CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Nora looked down, suddenly unable to meet the heat and intensity of Edriq's gaze. No man had ever looked at her like this before. There was desire in his eyes, but also a fierce, raw want and yearning.
She didn't know what to feel. Flattered? Frightened? Or perhaps she shouldn't be feeling anything at all.
Edriq was a stranger. There was no reason she should feel anything for a stranger.
Yet…
He wasn't a stranger. She felt as if she'd known him for a long time, from the beginning of time. Even though he had spoken calmly, she could feel his deep pain and anger as he told her about the atrocities suffered by his people.
She knew he had told her the truth. She believed him, with every fiber of her being.
And she had been right about him. Edriq was a leader, a fighter, a protector. Together with his brothers, he'd led his people to a strange new planet and defended them against their enemies. He protected not just the Dracans, but their human mates, families and friends.
She had saved a Dracan's life tonight. Maybe in the course of her work as a paramedic, she had saved many more Dracans and their families. Maybe some of the Dracans had saved her too, like that brave elderly Dracan woman. She had urged Nora to run and save herself. She wasn't afraid for herself and she wasn't afraid to die if it meant Nora would be safe.
Nora looked up and met Edriq's silver eyes. She gasped and blinked rapidly when she saw something rising from him. Something huge, ferocious and terrifying.
She jerked and stifled a panicked cry when Edriq reached out and covered her hand with his. His touch seemed to steady her and she dragged a ragged breath into her lungs.
“What…?”
“You're looking at my dragon, Nora,” he said quietly.
“Y-your d-dragon,” she stammered, staring up towards the ceiling.
“Yes. But only you can see it. The other humans in the cafe can't see my dragon.”
She muttered the only lame thing that came to mind. “I see.”
It was indeed his dragon. His dragon took shape right before her eyes, rising from him and towering above him. But it didn't take solid form. His dragon flickered and glowed like a hologram. Both the dragon and the man were staring at her, their silver eyes locked on her. They were one, yet separate. At the moment, Nora knew that it was the man who was in control. The great beast tried to lurch towards her but Edriq clenched his fist and the dragon jerked back as if it had been yanked back by a leash.
What would happened if he lost control of his dragon, even for a moment? she wondered.
“My dragon will never hurt you,” Edriq said softly. “And I won't ever lose control of my dragon. I may allow my dragon some degree of control in battle situations but I am always able to take it back. Always.”
“Okay.” Nora gave a jerky nod. “N-nice to meet you,” she said to the dragon.
The dragon opened its mouth and displayed all its deadly, serrated teeth. She could have sworn it was grinning at her. Then it reared back and breathed a stream of fire at her.
Nora raised her arms instinctively. But the fire didn't hurt her. The translucent blue flame was as incorporeal as the dragon, and only the outline of the fire licked at her.
Nora felt a soothing, comforting warmth spread across her body. All her muscles relaxed and she slowly lowered her arms.
A small cry escaped as she stared at the empty space above Edriq's head. Edriq was sitting calmly opposite her. Alone. Without his dragon. Well, he would never be without his dragon, it was a part of him. But he had hidden it away.
“It's gone,” she squeaked at last. “You're hiding it from me,” she went on accusingly.
“Yes.”
Nora looked down and saw that Edriq's fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles gleamed bone white. Edriq had forced his dragon down by superhuman will and leashed the great beast under his human form.
“The fire,” Nora mused. “It kinda tickles.”
“That was no ordinary dragon fire,” Edriq said tersely.
“I didn't know dragon fire could be ordinary,” Nora muttered.
Edriq glared at her.
“So—what kind of fire was it?” she prompted.
Edriq seemed to hesitate for a beat. “A dragon will breathe fire unto its mate to claim her,” he said at last.
Nora nodded absently. Then she gasped as the full meaning of his words hit her.
“Are you saying...what I think you're saying?” she choked out.
Edriq never took his eyes off her. “My dragon has found its mate,” he said.