Page 18 of The Eternal Choice
Rubbing the back of her neck, she murmurs, “I’m not denying the fact I’m a protector. It’s basically what I’ve been trained to do. Though, it’s totally different from the expectations you have. Do not make me into something I’m not.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” I gently remind her. “If you don’t feel comfortable enough around me yet to share, I’d understand.”
She gets to her feet and comes to a stop next to me.
We’re leaning against the counter in silence for a few heartbeats before she whispers, “I can taste a lie when I talk to someone.”
“Well, that’s a neat trick to have.” I chuckle.
She chuckles along with me until she falls silent for a breath or two. “I have a lot more I probably don’t know about. There are a few abilities I experienced by accident, a few I stopped using because they drain me, either mentally or otherwise. There isn’t exactly a manual when a crossbreed is born, you know?”
I sneak my arm around her waist and pull her flush against me.
“You know what’s funny?” Her voice is somewhat muted against my chest.
“What’s that, darlin’?”
Pursing her lips, she huffs in frustration and states, “I’ve been here two weeks, am mated with a dragon, and haven’t so much as seen one in all my damn life.”
Seems I screwed up more than I think I did by handling everything but my woman over the past two weeks. Sliding my fingers around her wrist, I gently guide her out the door.
“What are you doing? Where are we going?” The questions go on until I have her in the clearing near my cottage.
Coming to a stop, I tell her, “Way past due to see your mate shift.”
Her eyes gleam with excitement. “Really?”
The corner of my mouth twitches and I give her a nod. A grunt rips from me when our bodies collide as her mouth covers mine. My hands go to her ass to make sure she feels my instant hard-on. Fuck. This woman is completely in sync with my body’s needs. I groan and swirl my tongue against hers once more before regretfully ending the kiss.
I place my forehead against hers. “I want nothing more than to bury myself inside you again, and I will. First, though? You’re going to see all of me.”
Lilliana grins and says in a playful tone, “Stripping bare, no more secrets, you and I against the world? Well, it’s more like a threesome with you and your dragon.”
“A threesome, eh?” I rumble. “Sorry, darlin’, me and my dragon are one. There will always be us against the world when it comes to you and me. As for secrets? We’re fated mates which means we are linked to spending an eternity together. There’s no fucking way I want to have secrets between us.”
She rubs her hands together in glee. “Okay, let’s get this one-man show on the road. Get naked dragon man.”
Shaking my head, I listen to my woman’s order and strip.
“How much room do you need? Would this be enough?” she asks and steps back as I walk to the middle of the clearing.
Raising my voice slightly I tell her, “Stay where you are until the shift is complete.” I have to repress a chuckle when her attention is fully devoted to the sight of my cock. “Are you curious if it doubles in size? Adds some scales for added pleasure?”
Her eyes go wide. “Holy shit, well now I’m damn well curious. Go, shift. I’m gonna stay right here.”
This woman. Unique in her kind, and definitely when it comes to her train of thought. I take a deep breath and start to visualize the shift by mentally embracing my dragon. The air around every inch of my skin starts to blur and vibrate while my body changes. Scales erupt, dragonhide replaces skin, my face turns into a snout, sharp teeth, claws, wings. It’s as natural for me as flipping a light switch.
Learning to shift starts when you’re a kid, changing your hand to talons, concentrating, working on it as you grow. Over time the shift is fluid and can be done in the blink of an eye. Quick, painless, and sometimes without a single thought.
I give a full body shake and look up at the spot where Lilliana is standing. She’s walking toward me and the heat, along with the appreciation in her gaze makes my heart leap. No fear, no repulsion, she’s completely enthralled.
“Cream,” she muses. “Not completely, more like a pearl glow or something. Damn, dude, your color is magnificent.”
Her hand touches my dragonhide and it ignites pleasure to shoot through my veins. I croon and it causes a twinkle in her eyes.
“Like that, eh, dragon man?” She chuckles. “I rather like the fact that you can’t talk. If we ever have a fight, you should shift so I can rant without having you say shit that would make me even angrier. Yeah, definitely. Great idea. Wow. I truly have the best true mate of the century.”
I huff and the grin she’s sporting grows bigger.
