Ivormantis (4 page)

“I thought I might relieve you. I thought you might want some time with your own mate,” he stated casually.

“You’re supposed to be resting yourself. What are you doing up at this hour?” she questioned.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Not even with the amount of pain pills he took. “I think I could rest easier if I were near her.”

Natasha looked over to the peacefully sleeping elf and then back up at Dominic. “You’ll scare her if she wakes and finds you in here.”

“I promise to switch back off with you before she wakes in the morning. Just let me be with her tonight. Please.” He realized he was nearly begging, and couldn’t care less. This was his mate. He would beg until the sun shone high in the sky if he needed to. He would truly do anything just to be able to sit and watch his beloved Meldie sleep the remainder of the night away. He knew without a doubt watching her sleep would bring a peace to his soul. He could already feel it starting to work; just being close to her was doing it.

Natasha finally nodded after a long moment’s thought. “Alright, but come get me if anything happens.”

Dominic nodded his promised agreement before she stood and walked out. He forced himself to stand still until she shut the door behind herself. After hearing the click of the lock sliding into place, he turned and made his way over to the side of the bed, his hazel gaze locked on Meldamiriel’s sleeping form. He gently eased himself down onto the edge of the bed, careful not to wake her. Her breath was even. Though her brow was furrowed and looked stressed, she didn’t seem to be having any bad dreams tonight.

Natasha had managed to get her all cleaned up from when she had arrived earlier that day. Her long, straight, white hair was no longer all tangled and a matted mess, her skin had been washed of all its dirt and grime, and she smelled absolutely fantastic! He could just sit there for hours doing nothing but breathing in her delicate scent and tenderly stroking her beautiful hair. Such beauty, and yet she knew nothing but fear. Well, he was going to fix that, and soon. He would work to show her there was more to her life than what she had been forced to live through. She needed to know there was love, kindness, beauty, and above all, peace out in the world.

“You don’t know it yet, little one, but I love you. More than words alone can say,” he whispered to her sleeping form before carefully leaning over, trying not to cause himself too much pain. But whether it caused him pain or not, he was determined to place his lips on her skin. He placed a light kiss at the top of her head, and then took a moment just to study her features.

Meldamiriel sighed peacefully, curling into her pillow a bit more as both of her arms were wrapped around it so tightly it looked as if she were choking the damn thing. He watched as her brow eased and lost some of its tension. He briefly wondered what she might be dreaming of as he sat back and watched her. Was it a happy memory? Was it about that dreaded Dexter character? And who was he any way and what did he mean to his Meldie?

“Love me,” he whispered against her ear before kissing her cheek.

She stood and watched a small child in her favorite pink sundress on a warm spring day. She couldn’t help but smile. She was watching a much younger version of herself. As she watched the child twirl around in the field of wild flowers, she remembered this was back in a time when she had not a care in the world. The sun shone down brightly, filling her with the warmth of happiness as she continued remembering the days when nothing at all mattered but smiles and laughs. She sighed, where had those days gone? She wanted to squeal with joy when Dexter came dashing past her, chasing a butterfly. Hot tears burned her eyes as she watched the once-again-alive chocolate black Newfoundland play happily in the field alongside the child. She knew it was a dream, her taking a trip back in time when she knew life to be fun and happy, when her biggest worry was what magical adventures would be encountered that day.

With tear-filled eyes, she looked about herself. She remembered this meadow residing just on the other side of the woods behind her childhood home. The home she had lived in with her parents before they had been brutally murdered trying to protect her from a warlock wanting to take her so he could drink her blood and transfer all her powers over to himself.

She caught sight of two figures moving slowly toward her. Being blinded by the bright sunlight, she shielded her eyes in order to try to spot them better. Her heart stopped beating in her chest as she recognized the two people, a man and a woman holding hands and smiling at her.

“Momma? Daddy?” she choked out the lightly whispered words.

“That’s right, child,” her father said as he and her mother came to stand before her.

“My, have you grown to be a beautiful young woman!” her mother sighed with a smile, her bright green eyes becoming misty.

Meldamiriel was afraid her dream would end, and she simply didn’t want that. She needed what little bit of time she could steal to be with her wonderful parents, even if it was just for a little while. She looked back up to her parents, finding all the questions she had once wanted to ask suddenly gone from her brain. A furry, wet nose had her looking back down at her hand to find Dexter coming to get some love from her. She stroked his soft black fur and tried to muffle her sobs slightly with no such luck.

“Do not cry, sweet little Meldamiriel,” her mother spoke sweetly as she wrapped her arms about her daughter’s shaking shoulders.

“Why…why are you here?” Meldamiriel questioned, looking into her mother’s eyes and searching for what she didn’t know.

“We never really left you,” her father stated.

“I don’t want to lose you….didn’t want to lose you…and not again once this dream is over,” Meldamiriel cried. “Everyone is gone now; I only have Natasha left.”

“And Dominic,” her mother added in for her.

“Dominic?” she questioned in shock. How did her parents know about him?

“Yes, child, Dominic. He is a good man for you,” her father stated boldly.

Meldamiriel turned her wide eyes back to her mother for help. Hoping she might get a bit of help from the dead woman.

“He is your mate, dear.” Then again, maybe not.

No, no, no! She couldn’t have a mate. It was a subject completely off limits. She just couldn’t. How could she be expected to love someone so truly, lose them, and be expected to survive that? She fully believed if she lost Natasha, she would fall apart. And if she had a mate and allowed herself to fall in love with that person, totally fall in love with that person like mates do, she would truly die if something happened to them because of her. Yet again.

“No, Momma, I can’t. I just can’t. What if…” She couldn’t even bring herself to finish. She just simply couldn’t handle watching someone else die.

“He is a great warrior, and stronger than you give him credit for. Yes, he may seem weak right now, but he will heal. And he is a man worthy to both love and protect you,” her mother stated.

Meldamiriel shook her head, not believing the words she was hearing. She practically gasped and jumped out of her skin when a much larger hand intertwined with hers, as she nearly swallowed her tongue whole. She looked up to see Dominic standing there beside her, a kind smile gracing his lips, brightening his beautiful hazel eyes. She wondered why he was here, why fate had drifted him her way. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze as if he knew what she was thinking and was trying to tell her that everything was going to be alright.

“Trust him.” Her mother’s words were whispered in the wind as the light breeze began to pick up.

Meldamiriel looked to her parents to see them and all the light and happiness start to drift away, leaving her feeling cold and alone as the skies darkened. This was the end of her dream. Everything was now coming to a sudden stop, though she wished that these few moments would last forever.

“Lean into him,” her mother’s words came again.

“Love me.” Dominic’s heated breath caressed her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

Meldamiriel awoke with a start, her eyes flashing open as she sucked in her breath.

“Good morning,” Natasha sang, a bright smile dancing in her green eyes.

“I slept through the whole night?” she asked in disbelief. She hadn’t slept that restfully in quite some time.

“Sure did, just like a baby.”

Meldamiriel raised a brow at her best friend. “What’s got you so giddy this early in the morning?”

She shrugged. “Let’s just say that it’s good to be back home and have Blain healing and getting back to being healthy, again.”

Meldamiriel smiled and threw her hands up. “Whoa, stop right there! I do not want the graphic details,” she teased.

“Like I would give them to you anyways. You’re like my sister, but I know how good he is and I’m not taking a chance in you taking a fancy to him,” Natasha teased right back. “Besides, there’s someone else that has eyes for you.”

She nodded. “Dominic,” she whispered, casting her eyes down.

“You’re pushing him away before you even give him a chance to let you get to know him. Why? He’s your mate.”

“So, it is true.” It wasn’t a question.

“How did you know? He didn’t say anything.”

“Something just told me.”

Natasha sat on the side of the bed looking down at her friend. “Give him a chance, that’s all he and I ask of you. All you have to do is just talk to him. You don’t have to touch him, move into a relationship with him, or get intimate. You don’t even have to hold his hand. He just wants to know more about you.”

Meldamiriel nodded. “Yeah. I’m just scared, you know?”

“I know, but trust me. Even when you’re scared, you sometimes have to take the steps you don’t want to take or aren’t completely sure about. But in the end, you’ll be glad you took them.”

“Were you that way with Blain?”

“Yes, most definitely. And now, I wouldn’t go back and change one single decision I made,” she said with a smile.

Meldamiriel smiled back and nodded.

“Now, get dressed. I was able to hunt you down a few things that should fit you ‘til I can get you some more clothes. Come on downstairs for breakfast when you are finished.”

Dominic vigorously paced back and forth in front of the windows in the dining room. His back was killing him, but he couldn’t bring himself to sit down. He had spent the night in Meldamiriel’s room, watching her sleep for several hours before finally finding enough peace to drift off in the chair across from her, only to have Natasha wake him up three short hours later. No sleep, a dragon wanting to be released, a need to have his mate near him that was driving him mad, and in severe pain. Oh, he was in great shape.

“Dominic, please take a seat and relax. You’re wearing yourself down quickly. You’re not doing your body or dragon any good in trying to heal yourself,” Blain stated, pinching the bridge of his nose at watching his friend make a road map of his floors.

“Easy for you to say. Your mate’s not scared of you,” Dominic snapped.

“True, but you won’t be helping yours to trust you if you’re snapping at her like that either. Sit and relax, it’ll help both of you. Trust me on this one.”

With a grumble, Dominic painfully eased himself into one of the chairs. He was worried as to why it was taking so long for Meldamiriel and Natasha to come down and join them for breakfast. Had something happened? Was Meldamiriel upset again? Had she hurt herself? The possibilities of what all could have happened in the short time since he had left her in Natasha’s care was endless. She could be crying, had a bad dream, fallen and gotten hurt, had another meltdown…the list went on and on.