Page 12 of Dragon’s Rebel

The creature just never let up. And he was pretty sure Rebel was not impressed with his tail, or his scales, or his horns, or anything dragony about him. Of course, the one time they’d met when he was in human form, she hadn’t seemed impressed with that, either.

He sighed, a small flame coming out of his throat. There was no way Rebel was going to fall in love with him, dragon or not. She’d already made that clear. Which was going to make mating with her a problem.

And he had to convince her to mate with him. The Draken Lord had come way too close to breaking free a few weeks ago. They needed the second Seal, and that meant he needed Rebel. If being her mate was the only way to fulfill the prophecy and find the Dolphin Seal, that’s what he had to do.

He just had to convince her to agree to bond with him. The problem was, she was a professional thief. He wasn’t sure her sense of duty stretched to committing herself for life to a grouchy, uninteresting, un-fun Wild Dragon.

He’d thought she would like his gold. Thieves liked money. That’s why they stole things, wasn’t it? But she’d tried to gamble most of his mating gifts away in poker games with the other dragons.

He needed to find another way to win her over.

Shut up.

He called out to Rebel again, growing more worried when she still didn’t answer.

What if she were hurt? Captured?

Dead?

No. He would know if she were dead. They were connected by the prophecy. Surely he’d know.

His dragon was right. He should never have let her go in there alone. It was his duty to protect her, whether she wanted him to or not.

He was perfectly willing to do his duty. To become her mate, to do whatever it took to get the Seal. They could make a decent life together, the way Draken mates always had.

Her beautiful wavy dark brown hair and her taut athletic body with its soft breasts and hips were unimportant. As was the rare, flashing smile that lit up her entire face when he was lucky enough to bring it to the surface. The sadness he sometimes saw in her eyes that made him want to hold her close. Her fierce courage, her strength, and her determination.

All completely irrelevant.

They certainly didn’t have to get all sappy together the way Zane and Blaze were. With Zane’s bear shifter blood, he couldn’t help being sentimental.

Thorne was never sentimental. He and Rebel would have a respectful, sensible, dutiful mating. No drama.

That’s what they’d do.

Below him in the building, windows began to light up. Moments later, red emergency strobes began pulsing, and his sharp dragon ears caught the sound of alarm bells ringing.

The parking lot and the roof of the building were suddenly ablaze with floodlights.

They’d found her.

Thorne was overcome by a sudden wave of protectiveness. MINE! he roared. My treasure! And no one messed with his treasure.

Thorne folded his wings and dove.