The Dragon's Fate - Roxie Ray Page 0,64
even as I was upset about everything that had happened? Maybe. But I was.
Sammy sat on the bed and put her hand on Hayden’s head. A dim glow shone from under her palm for a second before she removed it. “It’s done,” she whispered. “She’ll sleep until morning without dreaming.”
We filed back downstairs. “I’ll leave you two to talk.” She pulled Bri into a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay, and I’m so sorry we had to meet this way.”
Bri echoed the sentiment. “I’m glad to know you, Sammy, and so thankful for you. If we hadn’t met Jace and you, I’d be dead right now and my little girl would’ve grown up in a much different world.”
We sat on the couch and Bri snuggled in close to me. “I can’t believe all this,” she whispered. “It’s so shocking.”
“Agreed. Do you want to sit here for a while or talk about what you wanted to talk about over dinner?”
She nuzzled closer. “I wanted to tell you that I love you. I wanted to tell you I was sorry for freaking out and getting angry, and that we’d find a way to make it work, all of it. I’m glad fate chose us for one another, and I want to be your mate or your wife, or whatever works best for us.”
She looked up at me with big, scared eyes, and my heart melted into a puddle that belonged to her. But then her gaze turned from hopeful and wary to overwhelmed. “I almost died today,” she whispered.
I pulled her close, into my lap, and rocked her as she cried. “My daughter would’ve been without a mother,” she wailed. Good thing Hayden was in a magical sleep because I’d learned something new about my mate. She cried loudly. “I was terrified,” she choked out between sobs. “And then there you were. You saved us.”
“As long as I’m alive, you and Hayden will be safe.” I continued to rock her. “We’ll raise Hayden knowing about dragons and witches. She’ll be human, but she’ll know. She’ll be a very special little girl for that. No humans know other than mates.” My talking seemed to be soothing her, so I kept going. “Maybe one day she’ll meet a dragon, and maybe she’ll meet a human, but whatever happens in her life, she’ll be safe and loved. And she’ll have a whole clan of dragons to protect her. They would’ve all come running in an instant if I’d called them, you know that?”
She shook her head against my chest.
“Oh, yes. The entire clan came out to fight the witch that tried to steal Skye’s babies from her.”
Bri sat straight upright. “What?” she asked in a near shout.
“Well, it was more complicated than that, but the entire clan came, and then the clan rebuilt the house after it burned down.”
Bri slapped my chest. “You’re messing with me.”
“I’m not! It’s not my story to tell, but Skye will have to forgive me for distracting you.” I proceeded to tell her the story of how Skye found out about Anthony being a dragon and what happened after.
By the time I finished, she was much calmer. “Oh, Jace,” she whispered. “I’m sorry it took me all week to figure this out, but I’m not totally on board.”
“What’s still bothering you?”
“The bite. It’s a lot. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
I growled low in my chest. “We’ll wait as long as it takes until you are ready. You and Hayden are my future and that’s not going to change, bite or no bite.”
She snuggled closer and we sat on the couch in each other’s arms until we were both starved. After we ate, she asked me to stay with her. We lay down and I was pretty excited for what would come, but the trauma of the day had her completely exhausted. She was asleep with her mouth hanging open within minutes.
And that was okay, too. I snuggled close and spent most of the night awake, marveling at how my life had changed for the better since spring.
The next morning it was clear that Sammy’s magic had worked. Hayden bounded down the stairs with a big smile on her face. “Jace!” she yelled. “You’re here!”
I hugged her while Bri watched us, looking very relieved.
Halfway through breakfast, my phone rang. It was Porter. “Hayden, your mother and I are going to take this outside. We need to talk to my brother. Are you good to sit here and eat your food?”