Page 49 of Tempting Her Dragons

“You have no reason to be,” King says, turning to his side. “She’s going to love you.”

“I’ve never met someone’s mom.” I stare into his eyes. “Someone who matters.”

“You will matter to her,” he says, brushing my hair behind my ear.

“I hope so.” I yearn for a mother-daughter relationship. Maddy was taken too soon. “She loves you both so much, so I want her to approve.” I get lost in his light eyes and the need he shows in them.

“She already does,” he says, sliding his hand over my waist. The heat flares at his touch and they can smell my need. I can picture us together, naked, making love on the edge of the water. “Do you need something, Firefly?” he asks. His instinct is to relieve it, and fuck, I want him to.

“Yes,” I rasp.

He slowly leans in, kissing me lightly. I close my eyes and sink into the kiss as I feel Mav pressing against my other side. Ilove being close to them, even for just a kiss. King urges me to open my mouth, and I welcome him. He swirls his tongue with mine, again and again, before pulling back. My body tingles with anticipation. Mav nudges my chin with his finger, and I eagerly give him my lips.

King’s hand pops the button of my jeans, and that’s when it happens.

Maybe it was because I planned to tell them what happened in the Games. Or perhaps it’s because we are lying in the grass, in a similar place.

The man’s face flashes in my mind, and I flinch. “Collar,” I gasp. I squeeze my eyes tight, and they pull away quickly. “Please, collar,” I repeat, covering my eyes. My breath is stuck in my throat, and I hear my heart pounding in my ears. My mouth is dry, and a sheen of sweat covers my skin. The air hits the moisture, causing a shiver of dread to race over me. The man reached roughly for the button of my pants, and I was frozen in fear. All I could do was stare as he lowered my zipper.

“Saphira,” King growls. “Open your eyes. We aren’t touching you anymore. You’re safe.”

“We won’t touch you again,” Mav says. “Look at us. Fuck, King.”

“Stay calm,” King tells him. “Firefly, it’s alright.”

I lower my hands and slowly open my eyes to see them crouched at my feet, their hands held up. “King,” I swallow. “Mav.”

“Yeah, baby,” Mav says. “We never want to scare you. We wouldn’t on purpose. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Shit,” I say, licking my lips. I push up and lean against the tree.

“Take your time,” King says, and I let out a harsh breath.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, looking between them.

“Fuck, baby, you don’t need to be sorry,” Mav says, lowering his hands and sitting.

“That is the reason you have a word.” King mimics his brother. “Anytime you feel afraid or unsure, you use it.”

“It’s silly.” I hug my thighs to my chest. “You weren’t doing anything wrong.”

“It was wrong if it caused you to be uncomfortable,” King says. “What caused your reaction? We don’t want to make the same mistake again.”

“It was because of the button,” I say.

“Can you explain?” Mav asks.

“I brought you out here to tell you about something,” I admit. “It’s hard for me to talk about. Will you listen?”

“Of course,” King says.

“You can tell us anything,” Mav says. I stare at the waterfall, dreading going back to that time but knowing I need to if I want to move on.

“I loved living and traveling with Maddy and Micah, but I missed my brothers. Bishop and I would pick a place to meet. I was a teenager, but I was mature. I had seen the world, and lived in the magic of it, so they didn’t worry if I traveled by myself. They taught me how to defend myself, and I had my dragon fire. What could go wrong?” I glance at them quickly and away. “We picked a field in the middle of nowhere since we liked to shift and fly together. I was so excited to see him,” I smile. “He was a great brother. We planned to track down Laken and demand he come back to us. Laken was on a mission to kill the men who murdered our parents and refused to live with us and put us in danger. I understand, but we missed having him around. I thought we would be stronger together.

“Bishop got there minutes after I did, but it was too late. It was dark, but we planned it that way. I didn’t pay attention to my surroundings, so eager for our reunion, and there were menhiding in the forest. It was my fault. I should have known we were not alone. Bishop had been denying his dragon gifts. He was living without relying on them, suppressing them for years.” I swallow harshly and look at them. “I hadn’t. I practiced every day. As I saw Bishop appear at the edge of the field, several men ran at me, and I was confused. They surprised me enough that they were able to shock me with some kind of prod. The electricity, combined with the suddenness, caused me to drop to the ground.”

“What the fuck?” King snarls, his eyes turning pure gold. His dragon is reacting.

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