Page 44 of Primal Dragon

By the time they arrived at her place, she was barely keeping her eyes open. Henrik came around to the passenger side of the car and hoisted her out of the car like she was some princess he’d just rescued. He hauled her inside, avoiding her cats as he made this way through her home, and didn’t stop until they were in her bedroom.

He took his time pulling off her layers. He did it quietly and with no sense of trying to arouse her. He was taking care of her.

“Do you want to take a shower?” he asked.

She was standing in her bra and underwear. It wasn’t even cute. She’d aimed for comfort and warmth more than worrying about Henrik seeing her naked or almost naked.

“I should, but I’m too tired. I just need to rest.”

Henrik nodded woodenly and rummaged through her closest until he found her pajama drawer. He pulled out a flannel shirt and shorts to match. He helped her into the tank top and then deftly undid her bra so she could slide it off. She pulled on the shorts and then turned around and climbed into the bed.

She watched as Henrik took off his clothes, starting with his boots. She watched his magnificent body being revealed to her slowly. He wasn’t doing it to put on a show, but there was something intimate about the moment stretching between them.

In nothing but his royal blue boxer briefs, he moved to the bed and slid in next to her. He turned on his side facing her. He reached up and gently cupped her face, his eyes never wavering from her.

“Thank you for saving me tonight.”

She smiled. “I think it was a team effort. Thank you for saving all those women tonight.”

“We’ll find James. I just hope we can figure all of this out before it’s too late,” he said.

Quinn nodded and without warning her eyes filled with tears. She didn’t feel sad, but the overwhelming nature of the situation she’d been in today and through the last couple of weeks when she thought she was on her own trying to find James, it just all barreled into her.

Henrik didn’t say anything. He gathered her into his arms and held her while she sobbed uncontrollably. He cradled her and stroked her hair and murmured quiet reassuring things while she let out all the emotion she’d been keeping in, trying to stay strong and brave.

“You’re so brave, Quinn. And James is lucky to have a friend like you in his life. I’ve never been a jealous dragon, not until now.”

Quinn sniffed and pulled back to his gaze. Henrik wiped away her tears and handed her a tissue from the box on her nightstand so she could blow her nose. Once she felt like she wasn’t dripping all over the place, she said, “Jealous? Why?”

“To have someone like you in his life.”

“He’s my best friend. He’s been there for me through some crappy stuff,” she said.

Henrik nodded. “I have my family. I haven’t spent a lot of time making friends. Even before everything went down with the opal attack, I just never made an effort. I didn’t see a point in friendship or even what a mate could bring. I was okay being my brother’s errand boy and protecting the kingdom. It’s what I’m good at. But seeing you, and how much you’re willing to do for someone who isn’t even your own kind…it’s amazing to see. You’re amazing. I’m jealous James had that with you.”

“Were you being possessive over me tonight with those other guys?”

“A bunch of unmated dickheads? You bet your ass I was being possessive.”

She smirked. “What were they?”

Henrik’s expression soured.

“Relax. James always used to tell me whenever there was someone from his world around. I just…like to learn. I’m assuming that Warren and Nash are some kind of shifter and maybe Sebastian, but he seemed to have a less domineering personality. Enzo and Arthur are something else though. They don’t even look truly human. It’s the first time I’ve really been able to spot the difference.”

Henrik relaxed into her again. “Warren is a wolf shifter and the Alpha of his pack. He and I have known each other for some time. He’s a good guy. We’ve helped him out a few times and vice versa. It’s a good alliance we have. Nash is a tiger shifter. Sebastian is a bear shifter. I don’t know either of them, but Warren speaks highly of them, so it’s good enough for me. Enzo and Arthur are fae.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? I’ve never seen fae before. James always talked about them like they were more myth than real.”

“Their realm has been closed off to our world for a long time. There haven’t been a lot, if any, fae in our world for centuries. For some reason, all that is changing, but I don’t know why. You’d have to talk to them. Though, I’d prefer it if you didn’t.”

“You really that afraid I would just go gaga over one of them and fall in love?”

Henrik growled.

“Why?”

“You’re not mated, not even to me. I have no claim on you. As much as I want to mark you with my bite and sink my cock deep inside you and claim you as mine, you’re not. Heartstone or no, you and I haven’t mated. For all I know, you belong to another. My dragon is insistent you’re mine. It means nothing without a claiming ceremony. I’m afraid I could lose you.”

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