Rorik laughed.
My heart nearly stopped.
Holy Drake, that sound was just as beautiful as his moan—maybe even more so.
When Rorik noticed I was staring at him, he stopped. “What?”
“You laughed,” I said, smiling. “I’ve never heard you laugh before.”
He blushed deeper. “I laugh,” he mumbled defensively.
“Not in front of me, grumpy pants bear,” I teased.
Rorik raised a brow. “Grumpy pants? I’m not even wearing pants…”
“You should not wear pants more often,” I joked, eyeing his limp cock. “Looks good on you.”
As if suddenly realizing the gravity of what he’d just done, Rorik groaned. He flopped onto the bed and threw a forearm across his face.
“I can’t believe I let a dragon suck my dick,” he complained. Then he abruptly sat upright and fixed me with a grave look. “This is all a big joke, isn’t it? A trick for the cameras. You’re not a dragon. You’re a different kind of shifter. There are other powerful creatures with talons.”
I scoffed. “Wow, rude. I do have some pride as a dragon, you know.”
Rorik narrowed his eyes. “I don’t believe you. Dragons aren’t…”
“Dragons aren’t what?”
“They’re not likeyou,” Rorik blurted.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
A knock interrupted us. Rorik cursed and, unfortunately for me, quickly threw his clothes back on. I scowled on the bed while Rorik strode towards the door. Why did somebody have to interrupt usnow?Leaving that conversation unfinished annoyed the hell out of me.
“Maybe I should just go,” I muttered. “I’m not supposed to be here, anyway.”
Rorik paused, his hand hovering on the door handle. His brow furrowed. Was he upset that I was leaving, or was he upset that I was here at all? Now that our moment of intimacy was over, did he regret it?
Rorik avoided my gaze. “If you think that’s best,” he mumbled.
My stomach sank.
Stupid emotionally constipated bear.
“Fine. I’m out,” I ground out. But as I grabbed my clothes and launched off the bed, I paused at the window, shooting one last look at Rorik.
The past hour had been so perfect. We’d had a breakthrough, finally connecting on a deeper level. So why did it end like this? Why was Rorikstillpushing me away?
Even though I waited for him, Rorik didn’t look back. That was the last straw. Before I saw who was on the other side of the door, I shifted and flew into the night, ready to drown my sorrow in a comfort movie and a giant fucking bowl of popcorn.
11
Rorik
Hells,this was the longest day of my life. Before I even opened the door, my whole body sagged with fatigue. I was ready to collapse on the bed and be unconscious… until I had to wake up the next morning and perform the next challenge on the Dragonfate Games.
I didn’t even want to think about that. I grunted, shook it off, then pried the door open.
Poppy stood there.
