Page 26 of Tempting Her Dragons

“The crew had new additions. A woman. She was clean,” I whisper, remembering the first time I saw her. “Her hair was a bright red, and her clothes smelled nice. She was sweet to us. I didn’t trust it. She would slip us extra food and a blanket.” I rub my eyes, hating the wetness on my fingers. “We slept that night, rubbing the fabric on our skin. We hadn’t felt anything so soft. In the days that followed, she continued to give us extra things. I don’t know how she convinced them to allow her to be the only one to take care of us. I think they were sick of our refusal to speak or shift. I really didn’t care about their reasons. We were shocked the day she took us outside.” I tip my head back. The warmth has never been the same as that day. “Fuck, the sun on our face. While we were stunned by the brightness, she started to speak. Before that day, she didn’t say much.

“She reminded us of the facts about dragons; at first, we looked at her as if she were crazy. Our minds were as slow as our bodies, but the next day, she took us out again, saying the same list. That night, while we huddled together, it clicked. Dragon skin was poisonous. She was reminding us that we had the power to kill everyone who abused us.”

“How many people were living there?” she asks.

“Twenty. Not counting the woman. For ten days, the woman fed us three meals daily and took us out a handful of times. People were always around and walking the property, but they didn’t pay much attention. We began to gain some weight. They finally noticed. The leader questioned the woman and dragged us out of the closet. When he hit her, I lost it. I shifted.” I smile. “Their faces were euphoric. Mav followed my lead, and his dragon burst out. You know what someone greedy does when they are shown a shiny new toy?”

“They pet it,” she says.

“Yes,” I hiss. “We may have been young, and not very big, but our scales had enough power to melt the skin of the fuckers who killed our family. There are many rumors about dragons, and many of them are false. The power we hold in our skin is secret. If all shifters knew about it, it would defeat the surprise of our defense. We watched in shocked glee as they screamed, begged, and bled.”

“They got what they deserved,” she rasps.

“We should have done it sooner,” Mav says softly.

“You were children,” she growls, her anger bleeding into the air. “You were trying to survive.”

“We can’t go back and change it. We remembered that’s what’s important. We stayed until they were a melted puddle,” I say.

“The woman? What happened to her?” she asks.

“That woman stood with us,” I answer, and Mav leaves his chair, pacing, reliving our moments in hell. “She shifted. She was a rabbit shifter. Her name is Roxanne Keller. We stared at her, stunned when she brushed against our legs. Her fur was so soft. She allowed us to pick her up, hold her, knowing the blanket was the softest thing we had felt until we met her.” I swallow harshly, blowing out a breath. “She explained why she was there: to rescue us. Mom worked with a man who rescued people held captive. The man learned about the group of shifters whokidnapped us. Mom infiltrated the group, found us, and started the plan to get us out. She became our mom. Our savior. She took us out of that sick, twisted place and gave us a home. She showed us love and patience and taught us how a man should act toward a woman. She is the reason we are alive. Since that day, we have embraced our dragons and practiced our gifts.

“We didn’t expect you, but we will fight for you just like our mom fought for us. She will love you and treat you as if you came from her. We live on the same land, built a business together, and have never felt any remorse for killing those people. We will do the same for you; kill anyone that fucks with you.” Saphira slides off the chair and slowly walks towards us. “Nothing you say could change the bond or how we feel about you.” She doesn’t stop her momentum, walking into my arms and tucking close. She smells so fucking good. It reminds me of all the nights we spent around the campfire.

“Thank you for sharing,” she whispers. “It must have been hard to talk about.”

“We have come to terms with what happened, but the anger is still there.” I squeeze her hips. “If we have to dig up the past, we will. You are all that matters.” She pulls away, kisses me lightly, and turns to my brother.

“Mav,” she says, grabbing his arm. He doesn’t look at her but allows her to pull him to a stop. “I’m sorry. It’s horrible.”

“Shit,” he mumbles. “I don’t like remembering.”

“I understand,” she says, scooting closer. People say that; they understand. Usually, they have no clue; it’s just something you say. Saphira does relate. We understand her need to kill; our job is similar.

Mav gives up and gathers her in his arms. I know this is right as he buries his face in her hair. She is meant to be ours. I give them a moment together as I prepare to reveal more of our lives.

“Fuck,” Saphira says, turning out of Mav’s arms.

“You know a lot of vampires, Firefly,” I drawl, looking toward the door.

“Shit. Fuck.” She stomps across the cabin. “I’m sorry,” she tosses over her shoulder before yanking open the door. “Micah, please.”

“Please, what?” The vampire steps inside. I’m not scared of anything. We have been around the worst of the worst. I have known numerous killers, but this vampire is the oldest I have ever seen. He’s dangerous, but only if you piss him off.

I look at Mav, and we leave the kitchen. We stand side by side behind our mate.

“How can I get to know my mates if everyone keeps coming over?” she asks, stomping her foot. He looks down and then back to her face.

She’s adorable.

“Did you turn off your phone?” he asks, and she runs her hands over her pockets.

“I left it in the bedroom,” she says.

“You didn’t see the group chat going wild. Sally has informed everyone how yummy your two mates are, and the fact that they love rabbits. It’s also been said Ryker stopped by and found it hilarious that your brothers were coming over. They passed the initial inspection from Bishop and Laken. I felt left out.” He pats her head and moves around her. “Kingston and Maverick, I’m told.”

“Kingston,” I inform him, holding out my hand. He clasps it and doesn’t try to show his strength in the grip—he doesn’t need to.

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