Kidnapped by the Dragon

by Rosko, Mandy

  She didn’t seem to catch that he meant her. “So, if there’s not a natural-mating, what happens? One is just set up for you?”

  “Pretty much. A union, a marriage. It might be devoid of instinctual-mating and simply done for the sake of a contract and reproduction.”

  “What if you want to make your own choice?” She looked from one brother to the next.

  “Dragons who don’t want to participate in their arranged pairing choose a simple-mating with another dragon, which is frowned upon, or humans who could not bear them children, which is also frowned upon.”

  Fiona nodded, her face still bright from the light of the projector. “Right, you all don’t like it when dragons mate other dragons because you almost consider it like marrying in the family.”

  “We do that sometimes, too,” Blaze said, his allusion to Tinder and Inferno’s engagement clear.

  Inferno snapped his teeth at the man. If his brother wasn’t on the other side of the table, he swore he might have leaped over it and smashed his head in.

  “There is a higher chance the offspring will be weak and sickly, if not mediocre,” Inferno explained.

  “And what if a dragon doesn’t choose the simple match with another dragon, or a regular human? What if they want to choose who to marry in the royal human lines?”

  “Depending on the family of the dragon, the heir in question, and if there are siblings to take his place, some families can be lenient. Others are less forgiving.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Inferno clenched his jaw. “You should not hear this now.”

  “I want to know. Tell me what that means.”

  Inferno steeled himself. She was a human and new to the concept of being around royalty, and she was his mate. Was this something he would have to get used to?

  “Once, a dragon noble failed to find a natural mate with any of the families, so a mate was chosen for him — one of the Bellemares. The dragon, however, defied his parents and the contract, and chose a love match with a woman from the Cesare family instead. This would have had no negative consequences as he was still choosing from a line that would give him strong heirs, but after that, the entire Cesare family was destroyed. The Bellemares are suspected, but nothing could be proven.”

  If those eyes got any wider, she would look like a cartoon character. “What does this have to do with me?” Her voice was so tiny and quiet.

  This was it. This was the question he’d been waiting for, and Inferno only ever felt this sort of excitement, this kind of adrenaline rush, when he was on the verge of flying into battle. He was eager, his body antsy to move, and more importantly, desperate to know what the reaction was going to be. Happiness? Sadness? Either way, he could experience it with her, and they could work through it together.

  “Our families can usually predict who will be mated to whom based on the mating cycles. Some of the noble human families were wiped out for various reasons, fighting amongst each other for power being the main reason.”

  “Right, I know that. I heard it in school, but what does it have to do with me?” She paused. “Is it why those men came into my apartment and tried to kill me?” Her hand unconsciously climbed to her neck, as though making sure the flesh there was unharmed.

  He ached for her just then but wishing he’d made it into that small apartment five minutes earlier to stop her horrifying ordeal would not magically make it so. He was a prince — not a god.

  Fiona’s eyes suddenly met his. He turned to point back at the projector before she would see something there he wasn’t ready to reveal. “Do you see the Istavan family?”

  Fiona looked. “Well, yes. It’s gone, though.”

  “No, sweet. You are an Istavan princess. For all I know, their last surviving heir.”

  Fiona blinked, stared up at the image on the projector, then looked at Inferno, before glancing back up at the projector, then to Inferno’s brothers and back to him.

  A loud giggle erupted as she shook her head. “No, that’s a mistake. I’m not a missing royal.”

  “It’s no mistake. This time around, it was estimated my mate would have been one of the Istavans. Because they were believed to have been wiped from the face of the earth, I would have married my cousin, Tinder. Then I found you in that bakery, wearing that ridiculous but cute little paper hat, and I felt it in my bones and blood.”

  She shook her head again. “No, I’m not. That’s not…how could I be?”

  Inferno didn’t know what to tell her to make her believe this. He didn’t understand her objection. Was it the shock of it? Or the title he’d given her? To be a princess was to be a fine thing, even amongst the humans who were barely royalty at all and only held those titles as part of their connections to the dragon noble families.

  Ember, bless his fiery heart, was the diplomatic one, as usual. “We don’t know how this happened, but Inferno saw you and realized who you were, and you seem to be reacting to him as well. It should also be said that the Istavan family was notable for having flame red hair and green eyes like yours.”

  This time, her hand went up to her hair. He wanted to reach out and touch it. He held back. She seemed too resistant to him for now, which was why he was taking it easy with her.

  “But…how?”

  “We don’t know,” Inferno admitted. “The last time an Istavan was meant to be mated to someone in my family, he eloped with a woman he’d been in love with and the family was never seen again. Over the years, and after much searching, it was assumed they had been killed off, which is why the names were blacked out.”

  Those green eyes shone suddenly bright. “My parents…they died. I was a little girl, but…did someone hurt them? Did someone kill my parents because of this?”

  Inferno hadn’t expected this, and the rush of protective instincts flared to life inside him once more.

  “How did they die?”

  Fiona rubbed just beneath her eyes, as though banishing tears before they had the chance to appear. “A car accident. I was a little girl at the time. Did someone intentionally hurt my parents?”

  Inferno had to look away from those eyes, but only so he could gauge the reaction from his brothers. Blaze’s eyes were wide. Ember seemed thoughtful, but in the end, both his brothers shook their heads, their suspicions aligning with Inferno’s.

  “I don’t think so, sweet,” he said.

  “Are you sure?” She looked back at him, desperation swimming in her eyes. “How do you know?”

  “I don’t know, but I am guessing about this. You said you were a child. I think you were only attacked because of the way I was looking at you. It’s unlikely that if anyone had tried harming you then that they would have failed for so long. I do not think you were under attack back then, but my promise remains,” Inferno said, his insides blazing with the need to fight, to defend his mate, her honor. “I will find those responsible for your attack and I will see to it they suffer.”

  Fiona’s shoulders sagged. She stared down at the table, refusing to look at anyone else.

  Inferno sighed. “Turn the lights back on,” he said.

  Blaze tapped on the tablet. The lights gently brightened as the projector turned off and was put away. Inferno stayed by the side of his mate. He couldn’t bring himself to leave her, even if he knew he was not welcome to touch her.

  “Do you promise?”

  Inferno blinked. “Promise? To get your revenge?”

  “Yes.” Her eyes met his, blazing with life in a way he’d not seen on her before. She reached for him, gripped him by his leathers and held on tight with her small fists.

  “You said you promised to get back at them, to make them suffer for what they tried to do to me. Look me in the eyes and say it. Swear on your life, or in blood. I don’t care, but promise me again that you’re going to find them and make them pay.”

  He held her gaze and didn’t look away. “Where is this coming from?”

  The glare that marred her brow was shocking, ev
en as she looked away in an attempt to hide it. “They put their hands on me. They stuck that bag over my head and tried to kill me. Even if they weren’t associated with my parents’ death, I’m mad now. I’m fucking furious.” She met his gaze again, that infuriated expression burning hotter than any fire a dragon could create. “Find them and get back at them for me and I’ll never leave this place if that’s what you want. I’ll be your Istavan princess if that’s what you want so badly.”

  The dragon within Inferno’s body roared to life and spouted liquid fire around him. Anger and glee warred with each other inside him.

  The corner of his mouth quirked up. “That’s not exactly the way I would have wanted you to come to me, but to be sure, I will accept your terms and the challenge with it.”

  Fiona nodded, the fire still in her eyes, making her even more of a beautiful goddess. He would take her right now if he could.

  He would take her soon.

  He took her wrists, removing her grip from his jacket. Her eyes widened, though she didn’t pull away. “What are you doing?”

  He turned her hand over and kissed the spot where his brother’s lips had been, erasing them from her skin and putting his own there. The rush of tingling pleasure at the touch of his mouth to hers was almost too much for him to ignore, but for now, he must. “I’m letting you know my terms. I will one hundred percent protect you from harm, and find those who would see you hurt, but we won’t be waiting until after I do before I make you mine.”

  He didn’t need to do anything other than look at her face to know that she knew what he meant, and it was glorious. He was looking forward to the revenge he would bring for his mate, but he was also looking forward to that night.

  8

  Inferno could sense the tension within his mate as he walked her back to her room. Eric was still there. Of course, he would be. So were some other guards in the area who wouldn’t need to be seen by Fiona, but they would be there, protecting her.

  He nodded to Eric, who opened Fiona’s door for her.

  “Eric will be outside the door, as will many other guards,” Inferno said. “If you need anything, you need only to ask, and a maid will be along shortly to see to you and help you dress.”

  Fiona’s eyes widened. “You’re not coming inside?” Her hand gripped his, and he felt her gentle tug on it, pulling him inside the room with her.

  Inferno grinned, showing off the sharp points of his teeth. “Do you want me to?” He knew that wasn’t what she meant, but just the idea that his mate could be hinting that she wanted him to come inside, to touch her, make love to her, was more than enough to make his wilder side burn with fire.

  “I…well, yeah.”

  “That doesn’t exactly sound confident.” Inferno looked at her blushing face but felt the strength in her grip. He stepped through the doorway, and pulled the door closed, locking it but never taking his eyes away from the beautiful woman in front of him. She didn’t turn her back to him either, though she did back up two steps. Inferno approached her. “Are you the sort of woman who enjoys it when her mind is made up for her?”

  She blinked. “What?” Fiona stopped abruptly when the backs of her legs touched the bed she had been resting in barely an hour earlier.

  Inferno didn’t stop his approach. He leaned over her, forcing her back as he pressed his fists down on either side of her waist. “Do you like it when a man dominates you? Do you want me to decide when to take you? Or can you show any confidence in our arrangement?” He noted the way her throat worked as she swallowed. Fiona’s lips were bright. She must have been biting them on the way back to her room when Inferno hadn’t noticed.

  And something occurred to him.

  “Are you a virgin?”

  The way her cheeks flamed up told him all he needed to know.

  “You’ve never known a man’s touch.” It was a thrilling revelation. At the same time, it brought out all the protective feelings he felt for her and magnified them by a thousand.

  “You would give me your virtue?”

  Even for a prince, such a thing was still a tremendous gift.

  He could hear the sudden rush of her heartbeat. Her green eyes dilated, and it was clear that his words, and the heat of his body so close, was having the proper effect.

  She was anxious, but not fearful.

  “You’re eager,” he said.

  “And you’re full of yourself.”

  Inferno chuckled. “That does tend to happen when you’re born into royalty.” He let his fingertips slide across her throat, gently touching the bruising that had been left behind from her attack.

  Fiona shivered.

  “Does it hurt to touch you?”

  She shook her head, her chest heaving from their contact. “No.”

  “Do you want me to continue?”

  She said nothing.

  He continued to touch her, letting his fingers explore, then leaned in and pressed his lips to the bruising, brushing heat into her tender flesh.

  She moaned. “That feels good.”

  Heat usually did feel good against bruised flesh. He did it again, pushing as much heat into her that he could without overheating her human skin.

  She moaned again, reaching her hands up, threading her fingers through his brown hair, tangling it, messing it, and that was good because he wanted her to do whatever the fuck she wanted to him and he was going to let her. The heat of their mating was taking its hold on him, and he had been able to keep calm about it before, to prevent himself from showing the effects too much, but now that he was on top of her, could feel her body beneath the thin cotton pajamas she wore, smell her heat, and her sex, it was enough to make the dragon inside him react.

  He was going to claim her, and he was going to do it now.

  Inferno’s fingers slid down to the elastic waist of her sleeping pants, and he pulled them slowly down…

  Someone knocked on the door. Fiona moaned again when he pulled away, but it was a sound of disappointment.

  Inferno clenched his jaw. “Yes?”

  A softly spoken woman’s voice answered. “My lord? I am here to give the lady her fitting.”

  “Who’s that?” Fiona asked, her voice wonderfully breathless.

  “Your maid,” Inferno replied, and he couldn’t very well be angry at the woman outside for doing her job. That would hardly be fair to her, though he couldn’t quite bring himself to part from his mate just yet.

  “Would you like me to return at a later time, my lord?”

  “No,” he called. “One moment.” He looked back down at his mate, noting her flushed cheeks, her wild red hair spread out along the sheets beneath her. She was waiting to be taken, but for now, he was going to have to hold back. There were other matters to attend to.

  “You’re mine now.”

  Fiona bit her lips, then nodded. “You’re mine, too.”

  Those words alone were enough to make the dragon inside him flare to life. Inferno had to push himself back before he sent the maid away after all.

  “She will have clothing for you for the day. I will return to take you to eat and introduce you to the rest of the family. Maybe.”

  She blinked wide, sitting up when he was no longer on top of her. “Maybe?”

  He smiled, taking her by the chin, leaning in, and capturing her lips. He pushed in another rush of heat, enjoying the sweet moan Fiona released when he did.

  She was the first to pull back, shaking her head and covering her mouth with her hand. “How are you doing that?” Her eyes smiled as she looked up at him as if he was the most exciting person on the face of the earth.

  “Dragon trade secret,” Inferno replied. “I’ll return shortly, I promise.” He turned to go.

  “Inferno.”

  He stopped, looking back.

  Fiona’s eyes were no longer playful, and though her red hair was messy and wild from their earlier actions, all other traces of lust were gone from her. “What if it was someone in those other human fa
milies who wanted to hurt me?”

  He gave her his full attention. She continued.

  “I mean, if I am from this family line, and these people have been fighting for years, I guess trying to get someone in their family to mate with whomever was next in line for the throne. If someone saw you on TV just looking at me the way you were, and they were able to figure it out from that alone—”

  “Say no more, sweet, I’ve already thought of this,” Inferno said.

  He and his brothers had been speaking extensively about this since before Fiona had woken up, even before Inferno had gone to see his aunt and cousin. The fact that they were also on his list of suspects was something he was not ready to tell her yet, though Inferno had instructed Eric to let no one into Fiona’s room that Inferno or his brothers hadn’t already personally verified.

  “My brothers and I will look into this. This attack on you will not stand, and Eric is loyal. Young, but loyal. You can trust him with your safety, and if you need anything from him, or if you feel frightened and I am not here, you can count on him to see to your needs, and he will send for me if he suspects anything.”

  Fiona nodded, though Inferno didn’t think she realized at that moment that she was picking at her fingernails. A nervous habit? Perhaps.

  He didn’t want to leave her like this, but there was no choice. He had to do some questioning of his own if he was going to allow his mate to walk these halls with any peace of mind.

  “Does a prince usually get so involved in what the guards do? Or investigations like this?” Fiona asked.

  Inferno smiled, putting one hand to his hip and rubbing his chin with the other. He didn’t usually enjoy singing his praises when it came to matters such as this, but in this case, he thought it would be best.

  “We are not like the humans you know of, your royalty or your nobility. The dragon royals have always fought alongside their warriors, and one cannot be a king without knowing how to sniff out and battle the enemy properly.”

  Fiona’s brows lifted. “You’re saying you’re just as trained as the men around here are at protecting you?”