I am Valor.
Holy shit. I was totally freaking out. I probably should’ve been scared, but I felt anything but. Excitement, euphoria, adrenaline. So much adrenaline. My hands shook with it.
Deep inside, a little voice said I should be upset and scared, but I barely heard it over my internal shrieks of excitement. I wanted to pet his scales and ride him through the clouds.
“How is this possible?” I whispered, but my voice grew louder with every question. “How many of you are there? Is this real? Can I touch you? Who all knows about this? Can you breathe fire?”
A deep, throaty chuckle floated into my head. In order. Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t make it unreal. There are more of us than I could count on the planet. All the male Kingstons. Yes, this is real. I believe humans call it a ‘need to know’ basis. And only under extreme duress can I breathe fire.
I had to bite my tongue to keep from squealing.
I would be honored if you touched me.
My throat caught my breath and my extreme excitement flatlined into ecstasy. “How can I hear you in my head? Can you talk to others like that?”
Only other dragons. And my fated mate.
Okay, so he couldn’t just speak to anyone. Only other dragons and… Wait. He just said— Holy shit. “Fated mate?” I’d read enough paranormal to know exactly what a fated mate was.
Yes.
“Are you sure?” I whispered as I stepped forward a few inches.
If it were not true, you couldn’t hear me.
Laughter bubbled up my throat again, excited, borderline hysterical. “Fated mate. I’m your fated mate.”
And Rico’s.
Rico. Oh, for fuck’s sake. Rico. My employee. My lover. My temporary employee and the best lover I’ve ever had. The one who was moving away after a year to live in solitude with his fortune.
And I was his fated mate. That sobered me a bit.
Valor stepped toward me as a deep rumble emitted from his chest, the same sexy one I recognized from my time with Rico. Had it been Valor doing that through him all along?
I had a fated mate, but that was some deep shit I’d figure out later. For now, I had a real freaking dragon standing right in front of me. The urge to run my hands over him was overwhelming. I needed physical proof to keep my mind grounded.
Tentatively, I walked toward the dragon. Toward Valor. “You’re real.”
He didn’t speak in my head, but he ducked his head as I got close. Blinking, he crouched low. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. I giggled again as my fingers brushed the back of Valor’s head and felt the smooth scales that were also somehow as hard as rock. The big, black dragon growled and pushed his head harder into my hand.
My hands continued to shake with disbelief and nothing short of pure rapture as Valor rubbed against me like a cat. The low rumbling in his chest sounded like a purr, and I was grinning so hard my face started to hurt. This was so crazy, so freaking unbelievable!
“Can I ride you?” I blurted. Then it dawned on me that might’ve been a rude question. “Oh, I’m sorry. Was that too forward?”
Valor pushed closer, nearly knocking me off my feet. I squealed in laughter and threw my arms around him. Yes, you can ride me, but we should take it slow to start.
“Yeah, of course.” I walked around him, touching him, running my hands all over, his back, his tail. The long, black tail thumped the ground happily after I touched the tip.
I chose you. As soon as I smelled you in the bar the first time, even before I or Rico saw you. I knew.
He knew, somehow, that Rico and I would be the perfect companions to each other. And his dragon. Dragon.
Holy shit. The Kingstons. They were all shifters. “Is the dragon gene, or whatever, does it come out in men only?”
That is a mystery we do not understand. The gene does not pass to women.
“Amongst all shifters everywhere?” I asked as I rounded Valor and looked him in the eye again.
He cocked his head. I do not know.
Fair enough. I couldn’t have expected one dragon to know it all, especially where other shifters were concerned. I certainly didn’t know everything there was to know about human physiology. “I expect I’ll learn more, won’t I?”
He chuckled, and even though he didn’t speak out loud, I recognized it as amusement. Are you well, mate?
I couldn’t stop the laughter. “My legs are wobbly,” I whispered.
Sit down.
Sounded like a good idea. I sank into the soft grass and found I’d moved around so I was back on the blanket again. “I want you to tell me about yourself,” I whispered. “Please.”
He began to speak in my head and tell me about the history of the dragons, but I was ashamed to admit that it didn’t really sink in. The only thing I was able to focus on in all my elation was the cadence of his voice. The melodic nature of his tones lulled me and calmed my racing heart.
Feel better?
I sucked in a deep breath and nodded, realizing that just listening to his voice had helped tremendously. “I do.” Looking up at Valor, I smiled. “What does this mean for us?”
When you’re ready, Rico will bite you during sex. It will create a bond between the three of us. Your life will be extended.
Excellent, I’d get a long life. That was certainly a nice perk. This was like I’d woken up in an alternate universe. “Does it—the bite, I mean—will it hurt?”
As far as I know, it does not. Each dragon gives the bite to only one person in their life. I’ve never spoken to another dragon about it directly, though. It’s a very private, intimate experience.
“I imagine that’s true. But still, you haven’t heard of any pain?”
Valor shook his head and laid
