Page 9 of Into the Dawn (The Arcadians #4)

Dominic watched his mate sleeping peacefully on the large, canopied bed he had just tucked her into.

He was kneeling next to her prone form, gently holding her small hand between his much larger palms. She was so precious and delicate, he felt like a giant beast compared to her.

He wasn’t sure he deserved to touch her yet, considering he hadn’t even introduced himself properly to her.

But he was afraid she would disappear if he let go.

Finding her was a dream come true.

It was clear his mate was ill, but she was still the most beautiful female he had ever seen.

She was his touchstone, his reason for existing.

He understood that the moment he saw her.

It felt as though his heart had started beating again for the first time since the loss of his brother and chosen mate.

In that one instant, she had become the most important thing in his entire universe.

And with that came a sense of guilt.

Still, the priority was to start to heal her as quickly as possible, so focusing on that had helped him push aside his other emotional turmoil. She had felt so frail in his arms that he had been worried he’d hurt her just by carrying her inside.

He’d been a little concerned when she had passed out after drinking the magical tonic, but he started to relax again now that he saw it was already starting to heal her.

Her complexion had lost some of that sallow, sickly pallor, and her cracked, dry lips looked a little fuller than they had moments ago.

The dark circles under her eyes had faded to barely noticeable shadows, and her missing eyebrows were starting to grow back.

If one drink of the tonic could do all that, then it truly was a magical cure.

Now that he had time to think, he realized he should have asked exactly what was in the tonic.

Not that Silas would have told him. Dominic was pretty sure the Sun God would have told him to fuck off and stop wasting his time.

Perhaps it was a good thing he hadn’t been able to ask more questions.

If he had, the god might not have sent them to save their mate.

Hellfire, he still couldn’t believe he and his brother had actually made it to Earth.

The entire bizarre scenario, from meeting the God of the Sun to getting flung across the universe to a different planet, felt like some sort of strange fever dream.

He hadn’t really had time to process everything that had happened yet, but he was better at going with the flow than his brother was.

Riding the lightning had been the most painful thing he’d ever experienced, but as soon as he saw their mate, it had all been worth it. And they had arrived just in time since it was clear she didn’t have much time left.

The thought of losing her was enough to strike terror in his heart. It had been painful losing Eron and Imra, but he knew without a doubt that he would never survive losing their new mate.

Dominic frowned as he surveyed the room.

It was a pleasant space, with pale gray walls, wooden furniture, and lace curtains hanging over a wide set of windows.

There was a seating area situated near the windows with a pair of cushioned chairs and a small table that was set between them.

The flooring was made of planks of rich, dark wood, and there were a few more doors that seemed to lead to additional rooms.

The centerpiece of the space was the large bed their mate was currently sleeping in.

The thick purple blanket covering her bed was much fluffier than what they were used to, but the fabric seemed to be high quality and soft to the touch.

Instead of the light crystals they used back on Arcadia, she had a lamp on a table next to the bed that filled the room with dim golden light.

There were also gossamer purple curtains hanging around the bed that were tied to the posts.

It was just that everything seemed so…small.

“Her world is vastly different than ours,” Ronan commented through their bond.

After Dominic had carried their mate into her bedroom, Ronan had insisted on patrolling around the residence to ensure there were no threats on the premises.

Since they were in unfamiliar territory, they needed to keep their mate safe.

They hadn’t sensed anyone in the residence, but Ronan wanted to make sure before he could be at ease.

It didn’t seem like anyone else lived there, but they needed to confirm that.

They had to be careful about who knew they were there since the god had warned that humans in general were not ready to interact with other species.

Because of that, they needed to blend in, though that was impossible until they spoke to their mate.

They needed guidance on this new world, or they could end up doing something they might regret.

Like start a war.

“ We have barely seen any of this world so far, and yet, I am already uncomfortable. I dare not sit on her bed for fear it would not hold my weight.”

Ronan snorted. “Humans are small compared to Arcadians.”

“Especially our mate. She is very thin and extremely delicate.” Dominic couldn’t hide the worry in his voice. “ We will have to make sure to feed and care for her well while she recovers.”

“We will do so until the end of days. She is our mate,” Ronan reminded. “ And her name is Kylie. According to what I have seen in her residence, her name is Kylie Bell.”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful female.”

“Aye, she is. By the way, we are able to read the human language, which is a bonus the Sun God did not tell us about. There is no one here, and from what my senses tell me, I believe she lives alone,” Ronan reported.

“That is good, although it worries me that no one has been here to take care of her while she is in this state. Thankfully, the tonic already seems to be working.”

“She took everything better than we expected,” Ronan stated. “I thought it would be a lot more difficult to convince her to drink the tonic.”

“From what she said, I surmise she thinks this is nothing more than a dream.”

“Well, she will find out differently when she wakes,” Ronan pointed out with a hint of amusement. “Let us hope it is as easy to convince her to return to Arcadia with us.” He paused, then said, “But we may have a problem. I think our mate is a celebrity.”

“What does that mean?”

“Remember what the Dracors told us after they met Allie and received their magic? We were jesting with them about how they had become the most prominent individuals on Arcadia, and she said that made them celebrities.”

Dominic recalled that Allie had explained celebrities were extremely famous people on her home world.

He had been fascinated to hear about a culture that was so different from his own.

Humans idolized those who excelled in specific fields like sports, music, and acting.

That admiration often bordered on reverence, with fans eagerly following every move of their favorite athletes, musicians, and actors.

The achievements of those individuals were celebrated with grand ceremonies and awards.

Younglings aspired to be like their idols, dedicating countless hours of practice to hone their skills.

The fame and recognition that came from excelling in these certain fields were seen as the ultimate reward for their talent and effort.

Cultural icons were not something the Arcadians had, nor did they believe in worshiping anyone but the gods.

However, as princes of their kingdom, Dominic and Ronon did enjoy a certain level of respect and adoration from their citizens.

Still, people feared them enough to give them space and privacy, so it wasn’t the same.

From what Allie and Raven had told them, most celebrities on Earth did not have that luxury.

“This complicates things.”

“Aye, it does. There is a room up here on the second level that you should see.”

Dominic didn’t want to leave Kylie’s side, but he forced himself to release her hand and stand up. “I will be right there.”

With one last look to make sure she was still sleeping, he quietly exited the room, leaving the door slightly ajar so they could hear when she woke.

He quickly made his way up the steps and down the hallway.

He passed by a few more vacant bedrooms before he followed the faint sound to the double doors that led to a room that took up almost half of the entire second level.

With his heightened senses, he could immediately tell she spent a lot of time there.

As he came to a stop next to his brother, his brows furrowed as he scanned the room.

He didn’t recognize half of the objects displayed on the wall, but he could identify enough to know that they were standing in a room dedicated to music.

While her bedroom had been a quiet, tranquil room, their mate’s music studio was a sanctuary for creativity and inspiration.

Bold, vivid colors filled a space that had been designed to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

The walls seemed to be made of a special material that changed the sound quality in the room, muffling the volume. There was a large desk with a bunch of complicated equipment set up on top. He was curious to see how everything worked but didn’t touch anything for fear of breaking something.

On one side of the room was a long sofa and a few cozy chairs that actually looked large enough for the brothers to sit on without fear of breaking them.

The lighting was soft and warm, creating an inviting atmosphere, and more spotlights highlighted the various frames that hung on the wall.

Large shelves had books and statues displayed on them, and there was an assortment of other items he couldn’t identify.