Page 7

Chapter Six

Anaki

I took another SUV rather than staying close to Elena. I needed time to calm my dragon, but that proved to be the worst decision.

As soon as I shut the door, my dragon went to work on the black leather.

He clawed the back seat and tried to open the side door while we were in motion.

Quillian wanted to pull over, but that would have been worse.

I didn't want to run after Elena's vehicle because then too many humans would see me.

We didn’t need the Royal Council popping up to dispose of me.

So instead, the inside of the vehicle was slashed to leathery shreds. The material was ripped so fast, I swore I saw smoke from the fabric.

Cyran held onto Winter, his eyes narrowed as I growled and held my head to contain the beast inside.

Be still, you idiot. She’s safe.

He reared back his ugly head, we let out a roar, and the vamps covered their ears.

“Fucking hell!” Quillion swerved on the bumpy road.

Great, I’ve got vampires pissed and my phone kept vibrating.

I pulled out my phone to see it was Nadia and Bear. They were worried, of course. The string of texts kept coming, asking what the hell was going on behind them.

Little Bear- Is she your mate?

One text said.

Big Bear- Damnit, Anaki, answer. Why aren’t you in this car, then?

It was hard to text with my claws out as I tried to keep my dragon calm. Cyran ripped the phone out of my hand to text back a quick, “ Yeah, she’s mine. Keep her safe,” and chucked the phone right back at me.

Nadia and Bear sent a picture of Elena staring out the window, and instantly, my dragon calmed. Just seeing her, knowing she was safe in my friend’s presence, was enough to get him under control.

I’d have to thank Bear later. He knew what it was like when your animal came back out to bite you in the ass, literally when you got your second chance. He would make sure I got my space. He obviously knew I needed a picture of Elena to calm my stubborn dragon.

My dragon was strong and relentless, everything I wasn’t.

He pressed against my mind and searched for everything he had missed over the years.

Sweat trickled down my brow, mingling with the cool scales that had protruded down my neck, creating an odd sensation against my skin.

The world around me seemed to blur, sounds becoming distant echoes as I teetered on the edge of consciousness, like a fragile glass ready to be shattered.

We did not need Elena seeing that. Didn’t need her to see us break.

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 to her—

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!

“Hang on, love, I’ve got you,” I told her. I directed Luis to my side and handed him a blanket to hold, then pressed a button to recline her seat. Little did she know, with no takeoff, we could have her reclining and resting in no time.

Luis smiled, placed the blanket on his mom and motioned for her to sit up. She stared at me wide-eyed while I fluffed her pillow and put the eye mask just over her forehead.

I kneeled beside her, and because I could not resist her, I put my hand on her arm. She let out a sigh of relief, and I tilted my head as I watched her. Did she like my touch? She hasn’t pulled away, not yet, at least.

Luis tapped my shoulder. “What else?”

I shook my head and pulled the noise-canceling headphones from my lap. “Mama is going to take a nap while we visit the cockpit. I’ll tell you all about the magic there.”

Luis nodded excitedly.

Elena tried to sit up, but I squeezed her arm. “Love, nothing is going to happen to you or your son on this plane. He can’t go anywhere while we are up in the sky.”

“W-what?” she breathed and gazed out the window.

We were already in the air, the clouds rushing past us. By the way, Tajah was using her magic, we would be home in a few hours.

“H-how?”

“Magic.” I simply stated and urged her to lie back down. “Here is what I want you to do. I want you to sleep for me, okay? I don’t want to see any more dark circles under those pretty amber eyes of yours. I’m going to take care of you and your family.”

Her eyes went soft, and her hand clutched the armrest. “Why would you do that?”

Because I protect what is mine.

“That’s what the club does. Protects those who need it. Now, lie back. Put those on. I’ll take care of everything. ”

Elena looked over at her grandmother, who nodded. She was smiling lovingly at her granddaughter. Silent words passed between them until my mate put on the sleep mask and headphones.

While my body ached to be near Elena, I stayed true to my word and took Luis to the cockpit. Beretta, Tajah’s mate, was inside, flipping through a magazine, and with an amused smirk on her face, beckoned us inside.

Tajah was in a mood. She didn’t particularly like Emm because she knew Emm had been hiding her true self all along.

Emm was a bounty hunter and lied about who she was, but everyone in the club trusted Locke.

Tajah wanted the club and everyone in it protected, and I could see her going against his word to protect what we have built.

Tajah’s face softened when she saw the young boy, however. She waved him over to the captain's chair to let him think he was flying the plane. Tajah’s power was so strong now because of her bonding to Beretta that there was nothing that would take this plane down.

“How are you so strong to hold up an entire plane?” he asked her.

Tajah smirked and got to his eye level. “I’ve practiced for many, many years. I grew up in a coven that demanded strict studies. However, no matter how much you practice, your power will never reach full potential until you have a bond.” Tajah glanced back at Beretta.

“A bond?” Luis blinked and stared up at her. “What’s that?”

“Have you heard of a soul mate?” Tajah asked.

Luis rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Abuela talked about it all the time. She took me out in the woods and did this naked dance on a full moon. She said I was going to have one, one day.”

Tajah stared at him and held onto the necklaces on her chest. “She did what now?”

Luis sighed dramatically. “She got naked and danced around a big fire. She held up some of her rocks—crystals. Chanted from a book that has spells?” Luis rubbed his eyes. “I am not meant to see Abuela naked. I can still see her.” He gave us a terrified look.

Tajah sat up straight. “Where is his grandmother’s file?”

I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorway. “You mean you didn’t read any of the files?”

Tajah scoffed. “My job was to fly the plane, pick them up, and bring them back. I saw we had an old woman, a five-year-old and a cripple, I didn’t think—”

I snarled, and my hand darted out to grab Tajah’s throat. Streams of purple shadows came from behind her back to catch my hand. My dragon, already sensing the magic in the room, was on alert. The low guttural growl shook our body, and absorbed the magic through our skin.

Tajah gasped when my fingers wrapped around her neck.

Beretta growled and stood next to me, but I kept my eyes on Tajah.

“Back away, Beretta. Don’t want me to crush her neck.”

Beretta’s black fur filtered down her arm. “Crush her neck and you kill us all. What a plan that is. Let her go.” Beretta’s sharp claws flashed in the light.

Tajah chuckled and brought up her hand to wave Beretta away. “I was too blinded by my anger to notice.”

Luis’ head bounced from Tajah to me. I couldn’t smell fear, just amusement while he sat cross-legged in the captain's chair, leaning in like we were his favorite TV show.

“You’ve found your dragon again, and it's her that has awakened him?” Tajah mused.

I raised an eyebrow in warning.

“I apologize then for calling her—”

“A cripple.” Luis deadpanned. “You called Mama a cripple. She won’t like that.” Luis stood up from the chair and stood by me. “And you are the first man to stand up for her.”

I released my grip on Tajah, and she took a deep breath while I knelt down to Luis.

“I’ll always stand up for your mama.”

“Because she is your… soulmate?” His voice rose.

I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly feeling nervous about talking about this to a child. My child. I guess I should ask permission from her son if I could even date his mother.

My dragon rolled his eyes.

“She is. I’m not ready to tell her that, though. I want her to trust me first. Show her I’m a good male and dragon.”

Luis stood, mimicking my mannerisms by scratching the back of his neck. “Mama doesn’t date. Says they wouldn’t want her anyway. It isn’t true.” He yelled and narrowed his eyes at Tajah.

Tajah’s face flushed.

“You’re right, it isn’t true. I want your mama. I want to take care of her, you, and your grandmother. What do you say to that?”

Luis crossed his arms. “It’s going to be tough. She doesn’t think she deserves to be happy. She only looks out for me and Abuela.”

I hummed in acknowledgement. “I am up for a challenge. I might need your help, if you are willing.”

Luis thought for a moment. “I’ll help if you let me see your dragon. Nadia and Bear said I can see their bears when we get to the cabin.”

“Did they now? Well, mine is still healing from being asleep for so long. I was very sick before I met your mom.”

Luis frowned. “You were? So, Mama healed you?”

“Yes, and now it is my turn to heal her.”