Page 47 of Seducing the Dragon
“If you say so.” She looked at her dragonman, the moonlight highlighting the planes of his face. “Tell me what will happen ifyou lose control of your inner dragon on the way to this location. I need to be prepared.”
He clenched his jaw. “A dragon protecting his or her mate is unpredictable. He will do whatever he bloody well feels like. I’ll see everything happening, yet I have little control over his actions until I manage to take control again. However,” he brushed her cheek with his free hand, “he’ll never hurt you, love. Never.”
It was the second time he’d called her love, but since this was the North of England, she forced herself to not read too much into it. Everyone from bus drivers to shop clerks called a woman “love”.
She nodded just as the two young dragon-shifters approached them. The teenage boy with red hair spoke up. “It’s all ready, Bram.”
“Right, Miles, then off you go. I know you two have a tendency to sneak off, but until this dragon hunter situation is cleared, stay where you belong. I can’t waste the resources to go looking for you if you get lost.”
“Yes, sir. I understand.”
The teenagers walked away and Bram slowly released his arm around her waist. Cupping her cheeks, he kissed her gently and pulled away. “Right, lass, I’m going to shift now. Remember, if the chance arises, feed my dragon’s ego or I’ll have the devil of a time shifting back once we reach our destination. Even then, if I do shift back, he may try to claim you once before he hands the reins back over to me. I hope you allow it.”
Even in the mostly darkness, she could see the worry in his eyes. “Don’t worry, Bram, I’ve worked with dragon-shifters for a long time. It’s going to take a lot to scare me away, and I doubt you’ll ever do so. I agreed to be your mate, which means accepting both sides of you. If your dragon needs sex to clear his head, then I’ll do it.”
“Don’t be too enthused about it. You tired of me already, lass?”
She smiled. “I want to say something, but I can’t. This feeding your dragon’s ego thing is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.”
Bram chuckled. She loved the deep, throaty sound. “It won’t be for much longer, and then you can do your worst.” He kissed her nose. “And I look forward to it.”
Resisting the urge to hug him and never let go, she gave a light push against his chest. “Before something bad happens, let’s get this party started. I want to watch you shift, then I’ll crawl into the basket.”
With a nod, Bram released his hold and walked ten feet away. She could barely make out his outline in the faint moonlight. Would she even be able to watch him shift? She’d only seen a dragon shift a handful of times, one of which had happened during her training. Disappointment flooded her at the thought she couldn’t give Bram’s dragon the proper attention he deserved.Later. I’ll fawn and swoon over his dragon form later.
As her dragonman unfastened the strap over his shoulder, she decided the darkness might be a good thing after all. Then she wouldn’t be distracted by his naked, toned, and lickable body.
The sound of his clothes falling to the ground filled the air right before his body gave off a soft blue glow. Admittedly, she’d never seen a dragonman shift at night. She had no idea their bodies glowed in the process; daylight masked that little secret.
Two seconds later, the glow intensified as Bram’s arms and legs grew into appendages with sharp-tipped talons, a tail and wings extended from his back, and his head morphed into the long, narrow snout of a dragon. The twenty-foot-tall dragon glowed for a few seconds before the light faded. Even withthe brief glance, she itched to touch the bright blue of Bram’s dragonhide.
The dragon huffed and motioned his head toward the basket. “Right,” Evie said before rushing over to the contraption. Gawking would have to wait.
As soon as she crawled over the four-foot-high wall of the basket, Bram jumped into the air and beat his wings to hover in place. He slowly maneuvered to where she waited and delicately gripped the metal rings. The twenty-thousand pound plus dragon above her head had far more grace than she’d believe possible.
With precise movements, the bottom of the basket gave way to her weight as they rose into the air. Since peeping over the side of the basket would be useless in the dark, she tugged her cloak tight around her body and closed her eyes to enjoy the sound of dragon wings beating above her as the wind rushed through her hair.
Chapter Seventeen
The steady rhythm of his wings helped Bram to rein in his inner beast, just barely. He had a feeling once they arrived at the safe spot, his dragon would want to claim Evie to cover her in their scent before he had to leave again.
Under normal circumstances, he would love nothing more than to pull Evie close and devour every inch of her body. But his clan needed him. If his beast lost complete control, he would let them down. His actions might even kill them.
Maybe if he knew the reasons behind his dragon’s protectiveness of Evie, he could think of how to rein his beast back under his control later. Then he would be able to help his clan.
While he had the chance, Bram decided it was time to wrangle some answers out of his beast.Tell me why you are so possessive of Evie.
She is ours. That is all.
There is more you’re not telling me. I don’t understand why, either. You’ve always been open with me. We are one, and keeping secrets from one another is counterproductive.
To be happy, you must want her for her.
Bloody beast, I already do. What aren’t you telling me?
I will tell you when you’re ready. For now, I will protect her.
At the finality of his dragon’s tone, he growled inside his head. Deep down, he might know what his dragon was withholding, but it was dangerous to hope. True mate or not, he was keeping Evie Marshall.
