Chapter Eleven

Levi

"W ake up, sleepyhead!" I cried, pouncing as lightly as someone my size could onto the bed.

" Oof! Ack! " The noises coming from her mouth may have evinced surprised, but I knew better. Sarah reacted automatically, driving an elbow back toward my face in self-defense.

I caught it with a ready hand, instead of my nose, and casually held it still until her brain was able to catch up with her body.

"Sorry," she mumbled sleepily, muscles relaxing. "I didn't mean to attack you."

"You know you'll never actually succeed with me," I said. "Though, I have to wonder, with a small child, how has that reflex never been an issue? You've never tossed Jake across the room?"

She'd eventually told me about Jakub, or Jake, as he liked to be called. Not much, but given she was going to see him again, she was obviously eager. Not to mention, a proud mother. That much was easy to see with the naked eye. It also explained that matureness I'd noted in her since our reunion. The way she carried herself.

Sarah was a mother.

Surprisingly, a large part of me found her more attractive now, as if that were possible. The past three days had been filled with some of the best sex we'd ever had. She was insatiable, and my dragon and I were for it.

"Mom instinct, I guess," she said, stifling another yawn. "I always seem to know. Then again, he's fi—small. The bed doesn't shake the same when he lands on it."

"Oops," I said, casually flexing a bicep for no reason other than to hear her laugh. Which she did. "Now, come on, get up!"

I slid off the bed, yanking the cover off her naked body. My eyes drank it in, and I almost spread her legs apart, but now wasn't the time for that.

"Hey, I was using those!" she protested, not bothering to cover her nudity.

"Out of my bed," I ordered. "Put some clothes on."

Sarah's head came around, her brown eyes hard and suspicious. "Put them on , you said?"

I grinned. "Bet you didn't see that coming. Now, move it, good-looking. That's an order."

She pondered that. "I might be feeling a bit rebellious this morning."

"Nope." I grabbed an ankle and started dragging her. "You aren't getting punished this morning. Sorry. Other things to do. Let's go!"

Something clued in her eyes as she came fully awake. It had been three days. Today was the day of the Summer Solstice Festival.

But I had another surprise in store for her. One that would hopefully ease the guilt in my mind. The fact I hadn't bothered to consider her life might have changed while we were apart was irksome. Knowing I'd split apart her family was a self-loathing that dug its fingers in deeper every day.

I had to make it right. Whatever it took. It was a drastic step, but if it's what was required, I would do it. For her.

Sarah dressed quickly. "Now what?" she asked, looking fabulous in one of my shirts and a pair of shorts we'd picked up at a nearby store the first day.

"Now you come with me," I said, trying to restrain my eagerness. I didn't want her to guess.

"Okay? Should I have breakfast first?"

"Nah," I said. "It's fine."

Leading her by the hand, I took her up the stairs to the roof. In the corner of my mind where it lived, the bestial half of my dragon chortled happily, producing the content smile on my face. Things were about to be set right.

"I'm not ready to fly yet," Sarah said, trying to slow. "I need proper clothing. And a hair tie, at minimum."

"Nope," I said, stopping her from going back down. "Get your butt on the roof. Now."

Frowning, she pushed open the door.

"Surprise!" I shouted, waving my hand at the trio of figures on the roof. Two of them were tall and human-shaped except for the wings swept up tight to their shoulders.

But the third …

" Oh my god," Sarah gasped, looking at me.

I blinked, rocking backward at the sheer horror on her face. "Sarah?"

"What have you done ?" she shrieked, rushing past me to pick the third figure up into her arms. "Oh, Jake. Hi, little buddy. Hi."

I stared at her, confusion reigning supreme as tears streamed down her face. Only they didn't appear to be tears of happiness.

The other dragons watched the proceedings in silence. I appreciated that, at least. They weren't being paid to talk anyway. Just to retrieve Jakub.

"Levi."

My hand came up sharply as Jarrod, the one on the left, opened his mouth to speak. "Not now," I whispered, trying to puzzle things through with Sarah.

I'd told her, in explicit language, that I would fix it. That I would make it right.

"I don't understand," I told her as she came over toward me, holding Jake tight to her hip. "I thought—"

"You thought what ?" she barked furiously. "You thought that kidnapping my child and bringing him here was a good idea ? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

I took a half-step back at the furious outburst. Jake, for his part, teared up. Seeing that, Sarah focused furiously to averting a breakdown.

Shaking my head, I pressed on. "But you were so happy these past few days. I told you I would make things proper. You knew that. Now you're mad at me? Is this a woman thing? I don't get it. You wanted to see him again, to be his mother. Now you can be."

"Of course I wanted to see him again, you imbecile!" she cried. " But I thought you were sending me home! Not destroying his world, too, by bringing him here."

"What?" I stood there like a giant oaf, stunned by her thoughts. "So, is that why you've been so, um, kind the past few days?"

"Yes," she said, shaking. "I thought I was going home. That this was temporary. That you had come to your senses and realized that ripping my family apart was a horrible thing to do. So, you'd send me back."

"You're my mate, Sarah. I'm not letting you go," I growled protectively, my dragon echoing the sentiment with force. I'd told her that already. Did she not understand what it meant?

"Right, right. That mate thing." She shook her head, hair bouncing with a ghost of her anger. "So, you went and did the next stupidest thing. How could you?"

"Mommy?" Jake asked, finally speaking up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, baby," she said, stroking his head with her other hand. "It's okay. I'm just so happy to see you again."

"Why are you crying, then?"

"It's complicated, baby. But it's going to be okay now." She fixed me with a hard glare. "It's going to be all right."

I blinked, trying to reassert control over the situation. That was not at all how I'd pictured things going.

Sarah started inside. As she brushed past me to head down the stairs, she whispered in my direction. "I thought you couldn't get any worse, Levi. But I was wrong."

Then she was gone.

I shook my head slowly as the other dragons approached. "I thought I was making things better, you know?"

Neither responded.

Taking a deep breath, I exhaled slowly, trying to relax. "Thank you," I said to Jarrod. "This isn't your fault. You did exactly as I asked of you."

Then I turned to go after Sarah and Jake.

"Levi."

Jarrod's voice stopped me short. There was something off about it. I glanced back over my shoulder, easily picking up the distress on his face.

"Yes, what is it?" I asked.

"There's something you need to know," he said, distinctly uncomfortable.

I waited.

"It's about the child …"