Roland reached out with his muscular arms and pulled her close. "You have a kind and brave heart, Lana. We'll keep Tor safe and see he grows up strong and true. He'll be protected and loved by all the dragons of my land. I can assure you of that. And he'll be respected as he grows. Ice Dragons are not to be trifled with and he'll grow into that responsibility with our guidance."

Roland pulled her close and kissed her long and hard, his hot tongue sweeping into her mouth and lighting a fire in her belly she'd never felt before. His strong hands swept up her smooth legs, rubbing beneath the hem of her tunic and up to the curves of her ass as she struggled mindlessly to get closer to him. She'd never felt such passion, such heady delight.

His warm palm spread over the curve of her butt, shocking a gasp from her lips that he swallowed as he took her to the ground once more. His hard body pressed along her length, his hand roaming as he dragged the hem of her tunic upwards. His fingers searched for and found the heavy curve of her breast, making her shiver. When he palmed her nipple she couldn't suppress the moan of pleasure that sounded from her throat, but when he closed his thumb and forefinger around her hard peak and tugged, she nearly screamed.

Only his heavy weight above her kept her on the ground, so violent was the urge to move as her insides fired hot and heavy. He pulled back from her lips to stare down into her eyes. Flames leapt within his dark green gaze as he continued tugging rhythmically on her nipple.

"I want you, Lana. I want to make love with you, be inside you, shoot my seed deep within your womb, and mark you as mine." His hands caressed her flaming hair as the dragon within him roared to life possessively. "You're mine, Lana. Mine!" He paused to take a deep breath, regaining some control. "Never doubt that. I knew almost from the first that you were made for me."

"Roland—"

She wanted to protest but he cut off her words by kissing her again. His hand moved on her breast and liquid fire raced through her veins, not to be outdone by a strange, wet sensation between her legs. She didn't know what was happening to her. Roland moved his other hand to explore the wetness and she blushed crimson with embarrassment, but his eyes grew impossibly hotter as he pulled back to smile down at her.

"You're so wet for me."

"I'm sorry—"

"Oh, baby, don't be embarrassed. That's what's supposed to happen when a woman prepares to take a man inside her body. Without that miracle wetness, we wouldn't fit together comfortably. Your body's response tells me you want me." He moved one finger inside her. She gasped at the fullness and new sensations bombarding her. It felt so good.

Then he did something with his thumb, moving it around a little nubbin of flesh that skyrocketed her to the stars. She sobbed softly as she trembled against him, her eyes seeking his for reassurance. He smiled down at her, his fingers stroking and petting, his eyes hot but somehow kind as he watched her reach a peak she hadn't even known was there.

"Roland!" Her breathless whisper sparked desire in his gaze as he removed his hand from between her legs. With a devilish smile, he brought his wet fingers to his lips and licked them clean.

"You taste divine, Lana. Now do you understand better what I meant when I said I wanted to eat you yesterday?" She blushed to the roots of her hair thinking about what those shocking words implied. His mouth dove for her neck, sighing and sucking on her delicate skin as he teased her. "I want to lick your pussy and have you come against my tongue. I want all of you, Lana. Will you give yourself to me?"

She didn't know what she would have answered because at that moment, both of them heard Tor shifting not too far away. The dragonet was stirring and would soon wake.

Roland pulled away to look deep into her eyes. "Will you keep this one secret for me? It won't be for long. Just for a while. All the dragons in my land know the truth, except the children."

She looked over at her baby, Tor, and realized this was not something that would harm him. She nodded.

"I won't tell him. It's your secret to share, Roland."

He swooped down to kiss her once more and then pulled back, a look of regret on his face. He held her eyes with his own for as long as possible while a magical black swirl of mist formed around his body. He grew and lengthened, his face becoming that of the dragon while his arm transformed once again into his sheltering wing. His body thickened and within moments the black dragon was back beside her, holding her close to his warm side.

"That is just amazing."