by Selena Scott
She nodded.
“No,” he said, definitively.
“Excuse me?” she asked, propping herself up on one elbow and looking vaguely offended for woman-reasons he wouldn’t even try to understand.
“My dragon smelled it on you. When we met.” He shrugged. “I knew the same second I knew you were my true mate. You’d saved it for me. Even if you didn’t realize that’s what you were doing.” He tucked her hair back behind one ear.
She flopped onto her back. “Figures.” She ran a hand up his chest and folded into him. “How is any of this happening? How is this real?” She tensed and he knew she was holding something back.
“What are you really asking, little true? Just say it.”
She sighed and turned her face into his chest, as if the question would be easier to ask if the sound was muffled. “This feeling is just so intense. It’s burning so brightly right now. Like a fire. But how long will it burn? How long could something this fierce possibly last?”
“Felice,” he said in a low voice that had her raising her head to face him. “True mates don’t leave one another. It’s like marriage. But stronger. You’ll never want anyone else. And I’ll never want anyone but you.”
Her eyes were big and dark in the royal blue of the evening light. “I’m yours.” she whispered.
“And I’m yours.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Well. That was that, Felice supposed as she brushed through her hair with her fingers and watched the creek bubble over her feet. It was the next morning and she was a few hundred feet up the mountain from Donovan’s house, about as far as he was comfortable letting her wander without him. She needed the space. She abhorred the space.
She’d decided to get some air and wash up when Donovan mentioned her staying in the dragon realm with him forever. He’d said it casually while he’d shoved a hunk of bread in her mouth. Like maybe she’d agree without thinking twice.
Felice wasn’t really thinking twice. She wanted to be where Donovan was. But it was all just happening so fast. And he was asking her to move to a different world for fuck sakes. That was a big step. A little bit more intense than trading apartment keys.
She waded further into the water and let it soothe her over-sensitized skin. True mates. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t argue with the simplicity of it. And she didn’t want to. She’d felt it. As strongly as he’d said she would.
She shook her head and dipped down so that the water covered her completely. Popping back up, she tossed the water from her hair. As she scrubbed herself clean with the soap his aunt had sent along, she pondered her situation.
Would a normal woman, one with family and friends and roots, allow herself to be swept so easily into whatever this was? She tossed the soap ashore and allowed herself to float. She supposed it didn’t matter. Because she wasn’t a normal woman. She didn’t have family or really any friends to speak of. What she had was a dragon shifter for a true mate.
Sun peeked through the roof of leaves over top of her. Green on bright green on brighter green. Blue sky peeked through and Felice had to wonder if they ever had rainy days in dragon land. The forest around her hummed with the stillness of a breezy summer day. She could hear two birds talking back and forth, watched a squirrel skitter up a nearby pine. The water babbled around her. It certainly looked like earth to her.
But the dragon man back at the house was evidence to the contrary.
“You’ll stay here in the dragon realm.” The unexpected baritone of his voice had her sputtering, reaching for footing as she suddenly stood in the water. He was walking into the creek, his eyes like the center of a hurricane. Calm. Deadly.
“I’ll do what I please,” Felice said fiercely. Everything about her life may have completely changed over the last day, but she hadn’t. She was still the same person, with the same fortitude and spirit, who had survived years in the foster system.
Donovan stopped walking, raked his hand through his hair. An unexpected expression crossed his face. “Does it please you to stay here with me?”
Something rolled over in Felice’s heart. He looked so unexpectedly cute, standing there with his hair sticking up in every direction, asking how she felt about him.
“Yes,” she sighed. Why fight it? What did she have to go back to?
A satisfied expression crossed his face and he dunked under the water, resurfacing with his hands on her ass, lifting her out of the water.
When he kissed her this time, it was slow. It might have gone on for hours. A leisurely ecstasy of two velvet tongues learning again the taste of passion in the mouth of their mate. His lips were firm and hot and left no part of her mouth untouched. Just when the softness was too much, too vulnerable, he would sense it and use his teeth to ground her in the passion of it. She opened to him, like an early spring flower, lured out of sleep by the sunlight.
When her legs came around his hips and he speared into her wet heat, it was the natural culmination of the fire they’d built. He held her hips in his hands, so tight it was like he was trying to get inside her there too. She worked and worked her hips into him, racing toward something she’d just learned he could give her. And only him. She knew that with her whole heart. He thrust into her like a man trying to put together two things that should never have been separated in the first place.
Caught up in their passion and then in their sharp, almost painful ecstasy, neither of them noticed the blood red dragon circling in the clouds above them.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Felice, wake up!” Donovan shook her gently by the shoulders. Her dreams had become so vivid over the last weeks. He often found himself shaking her awake.
Her eyes rolled underneath her eyelids and she pinched them closed under the bright glare of the afternoon sun.
“Felice,” Donovan said again as he peeled the blanket back from her sweat slicked skin. “You’re dreaming. You’re dreaming.”
She curled onto her side and blinked her eyes awake. “A dream,” she muttered.
He brushed her hair back from her face and nodded.
“I didn’t even realize I’d fallen asleep,” Felice said blearily. Then, when her eyes had cleared a little, she turned to him. “Are all dragons green?”
Surprised by the seemingly random question, he raised his eyebrows. “No, it’s very rare. A trait of my family. A Prodigo trait. Most dragons are blue. It’s the most common color.”
“Are any red?”
His blood slowed in his veins. “Why?”
She sat up and reached for a cup of water on the windowsill. “I’ve been dreaming about a red dragon lately. Blood red.” She shivered. “He’s bad, he hunts me. And he takes…”
Her words trailed off as she pressed one hand absently to her throat. Donovan took that hand and kissed it. “Just a dream.”
“Are there any red dragons?” she asked again, not to be deterred.
Donovan sighed. “Yes. There are. But only one living that I know of.”
“Who?”
“The King. King Dalyer.”
“I take it from your tone that he’s not a beloved dictator.”
Donovan’s eyes darkened as he laughed without humor. “He keeps his subjects on a very tight leash. And those who won’t be tethered to him are put down.”
Felice’s eyes travelled back and forth between his. Donovan considered himself to be an austere man, but he could feel her reading him. “Is that why you live so far from civilization? Why you spend your days patrolling for intruders?”
Donovan, uncomfortable with her piercing stare, ducked his head and nipped at her neck. “Lately I’ve spent my days tangled up with you, waking you up when you start to thrash at me in your dreams.”
She giggled at his touch but went still at his words. “The dreams have gotten so much worse lately. And you know I’ve been having trouble sleeping at night. The dark just feels so final.”
Something tugged at Donovan’s brain. Strange that she should feel that.
An odd thing to feel. He untangled himself and crossed over to the basket of food that Aunt Roma regularly filled up for them.
“How about lunch?” he asked, wording his request carefully. “Are you hungry for-“
“Chicken,” she said instantly. “With that green stuff your aunt sent over.”
“Same as yesterday and the day before?” he asked, something flipping over in his gut as a childhood memory rose up, forced him to put some pieces together.
“Are you accusing me of being boring?” she asked, not picking up on the tension that had begun to roll off of him. She tossed the covers the rest of the way back and stretched luxuriously. She wore nothing but an old flannel shirt of his. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat of her afternoon nap. Her bare feet made small sounds as she came across the cabin to him.
“You could never be boring, True.” He ran his fingers through her hair. Touched his lips to hers. “You’re a gorgeous creature. So gorgeous it hurts.”
He turned away from her and missed the confused, hurt look that crossed her face. “Donovan, is something wrong?”
He didn’t face her, just assembled the sandwich she’d asked for. “I think it’s time you met my aunt and uncle.”
CHAPTER NINE
Felice tugged nervously at Donovan’s shirt she wore over her leggings and that she’d washed and rewashed over the last few weeks. She was glad she was meeting Donovan’s Aunt Roma. The woman could give her a few pointers on how to live in the wilderness. Felice wasn’t particularly picky, but she missed a few of the amenities of her old life. Like electricity.
But more than that, Felice was incredibly nervous to meet Donovan’s aunt and uncle. She’d never been brought home before. So to speak. And as she’d grown up without a family, she had no idea how to act around an aunt and uncle.
“Are you sure they won’t care that I’m human?” Felice asked for the hundredth time as Donovan transformed out of his dragon form and into his human one.
He rolled his eyes as he snatched the pants she held out to him and tugged them on. “I could waste my breath reassuring you for the millionth time, or you could just see for yourself.”
He grabbed her hand and tugged her through the small clearing where they’d landed. Two swallows chased one another through the oak trees and Felice glimpsed a house between the trees. They emerged into a larger clearing, shaded by a grove of pines on one side. Mossy grass bubbled down from a trim, two story house. Disorganized patches of purple, red, and orange flowers exploded from window boxes. Roses tumbled down a small stone path leading to the blue front door.
Felice was just admiring the scene when that front door tugged open and a small, fierce woman rocketed out down the path and straight to her. Felice found herself wrapped in two wiry little arms and pressed forcefully into a rather cushioned bosom.
“Oof.” Felice could hardly say more while the breath was being squeezed out of her.
“Aunt Roma,” Donovan growled as he peeled her arms off of Felice. “Let’s take this inside.” He glanced around at the skies.
But Roma wouldn’t be shaken free completely. She gripped Felice’s hand and dragged her up the path and into the house. “You call me Roma or Aunt Roma. I’m partial to Aunt Roma. Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you something to eat.”
Felice followed the portly little gray haired woman through the house. Each room was clean, if not a little shabby. Littered with mismatching pillow, hand knit afghans, and colorful books lining every shelf.
Roma disappeared into the kitchen but Felice found herself frozen in the hallway, pinned by pictures hanging on the wall. Donovan as a young boy. Donovan as a young dragon. Caught mid barrel roll through a cloud. Donovan with his arm thrown over the shoulders of a boy looking a lot like him. A grinning man and woman holding Donovan up in their combined arms. And picture after picture of people who looked just like Donovan.
“Your family?” she asked, turning to him. It had never occurred to her that he came from such a big family.
He nodded without looking at the pictures like their very existence caused him pain. Nudging her gently, he urged her into the kitchen. A skinny, tousled man sat with his nose in a book at the kitchen table while Roma fussed with a tray of cookies and sandwiches.
“Uncle Stillwell,” Donovan said and the man’s head popped up like he hadn’t even heard them come in.
A discerning look shot across the man’s face as he crossed the room to embrace Donovan, give Felice a handshake. “You must be the true mate we’ve been hearing about.”
“Stillwell!” Roma exclaimed, as if he’d said something rude. “We don’t know that’s what they are yet.”
Donovan pulled a chair out for Felice and gently nudged her down into it. “That’s exactly what we know.” His voice was sharper than she’d ever heard it before and Felice felt the urge to protect the older woman.
Roma offered a sandwich to Felice and held Donovan’s stare. “Prove it, then.” Her eyebrows were raised so high Felice couldn’t even see them anymore. She was impressed with this woman’s steel. Many would wither under the grimace Donovan was currently shooting straight at her.
“You know I can’t. Not unless she’s in danger.”
“What?” Felice looked back and forth between the aunt and nephew, totally confused about what was going on. She was pretty sure Aunt Roma had just told Donovan to prove that they were true mates. Donovan had proved that Felice plenty. At least three times a day for the last month, he’d proved it to her. But she was pretty sure that’s not what Aunt Roma was asking to see.
“I’ll explain later.” Donovan growled to her. Obviously mad.
Roma gave her nephew a shrewd look before softening her gaze and switching it over to Felice. “Dragons have a pretty significant tell when they’ve found their true mate. Sweetie,” she said as she sat in the chair next to Felice and took her hand in a gesture so maternal Felice’s closed up for a second. “It’s not that I don’t want you two to be true mates. I do. Desperately. Donovan has been so lonely for so long. He deserves love. It’s just that love between humans and dragons is forbidden. Dangerous. Our family knows that better than most. You can’t safely live in this world and living in the human realm would be very tough for Donovan.”
She sat back and absentmindedly handed a cookie to Felice like it was second nature to be offering food. “I just want everybody to take a breather and really think about what you two kids are getting into here.”
“It’s done already,” Felice said. There was iron in her voice. Velvet to make it go down easier, but there was metal in her voice nonetheless. Felice barely recognized the tone as her own.
The three dragons in the room snapped their heads around to look right at her. Stillwell, who she’d almost forgotten about, lowered himself into a chair across the table from her.
Felice continued on, straightening her back as she spoke and throwing her hair over one shoulder. “There is no ‘getting into’ this. Donovan and I are in it already. There’s no going back. It’s done already,” she repeated with a regal authority that had an almost sheepish expression flickering across Roma’s face.
The three dragons looked at one another, silently communicating.
“Who are your parents?” Stillwell suddenly asked Felice. The three dragon shifters leaned forward, hanging on her answer, although Donovan already knew what she’d say.
“I don’t know. I’m an orphan. They either died or left me when I was born.” The tone of command was still lacing Felice’s voice, making her sound a little haughtier than she intended. But it didn’t seem to bother them.
After a moment, tense for reasons Felice didn’t understand, Roma stood up and studied Felice’s face from a foot away like she was a painting. “Well, she’s certainly got the coloring.” Roma took her by the chin and turned her face from one side to the other. “And the queenly profile. Just look at that!”
“What are you implying?” Felice was supremely confused.
; With a thump, Donovan sat heavily in the last empty chair, putting his head in his hands.
“Someone explain this right now!” Felice demanded, not caring if she was being unspeakably rude in front of his aunt and uncle.
Donovan, face still covered, rolled his hand in the air to his aunt, summoning her to explain. Roma took a deep breath.
“Did Donovan tell you anything about the Prodigo family? Our family?”
Felice shook her head.
Roma leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, focusing on nothing as she called up the story from deep within her.
“The throne of the dragon realm has been usurped by a line of imposters.”
Stillwell threw his hands up in the air. “Good lord, Roma. What a place to start!”
She shrugged. “It’s as good a place to start as any. Historically speaking, up until about 500 years ago, the Prodigo family was always half of the royal equation. Whatever child was born between a member of the Prodigo family and a Regium would automatically assume the throne as a natural and powerful leader. The people of the dragon realm would feel a natural pull to peacefully follow the rule of whichever good soul sat the throne.”
“What’s a Regium?” Felice asked.
“A very specific kind of human. Strong of mind. Beautiful. Has a flair for getting folks to follow along. Usually one that’s come through some manner of adversity,” supplied Stillwell, his eyes focused out the kitchen window.
Felice’s chest tightened, like someone had strapped a belt around it.
Roma picked up the thread of the story again. “But about 500 years ago, Dalyer’s ancestors decided that a good old fashioned blood tyranny would better suit the dragon realm. They assassinated the natural Queen. Queen Romilde.”
Felice remembered her dream from the night she fell through the portal. The dream about the crown. The belt around her chest tightened another notch.
“But they knew that as long as a Prodigo mated with a Regium, the throne could be easily taken by its rightful owner. So they cleansed the realm of all humans, just to be safe. They destroyed every portal known to them, except for one inside the castle which remains. And just to be on the safe side, they murdered every Prodigo they could find.”