“My dragon,” I said, pressing against him, arms stretched out to touch more of him.
“Mine,” he growled, his purr growing louder, causing a vibration under my fingertips.
I sat down and rested against him, relaxing beside the gentle rise and fall of his body. He curved in on me, trapping what littlebody heat he emanated to flow to me. “I love you so much,” I whispered more to myself than him.
However, he heard me. “I love you too, forever.”
How could anyone hate this connection we had? It almost hurt my heart. Someone hated us so much that they followed us here to kill us, and we were still clueless about it all. If we didn’t get answers soon, not only would I lose Ivan from this ugly spell, but I could lose my life. And I didn’t want that. I wanted more time with him. Dragon and all.
Chapter Seventeen
Ivan
It was early morning, and I was wide awake. Anxiety, something I’d never dealt with before, plagued me every night. I wondered if each morning would mean another memory lost. My insomnia was rampant now, and more than once, Jalisa cursed me for having the TV up too loud in the middle of the night.
The truth was my fixation with human shows was a cover up for the very real fact that I was losing more of my memory of Jalisa than I wanted to admit. I couldn’t stand the stress I was putting her under. I could feel the sickness of it spread through our bond. She put on a brave front, but she was just as concerned.
Over two weeks now in this realm with nothing to show for it. Daria’s witch friend wasn’t able to help and so far, no one else could either. Fortunately, we hadn’t had another attack since the restaurant, but that was mostly because we hadn’t left the area. The pack’s land was well fortified. Even when I ordered pizza, my new favorite meal of all time, they vetted the delivery person.
We identified the attacking ghouls based on descriptions, they weren’t a particularly large population, and with the right amount of money, there was no loyalty within their kind. Not that it helped us much. We already knew they were working on orders. It was likely fae from our realm who knew we were here and hired them to take us out. Why these cowardly fae wouldn’t come for us directly was beyond me. They had to be weak but rich enough to get people to do their bidding, even if criminal.
Perhaps we were going at this all wrong. Maybe we needed to offer the attackers a higher sum of money to tell us who they were working for. Not that I had a large cash flow, but Jalisa might be able to get her parents to assist. Assuming they weren’t behind this, and I wouldn’t put it past them.
I blew out a breath of frustration and turned on my side, gazing at Jalisa as she slept. For a moment, in this bed, I could pretend that everything was good. That we were married and mates, not because we were forced into it but because we’d chosen each other. I’d like to believe that it would have been the case if not for that horrible night years ago.
But now she was mine, and I could stare at her sleep as much as I wanted. I gazed at her full lips, slightly parted. I wondered if it would be inappropriate to kiss her now. I could practically feel the softness of them on mine, taste traces of her sweetness on my tongue. My eyes drifted to her skin. It was always so smooth, almost buttery. I loved touching her. It calmed me. She was my home. In our years apart, I’d never met anyone I connected to the way I had with her. I wasn’t going to forget her. She wasmine. No spell could take that bond away from me. I had to believe that.
However, somewhere deep down, a pang of doubt began to inch its way to the forefront of my mind. It reminded me that no matter how long I stayed awake or stared at her or kept my calm, I would lose her. One day she would be in front of me, touching me, and I’d see her only as a stranger.
I reached up to brush my hand lightly over her curls, piled on top of her head. “But I would just fall in love with you over and over again,” I whispered.
She smiled, her eyes still closed. “I think I woke up to you saying something very romantic.”
“Get used to it.”
“It’s still early, isn’t it? There’s barely light out. Still aren’t sleeping well?”
I kissed her forehead and pulled her close. I didn’t want to talk about what was happening to me. It made me feel weak. I didn’t want her taking care of me. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be for an alpha and omega. And whatever time I had left of my memories, it wasn’t going to be spent with her treating me like an invalid. In everything else, I was still the same. Still capable. “I haven’t noticed you in pain in the last week. Is it gone?”
She snuggled closer to me, resting her head on my chest and wrapping an arm over my torso. “Maybe. I’ve gone stretches without any pain but not this long. I think being mated to you has stopped my pain or at least delayed the usual.”
“That’s good. You’re welcome.”
She poked me in my rib cage, and I relaxed, content with our playfulness. “Thank you. Soo, I was thinking,” she began. I tensed up, already knowing what she wanted to discuss. “We’ve been inside for these past two weeks, only going out to dinner that one time. We should get out again.”
“The one time we went out we were attacked. We can do our search for help from here. This internet thing is very convenient.”
She sighed and tried to wiggle away, but I held her close to me. “The internet doesn’t have all the answers. We can’t find a cure or your uncle by sitting around. And Daniel mentioned that there are groups of dragons that are living off of some sort of grid. We should go there to meet them.”
“He said he didn’t know where that place was.”
“Well, maybe we have to talk to people in real life to find it.”
“That’s what all of these new friends of ours are doing.”
She bit my chest, and I yelped, momentarily releasing her. But that was all the opening she needed before moving away from me. “We could have stayed in the fae realm while they did this then. At least I wouldn’t be cooped up in a small room the whole time.”
I rubbed my chest, glaring at her. She didn’t have sharp teeth, but she knew how to bite. “It’s dangerous in the fae realm for us.”
