Chromium Dragon

by Terry Bolryder

  She watched him with a smile as he walked back to the kitchen, and Farrah nudged her with a grin. “You’re really into him, aren’t you?”

  Helen nodded vigorously. “Of course.” She let out a sigh. “I know it’s fast, but…”

  The dragon mates all looked at each other and laughed.

  “Yeah, we get it,” Leanne said, leaning in against Zinc as he smiled down at her. “When it happens with one of these guys, it goes fast. But I promise that once you’re mated, it only gets better.”

  Helen felt a shiver of anticipation. “Really?” She looked toward the kitchen. Where was Chromium?

  And then Steve was walking out of the kitchen, holding a giant tray of chocolate cake, and Chromium was behind him, looking nervous.

  When Steve reached the table, he lowered the tray graciously so that he could serve a piece of cake to everyone at the table.

  Helen looked up to see Mario and Jenny peeking around the door to the kitchen.

  What was going on?

  Chromium came up to take the last piece of cake from the tray, and instead of handing it to her, she was shocked when he got on one knee.

  She put her hands to her mouth as he held the cake up in front of him, and she realized there was something sparkling on top.

  Suddenly, it all made sense. Her friends watching from the kitchen. His friends glowing supportively. Steve stepping back in amusement, pleased with the situation.

  And Chromium looking so handsome and so hopeful as he knelt there with the cake out in front.

  “Oh my God,” she said softly.

  “Helen,” Chromium said softly. “You’re everything to me. You’re sweet, kind, and I knew I wanted you to be mine almost from the first moment I saw you. I know you aren’t ready for everything yet, but I want you to know I am. Take this ring and be mine.”

  She realized what he was offering her. An engagement. More time to get used to the idea of mating him and being with him without rushing her before she understood.

  She nodded her head yes, feeling a few tears squeeze out of her eyes, and then threw herself into his arms, nearly knocking the cake aside.

  “Oops,” she said, reaching over for the ring. It had been placed on a little stand on the cake so it wasn’t covered in chocolate. When she slid it on her finger, she was surprised to see it made a perfect fit. “Oh, Chromium, it’s beautiful.”

  The diamonds had to be fake, but the man offering them was perfect.

  He pulled back and stared down at her. “They aren’t fake.”

  “Oh God.” Still, she could worry about that later. Right now, she wanted to kiss her man. “Yes, Chromium. Yes.” Then she kissed him, and he tasted like chocolate.

  He kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her, and everyone in the restaurant cheered.

  She couldn’t ever remember being this happy, and though the future seemed uncertain and somewhat scary, she couldn’t wait to see what would come next.

  “All right,” Steve said, picking up the tray again. “The rest of us are going to head out. Congratulations, you two.” And then he went back to the kitchen, and he and Mario and Jenny all took off, leaving the restaurant full of only dragons and their humans.

  All Helen could think about was her ring as she sat there listening to the dragons babble happily about all of them being mated.

  They’d come from another planet to find happiness, and now all of them had.

  She twisted her ring and looked up at Chromium, who seemed happier than she’d ever seen him.

  When the night was over, she knew he was sorry to see his friends go, but she could tell by his fervent looks in her direction that he wanted to celebrate their engagement as much as she did.

  Maybe with some alone time up in her room…

  As Chromium gave the last of them a hug, she heard Arsenic turn to say something to Zinc just before the door closed.

  “Thank heavens the last of us is safe. No more worries about poison.”

  She froze for a second, then followed his friends outside. “Wait. What do you mean about poison?”

  Arsenic looked back at her calmly. “You know, the reason we came to Earth. We have to find mates in order to not die. I’m sure Chromium told you.”

  She looked slowly up at Chromium, who appeared to be choking on his own lies. “No, he hasn’t.”

  “Damn,” Arsenic said, looking at Zinc, who shoved him. Arsenic looked genuinely regretful. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “No, thank you,” Helen said quietly. “It was something I should have known.”

  Zinc shoved his hands in his pockets. “We’ll give you some time to talk to your mate. We’ll be outside if you need us.”

  The door swung shut behind them, and Helen whipped around to face Chromium, heart pounding, brain begging for some other explanation to be true. For her to not be tricked or used again.

  It would all make too much terrible sense. He’d come out of nowhere and always felt too good for her.

  “Tell me it isn’t true.” She stepped closer to him. “Please, say they were mistaken.”

  “I can’t,” Chromium said. And as he stared at her, panicked, Helen was suddenly glad the restaurant was empty, because she was pretty sure things were about to get ugly.

  Chapter 19

  Chromium cursed himself as he looked at Helen’s hurt, betrayed expression.

  There were so many important things he’d had to tell her that he’d somehow forgotten one very important one.

  Given her history, it was the worst one to forget of them all.

  Now he had to explain that while Arsenic had spoken truly, he had never been out to use Helen that way at all.

  Truth be told, as the Chromium dragon, his poison was the least lethal, and he could have been fine for a long time without a mate. And he would have gladly died before mating for eternity with the wrong person.

  But with the mood Helen was in right now, he wasn’t sure how to explain.

  He sighed because a moment ago they’d been so happy. The proposal had gone perfectly, and she’d joyfully accepted his ring and fallen into his arms.

  He’d been looking forward to a night of celebration. Now it would be a night of trying to keep her from running away.

  “I didn’t trick you, Helen. I was going to tell you, but—”

  She took a step back, pushing blond hair behind her ears. “But… you didn’t.”

  “It was not a big deal. It’s just how our race works. We seal off the poison in our bloodstream when we’re mated.”

  “It’s no big deal, but it’s the reason you came to Earth?” She gestured outside where his friends were standing. “Do the other women know they’re being used like that?” She gave him a small shove. “I don’t care how hot you dragon guys are. You can’t use people like that.”

  “Now hold on,” he said quickly. “I’m not using you. Yes, mating you will help me in some ways, but that’s not why I want you.”

  “That’s right,” she said, folding her arms bitterly. “A guy who looks like you falls for some average restaurant owner and proposes with a giant ring in days because he likes her personality.” She wiped at her cheek, and he was dismayed to see a tear there. “I guess Darren was right, and I was being stupid again. Guys only want to use me.”

  “I know how this looks, but honestly, I didn’t do this to seal off my poison.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell me?” She wrung her hands. “You know what I’ve been through, and we’ve already talked about so much. You said you were being open with me. Don’t you think saying, ‘Hey, my kind has to mate with a human or we die,’ was kind of relevant before I agreed to be with you?” She blinked softly. “I mean, I’d already fallen for you, so I probably would have done anything for you, but I would have at least been realistic about why you chose me.”

  His voice grew stern. “And why did I choose you exactly?”

  She threw her hands in the air. “Because I was an ea
sy target. Soft-hearted. Looking for romance. Willing to believe anything if it meant I got a happily ever after.”

  “I don’t think so,” Chromium said. “If you think you’re an easy target, you haven’t met you. You can be infuriating sometimes.”

  “I can be infuriating?”

  “Yes.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “You don’t believe me when I say you’re beautiful. You didn’t want to let me court you. You kept thinking I was after something other than the incredible person you just are.”

  “And it has nothing to do with the fact that you’d die without me?”

  He growled in frustration. “Yes, okay? I’d die without you. But that has nothing to do with what happened tonight.”

  She looked down at her ring sadly. “I… don’t know what to think about this. I need time.”

  He reached down and gently tilted up her chin. “Look at me, Helen. You know I care about you. Believe me.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. “I want to. Honestly, I’ve been trying, and it’s been hard with all I’ve been through. All my insecurities.” She reached up and pulled his hand off her chin, and he felt something break in him as she did so. “But this is too much for me. Maybe you should go home with your friends tonight. I need time to think.”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  “You are,” she said. “Because this has all been overwhelming. You’ve always had all the information, and I’ve had none of it. I shouldn’t have had to hear this from your friends. If you weren’t ashamed of the poison stuff, you would have told me. You must have known how I would react.”

  Deep down, he knew that was true. He supposed he’d been stalling, hoping for a better outcome. “I knew you would take it wrong. But only because no matter how much I love you, I can’t seem to make you believe you are worthy of love.”

  She rubbed her hand over her neck. “I’m tired, Chromium. And I need to talk about this when I’m not in shock.” She made as if to take off the ring, but he put up a hand.

  “Please, keep it. Whatever you decide. There’s no one else I’ll want to give it to, and I’m not here to just use you to save my life, no matter what you think right now.”

  She swallowed, and he hoped that she was maybe starting to believe him. “I’m sorry, Chromium. I wish I could take this easier, but I need time alone. Because you’re right. I don’t feel good about myself. That’s up to me to fix. But right now, finding out the guy I’ve been falling for may or may not be using me to save his skin is not helping.”

  “I understand.” He let out an exasperated breath. “But I don’t want to leave you.”

  She put a hand on his. “I know. But I’ll be fine.”

  “Will you go straight home and call me if you have any problems?”

  “Yes,” she said dully.

  “Look, I wish there was some way to prove what I’m saying is true, that I love you for who you are, but there isn’t. But I believe that deep inside you, untouched by that asshole you dated, is a woman who knows what she’s worth. Who knows that with all you have to offer someone, it’s impossible they could only want you as an antidote to poison.”

  She pursed her lips, clearly willing to think about it at least.

  “Can I at least walk you home?”

  She hesitated, then nodded.

  He walked her past his friends silently, then up the stairs to her apartment. She put a hand on his chest quickly, then removed it as she opened the door and walked inside.

  “I’ll talk to you soon, Chromium.”

  He put a hand in the door to stop it from closing. “And just so you know. I’d have rather died than mate the wrong woman to stop my poison. I know if you think about it, the man you know I am, you’ll know I’m right.”

  She leaned up on her toes and impulsively kissed him. “I hope so, Chromium, I really do. Good night.”

  And then she was gone, and Chromium knew that for once, this wasn’t something he could push through.

  He’d kept something from her and accidentally betrayed her, and she had a right to figure out how she felt about it without him looking over her shoulder.

  As he walked back to join his friends, he saw them all looking at him with various expressions of concern, and he waved a hand at them.

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he said.

  “Where will you stay tonight?” Arsenic asked. “I’m really sorry about all this, but I still think she should have known by now.”

  “I know,” Chromium said, folding his arms against the chilly night. “I just… With everything I had to tell her about being a dragon, I sort of forgot that part.”

  “She’ll get there,” Farrah said, coming forward. “Are you coming back to the mansion?”

  Chromium looked around them, seeing the night was empty and safe. Since the robbers that first night, no one had tried to threaten Helen. The muggers had been a clear fluke, and she would be safe in her room.

  Yet… he wasn’t sure he could really leave with his friends, even if he wanted to.

  But what was his other option?

  He nodded at Farrah, and the whole group began to walk down the street toward the public parking area at the other end of the block.

  Chromium was lingering at the back of the group and didn’t even have time to protest as he felt someone step out of the darkness, grab his arm, and jerk him into a side alley in just a few seconds.

  Chromium looked down at the person, ready to fight him, but was surprised when the man stepped back.

  He was wearing all black, a long trench coat, a baseball hat that obscured his face, and a scarf around his shoulders. It was an odd ensemble for a night that was cold, but not freezing.

  Though he could sense no ill will from this man, Chromium knew he probably didn’t have much time before his friends realized he wasn’t following and came looking for him, so he stared down at the man with an expectant glare.

  “What do you want?”

  The man kept his eyes on the pavement. He was tall, but it was hard to make out his build under everything he was wearing.

  “Your woman is in danger,” he said quietly in a low voice that seemed disguised and familiar at the same time.

  Chromium grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the wall. “You do anything and I’ll kill you.”

  The man’s face tipped up, and angry blue eyes stared up at Chromium as he felt himself shoved right back by surprising strength.

  “You keep your hands off of me,” the man said sharply. “Look, I’m just a bystander, and I’m telling you don’t leave your woman. I can sense that something will happen tonight.”

  “What are you, psychic?”

  “No,” the man said. “Something much darker than that.” He jerked away from the wall and started to walk down the other side of the alley. “I gave you a warning. It’s your choice to listen to it. Either you save your woman or I will.”

  Chromium just stared at him aghast as he seemed to fade into the darkness.

  Who the hell did this crazy person think he was, and why was he interfering with Chromium?

  Was he just one of the human drug users that sometimes hung out on these streets at night? Maybe someone crazy?

  Chromium rubbed his neck, unsure about it, as he heard footsteps behind him. He whirled around to see Arsenic looking at him in confusion.

  “What are you doing back here? We’re ready to go. The others are at the parking lot.”

  “I… I’m staying.”

  Arsenic looked around them at the alley. “Here?”

  “No,” Chromium said. “I’ll hide out on the top of a building if I have to, but I’m not leaving her.”

  He hadn’t ever really wanted to and doubted he could have gone through with it, no matter how much she’d asked.

  “Okay,” Arsenic said simply, not questioning him. He took off his jacket and handed it to Chromium. “Do you want anyone to stay with you?”

  “No thanks,” Chromium said. “I think I can
handle it.”

  Arsenic nodded and walked out of the alley, looking down at the parking lot as Chromium followed. “I really am sorry, but for what it’s worth, I think you’re making the right decision. I know I couldn’t leave my mate.”

  “Yeah.”

  Arsenic patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. “She’ll get it. It’s hard for humans to understand this sometimes, but the fact that all of us have mates is proof that love finds a way. And I can tell Helen loves you.”

  “She does?”

  Arsenic gave him a wry smile. “We can’t be hurt that badly by those we don’t love.”

  There was an odd logic to that, even if Chromium still felt awful for hurting her at all.

  “Thanks, Arsenic. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  And then Arsenic was gone, headed into the night, turning back to give a wave as Chromium looked around him, wondering where to go to best keep an eye on his mate.

  Helen sat in her front room, waiting for a pounding headache to pass and staring at her phone, wondering if she should call Chromium.

  She hated that everything had to ruin such a good night, but she knew she had to take time to think this over before making such a big step.

  She walked upstairs to her bedroom, wondering if maybe she could get some sleep, but she couldn’t help thinking of Chromium. Where he was, how he was feeling, whether he was getting along with his friends after what had happened.

  She still felt betrayed, but the sting had softened, and she’d looked at her ring and wondered seriously about whether she could believe the man who’d given it to her.

  He’d come from space. He was a dragon. He wanted her from the start. He’d always been honest about that. And she honestly couldn’t picture him as the type who would manipulate someone for a secret motive.

  So now that her adrenaline wasn’t rushing, all that was left was to believe him when he said he forgot to tell her and that it wasn’t a huge deal for him and definitely not the reason he proposed to her.

  Deep down, she supposed she believed that with all of her heart, despite her brain and her past telling her she would be stupid for doing so. That she was unlovable. That people only pretended until they got what they wanted.