Under His Claw by Viola Grace

a conversation.”
    Zora’s blood rose in irritation. “I am coming with you, Leah. Thank you for the reminder. Madam, speak to Leah like that again and you will never speak to me. Are we clear?”
    It was a weird threat, but the woman paled. Zora left with Leah and breathed a sigh of relief when they were out of the cocktail party.
    “Thank you. Do I really have an appointment?”
    “Yes, Regick wishes to speak with you. He could not extricate himself any other way, so now that you are out of the room, he will simply follow you by claiming the undeniable hormones of the newly mated.”
    Zora blushed as they headed for the elevator. “Will it work as a social excuse?”
    “With less than a hundred dragons on the earth, there are few, if any, records of their mating habits. It is considered best to get out of the way of a dragon with sex on his mind.”
    “That would be sound thinking.”
    Leah grinned. “And yet, it is the last thing that you did.”
    “It wasn’t really a choice. When you are a woman alone with no physical defenses, you have to choose your battles. When it came to Regick, there was no choice. All the other shifters ran away the moment he walked in the door.”
    They went up to the penthouse on the fortieth floor, and Leah waited in the elevator. “He will be up in a moment. Have a nice evening. See you tomorrow.”
    She waved politely and the door to the elevator closed.
    Zora turned, and she looked at her surroundings. The large recreational space was neatly arranged, and as she went exploring, she found a guest bathroom and the kitchen. The refrigerator was sparsely filled, but it contained her favorite soda and a cupboard disgorged her ideal snack foods.
    She poured some in a bowl, put a chip clip on the bag and wandered into the bedroom, where her hands nearly dropped the bowl. The bed was huge, the window beyond led onto a rooftop large enough to land a small aircraft, but it was the arrangement of cuffs and straps on the bed which made her flinch.
    She steeled her nerves and crossed the room, touching one of the straps and ignoring the flare of heat in her belly. Before she could get too involved in her examination, she opened the door and walked out onto the rooftop, noting the scarred tarmac and scorch marks.
    Zora wandered to the edge of the roof and climbed up on a low wall, dangling her legs over the edge. The wind tugged at her hair and ruffled her skirt as she ate her chips. It was a striking view as far as she could see. The distant mountains would mark the edge of one part of Regick’s territory. She kicked her feet and wondered how much she would enjoy this if she was one of those people afraid of heights. It was a fear she had never understood.
    She crunched at the chips and watched the sun redden in the sky.
    “I wondered where you had gotten to.” Regick sat next to her on the low wall.
    She offered him the chips and he accepted, crunching while the wind swirled around them.
    “So, how often do you use that bondage equipment?”
    He coughed. “It was supposed to be removed this afternoon, and you were supposed to be in your own quarters.”
    “I am guessing that Leah wants me informed.”
    “I use them when I have sex with other shape shifters. If you don’t bind them, they can change when things get interesting. I have not used it in months, but it is kept in ready condition.”
    “So you were having it removed?”
    “I can subdue my own mate without the use of physical restraints.”
    “Cocky.”
    “Thank you for noticing.” He grinned.
    She set the empty bowl down behind them and licked her fingers. He took her hand in his and sucked her fingers, one by one. As he sucked, she felt a low tugging in her sex.
    “Why would you want a mate who couldn’t change shape? Isn’t that like… half a mate?”
    He smiled while licking at her palm. “You know why dragons are attracted to the damsels?”
    “Not a clue.”
    “Usually, the villagers staked out the most