to me.”
“Don’t be growly with me. Everything is new and I don’t want to put everyone through the danger and tribulations of changing a human law if it all crumbles in a few weeks.”
Taking her chin between her fingers, Rafe leaned in close. “It will crumble if you think it’s doomed before we even start.”
As they stared into one another’s eyes, Nikki was torn between kneeing him in the groin and kissing him.
Rafe had a tendency to do that to her.
Before she could decide which option was more appealing, Rafe lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. At the contact, electricity sizzled through her body. Damn the man and his effect on her.
Opening her mouth, she battled his tongue for control.
~~~
As Rafe licked and twirled Nikki’s tongue, he pulled her flush up against him. The bloody woman doubted them and he wasn’t having it. He just needed to remind her of why they belonged together.
The hard points of her nipples pressed against his chest through all the layers of fabric between them, and he groaned. Taking the kiss deeper, he devoured Nikki’s mouth.
Two days with Nikki after the frenzy, without duties or requirements, wasn’t nearly enough time. He wanted a few more days alone with her. Maybe then, she’d take his claiming to heart and start thinking of how to fight for them.
He’d figure out how to convince her later. For the moment, he deepened the kiss. He wasn’t ashamed to call Nikki his dragonwoman and he’d make sure the whole bloody room knew it, too.
Sliding his hand down her waist to her arse, he was about to lightly slap her when Bram’s voice cut in. “You’re aware Murray escaped the pen, right?”
Breaking the kiss, he looked to Bram, who was holding Murray in his arms. A glance behind, and sure enough, part of the pen was detached and lying on the floor. Releasing Nikki, Rafe scooped up the remaining child as Nikki spoke to Bram. “How do we know you didn’t do that yourself to make a point?”
The corner of Bram’s mouth ticked up. “If you know my son at all, then you know he strikes when no one is looking. His mother and I are convinced his good nature is hiding a devious mind.” He jos
tled Murray. “Isn’t it, lad?”
Murray pointed to the food table. “Cake.”
“Of course you’d want cake,” Bram muttered. “You have Evie’s sweet tooth.”
Even though Murray was adopted and shared no blood relation with Evie, Rafe couldn’t help but smile at Bram’s statement. “There’s lots of cake, Murray. And biscuits, too.”
“‘Scuit!” Murray shouted and wiggled in Bram’s arms.
Bram shot him a glare, but Rafe shrugged a shoulder. He wasn’t above using a child to get Bram off his back.
Just as Bram headed toward the table, Devon, the little boy in Rafe’s arms, shouted, “Kit.”
Rafe laughed as his plan backfired on him. “We’ll have to ask your mum about having biscuits, Dev. I think it’s time we find her.”
Looking over his shoulder, he caught Nikki smiling at him. Before he could say anything, Devon chanted, “Kit, kit, kit.”
Scanning the room, he spotted Ella, Devon’s mother, and answered, “You’re still going to have to ask your mum. Come on.”
Once Rafe had managed to hand Devon back to his mother, he looked for Nikki. But she was nowhere to be found in the great hall. Spotting Aaron near the front stuffing his face with sweets, Rafe frowned and approached him. “Where did Nikki go?”
Aaron popped a biscuit into his mouth and swallowed before answering, “I sent her to do a patrol by the dragonwing. She’ll be back when she’s finished.”
It was on the tip of Rafe’s tongue to remind Aaron that Nikki was pregnant, but he held back. If he didn’t allow her to do her job, she’d never be willing to start a family with him. This would be his first real test.
Nikki was a competent soldier; he trusted her to stay alive and not do anything daft.
Studying him, Aaron finally added, “Good human.”
“I’m not a dog, Caruso,” he bit out.
“I never said you were. You have quite the imagination, Hartley.”
Clenching his fingers, Rafe forced his tone to be neutral. “Just tell me if I have any other duties, or am I free to go?”
“I have one more task for you today, and then you can spend the next few days reaching out to your contacts for information and spending it with your female.”
Rafe relaxed a fraction at Aaron referring to Nikki as Rafe’s female. “Care to tell me or do I have to pass some ridiculous test first?”
Aaron grinned. “Adding tests would make things more interesting. Unfortunately, I doubt Kai would approve, so you’re in luck.” Rafe raised his brows in question and Aaron pointed behind Rafe. “Mel and Evie need some help running the games for the children. Arabella was supposed to do it, but she’s not feeling well.”
Rafe spotted Arabella to one side, sitting in Finn’s lap. At her pale face, all of Rafe’s protests died. He had a weakness for women who needed help.
“Surely the one-year-olds can’t cause too much trouble in the way of games, though,” Rafe stated.
“Of course not. But one-year celebrations are celebrated with all the children of the clan. Dragon-shifters only survive because they work together. Having our young interact from an early age helps foster relationships that will last a lifetime.”
Gone was the grin and teasing. Rafe asked, “I’m half-expecting a punchline.”
Aaron shook his head. “Not this time. Children are our treasures. They must be protected and raised well at all costs.” He paused and then added, “I suspect you’ll find that out yourself.”
Rafe wasn’t one to air his private life with a near-stranger, so he merely motioned his head toward Evie and Melanie on the other side of the hall. “I’ll just go help them, then.”
Not giving Aaron a chance to answer, Rafe strode toward the two women. But Aaron’s words kept repeating inside his head: I suspect you’ll find that out yourself.
He was counting on it. But first, he hoped to finish wooing Nikki Gray.
~~~
As Nikki soared high above Clan Stonefire, she reveled in the wind against her hide and the solitude of the skies.
Her dragon spoke up. What about me?
She mentally sighed. I know you’re there. Do you really have to break my peace and quiet?
Yes. You shouldn’t have run away from Rafe.
I didn’t run away from him. Sebastian mentioned needing a hand with the patrols, so I volunteered.
Sebastian Randall was a fellow Protector and only a few months younger than Nikki.
Her beast huffed. Stop lying. As soon as you started imagining Rafe holding our child instead of Ella’s, you panicked.
Nikki paused but gave up trying to hide anything from her dragon. Maybe.
Give it time. We have many months to sort out your fears.
They’re not fears—
Yes, they are, her dragon interjected. But if we succeed in Ireland, then everyone will remember. We will become more than the first child of a sacrifice. You won’t have that excuse to use anymore.
Just as Nikki was about to reply, a blast of light just missed her wing. Diving to the side, she searched the area for an attacker. Another laser-like blast shot toward her, but she dropped just in time for it to whizz over her head. She also spotted where the attack was coming from—the side of one of the hills ringed around Stonefire.
Roaring a warning signal to the clan, Nikki debated what to do. Even a year ago, she would’ve tried taking the threat on by herself. In the present, she knew it wouldn’t help anyone if she were killed. Especially Rafe.
Rafe. Not wanting to make him mourn the loss of yet another person he cared for, Nikki folded her wings and dove down. A few more blasts rang off from the hill. She wove back and forth, dodging them all. At least, until she was nearly to the ground and one caught the edge of her wing.
Pain burned through her left side, but Nikki clenched her jaw to keep from screaming. She wouldn’t give the bastards the satisfaction.
Her descent was awkward, as she favored her right wing. But somehow she managed to slow herself down enough to crash gently into the ground, banging her right leg and good wing in the process.
As she blinked and took inventory of her pain and injuries, several other dragons launched into the air. Knowing Kai as she did, the flying dragons were a distraction so that another team could take out the enemy in their human forms. It was far easier to sneak up on someone when you were only six feet tall instead of fifteen.
Sad she couldn’t join them but satisfied that she’d warned them in time to investigate, Nikki slowly stood up. Her left wing throbbed and her right leg was bruised, but otherwise, she was fine. She itched to shift back but resisted. Until Sid gave the all clear, she wouldn’t risk it. Shifting back when injured could lead to permanent damage.
Speaking of Sid, she rushed toward Nikki with her medical bag in hand. A few nurses weren’t far behind her.
Laying on the ground, she lowered her head and met Sid’s gaze. Sid gave her a light pat on the snout and went to her injured left wing.
Daring a look, Nikki saw the burn on the thin skin between the second and third wing bones. While the blast hadn’t seared all the way through, the charred, blackish flesh would take several weeks to heal. She probably wouldn’t be able to shift for at least a week, either.
All in all, it meant she wouldn’t be going to Ireland.
Her heart squeezed at the thought of missing the chance of a lifetime. But if it were only her not going to visiting Clan Glenlough, she would be fine. No, her injury was going to cause more trouble. Namely, with Rafe.
If there was ever a way to test his word about allowing her to do her job, this would be it.
Sid’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “This is going to sting.”
Before Nikki could do more than blink, Sid dabbed a disinfectant on her wound. Nikki snarled and dug her talons in the dirt. Despite having gone through this process many times before, the sting only seemed to intensify with age.
Her beast finally spoke up. Maybe you’re getting ol
d.
Watch it, dragon. I’m not in the mood to argue.
Why argue? Getting older isn’t a burden. On the contrary, it brings wisdom. Without it, we’d probably be dead because of a rash action.
Her dragon was correct, of course.
Luckily, Sid’s commanding tone interrupted her thoughts. “This injury is bad, Nikki. You’re just lucky it didn’t sear all the way through.” Sid dabbed some more disinfectant on the wound before applying a cool gel that eased the sting. “I don’t want you to shift for a week. I can reassess the damage after that.”
A week spent in her dragon form. Before Rafe, it wouldn’t have been a problem. But if he went all alpha on her and yelled, she wouldn’t be able to reason back.
Sometimes, she wished she had telepathic abilities.
Her beast chimed in. I think it’s a brilliant development. Rafe will care for us, and you’ll finally stop being so stubborn.
Nikki had her doubts. The next week should prove the ultimate test of what her human could accept. He might be fine with a shift for a few hours, but a week of not being able to really communicate, let alone anything that resembled kissing or sex, might be too much.
After bobbing her head to Sid in acknowledgment, Nikki scanned the area. Speaking of her human, where the hell was Rafe?
Chapter Fifteen
Rafe followed Aaron’s lead through the forest, watching his step to make as little noise as possible.
While Aaron hadn’t wanted Rafe to join his team originally, laying out Rafe’s experience had swayed the dragonman’s case.
There was no way Rafe was going to sit back and watch Stonefire capture the bastards who’d injured his woman without him.
While Rafe had remained inside the great hall helping Melanie and Evie, everyone had heard the unique roar signaling an attack. He’d barely made it to a window to see Nikki’s dragon form dive toward the ground. Watching her dodge the blasts spoke of skill, but eventually, one hit its mark. The time between Nikki being hit and her safely making it to the ground had been some of the most intense seconds of his life.
Surrendering to the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 7) Page 14
