Page 64 of Under the Dragon's Spell
When I got back to the hospital, Adrian was awake, sitting up in his bed and leafing through a glossy magazine advertising toys and baby clothing.
"A nurse gave it to me," he said. "Wasn't that sweet?"
"Very sweet." I sat on the edge of the bed and pressed a kiss to his forehead. His skin was hot, reminding me why I'd gone through the trouble of talking to my estranged family this morning. "How are you feeling today?"
"About ready to get these babies out of me. You know, I'm kind of hoping for girls, or at least one girl. Look at these cute little dresses."
I glanced at the magazine, then back at the stars in his eyes, and got the feeling that our babies would have a bigger closet than we did if it was up to him. "They're very cute."
He put the magazine aside. "You seem distracted."
"There's…" I debated telling him what I'd found out, but if we were to be mates… "I found mentions of an old fatedmate bonding in a book. If we did something like that, this pregnancy would be a little easier on you."
"Oh." His hand went to his belly. "You know I'd do anything to help these kids, but you sound like there's a drawback."
"It's only… I'd have to leave here for a bit. My father knows how to do it, but he won't tell me unless I go see him."
He touched my face in a tender gesture. "You don't want to see him."
"I don't want to leave you."
"It's both, isn't it?"
I swallowed, looking into his eyes, which looked right through me. "I haven't… No, I don't want to see him."
Adrian gave me a soft smile. "I understand. It's fine. We can get through this without additional magic. It's only a couple more weeks."
And just like that, he would let the topic go, even though we both knew what 'a couple more weeks' like this could do to him. I sighed, feeling less of a man. I couldn't put him through any more hardship because I didn't feel comfortable around my sire.
"I'll go."
He gave me a long look, then nodded. "How long will you be gone?"
I took his hand and interlinked our fingers. "I have to fly over, but I'll be back as soon as I can."
"I know you will."
He leaned forward and kissed me before I left. More than anything, I wanted to stay with him, but I hoped that by the time I came back, I'd know how to make him feel better, and that was worth any short separation.
25
TYREL
I booked the earliest flight I could get off the island and left my father a message to let him know that I was coming and he better be there with all the information I needed.
When the plane finally landed in human territory, I couldn't get through the security checks fast enough. I hadn't even brought any luggage, since I wasn't planning on staying long. Just long enough to grill my sire about the bonding ritual. I'd told him to come to a coffee shop just outside the airport, so I went there, sat at a table close to the door and waited.
To his credit, he didn't keep me waiting for long. I'd only just been served my first cup of coffee when he showed up, dressed in business attire. I almost didn't recognize him. He'd aged, as humans were wont to do, and I'd never seen him in a suit before. But the look on his face as his eyes fell upon me said everything. For some reason that I couldn't relate to, he was happy to see me. That feeling was definitely one-sided. I, for one, couldn't wait to get out of here.
"The matter must really be urgent for you to actually come out here," he said as he took seat.
"It is. So I'd appreciate it if you didn't waste too much of my time. I've done what you asked; I'm here."
"So you are." For a full minute, it seemed that all he wanted to do was stare at me.
"I could have sent you a picture if you only wanted to look."
He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, it's just… You've really grown up."
