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She paused, and Alex felt his eyebrows twitching in a frown. What she was saying felt familiar to him, like it was a story he knew but had forgotten. He rubbed his hand on her arm, urging her to continue, putting it from his mind for now.
“All of that is compounded by the fact that female dragons are even rarer among my kind. And the only way the species is continued is with another female dragon. Male dragons can only sire dragon offspring with another dragon. If they mate with another shifter species, the baby will always be the other shifter’s animal. Even with a female dragon, it might not happen. For whatever reason, it’s hard for us to get pregnant. Not impossible, but it doesn’t happen as easily or as often as other shifters, or humans.
“You also have to understand that male dragons feel entitled, and superior to everyone else. They take what they want. And what they want are offspring, and the females who can produce them. So when they find a female, they don’t hesitate or ask questions. They’re brutal, and will use whatever means necessary to get what they want.”
“And that’s what you’re hiding from. You don’t want a male to find you,” he said slowly.
“Yes. I don’t want a forced mating.”
“A mating?” he asked, the word sparking something vicious inside him.
“A mating is kind of like what a marriage is to a human.”
Something in him sensed there was more to the story than that, but he let it slide as he thought about everything else she told him.
“What about females who are already mated? Do they just steal them away?”
She shook her head. “Not generally, no. There are laws we follow, including starting shifter wars, and stealing another shifter’s mate would do just that between the two species. Even dragons aren’t foolish enough to break that rule and start one. But if the mate was a human… that wouldn’t stop a dragon.”
Ahhh, he got it now. This is why she said it was so dangerous for him to be with her. The prick males would probably eat him in a heartbeat to get to her, if they found them. He hadn’t been sure of the details, but he’d suspected she was running from her kind, and he wouldn’t be able to protect her from them if that were the case. But having it confirmed changed nothing, even if it did mean he was in danger. He knew he wouldn’t be able to turn away from her, even if there was a dickweed dragon standing right in front of them.
“Alex?” she said softly, her tone tinged faintly in worry she was trying to hide. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Maybe I should have, before we ever slept together. I just—”
Shaking his head, he placed a quick kiss on her lips. “Hush. It doesn’t matter when you told me. It would have changed nothing for me.”
“Maybe it should, though. I’m not sure you understand just what you’re getting yourself into by being with me.”
“It’s not hard to imagine. Shifters are a lot stronger than humans, and I’m sure only another dragon could go up against one with ease. It still changes nothing.”
“You generally strike me as a very smart man, Alex, but that statement is making me doubt your intelligence.”
“Or maybe it should make me appear even smarter. I was smart enough to recognize what an amazing woman you are, wasn’t I?”
Huffing a laugh, she buried her face in his neck. “Sweet talker. How were you even still single?” She paused, her body tensing. “I forgot about that in the midst of worrying about dragons, but Alex… what if you aren’t?”
“Single? I am. Or rather, I was. I like to think I’m not any longer.”
“But how can you know for sure? You don’t remember hardly anything from your past.”
Frowning, he tried to figure out how to explain the certainty he felt about being free to be with her. “I’m not sure I can explain it. I just know, down to my bones, that I was. It feels like there hasn’t been anyone for me for a long time, and never anyone like you.”
Slowly relaxing into his side, Cammie blew out a breath. “I believe you. Still, it’ll be nice when you finally regain your memories and we know for sure. So you knew about shifters this whole time. I can’t believe you never said anything, even when we asked you if you remembered anything.”
“That’s not something I remembered, though. It’s just something I knew instinctively, somehow.”
“You’re splitting hairs with that. And you still didn’t say a word.”
“I had no way of explaining how I knew. You never would have believed me if I said I just somehow did.”
She glanced up at him, eyes dancing. “We can hear lies, remember? We would have believed you.” Glancing down, she rubbed her hand on his thigh. “About the dragons… I need you to not try to protect me from them. I know that probably doesn’t sit well with you, but you can’t go up against one of them and win. It’ll only get you killed.”
Reaching down, he grabbed her hand and threaded his fingers through hers, stopping her distracting movements. “I don’t think I could stand by if someone was trying to hurt you, Cammie.”
“This isn’t negotiable. I can’t have you killed because of me.”
He searched her eyes for a moment, finally nodding and leaning down to kiss her. Praying the stall tactic worked, he deepened the kiss, angling her head so he could push his tongue into her mouth. Desire instantly heated his blood, and what started as a way to distract her quickly turned real.
When he finally pulled away, their chests were heaving for air, and Cammie’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes dazed and flickering with her dragon. Satisfaction welled up inside him at the sight, and he dropped one more quick kiss on her swollen lips.
