Page 77 of Marked Dragon

He smiled, and my pulse quickened. He pressed his forehead to mine and murmured, “When we get out of the country and we’re safe, I’ll purrallthe damn time. You’ll get tired of hearing me.”

“Oh, whatever.” I snickered, lost in his gaze. He was so handsome and easily the most attractive man I’d ever seen, and not just because I was biased. Even better, he wasallmine. “Just forget I said anything. Please.”

“Absolutely not.” He placed a finger under my chin, gently forcing my head up so he could lock eyes with me. “I don’t want you to ever feel like you can’t talk to me about anything. Your well-being, both emotionally and physically, is my top concern. And Iamhappy. Happier than I ever thought I’d be, and I’m sorry I made you doubt that even for a minute.”

His sincerity washed through me and settled comfortingly in my chest. There was no reason to hide anything from him. He accepted me for who I was, flaws and all.

“You know what?” he whispered against my earlobe, sending goose bumps all over my body. “I know what we should do.”

I warmed for round two. If I had to choose between sex and food, sex with him would win every time. As long as I died while orgasming, I’d count it as a win. I bit my lower lip and whispered, “I haven’t got a clue. Why don’t you tell me?”

He grinned wickedly. “Well, we’re both naked…” He winced and glanced down at his pants and boxers pooled around his ankles. “For the most part.”

I laughed as my body tingled. I’d never imagined I could be this happy. “Sorry about that. I kinda got desperate, and that helped me get what I wanted faster.”

He winked. “I approve of the strategy.”

I trailed a finger down his chest, enjoying how his pecs quivered under my touch. “So…what is this idea of yours?”

“You, my love, have a one-track mind,” he growled as he peppered kisses over my cheek. “But I was thinking we should shift and go for a flight.”

My heart clenched while I also shuffled my feet. Two conflicting emotions mingled: disappointment that he wasn’t speaking of sex and eagerness to take to the sky.

Gods, I love you.He beamed.You look like a pouting puppy dog that has a treat dangling in front of her.

I shrugged.I was hoping for more sex but flying sounds nice, too.

Then you shall have both.He booped me on the nose and kicked off his shoes.But your dragon is restless, and it’ll cause problems if you don’t shift. Let’s fly, then have another round of sex before heading back to the barn.

I leaned against the trunk and watched my sexy mate peel the rest of the clothes from his body. His muscles flexed, and my stomach somersaulted all over the place.

He took a few steps back, so we’d have room to shift. Faint purple splotches appeared on his tanned skin as he transitioned into his dragon. With each second, his scales became more pronounced and darkened to his gorgeous silvery-plum color.

My dragon brushed against my mind, eager to follow suit. I thought to her,Let’s do this,and she didn’t hesitate. She surged forward, melding with my mind. Our thoughts had already begun to merge, but when we were in dragon form, we were truly one.

The ground got farther away as my bones altered me into my dragon form. Within seconds, my feet and hands became silver-scaled limbs ending in talons, completing my transition.

I turned my head toward Thorn, who had been watching me. His sky-blue irises shimmered in the darkness, and he flapped his wings, lifting off the ground.

Allowing my dragon to take over, I followed Thorn, and we rushed into the sky. The wind blew past my scales, giving me a sense of freedom, and I enjoyed watching my mate in his strong dragon form. We were close to four times our human size, which meant my mate was over thirty feet of pure muscle.

With my dragon-heightened senses, I noticed a group of foxes running underneath us and several owls flying about two miles away. Most importantly, nothing out here could harm us.

The sky was clear, and we were high enough that no humans could see us. I stared into the true night sky, which I was finally able to see with my dragon eyes. The dark blue was peppered throughout the atmosphere with green and yellow splotches and spots of cobalt and pink swirls from the center of the Milky Way. It was second on my list to paint once I finished my masterpiece of Thorn.

Settling into a rhythm next to my mate, I reveled in the sense of peace swirling through me, and the two of us enjoyed our time together.

* * *

A week passed,and Theron came back every few days to check in, update us with news, and take a grocery order.

Thorn had hoped that the hunt for us would die down, but Drake had increased the number of warriors searching for us. In a way, I was thankful. Thorn was determined our group should leave the country, and I’d been trying to talk him out of it.

Training had been going well. Saphira and I were now on equal footing, and Vlad had promised that tomorrow we would switch partners so I could spar with Errol. He said fighting different people would strengthen our strategy.

My skin buzzed from holding hands with Thorn. We’d finished our nightly routine of sex, flying, and more sex. Since Vlad and Cassidy had taken the isolated master bedroom, I didn’t want Saphira, Tyson, Errol, and Brenton to hear Thorn and me in ours. Besides, I liked having sex outside. Being a dragon had changed me so much, and I was beginning to like myself.

We broke through the tree line behind the barn and found Eva and Elliott by the unlit firepit, sitting in two of the Adirondack chairs.

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