Chapter 7
Brad wasn’t quite sure what he was doing. Nothing had changed. Things between him and Lyrian were exactly the same as they had been a few hours earlier.
Yet suddenly he felt a surge of hope. A tingle of possibility. Perhaps it was watching the certainty with which his brother had chosen the young lightning dragon. Perhaps it was his talk with Karla earlier.
Whatever it was, his mind seemed a little less closed to the possibility of mating.
A little more open to taking the risk of being with Lyrian for the rest of his life.
His heart was urging him to make a choice. Telling him that if he wanted to, Lyrian could be his tonight. That this awful feeling of loss and sadness, the fear that he was making a mistake, and letting the best thing that had ever happened to him slip through his fingers, would be gone. And he’d never be alone again.
His mind was still scared. It peeped at the idea from behind a curtain, half afraid that even just looking would put him in danger.
But he was looking.
He would never get tired of looking at Lyrian. That was one thing he was certain of.
She’d changed from the overalls and brightly colour shirt she’d always worn into a tight fitting leather tunic and pants, and though Brad missed the character of her human outfit, he couldn’t complain about how her dragon clothes accentuated her perfect figure and the smooth lines of her curves.
He wanted to run his hands over her, to feel her leather bound curves. Most of all, he wanted to undo some of those leather lacings. Heat flushed through Brad just thinking about what he knew was underneath them.
On anyone else, the outfit might have looked serious or regal, but there was no risk of that on Lyrian. Her blue hair, falling in waves around her shoulders made sure of that, adding just the right tone of playfulness to her ensemble.
And making Brad realise just how perfect she was for him.
All his life his brother had teased him about being too serious. About always thinking before he acted, always having a backup plan. Nate had tried to convince him that he was missing out on a lot of fun because of his cautious attitude.
And Brad had always known it was true. But he’d always weighted security higher than fun.
Now he could feel the scales tipping, and that thought both exhilarated him and terrified him at the same time.
Lyrian lifted one side of her lips in a lopsided smile, and the expression cut straight to Brad’s heart.
Somehow, when he was with her, none of it seemed so scary at all.
Brad couldn’t help himself. Despite his mind screaming that this was a mistake, and that he’d regret it later, he leaned in and kissed her.
As soon as his lips touched hers, all his doubts vanished.
She tasted of honey and cotton candy, with an undercurrent of tangy spice. Her lips promised adventure and delight, but also love and loyalty. Brad kissed her with a hunger that he’d only ever felt in her presence.
And for the first time since he’d returned, she kissed him back just as passionately, her hunger matching his.
Brad could have drowned in her lips and he would have died a happy man. Everything around them, the dragons, her brothers, the feast, even Nate’s mating, all faded away, and all he could think about was Lyrian, and getting her alone somewhere.
But after a few moments, laughter invaded his haze.
Brad pulled back, breathless, staring into Lyrian’s eyes.
“Should we be having more than one mating here tonight?” Taurian said in amusement.
Brad felt his face heat, though it was nothing compared to the fire flowing through his body.
What would it feel like to be standing next to Lyrian, promising to be hers forever? To give himself over to this need coursing through his body. To trust in his feelings for once.
Before he could even think how to reply, or to figure out if Taurian’s suggestion was serious or just teasing, Lyrian broke eye contact and turned to her brother. “Tonight is Nate and Kyrian’s night,” she said firmly. “Holding more than one mating at once takes the focus off the couple involved. It’s not fair.”
Brad felt his heart sink a little.
“It has been done,” Taurian said. He gave his sister what was definitely a teasing smile. “Especially in the case of siblings.”
Lyrian was not amused. “What are you talking about?” she demanded. Then she realised. “Oh, Nate.”
“I’d happily share my mating day with my brother,” Nate said promptly. He stared at Brad, his eyes dancing, daring him to accept. Nate wanted to see Brad take that leap as much as he wanted to take his own. He always had.
Brad had no doubts that the celebration would be all the sweeter for sharing it with his twin brother. But what did Lyrian want?
She was staring at Taurian, a frown on her face. “I told you, this is between Brad and I. Stay out of it.”
Taurian held up his hands, taking the warning, but there was a smile on his face.
Brad put a hand on Lyrian’s arm, no thought in his mind other than to bring the smile back to her face. And bring it back he did, it lit up her face as her eyes met his, and she could see the emotion reflected there.
“I… do you want…?” Her words hung in the air.
Brad stared at her, the answer on the tip of his tongue.
Then his phone rang loudly in the expectant hush.
The ringtone told him it was the hospital, even without looking at it. Brad’s heart sank. Was it a sign? Was fate trying to remind him that he had other responsibilities? A whole other life?
With Lyrian’s eyes staring into his, uncertain but filled with longing, he wanted to ignore it, to consign that other life to his past and forget about it.
But responsibility wouldn’t release him that easily.
No matter how much he wanted to, he wasn’t the sort to just disappear and walk out on his responsibilities. If he made this choice, he would have to give them leave. Do it right.
He heaved a small sigh. “I need to get this. I’ll be right back.”
As he walked out of the main cave, feeling the eyes of Lyrian and everyone else boring into his back, he couldn’t help feeling like he was making a mistake. Trouble was, he wasn’t sure which was the mistake, leaving, or staying.
“Dr Brad Cotting. What is it?” He kept his back to the cave, not wanting to see if Lyrian was staring at him. If her expression was disappointed.
His heart was still thudding in his chest at the choice he’d nearly made.
He wanted to drop the phone, rush back to her, and tell her of course he wanted to be her mate.
The voice of Natalie Herring, the hospital director, brought him back to reality. “Dr Cotting, I know you said you needed another week to wrap up your affairs, but I wanted to ask if you could make it back earlier. Dr Bartlet has been in an accident and is unable to fill in for you.”
Brad’s mind went completely blank.
He opened his mouth to speak, the need to reply automatic, but he had no idea what to say.
A few moments ago, he’d been ready to mate with Lyrian. To tie himself to her for life, with a magical bond that could never been broken, knowing that she could not leave her clan. He’d been ready to give up everything he had, everything he was, all for the chance to be with her. He’d never felt so certain of anything in his life.
And now, with his boss’s voice on the other end of the phone, he was suddenly pulled back into the world that had been his entire life up until a few weeks ago. A life that he’d thought mattered more to him than anything else.
How much had changed. Now that life felt like a dull echo of reality. A grey washed world, with no light or colour.
“I… uh… I’m not sure,” Brad stammered. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated?” Brad could almost imagine Natalie raising an immaculate eyebrow. “What’s up with you, Brad? You’re acting very strangely. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’d been bewitched by a pretty woman. But that’s not like you at all, is it?”
Brad was embarrassed by the fact that he was at a complete loss for words. Mostly because Natalie’s words were far too close to the truth for comfort.
There was no other way to describe how he felt about Lyrian. She’d well and truly bewitched him, from the first moment he’d seen her stepping out of the pickup with her blue curls and her bubbly smile.
He loved the way she grabbed life with both hands, and somehow held on through all the storms, no matter how hard they tried to kick her down.
Somewhere, deep inside him, he wished he could be like that.
“Brad? Are you there?” Natalie asked, and Brad realised he’d been staring off into space, not even trying to figure out an answer to her question.
What had she asked again?
“What’s going on?” Natalie repeated.
Brad hesitated, then decided truth was the best option. Part of it at least. “I found out I’m a father. A woman I was with briefly last year has a baby. It’s… well, to be honest, it’s thrown me.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. Brad could just imagine Natalie’s stunned face. “Well,” she said eventually. “Take as long as you need. I guess we’ll find a replacement for you. But… you are coming back, right?”
That was the ten-million-dollar question. Brad bit back a sigh. “I don’t know,” he said honestly.
He truly was torn. Back in his normal, regulated life, he was under control. He knew what was going to happen. He felt safe. Secure. He couldn’t even say it was boring, there was plenty of challenge.
But somehow, if he held it up next to the life he knew he could have here with Lyrian, it was dull and grey.
Natalie was silent on the other end of the line. She was probably as confused as he was. “Well, let me know.” She sounded at a loss for words.
“Sure. Of course,” Brad agreed.
He hung up the phone, his stomach still twisted in knots. If the phone call hadn’t come, he might just have agreed to become Lyrian’s mate. Now, thrown back into reality, he wasn’t sure what to do. Both options seemed both right and wrong at the same time.
How was he supposed to make a choice like this that would affect the rest of his life?
Life back in America would be safe and predictable. He knew exactly where he was going, and where he’d be in ten, twenty, fifty years’ time. Life here with Lyrian, on the other hand, was random and chaotic and beautiful.
He wasn’t even sure where he’d be tomorrow, much less in fifty years’ time.
Except that he knew he’d be with Lyrian. That much was certain.
“Work calling?”
The voice from behind startled him. Its knowing, slightly sardonic tone grated on his nerves, even as it was instinctively familiar. Not the voice itself, but the attitude. He’d heard so many like it over the years. Probably he’d even sounded that way himself on more than one occasion.
Brad turned around slowly, not overly surprised to see Aunt Mary leaning on the entrance to the cave, regarding him thoughtfully. He tried to shrug nonchalantly. “Yeah, they want me back.”
He winced at how arrogant that sounded as soon as the words were out of his mouth, but the reality was, they were true.
“Yeah, I was getting calls almost daily. I finally turned my phone off. That’s made it a little easier, but some days I still feel completely stupid for not sucking it up and getting back there.”
Brad stared at her, aware that his mouth was agape, but unable to help it. He searched his mind, but he couldn’t remember seeing the woman with anyone. Then again, he’d been here less than a day. “Did you fall in love with a dragon too?” he asked sympathetically.
Aunt Mary gave a rough laugh. “If only it were that easy. No, nothing like that at all. My niece was the one who fell in love with one of these dragons. I’m just along for the ride. There’s no real reason why I can’t just go back to my normal life, except…” she trailed off, and the look in her eyes somehow made Brad feel sad. “I don’t want to,” she said softly.
She stared at Brad, her expression intent. “Don’t give it all up for work, it’s not worth it.” Her voice was intense. Certain. “If you do, you’ll end up old and bitter, like me. Having plenty of money or a thriving business means nothing when the lights go out and you’re alone and unhappy.”
There was something about her words that seemed to cut through the haze Brad had been feeling. The turmoil the phone call had raised in his heart settled, then faded away.
Aunt Mary was right. His job, while important, would not soothe his soul. It would never make up for losing Lyrian. Certainty and safety weren’t worth it.
He drew in a deep breath, staring across the room towards Lyrian, whose eyes met his as though drawn to him.
He paused for a moment to turn to Aunt Mary. “Thank you,” he said softly. Something made him add, “And don’t give up, you’re not that old.” He gave her a wink, and she stared at him for a few moments, before her expression lightened a little.
“Maybe not,” she agreed. “Now go get that girl.”
Brad nodded, his attention moving away from the woman, back to Lyrian. He squared his shoulders. This was it, his moment.
If he was going to do this, he wasn’t going to do it half heartedly. He was going to go after Lyrian with the same intent that he pursued everything else in his life. If she’d have him, he’d do the very best he could to make sure she never regretted it.
He walked across the room, his eyes not leaving hers. He was aware that others around him stopped and turned towards him, that the low hum in the room faded away, but he didn’t care.
Hope flared on Lyrian’s face as he drew closer. She turned and handed Anarian to Taurian, sitting next to her, then gave him her full attention.
Brad reached out and took her hands in his. He wasn’t quite sure how dragons did this. Did they have some special ritual? They seemed to for everything else. But he wasn’t going to be put off by that right now. Human customs would have to do.
“Lyrian… Princess Lyrian, mother of my child, will you do me the honour of becoming my mate?”