Chapter 6

The reality of being kidnapped by a person who could legit turn himself into a dragon was a scary one. Iris was trying to come to terms with it all when the three women heard an explosion that seemed just outside the wall-sized window.

Lady Marie suddenly got into a high-alert mode and ordered Sussane, "The duty to comfort and protect your Alpha lady is on you now child, prove your worth."*

With that, she was out of the room as quickly as sound. Iris looked at Sussane alarmed, "What was that? What is happening? What did Lady Marie mean by Alpha Lady? Was she referring to me? What do I need comfort and protection from? Why did she ask you to prove your worth? Is it Dragon Dominic?"

The questions poured from her lips like water from a waterfall but Sussane simply replied, "There are two things you should know, Lady Hanson. One, There are things like answering your questions, that I am not allowed to do, only Lady Marie or Alpha McBlaze can, even though I do know the truth, it's not my place to disclose it. And two, you are safe here. Your evil brother or any of his werewolf or witch minions can never reach you here. All I can tell you is to calm your mind. You are more important to us than you realize yet. Soon enough, you will get every answer you seek. Until then, please show a little faith and rest your mind."

Her calm voice made Iris want to believe her, but in her thousand years of life, she had met her fair share of innocent faces with ugly intentions. Sussane could see Iris didn't trust her or any information given to her, but she was silent now, no more questions, so she tried a new approach, "How about you take a calming bath? I'll make it ready for you and then I'll get some proper clothes. I think you'd like to get out of that nightie!"

There were too many things Iris didn't understand and everything seemed out of her control. For the first time in a long time, there were forces even more powerful than herself at play and she didn't know what to do. A bath seemed nice, so she nodded, making Sussane grin as she jumped off the bed like an excited kid and disappeared behind another door, which probably was the bathroom.

In half an hour, Iris found herself undressing and slipping into a lukewarm bath filled with scented lavender body oils and dahlias surrounded by soothing scented candles. The bathroom itself seemed to be designed for royalty with its gold designs and the same dragons on the ceiling as the bedroom. Now she understood the reference.

Sitting there finally alone after a frenzy of the day she had yesterday, she couldn't begin to comprehend the solutions to her confusion. There were so many thoughts at once and so many questions. All leading to the handsome dragon Domnic McBlaze. Sussane let slip his last name and Iris thought it kinda suited him.

Lady Marie's words replayed in her head 'If a Dragon-shifter wants you, they'll find you.' And Sussane's words too, 'You are more important to us than you realize.' But Iris couldn't, for the life of her understand, why would a strong and handsome dragon like Dominic want her and why was she so important that he was ready to stand against her brother for her.

Iris sat in that heavenly bathtub until the water lost its warmth. She remembered how her abductor's strong arms wrapped around her in the meadow when she was about to run away. For a second, she had a strange true sense of safety. It was weird to feel safe in a kidnapper's arms, but it felt so right. That's the sense she always had every time he was close. Even though he was a stranger, she couldn't help but believe his every word and feel secure. Those thoughts made a blush rise on her cheeks as she looked around embarrassed like someone could see what she was thinking about and feel her blush.

She finally decided to get out of the bathtub but she couldn't find any clothes. Sussane had said she would get some for her but it didn't seem like she was back yet. Iris thought she couldn't just stand there naked and wet in a bathroom, so she decided to wrap a towel securely around herself and wait for Sussane in the room she woke up in.

She knew she should've run, try to find an exit. But without her magic, she knew it was going to be impossible. Who knew how many henchmen were placed to guard her? Plus, she was tired of running. At least, these people hadn't yet laid her on an operating table like her foster brother and cut out her organs for them to regrow and repeat for entertainment.

Her shoulder-length wet hair brushed her naked shoulders as she walked out of the bathroom bare feet securing the towel so she could wait for Sussane to take her clothes. She heard someone clear their throat making her stop in her tracks and instantly look up. To her utter embarrassed horror, there stood a very shirtless Dominic McBlaze with lust in his eyes and an infuriating smirk on his lips, cleaning dried blood from his chest with a wet towel in hand.

Iris' eyes went wide as her heart sped fast due to the situation she had found herself in. The man fully dressed was hard to handle, but now he was without his shirt showing off his abs and well-built chest, and toned arms in all their powerful glory. She was almost checking him out when he broke the silence, "Like what you see? Cuz I sure do!" He winked at her as she realized he was checking her out as well since she stood naked wrapped in nothing but a towel that didn't even reach her knees.

She quickly averted her eyes and blushed to try to cover herself as much as the towel would permit her, "What are you doing here?" She asked trying to get control of herself and the situation by becoming defensive.

"I could ask the same question, What are you doing in my room like that ?" He smirked and tipped his head towards her, making his shoulder-length tresses fall on his face. He threw the towel at the table nearby and took a step towards her like a hunter trying to corner its prey.

"Your room?" Iris' eyes widened as she stepped back. Ever since she met this guy yesterday, she had been finding herself in situations she had never in her thousand years of life been in. This was all new to her and she did not know how to react.

Dom nodded and took another step towards her. It was his dragon trying to take control. Even though Dom knew they had a long way to go before she would accept him as her mate and they could take the next step, looking at her then and there, his dragon was in a frenzy to take his mate. She was pretty if not volcano hot, but looking at her now, with only his towel wrapped around her wet and naked self as she stood entirely vulnerable in his room, eyes innocently wide, he was on the verge of giving in to his dragon.

In a few more steps he had sandwiched her between the wall and his bare chest. She was looking up at him in alarm with uneven breaths as he listened to her heart go wild due to the proximity. She might not be a dragon, but she was his mate and that fact alone was enough to get a reaction out of her.

"I can hear your heart, Iris. It's beating fast for me." He whispered in her ear, making her breath hitch, "Your body betrays you, so why bother trying to control it?"

"You are nothing but my kidnapper, and I don't want you in any way!" She tried to sound confident despite the goosebumps his warm breath on her wet shoulders was causing.

"Who said anything about you wanting me? But, if you say so." He looked straight into her eyes, smirking only a couple of inches from her face as her luscious lips felt inviting to him.

And he might even have captured them if Sussane hadn't barged in through the door, "I finally got you the clothes, they were placed in another room-" Her words died on her lips when she saw the compromising position her Alpha was with his mate. She whispered to herself, "Oops!"

The annoyance could be seen clearly in Dom's eyes at being disturbed, but a part of him was glad because he didn't know how much control he truly had. If things escalated, he had no idea what his dragon might've ended up doing regrettably. Dom whispered one last time to Iris, his lips brushing her ear ever-so-lightly, "To be continued." And then he left the girls in the room without another word.

Iris had stopped breathing at that point. Once he left the room, the bubble burst and she remembered it was all Sussane's fault, to begin with. Iris quickly took the clothes from her without a word and went to change. After all, if she had been on time with the clothes, Dom and Iris might not even have to confront each other. Also, it was she who prepared the bath in his bathroom, knowing full well it was his, so the confrontation was inevitable.

Still, Iris needed some moments to calm her goosebumps and erratic heart, the after-effects of Alfonso Dominic McBlaze, who was still her abductor whose reasons she still had to figure out.