CLAUDIA

Trying to convince an overprotective dragon-man that you aren’t going to run away again is not the easiest task. Then again, nothing about communicating with Kael is easy. Every time I wander away a few feet, he hovers over me, as if he doesn’t trust me not to bolt again. I can’t blame the guy—because I did bolt—but it grows frustrating to have the big head looming over me constantly. He doesn’t understand that I’m stuck with him, like it or not.

I can’t stop thinking about the soldiers from Fort Dallas. They’d shot at me when Kael hadn’t let me go. Were they under instructions by the mayor to kill me if they couldn’t bring me back? Or were they acting on their own? I don’t know, and until I know that answer, It’s not safe for me to go home.

Right now, Kael’s the only option I’ve got, even if it means I don’t get much alone time. Or, you know, pants. I’d be happy with either.

I spend my time exploring this new building, or at least the floor we’re on. I’m pretty sure Kael won’t let me near a stairwell again. That’s all right, too. I sorta burned that privilege. This looks like an office building, and it also looks like it’s in relatively good shape, so the scavenger in me is hoping to find something useful, even if it’s not pants.

I’d really, really like to not be nude anymore. Or shoes. Shoes would be nice. I think mournfully of the long, torn dress that was left behind at the last building. It could have been a sarong. Oh well. I’ll work with what I’ve got, and right now, I’ve got a big empty building. So I pick through heaps of junk and pull open doors, looking around with interest. Kael’s not letting me go anywhere, either; every door I open, his big head is there blocking out the sunlight. It’s a little irritating, but I work with it, since he’s not leaving anytime soon.

And really, I don’t know that I want him to go anywhere anymore. If the humans have guns, I guess I’m throwing my lot in with the dragons. Or at least this dragon.

Eventually I find a bathroom. Success! It looks mostly whole—no gaps in the walls, no breaks in the floor. One of the stalls has been knocked down, and there’s a big hole in the ceiling, but that’s all right. I turn to Kael. “I need a few moments alone in here, okay?”

He noses my hair.

Yeah. Okay. We go through a series of pantomimes involving our very small vocabulary and lots of gestures. Eventually, I think he figures out that I need a few minutes to myself, and that I can’t go anywhere. When I carefully shut the bathroom door, he doesn’t bugle with anger or freak the fuck out on the other side. It’s quiet. Relieved, I check the bathroom out and take a few moments to use the facilities. Once I’m done, I head for the big mirror behind the sinks. It’s cracked and dirty, but I can still see my reflection…and I almost wish I hadn’t. Man, I look rough.

The face that stares back at me is human, but barely. I look disheveled and small, and for a moment I think I’m looking at Amy. It’s been so long since I’ve seen my reflection that I no longer recognize myself. I’m not the bright-eyed teenager I used to be. The woman that stares across from me is haunted-eyed and thin, a little scrappy, and a lot beat up.

It’s not Amy, though, and my heart hurts. My sister. I hope she’s okay.

The girl in the mirror’s eyes well up, and I swipe at my cheeks before the tears can fall. It just leaves another dirty mark on my skin. I’m covered in enormous bruises and a thin layer of dirt. I have scratches all over, too, and my hair is a tangled snarl of leaves and drywall dust. I touch one enormous scrape and wince. It’s a damn shame I don’t have water to wash with or drink. The toilets were dry, and I don’t even know that these sinks work. So much plumbing in Old Dallas has gone to crap without proper maintenance.

On impulse, I reach over and turn one of the rusty knobs on the row of sinks. The pipes in the walls groan and clank, and I hear Kael snort and shift his big dragon body on the other side, no doubt ready to rescue me. After a moment, water gurgles and spits forth from the faucet. It’s brown and cloudy at first, but then turns brilliantly clear, and I gasp with delight. Water. Flowing, delicious water. I’m so thirsty. I cup my hands under the flow to drink, then flinch at how nasty my hands are. I need to clean up first—

The door to the bathroom flies open. It slams into the opposite wall, the subway tiles crumbling under the force. A human-sized Kael stalks in, his eyes black, teeth bared.

“It’s okay,” I tell him, taking a step backward. “It’s just water. I promise. Nothing’s wrong.”

He looks at me, then at the spraying tap. His nose twitches, and it’s almost comical to see him realize that he’s panicking over nothing. He leans over the water, sniffs it again, and then straightens. “Clau-dah,” he rumbles in a deep voice.

“Right here,” I tell him, crossing my arms over my chest with amusement. “Not letting all that killer water get me.”

He reacts to my smile with one of his own and moves toward me with a possessive prowl that makes my skin prickle in ways that are not entirely driven by fear. The big, clawed hand brushes down my arm. “Clau-dah Kael.”

“Yeah, yeah. Clau-dah’s not going anywhere without Kael,” I say, shivering at the gentle touch. I step aside and gesture at the water. “Clau-dah just wants a drink and a quick bath, if that’s all right.” I take another step toward the water and mimic washing, and when he doesn’t stop me, I put my hands back under the tap.

Oh god, it feels amazing. The water is cool and crisp, and I scrub at my hands and arms to clean them off, and when the filth is gone, I cup my hands and drink mouthful after mouthful until I can’t drink anymore. There’s a rack of old paper towels nearby, the stack puffy and warped from exposure to the elements, but I grab a few anyhow and wet them down, then scrub at my filthy body.

In the mirror, I can see Kael watching me with interest. After a moment, he moves forward and cups a handful of water, then gently pours it down my arm.

“Yup,” I tell him, doing my best to ignore his movements. I shiver because it’s that weird mixture of fear and enjoyment again. I both love and hate that he wants to take care of me. I hate that I’m so lonely that even a dragon’s attentions are exciting. I need to stay focused, though. I have water here, and I want to finish my quick bath before I get interrupted. “I’m cleaning off, because I’m gross.”

He watches me, then touches my wet arm, brushing his fingertips over my skin. “Clau-dah.”

I freeze, pausing in my scrubbing. The tone of his voice makes my hackles rise in awareness. Goosebumps prickle all over me. There had been an utterly husky note in his voice just then. I glance over at him, but he simply reaches for the paper towels I hold in my hand and begins to gently wash my arm. His strokes over my skin are soft, loving, and he’s careful to avoid my wounds.

I let him, because what else can I do? Sure, he’s a little, er, randy, but he’s been kind to me, and protective. Pushing him away with an angry ‘no’ when he’s being gentle might test his patience and send his eyes to black again.

And okay, maybe I’m weird, but his touch is actually really nice. His fingers are warm, and his caresses skim over my arm in a way that doesn’t feel grabby, but appreciative. Exploratory. When it’s clear he’s not going to grab at anything I don’t want grabbed, I relax and let him continue. When he brushes the wet paper towels over my shoulders, I turn to give him better access to my back, lifting my filthy hair to help him out. “Thank you,” I murmur, watching him in the mirror.

He’s got a massive hard-on. I mean, of course he does. The man always seems to have a hard-on. But the look on his fierce face is intent, as if he’s determined to be the best shoulder-cleaner ever. It’s charmingly endearing.

Strangely enough, I’m not afraid of him anymore. Kael has been nothing but gentle and attentive, and despite his obvious arousal, he hasn’t tried to do anything about it. Even the bathing is innocent so far. For some reason, he views me as his, and he’s determined to take care of me. There are worse situations to be in.

His fingers slide down the curve of my back, and I shiver at the small touch, my skin prickling with awareness.

Did I say the bathing was innocent? Because it seems to have taken a bit of a turn…

Strangest of all, I find his touch…intriguing. Pleasant. My nipples are hard, and I shift in place, a little uncomfortable with my body’s response. Am I getting aroused at his touch? Dear lord, what is wrong with me? He’s a dragon and half mad. I’m pretty sure he’s killed more people than I have squirrels. He’s definitely the enemy. And yet…his touch makes me feel breathless and squirmy. Like I can’t wait to see if he’s going to move his hand lower, and what would happen if he did.

Maybe it’s just been a really long time since someone’s touched me with kindness and that’s why I’m getting all turned on. Or maybe it’s some sort of perverse dragon version of Stockholm syndrome.

Kael is oblivious to my worried thoughts. He dips the paper towels into the running water again and dabs at my opposite arm. As he does, he makes that low, thrumming sound in his throat…and then pauses. I look over, and he’s gazing down at the long, angry red line of my gunshot wound. It’s not much more than a deep scrape, but as I watch, his eyes flare to black again, and I know he’s getting upset.

“It’s okay, Kael. It doesn’t hurt, really.” I put a bright smile on my face. It does hurt, but him losing his shit could potentially ‘hurt’ a lot worse. “It’s barely anything.”

His eyes flick from black to gold, gaze settling on me.

“I’m fine. Truly.” When his eyes go dark again, I take a chance. I touch his chin and force him to look me in the eye. “I need you to be calm. I promise I’m fine.”

“Clau-dah.” His voice is ragged, upset.

“I know. Clau-dah’s fine, I swear.” My mind plays back the image of him biting the soldier in half, over and over again. Why does my small wound matter when he chomped someone else in two? Why am I so important? Is it because I’m a girl? Or is there something deeper here? I don’t know what to think.

Kael bends over to clean my wound, and his touch is utterly tender. He takes great care to make sure he doesn’t hurt me, and when he’s done, he leans in and gently brushes his mouth over the wound. Then he looks up at me, as if apologizing for it. His eyes have gone black again.

“See?” I tell him shakily. “No problem at all.”

He trails his fingers over my now-clean shoulder and presses his mouth to it again. This time, his eyes flick back to a deep, deep gold and remain focused on me.

I can’t help it. I gasp at the bolt of pleasure that rushes through me. Maybe it’s the intimacy of the moment, or maybe there’s something in the air, but I’m tingling at his touch. My pussy feels hot with need, and my breasts tighten in response. And I’m suddenly wet between my thighs and aching deep in my core.

As I watch, his nostrils flare.

Before I can react, Kael pushes me back against the sinks, the low growl in his throat wild.

I give a little whimper as my backside slams into the marble counter, and then he’s pushing between my thighs, the hard length of his cock rubbing up against my pussy.

And it feels…good. I’m not scared, I’m aroused.

Oh god, I’m really messed up in the head, aren’t I? Totally sick for enjoying the way it feels when he growls low in his throat and rubs his cock against my aching pussy. Crazy for leaning forward and scraping my nipples against his chest. Doing that feels amazing and sends hot little shocks through my body, and I can’t help but suck in a breath. He’s got my thighs spread wide, his hands clenching my hips, and it would take nothing for him to slam into me and fuck the daylights out of me with that massive dick.

His face looms close to mine, and he cups my jaw, forcing my gaze to his. His eyes are black with need. “Clau-dah,” he grits out, and rubs his enormous length along my slick folds. It’s a question, and he wants an answer.

He’s leaving it up to me. If I say his name, he’ll take that as assent, and he’ll fuck me right here, right now. And…then what? Discard me like the soldier? Snap me in half once his anger is sated and let the pieces fall to the ground?

I can’t reconcile his two halves. There’s the kind, tender half that’s almost human…and the crazed dragon with the black eyes. I don’t know which one I get if we have sex. I don’t know which one I get after sex. Do I lose all appeal for him once his itch has been scratched?

It might be in my best interests to never scratch that itch, no matter how much I might want to.

So I shake my head. “No.”

Kael makes an almost-human grunt and pushes away from me, leaving me weak-kneed against the sink. I should be relieved. I should. Instead I just feel…empty.

KAEL

It is progress. I must remind myself of that.

Darkness gnaws at my edges, but I force myself to ignore it. I think of Clau-dah and her green eyes and her cloud of soft red hair. It makes me want to lose myself in the mating urges. To return to the strange lair she hides inside, push her against the stone, and claim her as mine. Taste her. Claim her. Bite her and give her the fire for her blood that will mark her as mine.

I am a patient drakoni. Normally. But around Clau-dah, I lose control. She makes the emotions in me go wild. It is not surprising. Ever since I have been pulled to this infernal place, I have been nothing but wild emotions, most of them angry. With Clau-dah around, my senses are under a different kind of attack.

I need her. Crave her.

And she still fears me. Not as much, but it is still there.

Progress. She tells me no, but I can smell her arousal. I could see her eyes dilate when I touched her. Perhaps her word will not always be no.

I didn’t intend to pounce on her. I’d simply been exploring her, taking care of her. She was letting me touch her, and it was a moment I intended to cherish. Taking care of my mate is a joy, and I wanted nothing more than to continue doing so for hours. But as soon as I scented her aroused musk in the air, I’d lost control. Just the barest taste of her female scent in the air had been enough to drive sanity away and brings me back to the edge again. Only the knowledge that I would lose her forever if I forced her to mate kept me from pushing deep between her thighs.

Her arousal is curious to me, though. Females of my kind do not go into heat unless they have been conquered in battle. But Clau-dah? She responds to soft touches and affection.

I can be soft with her.

And I can be patient.

Until then, I must leave her alone. I retreat across the room and take the highest vantage point so I can watch both the sky and the lair my mate is hiding in. It will give me distance from her so I do not smell her arousal again and lose control. I need all of my control right now.