by Delta James
He watched as his men took their precious cargo in hand and rode for the stronghold. He turned back to the island and made his way back to his own mate. Seeing his men taking their leisure, he smiled as he spotted his bridal bed; they were true craftsmen and had outdone themselves.
Kellan landed, shifted, and donned his clothes. He reached into his chest and removed the shirt with the longest tail he possessed. It would have to do to preserve her modesty as she took her vows. He sat down on the bed to put on his boots and tested the softness of the mattress. The bed was exceedingly comfortable and sturdy. It should stand up to the rigors of dragon breeding. Míorúilt would have nothing to complain about.
* * *
Míorúilt had been pacing the cell since Kellan had left. He was the most arrogant beast she had ever met. He seemed to think that all he had to do was show up and announce that he was Kellan, Lord of the Seas and she would drop to the ground to kiss his feet. No, that wasn’t right. What he expected was for her to get on her back and spread her legs for him. Well, damn him and his expectations.
She worried for the women in her care. She had to figure out a way to get away from him and his dungeon. She had tried dragon fire and been surprised when it barely even managed to blacken whatever she had blasted with it. She’d been able to hear at least two people moving around all day overhead. Míorúilt was fairly certain that she had heard Kellan land and tried to prepare herself for whatever she would have to endure until she found a way to escape.
Looking down the corridor, Míorúilt saw a patch of light. Someone, most likely Kellan himself, had opened the trap door and was coming down the steep steps.
“Kellan! You bastard! Let me out of here!”
The sound of his chuckling, laced with the deep rumbling she was coming to know so well, preceded both the sight of him and his response.
“Never fear, mate, my intent was never to leave you here indefinitely. Our men will begin reconstruction on the keep shortly and once I have a place where I know you will be secure above ground, I will no longer have need of the dungeon. I suppose in the interim, I should have them try and make your cell down here more comfortable.”
He unlocked the door to her cell. Míorúilt grabbed the bars and pushed with all her might, slamming the heavy iron door into his face and body, making him stagger backwards. He yowled in pain as his nose cracked from the blow. Míorúilt pushed past him and raced to the staircase. She could hear him in hot pursuit and didn’t dare look back over her shoulder.
She raced up the stairs planning to burst through the trap door and take flight. Kellan had been far too smug and had not even bothered to close the trap door. Míorúilt burst through the opening just as she realized that one or more of his men might still be there. She could feel Kellan hot on her heels as she dodged to avoid his men, spewing a line of fire between her and them. Running as fast as her legs would carry her, Míorúilt called forth her dragon and took to the sky, as Kellan bellowed in rage.
Míorúilt beat her wings with all her might in order to gain altitude and speed. She knew he was bigger and faster, but felt she was more nimble. She needed to get somewhere his size and speed would not be a determining factor in her success in avoiding the fate he had planned for her—open air was not that place. The inkiness that crept into the night sky as the sun set was helpful, but not enough to give her the advantage. She considered the cavern as he would have to shift, but then so would she. Once on foot, he would again have the benefit of being larger and faster. She thought about flying into the light of the moon as he had with the sun but realized that unlike being able to hide in the sun’s bright light, the moon would simply illuminate her silhouette.
She soared up through the clouds and hid herself among them, trying to move them as little as possible. She could feel Kellan—not only in the way the air was disturbed by his wings, but his very presence called to her. She could hear both his labored breathing and the passionate, resonant growl that threatened to overwhelm her with its intensity and sensuality. She felt a wave of what she could only describe as a powerful gust of wind, which sent her somersaulting through the air. Recovering, she dove toward the sea and darted in and around the jagged rocks that towered above the ocean. Some of the openings among the rocks were too small for Kellan to negotiate easily. She thought, perhaps, that if she could outmaneuver him for just a little longer, the darkness would be complete and give her the cover she needed to escape.
Kellan bellowed; only this time, it was not in pain, but was a mixture of rage and lust. She could feel her body respond to his call. Míorúilt tried to focus on weaving in and around the rock pillars as he called to her again. As if she had no choice, she heard an answering roar and had to concentrate all of her energy to keep from joining him to dance among the stars. So focused on not giving in to his summons, she failed to notice she had reached the end of the ocean’s standing stones. Kellan did not miss her mistake and she felt his great claws once again seize her in his grasp. Míorúilt let herself go limp and revert back to her human form as he returned them to Raicleach.
Landing with her still captive seemed to be easily accomplished by him. He shifted as he landed, scooping her up and tossing her over his shoulder as if she was nothing.
“Avert your eyes,” he snarled at the two men who were still on Raicleach.
They did and he thundered back down into the dungeon with her.
“You seem to be determined to have me claim you on a welted backside. If you don’t settle down, I will accede to that need and see it done. Is that what you wish?” he roared. He held out one of his shirts to her. “Cover yourself and we will return to the surface and take our vows before two of our warriors.”
She lifted her chin defiantly. “And if I refuse?”
“Your refusal will do you no good,” he scoffed. “All you will accomplish is to embarrass yourself and earn another trip over my knee for your trouble. I told you to put the shirt on. If you refuse, then our men will be able to bear witness not only to their lady’s vows to her lord and master but to her natural beauty.”
“You wouldn’t...”
“I would. I have indulged your tantrums and foolishness far longer than I should have. You will either take your vows willingly before I take your maidenhead or I will take a strap to your bottom and force them from you.”
Míorúilt searched his face and knew that he was intractable. He meant to have his way and he meant to claim her in no uncertain terms. She snatched the shirt from him, growling as she did so.
“What passion and fire you have, Míorúilt. I look forward to channeling that so that it may serve us both well. You will find me a strong and virile lover who will see your needs well met...”
“I have no need of you, other than to leave me in peace.”
He chuckled at her as he reached out to cup her breast and thumb her beaded nipple.
Inhaling deeply, he said, “Yet the scent of your arousal and stiff nipple tell me differently.” He pulled her close in his embrace and she felt his hard cock bump against her mons and lower belly. “Were I to slip my hand between your legs, I daresay I would find you wet with wanton desire.” He leaned down close; nipping her ear, he whispered, “Do not fear, my mate, I will see your needs well met this night. You will learn to soar with me not only in the heavens but beneath me as well.”
“No,” she cried softly, frightened that he might be right.
He pushed her into the cell so she could comply with his command as he retrieved his breeches and pulled them on. He extended his hand and beckoned her with his fingers.
“Come, Míorúilt. It is time.”
She placed her hand in his, his fingers gently enclosing it. Míorúilt had once watched as a man in town was led to his execution at the gallows. She now knew how he must have felt. She had been impressed with his composure and the proud way he faced his death. Míorúilt knew that her life, as she had known it, was over. Kellan would never let her go. She had tried to escape t
he powerful Lord of the Seas, but had failed each and every time. She blinked back silent, hot tears and felt him bring her hand to his lips to brush her knuckles with his lips.
“Twill be all right, Míorúilt. You will learn to obey me and find freedom of another kind as mate to a dragon lord.”
“Doesn’t it bother you that I want nothing to do with you, much less with being your mate?”
He stopped to consider her words. “Not overly much. You fear what you do not know. I will be as gentle as you allow me to be, but I warn you, your disobedience only fuels my lust. It has been a long time since I last enjoyed the feel of a woman’s sheath pulsing all along my length as I thrust in and out and the dragon’s tongue held her close. Coupled with the sweet perfume of your arousal, it will take a considerable amount of effort on my part not to ravish you... so behave,” he growled.
Míorúilt walked quietly beside him as he led her up the stairs. His men smiled as he led her toward what she assumed was their bridal bower. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the large bed that had been erected under the night sky by an enormous fireplace. Apparently, he meant to claim her out in the open air.
It was obvious that the men, their men as he always called them, had taken care to try to make it beautiful. The arbor was decorated with flowers, vines, and shamrocks. There were two intricately carved candle holders. Kellan blew gently and the candles illuminated the falling darkness.
“Tonight, Míorúilt, my true heart and song of my heart, I entreat you to come and sing with me and soar among the clouds.”
Míorúilt could feel the tension in the air all around her.
“Do I have a choice?” she asked softly.
“None,” Kellan snarled.
“I’m sorry... I don’t know what to say...”
“You agree and swear that you will entrust your heart and soul into my safekeeping.”
“And will you keep them safe?” She hated how her voice trembled.
She swore she could see him soften just a bit... relenting in his anger. He reached up and stroked her cheek with the hand that was unwilling to relinquish its hold of her.
“Aye, cushla macree, I will.”
She nodded, cleared her voice, and then replied in a strong and steady voice, “As you give me no choice, then Kellan, Lord of the Seas, I will entrust my heart and soul into your safekeeping.”
Míorúilt accepted the congratulations and homage of the two warriors who were present. They congratulated Kellan as well, who made it clear he wanted to be alone with his mate. They made a hasty retreat and she was suddenly confronted with her bare-chested mate. He was dressed only in his boots and breeches. His heavily muscled chest had an allure that somehow, she had missed. She took her hand and traced the planes of his torso; he didn’t move and seemed content to allow her to explore. When she reached his waist, she stopped. His cock was bulging against his breeches and seemed to be threatening to burst free.
He smiled. “It will not harm you but will bring you great pleasure. Do you know anything at all about how our kind mates?”
She shook her head, not trusting her voice to speak.
He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “Then come and walk with me a bit.”
Míorúilt didn’t like this kinder, gentler version of Kellan. It would be far too easy to let him get under her guard. She needed to hate him or at least remain aloof.
“Again, do I have a choice?”
He chuckled. “No. I will ask you to do as I wish and if that fails to compel your obedience, I will command it. Should you not comply, I will force the issue. Never doubt, cushla macree, that I am bigger, stronger, faster, and more powerful than you will ever be. I can, and will, enforce my dictates on you. How easily you acquiesce to my demands is entirely up to you, but never doubt that I will be the one who prevails.”
He led her away from the bed and chuckled again as her breathing and body both became more relaxed.
“In the interest of fairness and honesty, I do not wish you to fear my taking of your maidenhead or the rut that will follow, but come sunrise, you will be mine in all ways.”
“How can you want me when I don’t want you?” she said, her voice shaking.
“But you do... at least your body does. Your nipples are hard and beaded...” He stopped and abruptly, but gently, directed his hand between her legs and stroked the swollen nub that he found first before delving further between her legs and slipping two fingers into her heated core, causing her knees to almost buckle. “Your nubbin is engorged, your pussy is swollen and wet, and I suspect as I listen to your ragged breathing that there is a warmth rushing through your system, urging you to give yourself to me.”
She shook her head.
“Nay, love, do not lie to me... or yourself. Be a good girl and do not fight your lord and master. I will see you well sated come morning.”
“But it is going to be painful. You are far larger...”
“Peeking a look at the menfolk when they bathed?” he teased. “Naughty girl. But yes, your mate is well endowed and a male dragon’s staff is different than a human’s. It is far more powerful and the end is pointed with a hard ridge that twists from the base to just behind the tip. That ridge is called the dragon’s tongue and serves three purposes when a dragon seeks to plant his seed in his mate’s womb. Our cocks have larger and more pronounced bumps and curves with a kind of plating that allows us to remain erect longer to complete the breeding process.”
“What kind of purposes?” she asked, shyly fascinated.
“The first it performs while still wrapped around my cock. It scores your vaginal wall, much the way a harrow does the soil, to prepare it to accept my seed and enhance your pleasure as it does so. When it has done that, it will release behind the head of my cock and slip up inside your bottom hole to keep you locked to me and again, maximize the intensity of the experience for you. Keep in mind, dragons do not get their drakaina pregnant by chance. As I told you, it is a decision we make, giving up our immortality to do so.”
“What if I don’t want to become pregnant or give up my immortality?”
“When my seed takes root in your womb, your immortality will slip away.”
“And if I don’t want to bear your child?”
“As I have said, drakaina are often difficult and so male dragons have learned to impose our will upon them and then help them to reconcile themselves with the result.”
She shook her head and sighed. “I don’t care what you say, it’s wrong. But what’s the third thing the dragon’s tongue does?”
“It is actually the body part that will plant my seed in your womb. The breeding of dragons can be complicated and involved, but I will see you pleasured by the act.”
Míorúilt felt as if he was beginning to be evasive. “How is it accomplished?”
“I had hoped that it would happen naturally and would be explained after the fact.” He shook his head as if clearing it. “I will not have secrets between us, and you are entitled to know what will happen and that I expect you to submit to my will.” Taking a deep breath, Kellan continued, “For dragons, mating and breeding are two separate things. A dragon can choose to take a mate and not produce offspring. But should he choose to take a mate and sire children, it is the dragon’s tongue that actually implants the seed.”
“How?”
“I will take your maidenhead in the usual way. At some point the dragon’s tongue will detach from my cock and slip between your bottom cheeks, making its way into your dark passage, filling it to further pleasure you and lock your body to mine as I plow your pussy both for pleasure and in preparation to breed. You will be made to climax several times and once my cock has emptied itself into your sheath, your body can accept my seed. Once I am finished, I will uncouple from you and roll you onto your belly or your knees. The ridge will have unfurled and retreated from your bottom hole. I will then mount you from behind with my cock entering through your dark rosebud and the dragon’s tongue e
ntering your pussy where it will enlarge so that you are being doubly penetrated and stroked. When you have orgasmed at least one more time, the dragon’s tongue will sow my seed in your fertile ground as I achieve my own release with each of my members. As I do so, your body will be thrown once again into the abyss of pleasure and it will greedily accept what is being given so that it can take root.”
Míorúilt could feel her eyes had grown large. She wanted to deny the increased level of arousal she was feeling but couldn’t. He had walked with her at a leisurely place but had led them back so that they were now next to the edge of the bed. He turned toward the fireplace and blew gently, lighting the fire.
“But how do drakaina lay eggs?”
“You will give birth to our egg in much the same way as a human gives birth to a child. We will then keep the egg safe while it finishes gestating and the baby will emerge six to eight weeks later.”
Míorúilt was clearly fascinated, which bore well for her coming to accept her place in his life.
He continued, “Somehow one of the eggs from the last clutch must have survived. I have no explanation as to why you hatched so long after we were gone.” He smiled. “I have no explanation for why you are here, but you were strong and survived and when given the right circumstances, you made your way into this world. Your parents named you Míorúilt...”
“They said I was their miracle as they had waited so long to have a child.”
“And you are a miracle. The last, for now, of the female drakaina. You and I will breed often and you will gift me with many offspring. I will see you suckle our babes in your arms.”
“What if I’m barren like my mother?”
