by Amelia Jade
Aric shook his head, trying to get his breathing under control. “A pretty dragon?” he asked, cringing.
“Yes. Your scales are beautiful to look at,” she insisted. “So shiny and pure of color. Such a lovely shade of…what did you call it again?”
“Cobalt,” he murmured, pulling her head back onto him.
“Yes,” she sighed, snuggling in tight. “Cobalt. At least you aren’t, like, poo-colored.”
Aric started bouncing again as laughter overtook him. “Poo-colored,” he mused. “Now there’s an image I never thought I’d have.”
“See, I’m helping you have new experiences already.” She rubbed his ribcage gently to show her affection.
“Uh-huh.”
Giggling, she curled her left leg up and over him, trying to get as close as possible.
“You’re certainly feeling affectionate,” Aric observed.
“That’s not the only thing I’m feeling,” she purred. “I just watched you be a badass and save the day. Do you have any idea how hot that was?”
He chuckled before sobering abruptly. “I couldn’t save them all though,” he said softly.
“That’s not your fault. You did everything you could, and you know it. This is war, Aric. People are going to die. Your job is to ensure that you make that number as small as possible, but it’s never going to be zero. Ever. Think of how many more you saved by stopping the Outsider.”
She shivered just saying its name.
Aric was silent for a moment. “I couldn’t have stopped it,” he said, speaking barely above a whisper. “Not without you.”
“I know. I’m pretty much the best,” she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Aric had already told her about how the mate bond, once accepted by both sides, gives the dragon’s powers a boost against the Outsiders. It was how he’d been able to finish it, after she’d told him that they were going to be a family. Together.
“I love you.” She spoke the words again, far from the first time. They slipped off her tongue easily and pleasurably. Kaitlyn just loved telling him that she loved him. The feeling was indescribable really, but it was what happened next that
made her day each and every time.
Aric squeezed her tight. “I love you too.”
“I need you to promise me something, and I’ll do the same.”
He stiffened. “What’s that?”
“No more secrets, Aric. None at all. We’re completely open with each other from here on out. That’s the way it has to be.”
There was no hesitation. “Agreed, my mate.”
Tilting her head up, she kissed his jaw. “You like using that word, don’t you? Mate.”
“It’s what you are to me, and it makes me happy that I’ve both found you, and that you’ve seen the truth of it. Remember, a dragon spends their life searching for their mate, knowing that there only ever is one.”
“Well, you’ve got me,” she murmured, shuffling so that she could whisper directly into his ear. “What are you going to do to keep me…my mate?”
“I’ll show you as soon as Colonel Mara is done briefing us, so that we aren’t interrupted, but it starts with…” He whispered into her ear.
Kaitlyn’s cheeks went red, lower lip curling under her teeth. “Oh,” she said in a tiny voice at last. “That sounds…interesting. And fun.” She exhaled heavily. “Lots of fun. Especially that part with your hand and—”
“Shhh.” Aric put a finger to her lips. “For now, tell me more about my child. Our child,” he corrected. “I’ve not pushed you yet, but I must know everything.”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you right away,” she said, switching gears. “I should have told you the instant I knew, but I was just too terrified of how you would react. Then we got here, and you were all of a sudden a different person. I was scared of you reverting back to the old you. I…I like the new you.”
Aric smiled. “This is the real me, Kaitlyn. It’s not new. It’s just the side you’ll never see in the office, because I don’t want to invite any of the people into my life. It’s best if they didn’t know much about me at all. It keeps things…cleaner, that way.”
She was about to push for more information. Cleaner how? But before she could, he spoke.
“Is it a boy or a girl?”
“I have no idea. It’s too early to tell. It’s barely been a month. We have months to go. Sorry to disappoint.”
Aric gripped her shoulders. “You are not a disappointment, Kaitlyn. Not at all. You are my mate, and the mother to my unborn child. You are a fascination and a wonder, capable of stealing my heart and creating life. I could never be any less than in awe of you.”
She blushed. “In case you forgot, we created life. That definitely took some effort on your part. Rather vigorous and determined effort, if I recall correctly.”
They laughed.
“Yeah, you’re going to be there for all the exciting stuff with the baby. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but you didn’t miss anything.”
He hugged her tight to him. “I’m so very excited to take this journey with you, even if it is unplanned.”
“Few things in life are. Such as being left standing after being kissed,” she teased, still both bitter and curious about where he’d gone following their first intimate moment.
“You’re not upset about that, are you?”
“Aric, you disappeared for almost an entire day. You’ve never mentioned it, but you expect me not to remember?”
He nodded. “Very well. You remember when I told you that the essence of my dragon shares my mind? The animalistic side?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it and I don’t get along very well.” Aric frowned, falling into thoughtful silence for several moments. “Well, we didn’t get along I should say. Ever since you came around it’s been a bit of a different story.”
“Except you disappeared after kissing me?”
“I meant since we slept together. Again. I’m not sure; I’m just realizing this now. But that time it went berserk, and wanted me to claim you then and there, regardless of what you wanted.”
“You…had a mental breakdown?” She wasn’t sure how to phrase it.
“Sort of, but worse. If it won, it would have had control of our physical bodies. So I had to fight it. Things went sideways, it hit a battlesuit we stumbled across, and then we tried to fight another dragon shifter. It didn’t go very well. So I spent the rest of the day and morning in the medical ward under strict orders to stay there or face the consequences. So I stayed there. I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t sure what to say, and…” he hesitated. “And because I was ashamed of myself.”
Kaitlyn mulled all that over. “So what you’re saying is kissing me drove you wild?”
He laughed. “That’s one way to put it. You could also say temporarily insane.”
She pouted. “Not nice.”
“I’m good now. The tw—three of us are going to live without issue.” His hand settled on her stomach.
“Aric,” she asked suddenly, her mind drawn back to the child growing inside her. “I’m not going to lay an egg when I give birth, am I?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Aric
“Well, I’m glad we can drop the charade at last and get this signed,” he said, signing the contract with a flourish. “The sooner we can get these suits to the Guard the better.”
Beside him Kaitlyn looked on. He could tell she was still confused. Eventually he would tell her the truth. But not here. Not within range of these humans. Although they knew about dragons, about the enclave that was his home, they didn’t know everything.
Very few did, in fact. It was one of the most closely guarded secrets in the world.
He nodded at Colonel Mara, and pushed the papers in front of her. She added her signature to the various necessary pages, and just like that, it was done.
Kallore set a briefcase down on the table and pushed it across to Kaitlyn. “Insi
de here are data on the battlesuit technology, including everything necessary to set up a factory to construct them.”
His mate took the case, and the four of them stood up and shook hands. Then he and Kaitlyn left the room, heading directly to the surface and their waiting jet that would carry the information back across the pond, as the Americans were fond of referring to the Atlantic.
Only the two of them wouldn’t be on it. He’d had a steward come over to retrieve the information, while also bringing the reinforcements he’d requested to help guard the base while the others hunted down the Outsiders. They hadn’t had much luck yet, and nobody really knew how long they would be gone.
Until then, it would be up to Aric and the others to keep the people safe. Which meant he needed to get them mated, and soon.
“How do you feel about playing cupid?” he asked as the elevator whisked them upward.
“Cupid? What do you mean?” Kaitlyn held the briefcase tight in both hands in front of her body.
“Neither Pyne nor Rokk are mated,” he said, naming the two dragons waiting to disembark the plane on the tarmac at the front of the base. “We’re going to have to change that if we want to properly protect this place.”
Kaitlyn laughed. “You want me to set them up with one girl after another until they find their mate? That seems a little playboy-ish, no?”
“Do you have a better suggestion?”
“Than unleashing two oversexed gorgeous dragon shifters on every unsuspecting single woman in range?” She paused. “No, not really.”
“Then we have a plan,” he announced.
“This isn’t going to backfire at all,” Kaitlyn said, but she was smiling while she shook her head.
“We’ll be fine. It’s not like we’re the ones going on the dates.”
“I’m not so sure.” But she didn’t argue. Both of them knew the merits of it.
“I’m glad we got that all signed and done,” he said. “It’ll be good to get this information back home.”
“Yeah.” Kaitlyn looked thoughtful. “Can you tell me now what the deal is with the bank, the Guard, and this tech? Why is it so important? We’re the most neutral country in the world. Everyone respects us for it. What does that have to do with anything?”
Aric didn’t answer. The elevator reached the surface and disgorged them out into the small building that housed the banks of elevators. He led the way, pushing open the door onto the surface, where a Jeep waited to take them to the runway.
The ride only took seven minutes, but Kaitlyn was giving him odd looks the entire time. Only once they were on the runway, walking alone toward the plane, did he speak again.
“What I’m about to tell you is a secret very few humans know about. It isn’t discussed, and only ever acted upon when absolutely necessary.”
He watched her body stiffen at the seriousness of what he was implying, but she didn’t miss a step.
“If you speak of this to anyone you’re not authorized to, and someone other than me finds out, they will toss you in a prison that doesn’t exist for the rest of your life. At best. They’ll probably put me in one too. It won’t be pretty. Do you still want to know?”
The jet was waiting for them nearly two hundred feet distant. It took half the walk for his mate to make up her mind. “Yes, I do.”
“Our nation is a fake,” he said bluntly. “It’s a construct created by the dragons ages ago to help protect the only known enclave of dragons in the world.”
Kaitlyn gasped, and though she recovered swiftly he saw her limbs stop working for a split second. “You’re kidding me.”
“No. We helped train the people and created the borders of a mountain paradise that would be excellent at keeping out enemies of all kinds.”
She frowned. “Of all kinds? What do you mean?”
“There are others, others who feel that the time of dragons has passed, that we should step aside, either willingly or forcefully, and let them rule.”
“Rule? But we don’t rule. We’re neutral, isn’t that the entire point?”
He smiled. “I’m not referring to human politics.”
Kaitlyn’s mouth dropped open. “Are there other shifters?”
“Yes. And the dragons of my enclave are the world leaders. We don’t do much, but we keep the peace to prevent massive wars. Several prominent world leaders are shifters, and not all are friendly with one another.”
“This is stunning. So our government is a sham? A front?”
“No, not entirely. The nation was created and made neutral to help us extend our fingers into the rest of the world without resorting to force.” He waited for Kaitlyn to understand.
She didn’t take long, and his pride in her grew. “The banks,” she whispered. “The dragons control our banking system.”
“Yes. We run it, and it is our money it holds as well. With it we’ve dipped our fingers into a great many companies and economies across the world. As such, other shifters sometimes find it a good idea to come after us for wealth.”
She was nodding, following along with him easily now. “Of course, you cannot combat them in your dragon form. It would be too easy for you to be spotted and filmed. So you employ proxies to do it for you.” She snapped her fingers. “The Guard. I understand now. These suits are to help them fight the incursions of other shifters.”
“Exactly. It will make us safer, and help keep the peace.”
“Unbelievable.”
They reached the foot of the jet just as the door opened and folded down, revealing steps on the inside of it.
“And our government?”
“They are mandated in secret by us, and we ensure that any legislation they enact is approved by us, but otherwise they are allowed to govern the human population without much interference. It is too tiring to control all day-to-day aspects of running a government.”
Kaitlyn nodded, something she’d been doing much of on their walk over. “Fascinating. A nation created and run by dragons, including the world’s biggest, securest banking system. Ha! This is amazing, Aric. So cool.”
He shared her smile. “But remember, you cannot speak of this to anyone, not even other dragons.”
“Why not other dragons?”
“Because many of the dragons you’ll see—around the base at least—are not from the enclave. They do not know, and frankly I just don’t trust them enough yet. They’re from a different time.”
“I see.”
He didn’t elaborate. Explaining that the other dragons were awakened from the past and a deep sleep was just too much right now. It didn’t affect her or their relationship, so it didn’t matter.
A familiar face poked out of the jet, straightening up to its immense full height on the top step. “Aric!”
“Rokk,” he said, his voice sounding high-pitched next to the deep booming bass of his close friend. “How was the flight?”
“Tight. Cramped, and smelly thanks to this one.”
He rocked as another equally large and identically similar figure pushed its way out and in front.
“Aric!” Pyne, Rokk’s twin brother, roared, descending the steps. “It is good to see you!”
He grimaced, swept up into a hug he didn’t want but couldn’t quite avoid. “Hello Pyne,” he said, slapping the other’s back until the big dragon twin set him down.
“Here, get this on board and have the plane leave immediately, okay?” He gestured to Kaitlyn, who handed the briefcase to Rokk as he descended a step and stuck out one long arm.
A few moments later they all walked back as the turbine spun up and the plane taxied around and took off, swiftly becoming little more than a speck in the sky.
“So, Aric. You called us across the world on short notice. Can you feed us?” Rokk complained.
He sighed. Maybe this wasn’t the best decision he’d ever made.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kaitlyn
“Any luck?”
She put her phone down and sig
hed. “Not yet, no. But someone will agree eventually, I’m sure of it. They won’t be the right fit, but they’ll go.”
Aric pulled her close. “I’m glad I found my right fit.”
“Oooh, the cheese is strong in this one.” She pinched one of his cheeks, something she knew he hated.
“Stop that,” he shook his head to dislodge her grip.
She giggled and slipped into his arms, allowing him to lift her free of the ground. They were in their shared quarters—formerly her room—and they could just as easily go lie on the bed, but this was nice too. She felt safe in his arms.
“Speaking of right fits, how is this one?” Aric set her back on her feet, walked over to his bag, and pulled out a long, slender box.
“What’s this?” she asked warily as he presented it to her.
“It’s for you. To help keep Rokk and Pyne and any other dragon from bothering you, among other things.”
She flipped the top open.
“Oh, Aric.” The whisper was the most she could manage as the beauty of the necklace contained within stared back at her.
Silver links led to a pendant. In the center of it was what could only be one of his scales, so tiny it was barely bigger than one of her fingernails. Tiny diamonds surrounded it, absorbing the hue of his scale and turning the crystal a wonderful shade of cobalt blue.
“It’s stunning,” she said once her voice returned.
“Among my people it is customary for a male to gift a part of him to his mate. It will keep us linked forever, and also keep away any pesky other dragons who think they can make a move on you.”
She laughed. “Good luck. I’ve got what I want.”
Aric lifted her and spun her around, planting kiss after kiss on her mouth. “I’ve never been happier than I am now,” he said sincerely. “I love you, Kaitlyn Harver.”
“I love you, Aric the dragon.” She let him carry her weight while she put the necklace on. It fit perfectly. “Now, take me to the bed,” she ordered. “Then remove everything from me except for this necklace.
