Surrendering to the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 7) (3 page)

Rafe kept his “oh shit” thought to himself and merely waited. Rafe’s sister spoke highly of the Stonefire dragons; he was about to find out firsthand exactly what they were made of.

Bram entered the room. Kai was right behind him, but Bram looked over his shoulder. “Wait in the hall, Kai.”

“But Bram—”

Bram’s steely voice rang inside the room. “Out.”

Kai met Rafe’s gaze. The head Protector narrowed his gaze and shut the door.

Rafe didn’t look forward to talking with his brother-in-law later.

“Sit down,” Bram ordered.

Rafe shook his head. “No. I want to know if Nikki’s okay first.”

Raising an eyebrow, Bram crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m surprised you care.”

“Of course I bloody care. We’ve been working together for nearly half a year. Tell me how she’s doing or I’m going to fight my way out of here to check.”

Amusement flared in Bram’s eyes. “Aye? I’d like to see you try.” Rafe took a step toward the leader and Bram sighed. “She’s as well as can be expected. Do you understand what just happened?”

“I think so. Her dragon sees me as her mate.”

“Aye. Which means you have two choices—leave here and never return, or you agree to give Nikki a child and then walk away.”

Rafe clenched his fingers. “Why are you assuming I’d just leave my child behind?”

Motioning toward him, Bram answered, “Your history doesn’t speak of long-term relationships. Bloody hell, I think the longest was a month.”

Rafe ignored the jab at his past. “Forget about my bloody track record. Does Nikki know you’re trying to stud her out?”

In the blink of an eye, Bram rushed Rafe and pinned him to the wall. “Nikki is like a younger sister to me. Tread carefully, human. I have yet to see this clever, determined other side to you that she is adamant exists. All I see is an arsehole.”

“Says the dragonman ready to offer up one of his clan members without asking her what she wants.”

Bram searched his eyes a second and Rafe held his breath. All the Stonefire leader had to do was extend a talon and slit his throat. Rafe only hoped his sister was right about Clan Stonefire being decent.

To date, the only clan member he knew who was decent was Nikki. She more than proved herself to him.

The woman definitely didn’t deserve a random pregnancy forced upon her.

Taking a chance, Rafe whispered, “Ask what Nikki wants first. Then I’ll make my choice.”

The dragonman’s pupils remained slitted for a few beats. Once they were round again, Bram released his hold and took two steps back. “Stay here. We’re nowhere near done talking.”

Stonefire’s leader exited the room and Rafe slumped into one of the chairs. Why the hell hadn’t he taken the option to flee? He was the last person looking to be a father at this point.

And yet, the idea of Nikki suffering for who knew how long twisted his heart. She didn’t think he remembered, but Rafe had hurt her once before. He didn’t want to do it again.

But, fuck, a child? Could he handle it?
 

An image of a little girl dragon-shifter running through a field popped into his head. The girl had Rafe’s green eyes and Nikki’s cheekbones. She stopped in front of him and waggled a finger. The four-year-old wasn’t afraid to stand up to him.

Smiling, Rafe admitted it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

He stopped tapping his finger against his thigh at that thought.
Bloody hell.
Something must be wrong with him.

As he waited for Bram to come back and talk with him, Rafe wondered what he’d do if Nikki asked him for a child.

~~~

Nikki lay on her side, her body curled up into a ball, with her hands over her ears.

But the act couldn’t block out her dragon’s words.
Find him. Fuck him. Now.

Nikki’s strength was waning, but she put as much dominance in her reply as she could muster.
No. It’s not what I want. It’s not what
we
want. The clan’s safety is our top priority.

Snarling, her beast answered,
The others will take care of the clan. I want Rafe Hartley’s cock inside us now. He will give us a child.

As they continued to go round and round, Nikki’s resolve weakened. If she weren't careful, her dragon would take control and do whatever the hell she wanted; Nikki’s consent wouldn’t matter.

Clenching her jaw, she tried to block out the roaring in her head to think of a solution. The action only pissed off her beast more.
No! Enough is enough. I want control.

Her beast clawed at the weak wall around her. One swipe ripped a sizable hole. Just as her dragon moved to try again, something cold and wet dumped over Nikki’s body.

Nikki sputtered at the ice water. The shock silenced her dragon temporarily. Patching up her mental wall as much as possible, Nikki rubbed the water from her eyes and the tall, ponytailed form of Dr. Cassidy Jackson, Stonefire’s head doctor, came into focus. “Dr. Sid?”

Sid tossed aside the bucket in her hands and pulled out a syringe from her pocket. “The only good thing about me having a silent dragon is I don’t have to put up with the mating frenzy crap.” Tapping the side of the syringe and pushing the plunger, Sid continued, “We don’t have much time, so let me lay out the options. The drug in my hand will silence your dragon for a few days, but you won’t be able to shift, and it’s only temporary. You’ll have to learn to control your dragon on your own over the next few months.”

Nikki grimaced. “What other option do I have?”

“Your other option is to shack up with Rafe Hartley and let the frenzy take its course.”

Her beast roared from her prison. Ignoring it, Nikki blinked. “What?”

Sid raised an eyebrow. “You’re clever, Nikki, and you don’t need me to repeat myself.”

“I—” Nikki slowly sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. “Rafe agreed to this?”

“Bram seems to think he will.”

Stunned, Nikki could barely manage an answer. “Not only is it illegal, but we irritate the hell out of each other. Why would he even think about it?”

Sid crouched down to meet her gaze. “You’re the one who kissed him. You tell me.”

At the mention of the kiss, Nikki’s dragon snarled and started clawing again. The barrier would last a minute, if that.
 

“Nothing like making a life-changing decision at the drop of a hat,” Nikki murmured.

“Life isn’t always fair, Nikola. You can only do the best with what you’ve been given.”

Nikki felt about two inches tall. After all, Sid had lost her dragon. That was a million times worse.

What to do, what to do.
Then an idea formed. She could always give her child up for adoption. More than enough dragon families yearned for more children. They would be able to give her child a better future than she could manage as a single mother working as a Protector.

Not only that, once she was knocked up, Nikki’s beast would calm the fuck down and she could continue her work. Hell, she might even be able to help capture Simon Bourne after all.

Sure, she should ask Rafe’s input. Considering what she knew of the human, he didn't exactly appear to be father material. He probably wouldn’t have any objections to her plan.

Decision made, Nikki nodded to herself. “I’ll let the frenzy take its course and I'll give the child up for adoption later.”

Sid searched her eyes. “I’m only going to ask once more to confirm this is what you want. Is it?”

As her dragon ripped another hole in her invisible prison, Nikki bobbed her head. “Yes. As long as Rafe isn’t forced into it.”

Standing up, Sid moved toward the door. “Right, then I’ll let Bram know. Until everything is in place, I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to suffer. Drugging you will only delay the inevitable, and I believe you want this whole mess sorted as quickly as possible.”

Sid locked the door behind her, and Nikki closed her eyes. Mate-claim frenzies rarely happened more than once. If she could just survive the current situation, then she could continue her work as a Stonefire Protector for as long as she liked. The elder dragon-shifters might also finally stop nagging her, too.

Her beast broke free and snarled. Clapping her hands over her ears, Nikki willed for the entire mess to be over soon enough.
 

~~~

Rafe tapped his fingers against the table. It had been nearly a bloody hour. Did Bram not care about Nikki’s welfare at all?

Not to mention he’d been going in circles for his answer. At this rate, Rafe might just have to flip a damn coin.

At least, he’d been able to make a few calls. The mission would be halted until further notice. Six months of bloody research wasted, not to mention the leave he’d been granted for the next two weeks. Rafe only hoped he could act on the next opportunity to take down Simon Bourne.

Just as he debated standing up again, the door opened. Kai walked into the room, followed by the tall, dark-haired woman who was both Kai’s mate and Rafe’s sister, Jane.

Jane spoke up first. “I should’ve known this would happen. You two have been arguing rather passionately for months.”

Standing up, Rafe narrowed his eyes. “I don’t need you to meddle in this, Jane.”

Kai growled. “Don’t snap at your sister.”

Rafe took a step toward the dragonman, but Jane put herself between them. Laying her hand on Kai’s chest, the dragonman kept his position.

Jane’s blue eyes met Rafe’s green. “Nikki’s asked for the frenzy, and we need a decision.”

Relief with a small thread of fear flooded his body. At least, he would get the chance to see Nikki again. “She did?”

“Yes,” Jane answered. “And before you give your answer, make sure to think with your brain and not your cock.”

“Jane,” Rafe said with narrowed eyes.

She shrugged. “Hey, you’re the one with the female conquests. You’ve worn them proudly.” She poked his chest. “But this is different. I like Nikki. If you hurt her, I will castrate you myself while you’re sleeping.”

If she only knew the truth about my past with Nikki.
Pushing it aside, he frowned. “Your threats have never worked before. Why do you think they will now?”

Kai wrapped an arm around Jane from behind. “Regardless of what you think of your sister’s threats, know this, human—you hurt Nikki in any way and I’ll handle your punishment myself.”

Rafe raised his middle finger. “Fuck off, Kai.”

Kai’s pupils flashed. Jane leaned her back against his chest, and the dragonman’s pupils became round again. His sister’s voice was softer as she said, “Just remember that if you say yes, there’s a child at the end of it all.”

Rafe sighed. “I know, Janey. I know.”

Jane walked forward, and Kai dropped his arm. Laying a hand on Rafe’s shoulder, Jane murmured, “It’s also illegal. The Department of Dragon Affairs can't find out what you’ve done.”

“Which is a bloody daft rule considering human females can ask to mate with male dragon-shifters,” he muttered.

“I don’t make the rules, Rafe.” She searched his eyes. “So, what do you want to do?”

The image of the little girl running through the field and laughing came back again. After nearly eighteen years in the army, a small part of Rafe wanted to protect a family of his own instead of only ever protecting his country.

Not that he didn’t serve with pride; he couldn’t imagine doing anything else. But his retirement was coming up soon, and there’d be a huge void to fill. A little girl might just be the thing he needed to brighten and give meaning to his life.

And deep down, he admitted that he wouldn’t mind arguing and matching wits with Nikola Gray for many years to come.

Of course, it all rested on whether the Department of Dragon Affairs, or DDA, would allow him to claim his child or not. Rafe would just have to work toward making that goal a reality.

Clearing his throat, Rafe stood tall. “I’ll participate in the frenzy.”

Jane smiled. “I think that’s the right choice, Rafe. I really do. And not just because I’m looking forward to being an auntie.”

He replied, “Right, that’s nice and all, but what happens next? Nikki must be in pain, and I don’t want to keep her waiting.”

Kai studied him a second before jumping in. “Nikki’s been moved to a private cottage and awaits your decision. I’ll take you there.”

“Are you just going to yell at me the whole way?” Rafe drawled.

Grunting, irritation flared in Kai’s eyes. “How about we put aside our mutual dislike of each other for the time being and focus on Nikki?”

Rafe nodded. “I can do that. But just one thing—what about the mission?”

“We’re working on that. With both of you out of commission, the kidnapping will be delayed,” Kai answered.

“Is that wise? It took us months of waiting for this chance.”

Kai’s expression didn’t waver. “It’ll have to be.” The dragonman motioned toward the door. “Let’s go. The mate-claim frenzy is pretty straightforward. But I’ll answer your questions on the way.”

Kai kissed Jane and then exited the room without another word. Rafe met his sister’s gaze. “Should I be worried?”

“Only if you don’t like mind-blowing, life-altering sex, from what the others have told me. Although, your penis might hurt after a while.”

He felt a bit like a bastard for bringing up the frenzy since Jane and Kai were mates, but not true ones, meaning his sister had never had her own frenzy with Kai.
 

He cleared his throat. “Right, then I’m leaving now before you start giving me sex tips.”

He turned to leave, but Jane’s voice drifted into his ears. “Just don’t show fear or be intimidated by Nikki’s dragon.”

Raising a hand in answer, Rafe picked up his pace. Now that he’d made his decision, he wasn’t going to dawdle. Nikki needed him.

~~~

Curled up naked on a soft bed, Nikki observed everything from a distance. With her dragon dominating the front of her mind, Nikki could see and hear what was happening but couldn’t influence her reactions.

As it were, one of her hands lightly brushed between her thighs. Each pass sent a rush of heat through her body.

Her dragon spoke up.
Where is he? They said he would come.