Page 3 of Tempting Her Dragons

I slip off my heels, leaving them on the little rug. I love heels. My feet don’t hurt, ever. The advantage of never feeling pain in my feet.

Being a dragon shifter, I heal before I feel any real physical pain. My brothers are gold dragons, and I am, too, but my scales have green tints. I can fly, heal myself, hear from miles around, breathe fire, and cloak my body. The magic of my animal allows me to move objects with a thought, but I don’t use the gift much.

I lock the door and move into my bedroom, shedding my tight T-shirt along the way. Next, I unzip my skirt, sliding it to the floor, never missing a step. Digging in my drawer, I choose a little nighty in bright red, sighing as the silk slithers over my skin.

I love anything pretty: clothes, pajamas, jewels, makeup, and shoes. I suppose it’s because I’m a girly girl and a dragon. We love shiny things.

After using the bathroom, brushing my teeth at light speed, I dig my tips out of the pocket of my skirt, stash the cash in my safe, and eye my bed. I should take all the makeup off before I get into it, but it looks too inviting. I’ll double-clean my face tomorrow.

My queen mattress is suspended five feet off the floor from the twelve-foot ceiling by chains. I fucking love it. My brothers may have used a touch of magic to make it sturdy. My favorite thing is to run, using a bit of my dragon power, and leap upon it after a long day, which I do now with a squeal. Landing, I roll and smile silly at the ceiling. This is the best place to be. I reach across the mattress to the compartment attached to the wall to ensure my knife is within easy reach.

Being a single girl living alone, dragon or not, you can’t be too careful. I’ve had the unfortunate experience of being kidnapped, sexually assaulted, almost raped, and touched plenty of times without permission. My knife will do if I’m startled out of sleep and don’t want to use my dragon fire and burn down my charming cabin.

Or my claws.

Dragons secrete poison from the tips of our claws and skin while in our animal form. For short periods of time, I’m able to drip the poison from my fingertips without fully shifting. My dragon is too big to shift in the house. I love to shift. Nothing can compare to the freedom of flying through the air, the sun on my scales. I can’t do it as much as I would like since someone would certainly report a dragon in the sky, especially during the day. I fly primarily at night and stay on the property, so there are fewer eyes to spot me. I was born a dragon, so it is all I know how to be. I love it. I would hate to be a human. Their bodies are weak, and their life is short. I will live a very long time; if I’m lucky, forever. We are hard to kill, and with the magic flowing through our veins, not much can harm us. One thing that can get us is never finding a mate. Even shifters need a partner. The universe picks the perfect person, or multiple people, who are meant to be yours. For dragons, they could be human or another dragon, but our kind is rare, so I’m assuming I will mate a human. They willhave to accept being turned into your animal, and then you will live happily ever after.

Or so I’m told.

I have doubts I will be gifted with a mate. I’m not sure there is a man out there who can break down my defenses and earn my trust. Too many men have burned me. I was sexually assaulted when I was sixteen, in the woods, being held against my will, along with my brother. It was my first experience with a man’s dick pressed up against me and it wasn’t pleasant.

I can joke about it now, but it took years to come to terms with it and work through the trauma. I was twenty-five when I lost my virginity, and I was not in a hurry to have sex. The first time I tried, I cried. The poor guy, who did nothing wrong, panicked and never called me again. A year later, I met a human who seemed like a good virginity-taker candidate.

He wasn’t.

He fumbled through the whole thing, and I was too bored to be scared.

But he got the job done in the end.

Grateful to have the first out of the way, I took control of my sexual appetite. I found power in accepting my needs and discovering ways to alleviate them. I used toys in the privacy of my bedroom and learned what I like.

Now, I choose my partners carefully. I can finally enjoy something that seemed like I never would. With the right person, I know my fears will completely absolve. I’m not in a hurry to have a mate. I’ve had doubts that the universe will find someone I can fully commit to and trust with my heart and body.

I can take care of myself. I use my gifts to help the ones who can’t fight back without getting hit in return. I despise men who use their size and strength to overpower the women in their lives. When they see me, they judge; they think they can use thesame tricks. It’s fun to witness their surprise and horror when they find out they can’t.

I smile sleepily, tucking under my covers.

Tomorrow night after work, I have one such man to hunt. Excitement slides through me; I can’t wait to see the shock on his face.

He won’t ever abuse his daughter again.

Chapter Two

Kingston

“Why the fuck are we here?” Mav asks, pacing across the expanse of the rooftop.

“Fuck if I know,” I respond, laying down on the peak, my arms behind my head, my ankle on my bent knee.

“Shade could have given us any details,” he complains.

“You know Shade,” I say. “His name is appropriate.”

“I’m worried about Mom.” He stops by my feet, his hands lightly touching his hips. “We aren’t there to protect her.”

“I hate it, too,” I grumble. “But he promised to watch over her, and she practically pushed us out the door.”

“I don’t understand why he wanted us to come here.” He turns and continues walking.

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