Talaith got as far as the line of trees before she felt his hands, still human thankfully, on her. They grabbed hold and yanked her back. She slid, hitting the ground, her knees scraping across rocky dirt. She tried to pull away again, but his firm hold merely tightened, then he flipped her over. She tried kicking him, but he pinned her down with his own body. As human, the man was simply enormous.
He grabbed her bound wrists and pushed them above her head, keeping her in place.
“Stop fighting me!”
“Not in this lifetime!”
He gave a short roar and Talaith froze. She closed her eyes, the dragonfear making a sudden and rather unpleasant return. Yet it didn’t last this time. Going as quickly as it came.
Once gone, she opened her eyes and looked at the dragon hovering over her in human form.
Oh, he’s absolutely perfect. Talaith blinked. Nice one, Talaith. Any other frightening thoughts about the dragon’s perfect body before he has you for dinner?
Yet she simply couldn’t help herself. He truly was perfect. His long silver hair framed a ruggedly sculpted face. A hard, square jaw with high cheekbones and a long nose that had clearly been broken before. He had a full bottom lip she could see herself spending hours sucking on and matched with his thinner top lip, she knew with all her heart it would feel absolutely wonderful having him kiss every inch of her. Add in those nothing-but-trouble violet eyes and Talaith felt herself slipping into a very dangerous place.
She fought for control. “Let me go!”
He stared down at her for several moments. Then he took his free hand and felt the not-even-swelling right side of his face, by his eye. “You hurt me.”
“Good.”
“Are you supposed to hurt the one who saves your life?”
She rolled her eyes. Am I actually having this conversation? “Probably not.” He raised one dark silver brow in question and she growled in annoyance. “You can’t be serious.”
“Of course I am.”
She glared at him, but said nothing.
“I’m waiting.”
Dammit. If she didn’t say anything, he’d keep her like this for ages. And having this fiend so close to her barely clothed body was making her extremely uncomfortable. Finally, she spit out, “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
“That was…better. I suppose. And yet—”
“Yet what?”
He settled down against her and that was when Talaith realized he’d placed himself between her legs. The only thing between them at the moment was her very thin and worn nightdress.
“I don’t feel you really mean it.”
“What?”
“You say the words, but you don’t mean the words.”
“Really? Well I mean these…get the bloody hell off me!”
“Yes. Those I do feel you mean.”
“What do you want from me?” He looked down at her face and that’s when she felt his oh-so-human erection pulsating hot and powerful against her sex. “Oh, not in this lifetime, dragon!”
“Perhaps. And yet—” He sniffed the air. “It smells as if your body has other ideas.”
“What you smell is fear.”
“No. I know fear. It has a subtle difference, a little more tangy. What I smell at the moment, however, is anything but fear. No, m’lady. I smell lust.”
“You do not!”
He leaned in closer, his nose brushing against her jaw, her cheek, the side of her neck. He took another deep breath, letting it out on a groan.
“Sorry, little human. But I most certainly do.”
Talaith closed her eyes again. She got the feeling she could yell at this dragon until the end of time, and he would still do what he wanted with her. So, she put her pride away and gave one last ditch effort.
Softly, she asked, “Please. Please get off me.”
Instantly, the dragon’s expression changed from laughing amusement to deep concern. He moved away from her, releasing her wrists.
Fighting back tears she would never allow to come, Talaith awkwardly pulled herself to a comfortable sitting position. Her arms hugging her knees tight, her wrists still bound. That’s when the dragon finally removed the noose from her neck and the rope from her wrists.
“I should have taken these off sooner.”
Startled, she looked up to see him toss the rope away before grasping her wrists and gently massaging them. I guess I could pretend that’s an apology. Although from what she knew of dragons…not likely.
“And remind me to put something on your throat, or that rope burn will hurt something horrible come tomorrow, if not sometime tonight.” He tilted her head back with his forefinger under her chin, examining her wounded neck closely. “It still may scar, though.”
It amazed her exactly how beautiful this man was. From his extremely long body rippling with well-defined muscles under smooth tan skin to his excessively wide shoulders and back tapering into a narrow waist. All of it the definition of male perfection.
Talaith’s eyes traveled farther down. She couldn’t help herself. And once she saw it, his erection, she couldn’t tear her eyes away. She couldn’t even be bothered to study those massive thighs of his.
He cleared his throat and her gaze snapped back to his face. His grin had returned, more powerful than the last time. Because now he caught her looking. “Like what you see apparently.”
That wasn’t a question.
She’d always heard dragons were arrogant, but she didn’t realize to what extent until this particular dragon. And she had to admit it annoyed the living hell out of her.
In answer to his question, she shrugged and lied, “I’ve seen better.”
Now both eyebrows peaked in surprise, but he still said, “Liar.”
Oh, and she was. A big, fat, dirty liar.
“If that will help you sleep tonight, dragon.”
“Actually, m’lady, you’d—”
She cut him off as soon as she realized where the conversation was leading, “Don’t say it.”
He nodded. “As you wish.”
Carefully she pulled her hands away from him and again wrapped her arms tight around her knees. “What do you want from me, dragon? Honestly. No more games.”
The dragon stretched that long, magnificent body out on the ground beside her, resting on his side. He didn’t bother covering himself up, and she realized he probably wasn’t aware exactly how nak*d he truly was in human terms. Dragons may lay around nak*d, but not humans.
“I’ve never been with a human before. I’ve been with dragon females who were human at the time. But never a full human.”
She scratched her head in confusion. “Why would dragons…uh…be with each other as human?”
“We find it entertaining.”
Talaith nodded in understanding, then she realized exactly what the dragon was telling her. On occasion she could be a tad slow catching on to things.
“Are you saying…” She cleared her throat, but it didn’t help. That was panic choking her at the moment. Nothing to really do about panic. “You want to bed…me?”
“We can do it in a bed, if you wish. I told you all this yesterday.”
“No.” This couldn’t be happening. No, no, no.
“Why not?”
Think, Talaith. “Well, first off I’m bound to another.”
“Ah, yes. To the man who tried to kill you.”
“Well—”
“Let’s see…” He laid out flat on the ground, his big hands behind his big, fat head. “What were his exact words again? Ah, yes. ‘Kill the witch. Burn the witch.’ Didn’t he hand a child a rather large stone?”
“All right. All right.” Bastard. “Forget that.”
“Forgotten.”
“In the end, I am human. And you,” she looked at him from the top of his beautiful head to the bottom of his gargantuan feet, “are clearly not human.”
“So? I can shift into human, as I’ve done here. And you seem quite pleased with my form.”
“It was one look.”
“Yes. But it spoke volumes, m’lady.”
Talaith ran her hands through her wet, tangled mass of curls. She’d give anything to have a comb or brush. She’d give anything to be dry. “I am not a lady.”
“Perhaps. But you’re no mere peasant either.”
Working hard to keep her face neutral, she said, “Why would you say that?”
He shrugged nonchalantly as he stared up at the two suns. “I can just tell.” He sighed in boredom. “I don’t want to talk anymore.”
Good. His voice had begun to drive her mad with wanting. “Fine.”
He looked over at her. “Come.” He motioned to his throbbing hard shaft, currently pointing at the suns and, if she was not mistaken, calling her name. “Ride me.”
Yes, m’Lord! “What? No!”
“Are you going to be this difficult all the way back to my den?”
Uh-oh. “Why are we going to your den?”
“That’s where you’ll live, of course. You know, until I’m done with you.”
Finally, all fear—and lust—of the dragon left her, and Talaith’s mouth dropped open in shock at his pure arrogance.
“You rude, arrogant bastard!”
“Excuse me?”
She pushed herself to her feet. “You heard me. I haven’t survived sixteen years with that idiot, simply to become the plaything of a monster.”
“I am not a monster. I’m a dragon. You humans should be worshipping us.”
“Shame it’s more fun to hunt your kind then, isn’t it?”
The dragon sprung to his feet. “That is not something I’d joke about if I were you, little human.”
“I won’t stay.”
“You will. Whether you bed with me or not. You will stay. You’re mine by dragon law.”
“I am not governed by dragon law.”
He grabbed her arm and yanked her over to him. Talaith rose up on her toes, forced to by the way he pulled her.
“Now that I’ve saved your life, little human, it belongs to me. And that means you are governed by the laws of my people.”
Because she didn’t know what to say about that, Talaith said the first thing that came to mind.
“I hate you.”
He snorted a laugh. “Hate is a human emotion. It means nothing to me.”
The dragon released her by pushing her away from him.
“I’ll go find us some breakfast. Try and leave, m’lady, and I’ll make sure you regret it when I find you.” His eyes narrowed. “And I will find you.”
Then he stalked off into the woods, leaving Talaith alone.
Good. Now I can panic in peace.
* * *
Was it really supposed to be this hard? Did his brother have to fight this hard to get his human mate to submit? Of course, Briec wasn’t Fearghus. His brother probably seduced the crazy female. Briec didn’t waste time with seduction. Why bother? Either she wanted to be with him or she didn’t.
Simple. Logical. Of course, humans didn’t strike him as the most logical of beings.