Page 23 of Dragon Claimed

Arlo gave her a sideways smile. "I agree with Enzo. I feel the same way he does."

Beckett and Esen agreed.

Well, damn it. I guess I need to talk to the hothead.

Kaida stood before Blaze's door, holding up her hand in preparation to knock on it. She froze when she realized this would be a conversation leading to either the bond opening or an all-out brawl. None of the guys thought this was a promising idea, but Kaida put her foot down. They wanted to be there so they could help facilitate the conversation. Something about them being here made Kaida think Blaze would take it as five against one. That was not a way for him to open up to her.

No...I need to do this on my own.

She could smell his campfire scent from inside, so Kaida knew he was there. She could also smell popcorn, which did not seem like something Blaze would casually enjoy. Kaida had an image of Blaze only eating raw meat due to his constant rage. It didn't make much sense, but it's what she pictured. Knowing that he enjoyed popcorn gave Kaida a small glimpse of hope that she could get through to him. Small talk of enjoying the same treat was an icebreaker.

Yeah, we will go with that.

Knock, knock, knock.

The scuffling inside the room turned into what sounded like a body hitting the floor. Kaida smirked as she imagined Blaze rolling off the bed, his foot catching on a blanket, and falling to the floor. The scrambling afterward meant he dropped entirely onto the floor and was trying to get his footing. She could see the shadow from the space under the door. Blaze stopped just before the door; Kaida could hear him sniffing the air and the low growl that emitted from his throat.

"What do you want?" Blaze snarled.

Kaida sighed, "I think we need to talk."

"I beg to differ."

"Open the door, Blaze," Kaida put a small amount of power in her plea.

Kaida could see his shadow standing still on the other side. If he contemplated opening the door, she was in better shape than she could have hoped. It could mean he wanted this bond between them but was too afraid to do something about it. Arlo and Esen went through the same issue.

"Please," Kaida added, laying her hand flat on the door.

The sound of the door handle moving made her heart skip a beat. She swallowed as the door slowly creaked open. Blaze stood in the room with nothing but a pair of boxers on. Seeing his taut body had Kaida's mind wandering about what she wanted to do to it. Blaze cleared his throat, and Kaida realized she was staring at his chest.

"Right. Can we talk?"

Blaze stepped forward with a predatory look in his eyes. He lifted his right arm and leaned it against the doorframe. He was a few inches from where she stood, and she could feel the heat from him rolling off him in waves, bringing his intoxicating scent with it. Kaida inhaled it on instinct, leaning slightly into it. Blaze smirked at her, and his eyes glistened with mischief.

"What could we possibly talk about, princess?"

Kaida's dragon came to the surface, bringing a feeling of calm with her so she could straighten herself out to meet Blaze's gaze. He was doing this to distract her or intimidate her, but the dragon wasn't having it.

"Our mate bond, Blaze. You can try to ignore that there is one there, but deep down, you don't want to do that."

Blaze didn't move an inch, but his smirk grew wider. "You think that will work on me?"

"I can feel it. You want to explore it, but you are holding back."

Blaze lifted his other hand to stroke Kaida's face. The trail of fire that was left behind made her shudder. Once his hand left her skin, Kaida whined from the absence.

"You may think I am, but that is just you projecting what you want onto me." Blaze took a step back and straightened himself out. "I promise you that I do not want to explore that bond."

Kaida growled. "What the hell happened to you for you to be so jaded about mate bonds?"

Blaze crossed his arms over his chest. The fire in his eyes was hard to ignore. Kaida locked eyes with him and fought the urge to walk closer to him. He still wore a smirk on his face, as if he were enjoying the fact that she wanted to argue with him.

"Nothing, Princess. I just never wanted a mate, and being given one doesn't change that."

Kaida stepped into his room, and the glare on her face could have burned holes in his skin. "What is so wrong with having a mate? My life changed for the better after finding mine, all of mine."

Blaze laughed, and Kaida had to fight herself to join him. The sound was intoxicating to her ears. She had never really heard him laugh like this before. He genuinely thought what she said was funny.

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