Free Taming the Dragon Collection by Jessica Ryan

front of Alek. She’d never seduced a man before, but she just tried what came naturally and what she thought he would be interested in. As she sat there she pulled her dress up slightly, allowing Alek to see the smoothness of her legs. His eyes traveled up and down her legs before returning to meet her own. Now she was the one flustered and confused as she stared into his beautiful sapphire eyes. It was like he could bring her into a trance with those eyes.
    “The colors I know of are white, red, blue, green, black, gold and silver.”
    “That’s quite an array.”
    “Yes, well, each dragon has their own talents.”
    “There are no others?”
    “There might be. There are legends of other dragons who once existed, but they may have died out or been killed.”
    “Does it bother you that humans want to hunt and slay your kind?”
    “The problems of my kind or of humans are no concern to me. I am only concerned with myself.”
    “And your problems?”
    “I am a great and powerful dragon. I have no problems. Don’t be preposterous.”
    Mara giggled and looked away. Alek had a problem; he just didn’t want to admit it. He was attracted to a human.
    “So what do you read in your books?” she asked.
    “About treasure that I will go plunder,” he said. “Knowledge is powerful, and since I am powerful I must be knowledgeable. This world has no secrets that I do not know.”
    “Wow,” she said, running her hand down her leg and drawing his eye. “You truly are great and powerful.”
    “I do not need you to state the obvious.”
    “Do you ever run into humans on your adventures?” she asked.
    “Sometimes I find adventuring parties, but they are easily defeated.”
    “Do any of them have women?”
    “Sometimes.”
    “Why don’t you bring them here to serve you?”
    “They have not been given to me.”
    “But you are a powerful dragon. Don’t you have the right to take what you want?”
    Alek pondered her words for a moment before looking back up at her. “Well, yes, that is true. I can take them to be mine if I so choose, but a warrior deserves a death befitting a warrior, not a life of servitude befitting a maid.”
    Mara tried not to take issue with his words, knowing he was just telling her the truth. Still, it was hard not to be insulted by what he was saying. A warrior’s life held more meaning to him than a maid’s.
    “They deserve a warrior’s death even if they are human?” she asked.
    “Yes,” Alek said, puffing out his chest. “While they may not belong on the same battlefield with one as great as I, they have chosen to do so and if they fight bravely they deserve a warrior’s death. In my omnipotent wisdom I respect one who takes up arms and fights for a cause, even if they are beneath me.”
    “Why do you have to kill them?” she asked. “Why can’t you take a great female warrior as a bride?”
    “A bride?” Alek asked, looking at her like she was crazy. “Why would I do such a thing?”
    “Well, how else do dragons reproduce?” she asked. “Do you mate with other dragons? Would you be able to produce a dragon with a human?”
    “I will eat my meal now,” he said, leaning forward to take a sip.
    “But, Alek,” she protested.
    “That is enough, Mara,” Alek said, regarding her with coldness in his deep eyes. “You will learn and know your place. Be gone now, before I revoke any privileges I may have bestowed upon you.”
    Mara quickly shuffled out of the room, realizing she had touched some nerve with Alek. He obviously did not like discussing the thought of sex with a human or even the thought of marriage, but she knew there had to be something there and she intended to find out what it was.
    The next day she was busy cleaning the study when she stopped and looked at his huge bookshelves. There had to be some kind of answer in there regarding dragons. She looked around and listened hard at the doorway, making sure the other maids were hard at work elsewhere. Generally