Page 71 of To Charm a Dark Prince

“Does he have a name?” She kept staring up at the dragon who was watching her right back.

“No.”

“That’s stupid.” She folded her arms across her chest and shot Mordred a disapproving, if somewhat playful, glance. “He should have a name.”

“Then name him.” Mordred smiled faintly. “Simply nothing embarrassing, is all I ask.”

Studying the dragon for another moment, she grinned. “Tiny. Your name is now Tiny.”

“I said nothing embarrassing.”

“It isn’t! I think it’s cute. What do you think?” she asked the dragon.

The metal lizard let out another metallic grumble.

“Oh, do not side with her.” Mordred rolled his eyes.

“What did he say?”

“That any name is better than none.”

“See? I told you.” She started climbing up the dragon’s metal plates to the saddle on its back. It was much easier to do in the gray light of mid-morning than in the middle of the night when she was about to faint from being so afraid. But she still watched where she put her feet as she reached the dragon’s back and sat. Mordred joined her a moment later, sitting behind her, his thighs to the outside of hers.

When he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to his chest, she felt her cheeks go warm. Lancelot was sweet and kind. Mordred wasnot.And damn it all if the Prince in Iron pushed her buttons in a way that Lancelot didn’t.

His hand rested against her thigh, and she could feel his breath against her ear.

Damn it. Damn it all. She shut her eyes. “Is this the wrong time to tell you that I’m afraid of heights?”

“I would say that I suspect you are lying to me.”

“I’m afraid of everything here.”

He hummed. “The value of the soul can be summed in the fears it has learned to overcome.”

“Way to call a girl cheap, thanks.”

He chuckled before clicking his tongue. It sent the dragon into motion, lifting up from where it had been lying down for them to climb on board.

She squeaked and grabbed onto Mordred and clung for dear life. “Oooh shit—” Nope, it was still as terrifying the second time.

Her reaction sent Mordred into a deep laugh that rumbled at her back. He held her snugly. “You will not fall, firefly.”

“Yeah, but I’ll—” She screamed.

With a push from its powerful legs, the creature leapt into the air. She really wasn’t sure how a giant metal dragon could actually fly, but she wasn’t going to start arguing physics while mid-air.

She struggled to catch her breath. This was going to be a lousy time to have a panic attack. Again.

“Calm. I have you.” Mordred leaned his head in close to her ear, his voice audible even through the rush of the air. “I will not let you fall. You are safe.”

Safe. Right. On the back of a dragon. With an evil tyrant. Sure. Totally. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to focus on deep breaths. But it didn’t work. She felt everything closing in around her. Her fingers began to tingle.

She was going to faint. Damn it.Damn it!

A clawed finger turned her head. She barely even noticed it. Everything was starting to sink away. She—

Lips pressed to hers. Her eyes flew back open. Mordred was cradling her head in his gauntlet, his metal nails just barely touching her scalp. He kissed her, firm and sure, insistent but not cruel. She felt like the air was sucked out of her lungs for a different reason, but at least the world was no longer going numb around her. Anything but.

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