12. Jaiyana

CHAPTER TWELVE

JAIYANA

T yson's arm around me turned into a leaden weight as I realized what I reviewed. I pushed away from the dragon, putting a few inches between us. His eyebrows knitted together with concern, and he crossed his arms over his bare chest.

My brain cells attempted to scatter just looking at his perfect muscles, but I pulled them together and flattened my lips. Betty's genetics, IQ scores, and medical history were in my hands. This was a breeding sheet - like I was a fucking dog.

Anger and confusion clashed in my gut, making it twist uncomfortably. Why the fuck did he have this? And to take it one step further, how on earth did he think this was me? The height wasn't even correct. And that headshot. I barely looked conscious, with half-lidded eyes and faint bruising on my cheek. My hair rested on the wood-paneled background like I was lying on the floor. A black smudge on the corner caught my attention, but even zoomed in, I couldn't tell what it was. I zoomed back out.

Gray Eyes said whatever kept me from speaking would wear off soon. Well, it had been days now. I couldn't even make a case for ‘soon' anymore.

I took another steady breath and peeked up at Tyson. I'd learned a lot about my scaled lover who couldn't touch me. He enjoyed sports, video games, and anything related to fire. He took classes online for business in order to help his people with their human trade deals. If he could leave the island, the first place he wanted to go was Scotland. He wanted to go so badly he'd incorporate Scottish words into his otherwise very American accent.

Tyson was a basic bitch. A dragon shifter living his life. I truly believed – with every fiber of my being – he was caught up in my abduction just as much as I was.

I looked down at the tablet again.

He explained The Hunt to me and how necessary it was for dragons to bond with their human mates. It hadn't occurred to me until this moment he wasn't looking for love; he wanted to procreate.

Shit.

Yeah, shit.

"You didn't fill out your application," he said slowly, pushing down the bright screen so I'd look at him again.

Tension released in my gut. Yes, if Tyson realized on his own I wasn't who I said I was, then maybe all of this could go smoother.

"You had a friend do it, and they put in all the opposite info." He grinned like he'd struck gold, and my heart sank. "That's why your pic is so bad too."

I waved my hands in front of me, trying to get him to guess again.

"So, what's the opposite of a long walk on the beach?" He crawled toward me, a devilish grin on his face. His gaze flicked down to my chest.

I rolled off the couch, but he expected it this time, capturing me between his strong arms on the floor. I wiggled my fingers, calling on my magic, but as it had for days, nothing happened. Giving up, I put my hands on his firm pecs.

"I've been waiting for you to touch me," he purred.

Blood rushed through my body, flushing my system with heat and making a trickle of pent-up moisture slicken my thighs. But I wouldn't give in, especially now I knew what he needed from me.

With another squeak, I bunched all my muscles and pushed like he was the goddamn bar at the gym.

He grunted in surprise as I lifted him off me. I couldn't entirely throw him, but I managed to roll us, and our legs tangled as we came to a stop next to a glowing blue console tower with me on top. I grabbed his wrists and pinned him to the ground, though we both knew with his dragon strength, there was no way I was the reason he stayed put.

"Who are you?" he whispered.

My heart raced, and I released his arms.

Even before this, I asked myself that, and I didn't have an answer. Somewhere in my thousands of years alive, I'd lost myself. I'd stopped caring and just started going through the motions, passing the time while the world changed.

For better or worse, this hunt was the most exciting thing I'd done since the invention of the steam train. Tyson made me feel alive. He was hilarious without meaning to be. A brat for sure, but his temper gave him passion and a zeal for life. His joy spilled into me, and our focus on each other distracted me from the black hole of depression which ruled my life.

But I was lying to him, pretending to be Betty to keep a low profile and figure out who trapped me here. No, it was more than that. I wanted Betty's fantasy.

Wow, never thought I'd hear you say that.

Yeah, well, short-lived. This can't be me.

Always the prince and never the princess.

Now, don't be sexist, gender fluidity and all.

Clenching my fists, I forced myself to deal with reality.

I wasn't physically capable of bringing children into the world. No magic or technology existed that could change that.

I grabbed the tablet and typed: Why are dragons bringing women to the island?

Tyson sighed. "Another one of your questions that I know was covered in your class. Look, it's a fertility issue…maybe a little more complicated than that. But I don't want to talk about it. I want to talk about you – about us. About the babies I'll fill your stomach with."

My gut twisted as my little fantasy exploded.

Tyson cupped my cheeks and used his thumb to rub a single tear across my skin. "I wish I could glimpse your thoughts. I've spent the last two days trying to make everything you wanted on that sheet happen, but sometimes you look so incredibly sad." He swallowed. "I've only known you for two days, but it breaks my heart."

I shuddered with the force of his emotion and lurched off him, bolting for the bathroom. The wall shook as I slammed the door. I sank to the floor and leaned against the wood to keep it closed.

No one tried to make me happy or told me I was incredible or that I was everything they could ask for. Tyson called me his soul mate multiple times now. Real people didn't say those things. At least not to women like me, and once he knew I couldn't give him what he wanted. He'd take every word back.

He won't. Give him a chance.

He will. I know he will.

"Wiggles," Tyson said, his voice right outside the door. "Sweetie, please don't shut me out."

Wiggles. I snorted—more shit spewing out of his mouth to try and placate someone who didn't exist. I didn't wiggle.

"Look," he said. I could picture him running his hand down his face. "Come out. We'll snuggle in the sun and fill out a new sheet together. This isn't a big deal."

It was. He just didn't know it yet.

Loneliness washed over me. I didn't want to go back to Graeagle. I wanted the connection this Betty had – but without the strings attached. I took a few deep breaths. The cold tile of the bathroom floor dug into my butt. I wasn't Betty. I didn't want to be Betty. Admitting how lonely I was would have to be enough. I couldn't mess up Tyson's future.

After wiping the tears off my face, I stood and stared at myself in the mirror. Jaiyana, you've got this. Just stay strong. You're the most powerful enchantress in the world. You've cheered on lovers at their mortal weddings and helped them find their true loves. Tyson isn't special. You literally just met him two days ago. Be honest and focus on getting out of here.

This is not a big deal.

But it is. You've been happy.

Life isn't about being happy.

Maybe it should be.

Just… I can't.

With my resting bitch face back in place, I exited the bathroom like a prissy cat who didn't just fall off the table.

Tyson pulled me into his side, and my body sang for our brief hug.

He retrieved his tablet, and we settled on the couch on opposite sides. With a shake of his head, he reached across the couch and pulled me into his lap. Not only did I let him, but I fucking wiggled so we were as close as two people could get.

The blood drained out of my face. When had I started wiggling?

He smirked, placing the tiniest kiss on my nose before flinching back. "That's getting old, fast, that bastard Rehan. I've no idea how to remove a mate mark." He pulled me closer. "But maybe if you stopped distracting me, I could actually think."

I was wiggling again before I even realized it.

This is not pulling away from him! Focus, Jay.

Tyson let out a half growl, half moan, sliding his fingers under my shirt. "You're fecking killing me." He slipped two fingers into the waistband of his boxers, covering my lower half. My thoughts scattered.

You can focus tomorrow.

Tomorrow's good.

I grinned and looked up at the underside of his chin before giving it a peck. My actions surprised both of us, and I waited for a jolt of pain, but it never came.

He froze. "Do that again."

I lightly kissed the spot before sucking some of his skin into my mouth.

He moaned, his hard-on pressed into my back.

With a jerk back to reality, I realized what I was doing.

No, don't stop. You want this!

God damn it.

I started to move away, but Tyson pulled me back into his chest. "You don't have to stop." He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe the mark is fading." Bending down, he kissed the side of my face. The hard-on pressing into my back wilted, and Tyson yelped, involuntarily squeezing me.

"Maybe not," he said after catching his breath. "Kiss me again?"

I did, and no zapping occurred.

It's only one way.

I opened the tablet to type my theory, but my papers were still open, and my earlier anger washed away my joy. Instead of kissing him, I swiped to the end of the document and found a score.

My eyes bugged—eighty-seven out of one hundred.

They'd given me a fucking score? And fake me only got eighty-seven?

I drew a big ‘WTF' on the screen before looking at him.

He wrapped an arm around my waist. "You're here to have dragon babies." Pride filled his eyes. "My dragon babies. I mean, you took the six-month class after your selection. We're super clear about our expectations. We provide for you, give you a home and a life, and in return, you start popping them out so my race doesn't die out."

I squeezed my eyes shut, my clarity from the bathroom returning. I couldn't live in Betty's romance. Tyson was not in on my kidnapping. He was a victim in this, just like me. Our current situation wasn't about me and whatever plot I'd been dropped into. It was about his needs, his mortal future. He didn't deserve to fall in love with someone who kept him from his goals.