Chapter 22
TYREL
Over the next week, I rented a small house for us on the island and prepared to move my mate there. Everything had to be done quickly, because I could see Adrian look more and more tired each day, although I made him eat as much as he could possibly stomach.
It was a good thing he was getting two kids out of this, because once this was over, I was never putting him through another pregnancy again.
Once I got him on the airplane to the island—how ridiculous was it that I couldn't just fly him there?—he slept through the entire flight, although he'd claimed to be excited about the trip.
When the plane landed, I nudged his shoulder.
"We're there."
He blinked sleepily. "There?" He looked outside the window.
"The island, love."
"Oh." He smiled. "Is there food at the airport? I could eat."
"You'll get plenty to eat, but not at the airport. I've had our home stocked and we'll be there in a few minutes." I stood and helped him out of his seat as the plane emptied.
"Yeah? It's close?"
I grinned at him. "Anywhere's close when you have wings."
He grinned right back at me, the sleep falling off him. "I can't wait to see your wings."
"And I can hardly wait to show you."
We walked out of the plane, collected our luggage, and passed security.
I was sure my mother would somehow be notified of my arrival as soon as I showed my ID around here, but there was little that could be done about that.
I had to make the woman see reason, and soon.
I'd picked my mate, and she didn't have a say in the matter.
All that aside, it was splendid to be home. I drew the air deeply into my lungs once we were outside the gates. The sun shone brightly and the trees that lined the roads smelled of the freedom I didn't get anywhere but here.
The freedom to be myself, in my true form.
With another deep breath, I started the shift.
I heard Adrian gasp behind me and smiled to myself.
The man had likely never seen a dragon. At least, not outside one of those ridiculous circus shows some of us put on.
I could give him something better than that.
I closed my eyes as I felt my body stretch out, a comfortable warmth enveloping me, welcoming me home.
I spread my wings as soon as they formed. I was back, and I was a dragon.
When I opened my eyes again, the ground was a bit farther away than it had been, but my vision was sharper.
I saw my mate in front of me and a growl started in the back of my throat caused by both pride and carnal desire. Controlling my animal instincts was always a little more difficult in this form, but I suppressed the sound, so as not to startle my love.
Slowly, he came closer to me and rested a hand on the black scales of my forearm.
"That's amazing," he said, his eyes glowing. "Our children will be able to do that?"
"Yes." My voice was deeper now. "You're assembling little dragons inside yourself." Which was one reason it was so exhausting, and why I had to get him home. "Ready?"
He nodded.
I lifted him up on my back easily. "Hold on tight."
He put his arms around my neck and snuggled close. I picked up our suitcases, and then I lifted off.
The island spread out beneath us. Mostly beach and overgrown mountains and very little in between—the most beautiful place on earth to me.
The flight to our new home didn't take long. I almost wished it did, because I enjoyed feeling the wind under my wings, but for my mate's sake, I was glad that we could make the trip quickly.
I set him down when we landed in front of our house and turned back.
"Is this it?" He looked at the building with a sense of awe that I didn't understand.
The house I'd rented wasn't much. Nothing in comparison to the manor where my mother resided, certainly.
"I love it," he said. I tried to see the place through his eyes.
The house came with a small garden in the front and a large yard in the back, lots of green around it.
His brother's place had been surrounded only by other houses, so maybe it was the scenery he liked.
"I'm glad you do," I said. "But it's only temporary. I can buy us something more suitable when the baby is born and I get the inheritance."
He nodded, but his face fell.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure that I want big. It's just… this is cozy. It seems perfect for a small family. I don't want to live in a house that's so big I can go all day without seeing you or the kids."
"Oh, that's not going to happen. You're going to see a lot of me." I leaned in to kiss him. He was so cute with his nesting instincts and if this was what he wanted… "I can buy this for you." Anything you want. Just get through this pregnancy okay.
His eyes lit up and my heart pounded almost painfully in my chest.
By the Gods, I needed him to be okay.
So after I got him settled inside, I went to see my mother.
The manor was a good distance away from the house I'd just decided to buy, but I liked it that way, and with my wings, I could still make the trip in a short amount of time. I landed in front of the gates and strode inside without ringing the door. I had a key, after all.
Paul met me at the front door.
"Your mother is awaiting you inside," he told me with an expression that was almost sympathetic, as if I was still a little boy about to be scolded, but those days were over. I wasn't surprised that my mother had known I was coming. The lady had her eyes everywhere.
As per usual, I found her in her favorite sitting room—this manor had three for differing occasions.
"Tyrel," she greeted me. "How nice of you to pay your old mother a visit."
"Don't start like that. You know well why I sent you back home alone."
She raised her chin up high. "I know not what you think of me, son. I only urged you to make a better decision. It's what every parent wants for their child."
"Then you will understand that I want my child to live."
She narrowed her eyes at me. "Please, Tyrel. That's more than a child. That's a contract binding you to that human. He's not going to be any different than your father."
"I don't know what you mean by that."
She looked out the window, then back at me, as if she wasn't sure how much to tell me. With a sigh, she started to speak. "Not everything you've heard about fated mates was a fairy tale."
"Are you saying they exist?"
"I'm saying there's a good reason people nowadays pretend they don't."
"And what would that be?"
"If you truly want to know, why don't you go ask your father?" Mother shook his head. "He's the one who figured it out. He and his endless research…"
"You know I'm never going to talk to him. Not after the way he left you—left us."
"Perhaps that's for the better, but I'm not going to tell you."
"You simply don't want me to know. Why?"
She looked at her tea, ignoring me as if I wasn't in the room. She did this every time she didn't want to answer one of my questions. But I truly wasn't a little boy anymore, and she wasn't going to get away with it.
"Mother…" My voice was threateningly low.
Her eyes snapped back to me. "What is it that you want, Tyrel? Can you not see that I'm trying to protect you?"
"There's clearly something you can't see, and that is that if you touch my mate, or my children, I'm going to spend the rest of my life making you regret that decision."
"Are you threatening me?"
"That is entirely up to you, Mother."
"I wouldn't do anything to your mate. I'm only begging you to reconsider."
"And yet you won't tell me why."
"Because you would only make a foolish decision if I did."
I sighed. She was exceedingly frustrating today. "I'm not a child anymore. I can make my own decisions."
She stared out the window again. I decided to leave before I smashed her precious teacups. I'd made my point; that had to be enough for now. After all, I needed to get back to my mate to ensure his safety… and to take him to a doctor.