The doctor was back out the door in five minutes. After he had said he couldn’t help Andrea because it was too late, Calder kindly asked him to leave.
“What now?” asked Kaden.
He had been with Sylvia all morning, but she was feeling better, so he had let her rest. He still hadn’t made a decision about how he felt about Andrea. He could see his father was suffering tremendously, and that was the only thing that kept him from calling Alma Venus to let them know they could come get their pathetic excuse of a mail-order bride back. He was also considering filing a complaint, but then he calmed down and reminded himself that no one was responsible for what Andrea had done. No one, but her.
Calder studied his son for a moment. He knew what he had to do, but Kaden wouldn’t like it. And that meant Kaden shouldn’t be there when it happened.
“Please leave me with her.”
“You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you? You’re the Fyrstur of Clan Grimmr. Think before you act.”
Calder nodded. He knew his son was right, but he also knew he had thought about it, and the decision was made. When Kaden left the room, he turned to where Andrea was lying, breathing shallowly.
“I’m sorry I’m making this decision for you,” he whispered into her ear.
He kissed her temple, then moved down to her neck. Her pulse was weak, and Calder stayed like that for a few moments, asking himself if he could simply wait until the faint beat stopped completely. All the members of his clan wanted him to do that, but he couldn’t. That was not how things were going to end.
Calder took a deep breath, then knelt on the floor, next to the bed. He took Andrea’s right arm and lifted it to his lips. A small bite was all it took. His teeth sank into her skin, pierced it until blood touched his tongue, and he stood there for a minute, allowing the venom running down his incisors to enter her bloodstream. When he considered it was enough, he kissed the small punctures and held her hand. The wound he had made on her arm was the first to heal. It only took a few minutes. However, Calder allowed the dragon venom to work for an hour before he reached into the drawer and pulled out a syringe. The transparent liquid inside was the antidote, and he had enough of these syringes lying around. After all, being the Dragon Councilor had to have some perks.
Andrea stirred in her sleep. The fever was subsiding, and the color was returning to her cheeks. She wasn’t sweating anymore. Soon, she would be wide awake and full of energy, and Calder didn’t want that to happen before he got to give her the cure. He wanted to make sure he was doing everything right. He couldn’t risk her freaking out and running away, refusing to take the antidote. Then, a whole new set of problems would appear, and he didn’t need that headache. Not now, not ever.
Andrea would have to understand, he thought. This was the only way he could save her. He loved her. But, given the current situation, that wasn’t even the point. If this was the only way to save her life, then Calder was willing to take the risk.
He injected the antidote into her vein, then watched the puncture heal before his eyes. This time, in a matter of seconds. His dragon venom had worked, and now the antidote would work, too. Soon, Andrea would wake up in full transition to her new hybrid self. She would experience some nausea, especially if she moved suddenly, and she might even feel sick because of her enhanced senses. It would all be overwhelming at first, but then her new powers would become her reality. And, compared to being a human, being a hybrid was a much better reality.
Calder lay down beside her. He had never felt so tired in his whole life. He encircled her waist with his arm, and pulled her against his chest. He closed his eyes and told himself he would just rest for a while and wait for her to wake up. He couldn’t know what her reaction would be, but he was sure he could handle it.
Well… he was wrong.
The moment Andrea opened her eyes, she understood what had happened. She didn’t feel weak and sleepy anymore, the fever was gone, and her sight was so good that she could see the tiniest details around her. Also, her hearing was so sharp that she could hear Kaden pace the living room downstairs. She sniffed briefly, and the smell of citrus shampoo and cinnamon hand cream told her Anita was close, changing the sheets in one of the rooms down the corridor. Then, of course, there was Calder’s presence… He was lying beside her, holding her tightly, as if he were afraid she might disappear.
“What have you done?”
Andrea’s harsh question made Calder’s heart jump in his chest. He opened his eyes and looked at her. He didn’t want to move.
“What I had to do. I couldn’t let you go. I would never let you go.”
Then it happened. The thing Calder hadn’t expected, and the only thing he had no idea how to deal with. Andrea started crying. He had never seen her cry like that. When she had told him her story, tears had fallen down her cheeks and temples, but she hadn’t sobbed or sniffed. Now, she was shaking with sobs. She turned her back to him and curled up into a ball. She was crying so loudly that Calder was sure the entire palace could hear her. It broke his heart.
“Shh… please don’t cry, my love. I don’t know what to do. Please tell me what to do.”
Andrea shook her head and sobbed harder. It felt good. It felt like she was finally letting it all out. The fear, the pain, the guilt, the frustration… The shame of having betrayed Calder and Sylvia in such an evil, unforgivable way… She needed to get it all out of her system, and now that she had started crying like she had never cried in her life, she couldn’t stop. She didn’t want to stop.
Calder was speechless. Nothing he said calmed her down, so he simply held her tightly and waited to see what would happen next. Had he lost her forever? Why was she crying? He could ask over and over, and she would still not give him an answer. More tears. She would give him more tears, and he had no clue what to do with them.
After what felt like forever, Andrea’s sobs subsided. She was still shaking slightly, but she was breathing normally, through her mouth. She used the sleeves of her blouse to wipe her nose, which wasn’t very sexy, but did the job. When she felt ready, she turned around in Calder’s arms. She couldn’t believe he was still there, by her side, holding her. Any sane man would have kicked her out of his home, dying or not, and forgotten all about her in a minute. She wasn’t worth it. Or, was she?
“Are you okay?” Calder asked her.
She nodded. He smiled, but she didn’t smile back. They looked into each other’s eyes for a while, neither of them knowing exactly what to say. Then, Calder took a deep breath and pressed his lips to hers. To his surprise, Andrea responded by parting her lips and granting him access. They kissed slowly, passionately, enjoying every second of it. They were both aware it felt different than any other kiss they had shared. It felt real. For the first time since she had met Calder, Andrea was letting her guard down and getting completely involved in what they had, body and soul. She moaned, and he drew her closer to his chest.
After a few minutes of kissing and nibbling at each other’s lips, Andrea was the one who pulled away. Her hands came to rest on his chest, and he looked into his golden eyes as she spoke.
“Do you really still want me?”
“More than I wanted anything in my life. You’re my mate.”
“But I did what I did…”
“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re my mate.”
She bit her lower lip and thought for a moment. What she was going to say would change her life forever. Well, her life had already been changed forever, but this was the final step.
“Calder, will you mark me?”
He held her gaze.
“Only if you want to be my bride. This time, for real.”
“Yes, I want to be your bride.”
Calder’s whole face lit up with a bright smile. Gently, he took her right wrist and pressed it to his lips. While still looking into her big, brown eyes, he breathed warm, harmless dragon fire onto her skin. Soon, a complex model of vines appeared around her wrist, like a permanent tattoo. In fact, it was even more permanent than a tattoo. It was the mark a dragon only made on the body of a true mate. From then on, Andrea belonged to him, and Calder belonged to her.
Andrea studied her new tattoo for a while. She rather liked it. It looked like a fancy bracelet, and she wouldn’t mind getting a similar mark on her other wrist. For symmetry.
“I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “I’m a dragon’s mate and a hybrid.”
“You’re not Andrea Evans anymore,” Calder smiled. “You’re Andrea Grimmr.”
“Andrea Grimmr.” She tested the name a couple more times. “You know, it really sounds like the name of a villain.”
They both laughed out loud, then Calder turned a bit more serious.
“I won’t disagree with you. It sounds like the name of a villain who should probably apologize to a certain silver-haired stepdaughter.”
Andrea sighed, but got up. This wasn’t going to be easy.