Ember (The Dragao 1)

I wanted to give her a part of myself as I took a piece of her. I wanted to latch my fangs into her throat and sink them in deep as I claimed her between her thighs, filling her with my seed. My mark would forever be on her slender throat, a warning to any male who came near her.

I wanted her to know all of this, but the situation was fragile right now. I didn’t want to push her more than I already had.

In time. Soon. Very soon.

I rose to my full height and was about to shift into my human form when she started murmuring low, incoherently. She backed up farther and farther, closer to the cave—exactly where I needed her to be. Only then would I feel safe; only then would I know she was protected within our den.

So I let her retreat and used this moment to my advantage so it was easier to get her to where I wanted her to be.

Once she was at the entrance to the lair and continuing to recoil from me, I stayed at the mouth of the cave—my dragon body far too big to clear the opening. She had her hands out in front of her as she backed away. She was smart to keep her eyes trained on what she perceived was a threat. Although I’d rather rip my own arms and legs off before I harmed a hair on her head.

She kept her hands in front of her as a shield, and I realized the act was a type of submission or possibly to ward me off. She thought I’d hurt her, even though I didn’t smell any fear from her. My dragon howled in pain. To know our female could look upon us and feel anything but need and happiness was an agony we’d never experienced.

I tipped my head to the side and studied her. Humans were strange creatures, and I’d always held no interest in them. That was until I found my perfect mate within their species.

Without conscious thought, I shifted back into my humanlike form, and when I took that first step inside our cave, I heard her gasp of surprise. She stared at me with her eyes wide and her mouth open. There was only a moment of pause from either of us before she turned and ran deeper into our den. Didn’t she know there was no other exit?

Going by the abject horror—or just shock—that had been on my female’s face, maybe I should have taken shifting from dragon to male… slower.

8

Emma

Okay. I didn’t expect that to happen.

A squeak of shock left me.

Holy shit. The dragon turned into a man. And now that very human-looking man was standing before me. And he was massive… and not wholly human, the more I stared at him.

That was evident by his height and size alone. He had to be at least seven, maybe closer to seven and a half feet tall. And his muscle mass was double that of any man I’d ever seen. Then factor in that he had horns sprouting from his temples, fangs that pressed against his bottom lip, and eyes as black and bottomless as the night.

That was my dragon. This was the dragon.

My dragon? Whoa, where did that come from?

I had no idea they could shift.

I let my gaze linger on his body even though I shouldn’t have. His hair was shorn short and as dark as his eyes. His face was all hard planes that were perfectly proportioned to his behemoth stature.

Then there was the rest of him.

His biceps alone were as thick as my torso. His chest was hard as rock, with hills and planes, valleys of rippling muscles, slabs of power. I felt my heart race. It was the same aroma I smelled as soon as I’d been close enough to the dragon to touch it.

I inhaled again as this panic filled me. Was the scent getting stronger? Yes, yes, it was, and it was the most incredible thing in the world. I felt my body relaxing even though I knew it shouldn't. This was a terrifying situation, yet my muscles weren’t as tense, my shoulders easing. I breathed slower, which in turn had me taking in even more of that delicious aroma.

I felt my eyes become hooded as I took in his form. He was more human than beast—for the most part—and in the ways that counted, as my gaze latched on to a very human male body part. Well, if that very human male body part was at least the length of my forearm and as thick as my wrist.

I lowered my gaze down his abdomen, the muscles clenching as if my gaze were a tangible touch. The thick rolls of muscle under his golden skin became startlingly clear in their masculinity.