30. Harley

THIRTY

HARLEY

The analytical part of my mind told me this couldn't be real. There was no scientific reason that what I was seeing could be real. My eyes told me it was all reality, but my brain was arguing, almost frantically, that it was somehow pretend. What my brain couldn't argue against was the heat of the creature in front of me. The feel of its scales. The eyes that looked at me the same way Tate did. I was touching a dragon, and that dragon had been my boyfriend a few minutes ago. There was no way to explain that away.

Finding my voice, I said, "This is surreal. Does it hurt when you change?"

The Tate-dragon gave its head a shake. Negative. A giggle escaped my lips. I pressed my lips together, silencing another round of hysterical laughter. One more outburst like that, and I might not recover. I did not want to give birth in a mental ward, screaming about human dragons.

Reality set in. My baby? It was going to be born like Tate. This was all real, and my baby was going to be a shifter. I leaned forward, holding the dragon's head to keep from falling over. I was lightheaded. Already, I'd realized the dragon meant me no harm. Leaning on it for support seemed the most natural thing in the world. Something I would have thought absurd just fifteen minutes ago.

Not only was it not a threat, but it seemed to want to be as close to me as possible. Its winged arm was already arching around, trying to cradle me. The creature appeared to take pleasure in touching me, or me touching it.

Wait, no, not a creature. Not really. It was Tate. As hard as that was to believe, it was true. This really was Tate. I caressed the snout again, gently sliding my hands across the smooth scales.

A soft, keening sound emanated from the dragon's throat. Whatever the sound was, it was beautiful, and I could feel it all the way down in my bones. As if the sound somehow matched the frequency of my body, I was connected to it. With that connection, I was awash in the dragon's emotions. A waterfall of emotion crashed across me, almost too much to comprehend. The things that stuck out in that tumult was the dragon's fear and worry. But the thing that stuck out the most, was the love it felt for me.

Too tired to stay standing, I sat down. The dragon curled on the ground around me. Working through everything I'd learned today, I tried to make sense of a world where things like this existed. A long time went by as I tried to gather my thoughts.

"Tate, can you come back? So, we can talk?"

The dragon whined in sadness, but after a few seconds, there was a soft breeze, and Tate was again sitting next to me. He looked just as he had before the change. It was almost too hard to believe that he and the massive beast that had been here seconds before were the same being.

I looked at him for a long moment. "How long did you intend to keep this secret from me?"

Tate cast his eyes down, unable to meet my gaze. "I never intended to tell you. Not until I found out you were pregnant and that the baby was mine. I realized that I needed to tell you. I could already feel that the baby was going to be a shifter. You'd need to know, and you'd need my help."

"What's the difference between a human and a shifter baby? I've raised two daughters, why would I need help with a third child?"

"The children are the same, but once they hit a certain age… well, things can get difficult if there isn't an elder of some sort to guide them and teach them how to handle the emotions, the powers, all of it." He took my hand. "Look, if you decide you don't want to be with me, I totally understand. If you decide that, I'll be out the door and gone the moment you say it. I will not abandon my child, though. I'll still be in your life, helping you raise him and guiding him on all it means to be a shifter."

The direction of the conversation had gone to a place I didn't like. "Tate, are you breaking up with me?"

Tate frowned at me, a confused look crossing his face. Awkwardly, he said, "I… uh… thought you were the one who was gonna break up with me."

I almost laughed. "Why the hell would I do that?"

Tate looked genuinely surprised.

"This is all very shocking. So, don't get me wrong. It's, like, a lot. It'll take a while for my brain to grasp what's happening. But can you really tell me that by you being a dragon, that will change how you love me, or the girls, or the baby? Will it change what type of a person you are or the father you'll be?"

He shook his head. "It changes nothing. Not a single thing."

"Well, there's the answer. There's no reason for me to leave you, or for you to leave me. We're in this together."

Instead of the joyous look I'd expected to spread across his face, Tate looked like I'd told him I was dying.

Before I could ask what was wrong, Tate said, "Emily cursed me. All four of us. The other guys and me. She cast a spell that forced me to find you, and connect with you as a mate. If I claim you as my mate, the curse will turn you into a shifter, too. If you reject me, it'll kill me. I'll die. She was trying to get us to mate with other shifters. To bring us together so she could kill more of us at once. Something went wrong with the spell. I'm sorry, Harley."

Emily? She did this. His story made me shake with rage. That bitch! She'd tried to ruin my life, tried to kill Tate and his friends. What kind of a person did that? My hands were clasped so tight that my nails nearly drew blood.

Tate seemed to think my anger was directed at him. He looked on the verge of tears. "I understand. It's best if you reject me. Just get it over with. It'll keep you from becoming a shifter. It'll keep you safe."

"That's not up for you to decide, Tate. I get to live my own life. I get to make my own decisions. Emily is not in control. Not of you or of me. I love you, and she can't change that."

Tate's eyes softened. "Can you repeat that?"

I took his face in my hands, gently cupping his cheeks. "Tate, that spell may have brought us together, but nothing could force me to love you. Which I do."

Tate sighed. "I hope that's true. I was starting to wonder how strong that spell was."

I laughed. "Well, it's true that I hated your guts when we first moved in. You were kind of a dick. All my feelings are genuine. I really didn't like you. Now, I really do love you."

Tate pressed his lips to mine for a quick kiss. "I just want to keep you safe. Shifter hunters can be dangerous."

Before we could say anything else, leaves rustled behind us. Tate and I both spun to see Emily walking out of the forest. Tate growled and put an arm across my chest, pushing me behind him for cover. That growl made my heart skip a beat.

Emily put her hands behind her back. "Hello, Harley. I'm so sorry I had to deceive you. I never meant to get a human involved in all this. I was only in town to hunt shifters." She nodded toward my belly. "But there is the problem with the demon spawn you're carrying in your womb. It would be best for you and the world in general if you took care of that before it's born. It's more humane to do it now, rather than wait until it comes out."

Tate roared, and in a flash, shifted back to his dragon form, blocking me from Emily with a wing. Emily stumbled backward, a look of surprise bright on her face.

"You are a stain on the earth. A virus that needs to be cleansed. Hunters are coming for both of you." She looked around Tate and shouted to me, "I do care for you, Harley. I don't want you to become a beast. I don't want you to die if you don't need to. Please. Please reject this thing . Reject him and take your girls and run."

Tate roared at her again and swiped his tail in her direction. She was too far away, but the point was made. Emily walked backward slowly. She kept her eyes on Tate, shaking her head. "I'm going to make sure you die slow. Slow and painful."

Without another word, she spun and ran into the forest. As soon as she was out of sight, Tate shifted back and guided me to the truck. He looked around, making sure no one had followed us, and opened the passenger door.

He grabbed my hand. "Are you absolutely sure this is what you want? If you accept me as your mate, the connection between us will only grow stronger, more intense. There's no turning back after that."

I heard what he was saying. I understood it and what it meant. I pulled him close and kissed him hard. It solidified my answer once and for all. I chose him. He was right, there was no turning back.