I nodded, draping my arms on his thighs. His body was like a furnace, but I didn’t want to move away. “Does it matter that we aren’t the same type of dragon?”
“No. We’ll be stronger, though. And if we have children, it’s fifty-fifty on what type of dragon the children will be.”
I plucked his knee. “Can we not talk about kids,gracias?”
He squeezed me tighter to him. “Thank you for giving me this gift.”
I relaxed at his sentimental words. “It wasn’t really a gift, Luca. I was doing this for myself, too.”
“I know. It just feels like I grew my family in some way. I realize that it doesn’t make much sense.”
I shook my head, understanding. He was like me. Orphans in the world. Only I’d given up on hoping for family. “How can you be so hopeful?”
He kissed the top of my head, and I tried my hardest to ignore the squeezing in my heart. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t have any biological family around. You’re on your own.”
“Maybe. But family isn’t always made up of the same people. Sometimes, it grows. Sometimes it shrinks. I had a mother and father and eight siblings.”
I twisted to look back up at his face in shock. “Eight brothers and sisters?”
He nodded proudly. “Yes. It’s not unusual for dragons to bear many children. Particularly full blooded dragons. Don’t worry, I would not expect that with us.”
I turned forward. “I need you not to expect it at all.” I wasn’t sure about the whole kid thing. Clearly, taking care of myself was a struggle enough.
“We’ll see.”
“I need you to see that now.”
“Fine, little dragon. Kids or no kids, you’re stuck with me. One day I’d love to find my biological family, but it doesn’t lessen the family that I grew on my own. And no matter how far they are, family never leaves you.”
“What happened to your family?”
He sighed, and warm air blew my hair. “Slavers. I don’t even know if they’re all still alive.”
My stomach twisted thinking of that horror. I wish I could not imagine it. “In the human world, we had similar things happen in our history. Families torn apart, stripped of their culture. It happened to my ancestors. They were taken from one continent to another and made to work the land and serve for generations. I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“That is one thing I did not want us to have in common. I’m just fortunate I found freedom. What the Nodoors are doing makes me sick to my stomach. I won’t leave these fae here to rot in those prisons or be used up.”
I moved around until I was back in his lap, snuggled against his chest. “You are such a good man, er, dragon. I guess it isn’t so bad being bonded to you.”
He chuckled. “You really hate being mated. Why?”
I shrugged, looking away from him. “Pushing people away is my toxic trait. No one sticks around, and even fewer want to be bothered by me. Not my parents. Not the foster families I was sent to. I met some cool people in the military, but we only connect infrequently. And forget dating. The guys I was with always turned out to be such assholes to me. My bestie Billie and her dad were the longest family I ever had, but then he died of cancer. And now Billie has her own pack. She’s with them all the time. She’s their person now. That’s life. It feels like a stab in the gut every time I lose someone. I always end up thinking how stupid I was for opening myself up to have any kind of love.”
Luca turned my face to him and softly kissed me on the lips. It was tender and gentle and everything I needed. “You have me, Lila. I will be here for you for as long as there is breath in my body. That is my promise. And so will Yosef. He has his ways about him, but he is loyal. So is Xander. We are different. It will be better for you.”
I should have taken comfort in his words, but I was too disillusioned. “How can you be so sure of things?”
“Because if I’m not, then I’ll want to give up. And I don’t think I was put on this realm to be an immortal only to wallow and die. I have purpose. It took me a while to believe it, but it gets me through now. And look, it led me to you.”
His eyes twinkled when he spoke, and a smile crept up his face. God, he was a sweetheart. A lovable giant. It made me almost believe in him despite my own fears.
We spent the rest of the day–I soon learned that it was morning–doing nothing but getting to know each other and bonding. He made a hunting run for meat, but the rest of the time, we spent in the cave talking, cooking, reading, and well, having sex.
The following morning, I felt different. My fingers itched. My toes as well. I moved my hand in front of me and wiggled my fingers. A cloud of icy smoke wrapped around my fingers. A surge of excitement raced through me.
I jumped up and did a two-step. “I’m back in business!”
