Page 20 of Into the Dawn (The Arcadians #4)

Kylie was precious to him, and he wanted her to be at ease with him before she succumbed to the need burning between them.

Every moment spent with her was a test of his patience and self-control.

He longed to hold her close, to feel the softness of her skin against his, but he didn’t want to put more pressure on her.

She had just beaten death, and her days on Earth were already numbered.

Although she was concerned about her new appearance, he thought she was breathtakingly beautiful with her new Arcadian traits.

The way her glowing eyes had sparkled had mesmerized him.

Add in the gentle curve of her smile, the warmth of her touch, and the lyrical sound of her laughter, he was ready to fall at her feet and beg her to be his.

From the moment he met her, she had become the center of his universe, a beacon of light in the darkness.

He admired her strength, her kindness, and the courageous way she had thrown herself into the unknown of being with two males from another planet with wild abandon.

Hearing all about her life from her friends made him want to get to know her better, but he wanted to hear it directly from the source.

It would be her choice when they completed their bond.

He would wait, even if his desire for her was slowly driving him insane.

He wanted to be worthy of her love, to be the male she deserved, and that meant providing her whatever she needed.

He believed that when the time was right, their love would ignite like a wildfire, consuming them both, so that would be well worth the wait.

When the pasta was cooked according to Layla’s instructions, he drained the water and mixed the noodles together with the sauce in a big bowl.

The appetizing aroma made his stomach growl, and he had to fight the urge to sneak a taste.

Setting the bowl on a large tray along with the bread he pulled out of the oven, he added eating utensils and two glasses of juice to help replenish her fluids.

“That smells delicious,” Kylie said as she came up behind him.

Startled, he realized she hadn’t made a sound when she had left the bedroom and walked into the kitchen.

Very few people could sneak up on him, but she had managed it without even trying.

Now, she was as stealthy as he and Ronan were, making no sound at all.

Before he could turn around to greet her, she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned around him to look at the food.

“Mmm, Layla made my favorite pasta dish.”

“I made the noodles.”

She leaned her chin against his arm and grinned up at him. “I’m sure it will taste even better, then. Juice? The food would taste better with wine.”

“We can have wine as well, but you need to replenish your fluids first.”

She sighed. “You’re probably right. I have been sleeping a long time so I’m probably a little dehydrated, even if I don’t feel like it. I’ll get the wine and the bowls for—”

“Why? We can just eat out of this one.”

Glancing down at the big serving bowl of pasta, she chuckled. “You know what? Why not?” She looked over at the dining room table, then back at him. “Why don’t we eat out on the porch? It’s a nice night out and there is a light breeze.”

“We can do that. Go get your wine.”

As she walked away, he admired how her slim body looked in the white satin nightgown she had changed into. Her vibrant red hair was still damp, and she’d wound the long locks into a bun on the top of her head that was held in place by some sort of claw clip.

He watched her glide across the floor on bare feet, once again confused how she managed to do it without making any sound.

He was distracted by the sparkly purple color on her toes that hadn’t been there before.

Layla had put the nail polish on Kylie under Ronan’s watchful eyes earlier during the day.

He noticed her fingernails had been painted the same color.

She selected a bottle of white wine from a small cold box with a glass door. Once she opened the bottle, she grabbed two glasses out of a cabinet and rejoined him.

“Ready.”

He easily hefted the tray of food up and carried it out to the porch. Grinning when he heard Kylie’s gasp, he turned his head to watch her all but skip over to inspect the new porch swing that was waiting there for her.

“Do you like it?”

“Like it?” She spun around. “I love it!”

The wood on her old porch swing had been warped and decaying which wasn’t very safe.

That had been proven true when he had tried to sit on it and he had broken the damn thing.

After learning how much she loved the swing, Dominic had made a new one using the supplies and tools Buddy and Abby had provided.

He had been amazed that people could get almost anything they desired delivered right to their door on Earth.

Abby had told him it would have been easier to just order a brand new porch swing, but he had insisted on making a new one for Kylie with his own hands.

Besides being the one who broke her old one, he wanted to make something for her that she would cherish.

Even if she only could use it for a brief time.

The porch swing he’d made was constructed of solid wood, thick chains, and had a comfortable seat cushion that was large enough to accommodate his and Ronan’s considerable weight.

While she’d been sleeping, he had taken the time to carve some images into the wood, including a few dragons, flowers, and other imagery that was specific to Arcadia.

He felt pride swell within him as she set the wine and glasses down on the side table so she could run her hands lovingly over the images he had carved into the wood. When she glanced back over at him, her glowing green eyes were wide with wonder.

“Did you do this?”

“Aye, I made it for you.”

She ran her hand over one of the dragon carvings. “You are very talented. If I didn’t know better, I would think you were an artist instead of a warrior prince.”

He set the tray down on the small table on the other side of the swing. “I cannot be both?”

She let out a yelp of surprise when he sat down on the swing and pulled her onto his lap.

Sitting like that during meals was common for mates back on Arcadia, but he realized it wasn’t typical on Earth.

Still, it was an excuse to be close to her.

He would always want to touch her any chance he could get.

Picking up the bowl of pasta and a fork, he speared a shrimp and held it up to her lips.

Smiling at him, she opened her mouth to accept his offering.

His cock hardened when she moaned.

Distraction. He needed a damn distraction before he begged her to have pity on him. Even though it was torture, he enjoyed it as he fed her another bite of the pasta dish. After she ate a little more, he made sure she drank some of the juice.

“Here, you try it,” she said, taking the fork from him and offering him a bite.

As he chewed, he had to agree. It really was delicious.

When she fed him another bite, she said, “It’s a shame we have to leave the swing here. It really is beautiful.”

“Do not worry. I will make you another once we return home.”

“Really?” She smiled. “Then, I won’t mind leaving this here. Since I’m giving this house to Layla, I’m sure she will enjoy it. That is, if Abby doesn’t steal it first.”

“Are you sad about leaving?”

She took her time chewing another bite of food before answering. “Yes and no. I can live without the fame and glamour of my previous life, but I’ll miss Layla, Abby, Buddy, and all the others.”

Over the past few days, he’d gained an understanding of how close Kylie and Layla were.

He also realized that Abby and Buddy were surrogate parents to her.

Hearing about how she had lost her family at such a young, tender age had hurt Dominic’s heart.

He knew she was close with the entire Ross family, but she still kept herself apart from the others.

That emotional distance was something he understood since he had tried to do the same thing after he lost his brother and Imra.

Of course, distancing himself from Ronan had been utterly impossible, but Dominic had pulled back from the rest of his family.

Some of that had been grief, but a lot of it had to do with the guilt he’d felt for failing to save them.

It had taken a while to get over that phase of his grief. Perhaps he would always carry a shadow of that guilt with him, but he had learned that moving on was not forgetting the past. He could still honor what had been while living a full life without them.

“After my parents died, I leaned pretty heavily on Abby and Buddy. Throughout my singing career, they’ve also been instrumental in making me a success.

And when I got sick, they did everything they could to help me through it.

And Layla…she’s been my rock. There is nothing that girl wouldn’t do for me.

I understand why we have to leave. Even more now with my physical changes, but I’m still going to miss them. ”

“We understand the sacrifice you are making by returning to our home world with us,” he said softly.

She shook her head. “It’s not a sacrifice. It’s a blessing. I’m really excited to be going to Arcadia with you, but I’m also a little nervous. Especially about meeting your family. How are they going to take the news that you traveled to Earth to bring back your sick mate?”

“You are not sick anymore,” he reminded. “Do not worry, everyone is going to love you. My mother and fathers will adore you, and my younger brothers will probably end up following you around annoying you with a slew of questions.”

“I can’t wait to meet them. I’ve always wanted siblings.”

“I am sure you will change your mind once you meet the trio,” he said dryly.

She chuckled. “Stop. I’m sure they are not that bad.”

“Worse than you can imagine. They are troublemakers. I think you will enjoy meeting our friends’ mates, though. Allie and Raven were once human just like you.”

“I remember you mentioning them a few times while I was drifting in and out of your thoughts. Do you know where they were from?”

“Nay, just that they were from your planet and were brought to Arcadia by the lightning. I believe Allie was a doctor on your world, and Raven was a warrior with the police.”

“A doctor? That will come in handy. Especially if we have kids someday. Speaking of, you’re a dragon, right? Will I have a baby or lay an egg? I have to tell you, I might freak out if I end up laying a dragon egg in our bed someday.”

“You will not lay an egg on our bed,” he assured. Even the image of that in his head was enough to make him want to laugh. “We will have beautiful babes one day. Although I should warn you that the Dragon Warrior gestation period is about half the time of a human’s.”

“That’s good,” she said, sounding relieved. “I would never hear the end of it from Layla if she thought I was laying eggs.”

As if realizing what she said, she went quiet.

Glancing down at the bowl, Dominic realized he had finished the rest of it after she had stopped eating. Setting the empty bowl aside, he poured the wine, then handed her a glass.

“Once we learn how to use our magic, we can try to find a way to visit your friends again.”

She took a sip of the wine, then rested her head against his shoulder. “I will miss them, but I understand how difficult it would be to return. The only other thing I think I will miss as much as them are my instruments.”

“Ronan and I will do our best to recreate as many as your instruments as we can once we return.”

“Really?”

She sat up and wiggled on his lap, causing him to grip her hips tight for the sake of his own sanity.

“Really,” he confirmed. “Music is not as prominent on Arcadia as it is here. However, there is nothing stopping you from changing that. We will do whatever we can to make you happy in your new home. So, we will make you a thousand instruments if that will please you.”

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. He was alarmed when he felt her tears falling on his skin. Stroking her hair, he simply held her as she wept. He didn’t understand what had caused the storm of emotions, but he would accompany her through it.

“What is wrong? Why is our mate crying?” Ronan demanded.

“I do not know. All I did was tell her we would try to recreate her instruments for her once we return home.”

“Ah.” There was a long pause, then Ronan said, “ Music is very important to her. More than we originally realized. It is not about the adoration of the crowd. She would be just as happy only sharing her songs with the two of us. But from the recordings Layla played for us, Kylie has a talent that should be shared with worlds.”

“I agree.” His mood lightened. “Once we have magic, replicating her instruments will not be an issue. Now, get back to work and leave us alone.”

Dominic broke their connection as Kylie lifted her head again. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, “What is it, mate? Why do you weep so?”

“I think it just hit me that I’ll still be able to do music now that I’m no longer dying.

I didn’t even consider that with everything going on.

Even if it’s not here in my studio or on a stage in a big stadium, I can still make music and share it.

That is a gift, Dominic. You’ve given me another priceless gift I can never thank you enough for. ”

“You do not need to thank us, Kylie. We would do anything for you. Give you anything you need.”

She leaned closer to him until her lips were a breath away from his. “What if what I need is you?”

“Then, have me mate. I am all yours.”