Page 79 of Tempting Her Dragons

I can’t wait to see her dragon. It is another way to bond when dragons fly together. I can talk to King while we are in ouranimal form. Most shifters can, but usually it is in pictures. We haven’t discussed our power with Saphira. We rarely use all the gifts we have. Seeing her kill, we are amazed at her abilities. We have had no reason to share what we can do.

I leave the bedroom door open and move through the house, double-checking every avenue of entry. I won’t be able to sleep tonight, even if my mate is tempting. Opening the fridge, I grab some water, drink it quickly, and move to the window at the front of the house.

I love being in dragon form. Flying through the sky takes my breath away even now. This will be the perfect place to stretch out our wings without being seen. At home, we shift several times a week. It’s been too long, and my skin vibrates with need. My dragon is moving against my skin, ready to bond with our mate and fly with her. I bet she is beautiful.

Most shifters can’t shift with their clothes intact, but we can. Our magic is vast. We can move things with our mind, levitate, breathe fire—in and out of shifter form—and poison with one touch. While shifted, our dragon’s skin is deadly to humans and can cause damage to other shifters. Our massive claws can drip poison, as well. Not many can beat us.

There’s a rustling of covers and I tilt my head to the side as Saphira climbs from her bed, leaves her room, walking quickly to my side.

“Are you alright?” she asks, slipping her hand in mine. Her breasts press against my arm, her other hand grasping the back of my neck.

“I’m fine.” I breathe deep. “I should be asking you how you are.”

“It was draining,” she admits. “Telling my brothers what I do is a relief, and a conversation that needed to happen for a long time. They took it better than I expected.”

“All they want to do is protect you,” I say.

“I know. I just didn’t want them to doubt my abilities.”

“I don’t think they do. It’s a brother’s job to look out for their sister or brother. King and I have always had each other’s best interest at heart.” It would kill me if something happened to him.

“Not saying anything was my way of protecting them,” she sighs. “I didn’t want to worry them with my activities or sadness.”

“That’s what families are for, right?” I ask.

“True,” she says softly.

“They were trying to protect you the best they could, they just went about it in the wrong way. I’m glad they apologized and acknowledged the hurt they caused. You deserve to be praised for the work you do. It’s courageous and commendable.” I kiss her head. “Once everything settles, they’ll see it that way, too.”

“Thank you,” she mumbles. “You didn’t lie down with me.”

“I won’t be able to sleep,” I whisper.

“You’re worried,” she guesses.

“I am,” I confirm. “Any other time, I wouldn’t care that someone wants to kill us.”

“It’s because of me.” She pulls and pushes her grip slightly. “Mav, I am not helpless.”

“I know. I know,” I repeat softly. “It’s hard to put it into words.”

“I’ll listen,” she says.

I look out the window. “It took years to believe Mom wouldn’t leave us. We didn’t know what to think when she took us to a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by fields of vegetation. She told us it was our home. We would live with her and never be harmed again. It was difficult to trust. She fed us, bought us clothes, and gave us a room each. I didn’t sleep in my bedroom for a year. Once the house was quiet, I snuck across the hall. King stood in his doorway waiting. He would grab myhand and pull me in. The room had a lock, but we also moved the dresser against it. We couldn’t relax. She saved us—logically we knew that—but our emotions were skeptical.

“We thought maybe she did it to do something else bad. We took turns sleeping, and King never let go of my hand. He was my brother and my safe place. Every morning, Mom would knock on the door and invite us down for breakfast. It was a week before we accepted her invitation. She would leave food outside the door when we were determined to starve. It wasn’t a big deal to us. They had denied us food plenty of times.” Saph drops her head to my shoulder. “I remember her face that morning. She couldn’t hide her relief. Every day, she would try to break through and gain our trust. Little by little, she did it. As we came to believe the life she swore she would give us, proving by her actions it was true, we still had moments of fear. She was too good to be true. Who rescued two boys and gave them a good life?

“Several times, she would go into town, and we refused to go. There were things she had to do, and we always wondered if she would come back. Other times, she would get up before us and go outside to work the gardens. When we couldn’t find her, we would panic, thinking she left us.”

“She never did,” she whispers.

“Never.” I release her hand and wrap my arm around her waist. “We have moments as if we are boys again. You came into our life fast and unexpectedly. You could be taken away just as fast. Logically, we know you are a fierce woman and dragon, but anything could happen. We didn’t know our parents would be killed in such a gruesome way, and they were shifters.”

“I’m sorry,” she says. “I don’t want you to worry. Roxanne is a wonderful woman and I’m so thankful she found you. I want you to trust that I can do anything. Everyone has limits, and even though we are dragons, shit happens. My past is filled withsituations you wouldn’t think a powerful dragon would be in.” She moves so her front is pressed against mine. “We both have to learn how to trust.”

“Do you trust us?” I ask, cupping her hips.

“I do. You have done everything to allow me to.”

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