Dragonkin 4 You're my Mate? No thanks.

Part 7 Stay

Shaking my head mentally, I berate myself. Have I gone too long without women that I'm going bonkers? Karalinus is supposed to be the sex-starved one. I'm daydreaming about Cassy with her present in the room. Not having sex but hugging her instead. The image evokes protectiveness and content in me but I haven't decided if she's telling the truth about being my intended mate yet.

From what my brothers shared, there is almost always an unholy fascination with our intended mates when we meet them for the first time. As did I, my eyes keep wandering back to her since we met. Although it could be because I'm curious about her since she's from a different race. They could not keep their hands off their mates either and would crave their mates' attention and presence. I don't find myself hugging her, do I? Could my idle thoughts be due to this? I can't be sure.

I spare a glance at Cassy, whose hands are wringing each other, revealing her uneasiness.

Turning to face her, "Who designed this room? Was it you?" I ask, diverting my attention from my disquiet. When she nods nervously, I enquire further, "How did you know what I like?"

A brilliant beam of pride lights her face as she answers eagerly, "I've seen you in my dreams. I guessed at your likes and dislikes based on the way you dressed and the settings I saw".

"You were spying on me using your dreams?" My brow arches in censure, "This action smacks of invasion of privacy. You have no right".

Her eyes firing brightly, the beginnings of indignant at being unfairly accused immediately shows on her expressive face. Her fists tuck agitatedly on her hips as she stands stiffly, glaring at me.

In a sharp tone, she refutes, "My dreams are sporadic. I can't will myself to dream about you, I can only hope that the God parts the veil on the person I want to dream about. My prophetic abilities are limited to what the God deems to let me know". Her chin rising in defiance, she rolls her eyes and folds her arms, "Not to worry though, I have never seen you when your pants are down or caught you in flagrante delicto".

"That's reassuring," I jeer, my arms folding across my chest too. "Hmph! As if that erases the intrusion into my life".

Pacing jerkily in front of me, she rebuts, "Oh yes, that's very fortunate. Considering you fell in our underground world without warning, aren't you glad I arrived in a timely manner to rescue you out of that sticky predicament?" Standing ramrod straight in front of me, she pokes her finger into my chest with each word, "That's. All. Thanks. To. The. Foreboding. I. Received. From. God".

She's infuriating! For some unknown reason, her furious visage reminds me of an impressive tsunami, sweeping all obstacles away. She's splendid. Beautiful even when angry. I yearn to smother her with kisses to shut her up, just to test what kinds of expressions she'll show me.

Spinning away from me, she resumes her restless pacing while continuing her diatribe, "If not for Him, you would still be wandering aimlessly in the warrens! Injured and lost, I can imagine you dying in one of the caves with no one the wiser!" Throwing her hands up in the air, she raises her voice up another notch, "If dying an ignominious death in one of the rat-riddled caves is your preferred choice, rather than be rescued by me and my visions, I can gladly desert you in the caves now! Let you try finding your own way out!" The man is a dolt! Cassy rails mentally.

Halfway through Cassy's ranting litany, I have lost my resentment at being spied on without permission and started admiring her beauty instead. Gathering my wits back, I listen to what she's saying. Her last statement makes sense. I would still be floundering helplessly in the caverns if she didn't appear.