Page 91 of Tempting Her Dragons

“You’ve broken the law of our kind by telling them,” I say. The metal is thinner than the ones they used in the Games. She’s not holding anything in her hand, so I don’t think there is a master switch. Even though she’s held her hatred and planned my death in her head for years, she didn’t prepare properly to hold adragon captive. I don’t want to shift and test the theory that the collar won’t shock the shit out of me. Better to do it gradually.

“Who’s going to punish me?” She laughs abruptly. “You? We will kill you first.”

“You know I’m a dragon?” I ask, still cupping the collar, dripping my poison from my fingers. It is lethal, but not to me. It is a part of me and will aid me. I don’t know where she got the collar, but it’s not going to hurt me. The collar in the games always emitted a low shock and was almost warm to the touch, always ready to zap us. This one is cold. I also couldn’t drip my poison in my human form then. I was too young and hadn’t practiced the skill.

“Fucking dragons,” she grits out. “You think you’re special? I haven’t seen any reason to believe you are. In the Games, you were meek and followed along.”

“I was a teenager,” I state, my heart loud in my ears. Bishop had been denying his dragon gifts back then, and I didn’t have half the power I have now. I can’t hold off until my mates find me. I can kill her easily, but I’ll need help with the others. I can’t get an accurate number of humans who are here.

“Don’t make excuses,” she growls. “You allowed the wolf to attack Jay. You don’t have the power. I’m in control now. These men will do what I say.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Yes,” she hisses, her hands balled.

I laugh. “They may be human, but you are one coyote against dozens of men. Probably men who find pleasure in hurting others. If you succeed in turning half of them and they survive, they will put you in a cage, too.”

“Fuck you.” She crouches, grasping the bars. “You would say anything to get out of this cage. I won’t be convinced that you care about me.”

I roll to my knees, getting close. “You’re right.” She narrows her eyes. “I don’t care about you. I bought my coffee from you. We don’t have a relationship.” My eyes change. “Now, thanks to you, I know the name of the man who assaulted me. The love of your life attacked me and stuck his hands down my pants.”

“No.” Her fingers flex around the metal. “You’re lying.”

“I wish I was. I wish I didn’t have to go through such a tragic event. That wolf, who you refer to with disdain, is a hero. My brother had to watch Jay throw me to the ground and force his body against mine,” I whisper. “You say I was miserable, and maybe I was. It took years to move past the fear of every man being like him. I had to work through the anxiety of another’s touch. As a woman, you should be understanding and sympathetic.”

“I don’t believe it.” Her body shakes. “He wouldn’t do that. His love for me was strong. If he did, he must have had a reason.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I gasp. “You are delusional.”

“You’re trying to twist his memory. He was a good man.”

“A good man,” I scoff. “After what he did, I didn’t think there were many good men left.” I lean even closer. “I found two men who are good. My mates will come for me and kill all your humans.”

“They won’t find you alive,” she says.

“Rach, please,” I sigh. “You didn’t think this through. Your plan is shit. Do I look scared?” I was startled when I woke, but I had to remind myself who I was. She set this up as an allusion of the Games, enough to cause fear, but she’s missing many of the elements they used to cause pain. The collar is slowly melting, and my dragon is pissed.

“You should be,” she says. “I won’t set you free.”

“I realize that fact,” I whisper. “A coyote can’t win against a dragon; it’s a fact.” I say a silent apology to Daisy. I finally met a good coyote, but most of her species are liars, cheats, andvicious. “Your crew will be picked off like ants when my mates and family arrive.”

“Don’t speak about coyotes like that,” she shouts. Her face is inches away, her coyote teeth emerging, the bars the only thing stopping her from lunging toward me.

“When Jay was on top of me, I froze. I couldn’t use any of my gifts, even though the collar would have hurt like a bitch if I did. That is what I regret the most: not fighting back. I hate that River and Bishop were the ones who killed him.” I place my hands around the bars above hers. “I wanted to kill him. I wish I could have broken the fingers he used on me, ripped them off and shoved them down his throat.” Her eyes widen and fill with rage. I move my head to the side, whispering in her ear, “I’m not a little girl anymore.” The collar falls from my neck, and she jumps to her feet.

“Damn, Saphy,” Roxanne steps around the tree beside us. “I don’t think you need my help.”

“Rabbit,” Rach hisses, taking a step toward her, flashing her claws.

“Do not touch her,” I warn. The tense moment is interrupted by Rach’s squeal as a snake slithers over her feet, and I almost laugh. She’s acting as if she is above a rabbit shifter, yet a small snake freaks her out. She steps back, shakes her head, and continues to move closer to Roxanne.

“I’m not scared of you,” she grits out, her intent clear.

“I said, don’t touch her,” I growl. My mates will be devastated if their mom is hurt in the smallest way.

“Fuck off,” she snarls over her shoulder and continues toward Roxanne.

My body heats, the fire inside spreading rapidly, and the bars weaken, melting. My dragon is eager to play and show the coyote not to fuck with a dragon. A deep rumble starts in my chest as my body transforms. The shine of my gold scales is blinding toothers and lights up the woods. My claws are long and sharp, ready to dig into my victim, oozing death. My teeth are just as long and deadly, and the horn on my head can gouge through flesh and bone.

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