* * *
The next morning, I awoke with a smile, finding Lila resting her head on my chest, a leg tossed over mine. This was what I wanted. What I had always hoped for. My dragon mate, with me, content. However, I knew this was only for the moment. Lila still did not believe she was mine or even that she was part dragon.
I had the day off but would have to go on duty in the evening. I’d have to think of a way to contain Lila while I was gone. Her desire to leave was understandable. I wasn’t a fool. She didn’t know me. She didn’t know that I would not hurt her or that her life would be better than what I presented to her right now. This was all only temporary, and I couldn’t risk her getting killed or taken if she escaped.
I knew this city was dangerous. There were some innocent people here, beyond those kidnapped, but it was a military regime run by mostly soldiers who were indoctrinated under the rule of our commander. Most knew no other way of things and had held on to the centuries of hate towards the Prinath as almost an inheritance. I knew better, but it would do no good to try to convince them otherwise. The hate was too deep. Too many lives taken.
I felt Lila stir and wiggle against me. “Is it morning?” she moaned, sounding as if she were letting out a yawn.
I looked to my window. The drapes were heavy, so no light peaked through. Not that the days were ever as bright as her human realm. Still, my body knew the shifting of the hours, and I was certain it was early morning.
I stroked my hand down her spine, resting at the base of her back. Her skin felt cool and smooth. I could touch it all day. Everything about her was enticing. Her scent reminded me of family, as if she had already been a part of my world. She had to be my mate.
“Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” she replied.
I sat up, bringing her with me. “Then let’s get my mate fed.”
She wrinkled her nose in annoyance. “I’m not your mate, but I’ll take the food.”
I ignored her. She didn’t even know she was part dragon. Of course, she wouldn’t understand the pull of her own kind. I’d make her see.
While Lila took a shower, I cooked her breakfast. I liked to cook, so this was no chore. I pulled out a loaf of bread I’d made the other day and then prepared fried eggs, sausages, and fruit. When she came into the kitchen, she sniffed the air and gave me a wide grin of approval.
She looked sexy standing there in another one of my shirts. I should give her some real clothes, but I didn’t want to. She wouldn’t be leaving this house any time soon.
“Smells good. Hope it tastes as yummy. By the way, I snooped around, and I didn’t see a place to wash clothes. That’s where the fae realm is so odd to me. Some technology you have just like the human realm, some more advanced like the hover car, although I’m sure that’s magic. Then you don’t have other things like the internet or washing machines. Although my friends in Prinath have something like it, except you still have to air dry the clothes.”
I pointed to the small round table for her to have a seat. “We have a cleaning wand. We put the soiled clothes in a basin full of water, then we dip the wand in. It’s a water-based magic that cleans. We air dry as well.”
She sat down and looked around the space. “Nice. So, I’ll just do some laundry. Not that I’m staying, but the sheets in that second bedroom need cleaning, and we should also clean the sheets in your bedroom. And I think I saw a pile of dirty clothes on the floor.”
I turned back to the stove, ready to prepare our plates. “I did not bring you here to be my servant.”
She snorted. “You’re the one cooking for me. I’ve got to wash my clothes anyway. Plus, it’s the least I can do for you saving me back at that prison. I’ll put in a good word for you when I get back to Prinath.”
I placed our plates down on the table and sat across from her. “Thanks,” I said dryly.
Her eyes widened at the food, and she picked up her utensils to eat. “No, thank you!”
We ate in silence. All the while, I wracked my brain for ways to make her stay. “This place is dangerous.”
She nodded, looking up at me. “So, you’ve said. This is really good, by the way.”
“Your powers aren’t back yet, are they?”
She shook her head. “Nope, but as soon as they return, you’re going to take me to the border, and I’m breaking everything down and getting out of here.”
She was nothing if not determined. “You underestimate the strength of the ward and cloaking.”
“A girl’s gotta try.”
“You don’t want to learn about your dragon side?”
She huffed and put her knife down, almost finished her food. Her lilac eyes gave off a look of confusion. “I’m sorry, Luca, but I don’t think I’m part dragon. I don’t even have any traits that a dragon has. If I could shift, I would have done so by now. I can’t fly. I’ve never breathed ice out of my mouth, although now, I might try that. Sure, I have master manipulation of ice, but that’s from being a mage. I practiced hard at my magic.”
I placed my fork down as well and leaned forward on the table, itching to be closer to her. “It’s different for part dragons. In fact, you could even be less than half. For those not fully dragon, their magic is more limited, but they can still conceive dragons.”
