Free For the Memory of Dragons by Julie Wetzel

to
pick up the things they had dropped. “Forgive me my error,” he said
softly. “Relationships with dragons are more complicated than with
others.” He tucked both of their bags into one hand and turned
towards her. “We have to be more careful when choosing partners.
Dragons mate for life.” He held out his free hand to her.
    This bit of news shocked her. No wonder he
had rejected her last night. How could she blame him for it? If one
bout of sex could tie you to someone for life, she sure as hell
would want to know who her partner was before banging him. But,
then again, there were celebrity dragons that had partner after
partner.
    “From sex?” she asked as she took his
hand.
    He chuckled and pressed the button for the
lobby again. “No. But sex can have a lot to do with it.” When the
door opened back up, he pulled her into the lobby. “Securing a
mating bond is a complicated process, but it starts with an act of
emotional intimacy. And there aren’t many things as intimate as a
really good orgasm.”
    Terra had to hand it to him there. If done
properly, a good bout of sex would bring people closer together.
She had never really stopped to think about how bonding the
experience could be.
    “So you can’t have sex?” With the way he
responded to her in the elevator, she was sure he was far from
virginal, but one could never make assumptions on those things.
    The noise he made in his chest confirmed her
thought. Oh, he had been there many times!
    “I enjoy sex as much as the next man.” He
found a table in the small breakfast area and placed her in a chair
as he talked. “But casual sex with a potential mate can lead to…
lasting issues.” Dropping their things on the chair next to her, he
released her hand, then pulled off the leather bag and placed it on
the floor next to the chair. “Wait here, and I’ll bring you
breakfast.” With that, he turned and left her at the table with
their things.
    Wait, what? Terra stared at the
dragon man’s back as he went over to the bar and pulled out two
plates. What the hell was going on?
    Her mind ran over the conversation again and
again. Okay, so she understood that casual sex was out, but what
was this whole deal about a mate? She considered him and his calm
façade as he filled the plates with choice bits from the bar. What was wrong with him? They had just had one of the most
passionate moments in her life… in an elevator. She was still all
messed up inside, but he was amazingly serene. And what was the
deal with his eyes?
    He came back over with two heaping plates of
food.
    Terra’s eyes widened as he set one down in
front of her. There was no way she was going to make it through all
of that.
    “Juice or coffee?” he asked.
    Looking up, Terra met his gaze. “Both.” His
eyes were still weird.
    He nodded and went to get their drinks.
    Still confused, Terra watched him until he
returned. “What’s going on?” she asked.
    Sitting down, her dragon man raised a
questioning eyebrow at her.
    Terra raised her hand in the air and waved
it around. She wanted an explanation for everything, but she didn’t
know how to voice the question. Apparently, her movement was enough
for her dragon man to get the idea.
    He smiled and nodded to her plate. “Why
don’t you eat, and I’ll try to explain.”
    Agreeing, Terra picked up her fork and
started into her food.

 
     
8
     
    A wave of pleasure rippled through Alex as
he watched Terra take that first bite of food. He closed his eyes,
trying to contain the feelings washing through him. It wasn’t the
fact that he found enjoyment in watching her eat; it was the fact
that he had just fulfilled one of the basic needs of his
instincts—providing for his mate. And right now, his instincts were
riding him hard.
    Drawing in a deep breath, Alex opened his
eyes back up and looked around. He always loved the way the world
looked when he was in dragon form, but this was the first time he
had seen it that way in human