Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
It took nearly two weeks of kissing Trahern whenever they were alone before he finally agreed to go on a picnic with her and the twins.
Although as she finished packing the nappy bag for the day, her mind drifted back to his earlier kiss, one that had ended with her nearly humping his leg.
He’d become obsessed with making her hotter, teasing her with lips and tongue and teeth, and making her constantly yearn for more.
And he’d only kissed her mouth, and from her neckline up to her hair.
She hadn’t even removed her shirt yet, for crying out loud.
Still, she’d never felt like this before. Almost as if he really did think she was the most beautiful woman in the world. One he treasured and devoured and craved.
The little voice inside her head warned that she’d been charmed before. However, she quickly tamped it back down. Trahern had done more for her than that bastard ever had, many times over. She wouldn’t compare the two.
Not wanting to dwell on her past, Grace glanced at her boys in the pram and rearranged the little hats on their heads. “You’re both getting so big already. At this rate, we’re going to have to get you some new clothes again in a week or two.”
Eli bashed the little stuffed dragon toy in his hand against the side of the pram, babbling like he always did. Eddie merely held his little toy and watched everyone with wide eyes.
She’d worried at first about Eddie being fussy yet quiet, but Trahern, Sid, and Gregor had all assured her the boys seemed to be fine and didn’t suffer any aftereffects from the drugs she’d been given. Some babies were just quieter and more reserved than others.
Trahern emerged with the little wagon full of supplies for their picnic, and Grace smiled at him. “We don’t need that much stuff. We’re only going out for a few hours.”
He readjusted his glasses. “I want to be prepared. The weather may turn cold or rainy at any moment.”
“Well, then let’s hurry to this secret spot of yours before the sun goes away.”
He nodded, stared at her lips, shook his head, and started pulling the wagon. “This way.”
Grace pushed the pram, and after a few seconds of companionable silence, she glanced at Trahern. As the sun reflected off his lenses, she asked, “Why do you wear glasses? I thought dragon-shifters didn’t need them.”
“Most don’t. I caught a rare disease as a child. It went untreated for too long, and my sight deteriorated in my left eye.”
“I’m so sorry.” She hesitated, but reminded herself to be blunt with Trahern. “Your father didn’t take you to a doctor as soon as you were ill?”
“No. I was sick for three days before he even noticed. I always wondered if he’d found a way to infect me deliberately, hoping I’d die.”
“Trahern, that’s horrible.”
“Yes. But it was far from his first attempt to kill me in a way that made it look natural. But I was clever and learned to watch out for him as I aged. I knew more about plants than he did, so he could never poison me, even though he tried.”
Unable to help herself, Grace took his empty hand in hers and squeezed. After stiffening a second, Trahern squeezed her back before threading their fingers together.
As much as she enjoyed kissing, happiness washed over her as she held Trahern’s hand. His solid presence was coming to mean so much to her already.
Eli started babbling again and nearly tossed his dragon out of the pram. Grace caught it, tucked it back beside her son, and softly told him not to throw his toys.
She half-listened as Trahern went into detail about trajectories and how one day, he’d teach Eli how to best utilize his height and strength to throw greater distances.
Grace studied Trahern as he talked. He’d gone through so much, and it couldn’t have been easy to share his past with her.
And what had she done to repay that trust? Not much—she’d barely revealed anything to him.
She knew it was unfair. And yet, she was afraid to open that box and see what happened.
However, more and more she yearned for a life as Trahern Lewis’s mate in truth. And unless she started telling him about some of her painful memories, there wouldn’t be any real future for them.
Before she could talk herself out of it, in the next lull she said softly, “I spent six months inside that prison.”
He glanced at her, but she kept her gaze on her sons. They kept her grounded and were the reason she’d pushed aside the difficult memories to carry on as normally as she could.
For them, she also needed to be brave about her time inside. She wouldn’t fully heal until she did.
And out of everyone, she trusted Trahern the most.
After taking a deep breath, she continued, “I don’t remember most of it, though. I was drugged and kept in a room with an attached toilet. I spent most of my time staring out the window, finding shapes in the clouds. Or, memorized who came and went, just in case I found a chance to escape.
“However, as my pregnancy progressed, and I grew bigger and bigger, I knew I’d never be able to run or climb or get away.
” Reaching out an arm, she traced Eli’s cheek and then Eddie’s.
“These two kicked a lot, helping to distract me. But as the months went by, I started to wonder if the prison staff would ever let me hold them. The drugs made my thoughts hazy, and yet I’d slowly pieced together how they intended to take my boys, raise them as loyal soldiers in their fight, and test out some new equipment on them.
I never learned what type exactly, but even the little I overheard terrified me, to the point I started to think death might be our only way to escape. ”
She lifted her gaze to the hills in the distance. She hadn’t meant to mention the last part, she really hadn’t. So much for keeping this lighter for their picnic.
Trahern squeezed her hand and stated, “But you’re here now, Grace. You and Eddie and Eli.”
She looked at her sons and smiled. “We are.” Her eyes moved to Trahern’s.
“When I thought I was going to die in childbirth, all I wanted to do was live. To be with my sons and love them the way I’d always wanted to be loved as a child.
And you made that happen with your magical serum, Trahern. Thank you.”
His pupils flashed a second before he cleared his throat and looked away. “I don’t know if it saved you for certain. It needs to be tested more to determine its efficacy.”
Grace could force herself to share more about the bastard who tricked her and handed her over to the prison. Share the heartbreak and sense of betrayal and his eyes changing into those of a monster.
But as the sun broke from the clouds and light danced upon a small lake in the distance, she decided it could wait. She wanted to have a nice, fun day with her mate and her boys.
So, she changed the subject. “Tell me about your research with children and inner dragons. When will you get to see little Freya again?”
And as she listened, Trahern’s voice helped chase away the past and some of the shadows. Even just sharing a little had made her feel lighter already.
Trahern had never experienced a surge of rage or the need to hurt others before, until Grace had said she’d been so depressed and terrified of what might happen to her children that she’d thought about ending it all.
He knew there was more she wasn’t telling him. While Trahern didn’t know all of Grace’s history, he’d assisted Dr. Sid and Dr. Turner with some of the former prisoners. Hayley Beckett had also recounted what she’d seen.
And since Trahern wasn’t a Protector or any kind of warrior, he had focused his talents on counter-serums, antidotes, and even ways of incapacitating large numbers of humans without killing them or hurting dragon-shifters.
Bloody dragon hunters. He looked forward to the day they lost most of their power and dragon-shifters had more equal footing.
For now, however, he answered Grace’s questions about his work, sensing she wanted to change the subject. He’d become a lot better at reading her expressions and moods, although he still wasn’t an expert.
His dragon had helped him navigate it all, too. While working more and more together was tiring, he was learning to appreciate his beast’s input, especially when it came to Grace and the twins.
His family.
Even if he hadn’t claimed Grace, or worked up the courage to try, he enjoyed kissing her. And holding her hand. A lot. Both things he never thought he’d like, let alone crave.
But he had a different goal today, one he was nervous about. So much so, his palms sweated more and more the closer they got to the lake.
Because he wanted to show Grace and the boys his dragon form.
His beast spoke up. We’ll work together and shift easier this time, you’ll see.
Doing so in the past had always taken work and time. True, Trahern’s dragon had never spoken to him as much as he had over the last two months, so maybe it would be easier.
His dragon spoke again. Don’t fight me as I take control. If you don’t, then shifting will go a lot smoother.
Trahern had never liked handing over control to his beast. Most dragon-shifters didn’t hesitate. And yet, the one time his dragon had tried to contain him in order to claim the naked female all those years ago still made him reluctant.
His dragon stated, I won’t try to claim Grace, no matter how much I want to. She isn’t ready, nor are you. I just want her and our sons to see our dragon form.
It was the first time his beast had referred to Eli and Eddie as theirs, and a sense of rightness settled over Trahern. He may not be their biological father, but they would need a lot of guidance on being dragon-shifters as they grew up. Guidance on topics he still needed to master himself.
As he glanced at Grace making silly faces at the twins, he smiled. Yes, for her and the boys, he could do this and become proficient at it. He replied, We’ll show her today. No matter how long it takes.
His beast sniffed. It will be faster than before. Trust me.
He did. Mostly.