Chapter 125: Please, let me help
Drogon found Anastasia at the training grounds, her sword flashing in the late afternoon sun as she sparred with the captain of the guard.
Even from a distance, he could see the tension in her movements, the barely contained fury driving each strike. The captain was struggling to keep up, his defensive posture weakening with each blow.
Drogon waited at the edge of the field, watching as Anastasia finally disarmed her opponent with a quick, brutal maneuver that sent the captain's sword clattering across the stones. The other guards training nearby paused, impressed by the display.
"Enough for today," she told the captain curtly, wiping sweat from her brow. She turned and noticed Drogon, her expression hardening immediately.
"What do you want again?" she asked, sheathing her sword as she approached him.
"It's Gwen," he said without preamble. "She needs you."
Concern flashed across Anastasia's face, momentarily displacing her hostility. "What's wrong?"
"The bond is pulling at her. And until she carries my seed, it won't stop," Drogon explained. "The heat is difficult for her to bear alone. And she won't let me help her. If she continues resisting, she might actually die."
Anastasia gasped. Anger flashed in her gaze. "I thought you were her mate?" she roared accusingly.
"Yes, I am. However, guilt is eating her up. And she won't let me touch her."
Understanding dawned in Anastasia's eyes, followed quickly by suspicion. "And why are you coming to me? What has that got to do with me? Are you not supposed to protect her?" The last words were spoken with barely disguised bitterness.
Drogon held her gaze steadily. "I am. But she needs both of us."
Anastasia laughed, a bitter sound devoid of humor. "Both of us? What game are you playing, dragon? You've already taken her from me."
"I've taken nothing that wasn't mine to begin with," Drogon replied, his voice calm despite the challenge in her words. "Gwen has always belonged to me, just as Arabelle did before her. Our souls are bound across lifetimes."
Anastasia's hand moved to the hilt of her sword. "How dare you..."
"But," Drogon continued, cutting off her anger, "that doesn't mean she loves you any less. She fears losing you more than anything."
This gave Anastasia pause. She studied his face, looking for deception. "What exactly are you suggesting?"
"I'm suggesting that instead of fighting over her, we both care for her in the way she needs." Drogon's golden-red eyes were determined. "I am willing to share her if that is what will bring her happiness."
"Share her? This word again?" Anastasia echoed incredulously. "She's not a possession to be divided."
"No, she isn't," Drogon agreed. "She is a woman with a heart large enough to love us both if we allow it. That's what I meant."
Anastasia turned away, her jaw tight with conflicting emotions. "You speak as if this arrangement is simple."
"It isn't simple," Drogon acknowledged. "But it need not be impossible either."
After a long moment of silence, Anastasia spoke again, her voice quieter now. "And what of you and I? Are we to be enemies forever because we love the same woman?"
Drogon stepped closer, careful not to crowd her. "We could be allies instead. For Gwen's sake, if nothing else."
Anastasia looked up at him, studying his face. Something changed in her expression, not exactly softening, but it was a slight indication of approval.
"Take me to her," she said finally.
They walked in silence through the palace corridors, an uneasy truce between them. When they reached Gwen's chambers, Drogon paused with his hand on the door.
"She has been asking for you," he told Anastasia. "Your name on her lips even in her fever."
Something vulnerable flashed across Anastasia's face. "She truly wants me there? Even with you?"
"Especially with me," Drogon replied. "She doesn't want to choose between us, Anastasia. The bond won't let her. And perhaps she doesn't have to."
Inside the chamber, they found Gwen lying on the bed, her skin flushed with fever, her breathing slow. When she saw them enter together, her eyes widened in surprise and relief.
"You came," she whispered, reaching out with both hands. "Both of you."
Anastasia moved to her first, taking one of Gwen's hands in hers. "Of course I came, my love. I'll always come when you need me."
Drogon approached from the other side, his large hand gentle as it smoothed back Gwen's damp hair. "We're both here now," he said. "You're not alone."
Gwen's eyes filled with tears. "I was afraid... I am so sorry Ana... I should have..."
"Shh," Anastasia soothed, climbing onto the bed beside her. "No need for fear now."
"You need my seed inside you. You have been so stubborn. The more time we waste, the more dangerous it will be," Drogon said as he began taking off his robes.
"W-what are you doing?" Anastasia asked, shutting her eyes.
"Taking care of my mate. We already agreed on this," he replied, looking at Anastasia as if she were being foolish.
"I-I know we did but..."
"There's no but. We can't continue wasting time. I didn't want to force you here, like the last time I went to the field to get you; that's why I left you alone when you didn't say anything when I came to you three days ago. Now we must attend to Gwen. If we don't, the dragon bond will consume her, drain her searching for my seed." At this point, Drogon was completely naked.
Anastasia couldn't help but stare. 'He is gorgeous,' she thought. She stopped her thoughts as she remembered he was a man, and she hated men.
Well, she hated being intimate with them. "Are you done looking?" Drogon's voice brought her out of her conflicted thoughts.
Anastasia flushed crimson, and Drogon smiled.
"Drogon..." Gwen called, a sneaky smile playing on her lips.
Drogon went to her but didn't touch her. He still remembered how Gwen wouldn't talk to him after they became intimate three days ago.
The stubborn woman had been bearing the dragon flame for over three days, and he would never force himself on a woman. Never.
All he had done during this period was nurse her. Make sure the flame within her recognized that he was near and wouldn't devour her completely.
"I am here, Spitball," Drogon said in a quiet voice, running his hands on her damp hair. He turned to Anastasia.
"Use your powers and make the room a little colder." Anastasia didn't argue. Blue light began shining in her hands. The temperature in the room became colder.
"Is this enough?" Anastasia asked. Drogon just nodded at her and then turned his attention to Gwen.
"Let me help you, my beloved, please. I won't go further if you don't want me to. Just let me help you."
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