Page 5 of Dragons Of Shadow and Sea

My new mate.

Chapter

Two

EMBER

The sudden rush of desire that floods my system threatens to turn my knees to water. It's only through sheer force of will that I stay standing. Even from across the room, Prince Malik pulls me toward him like the tide. My attraction to him feels just that inevitable.

For a moment, all I can do is stare at him. I take in every detail, from his deep umber skin to his full, kissable lips, to his short, wiry black hair. The green and aqua tunic of the Water Dragon Kingdom drapes across his perfectly muscular chest, the notch at the neckline showing off a tempting glimpse of his well-built pecs. The swirling ink on his forearms beckons me to examine the intricate designs more closely. His tattoos glow with power, and I want to trace them with my hands, my lips, my tongue.

My insides flutter with need, and I clench down hard. There's no suppressing how badly my body longs to consummate our mating bond, though. Wetness pools between my legs, and my tight nipples only harden further.

I lift my gaze to meet his, and the strength of my passion redoubles. His deep, black eyes stare straight into mine before flitting down my body and back up. His own need is a sharp tension in our bond as he drinks me in. My knees wobble again, the force of attraction swamping me and making it hard to breathe.

Mine, my dragon breathes, and she's right. The connection between me and this new prince is brilliant and sparkling and real--no matter how impossible it feels.

Dizziness spins my head. Three princes of three dragon kingdoms, and they're all mine.

A dark, dangerous part of my heart reminds me that, just a few months ago, it could have been four. Before he rejected me, Prince Storm of the Air Dragon Kingdom was the man I thought might be my fated mate.

But that doesn't matter right now. He's ancient history. That fleeting glance I caught of him when Air Kingdom soldiers poured through the Shadow Dragons' portal only cemented it. He's working on the side of the enemy.

Difficult as it is, I force all thoughts of Storm from my mind. I have way, way bigger things to concern myself with right now.

As if to underscore it, Prince Malik captures my gaze once more, his commanding presence mesmerizing me. Without breaking eye contact, he speaks to the guy who brought me here. "That will be all, Obi."

"Your Majesty." My grumpy escort--Obi, I guess--flexes his jaw before opening his mouth again.

Prince Malik cuts him off with a shake of his head. "I said that will be all."

Visibly bristling, Obi shoots me a glare. "She should at least be searched."

"She can hide nothing from me," Prince Malik promises, and I shiver reflexively.

Mates shouldn't be able to hide anything from each other, but our situation is unusual, to say the least. My stomach dips as I remember that awful moment, not an hour ago, when I thought Rafe and Jianyu would turn their backs on me. I hadn't meant to keep the Shadow Bracer a secret from them. It had just...happened. The bracer's magic had made it impossible for all but the most advanced practitioners of dragon magic to detect it.

Until it was revealed to them.

I inhale deeply, fortifying myself the best I can. My mates chose to trust me, despite the magic I'd failed to disclose to them.

I have to believe that Malik will choose to trust me, too.

Still grumbling, Obi takes his leave. The moment the door closes behind him, the entire space suddenly seems smaller. More intimate. My mate's scent, which had been so intoxicating a few moments ago, grows overwhelming. My skin prickles with electric heat, every instinct inside of me pushing me to go to this man and give myself to him, body and soul.

Fighting to keep my composure, I force my tone to be breezy and light. I jerk my thumb toward the exit Obi just left through. "Well, that guy's a real ray of sunshine."

Malik takes a step toward me, and I feel it in my bones. "I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to meet him at his best. He can be a little...overzealous, when it comes to my safety."

"Clearly."

"You will get to know him soon enough, though," Malik assures me, smoothly continuing to close the distance between us. "Obi is like a brother to me."

He tries to suppress it, but as he says the word brother, a scattershot flash of pain leaks through our new connection.

My gaze darts to the family photograph I was looking at earlier. So were those other men his brothers? I can't remember how many sons the king and queen had; it was all so long ago, and as far as we knew, the entire kingdom was lost.

I want to ask, but he's on me now, less than a foot of space separating his body and mine. My bones threaten to dissolve into molten heat. It's hard to think, to breathe.

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