The Dragon King by Candace Blevins Read Free Book Online

empty, and listened to his story, my heart hurting as I realized what it could mean to him if he and I formed a couple. How could I be sure he loved me, and not the chance I could give him?
    “Soph, I’m laying this all out now because I never want you to feel as if I’ve hidden things from you, and I especially don’t want you to think I only want you in my life because of what you might represent. You need to know I’ve cared for you, deeply, since you were an energetic and opinionated toddler, and you’ve amazed me more and more as you grew.” His thumb absently slid over my arm again as he spoke. “It might be true that you represent possibly the only hope the Dragon line can continue, and my only hope for having children, but it’s a long shot, and I adored you as a child and then had thoughts about you I shouldn’t when you began turning into a woman. I want you to be mine, but I know it may not be possible. I’m going to do everything I can to give you power, help you get to a place so you can rule your people as their Queen, and I hope you’ll choose to let me stand by your side as you take control and become your own woman. Your own Queen.”
    I’d been in love with Aaron since, well, forever . And I’d had a huge crush on him since shortly before he had to stop teaching me once a week. If I could somehow help him bring the Dragons back from the brink of extinction, I wanted to.
    “How would it work?” I asked. “A swan giving birth to dragons? I mean, swans lay eggs, and I’m assuming dragons do as well? So, there are some biological similarities. How do dragons normally conceive?”
    “We have sex in dragon form, the female lays eggs, the couple takes turns sitting on them to keep them warm. The hatchlings come into the world as dragons and spend a few weeks learning to fly and control their fire before we shift them into human form. Dragon children can’t shift on their own until somewhere between six and ten, so their parents must handle the change for them. Learning to shift is hard, no one accidentally does it, so we’re kind of the opposite of most of the predatory shifters in that they have to control themselves to keep from shifting into their animal, and we need control in order to make the change .”
    “Swans are hatched in our animal form as well, but you know that.” I hesitated and asked, “Do you think it has anything to do with true-love’s kiss?”
    He shook his head. “No.”
    I took a breath and asked before I could chicken out. “Could you kiss me anyway, just in case?”
    Aaron’s gaze felt as if it penetrated my soul. “Do you know what you’re asking, Soph? I was prepared to give you a few days to get used to me touching your hand, your back, your face, before I tried to venture farther. You froze last night when I touched your back. I assume I’m going to be your first romantic kiss?”
    I nodded, unable to talk, and he said, “You stole my heart at three, but I think I fell the rest of the way in love with you when I threw you in the river. It wasn’t a romantic love then, but it will be, now.” He shook his head and said, “It is , now.”
    “I was seven!” I finally found my voice, and it came out in almost a shout.
    “I know.” His smile was gentle, as if he was afraid of spooking me. “If I kiss you, it won’t be to test out your theory.” His eyes were intense. Dark. “We need to get to know one another better as adults, and have a lot of discussions about consequences and repercussions before we…” He stood, stepped to me, and pulled me from my chair, drawing me into the warmth of his arms. No one had ever held me like this, enveloping me, surrounding me, and I had to think about breathing as his heat and power surrounded me and threatened to overwhelm me. Holding onto my reactions was hopeless now, but this was Aaron and he’d never expected me to be someone I’m not.
    “Not saying no, Princess. I’m giving you a chance to decide for