Mated by the Dragon (Loved by the Dragon, #2)
Author: Vivienne Savage
Date: 2015-08-29 23:00:00+00:00
Keywords: dragon shifters; dragons; alpha; alpha male; healed; reawakening; paranormal romance; shapeshifters; shifters; shif
Description: Chloe's life takes another dramatic turn that brings her and the dragon Saul to her home in Houston, Texas. From there, her future with Saul becomes dicey as shadowy forces in the draconic world object to their new union. No more cliffhangers!
Publisher: Payne & Taylor

Mated by the Dragon

By Vivienne Savage

All material contained herein is Copyright © Vivienne Savage 2015.  All rights reserved.

ISBN PENDING

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Table of Contents

Copyright Page

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 1

Chloe muffled her yawn against the firm pectoral muscle beneath her cheek. Saul radiated warmth as usual, comforting her against the ambient chill lingering in the air. She snuggled closer and threw one arm across his chest. His hair, worn loose around his shoulders, tickled her nose to disrupt her sleep whenever his position shifted.

“Chloe,” he murmured, rousing her with his voice and a firm hand circling her back.

“Just a few more minutes. So sleepy,” she mumbled. She clumsily pushed his blond mane aside with one hand, batting it like a kitten.

“Chloe,” Saul repeated again.

She cheekily reacted by delivering a nip against his throat. Her boyfriend startled enough to jump then a rumbling chuckle of laughter vibrated beneath her hand, felt throughout his broad and powerful chest.

“Perhaps you should open your eyes before initiating something we cannot continue in privacy.”

“Hm?” Chloe groggily raised her head and blinked as the world around her gained clarity. Saul sat beside her in a gray, plush seat with floor space to accommodate his long legs. Across from them, another pair of reclining seats housed two sleeping passengers.

Chloe rubbed her eyes and took in the bizarre tableau: a flight attendant wheeled a half dozen covered dishes, followed by another attendant bearing a cart of stacked pillows. A uniformed man poured wine for their neighbors a few feet away.

The realization dawned slowly. That’s right. We’re flying back home. First Class. She was bringing Saul to Houston where her sexy dragon savior would be set loose in the big city. Giddy, she clapped her hands together then twisted to the window.

“I must have fallen right to sleep. God, I still can’t believe you agreed to this,” Chloe said.

Saul’s brows rose. “Why?”

“Because I thought you’d pull the big alpha man thing and insist on having it your way.”

Saul chuckled again. “Chloe, I have lived long enough to know that all things come in time. I care for you deeply and will neither bully you nor dispense ultimatums. Genuine desire should bring you to my home to stay as my bondmate.”

Genuine desire... I do desire it, she thought. But she also had a life back home in dire need of closure. She raised the window cover and took in the rolling green hills of Texas crossed by ribbons of highway. It wouldn’t be much longer to reach Houston, where her roommate Marcy promised to pick them up.

“It’s funny seeing you in an actual shirt, too. I was beginning to think you only owned one set of jeans,” she teased him. “I can’t believe you actually own clothes, but there better be more like that in your suitcase. You’re traveling a little light.”

A smug smile surfaced over his bearded face. Saul shook his head. “I assure you, Mahasti has organized a sufficient amount of garments to suit my needs. I will remain clothed.”

“Good.”

Chloe didn’t want to share the sight of her man’s glorious chest with anyone. Reassured by Saul’s convincing words, she settled back into the plush chair, squirmed, and inevitably ended up leaning against him again.

“Would you like lunch before our arrival?”

Where has this airline been all of my life? Oh that’s right, somewhere over there in I-Can’t-Afford-This Land, in the same country as the Real World — where dragons don’t really exist and people work hard for a living.

Two months ago, Chloe couldn’t have guessed that a limitless realm of comfort loomed in her future. Saul pampered her, treated her like a queen, and never asked for anything in return but unconditional love — affection she would have readily given even if he didn’t have a dime to his name.

“Marcy wanted to take us to dinner in a few hours, but to be honest with you, I’m starved,” Chloe admitted. “A little snack wouldn’t hurt.”

“Good. I ordered for you.”

Chloe had her doubts, but the next cart of steaming hot meals brought a tangy serving of honey-ginger salmon, a side of saffron rice, and a small salad. She devoured it and would have scraped the last grain of rice from the savory sauce if Saul’s gloating expression didn’t make her want to punch him.

“A little snack indeed.”

“Don’t be a smart ass,” she muttered.

“Would you prefer me to be a dumb ass?” he countered.

The plane touched down an hour later. As expected, Saul’s good looks and chivalrous decision to haul both carry-ons earned Chloe envious looks from nearby passengers. She directed him with a hand on one of his huge biceps, and eventually brought him outside of the terminal to the predetermined meeting place. The humid, Houston air struck her in the face and showed no mercy to her blonde hair. Chloe ran her fingers through the frizzing strands while Saul struggled to keep a straight face.

“Chloe!” The headlights of a silver car flashed to catch their attention.

Marcy popped the trunk and leapt out of the sedan to race toward them, causing her ponytail of jet black waves to bounce wildly. The curvaceous Latina raced onto the curb and hugged Chloe tight. “So glad he didn’t turn out to be a psycho killer, chica. I told you that you wouldn’t end up in his freezer.” The embrace ended when friend rocked back on her heels and made a show of scoping Saul out. “I guess he’ll have to do. Hello, stranger. I’m going to hug you in greeting, but mostly because I need an excuse to touch your muscles.”

Saul didn’t stand a chance, and Chloe could only grin and laugh at the bewildered expression on his face. To his credit, he carefully folded his arms around Marcy and lifted the woman from her feet in a snug squeeze.

“No swooning, Marce, that’s my job,” she teased. She reached out to steady her best friend once Saul lowered the woman again.

“It is my most sincere pleasure to make your acquaintance, Marcy.”

“Oooh, polite too.” Marcy winked. “Okay, let’s load up and get out of here before that security guard comes over here to ticket me.”

With only two bags, it took under a minute to toss them in the trunk and load up. Chloe slid in the backseat with Saul after she adjusted the passenger seat to provide him the necessary legroom. While it might be amusing to see him looking like a child with his knees against his chest, it wouldn’t be very comfortable.

“Really, Chloe? I feel like a chauffeur. Did you and Romeo at least bring me back a damn cap to wear, too?”

“Should I have asked Leiv for one of his?” Saul asked, mistaking their jests as truth.

Marcy’s dark brown eyes peered at them through the rearview mirror. “You have a personal driver? Seriously? Is he hot, Chloe?”

“Hot and a sweetheart. He calls me Miss Ellis and nothing else.”

“Is he single?”

Chloe glanced at Saul for an answer.

“Your efforts would be in vain,” he replied. “Leiv chooses to exercise limitless patience seeking unrequited love.”

“Damn. So, where are you from?” Marcy shrugged off the letdown and cheerfully moved into the next topic.

“Los Angeles,” Saul replied.

Marcy’s amused chuckle preceded another question. “Before Los Angeles, unless the hippies and surfers talk like they’re from a time machine these days.”

Saul and Chloe had discussed Marcy’s unrivaled curiosity prior to boarding the plane. During that time, she’d warned him that Marcy would subject him to an endless interrogation.

“Ah. My father’s family hails from Iceland where we own vast amounts of property.” He gave the rehearsed, albeit true, answer. “I visit often.”

“Brothers? Sisters?”

Fifteen years of friendship meant that Chloe could read Marcy’s mind. If Saul didn’t have a brother, she’d probably settle for an equally hot sister.

“You are a curious woman, Marcy.”

Chloe bumped her knee into the back of Marcy’s seat in a nonverbal plea for peace and quiet. The woman sighed heavily but accepted the burden placed on her. A burden of silence akin to asking a toddler to resist a plate of gooey cookies hot from the oven. She spent the rest of the drive engaging Chloe in innocent chatter about California.

“So I’ll drop you two off at the apartment while I run a few errands, and then we’ll go for dinner and drinks. Sound good?” She cruised through the entrance of their gated complex and drifted to their building.

Creekwood Falls, the overpriced community where Marcy rented their two bedroom apartment, was home to a dozen brand new three story buildings. Every unit was out of Chloe’s price range, and if not for Marcy’s generous offer to accept her as a roomie, she’d have been forced to make do on the other side of Houston and commute farther to work.

“Sounds great,” Chloe replied happily. “We’ll just unpack.”

“Try not to wear each other out before I’m back. I mean it!”

Marcy drove away, waving with one hand before she veered her sporty little Malibu around the corner. Chloe chuckled and led the way to the stairs and their second floor apartment. While Saul toted the luggage, she slipped her key into the lock and admitted them into the spacious parlor. Back when she’d first moved into the place, Chloe had marveled over the floor plan and Marcy’s way with Zen. Marcy, an avid horticulturist, made her home into a tropical paradise with a selection of small potted fruit trees occupying the balcony.

Meanwhile, Chloe had more of a black thumb than anything. She chose not to touch the plants, for fear of killing them. They added bright and cheery splashes of color that complimented the cool tones throughout the rest of the apartment.

“Well?” Chloe asked, wearing an apprehensive expression on her face.

“It is very nice,” Saul answered. He set the luggage inside and shut the door behind them, cutting off the oppressive cloud of muggy atmosphere outside. He didn’t seem to notice or care, but Chloe maneuvered to stand beneath an air conditioning vent.

“Is that polite dragon-speak for ‘your place is a shit hole’?” she asked while turning her face toward the cool current.

Saul turned and pulled her into his arms. “I am accustomed to larger accommodations, but...” The dragon kissed her brow and inhaled the peach scent clinging to her blonde hair. Chloe had never felt secure in a man’s embrace until crossing paths with Saul. Each of his hugs conveyed warmth, protection, and love. “For you, I would take residence in a cardboard box.”

“Fortunately, our place isn’t anything like a cardboard box,” Chloe laughingly said. “Okay, mini-tour. Over there we have a kitchen, a fridge, and standing freezer. Knowing you, those are the priority locations you’ll want to know about.”

“Ha ha ha,” Saul replied dryly.

During the week-long visit at Saul’s estate, she learned his voracious appetite translated to his human side. Mahasti often prepared a covered dish of sandwiches for his late night snacks.

“We each have a bed and bath of our own. This place is really way too big for just one person, which is kind of why Marcy invited me to stay with her.”

“I see. That explains much to me about your ‘chick haven.’ The state of the decor makes it plainly apparent no man has stepped beyond these doors until now.” Saul made a show of surveying the surrounding environment.

Chloe swatted his arm and finished up the tour by showing him where they kept the remotes and how to operate the gaming console.

“You have many games and movies,” Saul marveled.

“Yeah. Marcy is the gamer, and I’m the bookworm. She gets me to play every now and again though. The movie collection we both built up.”

Saul pulled a colorful case from the shelf. “My studio made this one.”

“We have a few, I think,” she said thoughtfully. “Oh, wipe that smug grin from your face. I had those long before I met you.”

“The fourth in the series is in production. When we return to California I will take you on set, if you like.”

“Really?” Chloe and Marcy frequently spent their Friday girl nights together on the sofa in front of scary movies, and with Saul present that was unlikely to change. It pleased her to no end that the dragon had an appreciation for American horror. “Marcy would be so jealous.”

“Then we shall fly her out to join us.”

His generosity touched her. With Saul, it wasn’t about flaunting his wealth or trying to impress her. He honestly wanted to make her happy, and that meant accepting and including her best friend.

“She’d love that. Me, too.” Chloe put the dvd back in place then dragged Saul into the bedroom, where he tossed the suitcases onto her bed. “God, I feel gross after that flight and standing around in the airport. It’s nice to see that even a dragon has to walk through TSA and stand in a few lines.” During the week spent in California, Saul had spoiled her beyond measure despite her efforts to resist his lavish gifts. She plucked a thin-strapped sundress and a thong from the neatly packed bag.

“Humans have an amazing idea for what constitutes as undergarments,” Saul commented. He pretended to inspect the remaining contents then held up a practically nonexistent pink scrap. “Wear this one.”

“So bossy.” Chloe grinned and accepted his offering, swapping nude cotton for rosy lace.

If she didn’t feel like a hot mess, stripping might have led to a playful round on her bed before the shower. Instead, Chloe tossed their clothes in the hamper and led the way to her personal bathroom.

Thank God it’s clean. She owed Marcy a world of thanks, almost positive the shower had needed a quick scrub prior to her impromptu flight from California.

Shared showers and baths had become another memorable perk of her stay with Saul in his lavish home. Whether in his spacious walk-in shower, sunken tub, or personal hot-spring, her dragon loved the water.

“How do you shower in this?”

“Oh, come on. It isn’t that bad,” Chloe defended her bathroom.

Chloe and Saul maneuvered in the narrow tub until she reached the showerhead. Their close confines brought to mind sardines packed in a tin. Failing to silence her giggles at the mental image, she scooted back and tried to angle the water spray between them.

“Was it your intention to place me beyond the reach of the water?” he asked.

“Well, no, but I was freezing when I stood over there,” Chloe mumbled. “You’re so tall you blocked the spray.”

“And of course, you have also chosen the most frigid temperature.” Saul stretched one arm past her and twisted the knob toward the hottest setting. “That should—”

“Hot, hot, hot!” Chloe shrieked. She fumbled against him, practically knocking the glass door off of its track in her effort to escape. When that didn’t work, she leapt into the corner like a cat avoiding the bath as the scalding assault continued.

Saul swore. The foreign word was unfamiliar to her, but the intensity of the utterance made it recognizable. He immediately turned the hot water knob to the middle. “Forgive me, Chloe, I didn’t realize—”

It hurt like a bitch, but she played it off to assuage her boyfriend’s shame. “I’m okay. It’s all right,” she assured him despite the red splotches on her forearm. Everywhere the water had touched appeared to be lobster red. Geez, the water heater must be set at boiling.

“You are not okay,” Saul disagreed.

His large hands glided over her wet skin, tracing her arms from shoulders to wrists. Beneath his touch, Chloe’s skin tingled like a thousand sparks danced over her body. As an odd sensation spread over her burns, not too unlike pins and needles, the pain diminished and the red scald marks gradually faded.

“What the hell was that?” Chloe demanded, divided between awe and unease.

“Magic,” Saul said. He wore a big smile to match the mysterious admission.

“You’re... a magical dragon?” Thankfully not green and purple, she thought. Or named Puff.

“Healing happens to be of my many talents, yes.” Saul’s smile gradually faded and confusion firmly took its place. “Should I not use my magic to help you? I did not ask, I merely presumed it would please.”

“No, it’s fine.” Chloe examined her arm. The flesh appeared to be good as new again without the tenderness caused by her burns. “You did this once before in the cave, but you healed my ankle then.”

“I did.”

For some reason, the idea of having her own personal healer turned her on. Chloe stepped forward, against Saul’s chest, delivering an impulsive kiss to his lips while standing on tiptoe. Her wet skin slipped against his body and a bold nudge trapped his stiffening cock to her lower tummy. She trailed her fingers across his broad shoulders until her right hand eventually reached his soaking wet blond hair. She loved the golden shade. Beneath the water, it became the color of raw honey between her fingers.

“Fuck me,” she whispered against his lips.

“I thought you would never ask.”

Saul slid his hand beneath her thigh and hoisted Chloe up until her back hit the slick tile surface. After a week of mind-blowing sex that only seemed to improve with every coupling, a few hours without his dick in her seemed like eternity.

Mew. The patter of the shower failed to drown out the feline cries. A second later, two big paws touched the door and noisily scraped down the glass, interrupting them before Saul had the chance to join their bodies.

“Felix?”

“Who is Felix?” Saul’s voice rumbled against her throat.

The cat cried again, making a chirping sound.

“Mommy will be out in a minute.”

In a thrust, Saul filled her body with his cock. She writhed between his hard chest and the shower tiles, tilting her head back and vocalizing an impassioned plea for more.

Felix dragged his front claws over the shower door and leapt at the glass, scrambling with his hind legs to make it over the top. He tried again twice until his mewling cries urged Chloe to press one hand against Saul’s shoulder.

“Let me down, baby.”

“What?”

“He thinks you’re hurting me, I think.”

Saul gave her an incredulous look. One blond brow shot up before he glanced over his shoulder toward the shadow beyond the frosted glass. “Your feline can wait.” A slick backstroke and re-entry made Chloe’s needy snatch cling to his dick and involuntarily squeeze. He felt so damned good that it took another terrified call from Felix before she pushed at his shoulders.

“Saul, he’s scared.”

He didn’t protest again, but a heavy sigh indicated his displeasure. The separation of their bodies was pure misery as Saul grunted and set her down, ensuring she was steady before he released her from his hold.

Chloe stepped from the steaming shower and jerked a fresh towel from the rack. With it wrapped around her body and secured, she crouched down and received a fond nuzzle to her cheek from her whiskered friend. “I missed you, too,” she crooned to the large cat. Felix, an impulsive luxury purchase in the wake of her failed relationship with Malcolm, purred and rumbled with elation.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized to Saul.

He shook the water off his body and strode past her with a growled mutter that she couldn’t decipher. Felix raised his hackles and hissed at the retreating man.

It was the closest she’d ever come to actually aggravating her placid and cool dragon lover. I’ll make it up to him later. A niggling worm of guilt slithered into her thoughts only to be suppressed once Felix tickled her face with his whiskers.

“Marcy must be home now if Felix is back from the groomers.”

“Oh.”

Please don’t do the spoiled man-child thing and give me the silent treatment. Of course, dragon or not, Saul was still male, and no less prone to the flaws that sometimes afflicted his sex. She hadn’t intended to leave him with a case of blue balls.

“He is a very handsome beast,” Saul offered without further prompting.

Chloe sighed in relief. As long as Saul spoke to her, it meant he wasn’t too upset. Mahasti had warned her that a quiet dragon was a brooding dragon. “He’s a Savannah.”

“Ah. House cats bred with their wilder kin.”

The spotted feline twined between her feet all the way from the bathroom to the bedroom, even head-butting her ankles in an attempt to direct her away from Saul. He hissed at Saul and raised his black-banded tail in the air.

“Felix, enough of that.” She nudged him away long enough to pull on the fresh clothes she’d laid out earlier. She shook her head when the protective feline took up a watchful post on the foot of the bed.

He’s acting awfully odd. “You don’t eat cats, do you?”

Saul snorted and opened the bedroom door without waiting for her to finish dressing for their evening out. The dragon walked into the next room while tugging on his t-shirt, failing to honor her question with a response.

Note to self. An irritated Saul is definitely a quiet Saul. At least he isn’t pissed.

“Holy abs,” Marcy called from the hallway. “Chloe! You need to put a warning label on these!”

Chloe chuckled. After she ran a brush through her damp hair, she jogged out of the room in the chosen summer dress, its folds skimming her trim body. It suited her athletic frame, showcasing long legs and toned thighs with an ideal hem four inches above the knee. It was also as sexy as her casual clothing usually came, despite Marcy’s dedicated efforts to spicing up her wardrobe. Felix trotted out behind her with his tail raised in the air then he mewled for attention until Chloe lifted him from the floor.

“Missed you too, Felix.” I hope dragons and cats aren’t natural born enemies or something.

“Damn, I hoped you’d take forever doing your hair so I could interrogate your boyfriend.”

“Didn’t you do enough of that in the car? Honestly. You know all of the highlights already. CEO and hot outdoorsman. There’s nothing else...”

A bit of a grin surfaced on Saul’s face. “It is true. I am afraid anything more would prove to be a severe disappointment, Marceline.”

Marcy groaned. “You told him my full name? I guess I’ll accept it. Coming from him it almost sounds sexy. Come on now, no time to waste. I made reservations as soon as you told me both of you were coming home, and I’ll be pissed if we’re late and they give our table away.”

Dinner at a local Brazilian grill allowed Saul to sample a varied selection of meat. He ate enough for three men his size while Marcy gawked in disbelief. As a dragon hiding in human form, he required frequent feedings and consumed enough meat to provide most of the sustenance needed by his magical other half.

The Latina twisted on her chair to face her friend. “Where is he putting it away?”

“No idea,” Chloe mumbled around a mouthful of food. She speared a rare piece of beef from Saul’s plate and popped it into her mouth before launching into an explanation. “Saul’s really into fitness. You know. Marathons, hiking. All that stuff.” It made a good cover story.

“I guess you two are a perfect match then... Chloe, wait, that’s still bloody inside,” Marcy tried to warn her, a few seconds too late to make a difference.

“It’s also delicious.” Chloe stole another cut of meat for emphasis. She’d never eaten a piece of steak that wasn’t thoroughly brown to its center in all of the time Marcy had known her.

“Geez, Saul, what did you feed her over there in LA?”

“I did nothing. Perhaps she has finally acquired the taste for proper cuisine.”

They ended the night with a tour of the local Houston area. Marcy had a day of work to look forward to in the morning, so she begged out and retired to bed early, abandoning the lovebirds in the living room on the sofa.

“I’m glad I got to meet you, Saul. Try not to eat us out of house and home until we can visit the grocery store.”

Saul chuckled. “I will try. It has been a true pleasure to make your acquaintance, dear Marceline. Rest well.”

“I plan to. Night, guys!”

Without Marcy’s company, Chloe and Saul retired to the bedroom where she gently shut the door to keep Felix at bay. The oversized cat had entered her life first, but she planned to allow Saul the chance to acclimate to having a bite-sized animal in his presence that wasn’t on the menu. To soften the blow and spare them from a night of plaintive cries at the door, she had emptied a can of tuna into the cat’s dish.

“Do you not intend to allow Felix inside?” Saul asked, concern coloring his voice.

“Tomorrow night. I missed him, but I wanna give him tomorrow to adjust to having you around. He can be a little mean sometimes to new people.”

“I will not eat him.”

Chloe tugged off her dress and tossed aside her bra, eager to crawl beneath the taupe jersey sheets. The urgency in Saul’s voice distracted her from diving into bed. “I was joking when I said that, Saul... I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I know you wouldn’t eat him.” She hoped that was the case at least, restricting Felix from the room for entirely selfish reasons. She didn’t want the cat to startle her dragon in the morning and provoke his predatory instincts.

His unreadable expression made a gradual transition, alluding to a smile then finally a grin. “It is long over, Chloe. Have no concern for that.”

“But since we’re on the subject... remember what I said about midnight snacks and visits to the fridge,” Chloe warned.

“Boxers.” Saul grinned at her and set aside his jeans. He preferred to go commando, but Mahasti had cautioned him to don appropriate clothing among the humans. It wouldn’t do for Marcy to step out of her room in the middle of the night to find a naked Viking look-alike in front of the fridge, even if it would probably be the most thrilling moment she’d had all year.

Once Saul joined her in bed, she scooted in close against him and tugged the sheets over their nude bodies. The entire month in his company felt a dream, but the reality of sharing her bed with a mythological creature struck her as absolutely surreal.

“Saul?” she whispered in the dark.

“Hm?” His arm circled around her shoulders and kept her close. The secure presence of his body warmed her more than the sheets, a perfect contrast against the cold air circulated from the ceiling vents.

“Thank you for coming home with me.”

“You told me this once before.”

“But I want to thank you again. I think Marcy really likes you.”

“Your friend is a generous and likable woman.” His fingers traveled over her spine, a repetitive circuit that began anew at her nape and ended near the small of her back. She shivered beneath the touch.

“I’m going to miss her.”

“My affection comes without a time limit, Chloe. You are neither required to leave at this month’s end, nor will you be forced to abandon all you know and love. I will wait with you for as long as Marcy accepts my presence.”

“She’d keep you here forever, I think. But I’m glad you two get along. It’ll make things easier in the long run, and she can always come and visit.”

“She is welcome whenever you desire.” Saul continued his strokes down her back until he reached her ass and kneaded the soft flesh.

“That feels nice.” She stirred beneath his touch and lifted her rump, sliding one knee under her body. She next drew the second beneath her and angled her backside into the air.

“Chloe...” Saul’s hands circled her ass with firm pressure and his breath quickened.

“I want you to take me like our very first night,” she whispered huskily.

“I presumed you did not favor the position.”

She pressed her ass into his palms, hot and needy. “Sometimes I dream about our first night in the cave, Saul. I may not like the position, but I like the way you do it.”

Freddy had always made it a position of domination, preferring it especially whenever she indulged his desires for anal sex. Saul made it feel different, tender, loving, and wholly natural. It was a vital part of who he was, a mighty beast masquerading as a man.

“Will there be another interruption from your feline?” A touch of humorous warmth filled his voice.

“Saul, please. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, all right? I didn’t mean to make you angry.”

“I was never angry, Ch—”

“Then just fuck me already!” All she could think of was having his cock buried inside of her. She didn’t just crave his touch, she needed it. Chloe had been hot and achy all day, a discomfort inspired by his every touch and as well as the longing looks he’d given her over dinner. She’d frequently wanted to rip his clothes off.

She didn’t have to ask again. For a large man, Saul moved with agility when the mood struck him. He snaked into position behind her and took her hips in his hands, his possessive hold securing her in place to receive the forward nudge of his pelvis.

“Always so wet for me.” His voice thrilled her, a sensual growl against her ear accompanied by the close proximity of their joining bodies. Together, it was undeniable bliss.

“Always! Fuck yes, please,” she cried in satisfaction, urging him to continue. His cock filled and stretched her in all the right ways and every thrust stimulated her clit, which felt hypersensitive to even the most minor touch.

Whenever Freddy stayed overnight, Marcy slept with earplugs and her alarm set on the highest volume. Chloe had no doubt that her best friend had adopted the same practice again.

The headboard slammed against the wall while Chloe clung to it, the helpless recipient to the hard thrusts bringing their bodies together. She wished she could see him and even hungered for the joy of watching his features contort in bliss, but the deeper penetration came at a price.

A mirror. I am buying a goddamn mirror if this is going to become normal for us. The mere thought of seeing him behind her, muscles rippling as he fucked her, caused Chloe to clench around him. Saul groaned and increased the tempo.

Every stroke slapped his balls against her clit, and when Saul grinded to the full depth of her tight pussy, the world around her spun. His mouth sealed over the mark on her shoulder to deliver a suckling kiss.

“Harder, baby, harder.”

“I do not wish to harm you.”

Chloe reached back and grabbed a harsh fistful of his hair, anchoring him close. “You won’t, baby. But if you don’t fuck me hard and deep right now I’m not responsible for what I do to you.”

Her dragon’s chuckle raised goosebumps over her skin and ran a delectable shiver down her spine. “As my lady commands.” His hand ascended her flat stomach and palmed one breast. The nipple responded to his touch and stiffened.

She lost all sense of the world around her. Nothing mattered but the movement of their bodies and the indulgent gratification it brought. Chloe moaned out, withholding nothing.

“I’m so close,” she whimpered, rocking back against him frantically. Saul dropped a hand between her thighs and slid his calloused fingertips over her clit. A single flick against the sensitive nerve bundle was all it took. She cried out his name, lost all control, and surrendered to her orgasm. The climax spasmed her muscles — harder than she’d ever experienced in all of their many couplings, nearly forcing his dick from within her tight snatch. Saul’s feral growl vibrated through her ear, and then he slammed forward through the unyielding resistance.

“Fuck!” she cried, drawing out the word on a long groan. “More, baby, more.”

Saul’s hips pistoned forward in powerful, churning rhythm that pushed her orgasm beyond normal limits. Or maybe she was having multiples, each rolling into the next, too closely to be differentiated from each other. “Harder!” she screamed at him. The next thrust rocked Chloe physically against the headrail and pressed her cheek into the cool wood. Her climax became a pattern of starburst explosions, each blissful shudder radiating through her core.

Chloe collapsed against the sheets. Ever since her soul-binding and mating with Saul, she no longer recalled the meaning of mediocre sex. She shuddered and snuck one hand between her thighs where his come created a slippery mess. A shower seemed like the next logical step, and would be, if she didn’t feel like someone had attached lead weights to her limbs.

Multiple orgasms were a thing of fantasy in bad pornography and erotic novels. For Chloe, it had become a reality that left her drained and useless afterward. “Does... does that ever stop happening?” she murmured up to him drowsily.

“No.” He flashed her a sated grin and slipped out of bed. He returned moments later with a dampened, warm washcloth from the adjacent bathroom, and unlike any man of her past decade of sexual activity, he tenderly cleansed her body of the mess he’d made.

Chloe felt like a queen.

“What makes that happen? I know I’ve had a month or so to ask but...”

Saul slipped from the bed to dispose of the cloth into the laundry bin. When he returned, his fair brows rose with curiosity. “I explained this to you but poorly, so you must forgive me. It is... you may think of it as natural selection. When a male dragon performs a soul bond with his mate, certain changes occur to produce young.”

“To produce... young?”

“We are magically inclined to gift one another immeasurable pleasure. As a result, you would submit to me more often, enhancing our chances of bearing little ones.”

“Little ones?” Chloe’s voice cracked. Relax, Chloe, I’m pretty sure he’s not expecting babies right this second. Can I even have them? Don’t dragons lay eggs? I can’t lay eggs! Her inner worries approached hysteria and shattered the euphoria left in the wake of their sex.

“What is wrong?” His abrupt question pierced through her frantic line of thoughts.

“Nothing,” she lied while searching for a valid excuse.

“Your heart races. I feel your anxiety, my love. Have I upset you? Have I said the wrong thing?”

“No, Saul... It’s nothing you’ve done. I was thinking.”

“Your thoughts appear heavier with each passing moment. What troubles you?” When she failed to answer, Saul persisted again in a gentler tone. “I am your mate. If I am not the one to whom you air your grievances, then what good am I to you?”

“Why didn’t you talk to me earlier after the shower? You were upset but you didn’t speak,” she blurted out.

“You did not ask.”

He had her there. She’d assumed her preferential treatment to Felix angered him and let it go without inquiring. A nervous giggle slipped past Chloe’s lips as she burrowed into him for comfort. She loved him even more for his cool sense of logic and rationale.

“What about us? I mean, I’m human. Can we have children together?”

“I am unaware of any successful dragon and human breeding, Chloe. For all intents and purposes, we are sterile together. Does this upset you?”

The knowledge didn’t soothe Chloe’s heart. If anything, his words bore an insidious sense of despair.

He’s sacrificed so much for me, and I can’t even give him a child. Why does he want me? she wondered. Did he only settle because he’s unable to find one of his own kind?

“Did you... want children?” For all that she knew, he had no desire to father a child, and all of her concerns were the product of a tired mind.

Saul chuckled in the dark. “Once I did, but that is an interest long lost to me. Females of my kind are few and far between, and those with a good heart even more rare to find.”

His words confirmed Chloe’s darkest fears.

“Okay,” she whispered.

“My love, I am happy as we are.” He tucked her in close to his body, an arm wrapped her waist and his cheek atop her head.

She should have been comforted. So why did she feel so uneasy instead?

Chapter 2

Marcy was absolutely smitten by Saul, and if they weren’t such close friends, the Latina might have been jealous that she hadn’t found him first. At some point during their visit, Chloe had wanted to confide the secret of his true nature but couldn’t bring herself to admit that the sexy Viking was a giant fantasy monster.

To their immense relief, Saul adjusted easily to Houston, claiming his life to be no different in the girls’ shared home than his day-to-day activities in California. In the mornings, he and Chloe slept in, and by the afternoon they roused to walk Felix and sight-see local attractions. She even took him to the Houston Zoo, where he became an eager child, thrilled at every new sight.

“You’ve never visited a zoo?” she asked in disbelief.

“Many of these creatures are food to me. I have never pondered their existence beyond the taste of their flesh,” Saul replied, his honesty taking her by surprise. He glanced at a nearby giraffe stretching its neck toward a branch bearing green leaves. The creature remained blissfully unaware of the predator observing its mealtime.

“And now you do?”

“You are a poor influence on me, my love. My behavior would shame others of my kind.”

“Why’s that?” Saul rarely spoke of his people. Between his scant clues and the information Chloe dragged out of Mahasti, she understood Saul to be a rarity among the great dragons in the world.

“My kind prefer solitude, and most certainly wouldn’t mate with a human or live in her domicile for any extended time.”

“If dragons prefer solitude, why do you have a company, a home, and friends like Mahasti and Leiv? Why befriend and care for me after I hurt my ankle? You could have left me there.”

“A corporation is viewed as an extension of my horde, but as I said, I am considered eccentric among my kind. Perhaps Mahasti’s presence has given me more freedom to live so openly.”

Chloe considered that possibility and nodded. “I guess a djinn is handy to have around. But still, you have a job.”

“I was curious, I admit. Theater amused me in my younger years. Mahasti encouraged my fascination by presenting it as a challenge. A test, if you will. Her powers can grant me the physical possessions to accompany humanity but they cannot make me more human. To learn their nuances, I had to walk among them.”

Laughter filled the air between them. “Oh wow, I can almost picture it. So you went out, liked what you saw, and started your own business. But you kept a distance, too.”

“I did, but nothing about this world intrigued me or held my interest for long. Before you, I visited my office when necessary. I did not make friends beyond the company of Leiv’s father Ivan and Mahasti. When Ivan died, I understood how it felt to mourn for a mortal and felt comfort when Leiv took his place. They are both servants, and yet they are my closest and dearest friends,” Saul said quietly, his breath a soft tickle against her ear. He snuck his arm around her waist and tugged her close.

“But I thought...” Chloe’s voice trailed, a pause allowing her the time to search her memory. “You made it sound as if you’d taken other women to bed before me.” In her mind, she had imagined a bevy of women flitting in and out of Saul’s life, each of them fucked to the point of absolute bliss and left hungering for his prolonged company. She had pictured a playboy in search of a mate to fulfill him, and had taken profound pleasure in knowing she was the first to bring him to orgasm.

“On occasion,” he admitted. “But only to sate an urge. I did not linger for sweet words and soft touches, and I never experienced the same satisfaction.”

“You made it sound like you didn’t come either,” she pointed out.

“I did not. It was deeply irksome.”

“Okay, okay. We’re going to have to talk about this later when we’re not surrounded on all sides by strangers attempting to muscle past us to see the okapi.” Chloe had the sudden itch to find a secluded spot and show her man all the wicked things she could do to him to achieve his release.

God, I am such a nympho lately.

“Very well, but only if we go to see the camels. I promised Mahasti we would take photographs.”

“Deal.”

***

The morning at the zoo transitioned to an afternoon on Galveston Island. Marcy’s current boyfriend, Antonio, met them at Hotel Galvez where they’d arranged for an overnight stay in one of the expensive spa suites. Saul had insisted on covering the rooms but had to promise to let Chloe, Antonio, and Marcy handle the rest.

Chloe dressed in beach attire beneath her summer dress and twirled in the mirror. “Tomorrow we go for a harbor tour,” she explained.

“And this eve?”

“The aquarium, the beach, and then dancing around the town. Is that acceptable?”

“I do not dance.”

She skipped over and tickled her fingers up Saul’s delectable, bare chest. “Is that because you don’t like dancing, or you don’t know how?”

“I do not understand the purpose,” Saul admitted. “From what I have observed in movies, human females prefer to perform awkward mating dances, each one adorned in plumage more ridiculous than the last.”

Chloe attempted to maintain an even expression, but his serious features shattered her efforts. “Because it’s fun, and yes, because it’s sexy. Do you need a better reason?”

Saul grunted and said nothing further about dancing, much to Chloe’s amusement. To prompt a reaction from him, she tugged the Velcro closure of his board shorts and loosened the tie.

“What are you doing now? Marceline and her suitor await us.”

“Ever heard of a quickie?”

“I am a dragon. I do nothing quickly and perform all deeds with the utmost regard—” Chloe’s decision to turn around and bend over the mirrored bureau distracted Saul mid-sentence. She flipped up the skirt of her sunny orange dress to expose the tiny swimsuit beneath.

“Wanna find out?”

She released the left hip-tie of her bikini bottom. It slipped down her thigh and tumbled to her ankle as she spread her legs. Sex with Saul had been on her mind since their provocative talk at the zoo, and hell if she planned to miss the opportunity. Oh, who am I kidding? I’ve been wanting to jump him from the moment we woke up.

To provide a little inspiration, Chloe trailed her fingers between her legs, gliding them between her slick folds until the returning stroke found her easily stimulated clit. A single touch made her core clench in anticipation, desiring his cock’s deep penetration.

“See how wet I am?”

Saul’s nostrils flared. His gaze focused on the path her fingers took, tracking their movement. The low rumbling sound he made in his chest aroused Chloe and tightened her nipples.

She watched in the mirror as Saul fucked her from behind. It was even sexier than she’d dreamed of, and about ten minutes later they determined that dragons did things quickly enough when given proper motivation.

Afterward, they freshened up to meet Marcy and Antonio in the lobby. As promised, the group’s path led to the island’s prime attraction for an afternoon of marine animals and rainforest exhibits.

“I’m so glad I bought this new camera, girl. These photos are going to be gorgeous,” Marcy commented. She had crouched to angle the camera between the slats beneath the bridge railing. A white-faced monkey fastidiously groomed his dark fur on a nearby branch.

“Can you believe we’ve both lived in Houston all this time and never come down this way?” Chloe asked.

The two women chatted animatedly about the biospheres within the glass pyramid then continued their exploration from one exhibit to the next. With Saul at her side, Chloe listened to his tales of visiting the cloud forests of South America in his youth.

“I’d love to visit one of these places in person outside of a regulated habitat,” Chloe said.

“If it is truly your wish, we will visit. I have a dear friend who lives in the Yucatán Peninsula. Teo would be thrilled to entertain us for a time before we continued farther south to Bolivia.”

“You’re going to take me to Bolivia? Saul, you’re the best!” She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him in the middle of the walkway.

“Most women celebrate when you bring them wine or flowers. This one wants to hike in a muggy forest,” Antonio muttered.

“I love the tropics,” Marcy defended herself. “Did you forget what I told you about my family? I grew up on the beach in Mexico.”

“I like flowers just fine,” Chloe argued. “Is it bad that I want to see them in the wild and thriving instead of in a vase and dying?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay.” Surrendering, Antonio raised his hands like an outlaw facing the cops. “My bad, ladies.”

Saul chuckled.

“See, Saul knows to keep quiet,” Marcy said.

By the time they completed their tour of the various rainforests around the world and admiring a gorgeous ocelot beyond the glass, Marcy’s wavy black hair was a frizzy mess. The group escaped into the cool, air conditioned hallway and settled at a table near the food court so that Chloe could wrangle her friend’s hair back into a single plait.

“I told you that wasn’t enough hair spray... there. You look fabulous again,” Chloe said as she fastened a band around the tip.

Antonio shook his head. “All of that effort for her to get in the water at the beach in an hour.”

“Hey, looking this fabulous takes work,” Marcy laughed as she returned to his side. Chloe caught the disapproving glance she gave when Antonio wasn’t looking, and didn’t need to read minds to know what Marcy thought — Antonio wasn’t working out to be as fun as she’d hoped for. His tendency to complain was putting a bummer on the entire outing, whereas Saul went with the flow and never fussed.

Dinner in the adjacent restaurant afforded Saul the chance to see an all-you-can-eat buffet for the first time. He marveled over the assortment in passing on the way to their table then pulled back the seat for Chloe to sit her like a gentleman. Antonio shot the pair a bewildered look, especially after Marcy stared him down for failing to do the same. Chloe almost felt sorry for the poor guy. Almost.

“I’m going to miss you so much.”

“Wait. What?” Marcy paused with her fork halfway to her mouth.

“I... made up my mind today. I’m going to go back to California with Saul.” Part of Chloe had known what she wanted from the start, but she’d needed to make sure before making a drastic change to her life. The interaction between Saul, her oldest friend, and even Felix, gave her everything she needed to know. Her new lover had passed the test.

“But... I’ll never get to see you.”

Saul spoke up before Chloe had a chance to comfort her morose friend. “You may always come to our home to visit, Marceline.”

“I guess,” Marcy agreed quietly. She stirred the food on her plate in silence without looking up again. Antonio excused himself to ravage the buffet for a second helping, and Saul wisely followed his example, leaving the two women alone.

Why’d I have to pick now to tell her? Chloe sighed and dropped her head, overcome with guilt.

“Sorry, Marce. I didn’t mean to be a bummer.”

“Nah, it’s all right. I sort of figured, I guess.” Marcy looked up with a smile, but her eyes were watery. “Plus, it’s not like I can disapprove of Saul. He’s great. I mean, really great. I’m happy for you. You deserve better after Malcolm and Freddy.”

“I can still help cover rent ‘til you find someone else.”

Marcy waved her off. “No, don’t do that. I paid the rent just fine before you moved in, chica, and I can do it while you’re gone. That’s not a big deal.”

“Are you sure? It’s not like Saul allows me to pay for anything. When I told him that I wanted to work, he told me he’d hire me on in his company’s legal department.” Chloe shook her head and chuckled softly.

“You’ll be a glorified housewife, basically?”

“Not even that. He has a housekeeper and a driver, so I’ll have no idea what to do with myself. But you bet your ass I don’t plan to sit around his giant mansion on my bum every day.”

“That’s right. You tell him. You’re a strong, independent woman.” Marcy picked up her glass and clinked it to Chloe’s. “I’ll fly out and see you this Christmas, girl.”

“If you wait until Christmas, I’ll start to think that you don’t love me.” Chloe blinked away the moisture in her eyes. “Saul’s gonna take us on set, remember? You can bat your lashes at the leading actor and steal his heart.” She waited a moment before she whispered, “Because Antonio sucks.”

They both laughed over the idea, which had the intended, comforting effect. Once Marcy cheered and Chloe didn’t have to worry about losing her best friend, both men returned like a masculine third sense told them the coast was clear.

The decision to take a stroll down the beach followed dinner. Jokes ensued in the car ride to the seawall about whether or not Chloe would sink like a stone to the bottom of the gulf after appearing to compete with Saul’s ravenous appetite. She showed her friend and boyfriend up when she shed her dress and boldly raced Marcy for the waves.

“This was a great idea!” Marcy called to her minutes later.

“Remember how gross the water was last time we came out here?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. Hey Antonio! You coming in or what?” Marcy called out toward the beach.

“Where’d Saul go?” Chloe asked.

Hands grabbed her beneath the water and tugged Chloe under. Spluttering, she resurfaced and slapped water at her grinning mate, but he evaded her playful attack like a dolphin. His uncanny grace and impressive lung capacity held an unfair advantage over the rest of them in their water play.

If he didn’t already tell me that he breathes fire, I’d think he was a water dragon.

Chloe discovered her dragon didn’t excel at beach volleyball when a group of college coeds invited her, Marcy, Antonio, and Saul to join their game. Eventually, after he missed enough serves and passes, Saul excused himself from the game to spectate instead, much to everyone’s relief.

“Your boyfriend definitely needs to remain on standby as eye candy until we can teach him to play,” Marcy teased.

“Well, at least he’s a damn good distraction. Their back corner player keeps ogling him instead of watching the ball,” Antonio commented.

With Saul gone, their team won the next game. The loss of the sun brought in a cool breeze from the gulf and visitors on the beach thinned. It turned out that a long day of touring Southeast Texas’ attractions and waterfront athletics had worn them all out. Dancing was off the agenda.

“Wanna stop for snacks to take back to our rooms? Room service is a little too rich for my pockets,” Marcy commented on the way to Antonio’s SUV.

“I don’t want to look at anything else to eat for the rest of today,” Chloe muttered. “I think I’m good.” Chloe lay down in the rear seat and set her head upon the beach towel covering Saul’s lap. A half hour later, she awakened to find her cheek against his shoulder.

“Tell Chloe we’ll meet you both for lunch tomorrow if you want. Me and Antonio plan to visit his family before we meet you both for the harbor tour.”

“Of course. Have a pleasant eve, Marceline.”

“Night, Marcy,” Chloe mumbled.

“Shit, sorry. We tried not to wake you. Sleep well, you two.”

Marcy flounced away to join Antonio in their hotel room. Once Saul and Chloe showered off the salt water residue, a strange sense of vitality seeped through her veins. It hit her like a shot of adrenaline and quickly shed her exhaustion.

“Saul?”

“Yes?” He sprawled beside her, silent but peaceful in appearance with his golden eyes shut. He often feigned sleep but rarely dozed off before her.

“Are dragons nocturnal?”

“Most are. Why do you ask?”

“You always get up to go snack and stuff.”

“Many centuries ago, my kind once awakened with the arrival of false-light and hunted freely. Many of my ancestors delighted in setting villages ablaze until the flames could be seen from miles away,” he admitted. “I have adapted over the years and overcome my natural inclinations. It allows me to pass for a human more easily.”

“I certainly appreciate it. No wonder you always snore until noon. You must be rubbing off on me because I can’t sleep either.” All of those long nights of cuddling and drifting off just prior to the sunrise took their toll on Chloe’s circadian rhythm. “This problem is all your fault, so you can fix it,” she teased.

Once he stifled his laughter, Saul kept her entertained through the night with tales of his ancestors. He told her about his mother’s gentle heart, the contrast between his parents’ personalities, and how she had tamed the worst of his father’s habits only just before the dragon’s demise. Even his ruthless grandfather was a beast feared so greatly that the legendary St. George slew him, among many others, and yet Saul had inherited neither male dragon’s tendency toward violence.

“So what you’re saying is that it’s a good thing you guys have adapted to other methods of conquest that don’t involve fire?”

“You misunderstand, Chloe. Our disguises are a necessity in these modern days of missiles, tanks, and jet planes. But yes, you are right. Many of my kind do prefer to manipulate humanity from behind our corporations.”

“And the government,” she murmured while clicking through the cable channels on the television.

“The silver dragons are especially fond of politics, yes,” he chuckled.

“Silvers?” Chloe perked.

“Quicksilver dragons, my love. Otherwise known as storm dragons.”

“They sound pretty. Are all of you organized by color?” She reached over his shoulder and into the bag of cheesy nacho chips on his nightstand.

“Mmhmm.” His fingers trailed through her hair, an absent stroke that continued down her back. The ridiculous reality show on the television faded into the background.

“Oh come on. Don’t clam up on me now. What are you?”

“Bronze,” he answered absently. The models on the catwalk distracted Saul more easily. She rolled her eyes and poked his bare chest until he coughed up more information. “The product of a quicksilver and volcanic dragon, Chloe. Hardly anything special. I can’t say that I’ve inherited my mother’s love of political scheming.”

“So volcanic must be red. Tell me about reds.”

“They’re assholes,” he said bluntly.

Chloe almost inhaled her chip. “Okaaay,” she said, drawing out the word. “You going to clarify that any?”

“There is little else to say about them.”

“Where did you pick up that language anyway?”

“I learned it from you,” Saul said, an amused tone accompanying the cheeky smile on his face. “If you must know, my father and grandfather were both volcanic dragons, although I feel no such inclination to dwell in a pit of lava myself.”

“Because you take after your mother?”

“Possibly.”

Chloe didn’t press Saul anymore about his family or the mysterious red dragons he seemed to hold in disdain. Bits and snippets of conversation alluded to a love/hate relationship between her lover and his male progenitors, one she certainly understood thanks to a failed relationship with her mother.

“Do you think I’ll ever meet any of your fellow dragons? Or are you all, you know, a solitary sort?”

“Do you wish to?”

“Maybe one day.” Chloe shrugged and snuggled in closer. “Hey, do you think room service has a midnight menu?

“Did you not tell Marcy that you would prefer not to see food for the rest of the day?”

“It’s past midnight. It’s a new day,” she argued.

Saul sighed and reached for the phone. One thing remained certain — Chloe knew how to train a dragon.

Chapter 3

The days after their weekend in Galveston passed like a blissful dream. Thanks to her savings and Saul’s generosity, Chloe treated unemployment like an extended vacation. After an enjoyable jog on the paths cutting between the residential complex and adjacent park, she showered and fell into a pleasant sleep while Saul perused her bookshelf and watched television. She dozed in and out of her nap, awakening once to the sound of Saul asking if she’d like Marcy to bring home a pizza, and a second time to a ruckus outside.

“Who the fuck are you?”

No. Oh god, no. Freddy’s loud voice carried all the way to the bedroom and interrupted her attempt to resume napping. Saul must have answered the door, as he often did whenever Marcy or Chloe were unavailable. The two women had even returned one day to find him entertaining a pair of Kirby salesmen, who had easily convinced him to buy three of their vacuums and complete accessory kits before Chloe ran them out of the apartment. She managed to snatch the check from their hands in the nick of time.

For a dragon, Saul had a soft heart, and if he couldn’t chase two door-to-door salesmen away, she had little hope of him running off Freddy.

Chloe scrambled from the bed, driven to hurry by the sheer outrage in her ex-boyfriend’s voice. Felix ran past her on his way to hide in the closet; her cat had never liked Freddy.

The reason for Freddy’s ire became apparent when Chloe stepped from the hall. Saul didn’t wear much, accustomed to Marcy vacating the home between the hours of 8 and 5. He must have visited the facility’s pool, as he stood half naked in only a towel, like some bronzed and gleaming Adonis. Or better yet, her new manservant.

“Chloe, tell this jackass to get his clothes on and get the fuck out. We need to talk.”

“Uh, no. You get out.” I don’t need this right now!

Freddy ignored Saul and her indignant cry by stepping over the threshold. “I thought I’d give you a chance to apologize for what you did, baby. I know you can be a little unreasonable sometimes, and I get that. But I’m still willing to take you back.”

“I do not believe Chloe wishes to speak with you.” Saul placed himself between Chloe and her ex. “Leave or I will escort you from the premises.”

“Are you serious? Who the fuck is this guy? Tell the Fabio wannabe to hit the road so we can talk about this like adults.”

Yes, who is he? How do I introduce him? Boyfriend sounds so trite and simple. Chloe sucked in a long breath and slowly released it through her nose. She could do this.

“Baby, meet Freddy. Freddy, this is Saul, my...”

“Betrothed,” Saul offered in the silence following her falter. “Chloe and I are to be wed.”

She expected Freddy to make fun of Saul’s formal speech pattern, or at least question it, but his steroid-deteriorated mind latched on to the wedding announcement instead. He laughed.

“Good one, sweetcheeks.”

“No, we’re serious. I’m flying back with Saul to Los Angeles in a week. I came back to handle my life and pick up Felix.”

Saul stared at her while Freddy looked between the two of them in disbelief. “Like hell you are. You can’t marry this asshole.”

“Excuse me? You’re not my fucking father, Freddy.” Saul opened his mouth to speak, but Chloe whirled on him and poked her finger into his bare chest. “I can handle this myself without you butting in, thank you very much.” Saul shut his mouth and stepped back with both hands up. By then, she’d already returned her attention to the jerk in front of the door. “I meant every single word that I said to you.”

Freddy’s cheeks mottled. “You ungrateful little slut. Is this the thanks I get for taking your beat-up pussy after Malcolm got tired of you?”

It didn’t surprise her even a little that Freddy resorted to name calling and insults. Color flushed over her cheeks and turned her face into a blazing inferno of shame and anger. It hurt, cutting deeply no matter how much she told herself that he was only a bitter, lonely man who would never see beyond his own ego. She blinked away the stinging tears and drew in a slow breath.

And then she launched her right fist into Freddy’s face. The blow laid him on his ass just before the welcome mat. The satisfying crunch that could have been his nose breaking didn’t faze or stop Chloe’s furious tirade.

“Fuck!” he cried from the ground, holding his nose. His eyes watered with tears and blood leaked from his nostrils.

“I am not a slut, but you are an asshole and no woman will ever stay with you. No one! You’ll always be a lonely asshole, but I have someone who loves and cares about me now. Now get out of my house before I kick your ass and let him fuck up whatever is left of you!”

“You fucking crazy bitch. Keep her, dude, just fucking keep her!” Freddy raged as he climbed to his feet and vacated the apartment, too much of a wuss to risk further physical confrontation.

With a deep frown lining his face, Saul shut the door behind Freddy and turned to face Chloe. “I am sorry, my love,” he apologized as if he were the one in the wrong. He guided her to the couch and settled a blanket across her lap before stepping away into the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with a sandwich, chips, and a tall glass of sweet tea.

The food tasted like sawdust in her mouth, and despite that setback, Chloe forced herself to eat the lunch prepared by her considerate mate.

“I think I’m gonna go take a shower.”

“Would you like me to wash your back?” Saul’s offer held no hidden innuendos. That was another thing she loved about her generous dragon: he knew when to ignore his randy libido.

Chloe shook her head. “No, but thanks. I just need a few minutes alone.”

“Take as much time as you need.”

***

Chloe rose from the bathtub floor and tilted her face up into the hot spray. The tuna had tasted awful coming up the wrong way; so awful she’d reached an arm out of the shower and snagged her toothbrush from the nearby counter. The mint paste helped rid her mouth of the sour taste but the usually refreshing scent was off-putting.

“Chloe? Sweetie?” Marcy knocked on the bathroom door before opening it. “Geez, woman, turn the fan on. It’s a sauna in here.”

“You home already?”

“Already? It’s the same time I always get home.” Marcy flipped the switch for the fan. “You okay, hun? Saul told me what happened. We’ve been waiting for you to come out.”

“Sorry. Just a sec, okay?” Chloe scrubbed soap over her face a final time, rinsed, and shut off the water. A towel hung beside the frosted glass door for her to wrap around her shower-reddened skin. Ever since Saul had scalded her, she had acquired his strange tolerance for boiling water and preferred it.

“Hey, your dad called, too, and wondered if you were still planning to visit for the Fourth of July.”

“Dad’s too busy with his new girlfriend to miss me at the barbecue. Besides, I don’t want to intrude.”

“Sam misses you plenty. Even if he does have a hot girlfriend half his age to take care of him now. Hey, are you okay? You look horrible, chica.”

Chloe shook her head and tightened her grip on the towel. Felix snaked in between her wet ankles to deliver a round of loving mrowls. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s something. You know you can’t lie to me. What’s wrong? Is it Mr. Moneybags? Did he do something to you? I swear, I will fuck his world up if he—”

“No, it’s nothing Saul did.”

“Freddy then? Honestly hun, don’t let that prick upset you. He’s so not worth it and from the sound of things, you chased him off good this time. I wish I’d been here to see you bloody his big nose.”

“It’s not that. It’s...” Please no, don’t let me be pregnant. Please, please no. Chloe paced in a short line and raised one fist to her lips. She bit her knuckles fretfully.

“Chloe, it’s me. You can talk to me about anything.”

“I think I’m pregnant,” she blurted out, interrupting whatever else Marcy intended to say.

Her friend stared at her with wide eyes. “Holy shit. What do you plan to do? Is Saul okay with that?”

“It’s... it’s not his.” Chloe bit her lip.

“Are you sure? You two have been at it like rabbits for the last couple of weeks.”

“No. Marcy, you don’t get it. Saul can’t... he’s had a vasectomy,” she lied, erring on the side of caution to avoid spilling the truth. “You know, rich and wealthy, wanted to keep women from using him for his money.”

Marcy gaped. “No, sweetie, no. Please don’t tell me you let Freddy go bareback in you.”

“He didn’t come! I didn’t even want to have sex. I told you that.”

“Well...” Marcy bit her lip and fidgeted. “Those vasectomies, they fail sometimes, right?”

Fresh tears wet Chloe’s cheeks. She didn’t want to be pregnant, but the likelihood of Freddy being the father outweighed the chances of Saul impregnating her with some sort of magical dragon spawn. I saw the hesitation on his face. He’s disappointed that I can’t bear him ‘young’. Disappointed that I’m human, and hell, I was disappointed too I guess. It was one thing to decide on her own to enjoy life without a child, but another for circumstances to dictate the choice to her.

“I’ll run out to Walgreens and get you a test,” Marcy volunteered.

“I can’t ask you to do that. You just came in from work after a long day.”

“Are you serious? Give me thirty minutes to make it there and back. Saul’s a little worried about you, so you might want to pop out and say something to him. He thinks he pissed you off by trying to jump in to your rescue.”

Chloe nodded. “Sure. Yeah. I’ll get dressed and go talk to him. Just hurry back, okay?”

“Of course.” Marcy stepped backwards from the humid bathroom and pulled the door with her.

“Marcy?”

The door hesitated, cracked an inch. “Yeah, babe?”

“Thanks.”

Once Marcy was gone, Chloe smoothed her fingers over her belly and tried to imagine some tiny life forming within it. She’d had a false alarm in the past, a result of foolishly forgetting her birth control while dating Malcolm.

Dismissing the thought, she retreated from the bathroom and stepped into the open foyer to greet Saul with the towel wrapped around her drying skin. She met him halfway and stood on tiptoe to accept a sweet kiss. He had dressed while she showered and donned a t-shirt with a casual pair of khaki shorts.

“I’m not upset at you, silly. What happened to asking before assuming?”

“Perhaps I have begun to adopt your human ways.”

She poked him in the ribs before stepping back. “Hey, I’m still not feeling so great. Would you take Felix for his walk?”

“Of course I will, but may I ask a question first?”

“What is it?”

“I was under the impression that a litterbox serves that purpose, and yet we walk him each day.”

Despite the gravity of her worries, Chloe chortled a quick, sharp laugh. “We aren’t walking him to poop, Saul. It’s because he needs the exercise. Besides, Marcy went to get me some medicine from the pharmacy.”

“Ah. Very well then. As I said, it is no trouble. I was merely curious.”

Saul clipped a leash to Felix’s harness and left without argument. She loved that man and appreciated his sweet personality.

How do I tell him I might be carrying another guy’s child?

Chloe lit one of her handmade candles and breathed in the soothing clary sage and geranium that wafted toward her as the wax melted. Marcy and her mother made scented candles with organic essential oils, so Chloe had reaped in the therapeutic benefits for years.

While waiting for her pal to return, she dried her hair then tossed on plain yoga pants. She spent the rest of the time sitting on the bathroom sink while waiting for Marcy to return.

Thanks to the evening traffic, Marcy’s thirty minute trip to the pharmacy dragged into an hour. Chloe practically snatched the plastic bag and shut the door in her friend’s face. Minutes later, she opened the door with the answer held in one hand. Marcy bounced on her toes and fixed Chloe with an expectant look.

“Well? Don’t keep me in suspense, chica. What does it say? Are you good?”

She wordlessly held the pink plastic wand out for Marcy’s inspection. A big (+) stood out darkly against the white background in the little oval window.

“Oh damn...” Marcy blinked, rubbed her eyes, and then looked again. “Oh sweetie, you’re going to be a mommy.”

Chapter 4

Despite Marcy’s insistence, Chloe succumbed to disbelief and refused to schedule a doctor’s appointment to confirm the truth. As the rest of her vacation days in Houston dwindled, both women began the tedious packing process. Chloe’s initial guess of five boxes proved to be too few, so Antonio volunteered to visit his job site for more while the girls and Saul got her belongings together.

“Chloe?”

Chloe turned to find Saul holding up a semi-translucent slip of shell pink lace and silk. The tiny babydoll nightie was a favorite during her relationship with Freddy. She hadn’t worn it since.

“Why do you never wear such things? It is very attractive.”

Marcy, seated on the floor amidst a sea of porcelain, butterfly-winged unicorns, chortled out loud and continued to wrap newspaper around the delicate baubles. “The man has a good question. Didn’t you pay a lot of money for that?”

“I’ll go shopping in LA for new ones. Those you can toss in the trash bin over there.”

Saul’s disappointed expression brought a smile to Chloe’s face. I’ll get some special ones just for him. Not these used leftovers.

When Marcy headed out for work the next day, Saul summoned Mahasti for the veritable mountain of boxes. It was as simple as wishing them away to his home. They would tell Marcy that they had a delivery service retrieve them.

“Finally. With all of that gone, I can find Felix’s carrier.”

“Why must we place him in a tiny box? Would he not be happier in your arms during the flight?”

“That’s for human babies only, Saul. Some parents pay for the extra seat and bring the baby carrier but most just hold them in their lap.” Chloe’s expression darkened, unbeknownst to her until Saul shrank back a step. The mirror behind him revealed the severity of her frown and brought her glaring expression into focus.

“Have I asked too many questions?”

“No. No. Sorry... I don’t mean to take it out on you. I’m tired,” she explained.

“Enjoy a nap. Felix and I shall enjoy a walk around the block.”

Chloe kissed him in apology. The moment Saul and Felix disappeared out the door she hurried for the bathroom.

Maybe the first test was a fluke.

It wasn’t. Like the first, the stick depicted a positive result.

The next week passed in a surreal haze, fueled by Chloe’s disbelief. What would she do, how would she tell her family, and most importantly, how could she break the news to Saul? On the final day of their visit to Houston, she and Marcy held each other tight at the airport security gate.

“If you ever need to come home, you always have a place to stay with me, Chloe. I mean it. No matter what,” the short-statured Latina told her fiercely with tears in her dark eyes. “Both of you.” Marcy wasn’t referring to Chloe and Felix.

“You better come visit for Christmas like you promised,” Chloe whispered back.

“Nothing could keep me away.” They hugged tightly again then Marcy even squeezed Saul around his broad shoulders. “Be good to her. Don’t give me any reason to come to California to kick your ass, buddy.”

“I would not consider myself worthy of Chloe if such a visit became necessary, Marceline. Travel safely.”

An uneventful flight delivered Saul, Chloe, and Felix to Los Angeles where Leiv retrieved them from the airport. As usual, her every wish seemed to be his and Saul’s command. He drove her to a Wendy’s for a Frosty and the greasy burgers she craved, allowing her to introduce Saul to the frozen chocolate decadence for the first time.

Still, things didn’t quite feel right, and it took a minute for her to figure out what the anomaly was. There was silence from the front seat.

Something must be wrong with Leiv. He’s never so quiet.

The odd, taciturn change of personality warred with her memories of the chatty bear shifter. He was polite as ever as he helped her from the car, but the sparkle was missing from his eyes. Reluctant to intrude, she left him alone and retreated to her bedroom with Felix’s carrier. Saul promised to join her after he checked in on the household affairs.

“This is home now, at least for a while,” Chloe murmured to the curious feline. If Saul allowed them to remain once she made her confession. It felt foolish to move blindly into his home, but the wistful, crazy-in-love part of her wanted to trust nothing would change.

“Go on now. Have fun, baby,” she coaxed the cat, urging him from the carrier. Felix scrambled across the polished floors and slid beneath the bed. He ran circles across the room and leapt into a window sill to peer outside into the golden afternoon.

By the time Saul arrived with her luggage and personal items, she had sprawled across the bed with Felix nestled beside her. He was bored of investigating his new digs but intrigued by the gold silk tassel on her pillow case.

“What’s wrong with Leiv?” Chloe asked. She absently teased Felix and giggled at his batting paws.

“Matters of the heart, Chloe. Mahasti is similarly pensive.”

“Looks like they took advantage of our absence.”

“Indeed,” he replied without elaboration.

Fine. I’ll have to ask Mahasti about it then, Chloe thought, brimming with curiosity that her boyfriend wouldn’t sate with information. Since her arrival, she and the djinn in Saul’s service had developed a girlish camaraderie.

After she abandoned the bed, Chloe crouched beside the luggage pieces brought up from the car. Part of her wanted to lounge away the afternoon to enjoy the comforts of bed, but a desire to behave like an adult drove her to get an early start on establishing her professional career in California. She wouldn’t settle for being his low-maintenance human pet, a rent-free occupant of the manor who happened to share his bed. For Chloe, it was more than a mere desire to pull her own weight — she had worked her entire adult life and couldn’t fathom staying at home.

“Mahasti will unpack for you.”

“I can empty my own things, and I’m not unpacking right this moment,” she replied. She returned to the bed with a slim leather case and removed her laptop. “How do I access the internet here?”

Saul rattled off a complicated password that Chloe asked him to repeat twice. Jeez. Dragons are all about security. How the hell does he have that memorized? The long string of special characters, numbers, and letters looked like gibberish to her.

“What has you typing so busily?”

“Working on my resume. I need to update it.”

“That is unnecessary,” he told her with a chuckle.

“I mean it, Saul. I didn’t come here to be a trophy wife like one of the gems in your vault. I want a job.”

“Don’t be silly, Chloe. You will work with Drakenstone Studios.”

“As what?”

“You are a paralegal with many years of experience. Arrangements will be made for a new supervisory position—”

“I will not.”

Saul paused to stare at her and raise an inquisitive blond brow. “You will not do what?”

“Accept some management position handed to me. Everyone will know why I’m there! I’ll be a laughingstock. The boss’s new girlfriend given a cushy desk job to sit on her ass and collect a salary.”

“Why would I pay you a salary?” Saul’s quizzical expression deserved a punch, if not for the unveiled sincerity on his features.

“Are you teasing me? Saul, the entire purpose of employment is to receive a paycheck.”

“No.” His brow furrowed. “Did I sound as though I were jesting?”

Chloe sighed and rubbed her fingers against her temple. “Saul, I need a job. Income.”

“My love, it is common among dragons to combine hoards once mated. What is mine shall also become yours. We are not humans to maintain separate bank accounts and financial means.”

The bottom of her belly seemed to drop to her feet. Chloe stared. “Combine... hoards? Saul, I don’t have a hoard. I haven’t brought anything.”

“You have given me you. That is sufficient.” He paused, seemed to consider something, and then thoughtfully added, “And you have brought Felix.”

The tears flooded from Chloe all at once. Saul, who remained completely oblivious to the inner turmoil surrounding her secret, merely hugged her close and pressed his lips against her brow.

“Saul, you’re too good to be true.”

“No, I am a dragon.”

Chapter 5

“There we go, all set up.” Chloe stood back with her hands on her hips and regarded their tent with satisfaction. After Saul’s cavalier declaration of combining their holdings, Chloe had come to a single conclusion.

He needed to know about the baby, and she wanted to treat him to one fantastic night before she broke the news to him. Before she jeopardized their relationship and risked losing his trust.

Saul rumbled a noise of disapproval. “Am I not an improvement over a sleeping bag?” Her mate towered above her in his draconic body, seated on his haunches beside the tent.

“You’re great to sleep on. But you don’t keep mosquitos away and they love to bite on me.”

“I never notice them.”

“You have dragon skin,” Chloe pointed out dryly. She tried to pinch his hide between her fingers. Contrary to popular fiction, dragons lacked scales, and had the exterior of a lizard like a chameleon or gecko. After a soak in Leiv’s big fishing pond, Saul’s flesh resembled velvet, but it was thick and impervious to most damage. She loved to stroke her fingers over his face and through the silky mane at the base of his feathers and around his throat.

A plume of smoke accompanied his irritable huff. “I cannot fit inside.”

“Not like this you can’t,” she laughed. “But you can’t enjoy my skimpy underwear in this form either.”

For a giant creature, Saul had impeccable reflexes. Out of his dragon skin and into his human body in the blink of an eye, he swept her close and dipped her back into an exaggerated kiss. The playful flirt received the intended response and lulled her into a relaxed state in his arms.

“Come inside with me.”

A day ago when they visited the local town for an impromptu shopping trip, Chloe had beseeched Leiv to drive past the local sporting goods store. The brand new pads and sleeping bags filling the snug space were part of the surprise. Chloe kicked off her shoes and stepped inside the family-sized tent with Saul right behind her. She had the advantage, able to ogle every magnificent inch of his body since the shift had already bared him for her pleasure.

“Zip it up behind you, please,” she called over a shoulder.

Chloe spread a blanket over the sleeping bags and crouched down to power on the mp3 player. Smooth orchestral music whispered from the speakers once she set them to a low volume for ambience. “C’mon. Sit down in front of me. No, with your back to me.”

Saul’s bewildered expression was priceless. “Is this a new position? How will I—?”

“No, silly.” She failed to hold her giggles at bay. “This isn’t for sex. I’m going to give you a massage,” she explained once the obedient dragon lowered himself to sit in front of her.

“Why?”

Chloe bit her lower lip, divided between confessing her selfish motivations and keeping him completely in the dark. Uncertainty filled her almost at once, doubting whether Marcy’s idea to put him in the best possible mood would help. “To relax you.”

Saul looked back over his shoulder with a smug grin. “I know exactly what will make me relax.”

She rolled her eyes and pushed on his cheek to make him face forward again. “Trust me on this. Breathe in a deep breath and slowly let it out. If you really hate it, I’ll stop.”

As if he sensed the longing in her voice, Saul silenced his complaints and became still as a marble-carved statue. Her own personal David, but warm and alive beneath her hands. With a backpack of goodies within reach, she dragged it closer and unsnapped it with a hand.

I hope dragons aren’t allergic to anything, she thought. She uncapped a small, navy blue bottle and poured fragrant oil into her hands.

“What is that?”

Chloe nervously bit her lower lip again. At this rate, she’d die of an anxiety attack long before she had the child. “Something I hope you like,” she whispered.

“The smell is pleasant. Did you bring mint tea?”

“Not tea. Something even better.” I hope.

A surge of confidence overtook Chloe as she drizzled the oil onto one cupped palm and warmed it between her hands. After smoothing her fingers across his broad shoulders, she kneaded a path down his back with alternating pressure until the tension in his spine released. She swept his hair aside and brushed her lips against his nape. Saul purred as loudly as Felix, and the mental comparison made her giggle despite her best efforts otherwise.

Chloe stole a peek over Saul’s left shoulder to see his sexual interests hadn’t waned. His big cock stood tall in arousal, the very sight of it encouraging her body to match his reaction. Her core clenched and her dampening panties became an uncomfortable hindrance. She wanted him and had become practically insatiable when it came to satisfying her recent lusts.

Swallowing, she settled again with her bottom against her heels and slipped her hands down his sides until every drop vanished into his skin. Her dragon became like putty in her hands, a low groan escaping his half-parted lips. Another lean to the side revealed his serene features in profile, a man at complete peace who easily lay down once she moved from his path and coaxed him back against the blanket.

Chloe knelt alongside her lover to skim her fingers over his muscular chest, kneading his pectoral muscles, glossing him with scented oil, and anticipating him more with each breath.

“You’re gorgeous,” she finally murmured.

“Hm?” Saul finally opened his eyes to gaze at her.

“How are you so beautiful inside and out?”

“Dragons are superior in every way.” His warm grin and sparkling eyes eased the offense from his arrogant reply

With her willpower exhausted, Chloe climbed to her feet and pulled her shirt over her head. Saul caught the hint and sat up quickly to help. “I’ve become fond of your human ways to make love,” he admitted.

Saul unsnapped her jeans and yanked them down her thighs to discover a scant blue thong. His appreciative, rumbled growl sent her heart into excited palpitations. Thank goodness he loved her choice, as evidenced by the twitch that flexed his erection and the hunger in his eyes. During her last night in Texas, Marcy had swept her away on an all-evening girl-hunt for sexy attire, leading to a substantial increase in Chloe’s lingerie collection. Every night with Saul would become a surprise if her secret didn’t drive a wedge between them.

“Well?” she whispered.

Saul responded by shoving his face against her panties. He flicked his tongue against her freshly waxed mound through the delicate lace pattern while his strong fingers kneaded her bare ass cheeks, delivering his own massage.

“This color suits you,” he mumbled against the lace, following up with another flat press of his tongue. “A shame it must come off.”

“Watch and learn,” Chloe whispered. “The great thing about thongs is they can be shifted aside.”

The tiny triangle bunched up easily when Chloe pulled it to one side, and with Saul’s help, she sank upon his cock to receive the satisfying stretch she craved. Chloe shuddered once he reached full hilt then leaned forward to rest both hands over his oiled chest.

“You are the beautiful one, Chloe. You.”

She started slow with a roll of her hips that made Saul’s eyes glaze over. If this was to possibly be their last night together, she wanted it to last. To savor every moment. She watched anticipation tense his muscles and felt the twitch of his cock inside her. Every rise of her hips was one stroke closer to orgasm. He held her hips and directed her with care, groaning at times as his balls slapped against her ass.

And then she slowed and lay against him, touching tender kisses on his lips. She loved him. If there had ever been any doubt in her mind, she knew it now. She loved him for sharing his life and the secret of his draconic nature with her. For giving her a second chance. For nurturing her ills and befriending her closest lifelong pal.

The first hot tear slipped down her cheek and splashed against Saul’s bearded face. Her surprised dragon raised a hand and dried the wet trail with a wipe of his thumb over her skin.

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” Chloe lied. The knife stabbed her in the heart again, as if punishing her for the falsehood. “I’m just... so happy to be with you.”

Saul rolled, tucking her body in beneath his. “I cherish you, Chloe. You know this, right?” A slow backstroke withdrew his dick until only the sensitive crown remained, and then he drove forward again until their bodies met in a solid union. She shifted beneath him, threw her head back to expose her throat and groaned.

“Show me how much.”

Whether it was the beast in him or the man, Saul took her words as a challenge. Her lover learned quickly and knew exactly where to touch to make Chloe tremble or sigh.  He nipped her ear in a playful bite that sent electric zings down her spine and gripped her thigh, drawing her leg up towards her chest.

The eucalyptus and mint oil tingled, transferred from his body to her skin. “Faster, Saul.”

Their bodies slapped together, the frenetic pace sped, and Saul didn’t dare to stop fucking her until her pussy squeezed his cock and shuddered with the arrival of orgasm. Chloe came hard. Every spasm was a delicious tremble around his dick, and through it all, he never slowed. Saul reaffirmed his place as her unstoppable and never tiring dragon lover while her snatch massaged him to the very end, coaxing him to join her in orgasm.

And somehow he denied the greedy spasms around his cock. It wasn’t just sex, it was an adrenaline-fueled claiming, as if some subconscious instinct drove him to assert his dominance again. Renew the act that made her his girl and his mate.

Another orgasm ignited the next series of contractions around Saul’s dick. She buried her fingers against his broad shoulders and wildly clung as the world spun. Chloe was soaking wet long before he spent his seed.

“My Chloe,” he rumbled against her jaw. “Mine.”

“Fuck, I love you,” she rasped on a heaving breath.

“Me or my cock?” he teased on a shallow backstroke.

Chloe arched beneath him and raised her hips, burying her toes against the blankets. The resulting grind of their bodies stimulated her clit and initiated another hard clench. “Both... I love it when you talk to me that way, too.” Saul had taken her occasional teases seriously regarding his use of the word ‘manhood’ and obliterated it from his vocabulary.

“There is definitely something to be admired in human slang,” he agreed.

“Now how am I supposed to get clean? You made a mess of me.” As if I could even move on my own after this.

“How do you think humans washed before the invention of the bathtub?” Saul asked? Clever as usual, he carried her outside to the cool stream that snaked through his property.

“When the sun sets I will hunt a proper meal,” he said as he waded into the water.

“Okay. God, I can’t believe how clean the water runs here. It must be an advantage of living so far away from the city I guess.”

Once they lounged against the edge of the stream, her head against the grassy edge, Chloe had no desires beyond a glass of wine and a picnic basket. She tilted her head back to gaze at the colorful sky fast on its approach toward twilight.

“Would you like me to wash you?”

“Mm. I’ll be fine. Go do your manly thing. Hunt. I want to lay here and enjoy the water.” Chloe shooed him with her hands and splashed cold stream water at the approaching man. Chuckling first, he leaned close to kiss her brow then rose from his seat beside her to leave the narrow stream. Once he reached a safe distance from their tent and supplies, he transformed into a powerful beast, spread his wings, and took to the sky.

She didn’t know what came over her. Luckily, the sobbing began moments after Saul’s great wings carried him away, otherwise she would have never peeled him from her side to capture their dinner.

I don’t want to end this because of Freddy. Because I was stupid again.

Chloe dried off inside the tent and sprawled on the floor to rest. The realization of possibly losing her dragon haunted her the whole while that she lay beneath the eucalyptus mint scented blanket until, eventually, exhaustion claimed her completely. She fell asleep wishing her baby would have Saul’s golden eyes.

***

For the second time in their relationship, Chloe awakened to a succulent aroma wafting through the mosquito net of their tent. She crawled from beneath the quilted blanket and unzipped the flap to look outside.

In his dragon form, Saul tended the campfire fire by exhaling brief bursts of a fiery steam from his open mouth. The unfortunate goat skewered on a branch had been seared golden on all sides.

Animal welfare would be all over him for this, Chloe mused. At least his livestock were fat and healthy animals, free to roam hundreds of acres of pasture before becoming a meal fit for a dragon’s consumption.

“Ah. You have awakened at last. Good eve, my love. How did you rest?” he inquired.

“Great,” she replied with a big smile. She forced it for his sake and moved toward him. When she tilted her face up for a kiss, the dragon lowered his head to touch their noses. “Do you need any help?”

“Sit. Let me tend to you now.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever had meat cooked like this before.”

His shift from mythical beast to man happened in a blink and like every time before it, Chloe was fascinated. Without a wince, Saul took the roasted meat in his bare hands and pulled it apart.

“Did your mother not cook for you?” He set a leg down on Chloe’s paper plate.

“My mother wasn’t much of a mother,” she confessed to him quietly. “We stopped speaking a long time ago. She was...” Chloe searched for a word. “Toxic.”

Saul raised both brows.

“My mother wasn’t a nice person. She was manipulative and self-centered to the end and not really a great person to be around. I moved out when I was old enough to get away from her and lived with my dad until it was time to go to college. She’s gone now.” Her mother had coked herself into an early death years ago.

“You deserved better,” he murmured, gaze distant. “I miss my own mother greatly, but I meant what I said. She would approve of you, Chloe. It was from her that I learned to treat humans with respect and dignity. To hold you on the same level as our own kind.”

For a while, she ate ravenously, providing little input to the conversation. Saul had clearly eaten to satiety while hunting, as he sat beside her with a smaller portion of food than usual.

“Is she very different from most other dragons?” Chloe finally asked around a mouthful of meat. Even without spices the goat tasted succulent.

“Very. In the middle ages, war between our species became quite common. My father told me stories when I was a young pup of the days when knights would challenge him from horseback. My mother is different. She counseled great men and diffused wars while my father... sated his baser appetites.”

Chloe wiped down her hands on a towel and reached for a bottle of water to wash down the meal. Practice and patience improved Saul’s fireside cooking from their first dinner together.

“Have you ever eaten a person?”

A wolfish grin spread over his handsome features, revealing every white tooth. “Occasionally, I have indulged in a particularly cruel mortal to whet my appetite.”

Chloe shivered. “I don’t know if that’s hot or terrifying.”

“Hot only if I decide to use my dragon’s breath first.”

She glowered at him. With a full belly, she eventually sprawled amidst the grass on her side. The dancing flames mesmerized her but ultimately failed to distract from the worries festering in her heart.

I have to tell him soon.

“Chloe, will you tell me what weighs on your mind? You have been off in your own thoughts these past few days.”

Leave it to a dragon to notice what most men would ignore. “Actually, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you. I’ve just been trying to decide how.”

“You may always speak with me, my love. Nothing you could say would upset me.”

God, I hope that’s true. “I’m pregnant, Saul.”

Chloe wiped her face again and struggled to control her breathing. The air tore in and out of her lungs, and fear seemed to compress her chest with every heartbeat. Her frantic pulse filled her ears with pounding bass.

“Pregnant?” he repeated. “But I... How did this happen?”

Chloe didn’t insult his intelligence by leaping into an explanation about the birds and the bees. Sniffling, and also very aware that he didn’t move closer to comfort her, she looked away toward the fire. “After we met at the mountain, I went back home and hooked up with my ex. It was stupid. We didn’t finish but—”

“It was enough,” Saul interrupted.

“Yes.” Chloe drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She hid her face against the blanket. “I’m sorry.”

“How long have you known of this and kept it from me?”

“Two weeks,” she replied without raising her head.

Saul remained still and quiet beside her, his silence as damning as the thoughts in her head.

“I’ll leave tomorrow. I just... wanted one last night with you.” The pain became an unyielding band around her ribs. Her lungs hurt again, and her throat felt too tight to comfortably swallow back the bad taste in her mouth. She couldn’t breathe.

“Do you love him?” Saul finally asked.

“No. God, no.” Freddy had become everything she hated in a man. Cocky, emotionally abusive, and arrogant. Her self-serving ex would have never set aside his own ambitions for a child. “I never want to see him again.”

“Then do not leave.”

Don’t leave? Chloe raised her head. Saul’s distorted shape shimmered in her vision. She rubbed her eyes as he moved closer and lowered one arm behind her shoulders.

“Stay with me.”

“Why? Do you mean it? Stay?”

“I will not force you to remain by my side, Chloe, if I am no longer wanted. I may not like your choice, but I will respect it.”

“The baby?”

“We will raise it together, of course.”

The weight lifted from Chloe’s chest. For the first time since her admission, she could breathe again. “You’d really do that?”

“Did you expect otherwise?” He cupped her cheek in his palm. “Could you truly expect anything else of me after I have brought you into my home and my life? You are my mate, Chloe. My treasured mate. Nothing short of my own death or your rejection will ever chase me away.”

“I thought you wouldn’t... wouldn’t want another man’s child in your home.” She gasped in another full breath once the shaking stopped. She’d had the worst thoughts about him, jumped to horrible conclusions, and she couldn’t bear to voice a single one out loud. “And... I’ve seen how men can treat children that aren’t theirs.”

“Ah... I see. I may be a dragon, but I am no beast to cause you or a little one harm, Chloe.” Males of certain species tended to kill the offspring of a chosen mate in order to place her into a heat cycle again. A morbid part of Chloe wondered if it was true of dragons, and if Saul was the exception.

“I shouldn’t have thought...”

“My only regret is that I failed to observe your troubles. I could have spared you this pain.” Saul dragged his fingers through her blonde hair. The touch brought her comfort and eased the inner turmoil bubbling in her gut.

“I love you, Saul. I was so afraid. So afraid you’d be furious with me. I love you so much and I couldn’t tell you because I thought... I thought you wouldn’t believe me if you knew.”

“I know,” Saul replied. He pulled Chloe onto his lap and kissed her brow. Within moments, her dragon’s loving embrace soothed her spirit, a balm following the two cruel weeks. “No. To be honest, I always expected we would one day adopt a human child to call our own when the natural inclination of motherhood came upon you. If it ever did. I know some women have no such aspirations.”

“You’re too good to be true. Do you mean it?”

“How could I not love a child of your blood, Chloe?”

Part of her waited to awaken from her dream. Speechless, Chloe pulled him down for a kiss. The only thing that could improve her life was the one thing she could never have.

I wish this baby was his.

Chapter 6

Chloe always screamed whenever Saul came down for a swift landing. With his majestic wings spread, an effortless glide carried them across the green pastures. The wind whipped her hair into a tangled mess but she didn’t care, not when she was filled with so much joy.

“Hahaha.”

“You did that on purpose!” she accused.

“So I did,” Saul agreed. His hearty chuckle warmed her as much as the radiant summer sun. That morning, they had awakened to the chirping of the birds. Saul hunted a pair of rabbits for their breakfast and they reminisced over the memory of her MREs.

The fear of being cast aside into the real world, a world without Saul, became a thing of the past. Naturally, the next big decision regarded whether or not she would share the news with Freddy, or leave him forever in the dark.

“Hey. You didn’t go and do something silly like buy me a car, did you?” Chloe perked up at the site of an ivory and gold Rolls Royce occupying the circular end of the drive.

“I most certainly did not.”

Chloe dismounted from his back and walked to the front door. Her naked mate joined her a second later in his human body. “Are you planning to greet your visitor with a salute?” She glanced down at his semi-erection.

“Anyone bold enough to visit my home without invitation has seen it before,” he replied. “And I know who has come to visit me.”

“Point.” Saul’s estate was so remote that she couldn’t imagine any normal person paying him a visit. According to Saul, only certain members of the production company knew his secret.

“You have a guest in the parlor,” Leiv informed them at the door. His disapproving grimace made Chloe shrink back a step behind Saul until she remembered Leiv was as gentle as a kitten.

“I am aware, but thank you, Leiv. I would like to take Chloe out for dinner in town tonight. You and Mahasti as well.”

The grimace was replaced with a surprised blink. “You want to take both of us to dinner with you?”

“You are beloved members of my household. Of course I would enjoy your company over dinner.”

“Thank you.” Leiv opened his mouth to speak again, but he promptly shut it and stepped away, appearing to carry something heavy on his thoughts.

Saul grinned and tugged Chloe by her hand, pulling her with him through the house.

“Dinner?”

“Yes. A night out with our companions. Is that acceptable?”

Hugging his arm, everything in her world seemed right. “I’d really like th—”

“Saul, darling, there you are.” A lyrical voice interrupted Chloe, its sensual tone as seductive as a 40s era lounge singer. Heels clicked against the floor in a staccato beat as a female stranger crossed the room. The woman greeted Saul with a kiss that belonged behind closed doors, even threading her fingers through his golden hair.

Chloe stood to the side, arms crossed and stomach twisting. Maybe kissing is normal for dragons? The French kiss cheeks, right? Except the French usually weren’t naked. Somehow, Chloe resisted the urge to draw the attention to herself by clearing her throat.

Saul broke from the embrace and stepped back, appearing genuinely shocked. It was a plus in his favor and relief to Chloe that he never returned the sensual gesture. “Chloe, this is Brigid. Another dragon.” He cleared his throat, fell back until he reached Chloe’s side, and possessively curved his arm around her shoulders. “Brigid, Chloe is my mate.”

Brigid, Chloe repeated the name to herself. In her black, overpriced heels, Brigid towered above Chloe. She wore an ebony crocodile skin purse upon her arm, a perfect match to her slim fitting pants suit.

“Do not tease me so, darling.” Brigid tossed her sleek red hair over her shoulder, looked Chloe over, and then promptly dismissed her. “Is humor your new tactic in our courtship?”

“Our courtship ended five years ago, Brigid.” Saul’s attention flicked from Brigid to Chloe, as if assessing her reaction to the events. “We will speak of this privately at another time. Perhaps for now, it is better if you return to your home.”

“Home?” Brigid’s voice raised to a sharp pitch and indignant color spread across her cheeks. “How dare you send me away like some lowly human trollop. We had an arrangement, Saul. Your father and mine promised us to one another. I waited for you.”

“Your behavior during our last meeting implied otherwise,” Saul stated evenly. His golden eyes practically flashed with anger. “I made an offer, you refused. There is nothing further between us worthy of conversation at this moment, so I must ask you to leave my home at once.”

Chloe rubbed her sweaty palms against her jeans. She felt plain in Brigid’s presence; a frumpy and pregnant mortal.

“I smell a bastard whelp inside of her. Has my absence made such a desperate dragon of you that you’ll accept a human plaything that comes to you harboring spawn? Don’t make me laugh.”

“Bastard? Fuck you,” Chloe spit back at the dragon. The words tore out of her before she could bite her tongue then Saul’s grip tightened. “Who the hell do you think you are, coming in here and insulting my baby and my mate?”

Brigid’s brown eyes flashed molten red, as vivid as fire beneath the generous sunlight spilling through the windows. In a step, she placed herself in Chloe’s face and snarled.

Saul’s reflexes nearly threw Chloe off balance as he pushed her behind him.

“You will leave. Now,” Saul growled in a low voice. The mirrored surface of a display cabinet revealed his hardened features, the warmth gone from his golden eyes and replaced with deadly intent. Saul was both glorious and terrifying, poised before her like a Roman gladiator preparing to battle a lion. Under better circumstances, Chloe would have appreciated his flexed muscles, but imminent danger promptly made her cower behind him.

The dragoness straightened and promptly composed herself. The furious color leached from her naturally ivory skin. Flawless might be an understatement, as she had the polished look of a model who spent hours before a makeup artist.  “My father will be notified of your refusal.”

“Excellent. Tell Maximilian I humbly await his correspondence.” Saul angled his body to remain between Chloe and Brigid when the latter passed by on her way to the door.

“You have not heard the last of this.” Brigid seethed. “Keep an eye on your pet. It would be such a shame if anything were to happen to her.”

The woman moved fast in her heels. She strode out of the home without a backward glance or even a thankful utterance to Leiv, who held the door open for her.

Saul turned to face her immediately. “Chloe, forgive me, I was never told to expect Brigid’s arrival.”

Chloe nervously bit her lip and glanced toward the door, where Leiv stood with an apologetic expression on his handsome face. He bowed and hurried away, too eager to be away from the room. “You never told me you have a mate.”

“Promised one. Not a mate. Brigid has had a century to accept my claim to her. Over a hundred years to accept that our parents intended a mutually beneficial arrangement between our families. Even among dragons that is no small drop of time.”

“Why would she show her face now?”

Saul quieted. Time alongside her newfound mate had given her the uncanny ability to judge and read his changes in mood. Silence could only mean one thing.

“Were you looking for her when you met me?”

“I was,” he admitted.

“Oh.” He was looking for his dragon lady and stumbled across me. He settled for less than he wanted.

“Chloe, you wear your worry on your face, but most of all, I sense it here,” he told her, placing his hand directly above her heart.

“She’s just so... so...” She struggled to release her self-esteem issues.

“Beautiful and vain,” Saul finished. He closed his arms around her and kissed the top of her blonde head. “Brigid was my father’s choice. She is capricious. Selfish.”

“Sounds like a dragon,” Chloe said as she attempted to smile for his sake.

Saul chuckled. The smile upon his face seemed fragile, fatigued by the brief exchange with Brigid. “Perhaps some. When I came of age, I sought her out to fulfill my part of my family’s bargain and she rebuffed my advances. For one hundred years.”

“Do you... mean it... that you would prefer our relationship over someone of your own species? I don’t mean to...” Chloe gulped in a lungful of air. A quick wipe of her palm dried away the fresh tears on her face. “To question you over and over about it. But she seems to want you now, and she can give you things I can’t.” A child of his own, she thought.

“Yes, I did seek her when I awakened, in hopes of discovering her feelings for me had changed. Meeting you has altered that course, Chloe. I do not want her, and I am quite satisfied with how circumstance has entwined our lives. I will change nothing about this, nor would I change it for anything.”

“You chased her for a century, Saul.”

“I did, and had I not sought her out one final time, I never would have found you, Chloe. You.”

Chloe opened her mouth to protest, but then a subtle ringing noise escaped her pocket. “It’s my dad.”

Lifting the slim cellular device to her ear, she accepted the call and forced some cheer into her voice. “Hey, Daddy.”

“Hey to you, too, sweetie. I wanted to see if you’d changed your mind about the barbeque tomorrow.”

“Actually, I’m in California visiting my boyfriend. Remember?”

“Bring him along then.”

Chloe glanced over at Saul. “Maybe next time.”

“I can fly you out if money’s the issue and it’s too far a drive,” her father offered.

“No, Dad, don’t do that.”

“Southwest has a good deal right now. A pair of tickets won’t cost much.”

“It’s not about money, Dad. I didn’t think I’d come out this ti—”

Saul plucked the phone from Chloe’s hands. “Mister Ellis, I presume?” Swinging one hand out, she tried to swipe the mobile phone back from Saul. She failed when he pivoted on a foot to avoid her, placed a hand atop her head, and held her away at arm’s length. “It is my deep and profound pleasure to at last make your acquaintance. Chloe and I shall drive to your familial reunion post haste. Expect our arrival by the morrow.”

“Saul,” she gritted out between her teeth.

“I look forward to introductions as well. Good afternoon, Mister Ellis.”

“You big jerk! Why did you do that?” Chloe demanded.

Saul dropped her phone into her open palm, apparently oblivious to her angry words. “A road trip! This is very exciting. Are you not anxious to begin our adventure? I certainly am.” Without another word or even an apology, Saul strode from the room as if they were preparing for an epic quest. She sighed and dropped her brow into one palm.

Too bad pregnancy meant booze was off the table.

Chapter 7

Mahasti packed their bags while Leiv prepared the car. Chloe and Saul arrived in the garage in time to find him standing mournfully beside the spotless vehicle, as if he had been denied his one true joy. Chuckling gently, Chloe slid into the driver’s seat and accepted the keys from the distraught man.

“Are you certain you do not require a driver?”

“Chloe is quite capable behind the wheel,” Saul cheerfully replied. “Enjoy your time alone with Mahasti. Please.”

Chloe adjusted the rearview mirror as she drove away. Mahasti had leaned against the side of her bear shifter lover as if to console him. “Christ. You’d think that we stole his baby from him.”

“He often feels that he does not do enough for the estate.”

“What? If he did anything more for you, he’d be sleeping with me at night, too,” Chloe muttered.

Saul snorted to conceal his amusement. The thought must have crossed his mind at some point. Grinning, Chloe glanced over to appraise her boyfriend. He didn’t know the first thing about selecting human clothing, but she and Mahasti had put him together well. An unbuttoned, maroon shirt revealed a grey t-shirt beneath it, worn over his dark jeans. For the first time since she’d first met him in the cave, he’d pulled his hair back. It suited him, even if she did long to run her fingers through his golden strands.

Saul made good company during the ride. He teased and sated her curiosity about his earliest attempts to masquerade as a human, and inevitably queried her about the human race in hopes of perfecting his act.

“You should know everything there is to know about us by now, Saul. Aren’t you over four hundred years old?”

“The opportunity to learn is ever present, Chloe. Anyone who claims to possess all knowledge proves they are only a fool.”

“It’s so hot when you look at me that way.” God, she loved his cocky, uneven grin and the way one corner of his mouth raised a little higher than the other.

While Saul remained awake for most drives and even their flight, he slept hard as a baby most of the drive to Vegas and only awakened when Chloe sped off the main road for a stop at a restaurant her father introduced to her during her most recent visit over the holidays.

“What? Where are we? Is this Las Vegas?” he asked blearily.

“Even better. It’s El Rey Burger.”

The Mexican-influenced diner, a sinful delight that featured deliciously tall hamburgers, held local renown for its special salsa and condiments. She stretched her legs and graciously took the chance to fill her belly.

I wonder if as many other couples bond over food the way we do? He’d be a thousand pounds if he wasn’t a dragon, Chloe thought while snickering into her drink.

“Will you not tell your father we have arrived safely?” Saul inquired. He studied the ridiculously tall burger and took a large bite, a pleased expression surfacing over his rugged features a moment later. The chimichanga burger received the dragon seal of approval.

“No, he’ll only demand for us to come over and see him right now, and it’s kind of late. Besides, after that drive, I feel like shit.”

Saul immediately became apologetic. “I should have allowed Mahasti to bring us, or even let Leiv drive.”

“No,” Chloe insisted. “Being pregnant doesn’t mean I’m a delicate flower to be tended, Saul. I just need a li’l time to adapt.” She grinned at him.

Saul’s dramatic sigh brought a big smile to her face. She’d won the verbal match without a struggle. “You’re correct,” he agreed.

At the conclusion of their meal, Chloe treated Saul to a romantic walk down the Las Vegas strip. They held hands and occasionally kissed beneath the glittering lights. Exploring the city with her mate was like a dream, too surreal to be true. Was it possible to fall so completely in love with a man who had been a stranger to her no more than three months ago? The old Chloe of a year past would have said no, but every time he turned his ochre eyes toward her, she tingled all of the way to the bottom of her toes.

I deserve this. I deserve to be happy with a man who treats me as an equal instead of a servant. I deserve every single second of happiness with him, she realized. The niggling thought had been at the back of her mind all along, but it wasn’t until she gazed up at him, and saw his features all aglow with the light from the casino, that the vast reality set in. Saul belonged to her as much as she belonged to him.

Saul had told her that she’d never have to see Freddy again. The decision to reveal her pregnancy to him would remain hers and hers alone, but it was too early to make such a lasting decision without pondering the probable consequences.

She shivered.

“Are you cold?” Saul asked. Their joined hands disconnected in favor of Saul sliding his arm around her shoulders. He brought her close and smiled down at her. One smile melted her knees and turned them to jelly.

“No. No, I’m fine,” she assured him. “Let’s turn and walk back to our hotel. I think I’m ready for bed now.”

“As you wish.” Saul extended his arm to her, ever the classic gentleman, and together they returned to retrieve their vehicle from the diner and check into their hotel. She leaned against him during the elevator ride up and placed her ear against his chest. As a dragon, his slower heart rhythm continued in his human form, strong but powerful beneath his muscular chest.

“I love you,” Chloe whispered.

“You are the air I breathe,” Saul replied.

His words struck her as genuine, and yet the hilarity made her giggle against his shirt collar. “We sound like a terrible romantic comedy.”

Saul chuckled. “I may or may not have borrowed the line.”

Chloe parted from him and stepped from the elevator. “It’s the thought that counts. C’mon. Let’s see what fancy room your money got us at this place.”

Sometimes when she looked at her rugged, nature-loving boyfriend, she forgot that he was accustomed to lavish accommodations. His choice of lodging reflected his expensive preferences and tendency to spend great sums of money on a whim. Their suite at the Venetian was the most opulent hotel room Chloe had ever seen. She walked into the room and stared.

“It’s as big as Marcy’s apartment,” she marveled. The king-sized bed lured her over, fluffy pillows and memory foam cradling her travel-weary body. She tried not think about the large collection of relatives, or that her many single cousins would descend like a cloud of piranha the moment Saul stepped into view.

By the next afternoon, Chloe had developed full-blown doubts about introducing her boyfriend to the family.

“Are you really going to be able to pretend to be human?”

“Did I not convince Marceline?”

Chloe tightened her fingers around the steering wheel and stared through the windshield. The car remained in park while she babbled out her worries to her new mate, airing out every niggling concern that surfaced in her mind.

“You did,” she agreed lightly. “But Dad is different.” Her heart thrummed in her chest, a frightened hummingbird desperate to escape. She tried to take in slow, even breaths, but the rising hysteria wouldn’t allow it.

“Do you fear that I will embarrass you?”

“No!” she blurted out.

“Do you believe your father will hate me?”

“He’s hated everyone I’ve ever dated before.” Especially Malcolm. He hated him on sight and I should have listened to him. And I don’t even want to remember the things he said about Freddy after meeting him. Dad shouldn’t know so many swear words.

“You have dated many dicks before me, but I am a dragon and thus perfect,” Saul said, his placid tone an odd contrast to his choice of words.

Chloe stared at him. Waiting for her reaction, he stared back.

“Am I wrong?”

She wanted to slug him, and she wanted to kiss him. Choosing the latter option, Chloe unfastened her seatbelt and flung herself at him in the passenger seat. “Thank you for coming. You’re right. I’m overreacting.”

Saul circled his palm over her back and held her, a tender embrace that eased her panic attack and returned Chloe to a rational state. Once she programmed Sunset Park into the vehicle’s GPS, she cruised Vegas’ streets until she reached their destination and pulled the car into an empty space. The renewed tension in her frame and clenched jaw prompted Saul to touch a hand to her cheek.

“Will you be okay?” he asked.

“Fine. I kind of want to punch you in the nose sometimes for remaining so calm all the time, but I’m glad we’re here now. I miss Dad.”

“Do you normally avoid your family functions?”

“No. Only when I’m pregnant and dating man-eating beasts,” she replied.

“I have not eaten a human in years,” Saul insisted.

“Try to refrain from it this afternoon, even if my cousin Jimmy bothers the hell out of you.”

Her reservations all faded into obscurity the moment Chloe spotted her father at the grill. He gripped a cane in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other, and she might have successfully crossed the park grounds unseen if her Aunt Susie hadn’t blown her cover.

“Chloe! Sam, Sam, look, she made it after all!” Her father turned to greet her, prompted by the energetic wave from her aunt.

“Chloe!”

“Daddy, I missed you!” Chloe ran to her father and threw her arms around his neck.

Saul caught up to her as the embrace ended, arriving just in time to fall under her father’s scrutiny.

“Daddy, this is Saul.”

“I am honored to meet you, Mr. Ellis.” Saul shook her father’s hand.

“Call me Sam. It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Saul. Thanks for convincing Chloe to attend the reunion. This would have been the third that she’s missed in four years.”

Saul glanced at her and raised one skeptical blond brow. “Her tenaciousness will not allow her to admit that she would have mourned the missed opportunity this time.”

“You know her well.”

“Dad.”

Sam ignored her in favor of waving a hand toward the nearest picnic table. “Come on now. If you’re going to stick around for a while in Chloe’s life, I may as well get to know you.”

“Just like that?” Chloe had expected resistance, or at least a varying degree of the cold shoulder. From the moment her dad first came in contact with Freddy, the two loathed each other. She should have taken that as the first clue to dump him and never look back.

“Yeah. You can go.”

“Huh?” Chloe asked.

“You can go,” Sam repeated, dismissing her. “How can I talk to the young man if you’re going to hover?”

Saul provided no help whatsoever. Instead, he grinned and shooed until she gravitated toward the drink station where an enormous barrel-shaped ice cooler held her Aunt Judy’s special cherry limeade.

The feeding frenzy began as anticipated once Saul and Chloe separated. While she allowed him the chance to bond with her father, curious gazes fastened on Saul and observed his every step. One of her cousins approached with a pie under the guise of offering slices to her dad and the new arrival.

“Chloe! You made it!”

Chloe spun on her heels to face the fast approaching woman. Her father’s new girlfriend drew her into an enthusiastic embrace. “Hi, Annette. Nice to finally meet you in person after all of these Skype calls.”

“Sam was worried you wouldn’t come after all.” The woman was only a handful of years older than Chloe herself, yet genuinely attracted to her dad. If not for Annette’s loyalty, Chloe would have had to take off work to help him recuperate from his hip replacement. “I’m so glad that you changed your mind,” Annette said.

“Saul wouldn’t let me back out of it this year.” Chloe laughed and stole a glance toward the barbecue pit. The two men sat opposite one another, each holding a cold bottle of beer. If she strained to listen, a hint of Saul’s hearty belly laugh reached her ears despite the distance.

“Good man there,” Annette answered. She nudged her sunglasses to the top of her head, revealing one blue and one brown eye. “Come sit with me. I’ve been waiting weeks to get to meet Sam’s daughter, and you’re finally here.”

“Weeks to meet me?”

“I’ve heard so much about you from Sam that I feel as if I already know you,” Annette admitted.

They settled at a table away from the rest of the boisterous group. Giggling children played and frolicked while a game of soccer traveled up and down the green field. It turned out that Annette had anticipated Chloe’s disdain due to her and Sam’s differing ages.

So they chatted and became reacquainted beyond a first name basis. Annette owned the small bakery across from Sam’s favorite diner, where he took supper every evening alone.

“You both sound like a romance novel,” Chloe commented, laughing.

“I guess we do. I don’t know what made me do it, but he looked so sad sitting there that I had to take him a pie.” Annette craned her neck, keeping Saul and Sam within her sight. “They seem to be getting along well. So, how’d you meet him?”

“In a cave, of all places.”

While talking love, romance, and men, Chloe and Annette shared the remainder of a pecan pie left on the picnic table.

“Your dad won’t ever admit it, but he’s been worried about you. Misses you.” Annette smiled and refilled both of their glasses. She stole another look at Chloe’s father, allowing her pensive expression to linger a few seconds longer.

I’ve been away too long. “Now that I’m moving to Los Angeles, I’ll be closer for visits at least. It wasn’t so bad a drive, even if Saul slept the last half of the trip.” The memory of his serene features coaxed a smile to Chloe’s face.

Annette’s brows furrowed above her mismatched eyes. “Are you sure about this whole moving thing? I mean, it all seems so fast. Do you know enough about him?”

“Saul? He’s amazing, Annette. Honest. I wouldn’t have brought him to meet you guys if he wasn’t 100% better than Freddy. I know Dad’s probably talked your ear off about him.”

“Sam had a lot of things to say about your boyfriends, but I told him it wasn’t up to him to judge. To, you know, give this new guy a fair chance. Not that he’ll listen to me either way.” Despite her words, Annette appeared unconvinced, and her eyes returned to the two conversing men. “So tell me about him then. Is he a model?” she asked.

She’s barely any older than I am and she’s giving me the third degree about my boyfriend? What the hell is this? Chloe opened her mouth to blurt a rude retort, but the words died on her tongue.

Her own mother wouldn’t have given a damn, and for just one second, it was nice that someone did. According to her father, Annette was as loving and kind as they came.

“No, why?” Cautious, Chloe feigned ignorance.  She sipped her lemonade and stole a glance at Saul and her father. They appeared to get along without her present. Every time she checked on them, one or both of the guys were laughing.

“He’s drop-dead gorgeous, that’s why,” her cousin Sarah spoke up in passing. “No wonder you weren’t going to show up. If I had a man that hot I wouldn’t trust him around you bitches either.”

Chloe choked on her drink. “That has nothing to do with it.”

“Hey Chloe, want a beer?”

Shit. “Nah, I’m good. I’ve been pretty dehydrated lately so right now this lemonade is like ambrosia.” If I tell Uncle Dan before Dad, he’ll never let me forget it, she thought. Her uncle was the family’s gossip. If a secret touched his ears, he was bound to share it to any relative willing to listen. If none were available, he phoned them.

“So what does this mystery man do besides charm everyone with his toothpaste commercial smile?” Annette asked. Her warm smile put Chloe at ease until Sarah’s rabid interest placed her right beside them.

“I know this is practically hurling chum into the water, but he’s the CEO of a movie studio in LA,” Chloe said dryly. “He inherited it from his grandfather or something.” She waved her hand and feigned boredom with the discussion.

“Tell me you’re joking,” Sarah said.

“Nope.”

“Does he have a brother?”

“No, but he has a butler,” Chloe replied.

After a moment of hesitation, Sarah asked, “Is the butler hot too?”

“Very. And taken.”

Sarah muttered.

“I know. Marcy was bummed too.”

Annette interrupted, “Oh look. Maggie’s dragging your boyfriend away to the playground. Five bucks says he returns covered in sticky handprints because she leaves him with her brats and goes to smoke and have a few margaritas.”

Chloe crinkled her nose. “He’s not her personal babysitter. Should I save him?” On one hand, she felt pity for Saul, but on the other, it made excellent practice for when her little one arrived. For a terrifying nightmare creature of myth and legend, he displayed kindness toward her young relatives above and beyond what some humans were capable.

“Hell no. Let them have fun with him a little. You know their dad doesn’t give a damn about them. He’s probably the first man to pick Mikey up in weeks,” Sarah said while shaking her head. She and Maggie were sisters and only a couple years apart. While one remained childless, the other had birthed four children within six years to a deadbeat.

Saul’s relaxed posture indicated that the children hadn’t upset him yet. After deciding to keep tabs, she nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I’m going to go talk to Dad some now and see what he thinks about my guy.”

While Saul was occupied with her younger second cousins, she maneuvered beside her father at the grill and helped him to turn the meat. A delicious aroma wafted toward her nose. Beer bratwurst and smoked cheddar and mushroom filled burgers.

“Daddy, if you’re done here for now, can we talk for a few?”

“Sure.”

Ever the observant father, Sam didn’t waste a moment once they distanced themselves from the reunion and left earshot. “What’s on your mind? I knew something was wrong from the moment you two arrived.”

Chloe gauged the distance again between them and the rest of the party. She sighed. “I’m pregnant,” she blurted without further suspense.

“I...” Sam stared at her, completely at a loss. “That was fast,” he commented lamely. As far as her dad knew, she’d only broken up recently with Freddy.

“Well...” Ever since childhood, Chloe had never been able to successfully lie to her father. “It’s not Saul’s baby, but he wants to help me,” she admitted.

“Oh, sweetheart.” Her father sighed and hugged her close. “Is it that asshole gym trainer’s?”

“Yeah,” she replied in a shaky breath. “He doesn’t know, and I don’t think I’m going to tell him.”

Her father was quiet for a moment, wearing an indecisive expression on his face. “Now, Chloe, don’t you think he deserves to know?”

“No, Daddy, not really. Freddy wouldn’t be any better than Mom was to me. I don’t want him involved in my life at all.”

“Yeah... yeah. No child deserves that.” Sam leaned back. “You know that I’ll support whatever you decide. Now, what is this about moving to California? Saul says that you’re going to take over as executive assistant at his company. Sweetheart, I’m impressed.”

Chloe sighed. “We discussed that I might take over as executive assistant. I don’t want to steal someone’s job.”

“According to Saul, he’s creating the position just for you. Honestly, Chloe? Go for it.” As she leaned back to scrutinize her father through narrowed eyes, Sam laughed at her. “I know, I like one of your boyfriends for once, and I’m excited to see this movie studio he’s invited Annette and me to visit. Now tell me about Saul.”

“You just talked to him for an hour, Daddy.”

“I want to hear more about him from you.”

It didn’t take long to summarize her meeting, whirlwind romance with Saul, their separation, reunion, and recent vacation in Texas. By the time she reached the end, her dad had begun to nod his head in approval.

“You found yourself a good man there, Chloe. Damned shame he didn’t beat Freddy’s ass. I would have.”

“With your cane?” she teased him.

“I’d give him a well-deserved whoopin’.” Her father wisely steered the conversation to a sweeter topic: the child itself. “So when’s my grandbaby due? When do I get to hold him? Or her?”

Chloe toed the ground nervously. “I haven’t gone to the doctor yet. Sort of just found out in Texas, and only told Saul... yesterday. But he’s okay with it. I kind of thought I’d take it one step at a time, you know?”

“Punkin...”

“I know, I know,” Chloe sighed. A first pregnancy should have been giddily reported to her mother. Her mom should have chastised her for failing to seek care and whisked her off the next day on a journey to purchase maternity clothes, stretchy pants, and little dresses with bow-tied ribbons beneath her tits.

But Chloe’s mother had been a self-absorbed drug addict who thrived on sucking the life out of others. Nearly a decade had eclipsed between their last meeting in person, and then two years ago, Chloe found out her mother overdosed on coke.

“Tell me, Daddy, what do you really think about Saul?”

“I think he’s great. He’s the first person I’ve met from Iceland, but his parents raised a fine young man. Have you met them?”

Chloe shook her head. “His father died when he was a child, and his mother... travels a lot. The adventuring sort. She wouldn’t have cell phone reception wherever she is.”

According to Saul, his mother had hibernated since the loss of her mate, and there was a high possibility that she wouldn’t awaken during Chloe’s lifetime at all.

“Sounds like a woman I’d like to meet.”

Chloe swatted him. “You have Annette.”

“And I love her. I really do, Punkin. I know it hasn’t been long but—”

“Daddy. Considering how fast I’m moving with Saul, you don’t have to explain anything to me.” She hugged her father tightly again and breathed in the cool scent of his cologne. For as long as she could remember, he had always been her protector. “I like her. I see she shares your love of the outdoors too.”

“We’ll have to take you and Saul out to the cabin sometime.”

“That’d be fun.”

Her father’s unconditional acceptance eased the tight knot in Chloe’s chest. Everything is going to work out. Everything.

“Speaking of, here comes your man now.” Her father squeezed her fingers then passed her hand over to Saul. “You take care of my li’l girl.”

“Nothing would please me more,” Saul replied. “Save for one thing.”

“Wh—”

“Chloe Ellis.” Saul lowered to one knee and produced a small black box from his jeans, mimicking the fantasy proposals in every romantic comedy she’d ever dared to show him. “Be my wife.”

Oh my god! Chloe’s limbs became uncooperative and refused to move.

“In the short time since you entered my life, I have come to realize how empty my existence had been without you. You have brought me joy and shown me a new world of immeasurable wonder. Do me one last honor, Chloe. Marry me.”

After her mouth opened and shut a few times, she turned toward her father.

“Well don’t look at me,” Sam said, smiling. “I gave him my blessing to ask, but the answer has gotta be on you, sweetheart.”

“Yes!” She screamed the word louder than intended, and received a few chuckles from the observing crowd. Golden light danced over the ember-hued jewel at the center, and a tiny circle of black pearls gleamed around the fire opal. “It’s beautiful, it’s so beautiful.”

Before Saul could rise to his feet to embrace, or possibly kiss her, as seemed to be his intent, Chloe threw herself into his arms. A smaller man would have toppled back onto the cement ground, but he remained upright and caught her in his powerful embrace.

“I love you,” she whispered against his ear.

“Then we shall not waste a minute. I am told Las Vegas is the Mecca of weddings.”

“Now?” Chloe’s voice squeaked.

“Tomorrow,” Saul said.

It was something out of a dream, all of it. From the first moment she and Saul met to this instant in time, Chloe expected to wake from the fantasy. But the new weight on her finger was real, and the warm arms around her held her close to her soon-to-be husband.

I’m marrying a dragon and I have never been happier.

Chapter 8

Saul never turned his cell phone off, but he did often lay it within Chloe’s reach to satisfy her Candy Crush addiction. The first time that she’d lost all of her lives and sent an eager plea to Marcy for assistance, Saul had groaned, reclaimed his device, and bought her several more.

The game wasn’t nearly so frustrating when an eternal being willingly purchased more power-ups.

He’s so damned generous, she thought while laying the iPhone onto the bedside table. My family loves him. Dad really thinks he’s a great guy. Hell, he is a great guy.

Of course, Saul wasn’t actually a guy. He was a dragon, an immortal who would long outlive her, her child, and everyone he graced with his noble presence at the reunion. Would he feel the same way about her as she grayed, curved at the spine, and eventually succumbed to the cruelty of old age? Would he still love her as much on the day she died as he did now?

Chloe swept those thoughts aside and laid her head against the pillow to sleep. Thanks to her family wearing him out with exhausting activities, Saul snored beside her and remained dead to the world. By nature, dragons were light sleepers, but they adapted to the presence of a trusted person in their domicile. Mahasti and Leiv’s movement never awakened him if they entered his vault during hibernation periods.

A thief on the other hand...

She peeked over her shoulder at her sleeping fiancé. Despite his lack of spontaneous dutch-ovens and other gross bedroom habits associated with men, he slept beside her like any other spouse-to-be. Chloe considered that a blessing.

“Mm... this is going to be great when winter comes,” she mumbled as she edged close enough to rest her cheek against his shoulder.

A subtle chirp interrupted Chloe’s sleep and grew progressively louder in volume until it threatened to hurt her ears. Her moan of protest led Saul to disentangle from her embrace and reach over her to pluck the phone from the table.

“Hello?”

Who’s calling him at...? Chloe peeked at the digital clock on the table. The glowing display told her it was nearly five in the morning. If it was an urgent matter, Mahasti would have appeared in a plume of jasmine-scented smoke. After the troubles that plagued his residence during their last vacation, Saul had made it abundantly clear that they were contact him at any time, no matter how obscene the hour, if another plague of vampires attacked his home.

“Maximilian. Greetings,” Saul rumbled quietly beside her.

Definitely not Mahasti.

The bed shifted then footsteps indicated his path to the window where heavy, gauzy curtains concealed their view of the Las Vegas Strip. Saul parted them and gazed out into the electric, pre-dawn night.

“I am pleased to know Brigid passed my message to you with haste. It is true. I have mated, thus I shall no longer pursue your daughter.” Saul paused. A throaty chuckle warmed Chloe’s blood and eased the dread filling her gut. “It was not intentional, I assure you, but perhaps you should find a better use of your time by asking why she refuted my claim to her for so long? The time has come to move on.”

Chloe smoothed her pale blonde strands away from her face and watched him. Worry gnawed the pit of her belly. As if sensing her apprehension, Saul turned to flash her a nonchalant grin.

“Does Brigid feel slighted? Surely you did not expect me to court your daughter for another century. Be reasonable. No, I shall not consider it. The matter is closed, Maximilian. I thank you for returning my call, but your promises of intervention are too little and too late. I bid you to have a good day.” Saul lowered the phone from his ear and ended the call.

“What’s happening?” Chloe asked immediately.

“Nothing to concern you.”

Coming from another man, she might have taken offense to the dismissive phrase, but from Saul, the words were spoken with genuine innocence. She smiled and raised herself onto an elbow. “Maybe I want to be concerned.”

Bathed in the Las Vegas lights, Saul’s nude body resembled a piece of art. Better than the finest Renaissance sculpture. Hotter than Michelangelo’s David. With open arms, Chloe beckoned her dragon to return to the bed, where the sweet bliss of their love making melted away their worries.

Tomorrow, she would be his wife.

***

While Chloe doubted in the likelihood of a wedding venue on short notice that didn’t involve a fat man dressed like Elvis, Saul surprised her with his investigative preparation. Or, at least, Mahasti’s preparations.

As a child, Chloe had never dreamed of a fairytale wedding with hundreds of guests, expansive tables of catered food, and a $500 an hour photographer. She’d only wanted the man of her dreams — a good man who loved her unconditionally and cherished her as she deserved. Malcolm and Freddy hadn’t been worthy of her.

In her sundress, she stood before the judge and held Saul’s hand while her father, Annette, Mahasti, and Leiv witnessed their union. Afterward, she kissed him chastely, then they gathered for a family dinner at an upscale restaurant. Saul insisted on covering the bill.

“Leiv and your father’s beloved appear to have become friends.” Saul glanced at her.

“She’s sweet.” Chloe smiled and leaned her cheek against Saul’s shoulder. My husband. Mine.

“I admit to some surprise,” Saul murmured, his words for Chloe’s ears alone. “She is remarkably calm, all things considered.”

“Should she be otherwise?”

“Many smaller creatures become nervous when in the presence of larger predators.”

Chloe nearly spewed out her virgin daiquiri. She coughed into a napkin and waved off a concerned glance from her father.

“What do you mean?” Chloe whispered. Turning her attention toward Annette revealed that the woman watched them from the corners of her eyes.

In fact, Annette had watched Saul since meeting him.

Saul had the good grace to appear guilty. He cleared his throat and feigned fascination with his bourbon. “Forgive me, I should not have spoken out of turn.”

“Would you excuse us for a moment?” Chloe practically dragged Saul out of his seat. Annette and Leiv, embroiled in a deep conversation about the many uses of honey in baked goods, barely noticed their departure. Her father chuckled at Saul’s helpless expression.

Once they rounded the corner and stopped near the public restrooms, Chloe released him and placed both hands on her hips. “Spill it.”

Saul gave a long suffering sigh before he glanced around their immediate area to confirm a lack of snooping mortals. “Annette is a shifter, my love,” he finally admitted. “I knew the moment we arrived at the park that one was nearby.”

“Are all shifters not as cavalier about dragons as Leiv?”

Her husband chuckled. “Hardly. Though many submit to our service, those unfamiliar with dragons keep a safe distance. Rightfully so. She has watched me very closely, but appears to be more at ease with Leiv,” Saul said.

“So... can you tell what she is?” Smaller than a bear. A wolf maybe? No... Chloe’s thoughts turned over a hundred possibilities, from an exotic tiger to a long legged deer.

She peeked around the corner and ogled Annette. The gorgeous woman had long legs and an exquisite figure suited to running, but Annette’s odd, tri-colored hair and gentle eyes drew memories to the front of Chloe’s mind. With startling clarity, the truth struck Chloe in the next instant. She’s a dog. She’s a dog shifter. I know it.

“Ah, judging from your expression, you no longer need my answer.”

Chloe swatted him. “Why didn’t you tell me at the reunion?”

“I did not know it mattered.”

It didn’t. If anything, the divulgement of Annette’s identity inspired a sense of relief for Chloe. Her father deserved a loving companion who would stick by him through thick and thin.

They returned to the tail end of her father’s thoughts about a recent vacation to Dubai before his hip replacement. “Dubai was a beautiful place. Annette and I plan to visit again in the fall,” Sam said.

“Come with us next time, Chloe.”

“Ahh... I don’t know.” Chloe rubbed the back of her neck. While she had taken her father aside to share news of the baby, she hadn’t told the rest of her relatives. “I’m pregnant, and I’ll probably be too big for a plane by then,” she fessed up.

Annette’s mouth fell open. Her mismatched eyes flicked between Saul and Chloe, working out the obvious truth: the baby clearly had been fathered by another man. “Congratulations. To both of you,” she said, words spoken in a cautious tone. “I’m so happy for you, Chloe. A new husband and a new baby. Oh goodness. There’s a small shop near my bakery with the best little clothes.”

“When we find out what we’re having I’ll plan another trip over here to shop with you,” Chloe said. “It’ll be fun.”

“Excellent. And now that you’re on the west coast, we’re only a drive away,” Sam reminded her. “Any time that you need me.”

Chloe didn’t miss the pointed look directed at Saul, but her kind dragon lover feigned ignorance and twisted to chat with Mahasti. She patted his thigh beneath the table. “And the same goes for you two, Daddy. Come out and visit us sometime. You’ll love hunting on Saul’s property.”

Annette studied Saul again, using only the corner of her eyes. “I’m going to run to the ladies room,” she excused herself from the table.

Recognizing an opportunity to get the canine shifter alone, Chloe quickly rose to her feet. “Hey, wait for me, Annette. All this water is going right through me.”

“Sure.”

As they left the celebration party behind, Chloe overheard Leiv playfully taunting Mahasti, asking if she planned to disappear to the women’s room too. Contrary to the myth about women all leaving in flocks, she remained behind with the men.

There’s no gentle way to do this, Chloe realized while washing her hands. Annette emerged from a stall to do the same, prompting her to let the words rush out in an awkward tumble before the chance was lost. “Look, Annette, I just wanted to say that I’m really happy my dad has you.” Chloe studied Annette’s reflection in the mirror and smiled when their eyes met in the glass. “And... I know what you are.”

Annette’s mismatched eyes widened in surprise and a hint of color crept into her cheeks. “You do?”

“Yeah...” Chloe almost felt bad for springing it on her like this. The faucet automatically turned on when her hands reached beneath it, jetting out tepid water.

Annette sighed. “I figured it would come out, all things considered.”

“It doesn’t matter. Not to me,” Chloe assured her. “But... do you think you’ll ever tell Dad?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

Chloe laughed, nervous beneath Annette’s knowing look, and snagged some paper towels. “Somehow I think dragon is gonna be harder to swallow. I mean, how do I even start that conversation?”

“Well maybe I can ease him into the idea for you. So as for your question, yes, I do intend to let him know. But...” Annette glanced to the door and parted her lips to speak, only to shut her mouth and clam up. The silence between them thickened the air until an undercurrent of anxiety swarmed in Chloe’s gut. Being around Saul and Leiv had granted her an exceptional awareness at reading shifters’ emotions.

“What is it? We just broke the ice about the hard stuff, right?”

“Right,” Annette agreed. She inhaled a deep breath. “Are you sure about what you’re doing, Chloe? With a dragon?” The dog shifter’s brows rose, allowing Chloe a brief instant when she saw past the human facade and into the loyal soul beneath. Instead of irritating Chloe, Annette’s concern touched her in a display of genuine compassion. The love her mother never showed her.

“I love Saul, Annette. He doesn’t scare me and I feel safe with him. Cherished.”

“He does appear to be nice,” came the woman’s reluctant agreement. “But do you know him well?” Annette wrung her hands together and severed their eye contact. “Do you know dragons and their rules? I do, and they’re not friendly. They’re never friendly without something to gain from it.”

This is none of her business, and I want to be mad, but she looks so damned worried about me. “I’m learning about them,” Chloe replied, opting for full disclosure. “He’s not trying to keep me in the dark, if that’s what worries you. It’s just a lot to learn, but I have Saul, Leiv, and Mahasti to help me. No one has kept any secrets from me. Not a single one.”

“Okay.” Annette forced a smile. The uncertainty clashed with her failed attempt to appear cheerful. “I don’t mean to pry.”

“It isn’t prying. I would have been upset if I later found out you knew about him but didn’t try to warn me.”

“If you ever need to talk...” Annette offered.

Chloe followed her gut instinct and pulled Annette into a tight hug. Her father’s new girlfriend wasn’t the mom she’d needed growing up, but in as few as two meetings, Annette’s compassion surpassed the memories of the cold, selfish woman in Chloe’s childhood memories. “Thanks. I mean it.”

They headed back to the dining room arm in arm. True to his gentlemanly nature, Saul stood to greet her when she returned to the room. The sight of him sped her pulse, making her breath catch.

I hope I never stop feeling this way about him.

“I believe it is time to retire and, if my memory serves me well, it is a tradition to carry the bride.” Saul scooped her into his arms, much to the delight of their guests. Even her father clapped and laughed.

Diners all around the room joined in, tapping silverware on their wine glasses or clapping as Saul carried her out. Red-cheeked, Chloe turned her face into his shoulder and giggled. In his arms, she was a princess, fancy wedding dress or not. A bellhop held the elevator for them and the moment the doors closed, leaving them in seclusion, Saul’s lips came down over hers. Neither of them came up for air until the elevator dinged its arrival on the top floor.

She remained in his hold down the hall and into the room, only released when Saul lowered her with gentle care to the bed. Not that she allowed him to move far. Her fingers fisted in his shirt, keeping her dragon close.

“I love you, Saul, more than anything, and I’m so happy to be your wife.”

Chapter 9

Despite Chloe’s great love for her family, the return to the estate came as a welcomed treat. She collapsed on the sofa shortly after their arrival and napped long into the afternoon, until Mahasti awakened her.

“Mmm... How long was I asleep?” Chloe asked. A kittenish stretch accompanied her twist amidst the cushions.

“Several hours. We all thought you could use the rest. Come, join us on the veranda for a while. The fresh air will do you some good. Are you thirsty?”

Chloe readily accepted the glass of lemon-infused water that materialized in Mahasti’s hand and drained it within seconds. To her parched mouth, it may as well have been ambrosia.

Outside, they chatted over drinks with their friends, shared a bottle of freshly pressed apple cider, and caught each other up to date on recent developments.

While Mahasti normally handled business matters concerning Drakenstone Studios, several conflicts among the crew of a potential blockbuster led to a prized actor walking off the set.

“Actors,” Saul snorted as disdain twisted his features into a grimace. “Does nothing please them?”

“Cocaine,” Chloe suggested. She then ducked her head a few seconds later. “Sorry, that was in bad taste.”

“I, for one, am relieved you thought to clarify, Miss Ellis. Otherwise, he may have sent me to the darker parts of Los Angeles to collect drugs,” Leiv muttered.

Chloe twisted in her seat to face her husband. He shrugged.

“Anyway, didn’t I tell you to call me Chloe, Leiv? We’re all friends, and I plan to be here a long time.”

“Yes, you did. I am having trouble remembering. It is habit,” the bear shifter replied, thoroughly abashed. Hints of red color spread over his darkly bearded cheeks.

“Besides, she is a Drakenstone now,” Mahasti reminded him.

They toasted again, and after Chloe drained her glass she snuggled against Saul’s side. As the others talked, her eyelids grew heavier.

“Chloe?”

“Mm? I’m okay, just tired is all,” she mumbled in reply to Saul’s concerned voice.

“But you woke only a short while ago.” Saul’s brow crinkled in confusion.

“Hey, I’ve got a bun in the oven. I’m allowed to nap whenever.”

“Ah.” Saul nodded. The mere mention of pregnancy-related issues shut him up without a fight. He hadn’t yet seen her at her worst when susceptible to the hormonal imbalances of PMS. The idea made her grin and shake off the drowse.

“Okay, so prepare me for what I need to know about Drakenstone Studios. What should I expect?”

“Plenty of bowing and scraping,” Mahasti quipped. She refilled Chloe’s glass.

“Come on. What’s it really like at the studio.”

Leiv grimaced. “Very much like what you witnessed the day you first arrived in Los Angeles. It is very busy, very loud, and there are rude people everywhere who will not listen to reason unless you are him.” He gestured toward Saul. “As you are to be the assistant executive, you will not face such troubles again.”

“I hope not. That was sort of horrifying until you showed up to drive me here. I had never been so embarrassed in all of my life. The man carried me out of there kicking and screaming.”

Saul chuckled. “I reviewed the security footage the next day. You put up quite the scene.”

“Damn straight. I didn’t come all that way to be turned around.”

Even if her childish tantrum didn’t land her a visit with the head executive of the studio, she’d met up with him later when Mahasti answered their mutual wishes. Chloe’s despair and Saul’s loneliness culminated in an irresistible wish the genie couldn’t – and hasn’t wanted to – deny.

“I can’t thank you enough, Mahasti.”

“I did what was right. I saw Saul’s suffering and I saw your heart. It may be beyond my power to make two souls fall in love against their will, but the two of you had already fallen for each other. I only had to nudge you back together.” Mahasti waved off her praise. “So I sent Leiv in the car to retrieve you.”

Once all jokes were set aside, the trio gave Chloe the rundown on the senior staff and the peons directly beneath them. Saul treated all of his employees with dignity and respect, but he’d somehow gained a terrifying reputation after traumatizing a former employee.

“Okay, okay. So you scared this guy so badly that he didn’t return to work for a few days. What the hell did he do?” Chloe asked.

“He paid a lesser wage to my female employees,” Saul answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

Chloe continued to wait for the rest of the reason. When none came, she prodded him with a finger. “Well?”

“Well?” he echoed. The confusion drew his brows close.

“Saul, my friend. You must explain to her why this is a criminal act,” Leiv spoke up.

“Ah, I see. It is theft. They were not paid adequately for work they had performed. A dragon does not steal from the hoard of another being, dragon or otherwise.”

“So after Saul adjusted their salaries, he had his accountants pull employee records and issued checks for the difference accumulated over their months of employment at the studio. He even issued checks to women who were long gone.”

His motivation had nothing to do with feminism and everything to do with draconic honor. Despite that, Chloe laughed good and hard until her belly ached and tears stung her eyes.

By the next morning, she’d come to dread their arrival. After she dressed in an impeccable suit with a mid-thigh length skirt and sassy heels, Mahasti braided her hair into a business casual updo. When it came to hairstyles, Chloe was all thumbs. A ponytail and a bun were her limit, but she and the genie had bonded over the weeks and acquired a familiar level of comfort. Enough comfort that she received the entire lowdown on Mahasti’s budding relationship with Leiv.

“He’s a good man, Mahasti. I’m happy for you.”

“You’re not upset that Saul no longer owns my lamp?”

“Pffft, no.” She admired her reflection in the vanity then held up a hand mirror for a better look at the back. Small, black pearl pins secured her braided bun. They stood out, a stark contrast against her white-blonde hair. “Maybe some other women would be mad, but I’m just glad to see you’re both happy. I don’t need a genie at my beck and call.”

“Now that Leiv holds the lamp, I’m limited in what I can do for you and Saul, but I will continue to do whatever I can to ease your days. Calling my name three times will be sufficient.” Mahasti smiled. “It’s an honor to serve you both.”

The drive to Los Angeles gave Chloe the time to rehearse her introductions. Saul laughed at her again along the way then assured her that she fretted for nothing. He urged her from the vehicle and escorted her up the building steps.

“Why is everyone staring?” Chloe whispered. Did they remember her tearful pleas to see Saul a month ago?

They didn’t. As implied the previous night, Drakenstone Studios had its fair supply of drama to overshadow the miserable five minutes Chloe spent at the receptionist desk before a security guard dragged her out of the building. The same man smiled and courteously greeted her today without an ounce of recognition in his eyes.

“I rarely come to the building, my love. As the company executive, I leave the business matters to friendlier individuals unless absolutely necessary. My company is an extension of my horde, as I mentioned last eve.”

Something told Chloe that dragons didn’t mess around when it came to their possessions and wealth. She didn’t want to see Saul’s bad side.

“They’re all scurrying around.” She resisted the urge to twist and watch the hurried movements she caught from the corner of her eye. Saul’s amused chuckle gave her something better to focus on.

“They did not expect me.”

They’re probably alerting the other big wigs upstairs. Hell, I’m surprised someone hasn’t run up to offer him coffee yet.

As if summoned by Chloe’s thoughts, a well-dressed young man veered over and presented a snifter of cognac to Saul. Electric blue framed eyeglasses perched on his nose and lent color to his otherwise pale face. He reminded Chloe of an albino mouse, an amusing likeness that made her giggle inappropriately and receive a curious stare from her husband.

I hope he isn’t another shifter, too.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Drakenstone.”

“Harris.” Saul accepted the snifter, then seemed to reconsider after a glance at Chloe.

“We didn’t expect you today, or your guest.”

“My wife, Chloe,” Saul introduced. “Today seemed as good a day as any to acquaint her with the office. My apologies for failing to provide forewarning.”

“It’s no trouble, sir.”

It seemed as if every set of eyes on the office floor had turned to ogle her sexy dragon in his suit. Her most paranoid thoughts convinced her that the dozen or so female employees were mentally appraising her every aspect like a snake measuring prey.

“Pleasure to meet you, Harris,” Chloe spoke up despite her shyness.

As she offered her hand for a shake, Harris’ eyes dropped to the precious jewels decorating her ring finger. Confirming Chloe’s suspicions, some of the hustle and bustle near them quieted as curious employees strained their hearing to eavesdrop on the conversation. ‘Wife’ must have been the magic word.

“Congratulations, sir. I had no idea.” Harris recovered from his surprise swiftly and gave Chloe a courteous smile followed by a firm handshake. “Can I get you anything, Mrs. Drakenstone? Coffee? Tea?”

“Water for her.”

Chloe nudged him sharply in the ribs with her elbow. Saul’s soft grunt indicated she hit the right spot. “Don’t speak for me.”

Saul held up both hands. “My apologies. Order as you will, my love.”

After a pause, Chloe sighed. He was right about the water and until she knew the upper limits of what his personal assistant could acquire, she didn’t want to ask for something more exotic like a pomegranate and mango smoothie, no matter how great that sounded. “Water will do.” She whirled to face Saul before he opened his mouth. “Don’t start,” she warned.

“I have started nothing,” Saul said in his defense. The smug expression remained. “I plan to tour Chloe around the studio.”

“No troubles. I’ll catch up to you, sir.”

Harris left their company to retrieve her drink then Saul guided her further into the ostentatious building. Friendly employees and clerks uttered respectful greetings in passing that Chloe returned with a shy smile. Of the many people present, none approached Saul directly, and when he exuded such an intimidating aura, Chloe couldn’t blame them.

God, he looks fantastic in a suit. Mahasti really knows how to get him dressed properly. Despite a hundred years of walking among humans, Saul couldn’t pair colors to save his life. And while he did understand the fine art of self-grooming, his golden hair hung loose around his shoulders, courtesy of Chloe’s fondness for brushing it each morning.

“At the moment, we are filming the indoor scenes for Malignant. Would you like to walk onto the set?”

“Hell yeah!” Chloe exclaimed. A few heads turned her direction. Heat rushed to her cheeks and she dipped her head to avoid meeting any curious stares. While speculative eyes burned holes through her, Chloe clung closer to Saul’s immaculately dressed torso and tried to walk with grace.

The power suit lent him a strong resemblance to an Armani model, but Chloe fretted over the tight buttons around her own midriff. She had tried to suck it in a few times in front of the mirror while Saul laughed and taunted her with Leiv’s homemade bear claws. She wolfed down two of the gooey treats before they left for the office.

“We must be quiet during the filming, but we will stand to the rear near the director,” Saul instructed her.

The director of the film, a petite, pixie-sized young woman with red hair, flashed them both a cheerful thumbs up when they approached to stand beside her. Saul placed his arm around Chloe’s shoulders and watched the action.

Chloe’s favorite actress, a sassy brunette named Mia Patrick, ducked for cover as the ceiling fan groaned in protest and shook. Green screens dominated the back wall with a partial set built on the stage. Mia and her male counterpart hurried through the apartment setting, fleeing an unseen assailant. Carefully timed pyrotechnic blasts destroyed small knickknacks on shelves and a motorized construct flipped over the living room table.

Pissy ghost I’m guessing. Or a demon. I forget what the premise was on this one.

Mia rushed to the apartment door and tugged on the knob to no avail. They were trapped inside.

“Cut!” the director cried. “That was perfect! Take a break, we’ll pick up from there in five.” As people began to disperse for water breaks and snacks, the young woman immediately whirled on her stool to face Chloe and Saul. She hopped down and put out her hand. “Hi. You must be Mrs. Drakenstone.”

“Uh... Yeah. But how did you know?”

“Word came in when you arrived at the studio. A pair of good eyes spotted that.” She pointed to Chloe’s left hand where her fire opal gleamed.

“Oh!” Chloe’s eye-catching engagement ring rarely left her fingers, but she adored their matching bands the most. A single circle of titanium revealed he was off the market. “We heard there were troubles on one of the movie sets, and Saul wanted me to see how it works behind the scenes. I’m excited to be here.”

“Excellent. You picked a friendly one this time, Saul. I like her.”

Saul grinned. “Chloe, meet Abigail Parker. My favorite director.”

“Thanks for letting me watch,” Chloe said as she offered her hand. Abigail had a firm grip and a friendly smile.

“What did you think of it?”

“It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be,” Chloe confessed. Between the green screens and the animatronics, it was almost lackluster.

“You married Saul. Of course it wasn’t as scary.”

Saul twisted his face into a grimace. “Abigail, you make me out as if I am a monster. My reputation holds no weight compared to your movies. As for the film, special effects will be added later of course, Chloe. But I think the set holds a rather despairing air, don’t you?”

“It’s a little creepy, yeah. Mia’s a good actress, too. Really compelling performance.”

“She is,” Abigail agreed. “We’ll have her new co-star up to snuff soon. This was his first scene on set and I think he’ll rise to the occasion. Jordan’s walk-off was a blessing in disguise, Saul. We’ll only have to reshoot two scenes.”

“Let us hope so. I agreed to accept a video conference call between Jordan and his agent this afternoon. My expectations are minimal at best, and experience has prepared me for excuses that lay blame at the feet of all parties involved but his client. If he believes—”

“Does it take so many words to say he’s a dick?” Chloe asked. She didn’t know what came over her. She blurted it out and stopped Saul mid-rant. “Sorry.”

“No, please. Chastise him again,” Abigail immediately said. “Please keep her around. Pretty please, Saul. I like her.”

He grumbled something under his breath.

“He told me he was a grouch on the job, but I never would have believed it if I didn’t see it.” It’s like someone shoved the stick right up his ass when we arrived, Chloe thought, turning her amusement internally to avoid disparaging her husband again.

“Yeah, he’s a real dragon on the set sometimes.” Abigail winked and glanced back at the crew without waiting for Chloe’s reaction. Saul had never mentioned whether or not his business associates knew of his true nature, so Chloe was unsure if Abigail was being literal or not.

“Yeah... he is.”

“Anyway, it was a pleasure to meet you Chloe. I need to get these folk back on set.”

Saul guided her back into the main building. Along the way, he pointed out people and offices of interest, naming titles and confirming familiar faces. From the first floor to the top, he showed her every aspect of the studio, introduced her to the legal department and to his direct subordinates in the business. Along the way, Chloe counted a handful of Hollywood stars and struggled to maintain her decorum.

Harris caught up to them as they stepped off the elevator on the top floor. “You have a video call waiting for you in the conference room, sir.”

“Excellent. Thank you. My office is beyond that door, my love. Make yourself comfortable and I’ll be with you in a moment.” Saul kissed her brow and followed Harris through an adjoining door, so Chloe let herself in to the indicated office.

The huge space housed only the necessities, holding a sprawling desk, executive style leather chair, and a pair of cushioned chairs. An exquisite view of the world below caught her eye. In a way, it was almost comical that LA’s gritty streets attracted her more than his empty barren room. It feels so cold and impersonal, she thought. Intimidating. Which, she supposed, was the point. He didn’t call people up for tea and crumpets.

With Saul gone, she slid behind the desk into his chair, leaned back, and let both hands rest against the hint of tummy beneath her blouse. Sometimes, when all became silent, Chloe imagined she could feel her little one moving.

But it was far too early for that.

“I wouldn’t get too comfortable if I were you.”

Chloe jerked her head up toward the silken voice to see Saul’s ex framed in the doorway. The door behind Brigid closed with a soft snick as the immaculate female dragon moved toward her. Every red hair was in place, her makeup perfectly applied, and not a single wrinkle or smudge marred her pristine ivory outfit.

“Saul’s in a business meeting,” Chloe said tersely. I won’t be intimidated by her, dragon or not. She won’t harm me here in a building filled with people while Saul is a few yards away. Only a couple rooms. Don’t be afraid, she thought, giving herself a pep talk.

“I know.” Brigid’s catty smile unnerved her. “I know everything about his schedule and his business.”

“Good for you. That doesn’t at all make you sound like a stalker.”

Brigid’s eyes narrowed. “Saul belongs to me, little girl. He will always belong to me until I release him, and I don’t see that happening any time soon. We are Promised to one another. Our fathers struck a blood bond over fire and ash. Draconic Law says he is mine.”

“Why do you even want him if you don’t care about him? What’s in it for you?”

Brigid slid her fingernails over the back of a plain leather sofa by the windows. “Saul is a well-sought after dragon, my dear. Didn’t you know? Born of fire and storms... bronze dragons are a rarity among our kind. Prized as mates. Powerful. We’ll have a strong cub once we’re bonded.”

Chloe rose from her seat. “He’s bonded to me,” she spit out. “Saul told me how it works. He can’t have two bonds at once, and I’m not letting him go either.”

“Oh? I think he could be persuaded.”

“He’s my husband, Brigid, whether you like it or not.” Chloe thrust her hand out for Brigid to see the sparkling jewel, a priceless gift from Saul’s treasured hoard.

The redhead’s chuckle turned Chloe’s blood to ice in her veins. “Your mortal laws mean nothing. If you’re lucky, perhaps I’ll let him keep you and your bastard around as pets. Dragon males have large... appetites. Allowing him a toy will be my gift. And should your whelp be a girl-child, well, she’ll serve him nicely as well when you’ve gone all wrinkled and grey. I’ll train her myself in how to properly please him.”

All of Chloe’s hatred and fury boiled to the surface at once. She flew across the floor as the office door exploded open, practically knocked from the hinges. Instead of clawing Brigid’s eyes out, she collided with Saul’s muscular chest. He caught her before she reached her target.

“You fucking bitch! I don’t care if you’re a dragon. I don’t care!”

“Control your pet human, Saul.”

“I’m his wife!” Chloe launched herself at Brigid again, unsuccessful for the second time. Saul remained between them but slid back across the sleek tiled floor. He grunted and spun Chloe around into the sofa, where he planted her firmly and held her down by the shoulders.

“Chloe, stop!”

“How charming. No better than a wild animal.”

Brigid’s husky chuckle renewed Chloe’s anger. Saul’s grip tightened against her shoulders, burying his fingers into her skin.

“Leave, Brigid. I will not ask you again,” Saul growled.

“As you wish, my promised one. Never say that I am cold-hearted and completely without remorse.” Brigid stepped toward the door. “Keep your pet on a leash, Saul, lest she get hurt. I am not to be held responsible for what happens if she chooses to behave like an unruly child.” The she-dragon’s laughter lingered in the air like a foul odor long after she was gone.

“I am sorry, Chloe. When Harris told me Brigid arrived to see me, I did not realize he sent her to my office with you. This is my fault.” His hand lowered to Chloe’s shoulder. She jerked from it instinctively and twisted, placing her back to him as she cried. Uncontrollable sobs shook her entire body.

“Why are you protecting her?”

“She baited you. She wanted you to strike her, and had I not arrived in time, she would have killed you without batting a lash. Chloe, please. Look at me.”

She swiped at her eyes uselessly. “I wanted to hit her! She should have her tongue ripped out for the things she said.”

“Nothing is worth death—”

“You don’t know the things she said! She told me she would take you away... that she...” Her breaths came rapid, and despite her great effort, Chloe couldn’t force herself to repeat Brigid’s words.

“Brigid can’t have me, and you have my word that I won’t leave you for her. Nothing in this world could convince me to end our bonding.”

“She told me that you’re required to by Draconic Law.” Chloe wiped the tears streaming down her face and sniffled until Saul crouched beside her with a handkerchief in his hand. For every tear that she wiped, two more took its place until Saul’s tender strokes dried her cheeks for good.

“I love you beyond the worth of my own life, Chloe. Brigid will neither harm you nor lay claim to me. I swear this to you.” After taking a seat on the sofa beside her, the dragon pulled Chloe onto his lap and held her close. She lowered her cheek to his shoulder and breathed him in. The subtle scent of his natural musk never failed to soothe her.

“Okay,” she whispered.

“Do you wish to go home?”

“No.” Chloe shook her head and drew in a steadying breath. “I want to learn more about what you do.” Screw her. I’m not gonna let her drive me away.

“Come with me then. Let us find an adequate task for you to perform.”

Saul carried her to the desk where he set her in the high-backed leather chair. With one hand, he pecked out the password to open his desktop menu. “Harris scans each screenplay. I review new arrivals once a week to give the final approval.”

“So what will I be doing, exactly?”

“My job.” Saul guided Chloe to the enormous seat. “While I delegate much of my authority to Harris, Mahasti, and my other subordinates, I would like you to become accustomed to my work.”

“Saul, I’m a paralegal. Not a big honcho executive.” She laughed and settled into the oversized chair. Luxurious leather stretched over expensive cushions and molded to her unique shape in a comforting embrace. Despite her intentions to merely humor him, she relaxed and closed her eyes.

“You are far more than a paralegal. That life was beneath you. Now you are my partner in all things and that includes the maintenance of my hoard.”

“So I get to swim around in the vast ocean of jewels you keep beneath the estate?”

“If you so desire. Now, as I was saying, Drakenstone Studios produces no less than a dozen movies each year. As you know, we specialize in fantasy...” His voice trailed as Chloe dissolved into a fit of giggles. “And horror. What amuses you so deeply?”

“You’re so serious. Come on, baby, can you really imagine me sitting here behind your desk pretending to be you, doing whatever it is you really do in this room?”

“Yes, I can,” Saul insisted. “Trust in me as I trust in you, Chloe.”

Their gazes met and held, his golden eyes twinkling with warmth, reassurance, and love that she’d never experienced before with another man in all of her life. At times, it was so funny to Chloe that a dragon could give her the world and succeed where so many human men failed. “Okay, so I read these and tell you if I think they suck?”

“Never read the entire screenplay unless you are truly riveted by the plot,” Saul said. “Read the first and last ten pages. If that fails to intrigue you, the middle will be an absolute waste of time.”

“Really?”

“Really,” he told her. “While I have employees dedicated to this role, I prefer to give every submission my personal attention. Sometimes my staff passes over one that has hidden potential. A diamond in the rough, as you might say.”

“So this is what I always see you reading at home when I wake up at night.”

They devoted the morning to Saul teaching Chloe the ropes of his big-time executive job. When Harris brought them lunch around noon, it took every ounce of willpower Chloe possessed to wait for the man to leave before she attacked her plate. She was starving and the bacon-wrapped steaks smelled divine.

“No wine for you, Mrs. Drakenstone?”

“Chloe, please, and water is fine.” She dipped her head, tucking her chin briefly. It wouldn’t take long for her to become known to the public eye. People would see her swelling belly and know. Secrecy could only protect her for so long. “We’re expecting,” she confessed.

Harris opened and shut his mouth twice before he articulated an appropriate response. His eyes cut over to Saul first, no doubt gauging his boss’ reaction to Chloe spilling the beans. “That’s terrific news. Congratulations to both of you.”

When Chloe turned to Saul, his satisfied expression surprised her and lured a smile to her face in return. “Thank you, Harris. We are thrilled to await the little one’s arrival. Kindly keep this news to yourself for now.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll be outside if you need me.”

Harris played gatekeeper for the rest of the day, canceling most of Saul’s appointments while Chloe became accustomed to everyday life at the office. By evening, she didn’t want to read another line, meet another actor, or hear another audition. She slept most of the drive to the estate, sprawled on the backseat while Saul rode in the front and engaged Leiv in casual conversation.

Once they hit the open roads away from the Los Angeles traffic, Mahasti sped their way home.

Chapter 10

Contrary to Chloe’s initial expectations, she took enjoyment in learning the role of an assistant studio executive. Over the course of the week, she helped Saul draft documents with her superior typing speed, and they giggled together at terrible storylines. She also coaxed him into sex on his office desk and scandalized his assistant when her hand landed on the intercom button.

“Many of these recent submissions are beneath our standards,” Saul muttered. “Unfortunate.”

“Oh come on. You should make this one, baby. It’s so horrible it’ll be funny. It’s like a parody of a true horror movie.”

“Perhaps.” Saul stroked his chin. “But it was not intended as a parody.”

“Okay, what if I tell the writer that if they intentionally cheese it up a little more, we’ll produce it for them?”

“Excellent idea. You have complete autonomy. Do as you will.”

“One of these days you’re going to say that, then I’m going to greenlight a big budget porno flick with a dozen kung fu transvestites shooting cocklasers.”

Her words scandalized Saul, but he left her at the helm during a meeting with his casting director. She spent the rest of her morning chatting with Harris until Saul returned at lunch. Her husband’s personal assistant excused himself from the room to partake in his own lunch break and left them alone.

“I have a private meeting to attend this afternoon with Brigid and her father. You may remain here in the studio or go to the estate with Leiv and Mahasti.”

“But I want to go with y—”

Saul cut her off. “No you shall remain here or at the estate. You have proven thus far that you are not to be trusted in Brigid’s presence.”

“Fine,” Chloe snapped. “I’ll have Leiv take me home now then.”

“Chloe—”

“Go deal with your dragon politics.” She brushed past him on her way to the door and didn’t stop until she reached the elevator. Leiv greeted her at the front doors and escorted her to the waiting car.

“Hi, Leiv. I want the full drive home please... No magical rushing,” Chloe mumbled from the rear seat, where she laid her head against a silk-cased pillow. Sometimes, the feeling of movement eased her nausea. Saul had given her countless rides around the property and confessed to enjoying it.

“Of course. Will we make a stop for your usual?” Leiv asked.

“No Wendy’s today.”

It didn’t take long for guilt to gnaw more than her appetite away. Thirty minutes later as they left Los Angeles behind, Chloe pulled out her mobile phone.

I love you, she texted him. She added an apology to the next message and waited, holding her breath, for his response.

Saul: You were forgiven before the words left your lips. I love you, Chloe. Take the time to unwind and enjoy the use of our bank account. Spend frivolously.

I don’t want to spend frivolously. I want you to hold me, she texted back.

Saul: I must attend to business with Maximilian and Brigid. Once our negotiations are complete, I will return to share the news.

Okay. Love you, she messaged, before putting the phone away again.

Leiv’s concerned face peered at her through the rearview mirror. “Is something the matter, Chloe? You seem very changed today.” Despite all of the time Leiv had lived in America, he still struggled with English at times.

She chuckled quietly against her pillow, a humorless sound that didn’t assuage the cold dread spreading through her chest. “I’m worried about Saul.”

“Bah. Brigid and Maximilian are harmless. The only danger Saul faces is that perhaps Maximilian will talk him to death. Fear nothing,” Leiv assured her. He glanced back at her and flashed one of his boyish smiles.

“Have you met them?”

“I have met Brigid many times. She would come to abuse Saul’s good nature and generosity. She was much like... like a parasite,” Leiv said in his thick accent. The driver shook his head, disgusted. Chloe had noticed that as he became accustomed to her company, his natural speaking voice became all the more prominent. “He courted her desperately.”

“What happened to make him hibernate for five years? He won’t tell me.”

Leiv silenced. The bear shifter’s loyalty to Saul touched her deeply, but the secrecy created an urgent need to delve to the heart of the matter.

“Please, Leiv. What did she do?”

“She took another dragon lover. Another volcanic dragon.”

“That’s cheating!” Chloe’s outrage flared, filling her with white-hot hatred.

“Not in the eyes of Draconic Law. It is not to be considered cheating until a bond has occurred,” Leiv explained.

“So it’s allowed but...” She hurt him. She refused him, wouldn’t take his mark, and then she fucked some other dragon instead.

“It is a very dick move to make,” Leiv said, speaking the words for her.

“Very. So what is this? She’s done with her play toy and decided she’s ready to accept Saul?”

Leiv nodded from the driver’s seat. “So it would seem. She likely came that first day to toy with him, but your presence threatened her.”

“I threatened a female dragon?” Her incredulous voice rose sharply. He had to be joking.

“Female dragons are not kind creatures,” Leiv said.

“Why can’t we wish her away? If I asked Mahasti—”

“A djinn may not take away another living being’s free will, Chloe. Trust me, were it so simple, Mahasti would do as needed to aid you both. Our hands are tied.”

The disappointment leached the remaining life from Chloe’s bones. She slept until their arrival when Leiv gently called her name, waking her, then they chatted for a while in the garage while Leiv wiped down the front of the car and cleaned the windows.

“Ah, I blame you. Mahasti drops hints daily about babies. She is excited about the idea of becoming a mother now that she knows it is possible. Yesterday she told me, ‘Leiv, if we have our baby now, Chloe’s child will have close friend.’ And I am the bad guy because I say we should wait.”

“Aww. That would be sweet,” Chloe said, a wistful smile on her face. “But that shouldn’t be the main reason. You and Mahasti can cuddle my baby if you want. Consider it practice.”

Leiv laughed and nodded. “Yes, that is a fine idea. Now go on inside, Chloe, before you catch a chill. I will be in shortly.”

“It’s summer. I’m far from chilly. You just want time alone with your baby,” she teased him as she passed through the door.

Once inside, Chloe helped herself to a bubble bath. She soaked away her troubles, gave herself a pedicure, and painted her toenails an obnoxious shade of pink. Saul didn’t know any better, and had on impulse purchased her an amazing number of toiletries and feminine products, some she would never use, and others that were just... strangely colored.

“Hrm... That color isn’t really so bad,” she mumbled out loud.

She brushed out her hair, braided it, then brushed it out again in a fret. Once she decided on a ponytail, she jogged down the steps to find a snack. Had she been smarter and less angry at Saul, she would have made the usual pit stop for a Frosty instead of waiting until her stomach cramped from hunger.

“Mahasti?” Chloe stepped into the empty kitchen and frowned. She’s probably with Leiv, she realized. According to Saul, calling the djinn’s name thrice would summon her, but she didn’t want to interrupt a possible nookie time.

Especially if he changed his mind about babies. She doubted it. According to Saul, Leiv and Mahasti had centuries together... a djinn’s lifetime. She envied them.

I wish... I could be with Saul forever. She sighed. It was a foolish wish to make, although it would fortunately go unheard. Such whimsies were beyond Mahasti’s power to grant.

“Ugh, I don’t even know what I’m in the mood for,” she grumbled, searching the well-stocked refrigerator. She twisted the cap off the chocolate milk and guzzled it straight from the quart. Rich liquid cocoa distracted her for a while at least until a garlic-scented aroma reached her from the fridge shelf.

Mahasti’s curry beef marinated in a deep dish with a thin plastic sheet over the delectable cubes. Chloe peeled the edge of the saran wrap off and inhaled.

Between her and Leiv, I’m going to be four hundred pounds by the time this baby is born.

After a glance over her shoulder, Chloe surrendered to impulse, scooped two pieces from the dish, and shoved them in her mouth. The curry spices danced over her tongue, improved by the tender cuts of meat.

It didn’t taste raw in the least.

What the hell am I doing? This isn’t cooked.

Part of Chloe wanted to freak out, but deep down, she couldn’t stop herself, like a crack addict hungering for the next fix, she plucked another cube and quickly devoured it.

“Chloe?”

Chloe whirled with one hand to her mouth to find Leiv bearing a basket of glass jars filled with dark, golden-amber honey. “Uh... How much of that did you see?”

“Enough to know human women do not normally eat raw meat. Is that not bad for you and the little one?” His dark brows rose. “Mahasti.”

Her prompt appearance meant that three utterances of her name weren’t required for Leiv. “Yes?” The scent of jasmine wafted through the kitchen, smoky tendrils of the djinn’s essence circling around her semi-translucent body. Without waiting for Leiv to answer, she turned to face Chloe. “You shouldn’t eat that. It isn’t cooked,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“Um... she is aware,” Leiv said. “That is why I called you.”

“I’m sorry, I couldn't help it. They smell so good and look so... so juicy...” Chloe trailed off and eyed the plate with longing. Mahasti delivered a light smack to her reaching fingers.

“I will find you a doctor,” Mahasti said.

“Aren’t you overreacting a little? A doctor because I ate some meat?”

“Saul would never forgive me if I did not take you to a physician, Chloe. I am not an expert in human medicine, so I would prefer to be safe than sorry.”

“Saul can heal wounds with dragon magic.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “I’m not really concerned. If something’s wrong and I get food poisoning or E. coli, he’ll fix it up and we’ll both be fine. It was only a few bits of raw meat. I’m not going to collapse and die right this moment, Mahasti. Honestly. The two of you are behaving as if I swallowed Ebola.”

Mahasti didn’t answer her. She pulled out a phone and dialed.

Half an hour later, the genie and bear shifter had bundled Chloe into Saul’s car and embarked on a drive to a spur of the moment obstetrician’s appointment. The fancy building outshined any doctor’s office Chloe ever visited before, complete with marble floors, a waterfall, and a Zen garden.

The receptionist welcomed them with a smile and asked them to have a seat. They didn’t even ask Chloe for her insurance information.

“What hoops did you jump through to arrange for this?”

“Saul and I spoke of it when you returned from Las Vegas. Ultimately, he wanted the choice to rest with you, but given the circumstances...”

“I waited long enough,” Chloe finished for her. “You’re both right. I should have handled this when we returned from Vegas, but I’ve been so nervous about it that I put it off time after time.”

Mahasti smiled, attempting to ease her worries. “Trust me, Chloe, this is the finest OB I found. And now that you and Saul have married, you’ll be covered no matter what options you take. The receptionist tells me their sister midwifery center has a birthing pool if such is your desire.”

“Ugh. I don’t think I’m ready to discuss this part yet. Let’s take baby steps, Mahasti.” Baby steps. At least the pun was unintended.

“All will be well. You’ll see.”

“Maybe... I wish Marcy was here too,” Chloe sighed. She tilted her head back and shut her eyes, mourning the recent events missed by her best friend.

Mahasti’s sympathetic hand rubbed her shoulder. “You’ll see your friend again soon, Chloe.”

“Sorry.  That was kind of rude of me. I really am glad you’re here. Really, it’s just—”

“What’s happening? Where am I?” a shrill voice cried from the restroom.

Chloe turned her head toward the sound. “That sounded like...” No, it couldn’t be.

Marcy emerged from the small room, dressed in shorts and a tank top with unruly dark hair hanging around her shoulders in need of a brush. Her incomplete makeup made Chloe giggle once the horrifying realization passed. She had wished her best friend into the obstetrician’s office while she applied hangover cover up. Dots of concealer under Marcy’s eyes revealed her attempt to hide a long night.

She looked absolutely ridiculous. One lined brow contrasted against its unfinished twin.

“Chloe? Shit. I must have really passed out hard last night.” Marcy turned around a few times and craned her neck to gaze at the world beyond the office windows. Sunny Los Angeles greeted her, the office yard decorated by top notch floral landscaping. “Usually I dream about shopping sprees and sexy dudes on the beach.”

Should I let her think it’s a dream?

“I mean, I thought I was up, but maybe I laid back down...” Marcy pinched her thigh, doubting in the reality around her.

The office door opened and a nurse in pink scrubs leaned out to flash a friendly smile. “Chloe Drakenstone,” she called.

“That’s me.” Without responding to Marcy’s bewildered speculations, Chloe grabbed her friend by the hand, laced their fingers, and dragged her into the back.

***

With her two best friends present, Chloe answered a series of personal questions about the state of her health while the nurse took notes. Afterward, the chipper doctor squeezed cold goop onto Chloe’s bare midriff.

“KY Jelly? Really?” Marcy asked. “Probably the only time you’ve ever needed the stuff, huh? As much as you and Saul went at it, you clearly don’t need any.”

“Marcy.”

Mahasti snickered from her seat by the wall where she had settled to remain out of the way. The very moment the appointment ended, Chloe and Mahasti were going to have a stern conversation about granting inappropriate wishes. As much as she adored the genie, a little warning would have been appreciated.

“Okay, Mrs. Drakenstone. Are you ready to see and hear your jellybean?” the doctor asked. Her obstetrician was a spritely woman with a short bob of brown hair and a freckled nose. Doctor Thompson’s reassuring smile melted some of Chloe’s apprehension.

“I’m ready.”

“This is so weird,” Marcy muttered.

I’m going to have to tell her when we leave. Tell her what’s really going on. She still thinks she’s dreaming all of this in her bed while she sleeps off a hangover.

Moments after the doctor placed the funny probe to Chloe’s tummy and moved it through the slick field of lubricant, a rapid ‘whoosh whoosh whoosh’ sound began. The doctor slid the probe left then right as the black and white picture came into focus.

“There’s your baby’s heartbeat. We don’t normally hear that unless the pregnancy is beyond the seven or eight week mark.”

“Is this good then?”

Doctor Thompson didn’t answer immediately. “Hm... Interesting,” she muttered.

“What is it?” Chloe jerked her eyes away from the ultrasound screen to the doctor.

“Are you positive about the date of your last period?”

“Um, yeah?”

“She was a real grouchy bitch,” Marcy added cheerfully.

“Why? Is something wrong?” Chloe’s throat tightened. Mahasti squeezed her fingers in reassurance and Marcy rubbed her shoulder.

“This fetus is rather large for gestation. I would have estimated a conception in March or early April.”

“So my baby is too big? What does that mean?”

“I wouldn’t say too big. The development appears appropriate for this size as well. Everything is there. Fingers and toes. If there’s any cause for concern, I’ll let you know,” the doctor assured her. The woman smiled again, but this time her sunny disposition failed to ease Chloe’s growing anxiety. “Your labs are a little unusual, so I’d like you to come in for a complete fasting blood work tomorrow. No food after midnight, okay?”

After wiping the goop off of Chloe’s tummy, Doctor Thompson printed a few photos and saved a digital video to a disc. Chloe left the office feeling numb and terrified, with an appointment to return. Her elation dwindled to a cold knot of fear that twisted her belly with nausea.

Marcy pinched herself again. “I don’t like this dream anymore.” Like Chloe, she looked scared and nervous. “Why can’t I wake up?” She pinched the back of her left hand and paced in a circle.

“It isn’t a dream, Marce.”

Saul’s sleek silver vehicle pulled into park. Leiv left the driver’s seat and opened the door for the women to pile into the spacious rear. Marcy hesitated at the door until Chloe pulled on her hand to coax her inside the vehicle.

“Come on, Marce. We gotta talk.” And close the damned car door before more cold air gets out. Chloe fanned herself and positioned her body to receive maximum current from the vents. Cool air rustled her hair, a godsend for a pregnant woman.

“Okay, chica, spill it. What the heck is going on?”

“You aren’t dreaming. All of this is real. You’re in California with me, but an hour ago you were back home in Texas, probably about to flat iron your hair and finish your makeup.”

“How the fuck did I get here?” Marcy demanded, her voice shooting up an octave. “Chloe, I don’t get it. How am I here?”

“I am to blame for your current whereabouts,” Mahasti answered, calm and unruffled as ever.

“Who are you?”

“I should have introduced you. Marcy, Mahasti is Saul’s um...”

“I am a djinn.”

Marcy’s eyes crossed. “A whatsa?”

“A djinn,” Chloe replied. “She’s a... a genie, Marcy. That’s how you got here. I said I wished you were with me and Mahasti made it happen.”

Silence. Marcy stared at her as if she’d grown a second or third head.

I need to prove it to her. She’s never going to believe what’s going on until she sees it for herself. “I wish we were home right now.”

The world beyond the tinted windows shimmered and faded until the congested Los Angeles streets became the winding driveway leading up to Saul’s estate. The vehicle cruised effortlessly to the garage while Marcy held a white knuckled grip on the door.

“She just...”

“I wished us back home.”

“I am so drunk,” Marcy whispered. “Someone must have spiked my drink. LSD. Something.”

“C’mon, Marcy, let’s go inside and I’ll pour you a glass of water. Then I promise to tell you everything.”

Once they reached the veranda, Chloe decided to blurt out the truth. It came easily, like ripping off a Band-Aid. “Saul is a dragon in a human body.”

“A dragon?” Appearing faint, Marcy quickly lowered into the chair before she lost her balance. “You’re surrounded by creatures out of a bad paranormal romance.” The woman rubbed her face then released a hysterical laugh. “What’s Leiv then? A werewolf?”

“Uh, bear, actually,” Chloe said.

“Christ, Chloe, are you serious? This is crazy!”

“I know... I felt the same way. God, at least you’re taking it better than I did. I freaked at him and chased him off.”

Understanding dawned in Marcy’s brown eyes. Her jaw dropped slightly. “That’s when you came back from your weekend away!”

“Yeah. I hurt his feelings.”

“So where is he now?” Marcy asked.

“He went to handle ‘very important dragon business’ and said he’d be home this evening for dinner,” Chloe said. She shrugged her shoulders and nervously settled into the lounge chair. The veranda provided a small comfort to her, and with a clear sunny day casting warm sunlight over the green pastures, the calming atmosphere was exactly what she needed.

Something may be wrong with my baby... Is this what I get for refusing to tell Freddy? Is this my punishment?

Tears stung her eyes again, bringing an abrupt end to Marcy’s laughter.

“Oh no, sweetie. What’s wrong?”

“The baby... I’m scared,” Chloe admitted. She rubbed her wet cheek with the back of her wrist. “I finally got used to the idea of being a mom and... now you know why I knew Freddy was the father. Saul’s not even human. And now it turns out I was probably pregnant before I even met Saul...”

As Marcy squeezed beside her into the chair and held her close, Mahasti arrived with lunch. She offered Chloe a handkerchief then poured peach-scented tea.

“I do not believe your former lover fathered this baby,” Mahasti said.

Chloe dabbed at her eyes. “What?”

“Who else could it be?” Marcy demanded angrily. “Chloe doesn’t sleep around and she’s already said that Saul can’t have babies with her.”

“As a djinn, I see many things, but even some truths elude me,” Mahasti admitted. “I can see your love for Saul, and I can know your heart’s truest desires, but my hands remain tied until a wish is made. And even then, some gifts are beyond my ability to grant. When Saul wished for a mate who could love him for who he truly was, I took steps to guide you back to him — but I could not make you love him. That came from within you, Chloe. I believe Saul conceived with you in the mountain.”

“You think... No. He said it isn’t possible.” I want it so bad. I want this baby to belong to Saul, but is that even possible? Can a dragon and a human conceive a child?

Mahasti shook her head. “Few things are impossible in this world, Chloe. What Saul should have told you is that it’s not probable. Leiv and I have begun to research what we can in the library.” A wistful look crossed her features. “If his mother were awakened, we could ask her,” Mahasti said.

“Does that mean what I think it means? His mother is a...” Marcy’s voice trailed off.

Chloe frowned. “A real hibernating dragon. He’s never told me where, just that she’s slept for decades and probably won’t even budge while I’m alive.” Her fingers traveled over her barely visible tummy curve. According to the doctor, her active lifestyle and tall build worked to her advantage.

“Holy shit. Dragons and genies. This is a lot to digest,” Marcy said.

“Is it really possible that Saul could’ve fathered my baby?”

Mahasti’s bright smile widened, reassuring Chloe within seconds. “I believe so... I remember vague stories of a man known for his courage and half-dragon blood, born from a storm dragon and mortal man.”

“And you think my baby is like that...” Chloe closed her eyes and dragged in a deep breath. She remained that way until long after Mahasti had vanished to continue her research, leaving Chloe and Marcy to enjoy their evening tea. “I want it so bad. It seems too good to be true.”

“Holy crap, chica,” Marcy breathed out. “Your kiddo is going to be a superhero or something.”

“I guess so. If they’re right.”

“This is all so crazy,” Marcy muttered again. She drained her glass and set it aside.

“Marcy... I’m sorry for dragging you into this. Do you want to go home?”

“Hell no. I’m in this for as long as you need me.” Marcy patted her hip for her cell phone then groaned. “Dammit. I need to text Antonio and let him know tonight is canceled. And... I really hope my styling iron isn’t burning down the apartment ‘cause I had it heating up while I did my makeup.”

“Mahasti?”

The genie reappeared moments later with an iPhone in her hand. “I secured your home.”

“Thanks.” Marcy accepted the phone with tentative fingers, reluctant to take the device from the genie’s fingers.

“She’s not going to burn you or anything if you touch her. Mahasti is harmless.”

“You can never be too sure. I saw the movie Wishmaster.” The Latina flashed the other woman an apologetic smile. “Sorry,” she apologized to Mahasti.

Chloe sighed. While Marcy was her oldest pal, the developing friendship between her and Mahasti meant that she didn’t want to risk their uncertain, new relationship over a misunderstanding.

“It takes much more to offend me, my friend. There is no harm done. But please, there are more important matters at hand. While in the library, a passing thought came to me regarding how we could prove your child is dragon-blooded.”

Marcy and Chloe both stared at the genie. “Well don’t keep us waiting in suspense, chica. Come on,” Marcy encouraged her.

“What I am about to share with you is a closely guarded secret among dragonkin.” Mahasti fixed both women with a stern glance. “Can you keep this a secret?”

“Of course, Mahasti,” Chloe assured her. Marcy promised the same.

The djinn’s smile lit up her entire face. “Good. As you know, all dragons maintain a vast hoard, but they don’t come by their riches by chance. Gemstones and precious metals... call to them, for lack of a better description. They’re attracted to it like iron to a magnet. It’s their greatest weakness, and also their curse, so to speak.”

“They can’t help themselves.”

“Correct,” Mahasti confirmed for Chloe. “I think if we take you down to the hoard, we might see if the same phenomenon occurs.”

“I dunno, Mahasti. I think I’d know if I was drawn towards, you know, diamonds and rubies and stuff.”

“How many diamonds and rubies have you been around recently?” Marcy demanded.

Chloe glanced at her engagement ring and tungsten band. Neither had a single diamond or ruby, but the precious black pearls and lovely opal made her smile. Given from the heart, even a piece of glass from Saul would have exceeded the worth of her ex-fiancé’s diamond.

“I’m not going to run over and dive into his collection like I’m Scrooge McDuck, am I?”

Mahasti laughed. “The effect would be weaker with you.”

“We haven’t visited Saul’s hoard since returning home from Texas. Is he going to be okay with this?”

“You’re his trusted and beloved mate, Chloe. Trust me when I say he approves wholeheartedly of your entrance here, whether he is present or not.”

“What about me?” Marcy asked.

Mahasti glanced at the lone outsider, a speculative look pursing her lips. “Leiv and I are Saul’s closest friends. As the same remains true between you and Chloe, you are entrusted with the same honor. Enter, but touch nothing without Chloe’s permission.”

Citing that Mahasti’s mode of rapid travel made her experience morning sickness too, Marcy requested for the two women to lead her to the underground chamber via their own feet. At the bottom of the stairs, the candles came alive with flames, shifting hues of blue that cast their shadows over the walls.

“It’s so damned cold down here,” Marcy muttered.

“Yeah, I thought that too the first time he brought me down. You get used to it.”

Chloe led the way into familiar territory, a massive cavern carved beneath the house, in the depths of a mountain, with smooth worn floors polished to a perfect gleam. The occasional lantern burned to reveal their winding path amidst Saul’s belongings, old and new treasures displayed on shelves, beneath glass displays, and sometimes piled haphazardly over tables or overflowing from chests.

“Holy shit. What doesn’t he have?”

“You tell me,” Chloe murmured. “Though it’s been a while since I last came down, and I guess he must have acquired some new things. Sounds like he has some wind chimes in here now.”

“I don’t hear anything,” Marcy said.

The mellow notes continued, each lyrical whisper louder than the last, leading her deeper into the chamber until the blue-flame lanterns reflected over gold coins spilling from the rearmost room. Beyond the open archway, the sight of Saul’s jewel-laced stash took her breath away. It sparkled in rainbow hues, luminescent under the thin ribbon of daylight that slanted through a clever skylight.

“This must be worth millions. Maybe more than millions.” Marcy whistled and crouched to peer at a perfect star sapphire amidst uncut rubies. “I promise not to take anything but can I touch—”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

She left Marcy sifting through sparklies and followed the melody into the back of the room where the lantern glow dimmed. There, in the darker corner of Saul’s sanctuary, the meager light bounced off the edge of a four poster bed tucked near the wall.

“It’s beautiful.” The ghostly lullaby calmed Chloe’s senses until she surrendered to her instincts and perched on the edge of the platform bed. She stroked the cool gemstone beneath her with one hand, tracing the fine whorls of pale green streaked throughout the dark texture.

Mahasti remained a respectful distance behind her. “It’s carved from a solid block of jade. Saul traded for it several years ago with a dragon from the east.”

“I’d feel like a queen sleeping in this. With a mattress though.”

A thin, memory foam mattress materialized beneath Chloe’s rump, speckled with blue cooling gel beads. A split second later, high thread count sheets in her favorite gold color whooshed into place, accompanied by body pillows.

“You’re spoiling me, Mahasti.” And she wouldn’t change it for the world. “It’s like lying on a cloud surrounded by my own personal string quartet. What song is that anyway?”

“I hear nothing, Chloe. You must hear what the dragons hear,” Mahasti said in her placid tone. “Which means that you must have dragon blood within you.”

Chloe traced her belly’s subtle curve and closed her eyes. Saul had gifted her a treasure beyond the worth of any gem in his hoard. He’d given her his child, and he’d granted her awareness of the magical world. For the first time since discovering her pregnancy, Chloe felt tears of absolute joy. They streaked down her cheeks as relief flooded her soul and lifted away the apprehensions of birthing Freddy’s child, confessing the truth to him, and accepting he was bound to her life.

Mahasti gave her privacy to enjoy the precious moment and stepped away from the carved niche at the rear of the horde. The subterranean space’s acoustics made it easy to overhear the djinn’s discussion with Marcy. She passed on stories regarding a few of the spectacular pieces in Saul’s collection as if she were a museum curator.

Marcy’s here, getting along with my new friend. This baby is Saul’s. Life just couldn’t be any more perfect.

After their treasure room explorations, the girls made a reluctant exit to return upstairs. Marcy exchanged a few texts with Antonio, canceling their plans for a movie date while she wolfed down her share of their afternoon snack. Upon receiving sufficient nourishment and rest, the two friends went for a tour of the grounds.

“Are these cows and sheep all for what I think they’re for?”

“What do you think they’re for?”

“I’m thinking of the T-rex scene from Jurassic Park.”

Chloe laughed. “You’re right. He doesn’t do it in front of me, but we snuggled in his hoard a few times to let him stretch out in his true form. We tried it out here and the bugs ate me alive.”

“Am I going to get to see him?” Marcy demanded.

“That’s up to Saul.” Like he’d miss the chance to show off his wings. He’s as vain as a preening parrot, Chloe thought.

“What’s that cabin over there?”

“Leiv lives there. You didn’t really get the chance to talk to him, but he’s a great guy.”

“So he’s a chauffeur slash groundskeeper?”

Chloe chuckled. “Among other things, yeah. You should have seen how sad he was when I drove the car to Vegas. He’s like the man of the house when Saul isn’t here, or when Saul goes into hibernation.”

“Him and Mahasti are boning, aren’t they?”

“Yep.”

“So are you going to, I dunno, lay an egg?”

The absurd question made Chloe laugh. “No! I think the doctor would have mentioned an eggshell in the ultrasound. Honestly.”

“Oh yeah, right.” Marcy rubbed her neck. “Sorry. The whole time in that room I was convinced I was having some fucked up dream. I kept thinking ‘I can’t wait to wake up and tell Chloe about this freaky nightmare.’ Shit... after touching enough jewels to fill a museum, I’m not convinced I really did wake up.”

Grinning, Chloe hooked their arms together and guided Marcy from the veranda. “You’ll really think you’re dreaming once you see Saul’s aquatic garden. Leiv convinced him to spring for a natural pool and it’s fantastic!”

“I don’t have a swim suit! You know I need that special one I bought if I’m going to fit—” Marcy patted her generous bottom. “—All this ass into a suit.”

“Mahasti has you covered. Trust me.”

The two friends tittered at the intentional pun and continued forward to their next adventure.

Chapter 11

Saul returned while Marcy and Chloe soaked in the sun alongside the pool. Clothed in his expensive Armani suit, he walked out onto the stone and crossed his arms. Both bikini-clad girls peeked up at him, almost in unison.

“Greetings, Marceline. Mahasti informed me that you came for an impromptu visit.”

“Oh yeah. Making myself at home.” Marcy’s lopsided, half-drunk smile made Chloe giggle. “Leiv makes the best drinks.” She sipped her tropical daiquiri and noisily sucked up the brown layer of rum from the bottom. A hangover wasn’t enough to discourage Marcy from imbibing enough for both of them.

“That he does,” Saul agreed.

“Hey, it isn’t too late to change my mind and move in, right? You guys will need a nanny or a babysitter. I’m also a great math tutor. Come on. Once you get that kiddo in school and see what the kids are doing these days, you’ll be screaming at Mahasti to bring me back.”

“Your presence is always welcome, Marceline.” Saul grinned. “But for now, I have been sent to fetch you both. Dinner will be ready shortly.”

“Do I get to see you au naturale?”

She’s taking this ridiculously well, Chloe thought. “Leave it to you to get straight to the point. I thought you’d at least stuff your face with food before you asked my husband to strip.”

Saul glanced at Chloe for approval, and when she shrugged, he loosened his tie and began unfastening his shirt.

Crap. “Saul!” Chloe cried, interrupting him. She swatted his hand as he reached his belt.

“What?”

Marcy covered her eyes. “Not looking! I meant au naturale as a dragon, not sexy Viking warrior and cock and stuff!”

“We didn’t mean for you to strip naked right now,” Chloe blurted out. She hadn’t yet acquired her husband’s lack of modesty. While Leiv and Mahasti regarded nudity with a similarly cavalier nature, she couldn’t bear to allow them to see her in anything less than her bathing suit.

“Oh. I misunderstood,” he said, abashed.

Marcy peeked from between her fingers. “I saw enough of you when you were strutting around the apartment half naked, Barney. You’re hot and all, but I think I’m happy without seeing all the goods.”

“Barney!?” Saul’s incredulous tone drew a peal of laughter from Chloe. “I am not a purple dinosaur.”

After dinner, while Marcy and Chloe chatted over herbal tea in the solarium, Saul startled them both by peeking in through one of the enormous windows. Marcy screamed and threw tea everywhere. A splash of the hot liquid scalded Chloe’s leg, feeling more like tepid water.

“Holy shit, he’s huge!”

“I warned you!”

Without picking up her teacup, Marcy darted to the balcony for a closer look. Saul settled on his hind legs and propped one forearm on the balcony edge, showing Marcy his massive claw.

“Oh my God, oh my God, he’s huge,” she repeated, trapped between feeling terror and awe. Clearly, she chose awe and reached one trembling hand toward the nearest maroon talon. Her fingers slid over the smooth, curved claw.

“Would you like a ride? Chloe has grown very fond of flying,” Saul said.

The dragon’s ability to speak caught Marcy off guard and stumbled her back into Chloe. She lost her balance then nearly toppled onto her ass until Saul adjusted his claw to catch her against the leathery paw pad.

“He won’t hurt you. I promise, he’s exactly the same guy he was before.”

“I’m not freaking,” Marcy replied quickly. “Not freaking.” Nor was she breathing. Her motionless body tensed from head to toe, but eventually her muscles relaxed and she dragged in a lungful of air. “He’s beautiful.”

“Yeah. He is.” Chloe smiled up at her golden-eyed dragon, expecting him to preen with pride. His magnificent wings fanned out to reveal their full span, while Marcy’s eyes widened even further.

“Fuck yeah, I want a ride!” Marcy finally cried out once the initial terror faded.

An hour later, once Marcy finally had enough of the wind whipping through her hair and the gorgeous expanse making up Saul’s thousands of acres, he deposited both ladies by the front door. They watched him amble off in search of a meal.

“He kind of smells like Felix when he’s fresh from the groomer.” Marcy sniffed her shirt, searching for Saul’s lingering scent.

“You know, you’re right.” Then Marcy shoved her. A playful nudge of both hands made Chloe stumble a step to the side. “What was that for!?”

“For not telling me about this when he came to my place for a month! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

“I didn’t know how to tell you. I mean, if I outright said he was a mythological creature, you would have made some crack about his sexiness being magical and ignored me.”

Marcy grumbled a reluctant agreement, “I guess you’re right. Okay, as pleasant as that was, I feel a little scummy from the pool.”

“I’ll show you to one of the guest rooms. The bathrooms here are awesome. Mahasti will provide you with whatever clothes you think you need.”

A desire to soak away the morning’s stressful ordeal divided Chloe and Marcy for an hour. They chatted over the household’s intercom system from their individual bathrooms and met again in the room designated as the future nursery. Chloe brought her laptop along as directed and connected to the estate’s WiFi while Marcy marveled over the room’s design. Felix, ever curious, followed them and gave the space a thorough inspection. He explored the walk-in closet, batted at the drapes, and then made himself comfortable on the wide window ledge.

“Girl, you have an awesome view.” Marcy peered out while giving the large cat scratches beneath his chin. “I bet we could put a rocking chair right here... and I’m sort of envisioning the crib over there. Since we have access to Genie Airlines, I can come out whenever you’re ready to help paint.”

“You’d do that?”

“You’re my best friend. You bet your ass I’ll be here to help. I’ll get Mom’s brushes and stencils.” Marcy scanned the nursery’s barren interior and cream walls. She had always been the one with the artistic talent.

“I love you, Marce. I really, really do.” Grateful tears misted Chloe’s eyes, and without warning, she threw her arms around her friend.

Foresight or the gift of perfect timing allowed Saul to arrive at the conclusion of their heartfelt moment. The oblivious dragon passed Chloe his credit card without uttering a word.

“Seriously? He just hands off his platinum card and that’s that?”

“I don’t even argue with him anymore. ‘What’s his is mine.’ He says the same thing about that massive treasure room of priceless crap we showed you.”

“Crap?” Saul demanded. He crossed his arms, scandalized features drawing laughter from the two women.

“Uh. Beautiful relics,” Chloe corrected herself. He grinned and took a seat on the floor while they perused high-end baby stores online.

“Look, this crib converts into a toddler bed, then a full-size.” Marcy pointed at the laptop screen.

“It’s a good thing they don’t have a one-click feature,” Chloe muttered as she ticked the item off into her wish list for later comparison. “What do you think about this bed set, Saul?”

“Ah...” Both girls giggled at his befuddled expression.

“Men are always hopeless with baby stuff, Chloe, you know that.”

Saul cleared his throat. “The color is fetching. If you like it, my love, then I’m happy.”

A frenzied internet shopping spree ensued. As the evening dwindled, an unnatural silence fell over Saul until he no longer participated, aside from the occasional curt nod. He excused himself from the impromptu three-person baby shower and retreated to the movie den where Chloe found him seated in front of an old black and white film an hour after his disappearance. He loved King Kong, and she’d watched it countless times with him since their reunion.

“What’s wrong?” she called.

“Many thoughts on my mind.”

This is as new to him as it is to me, Chloe thought. “About the baby? You’ll be an amazing father, Saul.” She scooted sideways onto his lap and set one arm around his broad shoulders. Her long legs went over the arm of the recliner once she slouched down to rest her cheek over his heart. She’d counted them once, a powerful but lazy rate of thirty-two beats a minute. Too slow to sustain a human, perfect for a dragon shifted into a smaller body.

“Perhaps.”

The brooding continued, a sour stain on Chloe’s mood that she longed to wash away with her good news. “Saul, there’s something you need to know. About the baby.”

“Is something the matter? Mahasti told me she convinced you to visit a physician. I hope all is well.”

Chloe bit her lower lip. His patience must have rubbed off on her, otherwise she would have never held the secret so long. The old Chloe would have blurted it out the moment he arrived poolside.

Sitting up, she studied his face and touched her fingers to his golden beard. Slim digits caressed the soft velvet, and then she kissed his lips. “You’re going to be a father.”

“We established this, Chloe. I will adopt your little one.”

“No, Saul. This baby is yours. You fathered our child. Your blood.”

For the first time in their relationship, Chloe witnessed Saul stunned into speechlessness with his gaze lowered to her belly. Guiding him with gentle hands, Chloe brought his left palm to her subtle bump.

“Our baby, Saul,” she whispered.

“That cannot be possible... I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“It is. While you were gone, Mahasti took me into the hoard to your gold collection... I never saw anything so radiant in all of my life. Now I know why I sleep so well with you in your vault, Saul. I do because our baby wants to be there. The gems sang to me. I always thought I heard sounds at night but... it’s so beautiful now. I can’t describe it.”

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.”

“You have forgotten one very important thing: it is a fairytale. Its magic is a fucking legend,” Saul scathed.

Saul rarely swore, despite his claims of inheriting the awful habit from his wife. Marcy and Chloe exchanged curious glances. “Dragons are fairytales too,” Marcy pointed out, fear for Chloe prompting her to speak. “What’s happening? Please tell us.”

“Don’t ignore us like we’re not sitting here. Tell us what’s happening!” Chloe cried out.

Leiv and Mahasti said nothing, but their intense gazes suggested the two had a way of conversing without voicing their thoughts out loud. Chloe had wondered about them for a while, convinced her knowledge of Mahasti’s supernatural powers didn’t scratch the surface.

“Saul, tell her,” Leiv urged.

“Fine,” the dragon growled. “It was once your desire to meet other dragons, Chloe. It seems that you will receive your wish. Mahasti, contact Watatsumi. Tell him I would like to discuss our most recent transaction.”

“Of course.”

“Watatsumi?” Chloe repeated.

“One of my father’s oldest comrades. I traded him a very special gift five years ago from my father’s hoard,” Saul said, his dry tone an unconcealed sign of his displeasure.

“What’d you trade him?” Marcy asked.

“A sword.”

Marcy snorted. “So, like, what? Excalibur or something?”

“No, Marceline. It was the sword Ascalon, the relic of Saint George, and I foolishly traded it away.”

Chloe’s mouth fell open. “You mean, the actual sword from the stories? The one he used to kill the Welsh dragon or whatever the damn story says?”

“The sword used to slay my very own grandfather among many other dragons in our history. I loathed my grandfather’s legacy and wanted no reminder of his uncivilized behavior, so as you can imagine it took little convincing for me to part with it. When Watatsumi named it as his price, I accepted the offer... and now Chloe’s survival depends on its return.”

“Do you think he’ll give it back.” Will he help us? Chloe prayed that he would.

Saul’s expression had never looked so grim. “Let us hope so.”

Chapter 13

Chloe stretched upon the cool sheets, enjoying her preferred state of nudity whenever she slept beside her slumbering dragon. Her reaching fingers encountered only open air.

“Saul?” she whispered, before jerking upright in the jade bed. The absence of Saul’s body heat spawned an initial moment of fleeting terror until her eyes adjusted to the pitch black surroundings. Since Brigid made her challenge two nights earlier, he’d been edgy and moody in their bedroom. With hopes of soothing him, and herself, Chloe had suggested sleeping deep below the estate in his hoard.

I can see perfectly in the dark now. When did that happen? The answer eluded her. Like many other subtle changes to her body, it had crept in to take her by surprise.

After dragging herself from bed, Chloe pulled on her silk robe, belted it in front, and padded barefoot over the smooth polished floor. She found Saul easily in the main house, but he wasn’t alone. His voice carried down the hallway from the library. With the door ajar, she picked up the incredulity in his guest’s voice.

“This is madness, Saul.”

“Have you come to dissuade me from my path as well?”

“Why would you pursue such a foolish endeavor for a half-breed and a... a human? Please. Listen to reason, my friend. Consider these choices. I came this eve hoping to find these stories were lies wrought by a bitter shrew. To know that you risk infuriating the Conclave over—”

“My child, Teo. My cub and the mother of my cub are worth my life and any other sacrifice I may pay to protect them. I will not oppose the Conclave outright, but I will plead to them for aid.”

The other man sighed. “I did not travel such a distance to argue with you.”

“Then let us not argue. Celebrate with me. I am soon to become a father, and if I recall, you once told me you’d beat me to the task long before Brigid submitted.”

“How could you celebrate when—?”

One of the dragons sniffed. The other mimicked him and inhaled.

“We are not alone, my friend,” the stranger said.

Following a brief pause, Saul spoke up, “Come in, Chloe. Teo does not bite.”

“I find the taste of mortals unpalatable.”

Chloe nudged the library door open completely and stepped inside, thankful she donned a robe prior to tiptoeing around the estate.

Teo’s green eyes startled her, bright and bold within a face that reminded her of Central American natives. While Saul’s golden blond locks fell in sleek waves, his friend had glossy, pin-straight ebony hair down past his shoulders.

“Teo, allow me to introduce you to Chloe.” Saul wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her in close. His lips touched her hairline, imparting the relief she’d sought since waking alone.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Chloe. Your beauty is indeed as radiant as Saul proclaimed in his letters. I am Teotihuacan, but you may call me Teo for short.”

“Happy to meet you, Teo.” Chloe pasted a polite smile to her face then turned to gaze up at her husband. “You wrote about me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Fair point,” she muttered. “So... uh. Did I interrupt something? You both look a little stressed. Do I need to leave before any fire-breathing happens?”

“No, señorita. Hardly. Saul is my oldest friend, a brother to me. We were merely having a discussion about his troubles and... the best way to deal with the matter.” Teo’s green eyes lingered on Chloe, too intense to bode well for the topic of their prior conversation. His scrutiny made her feel like a bug.

Chloe shivered and chafed her hands down her arms. It didn’t help. With only a thin silk robe to cover her, she felt exposed to Teo’s occasional wandering glances. Did he find her attractive, or was he merely sizing up the mortal?

“Saul, would you fetch my Snuggy? I’m freezing.”

“Of course.” He kissed her cheek and left the room, preferring not to interrupt Mahasti for every minor request.

A minute of awkward and uncomfortable silence passed. Teo made no effort to speak with her and, in fact, barely even seemed to acknowledge her presence.

“You don’t approve of me, do you?” Chloe asked bluntly.

The handsome dragon jerked his green eyes back to her. They dropped to her tummy and gradually rose to her face. “I have nothing against you personally, señorita.”

“Just against humans in general? My name is Chloe by the way.”

Teo frowned. “I came here this evening to convince a good friend to do what is right.”

“Which is?”

“To send you away for your own safety, of course. If you go, Saul lives, and you and your... child will also survive this ordeal.”

This prick, she thought, smoldering on the inside. “You speak as if my baby isn’t good enough.”

Teo held both palms out toward her. “Please. I meant no offense.”

The change in attitude took Chloe by surprise. She stared at him and maintained a distrustful distance. I wonder if the males are the only ones who learn manners. Saul makes it sound like their females are all a bunch of catty bitches. “You have immaculate manners for a dragon, you know. Compared to Brigid. I was beginning to wonder if Saul was the exception and not the rule.”

“I may not approve of the choice Saul has made, but I will not disrespect you in his home.”

Well, there’s that much at least. Chloe sighed. “Do you know Brigid well?”

Teo snorted. “She is known by many. A beautiful and cunning dragon.”

“If you admire her so much why don’t you go court her?”

The toothy grin Teo flashed unnerved her. “I considered it once, but her temperament does not suit my preferences for a mate.”

“Okay, I’ll bite. What are your preferences for a mate? After meeting Brigid for the first time, I wasn’t sure if it was her personality or a... dragon thing.”

Teo’s warm chuckle reassured her. It was rich and warm, his mannerisms as relaxed as his bronze friend. Saul kept excellent company.

Marcy would lose her mind over seeing him. He looks like an Aztec god. I wonder if dragons like him and Saul are where all of those myths and stories come from. “Come on. Tell me. What are other female dragons like?”

“I pursue another black dragon of a more subservient nature—”

In only a few words, he dashed her positive outlook toward him. “Subservient? Really?” Chloe groaned. He’s probably like a draconic Freddy. “Is that what you’re into?”

“I prefer a quiet existence — a pleasurable one without the noisy distractions Saul finds endearing.”

“Uh huh. So what do you do then? Live in a cave?”

“An island.”

“Oh. Well that must be sort of nice. Sandy beaches and all the surf you can handle.” And now I’m making small talk with a dragon. Frustrated with the awkward situation, Chloe sighed and glanced at the door. “Are you going to help us or not? I know you don’t owe anything to me, but I care about Saul.”

“I can see that. I believe you care, but if he chooses to oppose the Conclave, he has no chance of survival. They are many elder dragons, more powerful than he and I could ever hope to become in your mortal lifetime.”

“Then give us another option!”

Teo flinched. “The sword, if tales are true of its power, is the only way a mortal could even hope to try and win. Try, señorita. It is no guarantee that you will triumph.”

Maybe it was his doubt, or maybe it was the condescension snaking into his tone, but Teo’s words incited the worst of her anger. Common sense warred against rising fury, until her temper surged like an irrational tide. “My fucking name is Chloe, not señorita.” She stepped forward and poked her index finger at Teo, jabbing him hard in the center of his chest. “What kind of fucking dragon are you? You want a subservient woman but you’re not man enough to stand by a friend who needs you?”

Teo drew himself up, shoulders stiff. “It is an honorific of respect.” His eyes narrowed and he studied her in silence. The look churned her anger further. “Saul did not speak of your temper. Or your strength.” He took her by the wrist and lowered her hand, gentle fingers warm against her skin.

“Shit. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry... I just... I don’t know what comes over me sometimes. I get so angry.” And then she wept. Her fleeting outbursts of uncontrollable fury left exhaustion in their wake and a strange sensation of disconnection as if she were floating. She wanted to return to bed.

“You are worried for your cub and thus in an understandable position.”

Teo guided her to a chair with an awkwardness he hadn’t exhibited since his arrival. He patted her on the head and glanced back to the door with a worried expression. “I will fetch Saul for you.”

“N-No. I’m fine. I’m just...” Chloe sniffed and swiped her cheeks. “I’m fine. Sorry. I shouldn’t have... shouldn’t have poked you like that.”

“You caused no lasting harm.”

Saul returned seconds after Chloe pulled herself together. She ignored the blanket-robe hanging over his arm to focus on her husband’s wooden expression instead. “What’s wrong?”

“Forgive my delay, Chloe. A visitor arrived.”

“Who the hell shows up in the middle of the night?” Chloe groused, shooting a sour glance at the grandfather clock in the corner. “Rude.”

“We are dragons,” Teo reminded her.

“Right. Nocturnal. So who was it then?”

“That was Brigid’s retainer to bring news of the Conclave’s decision. They voted in her favor. We are to expect her arrival three days hence.”

“What the hell for?” Chloe bolted to her feet.

Saul crumpled the letter in his fist. “She will be moving in to initiate our mating.”

“Over my dead body!”

“Brigid moves fast. Always has.” Teo shook his head and sighed. “Saul, I would like to offer my aid since it seems your mind is set. If you allow it, I shall remain here a time to maintain the peace. Brigid has no quarrel with me and may listen if I intervene.”

Saul looked up in surprise. “What changed your mind?”

“Your mate.” Teo turned his green eyes in Chloe’s direction. “She has dragon’s blood. It is as the legends claim, Saul. Your Chloe is not as mortal as you think. Not anymore.”

A turbulent storm of conflicting emotions assailed Chloe’s senses, spilling fresh tears down her cheeks. “Not mortal... does that mean...?” She twisted to look up at Saul.

“It means that if we are able to appease Brigid, you and Saul may have a long life ahead of you,” Teo replied.

Together... a long, immortal life together with Saul. In all the time that Chloe had coveted Brigid’s draconic existence, wishing their places were exchanged, Saul had inadvertently blessed her with a gift unique to her alone. Once Chloe failed to stall her sniffles, she leaned into his palm, savoring every second his warm skin caressed her face.

“We were meant to be together, my Chloe.” Saul stroked her cheek and stared deep into her eyes, his features heavier than she had ever seen them.

“What do we do?” she asked in a whisper.

Saul bowed his head, touching their brows together. “I will have Mahasti return to Watatsumi, tonight, and request his presence here immediately. There is no time to waste.”

***

Golden streams of sunlight slanted through the library windows into Chloe’s face. The warmth against her cheek stirred her awake, then it took a moment to gain her bearings.

That’s right. I dozed off on the couch while Saul and Teo were planning. The two dragons had poured through ledgers recording Saul’s hoard in the hope of finding something to trade for the sword.

With neither dragon in sight, Chloe made her way to her room and cleaned up for the day. A peek into Marcy’s room revealed her friend was still dozing. And snoring. Chloe giggled, closed the door, and retreated back to the library.

“Good morning, Chloe,” Teo greeted her. The shirtless look appeared to be a draconic trait. Teo wore only his white linen pants, no less immaculate in the daylight than the previous evening. She stared.

Where’s Saul?” And where’s the señorita at this time? she wondered.

“He went below to gather treasures to offer as a trade to his guest. Come. Eat. Since his djinn is occupied with her task I took the liberty of preparing you a meal.”

Chloe dropped a dubious gaze to the desk where a plate of dry eggs and hard toast awaited her. “Thanks. Really. It looks great, Teo.” It was the effort that counted, or so she told herself as she stared at the mess on her plate. Saul and Teo must have graduated from the same chef academy. His culinary repertoire began with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and ended with tuna fish on crackers. She didn’t trust anything else from him unless it was an animal seared by his dragon’s breath.

Despite the torturous amount of salt, Chloe smiled through every bite and guzzled two glasses of water to stave off choking. Something told her that Teo didn’t know the Heimlich maneuver and she didn’t want to give Brigid the satisfaction of arriving to find out that her opponent had died by toast asphyxiation.

“The time comes to excuse myself for a hunt. Your guest has arrived.”

“Thanks for the breakfast, Teo.”

She waited until he was out of sight before she scraped the remainder of her plate into the trash. A quickly muttered wish under her breath resulted in the prompt removal of both the trash and her dishes. Thanks, Mahasti.

The clean-up came just in time. Voices drifted down the hall to announce the impending arrival. Chloe expected to meet an ancient, wrinkled old man able to give Confucius a run for his money, but a dignified figure strode through the double doors alongside her husband.

“Chloe, I would like you to meet a good friend of my father, Watatsumi. Watatsumi, meet Chloe, my beloved bride,” Saul introduced them. His voice brimmed with pride.

“It is my profound pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Lady Drakenstone.”

Pitch black hair streaked with fine lines of silver was pulled back from the Asian man’s unlined face into an elaborate topknot. His dark blue and gold kimono resembled a wardrobe piece from a historical movie or art museum, exquisite down to the last silk thread. Chloe had never seen something so beautiful on a man before.

Twin servants followed the regal dragon, each woman garbed in similarly extravagant, identical kimonos. Against their fair skin, the mercurial silver and deep blue brought out the rosy undertones in their cheeks. Chloe envied them immediately for their slender frames, effortless grace, and immaculate appearances. She felt like a pig by comparison, even if Saul and the others claimed she hadn’t yet begun to truly show.

“Gifts for the newly bonded,” Watatsumi announced.

“Gifts?” Chloe echoed, stunned. Were the gifts a nonverbal form of approval?

“It is customary for a dragon visiting another’s domicile to come bearing gifts,” Saul explained.

“Mariko, if you will.”

“Hai.”

Mariko, the girl on the right, stepped forward with a garment box in her arms. A respectful bow brought her lower to the floor as she presented the gift to Chloe. The exterior wrapping had to be as gorgeous as the gift bound to be inside.

“What is it...?” Chloe asked.

“Open it and you shall see,” Watatsumi said.

Chloe untied the ribbon and carefully peeled the decorative paper, afraid of ripping it. She lifted away the top to reveal a gorgeous amber and gold work of art. With a trembling hand, she caressed the cool silk and felt the vibrant cord. The kimono reminded her of Saul.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. Tears stung her eyes that she quickly wiped away with the back of her wrist. “Thank you.”

“Of course, there is more, but we shall get to that in time. Let us get to the heart of the matter and our reason for this meeting.”

Watatsumi drew a sheathed sword from thin air, parting reality as if there were an invisible curtain unseen to Chloe’s eyes. Awestruck, she stared in silence as he drew the weapon from the black scabbard. The blade glimmered in the sunlight streaming through the high windows.

“You’ve taken excellent care of it,” Saul commented.

“Of course I have. I remember the day you offered this treasure to me in trade, desperate to provide Brigid with the one gift that would earn her affection.” Watatsumi chuckled and restored the blade to its sheath. “Now you wish to have it back to earn another woman’s favor. What price will you pay?”

Saul sighed. “I searched high and low for an adequate offer, but we both know that you have come with something in mind, Watatsumi. What do you desire?”

“To speak with your mate alone.”

Saul crossed his arms. “Absolutely not.”

“Do you no longer trust in me or the validity of our friendship, Saul? I would sooner swallow lava from your father’s volcano than harm this woman and damage my honor.” Watatsumi scoffed. His twin servants shrank back a step.

Chloe laid her hand on her husband’s arm. “Go ahead, Saul. I’m not afraid of him.”

Her husband balked, but once she convinced him to leave the library, she shut the door. A niggling feeling told her they’d need privacy.

“Excellent choice, Chloe. I am pleased you are willing to hear out my offer.”

“Let’s hope it was a good idea. What did you need to say to me that you couldn’t say with my mate here?”

The dragon chuckled. “I have known Saul since he was an impetuous cub, quick to respond with emotion. I wished to know your thoughts alone. After all, the child grows within your womb.”

Chloe’s hands went automatically to her small baby bump. “My thoughts about what?”

“An offer I have in mind,” Watatsumi continued serenely.

“And what offer might that be?”

“The baby. I will grant you the sword in exchange for your infant.”

“My baby?”

“Yes. Such a rare creature has not come into birth in centuries.” The dragon’s lips spread into a wide grin, revealing each of his sharp teeth. His human guise melted like a wax figure revealing hints of the true form beneath. According to Saul, his father’s old friend was an ancient being among the eldest of their kind.

And none of that mattered to her. “Get the hell out.” Indignance quivered Chloe from head to toe. She snapped her arm out, finger pointing at the door. “We’ll make do without your sword.”

“Are you not a young and fertile female? Saul is a virile male. Young. You can make another in time.”

“You think you can come in here waving your offer around in exchange for my baby? Well to hell with you. I’ll find another way because this baby is mine and I’m not going to just trade her off like a piece of meat at the market.”

“Will you not consider it? Sleep on it, as you mortals say.”

“Abso-fucking-lutely not,” Chloe spat. “Get out. Get out now.”

Watatsumi bowed his head in respect. “Saul has chosen his mate well. You are a courageous woman, Chloe.”

“Get the — what?”

“I admire your tenacity. In all of my years, few humans have stood up to me. You defend that little one, and yet there are many dragon mothers who might consider my offer to vastly expand their hoard. You put our female kin to shame.”

Chloe swallowed the hard lump in her throat. Pressure compressed her chest with each inhalation. “I don’t understand. What was this? Some sort of test? Why?”

“Your mate intends to sacrifice himself to save you and the child. He will murder Brigid when they next meet, and by doing so, violate one of our oldest laws. He has called Teotihuacan here to bear witness that his act comes without provocation from you or any other resident of this home.”

“That’s why we need the sword. So I stand a chance against her.”

“Do you know the tale of Ascalon’s original owner?”

“St. George? I know a little of the story from bible school as a kid,” Chloe admitted.

“Quite different from the truth scribed in our history. He was born of a union not unlike the love between you and Saul, his mother a dragon and his father a Roman officer. Like many storm dragons of her temperament, she dabbled in human politics and mingled through their society.”

“So, I don’t get it, if his mother was a dragon why isn’t it in any of the history books?”

“My dear, we write history as we see fit. My kind have done this for centuries to protect our secrets. The modern world is not ready to discover the truth.”

Chloe shivered. If the leaders of the world knew about shadowy draconic figures pulling their puppet strings, they did an excellent job of hiding it. “Did he really die as a martyr?”

“That he did. It broke Theia’s heart to lose her human lover, but the murder of her son at human hands became an unbearable pain. Centuries have passed and yet she still slumbers. Such is what occurs when one of our kind loses a loved one. We sleep. We dream of better days and time spent with them.”

“He was killed because he wouldn’t convert faiths, right?”

“Ah, so you are not completely ignorant to the old stories. What else do you recall of your Roman history?”

“To be honest, I think I know more about Greek than Roman. I, uh, binge-watch a couple of old TV shows when I can’t sleep.”

Watatsumi chuckled and gestured Chloe to a seat. “The eldest of us once chose divine guises among the mortals and inspired the very tales that grace your textbooks and television shows.”

“And movies,” Chloe mumbled. “But this doesn’t explain why Saul doesn’t believe in Ascalon and thinks this is all some kind of weird folktale for your people too. He told me he traded the sword because he doubted in its power.”

“You are part of our world now, Chloe, and you must understand one important aspect of our natures. We do not tolerate change well. When Theia birthed her son, many elder dragons sought to make an example of her. She hid him among the humans as a normal child.”

“But why?”

“She had a mate. A tidal dragon like myself, chosen for her in the same manner as Brigid was chosen for Saul. Of course he was angered by Theia’s perceived betrayal, and swore vengeance against the mortal who spoiled her.”

Chloe leaned forward on her seat. “This is as good as a soap opera.”

“Her son grew up among the humans but she always kept watch over him. When he came of age, she forged him this sword with a piece of her soul and a mother’s love. A means to defend himself. He proved its worth when a dragon sought him out and he slayed it in one-on-one combat.”

“The dragon from the legend?”

“No. That was only his first.”

Holy crap. Saul and Mahasti did say that he killed more than one. “So the one in the legend...?” she prompted when Watatsumi delayed to imbue dramatic suspense.

“Theia’s mate,” Watatsumi told her. “The rest is as told in your stories. In his rage, he dried the city wells and claimed the only remaining spring as his lair. The people pleaded and begged but he was not swayed. He demanded tribute for use of his water.”

Subtle changes differentiated the stories from what Chloe learned in school. “So that’s when George arrived?”

“And slew him, yes.”

Chloe eyed the sword in Watatsumi’s hands. It’s true. It’s all true... “Will you help us?”

“Ascalon is yours.” The Asian dragon bowed at the waist and offered out the sword on his upraised palms. Chloe accepted it gingerly. In its sheath, Ascalon felt weightless and featherlight.

“Just like that?”

Watatsumi’s grin spread wider, losing the predatory gleam that once traced ice down Chloe’s spine. Mischief lurked in his expression, like a child eager to one-up his betters. His chuckle eased her heart until eventually, a nervous laugh escaped her.

“Saul has offered me several tempting treasures in exchange.”

“I don’t know the first thing about using a sword,” Chloe whispered.

“Ascalon knows all that it must. Trust in it, and it will guide you, Chloe.”

One effortless tug drew the weapon from the scabbard. Sunlight danced over the silver edge and inner luster gleamed through the metal as if moonlight were captive in the blade. Magic. A dragon’s magic given from the heart, turned against her kin and fellow wyrms. It felt right in her grip, as it if belonged.

A mother’s gift to her son. And now, another mother was destined to use it to save her own child.

“Watatsumi, will you arrange for the duel to take place tomorrow?” Chloe asked.

“It shall be done.”

***

“So now there’s three of them on the estate?” Marcy asked.

“No, Watatsumi is away with Mahasti arranging for the duel to take place tomorrow. He has to pull some strings with their weird dragon council.”

“So, it’s Saul and his friend. Is he hot? Do you think—”

“He doesn’t like humans much. I think he’s only tolerating me because I’m the magical baby oven.”

“Hopes dashed.” Marcy snapped her fingers and swore, “Damn.”

“Sorry to bust your bubble.”

“So where are they?”

“You can look outside and watch them recreate a scene from The Lost World if you want—” As Chloe spoke, Marcy’s face nearly turned green. “Or stay here and drink coffee with me.”

Marcy joined her at the table and poured black coffee into a mug. “I don’t know if you’re any better after what I just saw you eat. Raw meat, Chloe? Ugh. What is this child doing to you?”

“Ha ha,” Chloe said dryly. “Anyway, all kinds of dragons are supposed to begin flying in soon. Saul’s inviting the ones he trusts. Brigid may be able to force her way into the house, but she can’t stop him from having guests.”

“And if she tries to harm you beyond the rules of the duel—”

“It’s an insult to their laws, and they get to kill her.”

“Almost makes me wish she would try something,” Marcy muttered.

Chloe snorted. “Yeah, well, if everything goes to plan she won’t get the chance.”

Marcy pushed back from the table and crossed to the window where she dared a brief peek outside while she sipped her brew. “Looks like they’re done rounding up breakfast. I see them chatting in the driveway and... holy crap! Saul’s buddy looks like those hot Colombian drug lords in the movies. How the hell does he keep a white suit so clean when he was just snacking on goats in a field?”

Balancing her cup of herbal tea, Chloe left the table and joined her. “I know. It’s totally unfair, right? Saul says most dragons are power players in business and politics. I guess Teo owns a resort somewhere on some island in the south.”

Marcy whistled. “Do you think he’ll at least f—”

“Marcy. No. What happened with Antonio anyway?”

“That movie date I cancelled—”

“You mean the one I stole you from?”

Marcy grinned. “Yeah, that one. I was going to end things anyway. This just sped things up a little... he didn’t like it when I canceled.”

“How come?”

“Eh.” Marcy shrugged. “Turns out he’s a real mama’s boy and that woman, I met her when we were in Galveston, remember? Well, she is very opinionated and he always goes with what she says. It’s frustrating as hell when your boyfriend blows off what he promised you because his mommy says otherwise.”

“Oh no. Yeah, fuck that. I guess I won’t have that...” I can’t say that’s not a problem anymore, Chloe realized. If I was going to live a normal mortal life, I’d never have the chance of meeting Saul’s mom. But if I win this duel with Brigid, I’ll meet her one day... While Marce grows old. Fuck. The stark reality of her new situation took the wind from Chloe’s sails and cast a dismal cloud over her mood.

Unless, maybe...

A fleeting, improbable thought slithered through Chloe’s mind. Another glance at Teo dashed her hopes. He made his thoughts about humans and half-breeds clear. There wouldn’t be a magical matchmaking session in Marcy’s future.

“Let’s go greet them. A couple more dragons should fly in this evening. I guess they do most of their big moving at night. Some of them have to board planes to make it to the States, though.”

“Wait, what? Dragons are coming from other countries too?”

“Oh yeah. I guess news about the baby has brought them all out of the woodwork. The oldest ones haven’t seen anything like this in centuries, and the young ones like Saul didn’t know it was possible.” Chloe wiped her clammy palms against her pants. Saul didn’t know about her deal with Watatsumi yet, and she dreaded telling him that the timetable had been moved.

Please let everything go okay.

In hopes of softening her mood with some light conversation, Chloe changed the subject and led the way to the stairs. “How do you like that dress Mahasti picked out for you?”

Marcy scoffed. “It fits like I wished for it.” Marcy’s vintage-style cream sundress fit snugly at the torso, sporting a built-in corset that enhanced her already fantastic breasts.

“It looks great on you.”

As predicted, Teo barely acknowledged Marcy’s presence beyond a cordial greeting. Chloe frowned and allowed it to slide.

“I need to speak to Saul for a moment, Teo. Alone. Think you can handle this, Marcy?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Marcy’s frown deepened. Chloe reassured her with a smile before moving off a ways with her husband and leading him to the kitchen.

“Good hunt?” she asked, while guiding him to a seat at the cozy dinette table. She poured a glass of lemon water and pressed it into his hand. The pitcher and four glasses weren’t there a minute ago.

“I’d forgotten how much I enjoy sporting with Teo,” Saul admitted. “He is an expert hunter.”

A hilarious image surfaced in her thoughts. She pictured Saul and Teo, two enormous dragons, crouched down outside of the cow pasture and whispering in cartoon fashion. Two draconic Elmer Fudds. “It can’t be that hard to track your own livestock.”

“We ventured off for wild game. Now, what did you wish to discuss away from our friends?”

“It’s about my talk with Watatsumi...”

“He said nothing of what you discussed beyond accepting my bid for the sword.”

“Yeah. I asked him to let me give you the details.” Chloe sucked in a deep breath. “I asked him to use his clout with the Conclave to set up the fight. For tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Chloe, have you lost all of your senses?” Saul shoved both hands through his tawny hair. “You are not prepared. You know nothing of wielding a sword.”

“We spoke about it and according to your laws, I’m the one challenged so I get to set the date. Brigid knows that and I’ll just bet you she expects me to wait until the baby is born. And in the meantime, she’ll be here, living in our home, trying to make us miserable. Trying to...” She swallowed and forced herself to say the words despite the pressure it exerted on her heart. “Mate with you. I’m not going to let her spend even one day here.”

“Chloe, no. I cannot be swayed and you have nothing to fear of me mating with Brigid,” Saul said.

“I don’t have a choice, Saul! If I don’t fight, I’ll lose you to her.”

“I’d rather die,” he hissed.

“And I won’t let that happen. I won’t let my child grow up without knowing you, and I won’t let a flock of dragons dictate my life. I won’t!” Chloe screamed. She swept the glasses from the table and rose from her seat as fragments scattered across the floor. “I won’t... I won’t let it end this way. As long as I succeed, we can stay together.”

Saul left his chair to place his hands on her shoulders. “I cannot watch you die, Chloe. Please... don’t do this to me. Brigid is brutal, and I do not trust in the power of this sword. I would rather lose you and know you are well than watch you d-die.” A choked sound, suspiciously close to a sob came from Saul, shaking his muscular shoulders.

Not once in all of their weeks together had Saul ever revealed so much emotion. Not when she rejected him in the cave, and certainly not when she returned. A surge of protective instinct prompted Chloe to hug her dragon tight. She kissed his cheek and smoothed her fingers through his golden strands. “I love you, and I’m not going to let anyone ruin our happiness. I’ll gut her before I let her take you away.”

“Now you are sounding like a female dragon.”

“I feel like one.”

Saul slid his hand down her side to rest his palm over her stomach. “He gives you strength.”

“What makes you think it’s a boy?”

“Or she,” Saul amended.

“Watatsumi says to trust in the sword and it will protect me. I have to place my faith in it, Saul. I have to. It’s the only way to keep you and our baby safe.”

A flurry of angry Spanish echoed down the hall, interrupting whatever else Chloe had to say. She and Saul exchanged looks then hurried out the door.

“You’re a pretentious asshole,” Marcy seethed from the main room. Her voice traveled despite the vast and open space between the entrance parlor and kitchen.

Chloe sped up to a jog and hurried into the foyer where she found Marcy stalking to the door. “Wait, what? What happened?”

“I’m going... fuck I don’t know, for a walk. To get away from your husband’s jerk friend.” Marcy stormed outside without another word.

Chloe and Saul both whipped around to stare at Teo. Nothing about his behavior seemed to imply anything occurred in their absence. In fact, he had withdrawn a tablet-sized phone and appeared occupied with swiping across the screen. “Teo?” Chloe asked.

“What?” he asked, looking up from the device.

“What happened?”

“I will go to soothe Marceline,” Saul volunteered.

Teo’s green eyes flicked to Saul’s retreating shape, clear disbelief apparent on his chiseled, handsome features. “He goes to comfort a human?”

Without hesitation, Chloe stalked up to him and put herself in Teo’s face. “What did you say to my best friend?”

“I said very little.”

A niggling feeling in Chloe’s belly told her that was the precise problem. However, Marcy wouldn’t have lost her cool so easily over a handsome man ignoring her.

“What. Did. You. Say?”

“I gave her honesty.”

“Seriously? You couldn’t even be civil with her?”

“Do you suggest that I acknowledge the ants on the pavement as well?” Teo asked.

Chloe slapped him. “Marcy was wrong. You’re worse than a pretentious ass. You’re an insufferable, egotistical brute.”

The red imprint of her hand glowed upon Teo’s cheek like a beacon.

“I—”

She cut him off before his defense began. “You are nothing like Saul. You’re not a quarter of the man or dragon that he is, and you should feel ashamed to bring your foul opinions to his home. To our home,” she corrected herself. “On your island, you may be the boss who makes all the rules, but you’re a guest in our house right now. That is my friend you chased off with your rude bullshit, and you will respect her while she’s here.”

“Understood,” Teo gritted out. He strode the other direction, a man-child in a fantastic ivory suit, too spoiled to take responsibility for his abysmal manners and issue an apology.

Without donning her shoes, Chloe stepped barefoot onto the porch to find Saul with his hand on Marcy’s shoulder. He offered her a handkerchief with the other. Their whispers didn’t extend to Chloe’s ears, despite her strained attempt to pick up more than a word resembling her name.

“Is everything okay out here?”

Marcy nodded wordlessly. Saul lowered his hand and exhaled a deep, rumbling sound, the noise more inhuman growl than anything.

“I will have a talk with Teo,” Saul began.

“I already did. It’s taken care of,” Chloe assured him.

“I’m sorry for making a scene.”

“Marcy. You didn’t make a scene. We’re not out in public and this is our house. Nothing harmed.”

“It’s just... when he said I had no right to be here, I lost my shit. I was so awed that he was a dragon...”

“You have every right to be here. Teo was beginning to grow on me, but he’s shown his true colors again.”

Her proud friend sniffed and dabbed her eyes with Saul’s handkerchief. “Now I feel like a fool. Crying over a verbal altercation like I’m in high school again.”

“What’d he get all high and mighty over?”

“The silence felt awkward, so I tried to ask about his resort. I just thought... after this was all said and done maybe all of us could go away for a weekend. I wanted to surprise you. A honeymoon.”

“Oh sweetie,” Chloe sighed. She threw her arms around Marcy and hugged her.

“I asked how I could go about setting up a weekend getaway, and the jackass told me I could never afford it. I j-just wanted to surprise you.”

Chloe squeezed her even more tightly. “Don’t listen to that jerk.”

“I guess he just hit a raw nerve. Your stupid duel is tomorrow and I’m terrified it’s the last time I’ll ever...” Another ragged sob shook Marcy’s body. “When he told me I was useless, I was already feeling it. Then he demanded to know my purpose for being here, Chloe.”

“You’re my best friend in the entire world, and I love you. That’s your purpose for being here.”

The embrace ended after Marcy got ahold of her emotions and dried her face.

“Come on. Leiv made a strawberry honey cheesecake just for us, and food makes everything better. Let’s demolish it together.”

***

With each passing day, the supernatural melody had become more distinct to Chloe’s ears. The draconic obsession with gems and treasure never made sense until she spent a night sprawled atop her new bed, allowing it to lull her into peaceful dreams. For the first time since her pregnancy began, she began to sleep without fitful tossing and turning.

But Saul wasn’t beside her and she longed to feel his arms around her. He had a house full of dragons, with one more to arrive during the long night. Mahasti and Leiv had agreed to greet each one personally, but her dragon remained on the main level to welcome his guests. Meanwhile, Chloe lay alone while Marcy snored in a guest room with the help of sleeping aids and Felix’s rumbling purr.

Chloe pulled on her clothes and journeyed upstairs to find him. When she had retired for bed, Watatsumi, Teo, and Saul were alone. She now found the den occupied by three more unfamiliar faces: a fair blond man with a golden-red beard, a woman with skin the color of obsidian, and a wizened old man with a bald head who reminded Chloe of a Buddhist monk.

“Hello... Am I interrupting?” She hesitated in the doorway, aware of their inquisitive expressions. The woman appraised Chloe from afar with coal-colored eyes. She wore a revealing, wrap-style dress with one bared shoulder, its caramel hue attractive against skin as dark as night. The close crop of her black hair suited her angular facial structure.

“You have interrupted nothing, friend. Have we kept your mate from you for too long?” the unfamiliar woman said.

“He’s taken so long to come down,” she admitted from the doorway, reluctant to enter and disrupt their pow wow.

“I will be down shortly, my love.”

“Will you not introduce us to your mate? After all, it is for her that we come to show our support,” the bald man rumbled.

“Ah... so this is the young woman? I concur with Vasuki. Introduce us,” the blond man said as he rose from his seat. Of the three dragons, he was the only one to resemble Saul. They both had the same muscled frame, golden eyes, and proud stature.

“As you wish.” Saul sighed. “Chloe, please enter. No one here will cause you any harm.”

While she couldn’t process why, a strange sense of animal instinct had allowed Chloe to come to that conclusion on her own. When she moved to Saul’s side, he placed one arm around her shoulders and kissed her brow. His tender display brought an approving smile to the black woman’s face.

“Friends of my mother and father have come to bear witness to tomorrow’s duel.”

“More than mere friends,” the blond grunted.

Saul rolled his eyes. “You would call this one my uncle. Thor, allow me to introduce you to my mate, Chloe.”

Fucking Thor? “Really?” Chloe blurted, staring after her inelegant query. “Really?”

The two dragons exchanged a glance. No doubt Thor thought his nephew had mated to a dimwitted human. “I do not own a hammer, contrary to the myths and legends. I used my tail to bring the thunder.”

Holy shit, it’s Thor. Chloe wanted to laugh hysterically in a corner, but instead, she stared at him until the next realization struck her. He was laughing, too.

“Your feline has formed an attachment to me,” Thor said, with a nod of his head to Felix.

“Felix, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be with Marcy.”

Felix arched his back and purred, rubbing his face against Thor’s jean-clad leg the whole while.

“If you’re Thor, do I even want to know who the others are? Are there anymore dragon gods in the room right now?”

“Chloe, meet Vasuki and Nefertiti. They are members of the Conclave who voted in our favor.”

Chloe’s eyes widened. Teotihuacan and Watatsumi were prime examples of dragons inspiring certain myths and legend, but she never expected to meet Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile.

“I am the only female dragon to oppose Brigid’s claim.” Nefertiti made a disgusted sound, its noise reminiscent of a hissing cat. “I see it for what it is — an inhumane act of greed. She has had many decades to accept Saul’s offer and I, for one, am pleased he has found you.”

“I... thank you,” Chloe murmured in appreciation, awe and gratitude bringing heat to her cheeks.

“May you fight with a true warrior’s spirit, Chloe,” Thor said.

“Excuse me, maybe I’m being silly but... I thought... I expected everyone to be upset. You’re not upset about our child?” Saul’s worries had led her to believe she would be ostracized and loathed for carrying a half-breed.

“No one can halt the winds of change indefinitely, young one. It was bound to happen eventually,” Vasuki said. “Many of us intermingle in human society, some more than others.” He shot Saul and Thor pointed glances.

Saul’s uncle clapped Vasuki on the shoulder. “Sitting in mountain temples may be fun for you, my friend, but not for all of us.”

“Go with her, Saul. We are not children to be entertained,” Nefertiti encouraged. “You have fulfilled your duty as host for the evening.”

“It was nice meeting you all. Thank you for coming out in support.” Maybe this will all go well after all...

They bid their guests goodnight and left them to the comforts of the library. As diverse as dragons were, they all appeared to share a common love for books and learning. Saul’s vast collection would keep them entertained.

Chloe laced their fingers together as they descended the wide stairway into the lower level. Felix didn’t follow, too intrigued by his new friend to follow Mommy to bed.

“Are they what you expected?” Saul lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

“No. Yes. I dunno.” Chloe blew out a breath and laughed at herself. “They seem so nice for dragons. After listening to you and Teo, I thought all female dragons were bitches like Brigid.”

“Most are quite cruel,” he agreed, confirming her original thoughts. “Nefertiti and my mother are special exceptions to what is typical of dragons. Females among the earth and storm dragons are a rarity, but they are known for their compassion toward humankind. Teo has pursued Nefertiti for quite some time, but...”

“She won’t have him?” Chloe snorted. “Can’t blame her with that attitude of his.” Subservient woman my ass.

“He is many centuries her junior and a cub by comparison.”

“And also a pig,” Chloe pointed out.

“That as well.”

Once they reached the lair, Saul shut the doors behind them and led Chloe to the rumpled bed. He straightened up the sheets from her tossing and turning, then turned to face her with a smile.

“My apologies, Chloe. I did not realize the hour or that you would remain awake for me.”

“It’s fine. I’m glad I came to find you, or I wouldn’t have met those three.”

Chloe unbuttoned Saul’s shirt and smoothed it back from his shoulders. Whether it was the influence of his friend Teo, or the arrival of so many other dragons, he had dressed business casual and foregone the usual laidback ‘jeans and nothing else’ look. She unfastened his slacks and pushed them below his hips, delighted to find he wore nothing beneath them.

“Now it is your turn,” Saul announced. He took joy in tugging her robe sash until the multilayered silk garment fell open.

“I traded Watatsumi the sword for this bed,” Saul confessed as he stroked his fingers through her hair. “Jade has the sweetest notes and is prized among my kind as being the finest stone for breeding females. I thought it would encourage Brigid to accept me. To move into my home and begin our life together.”

From another man, in another relationship, Chloe would have taken offense at receiving a gift intended for another woman but she had claimed it without asking his permission and made it hers. “Do you regret doing it? You know... for her?”

“I’m glad you are the one using it, Chloe. I never offered the bed to Brigid. It had been my intention to do so, but she flaunted her dalliance in my face and I shut myself away.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“No, I do not. How can I when the jade’s song is what led us to the truth? Seeing you here, I feel as if this bed was always meant for you. For us.”

Saul guided Chloe to the bed to lay her amidst the soft cushions, and with only tender kisses and his fingertips, he traced over every inch of her body.

“Saul?” she whispered up to him. His mouth closed around her tightly budded nipple.

“Shh... I wish to make love to you.”

Gone was the dragon who took her with one powerful stroke after the next, mounting her in a dark cave on the night of their first meeting. Saul revealed a new side to himself that she never experienced. A gentle side of a sweet man who took his time, unrushed and unhurried through their lovemaking.

“No matter what happens tomorrow, you will always be my Chloe.”

“And you will always be my dragon. My Saul.”

With the jade’s song gently whispering in her ears, Chloe later drifted to sleep with her head against Saul’s chest, pale blonde hair fanned over his chiseled muscles. It was the perfect end to what may be their final night together.

Chapter 14

“They’re all dragons?” Marcy stared out from the balcony, standing with her arms wrapped around her middle. “Wow.”

“Yeah, I know.” Chloe gazed down at the assembled guests, over a dozen dragons and their retainers waiting for the main event. They came from all over the world and represented only a fraction of the dragon population. “At least they’re all in human form.”

“For now. Pretty soon you’re going to have a pasture full of fire-breathing dragons.”

“Nah, some of them blow acid or ice and stuff.”

Marcy gaped. “How are you so calm about this?”

“Because if I think about how scared I am, I’m afraid I’ll run away pissing my pants.”

“Oh, Chloe...” Marcy pulled her in close and hugged her tight. “I’m here with you, no matter what.”

“Stay with Mahasti, all right? If anything happens...” Chloe swallowed back a sob. “She’ll make sure you get home safe, okay? Promise me.”

“I promise.”

“Your friend will not come to harm.” Watatsumi and Teo entered the room behind the girls. “As Saul’s supporters, she will have our protection as well,” the tidal dragon assured her.

Teo didn’t add a verbal agreement, allowing his presence to speak for him. At least, Chloe hoped he remained supportive and wouldn’t let her friend suffer a squishy fate under an angry dragon.

“Go ahead,” Marcy said. She put on her brave face and smiled for Chloe’s benefit. “I’ll be fine with my own personal bodyguards. You go and kick that bitch’s ass.”

“You bet.”

I’m going to see her again. We’re going to share virgin daiquiris at the pool tomorrow and laugh about this.

Chloe dried her tear-streaked face as she left Marcy behind on the balcony in safety. Saul escorted her the rest of the way with their hands clasped and fingers entwined.

“It is not too late to back out,” he whispered to her.

“And let her claim the victory? No way. We’re ending this now.”

Saul and Nefertiti helped her dress for the face-off. She clutched Ascalon in her hands while she focused on every tiny bit of knowledge the two dragons imparted to her about fighting their kind.

“Do you remember when I fought Brigid on the lawn? Her stance lowers whenever she plans to exhale her fire. Remember that, Chloe.”

“Lowers her stance before breathing fire. Got it.” Chloe nodded. “So, how do I look?”

“You wear the armor well,” Nefertiti complimented, pleased with the finished result.

“I feel like Xena... or a sexy cosplayer,” Chloe muttered. She twisted to have a better look in the mirror. Light chainmail seemed inadequate against dragon claws, but the leather molded against her curves and clung in all the right places. She bent her arms and knees to test the resistance against her joints, only to discover the pliable material didn’t restrict her movement. “What is this?”

“Scalewing skin. Thor brought this for you as a gift,” Saul replied.

According to the history lesson she received from Saul once, scalewings were also known as wyverns, and were mutually hated by all dragonkind. Chloe shuddered. It didn’t surprise her that she would be sent into battle wearing the flesh of their enemies.

Mahasti appeared in a hazy mist to interrupt her worried ruminations. “Brigid awaits you,” she reported. “Saul, I’m sorry, but I am to bring you immediately to the elders in the circle.”

“I will... we will see one another again soon, Chloe.”

“I know.”

Before he left, Chloe yielded to impulse and tangled her fingers in his golden hair. She kissed him hard with all of the passion she had in her soul, and when he walked away, she forced back the stinging tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.

She had to be strong.

The rest of the preparation passed like a dream. She was led from the house to the rear pastures where Leiv had cleared the livestock to another field. Their battleground, as large as a football field, had a line of spectators on each side. Ancient wyrms, alive at the start of the millennia, glowered from where they waited to watch Chloe become a charcoal briquette.

“Breathe, Chloe,” Mahasti told her.

“I am breathing,” she whispered. “Don’t forget your promise.”

Mahasti’s serene smile reassured Chloe. They hugged, then the djinn moved off the battlefield to stand between Saul and Leiv.

A dragon in ornate white robes strode onto the field with Brigid not far behind. The dragoness moved to the opposing side of their designated battleground to stare her enemy down. Chloe shivered, chilled by the hateful vehemence in Brigid’s stare.

“In accordance with tradition, Brigid of Éire has issued challenge to the human Chloe Ellis. The fight shall commence and continue until one female lies dead. The victor shall be afforded all mating privileges as dictated by law without reprisal. All here will bear witness.”

Frowning faces glowered from the edge of the field, but one stood out among the others. The stark resemblance between Brigid and her father was undeniable. Her masculine, red-haired duplicate watched from the sidelines as a dispassionate, silent observer to the event.

If Saul was anything, he was predictable. Without warning, he lurched forward, elongating and expanding exponentially with each second. Ripping cloth revealed his muscular upper back as bronze dragon skin spread where human flesh belonged. His teeth gleamed beneath the sun and opened to release a ferocious snarl.

“Now, Mahasti!” Chloe screamed.

The genie and bronze dragon vanished before the change completed, effectively ruining his plan of self-sacrifice. In the end, Saul’s honor wouldn’t allow his wife to face Brigid, although the consequences of his gallant act would have forfeited his life. He would have slain Brigid and accepted his execution from the elders.

A low murmur of discontent traveled down both sides of the field from supportive acquaintances of either lady. Saul’s uncle smirked.

“Well then. As there are no further interruptions...” The official seemed to glide from the field.

Prior to the preparations, Thor and Nefertiti gave Chloe a crash course in draconic manners and law. Honor was everything to them, at least when there were witnesses to their actions.

She turned her back to Brigid, despite her senses screaming for her to keep the predator in her field of vision, and strode ten useless paces away from her opponent. It did little good. While the monstrous dragon had taken ten steps of her own, not even a vast ocean would have provided the safety Chloe needed.

A thunderbolt split the sky to signal the start of the fight. Chloe whirled on her heels in the nick of time as Brigid bounded toward her with jaws open wide. Screaming wasn’t an option. It was too late to cry and plead, and she couldn’t depend on Saul to be her savior this time. Instead, Chloe had to rescue both of them.

The sword whistled through the air and proved Watatsumi right. It became an extension of her arm, exhibiting prowess Chloe didn’t possess prior to taking it in hand. With its guidance, courage flooded through her, creating an unnatural sense of confidence.

She didn’t need muscle to block Brigid’s attacks. The sword did all of the work for her with a blade fine as a scalpel’s edge, too sharp for Brigid to tolerate its touch. The edge parted her durable dragon hide and flayed open her snout. The backstroke cleaved across Brigid’s descending claw. It laid open the skin to the bone.

Brigid screamed, and it became apparent she’d underestimated her opponent. Within seconds, the blood glistening over the silver blade evaporated, the metal too thirsty for dragon’s blood to tolerate the presence. Chloe had no time to admire or marvel over the magical act — it prompted her to jab forward, but it missed the mark when Brigid scurried away at a limp. It wouldn’t be so easy to strike her again now that she’d felt Ascalon’s bite.

Left, right, forward and back — Chloe’s rising sword clanged against Brigid’s claw. Pieces of talon flew like wood chips in a mulcher, shattered by the enchanted weapon that had become Chloe’s defender. The dragoness snarled and lunged forward for a bite, and had Chloe not jabbed out with the sword and pierced the beast’s nose again, Brigid would have made quick work of her.

No time to think. Just move. Just move. Chloe spun and evaded every strike Brigid threw her way, using battle reflexes she’d never realized she possessed. The dragon hissed her frustration and snaked around her human prey for a rear assault. According to the rules set by the elders, flight was the one advantage Brigid had been denied. That small favor was the only reason Chloe wasn’t already a smear on the ground.

Tired of playing cat and mouse keep-away, Brigid swapped her tactics. She kept back out of the sword’s range, braced her legs, and lowered her body.

Shit, shit, shit!

A blazing inferno rushed at Chloe, faster than she expected. There was no time to dodge. No time to duck and roll. She trusted instead in instinct and raised Ascalon before her like a shield. It sliced through the fire and parted it to either side of her body, creating two blazing jets that scorched the earth around her. Her skin tightened within seconds. Ascalon may have protected her from the fire, but it couldn’t save her indefinitely from the heat.

I need to do something. I can’t just stand here until she’s out of juice. What do I do!? she panicked.

Someone sane of mind would have fled from the fire, but Chloe did the opposite. She charged into its source.

Flames hurdled past her in an unrelenting stream but Chloe pressed onward. She broke through the wall of oppressive heat and came up beneath Brigid’s chin. The dragon’s ruby eyes widened.

“No!” Brigid screamed as she scrambled back.

Chloe lacked any desire to show mercy to her opponent. She swung upward with all of her strength, and when she connected, the miraculous blow slid neatly through Brigid’s throat. A hot knife through butter wouldn’t have been as efficient as Ascalon. At the completion of her stroke, Brigid’s head tumbled through the air and struck the ground, creating a fountain arc of blood.

Absolute silence reigned over the pasture. Stunned faces, human and draconic, stared out at the limp corpse.

“Fuck yeah!”

Marcy’s outburst broke the oppressive lull. Thor joined her cheers next, followed by the rest of the ancient beings in her spectating section. Solemn faces in varying stages of grief and disbelief watched from the other side.

I can’t believe it. I did it. I did it. She repeated the victorious mantra in her head a dozen times over, unable to move and unable to accept that it was safe to sheathe the bloodstained weapon in her hand.

Mahasti and Saul appeared again. Chloe’s struggling husband broke free from his genie friend’s embrace to tear down the field.

“Chloe!”

Ascalon dropped to the blackened earth as Chloe stumbled into his arms and sobbed tears of happiness, overcome with immense relief that their ordeal had ended. The nightmare was over.

I killed a dragon.

She wept into Saul’s throat and hugged him tight. “We did it!”

“No, Chloe. No. You did it. I should have never doubted you. Not once.” As she raised her palm to his damp cheek, Saul gazed down at her and smiled. “Now you are truly Chloe Drakenstone.” And in the eyes of his prestigious Conclave, no one could ever threaten to take that away from her again.

Once, many months ago, Chloe Drakenstone was saved by a dragon. Their story ended with her rescuing him.

The End

Note from the Author: I had a blast writing Chloe’s story of discovery. She struggled, learned, and grew as a character. Readers asked me from time to time if I planned to make her kick butt in this story, and I just tittered, knowing this fight between Brigid and Chloe was coming. Some of you may be wondering if I intend to revisit dragons in the future. I do. In fact, shortly after introducing Teotihuacan to the story, I realized something. He doesn’t need a subservient mate. He needs a real woman.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next shifter tales from Vivienne Savage and sign up for news http://eepurl.com/boj0p1