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Hyto merely shrugged. “The final decision will be up to my wife, of course, since she bears the higher ranking. Meanwhile, we shall return to the Northlands and explore this warfare my son speaks of. Iampaatar, come.” The word was definite and even I knew that Smoky couldn’t get out of the trip.
He nodded, bowing ever so slightly to his father, and walked over to me; he picked me up, bundling me in his arms. His gaze fastened on mine, he carried me out of the room, into the parlor. There, he shut the door and pulled me over to the far corner, into his arms.
“I am so sorry about my father. If he had tried to actually harm you, I’d have fought him off. Please, never think anything else. But this is such a delicate balancing act . . .”
I sought his lips, and he kissed me long, slow, his tongue coiling around mine, his hands holding me firmly, reminding me I was his. I relaxed finally. The difference between him and his father was as huge as the Grand Canyon. The apple fell far, far from the tree in this case.
I melted into the kiss, afraid that when he left, I’d never see him again. “Come back to me,” I whispered. “Don’t let them keep you there. Come back to me . . . to us. We need you. I need you.”
Smoky leaned down and placed his forehead against mine. “Camille, I promise you on my word of honor. By my smoke-stacks and whiskers, I won’t let them separate us. I will return to you and your sisters. Your family is now my family, and if it ends up being the only family I have, then I can accept that. You belong to me. I belong to you. Nothing—not demons, not dragons, not promises made before I was born—can ever change that.”
Tears were streaking down my cheeks now and I clung to him, my arms tight around his neck. “I lost Trillian,” I whispered. “And though I know he’s coming back, what if something goes wrong? I can’t lose you, too. I can’t lose any of you. You and Morio and Trillian are my loves, my life. You make me whole. You keep me sane.”
He pressed his finger against my lips. “Sshhh . . . everything will work out. I promise you. I am not like my father. My mother has honor, though she’s haughty and stern as is her birthright. My father has the white dragon’s grasping nature. He comes from a lower caste and married into his position, and he’s always seeking something higher. My grandfather, though . . . is more like me. You’d like him and he’d like you.”
“I doubt I’ll ever get the chance to meet him,” I said, unaccountably sad.
“Never say never, my love.” Smoky kissed me again. “I am not going to marry Hotlips, regardless of whether it gets me thrown out of my dreyerie.” He paused, then slowly said, “I mean it when I say we’re soul mates. The ritual bound us together forever. Camille—before I go, I have to tell you something. I think I’ve discovered a way that we can have a child.”
I stared up at him, the meaning of his words crashing in on me. “What? That isn’t possible!”
“Yes, it is. I know of a magical ritual that can pave the way. The child would be a true shifter—a dragon shifter, though not fully dragon.”
“I don’t know what to say.” I stared at him, terrified. He wanted me to have a child. His child. A dragon child. Thoughts of C-sections and movies like It’s Alive raced through my head.
“Just think about it,” he whispered. “If we were to have a child, this would cement you into my family. And it would take care of one of my duties to pass on my heritage. Please don’t say no without thinking about it.” He swallowed, looking more nervous than I’d ever seen him.
I let the possibility settle in my heart. Then softly, so softly I was barely speaking aloud, I said, “You know I have no maternal instincts. But I . . . I’ll think about it. I can’t make you any promises, though.”
“We have plenty of time, and your promise to think about it is good enough for me,” he said, wrapping his arms around me. “Remember—there are nannies who can look after the children. And now, I must go.”
I stepped back, my eyes dry but inside my heart was aching, wanting to cry, wanting this to all just go away. So much stress, so much worry, and now coping with angry dragons on top of the demon threat . . . it was just too much. “Smoky, go and get this over and done with. I’ll be waiting for you.”
He reluctantly let go of me. I followed him out into the living room where his father was impatiently tapping one foot on the floor. Hotlips gave me a triumphant grin like she’d won some major victory over me, and Hyto grabbed my ass and pinched so hard I knew it would leave a bruise. Smoky wasn’t watching and I decided to keep my mouth shut. No use starting World War III right here in the house.
“Let’s get this over,” Smoky said.
Without another word, Hyto reached for his son with one hand, and for Hotlips with the other, and they vanished, out of the living room into the Ionyc Sea. I watched as they faded from sight, wondering if I’d ever see my beloved dragon again.
CHAPTER 7
As I stared at the spot where the three dragons had been standing, Morio, Iris, and Delilah filed into the room. I took a long, shuddering breath and turned to them. “You heard?”
“We couldn’t help hearing,” Iris said. She motioned to the tea tray that Morio was holding. “I made you some Sweet Blossom tea. I thought it might calm your nerves. The gods only know, my nerves are on edge and I was only in the room with them for a bit, and neither his father nor the fiancée spoke to me.”
Delilah slid onto the arm of the sofa. “What will you do if they don’t let him come back?”
I jerked my head around to stare at her. “Don’t even go there. Smoky will come back. I know it. He has to.” I sank into the rocking chair, cradling my head in my hands. “This is just too much. And that father of his is a freak. The way he touched me—I felt two seconds away from being raped. Or being dinner. Or both, in that order. He hates humans. And I get the feeling he lumps all Fae into the same category. The way he looked at me . . .” I shuddered, remembering those cold, lecherous eyes. He could fuck me, kill me, use my bones for toothpicks, and not feel a shred of remorse or concern.
“If he’d made one move to hurt you, I would have been in there. And you know Smoky wouldn’t have let it go that far.” Morio stood behind me, rubbing my shoulders. “He loves you. He’s bound to us and he won’t let us down.”
“Well, Hotlips sure doesn’t love me, and she wants Smoky to herself. I gather she’s a golden dragon and that means . . . well, I don’t know what it means but it’s obviously important to Hyto.” I grimaced. Even saying his name made me feel dirty.
“Relax,” Iris said. “I’ll pour the tea. And yes, you’re right. She’s a golden dragon and they are second rung at the top of the hierarchy. Silvers are the most powerful of all the dragon lords.”
I must have looked confused because she let out a little sigh. “Did Smoky tell you nothing over the past months?” She handed round the tea, then settled on the ottoman, teacup in hand.
“I never thought to ask,” I said.
