He hadn’t shed any tears himself since he was a child. The Saurians thought it was strange and had made fun of him until he learned to keep whatever emotions that caused him to want to weep under control. It had been years since he had cried and he was surprised that seeing the little female cry affected him so strongly. Her tears made his heart ache and throb in his chest, as though a cruel fist was squeezing it.
“Of…of course, I’m crying—it’s such a sad, awful story!” She sniffed, swiping at her eyes with the edge of the drying towel she was still wearing. “I…I had a guinea pig when I was a little girl so I can sort of understand—though my little guy died of natural causes. Not…not the way Nibbles went,” she added, with a shiver. She stroked the soft, furry blanket, examining the little hides it was made up of. “From the size of these, your pet must have been about the size of mine,” she added.
“I didn’t tell you the story because I wanted you to pity me,” Dragon growled, frowning. “I’m trying to make you understand why I Claimed you—and why I have to keep you close. Zerlix won’t forget about you. It wouldn’t have been safe to leave you on Avria Pentaura once you caught his attention—he would have come back for you. Do you understand now?”
She frowned and stopped stroking the blanket.
“Okay, I get your point. But you can’t keep me forever—the Kindred are going to come looking for me and believe me, they have a lot of firepower.”
Dragon frowned as another emotion rose in his chest—possessiveness. He felt suddenly as though invisible wings were spreading inside him and he wanted to enfold the little female in them and keep her close.
“Let them come,” he growled. “I have Claimed you. You’re mine now, feela. I won’t let anyone take you away from me.”
“Ugh!” She threw up her hands. “Just when I thought you were more enlightened that these misogynistic Saurians!”
“I was raised by them—I am Saurian,” Dragon said.
“No, you’re not!” she shot back. “If you were, I bet what happened to poor Nibbles wouldn’t have bothered you at all! You’re warm-blooded, Dragon—you’re a Kindred. And Kindred don’t treat women this way!”
“I am what I am,” Dragon said stolidly. “And you are now my female. Now come on—it’s late and we’re going to the sleeping pit.”
“What? I don’t think so!” She pulled the drying towel she was wearing higher up her chest, as though to hide her breasts from him more thoroughly. “I am not going to bed with you!” she declared.
“Oh yes you are, unless you want to freeze to death,” Dragon growled. “It’s sleeping time and the temperature in the house is about to drop about twenty degrees so the Saurians can rest easily.”
“What?” Her eyes widened. “You mean it’s going to get even colder in here?”
Dragon shrugged.
“This is the middle of summer on our part of Saurous—it’s considered quite warm right now and the house has to be cooled to sleeping temperature.”
“But that’s crazy! I can already see my breath.” She exhaled a puff of white vapor as she spoke, as though to prove her point. “I mean, that posset your mom made me warmed me up some, but I can’t expect it to help if it gets even colder in here.”
“Which is exactly why you’re coming to bed with me,” Dragon told her, frowning. “And before you ask, no, I am not planning to breed you tonight. But we will be sleeping together naked.”
“What? Absolutely not!” she exclaimed. “What possible reason—”
“So I can keep you warm more efficiently with my body heat,” Dragon growled. “I don’t want to hear any more about it. Either come to the sleeping pit with me, or I’ll take you there. Either way, you’re going.”
For a moment, she just glared at him, her blue eyes snapping mutinously. The drying towel she’d wrapped around her hair had slipped down and her long, flame-colored tresses were like a halo around her head. Dragon couldn’t help thinking that she looked magnificent—and more beautiful than any female he had ever seen in his life.
But he kept his gaze cool and level, not allowing the admiration to show in his eyes. He wasn’t prepared to budge on this point. If he let her sleep outside the pit, he was quite certain she would freeze—she was simply too small and delicate. He had to keep her close in order to keep her safe and well.
“Fine,” she said at last. “I’ll sleep in the pit with you, but I don’t want to be naked. At least give me another one of your shirts to wear.”
Dragon considered for a moment, then nodded. It seemed like a good compromise.
“All right,” he said. “But if I see you shivering, I’m taking it off you so I can warm you up.”