Page 2 of To Spark a Dragon's Love
He was miserable. In pain. It tore at my heartstrings and made me forget my own problems.
I stood up straighter, resisting the urge to reach out and touch his jaw, still not sure what the protocol was for meeting this revered dragon.
And also, I didn’t want to get eaten.
He sniffed the air, causing dirt to rise, and the tip of his tongue darted out past fangs as big as me. His pupil dilated and I felt it, the pull between us. A barely contained fire burned within him, begging to be set free.
Malachy’s dragon gave his head a little shake as the sadness came over him again.
Maybe this dragon and I weren’t so different after all.
“Hi there,” I whispered, still half worried this was some wild dream, despite what I knew to be true, and the dragon wouldsuddenly want a human offering for lunch. “I’m Willow. Should we be friends?”
A beast-like whine came from deep in his throat.
The hairs on my skin rose as the air around us shimmered and the ground vibrated beneath my feet. The sun above disappeared for a second as shadows gathered and then dispersed like smoke rolling across the desert.
I closed my eyes as the rush of magic caressed my skin. From a distance, I’d seen Lucan and Kieran change from man to monster, but this felt different. It called to me and coaxed some deep part within, begging me to accept it.
Or I’m reaching for a connection that isn’t there…
I forced myself to listen to my gut instead of my head. If I let my brain overthink it, I’d definitely turn and run. Opening one eye, I—
Holy….
Literally. He was holy.
A Greek God if I ever saw one.
My other eye opened and my jaw dropped. Sun-kissed golden hair hung about his muscular, tanned shoulders. There was ink on his side and what looked like scars crisscrossing his perfect skin, making him even more untouchable than if he were carved from stone. My gaze traveled over his chiseled chest and abs, down to his thick, muscular thighs.
I turned quickly, heat rising to my cheeks, and made sure Harper wasn’t looking. They’d taken her back to the cabin, leaving us alone out here in the yard.
I turned back to Malachy, trying to keep my eyes at a respectful level while he reached into a leather bag at his feet and pulled out a pair of pants.
They said there were ridges.
My eyes dropped again.
Yep.That was never going to fit.
But it had to fit. If we were mates like Ember and Riley were then it made biological sense that our parts would be designed to connect.
I didn’t know if I could do this.
My heart would not slow down.
It’d been years since I even thought about getting laid. Even if the apocalypse wasn’t the more pressing concern, I had too much baggage to play the dating field as a widow, let alone get naked in front of a strange male.
There was a c-section scar on my flabby stomach and stretchmarks that no amount of exercise could tighten up again. My boobs were stretched and beaten from breastfeeding.
The perfect specimen of a man who stood dressing himself in the yard, watching me like I was a deer about to bolt and he was a starving huntsman, deserved to mate with a supermodel.
Not someone used up and washed out like me.
“Malachy, is it?” I blurted, needing to silence my thoughts before they drove me insane. “I’ll meet you at the house.”
I knew he’d hear me at this distance so I didn’t bother to wait for a response. Those dragons had superior hearing and reflexes. He’d be fine out here by himself. And I needed a minute alone to gather myself before—
