Mated To The Dragon Of Manhattan (A BBW Paranormal Romance Book 1) (11 page)

And then, later that evening, Annabelle's prediction came true, and my decision pretty much made itself.

While we stood against the stone wall that surrounded the entire rooftop garden, sipping wine and looking out onto the glittering lights of the city, Truman suddenly set his glass on the ledge, set my own glass on the ledge, and then took my hands, his expression serious. "I wasn't going to do this. I wasn't going to ask you to stay, and I'm still not. I want your decision to be yours and yours alone, and I want it to be the one that's best for you, and the one you feel best about and most at peace with, and I don't want to influence it. But I have to say something. I have to. I love you, Brette. In just the short time that we've been together, I already love you more than I've ever loved any woman before in my entire life. I don't want you to go. I want you to stay. I want this more than I've ever wanted anything before, ever. I want you; I want your heart. I want a future with you. But I also want you to be happy, the happiest you can possibly be. And so, because of that, I want you to make your decision selfishly. I don't want you to think about me and what I want at all. I just want you to think about what will make you happiest in the long term, and-"

"I'm staying, Truman."

He swallowed, his eyes widening, and didn't answer right away. "What? Are you sure?"

I nodded, my eyes becoming misty for what felt like the millionth time just in the span of a week or so. "Yes. I'm sure. I'm staying; I'm never going back to my own world; and that's my decision; and I'm not looking back. I guess I just heard everything I needed to hear. And I actually think I've known for days that I'm going to stay, and maybe I've even known it since the very first second I realized I'd have to make a choice. And what the last minute or two was for me was just relief. Just relief that now I know that whenever I made my decision, and whether I made it subconsciously or consciously, it was the right one. I know that in my heart now, and I'm just...." I shook my head,  a few tears slid
ing
down my cheeks. "So flooded with relief and happiness right now. I love you, too, Truman, more than any man I've ever loved before. By miles. And I want a future with you. So I'm staying. I'm staying with you, because you have my heart now."

In the glow of several candles we'd placed on the ledge, his eyes seemed to become a bit shiny.

He blinked a few times, nodding, and cleared his throat. Right before scooping me up and spinning me around, holding me in his strong arms so tightly I could barely breathe. "You've just made me the happiest man in all the parallels. I'm the happiest man alive."

We spent the rest of the night celebrating. We invited Brianna and Owen, and Annabelle and Matthew up to Truman's penthouse for champagne. Probably a half-dozen toasts to Truman's and my happiness were made. Around midnight, after everyone had left, Truman asked if I'd formally move in with him, and I said yes. And right then, he brought up all my clothes from "the dungeon" and helped me put them away in one of the closets in his spacious, opulent master bedroom. Before we went to sleep that night, naked and in each other's arms, he told me again that I'd made him the happiest man alive.

So, I was shocked nearly senseless when, the next day, he said he wanted me to go back to my own New York City. And immediately.

*

I sank down on the couch, staring at Truman, absolutely stunned. "What are you talking about? What do you mean you want me to go back to my own New York City?"

My blood seemed to have turned to ice water, and my head was spinning.

Just that morning, not even three hours earlier, he'd brought me breakfast in bed, telling me that he couldn't ever remember being so happy, before going to meet with his advisors for an unscheduled Saturday morning meeting that Owen had called for. Now, I couldn't imagine what had changed. But something obviously had, and it filled me with dread. Now that I'd officially decided to stay in Truman's parallel and plan a future with him, I just couldn't even stomach the thought of ever returning to my own world. I couldn't stomach the thought of ever having to live without Truman's love.

With his expression pained and his gray eyes dark, he stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, seeming to be thinking. But I couldn't wait for explanations.

"Truman? Please tell me what's going on. Why would you say this to me? Why would you tell me you want me to go back? Please just tell me why. Was it something I did, or said? Because last night, you seemed so happy that I decided to stay. You actually said I made you the happiest man alive."

Cringing, he finally looked from the windows to me. "You did. On such a profound level I can't even begin to describe."

"Then, what's wrong? What happened to change everything? Don't you love me anymore?"

He sighed, his expression still a mask of agony. "This is happening precisely because I love you so very, very much. And because of that, I'll do anything to keep you safe. Absolutely anything. Including taking an action that will make me miserable beyond any misery I've ever experienced before. Including sending you back to your own parallel."

"But why do you have to? I don't understand any of this. What does sending me back to my own world have to do with keeping me safe? Why can't I just stay safe here, with you, like I have been doing? I'm actually infinitely safer here with you than I was before I came here, back when I was living as a single woman in Manhattan."

"No. You're now wrong about that. Everything's changed."

"But what has changed? Will you please just come over here and sit down and explain everything to me?"

Heaving another sigh, he  took a seat beside me on the couch. "Brette, please believe me when I say I'm sorry. I'm so, so very sorry. I'll never stop being sorry the rest of my days. But I have no doubt what I need to do. I need to send you back in order to keep you safe. Because the shifters from your own parallel are coming. And as my girlfriend, you'll most likely be their first target."

I sat speechless briefly, not liking the sound of that at all, but at the same time thinking that me going back to my own parallel was far too drastic of a solution. "So, they've figured out a way to cross the parallel, then?"

Truman nodded, frowning so hard his dark brows were nearly colliding. "Yes. Owen's psychic abilities allowed him to pick up on some of the thoughts of Dominic, their leader, very early this morning. The thoughts were alarming, to be sure, but Owen couldn't pick them up very clearly. So, with the help of Dr. Townsend, he was able to cross the parallel and do some spying on Dominic and his men to try to gauge their plans. Though, Owen wasn't able to spy for long. Not even fifteen minutes maybe, before he thought it best to return across the parallel. And that was because Dominic has honed his psychic abilities over the past several months, and Owen kept getting mental vibes from him that maybe Dominic had a clue he was being spied on. So, Owen returned. But not before learning that Dominic and his group of shifters, all men and just two women, have figured out how to cross the parallel, and several of them have done so already. And we didn't even know it. Which has me utterly terrified for your safety. You see, Owen's psychic abilities are not only not perfect, but they're very fallible. They come and go, and go in and out, much like an old television signal. This is the way they've always been, and even though he's worked hard to improve them over the years...." Truman sighed, taking my hands. "Brette, we might have no warning when Dominic and his shifters come. And it will be soon. His intent is to launch an attack, kill all of us shifters, and claim the title of Lord of this entire nation for himself."

"Well, I don't care what he plans to do. I'm staying."

"But you'll be in extreme, extreme danger. With his psychic abilities, Dominic has not only been able to ascertain that I now have a girlfriend I love very, very, very much, but he's also even been able to see brief images of you in his mind. He knows what you look like. He knows how important you are to me. He's either going to try to kill you first before trying to take me out, or he may try to abduct you and use you as some sort of bargaining chip in the event that he's unable to take me out, which will definitely, definitely be the case, as I plan to defeat him, and soundly."

"Well, if that's the case, if you're sure you'll win, which I know you can do, too, then why do I have to go back?"

"Because he could hurt you gravely, even kill you, before I can take him and all his shifters out. Like I said, he could somehow kidnap you, and I shudder...I absolutely
shudder
, Brette, to think of what unspeakable things he might do to you to get me to give up my throne. And so, because of that, you have to go back to your own parallel, where you'll be free from all danger. Once you're there, you'll be completely safe, as Dominic and his men will soon be here, in this parallel, because of a challenge I'm going to have Owen deliver them from me. And then they'll soon be dead."

I pulled my hands from Truman's, not shocked and dumbfounded anymore, just mad. "So, just to keep me safe for a very brief period of time before you kill Dominic, you're going to send me back to my own parallel? You're going to separate us forever?"

He gave his head a hard shake. "No. No, not at all. Though if that's what it took to ensure your absolute safety, then, yes. That's what I'd do. But there's a chance we might
not
have to be separated forever. See, Dr. Townsend has been thinking that if you cross back over to your own parallel through the accidental tear Owen created when he crossed over just before you did, you'll never be able to come back
here
. But then, after I received the terrible news about Dominic's plans earlier this morning, I asked Dr. Townsend, though maybe more like
begged
him, to do some more calculations, and fast. To try to see if there would be any, any, any possible way for you to return here after going home. And, after doing a few more calculations and factoring in yet another very surprising, tiny accidental tear Owen made in the parallel this morning, Dr. Townsend now thinks there might be a slim, slim chance, maybe one-in-a-thousand, that you could indeed return across the parallel and come back to me at some point. And I know those don't seem like great odds, and a return would involve Owen doing many, many parallel crossings in an attempt to make as many tears as possible, but, Brette...." He heaved a sigh, his expression pleading. "I would have so many scientists and physicists working to make that slim chance a reality. I'd have every physicist in the nation-"

"No." I stood up from the plush white couch, fuming. "No. Absolutely not. This is not happening. I'm not going back. And I wouldn't even if I could come back easily. Whenever Dominic and his shifters arrive, fine. So be it. I'll stay safe here."

Truman stood up himself, frowning. "Look. I know it may seem silly to you-"

"No, this all seems insane."

"All right, then, insane. I know it may seem insane to you that I would send you back to your own world, knowing how incredibly difficult it's going to be to have you eventually return to me, just so I can keep you safe for what might be possibly mere days or even hours until I can take out Dominic and his men. But what you need to realize is how much danger you'll be in during that time. I don't know just how powerful Dominic and his men are. I don't know just what they're capable of. Even though my men will outnumber those in his shifter group by a few, we may be in for an incredibly difficult fight. I won't be able to spare any of my shifters to guard you. The only guards I'd be able to spare to protect you would be human ones, which, against shifters, would be practically useless."

"Give me a gun, then, and teach me how to shoot, so I can defend myself."

"That would be just as pointless as having human guards protect you. Injury from a gun or a weapon of any kind can only temporarily disable shifters...kind of stun us for a minute or so. Particularly if we're stabbed or shot through the heart. But aside from dying of old age just like regular humans, we can only actually die by being killed by another shifter. Which entails being stabbed through the heart by a shifter dragon claw and then immediately stabbed through the eye by a shifter claw as well. So it wouldn't matter if you had a gun; it'd make no difference at all. You still couldn't kill a shifter. You still couldn't properly defend yourself."

"Well,
I
think it sounds like I actually
could
defend myself. As long as I had a weapon I could injure and stun a shifter with for a minute or so, right?"