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Taking a deep inhalation, she let it out, and the words spilled from her lips. “Her name was Li-Na Wu.”
Nikki paused, and forced herself to detach her emotions, much like she did when she was on a high-risk assignment for the army or Stonefire. Otherwise, she might never get it all out. It may have been over twenty years since her mother had left her, but it still affected Nikki more than she liked.
She continued, “Whilst born in Hong Kong, Li-Na immigrated with her parents during her teens to Manchester. They were poor but had worked hard to save up until they could open their own restaurant. Just as things were picking up, Li-Na’s mother died. Her father grieved hard, and the restaurant started to falter. If they couldn’t come up with a few thousand pounds to repay a short-term loan, they would lose everything.
“Then news of the landmark deal with the British dragon-shifters broke out, and the first call for sacrifices was posted. Dragon’s blood was even rarer then since there wasn’t much of a black market at the time. Anyone who had a vial to sell would make a small fortune. However, everyone was afraid of the dragons—would they eat the humans? Would they lock away the females in a tower and throw away the key? It was all bloody ridiculous, of course, but the result was that no human female who volunteered was mentally stable enough to pilot the program.
“Out of options, Li-Na applied in secret, not wanting to get her father and brother’s hopes up. She passed all the tests and was sent to Stonefire, where my father was her assigned dragonman. He was the old clan leader’s brother, you see, and could be trusted not to screw things up.”
From everything Nikki had heard, her dad had been proud to be the first candidate. Only later would he discover the heartbreak it would bring.
Not wanting to think of her father’s sadness, Nikki pushed on. “What no one had predicted was for Li-Na to turn out to be my dad’s true mate. The frenzy took hold after their first kiss, in a ceremony in front of the entire clan. My dad did his best to control his dragon, and for the most part, succeeded. However, while Li-Na didn’t deny my father’s attentions out of duty, the experience frightened her. Once the frenzy was over and she was with child, Li-Na kept to herself and avoided everyone.”
Nikki had always wanted to ask her mother why her bravery had faltered after the frenzy, but per the DDA contract, Nikki was forbidden from seeking out or contacting her mother. If she did, she could end up in a DDA prison. Considering her dad had lost his true mate, Nikki hadn’t wanted him to lose his only child, too.
Rafe merely stared at her with questions in his eyes, so Nikki explained, “My father tried his best to woo her and coax her to stay. But Li-Na
wanted to go home to her family and to everything that was familiar. Nothing would change her mind. He held out hope up to the very end, though, until I was born. When she ran the next day, my father knew his fate—he would have to raise me on his own while also recovering from his true mate’s rejection. Stonefire never heard from her again.”
~~~
Rafe listened to Nikki’s story and a whole new respect for the strong woman she’d become blossomed in his chest. To a person of weaker resolve and character, being abandoned by a birth mother might’ve turned them sour on the world. But not his Nikki. She was cheerful, determined, and witty. She had truly risen from the harsh truth of her mother’s abandonment to become brilliant.
He was also starting to understand her comments from before, about not wanting him to run off when things became difficult and leaving her alone to raise their child.
More than ever, Rafe wanted to stay and convince Nikki to not only choose him but to also choose a future with them as a family.
At the sadness in her eyes, he took her chin between his fingers. “I want you to remember one thing, Nikola Gray. I am not Li-Na Wu. When I accept a responsibility, I see it through.”
“We’ll see, Rafe. I so desperately want that to be true.”
For the first time, she all but admitted she wanted him to stay.
Leaning forward, he murmured, “Good. Then give me a few weeks and I’ll erase all of your doubts.”
“Someone’s acting a bit cocky.”
“It’s merely the truth.”
Nikki searched his eyes before blowing out a breath. “I wish we didn’t have to do the birthday party detail tomorrow. It’d be nice to dedicate all our time to the Irish mission.”
He lightly kissed her lips. “You just want an excuse to spend time with me.”
“Maybe.”
He blinked, but quickly recovered. “Why do I have a feeling you have ulterior motives?”
She placed a hand on his chest. “You still have yet to tell me about your friend who died, Rafe. The one who caused you to lash out at me and the other dragon-shifters in the unit.”
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he got them moving again. “As long as we walk, I’ll answer whatever questions you ask.”
“Anything? What if I ask about your deepest, darkest fear?”
Wanting to tear down barriers, Rafe decided what the hell, he’d tell her. “I don’t like swimming underwater in the dark.”
“What? Why?”
He shrugged. “When I was a child, I watched part of a movie where the house was alive and tried to kill its inhabitants. After watching the bit where a kid nearly drowned because the pool kept him under the water, I started wondering if the same thing would happen to me.”
