11
Dante
When I gotthe news that Gabriel had collapsed, my whole world camecrashingdown.
I’d never experienced the sheer terror, the full-body sweat, the raging fire of my dragon crying out in concern for my mate. I regretted not being there at that very moment. I regretted ever leavinghisside.
I had dropped everything, shifted, and flew as fast as Icould.
When I arrived and saw Gabriel passed out on the pillow Ryu had propped him up on, my heart clenched with fear. But he had a pulse. He was alive, thankthegods.
I wasn’t going to let this happen ever again. Gabriel wouldn’t leave my sight. Not until this baby was born safe andsound.
Neither of us spoke on the way home. I carried Gabe to my room, since I didn’t want him to take the stairs after hisblackout.
When we were both inside, Gabriel turned to me and asked, “What the hell was thatabout?”
“What was whatabout?”
“Your freakout at Ryu’s.” He crossed his arms. “Saying how you don’t want me to practice magicanymore.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt again,” I growled. “It’s safer if you wait until after the baby’s born. Practicing magic takes a lot of energy, and you need all your energyrightnow.”
Gabriel threw his hands up. “Okay, first you beg me to learn magic, and now you don’t want me toanymore?”
“Until after the baby’s born,” Istressed.
But that didn’t soothe him. “Dante, I like learning magic. I like having something to do, a skill to learn. And I’m good at it! Didn’t you see theflower?”
“Idid.”
He seemed unimpressed with my answer. “Can youdothat?”
I couldn’t. Earth wasn’t my strongestelement. “No.”
“Do you even, like, care that I made a stubborn flower bloom with barely any training?” hedemanded.
“I care more about your safety!” Isnapped.
“It’s all about safety with you,” hemuttered.
“Of course it is!” I cried. “If anything happened to you, I don’t know whatI’ddo!”
Gabriel lowered his voice. “Dante, this is the safest I’ve ever been in my whole life. I’m well-fed, sheltered, cared for… Hell, there’s even a damn magical barrier keeping enemies from invading. And my mate is a dragon, forgods’sake!”
He approached me, reaching for myhands.
“I am safe,” he repeated. “So don’tworry.”
“Gabriel,” I growled, “I thought I lost you today. Do youunderstandthat?”
He frowned and didn’treply.
“When I got the call, I was scared out of my fucking mind. I didn’t know what happened. Every worst possible situation ran through my mind by the time I got to you. And worse - if I lost you, I wouldn’t just be losing you. I’d lose the baby as well. I’d loseeverything.”
“Well, you didn’t,” Gabriel said firmly. “I’m right here, alive and well. And so isthebaby.”
We were both silent. My eyes fell to his belly, which still wasn’tshowing.
