Page 63 of Dragon in Boots

“What about the women from last night?” she asked. “Don’t they count?”

He laughed into the air. “Those decrepit soft-bellies? They are the last dragonettes because they lived in caves, hiding under rocks for centuries. They know nothing of our lore, and they are not fighters who embody the strength and deadliness of dragons, like you.”

“How doyouknow what I am?”Or am not?

“When you get as old as I, you know.” He added, “You may not be a full-blooded dragon, but I can smell the power in your veins.”

So Dash had been right. Only one of her parents had been a dragon.

“I bet you come from a royal bloodline,” he added.

“Is that why you kept rubbing your face on my ankles?”

“No,” he scoffed. “I needed to get off. My bloom was coming, and you can’t let that fluid build up.”

He’d been masturbating on her?My ankles feel so violated.

“Yes. Buildup bad,” Jac said awkwardly, preparing to give him her spiel. “Obviously, I have a lot to learn. Especially considering I had no clue I wasn’t completely human until last night.”Egg! A freaking egg!“But with your wisdom and guidance, I hope I can work through that.”

“Of course, Jac. A female, such as you, and a powerful male such as I? I think you’re just what I need to usher in a new dawn of dragons.”

Did he mean the one where they snacked on people? Not good. “Errrr…sounds great! I mean, you’ve seen my sanctuary. You know I’m all about saving exotic animals. But, in the spirit of that, I do have a request.”

“Anything for my future queen. What would you like to know? Is it how you are a dragon, but born human?”

“Yes, I want to hear all about that. Tonight. My place. I’m so excited to learn everything. But I do have a request. You know I’ve dedicated my life to the sanctuary, and Dash told me—”

“Dash is my slave. He is a demon. His kind is beneath you.”

“But you’ve taken his form,” she argued.

Heebie’s blue eyes narrowed. “This is nothisform. This is how he chooses to present himself for feeding purposes.”

Weird, but whatever. Like she said before, it wasn’t Dash’s body that drew her in. “Still, I’ve never met a vanity demon, and I want to study him. Can’t you give me time to do that?”

“You like him,” Heebie snarled.

“No! What sort of woman wants a big oily demon? He’s so…greasy. I mean, maybe it’s a thing in New Jersey, but not for me. Blech!”

Heebie stared, seeming unconvinced.

“I’ll keep him in a lion cage the entire time. You’re the one who broke him out last time, right? You had to use those big, strong dragon muscles.”

“Yes, well,” he grinned, “my strength is unmatched.”

Heebie seemed to like the compliment.Who’s the real vanity demon here?

It was time to close the deal with a big suck-up. “So are you as magnanimous as you are powerful, Heebie?”

He inched closer, his chest, abs and other parts pressing against her. “I can be. For you.”

Unlike with Dash, she felt nothing but disgust from his touch. “I like a man who knows how to be generous.”

He stroked a lock of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. “Cimil promised me a perfect mate if I came to Dallas, and that is what she delivered. I cannot resist you.”

This is Cimil’s doing?That Damien was right. Cimil really was a manipulative schemer.

“Aren’t we so lucky she helped us meet,” Jac said.

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