Page 82 of Tempting Her Dragons

“Oh, yeah,” I sigh.

“Hold on.” He adjusts his clothes. “Let’s get cleaned up and go to bed.”

“Okay,” I say, completely devoid of energy. I squeal as he swings me into his arms, my chest pressed to his. I wrap my arms and legs around him and smile. I could get used to being carried around.

He takes me into the bathroom. “You go first.” I reluctantly leave his arms, and he kisses me softly and leaves.

I look in the mirror and almost don’t recognize the woman staring back. My hair is messy, I am without pants or underwear, but my top and bra are still on. My face is completely relaxed, and I am wearing a silly smile.

I shake my head and quickly use the toilet. After I wash my hands, I strip my remaining clothes and slip on my robe. I think about brushing my hair but decide against it. I like what his love did to it.

Love.

Do I love him? Is this love?

How can I love someone so quickly? I imagine my life without him. Without King. My heart aches at the thought. Before meeting them, I had serious doubts that I could love or want to be with a man forever. I didn’t want to get hurt, but living without them would be what would hurt me.

When I open the door, Mav is leaning against the wall. He glides his fingers over my jaw before walking into the bathroom. Shit, I almost swoon.

Butterflies erupt in my stomach, and my heart melts. With a giddy smile on my face, I take a running leap to the bed and bury my face in the pillow to try to muffle my giggles.Get it together, Saphira.I roll over, rip off my robe, and bundle under the covers.

The bond guides shifters to the right person or people and pushes the need to mate. It can’t make you love. I don’t know how the universe knows who will be the perfect mate for you, but I’m becoming more and more convinced of the magic of it.

I turn my head as Mav appears, completely naked. Yummy. He lifts the covers on his side and uses one hand to pull himself up.

“You want children?” I ask, and he pauses briefly, covering himself. I relax on my side.

“Yes.” He resumes his movement and rolls to face me. “I wasn’t sure that I would. When I think about the hell we went through, it might have been difficult to want to bring children into the world.”

“You changed your mind,” I assume.

“I want to be a father,” he says softly, playing with my fingers between us. “Even though I lost my parents, I remember the love they had for each other and me. Finding Roxanne, having another wonderful woman to love me. . .how could I not want to share that with my own children?”

“That’s beautiful,” I whisper. “I always dreamed of having a big family. I wish I had memories of my mom and dad, but my brothers have told me stories. When I came here, I was welcomed into this wild bunch of shifters and vampires. They may be loud and interfere in your life, but it is filled with love. I could call any of them, and they would drop everything to help me or just to listen. When Micah mated Daisy, she feared we would judge her because she is a coyote. Everyone had bad experiences with her species at some point. Micah was prepared to battle. We respect the bond, and he had been waiting so long for a mate that in the end, we opened our arms.” I scoot closer. “I hope you like it here. They will go to battle for you and for King, too. You make me happy, and they would never go against that.”

He laces our fingers. “I’m not used to being in the middle of a big group. I can withdraw a lot. I will adjust and come to love them. I would never ask you to leave them or this place. I see how much they care. You’ll have to be patient with me.”

“I understand.” I kiss his knuckles. “I’m glad you found me.”

“I am, too.” He lets go of my hand and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me into his body. “I will always be grateful the universe gave us you.”

“Mav—” I stop, nervous.

“What’s wrong?” he asks. “You can tell me anything.”

“I don’t want to take you away from your home. From Roxanne.” They have acted as if it is decided that they will move here. “Of course I would love to live here with you, but you have found peace with Roxanne.”

“We have found peace,” he says softly. “Here we have found a woman who is meant to be ours. Mom has already told us that you are our home.”

“I don’t want her to be sad.” It would be difficult to leave my family, but I want them to be happy.

“Mom is not sad,” he assures me. “I think she will decide to move here. We don’t have to make a decision tonight. We can discuss it with King, but I know what he will say.”

“What?”

“Our place is by your side, wherever that is,” he rumbles. “Your family is extensive. They have built a haven for shifters. We’ve never had that, and we will learn how to fit in.”

“You’re sure?”

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