A Mate for Kai (The Program Book 6) (10 page)

Kai felt like he was climbing the fucking walls. He hated that his kings were debating his future without him. Possibly the future of his unborn child.

Ruby.

Just thinking of the female angered him and saddened him in equal measure. Why had she done this? What had possessed her? She didn’t seem cruel or evil. She didn’t come across as selfish. Ruby. With the amethyst eyes and cherry lips. Hair as dark as the night. His cock sat up and paid attention just thinking of her. It irritated the fucking hell out of him that he could still become aroused at the thought of this female, even after all she had done to him.

He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to remain calm. To wait in silence, even though he felt like tearing the paintings from the walls, breaking every bit of furniture in this room. He felt like running away. None of it would do any good, so he allowed himself to fall onto a nearby couch. He raked his fingers through his hair, squeezed the back of his neck, and signed loudly.

The only thing Zane had told him was to stay put and not to talk to anybody about this. His king had also tried to find out more about what had happened during those two days. Had the dragon shifter forced him? Had she lied to him? Zane had said that he needed to know.

For whatever reason, Kai didn’t want to tell the male anything. His word was his word and he would stand by it even though the female had lied to him. It didn’t sit right with him that her own brothers spoke of her with such disrespect. That she didn’t seem to have a voice of her own. Despite all that had happened, he couldn’t bring himself to tell Zane that he had been abducted and that this was, technically, none of his fault. The truth was, that it didn’t matter. The child she carried was his. What was done was done.

Jordy had been to his room twice. She’d knocked on the door and insisted he let her in. Thank fuck for locks because she’d tried to let herself in on both occasions and had beat the hell out of his door. He couldn’t blame her, she was worried about him. This was the first time he had left her in the dark. They normally confided in each other about everything.

With a flick of the wrist, he glanced at his watch for what felt like the hundredth time since Zane had left. Half an hour had passed. May as well have been an eternity.

When the knock at the door sounded, he leapt to his feet. The knock was different to that of Jordy’s. Two soft taps verses her much harder ones. He stood rooted to the spot, his eyes glued to the door.

Fuck.

Kai didn’t want to mate this female. Fuck that! He also didn’t want to die over her. Ruby. The mother of his child. Jesus this was one hell of a fucked up situation. One he never thought he would find himself in. How could he have been so stupid, so idiotic. He bought all of the bullshit hook, line and sinker. Those big innocent eyes. The way her lip quivered. The way she felt in his arms. All a lie.

There was another soft tap. It definitely wasn’t Jordy, by now she would’ve knocked harder and called out to him to let her in.

“Who is it?” He knew he sounded like a pussy but he didn’t give a fuck. He needed answers and didn’t want to have to explain anything to anyone. Besides, Zane had told him to keep his mouth shut. He planned on doing just that.

“It’s me.” He could recognize that deep throaty voice anywhere. His king. Once he opened that door, his future would be spelled out for him. Kai didn’t like it.

He turned the key and opened the door. Shit, Zane looked worried. Agitated was a better description. His eyes flashed from left to right. “Let me in,” he growled.

Of course. “Oh, right.” Kai stepped to the side, closing and locking the door behind Zane. When his king gave the lock a pointed look, Kai added, “So that we’re not disturbed.”

Zane gave a tight nod and walked through into the living area. He didn’t sit down. “You fucked up.”

Way to go for stating the obvious. Kai grit his teeth to prevent himself from saying anything. He gave his king a tight nod.

“I can’t believe you fucked around with a dragon shifter.” Zane made a noise that belied his irritation.

Once again Kai remained silent, he kept his gaze firmly on his king.

“A princess,” he choked out between clenched teeth. “You are lucky they have been reasonable about the whole thing.”

“You call that reasonable?” He blurted.

“You’re alive so, yeah, I would call that reasonable. I put forward an ultimatum of our own. I’m not sure whether the shifters will accept it or not but it’s looking promising.”

“What kind of ultimatum?” It came out sounding gruffer than he intended.

Zane narrowed his eyes. “We weren’t left with much of a choice. That male plans on killing you if you do not honor his sister and I fully believe he intends on following through with his threats. I know this has come as a huge shock. It is easy to see that you didn’t have a clue about her being in heat. You were blindsided and fucked over.”

“I didn’t know.” Kai shook his head, not willing to say anything more on the subject.

Zane nodded his head. “Well…” He sighed. “She was and now she’s pregnant. I can understand how that must make you feel and how you must hate the thought of having to mate a female that would lie to you like that but we’re left with very little choice.”

“Fuck that.” He growled. Anger coursed through him. There was nothing she could say to him. Nothing she could do to make this up to him. She’d used him for his seed. If it was up to her, he would never have known about being father. That was just plain wrong.

“Look, I don’t know anything about dragon shifter pregnancies. Not a damned thing. We have asked that she remain here while—”

“Not a fuck.” Kai scrubbed a hand over his face. This was such a messed up situation. She was pregnant with his child. His baby. “Yeah…” He sighed loudly. “Maybe that would be for the best. I don’t know…fuck! I have no idea what to make of this. I don’t want to have to see her day after day yet she is the mother of my baby.” He clenched his jaw for a second. “She should stay.”

Zane gripped his shoulder and squeezed. “You need to keep it together. We don’t know a fucking thing about this species. It’s a dangerous situation. We need to tread carefully.” He paused. “Her brother mentioned something about there being a problem with her pregnancy. I’m not sure exactly…”

He didn’t hear anything else that his king said. There was the sound of blood roaring in his ears as his heart pounded. Sweat trickled from his brow.

Problem.

There was a problem with her pregnancy. Up until recently he didn’t even know about this child. The thought of becoming a father was a new concept to him. He was struggling to come to terms with it. To accept it. He felt angry and betrayed. So confused he didn’t know if he was coming or fucking going, yet hearing that there were problems with her pregnancy caused panic to well up in him.

“What the fuck is wrong?” He grabbed Zane by the biceps. “What did they tell you? What do you know about it?”

“Calm the fuck down.”

Kai released Zane. He walked to the door and glanced back. “I can’t. Where is she? I need to see her.”

“You can’t,” Zane growled. “Not right now. Her brother is still deciding on my ultimatum. I don’t want you walking in there all gung ho and fucking this up. I don’t know exactly what the problem is. He didn’t want to give specifics but I could see that he is worried.”

Kai cursed loudly. He turned to face Zane, then scrubbed a hand over his face. He was breathing far too quickly. Shit! No wonder she looked so upset, so fucking vulnerable. It’s what had drawn him to her in the first place. A female that needed rescuing. He had been so sure that’s what she was and yet, he’d also been terribly wrong about her.

“I’ve asked that she remain here. That our healers see to her. You don’t have to mate her unless she births a healthy child. It would be all kinds of fucked up if you were forced to mate with her and the pregnancy…”

Kai snarled. He couldn’t bear to hear what his king had to say. “Don’t say it. With all due respect my king don’t you dare fucking say it.” His chest heaved. He tried to look away, to look down, to submit in some way but found he couldn’t tear his gaze from Zane’s.

His king’s eyes darkened up, his jaw tightened. “I’m going to let that slide. Just this fucking once. I bought us some time. If the male refuses…then my hands are fucking tied. Do you understand me? These dragon fucks are strong. We know fuck all about them. We need to stay on good terms with them. That might mean you have to mate this female.”

It took everything in him to nod. He understood but that didn’t mean he agreed. He didn’t know if he had it in him to take the female as a mate. But to die at the hands of the dragon shifter king, to never know his unborn child…he didn’t know if he could do that either.

“She might be the mother of my child.” His voice was thick with emotion. “But, I’m not sure I can ever mate with her.”

“Speak with her. Maybe you could find it within yourself to understand. With dickhead brothers like that, her life can’t have been easy.” Zane gave him a ghost of a smile.

Ruby had spoken about being with him, being in that shithole bar the first place was an act of rebellion. He couldn’t remember her exact words, only that it was something along those lines. It was no excuse for her actions. “I need to see her.” He put up a hand when Zane tried to talk. “Please just let me know as soon as it’s possible. I need to know exactly what the hell is going on. I don’t foresee a future with this female but she is carrying my child.” His voice broke. Mother fuck, he hated feeling this confused and out of control. Hated it.

****

Blaze and Inferno walked ahead of her. They were in a large open area behind the castle. They kept walking until they were a distance away. The vampire guards that had been assigned to watch them, trailed behind. Inferno snarled in their direction. Smoke drifted, almost lazily, from his nose and mouth. His hands were curled, resembling the claws they could so easily become. The vampire males moved away at the outburst. Inferno snarled a second time and they retreated further, giving them privacy.

“Where are you going?” Ruby continued to follow behind Blaze. They kept going until they hit the tree line. It was still day. It was dangerous to travel when the sun was high. Surely they didn’t plan on leaving now? Blaze quickly stepped out of his pants.

No.

He turned to face her. Naked as the day he was born. It wasn’t his state of undress that rattled her but rather what it signified. He was about to shift. He was leaving. “You’ve got one month to convince the male to mate you.”

Ruby gasped. “What? No! Don’t do this.” She grabbed his arm. “Please don’t…you can’t do this.”

“I didn’t do a god damned thing. You did. You brought this on yourself.”

Inferno removed his pants as well. “You managed to seduce him once, I’m sure you can do it again.” Her younger brother could be such an arrogant ass. He smirked at her. “You had better, if you want him to live.”

“One month.” Blaze held up a finger. “I think it is reasonable. If you are unmated when I return, I will be forced to take matters into my own hands. Do you think I want to kill the father of this child?”

Ruby didn’t know what to think. Blaze was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a ruthless killer. She shook her head.

He sighed. “Try and work things out with this male. Go and see the vampire healers.”

“I will,” she all but whispered. Kai would never forgive her and she couldn’t blame him. She had no right to ask him to. “I don’t think that there is anything the vampire healers can do though. It’s up to me now. I just need to stay strong and positive. I’m alone in this.” Her voice cracked but she managed to somehow keep the tears from falling. Damn these hormones.

Blaze’s jaw tightened and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly. He was worried about her. “Take care of yourself.”

“I don’t belong here,” she whispered.

“You are carrying a vampire child. You are exactly where you belong.”

“Don’t force him to mate with me. I’ll stay. I’ll raise this child here. I’ll do whatever you tell me to do, just don’t force him. Please.” She’d caused Kai enough trouble.

Blaze looked her in the eye for the longest time. She could feel her heart beating in her chest. “It is you who has forced him.” With that, there was a cracking noise as he began to shift. Ruby quickly stepped back. For a second she was tempted to follow but she knew that defying him at this point would have dire consequences. This wasn’t just about her anymore. There were other lives at stake. There were things Kai needed to know. She put a hand to her belly.

Ruby stared up into the sky, watching as her brothers became specks in the distance. Almost invisible to the naked eye. Invisible to humans. They would avoid any flight paths and stay high to keep from being seen.

The male moved in next to her. “They left,” he said. Without having to look, she knew it was the king that wore the strange clothing. Ruby had heard him approach. She could scent him as well.

She nodded her head. “Yes.”

“I take it that they have agreed to our terms?” He asked.

“Sort of.”

“What does that mean? I’m Brant by the way.” He held out his hand to her.

Ruby wasn’t sure what to make of it. She’d read a multitude of novels and knew this was the human way of greeting. It seemed strange he would use it on her. Instead of questioning the male, she reached out and took his hand. They shook twice before he released her. “My brother has given me the space I need.”

He nodded, looking satisfied. “You are welcome here. I will ensure you are assigned a room. Zane informed me Kai’s eager to meet with you, to discuss the child and…” He let the sentence die.

Ruby nodded.

“Although the male is eager to see you, this child comes first, would you like to see the healers now?” Concern shone in his eyes.

Ruby shook her head. She really did believe that the healers couldn’t help her. Either a female would make it through the releasing or she wouldn’t. Either a child would be born or it wouldn’t. Dragon healers had never been much help and she truly believed the same was true of the vampire healers. This child might be part vampire but it was most definitely a dragon shifter. She could feel it inside her. This pregnancy had progressed normally. Everything was as it should be. At least, mostly everything. “I would like to meet with Kai first.” Her breath froze in her lungs at the prospect.

She couldn’t wait to see him, to talk with him and yet, she was afraid. So much had changed. The way he had looked at her when he found out…Ruby rubbed a hand over her belly.
I’m here for you, baby. It’s you and me.

Brant nodded. “Follow me, I will take you to him.” He removed a device from his pocket. It was a phone. The first one she had ever seen. She’d read about these devices. Dragons had no use for them. They did not possess the technology required to operate them. The male pushed a couple of the buttons and put the phone to his ear.

There was a grunted greeting from the other end.

“I am on my way. The princess is with me,” Brant said.

“Good.” A deep voice on the other side. “Kai is out of his mind with worry.”

He was worried. For her. No, he had obviously been told about the possible problems with her pregnancy.

“We’ll be there in five.” The male beside her pressed a button on the device and pushed the phone back into his pocket.

“Is there anything we should know?” The male frowned down at her as they continued to walk.

“Like what?” Ruby wasn’t sure what he meant. She frowned right back at him.

“Like…I don’t know. You can obviously still shift. I take it you eat normal food.” He was pulling a face. His expression spoke of confusion.

“Three meals a day, although”—she put a hand to her stomach—“a snack or two would be nice. I tend to get a bit hungrier…at the moment.” She rubbed her belly.

“Have you felt him move yet?” His whole demeanor softened as he spoke of the child. There was a goofy grin on his face.

What? Was he being serious?
The male was joking. “Of course not.” She laughed. “That’s silly. One thing though, dragons like meat. Lots of it. And we prefer it rare. As in still bleeding, if possible. Raw is fine or very lightly seared.”

It was hilarious because the vampire male pulled a face and visibly paled. He was a blood drinker but the thought of eating bloody meat disgusted him. How strange.

“No problem. Is there anything you can’t eat?”

She shook her head. “I’m not a big fan of eggs and eggplant. I don’t eat any form of dairy.”

“Egg and eggplant?” The male smiled. “You are a weird one…no offense, princess.”

It felt good to be treated normally. Ruby laughed. “None taken.” They walked into the castle. Vampires stared at her. All out stared. They stopped what they were doing and stared. Many of them sniffed at her. Their nostrils flared and confusion was written all over their faces. This was going to be fun.

“Um.” Brant looked uncomfortable. He pushed a button on the wall next to the steel sliding doors. It looked like an elevator. At least she was sure it was one. The thing dinged and opened. Yup, definitely an elevator.

Brant put a hand to her back. “After you.”

She peered into the small boxlike room. “I’m not sure…”

“You’ve never been in an elevator?” He frowned at her.

Ruby shook her head. So it was an elevator.

“You’ll be fine. I promise.”

“I can’t go in there. What if I need to shift? I’ll kill myself. No.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “Dragons don’t do small confined spaces. We wouldn’t die but shifting in a small space is akin to torture. It might be dangerous…for the baby.”

“No problem. Good to know.” He was looking at her like she was crazy. “We’ll take the stairs.”

Once they were on the landing on the next floor, he turned to face her. The male rolled his eyes. “I’m can’t believe I’m about to say this. Go easy on Kai. You kind of fucked him over with this whole thing. Tell him all of the information he needs to know. Be honest. Once you are done, I’ll have the guards take you to our healers. When are you due?”

“Due? I’m not sure what you mean.” She shook her head.

“When is the baby supposed to come?”

“The baby? No, not for a while yet.” At least, she didn’t think he…or she…would make an appearance just yet. She rubbed her belly. It had become a habit.

He seemed to relax. “Okay. This is Kai’s room.” Two guards stood on either side of the door. “If you need anything, have one of them call me. Zane and I…” The door opened and the other king emerged looking tense. Brant cleared his throat. “As I was saying, Zane and I have your best interests at heart.”

“I also have Kai’s best interests at heart.” The leather clad male said. His voice deep and ominous. “I also need to think of him.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “Of course.”

“This child is important.” Brant looked down at her belly, he shifted from one foot to the other. “Relations between our species is important. I will be sure to keep in contact with all parties involved. If you have any concerns, call me.”

Zane raised his brows. “What Brant is trying to say is that we don’t want a war and I don’t want to see Kai come to harm…we also want to see the child safely born, of course.”

“Stop…” Kai stepped into the doorway. He filled it with his immense bulk. Even next to these two males. The kings of the species, he was formidable. Right now she found it laughable that she had ever believed him to be human. Even for a second. She had been desperate. Not thinking straight. Maybe she had simply believed what she needed to at the time.

Brant growled. He didn’t like that a subordinate was telling him what to do. Typical behavior of an arrogant royal. It seemed that they were the same regardless of species. Zane put a hand to his chest. “Let’s get out of here.” His deep voice vibrated. “They need to talk.”

After what felt like the longest time, Brant nodded.

****

Talk.

Understatement of the fucking century.

They needed to talk big fucking time.

It irritated him how gorgeous she looked. She was wearing leggings and a lose fitting top. Even her pregnant stomach appealed to him. She worried her tongue across her bee-stung lips. He suddenly understood what that adjective meant. Plump as fuck lips, the color of overripe cherries.

“Come inside.” He growled, as he yanked the door open.

She flinched. Fuck! He hated that he made her feel that way. Scared of him. He huffed out a pent up breath. Once the door was shut, he put his forehead to the cold wood for a half a second.
Calm the fuck down
. “You’re safe with me.” He worked to keep his voice calm and neutral.

When he turned around, her lip was between her teeth. Her forehead lined with worry. “I know that.” Her voice was calm. Her arms were folded over her chest. It made her bump stand out even more. Small, neat, his baby. He had the sudden urge to drop to his knees and to run his hands over her belly. To talk to the unborn child.
His baby.

Instead, he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Sit.” He urged. “I need to know what’s wrong with…him.” His eyes were glued to her stomach. Kai tried to swallow down a lump in his throat. If anything happened to the baby.
His.

Shit.

He ran a hand through his hair waiting until she was comfortable. If sitting on the edge of a sofa with a straight back, could be deemed as comfortable. Kai stayed standing.

“What do you know about the…problem with my pregnancy?” Just hearing her voice cut him. It bought back memories of their time together and his belly tightened along with other things.
Fucking head in the game
. It was just his body’s reaction to a female in his space. It meant fuck all. The fact that he still found her scent so damned appealing meant even less. It was his body remembering the pleasure she had brought him.

“I don’t know a damn thing,” he said. “Who am I? I’m just the father of this child. The fucking father.”
Pull it together.

Her eyes were wide. She clasped her hands tightly. He was upsetting her and it wasn’t good for the child.

“I’m sorry.” He managed to choke out. “All I know is that there is something wrong.” He spun away and dug his hands into his hair. He took a deep breath into his lungs and turned back. “Tell me. I need to know everything,” he growled. “I deserve to know everything.”

This time, she kept her eyes on him and squared her shoulder. “I should’ve released two weeks ago.

He frowned. “Come again.”

Her frown deepened. “I’m two weeks overdue.”

“So soon? That would mean that, as a dragon shifter, you’re only supposed to be pregnant for…” He did the math in his head. “Six weeks? Is that right? That can’t be right.” He said the last to himself.

She nodded. “Yes. Six weeks. I’m two weeks late. It’s never happened before. A female has never carried this long. A female can be a day or two late. Maybe three at the most but a whole two weeks…never.”

His eyes moved to the bump. To the way her hand caressed the curve of her underbelly.
His baby
. “What does that mean? How is it bad? Our females carry for much longer.”

“Good to know. It is a mixed species baby. A first. There has never been a vampire/dragon child before. I hope it is the main reason for the delay. I am”—she nodded, swallowing hard—“pretty sure it’s the reason for the longer wait. How long are your females pregnant?”

“A year.”

Her eyes widened and she gasped. A hand flew up to cover her mouth. Her sexy as fuck lips. “What? No! That can’t be right.” She shook her head. “How long after that before the baby hatches?” She looked horrified. Then again, he was sure that he did too.

What the fuck!

“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Please lord, don’t let this be what I think it is.
He forced himself to stand his ground. Tempted to grab ahold of her and to shake her until she gave him all of the answers he was looking for.

She shook her head, looking confused. “Hatches as in—”

Fucking hell!
“Explain your pregnancy to me. One step at a time, including timelines. Start at the beginning.” He spoke quickly, sounding panicked. Warriors did not panic.

“Well, a male and a female…”

“You can skip that part,” he growled.

“I’m sorry!” She yelled. “You’re making me really nervous and I can’t think straight when I’m nervous.”

He sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few beats. “I’m sorry. Let’s start again, a dragon shifter becomes pregnant and then?”

“An egg develops inside her for six weeks.” She spoke so matter-of-factly. Like this was common knowledge. “The female then releases the egg which needs to be left to mature for a further five or six weeks.” She paused. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Vampires give birth to live young.”

“Really?” She gasped. “I know humans do too. I assumed that all non-humans…had eggs…like us…”

He shook his head to signal that she had been wrong in her assumption. Very fucking wrong. What did this mean for their baby? His eyes moved back to the bump. Small, tidy, very rounded and tight. It looked like an egg. Could it be? Kai went and sat down. He lasted all of three seconds before he jumped back up. An egg. An egg!

“Do you think he might be without a shell?” Ruby swallowed thickly. She licked her lips. “I haven’t felt even the slightest movement so that can’t be it…can it?”

“You might not be far enough along.” Kai shrugged. “I don’t know too much about pregnancies. You look like the thought of him…shell-less…” It felt weird to talk about his baby being inside an egg.
A fucking egg
. “Worries you.”