It is probably a stupid thing to do, but I stop by the fire house.

As luck would have it, the person I want to talk to is there. Vyn.

He’s washing down the fire truck out front and clearly strutting like a peacock for any passing women. I have a moment of gratefulness that if I am a dragon’s mate, at least my mate isn’t this one. I like Xerxes much better.

In fact, I might more than like Xerxes, but first things first.

“Vyn,” I call, walking over.

He looks up, smiling as he sees me. “Hey, Rebecca, what brings you to our humble work abode?”

I fold my arms. “Apparently, I’m Xerxes’ mate.”

Vyn pulls a face. “Ah. Yes. He told me that. I think you took it rather well, considering. Dido’s mate fainted when he first saw her transform and Flavia’s tried to leave the country.”

“Who are Flavia and Dido?”

“Our older sisters. From our previous clutch.” Vyn sighs. “Look, let me take you inside, get you some lemonade, and we’ll talk more seriously about this, okay?”

And that’s how I ended up in the kitchen of the firehouse talking with my dragon mate’s dragon brother.

“My brother is a massive idiot,” Vyn tells me. “I can’t believe he hasn’t explained all of the logistics.”

“Will he really die if I don’t seal the mating bond?” I ask.

Vyn nods, his face solemn. “Yes. It’s why we tend to rush into things with mates. Being with our mates makes us almost euphoric at times, and it’s literally a matter of life and death. So we tend to, uh, skip the small talk.”

My heart squeezes. I don’t want Xerxes to die.

And it’s true, that I’m happy around him. I feel safe. Being in his home feels like being in my home, like finding the place I’ve always belonged. And I want that. I want to belong to something, to someone.

“I’m not saying that you don’t have a right to be scared,” Vyn says. “But I can tell you that no dragon mate I know has regretted the decision. My parents are unbelievably happy together. They’d die for each other. It’s honestly kind of disgusting sometimes how in love they are.”

Something in my chest seems to yank hold of my heart and tug.

“He might be shit at saying it, but he really likes you,” Vyn adds. “Like, the mating bond? It can start out as just sexual. That’s what we all assumed it was going to be for us. And then, bam. Xerxes is waxing poetic about how smart you are and how beautiful, sarcastic, strong and blah, blah, blah.”

My chest warms. “He said all that?”

Vyn rolls his eyes. “Oh God, you two are already disgusting and you’re not officially together yet. Yes, he’s stupidly in love with you. Now go, shoo, find him and declare your love and I don’t want to hear from either of you for a week.”

I glare at him, but Vyn just grins back at me and I find myself struggling not to grin back. He’s kind of like the fun, troublesome brother that you can’t help but love in spite of his antics. If I get along with the rest of Xerxes’ family as well as I do Vyn…

Maybe, they could become my family.

It’s not until I’m making the turn into Xerxes’ driveway that I realize he might not be home. Should I have called ahead? Should I—

The front door opens and Xerxes exits. He stares at me as I stop the car and get out, looking at me like a man in the desert looks at a glass of water. “I thought you might not come back.”

I walk up to him. “So did I. But I thought it over and…” I take a deep breath. “I’m still scared. I’m scared because I’ve never been this close to anyone. The idea of giving myself over to anybody is terrifying. If I let you in, you could hurt me. After so many years of… of having no one, it’s going to be hard for me to change gears. I might mess it up. But… you feel like safety. You feel like home. And I want that, so badly. I can’t give that up. So, if you’ll be patient with me, all I can promise is that I’ll try. Because you make me happy. And for some unknown reason I seem to make you happy. So. If you want this, I’m in.”

Xerxes’ smile is blinding. “I definitely want this.”

I don’t know which one of us moves, but suddenly we’re kissing, and I don’t want to stop for the world. His hands are all over me again and I shudder, pressing myself up against him. My body’s coming alive like I’ve been given a surge of electricity and I keen into his mouth. I want more of him, I want him inside me, my body’s shaking with how much I need him.

“Don’t you worry,” Xerxes growls, his teeth scraping over my jaw and making me shiver. “I know what you want. I’m going to give it to you.”

Oh, God, yes please.

Xerxes’ hands slide down to my thighs, and then he’s lifting me up. I wrap my legs around him and I can feel the hard length of him pressed against me through our jeans. I grind a little, feeling sparks lighting me up. Yes, yes, yes…

I don’t realize I’m saying it out loud until he takes me inside and pushes me against a wall, making me moan. “I hear you,” he growls. “Just a little patience.”

“Patience?” I laugh, a little hysterically. “I want you, like, yesterday.”

Xerxes lets out a growl and oh, that is definitely not a human growl. It’s too deep and animalistic and it vibrates through him and against me, making my body tremble. I imagine him growling like that while his mouth’s on my clit and my hips jerk wildly. All we’ve done is kiss and I’m already a mess.

Xerxes pushes back from the wall, carrying me into his bedroom. He sets me down carefully on the bed, then pulls back to practically rip his clothes off. My mouth goes dry as I finally get to see all of him. I want my hands and mouth everywhere.

Xerxes reaches for my clothes and has me stripped bare in a matter of seconds.

I don’t even have time to feel self-conscious. Xerxes is on me the moment I’m naked, murmuring, “beautiful” into my mouth as his hands map me out.

I’ve never really felt beautiful. I’ve been called attractive, pretty, hot, and sexy. But nobody’s ever said beautiful in that reverent tone of voice before. It makes me happier than I care to admit.

Xerxes takes his sweet time kissing me all over. Part of me likes it, likes being worshipped like this. It also means I get to run my hands all over his body. When I take him into my hand, and pump a few times experimentally, Xerxes growls against my shoulder, and I grin. I like this.

Part of me, however, wants to get to the main event. This will be my first. My first everything.

“Please,” I beg him, but Xerxes shakes his head.

“Not yet,” he says, spreading my legs and getting onto his knees. “I need to taste you first.”

When his tongue strokes me, I cry out. It’s so unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. My body’s trembling. It feels so good, his tongue lapping at my clit, twisting into me—

And then it feels even better. His tongue—it’s changed, it’s become, it’s forked, it’s a dragon tongue, and oh holy fuck, I can’t—how is he even, I’m, I can’t—

I scream, my hips arching off the bed as I explode with pleasure. It’s like stars are bursting out of my skin. Xerxes laps it all up greedily, and then crawls his way up my body to kiss me.

“That was…that was…” I hitching my leg up over his hip. I loved that, and I want a repeat, but I need to be filled, by him.

Xerxes slides his hand down between my legs and starts working me with his fingers. “I don’t know, you’re so tight and I don’t want to hurt you,” he says, his voice low and husky.

I arch against him. “Please, please, I want—I want you so badly I can’t even control it.” Any second now if he doesn’t get inside me I’m going to flip us over and ride him until I choke.

Xerxes seems to sense it, because he grabs my wrists in one hand, pinning me down onto the bed as he slides a third finger inside of me. “You’ll wait until I say so,” he growls, a command.

It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever heard and I almost come on the spot. Who’d have thought that me, who hates anything that resembles an order outside the bedroom, would get so turned on by it in bed? Xerxes must notice, because he gets a savage grin on his face. “Oh, you like that? You like me giving orders?”

I nod. “Yes,” I whisper.

“You like me pinning you down?”

“Yes.”

Xerxes growls. “Then, if I tell you I’m going to pin you down here and fuck you, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes,” I cry out, my hips writhing helplessly.

Xerxes pulls his fingers out and then, oh, my god, he starts to slide in. He hooks my legs around his waist but he still has me pinned. I couldn’t go anywhere if I tried. It’s like he’s claiming me, and I love it, more than I ever expected.

I feel him bottom out inside of me and I moan. I’m so full, stretched wide. It’s more sensation than I’ve ever felt before.

Xerxes waits, letting my body adjust, before he moves slowly. Then he speeds up, until he’s slamming into me. I claw at his shoulders. He’s sliding in and out of me, creating this delicious friction, and it’s like I’m riding a knife’s edge of pleasure, my hips meeting his every thrust.

I’m babbling, begging him please, for more. Give it to me, I want it, and he does. He definitely does. His eyes are glowing blue and I’m trapped by them, gazing into them. I never want this to end, it feels so good, but I also want to come so very badly. I kiss him again and again, begging him please, please, make me come.

“You’re perfect,” he growls. “Perfect for me. We’re going to do this for days, we won’t even leave the bed.”

That sounds wonderful to me. I want to come, to feel him come, but then I want to do this all over again.

Xerxes’ thrusts become harder, vicious, erratic, and I take them all with a scream of pleasure. He slams into me, and I can feel him spilling hot and wet inside of me. The sensation’s too much and I start to come again, writhing, feeling wanton and free all at once.

As we start to come down and our breathing starts to normalize, Xerxes pulls me to him, nuzzling into my throat. He seems to like doing that. Possibly something about my scent.

“You’re perfect,” he repeats, the words a little slurred.

I feel worn out and blissful, floating on a cloud. I let myself cuddle into him. “We are doing that again as soon as possible.”

Xerxes chuckled. “Trust me, now that we’ve started, we won’t be stopping for a few days.”

A sex marathon sounds perfect. For a moment, I’m just drifting, letting Xerxes kiss me all over and murmur things like beautiful and perfect and mine, my mate.

Then he says, “I hope our babies will be perfect, just like you.”

I sit bolt upright. “Our what?”

Xerxes looks up at me in surprise. “...did I forget to mention the whole getting pregnant thing?”

I gape at him.

And that’s how I learn that I’ll be birthing eggs in about six months.

First thing we’re working on is my mate’s communication skills.