Shifter’s Baby (Alpha Fantasy Paranormal Billionaire Shifter BBW Romance) (7 page)

There was a tense moment as Arabella explained everything. How Henrick had died, how she was on the edge of losing her property or possibly her life if Lord Nelson got his way. She even sat down at one point in a rickety chair while Rayzier simply listened to her spill everything that had been pent up.

For a dangerous drifter type, he listened well. Nodding at the right moments and asking questions without prying too much. By the end of it, Arabella felt an immense weight lift from her shoulders. Rayzier was watching her.

“—I just don’t know what to do now.”

A silent moment spread between them. Arabella had told a complete stranger her inner most worries and troubles, and now anything could have happened.

“Come with me,” slipped out of Rayzier’s mouth.

Arabella’s head lifted from her hands as she looked into his face, making sure she had heard correctly. There was no humor on Rayzier’s face. No hint of having misspoke.

“Go where? I know nothing of where you come from. I know nothing of who you are.”

He blinked once, a calm yet serious expression on his face.

“I told you where I came from. You may be the answer to my problems. Come with me; settle the differences between me and my Uncle. I will return and make sure this Lord never bothers you again.”

“So it was your Uncle that wounded you? Why would he do such a thing and how could you possibly help me? Lord Nelson is practically untouchable.”

Rayzier stepped closer to Arabella. “My Uncle did not directly injure me or cast me from the high mountains of Istian. He is the cause of it though, I am certain.”

She noticed he didn’t comment on Lord Nelson, he’d carefully not bothered to explain further. Instead though, he reached down and took Arabella’s hand, pulling her to stand. She was just about to begin another torrent of questions when his mouth suddenly clamped onto hers.

Shocked at what he’d done, Arabella stood stock still. But the warmth of his body against hers woke up something that had been lying in wait. Loneliness wrapped around desire. Rayzier was a beautiful although very rough man, everything about him was completely different from her long dead husband but the initial shock didn’t last long and soon Arabella swept her arms around his neck and buried her lips against his.

Swallowed by the increasing tide of lust, He began to walk backwards, away from the too small kitchen that smelled of rotting vegetables and was covered in dust, and pulled Arabella with him towards the now cold bed so that they could warm the sheets together.

He pulled her on top of him, falling back into the mess of blankets. For an instant she hesitated, guilt overcoming her as she looked with new eyes at the familiar room surrounding them where months past she had spent the final night with Henrick.

“Lay with me Arabella,” Rayzier asked in a hushed a breathy tone.

She gave into his request, tossing aside the memories that were now long gone.

Enthusiastically, Rayzier’s trousers slid out from under him, Arabella lifted her skirts at the same time and with a quick glance at his already hard length pulsing beneath her she slid atop him, mounting him easily as she was already between the legs.

Their mouths met again as her hips began to grind back and forth. Rayzier sliding in and out of her without difficulty as the inside of Arabella’s thighs became coated with her wetness. Suddenly, with a groan, he grasped her by the waist and they flipped over.

Rayzier on top now began to thrust with the greedy need to be deeper inside of her. Her legs instinctively wrapped around him. She couldn’t keep up with his rocking motions as his hardened cock plunged again and again.

Arabella began to shake as Rayzier pummeled her pink. He slammed into her again and again, the tight skin of along his shaft grazing against the underside of Arabella’s clit. Rayzier’s pace slowed just as Arabella tightened her knees to her side, a moan escaping her lips. A sudden rush of warmth filled her.

He collapsed beside her, all his remaining energy spent. Arabella lay breathing heavily. She was just as tired. It’d seemed to be a long time since she felt pleasure. Her time with Henrick was like a distant lifetime away as she starred at her ceiling and listened to the soft breathing sounds coming from Rayzier.

Turning her head, she found that he’d fallen asleep. With his mind at rest, she could see the delicate dark bags under his eyes and his mouth no slack as he slept Rayzier seemed ten years younger. The hard edge expression he normally wore was gone.

At some point, Arabella had drifted off as well, one hand lay on Rayzier’s chest her face inches from his while she lay on her side. The light beaming through the small circular window in the bedroom began to fade.

She should have woke and found herself at peace, instead a sharp pain in her gut wrenched her from a dreaming state. Arabella gasped into the stale air that surrounded her and clutched at her normally smooth abdomen. A large rounded lump protruded the skin tight and her bellybutton felt as if it were going to come flying off.

“I must be dreaming,” she said aloud to no one in particular as she turned her head to find that Rayzier was still softly dozing.

She touched her stomach lightly, and under the skin something pushed back. Horrified, Arabella let out a squeak of fright. Rayzier stirred beside her finally and opened one eye.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“I don’t know, look at this.”

She turned to face him, showing him the lump on her abdomen. The terrified expression on her face transferred easily to his.

“How… it’s so rare that my kind can… this can’t be!”

Arabella felt the thing inside her shift.

“Your kind? What does that mean, your kind? What is this?”

She jumped up and away from Rayzier who was sitting starring dumbfounded at her rounded belly. Arabella then grabbed her arm and pinched as hard as she could. Nothing happened, she didn’t wake from the strange dream she thought she was in.

“I’m not wholly human, Arabella. I am of the dragonkin. We breed so rarely with each other, much less with complete humans, I didn’t think…”

A hard knock came at the front door. Arabella whirled in place at the door, absentmindedly laying her hand on top of the bump in her abdomen.

“Lord Nelson, his carriage men have come to take me to dine with him. I’d forgotten. Rayzier, if he sees me in this state, I’ll be tried for adultery. He’ll know the dates do not line up. What is this inside of me? Am I barring a monster? Are you a beast?”

Frightened Arabella may have been, she still wanted answers. In one moment of weakness she’d gotten herself into an unexplainable situation. If Lord Nelson didn’t put punish her for adultery, he’d make sure the church burned as a witch if she tried to explain.

“No, no Arabella. It isn’t a monster. You’re pregnant. It will look wholly human until it is grown. It will go through a change then. You must come with me, away from these people.”

Again, the lump beneath her hand shifted just as another loud knock came at the door. Instead of agreeing to go with Rayzier, she turned on her heel and marched to the door. The man that was waiting to cart her away spoke without being greeted properly.

“Madam, Lord Nelson has requested you be accompanied to his home—“

“No, tell him I do not have time to dine with him tonight. I’m sorry for wasting your time” she firmly stated and then shut the door in the confused fat carriage drivers face.

Rayzier had finally gotten up from her bed.

“We must leave now, you do not have much time. I must take you to Istian where our wise women can assist in your birth. The child will be here by daybreak.”

Again the thing inside her squirmed. She placed both of her hands onto the mound of hard flesh and looked down at it. A child. Something she’d never dreamed of being able to have once the news of Henrick had come.

But was it a child?

“Show me what you truly are Rayzier. I will decide for myself if I will go or not. If this truly is a child and not a monster, surely a midwife could do the same as your wise women.”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead walked past her to glance out the window in the kitchen.

“Your Lord’s carriage has left. When the men are completely out of sight I’ll do as you wish.”

Moments later Arabella was following him across her yard and out to the livestock’s pasture. He turned and grabbed her hands.

“Do not be frightened of what you see, please. I may look fearsome but on the inside I am still truly the same.”

Arabella wasn’t even sure who he was on the inside, but the look of desperation on his face allowed her to quickly give a nod.

Rayzier then stepped away from her and opened his arms wide and looked to the skies. At first nothing happened, and then she saw it. The last bits of sunlight hit his skin and she could see his roughened skin turn to scales. His arms and legs began to lengthen and contort. His hairy jawline grew long and rows of teeth filled his mouth. Along his back a pair of leathery looking wings sprouted and he grew taller and wider until she was looking up into the green glittering eyes of a great silver dragon with horns and scales and wings.

“Oh my…” was all that she could stutter out as Rayzier the dragonkin through back his reptilian head and roared towards the dark skies above.

He didn’t stay in dragon form for long. Arabella had taken several steps back and held her breath for so long that her vision had temporarily blackened and she fell over. She woke with Rayzier gently shaking her.

“Arabella. Please, are you ok?”

She was speechless but nodded anyway.

“You have nothing to be feared. The child will not able to turn for some time. Inside of you is only a human child. There is a possibility he will never turn. Come, please.”

Arabella not only was scared out of her wits, but to leave home seemed entirely out of the question. She didn’t have time to say so though, because the familiar sound of wooden carriage wheels and the heavy sounds of pounding hooves on the dirt road that led to her house sounded into the night.

“Someone’s coming.” Rayzier announced as he hoisted her into his arms and streaked across the yard to the barn.

When they made it out of sight, Arabella stood on her wobbly legs beside him.

“Who is it?” She finally had sense enough to ask as Rayzier carefully glanced around the corner.

“Your Lord Nelson has returned and he’s beating on your door. This time he’s brought at least a dozen armed men with him though.”

They waited in the darkness side by side listening to the shouts as Lord Nelson grew frustrated when no one would answer the door.

“Oh no…” Rayzier said as he dared another look around the corner.

“What?” Arabella asked but didn’t need an answer from Rayzier, Lord Nelson was yelling at his men to burn it down.

Instead of waiting it out, Arabella launched into action. Her great belly wobbling out in front of her as she dashed from their hiding place and towards the crowd of men who were lighting torches around the house.

“Stop!” she screamed at them.

Rayzier was right behind her, trying to pull her back into the shadows. Lord Nelson walked briskly from where he was just about to hop back into his carriage and met Arabella face to face.

“You’ve insulted me for the last time woman. I’ve—“ but he stopped dead at the sight of her belly.

“Lord, no. Leave my home.”

He caught the eye of Rayzier and then glanced again at Arabella’s swollen, pregnant belly.

“Burn it down men.”

The guards did as they were told, and through their torches onto the roof of her home which ignited almost immediately. Flames sprang across the wood and rose brightly.

Arabella sank to her knees. Everything from the day washing over her and her emotions bursting forth as if someone had opened the locked door on them. Great tears spilled forth and dribbled down her cheeks as she mouthed the words no no over and over again.

Lord Nelson had walked away from them, the guards had already mounted their horses and were waiting patiently for the carriage’s team to lead them away. Rayzier bent down beside Arabella and clutched her shaking shoulder as she wept.

“Come with me Arabella, and I will give you your revenge.”

It took a few seconds but her tears finally slowed, just as the final walls of her house fell into the glowing sparking embers that were left. She stood wearily and wiped her tears on her sleeve. Not only was Henrick gone, now the place where all their memories had been were gone as well.

She had nothing left.

The child inside her wiggled as if reading her mind. Gently she laid her hand on it, as if to reassure it that nothing more was going to happen before she gave birth. Rayzier waited patiently beside her, the firelight mirroring in his eyes.

“I will go with you.”

Rayzier’s hardened face finally softened.

“You will see Arabella, this will be everything that you have ever wanted. I will destroy this Lord Nelson, and you will be happy with me then.”

Arabella shook her head. “I cannot return here ever again. If you exact my revenge there will be another Lord, another problem. There is nothing here for me but ghosts. Let us leave. I fear though, you came here wounded, is it safe for us to return?”

He looked worried for a moment, the slight smile disappearing with Arabella’s observation.

“It will be. I was wounded and dropped here because my uncle wants the throne. I was the only thing between that. I didn’t care for the claim, now though, I have an heir. I will take my place as King and you and our child will live happily in our kingdom. My uncle will be destroyed and we will not fear his retaliation and scheming.”

Arabella seemed to accept this. Her world had been changed, and she had no reason not to trust Rayzier. For the first time in a while, she felt as if everything was going to turn out ok. It seemed the last of her mournful tears for a life that was long gone had ended and now she could look to the future with happiness.

She turned towards Rayzier and stood on tip toe, her great swollen belly between them, and kissed him. She kissed him like she’d done Henrick so many times before, with passion and love and trust. She hoped that her lips conveyed what she felt.

After the sweet moment passed, he stepped away from her and took his opened armed position. She watched him changed and lightly stepped forward. Rayzier lowered his head and swept low to the ground so that she could climb upon his back, and in the dark they swept off from the flattened land and towards the mountains in the distance.

The End

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