Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“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.”