A Star Crossed Fate (Great Plains Dragon Feud Book 4)

by Emilia Hartley

  “And you could do better,” she whispered back at him.

  His smile fell away. A perplexed scowl brought his brows into a furrow. He reached for her. Raven wanted to back away, but she didn’t move. The calloused pad of his thumb grazed her cheek. She leaned into him, hungry for his touch.

  The ice groaned again. Raven staggered as the ground gave way. Adrien caught her. The ice sounded like thunder when he leapt. They crashed into a nearby snowbank, Adrien on top of her. The beast inside her purred with delight. The rest of the world fell away as the anticipation of pleasure rocketed through her.

  She inhaled sharply. Adrien growled, low enough for her to feel it in her bones. She arched into him, ready for all he had to offer. She wanted to feel him inside her again. How much had he learned while they’d been apart? Her own experience hadn’t changed, but his surely had.

  He’d moved on, right? He’d taken charge of his own life and left her in the past. Hadn’t he?

  “I guess it’s a bit too early in the season for sledding on this hill,” he murmured.

  She laughed, nervously. Every inch of her skin was alive, crackling with unspent energy. She could barely focus on his words because her need overrode every part of her mind responsible for speech.

  “I tried to forget you. I tried to…” He shook his head. “I don’t know. I tried a lot of things, but all I know is that they didn’t work. I’m still stuck on you, Raven. There isn’t a part of me that doesn’t want you.”

  A small voice in the back of her mind warned her that giving in to Adrien would be an act of defiance that her mother and Bastien would never forgive. She could barely hear the voice of reason—no, it wasn’t reason. It was the voice of fear.

  Reason couldn’t be found anywhere in her thoughts at this time. Her lust overpowered just about every other part of her. Objective thought was all but impossible while Adrien was on top of her.

  “Did you try to move on?” He ran a finger along her cheek and left a trail of cold water from the snow that’d melted on his hands.

  She bit the inside of her cheek. Like this, she could feel the expectant press of his cock against her leg. He was not fully erect yet. She knew how big he could get, and this wasn’t even close. It was as if he waited for her answer before he allowed himself to want her the way she wanted him right now.

  “How could I?”

  Raven had lived under lock and key every year since graduating high school. She’d gotten her degree online because her mother had been unwilling to let Raven leave for a proper education. Raven had clung to her memories of Adrien like they were crumbs. Starving for that kind of love, she’d savored her thoughts of him over the years.

  Adrien pressed his hands into the snow and rose so he could press his hips into hers. She groaned and arched into him. He growled again, his face twisting with an echo of the need she felt. It quickly subsided when he blinked.

  He must have noticed her disappointment because he said, “I don’t want to make love to you in a snowbank. If we’re going to do this, then we’re going to do it right. I won’t have you in the mud by the time this is over.”

  “I’m not a princess.” She gripped the sleeves of his coat to keep him from leaving.

  “Maybe not, but I can treat you like one if I want to. It’s my decision if I want to rip the sun and stars out of the sky for you.”

  Her core throbbed impatiently, but they had never had sex anywhere other than outside. Because of their secret history, they’d been unable to meet anywhere else. They’d never held hands while walking through a mall. They’d never got to see a movie in a theater. They’d never shared a meal at a restaurant.

  All the things that normal couples got to do had been out of reach for them back then. She could give in and throw caution to the wind. They could make things official and flaunt their love in front of everyone.

  Her hands were tied, though. She couldn’t escape her family’s expectations. While River and Reece experienced freedom, Raven had to endure the hold their mother had over her. Alice Montoya would clip her daughter’s wings before allowing her to run off with another Barnes man.

  Even if that man promised to make Raven happy for the rest of her life.

  Wasn’t Raven’s happiness more important? Why couldn’t that be the standard that Alice wanted for her children?

  Adrien lowered his head and placed a soft kiss on her throat. The rumble of his beast under his skin distracted her. The sound called her home. It promised a place for her. She clung to him and tried to commit this moment to memory because she feared she would never have it ever again.

  “Let me take you home,” he said into her skin.

  She arched into him, nearly writhing in the snow. It melted beneath her. They were close to the ground now. The world beyond them was obscured by the high walls of the snow around them. No one would be able to find them by chance unless they flew overhead.

  Soon, they would reach the mud beneath it all. It would stain her back and make things messy. Adrien was right. This wasn’t the place for what they wanted to do. Though they were hidden from view, things would get messy quickly.

  “Fine,” she said, breathless. “Take me home.”

  She meant to say back to your place. Her lips betrayed her. She didn’t take the words back, though. Now wasn’t the time. She let herself believe that it had been an accident, and not a sliver of truth set free.

  Her clothes hit the floor the moment they passed the threshold of Adrien’s home. His soon followed. Their lips crashed together. Hand roved over skin as they rediscovered one another. They stumbled through the house until Adrien growled with frustration after their kiss broke apart one last time. He hoisted her into his arms and carried her up the stairs.

  Raven had been here not long ago. She’d found the mementos of their relationship stowed in his nightstand. She’d yearned to turn back time to those days when all she’d had to do was say yes.

  Adrien had been there the whole time. He’d never given up on her. His love had been unwavering. She could feel it in the way he held her and the way he gently set her atop the bed. The plush blankets cradled her while he positioned himself between her legs.

  A moment of indecision crossed his face. She didn’t know exactly what went through his mind, but she wasn’t going to let him stop this a moment too soon.

  “I need you inside me,” she said, her voice hoarse.

  The words ignited the passion once again. Adrien pulled back only far enough to position himself at her entrance. She watched him, his hand around his cock and his abs flexed. Thoughts of being undeserving of such beauty crossed her mind, but they were shattered the moment he pushed inside her.

  Though it had been years since they’d been together, her body remembered the shape of him. She adjusted to him in the span of a breath. Adrien stroked slowly. His thrusts were measured as he watched her.

  “This is where you belong,” he said once he was hilt deep inside her. He ran his hand up her stomach until he reached her breasts. “I’m never letting you leave. I’m going to make sure you know you’re loved and wanted here.”

  Raven bit her lip. Her heart swelled. The beast purred inside her. It had never been so content and ravenous all at the same time. The beast hungered for the future that Adrien promised. It wanted to latch onto his offer and never let go.

  Before she could refute him, he pulled back and thrust deep. She cried out. Pleasure spilled out from where his cock met her body. She gripped the sheets and tried to stay anchored in the waves of sensation. His every movement threatened to set her adrift. She’d never known lovemaking to be like this before.

  His quick and hard thrusts turned slow and languorous. She clenched her teeth to keep from demanding he slam her hard and fast again. She let him tease her until she could hardly stand it. Pleasure built and built in her core. It was a ticking timebomb. She had no idea when it would go off because the switch was in his hands.

  Adrien had always known how to ple
ase her. He knew exactly how to snap her out of sadness and how to make her laugh until her sides ached.

  He knew her like no one else.

  He gripped her hips and pumped as the light of his beast reached his eyes. She could feel her own beast unfurling. As it stretched, the dam around her core broke and spilled pleasure in every direction. She gripped his wrists as she cried out. Her lips formed his name.

  A roar bellowed out of him. He lowered himself over her. His strokes were short but furious. The sensations in her sparked and crackled like fireworks. All new experiences burst with every stroke. She buried her fingers in his hair while he buried himself in her.

  He came, shuddering. His seed spilled out of her when he pulled back. She laughed nervously and covered her face. His footsteps faded only to return a moment later. She pulled her hand away from her eyes and peered down at him. He shook his head while he cleaned up the mess he’d left.

  “It’s been too long,” he said, almost sadly.

  She started to tell him that it was okay, but he looked her in the eye, and she saw a glint of challenge in his expression. The corner of his mouth curled into a devious grin.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’re not done here.”

  She could barely believe that there could be more. Adrien climbed atop the bed and turned her on her side so he could lie behind her. The hand he snaked beneath her body found one of her breasts and lazily teased the nipple. More aftershocks flared to life and turned her breathless. His other hand trailed down her hip and along the line between her hip and thigh.

  She waited, expectant, until he found her folds. She thought she would be tired and sore, but she was still ready to go. He growled in her ear when he pulled her closer.

  “I’m going to show how a man is supposed to love a woman.”

  She shuddered. “Oh? How is that?”

  “Completely.” He kissed her neck.

  Raven wanted to scream with delight. Here, with the doors closed, they could be whoever they wanted to be. The night could last however long they needed so long as the curtains remained drawn.

  Adrien drew slow circles between her folds. She moaned and writhed in his arms. The desire for him inside her was nearly all consuming. She could barely breathe through the desire gripping her. He laughed, low and pleased, as he continued teasing her. His other thumb flicked over her nipple. He pinched it and squeezed, drawing out all the sensation he could.

  Raven had never been so thoroughly explored. She’d never known a lover who took their time quite like this. Even in their days together, Adrien had never held her like this. Their lovemaking had been frantic and rushed for fear of getting caught. Behind the walls of Adrien’s home, she didn’t have to worry about that.

  She could give herself over to his roaming hands and lose herself in the pleasure he brought forth. Raven exhaled and sank into the moment. She allowed herself a dream, one in which she never gave him up. Had they never ended things, then maybe she would be happier.

  She could still have this. Adrien offered her happiness every time their paths crossed. It seemed an inevitability, their orbits bound to one another now. She couldn’t escape the tempting offer any longer. It tugged at her and beckoned her to start a new life.

  That’s what River had done. She’d thrown herself headfirst into Jensen’s arms. He’d caught her and held her. Raven had no doubt that Adrien would do the same.

  He took his time, his touch gentle and coaxing. Her body reacted to him. The beast inside her purred delightfully, nearly making her vibrate in his arms. The pleasure in her core flared with every small circle he traced. She wanted release. A plea sat on her lips as she pressed her hips into his hand.

  He chuckled and pulled her back into his body. She could feel the firm press of his cock against her backside. He slid himself between her cheeks and made small thrusts. His groans filled her ear and brought her closer to climax.

  They came together, their bodies heaving against one another. She collapsed, warmth radiating from her inside while the heat of his seed marked her backside. Over the course of the night, they repeated this several times. They found a new way to experience one another all over the house—against the kitchen counter, bent over the arm of the couch, in the shower.

  Raven had never felt so loved in her life. Adrien did not touch her with the sole expectation of climax. He pulled her close and laughed with her. He made sure that every inch of her body had been caressed lovingly. By the time morning light breached the horizon and peeked through the curtains, Raven couldn’t stop grinning.

  Neither of them had slept a wink, but she didn’t mind falling asleep in his arms and letting the day pass her by. That dream was cut short by the light of her phone screen. She scowled at the flashing device and grabbed it. The name on the screen made her stomach fall to the floor.

  “I have to go,” she whispered.

  Adrien studied her face. She expected him to scowl or protest. Instead, he nodded.

  “You seem surprisingly okay with this.”

  Adrien gave her half a shrug. “I can’t tell you what to do with your life. Your decisions are your own to make. All I want is for you to be safe.”

  She ended the incoming call from her mother and swiped the top of the screen down so that she could read the messages she’d missed. “I have to attend a family meeting.”

  She didn’t want to go, but that was a surefire way to have her mother breaking down the front door in no time. Once again, Raven was reminded that the easiest way to keep moving forward was with the flow of her mother’s demands. The thought sobered her. The high that she’d been riding for the night faded and left her hollow.

  Running a hand through her hair, she found her forgotten clothes and gathered them in her hands. They smelled too much of Adrien, so she couldn’t get dressed and walk through the front door. Shifting and flying home would help erase his scent from her skin. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but she didn’t really have any other option.

  At the door, she paused. “Thank you.”

  Adrien’s smile, though wary, broadened. She saw a flicker of light in his eyes as if his sated beast made an appearance just for her.

  Leaving hurt more than she’d assumed. The moment her feet left the ground, she felt the pull of safety and love trying to drag her back down.

  Why couldn’t she be happy?

  13

  Raven’s body thrummed while she sat in an emergency Montoya family meeting. She had her arms crossed over her chest, afraid she might lose the memory of Adrien’s touch if she let go. Across the room, River leaned against the wall. She had also crossed her arms over her chest, but probably for a different reason. Not far from her stood Reece, looking bored and uncomfortable.

  Bastien wasn’t present. He didn’t even pretend to love her. He would never love her. She knew what love felt like and what it took to love. Bastien wasn’t capable of it. Of that, she was sure.

  The door flew open and Alice breezed into the room. Uncle Quincy strolled in behind her. He’d removed the patch over the eye that River’s mate had ruined. It had healed after several shifts, but there was a film of white over it that told everyone he’d lost sight in it. River smiled wide at Quincy. His expression soured.

  This family was coming apart at the seams, Raven realized. It had been held together by the promise of blood. They’d told one another that the only way to survive was to stick close and trust one another. That clearly hadn’t worked. The bond of blood had been tenuous at best. Raven wasn’t sure when it had snapped. Had it been the day that Quincy had kidnapped Baylee? Or when he hurt River?

  Alice Montoya slapped a planner onto the table. “We need to decide what evening we’re having the rehearsal dinner.”

  Reece pushed off the wall. “You’re kidding me. You called this a family meeting.”

  Alice smiled wide, the kind of grin she gave her enemies. Reece hesitated. It was only for a moment, but that was enough for him to lose any kind of gro
und he might have had. He stepped back, his shoulders against the wall again.

  “You’re next,” Alice said, her voice barely above a growl. “I’ve given you enough time to plow the fields. It is high time you settled down.”

  River cackled. “You’re just scared that they’ll find mates, too. You don’t approve of my mate, and I know you hate how I took control out of your hands.”

  Alice fell quiet.

  Raven’s phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out to put it on silent and noticed a message from Adrien. Curious, she opened it. The image was of a popular meme, but he had scribbled over it and inserted her name. She stifled her laugh, but still earned her mother’s glare.

  “The rehearsal dinner is vital. It will bring us one step closer to sealing this deal. By the end, we will be a part of your father’s clan once and for all.”

  The room fell silent. Raven was barely paying attention. Another message sprung up on the screen. Adrien had done it again. The meme made fun of her mother’s control problems. This time, Raven laughed out loud.

  Alice narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “Who is making you laugh like that?”

  Raven scrambled for a quick lie. “Uh, it’s Bastien.”

  Alice’s expression flickered. Raven caught disbelief, confusion, and appreciation. Her mother nodded.

  “It’s about time the two of you set aside your differences.”

  Raven didn’t bring up the time Bastien brought Adrien to Quincy’s doorstep with the hope that Quincy would kill Raven’s ex-boyfriend for him. She swallowed her sigh. River caught her eye when she raised a brow.

  Seriously? River mouthed.

  Reece looked between the two of them, visibly perplexed. What am I missing?

  River pointed to Raven, then her ring finger, then made a very rude gesture to show how she felt about Bastien. Reece’s face darkened. She’d never seen her brother so angry before. He turned his blazing gaze on Raven and lifted both brows in question.