Finding His Dragon (Dragon Blood Book 3) (6 page)

“Yes.”

“And who is your friend, the one who set you free?” He peeled a banana and handed it to her.

Even though she didn’t care for bananas, she took a bite. “Tulia. She’s the sweetest person I’ve ever known. There isn’t a malicious bone in her body. They’ll break her in two if they catch her.” Had there been more time, had she had advanced notice that she would be leaving clan territory, she would have taken Tulia with her. She’d tried to convince her to run with her, but Tulia had been too scared. Neither would have made it out alive.

Jace tilted his head to the side and watched her take another bite. “Why are you eating that banana?” he asked her as he took it from her hand and proceeded to have a big bite of it.

“You gave it to me.”

He took another bite, finishing it off. “I did, but it’s clear that you don’t care for it. As cute as it is when you wrinkle your nose before taking a bite, I don’t want you eating things you don’t like to please me.” He grabbed an apple and held it out for her.

She took one look at it, then shook her head. “No, thank you.”

“Because you don’t like it?” he asked.

“No. I love apples and strawberries too. But my dragon needs protein, and I’m almost full.” She had eaten a few pieces of cheese and bread while they’d been talking, but the steak is what had her mouth watering. In human form, there was no way she’d ever eat a raw steak, but the dragon would gobble it up and enjoy every bite.

Without saying a word, he took the tray and the glasses off to the side. “Go ahead and shift. Then you can have the steaks.”

Steaks? As in both? As enticing as it sounded, she wouldn’t make a glutton of herself in front of her new mate. “One is more than enough,” she said as she pushed the blanket aside.

Jace tried hard, he did. He kept his gaze riveted on her face for at least five seconds, but in the end, he took a long look all the way down to her feet and back up again. A low, sexy moan escaped him when he spotted her navel ring. She brought her hand to her belly, flicking the cute little jewel, keeping his attention on her body.

“I think you need to shift now,” he said, his voice husky.

“And if I don’t?”

“I’ll be forced to ask Maddie or Stella to chaperone us to make sure I keep my hands to myself until you’re done healing.”

She laughed for the first time in months. “We wouldn’t want that.”

“No, we wouldn’t. Fair warning, though, all bets are off once you’re better.”

She flicked her navel ring again, grinning when he sucked in his breath. “I’m looking forward to it.” Bringing the dragon to the forefront, she allowed the shift. Thankfully the room was huge, and there was more than enough space.

“So fucking gorgeous.” He hadn’t realized he’d said it aloud until the beautiful she-dragon turned her head to look at him. Rich, translucent green scales shimmered in the dim light. He’d bet she would be even more stunning in the sunlight. He reached out, stroking her neck as she settled on the cushions. She wasn’t a huge dragon, even by female standards, but she was perfect. Two curved horns, a darker shade of green gave her head a long, sleek look.

She tucked her wings close to her body and lay her head down on the cushions. He could have stayed there, staring at her for hours, but when she moved her leg and growled a little with the pain, he went back for the steaks. “I know it’s not the same as fresh game, but we can’t go hunting tonight. I want you to have them,” he told her. She had said she only wanted one, but the dragon needed more, and as full as she had been in human form, the dragon had plenty of room for both. He set the plate down in front of her.

She took one but left the other.

“We’ve both had a long day. You can give me hell for being bossy tomorrow. For right now, eat up,” he told her. “You need the extra energy to heal.”

She brought her snout to his injured hand and nudged it, before pulling back and looking at the blisters he had hoped she wouldn’t notice.

“Your injuries are worse than mine. Besides,” he said as he stepped back. “I was going to use the time while you finished eating to get ready to shift.” He didn’t miss the spark of interest in her onyx eyes or the quick breath the she-dragon took.

She waited until he had his hands down at the waistband of his jeans before she took the steak. He smiled as she finished, then licked her lips. All the while, she kept her eyes trained on him. He pulled the jeans down over his hips, and off, then stood there, letting her look her fill.

Blood rushed to his groin, and he groaned. It was going to be a hell of a long night. He let the shift take him, changing into his dragon. The instant the transformation was complete, he went to her. He nudged her gently, stroking her head and neck before circling her and lying so that his longer body curled around her. With a contented sigh, she settled in and closed her eyes.

***

Charlotte woke alone. The room was still dark, but she could see the sunlight shining behind heavy drapes that covered huge windows. She stretched her neck, then tested her leg. Her neck was good as new, as was her jaw, but her leg ached enough to keep her from stepping on it. Yeah, she had broken it.

A soft sound drew her attention to the back of the room. A woman sat there, with a book in her lap, though how she planned to read it in the dark was beyond her. She had her hair up in a ponytail and wore a bright pink sweater and jeans. The woman stared at the floor, her fingers stroking the page of her book. Although she still needed to give her leg time to heal, Charlotte had to shift. There was only so long a girl, or dragon, could go without using the facilities.

She shifted quickly, then cleared her throat.

“Oh, hey,” the woman said as she put her book aside. “I’m Maddie, Luke’s mate. Jace asked if I would mind sitting with you while he ran some errands.”

Charlotte grabbed the soft blanket Jace had given her the previous night and wrapped it around her. “I’m Charlotte. Pleased to meet you.” She looked at the woman, only then realizing that she wasn’t seeing her at all, or anything else for that matter. Human. “I hate to bother you, but I need to find a washroom. Is there one close by I can use?”

Maddie stood and came to her in an instant, not hesitating as she stepped onto the cushioned area. “Of course. But first, I was given specific instructions not to let you move an inch until someone took a look at your leg. Jace was pretty adamant.”

Charlotte swallowed a small degree of irritation. He had better not think he’d be able to boss her around just because she’d given in and eaten the second steak so that she could watch him undress. “Be that as it may, I really have to go. If you tell me where to find it, I’ll be okay, I promise.”

“Crap. I knew this was going to happen. Listen, I can find Luke, it won’t take but a few minutes.”

“That’s a few minutes more than I have,” she admitted as her bladder protested the delay.

Maddie laughed and shook her head. “Of course you can’t wait. Okay, I’ll take you, but tell me if the pain gets too bad.”

“That I can do.” She stood, and held in her groan as the ache in her ankle shot up her calf. “Lead the way.”

“I can take you to a powder room on the main floor or Jace’s quarters if you want to freshen up.”

The thought of a hot shower had her whole body singing. “Do you think he’d mind? I really could use a shower.”

“Mind? Of course not. In fact, he’d be delighted to see you making yourself at home.”

Charlotte wrapped the blanket around her tight, holding it so that nothing but her feet peeked out from the bottom, and her head at the top, the followed Maddie out of the room, hobbling as she went. The pain in her ankle throbbed, but it wasn’t intolerable. At least, it wasn’t until she spotted the huge winding staircase they were heading for. As much as she hated to admit it, going up all those stairs would hurt like hell.

She braced herself and poked a hand out from beneath the blanket so she could hold onto the railing.

“Are you okay?” Maddie asked. “That was a pretty big breath you took there.”

The woman had great hearing for a human. “I'm all right. Shall we keep going?” Determined, she lifted her injured leg on the first step and pulled herself up, biting her lip to keep from making a sound as the pain tore through her. They had climbed eight stairs when she heard footsteps coming into the room, but she didn’t dare turn to look. She lifted her foot up, but when she did, her toes caught in the blankets, and she lost her footing.

Her arms flailed, and she set her foot down hard as she tried to regain her balance. Charlotte couldn’t keep from yelling out as the pain shot up her leg. Maddie tried reaching for her, but it was too late.

“Well, hello there, beautiful,” Jace’s sexy voice greeted her as he caught her mid-air. “That’s quite a sight to come home to,” he said as he looked at her now naked body.

“Jace, thank God,” Maddie said, her voice breathless.

“Thanks for staying with her while I was gone, Maddie. I can take it from here. I think Luke’s looking for you in the kitchen.”

“Okay, thanks,” and with that, she rushed down the stairs.

Jace nuzzled her neck and gave a low moan. “As much as I love the view, I’m pretty sure Brycen will be coming this way in a second. We better get you covered up,” he said, his voice tight.

“I’m sorry, I had to use the ladies’ room.” With the heat coming from her cheeks, she could imagine how bright her blush was. The last thing she needed was for his clan mates to see her in all her glory on the stairs.

“Don’t be. I don’t expect you to sit still every minute of the day. I’m sure you know your limitations, though you might have pushed it a bit this time, and you nearly gave me a heart attack when you fell. I’m going to have to invest in bubble wrap. Lots and lots of bubble wrap,” he said, his tone light. “Here, put your weight on your good leg.” Once she was steady, he reached down and grabbed the blanket she’d dropped as she’d tumbled, and wrapped it around her.

“I swear I’m not always a damsel in distress. It only seems to be that way since I’ve met you.” She breathed in his fresh scent. He had to have been out flying. He smelled of the forest and the mountains. She wished she could have gone out with him. How long had it been since she’d flown in the daylight hours without fear?

“Well, you can fall into my arms anytime you like. You won’t hear me complaining. Just don’t make a habit of doing it on the stairs where you could hurt yourself. Now, where were you heading?”

She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Maddie said you wouldn’t mind if I used your washroom. I was hoping for a shower.”

“Our washroom,” he insisted. “You’re my mate. Everything I have is yours.”

Her heart sped at his declaration. She could make this her home if she chose to. When he lifted her into his arms, she didn’t protest. Right then, all she wanted to do was enjoy his strength. She’d worry about the rest later.

He didn’t stop until he was at the end of a long hallway. He pointed out a series of doors. “These rooms belong to us. I haven’t done much with them since I had no need to, but we can figure out what to do now that you’re here,” he announced before stepping into the last one at the end of the hall.

The bedroom was tidy. She looked around, a little confused. “Is this a guest room?” she asked him. There was nothing to make the room his. No pictures, no décor to speak of unless you counted the navy colored curtains and matching bedspread. The four poster bed was huge, and looked like it would be comfortable to sleep in, but that was it. Nothing, not even a clock was on either bedside table. There was no book, no pictures, nothing.

“No, this is our room,” he said as he set her down on the edge of the bed. “Stay here for a sec.”

She watched as he crossed over to a door on the left and disappeared inside. Seconds later, she heard water running. A bath! She hadn’t had a soak in an actual bath in months. The soothing heat of the water would feel fabulous on her aching muscles. Charlotte couldn’t help smiling. Her mate was not only fierce, but he was sweet as a kitten, too. Not that she’d ever tell the dragon that.

“What are you smiling about?” he asked when he came back into the room.

“Nothing.” His eyebrows lifted, and she smiled a little wider.

He crossed his arms, stretching his white T-shirt over them, drawing her attention to the bunching muscles. There was something about a man’s arms that did something for her. Not that the rest of him wasn’t just as delectable to look at, but the way the muscles shifted beneath his skin with his movements had her wanting to do more than look.

“Keep looking at me like that and you won’t get to have that bath I’ve got running for you.”

He took a step closer, his eyes twinkling with mischief, and his lips tilting in a predatory smile that had her heart skipping a beat. As good as the bath sounded, and it did sound good, the promise in his eyes was better. “Oh, is that right? And what would I be doing instead of bathing?” She licked her lips and batted her eyelashes at him.

His sexy growl rumbled between them. He strode toward her, his gaze never leaving hers, not stopping until she could feel his breath on her lips. “You’d get to lie there as I ravished your body and made you scream over and over again until you couldn’t move for a week.”