Drago sensed a change in Carly’s mood. He glanced out over the castle walls to the ocean. Something had struck the outer wards, searching for a way past them. Returning his attention to Carly, he pulled out her chair and waited for her to be seated before he moved to the one across from her. Sitting down, he uncovered the simple fare of fruit, nuts, and leftover grilled fish from the night before. He would need to travel to another Isle to gather provisions. With his people gone, he was limited to what he knew how to prepare and could obtain locally.

“It is not much. I do not have the skills you do,” he admitted, gazing at the plates.

“I’m sure it will help me lose some weight eating like this. After all, I am on the plump side as you know,” Carly couldn’t resist retorting before she bit her lip and looked away.

Drago’s gaze snapped to Carly’s tight face. He was shocked when he saw the glimmer of tears and sensed the hurt in her voice. He watched her blink several times before she lowered her gaze to the table. His hand shot out and he covered the back of hers when she reached for the cloth napkin next to her plate.

“Tell me,” he ordered.

Carly refused to look at him. Instead, she held her body stiff and straight. Her lower lip trembled before she pressed her lips firmly together.

“Carly….” Drago waited until she reluctantly looked up at him. Yes, there was definitely an expression of hurt in her gaze. “Tell me why you are upset.”

Carly started to shake her head. She gazed at him for several long seconds before she lifted her chin. A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Drago’s mouth. A flash stubbornness replaced the hurt. He could see his defiant little thief again.

“I know I’m on the… mature, womanly-figured side. That is why I was trying to exercise. I swear just thinking about exercising adds five pounds to my hips and don’t ask me about ice cream or pasta! I’m not fat! I’m genetically built to be cute and cuddly,” she said with a stubborn thrust to her jaw. “If you can’t handle cute and cuddly, go find yourself someone who isn’t. I don’t care. I’m proud of who I am and I don’t have to apologize to anyone for being me.”

Confusion washed through Drago. Where had that come from? He thought she was upset because he had not provided her with a good meal. Instead, she was upset because she thought he didn’t like cute and cuddly.

His gaze moved over her round face. Tiny brown dots feathered across her nose. Her cheeks were flushed the color of a soft red rose and he swore her skin would feel as silky as its petals. Her lips, especially her bottom one, begged to be teased and stroked. The tunic she wore hugged her figure. The neckline opened just enough to tease him with a glimpse of her ample breasts. He swore they would not only fill his palms, but overflow his hands. His mouth watered with the thought of wrapping his lips around each bud.

Carly’s low hiss told him that he was gripping her hand tightly in his. If his eyes were not blazing with the fire of his dragon, they should be. He was more than ready to claim her as his. If not for his concern for her safety when he had felt the slight vibration against the wards he had placed around the island, he would have joined her in the shower this morning.

“I very much appreciate cute and cuddly,” he replied, shifting uncomfortably in his seat when he felt the extent of his appreciation begging to be released. “Why would you think I do not?”

“You are plump like my mother,” she mimicked, pulling her hand free.

Drago gazed at her with a frown before it cleared, and he grinned. “She is… was the envy of all the females in the kingdom. My father told of how he had been captivated by the curve of my mother’s hips and her ample…,” his voice faded and he held his hands out, cupped, as if holding a pair of large melons – or breasts. “The females on the Isle of the Dragon tend to be long and lean, but every once in a while there is one of such beauty, with curves that capture a male’s imagination and make his mouth water to taste…,” Drago’s voice faded when he saw Carly looking at him with a wary expression. He dropped his hands back to the table and stared moodily at the food. “You need to eat.”

Carly slowly reached for the plate of fresh fruit. Her gaze kept flickering to him as if she was trying to see if he had been telling her the truth. Drago wanted to groan out loud. He had to stop talking because the images that had formed when he was explaining had made his cock hard as stone.

“So… you like plump women?” Carly stated more than asked in a nonchalant tone.

Drago reached for the plate of fruit she was holding out. His fingers curled around the edges. What he really wanted to do was toss the plate aside, pick Carly up, and carry her back to his bed.

“No, I like cute and cuddly women, Carly, and they don’t get any more cute and cuddly than you, my little thief,” he replied.

Pleasure and excitement lit up Carly’s eyes. Drago’s gaze followed the movement of her lips. He bit back the curse that threatened to escape him. She was not making his resolve to find out more about her easy.

“After we break our fast, I must check the Isle,” he said.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, glancing out over the wall.

Drago shook his head. “I am sure it is nothing to be concerned about. Most likely, another pirate ship wrecked amongst the rocks,” he replied.

“Oh, just a pirate ship,” she murmured, picking up her fork and taking a bite. “Thank you again for breakfast and the clothes.”

“There is no need for thanks,” Drago said.

“So, tell me about the Isle of the Dragon. What was it like, well… before?” she asked.

Drago’s fork paused in midair. He glanced at Carly’s face. She was leaning forward in her chair, gazing at him. He slowly lowered his fork to his plate and thought about her question. For the first time, he realized he had always taken for granted the beauty of his kingdom and its people.

“It was a wondrous kingdom filled with wealth and prosperity. During the day, the sounds of laughter and the daily lives of my people would drift through the air. I can remember the scent from the Baker’s cottage. If the wind came in from the Southwest, you could smell the freshness of his baked bread. My mouth waters at the thought of it,” Drago shared in a quiet, reflective voice.

“Mine, too. I love fresh baked bread with lots of real butter on it,” Carly admitted.

Drago turned to look at her and smiled. “I would bring you a fresh loaf to break your fast each morning,” he responded before turning to look out over the wall. “Dragons come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are more powerful than others, but they all have one thing in common.”

He pushed his chair back and rose. Stepping closer to the railing, he gripped it and looked down on the deserted streets far below. A choking pang of regret swept through him.

“What do they all have in common?” Carly asked, setting her fork down and rising out of her seat so she could stand beside him.

“Family… A dragon’s family is the most important thing to a dragon. We can feel each other. We are all connected in our dragon form so we are never alone. When…. I heard their cries of terror – each and every one of them, down to the smallest dragon – I could feel their fear as if it were my own. By the time I returned, they were all gone. The silence was deafening. I never realized that silence could be so loud,” he explained, clenching the stone railing and leaning forward as if in pain.

“Oh, Drago. I’m so sorry,” Carly whispered.

The muscles along his back tightened when he felt her hand slide across his shirt. Years – more than he wanted to remember – had passed since he had felt the touch of another and heard the sweet music of a voice. A shudder ran through his body and he closed his eyes.

“There was always music in the air,” he continued in a thick voice. “The children would dance in the streets, their parents occasionally scolding them if they became too boisterous or got in the way of the vendors. The cove would be filled with ships from all the other Isles. Merchants would shout out orders while sailors would flirt in the hope of capturing some of the dragon’s gold from an unsuspecting resident. It was all a game. Anyone who knows about dragons knows we would never let anyone steal our gold. It can only be given freely.”

“It sounds like it was a wonderful place to live,” Carly said, dropping her hand to the balcony and gazing down as if she could see what he was telling her.

Drago opened his eyes and straightened. “I would train with my guards each morning down in the courtyard. Afterward, we would break. Sometimes we would fly out to sea or to another Isle. Other times, I would go to a quiet place on the island to be alone. I never truly appreciated what it meant to be a part of a family until it was taken from me. I thought losing my parents was devastating, but it was nothing compared to losing everyone. My father… My parents used to warn me that one day I would understand. With their deaths, I gained the power to hear each and every voice inside me. It was no longer muted, but loud and pulsing. I resented the responsibility, thinking it a burden instead of the gift it was. I did what was expected of me because I had to, not because I wanted to,” he stated in a rough voice.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like to be responsible for a whole kingdom. I mean, I’ve read about kingdoms and stuff during history class, but to actually be a king or queen…. I’d be scared,” Carly said, glancing at him.

“I am not scared, Carly, I am filled with rage. Now that I have awakened, I will try once again to find the Sea Witch and when I do, I will kill her – slowly, drawing out her last breath until she begs me to end her life,” Drago stated.

“I… don’t think that would be a good idea, Drago. Revenge usually doesn’t end well for either party,” Carly started to say.

Drago turned to look down at her, his expression hard. “I have to go. I will return later. Do not leave the safety of the palace,” he ordered a moment before his body shimmered and he shifted.

Once again, the feeling of uneasiness hit him, as if something was pushing against the boundaries he had set. He moved back several meters to avoid crashing into Carly and the table. Stretching out his wings, he pushed upward in strong, powerful strokes. From high above, he glanced down at where she stood gazing up at him. In this form, he could see the delicate red threads of magic between them.

A snarl of rage was ripped from him when he felt another tug against his magic. He turned his head and focused on the intrusion. Sweeping his wings in strong, powerful strokes, he sped off to the north.