The Dragon’s Appraiser: Part Two by Viola Rivard Read Free Book Online Page B

this island for centuries. If it weren’t for you protecting my ancestors, I probably would have never existed. So…it wasn’t for nothing. I’m here because of you.”
    Sevrrn’s expression was blank, but with his free arm, he drew her into his warm embrace. She nuzzled her head into his chest, breathing in his rich scent. For a few moments, she let herself be lulled by the sound of his heart and the rise and fall of his chest.
    “I will take this into consideration, Madja O’aer.”
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    F or the rest of the journey, Sevrrn appeared to be in deep thought. Madja hoped that he was truly considering the defense of the island. As she’d already made so much progress that day, she decided not to prod him. It would probably be weeks before the island was in any real danger and she would have plenty of time to subtly steer him towards protecting it. As much as she wanted to see the Kavesh family—and the whole government in general—suffer for what they did to her, her own grievances weren’t worth the thousands of innocent men, women, and children that inhabited Erda.
    Madja felt surprisingly giddy when they stepped into the lair. All-too eagerly, she flung her shoes off and dashed towards the lake, running at full speed. She had missed the feeling of coins beneath her feet and was excited at the prospect of sleeping in fine silks again.
    More than anything, she was happy to be back in her bubble with Sevrrn. She couldn’t undo the night before and she didn’t want to. But she knew that their fight had stemmed from not understanding one another and she couldn’t give up on him. She couldn’t change Sevrrn’s past, but she was very much a part of his future.
    When she reached the lake, Madja stripped away the layers of her clothes. Sevrrn caught up to her as she was removing her inner-slip, his garnet eyes making a detached assessment of her body. Since the first time they’d had sex, they’d never gone two full days without doing something, and so she was curious as to why he wasn’t trying to make a move. She wanted to believe that he was being considerate about her feelings, which were still a little raw.
    “What’s on your mind?” she asked. As a general rule, she anticipated even the most bizarre responses from the dragon, but this one caught her totally off-guard.
    “I was thinking of the prostitute we encountered at the marketplace.”
    Madja froze, allowing the slip to fall back in place over her body. Telling herself not to overreact, she straightened her spine and folded her arms under her breasts.
    “What about her?” she asked in an even tone.
    “There is something I cannot make sense of,” he said, appearing rather perplexed. “I cannot figure out why she would think that I would pay for the use of her body. Is she particularly skilled at mating? Does she know how to do things that you do not? And if so, what sorts of things?”
    He looked at Madja as though she would answer these questions. Madja was too busy trying not to scream. Her hands fisted and her jaw clenched and unclenched several times before she could find adequate words.
    In a deceptively calm voice, she replied, “If you’re so curious, why don’t you go and ask her yourself?”
    To her horror, he considered this, but then said, “That is impractical. We only just arrived back at the lair.”
    No longer interested in bathing, Madja bent to gather her clothes. While she did so, Sevrrn continued to speak.
    “I do not think I would want to mate with her anyway. I found her scent distasteful. She has lain with many males.”
    Ignoring him, Madja stood and set out for her bed. He followed.
    As if the thought had just occurred to him, he asked, “Have you been with many males?”
    Coming to an abrupt halt, Madja spun around on one heel to face him. “No, I told you before that you were my first.”
    “Ah, yes.”
    It wasn’t like him to forget anything, and looking past the haze of her own anger, she could see that Sevrrn