8. Tarek

My dragon liked the way our mate responded to us. Goddess, I wasn't immune to it either.

I'd been talking to my brothers about the logistics of our new appointment for the human lord when I couldn't deny my mate's silent call any longer. Instead of listening to what Elio was saying, I watched every move my mate made.

Perhaps she truly had no idea just how powerless we were to fate, but the way she followed me and my dragon, the way she seemed to be no less capable of denying our divine connection than I, made me desperate to be near her if I couldn't touch her. Not yet anyway. She was trying to fight against fate, but she would lose, just as they all had. Just as we would. Why would anyone fight their perfect match?

She wouldn't escape me and the way her eyes grew with every step I took toward her, she knew. I would make it impossible for her. Because it was impossible for me.

She tried to pretend like she didn't feel me behind her, but as I moved close enough to whisper in her ear, I could hear that beautiful heart of hers change its rhythm. My dragon was more intrigued with the way the air scented of her sweet perfume mixed with her desire.

"Do I make you nervous?" My words were low, escaping notice from most. If my brothers wanted to listen in, I suppose they could, but none of us were experts in courting. Ciro had tried to do things the traditional ways, and it had gotten him a mate who now had a broken family.

Aurora's laughter didn't even pull my mate's attention. She seemed to have frozen in her spot.

"No. Not nervous. Just—" she broke off.

"Just what?"

The closer I was, the more impossible it was getting to ignore the way my body wanted her. The skin of her neck looked soft, and it took everything in me to contain the need to lean in and feel just how soft she was under my lips.

"I don't know. You're intense. I can't seem to not know where you are."

Her words were an admission. The way she covered her mouth as she spoke the last word told me she hadn't meant to tell me much of anything.

"You make it impossible for me to not see you. You must see how drawn my dragon is to you."

She looked down at the green fabrics the woman was working with and then turned her face toward mine.

The way she studied me felt intimate rather than judgmental. I welcomed her scrutiny or anything that would get her to know me better. I wanted her soul and her mind, not just her body.

"They didn't give me any other choice," she finally said.

I shrugged. "They did. You didn't seem to notice."

That gave her pause. I watched her chest rise and fall more rapidly than the moment before.

"I- I don't think I can do this. Can I go back to the house?"

Her words confused me.

"Can't stand here and allow her to make you the finest gown the human cities offer? Aurora was very adamant that this was the best."

Zara shook her head.

"No. This. This whole thing. This planet. This, well, you. Just all of it."

The skin of her face paled, and this time I could not only hear her erratic heartbeat and short stilted breaths, but the air scented sour with fear.

"Zara," I said and moved closer to where there was no room for the seamstress to come between us. "What has you so afraid?"

She shook her head, but no words followed.

"Excuse me," I said to the seamstress. "Would you allow me a moment with my mate?"

The woman smiled up at me.

"Yes, of course, my lord."

I shifted around Zara, caressing her face with my hands.

"What is it that you need, Zara?"

Her eyes closed, and my dragon wanted to protest. He would not be ignored. It was a good thing that I was the one in control for now.

"Breathe, my Zara, and talk to me. Do you need a break from the fitting?"

Her hands rose, and for a moment, I feared she would try to push me away. Instead though, she wrapped her tiny hands around my forearms. The trembling that I felt in her hold concerned me until she finally opened her eyes and seemed to find strength against whatever worried her.

"I need a break. Yes."

The woman was back before I'd bid her to come, but it was easier this way.

"I have all the measurements and can continue the design without her. Does my lord approve of the design before I continue on?"

I nodded and kept Zara locked in my gaze. I didn't give a solar flare about this dress. The shaking of her hands seemed to subside as seconds passed, and I only let go when the seamstress struggled to remove the fabrics.

The moment Zara was free, I held her hand and helped her down from the small pedestal.

"I will be taking my mate for a walk. Meet us back at the embassy."

My brothers gave me a silent nod with a glance, most likely noticing Zara's grip on my arm. It tightened as she watched them. We were outside before she spoke.

"Tell me, mate. What has you so concerned?"

She worried her lower lip, and it took more restraint than I'd like to admit to prevent my dragon from stopping the motion so we could taste her mouth. Her words forced me to listen and learn. I wanted to help her.

"I- I don't know how to feel. These dresses are something out of a fairytale except no fairytales ever started with once upon a time on a faraway planet."

The fear was stronger than I originally thought and her color worried me. No dragon had ever felt as helpless as I did right now.

"I'm sorry, Zara. I cannot imagine what you are going through. The more intelligent the species, the harder they are to return home. And it's harder still when my soul needs the very one I want to protect."

She turned toward me, her breathing still too shallow for my liking, but the color in her cheeks had returned.

What should I do? This was uncharted territory. Hers was not the first species we'd had to convince to abandon the idea of reintroduction to their own planet, but this was the first mate who was not given the choice to remain with us.

In my heart, I knew that I wouldn't be strong enough if she told me she wanted to leave.

Before I could think, instinct took over, and I bent down and claimed her lips with mine.

My heart stopped as I realized just what I'd done. It was too late to stop though, but I waited for her to kiss me back. I waited for her to smack me. I needed to know just how badly this was received, because no matter how right it might feel to me, she was the one who had no true idea just how important she was.