Page 40 of Feathers and Scales

“Were there any women?” she asked.

He paused as if reading into her words.

Heat rose to her cheeks. He cocked his head with a grin, and her breath caught.

He said, “We’re not a partnering group. We keep to ourselves. A life like ours is dangerous and busy, so having relationships can be a burden. But when we mature, we are prone to experiment.”

As attractive as Daxton was, she was sure he experimented without issue. But the thought of him with other women sat heavy in her stomach. “When do you reach maturity?”

“We mature more slowly than humans, typically between the ages of thirty and thirty-five.”

“It’s common for species with longer life spans to reach adulthood later. Is it true that dragon women only go into heat, or what I assume is their ovulation period, every five years?”

Cornelius had complained about how long it took between heat cycles. He’d enjoyed the dragon Dance, when males fought to get into the running for a female’s breeding choice.

“Yes, it makes it hard to reproduce.” He sounded solemn.

Were their pregnancies longer than a human’s? Were their babies born dragon or human? Was it a live birth or with eggs hatched? So many questions burned in her mind. But the insistent nagging to learn abouthimyelled louder. “So, do you still experiment…sexually, I mean?” She fidgeted in her seatin disbelief she asked that.

“No one’s caught my eye in some time. What about you?” Though his face resembled a blank mask, tightness tugged at the link, and his jealous curiosity radiated warmth throughout her cheeks.

“Knowledge is the only real lover I’ve ever had.”

Daxton gave her a charming grin. Other men had looked at her in the same seductive way. But Daxton was the only one who made herfeel. And that was dangerous.

“Don’t you want to know what would happen if there wasn’t a shield between us?” He twisted her hair softly.

The idea of an unguarded link sent her breathing and heart rate into overdrive. She couldn’t afford any more emotions sabotaging her mind. But if Izzy wanted to discover a cure for the link, she’d have to open herself up to it.

“I didn’t mean to cause you any discomfort,” she murmured.

“What do you mean?”

She drew back her shield from the link.

His spirit barreled into her consciousness. Her head pressurized, as if she’d gone through an altitude difference. A mixture of chest-tightening shock, heart-soothing relief, and deeply rooted satisfaction filtered through the link. His closeness allowed her to touch him with a mere thought.

Daxton’s eyes sparked with a metallic gleam. Was that a trick of the light?

“Thank you, Izzy.”

His husky voice did it again—made her heart speed up. It was an annoying organ whenever he was around. Since her throat was parched, she longed to reach for the glass of water beside her, but that would require him to relinquish his hold on her hair. She longed for his touch, but she needed to keep distance between them. She leaned back, freeing herself from his hold, and erased all emotion from her face.

She crossed her arms. “It’s only fair. Plus, I can’t learn about the link if I block it.”

He closed his hand. “I’m to be your next science project then?”

She wanted to say something to deter his advances, but the words died in her throat. An unfamiliar side of her flinched at the thought of hurting him. To appease both sides of her battling mind, she shrugged. His stare burned into her, so she faced the window. In the corner of her eye, she caught him standing as if to leave. A heavy emotion weighed down her thoughts—disappointment.

Without warning, her chair dipped as Daxton placed his hands on her armrests, caging her. As she pitched forward, she grabbed his wrists.

Her gaze collided with his bronze-colored eyes.

The molten metal flowed with surreal viscosity as he stood above her. He leaned down, and she fell back into the chair. The dragon prowled near the surface of his gaze. She swallowed hard but didn’t dare look elsewhere. A strange thrill raced down her spine.

Heat pulsed under her palms. She didn’t want to let go of him. Emotions ran through her in rampant chaos. Anxiety. Delight. Curiosity. All crashing into one cohesive human experience. She concentrated on the sensation of his skin under her hands to distract herself.

“Are you always this warm?” she asked, breathless.