Page 23 of Fated to the Dragon King (Alpha Dragons’ Fated #4)

Alaric

Hayley stared so hard at me I thought her eyes would drop from their sockets and roll down her cheeks. Laughter at the sight bubbled in my chest, but I squashed it. She might not feel the same way I do. She might not love me as I hoped she would.

I might just get my words flung back into my teeth.

“You – love me?”

I took her hand and kissed it. “I couldn’t tell you before. I wanted to, so many damn times, but I never found the words, the way to say them. Instead, I’d get pissed. Angry. That way, I’d never have to embarrass myself. I’d never have to risk rejection.”

Turning her head, Hayley stared into space. Her right hand held her wine while I held her left. I waited for her to pull away, to reject me, to say I was too late, she wanted her divorce. I braced myself for my worst fears to be realized.

“You love me.”

“Yes. With all my heart and soul.”

At last, she turned back with a cautious smile. “I never thought anyone could ever love me. Roxanne drilled that into me since we were kids. She didn’t love me, our parents didn’t, no one ever would.”

“She was wrong.”

“Brad didn’t love me, either,” she went on as though I hadn’t spoken. “If my family, my boyfriend, can’t love me, who will?”

“Me.”

“I thought.” Hayley swallowed and started again. “I didn’t think you could either. You needed my hand in marriage, but you’d never learn to love me.”

“I fell in love with you weeks ago.” I smiled into her confusion. “I dared not admit to myself. When I thought you’d died – I knew then how much I’d come to love, to need, you. In my life. To love me in return.”

Hayley’s returning smile heated my groin and my heart.

“I do love you, Alaric. My heart’s joy, my dragon. I love you.”

“I was so scared you’d still want your divorce.”

Leaning over, my dried gashes cracking open painfully, I kissed her.

Delving my tongue into her mouth, I kissed her with all my adoring love, my enduring heart.

I loved her, needed her, and not just in my bed.

I calmed my raging hormones by realizing neither of us was in good shape for making love right now.

Hayley chuckled, resting her head on my shoulder. “You want your money back?”

Laughing hurt. I held her tightly, yet gently, conscious of her many bruises and aches. “Nah. Keep it. Buy yourself something nice.”

“How about a trip to Greece?”

“I’m up for that.”

Hayley sighed deeply, snuggling into my arms. “Our delayed honeymoon.”

“I like it.”

***

That night, we slept in my bed, true husband and wife. Finally. Only Willow’s grief and the menace of Fiona overshadowed my feelings of absolute happiness. I slept with my fated mate in my arms. Lanokota’s gift to us.

A most precious, extraordinary gift.

***

I woke with the sun shining on my face and Hayley in my arms. She continued to slumber when I stroked her silver gilt hair back from her face and kissed her neck.

Breathing in her sweet feminine scent, I marveled at how truly easy it was to confess my feelings.

How easy it was to say those three little words I love you.

Smiling to myself, at peace with myself, I lay against her while contemplating the vast changes made to my life lately.

Damon was dead. He wanted what I have, and paid the cost with his life.

Fiona had no other claim without him alive save that of forcing me to relinquish my authority.

The only means of her disposal to accomplish this was Hayley.

Hayley was my only vulnerable spot.

I’ll protect her with my life. Fiona will never touch her again.

Laying in my bed, I realized how badly I stank.

Dried blood and sticky sweat clung to me in a noisome combination.

Wrinkling my nose, I climbed carefully from the bed, not willing to wake Hayley up just yet.

She slept on, her lips slightly parted in an intriguing fashion.

I craved to kiss them, but that would startle her awake.

I ran the shower, and, naked, examined my injuries from the battle with Damon. As usual, they’d healed quickly, already sealed shut with only fading red lines to show where I’d once had terrible gaping wounds. I stepped into the hot shower and seized the bar of soap.

“You didn’t invite me?”

Hayley, beautifully naked and still yawning, opened the shower door to step inside.

Taking the soap from my hand, she lathered up to wash my chest and belly.

My cock sprang to attention as she, while smiling up and into my eyes, stroked it to full hardness.

The slippery soap slicked my dick up nicely.

I sucked in a sharp breath when she teased my balls with her nails. Kneeling, Hayley scrubbed my legs even as the force of the shower ran down her face and head. Her hair clung to her body as though she was a water nymph from Greek mythology.

“Rinse off,” she murmured, swiping water and her hair from her face.

I turned into the full brunt of the shower, washing away the soap. Dull scarlet swirled down the drain with the remaining lather. When I faced Hayley again, she took my cock into her mouth.

“Holy wow,” I muttered thickly as her tongue turned my dick into a hot, throbbing iron shaft.

Hayley sucked and licked, taking me deep into the back of her throat without gagging.

I shut my eyes, my hand tangled in her wet hair, and bucked my hips forward and back in time to her sucking.

I groaned as she fondled my balls, toying with them, scratching lightly with her fingernails.

Only by my sheer force of will did I halt my approaching climax from spurting my seed into her mouth.

“No more,” I gasped, half choking as I pulled Hayley up. “I want to come inside you.”

Pushing her against the shower wall, I lifted her up with my hands under her buttocks. Instantly, Hayley wrapped her legs around my waist, and planted her tongue in my mouth. Fumbling a little, I inserted the tip of my cock into her pussy and thrust in.

Hayley moaned against my mouth as I filled her completely.

Her hands were tangled in my hair, effectively preventing my mouth from leaving hers.

I thrust into her, again and again, her pussy walls clamped tightly around my driving shaft.

I knew I struck her G-spot for a long shuddering groan erupted from her.

“Oh, God,” she cried, throwing her head back against the wall. “I’m coming, I can’t stop, I can’t stop.”

Nor did I. My body felt hot all over, my sweat rinsing away as fast as it popped from my pores. Her pussy spasmed, her nails dug into the flesh covering my skull. Still I pumped, breathing raggedly, knowing my own explosion neared.

Nor would I be able to halt its all-consuming force.

Her long, quivering orgasm triggered mine. Like Hayley, I cried out at the sheer, sweet, and exquisite sensation that was as much pain as it was pleasure. I stiffened involuntarily, my eyes shut, still plunging my shaft in as deeply as I could.

She went limp in my arms, her face falling to my shoulder. Spent, I let her slide slowly down the wall until she stood and leaned against me, the warm spray lashing at us both.

Lifting her face to mine, I kissed her with gentle tenderness. “I love you, my queen.”

“I love you, my dragon.”

I couldn’t stop touching her, kissing her.

Even after we toweled ourselves dry and dressed, I cooked breakfast in between recrossing the kitchen to tilt her face up to mine and kiss her.

It’s as though my voicing my love for Hayley opened the floodgates of my physical affections.

I almost lost her. I never want to risk losing her again.

“Are we going into the office today?” she asked as I set bacon, toast, and eggs on the table.

“Yeah.” I went back to the stove for my own hot meal. “Willow needs her time away, and I have to find a manager.”

Hayley thoughtfully munched a slice of bacon. “I guess that I’ll be going to your home with you. Right?”

I turned. “Of course. Do you not want to?”

“Well, sure,” she replied slowly as I joined her at the table. “It means leaving my family, but they don’t like me anyway. So that doesn’t matter.”

“You won’t miss them,” I commented, buttering my toast. “You’ll love my home. It’s a huge island, beautiful, and you’ll have everything you’ll ever want or need.”

“Will your people accept me?”

I met her green eyes, saw the faint worry deep within them. “Absolutely. They’ll revere you.”

“But I’m a low life human.”

“Not all dragons are like Fiona or have her prejudices. Most like and appreciate humans, and don’t spend all their time in their dragon bodies. We’re a people of peace. We rely on humans for the majority of our goods, even if they have no idea we’re dragons.”

Hayley stopped eating, and looked down at her food. “What if,” she began softly, “what if I get pregnant?”

“Then we’ll have a kid.”

She looked up. “But, will the baby be human or dragon?”

“Both, I believe,” I replied. “There have been human/dragon pairings, but they are few, true enough. I’m sure our child will be able to shift into a dragon at will just like I can.”

While she returned to her breakfast, Hayley said nothing, nor did she look up. I frowned.

“Does that trouble you? Giving birth to a dragon?”

“Of course not,” she answered. “But maybe your mate should be a dragon. Not a weak-kneed, fragile human.”

“Please stop putting yourself down,” I grumbled. “I know you have a spine, so use it. You’re my mate, my beloved, the one chosen. If you decided to not accompany me home, I’d stay here with you. Forever.”

That brought her head up, her eyes wide. “You can’t. You’re needed there. Aren’t you?”

“Yes. But I’d give it all up. For you.”

“I can’t let you,” she muttered. “There’s really nothing left for me among my own kind.” She barked a short laugh. “My sister can’t stand me. My folks have forgotten I exist. I don’t have many friends, and none of them are close. They’ll forget all about me.”

“My people will love you.”

She smiled sadly. “Promise?”

“I promise.”

***

After picking up Hayley’s new Honda from the public beach’s parking lot, we drove to the office. As I drove in, I noticed a city police cruiser also parked not far from the front entrance. I eyed it with curiosity as Hayley got out of her car and locked it with her smart key.

I took her hand as we both walked toward the building.

“Excuse me.”

We halted as the uniformed officer stepped from the cruiser. He paced toward us, his fingers hooked into the neck of his Kevlar vest.

“Are you Hayley Desjardin?” he asked, stopping us from entering the building.

My dragon instincts bristled. “What’s going on?”

Hayley tightened her hand in mine. “Yeah, I am. This is my husband, Alaric.”

The cop nodded respectfully. “I’m so sorry, ma’am, sir,” he said. “I’m Officer Martinez. Might we talk in your office?”

“This is okay,” Hayley replied after a swift glance at me. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m afraid so.” He glanced between us, his mouth twisting slightly. “There’s been a fire. A bad one.”

Hayley sagged against me. “Oh, my God. It’s Roxanne. Isn’t it?”

“Yes, ma’am. She died in the fire. Your sister is dead.”