Micaela’s Big Bad by Tijan

15

Rakon

Two weeks later.

“Hey.”

I jerked upright in bed.

It was dark out, and I glanced at the clock. Three in the morning.

My pulse was fast, and I was sweating a little.

A breeze came in through the open window. Looking over, a street light was shining right into my bedroom. Well, Nikki’s guest bedroom, but it was mine since it looked like I was her roommate for a bit.

Hey.

I jerked again. That voice was…

Kieran?

No. Well. Yes. Kinda.

It was a deep voice and growling, but not growling at the same time.

My heart started to pound harder, more insistent.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

It was Kieran’s dragon.

Is Kieran okay? Is he hurt?

Why did I care so much?

He’s fine. He’s busy right now.

So busy he wouldn’t know his dragon was reaching out?

What’s he doing?

He’s busy.

Busy?

Busy.

Understanding flooded me.

He was having sex.

I wanted to growl, but damn. My body got heated, and why was I caring about that either?

He was hot, rich, super freaking powerful so of course he could get some. Easy.

Not caring.

Nope.

That wasn’t me.

We were now a few weeks past Halloween, and my creature was getting restless. Hungry. She was missing Kieran. She was. Not me. Nada.

I rolled my eyes at myself. One would think the breakup had been with Kieran and not a guy who I’d been with for four years.

Are you okay?

I am.

He sounded good. Happy.

Why are you reaching out?

I missed you guys.

Guys? Me and—

Her. She’s my mate.

Shock seized me for a second.

Mate.

He said that, right?

She’s your what?

My creature didn’t speak. At least, not that I knew of, but I felt her. She was moving in me, wanting to take over, and I knew what she wanted. She wanted to have creature spirit sex with Kieran’s dragon.

My mate. It’s why Kieran was compelled to help you that night. I’ve been missing you and he won’t listen to me.

She was railing inside of me, wanting, needing to get out. I was struggling to keep her in, especially because I’ve not been eating—

You’ve not been eating?

I froze again. That wasn’t his dragon anymore.

Kieran?

You’ve not been eating?

Funny. He sounded a lot like his dragon with that growl.

I’ve been eating.

I heard him growl from his end. Energy, Micaela. Have you been eating energy?

I wasn’t swooning at hearing him say my name.

I normally hated hearing people say my full name, and I wasn’t swooning when he said it. I wasn’t light-headed. Not one bit.

I sighed, melting back down onto my pillow and I curled up into the blankets.

I was swooning. I needed to energist-up and admit it.

Yes. Got it. Swoon. Get your shit together. You haven’t been eating?

I forgot he could read my thoughts.

Micaela!

It’s CALE, dude!

I could hear his growl in my head. Nope. Correction: I could feel his growl, it was echoing through my body.

I wasn’t so swoony anymore.

Micaela, you need to eat energy.

I’m fine.

Micaela—

I said I’m fine.

You woke her—

No, you woke her. I didn’t do that. You did. She’ll go right back—

No. She won’t. Not with the level that you woke her up. You were with my dragon. She was with my dragon, and you raised her strength level by taking five hundred vampires.

Five hundred?

There were two hundred vampires at Quessadiline’s compound.

If I’d been sitting upright, I would’ve fallen back. I was floored at that.

Two hundred?

Yes.

You went from amateur hour to the pros in one night. If you haven’t been eating energy, you are a danger to people you love.

Oh, come on.

I’m not joking with you. You need to eat now.

I rubbed at my forehead. I’d been sleeping just fine—

You’re lying to yourself. You’re lying to me. You’re lying to both our creatures. Stop insulting everyone’s intelligence here.

He said I’m his mate.

Kieran was silent on his end.

Knock, knock.

A growl. Don’t be funny.

I’m not. He said we’re mates.

We’re not mates.

I waited.

He was silent. Again.

Kieran!

I could hear his sigh from his end. Yes, he’s told me the same.

Mates. As in—

I’m aware of what a mate is.

Mates weren’t husband and wife. They were soulmates, as in till the end of time type of stuff. As in there was a situation where if we shared blood during sex, and if the M word was involved, we’d be linked—everything stopped.

Kieran.

Another sigh. What?

Can you speak like this to others?

He was quiet for a bit. Yes.

Relief went through me. My eyes started watering.

But not to the same degree.

That was his dragon.

I could almost feel Kieran shutting up his dragon.

What’s he mean by that?

Nothing.

Kieran.

What?

What’d he mean by that?

There was an exchange of growls happening. And I was now noticing that we all enjoyed growling. Interesting.

A fatigue started rising up in my body.

It’s the response to your adrenaline. Rakon shouldn’t have woken you.

Rakon?

That’s his name.

Whoa. Do I need to name my creature?

No, Micaela. Your energy will blend with you eventually so the two of you are merged as one. It’s not healthy to be as separated as you are. It’s a different situation with Rakon and myself. We’re the same, but we’re also two separate creatures as well.

Cool. That’s all I could think. I knew I should have more of an intelligent response, but the fatigue was rising and rising. A yawn left me. A second one came right on its heel.

You need to sleep, and you need to eat.

I nestled into my pillow, my whole body feeling like it was melting. Night, Rakon.

Night, Micaela.

I could feel his wish to merge with my creature, and she stirred. A blast of exhaustion came right after.

You’re doing this to me, aren’t you?

Kieran didn’t respond to that. He said softly in my head, “You need to eat tomorrow.”

Yeah…

I was asleep.