Page 22 of Her Silent Knight

For him, kissing had been forbidden. Sex had been forbidden. Growing close to a being of the opposite sex had been forbidden. An alpha had to live up to the title in every aspect of his life.

He had to be true to his people and true to his mate, even if it took him a hundred years to find her. An alpha’s mate was the only female allowed to bring him pleasure. It didn’t matter if she’d been with others before meeting him.

It didn’t matter if she’d fallen in and out of love a dozen times before meeting him. A dragon alpha was only allowed to love one woman. He was only allowed to make love to one woman. His mate.

Kaede thought he’d spend the rest of his life never knowing what it felt like to be loved and to love. He thought he would never know what it felt like to make love to his chosen female.

We were wrong.

“I hope,”Kaede told his beast. “Normally, a shifter’s inner animal would tell him when he was near his mate. But...”

I’ve been dormant for too long. I can’t be sure... I apologize.

“Not your fault. That witch, Onaku’s wife, silenced both you and me.”

But this witch has awakened us. Me for sure. If we prove she’s given you back your voice also, that means she’s ours. That means these feelings she’s stirring within us are real. It means you didn’t imagine it earlier. You did speak.

His dragon sounded so hopeful. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d heard the creature sound this way. In the past, he’d rarely spoken. And when he had, it had been to warn Kaede of suspicious activity happening around them.

Or to tell Kaede of the vibes he was getting from strangers. Or to roar and tell Kaede to let him out so he could destroy those who pissed them off.

Are you saying I’ve changed?

“I thought being locked up for this long would’ve made you worse. It seems to have mellowed you.”

Fire erupted inside him as his dragon roared, showing off its strength. Clearly, Kaede had offended him by calling him mellow. Smoke billowed from Kaede’s nose as the windows in the cottage vibrated from the force of his dragon’s roar.

After being cold for so long, he welcomed his dragon’s heat, even if it did feel like his beast was burning him alive from the inside out. The fire wouldn’t hurt him. No fire could. He was born of fire.

As his dragon’s flames filled him, he felt himself becoming stronger. He was starting to feel like the old Kaede. The beast he was before his cousin poisoned him, before he was cursed and then banished here. He was starting to feel like the rightful alpha to the Shikoku dragon den.

I can melt these iron clamps with no problem. Then we’ll be free,his dragon told him just as the door to the cabin opened.

“Not yet.”

Why? We should be free when we touch her.

“I don’t want to scare her. I want her to feel she’s in control.”

But...

“I want her to be comfortable around me.”

I don’t understand.

“Don’t melt the clamps yet, beast.”

His dragon obeyed, but he still roared his displeasure. His curvy witch stepped into the cabin and closed the door behind her and locked it. A smile spread across Kaede’s face. She was locked inside with him.

She sighed before saying, “Can you please stop roaring, you’re giving me a headache.”

His beast instantly obeyed. Didn’t mean to hurt her.

“I know, beast. I think she’s exaggerating.”

Her shocked gaze flew to his. “You actually stopped. I didn’t even have to use magic.”

Kaede winked at her.