Page 5 of Slay Me

Hmm. Kissing was gross. “I will kiss you on the cheek.”

She thought for a minute and said, “I guess that’s okay.”

He leaned in and pressed his lips to her soft cheek. “There. Now you must do the same.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, like he’d tricked her, but he didn’t mind.

“Fine.” She wrinkled her nose again and pecked him on the cheek so quick and fast he barely felt it. But then she giggled and wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.

She smelled of flowers and apples and cinnamon. He couldn’t help it, he bent his head and buried his face in the crook of her neck. He didn’t want to let her go. Not ever.“Now our oath is sealed forever.”

He opened his mouth and scraped his teeth across the skin at the side of her neck. He didn't mean to. His dragon made him do it. But Fallyn didn't jerk away or smack him for it.

“That feels funny,” she said and held him tighter.

“Does it hurt?” He never wanted to do anything to hurt her.

“No.”

He did it again and he felt funny inside too. The dragon he’d so carefully put back rose to the surface. His teeth grew longer, like when he was in his dragon form.“Fallyn, you are mine, forever.”

She lifted her face to his, her cheeks were flushed. “I’ll be yours if you’ll be mine.”

It didn't matter that he was seven and she was six. They would always belong to each other. “Yes. I’ll make that oath to you. Only yours.”

“Will you seal it with a kiss too?” She tapped her cheek where he'd kissed her before.

Match shook his head. “Something stronger, I think. I don’t want to hurt you, but the dragon part of me really wants to bite your neck.”

Her eyes sparkled and she smiled. “That doesn’t sound as yucky as kissing.”

Kissing was weird but biting her would be better than biting into a sugary sweet apple cake. “So, I can do it?”

“Let me bite you first. Then you can tell me if it hurts too much.” She was very smart. He liked that about her.

A dark rumble resonated in his chest. The dragon like that idea. “Okay.”

He tilted his head to the side.She stood on her tippy toes and opened her mouth. “Tell me if it hurts, okay?”

“I will.” No way he’d say even if it did.

She bit down, gently at first, but then harder and deeper. He felt his skin bruising and then his knees went all wonky.

He’d rough housed with plenty of boys, both dragon and human, and there had been kicking, and scratching and biting. That had hurt. This felt…amazing. It hurt and filled him with a sense of excitement and peacefulness all at the same time.

She released him and stared at the bruise she made. “Did it hurt? Don’t lie to me.”

He blinked at her, having a hard time focusing on her words. All he wanted was to hug her and hold her close for a long long time.

She smacked him in the arm. “Hey. Did it hurt?”

He blinked and grinned. “A little bit, but it also was good. Like when you’ve got a bug bite and you’re not supposed to itch it, but you can’t help it and when you do, it bleeds but feels good at the same time.”

Oh, please let that have convinced her. Because his mouth was watering waiting to bite her back.

She studied him, looking from eye to eye, trying to decide.

“Okay, you bite me now then.”She tilted her head to side like he had. Wisps of her dark curls clung to her neck. His fingers shook as he pushed them aside. She was so soft, so gentle. He was supposed to protect her, not hurt her.

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