His body burned as his dragon fought to come out.
Goddess knows what she saw, but she backed up, nearly tripping, a familiar look in her eyes. Fear. Fear looked the same in any species. Swallowing back his rage and his desire for her, Kal focused on her and only her. Seeing beyond just the curvy exterior of her. There was so much more.
“What are you?” he asked.
He shook off the last lick of fire on his fingertips.
“I could ask you the same thing,” she said.
He stepped forward. “I’ve answered you. A dragon. From another planet far, far away. Now, what are you?”
She swallowed. “Just a-a witch.”
Kal breathed in deep, catching the aroma of her body. A mix of fear, anger, nerves, and the sweet scent of arousal.
He flexed his hands, his muscles tensing.
He couldn’t look away. Regardless of the irritation of being changed into some helpless bird, he still wanted her. No one could have explained this to him.
“Not just a witch, I can feel your power,” he said.
Energy raged through him at the mere sight of her. His dragon burned hotter and he couldn’t control the hunger deep in his soul. The warriors had been sent to find their mates. If they didn’t, they would burn brighter and hotter, until one day they couldn’t control the energy within them.
The thing was, Kal was pretty damn sure he burned hotter in the presence of this creature, something he didn’t think was supposed to happen.
“Your eyes,” she said, as she took a step towards him.
He blinked. “What about them?”
She stopped and her scent came to him as the flow of air in the room danced around her.
He didn’t look away; she was in his sights. Kal’s throat burned dry as the need to taste her surfaced.
“They. I’ve never seen a shifter’s eyes like yours. It’s almost like you’re on fire.”
“I’m a dragon. My soul welcomes the fire. I didn’t lie about what I am.”
He was supposed to keep the space stuff out of the conversation. Then again, he was supposed to be all powerful and not get bested by some female. She wasn’t what he’d expected. The last time his people had been here, humans were still building triangle tombs and worshiping his kind.
Confused, and probably not helpless, she stared at him. No, not helpless. He’d best remember that.
Maddie’s lips moved without a sound coming out. She crossed and uncrossed her arms. He loved to watch her move. Goddess, she was sexy. How was he supposed to keep his hands off of her? There were rules. What the fuck were the rules again?
He couldn’t remember. Kal watched her mouth, but words weren’t what he wanted right now. Kal wanted to know if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.
He wanted to know if her breasts filled his hands. He wanted to know what it would feel like to sink his dick deep within her.
Kal adjusted his stance. Goddess, his dick didn’t seem to care much for rules.
Fuck them. Fuck the rules. Fuck the whole plan.
He grabbed her wrist, and tugged her toward him.
“Oh,” she said. Her eyes wide in surprise, but she didn’t resist.
“I have traveled a very, very long way, Maddie, and I’m hungry.”
Maddie locked her eyes onto his, her chest rising and falling quicker and quicker.
“I, the bar. They have food,” she whispered.
“I don’t want food…” he answered.
Her pulse raced under his touch.
“I don’t understand - I’m, what’s your name?”
He smirked. She wasn’t ignoring him now.
“Kal. My name is Kal, Maddie. My little witch.”
His thumb started to trace circles on the inside of her wrist. He could feel the energy with each beat of her heart. Strong little human.
“You're beautiful,” Kal said.
She blinked as if coming back from far away. “No. Not me.”
His fire burned, the restraint to keep it under control didn’t detract from his raging hard-on. “You will never doubt me when I tell you, you are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever met.”
He watched her throat move as she swallowed, the skin on her neck soft, begging to be tasted.
Leaning down, his mouth inches from her ear, he whispered, “tell me, Maddie, do you want me as much as I want you?”
She let out a small gasp.
He licked the ridge of her ear, trailing his tongue down to the lobe.
She shivered.
“I’ll warm you, if you let me.”
He liked the salty-sweet of her skin as he savored the taste. The energy within her called out to his dragon. Kal watched as veins of golden fire pulsed where his lips left a trace of his own energy. They started to spiral and spread down her.
“I’m not cold,” her words came out on a breath.
Kal liked the way she reacted to him, his own body growing more and more desperate. He should stop, but he didn’t want to.
Maddie leaned into him, allowing him to hold her tighter.
“No. Not cold,” she repeated.
He smirked.
Maddie’s breathing grew uneven. Perhaps being changed into a chicken was all worth it now that his charm was beginning to work on this little human.
His gaze flicked to a glowing string of lines along her neck. Kal stopped. Markings, first faint, and now growing clearer, burned like rivers of fire down the exposed flesh of her chest, disappearing under her shirt, and spreading down her arms.
He moved back as the fire spread over her.
“Shit.”
She closed her eyes, moaning. Only this time it wasn’t because of his mouth against her.
“What?” she whispered.
He let her go.
“I. Is that normal?”
The markings he’d expected - at some point. He’d been told his mate would share some of his markings, but what the fuck was burning within her? She looked like… well, fuck. She looked like she was burning from the inside out.
He searched his soul. His dragon thrashed within, demanding release.
Not yet.
“Oh,” she gasped.
“So, that’s not normal?” Kal asked.
She shook her hands and waved her arms.
“God, no. What
