“They were killed too,” Charlie says.
I nod. “My father rounded up some of the younglings who had not yet been killed and told us to hide. He told me to protect them. The Braxians had a ship. A ship with weapons that they turned on my people.” My voice is hoarse.
“But you survived.”
“Yes. I was injured, but I survived. I had landed in the forest, fallen into a pile of leaves. I was too wounded to move, and it was little more than luck that kept me alive when they hunted everyone else over the next few days.”
Charlie’s eyes are wet. “Why? Why did they do it?”
“They are descended from dragons—not my people but dragons from their planet. Braxians can no longer shift. Perhaps they were hunted on their planet. Perhaps they decided that they were unwilling to be prey again—unwilling to risk living so close to my people.”
“There’s no excuse,” Charlie snaps. “None.”
I take one of the spirals of Charlie’s hair and pull on it, watching in fascination as it springs back into place. Curls, I remember.
“No,” I say. “There isn’t. Maez’s family found me and helped me heal. When I was large enough, I hunted the Braxians for sport, killing large numbers of them. They were almost extinct like my people when more of them arrived.”
“You didn’t kill them.”
“No. By then, the worst of the rage had passed, and I could almost hear my mother’s voice in my head, telling me that the new arrivals shouldn’t pay for what had been done to my people. But I created my territory and made it clear that any Braxian who dared come close would die screaming.”
“I’m so sorry, Dragix.”
“So am I. You should sleep, little two-leg,” I say simply to see her smile at the nickname.
“What about you?”
“I will sleep too.”
But I spend hours staring at the stars, wondering which of the glimmering lights are my parents.
Chapter Ten
Charlie
I wake to gentle kisses on my face, down my neck, on the arch of my ear. I open my eyes to see Dragix’s face above me, and then his mouth is hard, dominating.
I moan as his tongue strokes mine.
“Dragix,” I mumble, pulling back slightly. “Your wounds.”
“Healed,” he says. “Sore but healed. Please, little two-leg. Be with me.”
How could I do anything else? Yesterday, when I watched him fall, realized how close I’d come to never seeing him again…it almost killed me.
“Yes,” I breathe, and his eyes widen as if he can’t believe his luck.
Dragix is naked, as usual, but he helps me peel off my clothes. I blow out a shaky breath, suddenly nervous, and he pauses above me.
“You are scared.” He goes to move back, and I reach out, pulling him close.
“No, no, not like that. It’s just been a long time. And as I couldn’t help but notice, you’re not exactly small.”
His grin is wicked, his hands gentle as they stroke over me, his touch almost reverent.
“We will go slow,” he says, and then he leans down, once again taking my mouth with his.
His hands explore my body as his tongue explores my mouth. I’m tense, almost shaking against him, desperate for more when he pulls away. Sending me another smile, he begins kissing his way down my body.
My mouth goes dry at the sight of his golden head moving down as his lips caress me, slowly driving me crazy.
“You steal my control,” he murmurs, gazing up at me, his eyes burning.
“Right back atcha,” I manage to reply, but the words turn into a moan as he takes one of my nipples in his mouth.
I wind my fingers into his hair, holding him to me as I gasp. He runs the edges of his teeth lightly against my peaked nipple, and I almost climax right there.
He gives me a wicked, wicked smile, as if he just read my mind. I stare him in the eye and scoot down slightly beneath him until I can reach the long, hard heat of him.
I wrap my hand around him, raising my eyebrows as I find that my fingers don’t quite meet.
“This is a little intimidating,” I say, and he closes his eyes, shuddering above me.
“I would never hurt you,” he manages to get out, and I let out a hum of agreement as I lean up and press my own kisses to his chest.
He grasps my hair, using it to angle my head and taking my mouth once more. His tongue strokes against mine as if he’s starving for the taste of me, as if he’ll never get enough.
I feel the same.
Then he leans down and takes my hand from his cock, pressing a kiss to my palm.
“Allow me to play first,” he says, and I open my mouth to protest, but in the blink of an eye, he’s already between my legs, gently pulling off the loose pants I wore to bed.
I blush as he studies me, and then I squirm as he gazes up at me. He looks at me like I’m candy and he has the world’s biggest sweet tooth.
His hand slides over me, and my cheeks feel even hotter at the sound of my wetness. He groans, and his expression is possessive as he slides his finger inside me. He kisses my inner thighs, using his tongue to make me shiver. I’m so sensitive there, and my shiver seems to delight him as he does it again and again.
“Dragix…”
His finger begins to move, and he adds another, filling me up. He shifts his mouth to my clit and blows on it gently, watching as I writhe.
“Dragix…” He grins up at me, and I can’t help but let out a breathy laugh. “You look far too pleased with yourself.”
He withdraws his fingers, and then he’s pressing himself to me, rubbing against me. I spread my legs even further, and he gently eases inside me. He goes slow, careful not to hurt me, and I’m so desperate for him
