51. Ariel - The tattoo

51. Ariel - The tattoo
I push my glasses up my nose with my index finger, trying to ignore that he’s still naked, before I say, “It’s not such a big deal. I’m safe here. Right?” 
A vein ticks at his temple. “For now,” he replies. 
I don’t like his reply, so I ask, “Is Noctyros looking for me?” 
Instead of replying to my question, Asher asks one of his own. “Did you have breakfast?” 
“I… yes.” 
“I haven’t,” he reveals. “Keep me company while I eat,” he says while he puts on a pair of shorts. “I don’t like to eat alone,” he adds when I say nothing.
“Fine,” I breathe. 
Asher opens the door, and I step into the hallway with him close behind.
In the kitchen, I slide onto a stool at the island while he starts preparing his breakfast. Every movement makes his muscles flex, and I have to curl my fingers around an empty mug just to stop myself from reaching out to touch him. A small frown creases his brow as he concentrates.
And when he turns around to sauté some veggies on the stove, giving me the perfect view of his ass?
I bite my bottom lip, swallowing back a moan.
It should be illegal to look that good.
I force my gaze away from his ass so I can look at the tattoo inked across his back–a silver dragon surrounded by thunder. 
This is new.  
He must have gotten it after I decided to run away from them–such a stupid idea on my part. 
The tattoo is absolutely gorgeous, and I wonder if that’s him when he shifts. I want to ask him, but I don’t want to distract him and lose sight of the perfect view.
Asher finishes cooking his breakfast and turns around with a plate in his hand.
I can’t help but notice how toned he is. My gaze trails down the line of his muscles, disappearing beneath the waistband of his shorts. And there’s no ignoring what’s right in front of me—this man is definitely a shower, not a grower.
I can still feel him inside me, fucking me hard, driving me wild with need. 
“See something you like, Princess?” 
My gaze snaps to his face–amusement flickers in his eyes. 
Crap! He caught me. 
Not wanting him to realize how wet I still am—even after he fucked me just minutes ago—I blurt, “You eat a lot of calories. Is that because you work out so much, or because you’re a dragon?”
He sets the plate on the island, right next to the mug I’m clutching. After taking a big bite of his omelet, he shrugs. “A bit of both, I suppose.” He spears a few veggies with his fork and holds them up to my lips.
“Be a good girl for me, Princess… and eat.”
I almost fall from the stool. 
Sir.
Sir!
You can’t say that to me and expect me to eat just like that. 
My body obeys him, and my lips part for him, allowing him to feed me. I chew slowly, not wanting to choke. He watches me with a hunger on his face I’ve never seen before. 
“Want more, Princess?” he asks as he cuts a piece of omelet for me. 
“Why do you keep calling me that?” I wonder, not replying to his question. 
He only replies after I accept more food from him. 
“Because you are so damn beautiful. So dam perfect. Just like a Princess,” he eventually says. 
I snort. “You might need glasses because I am far from being perfect. Princess Daeve, now that’s someone who I’d call truly beautiful.” 
Something dark flashes in his eyes. “A beautiful exterior means nothing when the interior is rotten.” He leans forward, his warm breath fanning my face. “But you… you are beautiful inside and outside.” 
My heart starts to drum inside my chest. I have no doubt that Asher can hear it. 
I’m slowly falling in love with them. But despite my feelings, I can’t shake the truth—one of them doesn’t want me, and until I know who, I can’t let my guard down. Fucking with Asher was a mistake… but one I don’t regret. The bullet wound doesn’t bother me anymore. Turns out fucking them has its perks. 
“Did you guard her?” The question comes out of nowhere. But I am curious, since Asher talks like he knows a lot about the dragon princess. “Were you ever entrusted with Princess Daeva's safety?” 
Asher grinds his teeth so hard, I’m afraid they are going to break. “Yeah,” he eventually says. “I hated every second of it. She’s spoiled. More than that. She thinks the world owes her because she’s a fucking princess and a dragoness on top of that. Every second spent guarding her was a nightmare. You don’t know how glad I was when…” He pauses for a beat. “When I was assigned to someone else.” 
I don’t know why I ask, “Another princess?” 
He runs his fingers through his hair. “The woman we were protecting… but failed.”
The name slips from my lips before I can stop it. “Araella.” 
His eyes turn dark. Lethal. “How do you know that name?” he snarls. 
The way he acts, the look in his eyes… “You love her, don’t you?” 
Silence falls between us. 
I keep insisting. “Why won’t you answer?” 
“I don’t want to hurt you.” 
Too late for that. “Lying won’t protect me.” 
“For fuck’s sake, Ariel. Yes! Is that what you want to hear? That I still love Araella. I will always love her. But…” His voice trails off.
“I wasn’t aware that there is room for buts.”
He tries to cup my cheek, but I flinch away from him. “You are my mate. It is my responsibility to protect you.” 
Responsibility. 
Asher is the one who doesn’t want me. Who doesn’t love me. The one who still wants Araella. 
I get it. I really do. She must have been a great woman if she still holds so much power over Asher, but he never gave me a chance. 
I never really gave them a chance either. Maybe because I always felt that something was off with them. 
I shake my head. “You don’t have to worry about me. I heard you know. I heard you talk about me. You said that you are stuck with me. But you are not. Not anymore. We are done.” 
Panic flashes on his handsome face. “Ariel–” 
“You want Araella? Go be with her! But you can’t, because she is dead and you are stuck with me, the weak human, instead of her, this wonderful dragoness that keeps haunting your every thought.”
I shouldn’t have said that, but I’m so frustrated with him. He has no problem fucking me while talking about me behind my back. 
Somehow, I’m not done. “I bet that tattoo on your back is of her. Do you really think I want to be with a man who carries his ex on his skin?”
The panic turns into anger. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have lost her. You are right,” he waves a hand between us. “Whatever happened earlier was clearly a mistake. From now on, stay away from my room,” he growls before leaving the kitchen.
“Gladly!” I shout after him.

I am done with the book I was trying to finish :)