Chapter 10 Lawrence to the Rescue #2
“Davidson changed into a plane-sized dragon and told me I had to live with him and obey him. When I try to leave, I get sick. So hypothetically, if it isn’t a hallucination and dragons are real, then I have to do what he says and he’ll keep me alive.
I find him hot as hell, and the sex is incredible, so that makes things easier.
I don’t mind all that much, really. I need someone to set the rules for me anyway.
Usually, I only like power play in bed, and I never imagined being a full-time sub, but I’m starting to like it. I think I’ll get used to it.”
I thought it made perfect sense—he’d been through the same after all—but Lawrence looked horrified.
“A full-time sub?” he cried. “And he actually said you had to obey him?”
“It was…in the heat of the moment.”
Lawrence’s confused expression turned murderous. “That stupid old lizard,” he hissed, startling me. Wasn’t Davidson his boss? “How did you react to that?” he asked.
“I was low-key scared but mostly turned on. First, I thought I’d been drugged. Still haven’t ruled that out. But it’s more like I think I should be afraid, but I’m not. Which doesn’t make sense.”
“It makes perfect sense. It’s the bond tying you together, and obedience doesn’t have anything to do with it. Your subconscious knows Davidson would never hurt you, but your reason tells you he’s a nightmare and shouldn’t even exist.”
I blinked. That was exactly right. “Does the dragon exist?” I asked, my voice barely audible.
Lawrence sighed, looking at me with a sad smile. “He does. And you haven’t been drugged, and you’re not going crazy. Davidson is a dragon shifter, and you’re his mate.”
The firmness of his statement punched the breath out of me.
I knew he was telling the truth. I hadn’t even needed to ask him.
I knew all of it myself. I felt strangely light in my body, as if gravitational forces had suddenly weakened, and I was floating above the sofa instead of sitting on it. My stomach ached.
“I…” What was I going to say?
See? You’ve known this. You belong to Davidson.
“You don’t have to obey anyone, Leonard.
The bond goes both ways. Whatever careless nonsense Davidson told you when he was acting like a monster, first and foremost, he needs you to be happy.
He will never expose you to any danger. Not from himself or from anyone else. You’re his ultimate priority. The one.”
Now that didn’t make sense at all. My confusion must have shown on my face because Lawrence waved his hand in the air dismissively.
“Never mind. I’m not going to tidy up his mess for him. He’ll have to sort that out all by himself. We’ll chat about the easy stuff. Are you experiencing some physical changes already?”
Specific questions were good. I could do this. “Swollen belly and wet ass. Constant horniness like I’m about to go into heat any second. No matter how upset I am, I crave dick several times a day.” And Davidson hadn’t fucked me since yesterday morning. Why?
Lawrence’s red ears got an even darker shade.
“Yes. Um. That’s correct. And the clear milk.
” He pointed at his chest vaguely. “The symptoms freaked me out at first, but it’s nothing dangerous.
Once the…uh…dragon semen gets into your system, your body starts changing.
The physical signs are an important part of the bonding. Have you…nursed him?”
I nodded.
“Weird, huh? Did you like it?”
“Oh yeah.” I fucking adored the delicate sensation of the milk streaming out of my nipples when he sucked them.
“Great. Keep doing that. It helps.”
“With what? It only makes me hornier.”
“It’s supposed to strengthen the bond. It’ll all make sense in a few days, I promise. And the, um, horniness. Just let it flow.”
I snorted. “Let it flow? You mean keep fucking?”
He shrugged and bit his lip. “I think Ernest and I did it like fifty times during the first couple of weeks alone.”
Davidson and I could do more than that. I mentally slapped myself.
“You’re Davidson’s assistant?”
“Yes. I’ve worked for him for ages. I met Ernest through him.”
“And you didn’t know that…”
“Ugh, no.” He shuddered. “I only found out afterward.” He blew out a breath.
“I’ve seen Davidson in dragon form a couple of times.
You must have been out of your mind with fear.
Davidson is the largest dragon I know, and the thorns on his head are bizarrely ominous.
” Lawrence gestured with his hands a lot when he spoke.
“He’s quite cranky too, both man and dragon.
I used to be terrified of him even before I knew he could change into that.
” He paused, his eyes twinkling with a strange light.
“He’s set in his ways and a bit dense when it comes to other people’s feelings.
But he’s a great man with a genuinely good heart.
Don’t let him convince you of anything else. ”
“Does he pay you for saying that?” I said, smirking, then wishing I could take it back. I needed to quit being such a bitch all the time.
But Lawrence didn’t even blink. “No. Most of the time he pays me for arguing with him and saying things he doesn’t like to hear.”
I snorted. Maybe Lawrence wasn’t as preppy and uptight as he seemed to be.
“Seriously. He’s a good man,” he said. “You’re safe with him.”
“I only met him on Friday.”
Lawrence nodded seriously. “It takes time, but after a few weeks, it’ll feel like you’ve always known him.
I promise.” He reached out and patted my arm like we were buddies, and I managed not to recoil.
“Believe me, I freaked out big time as well. The first morning, I tried to leave but didn’t get further than the hallway in front of Ernest’s apartment. I thought I was going to suffocate.”
“You tried to leave too?”
“Of course. A guy I just slept with changes into a giant reptile and claims I must marry him and bear his children? I would have run for the hills if it weren’t for the bond.”
I winced. “I couldn’t even get to the door.”
“You’re tied together, and a significant part of you is already hooked on him.
It’s like your subconscious immediately clings to your mate, but the conscious brain must catch up.
It’s most intense the first week when you can’t be apart at all.
Which is good, because that way you get to know each other on a rational level as well.
You get more comfortable with him, and with that, short-term separation becomes possible.
Ernest and I went to work seven days after the bonding started.
I missed him terribly, but it was much worse for him. ”
Worse for the alpha? I’d automatically assumed it was just me. “How?”
“Dragon alphas find it extremely difficult to be away from their mates. Ernest hates it. We’ve never gone longer than a few days without one another. He can’t sleep without me.”
My face must have shown my surprise because Lawrence patted my arm again.
“For them, it’s instant and all-changing. They just know.” He shrugged, giving me a sad half-smile. “Besides, Davidson’s been waiting for you. He’s already so in love with you. He’s probably pacing around the office right now, driving himself crazy with worry.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “He doesn’t even know me.” And hopefully, he never would, or he’d get rid of me; eternal bonds be damned.
“He doesn’t have to. Once the dragon chooses a mate, it’s final. Davidson will love you for the rest of his life. It’s inevitable. Like gravity.”
“I’m not the type of guy people love for the rest of their lives, Lawrence.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Why not?”
I didn’t bother replying. Outside, the sun peeked out from between the clouds, and the bright light reflected in the pool.
I watched the play of sunlight on the water and wondered if I could resign on reality and reason and start believing in love.
If I gave it my all, I’d be an obedient fucktoy.
But love? That concept was alien to me. I’d held in contempt people who threw the word around like it was a matter of course.
“Davidson mentioned you cried. Can I ask why?”
Because I’m a worthless excuse of a person, and my dream dragon will soon find out. “I’m all over the place. Nothing makes sense. One minute, I accuse him of drugging me, the next, I beg him to hold me because I can’t bear to be without him.”
Lawrence was looking at me with strange intensity, and I didn’t like it. I had a suspicion he was quite observant.
“He won’t harm you in any way. Ever.”
“He keeps saying that. He’s also seven feet of solid muscle and could snap me like a twig.”
“Davidson isn’t seven feet tall. He’s six-eight at best.”
I only stared at him blankly.
“Never mind. He literally can’t hurt you. He’d rather burn the world down before he’d hurt you.”
I wouldn’t give him a reason either. Just to be sure. An obedient little mate.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” Lawrence asked.
“I kind of want to. But you just walked in twenty minutes ago and are his employee.”
He stared at me, his gaze calculating. A few seconds went by. Then he wiggled, settling deeper into the cushions.
“The attraction is most confusing, isn’t it?” he said. “You want to hate him, say no to him, but you can’t stay away. You’re afraid of him, but at the same time, you want nothing more than to roll around in bed with him for the rest of the day.”
I snorted. “Pretty much. I’m only weeks away from my heat too, which doesn’t help with keeping my libido in check.”
Lawrence’s eyes widened with surprise, then he grimaced. “Oh shit.”
“What?”
“Weeks?”
“I’m supposed to go into heat in the middle of next month, why?”
“I hate to break it to you, but it might be earlier than that.”
My heart stuttered, and I had a strange sense of déjà vu. Like I was supposed to know something because I’d thought about it before but forgot. Something obvious. “Come again?”
“The changes in your body…” He squeezed his eyes shut and flicked his wrist, like he was searching for the right words.