Boyd snapped, “The council has approved this marriage, Rutherford.”
“I won’t be commanded by a weasel, Boyd.”
Another commotion in the crowd distracted the McAlister brothers. Dungan stared hard at the man who waded through the crowd. Layla’s head felt heavy on her neck, and she thought she might topple from her chair.
Raif strode toward the dais.
“I challenge the marriage. Layla McAlister will be mine.”
The murmur of the crowd rose, then fell back again as the drama continued to play out before their eyes.
Boyd flicked his eyes up and down Raif, weighing and judging him. He evidently saw something he didn’t like, and sneered. “She already has a suitor.”
Layla tried to hide a smile. It was a mistake for Boyd to even acknowledge Raif. Now he would have to play out the entire thing, no matter what direction it went. Her own eyes searched Raif, and found him armed with a dagger similar to what most of the other men and a fair few women wore. It was small, and mostly for show. But it let everyone know he wasn’t one to be trifled with easily.
“An unwilling suitor. I don’t believe he’s accepted her. She’s can still court others, and she will be mine.”
Layla didn’t know how Raif could sound so calm. Her own heart raced even as she set her jaw. She wanted to speak up, and tell everyone she chose Raif, but was afraid. Perhaps this could still be resolved without bloodshed. She didn’t want to spur Boyd into making a challenge.
She could hear Boyd’s teeth grinding together. “She isn’t even a full dragon rider yet! You can’t have her!”
Layla could hear the angry desperation in her brother’s voice. He’d painted himself into a box, and he knew it. Her stomach tumbled in a revolting mix of unease and anticipation.
Raif shrugged. “If she’s good enough for one Dragon Lord, why not another? You overplayed your hand, McAlister.”
Boyd growled with anger. He reached for the dagger he wore at his waist and brandished it Raf. “I’ll see you dead, you fool!” He turned to the hall in full. “I challenge Raif Lowry. To the death!”
***
“I accept.” Raif spoke the words and felt nothing. He didn’t have the advantage of growing up with Boyd to know his fighting style. He had grown up in Castle Lowry, and learned weapons and dragons from an early age. He couldn’t doubt himself.
Doubt led to mistakes. Mistakes led to death.
He fed all doubt into a small bundle at the back of his mind. He imagined his dragon burned it all to cinder. He was left cold and calculating and ready for the fight.
Servants raced ahead to prepare a spot for the fight. Dungan crowded with Raif. An alarming number of council members followed Boyd, he saw. He wondered if the other brother would command such allegiance when Boyd was gone.
Everyone soon filed into the courtyard just outside the hall. Poles with lights hanging from the ends marked the circle. A nervous excitement hung heavy in the air.
He tried to find Layla in the crowd and failed. It was for the best, he told himself. She’d be a distraction if she were close to the edge. He didn’t want to worry that Boyd would try hurting her if his plan went sour.
He entered the circle from one side, and watched Boyd step forward opposite him. Graeme McAlister trailed after him. Raif hadn’t requested any from his castle join him on the journey, but expected someone from his flight group to step up. Instead, he saw Dungan Rutherford follow him into the circle.
Boyd and Raif stripped to the waist. Graeme patted him down, while Dungan did the same. Raif was surprised the other Dragon Lord had taken the role of his second. Each man made sure the fighters didn’t carry extra weapons into the circle. Neither found an extra piece of mischief. Boyd might be unscrupulous in life, but he was honorable in a fight.
Boyd sneered as Dungan completed his search. “You’re a Dragon Lord now. When I win, I become Dragon Lord. I always wanted a castle.”
Honor didn’t extend past not carrying extra weapons into the circle, it seemed. Raif shrugged. “You don’t know anyone there. I doubt you’d know how to rule without fear keeping everyone in their place.”
They squared off. Raif saw no need to delay the match further by requesting different weapons. His dagger was sharp and ready to fight. Boyd made no objections.
The air was tense and hushed as the fight began. They circled one another. Boyd darted forward once, twice, trying to throw him off balance. It gave Raif an idea of the type of fighter he faced. A jerky man, prone to taking risks. He tried to loom and crowd Raif, but Raif refused to back down. Boyd wasn’t used to someone standing up to him.
Boyd lunged forward, and Raif stepped to the side. He felt a hot drag across his ribs, and looked down to see a line of blood staining his skin. It was nothing that would end him or the fight, but it made him reassess his opponent.
Boyd knew how to fight.
Raif curled his body away from the next attack. Boyd came at him with a flurry of his dagger, spinning and plunging the blade toward Raif’s exposed and wounded trunk. Raif fought him off with fancy footwork that took him nearer the edge of the circle. Should he step outside, the match would be forfeit and Boyd would win. He couldn’t let the man walk away victorious.
Raif waited for Boyd to attack again, and used the man’s own force against him. He snagged his wrist in strong hands, and pulled him close. It pulled Boyd dangerously near, but forced him off balance. Raif slipped past him and into the open space.
Involuntarily, his eyes sought Layla. The quick scan of distraction was all Boyd needed to launch his next assault. Raif felt the air move behind him, and turned.
Boyd jumped and slashed down, aiming for Raif’s chest. Raif dodged, and landed a blow of his own. He sliced long down Boyd’s main arm, and the man groaned with the pain. He stumbled back, and Raif took the moment to go on the offensive.
Raif punched with his empty hand, and sliced with his dagger arm. Blood pounded in his ears, drowning out the noise of the crowd around them. Boyd didn’t know what to make of his punches, when the fight wouldn’t end until one of them stepped out of the circle or lay dead inside it. Anything less than lethal was just wasted energy.
Except when it threw the opponent off balance.
Even so, it didn’t distract Boyd for long. The man crowded into Raif’s space again, and drove him back toward the edge of the circle. He slashed wildly, and Raif dodged. He fought off cuts and scrapes from the other man, and landed blows of his own. They both streamed with sweat and blood from cuts.
Raif bit back a groan as Boyd landed a deep cut on his arm. His hand spasmed, and his dagger dropped to the ground. Boyd stepped forward and pushed him further back. The crowd gasped. He caught sight of Layla, her hands covering her mouth,
Gods above, she was gorgeous.
He couldn’t disappoint her.
His dagger lay out of reach. Raif didn’t make an attempt to retrieve it, which unsettled Boyd. Instead, he crowded into the man. Boyd slashed out, and Raif bent forward to avoid the blade. Boyd stepped forward with him momentum, and Raif stood. He hooked an arm around Boyd’s neck, and cracked his neck.
Breathing hard, he left Boyd’s body fall to the dusty ground.
***
A great roar filled their ears as Boyd fell. Layla could almost feel the castle shaking from the rage and sorrow in the sound. Boyd’s dragon felt his death deeply, and she felt sorry for the creature. He was an innocent, and paid the price for his master’s schemes. A chorus of other dragons echoed his pain. She didn’t need to look up to know the beast flew deep into the mountains. He would live out his days in seclusion, while everyone watched to make sure he didn’t turn rogue and do damage to the people it once protected.
Marnie was at her elbow and directing her attention back to Raif. “I didn’t have any marriage opportunities. My clan is the lowest of them. They all think because I’m from somewhere so small, I must have small ears and eyes.”
Layla gave her a surpris
ed look. They were of age, and she supposed she could be included in Marnie’s statement. There was nothing special about the girl outside of her firestarter shell crafts. She herself owned several pieces even before coming to the castle, but a woman of her social standing didn’t talk to the jeweler. A blush of shame spread across her cheeks. She wanted so desperately to get out from under the shadow of her clan that she couldn’t see someone else struggling for any bit of recognition.
“Marnie, I…” Layla trailed off. There was a quiet wisdom to the other woman. It was no wonder Dungan chose her over all the others. She didn’t know what to say.
Marnie flashed her a smile. “Hush. Go to him. Before he thinks I invited him back for nothing!”
Layla stepped wide around the crumpled form of her brother. Her eyes were shining by the time she fell into Raif’s embrace. Raif Lowry, Dragon Lord, fought for her honor. Raif would be her husband.
Chapter Five
“It was Marnie that called me back.” Raif slipped from the back of his dragon and raised his hands.
Layla dropped down. Raif’s hands caught her around the waist and set her gently on the floor of his temporary quarters at Castle Sherwin. They’d spend the night and make arrangements the following day for her move to Castle Kinley. But the night was theirs. “I know.”
“Perceptive, that one. She’ll make a great wife for Rutherford, once she’s through her training.”
She planted her lips on his. “Hush. I’m done talking about McAlisters and Rutherfords and Allaways. Lowry, that’s who I want to hear about.”
“Dragon Lord Lowry has just secured himself a very lucrative marriage.” Raif began with a roguish grin. “I hear she’s a rebellious little bitch who is eager for all sorts of perversions in the bedroom.”
“Oh? I hear the same about him.”
His mouth slanted over hers, and any further teasing was lost to the spinning room his kiss brought on. He lightly feathered his lips against hers, exploring every curve as if it were for the first time. He nipped at her lower lip, and sucked lightly. She gasped by the time he pulled away.
Raif grabbed her wrists in his and tugged her gently against him. Layla whimpered in his arms, a sound of need, while her hands explored the broad expanse of his shoulders. Her whimper turned darker when his mouth returned, but only to lick the tiny hurt caused by his teeth.
Layla felt her skin tingle against the warm brush of his tongue. She felt the heat rising from his body so close to hers. Her hands roamed over his hard chest and stomach, lingering over the fresh bandages where Boyd had cut him. She winced. She never wanted to be the woman that men fought over. She didn’t regret what happened, but couldn’t help but wish Boyd had never made his fool challenge.
Raif brought her back from her dark thoughts by rolling her onto the bed, and caging her in with his body. He let his eyes touch on hers before leaning in and sweeping his tongue along the seam of her lips, demanding entrance. She was happy to provide it to him, and sighed. He caressed her in long strokes of his hand, running from her collarbone, over the swell of her breasts, and down to her hips.
He was gentle; gentler than he’d ever been, and she knew it was something they both needed.
His tongue slid past her plump lips and into the warmth of her mouth. Even though he was gentle, his kiss brooked no argument. His tongue danced with her own, teasing and brushing, stroking and urging her to respond. Layla’s body hummed with eagerness. Liquid heat roared through her and straight to her core.
Raif broke their kiss and a low rumble emerged from his chest. His breath came in ragged bursts as he kissed along her jawline with barely suppressed urgency. He trailed a hand back up her body and tangled it in her hair, tilting her head up for better access to her lips.
“Wife.”
Layla shivered at the word. It held the promise of a full life, and adventures she could never achieve on her own. And it was full of the heat that would always ignite between them.
“Husband.”
She dug her nails into her back, drawing lines on his skin with her nails. As expected, he closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation. When she was done, he nipped at her ear with a groan.
She let out a surprised noise when he hooked his fingers in the collar of her dress. In one motion, he ripped it open and bared her to her waist.
“I won’t have you reminded of this night every time you wear this dress,” Raif explained. Another tug, and he ripped the fabric from waist to hem. He flayed open the remains to reveal her totally.
He took his time exploring her with his eyes. She shifted underneath him, growing uncomfortable with the scrutiny. But when his gaze reached and lingered on her breasts, she calmed. His eyes darkened with a possessive desire that pushed her pulse up a notch. His eyes claimed her. His nostrils flared, and he pressed his hips down against her. The hot length of his cock was trapped between them, and Layla moaned.
Layla’s cheeks blushed with the fire that surged in her veins. She’d always wanted to be taken by a passionate and uncontrollable man, and while she’d done much with Raif, he’d never ripped her clothes away like they were just wrapping. Her body clenched with need.
He bent over her, pressing his lips in a hot trail down her throat. She wiggled under him, eyes fluttering at his obvious approval. His fingers ran over her skin and never stayed in one spot for long. He mapped out her curves with tiny strokes of his fingertips while she lay helpless against him. Unable to contain herself, Layla let out a small sigh.
Her sigh turned to a rough gasp when Raif’s lips reached her collarbone once more. His teeth nipped at her sensitive skin, and her eyes shot open. Heat flooded her cunt.
She wound her fingers in his hair as he dodged her lips and continued to torture her by kissing down her body. Over her collarbone again, then further down until he was kissing the swell of her full breasts. Her nipples peaked and begged for his attention.
He lowered his lips a bare inch over her. Heat washed over the hard points as he hovered over her, still not bringing his mouth full against her. Raif teased her by running his mouth close to her nipples, then taking himself away again. Layla panted under him as his strong fingers raced up and down her ribcage, and traced the bottom curves of her breasts. She whimpered a pout when his teeth found her sides.
Layla bit her lip to hold back her plea, and was finally rewarded when he sucked a nipple between his soft lips. Fire boiled away everything she was as he nibbled and sucked at her. He teased one nipple to a stiffened ache, then moved to the other, until she was a whimpering mess of needy desire.
Layla’s fingers tightened in his hair and held him to her, scared he’d pull away, when he stroked a hand down her body again. Her back arched her into him. His tongue swept over the nipple in his mouth, and another rush of liquid heat sent a shiver down her spine.
His hand cupped her cunt for a second, before a skilled finger stroked between her wet folds.
“Raif!” She gasped.
He laughed wickedly, and breathed a cool breath over the trail of his tongue. Her nipples hardened even more under the chill, and competed with the heat created by his seeking fingers. He stroked her again, and with one sweep, circled a finger around her clit. Layla whimpered again, her hips writhing against him.
“You’re gorgeous.” His voice muffled against her skin and he dipped his head lower for a taste.
Layla was driven even higher when he flicked his tongue over her nipple, combining licks and circles of his finger.
He seized her lips again for another kiss. He feasted on her lips, devouring her mind and body one flick of his tongue at a time. All the while, he alternated stroking her clit with circling it. He made her wild with never settling for a pattern that would give her release.
Raif broke away with another ragged breath, and looked down at her. Layla saw that his eyes were dark and full of barely contained heat. He didn’t say a word, only stared into her soul as he slid a finger deep inside her.
“Yes
,” Layla groaned. He added a second finger. Pleasure raced through her, centering on his fingers. They were made for each other. He instinctively knew how to make the most of his teases and deliberate touches. Her eyes fluttered close against the intensity of him pressing on her.
His teeth nipped at her earlobe. Hard. “Don’t you dare close your eyes. I want to watch you come.”
Raif’s order snapped her eyes back open. She bit her lip as her mouth curled into a smile. He might be gentle now, but he still demanded her obedience. She was more than willing to comply, especially with his fingers curling in her and touching the sensitive spot just inside her cunt.
She might not be tied, but she was spread out for him in an equal sacrifice. He kissed her lips lightly and pumped his fingers into her again, before removing himself completely. She clenched hard around him, bathing his fingers in her arousal. Layla whined at the loss, but he stripped quickly and returned to settle between her thighs.
A hard knee pushed her legs further apart. His thumb brushed over her throbbing clit once more, before he brushed the broad head of his cock against her slick entrance. Her eyes started to slip close, but snapped open at his growl.
He pushed into her slowly. Even with the teasing of his fingers, she needed time to adjust to him. Not only was he long, but he was thick and stretched her with a delicious ache. Her eyes widened at the sensation, and a smile played across her lips.
Raif moaned with appreciation as he sunk deeper into her. He pulled out, only to slid in slowly again. Slowly, ever so slowly, he eased himself further into her. She felt like a horse chomping at the bit, trying to gain control.
“Harder,” Layla rasped. She didn’t want gentle. She wanted Raif. Hand-tying, scarf-blinding, teasing with a purpose Raif.
His eyes darkened and he ran his tongue over his trembling lips. Layla sobbed a gasp when his hand latched around her wrists and drew her arms high above her head. In a hard motion, he shoved his cock fully into her. His sac pressed against her ass as he ground his pelvis against hers. Tingles ran over Layla’s skin at the combined feel of Raif filling her to the brim and catching her clit between their bodies.
Dragon Lords Volume 1: BBW Fantasy Romance Bundle Page 9
