Page 6 of Dragons Of Shadow and Sea

The intensity of a new mating connection is irresistible. And yet...

He leans in, his breath washing hot across my neck, sending my pulse racing even faster. I clench my eyes shut tight and sway toward him before forcing myself to stand up straight.

Surprise colors his voice. "You resist?"

"Is that such a shock?" I ask.

Unguarded, even more surprised this time, he replies, "Yes."

And it is, of course. He's my mate. He was made for me by the gods themselves--just as I was made for him.

There's something about the way he says it, though. I'm reminded that he's a prince. Entitled by nature. Accustomed to getting his way.

Well, I'm used to being abandoned and turned away. If he thinks he can kidnap me and then have me fall into his arms, no questions asked, then he's got another think coming.

"Where am I?" I ask, resuming the litany of questions I kept trying to ask Obi, only for him to clench his jaw. "How did this happen?" I gesture around wildly. "How is this even possible? Where has the Water Dragon Kingdom been for all this time?"

As I'm speaking, Prince Malik moves around me, circling me like prey, and Gods above, I want to be caught. I stand my ground, though, even when my desperation for his touch grows to an unbearable limit.

"What are you going to do to me?" I ask, but I'm trembling.

I know what he's going to do. He's going to ravish me, exactly the way Rafe and Jianyu did, and I want him to. With all my heart.

But first, there's something else I need to know.

Closing my eyes and curling my hands into fists to keep myself from reaching out and touching him, I ask, "What did you do with my mates?"

MALIK

My beloved mate's question is a lightning strike to my heart.

"Your what?" The words come out rasping, too desperate by far.

But this is my mate. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she was the one for me. With her, I would be able to let down my defenses, set aside the mantle of responsibility and the constant need to project my strength. I could be vulnerable. She would love me and I would love her, unconditionally and forever.

Chin quivering, she tilts her head up defiantly, but even with our fresh bond, I can feel her fear. "My mates."

"You have no other mates."

It's the wrong thing to say, but how else can I possibly respond?

She scrunches up her brow. "Um, I think I'd know."

She's insane.

I shake my head, as if that will get through to her. "No one has more than one mate."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she digs her fingers into her biceps. I ignore the way the motion pushes up her breasts.

"Well," she says, "I guess I always have been special."

"Not this way."

And I don't know what it is, precisely, that I expect. But I'm forced yet again to question her wellness when she reacts by laughing in my face.

And I'll admit it. I'm sheltered. I live in an isolated kingdom, in a wealthy city, where I am among the most powerful of the ruling elites. I came into my position through my bloodline, but I've earned it as well. I'm treated with the deference a leader would expect.

Nothing prepared me to expect this.

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