by Donna Grant
His hands slipped beneath the hem of her shirt. The contact of his palm against her stomach made her jerk in surprise. He pulled back, but she grabbed his hand and ended the kiss to look at him.
“Don’t stop,” she told him.
Two words were all it took to have him smile seductively. She shivered, because she knew she was going to be putty in his hands—but it was going to be a glorious time.
Not wanting to wait, she removed her shirt and reached for his, but he was quicker. She had never gotten out of her boots and jeans so fast before. Her fingers fumbled with the fastening of her bra. It was Cináed who unhooked it. It was also Cináed who helped right her when she nearly tipped over trying to take off her panties.
She wanted to take her time looking him over, but the desire was too much for both of them. Gemma did manage to see more hard sinew that covered the rest of his body as well as a dusting of hair on his wide chest. Her gaze skidded to a stop when she saw the red and black ink of the dragon tattoo that ran down his left side from his ribs to his knee.
He gently turned her face to him. They were skin to skin again, their lips locked together as he turned her toward the bed. In one smooth movement, he had them both on the mattress. The feel of his weight atop her was amazing.
She ran her hands up his back, marveling that he was with her. She readied to explore his marvelous body—especially his arousal that she could feel against her. She’d been too intent on his chiseled abs to think about looking lower earlier.
Then he rolled them to the side while still kissing her deeply. His hand roamed over her hip and thigh. She lifted her leg, throwing it over his. They weren’t near enough to suit her. She needed him closer. So much closer.
His hand moved between them to cup her breast. The moment he found her nipple, she groaned at the exquisite feeling as he rolled it between his fingers. Her hips rocked against him, searching for any kind of friction.
She quickly fell under the spell of desire he wove around her. And all she could think about was that she hoped the night never ended.
* * * *
She was glorious. Cináed couldn’t take his eyes off her. From her heady kisses to the way she clung to him, everything she did made him long for her more.
And her body. Her smooth, alabaster skin flushed with desire made his balls tighten. He couldn’t wait to run his hands from her pink-tipped breasts to the indent of her waist and then over the swells of her hips down to her sex.
Not wanting to spook her, Cináed had taken things slow. Right up until she told him not to stop. Now, he couldn’t get to her fast enough.
The feel of her pert breast in his palm was amazing, but it didn’t compare to the ecstasy that spread over her face when he teased her nipple.
Unable to resist any longer, he glided his hand down her beautiful body to the juncture of her thighs. The moment he neared, she spread her legs, granting him access.
Cináed’s breathing intensified when he felt how wet she was. The moment he pushed a finger inside her, she tore her lips from his and moaned loudly. It was a heady experience to watch the pleasure moving through her.
He had to see more, to give her more. Cináed found her clit and swirled his finger around it. Gemma’s quick intake of breath and the way her back arched made him ache to be inside her, to fill her deeply.
To claim her, to mark her.
To make her his.
* * * *
Nothing had ever felt so good. Gemma was swallowed by an abyss of pleasure. Every nerve ending in her body sizzled with awareness, aching and yearning for more of Cináed’s touch.
While she drowned in the bliss of him tantalizing her clit, she found she was quickly and effortlessly flung toward an orgasm. There was no stopping it—or Cináed. He worked her body as if he knew exactly where to touch her to send her flailing helplessly amid the pool of pleasure.
Just when she thought it couldn’t get any better, his tongue replaced his finger on her clit and that same finger filled her, thrusting in and out of her.
The climax rose swiftly, consuming her. Her body jerked from the sheer force of it, while her mouth parted on a cry that lodged in her throat. Her fingers clutched helplessly at the covers as she fought to grab hold of something, anything.
Cináed worked her body, extending the climax until she couldn’t take any more. Then he rose up over her, spreading her legs wide with his.
Her eyes opened to look up at him. The satisfaction on his face made her body clench. He knew exactly what he’d done to her. And he was going to do it again.
Gemma reached for him. The moment she touched his skin, damp with sweat, she needed him inside her. “Please,” she begged.
“You can have all of me,” he told her.
She looked down as he grabbed his cock. Her eyes widened at the size of him, but she didn’t have too long to stare because he rubbed the head of his rod against her before he entered her.
Gemma dug her nails into his sides as he gradually filled her. And once he was inside her, he began to move and she learned what true ecstasy was.
He buried himself deep and ground his hips against her. Then he pulled out until just the tip of him was inside her before thrusting hard.
She bit her lip, waiting to see where he would take them next. His magnificent body was a work of art, but it was the way he made love to her that truly set him apart from others.
He moved slowly, rocking his hips back and forth while staring down at her. Gradually, he increased his tempo until he plunged hard and fast. He lowered himself to his forearms, and she took advantage of that by kissing his neck and nipping at his earlobe.
When he groaned in response, she continued her assault while letting her hands roam over his back and incredible ass. She had never been so hot for anyone before. Never yearned to have anyone touch her as he did.
Never longed to be so connected to anyone.
Until Cináed.
He changed everything.
All thoughts ceased when Cináed stopped moving and said her name. She met his gaze, wondering at the seriousness in his gray eyes.
“This is only the beginning,” he told her.
She smiled and nodded. “Yes.”
And then he began pumping his hips. She buried her face in his neck, her eyes shut as her body became his. She loved the feel of him, of the way his body moved against hers. Of how their sweat-soaked skin slid against each other.
She locked her ankles around his waist and met each thrust. The world fell away, leaving just the two of them to experience the kind of pleasure that Gemma had only read about. She held him tighter, wondering how in the world she had gotten so lucky that he’d found her.
His hips pistoned faster until he stiffened, a low, ragged moan falling from his lips. Satisfaction filled her knowing that she had brought him to orgasm.
And she wanted to do it again.
Except she wanted to have her mouth on his cock, watching his face as she did.
They remained locked in each other’s arms for several minutes. She wanted to know what he was thinking, but if she asked, he might want to know her own thoughts, and she wasn’t sure she could put into words what she was feeling.
In a very short time she had met Cináed, agreed to work with him, opened up enough to tell him about her past, and trusted him to bring her to the isle. For someone who rarely spoke to anyone unless she didn’t have a choice, these were huge steps.
And yet it all felt right. As if it was destined for this to happen. Like she was supposed to meet Cináed, and he was supposed to...she didn’t know what, but she knew he was important. Somehow.
Cináed pulled out of her and rolled to his side. She didn’t have to worry if he wanted her against him, because he tugged her until she was right alongside him, one leg thrown over his.
“That was amazing,” he said and kissed her forehead.
Gemma smiled. “It sure was. Can we do it again?”
He chuckled and looked dow
n at her. “Without a doubt we will.”
She settled her cheek against him and sighed. “I haven’t felt this relaxed in...well, I can’t remember when.”
“Good.” His hand moved along her hair from her forehead back. “You deserve happiness.”
“So do you.”
“You make me happy.”
She shifted her head to look at him. He took the opportunity to kiss her softly before tucking her head back on his chest.
“Cináed, tell me of the magical beings. I want to know.”
Chapter Seventeen
Cináed couldn’t deny her request. Gemma had a right to know all of it. Unfortunately, by revealing even the tiniest part of what was just out of sight from the majority of mortals, he wouldn’t be able to keep the Dragon Kings out of it for long. If at all.
“Why are you afraid to tell me?” she asked. “If I’m going to accept who I really am, then shouldn’t I know it all?”
“Aye.”
She shifted her head to look at him. “I can handle whatever it is you tell me. Or is it that you believe I’ll tell others?”
“Nay, I doona think that’s it.”
“Then what?”
Cináed sighed. “The world you live in, the one where no one has magic, isna the real one. It’s the one that those of us with magic strive to maintain for you.”
“That’s silly. People either have magic or they don’t. Why should those that do have to pretend?”
He quirked a brow. “Take a look around. You doona even have to go back far. Look at today’s headlines. There is always someone pitted against someone else.”
Her nose wrinkled as she flattened her lips. “Good point.”
“Neither the Druids nor the Fae were the first magical beings on this realm,” he began.
Gemma sat up, crossing her legs as she sat next to him. “Go on,” she said eagerly.
“Humans were no’ the first beings either.”
Her eyes widened. “I never even considered that option. That’s amazing. Who were the first?”
For all his dithering about being unsure of what, if anything, to tell her about the Dragon Kings, Cináed had cast it all aside and went in for it all.
“Dragons.”
“Dragons?” she repeated. Then her gaze briefly looked down to his tattoo. Her fingers skimmed over the dragon that looked as if it were crawling up his side, wings tucked and tail trailing. “Every culture around the world has some kind of dragon myth. Now it makes sense. There have been no skeletons or sightings of dragons since. Well, except for that video hoax and movies. So where did the dragons go?”
“They were sent away. You see, there were millions of dragons that occupied this realm. All sizes and colors, or clans, as they were called. Each clan had a king. A Dragon King. He was the strongest with the most power, and he was chosen by the magic upon this earth.”
“Amazing,” she murmured, leaning forward, waiting to hear more.
“The dragons lived here for millions of generations, and then one day, mortals arrived. Dragons speak telepathically, making it impossible to talk to the humans. But then each King shifted out of their true form into that of a mortal.”
Gemma smiled, her gaze locked on him. “That’s how they were able to talk to the humans. Did they become friends?”
“For a time. The Kings each gave up a portion of their land so the mortals could make a life. They had no magic, so the Kings felt as if it was their duty to protect them. They made a vow to always defend the humans. And for a while, everyone lived in harmony. The mortals, however, reproduced at an astonishing rate. It wasna long before the Kings had to give up more land. As you can imagine, that didna go well with some of the dragons.”
She snorted as her brow furrowed. “I know how humans would react if someone tried to do that to them, so I can imagine how the dragons felt.”
“Despite all of this, the King of Dragon Kings fought to keep the balance between the two species calm. It didna help that every once in awhile a dragon would eat a mortal. It was even worse when the humans hunted the smaller dragons for food. There were mortals who sought to be near the Kings. Some Kings even lived among them.”
Her pale blue eyes held his as she nodded. “If a King could shift into that of a human, then I’m assuming that a few found lovers among the mortals?”
“They did. But even that wasna easy. There were some humans who became pregnant, but they soon lost the babes. Only a couple ever carried the bairn to term, but it was stillborn.”
Gemma shifted and put her hand atop his. “So there is no half dragon-half human walking around?”
“No. But that didna stop one King from falling in love and wanting to marry his mortal lover. Unbeknownst to him, she had conspired with his uncle to kill him.”
Gemma jerked back, her eyes widening in shock. “Please tell me she didn’t succeed.”
“She never got close, but if she had, she would have learned that the only one who can kill a Dragon King is another Dragon King.”
“I don’t even know these beings, but that seems like a very unscrupulous thing to do. What happened to this woman?”
“Constantine, the King of Dragon Kings, discovered what she was about. He gathered all the Kings except the one in love with her, and they hunted her down, killing her. Her King was furious when he learned what had happened without him. He couldn’t believe he was deceived in such a way, and he reacted by waging war on the mortals. His dragons, Silvers, were some of the biggest, and he took them and slaughtered thousands.”
Gemma pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. “He did that all by himself?”
“Other Kings joined him. The mortals had pushed them to such an extent that they no longer cared about the vow they’d made when the humans first arrived. They just wanted their lives back to the way they had been.”
“The dragons had magic.”
“And they could fly, as well as breathe fire,” he added.
She shook her head. “Then tell me how there are humans still walking around but no dragons?”
“Because Constantine stepped in. He was the type to honor a vow, regardless of how his feelings might have changed. It took him some time, but he eventually won back over the Kings who had joined with the Silvers—all except the King of Silvers.”
“And his name was?” she asked.
“Ulrik.” Cináed let himself think about that day for a brief moment. The smoke, the blood and death, and the screams of both humans and dragons would never leave him. It was a memory that was embedded in his mind, one that would forever replay no matter how many millennia passed.
“What happened?”
Cináed realized he had stopped talking and let the memories take him. He cleared his throat and put a hand behind his head. “There was no way the dragons and humans could co-exist anymore. Con knew it. So he called the Kings together and had them use their magic to build a dragon bridge to another realm. Then they sent the dragons across it.”
“Even the Silvers? Wouldn’t they stay with their King?”
“Aye. They did. But Constantine is King of Dragon Kings, so he could overrule even their King. All but four of the largest Silvers obeyed and went over the bridge. That left the Kings only Ulrik and the remaining four Silvers to deal with. The Kings made the Silvers sleep and trapped them in a mountain.”
She lowered her legs to the bed again. “And Ulrik?”
“Con stripped him of his magic so that he would remain only in human form. Then he banished Ulrik from the Kings’ domain. Ulrik had no choice but to live among the mortals, becoming one of them. For millions of years, that’s exactly what happened. And through all this, the magic of this realm found its way to a select few humans who learned how to use it. They became Druids. When the war broke out with the dragons, many of the Druids fled to Skye.”
“I see,” Gemma said with a smile. “And the Fae fit in how?”
“After the dragons left, the Kin
gs disappeared, hiding away from the mortals until any memory of them passed into legend and myth. When they eventually emerged, they had to find their way in the world once more.”
Gemma lifted a shoulder. “Except this time without their dragons.”
Cináed nodded, glad she said the words so he didn’t have to. “Con kept to their vow of protection despite everything. It was a good thing too, because when the Fae arrived they went straight for the humans.”
“I don’t understand,” she said.
“The Fae are divided into two sects. Light and Dark. The Light have silver eyes and black hair. The Dark have red eyes and silver streaks in their black hair. The more silver, the more evil they’ve done. But both sects are stunningly beautiful. Mortals are drawn to both Dark and Light Fae. The Light make sure that they only have sex with mortals once, but even that is enough to ruin a human from ever feeling any pleasure with another of their kind again.”
Gemma made a face. “And the Dark?”
“They feed off humans by having sex. The more they have sex with a mortal, the more they drain the person of their soul until nothing is left but a husk.”
She gave a little shiver. “You would think that if this happens that humans would blast it all over the place to warn others.”
“But they doona. Luckily, the Dragon Kings stepped in. They went to war with the Dark, and after many months, the Light joined the Kings and defeated the Dark, pushing them to Ireland.”
She snorted. “Ireland? Why didn’t the Kings send them away?”
“There was a truce. The Fae agreed to remain in Ireland, and the Kings got the humans out. Except mortals returned there despite the Kings’ attempts.”
“So the Fae and Druids have free rein of this world.”
Cináed shrugged one shoulder. “In a way.”
“And the Kings?”
“Remain hidden.”
Her gaze moved away as she nodded. “Why?”
“It’s what they’ve chosen.”
“Maybe that’s not the right path.”
“There can be no co-existence of dragons and humans.”
