Fire in His Blood(27)

 

But if she were drakoni, she would be as crazed as the rest of my people. Her thoughts would be eaten up with the anger and the darkness. I am glad she is other.

 

More than anything, I ache to claim her, to take her as my own. I want nothing more than to transform into my two-legged form and curl around her as a mate would. To hold her close and sink my cock into her warm, willing cunt. But I cannot. Not yet, not while she is yet frightened of me. I will not touch her until she welcomes it. Until then, I will take the small joys. The fact that she sleeps so peacefully against me is pleasing. I thought I would lose my sanity when she ran away, and in that moment, I nearly broke again. I nearly broke a second time when she dangled off the edge of the strange cliff, but I was able to bring her back safely. My claws tighten around her in remembered fear. So close to losing her just after I found her.

 

 

 

        

          

        

         

 

Clau-dah makes a soft noise in her sleep, protesting my grip.

 

I immediately relax my claws again. She shifts her weight and presses her cheek to my scales, tucking her small body against mine. A small, tired sigh escapes her, and I want to bite it out of the air and keep it. My heart feels full. Complete.

 

I will do anything to keep this. To keep her.

 

Anything.

 

 

 

 

 

9

 

 

 

 

 

CLAUDIA

 

 

I awaken to the faint sound of something stirring, and I'm surprised to see that the sun is bright and there are birds chirping in the distance. Did I sleep all night? Despite being naked, filthy, and cradled against a dragon? Guess so. Even now, my cheek is resting against the deliciously warm scales of his foreleg, and my arm and leg are thrown over him like he's a great big pillow. I'm not even embarrassed. I slept far too well.

 

I straighten, pushing my messy hair out of my eyes, and glance up at the dragon's face. Kael is alert, his head high and stiff, eyes flicking between gold and black. As I watch, a plume of steam rises from one nostril, and his long tail lashes somewhere far behind us, stirring debris. It must be the sound that woke me up.

 

But why is he so agitated?

 

I remain still, not wanting to startle him, and decide to wait for him to notice that I'm awake. He remains in a state of alert, though, and doesn't seem to be paying any attention to me. All right. I know what to do in dangerous situations-extract myself from said dangerous situation. I sit up and start to creep away, only to have one clawed paw reach out and immediately grab me, dragging me close to his chest again. I make a small noise of protest and push at one of the gigantic black talons, but instead of letting me go, he makes a cage with them.

 

I'm not going anywhere.

 

My heart starts to pound. This wasn't how he acted last night. "Um, Kael?" I put my hand on one scaly digit. "Remember me? Claudia? Your bestest human buddy?"

 

His eyes continue to whirl black, and his lips curl back, revealing the sword-like incisors. Well, crap. I don't know what to do. How do you calm down a pissed-off dragon when you have no idea why he's pissed? I continue to stroke his scales, trying to soothe him. "Talk to me, Kael."

 

Because talking would require turning back to human form, and he feels a lot less scary in human form.

 

The big head leans down, and he nuzzles my hair, but the claws remain tight around me. I think he's trying to reassure me, but I'm not going to relax while he's got all that black whirling in his eyes.

 

The sound of human voices touches my ear. I stiffen, instantly alert. Hope hammers in my heart.

 

People! Militia, from the sounds of their voices, but I don't care. Fort Dallas sent people after me, and that's all that counts. They didn't leave me. Someone's come to save me. I haven't been completely abandoned. Joy and relief rush through me, and I push at Kael's claws, trying to squeeze my way free.  

 

Kael doesn't let me go. He growls low in his throat, and his eyes are almost entirely black.

 

I go still again. Shit. This isn't good. This isn't good at all.

 

I don't know what to do. I want to be rescued … but I don't want Kael to lose his shit and squeeze me into a pile of human goo.

 

"We just need to check on things," a voice says, hollow and echoing from across the way. I can barely make it out, but it's a man's voice. "You saw what the dragon did to this place. Something happened here yesterday, and the mayor wants answers."

 

My heart sinks at that. They're not here to rescue me. They're here to see what happened. Don't I matter at all?

 

"No one could have survived that," another voice grumbles. "We had to rappel up half the damn building just trying to get here. He fucking tore the stairwell out."