“What about your father?”
Her eyes dimmed as she spoke. “He got sick. Cancer. It’s not something a shifter would understand, but he was human. My mother abandoned us when I was little, and he was all I had.”
Deo had heard of diseases here on Earth. He’d found the frailty of the human race fascinating and also a bit worrisome when looking for mates. He was worried that all the information they’d known was wrong. What if these humans couldn’t withstand their dragon's magic? What if their mate was sick and their magic couldn’t overcome the illness? What if their mates didn’t exist at all?
Thousands of years of traditions and every generation of Amit dragon warrior had new battles to face. Apparently he and his brothers faced sassy women from Earth.
“I understand the sadness in your eyes all too well. I’m sorry.”
She sniffled, and her words were choked. “My father lost his battle, and I wish I could have stopped it.”
Deo’s chest ached for her, not just because she was his mate, but also because he understood what it was to lose someone and not have been able to do a thing about it.
“I am sorry, my Aisha. I’m sure he still looks over from the afterworld. The goddess has a plan for all of us.”
Deo reached for a tear trailing down her cheek, catching it with his finger. Goddess, what could he do?
Bending down, he kissed the spot where the tear had been. Deo didn’t want to see her hurting, but sometimes things were beyond even what he could fix. Gently, he cradled her chin and captured her eyes with his own soft stare.
“I would kiss away your sadness, if you’d let me.”
She swallowed. “I… I don’t want to feel this pain anymore. I don’t want anyone to ever feel this pain again. I want to save lives. This is why I took my fellowship here.”
She bit her lower lip and sniffled again. “And now even that might go away. I wanted to combine magic and science to find something. But my grant request was denied, and even my colleagues have abandoned me. At least-”
She stopped and looked back at the human male. “Even Tan is easily swayed away from me.”
Deo titled his head, watching the human male and the woman. He then looked back at Aisha.
“I have not abandoned you. I believe in your work. I knew it from the moment I laid eyes on you. You would change my world, and yes, I believe you will change this one.”
Aisha turned her head back to him, looking up, and blinking several more tears away.
“I don’t understand you half the time, but when I am here,” she stopped, and placed her hand to his chest. “I feel the truth in your words. But how do I know that what you say isn’t just what I want to hear? Have you ever heard of criminals being experts at what they do? Knowing how to prey on people or finding jobs in the field to access what they need? How do I trust you?”
Deo thought about it. He’d never been asked how one was to know trust. You just did. A dragon warrior was bound by his word and by his honor. If one were to lie, it could jeopardize the mission. Even with honor, sometimes the fight didn’t end well, but at the very least they would die a hero.
“I am bound by my word. Honor is all I have to offer, for now.”
She shivered in his embrace.
“What does that mean? For now?” she asked.
Visions of her naked, splayed out for his taking, flashed in his mind. “Once I claim you, once you are mine, nothing would be a secret. My heart and my soul would be yours.” He covered her hand with his own. “My mind would be open for you to explore. I have nothing to hide.”
She didn’t look away from him. “What,” she cut herself off and licked her lips before continuing.
“What exactly does claiming involve? Like, what do you have to do?”
Wrapping an arm around her, Deo pulled her against him. It was a good sign she was open to talking to him. Maybe she felt what he did? Or perhaps she was at least starting to.
“I would start by kissing you. Like this,” he said, gently touching his lips to hers.
“Yes,” she said, her eyes closing as he moved down her chin.
“Then I would touch you here,” he said, as he moved his hand between her legs.
Her eyes flew open, and he smirked at her surprise.
“I would pleasure you until you screamed my name.” His words were barely a whisper.
Deo kissed her jawline down to the soft skin of her neck as she tilted her head, inviting him for more. Once he got to her collarbone, he shifted his position. Moving his hand to the neck of her shirt and pulling it aside.
Licking the space between her neck and her shoulder, he spoke. “Here is where you would bear my mark.”
He liked the way her breathing hitched and her chest pressed against him as she inhaled.
“But, for now. I’ve asked you to trust me and you do not. So, let me show you trust. Should we go on a date? Perhaps back to your lab and look at specimens? I would do anything to see you smile.”
He would do anything to keep her, and if that meant earning her trust, he would do what he had to.
5
Aisha couldn’t look away. She didn’t want to look away. His eyes were endless, like they held the answer to everything in her world. What would happen if she stopped thinking, just this once? Let him have her.
If anything, her body might enjoy the release. But what if she believed him? Dragon shifter, it sounded real. Paranormal beings were everywhere, hiding in plain sight. Who was to say that dragons hadn’t mastered this ability?
Who was she to deny the heat coursing through her body? Her own magic had come to life
