Her voice came out lower. “This may make me sound super insecure, but I’m okay with that. . .”
“Then, say it.”
“I know they’re your personal Scales, but I don’t want to share you with them or any other women.” Her words trembled slightly at the edges, and I realized what it had cost her to say that.
To draw that line.
Her eyes held mine, and in them I saw fear wrapped in steel.
Fear that she wasn't enough.
Fear that being with the Dragon meant accepting a hoard that included other women.
Fear that her love was too much, not enough, or the wrong kind entirely.
But she said it anyway.
My brave, beautiful Tiger.
The words had also hit me like a physical blow—not pain, but impact.
Pure, undiluted claim.
My Tiger was staking her territory.
And fuck if that didn't make every possessive instinct in me roar to life.
Mmmm.
She wasn't asking permission.
She was drawing boundaries.
Staking her territory on my heart, my body, my future.
And I wanted to let her.
Wanted to watch her sink her claws in deep and never let go.
Good.
Because I'd already decided she would have all of me. Not just my body, my power, my protection.
But my last name.
My ring.
My children growing inside her.
I just had to survive this fucking war long enough to give them to her.
Therefore, I didn't respond with words. Instead, I captured that sexy mouth and let my tongue tell her how much I agreed with her claim.
My hand fisted in her soft, damp braids, holding her exactly where I wanted her while I showed her with my lips, tongue, and teeth that she had nothing to fear from these three women in garnet uniforms.
When I finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard.
Her lips moved against mine, and her arms wrapped around my neck as I pulled her closer. There was an urgency in her grip, a desperation that echoed my own need to claim her, to mark her in every way possible.
