“How do you think I cooled off your hot chocolate? Or your burns?” Dmitri asked patiently.
Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh. He’d frozen other things than just that guy.
Chelle twisted her hands in her lap. “I don’t understand. You can freeze things. You’re some kind of dragon. Nothing makes sense. So what, is the dragon inside you?”
“We can turn into them,” Luka said, cutting in. “It’s our other form.” He opened the door to the apartment. “Wait here. In a few minutes, look out above the courtyard, right over the moon.”
Chelle’s heart started pounding like someone was hammering on it. It wasn’t possible. Things like this didn’t exist in the world. Outside of movies. It was easier to believe in some kind of human with powers than it was to believe in mythical beasts.
Dmitri sat patiently for a moment, then held out a hand as he stood to go to the door. She didn’t take it. If they were going out to look at the courtyard, she had to go of her own accord. She pushed past him out of the apartment and gaped as she looked up at the sky.
It wasn’t possible. Up above the courtyard, silhouetted by the moon, was something impossible. Something bright blue with wings that shimmered like ice. It flew in circles, too beautiful to be imagined, and she caught her breath as she watched it for a few vivid seconds as the snow fell gently around them.
Then she felt a gentle arm around her shoulder and looked up to see Dmitri looking up as well.
She couldn’t help leaning into him. She knew she was seeing something truly transcendent. Something about who he and Luka were. Something about his past.
And though she should still be panicking, she just felt closer to him than ever before.
“He’s beautiful,” she said. “Is that what you look like?”
Dmitri nodded. “We should probably go in before you get cold and before anyone sees him.”
She nodded, reluctantly pulling her eyes away and letting Dmitri lead her inside. When they were back on the couch, she was still in too much shock to say anything, until Dmitri pushed a cup of hot chocolate into her hands.
She hadn’t even heard him make it. “Dragons,” she muttered softly. “Who would have thought?” She took a sip of her hot chocolate. “Damn.”
* * *
Dmitri watched his mate sip her hot chocolate quietly, looking too shocked to do much else.
When the night had started, he’d had no idea it was going to end here.
“Are you okay?” He cocked his head to look at her. “It’s been a really long night.”
“I am,” she said. “Thanks to you with that robber. A lot to process, though. I have so many questions.”
“I get it,” he said. “I’ll answer what I can. I don’t know what kind of trouble we’re going to be in when we tell Alek, though.”
Chelle shook her head. “He talks big, but he’s actually a big softie. I think it’ll be fine.”
Dmitri’s phone buzzed, and he looked down at it. “That’s Luka. He said he wants to fly around for a bit.”
“He’s a dragon, but he has his phone?”
“When we transform, we still have everything. He probably took human form for a minute and then transformed back into a dragon.” Dmitri sighed wistfully. “Once he felt his true form, he probably needed a little more time.”
“Do you miss it?” Chelle asked, glancing up at him.
Dmitri was just impressed she hadn’t yet fainted again. She’d just seen something that defied all logic in her world, yet instead of running screaming from him, she wanted to know how he felt. “I do. I get homesick sometimes. And I miss the ice peaks of my homeland. I miss flying free over the clouds.”
She nodded. “I bet. I guess I know now why you three never like to talk about your history.”
“It’s hard to talk about when you have to hide such a big part of it.” Dmitri played with a loose thread on his jeans. “Listen, Chelle, I did have a good time with you tonight. I’m glad you learned more about me, and I learned a little more about you. I know to be careful. I’m not going to push you. I do have feelings, but I’m not going to act on them. And I am a dragon, but that doesn’t have to change anything.”
She put a hand on his thigh, eyes glowing. “Can you take me flying? That would be so cool.”
He chuckled. Somehow, being a dragon seemed to make her more comfortable around him, rather than less. “Maybe sometime. I’m not sure Alek would say it was safe.”
She gasped. “Oh, wait, Alek really is lord of winter, isn’t he?”
Dmitri shrugged. “More or less, that was his title. He didn’t really live up to it, but that’s his story, not mine.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “I want to know more about your story, then.”
Dmitri stretched, looking at the clock. “Don’t you work tomorrow? We should really head to bed.” He yawned. “Luka won’t be back until late probably.”
Chelle looked at the door, slightly nervously. “I mean, I guess we should. I’m not sure I’m ready to.”
“I can answer questions better in the morning. Or when you’re done with work,” Dmitri said. “But even I’m getting tired now.” Plus, he wanted to give her time to process what had happened and him time to figure out what he should or shouldn’t say.
“Damn, I’ve been living with two dragons,” she said in awe. “I still don’t know what to think about that.”
“Whatever you need to think in order to be comfortable,” Dmitri said, standing and helping her up. “And as I said, we can talk tomorrow.”
She stood reluctantly, following him as he turned out the lights. When they got to the hallway, he gave her a quick hug and then turned to go to his bedroom.
He was surprised when he felt her small hand catch his sleeve. “Chelle?” He turned to face her.
She looked so nervous next to him, biting her lip and refusing to let his sleeve go. “Wait.”
He stopped immediately. If there was something his mate truly wanted, he couldn’t ever say no. “Is everything okay?”
“No, it’s not,” she said quietly. “I was robbed. Luka’s outside. You’re both dragons. And it… was a hard night.”
He nodded, wondering if she was talking more about the robbery or whatever it was that had made her sad when she was dancing against him. That sadness had left her while they’d been caught up in the dragon stuff, but now it seemed to be back.
Or perhaps she was still just scared because her life had been threatened. Not that Dmitri would have let anything happen to his mate.
“Can you… sleep with me?”
Dmitri gaped at her, nearly falling over as he pulled his hand back. “What?”
She flushed, then put both hands up. “No, not like that. I mean in my room.” She glanced over at the couch. “I mean, we already cuddle. It feels really safe, and… I want to feel safe tonight.”
“You want me to cuddle you, all night, in your bed?”
She nodded nervously.
Dmitri inwardly groaned. Ye gods, this was testing him.
She looked at the floor, fidgeting with her hands. “I know it’s a lot to ask, and I know you have feelings for me so it might be too hard for you.”
He let out a sigh. “Of course I’ll stay, if you want me to.”
“Great!” She grabbed his hand again and pulled him into her room. “You’ll see. This is going to be awesome.”
He wasn’t sure what to expect in her room, but this wasn’t it. The interior was a bit harsh, the carpet and drapes a dark gray. Interesting pictures that appeared to be shots of space were on the wall. Her furniture was all steel, including her large bedframe. Her comforters had planets on them.
She flicked the lights off and pointed at the ceiling, and he saw that she had pasted up some kind of stars.
She turned the lights back on and faced him. “As you can see, I’m kind of a sci-fi nerd.”
He smiled. “I mean, that does explain some of the shows we watch.” He walked farther into the room,
looking around. “It’s nice, though. Not what I pictured.”
She sat on the edge of the bed. “What did you picture? Pink fluff everywhere?”
He sent her a guilty look. “Kind of.”
She laughed. “I can see that. Wait, I guess you need to get changed, huh?”
He frowned, realizing this was really happening. He’d really told his mate he was a dragon, not gay, and he had feelings for her… and she really wanted him to sleep in her bed with him.
She watched him, her expression falling slightly. “I mean, is it too weird? I just… I don’t want nightmares, and I think if you slept here…” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I mean, maybe it would be too hard to just cuddle and not go any further since you have feelings for me.”
“I’m a dragon, not a monster,” he retorted sharply. “Of course I can protect you without doing anything more.”
Then he turned on his heel and walked out of the room to change into his pajamas.
When he returned, wearing a soft tee shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms, she was waiting there in some kind of knee-length nightshirt.
He swallowed, his mouth dry just at the sight of her. Her hair was soft, moonlight was streaming through the gaps in her blinds, and the bed looked so inviting.
“I’m sorry for what I said earlier,” she said. “I’m not used to men that can respect a limit.”
Dmitri scowled, trying not to tighten his fists or do anything that would frighten her, even though the thought of men pushing his mate made him want to tear the whole house down. “Well, they didn’t deserve to be called men.” He shut the door behind him and locked it, as he knew she did at night. He tended to check her door handle before he went to bed, just to make sure she had that extra bit of protection in case of a break-in.
Tonight, she would have the best protection of all: him by her side.
And he would have a case of blue balls.
Not that he minded, as she pulled back the covers and got onto the bed, looking nervous and excited at the same time.
This wasn’t how he’d expected to get in his mate’s bed for the first time, but as she snuggled into the mattress and then patted the spot next to her, he slowly began to accept it.
She pulled blankets over both of them, and though he at first tried to keep a safe distance, she reached over to grab his arm and pull him close.
She sighed in contentment when he was pressed against her, and he couldn’t help breathing on her exposed shoulder.
She felt so small and fragile against him, so soft and perfect and warm, he could almost fall asleep if he allowed himself.
But he wanted to make sure she was okay first. He tried to relax behind her, listening to the sound of her steady breathing.
As it grew more peaceful and rhythmic, he could tell she’d finally fallen asleep.
He propped himself up on one arm, looking down at her, wondering at how much she trusted him, especially after all that had happened in one night.
Then he pressed a kiss to her hair gently and rolled over to fall asleep by her side.
Chapter 8
Dmitri woke up to the sensation of someone touching him. On his chest, which was weird.
He sat up abruptly and heard Chelle let out a gasp. Her nightshirt was over one shoulder, and her hair was beautifully mussed. Her cheeks were flushed deeply, and her pert little mouth was turned down in a frown.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think I would wake you.”
He looked down to see her removing her hand from his chest. Had she pulled his shirt up?
He looked at her curiously, and she seemed to take it as an accusation because she put both hands up in defense.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she said apologetically. “You were just lying there, looking so peaceful, and I just… wanted to look at your chest.”
“Why?” Dmitri sat up a little, trying to ignore the morning stiffy that would probably take a while to go away.
“Because, I don’t know… I just wanted to feel it, and I didn’t think you would mind.”
Dmitri pulled his shirt down, still too tired and confused to make much of what she was telling him. He let out a yawn and stretched, thinking that he’d slept better in her bed than he thought he would. He looked around, still surprised by the decor there. Then he turned to Chelle. “Did you sleep well?”
She nodded, still blushing as she drew her sheet-covered legs in against her. “I can’t believe I actually asked you to sleep in here with me. I can’t believe you just did it and nothing else.”
“I’m your friend,” he said casually. “Of course I wouldn’t do anything.” He gave another stretch and felt her eyes following his every movement for some reason. Like she was watching him the way he always watched her.
The thought didn’t do anything for his erection.
“Well, I slept better than I thought, too,” Dmitri said. “Especially given what happened last night.” He appraised her frankly, and she bit her lower lip. Damn, that was sexy.
He probably needed to get out of her bed and her room before things got worse.
“I guess after sleeping on it, nothing about that really matters to me. You and Luka are still the same people to me. Though, I do want to go flying and see your dragon form. I’m just glad there are less secrets between us.”
Dmitri let out a sigh of relief. Though she wasn’t ready to mate him, it felt good to have her accept him for who he really was. “Well, thanks for understanding.”
“Not at all. And again, I’m really sorry I thought you were gay. I have some stuff to work out, and…” She trailed off, looking down between his legs.
“Dammit.” He hiked the sheets up, bunching them to disguise what she was seeing. “It’s just morning wood. It’ll go away soon.”
“It’s huge!” She surprised him by crawling over and reaching for the sheet to lift it.
He should stop her. She wasn’t wanting to date him. Yet… she was showing interest in a way he’d never expected, and he just didn’t have the strength to push away her hand.
She lifted the sheet, staring at his dick as it pushed against his pajama pants. “Wow, you get this just from sleeping?”
He scratched his head. “Yes?” Granted, it was probably worse from being groped by a beautiful woman he was in love with while he was sleeping, but he didn’t need to mention that.
She stared down at it for a moment, and just when Dmitri wondered if she was going to scream and run, she licked her lips. Slowly.
He blinked in shock. If he didn’t know better, he’d say she wanted him. “Chelle…”
“Can I touch it?”
Dmitri groaned. He liked that Chelle was straightforward, but he wasn’t sure how long he could hold out. He couldn’t say no to his mate, though. “Sure.”
She placed a hand down and ran it over his hard length through the pants. “Does it hurt?”
“No.” He lied. It ached to have her touch him and not be able to do anything about it.
“No one’s ever let me take the lead before,” she said. “I just… Can I just touch you? However I want to, and you won’t do anything?”
Dmitri didn’t understand what she was asking. Why did she just want to touch him? Hadn’t she said they couldn’t be together as more than friends? But the thought of being touched by his mate was addictive to his dragon, so he lay back on the bed with one hand over his head and the other across his stomach. “Do what you want.”
Chelle’s blue-gray eyes gleamed with the early morning light, looking like lightning through storm clouds. The most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
She lifted his shirt, and he moved his arm for her as she touched one pec, slowly circled one nipple, and then ran her finger down the ridges of his abs. “So hard. I thought men like this only existed in movies.”
His mate was pleased with him. He let out a sigh of pleasure and tried to relax as she continued to explore.
She ran her hand down to his waistband and
played with it. “Can I… go in?”
He bit back a groan, the urge to just flip her on her back and fill her growing stronger with every touch. “Sure.”
She reached into his pants and moaned when her hand wrapped his length, stroking softly. “So thick. I didn’t know they could be like this.”
He quickly pushed away any jealousy at the fact that she’d seen any apart from his own. She’d had partners before. So had he. It wasn’t a big deal. It was just part of the journey that had brought them together. That they were with each other now was the important thing.
“I’ve tried to… use sex as an escape, a few times,” she said. “I thought it could block out the dark, but it always turned out lonely. And men are always pushy.” She stroked lightly over him, smiling as she enjoyed the feel. Dmitri was just happy to be of service.
But what was she escaping?
“I think, with you, it could be different,” she said. “I mean, we’re friends, and you understand where I stand on things.”
He didn’t really, but he’d let her think that if it meant she kept on touching his dick.
“Would you judge me if I just wanted to feel this?” She wet her lower lip. “If I just wanted to push it inside me, ride it like there was no tomorrow, and get lost in purely physical pleasure, would you judge?”
He shook his head. “Hell no.” She could enjoy him however she wanted at this moment. His whole body was on fire from her touch. It was too much and not enough at the same time. He yearned to be able to touch her back.
She straddled him, sitting on his thighs just beneath his hardness, and she grasped his length with one hand while the other ran down his chest and abs. Her pretty skin was flushed with tinges of pink, and her nightshirt was hiked up, showing pearlescent thighs.
Dmitri wondered if there was a chance he hadn’t woken up and was still dreaming.
But her touch as she stroked over him, her breath as she leaned forward to press kisses on his chest, was totally real, sending electric sensations all over him.
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