Page 22 of The Black Dragon
“You’remarrying a stranger?Why?”
“He’s nice. Safe.Comfortable.”
“Do you lovehim?”
Justin’s voice carried an edge. She shook her head and winced. “No. There’s nothing there for me, no spark. But Parker wants me. With only one condition. He wants me because I’m still a virgin. I have no badreputation.”
“And Mage virgins are hard to find, especially after twenty-one,” Justinmuttered.
“If I sleep with anyone else and ruin my reputation, deal’s off. Parker’s father has friends in high places, lots of power. He’ll strip Leo of everything. Maybe even hisskin.”
“Like Leo did to me. I have no pity for your father. He’s usingyou.”
“No! He’s doing this to protect me! I’m almost twenty-six and he doesn’t want me to be alone, no one to take care of me.Father… he hasissues.”
Unable to stand the pain anymore, she cried out. Justin sat back and the pain in her mindstopped.
“I’m sorry I had to do that,” he said quietly. “I didn’t realize how strong you are, or how much you’d resistme.”
“How did you do that?” What kind of powers did Justinhave?
He narrowed his eyes. “Your father infused my blood with telepathic magickhe’d created in the lab with the right mixture of blood magick from a witch and crystals. He had no idea the kind of monster he created, littlebird.”
Not a monster. Only a male dragon who had been abused, and now hated her because ofit.
Justin began kneading the corded muscles of her shoulders, his thumbs working magick much as his voice had forced her to tell the truth. She wantedto snap at him to stop touching her, but it felt toogood.
She wondered if Parker would give massages as good as Justin did. With Parker as her husband, she’d be accepted, and she could study. Maybe she’d find a way to endow herself with more powers. And even if she had to accept marriage and sex with the dull-witted, humorless Parker, there were worsefates.
Like falling in lovewith a wickeddragon…
Ariel pushed his hands away and stood up. “Now you know everything. Getout.”
Interest sparked in his dark chocolate eyes. Justin was so sexy andhandsome.
Deadly andpowerful.
“It’s my house, little bird. I don’t have toleave.”
She lifted her chin. Maybe they were broke, but she wouldn’t stop fighting for her right to happiness. Havinga job had empoweredher.
“How long do we have to getout?”
“You don’t. You get to stay. We’ll deal with the lease when your fatherreturns.”
The gleam in his eye warned he wasn’t being altruistic. The black dragon hated this house and had only one reason to purchaseit.
“I’ll start packing now. I can stay with a friend intown.”
But as she headed for her bedroom,he blocked her retreat. Justin advanced, and she backed off until hitting thewall.
“What do you want,Justin?”
His smile widened. “You. In my bed…for threenights.”
