by C. D. Gorri
“Nadim, you lied to me. Your King,” their father said in a low growl as he banged his fist on his chest over his heart.
His brother uncrossed his legs and got to his feet, leaning on the desk now. His stance still that of the unaffected.
Nikai moved closer, picking up a faint hint of Belle’s scent on his brother.
“Why were you with my Belle?” Nikai worked to keep the flames from leaping out of his own palms.
His twin straightened; all signs of casualness gone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Lie.
Nikai tossed the chair across the room with a flick of his hand and grabbed Nadim by the front of the shirt. “I asked you why you scent of my female and her fear?”
Nadim tried to shove him away, pressing his hands on Nikai’s chest, sweat beading on Nadim’s forehead. Nikai stood rooted in place, the other male’s strength no match for his own. He wasn’t willing to allow his brother to avoid his questions with his normal asshole bullshit.
Using the alpha dragon powers within himself, he froze Nadim in place. “You will answer me, Fratellinodrak.”
“I’m mere minutes younger than you, Fratellodrak,” Nadim growled.
“Well, you’re clearly dumber than a pack of wolves, Fratellinodrak. I can scent Belle and her fear on you. What did you do to my female?” His arms morphed into that of his dragon, black scales appearing like dominos from his hands to his shoulders.
Nadim’s eyes widened, his own scent changing to a nauseating fear.
“Father, are you going to allow him to hold me captive while he partially shifts into his dragon? I can’t defend myself against him like this.”
Only a few dragons in history could do as Nikai. His father and his grandfather before him, but his grandfather didn’t exert his powers much anymore.
“Silence, Nadim,” his father roared.
“Father is the only reason you’re still standing instead of lying flat on your back, begging for your worthless life. I’m giving you one last chance to tell me the truth or do you want me to take it from you?”
Smoke came from Nadim’s nostrils as he tried to shift, his face twisting into a grimace of pain while Nikai held him and his dragon hostage without touching the fucker.
“Fine. I saw her in the center courtyard. We spoke, and then she shifted into her—dragon. I followed at a safe distance to ensure her safety. You know how the other dragons feel about her…er uniqueness. However, she flew toward one of the farthest reaches of our land, which led me to believe she wanted privacy. I’d also had the royal summons to come here, so I didn’t dare dally too long. You know how much I hate being treated as you and father’s personal whipping boy.”
There was a little truth mixed into the words his brother vomited out of his mouth. His dragon latched onto the fact their Belle was upset and ignored everything else the bastard said, even though there was something he felt was being hidden from him. “Father, I vow to you now, that if he has done anything to Belle, I will kill him.”
“Nikai, he is your brother. She, while a lovely female, is a mere member of court. She’s not suitable as your mate. If you wish to make her a consort, that’s one thing, but you must remember your duty as the future King.”
He looked over at his father, the King, and realized he’d give up everything for his mate, his Belle. “My duty is to my truemate, father.”
It was the first time he’d recognized Belle in an official capacity to his father. Yes, they were aware he had been with her; he hadn’t hidden their relationship. Belle wasn’t a dirty secret. Yet securing the throne was his priority, instead of securing his female. He’d been stupid, as stupid as they came for breaking it off with her. Just saying the words to his father had the weight lifting from his shoulders. He’d been a fool who should’ve claimed Belle a long time ago.
“Are you sure?” King Nadir asked.
Nikai nodded, placing his fist over his heart, noticing his arms were still partially shifted. His dragon wasn’t allowing him to retreat from what they both wanted.
“Ensure she is well. I’ll deal with your brother.” His father placed his own fist over his heart, giving him a formal blessing with words and the action.
Nadim growled again, but Nikai flashed away, heading toward the open sky. He’d let his father handle the shit that was his twin until he returned. After that, he’d see to it that Nadim learned a lesson he’d never forget. And never is a long motherfucking time to dragons.
‘Belle, where are you?’ he called out through their private link. He flew to their private little oasis, searching for her. Her family home was quaint and beautiful, with exotic fauna and a stream where they’d swam and played. He searched the entire area twice, with no sign of his female. Time ticked by and with it anger and fear. He called out again as silence continued to greet him.
His dragon snarled as they circled the old house that had been kept immaculate thanks to Belle and him visiting the land. Her parents had abandoned the property long ago once they’d taken their place within the royal court. Belle’s mother and father both hated any reminder of the time they’d been there, because it spoke of when they’d been outsiders. He and Belle had spent many days and nights there, talking, laughing, and loving. Now he only felt emptiness.
‘She is gone. Not just here, but from our realm,’ his dragon snarled. They were one, yet they were two different beings within each other. And he hated knowing the beast spoke truthfully. He felt the hollowness inside his chest. Belle had vowed to love him forever, but her words were just that, hollow. In his anger, he forgot that he’d told her they couldn’t be together. Surely, she knew it was only…
He roared flames to the sky, the fiery embers coming back toward the home she loved. Before they reached the house, he sucked them back into himself, unable to allow them to decimate the place he’d claimed Belle for the first time. No other male had ever touched her before him. Yet he knew he wouldn’t be the last to taste her. Picturing her with another male spiked his anger, making the need to kill and destroy rise within him. He sped away from the home. The place that held his memories of immature love.
“Treacherous bitch,” he growled, hating her and everything they had. Images of Nadim and Belle together raced through his mind, sending his thoughts racing. Did she hate him enough she’d turn to his twin for comfort? Did guilt eat at her and make her flee?
Chapter Three
Belle fought to hold herself together. Her confrontation with Nikai after First Meal made her stomach twist into knots. His callous treatment was nothing like the male she loved. And the things he’d said, in their special haven of all places, was worse. “It’s like my heart has been ripped from my chest,” she whispered. She didn’t know how the male she adored so much could be so cruel. Goddess, she loved him with every part of herself.
Her silly mind wandered back to the words he’d said to her, shattering her soul all over again.
“Did you think we’d be more than this?” Nikai waved his hand between them. “I mean, yes, I will still fuck you, but you must get rid of the dragonling you carry. You see that, no?”
His words crushed every ounce of love she’d felt for him. That male wasn’t the same she’d loved for so long. He was...Goddess; she didn’t even recognize him. “Get away from me, Nikai. I hate you. You are nobody to me anymore.”
The bastard laughed at her pain. His audacity limitless. His hands reaching for her as if she’d allow him to touch her ever again.
“Don’t be like that, Belle. Come here, let me hold you.” His black eyes mocked her, as if they were twinkling with glee.
She swatted his hands aside. “Stay away from me. I never want you to touch or talk to me ever again.”
His eyes slitted to that of his dragon. Except she didn’t recognize the dark gaze staring back at her. They were so unlike the familiar ones she’d loved. When she and Nikai flew together his eyes held love, compassion, and so many other emotions, it was easy to
discern his intentions. Belle wasn’t able to put her finger on why she didn’t see her Nikai in the male that stood before her. Of course, nothing about the male was familiar. He was nothing but a liar.
No, that wasn’t true. She knew the reason; it was because he was a bastard. A lying, worthless bastard.
“You weren’t saying that to me before, now were you, Belle?” he growled.
She shrank away from him. His reminder of what they’d done many times before, shaming her. Goddess, she was so stupid, just as she’d been called by many others. “Please leave me alone.”
“If that is what you wish.” He gave a regal bow, humor in every move he made. This male was playing a game, and she hated him.
She’d turned her back on him, unable to face the man she’d loved and his rejection. “Yes, it’s what I wish.”
“You know you can’t continue...”
Belle spun to face Nikai, stopping him from speaking. “Do not say another word. I know what I must do.”
He nodded, then shifted into the large black dragon she’d always loved and admired. They’d spoken many times of when they’d be mated and create children together. How he’d vowed he wouldn’t care what color their offspring were when they became a dragon, as long as he or she was theirs. Now, she faced the reality the male she loved was telling her to get rid of their child, and that he didn’t plan to...that he would continue to fuck her, but not mate her.
“Oh Goddess, what shall I do?” She became good at masking her scent. But in a moment of weakness, Nikai came upon her, and he’d found out her secret. And unlike her foolish dream, he’d said what she’d feared, demanding she get rid of her precious child. Screw him and screw his dictates. She’d rather die herself than do as he said.
There was no doubt in her mind her parents would disown her if the King and his family didn’t accept her. She’d be shunned, exiled from her people when they found out. The narrative that she, the pink dragon, was audacious enough to procreate and continue her shameful color line. Where would her precious child rank among the dragons? If he or she turned out the same as Belle, they’d consider her child less than, or worse. Oh Goddess, she’d never give up the precious life within her. It didn’t matter if the male she loved happened to be the vilest being there ever was.
She inhaled and flashed to her parents’ home instead of flying. The freedom of having the wind on her wings and scales only made her nauseous. Her nausea had nothing to do with the child growing in her stomach and everything to do with the reality that the male she loved told her to get rid of their precious baby.
She materialized inside her bedroom, looking around at the beautiful furniture chosen with care, from the four-poster bed to the vanity her father had created. The familiar, yet foreign things she’d have to leave swam through her tears. It took her a moment to scan the space, gathering what she loved the most, hoping she wasn’t making a huge mistake. Before she flashed away, she left a note for her parents. While her mother might not give a crap if she lived or died, her father loved and worried about her. For years, she’d wished her mother cared more, but that yearning got her nowhere.
“I’d rather die than get rid of my child,” she swore, placing her hand over her stomach and the life she carried.
Nikai was dead to her. The only being she’d give her life for was growing within her. The male who’d helped create her, was a lying, good for nothing, dragondicksasshole. And all the dragons who’d ridiculed her and hated her for no reason, other than her scale color, could rot alongside Lucifer in Hell.
Two Years Later the Fey Realm...
It took months before she settled in a realm where she didn’t have to look over her shoulder in fear. A realm with a powerful female holding life and death, in her tiny little hand. You’d think Belle would’ve been scared. Yet she only sensed greatness and a bottomless pit of compassion within the Fey Queen. Standing side-by-side, their sizes were comparable, but Jennaveve was gifted with powers from the Goddess herself. While Belle was no weakling, she was acutely aware just how much power the other female could wield.
Sanctuary was a gift Jenna allowed them on Fey. She’d stunned Belle with her fortitude and knowledge when it came time for her to give birth. In fact, she credited the tiny Fey in keeping her both sane and alive during that long and painfilled day and night. She’d tried to prepare Belle by explaining what to expect, but nothing could’ve prepared her for labor and delivery. Thank the Goddess her friend was gifted with magic that eased the agony somewhat. Belle didn’t doubt for a minute her precious toddler running before them, as if nothing could harm her, wouldn’t be there if it hadn’t been for Jenna.
“Lula, take care, sweetheart.” Belle bit her lip to keep from saying more. The child was surely going to give her a heart attack with her crazy antics.
Belle and Jenna locked eyes, then turned back toward Lula. Her daughter jumped up and began rolling head over feet, doing somersaults again and again. The Fey Queen’s smile lit up. Lula truly was the bright spot in their lives. She turned to see her little girl grinning back at them each time she landed on her back, giggling loudly.
“She is such a joy, Belle. Look at her go.” Jenna sat up straighter, her voice a mere whisper.
“Thank you for letting us stay here, Jennaveve. I promise we’ll help you protect your realm for as long as we are here.” The vow was one she’d honor her entire life.
The tiny Fey gave a tinkling laugh, which sounded like silver bells ringing in a hollow hall. She was beautiful and sweet. Her laughter lulled people into a false sense of security.
“Pashaa, you two are welcome to live here, forevaa. I love you both like my own children. In fact, I’m now considering both of you, my children.” Jenna nodded her blonde head and clapped her hands together as if she was knocking dust off of them.
Sometimes Belle wondered if the Fey Queen was a bit crazy, but she kept that thought to herself. “Um, you know, Jennaveve, forever could be a really long time in dragon years, right?”
The little female looked over at Belle and blinked several times, really fast, her sparkling eyes flashing like the rarest crystals, then nodded. “Yep.”
Lula started running away from them, her laughter delighting Belle each time she heard it. Belle stood up as she heard Lula squeal. Fear gripped her as a beautiful white horse with a horn galloped past them.
“Mom, mom, mommy, mommy, me want,” Lula yelled, chasing after the animal.
Belle nodded, then gasped as her daughter shifted into a tiny gorgeous pink dragon, a miniature version of Belle’s. She should’ve known Lula would turn out to be pink. Her hair was similar in shade to Belle’s. However, she wasn’t prepared for her daughter to shift, since most dragons didn’t do so until around their fifth year or later. At two, her child not only shifted early, but she did it with such swiftness it shook her to the core. From the shock on Jenna’s face, she hadn’t been prepared for such a thing either since they’d never known a dragon to shift so soon.
The unicorn reared back in shock as well, screeching a neigh so loud her daughter faltered in flight. Lula’s little dragon tried to pull back to avoid colliding with the larger animal’s front hooves. Belle’s motherly instinct saw Lula wasn’t swift or sure enough in her new form, watching in horror as her baby girl’s tiny body collided with the powerful beast’s. Lula’s cry would forever be imprinted in Belle’s brain as she flew backward with a painful yelp. The unicorn’s powerful muscles reacted, knocking her precious right out of the sky, her pink wings curling around her body.
Red filled her vision, making it impossible for Belle to watch as Lula fell. Her dragon burst out of her as she roared. Her only thought was to slay the beast that hurt her child.
“Belle, no. It didn’t mean to hurt her,” Jenna yelled.
Had she been in her right mind, she might’ve thought twice about slaying the shiny white animal. But her child was lying in a heap on the ground, while the unicorn who’d hurt her was still breathing above
her.
It. Had. To. Die.
Belle swooped to the ground, grabbing the unicorn by the throat. Her snout ten times the size of the other animal’s entire body. She’d never eaten a unicorn, was more a vegetarian than a carnivore. Yet, she opened her mouth, flames ready to make a barbeque of the baby dragon beater. “You will die for hurting my preciousss,” she roared. Her dragon in control as she hissed the words.
“Mommy, why are you hurting the pretty horsey?”
She froze, her heart beating an erratic staccato in her chest. “Oh Goddess, Lula.” She closed her eyes, inhaling slowing, then releasing the air carefully. “I’m losing my shit. Sorry, my stuff.” Goodness, she was working to not curse so much, but dammit. Belle inhaled and exhaled again. Another two times she did the same, and then she moved forward in slow increments so that she wouldn’t accidentally, on purpose, hurt the baby dragon beater. With one hand, she settled the beautiful beast onto the ground, taking the time to make sure his hooves were beneath him. Belle thought she should get points for the care she’d taken, when what she’d wanted to do, was beat it senseless or toss it into the sky. That was after she kicked it.
“You must be careful in the future. You could’ve hurt my child,” she scolded, shifting back into a human. She stared into the unicorn’s eyes, making sure it saw her dragon flames within her.
The unicorn nodded its head up and down. A clear sign of agreement. Sweat slicked its entire body, yet it didn’t try to run from her. Smart animal.
“So I guess that is what a mama dragon whose child is threatened or injured looks like. Remind me to never cross a dragon mama,” Jenna said.
“You still want us to stay here?” Belle asked, without looking at Jenna. Her arms reached for Lula. She blinked her tears away so her little girl, now human, didn’t see them. Goddess, she’s a tiny thing, and wasn’t much bigger when she became a cute pink dragon.
“Goddess, yes. Treat Fey as if it’s your home and those within it as your children, Belle, and we’ll all be safer for it.”
