Page 48 of Dimitri

Caspian

Ididn’t mind sleeping. I rather enjoyed it after spending so many years getting too little of it. But I was a bit over sleeping so much and not having “time” with my One. Yes, Dimitri was almost always nearby, unless he was at work, but it did no good when he was with me and I was simply slumbering the day away.

Immediately, I knew he was at work when I woke up. Not only did the house feel empty, but my sexy dragon knew exactly when I rolled over and realized he was not in the house.

“Good morning, lyubimyy. I left you tea on your bedside table. It is most likely cold at this point, but you should be able to fix that with no issues. How are you feeling?”

I sat up and looked around the room, hoping to clear the fog from my brain a bit.“I’m feeling better. I think I’ll sit outside on the back deck for a bit today.”I looked toward the window and noticed how bright it was outside.“What time is it?”

“Almost eleven. I’m in a meeting that will be ending shortly. Do you need me to come home?”

That explained why it was so bright outside. Dimitri was absolutely the sweetest, but I was feeling all right and knew he needed to do something other than watch over me while I slept.“I’m good for now.”I tossed the covers back and moved to the edge of the bed. My stomach didn’t revolt, so I considered my options.“I’m going to have a shower and then drink my tea on the back deck.”

I was steady on my feet and walking toward the bathroom when Dimitri dropped the news on me.

“Your fathers are here,”he told me. I reached for the doorframe, trying to steady myself.

“What?”

“I met Benedict this morning. He seemed nice enough. I don’t think he quite knew what to expect of me. Dedushka walked in to welcome me back and then left with your father, which was so very kind of him. I got a chance to finish my breakfast.”Dimitri was silent for a moment before he continued.“Oh, your brother says hello, and he would like to see you when you are up for it. As would Drew.”

I smiled at that.“Maybe in a day or two if I wake up feeling like this for the next couple of days?”I honestly was feeling better than I had in a while, and I had to wonder if I was truly turning a corner or if it was false hope.

“All on your schedule. My parents are in the area as well. They are excited to meet you, but again, all on your schedule. It can be a week from now or a month or longer. They are simply here to see us and offer support if needed.”

I glanced back into the bedroom at the mug sitting on the bedside table before I shook my head. It was certainly a bit overwhelming, but I knew that guzzling the tea simply to avoid thinking about everyone who was here to see us wasn’t the answer.

“I’m going to hop into the shower. I’ll see how I’m feeling in a bit and let you know.”

“No rush at all. I love you, Caspian. We do everything on your schedule because you are the one that is carrying our baby. You are the one that isn’t feeling up to visitors.”

I smiled again. He really was the absolute sweetest. I had no doubt that could change in a blink. Not toward me but to someone else who happened to be a threat.

I took care of my morning needs, then stepped into the shower area. The water was steaming and felt amazing on my body. I didn’t know I could ever feel this way until I became pregnant. But here we were. I stood under the spray for a few minutes before I went through the routine of cleaning myself. It took only minutes to complete, and then, after relaxing under the spray again, I realized I should get something into my stomach before I became ill.

I was dry as I stepped out of the shower, and before I made it halfway across the bathroom, I had myself dressed with a bit more magic.

I picked up the mug of cold tea and used more magic to heat it. I stared down into the brown liquid and wondered if it was possible at this point that the other tea would be enough. Should I give it a try? The worst thing that could happen was that I ended up sick again. Was it worth the chance? Halfway down the stairs, I decided that, yes, it was most certainly worth the chance. Once I was in the kitchen, I poured out the tea that Dimitri had made for me and placed the mug in the sink. I grabbed a clean mug and one of the other tea bags and then poured steaming hot water from the kettle over it.

It was December, and I knew it was bitterly cold outside, but that wasn’t going to stop me from enjoying the sunshine I could see. I had myself bundled and was stepping out onto the deck within moments. The breeze was light, the sun bright, and both seemed to help rejuvenate my soul. Dimitri had insisted on patio heaters because, unlike him, I couldn’t keep myself warm fromfire within myself. I was grateful for those at the moment and had them going before I even sat down on the lounge chair.

Despite my wool coat and stocking cap, it didn’t take long for the cold to creep in. Even with the heaters, my body simply wasn’t used to these much cooler temperatures. A little more magic had a thick blanket across my lap, and I leaned back to enjoy my time outside. I took a sip of the tea and smiled at the subtle, sweet, and fruity flavor. I had just taken a bite of a sweet cracker when I saw something shimmer off to my right.

When I turned my head in that direction, I didn’t see anything or anyone. Thinking it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, I shrugged and shook my head. As I took another sip of tea, I most certainly saw something shimmering, and it was now in front of me. I didn’t feel threatened, even when it seemed to move closer.

When a sudden warmth felt as if it wrapped around me, I smiled. “Well, hello there. And who might you be?” Whatever or whoever it was was certainly something. Now that it was closer, I could see a bit of its aura, and I had to wonder as to who or what it belonged to. I felt it give me what I would only classify as a gentle hug before it let go and then moved several feet away. “Do you have a name?” Whatever it was simply hung out beside me for a moment or two before it appeared to move away. “You don’t have to go. I won’t hurt you,” I told it. It stopped moving for a moment but then suddenly simply disappeared.

I sat up, wondering where it had gone and why it seemed so spooked. Then I heard it. I looked around but saw nothing. I was just about to stand up and go inside when I heard someone call out.

“Hello? Are you still there, Caspian?”

I realized whoever it was obviously knew who I was, but since I only knew a few people on this mountain, I had no clue as to who it could be. I didn’t recognize the voice.

“I am,” I called out.

“May I come up?”

I wasn’t too worried about it. I was a warlock, and whoever it was happened to be on the mountain, so they most likely weren’t a threat. “Sure,” I called back.

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