Chapter 9

NINE

K eir awoke to unfamiliar surroundings, his senses immediately attuned to the warm presence beside him. Cat lay curled against his side, her chestnut hair fanned out across the pillow, her face peaceful in sleep. The events of the previous night rushed back to him, filling him with a mixture of awe and contentment he’d never experienced in his four centuries of existence.

His dragon, usually a restless force within him, purred with satisfaction. There was no doubt in Keir’s mind now - Cat was his mate. The realization should have terrified him, given his long-standing aversion to commitment, but instead, it felt right. Natural. As if all the centuries he’d lived had been leading him to this moment, to her.

Keir propped himself up on one elbow, drinking in the sight of Cat’s sleeping form. She looked so vulnerable, so trusting. He remembered the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes last night, the moment of hesitation before she’d given in to their mutual desire. His protective instincts surged. He’d do anything to keep her safe, to prove to her what they shared was real and lasting.

As if sensing his gaze, Cat stirred, her eyelids fluttering open. For a moment, confusion clouded her expression, quickly replaced by recognition and then - to Keir’s dismay - a flash of panic.

“Good morning,” he said softly, wanting to put her at ease. “How did you sleep?”

Cat sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest. “I... fine. Good morning.” She glanced around her own bedroom, her cheeks flushing. “I... um... should probably get up.”

Keir’s heart sank at her apparent discomfort, but he kept his voice calm. “There’s no rush. Why don’t I make us some breakfast first? I make a mean omelet.”

Surprise flickered across Cat’s face. “You don’t have to do that. I’m sure you need to get back to your place...”

Keir shook his head, offering a reassuring smile. “I’d like to cook for you, if you’ll let me. Besides, I think we should talk.”

Cat bit her lip, clearly torn, but finally nodded. “Okay. That would be nice. Thank you.”

As Keir made his way to Cat’s kitchen, familiarizing himself with the layout and contents of her cupboards, he steeled himself for the conversation ahead. He knew he had to tell her the truth about his nature, about what she meant to him. It was a risk, but after last night, he couldn’t bear the thought of any secrets between them.

The aroma of coffee and sizzling eggs soon filled the apartment. Keir heard Cat moving about in her bedroom, likely getting dressed. He took a deep breath, centering himself. Whatever happened next would shape their future, and he was determined to face it head-on.

When Cat emerged, dressed in comfortable loungewear, her hair pulled back in a messy bun, Keir’s breath caught in his throat. Even like this - or perhaps especially like this - she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“That smells amazing,” Cat said, offering a shy smile as she took a seat at her small kitchen island.

Keir placed a plate in front of her, then settled across from her with his own. “I hope you like it. It’s my special recipe - handed down through generations of Sharpes.”

As they ate, Keir could sense Cat’s nervousness. She kept darting glances at him as if trying to gauge his mood. He knew he had to put her at ease before he could broach the subject of his true nature.

“Cat,” he began, setting down his fork. “About last night...”

“It’s okay,” she interrupted quickly. “I understand if it was just... you know, a one-time thing. We don’t have to make it weird at work or anything.”

Keir’s heart clenched at the resignation in her voice. “That’s not what I was going to say at all,” he said firmly. “Last night meant a great deal to me, Cat. More than I can express. In fact, there’s something I need to tell you - something that might help explain why I feel so strongly about you.”

Cat’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Keir took a deep breath. It was now or never. “Cat, what I’m about to tell you might sound impossible, even crazy. But I need you to hear me out. Can you do that?”

She nodded slowly, her eyes wide with curiosity and a hint of apprehension.

“I’m not... entirely human,” Keir began, his voice low and intense. “I’m a dragon shifter. I’ve lived for over four hundred years, and in all that time, I’ve never felt the way I do about you.”

Cat’s fork clattered to her plate. “You’re... what?”

Keir pressed on, determined to lay all his cards on the table. “In dragon culture, we have something called mates - one person we’re destined to be with. I never believed in it, never thought I’d experience it. But Cat, from the moment I met you, I knew you were different. Special. You’re my mate.”

He watched as a myriad of emotions flashed across Cat’s face - disbelief, confusion, wonder, and finally, a flicker of something that looked like hope.

“Why are you telling me this?” she whispered.

Keir reached across the island, taking her hand in his. To his relief, she didn’t pull away. “Because I want there to be no secrets between us. I know you’ve been hurt before, Cat. I know trusting someone new is hard for you. But I need you to understand - what I feel for you isn’t fleeting. It’s not going to go away. You’re it for me.”

Cat’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Keir, I... this is a lot to take in. A dragon? Mates? It sounds like something out of one of my animes.”

Despite the gravity of the moment, Keir couldn’t help but chuckle. “I suppose it does. But I swear to you, it’s the truth. I’m not expecting you to accept everything right away. I know you need time. But I want you to know where I stand. I’m in this, Cat. Completely.”

Cat nodded slowly, her thumb absently stroking the back of his hand. “I believe you,” she said softly, surprising them both. “I don’t know why, but I do. It’s just... I’m scared, Keir. My last relationship...”

“Tell me,” Keir encouraged gently.

Cat took a deep breath, her fingers tracing the rim of her coffee mug as she gathered her thoughts. Keir waited patiently, giving her the space to open up at her own pace.

“It was my third year of grad school,” she began, her voice soft but steady. “I was working on two degrees simultaneously, barely sleeping, living on coffee and determination. His name was Richard. He was charming, attentive... at first.”

Keir listened intently, his jaw clenching as he anticipated where this story was heading.

“I thought I’d found someone who understood me, you know? Who appreciated my drive and my passion for technology. But as time went on, he started making little comments. About how I was always working, always distracted. How I never had time for him.”

Cat’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I tried to make more time, I really did. But my studies were important to me. I thought he understood that.”

Keir reached across the island, taking her hand in his. She gave him a grateful smile before continuing.

“One day, a classmate pulled me aside after a lecture. She looked so uncomfortable, like she’d rather be anywhere else. That’s when she showed me the video.”

Cat’s voice cracked slightly. Keir squeezed her hand, offering silent support.

“It was Richard, at a party I’d been too busy to attend, with one girl riding him and his tongue down some other girl’s throat. When I confronted him, he didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed. He said...” Cat took a shaky breath. “He said he had ‘needs’ and that I was boring. That if I couldn’t fulfill something as simple as sex, he had to look elsewhere.” She let her shoulders drop. “He said it was never very good with me and I wasn’t very interesting. That he dated me because of our families, but that he couldn’t keep doing it. He needed someone with some heat and I was cold.”

Keir felt his dragon roar to life inside him, a protective rage surging through his veins. How dare anyone treat his mate this way? He wanted nothing more than to hunt down this Richard and show him exactly what happened to those who hurt what was his.

But Cat needed his support now, not his anger. He pushed down the dragon’s fury, focusing on her words.

“The worst part was, when I really thought about it, I realized it had probably been going on for months. All those late nights at ‘study groups,’ the secretive text messages. I’d been so caught up in my work, I hadn’t even noticed I was being betrayed. And I really thought he understood.”

Cat’s free hand clenched into a fist. “I felt so stupid, so naive. After that, it just seemed easier to focus on my career. At least code doesn’t lie, you know?”

Keir’s heart ached for her. He stood, moving around the island to kneel beside her stool. Looking up into her eyes, he spoke with quiet intensity.

“Cat, what that boy did to you was inexcusable. You weren’t stupid or naive. You were trusting, and he abused that trust. That’s on him, not you. As for you being cold, he lied. He just didn’t know how to turn you on.”

Cat gave him a watery smile. “I know that, logically. But emotionally...” She trailed off, biting her lip.

“I worry,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper, “that someone like you - successful, handsome, charming - might grow bored with me too. That I’m not enough.”

Keir felt as if his heart might shatter. He cupped her face gently in his hands, his hazel eyes boring into her brown ones.

“Catrina Reeves, listen to me very carefully,” he said, his voice low and fervent. “You are brilliant, beautiful, and endlessly fascinating. You’re the hottest woman I’ve ever met. In four hundred years, I have never met anyone who captivates me the way you do. Your passion for your work, your quick wit, the way your eyes light up when you talk about coding or anime - it all enthralls me.”

He brushed away a tear that had escaped down her cheek. “I could spend eternity learning about you and never grow bored. You are more than enough. You are everything .”

Cat’s eyes widened at the raw honesty in his voice. “But your lifestyle, the glamorous events, the beautiful people you’re always surrounded by…I can’t do that, Keir. I can’t be those people. I can barely function in small events...”

Keir shook his head, a rueful smile on his lips. “Window dressing, all of it. Necessary for business, perhaps, but meaningless to me personally. Do you know what I have been looking forward to most at the end of those long, tedious events since I met you?”

Cat shook her head slightly.

“Coming back to the office and seeing you, still hard at work, completely absorbed in solving some complex problem. In those moments, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

A blush crept up Cat’s cheeks, but she didn’t look away. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

“Every word,” Keir affirmed. “Cat, I’m in this for the long haul. Dragons mate for life, and even if we didn’t, I’d still choose you. Every day, for as long as you’ll have me.”

“I don’t know. What if you fall in love with someone else?”

Keir’s heart broke at the vulnerability in her voice. He stood and gathered her in his arms. “Cat, listen to me. That’s not possible. There is nobody but you. You’re everything to me. My mate, my partner, my equal in every way. I’ve lived for centuries, and I’ve never met anyone who fascinates and challenges me the way you do. You’re brilliant, beautiful, funny - how could I ever grow bored?”

Cat buried her face in his chest, her arms tightening around him. They stood like that for a long moment, the connection between them almost palpable.

“I’m scared,” she whispered. “But I want to believe you. I want to try.”

Keir’s heart soared. He knew they had a long road ahead, but this - this willingness to try, to trust - was everything.

“That’s all I ask,” he murmured. “We’ll take it one day at a time. Together.”

Finally, Cat pulled back slightly, meeting his gaze. “So... what happens now?”

Keir smiled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Now, we take things one day at a time. We get to know each other better. And,” he added, his expression growing serious, “we deal with some pressing business matters.”

Cat’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Keir sighed, reluctant to break the moment but knowing he had to address the looming threat. “I received word this morning that Obsidian Tech has escalated their threats against us. With the mole gone, they’re getting desperate. We need to upgrade our security measures, and fast.”

“Why do they hate you so much?” She frowned. “It seems they’re determined to take Sharpe Drakon Games down.”

Keir nodded, his jaw clenched. “Yeah. The owner of Obsidian Tech, Jason Grimes, was a former employee who had a sore spot for me paying women the same amount as men.”

“What?”

“He originally worked for my sister Amelia’s company and because her husband was the face of their team, he didn’t realize she was the actual CEO. He quit when he found out but asked to join my team which was still pretty new. I didn’t think he was a fit but Amelia told me the jerk was good at his job so I thought I’d give him a shot.”

“What happened?”

Keir let an angry sigh. “He’s an obnoxious macho lion shifter who feels women are beneath him. He was always angry when a woman got promoted to a position he felt a male deserved. Even if the woman had worked harder.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“I wish,” he sighed. “It all came to a head when Beck informed people were implemented new policies which I was damn proud of. It allowed employees to take time off for mental health and we had a grant for those wanting to adopt. He came into my office and told me I was ruining the company with all my accommodations. I was in the middle of an important meeting so I wasn’t going to have that. I fired him on the spot, but he had the nerve to argue with me. He thought himself too important for me, the owner and CEO, to fire. So when Beck and security kicked him out, he was angry.”

“I bet.”

“He has a vendetta against me, accused me of embarrassing him and promised he won’t rest until Sharpe Drakon Games goes down. He immediately started Obsidian Tech and mimicked a lot of my products but I was ahead of the game.”

“Holy crap.”

“He seems to think I owed him something for working for me when I created my first game design. Our old lead engineer was his mentee and I knew he could turn at any moment, but the guy had a family. I hoped he wouldn’t make me regret keeping him. I should’ve let him go along with everyone who worked with Jason.”

“That’s awful. To be targeted because you’re a decent employer is crazy.”

He chuckled at her outrage. “You’d be surprised by the stupid reasons people target me. I don’t care.”

She cupped his cheek and smiled. “Such a badass.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Determined is all I am. Now we need to really make sure Guardian’s security is top-notch.”

Cat straightened, her expression shifting from soft to resolute in an instant. It was one of the things Keir adored about her - her ability to switch gears and rise to any challenge.

“What do you need me to do?” she asked.

Keir couldn’t help but smile. This was his mate - brilliant, brave, and ready to face any obstacle by his side. “We need to meet with Beck and the security team. But first,” he added, his voice dropping to a husky whisper, “I think we should seal our new understanding with a kiss. Don’t you?”

Cat’s answering smile was radiant as she rose on her tiptoes, meeting him halfway. As their lips met, Keir knew she was the only woman he’d ever want for the rest of his life.