Dragons Don't Cry (15 page)

When my rage dissipated somewhat, I made my
way back to my room perch, shifted, and entered. I could hear water
in the bath. I needed to wash too, and my bride would not deny me
what I needed even more than a bath. I stormed in, angry all over
again, and stopped at the sight of her nakedness.

She looked at me with needy eyes. “I do not
wish to fight, dragon. You’ve wasted time in your tantrum when you
could be deep within my body making me scream.”

The anger left, completely replaced by
desire so intense it hurt my cock.

She raised an arm from the water and
splashed me. I was in the tub with her pulled on top of me in
seconds. Over the next hour, I completely forgot what upset me so
though my sleep that night was restless. Eventually, I needed to
take care of Laryn so he never endangered my bride again.

***

Acasia

The next two days were blissful. I wish we
hadn’t argued, but Bastian seemed to forget about Laryn and that
was good. He didn’t mention our anniversary, and I had nothing to
give him, so decided to keep it to myself.

I woke up feeling poorly. This hadn’t
happened to me since I was young and ate undercooked meat, which
made several people ill for a few days. My bones ached, but I
refused to dwell on it.

“Picnic with me today, Acasia,” Bastian
whispered in my ear.

“That sounds lovely. When are we
leaving?”

“I will have food prepared and we can leave
after breakfast if you wish.”

“Perfect.”

The day was beautiful. We swam in the cool
waters of the lake before eating our lunch. Not bothering to dress,
I stuffed my stomach and felt sleepy. My aches from the morning
were still there, but I wouldn’t allow it to ruin such a grand day.
We lay back on the blanket and gazed at the clouds. Bastian moved
from beside me and rummaged through the food basket. I thought he
sought water.

His shadow came over me and the coolness of
a gold necklace with a large ruby landed on my belly.

“For our claiming anniversary.”

He’d remembered. “Oh, Bastian.”

“There’s more. Sit up.” Now I heard the
excitement in his voice.

He pulled me up and first clasped the
necklace at my throat. Next, he pulled a crown, with similar rubies
studded throughout the gold, and arranged it on my head. The look
in his eyes had me clenching my thighs. I wanted him and he never
failed to make me feel beautiful.

“This belonged to a king?” I asked with
reverence.

“No, it belongs to my queen. I found it for
you.”

My laughter bubbled up. “You stole it for
me.”

“Yes, human female named Acasia. I would
steal the world for you.”

I was so happy. His fingers ran gently
across my jaw before he kissed me. Slowly, he lay me back against
the blanket and in our own special glade we made love. The crown
fell from my head, but we didn’t care. Afterward, I fell asleep on
Bastian’s chest, his arms tightly around me, his breath ruffling my
hair.

Stomach cramps woke me up. I couldn’t stop
from crying out. Bastian released me as he rolled to the side, and
I curled into a ball.

“What is it, Acasia?”

The pain was so intense I couldn’t
answer.

“What can I do?” I heard his fear.

The pain began easing and I managed to
whisper, “This happened when I was a child. It was tainted food. I
shall be okay in a while.”

He moved my hair from my face, concern
showing in his eyes. “There has never been tainted food in this
realm. What hurts?”

I took a few deep breaths so I could speak
again, and also to think about where the pain centered.
“Everything. I hurt on the inside.”

“Define everything, bride.” Worry sounded in
his voice.

“Please give me a moment.”

He waited, his hands running through my
hair. It was the only thing on me not in pain. Eventually the hurt
lessened. Finally, I could breathe normally, but I was
exhausted.

Bastian gathered our belongings, shifted,
and carried me back to his lair in his talons. I hated traveling
this way, but I also didn’t want the pain to return while in the
saddle. He placed me in his bed. I fell asleep shortly after our
return only to wake up a few hours later in worse pain. I tried not
to cry out, but whimpers escaped my throat.

“This is not right. Something is wrong.” He
stopped pacing and ran his hand across my forehead. “You are
burning up.”

I didn’t feel the heat; I was freezing, and
my teeth chattered. Bastian gathered me in his arms putting off
heat, which helped. I drifted off again.

Two days later, I hadn’t improved. Bastian
placed me in a bath to cool my body even when I cried that it was
too cold. The pain didn’t leave as often and I was no longer able
to sleep. I lay suffering trying to keep Bastian from knowing how
bad it was.

He wasn’t fooled. “I’ve contacted Dmitri and
there is a doctor in the earth’s realm who treats shifters. We do
not know if your internal organs and blood chemistry are different
from earth’s humans. It’s our best chance to discover what’s
wrong.”

The thought of moving was terrifying, but I
also knew whatever was wrong was serious. “Please, Bastian.” I had
no idea what I was asking because the pain intensified again.

“Sleep, Acasia.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Bastian

I’d been afraid to keep her asleep because I
needed to know how bad she hurt. But I could no longer take it. I
carried her to the realm crossing and placed her back asleep when
she woke up directly before we entered the earth’s realm. Brunya
waited and didn’t waste time with greetings. She drove us to the
airport, and then an airplane flew us to a place known as Texas.
This was followed by another car ride. I held Acasia the entire
time, fear burning in my gut. This was wrong. Her illness was
entirely wrong.

Acasia woke up in the car and because we
were so close to our destination, I didn’t put her under again. I
needed her able to speak with the doctor. Dr. Stevens waited; a
middle-aged, small female with an air of confidence that I badly
needed.

I followed her to a small room. “Lay her
down here. It would be best if you waited outside.”

There was no way I could breathe fire in the
room, but I put enough anger in my voice to burn her. “Stupid
female, I will not leave her.”

The doctor gazed at me, rolled her eyes, and
mumbled something I couldn’t decipher. We had no illness in my
realm and I’d only heard of doctors. “You will explain everything
you do,” I demanded.

“I’m assuming you’re alpha?”

“Humph. I am dragon. Fix her or I will burn
your home down.”

The woman had the gall to laugh at me. “I’ve
been dealing with shifters for years. If you threaten me again,
I’ll kick you out on your ass. Do you want me to treat her or
not?”

My frustration overwhelmed me; I looked at
Acasia and knew I needed to allow this woman to do her job.
“Continue, human.”

She rolled her eyes again and began asking
questions.

“When’s the last time she ate? Could someone
have poisoned her? Could she be with child?”

If the woman hadn’t have been examining her
while asking the questions, I’d have breathed fire. Acasia was
lethargic and not answering herself. That more than anything showed
how ill she was.

“I need to draw blood and take a CT
scan.”

I could not keep the impatience from my
voice. “Do what you must, but fix her quickly.”

“I may be able to give her something for the
pain, but I’m not sure how it will work on her humanlike body. This
is my first patient from another realm.”

“Sleep, Acasia.” I felt a great relief when
her eyes closed and I could no longer see the pain in them.

The doctor’s steady gaze locked with mine.
“I need you on my team. It makes things much simpler if you support
me instead of fighting me. I want to help her.”

I didn’t answer, but managed a small nod.
Another woman walked into the room and I watched as blood was
drawn. Acasia was then moved to another room and placed on a
rolling bed that entered a cylinder. I almost lost it.

The doctor had no fear of me. “It will be
over quicker if you back off. You are keeping me from finding out
what’s wrong.”

I stayed near the cylinder taking deep
breaths to keep from tearing the machine apart and removing her.
When the test was finished, I picked Acasia up holding her close. I
needed her scent to calm me. I was close to losing any semblance of
control.

“Follow me and you can wait in a more
comfortable room. Let me check the test results and I’ll be back as
soon as possible. Right now, my biggest concern is her temperature.
I will give you a cool, wet cloth to rub her down with.”

I held Acasia and used the cloth provided. I
had removed her clothes for the machine to examine beneath her
skin. I was unfamiliar with the process but I had to discover what
harmed my bride. I wrapped her in a light covering, and made her
comfortable in my arms while I wet her down feeling her entire body
shake. I found it difficult to breathe. She had to be okay; there
was no other option. I had no idea how long the doctor was gone,
but when she returned, I saw the bad news written clearly on her
face.

She sat on a stool, looking to me with
sadness in her eyes.

No. This could not happen.

“I’m sorry. Her organs are shutting down and
her bones are dissolving. It’s a very fast spreading cancer, one
I’ve never seen before.”

“What does this word cancer mean?”

“It is a human disease. If caught early, it
can sometimes be slowed. In some cases stopped completely. I’ve
never seen cancer come on this intensely. I am so very sorry, she
will not survive much longer.”

I looked down at my beloved. The lines of
pain did not show right now, but her face was thinner, a gray tinge
on her skin. I couldn’t lose her. I buried my face in her hair.

“You can remain here and we can keep you
both comfortable, maybe run more tests, but I don’t think anything
I do will change the outcome.”

I didn’t say a word. Walking out of the
building, I sat in the backseat of the waiting vehicle holding
Acasia. I hadn’t bothered dressing her, but kept the cloth around
her. Brunya had come on the airplane and sat next to the new
driver. She asked no questions.

Traveling home to my lair took longer. I
kept Acasia asleep. I never let her go, touching some part of her
at all times. If I released her for only a moment, I knew she’d be
gone.

Back in my room, I rested against pillows
holding her throughout the night. The following day she opened her
pain-filled eyes.

Her words were so soft I could barely hear
them. “I’m sorry, Bastian, for breaking my promise.”

No, I wouldn’t let her back down. “Then
don’t break your promise, my love.”

She smiled so sweetly. “Take me to the glen,
Bastian. I wish to see it one last time.”

“No, Acasia, do not say that.” Everything
inside me screamed in anguish.

“I love you, dragon.” She gasped for breath,
closing her eyes. I didn’t think she would say any more, but she
continued, “The glen is where you made love to me for the first
time. Hurry please.”

And like so many times before, I could deny
her nothing.

She was barely breathing when we arrived. I
couldn’t even roar, my pain so great it crippled me. She gazed at
me, but didn’t speak again. The smell of grass and flowers
surrounded us.

I watched her chest rise and fall at a
slower and slower pace. “I love you, Acasia. There will never be
another for me. You are my only treasure.” She smiled slightly then
stopped breathing.

“Noooooo,” I yelled. “Please, Goddess, no.”
I rocked Acasia in my arms, kissing her face, trying to bring her
back with the power of my love. Nothing worked; she was lifeless in
my embrace. I finally lay her down and stood, walking a few feet
away, looking into the sky.

“Why, Goddess, why? Take me. Please take
me.” I cried out with everything I had. The sky remained the same
and desolation rolled over me, through me. I could not do this.

Thunder crackled in the clouds and a bolt of
lightning hit the ground a few feet in front of me. The power of
the burst so strong, I barely remained standing. A shimmer of light
took shape and a female stood before me. It was the goddess.

Without thought, I fell to my knees and took
ahold of the bottom of her gown. “Please, Goddess, I beg you. Spare
her and take me.”

I felt the weight of her hand on my head. “I
am Angelos, daughter of Hera. You sacrificed much, dragon. You
stayed with your bride when I thought you would chase your friend
and kill him. Your greatest treasure has long been your pride, but
you gave it up for her.”

I looked up, tears clouding my eyes. I
couldn’t stop them.

Dragons did cry.

She gave me a soft smile. “To be reborn we
must die first. Look behind you, dragon.”

I turned slowly, so afraid this was a dream.
I could feel the pressure of the magic building in the glade and
could see it encompassing Acasia. It was red, like the power of our
love magic. Acasia took a sudden gasp of breath then screamed. I
tried to rise, but I was thrown back. The red glow around Acasia
burst into flame. Black smoke billowed.

I saw her front leg first. From out of the
smoke and flame, a red dragon appeared. Her eyes slowly opened and
I was looking at my mate. More beautiful than anything I’d ever
seen, she threw open her jaws, sharp teeth flashing, and breathed
fire.

Acasia laughed.

“I’m like you, Bastian.” Her words whispered
into my mind.

I don’t know how I found my voice. “You are
my true mate.”

More flames and smoke spewed from her jaws,
and I laughed too. I remembered the Goddess and turned around. She
was gone, but her words entered my mind. “Each dragon must find
their own mate. Your brethrens’ journey is not your own.”