This wasn't a good sign. What if something had happened to her? It not only put her life in jeopardy but the baby as well.
“Rosie!” I called out once more as I searched the air. I willed my nose to work a little better but it could not track what I wanted to find. “Rosie! Please!”
And then, I heard something. A sniffle. I whipped around and narrowed my eyes. It was hard to see when the forest all looked the same.
But luckily, Rosie moved, shifting her position, and it was enough for me to spot her. I rushed forward and took her by the shoulders. “Rosie? What’s wrong? Did something happen to you?”
She continued to sniffle, hiding her face against her knees.
“It’s dangerous out here. Do you know what could have happened to you if I hadn’t found you?” I said through gritted teeth. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”
She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “I just feel so… used.”
“Used?” I repeated, confused by her response. “Why do you feel used?”
“Because all you wanted was a baby so you could preserve your species and all that… it had nothing to do with me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” I took her face between my hands and pulled her close enough where she was forced to look me in the eyes. “Dragons mate for life, Rosie. And the reason why we picked you is that we felt that connection you were talking about. Yes, it may have manifested itself with sex but our relationship is much more than that. We cherish you as our mate and will do so for the rest of our lives. So long as you’re alive, we could never be with another woman.” Gently, I leaned forward and kissed her lips. “So, trust me when I say that I love you and so does Foster.”
Her cheeks burned underneath my palms. “Do you really mean that?”
“I do. I love you, Rosie.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “And I want you to know that, this child you’re carrying, it brings me great joy because it means I have finally found the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Nothing would make me happier than spending every waking moment with you, Rosie.” I slid my thumb across her skin and smiled down at her. “Now, what do you say about getting off this cold ground and back to the village?”
She nodded. “I would like that.”
Since we were rather close, I took her on my back and carried her piggyback style. “Now, I want you to stay here while I look for Foster.”
“What do you mean? Where’s Foster?”
“That’s what I’m worried about. He didn’t come home last night and he isn’t answering any of his texts, which is unusual because he’s usually attached to that phone of his.” I frowned. “So, I’m going into town to look for him. I don’t know what I will encounter on the way so I want you to stay here and wait for me.”
“Not going to happen.” She held onto my neck a little bit tighter. “If you think you can just leave me behind you’ve got another think coming.”
“It might be dangerous. I don’t want to put you or the baby at risk.”
“Well, then I guess you’re just going to have to do a damn good job at protecting us.”
I sighed. “You aren’t going to take no for an answer, are you?”
“Nope.”
I sighed again. “I had a feeling you’d be a stubborn one. But I suppose that is why I like you so much. You remind me of myself. Now, come on, I fear that Foster needs our help.”
Chapter 11: Rosie
We started our search in the most obvious of places: the café.
Luckily, I had convinced Myles to put on a shirt. The last thing I needed was for everyone to ogle him as we made our way down the street. Even so, there were a few girls who stopped to stare. It filled me with a fit of jealousy I had never felt before.
As if sensing my discomfort, Myles took my hand and squeezed it. “You have nothing to worry about. Those other women have nothing on you.” He swooped down and kissed my cheek.
I still couldn’t believe what was happening. I had fallen in love with a couple of dragons but not only that, I was now carrying their child. Thankfully, they were both perfect gentlemen who treated me like a princess every chance they got. They were a world apart from the asshole I called an ex. He had never treated me with such love and care, and we had dated for nearly five years. The dragons had accomplished more in a few days.
Ding!
Overhead, a silver bell danced, singing its song.
At the counter, I spotted a familiar face. She was the barista that usually worked the place whenever Foster wasn’t. She was nice enough but she didn’t have much of a personality. “Hey, Christy, do you happen to know where I can find Foster?”