Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Daxter's Dilemma

She wanted down off the dragon's back. So Daxter landed. He tried to help Lauren, but she continued to refuse him. As soon as they were on the ground, her stomach revolted, and he wore the evidence. She was so sick because of the baby. But she wouldn't let him touch her.

He definitely screwed up.

He walked a few feet through the rocks and over a small hill and found a covered stream. Water was so precious in their desert that it was protected. He entered the stream in the area used for watering livestock. Here, he could wash the puke from his body again. Lauren was mad. Which meant that she didn't make any attempt to aim the contents of her stomach away from him… So, he needed to wash. He would bring his mate here when she finished getting sick. Maybe floating in the cool water would help her.

Not that she would talk to him. She refused to communicate either verbally or on their developing mental path...

Hell, she'd probably never use that ability again except when she rode his dragon. Dax thought she'd enjoy having mental conversations with not just him and his dragon, but with anyone she wanted to. She'd been a little nervous about that skill. And he knew he needed to explain that having a dragon baby meant her body and mind were changing.

She hadn't seemed to mind being able to use telepathy to talk to him in his human form.

But she completely freaked out when his parents and some of the castle workers spoke to her in her mind. She didn't know how to block their communication and wouldn't let him teach her. Not knowing what was happening to her… scared her and made her very unhappy. It bothered her so much—she demanded to leave. She wanted her family. And now she was refusing to talk to him verbally or mentally. She had gone beyond mad.

She was mad at him for not telling her he'd removed the sperm inhibitor. She had reminded him that she wasn't his slave—she was his partner. She said something about it being her body, her choice… that she wasn't ready to be pregnant. Her anger centered on how there was already too much upheaval in her life. Too much change. She needed to be settled and prepared for a child. To figure out what being pregnant would mean for her when she was living on a planet that wasn't her own. And he'd taken away her choice. Making a child all about him. Not them.

Her biggest objection and one of the things she was most mad about had to do with him not explaining before she got pregnant … what it would mean for her to carry a dragon child in her very human body.

Right now, with her vomiting every five minutes, she pretty much hated him. She wanted her cousins, and she didn't want to talk to Dax for at least a week. She didn't realize that he could not only talk to her, but read her mind. His dragon and their child strengthened his path to Lauren. No one else could read her thoughts. But Daxter could, and right now his mate had no plans to go back to the castle with him. She wanted to stay with Kaitlyn or Makayla.

Daxter took the long way to Kaitlyn's, hoping to give them some time to work things out. But Lauren couldn't stop vomiting long enough to talk, and for the few short moments she wasn't sick, she wouldn't even look at him. So that backfired on him as well.

She had accused him of withholding information that was important to her health and well-being.

And he had to admit she was right. He thought she'd be as excited as he was about strengthening their bond. But not talking about his decision with her—weakened it. And now he didn't know what to do. There were other things he needed to tell her about being pregnant with a dragon child. Things that were going to piss her off… no matter what he did. She was mad now. If he told her the rest—she'd be furious.

But how would she feel if he didn't tell her?

Instead of staying with her cousins for a week or two, it would take months to get her home. She might even get mad enough to call off this human wedding.

So, did he tell her? Or stay quiet and let her discover the changes to her body on her own.

Shit. He had to tell her.

Lauren couldn't stay with her cousins without him. Because one of the issues with carrying a dragon child… was her appetite.

He went hunting after she fell asleep each night. He knew she wouldn't eat the animals he brought her. Not if she was awake. So, he killed, skinned, and deboned a creature each night, putting the fresh meat next to where she slept. In a dream state, she consumed the offering, without being aware of what she'd done.

No. When she found out she was eating raw, still-warm meat—she'd lose her mind.

He realized Lauren was right. He should have talked with her before taking the steps that got her pregnant. Dax shouldn't have let it be a surprise. The surprise backfired... and now it might be too late to reclaim the love and trust they'd shared. He really screwed up. He'd like to blame it on being not only a dragon —but royalty. Those two things played into making decisions without input from others. But this was different, and his actions affected Lauren in a big way. She was right—it was her body.

Daxter stripped and walked into the cold stream, dunking his head under the water and swimming downstream. He thought if he could find some fish, that he might entice his mate into eating something more than his nocturnal offering.

A spaceship shot over his head, and he frowned. Wondering why Makayla and Falcon were out this way. And then he realized what must have happened.

Lauren's expanding telepathy powers must have reached a point where she connected with her cousin. All she thought about as they traveled was how much she needed Makayla. The woman was her cousin, but when Lauren's parents died, it had been Makayla who raised her. Definitely a mother figure in Lauren's eyes. And Lauren had been wishing for her. With her mind filled with thoughts of needing the other woman, Makayla somehow received the message and, of course, answered the call.

Daxter sighed. He'd better get out of the water and back to his mate so they could leave in the spaceship. There would be no more dragging out the trip, hoping Lauren would forgive him.

It shocked Dax to see the ship leave. He was even more stunned to discover his mate was gone.

She left without him!