Dragon Heat by Charlene Hartnady

Chapter 3

Azure paced from one side of her chamber to the other. She felt on edge. She felt needy. Her skin felt too tight. There was this throbbing between her legs. Her heart pounded inside her chest. The soft cotton of her loose-fitting dress rubbed against her skin, her nipples. It was all too much.

She was in heat.

In heat!

How?

Why her?

Why now?

Back to how?

It was going to be okay. It was going to be alright. Every instinct in her told her to find a male…any male. She could have a whelp of her own. She could be a mom. This was really happening.

No!

No way!

Her whole life would be upended. Besides, who would she choose? Her mind instantly went to Ice. To his bright blue eyes. Like shards of glass, only warm and bright. He was cocky, arrogant, and— What the heck was she thinking? Ice was their team leader. He was technically her superior. Not a chance! They were friends. This was just the hormones talking. She paced faster. Her skin felt so tight it almost hurt. She couldn’t do this on her own. Days of need and pain. She’d have to pick someone…anyone.

The only problem was that there was no one she wanted to pick. No one she wanted to actually father her child. Then again, she didn’t need to breed. They could just rut. Condoms! The humans used them. The males used them on the stag runs. She needed to choose someone to help her through this. They wouldn’t need to make a whelp. A young, innocent life. No! She’d never had thoughts like these. She’d never had to think along these lines. It was all so confusing. She needed someone to rut. That was all. Once again, her mind went to Ice. To his sexy smirk.

No!

No!

No!

Not if he was the only male left in their tribe. Even then…no!

She paced faster. Perhaps she should take another cold shower. It was supposed to work for males. It hadn’t worked for her. She needed a cock deep inside her. She needed sex. Hard, sweaty sex, and she needed it now.

Azure sat down in a nearby chair. Breathe! She needed to breathe. She could get through this. She didn’t need a male. Azure had never needed a male before; she didn’t need one now. There would be no sex and no whelps. Her chest tightened with longing.

No!

Her brain wasn’t working right now. She had to remove that thought, and quickly. Her future depended on it.

There was a knock on her door, which opened seconds later. “Summer!” Azure yelled when she saw her friend, still dressed in an apron.

“I heard,” her friend said.

Azure’s phone vibrated on the coffee table where she’d left it. She ignored it. “You left during your work shift, didn’t you?” she asked, although she had been stating more of a fact.

Summer nodded. “You needed me, so here I am.”

Azure nodded. “I did.” She smiled at Summer. “Thanks for coming.”

“I can’t believe this,” her friend squealed. “How does it feel?” Summer looked at her with big, bright eyes. Also infertile, the other female had never experienced a heat.

Azure used the word that Fog had used. “It’s maddening. Every instinct is screaming for me to take a mate…to breed…and to do it now.” Her phone vibrated again.

“Who will you choose?” Summer raised her brows, looking excited.

“No one.” Azure shook her head. “I will wait for this to pass, and then I’ll get on with my life.”

“Azure,” Summer’s eyes widened, “what are you saying? You have a chance at a family. Don’t throw it away. You’re so lucky.” Her friend clutched her hands together, pulling them up against her chest. “I would give anything to have what you have right now.”

Azure’s phone vibrated a couple of times in quick succession.

“I know! It’s so confusing. I don’t know what to do. I had resigned myself to a simple life. I enjoy my job. I have great friends. I—” Her phone vibrated yet again.

“Someone is trying to get ahold of you.”

Azure pressed her lips together, feeling her cheeks heat with anger. She wasn’t sure why she was so angry. Only that the emotion was there in full force. “It’s another proposition.”

“Proposition?” Summer frowned.

“Suddenly, every male in this tribe wants to mate with me.”

“That’s great.” Summer smiled brightly. “You can have your pick. Choose someone and—”

“No!” And there it was. The reason for her anger. The reason she was so averse to choosing a male. “I wasn’t good enough for any of them before I went into heat.” She shrugged. “They can all go to hell. Every last one of them.” She picked up her phone, scrolling through the messages, and noted that none were from Ice. There was a part of her that was happy about that. And another part that was disappointed.

“Don’t say that, Azure. You may never have this opportunity again. A baby of your own,” Summer half-whispered; her eyes had a faraway look. “This kind of thing doesn’t happen very often.”

“I know! I’m so confused.” She covered her face with her hand and sighed.

“Give it some thought.”

Azure’s phone vibrated with yet another message, and she growled, turning the device off completely. They could well and truly go to hell. All of them. She was good enough. She had always been good enough. Just as good as the human females. Just because she couldn’t reproduce before did not make her defective. And yet, that’s how she had been treated. That’s how she had felt.

There was nothing anyone could say to change her mind. It was done. She would brave her heat alone, and that was that.

There was a knock at the door. Azure rolled her eyes. “Leave it,” she told Summer. “It’s probably one of the males. They’re all trying to seduce me, and I’m not interested!” she yelled in the direction of the knocking.

The door opened. “Forgive the intrusion. I am mated.” The male held up both hands. “I’m not here to seduce you,” he added. Mated males were not affected by another female’s heat…thank the gods.

“Who are you? Why are you here, then?” Azure asked, folding her arms.

“I am Cloud. You have been summoned by the king. I am to be your guard as I escort you to him.”

“The king?” This didn’t make any sense. Why would the king summon her? Because of her heat? Why?

“Thunder has asked me to give you this.” It was a parcel wrapped in brown paper. Azure couldn’t tell what it was by its smell. “It’s a special soap to help keep the heat scent under control. You need to shower with this as quickly as you can, and then I will take you to him,” the male said, handing her the package. “He’s waiting for you.”

Crap!

Azure met Summer’s gaze. Her friend’s eyes were wide, and her face pale. Much like her own, she would imagine. Azure nodded once, taking the soap. She couldn’t refuse an invitation from the king, now could she?