Like he’s afraid, afraid I’ll go away.
I have to make him understand I won’t. But will he trust me? He’s been stuck down here for so long I can’t even comprehend it. What would that do to his mind? Being alone. In the dark. Without food or companionship. Without having anyone know you’re gone or missing? What would that do to any being? Dragon or not?
I force myself not to look his way.
I turn away from the direction of the cave-in and make my way around the cavern. Far to my right and in the distance, I see the fire and Drazak beside it. I know he’s watching me. I can feel it.
His eyes burn my skin. He’d be able to see me even without the light from my torch. I’m certain. There’s still disbelief that I’m even bonded at all, that I have a male to call my own.
That I have my own dragon. I have always envied Issa and Aida for their virile men.
I’ve barely had time to process him being mine, so little time has passed since seeing him for the first time, since the taut, sizzling heat in my soul sprang to life and knotted with his. Finding more kindling for the fire was a chore needing done, but it was also an excuse. I need to get away and clear my head. I’ve never needed someone or something as badly as I need him.
Years of lonely nights wishing for a mate did not prepare me for this. Years of overhearing the sounds of bonded pairs mating never heated my blood like this.
I want to consume him. Or maybe I want him to consume me.
Will he?
He’s everything that I imagined. Dark, dizzying, and beautiful—even wicked. I’d never known a human could look wicked, but Drazak does. How is that possible? Drazak resembles a dark, fiendish male that had come from the shadows itself. And hadn’t he? I found him in the darkest place I’d ever been, and I swear it isn’t smoke coming from the jewel on his brow—it is darkness. Like he creates it.
But will he want me like I want him? He’s been erect for as long as I’ve known him… Is it only because of the strings that bind us, or can he want me for me? Making a male erect… It is a symbol of excitement for the females of my tribe. Even the mermaids love priming the few human males they know.
And Drazak is erect—primed—for me. Because of me.
I’m not the youngest or most beautiful female of my tribe. I’m not even the youngest or most beautiful of my two sisters. I may be a better huntress, but I can’t cook, my sewing is atrocious, and my craftwork is wanting. I’m the one sent to gather wild fruit and forage for supplies, not to actually make something with those supplies that betters the tribe.
Will he be ashamed of me if we get out of here and he sees me? Really sees me in comparison to the other females, ones he could have been mated to?
I feel my heart sink.
I want Drazak so badly it hurts. I’m wet and aching for him, but I shouldn’t be. It takes effort not to climb onto his lap and have him. My cheeks warm.
I want everything a mate could offer me—to never be alone at night again, to feel whatever tremendous way the other females feel when they’re being rutted.
I’ve never had the sexual training given to the other females—lessons in what to expect to happen after a mating ceremony, but I’ve heard and seen enough to know. That a male’s cock goes into me repeatedly—that there is discomfort and a lot of pleasure during it—that there is an intense burst of bliss. A bliss that couldn’t be had solely by rubbing your fingers between your legs in the middle of the night.
I wipe my arm across my brow. I’m clenching just thinking about Drazak filling that spot between my legs. The ones my fingers have only dared enter a couple times before, and only out of curiosity.
But will he still want me once he knows there are others, more worthier females?
My heart quakes. I don’t know why I’m worrying about it so much.
It doesn’t feel right. That I have lucked into this bond when others have died for it…
I will have to prove that I am worthy of it.
I glance to the right and behind me toward where the fire should be—but I no longer see it. It gives me a moment of panic. Then I find a distant glow dancing behind some large rocks, one that’s barely perceptible. But it is there and he is safe.
Moving full circle, I scan my surroundings, realizing I’m much further into the cavern than I have been before. Checking my weapon, I place my back to the fire’s light, and continue, keeping an eye on the ground for kindling.
The cave around me slowly changes. Each step is chillier than the last. The coastal tribes only have a short cold season, so we rarely wear our shawls and high sandals, but right now, I wish I had them. Being cold is not something I’m used to.
Something moves in the corner of my eyes, and I twist toward it, stilling, as I watch a long centiworm scurry across the ground. A small shriek escapes. The worm vanishes into the dark. I shake out my body in disgust.
Waters, I hope Drazak didn’t hear. I shake again and continue forward, now watching the ground more diligently. The ground is now dirt and roots, differing from the rocks and slate near the fire. There’ll be more critters here. The soles of my sandals sink in the softer ground.
The wall I follow turns inward toward me, ending in a bend. The ceiling has lowered and it’s right above my head now. I press my palm to it, moving forward. In a few steps, I have to hunker so I don’t
