Part 7 (2/2)
”I told you that I'm not going to touch you and I won't. Sit down!” He couldn't help the commanding edge that crept into his voice.
She did as he said.
”Centuries ago, our species were hunted and persecuted by the humans. I'm told that there are stories and legends of armor wearing knights on great horses. These knights carried swords and spears. What the stories and legends do not mention is that these blades were silver. We were hunted and slaughtered until only a few of my forefathers remained. We were forced to flee, to abandon our homes. We sought refuge here in the mountains, forced to keep our existence a secret.” He decided not to tell her of the stag runs, for fear of scaring her. ”With our numbers being so low to begin with when we went into seclusion, we have continued to lose numbers as the years have gone on. Therefore, when we discovered that the vampires had a program that allowed them to breed with human females we felt we had no choice but to give it a try.
Although she pretended not to be interested, he could see how she leaned forward and held her breath. ”We would have preferred to have approached human females instead of just taking them. In the vampires' breeding program, the females voluntarily sign up to meet with vampire males. It seems that all of the nonhuman species are suffering with fertility problems. This program has been a success. The first of the children are about to be born. We cannot allow for our existence to become public knowledge through the methods that they used though for fear that the persecutions would begin again. Do you understand that?”
She ignored him so Coal went on. ”Although dragon s.h.i.+fters are much more powerful than humans, there are so few of us comparatively. We would never stand a chance.” He turned the the stick and the hare sizzled, its flesh was becoming a beautiful golden color. The meat was nearly ready.
”Cry me a freaking river,” the female mumbled. ”Tell someone who actually cares.”
”We have been left with very little options. It was either take human females or die out. Since we couldn't announce ourselves, we were forced to-”
”Just take what you wanted anyway?” Her eyes flashed to his. ”That's wrong. You can't go around kidnapping women and you have to know that.”
”It's not ideal.”
”Not ideal?” She huffed out a breath. ”Cavemen, barbarians, that's what you all are.”
Coal had to suppress a smile. Such a feisty female. He didn't know much about humans but he suspected that she was rare.
”We have little choice, we proceeded by handpicking the females. It was important that we choose unmated, healthy specimens who-”
”Specimens? Really? We're not handbags or cattle or scarves or something, we're human beings. We have feelings and rights. What you are doing is not fair. It's wrong, don't you see that?” Her nostrils flared with her emotion.
Coal did see it. He understood her anger. ”Maybe specimen was a bad choice of word...” He caught a certain look in her eye. ”Okay, okay. Specimen was a terrible choice of word. I am well aware that you have feelings. I do not see you as a cow or any of those other things.” He was shocked to find that it was true. ”Please know that we felt we had no other choice. The females that we chose,” he paused. ”The reason why we chose you, is because we hoped that we could help you. That this could be a mutually beneficial relations.h.i.+p.”
The female stood back up. She put her hands on her hips and scowled at him. ”Like h.e.l.l. You could help me by taking me back and right now.”
”I was told that you are dest.i.tute. That you need our help just as much as we need yours. Is this information incorrect?”
Her jaw was clenched, her hands flew to her hips. ”Just because I'm homeless, jobless and my best friend hates me right now doesn't mean you had any right to take me away from my life, my home. Not that I had a home.” Her bottom lip quivered. ”It's irrelevant,” she choked out, sounding wounded.
So she was dest.i.tute. She did need help. By all that was green and scaly, the female was going to cry. Something inside him clenched. ”I'm sorry.” His voice was rough. ”I'm sorry you didn't have a home and that this happened to you.” What the h.e.l.l was he saying? He'd rarely apologized, if ever. Then again, he needed to win her. For his brother and his kingdom. This was no time to take the moral high ground.
”Sorry is not going to help, is it?” A single tear rolled down her cheek.
Blast and d.a.m.n. Tears didn't normally affect him. He was trying to picture himself in her position. He could understand her pain. ”I swear to you that I will not hurt you or force you to do anything you don't want to do.” Coal rose to his feet. ”I will look after you. None of the males will harm the females they won today. Neither will they force them. It is not how dragon s.h.i.+fters operate.”
”That's bulls.h.i.+t!” She shouted. ”I saw that big guy climb on top of Pauline.”
”Flame was putting his scent on her. He wasn't hurting her.”
”You might not consider rape as harming but us humans do. What the h.e.l.l is putting his scent on her?” Although her eyes were still watery, she looked mad. ”It's so wrong and so disgusting.” She narrowed her eyes and growled the words. If she were a fire dragon, she would have flames erupting from her mouth.
”Flame might have touched her briefly, so that he could put his scent on her and he will have kissed her, but that is where it will have ended. Why do you keep speaking of rape and force? Where did you get this crazy idea?” He had a notion but he wanted to hear it from her.
She chewed on her bottom lip. ”You seriously don't plan on raping me and impregnating me? Why am I here then? You just told me a whole sob story about how you dragons don't have any women. What is this all about?”
”Dragons are not without honor.” He felt anger rise up in him. ”We would never force a female to do anything she did not want to do. I'm sorry that you were abducted. This too is not normally something that we would do. I won you which means that you are under my protection. I hope that you will get to know me and that you will agree to mate with me, in the long run. This could be mutually beneficial for both of us”
Her mouth fell open in a gape.
”I also hope that if things work out, that eventually you will also agree to carry my children. To continue my species. This will be your choice though. I will not force any of it on you.”
What the h.e.l.l was he saying? It was her choice, but she didn't need to know that. Coal needed to keep some leverage in this situation.
It seemed that his tongue was not done flapping because he went on. ”In the long run, should you decide that you wish to go home, I will take you back. You have my word as the fire prince.”
”You'll take me back?” She didn't sound like she believed him. Not even one little bit. ”I'm never going to agree to this whole marriage and children thing so you might as well take me back right now.”
”You need to agree to give it some time. Get to know me. I wish to get to know you.” Intimately. Where the h.e.l.l had that come from? He had gone far too long without rutting. It was wreaking havoc on him.
Time.
Get to know him.
Had he gone completely mad? They didn't have time. He had no idea how to go about changing her mind. Blaze was going to roast his a.s.s.
”No need. I know enough.” She shook her head.
”A couple of weeks,” he blurted. ”You would be under my protection. Safe, warm, a roof over your head.”
”I'm not some hooker that you can bribe with things in return for...” She let the sentence die.
Coal frowned. He didn't always understand what she was saying. ”What is a hooker?”
”A hooker is someone that has s.e.x for money.” She looked guilty. Her eyes dropped to her lap. ”Not that hookers are bad or anything. It's just, it's bad manners to offer food and shelter in return for... s.e.x.”
”I am offering food and shelter while you are on fire territory. You will get these things regardless of whether or not we rut.” The female didn't look like she believed him. He reached over and offered the browned hare to her, stick side. ”It's hot but it should be really good.”
Although she shook her head, he could see how she eyed the meat greedily. She licked her lips.
”Take it. You are hungry and you need the sustenance.” He pushed the stick further forward.
”Maybe just a small taste.”
She accepted the morsel and Coal felt a warmth blossom inside of him. He watched as she took a small nibble and then another and another. The warmth spread.
”It's good.” She gave him the ghost of a smile.
Coal smiled back. They were sharing a moment. This felt important. It felt like the start of something. The female was interesting to him and her scent appealed. Maybe there was something there. Chances were small... tiny even, but at least it was something.
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