Her Dragon Protector

Chapter 13

Olivia sat in the passenger seat of her SUV as they drove to the cottage to get her things. She pulled Tyson’s coat tighter around her, taking in its warm, spicy aroma. She didn’t know if it was the smell of his jacket or the heat from his hand that was holding hers, but something was helping her stay calm, and she was thankful for it.

She felt his grip on her hand tighten when she took a shuddering breath. She was thinking about her family. She was afraid for them. Afraid of what Alpha Nicholas would do to them if she did not return to him. She could not understand why he was behaving the way he was. They were not mates. They both knew that. It would make sense if they had been mates who had marked each other. But, to act this way after a single one-night stand was incomprehensible to her.

A sense of dread washed over her when they turned onto the county road that led to the cottage. Something felt wrong. As her body tensed involuntarily, she felt Tyson squeeze her hand. They turned into the drive and saw the front door standing open. Olivia looked at Tyson to see his eyes were glazed as he mind linked.

“Stay here and lock the doors,” Tyson instructed.

He exited the SUV and closed the door as Devon appeared beside him. Olivia followed his instructions and locked the doors as soon as he was out of the vehicle. The two men cautiously entered the small house, with Devon leading. They were inside only a moment when they came back out. Devon stood on the covered porch while Tyson returned to the driver’s side of her SUV. Olivia unlocked the doors, and he climbed in. He let out a deep sigh as soon as he closed the door.

“Someone was definitely in there. Did you have anything with your name on it or any type of identification in there while you were gone?” Tyson asked.

“No, all that was in there were two suitcases of clothing and some toiletries in the bathroom. I keep all my IDs, cameras, electronics, and gear with me.”

“Good. Do you want to go inside and pack your things, or do you trust Devon to do it?”

“I trust Devon.”

Tyson took her hand and rubbed his thumb on the back of it. “Olivia, I can feel how scared you are, but I promise I will not let anything happen to you. I will keep you safe, and you will not return to Nick.”

“Thank you,” Olivia said with a shudder. “For everything.”

“You don’t have to thank me. You don’t deserve this.”

Olivia flinched at a sudden stomach cramp. She held her breath for a moment and slowly released it, trying to make the cramp stop.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just a muscle spasm,” Olivia told him. “I’m fine.”

“If you need a doctor, I ca….”

“No,” Olivia said, cutting him off. “I’m alright. I was warned that not being ranking blood and carrying an Alpha’s child could make me very uncomfortable. I was told to expect frequent cramps, pain, and total exhaustion because the child will drain me. I will be lucky if I am not confined to bed in a month or two.”

“What can I do?”

“You’re sweet for wanting to help, but there isn’t really anything you can do. If Nick and I were mates, I could stay close to him and draw energy from him. But, unfortunately, that’s not an option.”

They watched Devon come out of the cottage carrying her two suitcases and a small turquoise bag containing her things in the bathroom. He didn’t even slow down as he walked past their SUV and went straight to his, throwing everything in the backseat. He got in and quickly backed out of the driveway and onto the street to wait for Tyson and Olivia.

As they pulled into the road behind Devon and began the drive to the cabin, Olivia gave a single laugh, “Looks like he is ready to get out of here.”

“He just wants to get to the cabin and watch movies before the storms roll in.” Tyson chuckled.

“Sounds like my brother. He loves his movies.”

“What about you? What kind of movies do you like?”

“I don’t know, to be honest. I have never watched a lot of movies or TV. I have always been happiest with my camera or a good book.”

“There is a lot to be said for a quiet corner and a good book,” Tyson agreed. “I have a rather well-stocked library at my house that you are welcome to use anytime you want.”

“Really? Thank you, I would love that,” Olivia answered with a smile.

They drove back to town and, for nearly twenty minutes, in the opposite direction of her cottage. Finally, they turned onto a long gravel drive. Olivia was taken aback when they stopped in front of what Tyson and Devon had called a cabin. While Tyson had told her about the wraparound deck and double doors in most rooms, she was still not expecting it to be as large as it was. It could easily house her parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews and most likely have rooms to spare. The exterior was made of wood, glass, and natural rock from the area.

“So, what do you think of our cabin?” Tyson smirked.

“It is beautiful,” Olivia beamed.

“Come on. I want to get you settled in so you can rest before your work tonight.”

Tyson got out and jogged around to her side of the vehicle. He pulled the door open and helped her down, tugging his coat around her before putting his hand on her back and guiding her up the steps. When they went inside, Olivia saw that the inside matched the outside in its design. It was rustic yet modern, and she was in love with it.

“You know, if you ever need a live-in caretaker for this place, I would be happy to volunteer,” she offered with a smile.

Taylor chuckled, “After all this, with Alpha Nicholas is settled, you are welcome to stay here whenever you want, but you will not be the caretaker. I already pay someone to do that. Now, let me show you around.”

She felt overwhelmed as they walked through the house, and Tyson pointed out all the amenities. She had never stayed anywhere as lovely as this. When she stayed in a hotel while traveling, it was always cheap and basic. This house had everything, including a theater and a gym with a sauna. By the time they were done and back in the living room, she had lost count of the number of rooms. She had no idea which bedroom to choose because they were all beautiful.

“So, what do you think?” Tyson asked her.

“I love it. This place is nicer than any hotel I have ever stayed in.”

“Which bedroom do you want to use?”

“I have no idea,” Olivia laughed as she shook her head. “Every room is gorgeous, so it doesn’t matter to me.”

“Do you mind if I put you in the room next to mine?”

“Not at all. It isn’t like you can sneak into my room and knock me up,” Olivia said with a sarcastic laugh.

Tyson gave her a sad smile. “I don’t know how you can laugh with everything that’s going on.”

“It’s easy. If I don’t laugh, I will start crying,” Olivia answered as tears began forming.

“Hey, now. No tears,” Tyson pretended to scold her. “No one gets to be sad while they are here. That’s the rule. When you are here, you have to leave everything at the door. This is a place of relaxation and happiness.

“Then you need to have a serious talk with my stupid pregnancy hormones because I can guarantee that, no matter what, I will end up crying and breaking the house rule.”

Tyson chuckled as he pulled her into his chest and hugged her. “I guess we can make an exception to the rule in your case.”

“Thanks,” Olivia laughed back as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “It’s nice to know you will bend the rules for me.”

“Let’s take your bags to your room. I want you to put on something comfortable. That way, if you fall asleep during the movie, you can sleep and not wake up because you get uncomfortable.”

“Alright, but you have to promise me that if I fall asleep, you will watch the weather radar and wake me up when the storms get close.”

“Deal,” Tyson agreed.

He picked up her bags and carried them down the hall with her close behind. He opened the bedroom door and put the bags on the bed for her. Olivia unzipped her suitcase and recoiled. All of her clothing in the bag had the stench of rogue werewolves. She quickly opened the other bag to be met with the same rotten stench.

“Don’t worry about it,” Tyson said as he closed both suitcases and zipped them tight. “I will make a few calls and take care of this. Until I do, you can borrow some of my clothes.”

“Yeah, because we are almost the same size,” Olivia said, giving a tired laugh.

“I don’t know. It could be the next fashion trend. You can wear one of my t-shirts as a dress that comes to your knees and wrap one of my belts around your waist at least twice.”

“I think I will pass on the belt, but I will take the t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants if you have them.”

“Consider it done,” Tyson said as he picked up her bags and left the room. He was back in under a minute, making Olivia question if he had already gotten them ready for her to borrow.

“Change and meet us in the living room,” Tyson told her before he left, closing the door behind him.

As Olivia undressed, she sighed when she peeled her jeans off. When she had put them on that morning, they had fit comfortably. However, now they were tight and cutting into her. She stepped over to where the full-length mirror was against the wall and looked at herself. She turned to look at her profile and saw a prominent bump on her lower abdomen. She was six weeks pregnant and already starting to show as if she was three months pregnant. She would be lucky to wear anything other than her leggings and oversized sweaters in another week.

She quickly dressed in the clothes that Tyson had given her. She laughed when she looked in the mirror. It made her think of when she was a little girl and would put on one of her father’s shirts, pretending it was a dress. Even when she had watched Tyson walk into her cottage and duck as he filled the doorway, she had not realized how much larger he was than her. She tied the cord in the waistband of the sweatpants as tight as she could to keep them from falling off and decided that was good enough.

When she walked into the living room, Tyson and Devon were arguing about which movie to watch. She had seen this play out more times than she could count in her family. She watched the argument for over a minute before either noticed she was in the room.

“Perfect timing!” Devon said. “Which movie do you want to watch?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a comedy of some kind,” Olivia said with a shrug.

“Ha!” Tyson laughed, pointing at Devon. “Told you we should watch a comedy.”

“Fiiiiine,” Devon said as he slouched to the shelves containing hundreds of DVDs and blue rays.

Tyson walked over to Olivia and smiled warmly at her. “Are you feeling a bit better?” he asked, pushing her hair behind her ear.

“I am. Thank you,” Olivia answered as he led her to the sofa and gestured for her to sit down.

“Good,” he said as he sat beside her as she tucked her legs up. He pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and pulled it over her.

Olivia nestled into Tyson’s side, and his arm was around her shoulders. The movie had barely started before she was fast asleep. Every few minutes, she would shift in her sleep and get closer to him. By the time the move was half through, she was partially lying on his lap, cuddled in his arms. When the movie was over, Olivia was entirely on Tyson’s lap. She buried her face in his chest as he held her in his arms. He couldn’t help but smile at her as she slept peacefully.

“So,” Devon said quietly, not to wake Olivia. “How long have you known she is your mate, and why didn’t you tell me as soon as you found out?”

“As soon as I followed her outside and caught her scent,” Tyler answered. “And I didn’t tell you because she doesn’t feel the mate bond the same as I do. Her wolf hasn’t come forward, remember?”

“When are you going to tell her that you are mates?”

“I don’t know. She has so much to deal with right now. I don’t want to pile more on and make things worse for her.”

“Do you want my advice?” Devon asked, not waiting for a reply. “Tell her and make sure she knows you want her and will do anything to keep her safe. Jerkface messed with her head when he told her she and her baby were not wanted. Make sure she knows that you want them both. You do want them both, right?”

“Of course I do,” Tyson answered as he watched her sleep. “I already love her, and her baby more than I thought was possible. I want to raise it as mine and give it and her everything they want.”

“Then that is what you need to tell her.”