Yesterday, they’d gone back. Mei had vibrated with nerves from the moment they’d landed on the rocky shores. Darius’s increased awareness of her feelings made him more than a little testy as he outlined the unification plan to the water dragons.
Basically, they would obey the king and join the rest of the kingdom—or else.
“Or else?” Donghai had asked.
He crossed his hands in front of him, right over left, and pulled his shoulders back in a way that communicated aggression. Behind him, the line of water dragon leaders mimicked his posture so that he and Mei faced a homogenous, wall-like human formation: all men, dressed in blue ceremonial robes, frowning and communicating their unwillingness to comply.
Mei had seemed to shrink by several inches, curling into herself. She leaned into Darius’s side as if to hide from their displeasure.
It pissed him off to see her so cowed down. He’d lifted a hand and encased one of the men in a solid block of ice. The man’s look of horror was frozen on his face for all to see.
“Or else,” he said the two words with deceptive calm, “I encase every man here in ice… Or, if you prefer fire, a legion of fire dragons will scorch you to the ground.”
Donghai didn’t glance at his suffocating comrade. His eyes narrowed fractionally on Mei, picking her out as the weak point. “Surely, a daughter of the water would not permit such widescale slaughter?”
It was all he could do to keep from crushing his fist into the water dragon’s condescending face.
Beside him, Mei straightened. Though he could still sense her terror, she forced nonchalance. “A daughter of the water would order the attack herself.”
This had ended the revolt of words.
Donghai asked for twenty-four hours for families to say their temporary goodbyes before the fold was separated into three groups: young men and women ready for military training, women and children, and the obfuscating men. He and Mei had agreed to the reprieve and returned to the boat in silence.
Once on the boat, Mei slipped into the ocean without a word for a long swim. Late that night, she returned to their bed soothed and calm, and whispered to him in rote fashion of the atrocities she had survived on the islands. His fury became so fierce that he wanted to stop her words, put his hands over his ears like a child.
He could only think of killing Li all over again.
Her quiet reminder that if she’d lived through it, he could listen, was humbling. So, instead of flying into a rage, he’d listened, stroking her back with one hand, while discreetly clenching and unclenching his fist with the other. After the initial onslaught, her stories had only trickled out through the night, bubbling up, then retreating, like an unchecked tear.
God he hated the fuckin’ water dragons.
…
The sound of water rippling near the boat brought Darius’s attention to the present. From his vantage point lounging on a deck chair, he peered over the side to see Mei sliding in and out of the waves. Her slight form was agile and graceful. So distracted was he by the perfection of her that he had no warning when she shot a spray of water at him. The cascade of salt water hit his sun-warmed, bare chest with a welcome coolness.
May I have another? he teased to her with mind speak.
Mei floated on the surface of the ocean, her shimmering blue dragon’s head bobbing on the waves. She regarded him with what he knew was amusement. You’ll never come back into the water again, will you?
Fuck No.
He couched his reply with charm. I can’t say never to you… But once was enough to last me a great while.
Mei laughed in his head and shot from the water. Although she was ungainly in the air, she landed her dragon on the open deck with a light thud. With a gleam of turquoise and blue, she shifted to her human form.
She wore a two-piece red bathing suit he’d not seen before.
Lots of curves on display.
Lots of loopy strings that looked untie-able. He lifted his gaze to her face, seeing that she looked serene and soft. More lovely than ever.
“Well, if you won’t come to me…” The red strings brushed at her hips and ribcage as she walked to him, swaying her hips. “I’ll just have to come to you.”
“Oh yes, do come.” He grinned widely at the not so clever double entendre.
Mei climbed over his prone body and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Listen to you, with your mind stuck in the gutter.”
Her right hand stroked down his wet chest, leaving tingles in their wake.
He stretched under her, bringing her knees to either side of his hips. “Nothing wrong with the gutter.”
She rested her round ass directly on his throbbing erection. “What am I going to do with you?”
He gave her a little hip lift and settled her until the contact was snug and enticing. “Anything you want as long as it doesn’t require wearing this.” He pulled the right bow at the side of her swimsuit bottoms, so the fabric gaped.
Pure genius, whoever had thought up the easy access ties and made them fashionable.
“See what I mean?” She feigned disapproval, but smiled all the while. “You just can’t help yourself.”
She kissed him lightly on the mouth, and he tasted the hint of salt on her lips.
“I am a sad, sad case.” He pulled the other side of the suit bottom free.
“Such a waste of hot body and brilliant mind…” Her voice trailed off as he lifted his head to kiss the juncture of her neck and shoulder.
“Good thing you love me anyway.”
“Good thing.”
“You could join me in the gutter?” He pulled the tie between her breasts and lost all train of the conversation as he got a level view of her breasts.
“Deal.” She smiled and leaned into him, giving him the whole of her body and heart. Just the way he wanted it.
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Acknowledgments
Thank you for reading Darius and Mei’s story! I truly hope you enjoyed your time with my Dragonshifters. If you’re ready for more, Alec and Lucy’s story, Luck of the Dragon, is available now, as well as Stop Dragon My Heart Around, Leo and Tee’s story.
I would really appreciate you sharing your thoughts about Dragon Her Back with other potential readers with a review. No matter what you think of my dragons—your review and your privacy are safe with me. I’ve never approached a reviewer for conversation (or otherwise) over their rightful opinion. And I never will.
If you are comfortable leaving a review, Amazon.com is where I sell the majority of my books, but a review in any venue would be most welcome. If you still have energy, rating it in Goodreads and/or adding it to lists and shelves would be great.
Thank you in advance. I read every review and appreciate every single one!
I owe a huge thanks to my agent, Jill Marsal, and my amazing editors at Entangled Publishing, Kate Fall and Candace Havens, for helping me bring this story to you.
Last, but by no means least, thank you to my readers, especially my rockin’ Street Team who make every single day sassy and opinionated fun!
All my best,
Susannah Scott
About the Author
Susannah Scott writes dragon-filled paranormal romance and lives with her family in Southern Missouri. She loves connecting with readers through social media—and almost always replies.
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