Page 35 of Brutal Alpha Dragon

“Pfft!” Kairo blows a heated puff of air as she flings herself onto the bed. “My brother, of course. He knows I’m the one who left the door open.”

I giggle as I join her on the bed. “So you were punished for it?” I titter. “I’m not sure if I even want to thank you for doing what you did.”

Kairo sits up and stares at me with wary eyes. “Did you get to explore much of this place?”

I shake my head, avidly avoiding her eyes when I say, “Not much. I erm—I encountered Draco. And he wasn’t pleased at all.” I can’t bring myself to tell her what happened last night. But I’m not lying by admitting that I hadn’t been able to explore.

“Clearly not,” Kairo says remorsefully. “I’m sorry, Lily.”

“What for?” I frown.

“For everything…” Kairo reaches for my hands, delicate fingers providing comfort as she takes my hands onto her lap. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

“Then how was it supposed to be?” I press gently.

Kairo takes a deep breath before she begins explaining. “I am a dragon-shifter. So is my brother.”

“A dragon-shifter?” I mull out loud. So that’s what they call themselves. Shifting from the shape of a human to a dragon. “So, where am I?”

“This place is called Aurora Island.”

“Are we still on Earth?”

Kairo giggles as she gives my hands a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “Yes, we’re still on Earth. And my kind isn’t there to harm the human race. Instead, we protect you.”

“By kidnapping young women and holding them prisoner in a luxurious bedroom?” I quip as I stifle my humor.

“No, of course not!” she defends. She calms down when she sighs, then goes on, “We are immortal beings. And we’ve suffered great losses in the past. Because of that, we’ve been faced with a crisis. The males in our clan don’t have females to mate with.”

“C-clan?” my voice trembles. “There’s more of you?”

Kairo nods. “My family’s name is Vulkan, and we are the ruling family of the Western clan of dragons called the Aurora Dragons. My brother, Draco, is the Alpha of the clan. The leader.”

I nod slowly as I process the information. “And I’m here to produce children for him?”

Kairo inhales sharply. “So you know about that?”

When I nod, Kairo turns to me with an apology in her eyes. “Like I said, it wasn’t meant to be this way. It’s just that…” she sighs. “... Draco doesn’t believe that a human mate is capable of bearing children. You see, the elders have decided to follow an age-old tradition of mating with humans. And my brother doesn’t agree with it.”

“Why?” I feel compelled to ask. It shouldn’t matter. In fact, I should be furious that I’d been brought here against my will. Kidnapped, without a choice.

Yet, deep down, there’s a strange pull toward the dragon-shifters. Not just Draco, but the dragon girl who sits beside me, holding my hands. She’s the closest thing to a friend I have here, on the island. And I can’t ignore that I’m drawn toward both of them.

Kairo shrugs. “He’s an egotistical brute,” she chuckles dryly. “He thinks humans are—”

“Weak and fragile?” I scoff. “Yeah, I got that.” I sigh forlornly as memories of our passionate tryst come to mind. How Draco saved me from falling to my death. And I can’t help but wonder, “What is he like when he’s not being mean?”

Kairo perks up at my question with a smile. “Oh, he’s wonderful, Lily. He’s the most caring out of all my brothers.”

“Really?” I stare into the void, wondering what he’d be like. “I would really like to meet that version of him.”

A pair of footsteps emerge from the bedroom door as if on cue. Kairo and I look up in horror, realizing she hadn’t closed the door behind her. We give each other’s hands a tight squeeze for reassurance.

And when Draco appears at the doorway, she hangs her head bashfully.

“Brother, I—” she begins as she stands up, but Draco cuts her off.

“It doesn’t matter, Kai. I—” he clears his throat, eyes darting to me for only a split second. Luckily, I'm able to dodge behind Kairo. “I brought dinner for Lily.”

---