The Red Diamond Dragon

Close to You

Johnathan

I leaned against the mantel, staring into the flames, lost in thoughts of my beautiful mate and how I could help her see her true value. A small amount of fear remained that she still hadn’t accepted me yet. I should not have pushed her, but she was breaking my heart with how sad she was, and she looked so beautiful. Her skin felt like satin, and it took every ounce of self-control not to tear that robe off and worship every inch of her until she believed me. My skin heated up with the fire as I stood there, my body holding onto the heat. It was calming and rejuvenating like a battery charge. Watching the fire held a certain peace for me, most likely my dragon side.

I turned from the fire, feeling her approach. I smiled, seeing that she left her hair down. She had been looking at me but was now staring at the fire.

"If it is too warm, I can extinguish the fire." I offered.

"No, please leave it. I love to watch fires, but I never get to be around them. The wolves in my pack always said they were unnecessary since everyone's body temperature ran warm, " she explained.

"Would you like to sit with me by the fire tonight? It's a nightly habit of mine." I sounded hopeful. She smiled and nodded, looking from the fire to me. I motioned her to the couch next to me as I sat down. She sat next to me on the couch, her eyes trained on the fire. I took a chance and pulled her gently against my chest. After a few moments, she sighed and relaxed into me. I wrapped my arms loosely around her waist, holding close, feeling the fire that burned between us. “Can I ask you something, Angel?”

“Of course.” She replied, still watching the flames. I loved that she was as mesmerized by them as I was.

“When you said you knew who I was by reputation and heard about women trying to be with me, what have you heard? I ask because there are a lot of rumors, and I want to make sure you hear the truth from me.” I wanted to clear the air and for her to know I would not keep secrets. I kept my life very private for a reason: I don’t like attention or drama, and, in our world, there could be plenty of both.

I watched her skin glow in the fire as she watched the flickering flames, and then she spoke. “I did not hear a lot, given that I do not have many friends. I heard you were a driven soldier who could be terrifying. You did not have much of a sense of humor and liked women a certain way. Mostly, it was overhearing talking before balls about women wanting to have s*x with you and entrap you into being a chosen mate if possible. My stepsister and her friend even tried getting membership to an exclusive club that she said you and Alpha Xander went to from time to time. They even went one night with guest passes. I think they saw through her scheme because she was denied membership. She was angry for weeks over that one. Your and Alpha Xander's names seemed to be interlinked when women talked. Really, I only ever heard bits and pieces, and I did not know who you were, so I did not pay much attention. It wasn’t like I was going to have a chance to meet you.” She half laughed at that last statement.

“I am so very glad we did meet Angel. As for the type of man I am, yes, I am a driven soldier. I expect my warriors to give their all, and in return, I give them my all. Our world has many dangers, and it is our job to protect those who can not protect themselves. Our pack runs like a family, and we take care of each other. I like to think I have a sense of humor; my grandsons think I’m funny.” I chuckled. I can’t wait to introduce Madeline to the little guys. “As for women, I do like them a certain way.” I felt her stiffen slightly. “I like curvy, voluptuous women like you, Angel,” I said in her ear. “Most women who are curvy like that are Bears, Dragons, and some witches. There are not a lot of curvy women in the werewolf species, which is fine. They have a beauty to them, but it is not my preference. I do not sleep with women in the pack; I always felt it would be unfair if I found a mate. As for the club Xander and I went to on occasion, it is a fetish club for certain s****l preferences. I like to take charge of my s****l relations and prefer to control my partner's pleasure. I didn’t go as often as Alpha Xander did. It was something we both backed off on when we started having women stalk us there. Your stepsister would not have been the first, for sure.”

“That all makes sense. I know you can’t trust rumors, and I never intentionally listened. Sometimes, it would just happen while I was waiting for them to leave the room so I could pass through. I heard things I never wanted to for sure.” She said that last part as her brow furrowed, and she became tense.

“What do you mean by that?” I questioned, wanting to know everything about her, the good and the bad.

She sighed deeply, watching the fire still like she was in a trance as she talked. “I overheard Debbie had agreed to sell me, or rather, my virginity to one of the members of our pack.” Rage flowed through me as I tried desperately to keep calm and not let her feel it. “She had told the man that he would have to wait until after the ball, so I would represent the pack appropriately, and Mr. Harris would not find out. I don’t know how much she was getting paid, but she stated he was the highest bidder. The night I heard that, I talked to my boss Emma at the laundering facility, and she agreed to loan me the remaining money to move hopefully before it happened.” She concluded. I was trying to get a read on her feelings about it. They bounced between surprise, sadness, and anger. I realized the prominent emotion was anger, much like I was feeling.

“I am so very sorry to hear that, Angel,” I said, kissing her head. “I will never let her near you again, and as for her agreement with that man, if it comes up, I will personally handle it,” I told her with feeling.

"She isn't worth it. I was getting out of her plan either way. " The statement did not ease my anger that I was carefully trying to mask.

"I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy," I murmured to her.

She slowly turned her head to look up at me. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

“I do, I will go to any lengths necessary for you for the rest of my life,” I told her, carefully kissing her lips. “Would you mind if I held you tonight while we slept? I promise to do nothing more. I just want to be close to you."

She stared at me for a moment before nodding her head. “Yes.” She replied quietly. “Could we please stay by the fire just a little longer?”

“Of course, Angel, we can stay right here as long as you like.” I snuggled her into my body more. “I have training early in the morning, so please sleep as long as you would like, and my housekeeper, Mrs. Lamont, will be around to make breakfast when you are ready.” She nodded as she yawned. She tilted ever so slightly to rest her cheek on my chest. The skin-to-skin contact helped soothe my soul. It seemed to do the same for her, as she placed her small hands onto my forearm. We watched the fire as she slowly drifted to sleep in my arms. I was in heaven. Reluctantly, I finally stood, lifting her in my arms. She seemed to be in a deep sleep. I placed her in the bed, carefully removing her robe and draping it over the bed. I slid in next to her, carefully pulling her back into my arms. She sighed as she instinctively burrowed into my chest. Her scent and soft breathing lulled me to sleep.