Page 64 of Fire Dragon
For whatever reason, this was the last thing she’d expected him to say. She had an immediate and quick response which she did not hold back. “Sorry to disappoint, but like hell I’m going anywhere.”
At that, he rose from his chair scowling. “You could die and the baby with you. Have you thought of that?”
“And I wish my parents hadn’t died either. But it’s part of life and a big possibility for a dragon-rider anyway. I’ve accepted that.”
“You’re being selfish. You’re carrying a child. My child.”
She left her seat as well. She still had to look up at him to meet his gaze, but she did so with her shoulders as straight as possible. “I’m a dragon-rider, Liam. Period. And today, more than at any other moment in Dusane’s history, I’m needed. The last thing I would ever do to my child is walk away from my duty.”
~ ~ ~
Liam felt like he’d been clobbered by a two-by-four. About a hundred times.
Emma was pregnant.
He would have argued with her about the truth of it since she hadn’t seen a doctor, but like her, he knew it was true. He could sense the life inside her as though it was already calling to him.
He wanted to blame her. To yell at her for being irresponsible and letting this thing happen. But he knew that wasn’t true either. She was like him. They were both on the obsessive side when it came to being responsible. Her birth control had failed and that had been outside her control.
Which begged the question: Why hadn’t he used condoms to be safe? Where had his obsessiveness been when he’d been sexing her up? If anyone was to blame, it was him.
Yet here they were with child and facing the most dangerous battle of their lives. In fact, the moment he’d seen the video, he thought the odds were high he wouldn’t survive the day. Nor Emma as his partner. They’d be taking lead. How much more dangerous could their situation get?
But now they had a child to consider. “You haven’t thought this through, Emma, what we’re facing when the Magi make lake-fall.”
“I have, actually.” She seemed oddly sure of herself and very calm which felt new somehow. “When you and I first got together a year ago, and yes, I know I was drunk and you were as well, but I had this unshakeable sense we had something. And I don’t just mean sexually. Like I felt certain that I would become a better dragon-rider if I had the opportunity to work with you and I believe that is true. Santos obviously believed something similar because he paired us when that was never the ADF policy.
“My point is that now is the time, more than ever before, that you and I join forces to figure out what we can do together for Dusane.”
“But we have this to consider.” He waved his hand at her abdomen. “He orsheshould be our priority.”
“I guess I didn’t say which, did I? Liam, we’re having a daughter.” Her eyes filled with tears. “That much I know.”
Damn. This was real. They were having a girl dragon. Together. He and this beautiful, gifted, and supremely stubborn dragon-rider were having a baby.
He turned away from her and forced himself to breathe. The muscles in his arms kept flexing involuntarily. He took another breath. Then another.
He had to think.
Images of his wife sluiced through his mind. They took over his thoughts so quickly that he almost groaned aloud. As had happened so many times over the years, all his grief bunched up on him in a sudden onslaught.
As he headed toward the patio landing, he called over his shoulder. “I’m going to Dragonslip to get changed. But I’ll be back. I won’t be long.”
“Take as much time as you need.”
With one deft launch of his feet, he was in the air. He had to be away from Emma, to think things through. His chest felt like it was cracking wide open.
He flew higher than he needed to. His nostrils flared. He could smell the grit of the Konbrack wind coming toward Blue Lake South. It would be a powerful blow when it hit, and he had to be ready.
As he crossed above the training grounds heading southeast toward Dragonslip Gorge, he couldn’t keep old tears from streaming from his eyes. He wiped at them, but they continued to come. Emma’s revelations had reminded him of what he’d lost when his wife died and how much he’d grieved for the past eighteen years.
Now he was facing a new, potential loss. What if Emma died? Was he supposed to mourn all over again? He’d just found her. He was barely getting used to the idea of a woman in his life, of feeling all those profound sensations of love and connection, of wanting to be with someone, when she said she was pregnant. So, if she died, he’d have two more deaths to grieve.
He flew fast, which made his heart work hard. The sensation eased some of the pain. So, he flew faster still and was huffing and puffing by the time he landed hard on his patio.
He threw open the doors and levitated in a quick streak to the shower. When he got in, he made the spray as cold as possible even though his fire dragon rebelled. Cold water hurt. Hoping his grief would subside, however, he took the physical pain.
Somehow it didn’t help at all, so he gradually added hot water and let his feelings do their worst. More tears followed as he thought about his wife and little boy and as he thought about losing Emma and their daughter.
