☽Ⓛ❈Ⓒ☾

I don't remember much after he greets me. Nothing, actually. I think I must have passed out, but I don't recall hitting the ground.

I'm laid on a bed. A bed that is not my own. It's plush and soft and feels like Im floating on about ten layers of feathers and air. It's amazing. My back agrees with me.

I sit up and survey the room. The walls are made of stone, not bamboo. Another clue that this is not my home. The furniture is basic and there is a minimalist, modern vibe going on. I push back the covers and I'm relieved to see that I'm still fully dressed, but someone has removed my sandals.

I stand up from the bed and assess my body. Nothing hurts, including my head, which is a good sign. On reflex, I turn around to make the bed, an involuntary habit of mine. Something shiny on the bedsheet catches my eye. I pick up the flat, coin-like, circular object and study it. It is a royal blue scale. It shimmers and catches the light as I turn it this way and that.

So, I didn't dream it...

My dreams have become a reality. Maybe, they weren't dreams at all. Maybe they were premonitions? Whatever is going on, I'd like some answers.

As though it is fate, the door opens and the handsome man/dragon walks in. His eyes widen as he notices that I am no longer in bed. He strides over to me in a few steps thanks to his long legs.

"How are you feeling? Are you dizzy?"

I shake my head, dazed by his beautiful voice. I heard it before but hearing it again has me feeling funny all over.

"Can I get you anything? A drink? Something to eat?"

He's so hospitable. "Um, no, I'm good, thank you," I reply. "But, I'd love some answers..."

He grimaces and I get the feeling that he would have preferred my answer be about food. He runs his hand through his hair and I get a flash of tattoos on his inner arm.

"Yeah, I'm sure you've got a lot of questions...take a seat," he says, gesturing at the bed.

He pulls up the chair from the desk and sits opposite me. He leans forwards and rests his elbows on his legs. "What do you want to know?"

Let's start with the obvious. "Dragons exist?"

He nods. "Yes. There are not many of us and we mostly stay up in the mountains. That's where you are now."

Wow. I'm far away from my village, then. The nearest mountains are an hour's drive away.

The dragon thing...I can get my mind around. My grandfather used to tell me bedtime stories of the dragons that soared in the skies and lived in the mountains. I never expected those stories to be true.

Now, the second big question I have.

"Why am I here?" I ask. "I had dreams about you before I met you."

My face heats up as I realise how intimate that confession sounds. It didn't sound bad in my head, but it hangs between us and the dragon man stares intensely at me.

"You dreamt of me specifically? Or of dragons?"

"You," I admit shyly. "As a dragon at first, but over time, my dreams have been lasting longer and you changed into a man."

He swallows and looks a little nervous, I find that strange considering how powerful he is. What could a dragon possibly be nervous about?

"Dragons have soulmates," he says simply. "A chosen partner. It is out of our control who it is and we cannot reject them. Most of the time, the mates are human."

I could be way off base, but the way he is looking at me makes me think...

"A sign of being paired with a dragon is having dreams of them before you meet." He confirms my suspicions. "I never expected you to be in that field, but there you were. My mate."

He smiles, sounding proud of the fact. That reassures me.

"I am your mate?" I repeat the words numbly, still in shock.

"Yes," he replies and then frowns. "I was scared for the first time in my life, seeing you in that field. The dragon you witnessed me fighting is not a good person. I was scared that he was going to hurt you, I've never felt fear like it. I knew who you were to me before we spoke. I have dreamed of you, too."

My cheeks turn pink again.

He's dreamed of me?

He stands up and paces back and forth in front of me, looking agitated.

"I was so worried. Seeing you in that field, I couldn't believe that my dream was finally playing out...but that other dragon was there and I knew he would try and harm you if he worked out who you were to me."

I start to feel uneasy watching him look so worked up. My heart aches an extraordinary amount, clearly distressed at seeing him in pain. While my mind may only know him from the dream, my heart seems very familiar with this man.

"If something had happened, I would never have forgiven myself...to wait this long for you, only to lose you the moment that I found you..."

I get to my feet without realising it. I reach out and put my hand on his arm, getting his attention and stopping him from pacing.

"Don't," I tell him softly. "Don't think about it, because nothing happened. I'm here, I'm okay."

He sighs heavily and nods. "I know, thank goodness you're alright. You panicked me when you fainted, though."

"I'm sorry, it was a shock to me as well. But I'm okay."

His brows are still furrowed with worry. It's strange to see such a tall, muscular man look so concerned. I don't like it, his distress is becoming my distress and I want to make it better. My eyes drop to his lips and a crazy, impulsive idea comes to my mind.

The man must read my mind, because as I lean up on my tiptoes, he bends down. Our lips meet in the most perfect kiss. It is passionate yet soft. He kisses me like both he's scared of hurting me but also can't hold himself back. He's conflicted, I can tell. I make the choice for him and press my lips harder against his. My hands tangle into his hair and tug gently.

He lets out a low groan at the back of his throat and stops treating me with such fragility. His large hands grab my butt and squeeze. His tongue plunges into my mouth and his muscular body rubs against mine in all the right places. This one kiss makes me feel like I'm finally living, like I've just woken up from a deep sleep of a boring life and started a new one.

It's like a switch flicks inside him. He sees that I'm not shying away from his advances, not crumbling under his touch like burned ash. Something changes. He backs me up to the bed. My knees hit the back of it and we fall onto the mattress together. My legs wrap around his waist.

I don't shy away from the long, hard erection that presses between my legs. I rub against it and he groans into my mouth. He pulls back suddenly, making me whimper. His breathing is ragged and his pupils dilated.

"We should stop before this goes too far," he says hoarsely.

"How far is too far?" I whisper back.

"Me marking you."

"Marking?"

"Biting. It leaves a special mark that shows you're mine. It's brings you...pleasure, when I do it."

Why would someone say no to that?

"Mark me, then," I suggest.

When he goes to protest, I kiss him. It seems that actions work better with his body. The tension leaves his arms as they hold him up above me and he kisses me back like he wasn't just fighting it.

Our tongues collide and rub against one another. My body grinds against his. His hand slides up my top and across my skin, making me shudder. There's a loud, invasive noise that sounds like the tearing of fabric. I'm so caught up in the moment, in our kiss, that it takes a cool draught to make me realise that he has torn my top from my body.

My shorts and underwear follow soon after. His clothes go next, leaving his delicious body available to my touch. I explore every inch of him with my fingertips, memorising his perfect form.

It all happens so fast. My body is so ready to accept him, my mind so ready to know him, my heart so ready to love him. He enters me quickly and easily. Joined as one, everything falls into place. My heart beats with his in perfect synchrony. I match each thrust and revel in the blissful feeling.

As we build higher and higher together, reaching new heights of pleasure, he buries his face in my neck and kisses my skin. He licks the sensitive spot at the junction of my neck. When the pleasure overwhelms me, he bites down, uniting our souls. I feel him on a whole new level; his pleasure is my pleasure. It consumes us both.

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