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But he had never felt such wonder as he did right now, gazing down into the soft features of the fierce little Terran holding his light.
The dragon did not speak.
But Rafe could feel him, watching her, feeling that same sense of reverent wonder.
Mine, they thought together.
Mine.
7
RAFE
Rafe awoke from a light sleep the next morning, feeling proud and grateful that the new day had come without his resolve breaking.
Somehow, he had allowed Jade to climb up to her bed without touching her, or talking to her about the mate bond that shivered between them, real as anything else in the room.
And he’d spent his mostly sleepless night thinking through every facet of his situation.
Plenty of his brothers-in-arms thought fighter pilots like Rafe were just hot-headed daredevils.
But while the danger of the career did require a willingness to let go of fear and good sense, the truth was that most of the real hotshot pilots were incredibly detail oriented. Their careful analysis of each component of a flight might be masked by their quick reflexes. But at their heart, any pilot of Rafe’s caliber and experience who had survived a decade behind the controls could only have done so through remarkable care.
He applied that same care to his current situation, breaking it into its component pieces and trying to add it up again in a pattern that resembled a happy outcome.
The first question was the simplest. Could he ignore the mate bond and go on as planned?
But he already knew that was a ridiculous idea. The bond would only grow stronger with time and proximity.
And if he allowed it to get so strong that it snapped his resolve, he would be tempted to claim her without her understanding what she was getting herself into. She would accept the physical act happily, but what came after might frighten her. After all, Terrans had a venue for un-coupling that dragons did not.
That meant he needed to accept the situation and tell her about it as soon as possible.
If she agreed to accept the bond and his companionship for life, he would contact the Invicta to tell them so, and most likely have to resign his role as Gus’s guard.
The Invicta would send a new guard and perhaps they would release Rafe from his duty. He would help Jade with her reindeer, and raise and love Gus and any other young they might bear.
Or perhaps the Invicta wouldn’t want to lose their star pilot after all. They could just as easily send him across the system to continue his work.
If the adoption agency agreed that Gus could be raised wherever Jade was, they would find a way to make a home no matter where he landed.
On the other hand, if the adoption agency wouldn’t allow Jade and Gus to go with him, it would be an unhappy time for them all.
But any of these outcomes would be better than not talking with Jade, because all possible happy endings began with that.
He began his morning routine without trying to keep quiet. It would be best if they were up in time to eat breakfast on the train since they hadn’t had any dinner.
The electricity must have come on at some point after he drifted off. He was happy to be able to turn lights on for Jade, and he knew that meant the kitchen car would be fully operational.
When he came out of the refresher, Jade was waiting. She gave him a quick smile before darting in.
Gus still slept soundly in his little bed, but it was time for him to be awake.
Rafe roused him by gently rubbing his little round belly.
“Gah,” the boy exclaimed happily, the moment he opened his eyes.
“Hello to you too, little Gus,” Rafe said, scooping up him and carrying him to his own bunk to change him and dress him.
