Page 26 of The Black Dragon
“They never grow like claws on animals. Always stay the same length and sharpness, except in old dragons. That’s how you can tell a dragon’s age. The ancient ones eventually losetheir claws. Their claws turn white and fall off. They become as helpless as babydragons.”
Justin sensed Ariel probably already knew, since she’d studied dragons so much. But he told her because he wanted her to relax and not fearhim.
Fear in bed was not hispurpose.
She held out a hand, showing bright pink glitter nail polish. “They should consider a mani-pedi. They workwonders for dragons. I can recommend a place. You should try it. She’ll even paint your claws a nice shade of pink. Massage your scales,too.”
At his expression, Ariel laughed. “You should see your face! You look as if you sucked on alemon.”
Justin stared at her eyes. So green, like wet moss. Ariel’s effervescent laugh reminded him of soaring through the starry sky at night, thewind in his face, the laughing joy of living life asdragon.
Her laughter reminded him there was still good in this world. Encouraged that he made progress with her, hesmiled.
“I don’t look good in pink. But I like the color you picked for yours. Your Skin nails.” He stroked his thumb gently over her stump. “Does that feelbetter?”
Ariel bit her lip. “Alittle.”
Thecream would help, but he hated seeing her in pain. Justin looked at her, his heart twisted. He hated having to compromise her likethis.
But he hated more the idea of Ariel marrying a man she didn’t love, simply so her father could live a comfortablelife.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Ariel. That’s not why I’mhere.”
“No, you only want to hurt my father.” Ariel sat up, fingersclenched in the ecrucomforter.
Justin grit his teeth. So much for progress. “Maybe you forgot what he did to me. The pieces of me he flayed from my body so he could study how a dragon’s scaleswork.”
Ariel winced. “There was no excuse for that. He seemed obsessed with you because you were the first powerful black dragon he’dcaptured.”
This was news. “Leo told me there wereothers. I thought they wereblacks.”
“Smaller red dragons. He only took samples of their blood. It doesn’tmatter.”
“You didn’t try to stophim.”
“I did. I reasoned with him, begged him. I even threatened to leave him. He only shook his head and asked me where I would go. Leo knew he had me over a barrel. He knew I could not leavehome.”
She glanced at her stump. “Theonly thing I could do was steal away the magick he stole from you, and put it someplacesafe.”
“Bastard father of yours didn’t steal all my magick. But he did things to me, Ariel.” Justin’s body tensed as if he felt the jab of the knife all over again. “Things that changed me and made me different from otherdragons.”
Ariel sighed. “The experiments solved nothing and only causedyou pain. For what it’s worth, I am sorry for what he did to you, Justin. I’m sorry I could not stop him. I should have donemore.”
Something eased in Justin’s chest. An absence of several months had his demons taunting him that Ariel had not regretted his torture and convinced him she’d done nothing to stopit.
But his memories were too bitter and the damage done. His hands droppedto his sides as he glanced at the bedsideclock.
“Go to bed and get somesleep.”
Ariel’s eyes widened. “You’re not going to… demand I fulfill the contract termstonight?”
“You’re exhausted. I want yourested.”
I want you to want me as much as I desire you. I want you to surrender everything to me, body and soul. I want you to feel the same passion that’s been storminginside me since the day I fledhere.
Ariel hugged herself. “What are you going todo?”
“Walk. Fly maybe. I need to getout.”
“You’re leaving me alone. Unguarded,” she said slowly. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll runaway?”
He deliberately chose the same words her father had. “No. Where would yougo?”
Justin closed the door behind her, hating himself for the hurt lookon herface.
You’re abastard.
