Chapter 3

He felt her gaze follow him into the empty space. How would she react? Concentrating, Argenis called his dragon forth. The internal celebrations of his dragon had challenged his control. When she had touched him and the mating bond linked them together, Argenis had battled the dragon for control.

Stretching his wings, Argenis posed for his mate to impress her. A first impression was important. He swiveled his head to the side to watch her reaction. Pure amazement played over her expressive features.

She walked forward and lifted a hand to touch the scales covering his foreleg. He closed his eyes at the incredible feel of her skin against him. "You like that," she whispered.

He opened one eye to capture her gaze and nod. As their connection matured, he'd be able to speak to her mind to mind when in dragon form. She stroked him again, and he allowed his pleasure to rumble up his throat.

"You purr," she said with delight.

Shaking his head in affront, Argenis disagreed. He was not a kitten. He snarled a bit to reestablish his place at the top of the food chain.

"Oh! Sorry, big bad dragons don't purr."

He ignored the hint of amusement and swung his neck to gesture to his back. It was time to go.

"Oh, yeah." Quickly, she scrambled up into position. Argenis steadied her with his snout, enjoying the scent of his mate. She was… delectable.

When she held on, he rose to his feet and paused for a moment as she tightened her grasp. Before she could relax, he launched himself into the air. Her squeal of delight was music to his ears.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but this is amazing."

He nodded and turned to wink an eye at her. Scanning the road before them, he looked for the stuffie thief. He wouldn't allow that to happen. He growled when his view spotted the bike. It took several minutes for Ciel to see the man.

"There he is. That's my suitcase."

Argenis couldn't help but notice that her suitcase was silver. He waggled his wings slightly—not enough to make her off balance, but she did tighten her arms around his neck. Gradually going lower, Argenis loved the moment the man felt his presence and looked over his shoulder. The bike rocked back and forth, stabilized only by the cart behind him. He pedaled like a wild man. Like that was going to help him.

Reaching out his forearm, Argenis plucked the silver suitcase from the top of the pile. He allowed his hot breath to float over the man, singeing his hair slightly. Wrinkling his sensitive snout at that smell, Argenis angled back to the sky. He did one loop around to approach the villain one more time. With pinpoint precision, he blasted the contents of the cart, setting everything on fire.

Ciel's cheer was his reward as the man bailed off the bike and then frantically tried to unhook it before the flames damaged the last of his possessions. Don't mess with a dragon's mate.

Argenis set a path for Wyvern. He didn't rush. When he got her back to town, they would no longer be alone. He enjoyed having Ciel to himself.

"Argenis?" she yelled into the wind.

He nodded to encourage her.

"This isn't the last time I'll see you, is it?"

His shake of denial was vigorous.

She hugged his neck harder and pressed her cheek to his scales in response. "You do purr!" she shouted in delight when his happiness escaped in a deep rumble.

He chose to pretend he didn't hear that comment.

In a short period of time, he landed in Wyvern. She slid down to stand on the ground, but leaned next to him. Gently, he guided her a short distance from his body with a careful sweep of his wing. When he was sure she was safe, he morphed back to human form. Usually there was a subconscious dismay due to the loss of his dragon senses, now there was satisfaction in supporting his mate.

She flew instantly to the suitcase and unzipped it. Sliding her hand inside, she searched for something. He could tell the moment her hand closed around her beloved stuffie. Ciel took a deep breath and blew it out in relief.

"Silly's okay."

"Come, Ciel. Let's let everyone know you're safe and get those wounds disinfected." He wrapped his arm around her and guided her the short distance to the square.

Stopping at the first aid tent that the medical team must have erected after he left, Argenis asked for supplies and tended his mate himself. Ciel didn't realize it yet, but the touch of other men would repel her until they were fully mated. When her wounds from the encounter with the barbed wire were treated, he led her from the tent and to a secluded nook. Reaching forward to cup her chin, he raised her eyes to meet his gaze.

"You are so quiet, Little one. Are you okay?"

"Something's happening to me. Inside."

"You feel the heat building. Look at your hand." He watched her lift her hand. Her eyes narrowed as she turned her hand to several angles before meeting his gaze with a surprised expression.

"What is this?" Ciel asked, waving her hand.

"It is the mate mark."

"Mate mark? What's that? It looks like a dragon," she murmured, touching it with her fingertip.

The low moan that Argenis allowed to escape his lips brought her attention back to him. "You felt that?" Ciel tried it again.

Clenching his teeth, Argenis controlled his body's reaction with the strength of his dragon. Wrapping his hand around her hand, he tugged her finger away. "Little one, you are testing my control." He stroked a fingertip across the image to return the temptation.

"Oh. My. Goodness." Her staccato words underlined the impact of his touch.

He gave her a few seconds to recover. When she could finally meet his gaze, Argenis kept himself from smiling. The heat between them was quite remarkable.

"That's the mate heat. It will continue to grow until our union to prevent us from being stubborn and failing to heed its importance."

"Union. Like sex?" she hissed at him.

"Our bond is eons long in the making. Dragons do not choose a partner casually, as humans do. We wait for our mate to appear. It is impossible to deny one's fated mate."

"Argenis, this is crazy. I can't be your mate. I mean… Not that anything is wrong with you. You're very handsome in both forms. But I never expected to meet a guy who's a dragon."

"You will need to be close to me."

"I don't understand what you are talking about, Argenis. Thank you for rescuing me and Silly. I'll head home now so my mom doesn't worry," Ciel informed him.

"It was my pleasure, Little one."

He watched her grab her suitcase handle and wheel it toward the corner. Her first couple of steps were at a quick pace. The next few were slower and more deliberate. Then Argenis watched her determination kicked in as she struggled to take another step.

When she looked over her shoulder, he could see the pain written on her face. Immediately, he started forward. "You're hurting yourself, Ciel."

"What is happening here?" she asked, on the brink of tears as he joined her.

Argenis gathered her into his arms and held her close. She melted against him. Enchanted, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I am sorry you're fighting this, Little one. I will do what I can to help you, but our bond cannot be broken even if I wanted it gone. Which I do not." That final phrase he emphasized to make sure she understood.

"Why do you call me Little one? I mean, I know you're bigger than me—especially in your dragon form."

"The dragons that protect Wyvern are of a special breed. We take care of our mates completely. You could compare it to the Daddy Dom books you read."

She reacted strongly to his guess. "How do you know what I read? Can you read my mind?"

"Not unless you allow me into your thoughts, Ciel. We'll discuss that later." She looked very skeptical about that idea, but he continued, "I do not believe the mate bond would occur if your desires did not mesh completely with mine."

"You're a Daddy?" she whispered.

"Not a Daddy. Your Daddy."