That her only family would be Davin, Marla and their hatchlings.
Tanis knew she could survive it. She just didn’t want to. Because she knew exactly how cold and lonely it was. How brutally awful.
This could be the only night we have together.
It could be the last chanceshehad. That was what scared her most. In all these years, she’d lived completely closed off from everyone else. Lived in a shell where she’d never thought she’d ever be attracted to anyone at all. A part of her had been fine with that, but deep down in a place she’d closed off from the entire world she didn’t really want to be alone.
She wanted to have what others did. To have someone she cared about, who cared about her, too.
And there was no denying what she felt for Dash. Even if he was adreadedunicorn. The awful, feared High King.
For all his bluster and his horrible reputation, he’d been decent to her.
Even now, he was gentle.
This could be the only chance in her life that she’d have to be with a male. And if it was, she didn’t want to let it go without taking a chance.
I don’t want to have any more regrets.
“Would you make love to me, Dash?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
And she wasn’t sure which of them was the most shocked when they betrayed her.
She clapped both of her hands over her mouth, then she began to sputter helplessly. “I... uh... um... What was that? I don’t know, Dash? Moon lunacy. Fire drunk. I’ll go with that. Fire drunk. That sounds reasonable. I’ve lost my mind. Have you seen it?”
Dash chuckled at the rush of color that stained her cheeks as she quickly sought to cover her slip. He’d never met anyone like her. She never hesitated to speak her mind. Even when it was completely insane.
Never played any games with him. So, when she said that, he knew it was without guile or malicious intent.
It was from her heart.
Even though he had no idea why.
“Have you any idea what you’re asking me, Dragon?”
She peeked at him from between the fingers she had covering her eyes. “The mechanics of it, yes. Part A goes into Part B.”
Now, he understood why she’d asked him what she had.
She’d never had anyone love her. He knew that from the kiss they’d shared. She might have been taken, but she’d never been held as if she mattered. Never been held with tenderness as she should have.
Tanis was still as innocent as a virgin.
And that pissed him off for her. No one should be abused like that.
“Do you not have a dragon at home waiting for you, Tanis?”
Shadows haunted her dark eyes as she lowered her hands and shook her head. “I’m stained by my past. No dragon will ever have me.”
Defiled by another species or clan was what she meant. Dragons were very particular about their mates, and they only had one partner for the whole of their lives that was usually picked for them by their families when they were adolescents. While they might have some lovers before marriage, those lovers were all dragons, and usually chosen from within their clan. There was no such thing as cheating in their culture once they were promised to another, as it was met with a swift death penalty were they caught.
“During your captivity?” he asked.
She started away from him.
Dash gently caught her arm. “You don’t have to tell me. I just wanted to understand.”
A single tear fell down her cheek. “It wasn’t by my choice. Yet my family acted as if it was.”
