Chapter Twenty-Six
Kaitlyn
They lay in bed, firmly held in each other’s arms.
“Don’t let go,” she whispered from where her head was resting on his chest.
Aric’s arm lifted and rose to her head, gently stroking her hair, running his fingers through it.
“Okay, that’s acceptable,” she amended.
Wordlessly Aric continued his attention to her scalp, sending tiny shivers down her spine each time his fingernails dragged across her skin. It was sinfully delightful. Kaitlyn sighed, her body sagging as she tried to sink further into him, luxuriating in the sensation of being held. It had been a long time since she’d felt that comfortable with someone, and that hadn’t held a candle to the way Aric made her feel.
“I’m glad you turn into a pretty dragon,” she remarked, fiddling with his shirt where it had bunched up under her cheek.
His chest bounced, ruining the peaceful vibe of their restful cuddling post-battle.
“What?” she asked, staying propped up on an elbow and watching his face contort painfully. “What’s wrong? Is it something from the fight? Are you still hurt?”
Aric shook his head, trying to get his breathing under control. “A pretty dragon?” he asked, cringing.
“Yes. Your scales are beautiful to look at,” she insisted. “So shiny and pure of color. Such a lovely shade of…what did you call it again?”
“Cobalt,” he murmured, pulling her head back onto him.
“Yes,” she sighed, snuggling in tight. “Cobalt. At least you aren’t, like, poo-colored.”
Aric started bouncing again as laughter overtook him. “Poo-colored,” he mused. “Now there’s an image I never thought I’d have.”
“See, I’m helping you have new experiences already.” She rubbed his ribcage gently to show her affection.
“Uh-huh.”
Giggling, she curled her left leg up and over him, trying to get as close as possible.
“You’re certainly feeling affectionate,” Aric observed.
“That’s not the only thing I’m feeling,” she purred. “I just watched you be a badass and save the day. Do you have any idea how hot that was?”
He chuckled before sobering abruptly. “I couldn’t save them all though,” he said softly.
“That’s not your fault. You did everything you could, and you know it. This is war, Aric. People are going to die. Your job is to ensure that you make that number as small as possible, but it’s never going to be zero. Ever. Think of how many more you saved by stopping the Outsider.”
She shivered just saying its name.
Aric was silent for a moment. “I couldn’t have stopped it,” he said, speaking barely above a whisper. “Not without you.”
“I know. I’m pretty much the best,” she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Aric had already told her about how the mate bond, once accepted by both sides, gives the dragon’s powers a boost against the Outsiders. It was how he’d been able to finish it, after she’d told him that they were going to be a family. Together.
“I love you.” She spoke the words again, far from the first time. They slipped off her tongue easily and pleasurably. Kaitlyn just loved telling him that she loved him. The feeling was indescribable really, but it was what happened next that made her day each and every time.
Aric squeezed her tight. “I love you too.”
“I need you to promise me something, and I’ll do the same.”
He stiffened. “What’s that?”
“No more secrets, Aric. None at all. We’re completely open with each other from here on out. That’s the way it has to be.”
There was no hesitation. “Agreed, my mate.”
Tilting her head up, she kissed his jaw. “You like using that word, don’t you? Mate.”
“It’s what you are to me, and it makes me happy that I’ve both found you, and that you’ve seen the truth of it. Remember, a dragon spends their life searching for their mate, knowing that there only ever is one.”
“Well, you’ve got me,” she murmured, shuffling so that she could whisper directly into his ear. “What are you going to do to keep me…my mate?”
“I’ll show you as soon as Colonel Mara is done briefing us, so that we aren’t interrupted, but it starts with…” He whispered into her ear.
Kaitlyn’s cheeks went red, lower lip curling under her teeth. “Oh,” she said in a tiny voice at last. “That sounds…interesting. And fun.” She exhaled heavily. “Lots of fun. Especially that part with your hand and—”
“Shhh.” Aric put a finger to her lips. “For now, tell me more about my child. Our child,” he corrected. “I’ve not pushed you yet, but I must know everything.”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you right away,” she said, switching gears. “I should have told you the instant I knew, but I was just too terrified of how you would react. Then we got here, and you were all of a sudden a different person. I was scared of you reverting back to the old you. I…I like the new you.”
Aric smiled. “This is the real me, Kaitlyn. It’s not new. It’s just the side you’ll never see in the office, because I don’t want to invite any of the people into my life. It’s best if they didn’t know much about me at all. It keeps things…cleaner, that way.”
She was about to push for more information. Cleaner how? But before she could, he spoke.
“Is it a boy or a girl?”
“I have no idea. It’s too early to tell. It’s barely been a month. We have months to go. Sorry to disappoint.”
Aric gripped her shoulders. “You are not a disappointment, Kaitlyn. Not at all. You are my mate, and the mother to my unborn child. You are a fascination and a wonder, capable of stealing my heart and creating life. I could never be any less than in awe of you.”
She blushed. “In case you forgot, we created life. That definitely took some effort on your part. Rather vigorous and determined effort, if I recall correctly.”
They laughed.
“Yeah, you’re going to be there for all the exciting stuff with the baby. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but you didn’t miss anything.”
He hugged her tight to him. “I’m so very excited to take this journey with you, even if it is unplanned.”
“Few things in life are. Such as being left standing after being kissed,” she teased, still both bitter and curious about where he’d gone following their first intimate moment.
“You’re not upset about that, are you?”
“Aric, you disappeared for almost an entire day. You’ve never mentioned it, but you expect me not to remember?”
He nodded. “Very well. You remember when I told you that the essence of my dragon shares my mind? The animalistic side?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it and I don’t get along very well.” Aric frowned, falling into thoughtful silence for several moments. “Well, we didn’t get along I should say. Ever since you came around it’s been a bit of a different story.”
“Except you disappeared after kissing me?”
“I meant since we slept together. Again. I’m not sure; I’m just realizing this now. But that time it went berserk, and wanted me to claim you then and there, regardless of what you wanted.”
“You…had a mental breakdown?” She wasn’t sure how to phrase it.
“Sort of, but worse. If it won, it would have had control of our physical bodies. So I had to fight it. Things went sideways, it hit a battlesuit we stumbled across, and then we tried to fight another dragon shifter. It didn’t go very well. So I spent the rest of the day and morning in the medical ward under strict orders to stay there or face the consequences. So I stayed there. I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t sure what to say, and…” he hesitated. “And because I was ashamed of myself.”
Kaitlyn mulled all that over. “So what you’re saying is kissing me drove you wild?”
He laughed. “That’s one way to put it. You could also say temporarily insane.”
She pouted. “Not nice.”
“I’m good now. The tw—three of us are going to live without issue.” His hand settled on her stomach.
“Aric,” she asked suddenly, her mind drawn back to the child growing inside her. “I’m not going to lay an egg when I give birth, am I?”