Free Dragons Don't Forgive by D'Elen McClain

understanding of what it means, casts a shadow over my
soul. She can never transcend to dragon and be my mate. All the
pain of the last year rears its ugly head and carries me into the
dark torment I created for myself when I tried to kidnap Ashrac and
I burned Roxanne. Death is preferable to this endless mental
torture I cannot hide from. I can’t escape it even in the
incredible loving arms of a very special wolf shifter.

Chapter Eight

    Sierra
     
    Our joining was too amazing to even
put into words. I feel different somehow—older, wiser, settled.
Maybe now I am truly a woman and no longer the child I run from.
The only other man I’ve been with was pleasant enough after the
first time we had sex, but it was nothing like this. What I just
experienced was a joining of more than two bodies. Sarn completed
me in some indescribable way. My blood pulsed to the beat of his
heart and I felt a current traveling from me to him and back again.
I could rest within his arms for centuries and be
satisfied.
    The only thing strange is that my wolf
is surprisingly quiet. Maybe for once, she’s as content as I am. I
finally pull my head from Sarn’s shoulder and look into his eyes.
He immediately avoids my gaze.
    What the hell?
    He will not turn away from me after
what we just shared. “Sarn, are you all right?”
    He laughs, but it’s not a pleasant
sound. I reach up and jerk his hair so he’s forced to turn back to
me. “You will tell me what’s wrong,” I demand.
    His stare makes me cold. There is no
violet in his eyes; they are black and filled with despair. His
words turn my warm body to ice. “Joining with you should be
different. I thought maybe you could replace my dead bride. I was
wrong. I’m bound by a curse that will haunt me forever.” He looks
away and I see the tears he’s somehow holding back. “I told you I
was no good,” he whispers.
    I can’t believe he has said all of
this after our incredible joining. Are all men this dense? I think
about my brother and father. It makes me realize that yes, they
are. Sarn’s words hurt, but I also see and feel his pain. I need to
take his suffering and wrap it in my love so tightly that none
escapes.
    I run my fingers over his jawline and
just the corner of his lips. The electrical current when we touch
is still there. Can’t he feel how special this is? I tip his head
so he must look at me. He closes his eyes and I wait. He inhales
deeply before he finally gazes at me again.
    I give him a soft smile. “If you think
a few hurtful words will scare me away, you’re wrong.” I lean down
and bite his shoulder hard enough to make my point before meeting
his gaze again. I watch the outer circle of his pupils go violet
once more. “I don’t care about curses and mates and brides.” I kiss
him softly on the lips before pulling away just a bit. “I care
about you and me for as much time as we can find. Don’t be stupid
and try to take that away, Sarn. I have no intention of letting you
go just yet. And…” I pepper several small kisses on his lips. “I
would much rather make love than fight.” I smooth back his hair and
trail my fingers down his cheek. “I will cook dinner and tame your
savage beast. Then we will return to bed and I will give you
another try at how to act after sex.” My smile is teasing. “You
failed this time, but I’ll let you make it up to me.”
    The pain in his eyes diminishes as my
words sink in. The ache is still there, but a small spark of hope
is growing. His lips take mine in a desperate kiss. I give him back
what he needs—understanding, love, and most of all forgiveness. My
poor dragon must stop this foolishness and cherish what we can have
for however long we have it. We kiss for what seems like hours, our
bodies are locked together in an intimate dance that ignites a fire
inside me once more. I’m more than ready to adjust my legs so I can
ride him and bring release to both of us. He pulls away and I growl
in