He read my expression. “No one knows but dragons. We’re born instinctively with this knowledge. I figured it wasn’t worth sharing.”
“Why did you figure that?”
He shrugged, giving me that sexy half-smile. “I chose you a long time ago, Jess. Either you were my true mate and you’d discover the mental speak the fun way, or you weren’t and it wasn’t worth worrying about what we didn’t have.”
All I heard from that was: I chose you. The extra emotions in my heart swelled.
I was distracted by another one of his devilish grins. “I’ll bet you also didn’t know that all dragons can communicate with each other while in our beast form.”
His shocking revelations continued. Seemed I needed to get some dragon workshops going or something. This information was better hidden than the secrets of the fey.
“Why did I not hear you in Faerie then?”
He lifted me into the water, my question cut off by a cascade of warmth flowing over me. He followed even though he was still wearing a pair of shorts.
“Because you haven’t connected intimately to your dragon yet. You’re still … distant. When the true merge happens, you’ll understand what I mean.”
I melted against him, my hands straining to pull him into me. We’d had sex not that long ago, but it wasn’t enough. Something told me it would never be enough. But before I initiated any frisky business, I needed a few answers.
Pressing my breasts against his chest, I glanced up, the slightest of smiles on my lips. “How do I connect to my dragon? And is that the reason I couldn’t shift on command when I was falling?” I exhaled, trying to keep my focus despite the distraction in front of me. “We couldn’t reach each other. There was this energy wall between us.”
Braxton’s pupils dilated, his nostrils flaring just slightly as he scented my arousal. His hands started trailing over me, lingering on my mark again. He couldn’t seem to help himself, touching it over and over.
“Every dragon shifter is different. Sometimes it’s an event, or for others it was simply time. Shift enough and eventually the bond is formed. I expect it will be quick for you. I’ve never seen a new dragon shifter have such control over their animal.”
I definitely had control over her, she was like a big puppy dragon. Most of the time. I was about to let loose with more questions, but suddenly those trailing fingers were right in the sweetest of spots. I threaded my hands behind his head and pretty much climbed his body, giving him better access, but I also now had a direct path to his luscious lips. And I was not wasting one second of this shower.
An hour later we were forced to emerge or we were going to expire from drowning or lack of food. Braxton left me in the room to dress. I wiggled into jeans and pulled on a simple black tank. I found a pair of black Converses in the cupboard. Even though I’d never seen them before they fit perfectly. They were either Mischa’s, or a shoe pixie lived in the cupboard. Yep, they were real demi-fey and they loved shoes. Generally, though, they were stealing them, not bringing new ones.
As I stood in front of the mirror to brush out my hair, my eyes were drawn to the shower stall. My thoughts flashed back to the last hour, and I couldn’t help the grin which spread across my face. My reflection, I’ll admit, looked quite flush and satisfied.
Why the hell had I waited so long to do this with Braxton? I had been so worried that taking this step would destroy the bonds of our friendship, but instead it felt as if we had never been closer. I could feel him in my chest, as if my heart were now twice the size it used to be, more emotions than I’d ever experienced.
No wonder mates got all blissed out and forgot the world for a few years. All I could think about and feel was Braxton, and I seriously hated that we were leaving the bedroom.
Braxton and I were mates … well, sort of.
Why the frig couldn’t anything be simple in my life?
My brush stilled halfway along a stroke. I wondered how Jacob, Tyson, and Maximus would take this. The last thing I wanted was any sort of rift between all of us. I was amazed that things with Maximus and his new mate had been calm so far, but maybe I’d been counting my blessings too soon.
No doubt I’d find out shortly. The Compasses would make their opinions abundantly clear.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
Braxton’s voice did the usual and shot heat right through my body.
“Just wondering how your brothers will take this revelation,” I said, before the next random thought burst from my mouth. “Do you want to keep things casual until we figure out what’s going on with this mate bond?”