Free Dragonborn (The Jade Lee Romantic Fantasies, Book 1) by Jade Lee Page B

grip tightened against her arms. "Some do. And I will help you however I can, Natiya, but you must trust me." He stared hard at her. "Do you trust me?"
    "Of course." When had she learned to lie so easily?
    "Then tell them what you know."
    She turned away from him, the words mere whispers, but she knew he would hear them nonetheless. "Nothing. I know nothing."
    They remained silent then. She knew he was studying her. She felt the prickle of his gaze upon her back but she did not move. She was too weary.
    "You have already given up," he said.
    Had she?
    "You have been taught since birth that there is no hope. It died with your parents, and now you are lost."
    No. She was a fighter. She would hatch her egg and kill Dag Racho.
    "And yet you will not help us. You will not tell us what you know."
    She turned to look at him, wanting to see his face as she struggled to understand his words. And as she moved, he watched her and flatly stated his conclusions.
    "You fight out of habit, defying others because it is easy to say no. Even when it means saving your life, you still cannot allow yourself to say yes to anything."
    She wanted to look away, to stop her ears and close her mind, but she could not. What he said rang too true for her to deny.
    "What will it take, Natiya, to make you save yourself?" He reached out, once again stroking her cheek. "Not threats. You are not a crude woman in any sense of the word." He sighed, cupping her chin as he lowered his head toward her. "Oh, Natiya," he whispered. "I am trying to help you." Then he kissed her. He pressed his mouth to hers, using his tongue to stroke the seam between her lips. She did not know what to do or what he wanted. And yet, her body did. As his tongue tingled across her lips, she let her mouth drop open. Without her conscious decision, her hands rose up, feeling the muscles of his arms and his chest, stroking every sinew through the soft fabric of his shirt.
    He pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss, invading her senses along with her mouth. It was as if he entered her in all the most basic of ways. His scent filled her lungs, his hands caressed her skin, his taste was in her mouth; and most devastating of all, his words echoed in her mind.
    What will it take, Natiya? Say yes.
    She said something then. She did not even know what it was. It came out more as a whimper or a groan of surrender. Or perhaps it came from him. He had invaded so much of her, she could not separate herself from him in her mind, and that more than anything made her hands curl in panic.
    What was happening?
    He must have sensed the change in her, the tension that knotted her shoulders and stiffened her spine. And yet, when he pulled back, she clung to him, perversely wanting him closer.
    "What do you want from me, Governor?" Was that her voice? All breathy and soft?
    "Kiril. My name is Kiril."
    She nodded, her gaze trained on his face, her body still achy and jumpy from what they had just done.
    He groaned as he looked down at her, the rumble of sound transmitting easily into her body. His hands tightened on her shoulders. "D'greth," he cursed in an undertone. "You are such an innocent."
    "No..." she murmured, though she didn't even understand what she was denying.
    He slowly, carefully, set her away from him, gently tightening his cloak around her. "I will do what I can, Natiya. But it would be so much easier if you would talk to the lieutenant. Tell him what you know."
    She closed her eyes, wishing she could stay immersed in these last few moments. But she could not, and he had already stepped away from her.
    He sighed when she remained silent. "You will tell him nothing. You do not trust him."
    She glanced up, seeing his grim expression, the regret in his eyes, and the tightness around his lips. "I don't know anything—
    "Don't lie to me, Natiya. Lie to them if you must, but not to me." And with that he hauled open the door, nearly bowling over the lieutenant who stood framed in the opening.