Page 58 of Destined By Dragonblood
“Which is?” I pushed even though I already suspected Elijah would assure me Dolyn hadn’t lied.
“We are not fully human.”
“We—you’re a dragon shifter too?” I asked even though I’d already come to the conclusion myself.
“I am.” Elijah spoke with finality, the same strong tone and assurance of authority that I had heard in countless boardrooms. Grown men tended to quake in my boss’s presence when he took on that air, but I’d never once felt threatened by him.
I rubbed a hand over my neck while trying to swallow. “This isn’t all a dream?” I rasped. “Some fantasy I cooked up in my head to give me healing and a happily ever after of my own?”
“What you’re experiencing is reality,” Elijah stated. “You saw the power within his eyes, but I promise that Dolyn will never hurt you, no matter what form he takes. He could reveal his golden beast—which is quite lovely, I must say—and be full of rage but not lift a razor-sharp claw your way.”
I blew out a slow exhale, wiping the back of my hand over my eyes and stretching out my legs beneath my warm blankets. “This is real.”
“Indeed it is.”
“Shit!” I straightened. “I just…the armor you manufacture! It’s made out of dragon scales, isn’t it?”
Elijah chuckled.
“Oh my God!” I huffed a real laugh. “Who else knows? Does the government? You have countless contracts around the globe—holy shit, Elijah!”
“No one is aware of the truth, and I would ask that you do not speak of it. As a human with dragonblood running in your veins, you must protect yourself.”
Racism among humans was bad enough. I couldn’t imagine bringing sentient creatures into the toxic mix.
“Damnitalltohell.” A shudder rippled through me, raising the hairs on my arms as possible futures flitted through my mind. Shackles and bars. Solitary cells. Hundreds of tests, probing and unpleasant. “I won’t tell a soul,” I whispered, wiping a damp palm over my top sheet.
“It would be for the best. Now, let’s discuss moving forward in your relationship with Dolyn.”
“We’re not exactly in one.”
“But you’re his fated mate.”
I tipped my head back and closed my eyes. “That’s what he said.”
“He speaks truth, Ashley.” Elijah’s warm voice wrapped around me like a brother’s arms probably felt like. “But there is no rush, regardless of how he pursues you or pushes your boundaries. Hold firm in your own desires but listen. Learn. Share your truth and ask for his. I assure you, once the bonding occurs, honesty will be easy.”
“Bonding,” I repeated, my brain taking off down the route of paranormal romance. “Does that, um…including biting? Sexual rituals?” My voice was more a squeak than tone.
Elijah chuckled. “That topic, I believe, should be discussed between the three of you.”
“Three?”
A slight hesitation on Elijah’s end caused my heart rate to pick up.
“It takes three dragonblood to create life. Alpha, beta, and female,” he explained.
My eyelids popped open as a rush of adrenaline heightened my pulse. “Vanni.”
“I’ve never met the man, but considering the interactions between him and you, along with Dolyn’s…not so pleasant reaction to the man, yes, I believe you may have guessed right.”
Pulsing twinges between my thighs made me swallow hard. “Okay. Good. Yes, I mean, that sounds perfect. I think?”
More deep, rumbling laughter filled my ear. “Be patient with Dolyn as he comes to terms with his destiny, Ashley. He is stubborn. Blinded from the truth because of his past, I expect. Perhaps he’ll share with you those parts of himself he mostly kept hidden from me. Doing so prior to bonding would doubtless create a far superior future than a mating based on instinct and lust alone.”
Elijah went on to explain how he’d met Dolyn decades ago, how they believed themselves to be the last two Blood Born alive and shared a relationship while attempting to find a female to bond with. He told me about his fated mates he’d met in the mountains near his home, the married couple who completed him in every way. His mate, Dakota, had an ancient gift that had allowed Dolyn the opportunity to see the female fate intended for him. Elijah had found his happily ever after and again encouraged me to trust my instincts in moving forward with Vanni and Dolyn.
His advice lay heavy on my heart and mind throughout the morning. I crunched on some toast while sitting at my kitchen table writing out my shopping list since life went on regardless of my heavy eyelids and bleary sight. My cell dinged, and I set aside my pen, taking another bite of my breakfast when I just wanted to go back to bed and forget the world for a few hours.
