by Rinelle Grey
He needed to cool those thoughts. She had a lifemate. He respected that. He might not like it, but he respected it.
His body didn’t. But his mind did.
His body was confused by the Mesmer bond and the fact that the ritual was incomplete. The ache he felt for her was simply his need to achieve full regeneration in the fastest way possible, by mating with her. But it would come with time. They were safe right now. Better to take that time to get his bearings in this new world anyway.
He ignored the fact that his problems could easily be solved by finding another female and mating. Somehow, that thought didn’t appeal at all.
These strange human women were hard to understand, and far too powerful for him to risk messing up. Besides, the less people he shared his secrets with the better.
Karla turned around, a soft grey piece of fabric held in her hands. “Here. It may be a bit tight, Bruce is a little less… buff than you are. But it’s probably better than Dad’s stuff. I should have realised that wouldn’t work.” She hesitated for a minute, then held the fabric out towards him.
Taurian reached for it, letting his hands cup hers for a moment in the process. He soaked up as much energy as he could in those few moments before she jerked her hands back. She turned away quickly, shuffling through the case again.
The material was soft and warm, and Taurian was relieved to smell nothing but a strong scent of Karla on it. No trace of the scent of another male. It took him a few moments to figure out how it worked. But the design was relatively simple. A hole for his head, and two for his arms. He pulled it on awkwardly.
Karla was right. It was a little tight. But the way her eyes widened when she turned back to him confirmed it was entirely suitable.
She cleared her throat. “Hmm. Well, we can go shopping for something that fits you a bit better tomorrow. I guess that will do for now. I don’t have any pants that would fit, you’ll have to make do with what you have.”
Taurian nodded. “It is sufficient.”
They both stood there for a few moments, staring at each other. Taurian fought the urge to close the two steps between them and put his arms around her. He’d never felt a pull this strong from a Mesmer bond before. But then, he’d never tried to fight it before.
“Did you speak to your lifemate?”
Her eyes clouded. “No.” Her voice was short. Taurian tried not to feel too pleased at any sign of dissent between them. “I cancelled my flight though. I can reschedule when… when things are sorted I guess.”
She looked lost, and a little afraid. The need to touch her intensified. Taurian took a chance and reached out his hands to take hers. “I’m sorry you were dragged into this against your will.”
She shrugged, but didn’t pull her hands out of his. “You didn’t mean it to happen.” Her eyes looked up at him, suddenly sharp. “Did you?” She took several steps backwards, breaking the contact.
Taurian shook his head immediately. “I would never tie someone in the Mesmer bond against their will. Dragons always enter into the bond willingly. It is a special honour to be chosen as a Mesmer partner to a prince. Unfortunately, the first person who touches me before I wake is bonded. I have no control over it.”
Her eyes bored into him, and Taurian returned her gaze without blinking. It was the truth. Hopefully she would see that.
She relaxed. “Well, I guess we just make the best of it then. There isn’t much that can be done tonight. Dad will have dinner ready in a minute, then we’ll see about making you up a bed on the couch.”
“Couch?”
“The big soft chair in the other room. It’s not as comfortable as a bed, but we don’t have a spare room. Sorry.”
An echo of the itch caused a twinge in his shoulder blades. Taurian shuddered. “No, we need to stay in the same room.”
She frowned. “That’s not going to work. Dad isn’t going to understand.”
He was surprised, and slightly hopeful, that her father’s objections were her biggest concern. Was she starting to feel it too? “Being that far apart overnight is going to undo any connection we build up during the day. To do this without the physical closeness of mating means staying together as much as possible. I need the ritual completed as soon as possible, before another dragon finds me.”
Karla tilted her head to one side. “Why do they hate you so?” she asked quietly.
Memories welled up in Taurian, memories he didn’t want to examine. “Their clan leader, Ultrima, wanted to marry my sister, but she was not willing,” he said shortly. “The whole clan considered themselves slighted by her refusal, and they are determined to get their revenge.”
“This whole battle is over a woman?” Karla’s voice sounded incredulous.
She didn’t understand. “Not just any woman,” Taurian tried to explain, “my sister is a princess of Rian. It is understandable he desired to mate with her, but she would never lower herself to marry into the Trima clan.”
“Oh, so this isn’t about whether she liked him or not, but that he was not good enough for her?”
“Don’t your people choose mates for such reasons? Making a successful alliance is important, and the benefits should not be overlooked.”
“My people choose mates for love. We’ve realised that underneath it all, all people are equal, and equally worthy of the chance at happiness, or wealth, or love.”
Somehow, her words made Taurian’s heart ache. “So you love this… Bruce?”
“That’s none of your business,” she snapped.
Taurian’s heart fluttered. “You don’t?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to, I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice.”
“I care about Bruce a great deal. We have a lot in common.”
“But you don’t love him.” He took a few steps closer to her.
Karla turned on her heal, heading for the door. “How I feel about Bruce is my business. All you need to know is that I intend to go home to him and marry him as soon as this is all out of my hair. I’d be on my way tomorrow if it weren’t for you.”
He checked, and stared at her for several long minutes. “I respect your decision. For now. I will sleep on the floor if that is what you wish.”
“That is probably best,” Karla agreed.
But strangely enough, Taurian wasn’t disappointed. He could hear the way her heart was thumping.
Chapter 8
After dinner, her father brought out some pillows and a quilt to make up a bed for Taurian on the couch. Taurian didn’t say anything, just thanked her father calmly and lay down as though he intended to sleep.
Karla disappeared into her room, needing a few moments alone to settle her thoughts.
Not that they would settle. One minute she was totally buying every part of Taurian’s story, and the next she couldn’t help suspecting that he was making it all up.
If she hadn’t seen the dragon for herself, there was no way she would believe any of this. It was too far out, too impossible.
Not to mention the fact that it all seemed blatantly designed to get her into bed. This whole Mesmer bond, and the need for sex to enable him to heal, well, it did sound a little contrived, didn’t it? A shiver ran through her, half excitement, half fear.
If it wasn’t for her confusion over Bruce, she might just throw caution to the wind and take the chance. Thank goodness for that, for some shred of sense keeping her from such a colossal mistake. She had always known that Bruce was good for her, this was just another example of it. Not saying yes to him had been her biggest mistake.
She pulled out her phone and looked at pictures of her and Bruce, selfies they had taken on some of their trips around England. Their faces were squished up together, and their smiles large. Hers larger than Bruce’s. His English nature meant he was never as enthusiastic about anything.
That was part of what had always appealed to her about him. He was steady, solid, safe. She had always known she wante
d a steady home, with someone who was settled. Someone who didn’t have dreams so big they would overpower her own. And as soon as she’d met Bruce, she’d known he could give her that. So why couldn’t she commit? What was holding her back?
This fascination with Taurian was just another distraction, like coming back to Australia had been. Another way of putting off committing to her own dreams. Somehow, her own plans seemed so staid and boring in comparison. She loved studying ancient cultures and the clues they had left, but how could that compare to studying the culture of dragons?
Karla shook her head. As if she could ever write a paper on dragons. Taurian had made it clear that they kept their existence a secret, and she could see many reasons why it would be a problem to break that. And without proof of a living, breathing dragon, no one would believe her. She’d be a laughing stock.
No, there was no future in this situation with Taurian. He didn’t want anything more from her than completing the healing ritual. As soon as that was done, he’d be out of here. And she’d be right back where she wanted to be—living her own dream.
If she hadn’t completely lost it all through her own fear.
Impulsively, she dialled Bruce’s number and waited, her heart thumping, while the phone rang.
“Hello, this is Bruce. I’m not available right now, please leave a message.”
Her heart sank a little. He’d changed their answering machine message. It had only been two weeks. Was she too late?
She hesitated as the machine beeped, it’s loud, strident sound twanging at her heart. A message like this didn’t belong on an answering machine. But she needed to say something.
“Hi, it’s me, Karla.” What a stupid thing to say, he’d recognise her voice instantly, just as she’d recognised his. “I, um… I need to stay here for a bit longer, a week or two. But as soon as I get back, we need to talk. Okay?” She waited as though expecting a response, then gave herself a mental shake. “Okay. Well, talk to you soon.” She hesitated, words of love on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t make herself say them. “Bye.”
She ended the call, and the photos she’d been looking at earlier flashed back up. But no matter how hard she stared at the pictures, focusing on all the fun times they had shared, the thought of Taurian kept intruding. His absence seemed to cause an itch across her shoulder blades, one that could only be scratched by his presence.
It didn’t matter how much she tried to ignore it, it just seemed to grow. She was almost ready to give up and go looking for him, just to see if that fixed it, not because she needed to, when it stopped abruptly.
She breathed a sigh of relief. She’d just been imagining it. She didn’t need to see Taurian after all. He was just making up this need for them to be close to each other…
She heard a quiet movement behind her. Her skin prickling, she turned around, knowing who was there even before she saw him.
Taurian.
Leaning on the doorframe, his body filling it and blocking her only exit, he regarded her seriously, his arms folded. Bruce’s shirt pulled tight across his shoulders, emphasising his muscular arms. It really didn’t hide much.
Lord, she’d never seen a man so perfectly built. Resisting her attraction to him would be so much easier if he was ugly.
“Your father has gone to bed.”
“Right.” She should say something more, but her brain refused to work. How was she ever going to get any sleep in the same room as him? “Do you want help setting up on the floor?”
“It would be better if we were in the same bed. I will regenerate twice as fast if we are physically touching.”
His face was blank, no sign of any intentions other than the ones he stated.
A thrill of anticipation ran through her anyway. She squashed it ruthlessly. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said quickly. “We’re not in that much of a hurry, are we? Wasn’t the other dragon injured too?”
“He is only one dragon. Ultrima has a whole clan. And even the one who was injured will be fully regenerated by morning. They will come looking for us, and I cannot protect you successfully if I am not at full strength.”
An involuntary shiver ran down her spine at the thought of more dragons coming after them. “But you said they won’t come into the town, so as long as we stay here, we are safe, right?”
“They won’t come in dragon form, no, but I’m sure they will come searching for us in human form as soon as they have recovered.”
“Are they as dangerous in human form? Can they shoot lightning?”
“As much as I can shoot fire. It’s not as strong, but it doesn’t have to be. These human bodies are frail. If they can catch us away from the others, such as here at your father’s house at night, then they will take the chance to destroy me.”
“So what are we going to do if they find us before you’re fully healed?” Karla hoped the feeling of panic that was coursing through her didn’t show in her voice. Suddenly, having Taurian in the same room as her seemed like an excellent idea.
“If they arrive before I am fully healed, I have no chance of defeating them in a fight,” Taurian said quietly. “Our only chance would be to run, as we did last time. The more power I have regained though, the better.”
Did he mean it, or was it just about getting her into bed? Karla wished she knew. If she could believe that was his only motive it would make it so much easier to dismiss this whole thing as not her problem.
She studied his face as he stared at her solemnly. His angular jaw was clenched, a muscle twitching on one side. His golden eyes didn’t blink, his gaze boring into her. She couldn’t see any sign of a lie.
He shifted his weight slightly, and as he did so, Karla caught a flicker of something else. Something that convinced her of his sincerity more than all the things he’d said so far.
A flicker of fear.
He wasn’t any more confident than she was.
For some reason, the realisation made her feel a little less afraid. She wasn’t some helpless pawn in a dragon’s game. She was, or perhaps could be, his partner. Just for as long as it took them to extricate themselves from this mess.
“Maybe it’s best if we both sleep in my bed,” she offered. “As long as I can trust you not to read anything into it. This is just about healing you as fast as possible, but I have no intention of sleeping with you to do that, understand?”
To her surprise, a frown came over Taurian’s face. “You plan on staying awake all night?” he asked in confusion.
It took her a moment to realise what he meant. “No, sleeping together is a euphemism, it means…” She tried to remember the words he had used. “Um… mating.”
Taurian took a step towards her, closing the distance between them. A scent Karla couldn’t define wafted closer to her. Hot and intoxicating, it was all Taurian. She swallowed, and resisted the urge to step back.
“I would never sleep with anyone who had not invited me to do so.”
Oh the temptation was strong. Karla had no idea if it was the Mesmer bond, it certainly seemed to play with her emotions enough, or was it just his strong presence?
“Good,” she managed to force out. “Then perhaps we should prepare for bed.”
Taurian didn’t move. “I am ready.”
“Well I’m not. Can you give me a minute,” Karla snapped. “And a little bit of room.”
She wasn’t sure if she wanted to shove him back, or lean closer to him.
Okay, that wasn't quite true. Every part of her screamed to be closer to him. Much closer. But was that what she truly wanted, or was it caused by the Mesmer bond? She'd certainly felt something strange when he had been out of the room, and the way it had gone as soon as he’d returned, even before she’d known he was there, had been downright freaky.
She couldn't trust these feelings. Karla put her hands against Taurian's chest, did he have no concept of personal space, and pushed. Heat surged through her as soon as her hands met his body. Even through t
he fabric of the shirt the contact sizzled with a slow flame.
Karla suspected it could easily burn her up.
Taurian's smouldering eyes burned into her, but he took a step back. “What sort of preparations must you undertake?”
Normally, she'd get changed, but he was wearing the shirt she normally wore to bed. And if he was going to be in the bed with her, it wouldn't be enough coverage anyway.
A full suit of armour probably wouldn't be enough.
Karla grabbed a pair of tracksuit pants and a t-shirt out of her suitcase. “I'm going to get changed. Make yourself comfortable.” She didn't stop to see if Taurian responded, just fled from the room to the bathroom down the hall.
The tingling in her shoulders started as soon as she'd left the room. Was it really possible for his absence to affect her so quickly, or was she imagining it? This was going to be unbearable if it lasted all week.
Karla changed quickly, then headed back to the room, partly out of a desire to get some sleep, it had been a long day, and partly to see if closeness to Taurian fixed the tingling.
When she entered the room, he was still standing where she had left him, staring at the bed. He looked up as she came in, and the lines on his face eased as soon as he saw her. He smiled, and Karla felt an answering smile lift the corners of her mouth without her even thinking about it.
The tingling had eased, but it wasn't completely gone. Karla grimaced.
She turned away from Taurian, and walked around to the opposite side of the bed. Pulling back the covers, she surveyed the narrow mattress. Why had she ever agreed to this? There was barely room for Taurian, let alone both of them.
Karla tried to imagine crawling into the tiny bed beside him, and the thought sent a flush of warmth through her. The motion was far too intimate for her to be comfortable with it. Before Taurian could beat her to it, Karla slid onto the bed, trying to keep to one side as much as possible.
