“Yeah. About that?—”
“Where did you get these things?” He gestures widely, indicating my entire hoard, not any particular item.
Shit, is he pissed I’ve spent a millennium robbing demons? I swallow hard and shrug.
“I’ve collected them.”
“Collected,” he repeats, carefully cradling a chalice I stole ages ago. I brace for the usual wave of possessive fury to hit me. No one should be touching my precious hoard. It’s for me alone… and my mate one day, if I ever get around to having one. A real one. But surprisingly, my dragon doesn’t react. No, that’s not true, he does react, but instead of rage, he preens. “Interesting,” Drax murmurs, unaware of the silent battle going on inside me.
“Is it?” I ask hoarsely.
He nods thoughtfully and sets the chalice back down.
“So, the mating ring… how does it work?” I do my best to sound casual and resist the urge to tug on the damn stuck ring again. Maybe there’s a trick to it, like one of those finger trap things.
Drax tilts his head, his brow deeply creased with confusion. “It seems you know the answer because I’m here.” He smiles, revealing sharp, pointy, but very white teeth.
“Pretend I don’t and explain it to me, please?”
“I was always told as a wee demon that one day I would meet another being and I would know in my deepest truth that they were my mate. I would present my ring, and they would take it, and wear it for eternity, intricately binding our souls together, never to part.” Drax gazes up and my breath catches from the sight of the shimmery swirls of pink on his cheeks. “I’ve waited a long time to meet you, Mate.”
“But that’s not how this went.” My voice rises several octaves with panic. How is my dragon still so calm about this? Have I just fucked up so many times that the stupid lizard has ceased to give a shit about it?
Drax gives me a serious look, like he’s preparing to reason with a toddler having a meltdown. “You took my ring and put it on. Why did you want it if not to be my mate?”
I close my eyes for a second and rub my forehead. Me and my sticky fingers and my fetish for demon artifacts. “It’s pretty,” I admit. “I like pretty things. I’m a dragon. It’s kind of what we do.”
Drax grins. “All mating rings are pretty, but you chosemyring. Now I will spend eternity pleasing you.”
He says it so simply, like none of this is even a question. We just met today! You can’t mate with someone you don’t even know. My brother, Lord, and his accidental mating aside.
“Are you sure it’s not my form displeasing you?” he asks again. “I can be anything you like. Watch.”
His body shivers and his features turn from what I would describe as male to distinctly feminine. His cock turns inward, his pec muscles swell, elongating his nipples, and his jaw softens.
“Do you prefer a female demon?”
“Okay, hot, but no. You look good the way you are.”
“Oh.” Drax shivers again, returning to his original form. “I could make anything bigger or smaller.”
His cock grows several inches, taking on a girthier look. My mouth waters and my dragon surges forward again, my eyes shifting to take in the demon. Good to know my demon fetish extends to their physical form and not just their treasures.
“That’s impressive, but it’s not how you look, Drax. You’re gorgeous.”
He preens, dragging a clawed hand through his long locks. “As you know, I can appear human too for the times when we go out in this realm. We have human behavior books in the underworld I can read. I’ll learn to be your perfect mate.” He radiates warmth I can feel from across the room. “I’m not an incubus, but I am, and always will be, available to you. Your needs, your pleasure, anything you desire, are my soul focus.”
Oof. That’s a lot. Heady. But there’s just no way I’m ready to be someone’s mate. I’m so young, and I have a lot more to do before I get tied down to just one being for eternity. As sweet as Drax seems, it’s just not gonna work out.
I’ll figure out how to break this bond without hurting his feelings. This isn’t the first mess I’ve gotten myself into. Clearly not even the first one today. I’ll get myself out of it. Somehow.
Drax steps closer, wrapping his tail around my thigh. I sway without meaning to, my eyelids fluttering.
“If I am not all you desire, I will be. You can count on that.”
“It’s not that, Drax. I didn’t mean to?—”
“Didn’t mean what?” He drags his claws softly along my jaw, careful not to slice my skin, even though we both know I would heal instantly. “You delight me. I’ve always wanted my very own mate, and here you are. I never thought it would be Auri who introduced me to mine, but what a pleasant surprise. Would you like to see all I can do to bring you pleasure?”
