Loved by the Dragon Collection Read online

  “Excellent idea. You have complete autonomy. Do as you will.”

  “One of these days you’re going to say that, then I’m going to greenlight a big budget porno flick with a dozen kung fu transvestites shooting cocklasers.”

  Her words scandalized Saul, but he left her at the helm during a meeting with his casting director. She spent the rest of her morning chatting with Harris until Saul returned at lunch. Her husband’s personal assistant excused himself from the room to partake in his own lunch break and left them alone.

  “I have a private meeting to attend this afternoon with Brigid and her father. You may remain here in the studio or go to the estate with Leiv and Mahasti.”

  “But I want to go with y—”

  Saul cut her off. “No you shall remain here or at the estate. You have proven thus far that you are not to be trusted in Brigid’s presence.”

  “Fine,” Chloe snapped. “I’ll have Leiv take me home now then.”

  “Chloe—”

  “Go deal with your dragon politics.” She brushed past him on her way to the door and didn’t stop until she reached the elevator. Leiv greeted her at the front doors and escorted her to the waiting car.

  “Hi, Leiv. I want the full drive home please… No magical rushing,” Chloe mumbled from the rear seat, where she laid her head against a silk-cased pillow. Sometimes, the feeling of movement eased her nausea. Saul had given her countless rides around the property and confessed to enjoying it.

  “Of course. Will we make a stop for your usual?” Leiv asked.

  “No Wendy’s today.”

  It didn’t take long for guilt to gnaw more than her appetite away. Thirty minutes later as they left Los Angeles behind, Chloe pulled out her mobile phone.

  I love you, she texted him. She added an apology to the next message and waited, holding her breath, for his response.

  Saul: You were forgiven before the words left your lips. I love you, Chloe. Take the time to unwind and enjoy the use of our bank account. Spend frivolously.

  I don’t want to spend frivolously. I want you to hold me, she texted back.

  Saul: I must attend to business with Maximilian and Brigid. Once our negotiations are complete, I will return to share the news.

  Okay. Love you, she messaged, before putting the phone away again.

  Leiv’s concerned face peered at her through the rearview mirror. “Is something the matter, Chloe? You seem very changed today.” Despite all of the time Leiv had lived in America, he still struggled with English at times.

  She chuckled quietly against her pillow, a humorless sound that didn’t assuage the cold dread spreading through her chest. “I’m worried about Saul.”

  “Bah. Brigid and Maximilian are harmless. The only danger Saul faces is that perhaps Maximilian will talk him to death. Fear nothing,” Leiv assured her. He glanced back at her and flashed one of his boyish smiles.

  “Have you met them?”

  “I have met Brigid many times. She would come to abuse Saul’s good nature and generosity. She was much like… like a parasite,” Leiv said in his thick accent. The driver shook his head, disgusted. Chloe had noticed that as he became accustomed to her company, his natural speaking voice became all the more prominent. “He courted her desperately.”

  “What happened to make him hibernate for five years? He won’t tell me.”

  Leiv silenced. The bear shifter’s loyalty to Saul touched her deeply, but the secrecy created an urgent need to delve to the heart of the matter.

  “Please, Leiv. What did she do?”

  “She took another dragon lover. Another volcanic dragon.”

  “That’s cheating!” Chloe’s outrage flared, filling her with white-hot hatred.

  “Not in the eyes of Draconic Law. It is not to be considered cheating until a bond has occurred,” Leiv explained.

  “So it’s allowed but…” She hurt him. She refused him, wouldn’t take his mark, and then she fucked some other dragon instead.

  “It is a very dick move to make,” Leiv said, speaking the words for her.

  “Very. So what is this? She’s done with her play toy and decided she’s ready to accept Saul?”

  Leiv nodded from the driver’s seat. “So it would seem. She likely came that first day to toy with him, but your presence threatened her.”

  “I threatened a female dragon?” Her incredulous voice rose sharply. He had to be joking.

  “Female dragons are not kind creatures,” Leiv said.

  “Why can’t we wish her away? If I asked Mahasti—”

  “A djinn may not take away another living being’s free will, Chloe. Trust me, were it so simple, Mahasti would do as needed to aid you both. Our hands are tied.”

  The disappointment leached the remaining life from Chloe’s bones. She slept until their arrival when Leiv gently called her name, waking her, then they chatted for a while in the garage while Leiv wiped down the front of the car and cleaned the windows.

  “Ah, I blame you. Mahasti drops hints daily about babies. She is excited about the idea of becoming a mother now that she knows it is possible. Yesterday she told me, ‘Leiv, if we have our baby now, Chloe’s child will have close friend.’ And I am the bad guy because I say we should wait.”

  “Aww. That would be sweet,” Chloe said, a wistful smile on her face. “But that shouldn’t be the main reason. You and Mahasti can cuddle my baby if you want. Consider it practice.”

  Leiv laughed and nodded. “Yes, that is a fine idea. Now go on inside, Chloe, before you catch a chill. I will be in shortly.”

  “It’s summer. I’m far from chilly. You just want time alone with your baby,” she teased him as she passed through the door.

  Once inside, Chloe helped herself to a bubble bath. She soaked away her troubles, gave herself a pedicure, and painted her toenails an obnoxious shade of pink. Saul didn’t know any better, and had on impulse purchased her an amazing number of toiletries and feminine products, some she would never use, and others that were just… strangely colored.

  “Hrm… That color isn’t really so bad,” she mumbled out loud.

  She brushed out her hair, braided it, then brushed it out again in a fret. Once she decided on a ponytail, she jogged down the steps to find a snack. Had she been smarter and less angry at Saul, she would have made the usual pit stop for a Frosty instead of waiting until her stomach cramped from hunger.

  “Mahasti?” Chloe stepped into the empty kitchen and frowned. She’s probably with Leiv, she realized. According to Saul, calling the djinn’s name thrice would summon her, but she didn’t want to interrupt a possible nookie time.

  Especially if he changed his mind about babies. She doubted it. According to Saul, Leiv and Mahasti had centuries together… a djinn’s lifetime. She envied them.

  I wish… I could be with Saul forever. She sighed. It was a foolish wish to make, although it would fortunately go unheard. Such whimsies were beyond Mahasti’s power to grant.

  “Ugh, I don’t even know what I’m in the mood for,” she grumbled, searching the well-stocked refrigerator. She twisted the cap off the chocolate milk and guzzled it straight from the quart. Rich liquid cocoa distracted her for a while at least until a garlic-scented aroma reached her from the fridge shelf.

  Mahasti’s curry beef marinated in a deep dish with a thin plastic sheet over the delectable cubes. Chloe peeled the edge of the saran wrap off and inhaled.

  Between her and Leiv, I’m going to be four hundred pounds by the time this baby is born.

  After a glance over her shoulder, Chloe surrendered to impulse, scooped two pieces from the dish, and shoved them in her mouth. The curry spices danced over her tongue, improved by
the tender cuts of meat.

  It didn’t taste raw in the least.

  What the hell am I doing? This isn’t cooked.

  Part of Chloe wanted to freak out, but deep down, she couldn’t stop herself, like a crack addict hungering for the next fix, she plucked another cube and quickly devoured it.

  “Chloe?”

  Chloe whirled with one hand to her mouth to find Leiv bearing a basket of glass jars filled with dark, golden-amber honey. “Uh… How much of that did you see?”

  “Enough to know human women do not normally eat raw meat. Is that not bad for you and the little one?” His dark brows rose. “Mahasti.”

  Her prompt appearance meant that three utterances of her name weren’t required for Leiv. “Yes?” The scent of jasmine wafted through the kitchen, smoky tendrils of the djinn’s essence circling around her semi-translucent body. Without waiting for Leiv to answer, she turned to face Chloe. “You shouldn’t eat that. It isn’t cooked,” she stated matter-of-factly.

  “Um… she is aware,” Leiv said. “That is why I called you.”

  “I’m sorry, I couldn't help it. They smell so good and look so… so juicy…” Chloe trailed off and eyed the plate with longing. Mahasti delivered a light smack to her reaching fingers.

  “I will find you a doctor,” Mahasti said.

  “Aren’t you overreacting a little? A doctor because I ate some meat?”

  “Saul would never forgive me if I did not take you to a physician, Chloe. I am not an expert in human medicine, so I would prefer to be safe than sorry.”

  “Saul can heal wounds with dragon magic.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “I’m not really concerned. If something’s wrong and I get food poisoning or E. coli , he’ll fix it up and we’ll both be fine. It was only a few bits of raw meat. I’m not going to collapse and die right this moment, Mahasti. Honestly. The two of you are behaving as if I swallowed Ebola.”

  Mahasti didn’t answer her. She pulled out a phone and dialed.

  Half an hour later, the genie and bear shifter had bundled Chloe into Saul’s car and embarked on a drive to a spur of the moment obstetrician’s appointment. The fancy building outshined any doctor’s office Chloe ever visited before, complete with marble floors, a waterfall, and a Zen garden.

  The receptionist welcomed them with a smile and asked them to have a seat. They didn’t even ask Chloe for her insurance information.

  “What hoops did you jump through to arrange for this?”

  “Saul and I spoke of it when you returned from Las Vegas. Ultimately, he wanted the choice to rest with you, but given the circumstances…”

  “I waited long enough,” Chloe finished for her. “You’re both right. I should have handled this when we returned from Vegas, but I’ve been so nervous about it that I put it off time after time.”

  Mahasti smiled, attempting to ease her worries. “Trust me, Chloe, this is the finest OB I found. And now that you and Saul have married, you’ll be covered no matter what options you take. The receptionist tells me their sister midwifery center has a birthing pool if such is your desire.”

  “Ugh. I don’t think I’m ready to discuss this part yet. Let’s take baby steps, Mahasti.” Baby steps. At least the pun was unintended.

  “All will be well. You’ll see.”

  “Maybe… I wish Marcy was here too,” Chloe sighed. She tilted her head back and shut her eyes, mourning the recent events missed by her best friend.

  Mahasti’s sympathetic hand rubbed her shoulder. “You’ll see your friend again soon, Chloe.”

  “Sorry. That was kind of rude of me. I really am glad you’re here. Really, it’s just—”

  “What’s happening? Where am I?” a shrill voice cried from the restroom.

  Chloe turned her head toward the sound. “That sounded like…” No, it couldn’t be.

  Marcy emerged from the small room, dressed in shorts and a tank top with unruly dark hair hanging around her shoulders in need of a brush. Her incomplete makeup made Chloe giggle once the horrifying realization passed. She had wished her best friend into the obstetrician’s office while she applied hangover cover up. Dots of concealer under Marcy’s eyes revealed her attempt to hide a long night.

  She looked absolutely ridiculous. One lined brow contrasted against its unfinished twin.

  “Chloe? Shit. I must have really passed out hard last night.” Marcy turned around a few times and craned her neck to gaze at the world beyond the office windows. Sunny Los Angeles greeted her, the office yard decorated by top notch floral landscaping. “Usually I dream about shopping sprees and sexy dudes on the beach.”

  Should I let her think it’s a dream?

  “I mean, I thought I was up, but maybe I laid back down…” Marcy pinched her thigh, doubting in the reality around her.

  The office door opened and a nurse in pink scrubs leaned out to flash a friendly smile. “Chloe Drakenstone,” she called.

  “That’s me.” Without responding to Marcy’s bewildered speculations, Chloe grabbed her friend by the hand, laced their fingers, and dragged her into the back.

  ***

  With her two best friends present, Chloe answered a series of personal questions about the state of her health while the nurse took notes. Afterward, the chipper doctor squeezed cold goop onto Chloe’s bare midriff.

  “KY Jelly? Really?” Marcy asked. “Probably the only time you’ve ever needed the stuff, huh? As much as you and Saul went at it, you clearly don’t need any.”

  “ Marcy. ”

  Mahasti snickered from her seat by the wall where she had settled to remain out of the way. The very moment the appointment ended, Chloe and Mahasti were going to have a stern conversation about granting inappropriate wishes. As much as she adored the genie, a little warning would have been appreciated.

  “Okay, Mrs. Drakenstone. Are you ready to see and hear your jellybean?” the doctor asked. Her obstetrician was a spritely woman with a short bob of brown hair and a freckled nose. Doctor Thompson’s reassuring smile melted some of Chloe’s apprehension.

  “I’m ready.”

  “This is so weird,” Marcy muttered.

  I’m going to have to tell her when we leave. Tell her what’s really going on. She still thinks she’s dreaming all of this in her bed while she sleeps off a hangover.

  Moments after the doctor placed the funny probe to Chloe’s tummy and moved it through the slick field of lubricant, a rapid ‘whoosh whoosh whoosh’ sound began. The doctor slid the probe left then right as the black and white picture came into focus.

  “There’s your baby’s heartbeat. We don’t normally hear that unless the pregnancy is beyond the seven or eight week mark.”

  “Is this good then?”

  Doctor Thompson didn’t answer immediately. “Hm… Interesting,” she muttered.

  “What is it?” Chloe jerked her eyes away from the ultrasound screen to the doctor.

  “Are you positive about the date of your last period?”

  “Um, yeah?”

  “She was a real grouchy bitch,” Marcy added cheerfully.

  “Why? Is something wrong?” Chloe’s throat tightened. Mahasti squeezed her fingers in reassurance and Marcy rubbed her shoulder.

  “This fetus is rather large for gestation. I would have estimated a conception in March or early April.”

  “So my baby is too big? What does that mean?”

  “I wouldn’t say too big. The development appears appropriate for this size as well. Everything is there. Fingers and toes. If there’s any cause for concern, I’ll let you know,” the doctor assured her. The woman smiled again, but this time her sunny disposition failed to ease Chloe’s growing anxiety. “Yo
ur labs are a little unusual, so I’d like you to come in for a complete fasting blood work tomorrow. No food after midnight, okay?”

  After wiping the goop off of Chloe’s tummy, Doctor Thompson printed a few photos and saved a digital video to a disc. Chloe left the office feeling numb and terrified, with an appointment to return. Her elation dwindled to a cold knot of fear that twisted her belly with nausea.

  Marcy pinched herself again. “I don’t like this dream anymore.” Like Chloe, she looked scared and nervous. “Why can’t I wake up?” She pinched the back of her left hand and paced in a circle.

  “It isn’t a dream, Marce.”

  Saul’s sleek silver vehicle pulled into park. Leiv left the driver’s seat and opened the door for the women to pile into the spacious rear. Marcy hesitated at the door until Chloe pulled on her hand to coax her inside the vehicle.

  “Come on, Marce. We gotta talk.” And close the damned car door before more cold air gets out. Chloe fanned herself and positioned her body to receive maximum current from the vents. Cool air rustled her hair, a godsend for a pregnant woman.

  “Okay, chica, spill it. What the heck is going on?”

  “You aren’t dreaming. All of this is real. You’re in California with me, but an hour ago you were back home in Texas, probably about to flat iron your hair and finish your makeup.”

  “How the fuck did I get here?” Marcy demanded, her voice shooting up an octave. “Chloe, I don’t get it. How am I here? ”

  “I am to blame for your current whereabouts,” Mahasti answered, calm and unruffled as ever.

  “Who are you?”

  “I should have introduced you. Marcy, Mahasti is Saul’s um…”

  “I am a djinn.”

  Marcy’s eyes crossed. “A whatsa?”

  “A djinn,” Chloe replied. “She’s a… a genie, Marcy. That’s how you got here. I said I wished you were with me and Mahasti made it happen.”

  Silence. Marcy stared at her as if she’d grown a second or third head.

  I need to prove it to her. She’s never going to believe what’s going on until she sees it for herself. “I wish we were home right now.”