I couldn’t dissemble any more—couldn’t lie to myself that this was exactly what I needed. I nuzzled against his strong throat, breathed in his spicy scent—and struck.
42
Ari
My little human—or as I must now call her, my little Nocturne—at last drank her fill.
I held her to me as she swallowed my blood, feeling my own strength and the strength of my Drake flowing into her as the intense emotion surged through both of us.
Dios! She felt so good in my arms—so right I can’t even describe it. It was like two pieces of a puzzle fitting together, like a key finding the right lock at last…
Like a Drake finding his mate.
Within me, my own Drake roared his agreement. He also wanted to know when he would be able to meet Kaitlyn in person. Saving her from the Guardian didn’t count—he hadn’t gotten to speak to her then. He was certain that she wouldn’t fear him anymore if only he could meet her face-to-face and they could look into each others’ eyes.
Privately, I doubted that. His eyes were bigger than her entire head and though my little Nocturne was brave enough in some ways, she certainly didn’t seem to like Drakes or for that matter, our distant cousin, the Guardian.
Thinking of that made me frown as I remembered what he had told my Drake. I would have to warn Kaitlyn to stay away from the bridge unless I was there to protect her, I decided. In fact, I didn’t want her going anywhere without me. I wished that we had every class together or better yet, that I could keep her here in my private den with me so no one else could hurt or touch or even see her…
I pulled myself up short, recognizing my Drake’s possessiveness and treasure-hoarding tendencies in my own thoughts. When humans talk about Drakes—or dragons as they call them—they always tell stories of giant, scaly lizards who looked not unlike the Guardian amassing golden piles of treasure which they guarded jealously from the rest of the world.
But the humans only get half the story right.
Yes, our Drakes are incredibly possessive and protective but the treasure we hoard and guard so jealously isn’t anything as useless and cold as gold or gems. No, our true treasures are the females who are chosen to be our fated-mates and we do, indeed, keep them close in order to keep them safe.
Doubtless this is where the ridiculous human fairy tales of the fair maiden being locked in a tower and guarded by a dragon come from. The valiant knight always comes riding on his steed, all ready to save her from the beast’s scaly grip, but did any one of the fairy tale tellers ever consider that the maiden might not want to be rescued? That she might belong to the dragon and be happy with him—happy to be protected by such a strong and relentless lover?
Of course not—humans think only of themselves. The idea of the maiden loving the Drake—excuse me, the dragon—would never have occurred to them. All they see is something they don’t understand—a beast so big it cannot possiblly care for one so small and delicate. They don’t understand that the love of a Drake is forever—that it never wanes or falters—that a Drake will kill or die to protect the one his heart has chosen as the only female for him.
I thought all these things—as well as I was able through the deep pleasure that ran through me—as my Kaitlyn drank from my vein. I wished I could tell my thoughts to her but when she pulled back from me at last, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand with an almost guilty expression, I knew she wasn’t ready.
Instead, I looked at her, trying to make certain she’d gotten her fill this time.
“Did you get enough?” I asked her and she nodded—a quick little jerk of her head.
“Good. And will you come to me from now on if you need blood? Between the breakfast and dinner feedings, I mean,” I added, wanting to make sure she knew those were non-negotiable.
“I…I’ll try,” she said at last. “Though I still don’t understand…any of this.” She shifted on my lap. “Thank you for the blood but can I get down now?”
I wanted to say no—I wanted to hold her to me and never let her go—wanted to keep her safe next to my heart and never let anyone hurt or bother her again.
But again, that was my Drake talking.
And more than all those things, I wanted her to come to my arms willingly and of her own volition. I wanted her to need me the way I needed her.
If you love something—set it free. That’s a human expression, I think, but it was very apt in this case.