Dangerous Lovers (222 page)

“The only other dragon you have ever seen is my father.” Then I realized what I said. I felt a smile jump on my face followed by a choked laugh. “I transformed!” It was still sinking in.

I could feel the slight, subtle essence of the dragon spirit I had thought was completely lost to me. Then, the memories from after I had transformed flooded my mind.

“What happened?” I searched Stone looking for any damage, but I knew there wouldn’t be any on this skin.

“I am fine. The transformation was too much for your system at once so you passed out. Your father calmed down, and I calmed down,” though I could still see that he wasn’t. His fists were tight and his jaw clenched. “Why didn’t you ever tell me it was your father? I mean I always suspected, but until York confirmed it…” He trailed off his eyes looking sad.

“It is in his nature,” I whispered.

How was I supposed to tell him that even after all that he did to me, I still forgave him? That I never once blamed him?

“Before you came in he was telling me about my mother,” I added looking up at him.

He sighed and pushed me over a little so that he could fit on the narrow bed with me.

“Where are we?” I asked quietly.

He wrapped his arms around me.

“The hospital wing.” His voice was muffled as he pressed his face into my hair. “Tell me what he said.”

I turned around and Stone kept his face in my neck. He didn’t kiss me, just laid there while I ran my fingers through his hair.

“She was a were-chameleon. He told me that she was small, much like I am. He fell for her big attitude. He said that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. They were together for over ten years. He wanted to save her the night that I was born but there were…complications.” My voice hitched and Stone placed a small delicate kiss on my neck. “The choice was to save me or to save her. They hadn’t had time to get a doctor. He saw the cord wrapped around my neck. While he tried to free me, she was bleeding out. If he had stopped to save her, to give her half his heart, I would have died.”

I cried. Stone switched our positions so my face was buried in his neck and he brushed his fingers through my hair. We stayed that way for a long time. He told me about his mother, it wasn’t as long as the first time he told it, but I felt honored that he finally decided he could tell me. We fell asleep like that.

• • •

When we woke up a little later it was to two voices arguing outside the room. When I listened closer, I could hear that it was Xavier and my father. I looked at Stone who was also listening, but he didn’t seem to be having a problem understanding them. His lips were pressed tight and a line creased between his brows. I wanted to smooth it away.

“Drake she isn’t a possession, you know this. Try to understand that he does care for her. And she obviously cares for him.” I heard Xavier tell my father. My father growled something but it was distorted so I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Stone climbed off the bed giving me one last kiss. When my father and Xavier walked in, I noticed how Xavier’s tail was wrapped around my father’s leg.

“How are you feeling Audrey?” Xavier asked, his eyes softening when they swept over me.

“Fine.”

“That is good. We were worried about you. That was an amazing transformation you did. We were wondering if…” Xavier paused looking at my father.

“We were wondering if you could still feel her.” My father said, watching me closely.

I looked at Stone, hoping that he would give me the courage to speak openly to my father about this. I knew it was what he wanted for me for such a very long time, but at the same time, if I was truly a dragon shifter…I looked at Stone…I could never leave. I knew that my father wouldn’t let me go.

“I can,” I wished that I couldn’t though, I didn’t think I would be able to survive without Stone. I knew he had to be missing his clan. How could I ever ask someone I love to forget all that? To forget his family? Wouldn’t that make me just another form of a torturer?

“Wonderful! That is wonderful, Audrey!” Xavier exclaimed moving away from my father to embrace me.

It was strange how caring he was toward me and it instantly put me on edge. I tried to grab a hold of Stone’s hand, but I couldn’t reach it. I touched the blanket, counted the ripples. Xavier let go. My father stood unmoving watching how Xavier and I interacted. I wanted to ask why, but thought better of it.

“If you are feeling up to it, we will all sit down and have dinner tonight. In say about three hours?” Xavier didn’t make it seem like a request so I just nodded my head.

Stone watched the two leave, but offered no expression. His eyes were a steely grey color though. I wanted to ask what was bothering him but before I could, he stood, kissed my forehead, then walked out the door. I was left alone.

The thought of Stone leaving led to the thought of Nixie. I hadn’t been able to see a whole lot of her. I knew I needed to give her space to decide what was best for her, just like Stone.

I wanted to find Nixie immediately, but how does one apologize for their father’s sins? Truthfully, I had been avoiding Nixie as much as I had been trying to give her space. Usually Nixie kept our talks light, fun, nothing too heavy. Would she even accept my apology? I had to find out. I left the room and went in search of her. I knew her room was close by mine so I headed in that direction. I raised my hand to knock on the door when it opened.

“I know you have been standing out there for a while so I thought I would just let you in myself.” Nixie offered a bright smile. Her coral eyes were tinted orange and I knew that she was annoyed. I bent my head feeling bad that I had annoyed her. I didn’t want that.

“I literally hate this show! It’s a total misrepresentation of ocean life! I mean, come on, talking sponges! Ridiculous! Plus, I know for a fact that star-fish are very intelligent beings.” Nixie complained as I sat down next to her. On the TV was an animated show that I had never seen.

“Are there sirens?” I asked. I wondered if she was homesick for her own kind, perhaps annoyed she was stuck here, in this building, not annoyed with me. I hoped at least that was the case and that things hadn’t changed completely between us.

“No. This show is worthless. What brings you, guppy?”

“I wanted to tell you…I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“Well it is not like you forced him to do it. And I mean you had to grow up with the clown-fish, not me.”

Nixie was still trying to sound light, but looking into her eyes I could see the flecks of a deep blue. We watched the colorful images on the television for a few moments.

“I am sorry, that was a bit rude of me. But there is something you need to understand Audrey.” She paused for a long time, looking down at her hands.

“I understand you couldn’t possibly want to be friends with me anymore.” I moved to get up but she grabbed my arm and pulled me back down.

“No, that is not what I was going to say. Look this is not going to be easy for me so please don’t look at me with your bright blue eye all sad and stuff.” She seemed to be psyching herself up because she sat a little straighter and cleared her throat. “I have decided that I cannot go back to the Bradens, partially because I do care for you-you are probably the closest thing I have had to a best friend in many years-but mostly because what they are doing is wrong. I will not be part of a clan that wants to destroy dying races. I have some other reasons, but that’s beside the point.”

I was about to tell her how happy I was that she decided to stay, but she put up her hand. She still wasn’t looking at me, but I saw how hard she was swallowing and I knew that she still had more to tell. The easy part was done. Now it was time for the hard part.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think that I would be able to stay here either. I understand that I should let the past go, that your father was in the right to attack the people attacking him, but your father killed the only real family I had left. I can’t just forgive that. I can’t just live in the same place as that man.” She looked at me, her eyes filled with shimmering tears. “I think the best decision is for me to go back to the sea. I will talk to York, tell him if he demands that I claim my loyalty to his family so be it, but I will never be a York. And I don’t think I would ever be able to live with Drake.” Nixie’s words caught when she said my father’s name.

I nodded accepting her answer.

“I never wanted to hurt you Audrey. I never wanted to do that.” She whispered grabbing my hand. I bit my lip to stop it from trembling.

We continued to watch the show, laughing at the right points and joking frequently. She never let go of my hand, and by the end of the third episode, she stopped trying to hold back her tears and let them fall. I hoped that we weren’t saying goodbye forever, but I knew that I had to respect that this was not easy for her. Could I blame her for wanting to leave for the same exact reason I thought Stone should leave me for? I couldn’t find it in my heart to be angry with her. I kissed her cheek as I stood to leave.

“Thank you for everything, Nixie.”

“This isn’t goodbye, little guppy. For right now, it’s see ya later.”

I nodded, tightening my lips.

Chapter Forty

Stone

I had to know if York and Drake were ever going to tell Audrey about whatever it was that was going on between them. York was way too comfortable around Audrey and I saw how uncomfortable it made her. She still wasn’t used to strangers touching her, hugging her. I wanted to protect her more than ever.

“York!” He stopped, turning to look at me. Drake didn’t turn, I think he was hoping I would have a quick word then disappear. “What exactly is happening between you two, and when the hell are you planning on tell Audrey?” That is when Drake turned around. York touched his arm lightly.

“Maybe this is something we should discuss in private.” York moved toward another conference room.

I followed looking back at Audrey’s room, hoping she crawled back into bed to rest a while longer. I didn’t want this to last very long, but I needed to know. I had to find out for Audrey’s sake.

“Drake maybe you should…”

Drake gave York a dirty look and York just nodded in return. They sat next to each other, tilted slightly in. York continued.

“Well everyone in our clan already knows this…it’s sort of strange explaining it. As I told you before, when Drake lost his….” York looked over to Drake for some sort of answer or support.

“Chosen mate.” And instantly I knew. Chosen mates were people we decided to spend our lives with, the ones that we fell for, but not our true mates. True mates were rare, and paranormals often spent their whole lives looking for theirs. True mates were destined by the elemental Gods, they were to be our perfect match, they had started to disappear the same time the elder races were thought to be destroyed

“Coy was…” York started.

“I loved her.” Drake stared at me hard. “I loved her with all my heart, and if I could have saved her, I would have. But I had to choose.” Drake’s voice was a deep rumbling noise. I could tell that it pained him to talk about Audrey’s mom. York patted his hand and whispered something in Drake’s ear. Drake then nodded and gave him a tight-lipped smile.

“All those years ago, when I found Drake again, I warned him that the Bradens and Vedenin were coming for him and his child. Unfortunately, Audrey was still at home so he went back for her while I was waiting with transportation. That is when the Vedenins attacked. They knew a dragon’s weaknesses, so Drake made the difficult decision and left. When he came back to me, I promised we would get her back.” York paused. But I didn’t understand something.

“Why did you go back then, Drake?”

“She just wanted that damn stuffed dragon I bought her. If I had let her grab it we would have both been safe…” Drake looked away from me as if …ashamed.

“Drake went back to get the stuffed animal, but instead saw Cain’s clan members torching the place. What little control Drake had left was gone. He still hadn’t gotten over losing Coy then he had to lose his daughter and home all in one day…” York took Drake’s hand under the table and looked at him once again.

“I came in because I knew he would have destroyed everyone on that team. We had evidence to show that not every team member knew about the attacks on the elder races. We had been trying to recruit some people. Some were already on our team, and working undercover. Unfortunately Kai, Nixie’s father, was on our team. We got there too late to save him. Drake had lost all control of his dragon. He had lost his hold on his sanity. The only way to have saved them all was…” York paused.

“By giving Xavier part of my heart,” Drake finished.

I was so shocked that I don’t think that I covered it well enough. A dragon giving up their heart to someone meant they were tied for life. There was no going back on the bond. I didn’t know exactly how it worked; the one thing I did know though was that they shared a psychological bond as well as physical. Drake sort of growled at me. I narrowed my eyes.

“What…”

“By giving him half of my heart it tamed my dragon. I was losing myself to it. Not only that but Xavier and I found out many years ago that we were…true mates. I…I wasn’t ready to accept it then.” Drake looked over at Xavier sheepishly. Xavier sat strong and tall.