Tracking Trisha by S. E. Smith Page B

than hell for the past two weeks and was barely holding on to the little self-control that remained inside him and his dragon. If he didn't claim Trisha very soon, he was afraid of what could happen. He was fearful enough of her surviving the Dragon's Fire mating. The last thing he wanted to do was endanger her by being too rough with her. He kept telling himself she was more fragile than their females, but he was too far gone to care anymore. He pictured the amount of damage his symbiosis healed in a hope it would help remind him of how delicate she really was. Kelan frowned when he remembered all the damage to her body. What had happened to her?

    “What happened to your body?” Kelan blurted out suddenly. “What caused so much damage to you?”

    Trisha started and would have pulled away from Kelan but he kept his tight grip around her waist. They began walking at a slower pace as Kelan waited for Trisha to answer his questions. She bit her lip, hesitating to tell him, but then decided it really didn't matter anymore. She was healed and Peter was in the past. Neither one could hurt her any longer.

    “I was in the military, the Air Force. I wanted to be an astronaut and had been accepted into the Space training program.” Trisha paused before adding. “I used to dream of touching the stars.” Trisha said with a slight smile as she glanced up at Kelan.

    Seeing his intense look, she continued softly. “I guess I should start at the very beginning so you can understand everything. My mom and dad married, that's our way of mating, at a very young age. My mom died of a brain aneurism when I was a year old. My dad raised me by himself. He is the most amazing man! He is smart, gentle, and the best dad a girl could ever wish for. He owns a business called Grove Wilderness Guides in a state called Wyoming.” Trisha paused and looked up doubtful at Kelan. Surely, he didn't really want to hear about her life history.

    Kelan wanted to know everything there was to know about his true mate. He knew deep down what she was about to tell him was very important. He looked around the corridor and noticed they were not far from his living quarters but far enough he wanted her to finish what she was saying before she changed her mind. Spying an alcove to the right beside one of the huge planters that graced the palace, he stopped and slowly backed Trisha into it. He pressed her up against the wall while his symbiosis laid down in front of it preventing them from being disturbed. Kelan brushed a loose strand of Trisha's hair away from her face, letting the long curl wrap around his fingers. He drew it up to his nose and sniffed at the delicate fragarance. Keeping it between his fingers, he touched the soft strands to Trisha's cheek.

    “Go on.” Kelan said softly.

    Trisha looked up at Kelan in a daze. She wanted him so badly at that moment she wouldn't have protested if he were to take her right then and there. She had never felt this strongly about anyone before, not even Peter.

    “Kelan?” Trisha asked in an uncertain voice. “Will you kiss me?”

    Kelan felt his dragon snap to attention at Trisha's softly spoken request. His dragon wasn't the only thing snapping. His blood heated and flowed south to pool in his cock stiffening it with need until the pain of it throbbed against the front of his pants. He answered her request the only way he could, by sealing his lips to hers in a desperate kiss filled with longing and need. He wanted her so badly it was an addiction coursing through his veins. He had never craved anything in his life like he craved the taste of her. Kelan deepened the kiss when Trisha parted her lips, slipping his tongue inside and drinking deeply. He couldn't suppress the moan of hunger that escaped him as Trisha's sweet taste washed over him. Kelan wrapped his arms around Trisha's slim waist pulling her up against him at the same time as he pushed her further back against the wall. Trisha lifted up on her