Page 30 of The Heart of the Dragon

All the clever rules I'd created in my head instantly dissolved under the onslaught of her. As far as I was concerned, the battle was lost before it had even begun. I'd been drawn to her since that moment I'd first followed her in the cemetery.

Even my natural wariness towards humans and other creatures in general, honed over centuries of life in the fae realm, seemed to evaporate in her presence. My usual caution, my hard-earned suspicion of others' motives, all of it crumbled when faced with her allure. It was as if she'd cast a spell over me, bypassing every defense I'd ever built.

What did still confuse me was her seeming concern for me. I'd initially chalked it up to curiosity. She was a woman of science, of course she'd want more information about me and my kind.

But this was more than that.

I only had to look at her, and despite the darkness, I could see her face had desire written all over it. My cock was instantly hard. My heart beat harder, pounding against my chest as if it thought it could escape and survive without me.

I took another step towards her putting one foot in front of the other with no thought other than the need arcing between us. She was pulling me toward her on an invisible tether that I couldn't break. The whole situation was a mess.

"Rose," her name tumbled through my tight throat unbidden. Maybe if she woke, she would somehow make this stop.

"Yes. Yes. Yes," she cried out.

For a moment I thought she was still in the throes of a dream, but when her eyes met mine they seemed clear. Not at all sleepy or unsure. She was fully awake.

"Stay with me," she pleaded, her voice low and breathy. "I don't want to be?—"

"Alone," I finished for her.

She panted, sweat beading on her skin.

"I don't think you understand what you are asking for. I'm not like the men you are used to. It won't be the same. It could get—complicated."

Her brow furrowed slightly, but the expression on her face seemed no less desperate. How could I resist that raw power of need holding her in its thrall? Or was it me in thrall? It was getting hard to tell as my skin continued to touch hers. I trailed my fingers down the side of her face until they reached her throat. For a moment I hesitated before I gave in and wrapped my hand around her throat, reveling in her softness.

The idea of pinning her to the bed like this as I entered the tight clutch of her body sent me spiraling. In that moment, it was all I could think of. All I wanted.

"Would it really be so bad?"

I blinked at her question. "What?" I choked. Had she read my mind?

"To be with me?" Her question came out so quietly I barely heard her. Although she could have mouthed the words, and I would have understood them. I could read lips as easily as I could hear words. Living in the King's castle had taught me many skills. Especially in my quest to spy on my uncle's too numerous to count enemies.

My skin bristled with the irritation that my thoughts roused. He'd used me for as many years as I could remember. I'd lived under the ruse of freedom, when in fact I'd had none. The thirst for revenge roared forward, consuming me like the force of a flash fire raging out of control.

"Magnus, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice rougher than before. Her hands grabbed my face and pulled me closer, and it was only then I realized I'd tightened my grip on her throat and nearly cut off her airway. I loosened my fingers without letting go and shook my head, averting my eyes.

"I'm sorry. But this is exactly what I mean. I am not like your human males. It's too easy to forget just how fragile you truly are."

Her lips pursed into a frown, which did nothing to deter me or my racing thoughts. I only wanted to kiss her more.

"I'm not fragile. I'm what we call hardy stock. I won't break as easy as you might think."

I scoffed at her words. "Humans are stupid AND fragile. They shouldn't call you anything but perfect." I reached up to brush a piece of hair out of her eyes and rubbed my fingers across the soft strands before pushing it out of the way. When I met her gaze again, her eyes had gone wide and she looked—surprised. "What?" I asked.

"You think I'm perfect?"

I frowned down at her. "Of course I do. Haven't you looked in a mirror?"

She laughed, a quiet, throaty sound that tickled along the length of my spine. "You really say the strangest things. And I'm not even talking about the dragon thing this time."

I jostled her to the side as I released my hold and sank down onto the bed next to her. If we were going to talk, I might as well get comfortable. She must have agreed because she twisted and turned repeatedly against my side until her head had found the perfect spot in the crook of my arm. As if she was made to fit there...

"I only say what I mean," I finally said as I tried to clear my thoughts. Although those words came out roughly as I tried not to think about my cock and what having her this close was doing to it.

"If that's true, then you are a refreshing change. I find people rarely say exactly what they mean. And for someone like me it can be difficult to grasp the nuances of someone trying to say something while using a filter. It's annoying."

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