Page 17 of Anaki

My dragon sensed this. His persistence calmed, and fell back into my mind. Thank the goddess for that. I wiped my forehead again. I could not let my mate see me lose control. I knew what her previous male did toher—

My dragon snarled. The spines on his back stood on end.

I took a deep breath. Calm. Remain calm.

While my human form was slimmer than most wolves, I was big in my shifted form. Shifting in the car or a plane would be bad news for everyone. I knew he wanted to wrap our tail around Elena to keep her safe. He was unpredictable, unstable, and I had to remain in control. I don’t know what he would do if he grew strong enough, took over my body, and snapped.

Especially after what happened when we were rejected.

He would not let Elena out of his sight.

Like every other stubborn member at the Iron Fang.

I calmed him on the hour-long drive. We stared at her picture, while I mentally prepared what we needed to do for our mate, or soulkin as the dragon clans called them.

I have never felt so underprepared, especially for Elena. While my cave was comfortable, dry and everything a comfortable home should be for her, she needed a nest.

I couldn’t bring her there right away. We had to win her, woo her. Even the dragons had to do that; we couldn’t just steal our soulkin.

My dragon huffed in annoyance. He didn’t want to take any chances. Take her, make her love us.

“Yes, Elena, please come with me to my lair. It's a cave. It looks dark, cold and damp on the outside. I know we just took you away from everything you have ever known, but my dragon wants to keep you inside and not let you go until we have rutted and marked you as our own, to make sure we always know where you are.”

Yeah, that isn’t creepy at all, you son of a bitch.

I pulled out my phone and tried to will him to put the claws away. My fingers were blue on the tips and I shook my head while I explained we were shopping, preparing for our mate. He’d been asleep for ages, he was groggy,a grumpy piece of shit and when he saw all that we are buying our mate, he allowed my claws to retract and my heart stops racing.

Blankets and pillows, the softest and highest quality I could find. In my cave, I needed to provide her a nest. While furred females create the nests in their pairs, male reptiles create them in ours, and Elena would need to approve.

My hand shook. I’ve never made a nest before. .

Why haven’t I even prepared one? Everyone in the club were getting mates left and right, even this vampire over here had a female! Why did I not think that I could? Why have I been so…?

I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling the slight pressure against my skin. The weight of my despair was suffocating, like a thick fog enveloping me. The darkness crept in, seeping into every corner of my mind, shrouding me in its cold embrace. I couldn't help but wonder how much longer I would have endured this torment if I hadn’t seen her. My physical strength had faded, along with my mind, like a flickering flame on the verge of extinguishing.

I don’t think I would have gone rabid. My dragon wouldn’t have woken up, ever. I just would have faded into the darkness of the lake.

I balled my free hand at my side. That darkness was still there. I still had to convince Elena and, most of all, her son, who was now my son.

My dragon rumbled in agreement. He was on board with that. We were ahead of most males at the club. We had a son, a five-year-old, who could take care of himself, and a smart one, too. He was ahead of his class. I would make sure he was taken care of and had the best teachers.

My head perked up. Taking care of Elena and Luis was my calling, my ultimate desire. I could do this. A little longer, to see if she would have me.

As I glanced at Elena, her weary eyes spoke volumes, mirroring the weight she carried as she boarded the plane. The cabin was filled with the palpable scent of her anxiety, mingling with the stale air. A sense of unease settled upon me, as if I could almost taste her fear. It was clear that she was in desperate need of rest.

While the plane was still taxiing onto the runway, I explained to Luis and a very intrigued grandmother the logistics of how this plane was under a magical enchantment by Tajah.

“It's glamoured. To everyone else outside the plane, it appears to be running, but in fact, it isn’t. Tajah is going to use her power of levitation and take us home.”

“But why not just use the…” Luis paused, as if searching for the word.

“Engine?” I asked while I secured the table to the side of the wall. “Because, simply, she cannot fly a plane.”

Elena’s eyes went wide, and she clutched the invisible necklace around her neck.

Well, fucked that up.

I reached overhead to the storage compartments and opened them. I found pillows, blankets, a sleeping mask, even noise-canceling headphones.Bingo!