{"product_id":"2940153901176","title":"Mated to the Blind Dragon","description":"\u003cp\u003eHer husband gone during a rebel uprising, Jessica seeks a new man to provide a measure of safety in her threatened life. She didn’t expect the Emperor’s elite shapeshifting trainer to be the one chosen for her. Or for the pleasures of his bed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSnippet:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe minute she had walked into the civilian administration office, everything had been a test. The Matchmaker’s notes applied to her prospects. Many people attempted to fool the man by behaving kinder or more patiently than they truly would, but the old man had seen all forms of manipulations and would not be so easily tricked. So, Jessica knew that she was being watched as she set foot into the garden.\u003cbr\u003eIt was a peaceful place with a waterfall beside the sliding paper door, a tiny creek flowed around the perimeter of red ivy walls. Gravel, sand, and stone statues ornamented the middle of the garden—though the space was largely taken up by a dragon basking in the sun.\u003cbr\u003eHe was navy blue, dusted from a roll in the sand so that his back and wings appeared to be silver. Battle scars showed on him as indents in his snake-scale armor. A single cupped ear twitched in her direction, recognizing her presence even as his eyes stayed shut.\u003cbr\u003eDragons and dragon men came from Hirisp Ciur, a moon of Hirisp rumored to be lush with vegetation, thick with big predators, and abounding with nasty fungi and viruses. Dragons were shapeshifters—they could visually imitate pretty well anything. Their primary form of defense was the shape of a winged reptile, but a few shapeshifters liked to be a blob.\u003cbr\u003eThey were known for reproducing with other species in order to incorporate new DNA to steady their shifting capabilities. Though it was common to see them as human or the armored Nerians, their first and foremost form was still the dragon—something regal, defensible, and nostalgic.\u003cbr\u003eJessica didn’t know if this dragon wanted to be left alone or not. The only seat in the garden was on the bench that his neck wrapped around. She went for it.\u003cbr\u003eShe eased the weight off her feet, and he swung his head towards her knees. As he sniffed, she reached for his nose, instinctively doing as she had done for all manner of animals before him. The great nostrils flared twice, he blinked. A cloudy film coated dark irises, and he didn’t focus on her.\u003cbr\u003e“I hope you don’t mind,” she said. “They kicked me out of the Matchmaker’s office.”\u003cbr\u003eThe dragon said nothing, then breathed a heavy sigh and rested his head in her lap. Freezing for a few seconds, Jessica wondered what she could or would do next. Was it fine to pet his head? He wasn’t an animal, though he may appear to be one. To stroke his eye ridge felt like stroking hot sequins on a belt. Cloudy eyes drifted shut and from his chest came a steady humming. Jessica smiled.\u003cbr\u003eThey sat together in silence as the station’s wrens twittered in red maple branches. So long as she rubbed his head or scratched his ears, the dragon continued to purr gently. Warm breath fogged dew onto the wood beside her thigh. Time passed, and she felt hazy, content.\u003cbr\u003eIt was the better part of two hours before the Matchmaker emerged from his office and prodded the dragon.\u003cbr\u003e“Are you awake?”\u003cbr\u003eThe dragon stirred, yawned. A tail wrapped about her ankle.\u003cbr\u003eThe Matchmaker continued, “I need the bride back now. We have matches.”\u003cbr\u003eShe felt a little sad, though it was silly. She didn’t know if the dragon had a mate or was even in the position to be looking for one.\u003cbr\u003eHe transformed into a man right there at her side. Scales softened into skin, the blue tone was lost to faint bronze, and there was a human wearing the black robes of the Emperor’s elite class. In no uncertain terms, he said, “We are matched.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nicolette Jinks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47174002311408,"sku":"2940153901176","price":2.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940153901176_p0.jpg?v=1764059643","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940153901176","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}