AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t want to say the wordsdefileme, which makes it sound as though a woman could be dirtied and tossed aside.
Scaldric stares into my eyes. “Did he try?”
I shake my head. Rook never forced me, though it doesn’t feel safe to admit that I wanted him to take my virginity.
“He would have been tempted by you.”
I let out a hollow laugh. “Like you?”
“You’re trembling.” When Scaldric sighs, smoke wisps between his teeth. “I don’t wish to frighten you.”
He backs away and gives me some distance. I tense my legs, though it would be foolish of me to run into the Thornwood while I’m still chained by aellurium.
Scaldric shudders when transformation ripples over his body. Golden scales melt away from pale skin. His wings and tail vanish as he shifts into a man. The wound on his shoulder persists even in this shape. He’s tall, almost as tall as Rook, with hair as blond as corn silk and blue eyes the color of glacial ice.
He is, of course, naked. I glance over his body, though I don’t let my gaze linger.
“Look as long as you please,” he says.
He has the same deep voice he had as a dragon. I look again, wondering if I will desire him. He’s an undeniably handsome man. Lean muscles sculpt his body. It seems dangerous to stare too long at his cock, since he isn’t hard and I don’t want to encourage him.
“Tell me the truth, lovely Pyrah.” His voice turns velvety. “Are you in heat?”
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
Icurl my hands into fists to hide how much they tremble. “You already know.”
“I want to hear you confess.”
“Why?”
Closing his eyes, he breathes in deeply. “Your scent is unmistakable, but are you willing? Are you ready to take a mate?”
My stomach tightens into a knot. “It doesn’t matter if I’m ready or not. My body betrayed me the moment it went into heat. It’s my time to mate. No other dragon has claimed me. I have no choice.”
It sounds so simple and so brutal. It’s an elementary truth. But Scaldric’s blue eyes chill as he looks at me, as if I have said something wrong.
“You still have a choice,” he says.
“Would you allow me to reject you?” I grit my teeth, remembering exactly how painful it was when Rook rejected me.
Scaldric’s words sound as cold and smooth as ice. “I’m a man of honor. You surrendered to me. I will not force you to mate before you are ready.”
That should be a relief, though it doesn’t loosen the knot in my stomach. I claw at the aellurium around my neck, which feels like it’s choking me despite being so slender. The dragon within me lurks just below my skin.
I swallow hard. “I can’t do this in chains.”
“The sorceress Zin will free you on my command.”
Hope flickers inside me like a flame, but I remember what Rook told me. “You’re working with Zin? And Queen Dulcamara?”
“There’s no need to be afraid. They will understand that I have claimed you.”
Claimed.
Fuck. This is what I wanted, but I wanted it from Rook.
“This is all wrong,” I whisper.
