Page 30 of Red Fury

Her eyes go wider, and she sucks in a breath.

I hold up a hand, keeping the other one firmly on the steering wheel. “Before you can ask or comment, no, we don’t force these matings. Our Tributes are carefully selected to ensure that only single females are sent. There are further criteria to ensure the highest success rate. The humans have to stay on our island for three months and have to at least meet our males and participate in the various activities designed to allow them to get to know one another, but nothing is forced or expected. If a female chooses to leave, she can do so. I was asked to be a part of the next submission, but I’m here instead.”

“That sounds…it… I’m shocked. Is your fertility situation really that bad?”

“It really is. Many of our males are without a mate. This, despite having mating circles where one female will mate with several males.”

Shadow gasps. “Really? And the males tolerate this? Our males are too dominant. Far too possessive.”

“Our males are too, but what can we do?” I shrug.

“Would you ever consider—?”

I shake my head. “No!” It comes out in a rasp. “Not a chance. I would rather be alone. Mating circles are not for me, but it is a necessity to keep a semblance of normality. The most desired females are the ones who can have children.”

“Your poor females are forced to—”

“Let me stop you there. You really have some barbaric notions of how we live our lives…” I flip the indicator again and take the next off-ramp. “It’s not like that at all. Our females have a choice. They are encouraged to take more than one mate, and those who can have young are encouraged to have as many aspossible…but nothing is ever forced on them. Our she-dragons are treated like gold.”

“Okay.” She nods a few times. I’m not sure she believes me. “That’s a tough situation to be in.”

I sigh. “It isn’t ideal. We’re hoping that things gradually improve. The Tributes will play a role in that. Of last year’s group, twenty-three of the thirty are now mated to our males. Some of those females are already with child. Three females chose to go home. The other four are in a partnership with mating on the cards. I can’t tell you how things are going with the new intake, but I suspect that it’s going well. You Draigers don’t have it easy, either.”

“We turn into ferocious beasts with very little left of our humanity as soon as we shift into our dragon forms.”

“And you need humans to bond with in order to keep you calm.”

“Yep, it would seem that it’s a difficult situation for all of us.”

“For sure. Are you bonded?” I ask as we park in the same spot as before. “With a human rider that is? I still don’t believe you have a boyfriend, by the way.”

“Why is it so hard to believe?” Shadow unclips her seatbelt and goes on before I can respond. “No, I don’t have a rider. My dragon has yet to choose someone.”

“I would hate to have to be babysat every time I shifted.”

“You get used to it. I’m not sure which island has it worse, or how we can be so radically different when we’re technically the same species.”

“I have no idea.” I unclip my belt as well. “My grandfather maintains that we used to be on friendly terms once upon a time, many years ago. We used to mingle. There was no “them and us” situation like we have now.”

“I’ve heard similar, but it was a very long time ago.”

We get out of the car.

“Ready?” I ask.

“I guess so.” She looks nervous.

We make our way through the woods, back to the secluded clearing. The night air is cool, and somewhere in the distance, I can hear the faint sounds of the city.

“Same as before,” I tell her as we reach the clearing. “I’ll shift first, keep you contained and safe.”

She nods, already reaching for the hem of her T-shirt. This time, there’s no hesitation as she pulls it over her head. The moonlight catches on her skin, and I have to force myself to look away as she unhooks her bra and lets it fall to the ground.

But when I glance back, she’s staring at me with the same intensity, her eyes raking over my chest as I strip off my shirt. Heat pools low in my belly, and I have to think about tactical formations and mission protocols to keep from getting hard.

She pushes her jeans down her long legs, and I concentrate on folding my clothes into a neat pile. When I hear the soft sound of her panties hitting the ground, I nearly lose the battle with my self-control.

Think about something else. Anything else.