Page 19 of The Eternal Choice

“I’m just kidding.” Her lips brush against my nose and my whole body freezes. Her voice is a mere whisper when she says, “Maybe not completely kidding because I do like the part where you can’t interrupt and can’t shift back so you can only listen to me.”

Tilting my head, I give her a little nudge, wondering why she would need a situation like this and hoping she will share what’s on her mind.

The tips of her fingers brush the scales between my eyes. “Earlier you asked what my abilities were.”

“Let me check if we’re completely alone first. And yes, it’s one of my abilities. My mother can do a mental head count as well.” She closes her eyes and inhales.

She has my full attention, and this ability can be very useful in battle. Her outer appearance doesn’t give away what’s going on inside her head and there are multiple questions roaming around in my head. Fuck. No wonder she picked this moment to talk about her abilities.

“We’re alone.” Lilliana’s face grows serious and if I’m not mistaken, there’s a sense of vulnerability when she takes a step back and says, “I’m going to show you something and I’d like for it to stay between us. Nod if you give me your promise.”

She pulls her shirt over her head and I grit my teeth when I see her reach for her back to unleash her bra.

“You already saw my breasts, Tino.” Her voice is stern. “Promise me, and I promise it’s not my breasts I’ll flash at you.”

I give her a slow nod and she instantly cups her breasts when her bra falls away. Within this moment the oxygen is sucked from my lungs when wings burst from her back. Motherfucker. My woman, my mate, she is the winged protector. I wouldn’t go as far as blood angel because her wings aren’t the angel kind. No, they are more like…like mine. Leatherlike skin. They are black and have a talon at the tip.

She sucks in a sharp breath when they disappear just as fast as they appeared. Quickly, she puts her bra back in place and pulls on her shirt.

Wagging a finger in front of my snout she says, “You promised, this stays between us. I don’t want the whole winged protector hanging over me.”

She starts to pace and seems to ignore me when she rants, “There are a lot more things I found out about myself as I grew up, and I’m sure I have more abilities, but the whole touch a person and make them fertile? What the actual fuck? That’s just weird. I’m not in the business of pointing and shouting, you get a baby, you get a baby, you get a…yeah, weird. Okay, let’s change the subject.”

Coming to a stop, she places her fists on her hips and asks, “How did the previous clan leader die? Obviously, it had something to do with Marshgloom dragon shifters. It was an arranged marriage, right? Shit. You can’t talk. Okay, you should shift back now.” Placing a finger on my nose she whisper hisses, “Not one word about what I showed you.”

I breathe some warm air through my nostrils in reply.

The corner of her mouth twitches. “Huff and puff all you like. We don’t have secrets between us, those were your words. Now we’re working on trust issues. I gave you one I never told or showed anyone. My parents and brother know I have active powers and can fling bodies through the room with a flick of my hand, but supernatural strength is a given. Out of the ordinary freaks people out and makes them look at you differently.”

She fucking shrugs as if it’s nothing while her words shock me to my core. No one knows about her wings? Not even her parents? Lilliana steps back and gives me the space I need to shift back and not hurt her in the process. When I step forward with my human foot, I rush toward her.

“Why wouldn’t you share something so fucking crucial with your parents, or your brother for that matter?” I wonder. “That shit is fucking huge.”

Wincing, she grumbles, “It freaked me the fuck out the first time they broke free. I literally sneezed and they burst frommy back. Hurt like a bitch too. Then there was the little issue of me not knowing how to use them or make them pop out again. It made the decision of keeping the wings to myself easy.”

I rub the back of my neck as I process the information overload.

“You’re going to keep your promise, right?” she presses. “I don’t want anyone looking at me like I’m a weirdo or some unique thing with a legend up her ass who will shit rainbows and make it all good for everyone. Seriously, I’m just a vampire with wings, nothing angelic about it.”

Snatching my jeans from the ground, I pull them on and tell her, “We’ll keep it between us,” and mentally add,for now.

Knowing my mate has fucking wings, was with my sister who instantly became fertile, allowing her mate to impregnate her…all while there hasn’t been a pregnancy in decades?

Yeah, there’s no doubt in my mind; Lilliana is the winged protector. The blood angel from the legend, and the one who will save our clan from extinction.

CHAPTER SEVEN

– LILLIANA –

The words in the book before me are sucked into my brain as I quickly scan through the pages. I’m curled up in a chair in the corner of Ernestino’s office while he’s in a meeting with his brother Nario. They’re not exactly wrapped up in a nice discussion, and it sounds more like a growling match.

Their younger brother is standing next to Ernestino’s desk, and with his arms crossed in front of his chest while he glares at both brothers sitting on opposite sides of the desk, he seems like the referee in this match.

I’m balancing my attention between the ancient book in my hands with details about dragon legacies, and the clan issues the three brothers are talking about. Multitasking is something I’ve managed to teach myself over the years. Reading while keeping track of my surroundings can be the difference between life and death in a crucial situation.

An exaggeration since I haven’t been in any of those situations yet, but being prepared is what I’m all about. It’s also why I’m sucking up all the information about the winged protector. The more details I read, the more it feels as if they are writing about me.

“Then why did you have his mouth sewn shut?” Ernestino growls.

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