“Hey,” he yelped.
The moment my back smacked the mattress, I came up swinging.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” Thorne’s heavy frame landed between my thighs.
“Damn you!” I thrashed beneath him.
Panting, I glared up at his smiling face.
“I can do this all night, Princess.”
“Ha! You wish,” I taunted.
His smile turned molten. “Shall I prove it?”
My nipples hardened against his chest, tingles spiraling between my legs. Dammit. What was wrong with me? Did Draconis exhale some maddening pheromone that muddled a woman’s wits?
He brushed the tip of his nose along mine, a rumble vibrating through his chest. “Me thinks the lady enjoyed the chase as well.”
“Did not,” I said, our mouths but a breath apart. If I tilted my head even slightly, our lips would connect. I couldn’t help butwonder how he would taste. Sweet like the honeyed ale we’d drank? Or smoky with a spicy dash of his wildfire fragrance?
Beneath his chin, a luminous light flared. Warmth unfurled in my chest in answer, a molten thread tugging between us. Power, strength and hunger flooded my senses.
At the edge of my mind, a mighty beast stirred. Instead of fear, belonging swept through me.Mine.The growl rumbled through my bones, low and possessive.
I gasped, looking up at Thorne with wide eyes. “What is that? Do you feel that?”
He glanced down, then winced. In an instant, the flood of heat vanished, contained behind a frigid wall. Faster than I could track, he was back on his side of the bed. Only this time, he faced away from me. “It’s nothing. Let’s get some sleep.”
My muscles tensed at the sudden loss of his body heat, the odd sting of rejection a slap to the face. I shivered, hugging myself, yet the glow remained, pulsing faintly beneath my breasts.
Panic squeezed me, stealing my breath. “Thorne,” I gasped, voice shaky. “S–something’s happening.”
“What?” He flipped to his back, eyed my chest and exhaled a heated growl. “Flark, Sera.”
I rolled up onto my knees, clawing at my sternum. “What is this? Why am I glowing?”
Thorne sat up, catching my frantic hands in his. “Easy now. No need to panic.”
“How can you say that?” My voice cracked. “This may be normal for a dragon, but not for me.”
“Calm—”
“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down.” Tingles of adrenaline prickled my flesh.
“Sera, listen.” He placed his hand over the glow. “There’s nothing wrong with you. The flame inside of you…is mine.”
“Yours?” My mind fractured, bits of sanity leaking out. “Areyou saying I possess a part of your dragon flame?”
He winced. “Guess you and Alaric didn’t cover this last night?”
“Cover what?”
“Here.” His touch softened, stroking over my sternum. Little by little, the light dimmed, then faded, leaving my skin cool once more.
I sagged with relief, pressing a hand to the spot. “How did you do that?”
For the first time since meeting the man, he seemed, dare I say, nervous.
