A Dawn of Strength (A Shade of Vampire #14)(51)

I paused, waiting for my body to cool down before continuing, “And—once you have courted and chosen your partners—would you want to take them back to The Hearthlands?”

“If our lovers so desired,” Jeriad said. “Now we’ve discovered a gate, we would certainly wish for our offspring to return there.”

“Okay.” I sat back down next to Caleb, lifting his arm and sliding it around me as I kept my eyes on Jeriad. There was something strangely charming about these dragons. Their words should have come across as arrogant and presumptuous. But somehow, they didn’t. I’d only gotten irritated because they’d made Caleb feel uncomfortable and, while I didn’t believe for a moment that their prince could make me forget Caleb, I couldn’t ignore the confidence that oozed from every pore of their skin. I didn’t doubt that they were expert lovers and would be capable of making any woman very, very happy.

The door creaked open behind us. I whirled around to see my parents enter the room.

“Hi, Mom and Dad,” I said, beckoning them over toward us. “So Jeriad and I have been having a little talk and we’ve come to a clearer understanding. They want to stay here and romance our single ladies.”

My father looked around at the crowd. “How many of you wish to stay?” he asked.

“I would estimate just one hundred of us to start with,” Jeriad replied. “Some of our group here with me now—ten or so—will return to inform the royal family, and come back again to the island with the prince—for whom finding a partner is a priority.”

One hundred dragons. That would provide us all with a nice amount of protection.

“What type of accommodation is your preference?” my mother asked. “We have witches here skilled in constructing almost anything.”

“We like mountains,” Jeriad said instantly. “The chambers within this range could be made suitable for us with some guidance on our part to the witches.”

“We’ll arrange for a meeting then, with you and our witches, and you can detail your requirements and preferences,” my mother said.

“And, um, what do you do for food?” I asked nervously, recalling their appetite for ogre flesh.

Jeriad’s gaze once again fell upon my face. “We shall remain primarily in these forms while we remain on this island, and we will eat as the humans do.”

I let out a sigh of relief. Brett and Bella would still be terrified when they discovered that the dragons were to remain with us permanently, but at least they would be a little less menacing in their humanoid forms.

“When will you leave for your prince?” my father asked.

“As soon as this meeting is over.”

I took that as my cue to leave. I’d asked them everything I’d wanted to ask them for now—and, assuming they were telling the truth, I was satisfied that I’d done the right thing by letting them mingle with the island’s large population of human woman.

I reached out a hand to Jeriad. “I’ll see you again soon, no doubt.”

He gripped my hand, the warmth of his skin melding with my own. His touch was surprisingly gentle for a man of his prowess, though I supposed it had been quite deliberate, since he was touching a damsel.

Drawing away, Caleb and I headed out of the Black Heights while my parents stayed behind to talk with them further. As we entered into the clearing, I asked, “What should we do now…?”

As I gazed up at him, my voice trailed off. I was surprised by how intensely he was staring at me. Ignoring my question, he swept me off my feet and raced with me in his arms up the side of the mountain. As our cabin came into view—thankfully unscathed in the battle—I realized where he was headed.

He flew up the porch steps and barged through the door. Closing the door behind us with his heel, he carried me straight to our bedroom. Laying my head against the pillows, he climbed over me and straddled my hips. He placed his hands either side of my head and lowered his face until his lips were so close I could practically taste them.

Finally, he answered my question in a whisper. “It’s been a long night. I think we should sleep.”

“Sleep, huh? You don’t exactly strike me as tired.”

“I’m never tired when I’m with you.” Breathing heavily, he ran his mouth down my throat toward my chest, leaving a trail of kisses.

“Then you’re going to be one tired vampire in a hundred years’ time,” I managed to whisper back. His touch was lighting me on fire again. I hoped I wouldn’t become too hot or lose control and start spouting flames.

He paused, raising his head to look me in the eye. “Just a hundred?”

“Well, more. But we need to figure out how to turn me into a vampire without me going wild like my brother.”

He dipped his head again and continued caressing my body, but I could tell that something was bothering him. After he’d undressed me, I beckoned him toward me and pulled him into my arms. Twining my legs with his, I rested his head against my chest. “I meant what I said to those dragons, Caleb,” I said softly. “I’m yours… and if you hold onto me, I always will be.”

His hold around me tightened. Positioning himself so that he was level with me on the pillows, he gazed into my eyes. “Is it possible for ice to hold onto fire?”

I slipped my hand into his. “You’re holding onto me now,” I whispered, pressing my lips against his cheek. “Just don’t let go.”