“Not like before. Just this constant, achy soreness in my entire body. But not inside here,” she placed her hand on her abdomen, indicating the area she was speaking of. Kaid nodded and tossed the washcloth behind him. “Tell me if I do anything that hurts you, baby.” She nodded and she watched him slowly push her legs apart again. She was swollen, starting to drip she wanted him so badly. Then she remembered what having him inside her would do. It would complete their bond. Solidify his claiming and they would be tied together for life. She gave a half-hearted attempt to pull her legs back together, but he looked up at her and said, “I remember my promise, Ave. You don’t have to worry. I won’t complete my claim until you’re ready, but I’m gonna ease you now, I’m going to ease us both. I can’t be inside you without some kind of barrier, a condom, but my cum in contact with your flesh in any way will ease the rest of the purge. Your orgasm will ease the pain, too. Just lay back, Ave, let me do what I want to. I’m not gonna break my promise to you.” She hesitated a moment longer and he said, “I’m trying to earn your trust, not destroy it.” Avaleigh looked him in the eye and knew he wasn't lying to her, and her body needed him so badly, so she lay back, closed her eyes and let him take over. He laid himself down between her legs and inhaled deep. He could smell her need, and she was so fucking sweet. He swiped his tongue up her slit from her ass to her clit and let off a deep rumble of appreciation. She moaned and wrapped her hands in his hair, holding him to her. He swiped his tongue at her again and followed it up by slipping his tongue inside her folds, exploring her most private parts. She began rocking her hips in time with his licks. He slipped a finger inside her as his tongue toyed with her clit. She picked up on his rhythm and pulled his head closer, moaning and writhing under his touch. He added another finger and started fucking her gently while he increased the suction on her clit. She was almost there — he could see the little tremors in her thighs and feel them in her pussy as she gripped him. She was whispering almost inaudibly, “please, please, please, please, please!” He knew exactly what she needed — he adjusted the angle of his fingers to run over that little rough spot inside her and added a low rumble. That was it. The rumbling sensation on her clit while he sucked her sent her over the edge. She threw her head back and screamed with her release. He didn't stop until she was a shaking, trembling mess and had ridden out the last of her after shocks. Then he rose quickly above her, one knee still between her legs, the other thrown over her against her right side, so he half straddled her with his cock and upper body looming over her middle, and he began to stroke himself again. He gripped his cock so hard it looked almost painful, and he stroked fast and hard. He was so fucking turned on that it took only a handful of pulls, and he was growling as he shot rope after rope of his hot cum across her body. She watched him, half lidded and thoroughly sated, as he wiped the end of his cock off on her belly. Then breathing heavily, he reached out with both hands and rubbed his cum into her skin again, from her breasts to her hips. It was not lost on her that his eyes shone golden with his Bear as he did this. Almost immediately the aching in her body eased. It faded into something manageable, and she felt her eyes begin to close. She felt him leave the bed and the lights went out; then, he was back beside her, wrapping himself around her, her back to his front again as she drifted off to sleep. She heard him whisper against her ear, “It’ll be okay, Ave. I got you. Sleep, Hon, we’ll figure it all out.” She wrapped her hand around the thick forearm encircling her and knew that no matter what, she had no doubt that he would protect her.
Chapter 6
The next day found Kaid agitated and edgy. They’d been in one place too long. They should have been on the move, staying safe, not a sitting fucking target. He knew this, but with Avaleigh purging, he was limited on how fast he could get them to safety. She had managed to get some rest, but it was taking longer than it should have. He hadn't fully claimed her, and it was slowing her body’s ability to cleanse itself. But she was better. He decided that today they would head out. He wasn't sure why Lurin hadn't come for them yet, but he wasn't willing to wait around to find out. Slowly he slipped out of bed and made his way down to the kitchen to start planning for their departure.
Avaleigh woke a little while later feeling better than she had in the last couple of days. Had it truly been less than a week since she had freed Bear, and they had made their escape? She stretched her arms over her head and thought about the night before. Several times during the night she had woken hurting and nauseated. Kaid had taken care of her, holding her, soothing her, bringing both her and himself relief until she passed out in a satisfied heap of quivering muscles. She had thought that he was just into some kinky shit the first night he’d done it, but every time he emptied himself onto her flesh and massaged it in, the pain receded. So she decided to stop thinking and just go with it. She got out of bed taking inventory of her body, still sore, but much more manageable today. And the smell of sausage cooking was actually making her hungry, so she followed her nose downstairs to find Kaid.
Amos heard Kaid come into the kitchen and greeted him without even turning around,“Morning, boy, your Dragon’s Mate still sleeping?”
“She is not a Dragon’s Mate, old man,” Kaid shot back at him, “And yes, she is. That brew you brought her the other night saved her, Amos. I owe you. Any time, any place. Any reason. You just call me.” Amos just snorted and continued stirring whatever was in the cast iron skillet on top of the stove. “We’re going to head out today, been in one place too long.”
“Yep, figured you would. Got some food packed for you to take with you. Ya’ll can go after you eat and make sure that your woman is good to travel.”
“We appreciate your taking us in, truly. If I can ever do anything for you, let me know.”
“Nope, not a thing. I’m good, boy.”
Avaleigh walked into the kitchen, and Amos greeted her much the same way he did Kaid, “Morning, Dragon’s Mate.”
“I am not a Dragon’s Mate!!! Why do you keep saying that crap?!”
“’Cause you are, hon,” he smiled at her.
“No, I’m not, I’ll die before I go back there.”
“Ain’t talking ‘bout that one, he ain't a whole Dragon anyway. More nuisance than dangerous.”
Kaid looked up from his coffee, “What do you mean he ain't a whole Dragon?”
“Just what I said, boy. He ain't a whole Dragon. He’s part serpent, part Dragon, and his serpent ain't whole either. It’s got some of who knows what mixed in with it. The serpent’s the one with the conjuring mixed in. The only thing he got from the Dragon is the fire, and it ain't like regular Dragon’s Fire. He can’t breathe it like the full ones do. My Mate thought maybe it was just his blood that he mixed with something else. Some herbs or something. But I think maybe it’s like a snake’s venom. The serpent rules him, for the most part. He can’t fly. He’s got no magic other than the serpent’s. Heard tell he siphons the power from other shifters to keep himself powerful enough to appear as a whole Dragon. But likely it’s just rumors. Ain't many left who could know for sure. Almost the whole damned mountain is deserted now. He bought up most of the land and those that wouldn't sell, he made life miserable for them until they just wandered off.”
Kaid listened to Amos as the possible truth of what he said filtered into his head. Maybe he had taken Kaid to steal his strength, his Alpha powers. He’d never know, though, because if he ever saw him again, he was going to kill him, not talk to him. He turned his attention back to Amos,“Is that what happened to your store? Why it’s closed down now?”
“Yep, nobody around here to need anything anymore. I kept it open anyway until last year when I lost my Mate. Almost killed me when she passed. Now, it just don't seem worth it anymore to even try to keep it opened. But this is home, and where would I ever go anyway?” Amos seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment. Then coming back to himself, he turned the conversation to Kaid,“How did you end up there, boy?”
Kaid looke
d at Amos, not sure of the whole story himself, but knew enough that he could assume the rest. He avoided Avaleigh's eyes. He didn't want to see if his story reduced her opinion of him. “I was traveling, stopped in a bar to have a drink and grab a bite to eat. The bartender struck up a conversation. The next thing I knew I woke up in a cage — I couldn't break out. I couldn't shift from my Bear, I couldn't feel my clan. Nothing. I was completely alone. I figured I’d been drugged. When I saw Slatterly bringing me food, I knew it for a fact. He was the bartender.”
Avaleigh walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, resting her forehead on his head. “I’m sorry, Kaid.”
“Wasn’t you, baby. Besides, you freed me.” He offered her a smile.
“What about you, Dragon’s Mate?” Amos asked her, “How did you get there?” Avaleigh looked from one to the other before answering. “I don’t know. All I know is that I was there. I don’t know anything before that. I don’t even know how long I was there. And why do you keep calling me a Dragon’s Mate?”
Kaid interjected, “I saw the night they brought you in, baby. It was 4 or 5 months. But other than that, I don’t know either.”
She looked at Kaid and opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her, “You don’t want to know, baby. Don’t ask.”
Avaleigh just looked at him for a moment before nodding in agreement and dropping her eyes to the kitchen counter.
Amos broke the feeling that had fallen over the kitchen by bringing them back to his conversation,“My Mate was destined for a Dragon, but she fell in love with me instead. She bucked tradition and made a life with me.” He turned to Kaid, “I know what you’re thinking, boy, and it worked with us because she didn't ever meet her Mate. If she had, no matter how much she loved me, she may have had to go to him.” He returned his attention to Avaleigh, “She was a healer. She knew things that most others don’t know. She taught me how to read signs, how to pick up on things that everybody just passes over. You give me the same feeling that she did. Not the healer part, but the Dragon’s Mate part. If you don’t remember anything from before, it’s likely they dosed the hell out of you with something. Either that or the trauma. If my Mate was right, and he was making potions from his blood or his venom like she thought, they can erode your memory. Especially a human. We don’t have the strength they do,” this said as he pointed to Kaid with his chin to indicate shifters. “Just don’t try to force it. If anything is worth remembering, it’ll come back to ya.” Amos served up three heaping plates of sausage, biscuits with sausage gravy and scrambled eggs. He set the plates out on the kitchen island, and they all sat around eating in silence together. Kaid broke the silence with the question that had been on his mind since they’d escaped, “Why hasn't he come for us, Amos?”
“He’s out of town, Kaid. That’s why I freed you when I did,” Avaleigh said.
“No, Ave, can’t be it. Slatterly would have found you missing by now and while looking for you, he’d have seen that I was gone, too.”
Amos added his own opinion to the mix, “Beaver ain’t told him you’re gone yet. That’s the only thing it could be. He’s hoping to find you himself and return you before his boss finds out he fucked up.”
Kaid smiled a truly disturbing smile, “I’m gonna eat that fucking Beaver one day.” Avaleigh choked on the food she was trying to swallow, while Amos just chuckled and told him beaver was better stewed with gravy.
Kaid continued to smile as he answered Amos, “Bear doesn't care if he’s stewed or not, he just wants him dead.”
They stood on Amos’ porch saying their good byes. Avaleigh hugged Amos and thanked him for his help, “Come with us, Amos? It won’t be safe here for you if they figure out you helped us.”
“Nope, ain’t leaving here, girl. Been my home for longer than the Dragon’s been up there. Built it for my Mate, she loved it here, ain't leaving it.”
“You’ve got an open invitation, Amos,” Kaid told him.
“Appreciate that, boy, but I doubt I’ll be using it. Ya'll take care, travel safe. Don’t stop to eat anywhere along the way, you could end up in another fucking cage.” He grinned at Kaid when that remark brought a low growl from his chest. The sound of engines rumbling down the road had Avaleigh and Amos heading back toward the door, but Kaid was grinning as he bounced down the steps toward the road. As they came into view, Avaleigh counted three bikes and one very old, very awesome pickup truck. The bikes were huge, loud, and just as growly as the Bear that Kaid housed inside. The pickup was cherry red, shiny and just as loud as the bikes. The men that drove these machines had an air of danger about them that made her adrenaline spike, but the grins that they all wore when they saw Kaid trotting out to meet them, had her grinning her own welcome. He hadn't said as he went to meet them as they pulled in, but she knew these were his brothers, his clan. They had come for him, and by default, her. She watched them as they got off their bikes, climbed from the truck and converged on Kaid. There was hooting and hollering and back slapping and punching of shoulders and lots of man hugs to go around. She waited while he took a few moments to fill them in on what had happened to him. She watched as the biggest one, the one that was driving the truck pushed his way to the middle of the group and wrapped Kaid in a Bear hug, actually lifting him off the ground and shaking him back and forth. When he put him back on the ground, she saw him swipe at his eyes and she got that; she had to wipe tears from her eyes, too. These men loved Kaid. They respected him. He was their brother, their family, and they had thought him dead. She watched from the porch for a few more moments before she decided to join them. She felt a little better today and was sure she could put on a strong face for them. She didn't want them to think her weak. She had decided that she would not think about Lurin or what she’d been through. That part of her life was over, and she refused to let it govern the rest. It might not be healthy to lock it all inside, but that’s not how she’d decided to look at it. She’d decided that she wasn't going to give Lurin the power to take any more of her life. She was just going to be her, whatever that turned out to be. Do what felt right, not wallow in the shit he had brought to her door. She didn’t remember anything before Lurin, and she had two choices- she could let it drive her crazy and eat away at what little sanity she seemed to have left, or she could just take each day and do her best to move forward. She agreed with Amos. If anything was worth remembering, it would come to her in time. Smiling to herself and feigning a buoyancy that she wasn't sure was really there, she took a step toward them down the stairs. Kaid turned and glanced toward her, and their eyes followed his. As they each noticed her standing there, their response was almost funny. The biggest one that had wiped his eyes just looked at her with his mouth hanging open. The dark one next to him looked back and forth between her and Kaid with a surprised look on his face. The blonde mohawked one leaned over to Kaid and made a noisy dramatic show of inhaling from his chest to as high on his head as he could get his nose before Kaid shoved him away. The red-headed one with the ZZ Top beard, wearing the overalls, he looked the oldest of the group, grinned really big, opened his arms wide and started toward her, “Damn, Kaid, you got us a woman!!” he said as he walked toward her. “Come on down here, sweetheart, and give us a hug!” Avaleigh took a step or two toward them and when she noticed Kaid grinning and shaking his head in disbelief, she knew it was safe and went the rest of the distance between them to meet the red-haired giant halfway. He wrapped her up in his arms and sniffed her before setting her on her feet again and leaning back to look her in the eye. “I’m Goldy, and you got nothing to worry about any more. We got cha.”
“Put my damn woman down, Goldy, she don’t even know you,” Kaid told him.
Avaleigh just smiled up at Goldy, “I’m Avaleigh, and you got nothing to worry about either, I got you, too.” Goldy grinned like the sun and dragged her over to meet the others who were now meandering her way. “Blondie over there is Maverik, Mav for short.”
She smiled at Mav and he
winked at her and said, “Welcome, darlin’.”
“Those two over there,” Goldy continued, “the one that don’t talk or smile much, that’s Bane, and the other one, the big one, is his brother, Bam.”
“Bam?” she asked, eyeing them both.
“Yes, Bam, Bramley actually, but Bam will just do fine,” Goldy told her.
She walked closer to them and put her hand out for Bane to shake and smiled at him. He inclined his head to her, and he gently took her hand. Then she turned her attention to Bam who was looking like he didn't want her to see him looking at her. She said, “Hi, Bam.” He peaked at her through his lashes and offered her a very quiet, “Hey.” She extended her hand to him and said, “I got you, too, Bam.” He startled and looked up at her with his mouth hanging open. She spread her hands wide and kind of shrugged at him, “I’m stronger than I look — I can whip some serious ass when necessary.” He grinned at her and nodded, “Yeah, I could see that about you.”
“Can I see your truck? It’s freaking awesome!” she said as she turned her attention to the truck and started moving that way. He smiled and popped the hood and started rattling off all the things he had done to it.
Bane walked over to Kaid, “What gives, Kaid? Your claim isn't finished.”
“I know that, Bane. Don’t worry about it.”
“Why didn’t you finish it?” this from Mav.
Kaid looked up at the sky wondering why he was so anxious for them to get here, when in the space of less than 10 minutes they were already pushing him to the point of frustration. “You know, it’s not your fucking business. She’s mine, and that’s all you need to know!” Coupled with that shout, was that oppressive feeling that she’d had in the woods on the mountainside, though this time it was only momentary.
She looked around to see if anyone else noticed, but it seemed to have disappeared as quickly as it came on, and they were all grumbling and shooting him questions from all directions. Even Avaleigh got in on it when he insisted again, “Mine!”
I'm Not A Dragon's Mate! Page 6
