by S. E. Smith
She was sitting with her eyes closed and a small Maratt against her bosom. A swell of desire and need rushed through him so fast his breath caught. He wanted to see her sitting there with their child against her breast instead of a rodent. The desire to claim her fully was eating away at him and his dragon. He would have to claim her soon or it would become too dangerous for both of them. He hoped she would come to him on her own free will but it did not look like that was going to happen. He looked away as a shaft of pain lanced through him at the thought of hurting his mate even more than he already had.
Asim shook his head. “No, I am not. Look for yourself. Even now she gazes at you,” Asim said under his breath.
Mandra lifted his eyes back to Ariel and locked gazes with her. He looked deeply into her eyes and saw… hunger. He watched her for several moments before Asim clearing his throat dragged him back to the present. He looked down at the board in his hands and realized he was gripping it so tight there were actual grooves formed into it.
“Now do you believe me?” Asim chuckled as he tugged the board out of Mandra’s hands.
Mandra let a slow smile curve his lips. “I am going to claim my mate,” Mandra said with a gleam in his eye and a thread of steel in his tone. “She is ready.”
Asim chuckled as he nodded. “I will clean up here. You go to her. May the Gods and Goddesses be with you, my friend.”
Chapter 12
Ariel nervously moved about the kitchen pulling out the fresh bread, cheeses, and fruit one of the ladies from the village brought her that morning. It was strange seeing another female this morning when she was used to seeing nothing but big, hunky men. Karina had laughed when Ariel asked about it and told her there were females, just not many so the males had a tendency to be very protective. Ariel grinned when she saw Karina’s mate talking with Mandra but never taking his eyes off her for long.
“What is it like?” Ariel had asked Karina hesitantly. “To be a true mate?” She added at Karina’s puzzled look.
Karina’s eyes went to her mate and she smiled. “Wonderful. He protects me and cares for me. He is my best friend. I can share anything with him. I never feel alone for either he or his symbiot are with me at all times,” she had replied.
Ariel had looked at Mandra and wondered what it would be like to be his true mate. Would he be protective of her? From the looks he gave the men who tried to approach her at the dinner she suspected he would. Even during the times he returned for a few hours to the palace this past week he made sure she had both his symbiot and Asim near her at all times.
She frowned wondering if they had discovered who poisoned Cara at the dinner. She had forgotten to ask Mandra about it. The only reason Ariel found out about it in the first place was because she overheard Asim asking how Trelon’s little mate was. She had pressured Mandra into telling her what happened. He explained he wanted her somewhere safe until whoever tried to harm Cara was captured.
“Why do you frown, mi elila?” Mandra asked coming up behind where Ariel was standing at the table in the kitchen and wrapping his arms around her waist.
Ariel jumped. “Oh, you scared me,” she said startled. “I mean, not really scared just startled,” she added when she saw his frown. “You know… like I wasn’t expecting you and I was lost in thought and …” Ariel’s voice faded as Mandra turned her around and pressed his lips lightly against hers.
“I know what you meant,” Mandra whispered against her lips.
Ariel groaned and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling his lips back down to hers. She kissed him… really kissed him, like in an I-want-you-and-I’m-not-letting-you-go-without-some-really-good-hot-sex type of kiss. She felt the moment he realized she wasn’t going to back down. A groan escaped him and he wrapped his thick arms around her tighter. He lifted her up against his body as if she didn’t weigh more than one of the little Maratts running around the house.
“You are mine, Ariel Hamm. I claim you as my true mate. No other may have you. I will live to protect you. You are mine, mi elila… forever,” Mandra said looking deeply into Ariel’s eyes. “There will be no going back, no stopping this time.”
Ariel looked into the flaming gold eyes of the alien who had captured her heart with his tenderness, patience, and understanding and grinned. “You bet your ass you won’t be stopping,” Ariel declared with a grin.
Mandra's dragon growled in answer to his mate's statement. Inside, Mandra felt the rush of dragon’s fire as it exploded inside him wanting to claim its mate. Mandra tilted Ariel’s head to the side and pushed one side of the shirt covering her aside, baring her neck and shoulder. He brushed his lips along the curve where her neck met her pale shoulder. His mark was there. He pressed his lips against it briefly before letting his teeth elongate enough to pierce her skin. He felt the shiver that ran through Ariel right before he latched onto her. Her startled cry increased his desire and the dragon’s fire burst from him in waves crashing over into Ariel in an intensity that both frightened and excited him.
“Mandra,” Ariel moaned as she gripped him tighter, holding him to her.
Mandra continued to breathe the dragon's fire into Ariel's bloodstream. It would have been impossible to stop. He had reached the point of no return. His claim on Ariel would be completed and it the Gods and Goddesses deemed them worthy, a new dragon would be born this day. Fire ripped through Mandra as he and his dragon answered the call of the fire ripping through Ariel. Mandra fought for enough control not to take Ariel right there on the table, or worse, the floor. He wanted their first time to be perfect but at the rate his cock was swelling it looked like the table or floor was going to be the best he could do.
Ariel’s moan filled the kitchen as the heat washed through her in fierce waves. The fire was so fierce her skin actually ached with a need to feel his skin against hers. Ariel’s hands began clawing at Mandra’s hair pulling the leather tie from it until it hung freely down his back. She ran one hand through his hair letting her nails scrape along his scalp while her other hand ran down over his shoulder and down his flat stomach to pull frantically at the front of his pants.
“I want you,” Ariel whispered as another wave of heat started to build deep inside her. “I don’t know what in the hell you are doing but it is turning me on.”
Mandra groaned as Ariel’s words washed over him. He continued breathing the dragon’s fire, feeling the burning wave building inside Ariel until he had trouble holding her withering body. Her hands were kneading him and roaming as far as she could reach in a desperate attempt to get closer. Only when he felt the last of the dragon’s fire cresting did he pull away far enough to gently lap at the dark mark he left. His eyes flared with possessiveness to see his mark so clearly etched against the delicate pale column of his mate’s neck.
“Mine!” Mandra growled out in a low, deep voice that was a mixture of animal and man. “My mate.”
Ariel didn’t care what in the hell he was saying. She wanted to stop the burning that was scorching her from the inside out. She could feel the liquid of her desire running down the inside of her leg. She could actually feel her pussy pulsing with need. This had never happened before. In fact, she didn’t even think it was possible! Ariel fought to get her hands on the front of Mandra’s pants. Those bad boys were coming off.
“I need to get us to a bed,” Mandra muttered desperately trying to hold onto what little control he had.
“To hell with a bed… the table or the floor are good for me,” Ariel growled out as she ripped at the ties on the front of Mandra’s pants.
The moment it came free Ariel melted down toward the floor taking them with her. She quickly pulled the straps free on his boots and pulled on one of them trying to get it off. She looked up in frustration when Mandra didn’t lift his foot. Ariel’s eyes grew huge when she found she was level with Mandra’s swollen cock. It was thick and long and throbbing. The head was almost as dark a sapphire as Mandra’s dragon. Ariel breathed out a soft moan as she saw pre-
cum beading at the tip and beginning to run down it. She didn’t even pause to think but leaned into his cock and ran her tongue up and over the tip with a loud groan.
He was better than chocolate any day of the week, Ariel thought as she swiped her tongue over him again and again, each time more urgent than the last.
She was just about to try to slide the thick tip into her mouth when a deep snarl filled the air and she found herself lifted up and laid over the edge of the table face down. Ariel gasped as she felt the pants she was wearing torn free from her. The back of the shirt she was wearing suffered the same fate as it was ripped down the center of the back so that each half slid down her arms to pool around her. She didn’t put a bra on that morning just a light undershirt. It was sliced off her until her bare breasts pushed against the wood of the table. Ariel looked over her shoulder at Mandra to protest but the words died on her lips as she stared into the dark, flaming eyes of a very aroused Valdier warrior and his dragon. His eyes had changed to a darker gold with thin elongated slits where his pupils were. The hunger in them cried out only for her. Ariel felt the heat building inside her as it answered the call of need in Mandra’s eyes.
“Take me,” Ariel said softly looking at Mandra who was fighting to get hold of his emotions. “Take me now.”
Mandra’s muttered curse was followed by his fingers searching to make sure Ariel was ready for him. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her but he was close to losing his mind, forget about his self-control. Mandra moaned with pleasure as his fingers sank into the slick moisture of her swollen vagina. She was ready for him and he could hold back no longer. He aligned his cock with her hot vaginal channel and pushed forward not stopping until he could feel the tip of his cock hitting her womb. Mandra gripped Ariel’s hips tightly as he pulled almost all the way out then slammed back into her trying to get a little deeper. He knew he was being too rough with her. He wanted to take her slowly, gently, tenderly but he had waited too long. His dragon was determined to claim his mate. He wanted to see her born. Mandra fought for control but it seemed the more he fought the faster and harder he took Ariel until he couldn’t tell where she ended and he began. Their moans and cries echoed and twisted into one.
“Ariel, help me!” Mandra ground out between gritted teeth. “Forgive me!” He cried out as he felt the pressure building. “Forgive me!” He repeated in a choked voice as he slammed into her again and again.
Ariel bucked as her body responded to Mandra’s possession. She felt the hot waves tearing through her as she gripped the side of the table and held on. The feel of Mandra’s hard, thick cock sliding in and out of her pulled at something deep inside her and she felt her body explode into shattering waves of heat and ecstasy as her climax gripped him trying to keep him connected to her forever. Ariel cried out as her body clamped down on Mandra’s trying to hold him inside. The force of his withdrawal then re-entry against her sensitive nerves caused her to erupt again with a scream.
“Yes,” Mandra cried out as he bent over Ariel’s back and bit down to mark her again as his first climax hit him.
..*
Mandra pulled back and gently licked the second mark he gave Ariel. He could feel her vaginal walls as they squeezed his cock, milking him until he wanted to cry out at the pleasure of it. He knew this was just the beginning but the intensity of it took him by surprise. If this was the beginning he wasn’t sure either one of them would survive. His whole body felt like it was about to melt. He let his forehead drop down until it rested on Ariel’s shoulder. He had to be the worst mate in history. It would be a miracle if Ariel ever forgave him for taking her like this. Hell, he was still dressed. He had torn her clothes off of her like he was a barbarian of old. How could he treat his mate like this? He pulled back until he was standing. Biting his lip, he slowly pulled out of her smaller body with a deep groan.
“Are you alright, little one?” Mandra asked gently as he ran his hand lightly down her back.
“Uh-huh,” Ariel murmured not moving.
“Can you ever forgive me,” Mandra whispered when he saw that Ariel was not moving.
Ariel tried to raise her head. It took two tries before she was able to look at Mandra over her shoulder. It took a few seconds to focus her vision. She was definitely still in the moment!
“Only if you promise to do that again and again and again,” Ariel said with a silly grin on her face. “’Cause I’ve got to tell you…you are one very hot hunk of love.”
Mandra frowned down at Ariel until her words sunk in. His face broke into a huge grin as he realized the she was not upset with him at all. He was glad because her wish to do it ‘again and again, and again’ was about to come true. He could already feel the dragon’s fire building deep inside him and knew her body would be responding to it.
Ariel’s eyes widened as a shaft of heat flashed through her causing her to almost scream out at the intensity. “What the hell is happening to me?” She panted.
“Your wish to do it again and again is about to come true, mi elila. The dragon’s fire is just beginning. We will come together many, many times in the next few hours but I refuse to take you on the table again,” Mandra said as he bent to pull up his pants.
“The floor is okay with me,” Ariel moaned as she began to sink down onto it.
Mandra scooped up Ariel’s sagging body and moved rapidly toward his bedroom. “I refused to take you on the floor,” Mandra growled out in indignation.
“Have you ever tried it?” Ariel asked as she began nipping his jaw and working her way down to his neck.
“No,” Mandra choked out as Ariel bit him hard on his neck.
Mandra groaned as he sank down onto the plush rug in the sitting area of his bedroom. Ariel was already pushing his pants down far enough to grip his cock and guide it to her throbbing channel. Mandra cursed out loud as he sunk into her again. He had absolutely no control when it came to her. His mind was nothing more than a haze of need. Caging Ariel’s smaller body under his, he took her on the floor over and over until Ariel lay limply under him. Her body covered in a light coating of sweat and the inside of her thighs with his seed.
“I need to bathe you, little one,” Mandra whispered against Ariel’s ear. “I also need to let you rest for a little while before the next wave of dragon’s fire.”
“Next wave?” Ariel asked dazed. “Are you serious? How can you even still be able to get it up?”
Mandra chuckled. “It is the dragon’s fire. It will not be sated until all the fire has burned through us both. It will not be sated until my dragon’s mate is born.”
Ariel tiredly turned her head to look up at Mandra who was in the process of pulling out of her sore body. A loud moan was pulled from Ariel as she felt him sliding out of her. Damn, but even that turned her on!
“I don’t think I can move much less make love any more. Besides, I’m getting a little tender down there,” Ariel said with a blush. “It’s been a while.”
Mandra’s eyes flashed at the thought of another male being with his mate. He would have to kill the male but Ariel didn’t need to know that yet. Right now, he needed to take care of her because the coming hours would be brutal on both of them. This was the most difficult time for a female. During the next few hours, her body would begin the transformation. If she did not complete it, she could die as her body would be torn between two beings: her human side and her dragon. If the transformation failed her body would begin rejecting the dragon’s blood leading to the death of both of them. Mandra refused to believe Ariel would not survive.
Mandra gently lifted Ariel up off the rug with a grimace. He had to admit while he did like taking her on the floor, he was determined to take her in a bed the next time they made love. Mandra walked into the huge bathing room located off his bedroom and gently climbed into the huge tub. He shifted so she was on his lap so he could reach over and turn the water on. The tub quickly filled up with hot, steaming water. Mandra sent a quick message to the symbiot on Ariel
to heal her. He held her tight against his body as the gold dissolved and slowly moved down over her.
Ariel gasped as she felt Mandra slide her legs apart and the gold symbiot moved down between her legs. She started to struggle but Mandra held her immobilized against him. He whispered softly to her to let it heal her but Ariel was beyond listening. It was one thing to have Mandra touching and feeling on her. It was another to have Precious doing it.
“Stop! What in the hell are you doing?” Ariel muttered fiercely as she fought to get away. “Precious, get away from me!”
Warmth flooded Ariel at the same time as Mandra began playing with her sensitive nipples. The moment he touched them the fire lying smoldering inside her flared to life again. Ariel stilled as it swept through her. She arched into Mandra’s hands as a loud groan was torn from her when the fire crested and broke over her in a flood of intense need.
“Oh… oh… oh!” Ariel cried out as the flames gained in heat. “Mandra, it’s coming again,” Ariel cried out hoarsely as she spread her legs needing relief.
“Sit on me,” Mandra demanded harshly.
He quickly turned Ariel around until she was facing him. Pulling her up just high enough so she could straddle him, he waited as she aligned his cock with her soft flesh. His breath escaped in a loud whoosh as she dropped down heavily on his throbbing shaft. She rose up again and continued to ride him as she held his hands to her breasts.
“Play with them,” she begged. “Please, squeeze them. Pinch them. I like it rough.”
Mandra leaned forward and captured first one than the other in his mouth sucking on it until they formed taunt peaks. He felt the walls of her vagina clench him tightly as he nipped, sucked and pinched her nipples until they were hard, swollen nubs begging to be fucked. He loved her breasts. They were big enough to fill the palms of his hands and the nipples were a dark rose color that begged him to suck on them. He flicked her right nipple while he sucked on her left one and was rewarded with her orgasm. Mandra pushed both of her breasts together so he could suck on both nipples at once while he drove upward into her with such force he lifted her up out of the water.
