Free Rendan (Scifi Alien Dragon Romance) (Dragons of Preor Book 4) by Celia Kyle, Erin Tate Page A

would be smart about his approach.
    He would be non-threatening. He would appear to be unable to push her for a physical connection and would instead—search for a melding of their minds.
    Intimate. Seductive. An approach that would tie them as mates more firmly than if they’d only shared their bodies.
    Yes, this plan was good. He let it unfold in his mind, following each thread and playing out different scenarios. He would find the angle that promised the most success.
    Then he would pounce. Carefully. Secretly. Before his mate realized he’d sprung his trap.
    Excitement surged in his veins, as if he once more planned a raging battle and not a day with his mate. The result was the same no matter the setting—victory and joy. A future that he could embrace without reservation.
    No, that was not right. There was still a kernel of unease inside him, a small bit related to his mate and their family.
    A family they’d never have.
    Which, after their argument, he knew he could not tell her. It would be a secret he’d take with him on his final flight.
    His conscience prodded him, making him question whether his choices were the correct approach. Should he pursue Carla while knowing he would lie to her—repeatedly? That he would purposely refuse her all she desired?
    His dragon mind twisted and turned, the blood in his veins heating with the discontent in his other half. He had no choice when it came to Carla joi Rendan Butler. He would conquer her fears. He would climb her walls. He would claim her for eternity. And then pray to the skies she did not stay angry for more than a hundred Earth turnings.
    The gentle sound of the ocean waves drew his gaze, the sun’s rays streaming through the sliding glass doors that led to the apartment’s balcony. They were not as high as Jarek and Evuklar—those decorated males occupied the top floor—but they were high enough.
    High enough to…
    Rendan pushed to his feet. He’d stretched and tested his body upon waking in medical and again when he’d finally been drawn from bed by Carla’s fresh scent. He stood now, arms outstretched, wings extended and body tense. He looked inside himself, mentally checking everything over for remaining aches and pains. True, Chashan instructed him to refrain from any trials this day, but he hadn’t said Rendan had to remain tied to a bed.
    Though if he could tie his Carla to a bed…
    No. He cut the thought off before it could fully form. He would not rush. He would not push. He would , however, be at her side. Quietly. Constantly.
    Dragon-ly? Now he was adopting the weird speech patterns of some of the human-Preor mates. That did not make the idea any less valid.
    He twisted from side to side, stretching his back, flexing his wings, and letting the dragon come forward. His scales rippled over his skin, that hint of his transformation a gentle stroke over his flesh. His joints did not protest to the dragon’s push and his flight lines accepted the expanding of his form. He curled his wings around his body, extending his wing base and encircling himself. If his body protested, it would happen then, as his muscles and tendons were snapped taut with the movement.
    There was nothing more than a small ache, a twinge that would be gone the moment he settled into wings and claws.
    Yes, his plan would work. His body was tired, but his mind and his heart were willing and prepared, ready to put the ideas into motion.
    Rendan padded from his bedroom, intent on locating Carla. Each time they were together, she came to him . It left him off center and uneasy.
    No more.
    The apartment’s living room was empty, the kitchen equally so, and he moved to the threshold of Carla’s space. He spotted her with ease, her long blonde hair bouncing and body shaking as she sang along to some Earth song that filled the air. While her attention was elsewhere, he looked his fill, memorizing her lithe movements and easy grace. She was always tense around him and this gave