Page 149 of Smoke and Lure

He arched a brow.“Is this more concern?I told you it will not—”

“No.”She waved a hand before her.“I believe you.”

“Then what?”He folded his big arms over his chest.

“I don’t want to be carried.”

He tipped his head to the side, and his long strands glided over his shoulder.“I won’t fly away while you walk alone, Avalore.”

“I know.”

He held his arms out and frowned.“Then how else do you propose we do this?”

She stepped forward as she lifted her chin high and met his gaze.“I’ll ride.”

Liekki was silent.Too silent.

Everything around them seemed quiet, like it was waiting to see what he’d do next.

“Our dragons don’t take riders.We are not fucking horses,” he growled.His voice was heavy and low, but clear enough that she picked up his words across the distance.

Determined, she continued.“And I’m not some delicate flower you carry home.I won’t do it.”

His hands fisted at his side.“Avalore, your request is ridiculous.”

She arched her brow this time.“Is it?If I were Drahk, I’d fly beside you as your mate.I can’t do that, but I will still have honor and respect.”

“Be reasonable, little lure.”His voice took on a seductive lilt.

The sound made the walls of her sex clench and produce more wetness to make her folds slicker, but she resisted the urge to melt for him and stood her ground.“I suggest you figure this out, big man,” she gave him the same sexiness in kind, then declared, “Or start walking.”

To make her point, she turned and stomped off toward the forest.She prayed she was going in the right direction.All the trees looked the same around the clearing, and with the meeting ground being a circle of columns, she could no longer tell which side they’d entered from.

Liekki roared behind her and spit out words in Drahk that she had no clue of understanding.Birds scattered and small animals scurried through the forest.

She’d only taken five steps before his words stopped her.

“Fine!But you’ll have to figure out how to get your lush, sweet ass up between my horns.”

She rolled her eyes at his words as a satisfying smile spread across her lips.Then she readied herself to say something innovative and sassy about him having sense enough to give in when she turned and was confronted with a massive, royal-Egyptian-blue dragon before her.

The beast was so humongous that it filled her vision.Its mass took up so much of the clearing that she couldn’t see anything behind it.

Her grin dropped, and so did her pulse.She felt light-headed as the large beast lowered its head to her level.It had to turn its smokey snout to the side so that it peered at her with one of its sizeable eyes—golden iris and a black, vertical slit for a pupil.

Oh, shit.

Now she knew what Liekki had meant by his horns because it had two long horns at the temple area, and she could see the tops of about ten more behind those on its huge head running along the spine.They were short with lethal spikes.

Why in the hell would I demand to ride the beast?Her father always said Avalore was too bold and sassy, like her Dominican mother, and that Avalore’s bravado would get her killed one day.

This may be the day.

Even though her knees were knocking, a part of her core assured her that this enormous beast valued strength like the formidable man within it.The dragon’s odd pupil had the cerulean-blue flame dancing in it.Seeing it gave her a bit of calm because it reminded her of Liekki even though the damn male had left her with minimal instructions in how to deal with the scaled version of him.

She recalled that Liekki said his dragon had already approved of her and had shared its honeyed fire.It claimed her as its mate even when Liekki resisted the notion.

Even now, the dragon held its position, watching her, but not moving, as if it was waiting for her.She was grateful.

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