I shivered as the chilled air hit my fevered skin, then gasped as my breasts, heavy and sensitive with wanting, brushed against his chest when his hands slipped lower, tugging off my pants. I rose to my feet, kicking off the pants, watching with increasing concern as he shucked his own sleeping pants.

‘‘I’m short,’’ I said, looking up as he stood naked in front of me.

His lips twitched. ‘‘I wouldn’t say short. ‘Petite’ was the word that first came to mind.’’

‘‘Yes, but . . .’’ I stared in dismay at his penis. It was slightly darker than the rest of him, possessing all of the usual attributes, but also startlingly . . . well, large. ‘‘You’re much taller than me. At least a foot.’’

A lovely soft chuckle twined itself around me. He took my hand and wrapped it around himself. ‘‘We will fit, do not fret, little bird.’’

‘‘I’m not fretting. I’m just concerned.’’

"I assure you that in this regard, I am no different from any other man."

I narrowed my eyes at his penis. ‘‘You don’t have to patronize me. I’ve seen naked men before. I’m no stranger to sex, either, just not with a man.’’

‘‘I would not dream of patronizing you. Would you like me to lie down so that you may explore my body?’’

‘‘I have toys,’’ I told his penis, rather enjoying the heat of it in my hands. Since he invited me to do so, I allowed my fingers to explore the scenery. The results confirmed my suspicions. ‘‘I can say in all confidence that none of them even approach this level of . . . er . . . girth. I know women are built to accommodate all sorts of sizes and shapes, but there has to be a limit, Gabriel. And with the difference in our body sizes . . . well . . .’’

‘‘May.’’

I dragged my gaze off his nether regions up to his face. ‘‘What?’’

‘‘Are you stalling?’’ he asked, his eyes alight with amusement.

‘‘Is it that obvious?’’

‘‘Yes. But I understand. You are nervous. You are not sure you are ready to commit to this. And I wish I could give you the time to become comfortable with the idea of being my mate, but this is a time of war. I must claim you tonight.’’

‘‘You’re aroused,’’ I blurted.

‘‘Yes, I am.’’

‘‘But we just met. I’m not aroused.’’

His arms slid around me, his head lowering to the breast nearest him, his mouth hot on a suddenly aching nipple as he took it into his mouth, lashing it mercilessly with long, soft swipes of his tongue. The sensation lit fires all over my body, causing my back to arch. A low moan of sheer pleasure ripped from my throat as I clutched his shoulders. ‘‘Oh, dear god. All right, I take it back, I’m aroused! Do the other one!’’

I moaned when his mouth descended on my waiting breast, my hips moving urgently against him as I squirmed with the odd mixture of pleasure and pain when he sucked the nipple. His fingers left trails of fire along my skin as he slid my underwear off, opening me up to his burning touch.

Overcome by the sensation, I bit his shoulder, moaning my ecstasy as he probed and teased, building the fire inside until it roared in my ears. I’d never felt anything like this, amazed and dazzled by the strength of my emotions as his mouth burned a trail along my jaw. His whole body was hot as if he was fevered, his skin a silky brand as I moved restlessly against him. ‘‘I want . . .’’ I stopped, unable to put into words the sensations that held me in a vortex of desire.

‘‘What do you want?’’ he asked, his voice sliding along my flesh like water. ‘‘Tell me what you want.’’

‘‘I want . . . more,’’ I said, acknowledging the deep need that dwelled within me. I didn’t just need his body in mine; I needed him, all of him, merged with me in a way that went beyond sexual.

He tipped my head back, burning my lips, the pupils in his eyes mere slivers of black set in the purest molten silver. I knew then that what he said was true: we were meant to be mated; I was meant to be there at that moment, accepting him into my life and body, binding myself to him for all time.

‘‘Little bird, I must . . . we must do this in the manner of dragons,’’ he murmured, his normally beautiful voice hoarse with passion. ‘‘I must claim you this way.’’

We sank to the floor, Gabriel’s mouth and hands building the inferno that raged within me even higher as he turned me over, his body covering mine. One arm was braced next to me as I clutched the carpet, arching my back against his chest, his free hand spreading my legs.

I reached behind me to find him, guide him to where the fire burned the hottest, and he growled low and deep in his chest as he thrust into my body, a hard, burning invader that I welcomed with a cry of joy. The stretching sensation as he pushed his way in turned to one of pure pleasure as he moved. He claimed me with hard thrusts, his breath ragged as he wrapped an arm around me, pulling my hips back against him. I closed my eyes for a moment, so overcome with feelings I wanted to weep with joy, but a sudden burst of searing heat on my shoulder blade had me jerking backwards with a cry.

‘‘It is my brand, the mark of the silver dragons,’’ he said, as he licked away the sting, his hips pistoning against me. ‘‘Now you are mine.’’

An orgasm was building within me, deeper than I’d ever experienced, a tension that was familiar and yet different, seeming to draw energy from everywhere at once, focused at one brilliant point.

Gabriel thrust harder into me, reaching a depth I didn’t imagine possible, pushing me past the point of cognizance into a realm of blazing rapture.

He bit my neck, roaring wordless pleasure as he approached his own climax, the arms that were braced beside me suddenly shimmering for a moment as my eyes filled with tears of rapture.

He thrust into my body again, his back arching as he yelled out my name. I welcomed the fire that licked my flesh, reveling in it for a moment before reluctantly returning it to him. Beneath me, the carpet rubbed roughly against my sensitized breasts as Gabriel collapsed onto me, his weight a welcome feeling. I lay for a moment, stunned by the power and depth of the experience, protesting weakly when he pulled himself off me, rolling me over into his arms.

‘‘Mayling, did I frighten you? Are you hurt?’’

His voice was back to being velvet and satin. I opened my eyes, looking down from where I rested against his chest, a thousand little muscles inside me still quivering with exultation. ‘‘I’m not hurt. You were right about that, although I still don’t know how we fit together.’’

He laughed and shifted me up higher, so my head rested on his collarbone, his hands splayed wide across my back. ‘‘You have the most delightful mind. I have never met a woman like you.’’

‘‘Nor are you likely to, unless someone you know is sleeping with a demon lord,’’ I said dryly.

‘‘I’m sorry if the mating frightened you,’’ he said, his voice a lovely rumble in his chest.

I hesitated a moment, picking my words carefully. ‘‘It startled me. I wasn’t expecting such intensity. You seemed so powerful, so . . . forceful.’’

‘‘Like an animal?’’ His voice was light, but there was an undertone that had me pushing back off his chest so I could peer at his face.

‘‘You’re not an animal, Gabriel.’’ One corner of his mouth went up. ‘‘Well, not in the traditional sense of the word. You’re a very enthusiastic lover, but you seem so human, it’s just hard to remember that this isn’t your real form.’’

‘‘I am still the same being no matter what form I wear,’’ he said slowly, his eyes filled with warmth. ‘‘And you are my mate, the woman who has completed my life. Dragons frequently shift in the throes of sexual ecstasy, but if my dragon form makes you uncomfortable, then I will endeavor to control it.’’

I bit my lip, hating to make such a big deal about it, but at the same time, pathetically grateful that he would stay in human form. ‘‘I’m sure it makes me the worst sort of bigot to say that I’m uncomfortable around something that doesn’t look human.’’

His dimples popped into life. ‘‘Do you know that you shadowed at your moment of climax?’’

I gazed at him in surprise. ‘‘No! I did? I didn’t feel it. Are you sure?’’

‘‘Sure that the woman I held in my arms suddenly became almost entirely transparent? Yes.’’

‘‘I’m sorry,’’ I said, feeling the need to apologize. ‘‘Did it unnerve you?’’

‘‘No. There is nothing about you that I could ever find disagreeable.’’

I held my tongue, not wanting to ruin the moment of intimacy, allowing him to pull me back down against his body, still hot, but now dampened by our experience.

Lazy fingers drew patterns along my back, slowly moving up to my shoulder. A sensitive spot of skin reminded me of the burning sensation. ‘‘What was that brand you burned into me?

He traced out a pattern on my shoulder blade. ‘‘It is the mark of the silver dragon. It signifies you are my mate.’’

I frowned. ‘‘I’m not sure I like being treated like a piece of cattle. Couldn’t you have asked me first if I wanted it?’’

‘‘All members of the sept wear the symbol, here, in the small of their back.’’ He touched a spot on my lower back. ‘‘Only wyverns and their mates wear them higher, on the shoulder.’’

‘‘Let me see yours.’’

He obliged by sitting up, turning to the side so I could see the emblem that had been burned into his skin. I touched it, following the pattern. It was in the shape of a hand bearing a crescent moon. ‘‘That’s actually quite beautiful. What does it symbolize?’’

‘‘Our relationship with the sept, and nature,’’ he said enigmatically, pulling me up as he got to his feet. ‘‘It is morning. I wish I could let you have the rest you deserve, but you must first accept me as your mate so that I can make the preparations to present you to the sept.’’

I glanced down to the floor, where a few minutes before I had been writhing in ecstasy. ‘‘Didn’t . . . er . . . our lovemaking qualify as me accepting you?’’

He shook his head, his eyes still almost glowing. ‘‘You must formally take me as your mate.’’

‘‘All right,’’ I said, extremely aware that I was standing naked next to a beautiful—also naked—man who could shift into dragon form at the merest whim. My mouth went a bit dry. ‘‘What words do I need to repeat?’’

‘‘Whatever is in your heart.’’

‘‘Are you sure?’’ I asked him after a few seconds of silence. ‘‘There is Magoth to consider—’’

‘‘He will be taken care of, I promise you that, Mayling.’’

My better judgment warned me against accepting what he offered, but my heart leaped at the thought of having my cake and eating it, too.

I would trust him, trust that he was the one person who could survive being in a relationship with me. ‘‘I am May Northcott, doppelganger, and your mate. Your life is bound to mine, and mine to yours. I accept you into my life, and will do my best to make you and the silver dragons happy.’’

He pulled me into an embrace, my breasts immediately turning into strumpets as they pressed themselves against the flesh of his lower chest. ‘‘I, Gabriel Tauhou, wyvern of the silver dragons, take you as my mate, to guard and protect, to care for and cherish, to the end of my days.’’

The kiss he shared with me burned with dragon fire. I welcomed it, rubbing myself against him as it blazed through me, igniting fires I’d assumed were slumbering. With a growl, he tossed me onto the bed, following to kiss a blazing path from my neck to my breasts.

‘‘We’re going to do it again?’’ I asked, amazed but pleased to see his penis beginning to swell.

‘‘Now we will mate like humans,’’ he said, lifting his head from the valley between my breasts. His gaze scorched along my flesh, leaving me trembling with need. ‘‘But this time, we will take it slowly. I will pleasure you at length, giving you the time you need to—’’

I grabbed his head, wrapping my fingers in the thin, soft dreadlocks, pulling his mouth down to mine at the same time I wrapped my legs around his hips. ‘‘Now,’’ I yelled into his mouth, biting his lower lip.

He laughed even as he shifted his hips, thrusting into my waiting flesh. ‘‘My demanding little bird.’’

‘‘You have no idea,’’ I groaned, thrusting my hips up to meet him, my tongue twining around his in an erotic dance that begged for more. ‘‘Give me your fire. Please.’’

He didn’t say anything more, just released his dragon fire until it consumed us, sending me soaring once again into a world that consisted only of Gabriel and me, and the blaze that we built between us.