I laughed. “I would never tell that douchebag anything. He ruined his chances.”
“Still, the heart is known for doing a complete 180 when you least expect it to.”
“It won’t,” I said through gritted teeth. “And that’s a promise. I’m never going back to that guy. Once you lose my trust, you lose it forever.”
Foster nodded his head. “In any case, I’m here because Myles marked you.”
“Marked me?” Without thinking, I lifted my hand to my neck as if I expected the mark to appear out of thin air.
“We’re dragons, we aren’t vampires, you know.” He shook his head. “But, yes, he marked you. He wants you as his mate. Usually, dragons take their female of choice back to the village – willingly or by force.”
I shivered. “Seriously.”
“Seriously.” We had done so much talking that the sun was starting to set. Foster retrieved a blanket from his bag and draped it around my shoulders while he got to work setting up the tent.
“Myles has always been against the practice so he asked me to talk to you.” He paused and looked up at the stars. “You know what? Forget the tent. I think a sleeping bag should be good enough. It’s so much better sleeping under the stars.”
“Wait. Why didn’t he just talk to me himself?” I asked as I started to unroll my sleeping bag only to have Foster stop me halfway through the process.
“I thought we could share one. It gets pretty chilly at night and this way we get to share some body heat. What do you say?” His eyes shone with mischief and again they turned into slits.
“I’m already having a conversation with a dragon so I might as well go all the way,” I said with a shrug.
He wiggled into place first and then I did my best to join him. It was a tight fit but somehow, we made it work. I could feel every inch of his body, including the package he had hiding between his legs. He pulled me even closer until I could feel the beating of his heart underneath my fingertips.
“To answer your question, he’s not very good at talking to women.”
“Could have fooled me.” I thought back to our night together. “Although, I guess he didn’t say all that much.”
“Exactly. I’m the chatterbox of us two.” He ran his fingers through my hair as his lips gently grazed the side of my neck. “I know you aren’t going to believe this but we’ve never had a mate before.”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on, now you’re just pulling my leg. You two are both drop dead gorgeous.”
“I won’t deny that,” he returned with a wink. “But I swear on my wings, it’s true. We’ve been waiting for that special someone to start a family with.”
“Oh…” I whispered, connecting two and two together. “And that special someone is me…?”
Before he could answer, I felt a gust of air rustle through the grass around us. I covered my face to keep the dust from my eyes. When all had calmed, I looked up to find Myles standing there, jeans hanging precariously on his hips. “And what do you think you’re doing?” he asked. “There better be room in there for me.”
Chapter 6: Myles
Of course, there wasn’t and Foster and I were forced to put together the contraption the humans liked to call a tent.
“I don’t think that goes there…” Rosie said in an attempt to be helpful but I was seconds away from burning the whole thing to a crisp.
By some miracle, we managed to erect the flimsy structure. Rosie was the first one to climb inside and I was afforded a splendid view of her backside. Foster and I shared a look of hunger before following after her.
“So, Foster tells me that you know everything.”
Rosie nodded. I noticed that she was keeping her distance. I didn’t take that as a good sign. My heart ached at the possibility of rejection. After centuries alone, I yearned for a mate – someone to cherish and protect – but despite my desperation, I would never take anyone by force.
“I do.”
“Then you must think us monsters,” I said the words expecting her to agree with me but instead, she shook her head.
“At first… I had my doubts. I mean, I’ve heard so many stories about your kind burning down villages and killing innocent people. Then, Foster told me about the kidnappings. I understand the need but it’s hardly the solution to your problem.”
“My thoughts exactly,” I said in response.