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Chapter Twenty

Elena

M y body felt exhausted after the sudden flashback. I didn’t want to get into the deeper details of what exactly happened in my past, so I glossed over a lot of it because I didn’t want to subject Anaki, or anyone, to what I truly went through.

It was a time in my life I wanted to forget.

When Anaki burst through the door, I was sent back to the very last time he hit me, when he caught me crying.

It was when I found out I was pregnant with Luis.

I thought I would be forever attached to Cedro, and that was when those two pink lines appeared.

A wave of sheer terror cascaded over me when that realization hit me.

Back then, when I was trapped under Cedro’s oppressive control, I often had panic attacks.

I was trapped and had no one to turn to.

Cedro was no longer the man I thought he was, too hyped up on the latest drug or sloppy drunk.

I'd barricaded myself in a bedroom, heart racing, tears streaming, while he was away to let out my frustration and the panic. The dread of him returning loomed large. If he found me crumpled on the floor, a vulnerable wreck, he’d unleash his fury, striking me until I either stifled my sobs or passed out .

When I missed my period, I had to check. I was in a straight-up panic when I was four days late.

What would he do? His blood, his lineage was within me. There was really no escape now.

I tried to stop the tears when I heard the door slam shut, but he was quick. When he couldn’t find me waiting for him at the door like he usually liked, he stomped through the house and called my name.

I didn’t answer and prayed he would pass out, or trip and fall.

Cedro kicked the door open, and I begged him not to hit me. I felt a searing pain through my cheek, but I covered my belly to protect the child that was growing inside me.

Even though it was part Cedro, it was half mine.

“The fuck is this?” he shouted when his tall, imposing form hovered over the sink. His eyes widened when he took in the positive results. “You can’t fucking have this!” Cedro stepped closer. The veins in his neck pulsated, and my body shook in fear. “Get rid of it!”

“No! I can’t!” My voice shook. “I will not. This is one thing I cannot do!”

Cedro's sneer twisted his face as he hurled the test at me with a force that could shatter glass.

His finger shot up like an accusing dagger, stabbing the air in front of me, bobbing up and down with the authority of a tyrant passing judgment.

"It's not mine," he spat, his voice dripping with venom.

"You're a whore. I know you are. Every single time you disappeared from my sight, you were out there, flaunting yourself.

That's when you got knocked up, isn't it? "

I shook my head while tears rolled down my face. I held my cheek where I felt the bruise form.

“Ah, you did!” He narrowed his bloodshot eyes. He was paranoid, and it had been happening a lot as of late. I don’t know what he was on anymore, but he always accused me of the most ridiculous things.

“Get your shit and leave!” I didn’t question him. I hauled myself off the floor and slipped several times, my muscles too weak from the stress. I let out a sob when he tried to kick me.

I left my things, which weren’t much, anyway. A few clothes, toiletries, even the phone he gave me had a tracker on it.

I let out a trembling sigh and squeezed my eyes shut to get rid of the memory.

Anaki’s tail, which was longer than it had been at the clinic, squeezed around my leg.

We were back in his cave, the walk we were supposed to take, long forgotten.

He brought me back here to the security of his cave.

He said I needed to rest, and I didn’t even bother to fight him on it.

I was embarrassed by what had happened in front of Nadia, no matter how many times she said it was okay and told me that many other women had similar backgrounds to mine.

Trauma, lots of trauma.

It made me feel a little better with that information, but my body was exhausted being tense with the emotional pain when that memory came charging back, like a bull.

“I thought you were asleep there for a while, you were so still.” Anaki’s hand ran through my hair.

It was past dusk. There was no sense of time, with no windows and no clocks anywhere to be seen.

Anaki fed me and dressed me in clothing that he had bought just for me. It was a short nightgown, donned in a deep navy blue with gold threading throughout. It made me smile at how he had us in matching outfits because he didn’t come to bed naked either. This was cuddle time, he said.

No taking both holes tonight .

I was slightly disappointed, but Anaki was in his care mode . He made dinner from scratch, and I didn’t feel like leaving his side. While cooking an amazing meal, he set up a chair in the kitchen. He wrapped his tail around my leg, unable to bear the thought of not touching me.

His tail was very flexible, smooth, and sparkling under the light, even if most of his scales were different shades of blue. It reminded me of fish when you brought them out of the water, how their scales glistened in the sun.

He had changed out of his pants quickly when we came back from the clinic, forgoing the shirt as he put on his sarong to let his tail peek out at the bottom.

He appeared much more comfortable that way, and I wondered if he was mostly in this half-dragon form often, or if he just couldn’t put his tail away right now.

I hesitated to ask, fearing I might embarrass him and he would try to put it away. I didn’t want him to. I couldn't deny the comfort his tail brought me. It was soothing and reassuring, a constant reminder that someone was there for me.

Because, unfortunately, Emm and Abuela weren’t. It wasn’t their fault, of course.

I’d never told Abuela or Emm the story of Cedro because of my pride. Anaki was the first, and it felt good to get that weight off my shoulders. Especially someone who felt like they knew me, or maybe understood me.

Anaki nuzzled my neck as he held me from behind. He had me stand, and I felt the warmth of his body envelop me. I welcomed his touch and pressed my body into him.

“I’m just a little restless,” I said honestly.

Anaki pressed a tender kiss on my shoulder. A shiver ran up my spine and I tried not to push my ass into his cocks. I wonder if his tail could do something, too? Its tip was tapered, and small fins were higher up; I wouldn't mind if he fucked me with it.

I wiggled my butt into his crotch.

Dios Mio, really Elena?

“Love, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Anaki reached forward and cupped my mound. “I can feel your body is tense, and I know your body will continue to be if I make you orgasm, too much.”

“Getting to be cocky, aren’t you?” I hummed and rubbed my head into the pillow.

Anaki leaned up on his elbow, and I rolled onto my back so I could look up at him. His eyes held so much sorrow, and I didn’t think that my episode this afternoon would hurt him like this. It was like my pain was his, and I didn’t like it.

“I’m okay, really. It was in the past.”

The back of Anaki’s hand tickled my cheek. “I know. I wish none of that happened to you, though. You have gone through a lot and went through it all on your own, but I don’t think you have told me the worst of it.”

I pursed my lips and shook my head. “Would you want me to know every detail of your past?”

It was Anaki’s turn to sigh sorrowfully. “No, but eventually I will have to tell you some of my demons before I officially claim you.” He smirked, and his tail wrapped tightly around my leg.

While he was cheerful on the outside, I knew he had darkness inside him. We were more alike than I realized.

Anaki lay back down on the bed, this time pulling my body so we were chest to chest. He kept a firm hand on my back to keep me flush with his body. He took in deep breaths of my hair while I listened to the thump of his hearts.

“Tell me a story,” I mumbled into his chest.

I loved the sound of his voice. It was playful, a little sarcastic, and it wasn’t deep and scary like most of the men at the bar.

He laughed. “A story, huh?”

“Yeah, like how you got to the Iron Fang.”

I felt Anaki rub his chin with his hand. He hummed in agreement and settled closer to me. “Alright, I’ll tell you where I came from. How about that? Promise to try to go to sleep, though.”

I leaned back and did a crisscross over my chest with my finger. “Cross my heart,” I stated.

Anaki rolled his eyes and pulled me back into his arms.

“A menace you are.”

I closed my eyes and listened.

Anaki

“My home was nestled around a vast expanse of crystal-clear water known as Mehoen. The glittering surface was surrounded by stretches of white sand, where my clan’s dragons basked in the warm rays of our sun.

Towering cliffs framed the edges of the water, their peaks disappearing into the clouds.

Lush trees dotted the landscape, branches reaching out over the tranquil waters to soak in the light.

There were cascading vines draped over the rocky cliffs.

I would wake up to this breathtaking view of my home in one of the caves and feel grateful for the magical place I called home. ”

Elena smiled and nestled closer to me. “Sounds like a fairy tale. Where is this place exactly?”

“Elysian. It isn’t here on Earth, love. It’s in another realm.”

Elena’s mouth dropped. “What? That’s impossible!”

“As impossible as a dragon holding you?”

She nestled her head closer to my head and rolled her eyes. “Fine, you got me. Only because your tail is holding my leg.”

I hummed in agreement. “Now hush. Don’t interrupt the storyteller.”

Elena pouted and nipped at my skin.