Page 26 of Don't Fae With Dragons

He gets in the water, oblivious to my embarrassment, and gently motions for me to join him. I use the robe to cover myself as I get in, then discard it on the tiles behind us.

The water is warm and luscious, and the steam rising from it makes Port’s scent fill the air. As a faery, I don’t rely much on my sense of smell, but these men have such distinct scents that it’s hard to ignore. Port’s reminds me of walking in the forest, fresh after the summer rain has hydrated the earth; his aura is refreshing and invigorating, yet familiar and comforting. He’s enticing, and I have to remind myself that we’ve just met –and I was running from him, terrified, only hours earlier.

“It’s nice,” I murmur, brushing circles in the water with my hands. There is enough steam that we can’t see each other naked and the bathing pool is just large enough that we don’t risk touching each other in the water – to my relief –so I’m not as shy as I might have been. Still, I speak quietly, nervous around this stranger.

He smiles softly, “It is, isn’t it?”

We sit in silence for a moment as he reaches for a bar of soap, rubbing it along his shoulders and arms. He hums quietly, almost too quietly for me to hear, and I find myself almost – butnot quite – recognizing the song. Then, I realize, it’s a dragon’s hymn: a common song for passing the time while flying.

“Are you really a dragon shifter?” I blurt out suddenly.

Rather than admit or deny it, Port simply smiles bashfully, almost blushing. He shrugs his shoulders and asks, “Cory told you, then?” I nod, and he continues, “Ah. Well, I am a dragon shifter, and I would have shown you right away, but I didn’t want to frighten you any more than Max and I already did.”

The other man is Max, then –the dark hair, dark eyes man. I nod quietly, wrapping my mind around the thought of having met three dragon shifters all in one day. Three beautiful shifters, at that.

“It’s okay,” I say, nearly smiling. It’s hard not to be charmed by Port’s endearing quietness. He just relaxes me, somehow, even though we’ve only just met. “So, three alpha dragon shifters, living together as a pack in Ethelinda’s volcano?”

“I don’t buy into the whole alpha thing.” Port replies and after a brief moment he breaks the quiet moment we were having and continues. “Dragon shifters are rare, there’s not many of us, and finding one without alpha instincts is even more rare. But you know what, letting myself driven by the desire to dominate and protect what is mine, the uncontrollable urge to help, not to mention the strong mating instincts -no, not for me- I decided a long time ago that I will not let myself be controlled by my alpha instincts.”

I realize as Port is talking that I touched on a complicated subject when I mentioned the wordalpha.It was more like ajoke to me, but I see now that it’s a serious topic and my mind goes back to Cory again, maybe I misjudged him. It sounds like his alpha instincts are quite a big responsibility.

I tuck the thought away and I continue listening to Port.

“I much prefer my water instincts.”

“Water?” I react in surprise without thinking.

“Of course. I’m a water dragon.”

Before I can say anything else, I feel Port moving one hand in a circle under the water, barely touching the surface, and a rose made of steam appears right in front of me, like magick. “For you, my fair lady,” he says with a charming smile.

“It’s beautiful, thank you. Is it magick?” I chuckle and reach for it but it dissipates when I touch it.

“It’s not magick, I can manipulate water in any shape and form, that’s one of my powers as a water dragon,” he explains. “Just like Max has the power over fire because he is a fire dragon, and Cory ... Well, Cory is really special. His powers go beyond water and fire. He can call upon all the four elements of nature.”

I must look as shocked as I actually am because I feel my face frozen with my mouth open. Port notices and tries to put me at ease as he leans forward and whispers to me: “Although I don’t mind telling you, Cory overuses his fire power.” He winks at me and whispers in an even lower voice. “Fire is highly overrated, water is much better,” then leans back against the edge of the pool, eyes closed, smiling mischievously.

He manages to put a smile on my face yet again, but barely. These three dragon shifters are really powerful,especially Cory. This feels dangerous but I also feel hopeful. Perhaps Cory is powerful enough to help me save Ethelinda.

I inhale a deep breath, trying to relax my thoughts and lean against the back of the bathing pool.

With the contact, I cry out in pain, seems like I still have some internal bruises left, or maybe it’s the state of Ethelinda weighing heavily on me again. Port comes to my side in an instant. Without thinking, I close my eyes and yank myself away, my instincts still fried from the terrifying day. Port tuts softly, and I exhale shakily and open my eyes again.

“You know, I’m really,reallynot going to hurt you,” he murmurs. He brushes my hair back, and I feel my eyes well up with tears at the gentle touch. Of what, I can’t be sure –of relief? Exhaustion? Or both perhaps.

“Okay,” I whisper, my breath hitching.

He nods, eyes full of concern and tenderness, and I nod back. I’m exhausted, I realize, and I slump back in the bathing-tub as I take a shaky breath.

“Oh, Milica,” he murmurs, and I gaze at him. I try to muster a smile, but I manage nothing more than a pathetic twitch of my lips. He seems to debate something internally, then he smiles softly and opens his arms to me. My eyes go wide, but Iampretty starved for affection or comfort.

Without another thought I fold myself into him, desperate for the first glimmer of comfort I’ve had in this stony volcano. He’s kind, I can already tell. Although possibly dangerous, I don’t feel scared of him. Not at all.

After a moment of just sitting there, breathing, upper bodies entangled in embrace, my breasts pressing against hischest, feeling his smooth skin against mine - I can’t help but get a little excited.

I wonder if his cock got hard or if I am the only one jumping from chaos and fear to passion and desire. I want to know if he’s longing for me as I seem to be for him. I wiggle my hips to get closer to him, seeking the hardness of his cock but I don’t manage to get close enough to feel him. He pulls back in one move, slippery agile water dragon man that he is. He holds me at arm’s length, but doesn’t remove his hand from my shoulders.

He looks at me, eyes swimming with questions about my sudden move to reduce the already close distance between us, but I give him nothing except an inquisitive look of my own. He then asks, “Do you feel uncomfortable? Should I leave?”

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