Page 23 of Dragons Of Shadow and Sea

"You, too." I extend my free hand toward the screen, but there's nothing to touch.

Malik ends the call, and I turn away, brushing at my eyes. I miss Rafe and Jianyu so much already. But when Malik put his hand on my arm, I lean into his touch. It's getting more and more difficult to resist the electric connection linking us.

He's still uncomfortable with the fact that I have other mates, but for my sake, he's put his neck out for them. He's fought for their lives, and even for their comfort. He hasn't managed to win their freedom yet, but it's been less than a day.

Turning back to him, I allow myself to look deeply into his eyes. The aquamarine glow of our fated mate connection sparkles through my nerves.

"Thank you." My voice comes out husky--maybe even a little raw.

Impulsively, I throw my arms around his neck. More glimmers of brilliant energy flow through me. He feels so good, all firm muscle and strength. He smells good, too. I breathe him in, and I'm tingling all over.

A moment passes, and then he folds his arms around me, too. The overwhelming rightness of being held by this man rocks me, and I lift my head. Our gazes meet again, and it suddenly occurs to me that I'm pressed flush against him. My nipples harden into tight points, and between my legs, I go all liquid and hot. His eyes are molten, and he drifts one of his hands up my spine.

My knees threaten to give out. Our lips are so close. He darts his gaze to my mouth and then back to my eyes, and I can't stop this.

Slowly, asking permission with his gaze, he leans in.

The brush of his lips against mine is cool water and a burning flame, lighting me up from within. I open for him without hesitating, and he licks forward. The taste of him hits me, sending my head spinning, and then I'm lost. The soft, sweet kiss descends into a mad rush of his mouth and tongue, his hands sliding along my sides, and the hard press of him against my abdomen. A small moan escapes me, and our unsatisfied connection flares.

But then he pulls away.

For a moment, we both stand there, panting. He's erect against me, and I'm achingly open, wet and needy and aroused to the point of pain. It would be so easy to give in and let him have me, here on the counter. I want him. He's my mate; we were meant to be together like this.

Everything has happened so fast, though. Last night, I was furious with him. A part of me maybe still is. He's been rocked by a whole hell of a lot of revelations at once, too.

Perhaps we both could use a minute to actually get to know each other before we get naked--even if our mating bond would prefer to pretend otherwise.

The best I can, I try to calm myself and my body down. I touch my lip, bitten and swollen from his kiss. He follows the movement, hunger still in his eyes. But we both seem to agree that now is not quite the time.

He takes a step back, and then holds out his hand. "Come," he says, voice gravelly and rough. "Let me show you my kingdom."

Chapter

Six

EMBER

Afew hours later, we're finishing up a walking tour around the capital city of the Water Dragon Kingdom. My first impressions of a living, breathing utopia have been born out. I've never been someplace so sparkling clean and new. So modern and yet so classic; so urban and yet brimming with so much greenery and life.

"So what do you think?" Malik asks, leading me through a huge, tree-lined park.

I spin around in a slow circle, taking in the gorgeous architecture, with benches and walls and paths blending seamlessly into the tropical plants and bubbling fountains. As we continue walking along a low, stone wall, flowering vines rise up to meet me, and I run my fingertips along the soft, pink blooms.

"It's beautiful," I tell him freely.

He smiles, soft but deep. "We're proud of what we've been able to build here."

"As you should be."

Malik has shown me a stunning, incredible city, but he's also given me a chance to meet an incredible, tight-knit, generous community. Everywhere we've gone, people have been kind and open. I've gotten my fair share of strange looks, and a quiet tide of whispering has followed in my wake. As the first outsider in a decade--and as one of only a few people with skin lighter than terra cotta--I definitely attract attention. But no one has treated me with suspicion or hostility. I've been welcomed into shops and art galleries and stalls at open air markets, and it's been a pleasure, truly.

But there's also a strange aura I can't quite put my finger on. The overall mood is one of joy and connectedness, but there's an undercurrent to it all, too.

A loss.

I glance up at Malik, biting the inside of my cheek. "Tell me about it?" I don't want to press him too hard on the recent history of his kingdom, but I'm so curious, it's hard to contain. "I mean, without compromising national security or anything." I gesture around widely, trying to encompass the park but also the rest of our surroundings. "Just--how did all of this come to be?"

He glances at me out of the corner of his brilliant eyes. "You know the basics, I assume."

---