Page 24 of Claimed By the Dragon King

He purses his lips. “Fine.”

The twins burst through the door and rush to the table, excitement flashing in their little eyes as Moira arranges food on two plates for them.

They eat as though they’ve been starved, and my heart breaks again for this little family of Dwarves.

Aurdyn remains by the fire, his arms crossed and his tail flicking agitatedly as he stares at the flames. When everyone is finished, Moira, Orin, and the children retire to the other room, leaving us alone in this space.

The sound of something heavy being moved across the floor echoes throughout the cabin, and Aurdyn rolls his eyes. “Dwarves,” he grumbles. “If I wanted to break in, do they really think furniture braced at the door would stop me?”

“Can you really blame them for being afraid?”

“I told them I would not harm them,” he grumbles. “What more assurances do they need beyond my word?”

“Perhaps if you didn’t act like a fire-breathing Dragon, they would not be so scared.”

“I cannot change what I am,” he replies incredulously.

Lowering my head, I pinch the bridge of my nose in exasperation. “My mother always said never to go to bed upset at someone,” I mutter to myself. Sighing heavily, I lift my head and look at Aurdyn. “I know this is new to you, the idea of being…” I start to say ‘friendly’ but instead say, “not quite so intense around others who might be a bit skittish around Dragons. But perhaps you could smile a bit while we’re here to… put them at ease.”

He narrows his eyes at first, before his lips pull back in an almost feral grin, accentuating his sharp, white fangs. If the Dwarves were not already terrified of him before, they certainly will be if he smiles at them like this. “Is this better?”

I draw in a deep breath to calm myself. I do not want to spend the evening snipping at him for his manners or lack thereof. At least he’s trying. Even if it is only for my sake. I sigh heavily. “We’ll work on it later.”

His expression falls a moment before he looks at my plate. “Are you certain you’ve had enough for this evening?” he asks, voice laced with concern.

“Yes. And I’m glad you shared the food with them.”

“I did it because you asked,” he reminds me.

I bite back a sigh of frustration. “Well… I’m glad all the same.”

“You should sleep.” He gestures to the bed. “You need to rest.”

I glance down at the clothing next to my chair. “I need to dress for bed first.”

I pick up the sleep gown, expecting him to turn around. Instead, he continues to stare at me. My cheeks flush and he cocks his head to one side. “What is wrong?”

“Aren’t you going to turn around, so I can change?”

His brow furrows deeply. “Why?”

“Because I need to undress.”

He frowns. “If you are worried I will find you strange, I promise not to pass judgment upon your human form. I’m sure you are not terribly different from a female Dragon.”

“You’ve seen other women—Dragon women,” I correct, “naked before?” I blink several times.

“Of course,” he answers matter-of-factly.

Jealousy sparks in my chest, but I do not understand why. I mean, it’s not as if we are married or anything. And he is a king, after all. I’m sure he’s probably had several lovers by now. Anger furrows my brow as I conjure an image of him lying in bed, surrounded by a harem.

“Is something wrong?” he asks, ripping me from my dark thoughts.

“While I’m sure you’ve probably had your fair share of lovers, it is improper for you to seemeundressed.”

“Dragons do not take lovers. When we mate, it is for life.” I’m stunned by his statement, and I open my mouth to speak, but he cocks his head to one side. “Is nudity frowned upon by humans?”

“Yes,” I reply, although I’m not quite sure if it’s specific to just us, or if the Fae and the Elves are the same. “Most people… humans, I mean… we only undress in front of our partners.”

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