Page 47 of Dragon’s Ending

Dominic huffed a quiet laugh against my temple, and I shivered at how intimate it felt. “I did try to explain he shouldn’t compromise his collection, but he was insistent I have this one. It’s his favourite, apparently.”

Something soft and helpless unfolded in my chest, and I turned away again, snuggling back against Dominic because kissing him the way I wanted to right now felt too much like a statement.

“You’re very good with him,” I said.

There was a brief pause behind me. Then I felt Dominic shrug slightly. “He’s a kid.”

“An extremely sticky and muddy one.”

That earned me another laugh.

“Are you closely related?” I asked.

“He’s Rae’s, so that probably makes him my second cousin twice removed or something equally ridiculous. Who the hell knows with dragon families?”

His arm tightened against my chest, his fingers shifting idly. It sent a shiver of want through me, though I didn’t think it was just physical.

“Something’s been bugging me,” he said, nuzzling against my ear. Oh, God, I wasn’t sure I was going to survive Dominic. I’d never suspected he’d be like this. Everything he did, everything he was, screamed he was untouchable—except for when he was being the best fuck of someone’s life. But now he was like a very warm, very comfortable, very sexy barnacle. One I never wanted to be without.

I shifted onto my back so I could look at him properly, and I loved the fact he didn’t let go of me. He simply adjusted his grip.

“What?” I asked. I thought he’d been building up to a question, though I’d lost track somewhere with the way he was pressed against me, warm and so very naked.

“When you shift. You’re white, but it’s not albinism. So how?”

I shrugged. “I just am. Might as well ask why you’re grey.”

“Yeah, but there are plenty of grey dragons, and no white ones. Anywhere.”

“Outside my family, you mean,” I said. “We’re all white.”

“Huh,” he said, and his brow creased slightly. “That’s not fair.”

“Fair?” I asked cautiously, because I had no idea what he meant.

“You look so bloody dramatic in the night sky, and now you’re telling me there’s loads of you who do that. Definitely not fair.”

My lips twitched at how offended he sounded.

“But there has to be a reason why,” he added. “Doesn’t there?”

“So far as I’m aware, it’s simple genetics. Takes two white dragons to make another white one.”

He looked oddly disappointed.

“You were expecting a centuries-old witch’s curse?” I asked him. “Sorry to disappoint.”

He made an affronted little noise, but then his lips curved. “Would’ve been more fun. Leaving aside the whole bit about you being cursed.”

“If it helps, I don’t think genetics explains why our treasure’s different,” I said. “Maybe we’re more different than I thought.” And that felt suddenly… not good.

Some of my family had been worried about mixing with other dragons for the first time in centuries, but I’d actually been excited. It had never occurred to me that anyone might judge us for the way we were.

“Hey, no,” he said, and kissed me. “Don’t say it like that. Different’s not bad. It’s just different.”

He stroked my hair back from my face, and I leaned into his hand.

Then his eyes narrowed on mine. “What do you mean, your treasure’s different?”