Chapter Fifteen

Zelle remembered a kiss and fingers combing through her hair. The bedding smelled crisp and felt nice against her fingers. She moved, and her body slid on the sheets. A quick glance under the covers showed that she was wearing a dark purple nightgown. The arm around her waist was new as well. She turned her head, and there he was. His gorgeous eyes opened, and he pulled her toward him, settling them into spoons.

Zelle sighed and put her arm over his around her waist. That was when she realized his hand was splayed on her belly. So, he obviously knew why she needed him.

He let out a happy growl and pulled her in. He was pressed against her tightly. "Do you know what it means to have started a child with you?"

"No. I am guessing that you have been looking forward to it."

"Since I was a child I was told that one day an omega would be found for me that my beast would embrace as its own. I have been watching for a while and, finally, all of the activity here where exotics have been finding betas who transform into omegas."

"Sort of. Parts of us do."

His hand slid between her thighs. "Yes, parts of you do."

She gasped and wove her fingers through his over her sex. She got herself under control and then said, "Well, I am not a proper omega. I am too tall, too muscled, and far too easily irritated."

"No, you are not a classic one, but you are the one for me. My beast has been calling for you since that day at the airport."

"I am sorry I distressed it."

"You are here now; all is forgiven." He nuzzled her neck and bit down hard.

She squeaked in surprise. "What?"

He released her and licked at her neck. "You aren't going to be running around without being properly marked."

Humming ran through her bloodstream, and she heard a whisper in her thoughts. "Oh. So, that's what you are."

He chuckled and blew fire across her neck. "He needed contact with you."

"I see. Well, it explains the level of side effects I have been having. I have heard of the creature, of course, but have only met dragons before, never a phoenix."

"We have only heard of one other."

"I see. Heard of, not met?"

"We are not very social." He nuzzled her cheek and exhaled some fire that formed a phoenix and that flew around the room.

"Aren't you worried about catching the hotel room on fire?"

"It isn't that type of flame."

The little creature flew around and around the room, and that was when she realized that it was night. "Oh, shoot. Where is my phone? I have to tell someone that I am okay?"

The tiny phoenix grabbed her phone and flew it over to her hand. "Okay, that's handy."

She brought up Lya's name and sent her an I am okay message.

Once that was done, she turned her phone off to save the battery.

"You aren't waiting for a reply? Who is Lya to you?"

"My cousin."

"Does she have a mate? I know a few people and love matchmaking."

"She's complicated and a single parent."

"Ah. What happened to her mate?"

"I am not getting into it."

The little fluttering phoenix dove at her head, and she screamed. Kaiyun stiffened. "I am sorry for the intrusion. I am not used to people concealing things from me."

She pressed her head where the fire had darted in. "Ow."

"Your cousin is very strong."

"Yeah, I know. ‘scuse me, I have to find the bathroom so I can barf." She pushed away from him, and he got out of bed with her, guiding her to the bathroom and holding her hair back. There was no food to come up, so it was just bile.

She slumped to the side, and he wet a washcloth and wiped her face.

"I knew you were ill, but how long has this been going on?"

"It started on the airplane home. It has been pretty consistent since. I have found a few ways to get food into me that can pass before I start throwing up again."

"What set you off?"

"The little memory-stealing flame you ran through my head. It swung through a lot of trauma on the way, and since I am a little unbalanced right now, this is the result. Sorry that it lacks refinement or dignity."

"What have you been eating?"

"Fruit. Lots of fruit. Lots of vegetables. Lots of green juice in small sips."

He nodded. "They are all manageable."

"Oh, good. I haven't had anything to eat since noon yesterday. Well, nothing that stayed down."

He wiped the tears of frustration that were coming from her eyes.

"Come on, Zelle. Let's order you some food."

"Juice."

"Juice." He helped her up and held her.

She pressed a kiss to his chest and looked down at his naked self. "Oh."

"Since consent is important, I kept myself comfortable while making sure you were comfortable. The fit of the gown was a guess, but waking up to me with you naked would have been a bit of a jolt."

She kept her hands curled on his chest. "That is one way to say it."

He smiled and ran his hands down her back. "You are not what I imagined, but now, you are all I can think about."

Zelle ducked her head. "Right. You have been on my mind as well."

He held her for long minutes, then lifted her against him, and walked her into the bedroom. A robe was on a bench, and he held it up for her to slide her arms into.

Once he had wrapped her up, he kissed her cheek and went to his phone. He opened an app and handed it to her. "Order what you like."

She nodded and went straight to the smoothie place. She made her selection and handed it back to him.

He frowned. "That's it?"

"If I can keep it down, we can order something else. I can wait half an hour for another delivery." She twisted her lips. "If I can't keep things down, the scent of other food will make things worse."

"Fair enough."

She watched as he placed the order, and then she looked around, finding the door. "I am just going to go and look at the living area. I was pretty sure I saw it when you carried me in."

"Hotel rooms are the same the world over."

"I don't think I have ever spent time in one." She shrugged and walked to the door, opening it to expose an enormous space with couches, televisions, and a piano. "Yikes."

Kaiyun was behind her, and a dark robe was wrapped around him.

She walked over to the couch and turned the television on, checking the time and soothing her scattered mind.

He moved next to her and pulled her onto his lap. "Since we have thirty minutes to kill, I thought we could spend it getting better acquainted."

She looked at him, exhausted. "Okay?"

He steered her chin up carefully and kissed her. The taste of him caused her body to heat, and she was squirming in his arms a moment later.

He lifted his head. "A simple kiss?"

"Shut up. May I maul you?"

"Please. I am at your disposal, dear mate."

She turned and straddled him, moving her hand into the opening of his robe and pushing the fabric aside. She pulled her robe and gown up, moving until he was just barely inside her. Zelle panted and looked up to meet his gaze as she flexed her hips and sank until he was swallowed inside her.

He closed his eyes, and there was a smile as he gripped her hips. "Zelle, are you sure?"

She started moving on him. "Gee, I dunno. I am conflicted. You don't have to participate if you don't want to."

He opened his eyes wide. "You think I am hesitant?"

She met his gaze and continued rocking on him, hoping that if he came, she would get what her body needed. She moved on him and leaned forward to bite his neck while she stroked her hands across his chest. He shuddered, and his hips jerked upward as heat spilled into her.

She drew her breath in as his knot held him inside her. Zelle shuddered and waited.

"Zelle?"

She mumbled, "Yes?"

"Did you basically use your body to jerk me off?"

She winced as she heard irritation in her tone. "Yes? The club said I would feel better if I convinced my body that you were nearby."

He threaded a hand in her hair and tilted her head back. "You didn't enjoy it?"

"That wasn't the purpose. The purpose was to reassure my body that you were here and I wasn't rejected." She swallowed and met his gaze.

He narrowed his gaze. "It is early days."

She swallowed again and quivered as her body shook in panic. She felt cold. He was a hot bar inside her.

Zelle met his gaze and said, "Can you do it after the baby arrives? I would rather make it to delivery."

Shock ripped through him, and he wrapped her in his arms, pulling her tight to his chest. "I was joking."

"I am too tired for jokes. I am tired, I am hungry, and whatever deal I have to strike with my own body at this point, I will do it." She started shivering violently, and his knot held her fast.

He growled. "What is wrong now?"

"No calories, lots of effort, building a human, just threatened with agonizing death, starving in my own skin, and no one can help me. I'm scared. Pardon me for shivering."

Fire surrounded her, and it burned across her skin. It warmed her body from the outside in, and her shivers quieted, and she slumped against him.

"I regret the complication to my situation."

"Are you apologizing for being my mate?"

"I am apologizing for not being better. A proper omega wouldn't have these issues."

"We are going to stop this conversation right there." He flexed his hand against her scalp.

"Fine. Oh, there you go." She felt the slight cascade of fluid that came out of her.

He lifted her off him and settled her on his lap.

"Um, shouldn't I clean up?"

"No need. We are going to try again before you sleep again."

She jerked her gaze up. "We are?"

"Yes. You need to learn that I will cherish and protect you. It will begin with this."

He held her against him, and she breathed him in and fell asleep. Her smoothie would have to wait. Some things were more important.

"Zelle. Take a sip." A straw was pressed to her lips.

She closed her lips over the straw and sipped. The juice that flowed into her mouth was lukewarm, and it hydrated the parched membranes in her mouth. She took a few sips and released the straw.

"You don't want more?"

"I have to wait to see if it settles. I really want more."

He set it down, stroked her cheek, and bent his head to kiss her. He smiled. "Strawberries and lemons."

She nodded. "It's a berry mix. It tastes like a mouthful of summer."

He smiled. "It has put some colour in your cheeks."

"Yup. What have you been watching while you waited?"

"You? The phoenix is trying to find out how to give you fire to help you."

Zelle blinked. "Well, I know how dragons do it."

"How?"

"Uh. They have mate fire and breathe it out through a kiss."

His golden eyes suddenly looked hot. "That sounds fascinating."

"I am not recommending it, just stating how dragons do it. Their beasts just know what to use." She swallowed. "I don't know how it works precisely, but it seems to give their mates a tuneup of sorts."

He smiled and leaned in for a kiss. The fire that moved into her was slow, precise, and relaxed every bit of tension in her as it hit her belly and moved through.

When he lifted his head, he tilted it. "How does that feel?"

"Well, I am no longer nauseous."

He grinned, pleased with himself. He reached for her drink and had her sip again. She was able to drink more before he set it down.

"He is figuring out the fire. His kind are solitary, so we do not learn from others. But when you mentioned mate fire, something sparked in him. You tasted the result."

She smiled weakly. "I am glad it worked because the alternative would have sucked."

He held the straw to her lips again, and she drank until the entire container was gone. It helped that it had melted.

He set the drink aside and cuddled her before kissing her, and more fire poured into her. She clutched at him as the fire did what it was supposed to do, and when it was done, her thighs started to shift together as her body recovered, and the extra energy had to go somewhere.

He stroked his hand between her knees and then her thighs. His light groan was enough to make her blush. He lifted his head and chuckled. "I think I figured it out."

She turned her face to his chest as he sank two fingers into her.

She whimpered and whined as he worked her toward climax. When she was teetering on the edge, he pulled his hand free and got to his feet with her in his arms.

He headed to the bedroom, and when she was next to the bed, he eased the robe off and lifted the gown free. His robe slid off his shoulders, and he settled her on the bed, sliding between her thighs as the fiery kisses continued.

When she gripped his shoulders and pulled him toward her, he groaned, and the heat he spilled set her off. She bucked at him, clawed his shoulders, and whined softly. Sweat coated them both, and his knot held him tight.

He looked down at her and kissed her lightly. "I have figured it out."

She nodded. "It seems so."

His hips rocked slightly against hers. Every few movements, she flinched as another wave of small aftershocks was set loose.

When his knot released and he pulled out, she flinched, but he immediately pulled her against him, and a sparkle of fire moved over them both from head to toe. The sticky situation between her thighs was gone, along with the sweat on her body and his.

The cuddle and nap were inevitable, so she rested.

For the first time in a month, her sleep was deep and even. A large part of her hoped that it was due to the smoothie, but she knew differently. She was tied to him until the baby arrived, and she had no idea what would happen after that. She had to get stronger, and then she would decide what to do.

Zelle stood to be measured for a wardrobe the following day. Kaiyun gave orders to the seamstress in Chinese, and the worker was brusquely efficient as she moved.

Kaiyun told them to take care with her, and the response chilled her. "Your pet will gleam when you go meet your fiancé."

Kaiyun smiled and kept working on his tablet.

Zelle moved as directed while the seamstress chattered about the beauty of the woman that had been found for him. Apparently, she was delicate, petite, had grace, and a quiet manner. She played the harp and was from a respectable family. Lady Fen's family.

When the designs had been chosen, Kaiyun smiled at the suggestion that everything should be done in soft pastels.

Zelle stepped down and shrugged into the robe. In the same dialect, she said, "Personally, I hate pastels. I like strong colours. They will be good for the baby."

The seamstress paled, and Kaiyun's jaw dropped open.

She faced him. "If I can get the clothing I arrived in yesterday, I will be on my way and will return to you when I need healing. You can continue your engagement with your perfect little princess."

Kaiyun stood up. "I am not engaged. She is the woman that Lady Fen has chosen for me, and I have agreed to consider her offer."

"Yes, I understand. I also understand that a woman like me waiting in the wings can restrict your social habits. So, I just want to get dressed and leave, so where are my clothes?"

He burst into flame as he looked at her, and the seamstress screamed and backed away. Zelle stared at him and wished she didn't still find him pretty. The flames wrapped around her and pulled her close. "You aren't leaving."

She hardened her expression. "You are my alpha, not my employer, husband, fiancé, or even friend with benefits. We are something else, and since you are looking forward to meeting with your new partner, I confirm that I have no claim on you. Nothing stated. Nothing promised."

He was furious. His flame had white edges. He muttered, "Get out."

She turned and took a few steps toward the bedroom, but he grabbed her arm. "Not you."

The seamstress scrambled and nodded. "Yes, sir."

The assistants grabbed everything and left through the door where the familiar bodyguards were standing. She still hadn't been introduced.

Zelle looked at him and remained calm as his beast reacted to her words. "I understand that you have obligations or just want a respectable woman. I am not, nor have I ever been, a respectable woman."

He glared at her, softened, and said, "There is what my family has been after for over a decade, and what I am after is someone for me. You are perfect. He has chosen you, and we will find a place for you in my life as I travel."

"I don't like travel. I never have."

He paused. "Really? I love it."

"See? Differences. Just let me know when you are back in town, and we can hook up and keep the little one alive."

"My parents will want the child born at home."

"It can be. My home." Zelle put a hand on his chest. "If I won the competition, I will have something to put down on a house as well as the money for the charity."

He looked at her. "You know that you are not qualified to win the game? You are involved with someone who is part of the corporation."

She stared at him. "What?"

"I am the show's investor. You were definitely involved with me before the show commenced."

She swallowed and staggered back. "No."

"The charity will receive the money that you would have provided had you won. You will not receive anything."

Zelle nodded. "Oh. Right. Well, good for the burn unit."

He frowned. "Why a burn unit?"

"One of my early foster homes burned down, and the first family that was going to adopt me was injured." She sighed. "So, I had to wait until my forever family found me. They adopted me and I was finally safe."

He stepped toward her and wrapped his arms around her. "I promise to take care of you."

"I don't feel like standing in the way between you and your family."

"You speak Cantonese?"

"While I don't travel now, I did when I was younger. I have had ten years to be a lunatic around the globe."

She exhaled and inhaled the lovely scent of him. "So, when is the wedding?"

"It isn't happening. Do you want to go to one of the family events with me? You can meet her and see why she isn't going to be mine."

"Uh, that seems very socially intense. I am not in the mood for that."

"You are my mate. There is no changing it."

She looked at him and muttered, "I am going to go."

He blinked. "You will not get far. The guards are going to keep you with me, and you do recall how efficient they were at locating you."

She grimaced. "Yes, I do."

"So, wait until your first outfit is ready, and then we will begin to introduce you to my social circle."

Zelle nodded. "Sure. Why not? It isn't like I can do anything without you for a while."

He smiled. "It isn't enthusiastic, but I will take it."

She nodded and began to formulate a plan.