Pretty Painful by K.A Knight
Mishal
I don’t know how she will free me, Nyre grumbles in my mind, but I have faith. I know she will figure it out and when it comes to our mate, Nyre can break even these enchanted chains to get to her.
I will try, for her, he huffs, before ignoring me again. Grumpy bastard.
I get a scratch for that, making me grunt, and Dabria moves in my arms at the sound, almost seeking my pain as her fingers stroke my chest, trying to wash it away with her touch even in her sleep. Dropping a kiss on her forehead, I hold her tighter to me. That feeling inside her that something is coming is in me too. I can feel it between us, a sense beyond our control. An itch that can’t be scratched, and it has never been wrong before. I know we can face whatever is coming together, but I fear for her, which is something so foreign to me I don’t know how to control and react to it. Usually, I would just burn whatever the threat was to the ground, but I can’t, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, I can’t protect her as much as I should be able to. She’s my mate and I am helpless in that sense. These fucking chains prevent me from doing the basic tasks of a mate. I don’t want her to live in fear and I never want her to be scared again, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth that Nyre agrees with.
She didn’t feed, Nyre points out helpfully and I wince. Fuck, I am a bad mate. I didn’t even remember to bloody feed her. I will have to make sure I right that as soon as she wakes up. We need to get better at this mate business. I don’t want her regretting being with me.
She would never regret me.
Fucking dragon, I shoot back, even as a smile curves my lips. It’s nice to hear him so strong in my head again, even if he is being an annoying, cocky shit. It seems the longer we are bonded, the stronger he is getting. I am hoping that means she will be able to call him forward at some point using our mate bond.
I wince when I hear the roaring of another animal, something that not often slips through these thick walls, but they must be torturing him or her. Dabria stirs in my arms, lifting her head, her eyes half asleep, and adorable confusion is painted across her face.
“Shh, little one, we are okay. Go to sleep, I will protect you,” I whisper fiercely. She nods, accepting me at my word, and goes back to sleep on my chest, snoring with quiet mumbling that has me smiling as I watch her.
Can you imagine my brothers’ reaction when they find out I have a mate?I ask Nyre.
He huffs out a laugh. They will go in search of their own, no woman will be safe.
I almost laugh out loud but hold it back, so I don’t wake my sleeping mate, knowing he is right. They are petty and jealous, but they would want a mate for their own…well, maybe not all of them.
He is too broken,Nyre agrees.
He would hurt her without meaning to, I sigh.
But that fucking nightwalker will sleep with every single woman on the planet to figure out which is his, Nyre scoffs in my head.
He makes me grin, even as my thoughts turn dark, wishing it wasn’t true. They deserve this happiness, they deserve to know the love of a woman, to hold her in their arms and know they will never be alone again. If any men in the world deserve that, it’s them. They have sacrificed everything to protect our people and this planet, yet they are doomed to watch on as others find their mates, fall in love, and have children, but never us. It takes a toll on a being, one I know personally, and I hope Dabria’s appearance means we have finally been gifted with mates. It would be the goddess’ twisted humour that when we least expected them, that when we gave up hope and are in the darkest places, we finally find them.
Everything happens for a reason.
Whatever that reason may be, I am beyond thankful it brought me to Dabria, my little mate.
My second chance, my love.
