She really had barely scratched the surface during her dragon lessons from ADDA, right before she’d opened her bar to the dragon-shifters.
And before she knew it, Brad stopped them inside a giant area surrounded by a tall wall made of carefully stacked rocks. Definitely something built a long time ago, judging by the worn surfaces and various marks on them.
Brad released her hand, and Tasha almost grabbed it again, afraid the spell of normalcy they’d shared during their walk would fade without constant contact. After all, listening to Brad talk about his inner dragon with a mixture of annoyance and fondness had made her more interested in the dragonman by the minute.
However, she was a grown-ass adult and could resist one man. Instead of reaching for him, she tapped her hand against her leg and asked, “So how does this whole shifting thing work? I haven’t gotten that lesson yet.”
“It’s easier if I show you. Of course, to change forms I need to be naked. You can turn around if you want, but then you’ll miss the free show.”
She blinked. Had Brad just…teased her?
Tasha quickly recovered and decided not to hold back. She moved her gaze from his face to his broad shoulders, his trim waist, and muscled thighs that she could make out despite his jeans. “Oh, I think I won’t be doing that.”
She looked at his face again and smiled at his startled expression.
This was clearly a man unused to teasing and humor, at least from a human. But Tasha loved it, and he’d just have to get used to it if he was going to be her mate.
Clearing his throat, Brad turned around and adjusted himself. She snorted. “Oh, dear. Do we need to wait a few minutes or risk giving this show an X-rating?”
He grunted. “Just stand there and I’ll get ready. Don’t come close to me until I’m in my dragon form and motion for you to approach.”
The strain in his voice told her all she needed to know—she was close to pushing him over the edge.
And Tasha didn’t want to do that. There was a difference between teasing for fun and going too far to cause anger or distress.
So she watched as he continued to stand with his back to her for about two minutes. Then he took off his shirt, revealing a deliciously wide set of shoulders.
Tasha had always had a thing for shoulders that could make her feel small and protected.
However, she didn’t think too much more on it because Brad began to slide down his jeans—slowly, oh so slowly.
It looked like the man was teasing her now.
Since he’d pretty much given her encouragement, Tasha couldn’t help herself and whistled. The dragonman glanced over his shoulder with a frown. He growled, “Stop distracting me.”
“Sorry, I’ll behave. But it’s just so much fun to tease you. However, I’m not one of those people who can’t take it. So feel free to get back at me at any time.”
His pupils flashed between round and slitted before he replied, “Duly noted.”
And as he dropped his jeans, revealing no underwear underneath, Tasha bit her bottom lip.
What she wouldn’t give to grab his firm ass and dig in her nails.
Brad stepped out of his clothes and she met his gaze again. The dragonman smiled smugly as he slowly turned around.
Curiosity piqued, she looked down south.
And holy hell, the rumor about dragon-shifters being well-endowed was true. Although it seemed he’d taken care of any erection for the time being, which made her wonder just how big he was then.
“Stop staring at my cock and watch me shift,” Brad ordered.
Tasha finally tore her gaze away just as Brad glowed ever so slightly. A second later, his arms and legs grew longer, wings slowly emerged from his back, and his nose elongated into a scaled snout.
She had no idea how many seconds passed before a really tall, dark red dragon stood in front of her.
Sure, she’d seen pictures, but nothing compared to the faint sunlight glinting off his scales, turning them a slightly lighter red in places.
For some reason, it made her think of glitter. Although she suspected Brad wouldn’t like that comparison. After all, a glitter dragon didn’t exactly sound all that scary or intimidating.
The magnificent beast made a sound in his throat and motioned with a wing for her to come forward.
If it had been an unfamiliar dragon, one that had landed near here randomly, then maybe Tasha would’ve hesitated. But Brad was agreeing to marry her to protect her, so she went to him without hesitation.
Still, as she approached Brad, she took in his sharp, pointy teeth, the ears standing up from his skull, and even the giant talons of his front paws—hands? Claws? Who knew—resting on the ground. If someone didn’t know a dragon-shifter personally, then Tasha could understand how a person might fear a creature like the one in front of her.
Maybe if more people interacted with dragon-shifters, the League members and other anti-dragon assholes would dwindle, making them less of a threat. She filed that under topics to discuss with Ashley at some point in the future.
When she was close enough, Brad lowered his head and gently bumped her shoulder. Taking it as a sign to pet him, she ran her fingers along his snout. The texture was smooth, yet hard and slightly warm. Definitely not the cold, glass-like idea she’d formed from various movies and books.
Brad’s dragon hummed and she smiled. “Okay, I was wrong earlier. You’re more like a cat. And no, that’s not a put down, either. I’d say cute, but I don’t think you’d like that, right?”
The dragon grunted and she laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll make up for it with this mysterious ear scratching. Since I didn’t get told exactly how to do it, you’ll have to give some signs I’m doing it right.”
The giant beast took a small step backward and turned his head toward her, putting his ear right in front of her. It was a bit more pointed than a cat’s, but the backside was mostly covered in scales. Well, except for a tiny section at the bottom. “Let me guess, scratch you at the bottom, where you can feel it best?”
Another grunt, which she interpreted as a yes. And so Tasha ran her hand down the ear—also firmer than she’d imagined, although it made sense a dragon needed armor-like protection—and finally reached the little area of exposed skin. Brushing her finger there, she felt the heat of the dragon’s body. “Well, if I ever get cold, I know what to do now. Have you shift and then I can curl up against the back of your ear. Maybe not the easiest thing to do, but I’m sure we can figure it out.”
The dragon huffed in what she thought might be laughter—could a dragon laugh?—and she finally scratched the area with her short nails.
The more she scratched, the more the dragon leaned into the touch and hummed louder.
Yep, definitely more like a cat than a dog.
Just as she was about to ask if she could explore the rest of him, a tall, unknown woman with brown hair and light brown skin ran up to her and Brad. Without preamble, she said, “Shift back, Brad. David needs to see you both ASAP.”
Tasha frowned at the urgency in the woman’s voice. “What’s wrong?”
The younger lady replied, “Let’s just say that your mating ceremony needs to happen now or we can’t protect you.”
She looked into one of Brad’s huge dragon eyes but couldn’t read his expression. He motioned with his snout for her to stand back and she followed the unknown clan member to the outer perimeter of the landing area.