Page 67 of Claimed By the Dragon King

A flash of worry moves through me at his words, but I’m too tired to speak. I know that I should not have let things go this far, but I could not deny my desire for him. Especially knowing what is coming for me.

But I cannot bind myself to him. His people mate for life. I will die soon, and I do not want to become his mate only for him to be left alone, and without any hope of a future with someone else. As much as I hate the thought of him with another, I would see him happy and with a wife and family. I love him enough to want these things for him, even if it means I will sacrifice my own happiness.

CHAPTER36

AURDYN

Sunlight spears through the clouds overhead, highlighting the silken strands of Freyja’s red hair and her lovely face. Long red lashes fan soft pink cheeks and as I study her, I know that I have never seen anyone as beautiful as her.

I nuzzle her hair and a low growl escapes me as I breathe in our combined scent. She stirs in my arms and when her eyelids flutter open, her lips curve in a stunning smile as she gazes up at me.

My desire flares anew, and I capture her lips in a searing kiss. When I pull back, she’s breathless beneath me. “You are mine, Freyja,” I murmur. “And now I will claim you completely, my fire heart.”

Gently, I roll her onto her stomach. Gripping her hips, I pull her up onto her knees and hands before me and then cover her body with mine. My crown bumps against the entrance to her core, and I drop my head to the curve of her neck, grazing her skin with my fangs as the desire to give her my mark thrums in my chest.

“Wait,” she says breathlessly, and I immediately still and then pull away.

She turns onto her back to face me. “I—we cannot do this, Aurdyn.”

Confused, I study her a moment and then cup her cheek. Perhaps she is afraid. After all, this is as new for her as it is for me, and I will not pressure her to do this. “We can wait however long you need, my T’kara. We do not have to mate until you are ready.”

She moves out from under me and sits up, pulling her knees to her chest. “I—” she starts, but stops abruptly, her brow furrowed deeply as if trying to decide what to say.

“What is it, Freyja?” I ask gently. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

She lifts her eyes to mine, full of unshed tears. “I do not want to hurt you.”

“Hurt me?” I blink several times. “What are you talking about? I am a Dragon. If you are worried about your fire magic, it is not a concern. I am—”

“That’s not what I mean,” she says, voice thick with emotion. “I mean that I cannot bind myself to you. I cannot become your mate.”

Her words do not make sense. “If you are worried that my people will not accept you, I do not believe that is true. They know what you are to me. That you are my T’kara and—”

“No,” she cuts me off. “That’s not it. I—I’m human, Aurdyn. Your people mate for life. What would happen to you if I died?”

My head jerks back. “Why are you worried about death? You are safe here, Freyja. I will protect you. No one will ever harm you again.”

“You cannot know that,” she counters. “You cannot promise such things.”

“After all we have been through, you still doubt my strength.” I bristle slightly. “You do not believe I can protect you or that I would be a worthy mate to you.”

“Why must everything be about strength with you?” she says, exasperated.

“Because I am a Dragon.” I tip up my chin. “Strength is everything to my people. It is the measure of our worth to our mates. And I vow to you that I am strong enough to protect and defend you from harm. You and any fledglings we might have, Freyja. What have I done to make you doubt me?”

CHAPTER37

FREYJA

The raw pain in his eyes is too much to bear. I hate that I’m hurting him like this, but I don’t have a choice. I take both his hands in mine. “I do not doubt you, Aurdyn. Not for a single moment.” Hope flits briefly across his expression and it nearly breaks me. “But I cannot marry you. I will not bind myself to you. As much as I want to, I cannot.”

His expression darkens. “Cannot or will not?”

I swallow against the lump in my throat. “Both.”

“I do not understand, Freyja.” His gaze holds mine, full of confusion and pain. “Why do you reject me?”

Because I cannot tell him what the heart tree showed me, I know there is no other answer I can give him that he will understand besides a lie. “Can you not see that we are both trapped in this, Aurdyn? It is the bond that draws us to each other; nothing more.”

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