Under the Dragon’s Spell (Fires of Fate #1)
Chapter 1
ADRIAN
When my boyfriend and steady partner of five years handed me a suitcase with my things and told me to get out, I was pretty sure my life was over. The worst thing, though, was that it didn't take me by surprise.
I only looked at Rory, standing in the den of our small house, and the red suitcase he was shoving at me, and asked, "Did you pack my tooth brush?"
It seemed like such a silly thing to ask, but there wasn't any room for deeper thoughts in my head. I'd loved this man who was kicking me out. I'd thought we were going to have a family together, one or two children, maybe a cat... I'd thought we would have forever.
But at the same time, I'd never really believed it. Some part of me had been waiting for this all along, and all the recent fighting hadn't done much to reassure me.
"I packed all your shit." Rory ran a hand through his hair.
I looked at the suitcase. Apparently, all my shit fit into it.
Another thing that wasn't hard to believe.
Most of the things we had belonged to Rory, really.
He earned most of the money. All I had were occasional crappy jobs stocking shelves.
These days it was difficult to get anything else when you were an omega male—a man able to bear children.
I'd wanted to have Rory's children, but it had never happened.
Since he was kicking me out, maybe that was for the better.
"Why?" I asked him, trying to keep my composure as I picked up the suitcase.
He looked away as if he was suddenly ashamed, a flicker of doubt in his blue eyes. "I haven't always been faithful, you know. Sometimes you didn't want to, and then I had to..." He cleared his throat.
I grit my teeth. I'd suspected he didn't always keep his hands to himself when he ran out after we had a fight, but to have it confirmed was something else entirely. I'd never become violent in my whole life, but that moment, I wanted to punch him. Until he spoke on.
"I'm going to be a father."
I dropped the suitcase, it snapped open and the contents spilled out on the wooden floor.
"Fuck," I cursed, momentarily distracted as I knelt down to shove my clothes back into the case.
Tears stung at my eyes and I had to grab some of my things blindly.
When Rory reached down to help me, I slapped his hand away.
If he'd opened this conversation with that line, he wouldn't have had to tell me to get out, I would have left of my own accord while my dignity was still somewhat intact.
No chance of that happening now. The tears were coming and I couldn't stop them.
How could he knock someone else up after we'd been trying for so long?
"Who is he?" I demanded.
Rory rubbed the back of his neck. "Just some dude I met at a bar a few weeks ago."
I rubbed at my eyes and stared at him.
"I didn't plan it, okay?"
I wanted to yell at him, but I didn't even know what to say. All the words stuck in my throat.
"It wouldn't have happened if you'd just gotten pregnant, you know? But something's wrong with you."
I picked up one of the shirts that had landed on the floor and slapped him with it. Nothing was wrong with me. I'd had myself checked.
But if he'd knocked someone else up now, there was obviously nothing wrong with him either. And I couldn't stay here any longer. I grabbed everything I could, including the suitcase, and left him staring after me in astonishment, one hand on his cheek.
I ran for a block or two, then stopped, sat on my suitcase and cried my eyes out.
God, I was so stupid. I should have left that bastard a long time ago, but I'd kept believing that things would eventually work out.
Ever since I was little and I'd watched my mother waste away in a haze of cigarette smoke and the stench of alcohol, all I'd wanted was to start a family of my own away from her and have children.
I really thought Rory would be the man to give them to me.
Stupid.
Now what was I going to do?
I didn't have a place to live. I didn't even have a job.
I dried my eyes on my sleeve and looked down the street. My brother didn't live far from here. He wouldn't be happy to have me, but he wouldn't turn me away either—I hoped.
Jackson did let me into his house, but not without poking fun at me first.
"So you're not even good at being an omega?" he asked. "How hard can it be to an obedient little bitch?"
I drew my lips into a thin line and said nothing. People had all these misconceptions about omegas being complete wimps and Jackson was never going to let go of his, no matter what I told him. The fact that I did look like a sad little loser right now probably didn't help matters.
"Can you do the cooking?" he asked.
I nodded. Although I didn't like to strengthen the omega-in-the-kitchen stereotype in his head, I did like cooking.
He stepped aside. "Come in then. You can have the guest room upstairs, but eventually, you're gonna have to help me with the bills around here."
"Sure. Thank you." Whatever. I only wanted to unpack and cry myself to sleep somewhere no one could see me.
My brother could mock my omega status all he wanted, but I knew there was no better feeling in the world than to be treasured by the man you loved with all your heart and to take care of them in return.
Sadly, I wasn't likely to experience that again.
Even what I'd had seemed to have been fake, after all.
The first few weeks after my break-up with Rory, I spent trying to stay out of my brother's way.
I needed to find a job, so I could move out and get back on my feet, but it was difficult.
I hadn't held a job in year, and companies didn't like to see the gap in my CV.
They liked it even less when I explained how it got there.
Lots of people liked to have omegas as partners, but few people liked to hire them for jobs. We didn't have 'leadership qualities.'
I have to laugh every time I think about that, if only because I don't want to cry.
My friends told me to try to get over the break-up and find another partner who would support me, but I wasn't sure how easy that would be either, or how much I truly wanted that.
It was when I was strolling through the park one day to get away from my nagging brother when my luck started to turn.
At least, I could feel the faintest glimmer of hope starting to grow in my chest. The reason was a discarded newspaper I picked up only because I was bored and needed to kill a few hours before I could return home.
On one of the pages, I found an ad. It looked silly at first, but interesting nonetheless.
"Currently seeking single human omega to mate with the heir of the prestigious Dragonfang Clan to ensure the continuation of the family line.
Please send your resume to the following address.
Include your history with child bearing, if any.
Long term position. Only apply if you are willing to relocate to the Island of Dragons upon acceptance. "
Then it went on to talk about high pay, health insurance coverage, food and board…
I stared at it for a good few minutes. This ad had been written by actual dragons.
I'd rarely seen any. Usually, they stayed up on their island and didn't come over to the mainland unless they had to.
But now they wanted to mate with humans?
No, they wanted to find an omega who could give them a child.
I shuddered in spite of the warm spring breeze that blew over my skin.
Rory had wanted children too, but even though I was fertile, I had never become pregnant. I swallowed as my stomach knotted at the memory of the many fights we'd had over this very issue. Why had it never worked between us?
Doesn't matter. He's knocked someone else up now.
What if I did the same thing Rory had done and simply had my child with someone else?
No, it would be silly to apply. Still, I kept staring at the ad.
In the upper right corner of it, there was a picture of the grand heir of the Dragonfang Clan, the person looking for a mate.
He was handsome in a rough, devilish sort of way.
Even on the grainy photograph, his dark eyes held a certain twinkle to them that told me he would speak commands easily, that he knew exactly how to treat a partner in and out of the bedroom, how to receive pleasure, and how to give it in return.
Heat rushed to my groin and I put the newspaper away.
I wasn't ready for another partner right now.