Chapter 13

Lalani woke up huddled in a ball. Her stomach ached. She knew immediately her period had started. Sliding out of bed, she looked back to see a small spot on the crisp white sheet. She’d have to deal with that later.

She walked with her arms wrapped around her tummy to search the back of Khadar’s closet. She dragged her suitcase out from the corner where he’d tucked it and traced the claw marks on the hard shell.

“Mate, are you okay?” Khadar’s bulk filled the doorway.

“No. I have bad cramps. I think I had a box of tampons in here,” she told him, too uncomfortable to be embarrassed.

“Ah, Little one. Your suitcase is empty now. I have a spot in the bathroom for different products. Come, let me show you.”

He helped her stand up and guided her to the attached bathroom. Opening a closet door, he showed her a big assortment of pads and tampons. “Choose whatever works best for you. I had gathered some supplies in case I found my mate.”

She looked at him in wonder. Khadar didn’t shy away from her needs—he’d actually planned for her. Lalani had enough for months.

“Thank you, Khadar.”

She grabbed a box and went into the toilet area to take care of herself. When she came out, Khadar waited for her with a soft tunic that flowed over her body. Lalani rubbed her hand over the material.

“This is so nice.”

“The package said it was like being wrapped in a cloud,” Khadar told her as he tilted open one of the mirrors in the bathroom to display some boxes and bottles of over-the-counter medicine.

“Do you take any pain medicine?”

“They don’t work for me. I usually just huddle with my heating pad for the first day. Then, I’m okay.” Lalani shook her head sadly. “I guess I’m on my own from now on.”

“I think I can help you with some heat,” Khadar told her as he picked her up and carried her toward her nursery.

“I need to change the sheets,” she told him.

“Done. Let’s see if we can make you more comfortable.”

Khadar sat back in the rocker and held her in his arms. He lifted one hand away from her body and blew on it. She could feel the heat radiating from his body.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” she cried.

“Dragon.”

He placed his hand on her lower abdomen. Gentle heat radiated from his hand. It was like having her own heating pad. Groaning in delight, she adjusted his hand slightly and relaxed against him.

“Heaven. Thank you, Khadar.”

“Dragons have many uses, Princess. All you have to do is ask.”

Overwhelmed by emotions and so thankful he was there to take care of her, she whispered, “I love you, Khadar.”

“I love you, Lalani. You are my world.”

Tilting her chin up, Khadar gave her a fierce kiss that demanded an equal response. Her discomfort faded from her mind as she tried to show him how much she cared about him. A cramp pulled her away from his lips as she whimpered in pain. Khadar brushed her hair from her face and held her, not seemingly upset.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “I’m sure you have a million things to do.”

“The only thing I need to do is care for you.” His soft kiss on her head didn’t take away the pain, but it made her heart happy. He was here for her. She didn’t doubt he always would be, because… Dragon’s mate.

A few days later, Khadar could tell his mate felt much better. She smiled and darted around at her normal energetic speed. Khadar made a mental note of her cycle. She wouldn’t want him tracking her. That would embarrass his mate. He was not bothered in the least.

Lalani enjoyed getting to know everyone during her haircut days. When she wasn’t trimming away, she often accompanied him on flights or hung out with him in his study. She’d picked out a book from his shelves and started to read, even after sharing she really didn’t like to read.

Perhaps that was changing. She had chosen a murder mystery by a famous author who wrote in the early nineteen hundreds. He could hear her shocked inhales as the turns and twists were revealed, as well as the quickening page flips as she got sucked into the story. He would need to find more books to tempt her with when she finished with those novels.

“Daddy?”

Her question drew him from his thoughts. He looked up to find Lalani hovering in the doorway of his office. “Yes, Princess?”

“May I ride to Wyvern with the produce they’re taking to the city market? I’d like to explore a bit and go visit my mother’s home. I keep meaning to get back there.”

“I’ll be glad to take you.”

“No,” she blurted. “I mean, I’d like to go explore on my own a bit. You’re busy and I don’t want to rush. I’ll just wander from the square to the house. It’s not far.”

He studied her face. “I would rather go with you, Lalani. I want you to be safe.”

“I know. And thank you for being concerned about me. I’d just like some time to be normal. You know, not a dragon’s mate.”

Inside, his dragon roared at the thought of her not wanting to be his mate.

“It’s not that I don’t want to be with you, I just want some time to myself. If you’re with me, I’ll be worried about taking up your time. My plan is to take one room today to go through, then I’ll contact you to come get me. Is that okay?” she asked nervously.

Khadar forced himself to answer calmly. “I don’t like you being off my mountain without me.”

“Are you expecting something bad to happen? I just want to be with my mom’s stuff. I didn’t get very much time to get to know her. I’m intrigued to learn more.”

“That is perfectly logical. I could come help you in a couple of hours. You might have big boxes you’d like to have moved.”

“I really just want to look around myself. I’ll put anything aside that’s too heavy. Promise.”

He didn’t like it, but what she was asking for made perfect sense. “Okay, Princess. Reach out to me at any time.”

“Thanks, Daddy.” She rushed forward to give him a kiss.

Before she could leave, he opened a drawer and pulled out three gold coins. “Take these in case there’s anything you wish to buy. The old government money isn’t worth anything now, but gold always has value.”

“Oh, I don’t…”

“Take it, Princess. I want you to have something in your pocket in case of an emergency.”

“Okay.”

He could tell she thought he was crazy, but she took the coins to make him happy. Watching her ponytail swishing happily as she bounced out of the room, Khadar missed her immediately when she disappeared from view. He would be uneasy until she was back on his mountain.

Eager to go, Lalani checked to make sure she had the key. Sure she had everything she needed, Lalani didn’t stop to grab anything else but went straight to where they were loading the first wagon. “Khadar said I can go with you. He’ll come pick me up later.”

“If you’re sure,” the man said nervously.

Lalani knew he didn’t want to get in trouble. “Really, it’s okay. I’m going to my mother’s house. It’s just off the square.”

“Oh,” he said relaxing.

She suspected he thought her mother was still alive, and there would be relatives to look after her. Lalani didn’t say anything about her real purpose for visiting. After helping load a few light-weight boxes they’d let her move, she climbed up onto the seat next to the driver and held on as the cart lurched to a start.

The driver was a very quiet man. After a couple of attempts to make conversation, Lalani started planning where to start. She had a strategy in mind by the time they arrived at the square. Sliding down from the seat, she thanked the driver and blended into the crowd before he could stop her.

Lalani looked around the square for a few minutes and stopped to say hello to the huge stone dragon. He looked friendlier than he had the first time she’d seen him on her mom’s tour at the beginning of her visit. She looked at the steps and spotted her name freshly etched on one riser just after Ciel and Aurora’s names. Were all those other names mates? They had to be.

Mind-blown, she wandered away from the square and toward her mother’s house. Hers, now, she guessed. The house of the horrible neighbors was quiet next door. If only the Petersons hadn’t been there after her mother’s death. She waved at the man who’d promised Khadar to keep an eye on her house and heard him welcome her back.

“Just here to visit.”

With a wave, she let herself inside and closed the door behind her. A wave of sadness eased over her. She ran her hand along the polished wood of the entryway table and felt the grit of dust that never would have gathered if her mother had been around. The photos displayed happy times. The last in the row featured her birth mother and Lalani.

She picked up the frame and hugged it to her chest, wishing she’d hugged the kind woman more freely when she’d been alive. Lalani had felt odd meeting her. With time, their interactions would have become more natural. They’d really just started learning about each other.

Placing the frame back safely on the table, Lalani roamed through the other rooms in the house to make sure everything was okay. The air was stale inside, so she opened the back door to allow the breeze to come inside through the screen door. Upstairs, she opened a window in her mother’s bedroom as well.

Lalani decided to start in the closet. She found a light-weight cardigan sweater that was worn with use where the clothes on the rack had been pushed apart. This must have been a favorite of her mother’s. It was soft cotton and would go perfectly with jeans. Instantly, she decided to take that with her. She could wear it when she rode on Khadar’s back. Folding it, she set it on the bed to remember to grab on her way out.

Back in the closet, Lalani concentrated on the items stacked on the shelves and tucked under the clothes. She loved that her mother had so many shoes. Lalani had a slight shoe addiction herself. It was fun they had that in common.

Pulling a box from the very back, she carried it to the bed to open it in better light. Lalani pulled off the top and discovered two albums. She opened the first one and stared at a small baby alone in a hospital bassinet. In schoolgirl-precise lettering her mother had labeled the child, Lalani, royal child of heaven.

Her heart ached as she looked through the other items. The plastic ID bracelet bearing her name was stuck to the next page. The third page held a picture of her adoptive parents. It must have been attached to their application. The next page held a letter. It was written to Lalani in case they ever got to meet. She wiped the tears away as they fell, reading her mother’s assurances that she’d allowed Lalani to be adopted so she could have a good life. There were small round marks blurring the page in different spots and she knew her birth mother had cried writing it.

When Lalani turned the page, it was blank. The rest of the pages were blank as well until she got to the final pages. There, her mother had posted a printout of their emailed conversations.

Lalani closed the album and set it to the side. Flopping back against the bed, she allowed herself to cry for them both. Thank goodness she’d gotten to meet her mother.

Lalani? Are you okay?

I’m fine, Khadar. Just a bit emotional reading a letter in an album.

Do you need to come back another day?

No. I’m good. These are good emotions. I want to look around some more.

I understand, Princess. I will come get you at dark if I don’t hear from you.

Thank you, Khadar.

She put that album in the box with the other, suspecting they were of family members. My family, she reminded herself. She’d take those with her as well. Pushing herself off the bed, Lalani headed back into the closet to find new treasures.