13. Adrian

THIRTEEN

When Adrian woke from a deep sleep, he asked himself if he was still dreaming. Gripped tightly in his arms was his fated mate, resting soundly as she slept with a faint smile on her face.

In his countless years, he'd never seen anyone, or anything for that matter, as beautiful as Chloe. She was a glorious sight to behold.

He couldn't believe how crazy he was for avoiding her, but then he remembered why.

Frowning, he gently removed his arms from her and sat up, resting against the bed frame.

Still, he couldn't help but smile at her, having already forgotten what it was like to sleep with another woman.

When he moved to dress himself, he remembered he had no clothes with him. "Fuck," he whispered, reaching for Chloe's landline phone on the bedside. He punched in his assistant's number.

As the dial tone droned on, Chloe's hand reached out for his. He took it in his grip, rubbing her in small circles.

"Irons, good morning. Listen, I need you to bring me a fresh set of clothes, any suit will do. I just woke up, so please, no questions."

"All right," Irons chuckled. As a fellow shifter, he understood the context of the request immediately. They all, at one point or another, had shifted and found themselves without the appropriate wear once back in their human form. "Where are you?"

"Hmm," muttered Adrian, unsure of the address.

Chloe piped up behind him, telling him her address in a sleep-ridden voice. "We can buzz you in," Chloe grumbled.

"Oh, and bring some breakfast also, would you?" Adrian requested.

"Certainly. I won't be long."

"Take your time, Irons."

"Who was that?" mumbled Chloe.

"One of my workers, Irons. He's a good, reliable man."

"Well, how long will he be?"

"A while, at least. My place isn't too far, but it's not close either."

"Good," she stated with more life in her. "Come back here."

Adrian was pulled toward her with unexpected strength, and in a moment, he was on top of her. They made out, smiling and giggling in between kisses.

Chloe quietly gasped when Adrian's rock-solid cock poked between her legs. He followed her eyes as she peered down at his member, then back at him.

"Please," she moaned. "Before Irons gets here."

Adrian didn"t need to be asked twice.

The morning song by the birds quickly became replaced by Chloe's moans and screams. A few blissful minutes passed, and soon, they were lying side-by-side again.

Adrian's chest quickly rose and fell with each breath, trying to catch himself after a rigorous time.

"This has to be my favorite morning ever," said Chloe. She, too, was out of breath.

Adrian closed his eyes, keen on catching more rest, when the phone rang. Chloe answered and pushed a button on the keypad.

"I wish he took longer," Chloe sighed. "I'll get dressed."

Adrian strolled to the door. He met Irons's amused gaze upon opening it.

"From the looks of things, you're still busy," he said. He handed a suit bag to Adrian and some food. "I just got two of what you like."

"Thanks, Irons."

"No problem. There are some important meetings for you to attend in an hour, so I'll wait outside in the car for you."

"Sounds good."

Adrian brought the bag of food to the dining table, leaving it there as he hung up his suit bag. He unzipped it to unveil a dark gray checkered suit with a maroon tie.

As he fixed his tie, the bedroom door behind him opened. He spun around to see Chloe dressed casually in a tracksuit, with her hair tied back into her signature bun. Her eyes sparkled behind her glasses.

"You look stunning," he said.

"Stop that," she giggled.

"I mean it. Now, come and have a seat."

He watched as she tucked into her breakfast sandwich, smiling as he took a bite of his own.

For a few moments, it was a comfortable silence, eventually broken when his hunger was satisfied. Adrian dabbed his mouth clean and cleared his throat, washing his food down with a bottle of water.

"I had a great time last night," Chloe said.

"Me too," he said with a wink. "I'm glad I swung by."

"I second that," she said. "Can I ask you a question?"

"I'm an open book."

Chloe leaned forward and rested her head on her hands.

Adrian wondered what she had to say. With a month passing since their previous encounter, he figured she'd be full of questions. He owed her answers and truthful ones at that.

"You told me before about how the full moon causes shifters to go into heat. Now that it's gone, how do you feel? Do you still want me the same way as last night?"

Her tone was sincere and genuine.

Adrian considered his answer carefully. He knew what to say, but the words hesitated to leave his lips, like a nervous swimmer standing on the highest diving board. He sighed and mimicked her stance, looking deep into her eyes.

There was a look of concern in them. He wondered if she was afraid that this was a one-time thing. As if she was concerned she had opened herself to him only to have her heart broken all over again.

Yet still, her beauty radiated, and Adrian had trouble finding himself as he got lost in her. The sight of her, however, brought with it the reminder that she was temporary.

She was, after all, human. Chloe was fragile and bore a much shorter lifespan than his. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Chloe, you're amazing," he told her. His smile gradually faded. "But here's the thing. You are indeed my fated mate, but I'm a bit cautious."

"Cautious?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah." He exhaled. "I worry about letting you in. Don't get me wrong, I'd love nothing more than a full-fledged relationship with you, full moon or not. It's just that … you're a human."

"That didn't seem to bother you before."

"What I mean is that you won't live as long as I do. Chloe, I don't know if I have the strength to lose you. I can take anyone down who dares oppose me, but I can't fight time. Time is undefeated."

Her eyes welled. Adrian expected her to react badly, but she nodded. It only further tore at his shattered heart.

"Even now as you're crying, you still look mesmerizing. I wish you could live as long as I do. Then I wouldn't have to deal with the heartache of losing you."

"I … I think I understand," she replied. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to be with you any less."

"I feel the same way, Chloe," Adrian said. "This past month has been hell. I've been trying to avoid you, but sometimes, you can't fight nature. And that was only thirty days."

He laughed in disbelief, shaking his head.

"I only wonder now how the heartache of abstaining from you will affect me. Losing you will be one thing, but knowing you're out there in the world without me might be something else altogether."

He swept his hands over his hair. "I don't know how the hell I'm going to do this."

Chloe moved closer to the seat beside him, taking his hand as he continued talking. As he spoke, the stark realization of what he was about to do suddenly dawned on him.

"Adrian?"

"I think a lifetime without you would drive me mad. I think I'd literally go insane."

He turned to look at her.

"Heartache over a fated mate is more powerful than anything you've ever known. For someone to be away from their partner would legitimately cause them to snap. I think … I think the other dragons would be forced to put me down."

Adrian shook his head. Never before had he been so torn between two terrible choices. He snapped out of his trance when Chloe squeezed his hand.

"That sounds horrible, but Adrian, I don't want you to die because of me. I think there's only one solution to all of this."

"What's that?"

The grip on his hand tightened.

"I think we should be together. I know you're worried about me, but that's a life I'm willing to live."

"Chloe …"

"The truth is that you intrigue me, and I want to get to know you better. I don't know about this fated mate stuff, and I know forever is a big commitment, but I want to do this."

Adrian blinked in disbelief. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"I've never been more certain about anything."

Adrian's heart drove him forward. He kissed Chloe passionately like it was their first time all over again.

While the terrifying thoughts of the future still lingered in his mind, he swore to himself then and there that he'd make the most out of the one lifetime they'd share together.

Just then, a heavy knock pounded on the door, followed by Irons's voice.

"We've got to go. Traffic's getting bad. If we don't leave now, you're going to be late."

Adrian rose from his chair. "That's my cue. I'll call you soon, and we can arrange a proper date."

"Will you actually call me this time?" asked Chloe, clearly very concerned.

"I promise I will. Come here."

He planted one final kiss on her lips.

His eyes stayed on hers for as long as they could before he left. As he drove away, he sighed a long breath of contentment, already looking forward to the next time he'd see Chloe.