Deryk (Dragon Hearts #2)(15)
“Yes.”
“You knew what the aphrodisiac would do to me?”
“I wasn’t thinking of much at all last night except claiming you—”
“Did you know what the aphrodisiac would do to me?”
“Yes.”
“You bastard.” Izzi rose to her feet, completely unconcerned by her nakedness as she began to pound her fists on Deryk’s rock-hard chest. “Reverse it,” she demanded as she continued to rain her fists against his chest. “Reverse it now.”
Deryk knew he deserved every bit of Izabella’s anger. Last night, he had been so consumed with mating her, in claiming her, he hadn’t really thought how Izabella might feel about all this. After fifteen hundred years of waiting, knowing he was on the brink of turning dragon and remaining that way, he had breathed in her scent, recognized her as his mate, and known that his own torment was over. He had simply taken what he wanted.
Izabella.
He reached up to grasp her wrists in his and hold her hands away from pounding on him. Not that she was hurting him; his dragon skin was much too thick for her to do any damage. But she had to be hurting herself as she struck him, and he couldn’t have that. Protecting his mate, even from herself, was his first priority now. Her happiness was his only concern. And right now, Izabella was far from happy.
He closed his eyes briefly before opening them again and answering her. “It’s irreversible.”
“What does that mean?”
Deryk drew in a ragged breath. “It means the mating has already begun and can’t be reversed.”
“I’m not a dragon.”
“But you must have some dragon DNA.”
“The same dragon DNA your brother’s mate has?”
“Probably not from the same dragon, but yes, dragon DNA. Your family has been the human caretakers for the Romanovs for a very long time. The chances are that somewhere back in your ancestry, one of them was involved with a Romanov dragon and gave birth to a hybrid child.”
“But not mated by them?”
“No.”
“But you’ve mated me.”
He swallowed. “I’ve waited a very long time for my mate, for you, and last night, I reacted instinctively. I honestly didn’t give the idea of the aphrodisiac in my saliva a second thought when I kissed you.”
“And you think that excuses what you did?”
“No, of course it doesn’t, but— I recognized my mate and— I didn’t know you then,” he said lamely.
She glared at him. “You think you know me now?”
He didn’t need to know Izabella for any length of time to realize the person she was. “I know you’re very beautiful. That your parents are very proud of you. You’re also intelligent, and studying for a law degree. You also have a temper,” he added dryly.
“And you are arrogance personified if you think I’m going to let you get away with this.” She wrenched out of his grasp, no doubt bruising herself in the process.
She looked like a pagan goddess with her straight blonde hair cascading down the length of her spine to her ass cheeks. Her shoulders were proudly back, pushing her red-tipped breasts forward. She stood with her legs slightly apart, her stance one of attack rather than defense.
She is a worthy mate for us, his dragon purred.
“I refuse to be your mate,” Izabella snapped as if in answer to that thought.
Deryk grimaced. “There will be consequences if you refuse.”
“Maybe you should have thought about that before you claimed me without my permission.”
He should have thought about a lot of things before doing that. Mostly, Izabella.
“Find yourself another mate,” she told him dismissively. “This one isn’t interested.”
“There is only one mate for each of us.”
Her eyes widened incredulously. “And for you I’m it?”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean there’s now only you for me too? Answer me!” she insisted as Deryk hesitated.
“The mating works both ways, yes,” he revealed reluctantly.
“Even though I’m human?”
“Yes.”
“But we haven’t mated.”
“Not completely, no,” he acknowledged. “But that saliva in your bloodstream means the mating is already too far along for us to be apart for more than a few hours without it becoming extremely uncomfortable.”
She studied him. “You feel this painful arousal too?”
He nodded. “I haven’t been able to rest for thinking about you and wanting you.”
To Izzi’s disgust, she found it somehow…exciting, to know she was the cause of this man’s physical arousal and discomfort. Deryk was…well, he was unlike any other man she had ever met. Tall, huge, and dangerous.
Dragon.
“We’ll both die if you refuse the mating,” he said quietly.
She snorted. “And you’ll die a painful death if I’m forced to accept it,” she assured him determinedly.
He arched one brow. “The Romanovs?”
“Me.” She glared. “Now get out of my apartment and don’t come back.”
“It doesn’t work like that, Izabella.”