Dragonfury 01 - Fury of Fire

away.
    Desperate to make her stay, he tried to explain. “I can help you, Myst. Because of our bond…the energy-fuse…there’s a good chance you’ll survive the—”
    “Survive?” Shock flared in her eyes.
    “ Bellmia , please. Listen to me. I think—”
    “You think? You think ?” She shot to her feet. Tripping over the rug edge, she stumbled, then caught her balance. “You did this without asking me? Knowing I could die ?”
    Jesus, he was botching it…making her panic, pushing her away with every word. His heart a tangled mess, Bastian stood and faced her. “I know, and I’m sor—”
    “You say sorry one more time and I’ll…” the words trailed off, drifting into nothing as she wrapped the blanket around her torso.
    Helplessness swamped him. He was losing her. “I didn’t know what else to do. With the Meridian and…Jesus. Had I told you that I’m only fertile during the realignment and that you would conceive, you would have run. And…fuck, but I couldn’t let you go and…I didn’t want to force you. But that’s what would’ve happened.”
    She retreated another step.
    “Myst, you saw me last night. How out of control I was…how many times you had to slow me down, take control so I didn’t get too rough. If I had chased you down, I would’ve hurt you. I wouldn’t have meant to, but I would have and—”
    “You don’t know that, Bastian,” she whispered, her face ashen, her eyes hollow as she stared at him. “I might’ve stayed, but you chose to keep secrets from me. After I asked you not to, and you swore that…oh, my God. You promised me. You promised. ”
    “I know.” He held his hands out to the side, begging in word and deed. “Let me make it up to you.”
    “You can’t.”
    “Please. I’ll do anything…give you—”
    “I can’t do this.” Tears in her eyes, the smell of despair and betrayal spiked in her scent. “I can’t…stay here.”
    With a sob, she broke eye contact and spun. Skirting the hearthstone, she fled into the dining room, the blanket flowing like a cape in her wake. She was in full panic mode: the chest-heaving, feet-flying, intellect-consuming kind that would send her into danger. And it was his fault. He should’ve found a better way to tell her, given her time to rest and recover from the night.
    Choking on self-hatred, Bastian sprinted after her. He needed to catch her before…
    “Myst…don’t!”
    “Stay away from me,” she yelled, already on the other side of the table.
    He leapt the antique, desperate to reach the door before she did. But she was faster. Grabbing the handle, she yanked the door open. Sunlight flooded the room, hammering him with UV rays. Pain blinded him, burning the backs of his retinas. Shielding his eyes, he threw himself sideways, into the darkest corner, out of the sun’s deadly path.
    Seeing nothing but spots, feeling nothing but agony, Bastian roared her name. But even as he begged her to come back, he knew she wouldn’t. He’d hurt her more than she could bear. She was already gone. He could feel the distance widening between them.

     
    Gravel bit into the bottom of her bare feet as Myst raced across the driveway. Pain lanced her, shooting up the backs of her calves. She didn’t slow. Freedom lay less than ten feet away…a beacon of hope with industrial-size garage doors and cedar siding.
    God, it all looked so normal. So safe. Nothing unusual about the structure except the circumstances that sent her speeding toward it.
    Pregnant.
    Her head pounded as words echoed inside her, making panic the only thing she knew. Run faster . She needed to run faster. Maybe then reality would fade and leave her with nothing but a healthy dose of denial. She wanted it layered on thick, like smudge on a windowpane, so she couldn’t see beyond into the light. Clarity and acceptance wouldn’t give her anything but more tears.
    Each breath rasping in her throat, she glanced over her shoulder. Bastian wasn’t there. Thank God. If he got ahold of her, she was cooked. He’d drag her back and imprison her. She checked behind herself again, afraid he was on her heels. The rational side of her knew he couldn’t be. Daylight prevented him from following her. She’d learned that last night while they talked…when she thought he was being so honest with her.
    She was a fool. He’d lied to her…again. This time with catastrophic consequences.
    A sob caught in the back of her throat. She couldn’t be pregnant. It