"Why are you so weird? I said I'm fine, and I'm in the bathroom. Have you ever heard about knocking? You can't just barge in like that. What if I was about to get in the shower or already there?! That would have been wildly inappropriate!"
I scolded him while looking at the wall behind him. I've never cared much about being seen without clothes like that, but right now, I felt it at least gave me a fair point! He didn't know me anyway. Grabbing his hand, I literally pulled it off my face; it didn't work as I planned.
My back pressed against the sink, so close I could feel the heat of his body through my clothes. Towering over me, I could feel his intense gaze on me and his grip on my shoulder.
"I said stop that!"
I intended to brush his hand away as he lifted my hair away from my neck and placed it behind my shoulder. Only to realize I still held his other hand In mine, rather flustered; my hand almost threw his while I started looking from side to side. Have no idea what I was looking for, but it was easier to avoid his stare, and it was freaking impossible to chill my burning face with him all flushed against me! Didn't this guy know about personal space?
"But, females in heat are not safe. At least not alone in a castle with only males! Did your mate, mate you? Maybe he didn't do it, right? And that's why your body is going into heat?"
I felt mortified, and Drifta laughed so hard she snorted like a little piglet and rolled over. But it quickly turned to anger, and even if I hated to admit it, I felt hurt. Hated the fact that my eyes filled up so quickly with tears. Hated that my chest tightened and hated the mere memory of Toke touching me!
"That is... Shut up! Just stop talking! He is not my mate. And this is none of your business! You are supposed to be a monstrous dragon! My prison guard and all that! Stop asking, stop prying and stop treating my personal space like your private play park!"
Leaning forward and pushing his chest as hard as I could with both hands, I kept my eyes shut like that would make me stronger! But he didn't move an inch; the only thing I achieved was a murmuring ache in my wrist. About to yank my hands off his chest, cold hands grabbed my hips and spun me around.
An uncontrollable gasp, squeal, and grunt left my mouth. Pressed against the sink, I bent forward, but I flung my head up when I felt him pressed against my back and ass. Ready to set fire to him with my stare, our eyes met in the mirror, but all anger froze. In the mirror, his emerald green eyes looked like they were glowing, and those cat-like pupils were back, accompanied by a crooked smile.
His skin no longer felt warm against mine but cold and hard. My eyes grew even wider when I caught a glimpse of a long tongue flickering behind his smile.
It almost looked like Nida's split snake tongue!
My heart slammed against my ribs when his cold chin pressed against mine, leaning his chin over my shoulder. His hands slid down over my elbow, my arm, and my hand. His fingers intertwined with mine, all the while holding my stare through the mirror. When the final shock un-fogged my brain, it was like a light bulb went off in my dimmed and haze-like mind,
"Dragon!"
My voice sounded so foreign, a breathy hiss-a question, a statement, only a word that felt so unimaginable. Dragon!
"No, my soft little human."
My eyebrows shoot up, hearing his voice. Even if I've heard Fury's beast voice through Toke, this was nothing like it. Dragging the words, a slight rolling of the ending of each word while a rumbling sound followed. No, not really, a vibrating lowkey growl hiding behind his voice, almost echoing it, and goosebumps erupted up my arms.
"Atlas Nocte Analecta, that is my name, little woman."
"Hi..?"
He snickered and brushed his cheek up mine. His skin felt so soft, despite the cold and harsh feeling; it also felt like ice melting on my flustered cheeks.
" Do not bother with the human, and he might be as old as me and an acceptable king; his social skills and female understanding are equally leveled with a grey rock. He may have studied blood, body structure, reproduction system, and all that; he has no idea what a woman really is!"
I busted out laughing, a burst of short dry laughter as all the air rushed out of my lungs.
"But he does have a point about your mate."
Heated anger rushed through me, but when I opened my mouth to answer, Drifta pushed me back. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to feel insulted or grateful. I quickly realized I should be mortified as I listened in to the conversation between Atlas and Drifta.
"Atlas."
Drifta purred, and the beats tilted his head to the side, slightly furrowing his brow before smiling the most dreadful smile I'd ever seen. Drifta, however, smiled back and didn't seem at all affected by the bright smile that flashed hundreds of razor-sharp canines in his mouth.
"The human mate may have been useless and scheming, but his beast was a different story. And to answer you're not so subtle question, he did it right!"
I wanted to laugh him right in the face, but that was before I caught up on the suggestive undertone Drifta purred out. A brief shadow flashed over his eyes; maybe his human was trying to take back the control, I wondered. He must feel as humiliated as me, watching his beast flirt shamelessly with a different species. Instead, his dragon chuckled, straightened up just slightly, and looked down on Drifta, his eyes sparkling with newfound amusement, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.
"Oh, really? What makes you so sure?"
"Do you doubt my judgment flying lizard?"
"Not at all, little furball! But I do question the quality to which you compare it with."
All I wanted to do was squint my eyes shut, cover my ears, and yell-sing; the most annoying song I knew to my throat got sore. I don't think I've ever felt the need to cringe as badly as I do right now!
"You don't say? And how do you suggest we quality test my statement?"
I had already closed my eyes, but I both heard and felt the growl rumbling in his chest while Drifta looked up through her lashes, sending him a seductive look and a smug smile.
` Drifta! Stop! Good god or whatever exists here! Stop it! What the hell is wrong with you?`
`your such a party pooper`
She sighed, annoyed, but I relaxed slightly as she backed down. I'm not sure what kind of looks they threw at one another, I didn't want to know, but he seemed to pick up on her residing energy,
"No mark,"
He drawled, and I felt his fingers slide up the side of my neck and felt my cheeks burn with Drifta's reaction before he continued,
"So, an incomplete bond? Did he reject you?"
"No, and we did not reject him either."
"Ah.."
Confused, I felt disappointment rush through Drifta and a tiny trace of shame. This piqued my interest, and I dared open my eyes again. Relieved to see he had stepped back, finally giving us some space.
"Your bond is still intact. I see.."
The silence grew thick for a second, and I wondered what he meant. He never marked me; we never created that mate bond thing or bit that was supposed to bind us forever. Drifta seemed to understand, but she pushed me away and ignored my questions.
"He got the sample he needed, but I do know he would like for your human to stay a little. He is curious about the girl he heard so much about when he was young. The girl he hoped a mate bond could snap into place with. Dragons don't have the same mate bond as Wolves. "
He laughed a little but did not explain.
"Lunch is almost ready; please join us. I personally give your little human permission to smack him. Think of it as training! Smack him in the back of his head or his shoulder every time he acts like an antisocial grey rock with breathing functions. Train the human to behave."
He bowed slightly, and I enjoyed that last part of his sentence too much to try to decipher the last thing he mumbled under his breath. It was only meant for Drifta anyway, and I didn't know!
" And ill teach the beast to be a good little pupp."
Drifta giggled, and I did my very best to ignore it all!