Deryk (Dragon Hearts #2)(39)
“At least they found the people responsible for hurting Vaughn.” Chloe nodded. “And I’m so pleased Deryk found you in Russia too.” She lightly squeezed Izzi’s hand before releasing it again. “He’s a good man, and he was so close to turning. We’ve all been so worried about him.”
“Turning?”
Chloe nodded. “Without the balance of their mate, the unmated Pendragon brothers will eventually shift into dragons and stay that way. If that happens, they’ll become feral, and the other brothers will have no choice but to destroy them.”
Izzi’s heart ached at the thought of that. “And Deryk was close to doing that?”
“So close he spent several hours before coming to Russia locked in the dungeon in the castle basement, so that he couldn’t do himself or anyone else any harm.”
“He didn’t tell me…”
“He wouldn’t want to put any pressure on you,” Chloe acknowledged ruefully. “I told you, he’s a good man.”
Izzi studied the other woman. Chloe was glowing, whether from happiness or her obvious pregnancy, Izzi wasn’t sure. “You’re human, like me, but you seem very calm about your mating to a dragon.”
Chloe laughed. “I wasn’t to begin with, believe me. I fought it all the way.” She sobered. “But being mated to a dragon is… It’s the most incredible thing ever. Total love, devotion and fidelity, on a level no human man could ever give you. As for the sex…” She rolled her eyes. “It’s off-the-charts erotic.”
Izzi’s face was aflame with color. “We haven’t completed the mating yet.”
“But you want to.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Yes.” The last of Izzi’s doubts had disappeared with the knowledge Deryk hadn’t used the fact of his being so close to being only dragon and having to be destroyed by his brothers to sway her. He had and was still giving her the choice as to whether they mated or not. Without it, they would both die, of course, but Deryk was still leaving that choice to her.
“Don’t be afraid to return Deryk’s love, Izzi,” the other woman advised softly.
She slowly shook her head. “He hasn’t said anything about loving me.”
“He will. Dragons love their mates unconditionally. Love him back the same way, Izzi,” Chloe added seriously, “and I promise you’ll never regret it.”
“You don’t?”
“Not for a moment,” Chloe reassured instantly. “I’ve never known love like this. It’s incredible. All-encompassing.”
Izzi winced. “I’m partway through a law degree.”
“And I was a reporter.”
“Not now?”
The other woman shrugged. “It no longer fits in with my lifestyle.”
“So what do you find to do here all day?”
“Once this little one comes along, I’m going to have my hands full.” Chloe grinned. “In the meantime, I write erotic romance novels with dragon shifter heroes. Book number one in the series hit the bookshelves a few months ago and it’s selling really well, both here and in America. Now that Deryk has found you, I have the storyline for my second book in the series.”
Izzi gasped. “You’re going to write a book about the two of us?”
“With your permission, yes.”
“But we haven’t… The mating isn’t binding yet.”
“For Deryk, it is. The moment he smelled your unique scent, all his emotions and future became centered on you.”
“He was so angry with me about yesterday he actually threatened to spank me.”
Chloe burst out laughing. “Nathaniel did spank me.”
Izzi chewed on her bottom lip. “Did you like it?”
The other woman grinned. “I liked what came after more.”
Izzi’s cheeks were ablaze with color. “I have a feeling I might too.” Right now, she just needed Deryk’s touch, in whatever way he wanted to give it. “Did you write about the mating in your book?”
Chloe grinned. “It’s the best part! Which is why I’ll want to know all the delicious details of your mating.”
The heat in Izzi’s cheeks was becoming a permanent fixture. “How do you feel about the being immortal thing?” She changed the subject. “Or, at least, living as long as Nathaniel does.”
Chloe shrugged. “As long as I can be with Nathaniel, I don’t care how long I live.” She sat forward. “Izzi, you can still be a lawyer. In fact, I’m sure the brothers could occasionally do with having a qualified lawyer in the family. The way they solve some of the jobs their security firm takes on aren’t exactly legal.” She grimaced.
“So Deryk mentioned.”
She gave Izzi’s hand another squeeze. “The pluses of being a dragon’s mate far outweigh the minuses. For instance, the mating is binding for dragons, but Nathaniel wants us to have a human service in the local church too, again after this little one is born.” Chloe placed her hands protectively on the bulge of her pregnancy. “For me, not for him, because he knows what a human marriage means to me. You’ll see. Deryk will be—is, already as dedicated to your happiness.”
Izzi kept the other woman’s assurance close to her heart even after Deryk came to the kitchen and told her it was time for them to leave. She didn’t even ask where they were going because she had already guessed they were going to Scotland.