Page 61 of Always Say Yes to a Dragon

She looked ridiculously cute with her blonde hair still mussed from sleep. It was impossible to resist grabbing her and pulling her in for a quick kiss.

“You need more security,” I said when I released her mouth. “That’sverysimple.”

Elle blinked up at me with wide brown eyes. “You know, I get a little afraid when you say things like that. Please don’t do anything too crazy.”

I grinned.

She did not look reassured.

She wiggled in my grip, but I didn’t want to let her go yet. She glanced down at herself, at my hand around her waist, and my wings curved toward her.

“How about I promise to spend all day tomorrow with you?”

All day tomorrow in exchange for letting her gonow? “Come over tonight, too.” I nuzzled into her neck, and she melted against me. “You can have whatever you want in exchange for spending another night with me.”

Elle paused for a long moment. “Okay. But it’ll be pretty late.”

With a final grumble, I let her go. She dressed in the clothes I’d had brought over for her yesterday and disappeared before I could change my mind and try to convince her to stay.

With her comforting scent still lingering in the air, I forced myself to check my phone. My parents had been messaging me nonstop, but since I’d set them to silent months ago, their nosiness couldn’t interrupt my time with my future mate.

But if I didn’t answer them soon, they’d do something incredibly embarrassing, like visit Kilinis unannounced.

I called my mom. She was always a little easier to deal with.

“Az’zael,” Mom said as soon as she picked up. “Were you rude to your sister?”

I rolled my eyes. “What do you want, Mom?”

“Didn’t you read my messages?”

“Of course not.”

She harrumphed, like she was seventy instead of fifty-eight. “I should have guessed. Well, at least you deigned to call me back. I just find it very odd that you have a potential mate, and suddenly you’re fighting with your siblings and ignoring your parents.”

“Odd? You find thatodd? Tell me, how did you and Dad act when you were courting?”

A long silence greeted that question. Dragons were notoriously single-minded during the courting process. If she told me they’d spent longer than a day outside of each other’s company, I’d eat my gold chalice.

“I expect to see you two at dinner next Friday.” Mom changed the subject. Typical.

“Don’t you think that’s a little premature? She hasn’t agreed to my claim. Perhaps she isn’t ready to meet my family yet.” Just because Elle had already agreed to dinner didn’t mean I was going to let my mom off the hook for making assumptions.

“I’m sure you’ll have it figured out by then. She’shuman,” Mom huffed. “Just tell her what you want, and she’ll do it. That’s what all the humansweknow do.”

I ran my hand down my face, scales rasping on scales, and wished I was running it down the smooth skin of Elle’s back. “It doesn’t work that way. Youknowthat.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Az’zael. You have to go after what you want, or you’ll never get it. Pushy dragons get what they want.”

Pushy dragons got everything they wanted, but the pushiest dragons I’d ever met were miserable. “If you only called to scold me, I’m hanging up.”

“I can’t have a little maternal concern? This is the first person who’s shown any interest in you. I don’t want you to mess it up.”

“This is the first personI’veshown any interest in. Perhapssheshould worry about messing it up.” I regretted the words as soon as they were out of my mouth. It wasn’t like I’d told her about all the humans I’d met since coming to Kilinis whodidn’tinterest me.

“Oh, come on, Az’zael. Human standards are so low. It’s good you went after one.” I heard the frown enter her voice. “Look at Movi and Jorge. She isn’t half the gold-sniffer you are, and she bagged a very bold and good-looking human. Udar and Tika both assured us yours is much better.”

My heart pounded, and I dug my claws into my arm to keep myself from demanding details. Whatever she said would be half praise for Elle, half insult to me, and all verbatim what my siblings thought.

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