And, if she had to, she’d rip the land apart until she found her.

* * *

It took them much longer than Briec anticipated to get to the next safe place he knew of on this route. By the time he decided to land, both the suns had set and he knew his little human must be freezing. He could hear her chattering teeth over the howling wind.

His feet touched solid ground as he landed, trying not to jar her anymore than necessary. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that she’d plastered herself to his back with her face buried against his neck. She’d dug her hands into his hair, her fingers clinging to big handfuls of the silver strands. She didn’t even look up, instead choosing to tighten her legs around him…if that were physically possible. The woman had remarkably strong thighs.

He liked that.

“We’re here.”

“I don’t care,” she raged into his neck, her entire body trembling.

“Are you going to stay like that?”

“Yes.”

“How long?”

“Forever.”

Now why did he like the sound of that? Quickly, Briec pushed that ridiculous thought out of his head. “Listen—”

“No. I’m not moving. Ever. Again.”

“As you wish.”

“You keep saying that like you mean it.”

Briec stifled a laugh and, remembering something his sister taught him many years before, cast a quick flame-protection spell around the girl. It was slight and would only last mere seconds, he thought for sure she wouldn’t even notice, but her body stiffened and she said, “What are you up to anyway?”

Flames surrounded the pair and he shifted back to his human form, smiling at the fact he had this beautiful woman straddling his naked ass. He crossed his arms and rested his head on them, wondering how long it would take her to notice.

For nearly two minutes she didn’t say a word. Then she moved around a bit, and her bare sex—hot and hungry—ground into his cheeks.

She gasped in horror and finally sat up straight. “What in holy—”

“I thought you weren’t moving?”

“You tricky bastard. I knew I felt you cast a spell.”

“Just a minor one. I’m surprised you even sensed it.”

Her hands still tangled up in his long hair, he had enough room to turn over. Which he did quickly, before she could bolt off.

Briec caught her around the waist and pulled her tight against him, her pu**y rubbing against his now healthy erection.

Panicked, she tried to get her hands untangled from his hair, but she seemed to be having quite a time of it.

“Let me go,” she demanded as she yanked one hand and realized she still had his hair.

Wincing from the pain of that pull, he challenged, “I can’t let you go. Because you’ve still got me.” As he made the statement, making sure to sound sad and at a loss, he ground his hips up between her thighs.

This time she pulled his hair on purpose. “Don’t do that!”

“Sorry. Accident.”

“It was not.” After a few more desperate struggles, she held her hands up in triumph. She’d finally untangled herself from his hair. But when she tried to jump off his lap, he tightened his grip on her waist.

“You’re not going to leave me like this, are you?”

“I most certainly am!”

* * *

What the hell was going on? No man—or in this case male—had ever pursued her like this before. And he was pursuing her. With every look. Every word. Every devious thrust. And, to be quite honest, she had no idea how to handle it.

Talaith had loved only one man before and lost him at sixteen. After, they handed her over to the one she now called “husband”. Since that man knew she was his as wife, he never bothered pursuing her. She had a feeling he wouldn’t have appreciated it one bit if he’d been forced to either. Yet the more she fought the dragon, the more he seemed to be enjoying himself.

True, she could just give herself to him and get it over with. But something, that inner voice that had never steered her wrong all these many long years, told her she’d never recover from her time spent in this dragon’s bed. And did dragons even have beds? Would she have to mate with him on the cave floor? None of that sounded very comfortable.

“This isn’t fair.”

“What does fair have to do with anything?”

“I’m tired and freezing. I can’t fight you right now.”

“Why does everything between us need to be a fight?”

Because she enjoyed it? No. Probably not a good idea to say that. She’d never get rid of him then. She could tell he liked their fighting just as much.

Shaking her head in exasperation, she snapped, “Everything between us? What are you talking about? We’ve known each other since this morning.” She slapped at his tightening hands on her waist. “Stop that!”

Talaith pushed hard against his chest, but his arms wouldn’t budge. Still, she kept trying. And, finally bored with the struggle she assumed, he released her. Since she didn’t expect that, Talaith shoved herself backward and landed hard on the ground.

“Ow!”

He didn’t even apologize as he sat up, staring down at her. Was he angry? She guessed not when he began to speak to his erection.

“I know. I can’t believe she left us like this either. Cruel wench, isn’t she?”

After the long, frightening, horrible day she had, this was not remotely how she expected to end it. And, against her will, she smiled.