Atika and Abyle cut his words off with a growl.
“Nikai, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m mated to two males of worth. I don’t want or need your approval. Mother, if you have to go with him to live, what about me, us?” she sobbed.
Belle got to her feet. “I don’t have to go with him to live. I feel the part of him inside me, which means he is a part of me now. Just as you gave parts of yourself to others, he did the same for me. I am not beholden to him.”
The black dragon stood up. “You’re right, you are not. However, now that I’ve found you, I will not let you go without a fight, Belle.”
Her mother gave a mirthless chuckle. “The same way you fought for me the last time? If that is so, you might as well save your breath and just go home. Jenna, can you please help an old dragon?”
Before Nikai could say another word, Jenna flashed Belle away, leaving Lula standing there with Nikai and his men.
“I didn’t tell your mother to terminate her pregnancy. I would never have done that, ever. I loved her and would’ve loved you. I do love you both. I wish I could’ve...it doesn’t matter. Have a good life, Lula. May, can I check on you from time to time?” Nikai asked, his voice low and filled with anguish.
“Give me some time to come to grips with my new reality?”
He nodded, then pulled out a small silver ball with swirls of clouds inside. She eyed it warily.
“Take this. It is a way to contact me without having to come here to do so.” He held steady, waiting.
“Does it go both ways?” she asked, taking the silver orb.
Nikai shook his head. “I will not invade your world, if that is what you’re worried about. Having a piece of myself in your mother gives me access if I wanted, but I will not do so. I will earn her trust, or I will die alone.”
He turned away from them. Lula realized he’d created a dome around them so that none of his warriors would be able to hear what they said. “Nikai,” she called before he shifted.
Turning around, he paused.
“Thank you for saving my mom.” Lula held the silver orb up. “I’ll be in touch.”
He gave her a salute, touching two fingers to his brow, then he became a huge black dragon, his scales so dark they were a multitude of colors. She wondered what the other dragons of his house colors were, then shrugged. It didn’t matter because she wouldn’t be going there unless her mother was there, which didn’t seem to be the case.
“Let’s go home. I have dragon blood on me, and I think demon spit on me too.” Abyle shook his body in a comical way.
“What makes you think you have demon spit on you?” Lula asked, slipping an arm between each of her mates.
“You see, it happened like this...”
Lula roared as she listened to Abyle explain how Creed spit out a piece of dragon scale when Jenna had asked them not to kill any dragons. The poor male had already bitten the wing of one off, so he had to hack it up and hoped it would reconnect. Poor Abyle and Atika were too close and ended up with demon spit and dragon bits on them. She would be making it up to them in the sweetest and nakedest way, shortly.
The End
If you’re hoping for a short story about Belle and Nikai...you’re in luck as it is in Hearts Unleashed Here >> Hearts Unleashed
Her Dragon Mate
Chapter One
Belle placed her hand on her stomach. Apprehension filled her at what the life inside would mean to all she loved. Her future would forever be changed from what she’d planned.
“Don’t worry, my little one. I’ll protect you with every fiber of my being, with every scale on my dragon body.” Her heart thudded at the possibility of that very real notion. Being the only pink scaled dragon in existence meant she was looked down upon. Although her family were aristocrats, thanks to her father’s position, they still ridiculed Belle.
Luckily, her dad held a position in the King’s court. Otherwise, she was pretty sure they’d have sent out an honor killing party. Her mother called her unique when she was a child. In the Dragon Realm, being different wasn’t a good thing. Of course, she was fine with the way she looked. In fact, she loved the way she looked when she shifted. Not all dragon’s hair matched their scales when they shifted, but hers did, only a little darker. There was no hiding her shading, nor did she want to. Her father didn’t appear to mind she looked nothing like him, or another dark jewel tone like the rest of the clan. His love for her was never in question.
“Why is pink not considered beautiful? Why, if you notice the sky when the suns are setting, it’s cast in a myriad of colors. The pinks and purples are the ones that everyone says are the prettiest,” she muttered.
“Belladonna, are you talking to yourself again? You know that’s no way to show the Dragonians that you’re a worthy dragon. Nor will it gain their approval.” Her mother looked down her nose at Belle.
She refrained from rolling her eyes at the absurd comment. There wasn’t anything she could do to make Dragonians approve of her. Heck, she was pretty sure her mother wished she could blink Belle away many times in the last several hundred years. The only reason she still lived was because her parents had no other children. Well, that and her father truly loved her, and she believed her mother did as well, in her own way.
“Hello, mother. How fair you this morn?” Belle used the shortened version of morning. It was a dig and a backhanded reference to her mother’s gloomy disposition.
Her mother gave a low growl before straightening her shoulders. “Belle, you’re not going out like...like that?”
She ran her hands down her sides, hiding her grin. She’d learned from past experience how easily she could explode into a very intimidating dragon. “I’m perfectly attired for First Meal.”
“Belledona, you should try harder to find a nice male who will accept you. You know your father holds a very important position, which in turn gives you good standing.” Her mother waved an imperious hand toward Belle. “Those leather leggings and silk shirt are for males, not females.”
The older woman, like many from her time, preferred long dresses with tight bodices. They didn’t appear to care that it restricted one’s ability to breathe. Belle loved the feel of the supple leather that fit her like a glove and shirts that, well, let her breathe without restriction. At least for now. She was proud of the pieces she created, particularly her shirt that was created from the finest material. Sure, it was sheer and allowed the black lace camisole to show underneath, but it covered her. The fabric came from one of the small villages, which would horrify her mother if she found out.
Many of the Dragonian females requested her to create similar clothing. Of course, they did so in private, where the elders didn’t overhear. Her mother, along with her friends, didn’t approve of the younger generation wearing leggings or shirts that showed their underthings. Belle hated to break it to the elder females, but times were changing. Her beloved Nikai said he’d change the outdated rules when he became King. Goddess, she needed to dig deep for patience and wait for him to take the throne.
She trusted him to do the right thing, even as he’d broken things off with her. She could wait a hundred years or so for him. His words had been heavy and filled with such despair when he’d explained to her why they couldn’t be together. Her dragon itched to fly far away and lick her wounds.