“I’m not,” Kira said. “The High Priestesses serve the Gods, who’ve chosen us as ascendants. That means the priests serve us now and not the current Dragons.”
“Which means all the people at the other temples are in danger too,” I said.
“More reason to finish up here and hurry to the Earth Temple,” Kira said, as she struggled to stand.
Auric placed a hand on her shoulder to hold her down. “Not yet. You need to rest some more. In the morning we’ll find a way to the top of the temple, but not now.”
Kira looked like she might protest, but then she settled back down. “Fine, we’ll wait until the morning.”
I almost pointed out that no matter how fast we rushed, we’d be unable to make it to the other temples before the Dragons did anyway. They could fly, after all. The other High Priestesses would likely be dead within days, while we would still be out here in the desert. But I kept my mouth shut as I helped Kira up and into the temple, while the sandstorm began to pick up around us. Slade and Reven both watched with concerned eyes as I tucked Kira into the makeshift bed we’d made up, and then she was instantly asleep.
I turned to the other men and said, “There’s something you should know.”
33
Kira
When I woke again, I was inside the temple and nestled against Jasin’s naked chest with my other mates sleeping nearby. I managed to extricate myself without waking him, though he tried to pull me tighter against him.
I slipped outside to relieve myself, where I found Brin sitting on a piece of rubble while she watched the sunrise. She glanced up at me with a weary smile.
“You’re up early,” I said.
“I’ve always been an early riser. I also had a lot to think about.” She glanced over at me. “How’s your back?”
I stretched and twisted, but felt no pain. “Seems to be completely healed now.”
“Incredible.” She leaned back as she gazed across the desert. “I never would have believed any of it if I hadn’t seen you all fighting the shades. Now I understand why Auric didn’t tell me from the beginning.”
“If you’d like to return to Stormhaven, we would all understand. As you can see, our journey is very dangerous.”
She sat up straight and met my eyes with a defiant look. “Definitely not. I plan to help you take down the Dragons however I can. I’m not sure how exactly I can help, of course, but I’m pretty resourceful. I’ll find a way.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Good, because I’m tired of being the only woman here, and I could use a friend by my side.”
She jumped to her feet and embraced me in her arms. “I’d be honored to serve the next Black Dragon.”
We chatted for a few more minutes before I headed back inside the temple. As soon as I stepped inside the crumbling archway, big, burly arms gathered me up, and I found myself pressed against Slade’s muscular chest. His mouth came down on mine, and he caught my surprise with his lips. As he swept his tongue inside my mouth and kissed me hard, I slid my arms around his neck to pull him closer. I’d worried he would never want to kiss me again, and that he cared for me as nothing more than a friend, but the way he kissed me now told me otherwise—even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud.
When he pulled back, he took my face in his hands and gazed at me like I was truly treasured. “Don’t scare me like that again.”
“I’ll try not to,” I said, breathless from his kiss.
He drew me in for another passionate kiss, before releasing me. “Now go and do what you need to do.”
He gave me a short nod before walking away. I pressed a hand against the nearby stone to steady me, still shocked that had happened at all.
A soft chuckle behind me made me turn. Reven leaned against the wall, and I wondered if he’d been watching all of that. His black hair was slightly mussed from sleep, but his blue eyes were sharp. “He pretends he doesn’t care, but he would do anything to keep you safe.”
I moved toward him until we were only a breath away. “I know another man like that.”
His eyes narrowed. “Except the difference is, I don’t care.”
I rested my hands on his chest. After Slade’s kiss I was feeling bold, and I was ready to start taking things into my own hands with Reven too. “Liar.”
“I’ve never lied to you.”
“You’re not lying to me. You’re lying to yourself.” I moved my hands up to grip the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. “But it’s okay, because I know you care, even if you don’t.”
I dragged his mouth down to mine and slid my tongue across his sensual lips until he parted for me. I kissed him with all of the desire and longing I felt every time we were together, even when he tried to remain distant and cold.
For a second I worried the kiss would be one-sided, but then Reven let out a groan and took control of it. He spun me around and pushed me back against the wall, his hands pressing against the stone on either side of me as his mouth devoured mine. He put his whole body into his kiss, and all I could do was be swept away by it.
When we broke apart, he practically growled, “That didn’t mean anything.”
I patted his cheek with a smile. “Keep telling yourself that.”
He slipped away, while I walked further inside the temple with a lightness I hadn’t felt in ages. Maybe there was hope for me and my two brooding mates after all.
I found Jasin and Auric waiting for me at the bottom of the ruined steps, both of them looking so handsome it made my heart skip a beat. They’d once hated each other, but now they were united as my lovers…and as friends.
Auric offered me his hand. “Are you ready?”
“Yes, but how will we get to the top? The steps have been destroyed.”
“I’ll fly you up,” Jasin said.
I arched an eyebrow. “Is that safe?”
“I practiced flying discreetly while we were at the palace. I’m pretty good at it now.” He gave me a cocky grin. “Trust me.”
“We don’t have any other option,” Auric said. “It would take too long for Slade to repair the steps.”
I reluctantly agreed to the plan and we moved outside, where Brin waited with Slade and Reven. She gasped as Jasin’s form began to change and he turned into a great, winged beast with crimson scales.
“It is true,” she whispered.
Jasin lowered himself down to the ground and spread his wings so I could get on. I hesitated at first, since I’d never ridden a dragon before, but then I was able to scramble onto his back. Auric followed me a moment later, wrapping his arms around me from behind. I gripped one of Jasin’s hard scales for support and swallowed hard.
“Ready,” I said.
Jasin leaped into the air and my stomach bottomed out at the sudden ascent. A great flap of his leathery wings brought us higher, and I held on tighter while the ground below us got smaller. To his credit, Jasin managed to keep us fairly level as he flew higher, and he did circles around the tower as he gained altitude.
Behind me, Auric let out a great whoop and spread his arms wide. “This is amazing!”
I wasn’t sure about that, but the view of the endless desert around us was pretty impressive. Jasin climbed higher and higher and the ground below us shrank to the point where I could barely see the people below, and I began to wonder how just high this tower reached.
We burst into the clouds, where everything around us was white, and discovered the top of the tower had an open-air platform that awaited us. Jasin set down on the edge of it and lowered himself so that we could slide off his back.
Auric patted Jasin’s side. “Nice flying. You truly have improved.”
“Thanks,” Jasin said, with a strange reptilian voice. “Remember what I taught you.”
“Thank you, Jasin,” I said, before pressing a kiss to the top of his snout.
“You’re welcome,” he said with a wink, before leaping off the side of the tower and vanishing into the clouds.
Auric took my hand and we slowly stepped across the cloudy, dream-like platform, until we came upon a bed that was ready for us. I’d encountered a similar thing in the Fire Temple, and knew the High Priestess here must have prepared it for us before the Dragons killed her. I said a small prayer of thanks to her, before turning to Auric. “It’s time.”
34
Kira
I drew in a breath. “Before we do this, there’s something I need to tell you. Enva came to me the other night and—”
Auric held up a hand to stop me. “It’s okay, I already know. Jasin told us what she said while you were sleeping last night. I understand.”
“Are you sure you wish to do this? You’ll be bound to me forever. If I die…”
He took my hands in his and gazed into my eyes. “Kira, I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. I love you.”
His words swept away my worries and filled me with light. Even though I’d been upset with him and wasn’t sure I’d be able to trust him again, I found that my heart had forgiven him and was ready to move forward. “I love you too, Auric.”
“You do?” He let out a relieved laugh and then pressed a dozen small kisses to my lips while he talked. “I’m sorry for everything I did, and I promise you I have no more secrets. All I want is to be your Golden Dragon and to serve at your side.”
I touched his face lovingly. “I want that too.”
He swept me into his arms and claimed me with a passionate kiss. Together we moved toward the bed, slowly removing our clothing as we went, unable to get enough of each other. I’d been hesitant about bonding with Auric a few days ago, but now I wanted this more than anything.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, as he lowered me onto the bed and began caressing my body. “And smart, and strong, and kind. You’re everything I could have wanted in a woman.”
My nipples hardened almost painfully at his touch. “Auric…”
“Shhh,” he said, as he moved down my body, leaving a trail of kisses in his wake. His mouth touched me softly everywhere, all the places he’d learned made me gasp and sigh. In a few days he’d already become an expert at pleasing me.
But I’d waited too long for this moment already. Every time we’d shared a bed with Jasin I’d wanted Auric inside me too, and I was more than ready. I dragged him back up my body and found his lips, then wrapped my legs around him, showing him what I needed. He settled in between my thighs and I practically ached with want, desperate to feel him inside me. It was just the two of us this time, and everything was perfect.
As he slowly slid into me, his face looked almost pained. He filled me up inch by inch until he was seated fully within me, and then he pressed his forehead against mine and let out a ragged breath. “You feel incredible,” he said, and then his mouth lifted into a smile. “Definitely worth the wait.”
“I’m honored to be your first,” I said. “But I’ll go mad if you don’t start moving.”
He lightly stroked my cheek as he stared into my eyes. “Me too, but I want to savor this moment. We’ll never have another first time together.”
He lowered his mouth to mine and gave me a kiss that made my toes curl and my body tighten around him. With a soft groan, he began to slowly move in and out of me, and his long length seemed to completely fill me, touching me in places I never imagined. But then he rolled us over so that I was on top of him, making me gasp as the position pushed him even deeper.
“I want to see you ride me,” he said.
I sat up and rested my hands on his chest, enjoying how full this position made me feel. His hands circled my waist as I began to move slowly, allowing my body to find a natural rhythm. He looked up at me with stormy eyes full of lust and love as his fingers tightened on my hips. All my hesitations and doubts vanished and were replaced by a deep sense of rightness, a feeling that Auric was mine just as much as I was his, from now until eternity.
Auric thrust up into me faster and harder, urging me on. I threw my head back and let passion take over as I rocked against him. His hands slid up my stomach to my breasts, which he cupped in his palms while slowly rubbing my nipples in time to my movements. Then he lifted himself up and took one breast in his mouth, making me moan as his tongue flicked across my hard bud. I slid my fingers into his thick golden hair as he sucked on the other breast next.
He fell back and I began to ride him faster, my movements becoming wild as I bucked on top of him, unable to control myself. The delicious friction was building between us, and I could tell by the way he groaned that he felt it too. He met my thrusts over and over, his fingers digging into my skin, and we moved together in exactly the right way to push me over the edge. My body clenched up around him as I gasped and cried out, pressing my hands against his chest while the orgasm rushed through me. Auric kept lifting his hips to mine and then he was gone too, calling out my name as he came apart beneath me.
A strong wind swept over us and whipped my hair across my face as we rode through our pleasure together. We began to lift up into the air and I let out a shriek as a tornado swirled around and below us, but Auric only laughed and pulled me down into his arms, kissing me with so much love that my fear drifted away while we flew higher into the sky.
Slowly the wind faded and we floated back down onto the bed. I ran a finger along Auric's neck and gazed into his eyes, while he smiled back at me and held me tight.
"We're bonded now," he said, his voice content.
"Yes, we are."
He drew in a deep, satisfied breath. “I’ve always felt out of place or unsure about my destiny. But not anymore. This…this feels right.”
It felt right to me too. No matter what had happened in our pasts, we were moving forward together—with Auric as my Golden Dragon.
35
Auric
After the most incredible experience of my life, Kira and I donned our clothes and made our way to the edge of the temple’s roof while holding hands. Here a thin ledge jutted out into the sky, and if it weren’t for my magic, I might have been terrified of falling to my death as we moved across it over the vast emptiness below.
Clouds swirled in front of us as we waited at the edge of the platform, and slowly they began to coalesce and form something solid. Within seconds the clouds became a vast body with a long neck and tail that filled up the entire sky. Great wings flared out above us, glowing golden under the filtered sunlight. Lightning flashed in the beast’s eyes, while steam billowed from its fanged mouth. It was larger than the Dragons we’d seen before and more primal and cosmic, like something from a dream that you would barely remember when you woke in the morning. As if I blinked, the image might slip away from me completely.
This was the Air God’s true form.
Kira and I fell to our knees while the Air God flapped his wings, sending clouds and wind swirling across the sky. Awe filled me, along with a strong sense of humbleness. I’d been chosen by the Air God and I hoped he would still see me as worthy of being his representative.
“Rise,” he commanded, though his voice was like the wind whispering secrets in my ears. “You have served me well, while my other Dragon has turned against me. For that, I shall grant you three questions. Use them wisely.”
Kira glanced at me with uncertainty, and I nodded at her. I knew what she wanted to ask, even if I had a dozen questions of my own.
“Can you tell me who my parents are?” she called out into the sky.
“You are descended from the Spirit Goddess herself,” the Air God rasped. “She gave birth to the first Dragon using all of the Gods’ seeds, and Black Dragon Nysa was born many generations later in that lineage. You are her daughter.”
Kira’s face paled. “I…I don’t understand. She can’t be my mother!”
“When the Spirit Goddess’s descendant reaches fifty years of age she always bears a daughter, who will replace her when she turns twenty after the Gods choose four Dragons to be her mates. This is how it was done for centuries, but Black Dragon Ny
sa prevented this from happening, allowing her rule to continue. Until you were born.”
Kira seemed at a loss for words, her mouth opening and closing, and I knew she must be in complete shock at learning our greatest enemy was her mother. But that was only half of what she’d wanted to know. I stepped forward and asked, “Do you know who her father is?”
“No, only that he is not my Dragon,” the Air God said.
That ruled out Isen, but there were three other Dragons, and Kira could be descended from any one of them. Assuming her father was a Dragon at all, and not someone else. I’d always assumed the Dragons were infertile until I’d learned Calla was Sark’s granddaughter. Perhaps they could only have children with normal humans?
Kira needed some time to recover, and though I had an entire journal full of questions for the Air God, we only had one question left—and there was one thing only he could answer. “Why did you choose me?” I asked.
“I chose you for your wisdom, independence, and discipline. I saw that you would be a good match for Kira and would strengthen those traits within her.”
I bowed my head. “Thank you. I’ll do my best to honor you.”
“Your three questions have been answered,” the God said, as he extended his wings. “Now prepare yourselves. Danger approaches, and I cannot get involved further.”
With those words he dissipated into the air, becoming nothing more than a strong breeze and a wisp of cloud. I knew we should find a way down the temple to prepare for whatever this danger was, but Kira was so distraught I wasn’t sure she could move yet.
“Are you all right?” I asked her.
She covered her face with her hands. “The Black Dragon…I can’t believe it.”
I gathered her into my arms and held her close as a memory resurfaced of the one time I had seen the Black Dragon. She’d been doing a rare tour of the four Realms and had shifted into her human form briefly to speak to my father. I’d only seen her from a distance, but her fiery red hair had been unmistakable. The same red hair that I ran my fingers through now as I comforted Kira.
Her Elemental Dragons: The Complete Series Page 32
