Never Fall for a Dragon (Mate Mountain, #1)

by Lola Glass

“What the hell, Fireball? Who brought you here?” “I did.” I held his gaze, defiance filling mine. I wasn’t walking away, no matter what he said. “You can’t be alone in here without losing your mind. You won’t leave to save your life. This is the answer.” I gestured toward myself. “Me.” “You’re not staying in this fucking cell with me. I fought heat for weeks to keep you out of here. I watched you suffer, I forced myself not to do anything, I⁠—” “How do you think I’ll feel when you die in here?” I demanded. He blinked. His forehead wrinkled, just slightly. “Did you even think about me? You said we were mates, August. I woke up in our bed alone the morning after we finally had sex. You didn’t say goodbye. You abandoned me. Eli kept saying that you were coming back, that you wanted me, but you never said it yourself. I thought there was a good chance you were going to reject me up until you called me your mate this morning. I thought I was coming here for nothing, because you didn’t want me. I⁠—” His lips crashed into mine again, harder than before. More desperate.

“I wanted you. I always wanted you, and I always will.” He kissed me again roughly, but pulled away a breath later. “I’m fucking pissed that you followed me here. It kills me that you put yourself in danger. That you snuck into the prison. That you flew with my brother. But I’m enough of a bastard that despite my anger, I’m relieved.” He brushed his thumb over my cheekbone. “Relieved that you’re here with me, so I’m not alone. That we’re still a team.” I bit my lip. “I’m sorry. I should’ve said goodbye. I should’ve thought about how much that would hurt you. I should’ve made sure you knew damn well that I belong to you as much as you belong to me—and that I would come back to you no matter what it took. Even if it meant abandoning the thunder.” “You just told me you weren’t willing to leave them.” The intensity in his gaze relaxed a bit. “I told you they wouldn’t let me die, and they won’t. When it comes down to it, they’ll get me out. They’re pissed at me, but they don’t want me dead. If they did, my brothers would get involved.” My forehead wrinkled. “So they’re not going to leave you to lose your mind or suffer?” “Oh, they want me to suffer. To lose my mind a bit, too. They just won’t let it kill me.” Ah. Great friends and family. Really, really great.

“I’ve never danced with you.” “You never wooed me,” I reminded him. “We just became a team.” A team with really good sex.

“Will the sex be as good between us now as it was before?” I asked. “Did heat make it better?” “Heat made us want it more, but it didn’t make it better. If I fucked you in here, you’d enjoy it just as much.” He glanced down at the stone bed. “Almost as much. Because of the situation, not heat. Where did he touch you? How long did you dance?” “Careful there, Auggie. You’re starting to sound jealous.” His eyes flashed. “I am jealous. I’d have killed to be with you in that club.” I liked his honesty, and his confidence.

“If I die, you’re going to end up with some other bastard,” August said. “So I’m not going to die. There’s no reason to talk about it. You’re mine.” I scowled. “This is not how this is going to go, August.” I gestured between us. “We’re a team, remember? If I don’t get to lie about being fine, you don’t either.” He let out a long breath, but finally dipped his head. “My body hurts. It’s going to be a few days before I’m completely back to normal. Maybe a week.” I stared at him, my eyes narrow. “Two at the most,” he said reluctantly. “We don’t need to stop having sex. I don’t want that. Having you here with me, treating me normally, makes me feel a lot less helpless.” I could accept that as the truth. “So you’re going to let me take care of you?” “I guess.”

“I love you, Fireball.” Though he didn’t release my lips, his voice was strong in my mind. Confident, too. He knew exactly what he felt for me. And I knew exactly how I felt about him too. “I love you too,” I admitted. “I have for a while.” “Let’s make it forever.” My mouth stretched in a smile against his. “Forever sounds good to me.” I’d fallen for a dragon… And I wouldn’t go back even if I could.