When Time Stops: Dragon Shifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance (11 page)

“It’s time for me to go.”

Aeon cleared his voice and Isobel caught herself nodding, the corners of her mouth downturned. She didn’t want to see him go and that too seemed ridiculous to the rational side of her brain. But when a woman gets her world rocked as thoroughly as she had just now, could anyone blame her for not really listening to the
rational
side?

Isobel certainly was in no mood to do so.

“Alright.”

She nodded awkwardly, one hand on her stomach. It had been weird over the last few days and she’d blamed it on nerves, but what was there to be nervous about right now? She put that thought out of her head.

He paused for a second, as if wanting to say something else, but eventually chose not to. Turning on his heel, Aeon nodded his farewell. It was only when he was almost at the door that Isobel spoke up again, her hands rolling into fists as she fought to get a grip of her feelings.

“Aeon, wait.”

He stopped, one hand on the door.

“Yes?”

“I… Thank you for tonight.”

Stop being a goddamn teenager and say what you mean!

“It was my pleasure.”

“And, one more thing,” Isobel added before he could turn the knob. “I hope… I hope you win the next challenge.”

If his expression had been unreadable before then now it felt like someone had turned the key and unlocked all of his secrets. Aeon’s eyes suddenly flashed a deep, swirling gold, and his face was one of shock and surprise and carefully harbored joy. It was only a split second that she could spot him like that and then it was as if it had never happened at all.

But she’d seen it. He wasn’t here just because of honor or feeling like he owed her something. No, he was here for her. And the craziest thing was, she sort of wanted it that way.

“I hope so too, Isobel.”

The words came after a long silence and his voice shook a little, not as controlled and enunciated as he usually was. They stared at one another in evident confusion before a smile cracked over his lips and Aeon shook his head softly.

“Good night.”

“Night.”

When the door closed behind him, Isobel crumpled down on the couch, propping her head in her hands. Her fingers pressed into her cheeks and her eyes were wide.

What the hell was that?

“
M
iss
, we need to go.”

Grale’s pounding knocks at her door the morning of the challenge splintered right through her skull. It was like someone was trying to carve a path into her head using the straightest means possible and she was not thrilled for it.

Considering that Isobel was on her knees, hugging the porcelain toilet bowl, there weren’t exactly many things that were currently capable of bringing her joy. Her throat burned and her stomach churned.

“I’ll be right out!”

The muttering that came as a response to that could only have one meaning. It wasn’t the first time she’d given Grale that answer and he clearly was in no mood for any more excuses.

“Miss, we
need
to go. We cannot be late again!” came Grale’s grumbly answer.

This was sort of becoming a theme. Every damn morning, they’d be late to another silly function, or even worse, a challenge, because Isobel was taking so long ‘getting ready’. In all honesty, it wasn’t that at all.

Instead, most mornings, she’d been exactly where she was now, with the faucets running in the bathroom in the hope of drowning out the sounds. She wasn’t sure if Grale bought any of it but by the sound of him now, his patience was really running out.

He can break in if he wants to. A fine prize I’ll be, puking my guts out. What dragon
wouldn’t
want me!

The thought came with a roll of her eyes as Isobel reached for a wet cloth she’d left on the edge of the sink. She wiped her mouth with it and tossed it into a small hamper in the corner of the lavish bathroom. Heaving herself up off the floor, she tested her intestinal fortifications for a moment, swaying in place with a frown on her face.

It seemed okay. Finally. At least for now, anyway.

Sighing, Isobel turned to look at her reflection. She was dressed in a gold gown that hugged her curves and left her neckline curiously plunging. It looked like the dress was missing something and she couldn’t help but think that a necklace would have hit the spot, the fashionista in her speaking up for a change.

While the dragons had impeccable, if somewhat ostentatious taste, they’d avoided giving her any jewelry so far. Casey had told her that they couldn’t do that because any piece she wore had to be that of her mate’s. Putting gold or gems on her that belonged to another dragon would have upset the competitors.

It was one of many,
many
dragon oddities that Isobel had become far too used to.

Her hair was messy and she fussed with it absently, her mind a roiling mess. This wasn’t the first time she’d thrown up. In fact, she’d been spending more and more time in her bathroom with each passing day. While she was no doctor, she was sure that the cause wasn’t food poisoning, as she’d originally guessed.

The fact of the matter was, she was pretty sure
what
was to blame. And even more than that, she was certain that it couldn’t be good news for her at this moment.

What a mess, Isobel…

Her hands went to her stomach in the middle of pinning back a lock. Biting her lip, she looked down at the curve of her body. She turned so her side would face the mirror instead, inspecting her reflection. There was nothing showing yet, but in her mind, she knew what it was.

She was pregnant. And it was Aeon’s.

As a sane, rational, sensible kind of woman, Isobel had always assumed that the talk about a woman’s intuition in regard to matters like these was nothing more than bullshit. No one could
know
so concretely that they were pregnant so early on and even less could they know without a shadow of a doubt that it was going to be a boy and he was a dragon.

But Isobel knew. As surely as she knew her own name and that she’d stepped into a mess she couldn’t quite handle on her own, she knew that she was pregnant with Aeon’s child.

“Miss! We need to get going!”

The yell was followed by another loud banging on the door.

“I’m coming!”

Isobel touched her hands to the cool surface of the marble sink and stared at herself. She looked positively glowing, save for the fact that her expression was fit for a funeral.

“How am I going to fix this?” she asked herself, posing the question to both herself and the baby growing inside of her.

She’d been on the verge of ignoring the proverbial elephant in the room for days now, but she couldn’t anymore. Knowing dragons, at least one of them would ‘see’ through the cloud of perfume she’d spritzed on herself to hide the scent she assumed she was carrying now. And even if they didn’t, if Aeon lost at the challenge today, she’d be at the mercy of another dragon.

Another dragon she couldn’t imagine would be overjoyed by the fact that she was carrying another dragon’s child.

What happens if Aeon wins?

Isobel swallowed dryly. She had so many questions and no answers to them. In the bottom of her heart she knew that Aeon would do anything he could to protect her and the baby, but was that what she wanted? Hadn’t this whole thing begun with her wanting more freedom, to shake off the shackles she’d allowed to be built around her by the choices she’d made before?

Only one thing was really clear, and that was that she’d do anything in her power to keep the life growing in her womb safe. What it meant for her personal happiness would yet to be seen, but it seemed awfully inconsequential in the light of everything that had happened so far.

She had someone to protect who couldn’t do it for themselves and a failed engagement, a mess with prehistoric shifter billionaires and what she could only describe as a ‘love problem’ waiting to grow out of hand seemed like perfectly manageable problems in comparison.

Gargling quickly with mouthwash, Isobel touched up her makeup, spritzed some more perfume on her, stepped into her teetering heels and rushed to the door. As she pulled it open, Grale was on the other side, reaching for the knob to barge in. He looked like a thundercloud come to life.

“About time,” he grumbled, his voice deep and resonating.

“It’s not like they were going to begin without me.”

Isobel huffed, stepping past him. She could hear him sniffing the air in her wake and could imagine the ever deepening frown he had to be wearing. When he sneezed, it sounded like thunder had erupted a couple of feet away from her.

Isobel grinned. So at least the perfume was helping a little.

She could only hope that it would be enough, though.

T
he air was
thick with anticipation, testosterone, and not a little bit of magic. The number of dragons had been whittled down to five, with Aeon and Shade being the eldest of the bunch. Instead of the clear skies and warm sunshine they’d been blessed with on the previous challenges, this time the heavens were grey and black, patchy with rainclouds.

“They’re going for the dramatics this year, huh,” Phase commented dryly, considering the sight above with a quirked nose.

“Doesn’t beat the sandstorm one of the desert dragons conjured up two years ago, though.”

Once again, Aeon was standing with his younger brothers around him, tapping his foot on the ground and glaring at his competition. It was becoming second nature to him. The proceedings were being held up as Isobel had been late to arrive and there was a whole mess of formalities that had to be cycled through before the challenge could begin. Every second wasted brought Aeon a step closer to losing his sanity.

Keeping his eyes off of Isobel had been nigh impossible since she arrived at the arena. Instead of the flying challenges that the dragons had been pitted against before, the final challenge was equal parts brute force and magic. It would be the bloodiest of the challenges and Aeon caught himself thinking that he wanted to look at something beautiful instead of focusing on the despicable for as long as he could

The rules were simple. The remaining dragons had been allowed into a naturally formed arena of sorts, a plain, empty rocky valley, surrounded by cliffs jutting straight up. The observers were seated on their customary seats at the northern tip of the bowl. There was enough room in the arena to fly, but not too high.

Anyone who rose out of it would be disqualified. The last dragon standing, or flying, would be the victor. This meant that he’d have to push all the others out, or make sure they couldn’t stand anymore. It was usually the latter that most competitors went for.

This time, there would be no holds on the use of magic. Everyone could use whatever they had in their arsenal. For Aeon, it would be manipulation of time. For Shade, it would be the fog.

A Goldplains dragon was still in the mix, though Aeon wasn’t sure whether the healing and soothing wave they had would be of any use here. There was a Greenmeadow cousin still left standing as well, and while the problem solvers of the dragonkind were usually strong competitors, Aeon judged him as too young to be of any real competition.

Coal Ironbender was more of a threat, though. The Ironbenders could control metals, twisting and using them to their liking. In a rocky formation like this, there was no end to the things he could do by extracting the ore from the mountains and then bending it to his will.

He and Shade have to go down as fast as possible,
Aeon mused, his thoughts firmly back on the challenge at hand.

Hex nudged Aeon with his elbow, making him snap his attention back on his brothers.

“You listening?” Hex asked.

“Not really.”

Phase grinned at the answer but Aeon wasn’t in any laughing mood. He wasn’t the kind of man to go into something as important as this with an easy mind.

“They’re almost ready to do the Greeting of the Princess,” Phase said.

Another thing to sullen Aeon’s mood. Every dragon left in the final challenge would get to go and greet the princess for a moment. Though it was in plain view of everyone else, Aeon still didn’t like the thought of them getting so close to her. Truth be told, he didn’t like anyone being near her and the fact that he hadn’t seen her in days didn’t sit right with him either.

The time had been necessary for healing, both for him and the other challengers, but every part of him wanted to get this over with as fast as possible. If for no other reason than to put him out of his misery in case she decided that she did not want to be with him.

It sounded like the closest thing to hell on earth in Aeon’s mind.

“Where’s Shade, though? Shouldn’t he be milling around, being a douche?” Hex mused out loud.

Aeon looked around the arena, searching for the dastardly dragon. He was about to join in on the discussion about the curious lack of the fog dragon when Phase pointed at movement in the stands.

“There he is. Who’s that with him?”

Shade had already made his way up to be the first in line to greet Isobel. Custom stated that each dragon would be called upon individually but evidently Shade had thought himself above the rules.

But it wasn’t that which caused Aeon to worry. His superior eyesight gave him no doubt that Isobel’s expression had fallen and she looked positively ashen all of a sudden. As Shade was kissing the top of her hand, another man was standing next to him, monopolizing Isobel’s attention. A low growl emitted from the back of Aeon’s throat, rumbling and dark.

He sensed trouble and he didn’t like it.

The shift took him quickly and the wind felt cool beneath his winds as he lifted his massive body from the ground. The cuts and breaks in his armor-like scales were more evident now than they had been before the previous challenge, the brutality of the fights leaving their mark. Swiftly, he flew to the stands, dropping as close to them as he could without the guards coming to remind him of what he could and could not do.

All the while, he kept his attention on Isobel, Shade and the mystery man with them. He wasn’t sure if Isobel had said a single word. She certainly looked tongue-tied and if Aeon was right, there were tears brimming in her eyes.

If anyone’s hurt her…

The notion of reaching out to her mentally when in dragon form came to him, but he resisted the urge. Despite the evening they’d shared together after the second challenge, he couldn’t allow himself to presume too much. If anything, she’d shown a great dislike for people barging into her mind so far.

Aeon turned back into his human form, barely catching any attention due to the mass of dragons still flying in and arriving around him. He took to the stands with a run, covering ground quickly on his way to Isobel. Though Grale stepped in his way immediately as he spotted Aeon coming, he took a step back a moment after.

Aeon wasn’t sure whether it was because of the fact that he was a challenger, or because Grale sensed some trouble brewing around Isobel. He didn’t have time to ponder about it at the moment, though the somewhat questioning, stern look Grale gave him stayed with him.

What’s that all about?
Aeon wondered, pushing and shoving his way to Isobel.

“Aeon! Could not wait your turn?” Shade asked with bemused interest.

His pale skin looked almost grey to Aeon’s eyes that day, the ghostly apparition of a dragon standing tall and being evidently rather pleased with himself.

“I decided to take a cue from others,” Aeon murmured in response, his gaze flicking to Isobel.

He almost sneezed when the cloud of perfume hit his nostrils, but could stop himself from it just in time.

“Isobel.”

He bowed in front of her and took her hand, which felt cold to the touch, and pressed a quick kiss on the top of it. The brief contact he had with her, he could feel her shaking slightly, shivering. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but could clearly not do so with Shade and his unknown friend so close by.

Scowling, Aeon straightened himself. They were surrounded by the buzz of the crowd but it seemed a million miles away as much as it seemed to be far too close. She’d barely looked at him, wide, disturbed eyes locked on the other man.

“Would you like to introduce me to your friend?” Aeon ground out, annoyed by the smug way Shade was looming over the proceedings and the shell-shocked look on Isobel’s face.

“Oh, right.”

Isobel stirred, flustered. She hand one hand draped over her body, across her stomach, and the other had fallen limply to her side. Aeon hadn’t noticed it at first but she’d backed away as far as she could on the bleachers, putting as much space between herself and the quiet, smirking man as she could.

“This is… This is Joshua Cleaver. He and Shade apparently know one another.”

Joshua… Shit.
That
Joshua.

“I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure,” Joshua said, wearing the fakest, brightest smile Aeon had seen in a long time.

Realization his Aeon like a brick wall, making him grow still for a moment. He turned and took the hand offered to him by Joshua, taking the first opportunity to really consider the man.

He was reasonably tall, standing only slightly shorter than Aeon did, with a head of well-groomed golden blonde hair, blue eyes that were on the narrower side, a straight nose and a firm chin that spoke of a lifetime of privilege. The air about him was one of well-maintained wealth, with a side-order of that preppy self-congratulatory bullshit that men like Joshua Cleaver carried about them.

Aeon had no doubt that his idea of a good time would be spending weekends on the golf course with guys wearing ridiculous clothing and calling one another Kip and Wally. The thought of his lively, spirited and beautiful Isobel ever ending up with a man like that made Aeon’s blood pressure spike with unfiltered rage.

“Likewise,” Aeon answered, though he didn’t bother with a smile.

The prick didn’t deserve it.

“What brings you all the way here? I wasn’t aware we were in the habit of bringing human guests that are not mated to dragons.”

It was a statement more than it was a question, targeted at both Joshua and Shade. The latter simply shrugged good-naturedly, as if it was the most reasonable thing to do, to bring human spectators into one of the most well-guarded, secret dragon traditions. They had no less than three illusion dragons patrolling the area at all times, making sure no one wandered in and got a peek of anything they weren’t supposed to. Yet here was Shade, bringing in people who clearly should not be here.

People with the express interest of hurting Isobel.

“Oh, you know… Isobel’s family was getting awfully worried after the whole ‘disappearance’ thing,” Joshua started, rolling his eyes for good measure and air-quoting as he went along. “I figured I’d come down and set their mind at ease.”

“What do you mean by that?” Isobel asked, finally finding her vocal chords. “They know I’m here?”

“Of course not, my dear!”

Joshua laughed and the sound was so damn grating that it took a whole lot of self-control from Aeon to keep from punching the man’s teeth in where he stood. The thought was oh so appealing.

“But with me here, I’m sure they’re resting a bit easier. Couldn’t let people know about what’s going on around here, could we?”

Aeon frowned, dark annoyance swirling in the pit of his stomach. The situation was becoming all too clear to him now.

“Are you the reason why Isobel’s here? Why she was chosen?” Aeon asked suddenly, his vision clouded with anger.

Isobel’s mouth gaped open slightly and she glanced from Aeon to Joshua and then back again. Shade chuckled, a sigh interwoven in the sound.

“I may have made a call or two,” Joshua said with a shrug, throwing a glance at Shade. “I mean, I felt
so
bad that I couldn’t be the man Isobel deserved that I figured she could use one that would be larger than life, you know? And what’s bigger than a dragon, am I right?”

He grinned and this time, Aeon couldn’t contain the roar that was growing in his throat.

“You son of a bitch,” he spat, lunging at Joshua.

If he got his hands on the man, it would take him a second to snap his damn neck in half. In his rage, Aeon hadn’t noticed Grale appearing by his side. The guard inserted himself between Aeon and Joshua at the right time, grabbing Aeon by the shoulders. Joshua stepped back, wearing a shit-eating grin and holding his hands up a little.

“Whoa there, buddy. I just want what’s best for my little princess here. You know that, right, Isobel?”

She sputtered, trying to get her words out. The look of pure horror on her expression, shifting slowly into anger and then rage, made Aeon stop in his tracks. Were she a female dragon, Aeon was certain that there would be nothing left of Joshua but a burnt pile of ashes on the floor.

“What’s
best
for me!? You have got to be kidding me! You idiotic, cold-hearted, malicious piece of sh-“

She never got to finish her sentence, because Flite appeared out of nowhere, put his hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him.

“Enough,” he said, his tone allowing for no disagreement. “It’s time for the other dragons to get their greetings from her. You three,
leave
.”

Shade smiled wider, chuckling to himself. Clearly, he was more than pleased with how much the situation upset Isobel and how it made the air practically crackle with unspent rage around Aeon. He clapped Joshua on the back, who appeared just as smug, and escorted him off the podium.

Aeon was still glaring daggers at Grale, who was standing unperturbed before him.

“Isobel, are you alright?” Aeon asked.

“Aeon…” Flite warned, his eyes flashing that familiar gold.

Aeon didn’t care. If he had to take both Grale and Flite on in a duel, it’d be tough but his current state of mind told him that he’d be the one coming out as the victor here. Certainly after seeing Isobel so thoroughly rocked by the exchange he had more than enough reason to want to fight for her.

“I’m okay, Aeon,” she answered, her cheeks burning red. “Honestly. Just… Kick Shade’s ass, alright?”

Her hands were balled into fists and he could see her aura spark red and gold around her for a second. It shut him up immediately, the play of colors unlike anything he’d ever seen before.

Either I’m losing my mind or… No, I’m losing my mind. That’s it,
he decided, grounding himself and trying to refocus on the moment.

“I will.”

Reluctantly, he allowed Grale to escort him down from the stands. Dozens of curious pairs of eyes were following his path, but Aeon paid them no heed. No one had expected Aeon Prevoir to even come watch the tournament, let alone participate in it. To see him so worked up about it had to be creating quite a stir among the gathered dragons.