Kiss of Frost

by Graceley Knox

  "He'll kill me." Desmond steps back.

  I stand, placing myself in front of Beck's imposing form. "Who? Beck? He's not going to touch you, no matter how much pain you deserve as payback. Answer my question. And while you're at it, I need to know their plans for what happens after they find the stones."

  "Dayphis will kill me if I tell you how we found Kay. Or anything else, for that matter."

  "Speak, you vile creature!" Beck roars the words, his power lashing out in the room like a hurricane, the bars of the cell shaking. I press a hand to his forearm, hoping my touch will calm him. His breathing is harsh, his nostrils flared. He's livid but he's trying to calm down.

  "We have a dragon working for us."

  Beck scoffs. "There is no way a dragon would work for you willingly. Who is it?"

  "She doesn't work for us willingly. We captured her eight hundred years ago after we trapped you and your brothers in the stones while we amassed the power we needed to pull your magic from you."

  I tap my foot, impatient for Desmond to answer the freaking question. "Still waiting, Desmond."

  "I have never had contact with her directly, but her name is Isobel." He flinches when he says her name, and quicker than I can blink, Beck's power blasts out and Desmond turns into a human Popsicle in front of me.

  "Beck, what was that for? He was cooperating." I throw my hands up in exasperation. "He's not going to talk to us if he thinks we're going to flash-freeze him every time we don't like his answers."

  Beck's chest heaves and he paces back and forth. His upset tightens my own chest. He must have known this Isobel. "I never thought…"

  I watch him, trying to figure out how to help him calm down. His reaction was fierce and harsh I just don't know why.

  "You never thought what, Beck? Talk to me." I step in his path, stopping his pacing, and rub my hands up and down his sides. "I can't help you if I don't know what's going on."

  "She's alive. Isobel is alive."

  "I take it you know her. Who is she to you, Beck?" I bite back a flash of jealousy. Beck is centuries old. It's not like he was a monk before he met me. I push the feeling away and concentrate on helping my mate sort through whatever he's going through. "Who is Isobel?"

  "Isobel is my sister."

  "She's your sister? The one you said they wouldn't tell you about when they captured you guys?" I pull Beck into my arms, hugging him. It's not much, but physical touch always helps when you feel you're all alone in the world.

  "I need to get out of here. I can't breathe in here." Beck kisses my cheek before pulling away and storming up the steps.

  I look back at Desmond. He's still frozen, and honestly, I could care less. It's nothing compared to the pain he's caused over the years. They tortured Beck and his brothers for fun before damning them to live inside the stones we're so desperately searching for. And now this? They've had his baby sister in captivity, using her for god only knows what. Fucking Christ.

  I leave the copal burning in the room and head back upstairs. Ann is waiting in the hallway when I exit the basement and she's frowning.

  "What happened? I felt the blast of power from upstairs."

  I shake my head. "Desmond told Beck that they've had his little sister, Isobel, all this time. That's how they found Kay and her family. They've got a dragon."

  Ann gasps. "Oh, no."

  "Yeah. I don't know how they're using her though. Beck was obviously upset." I run a hand through my hair. "He kind of froze Desmond into a human Popsicle after he told us."

  "Can't say I blame him for that." Ann rubs her hand down my back as we head into the kitchen. "How long do you think it will take for him to defrost? Once he does, we'll get more answers out of him."

  "I've got no idea. Beck is incredibly powerful. Could be a few hours, maybe a day?" I shrug.

  "Well, in the meantime, let’s make some tea and go help Jem."

  "Sounds like a plan." It seems trivial but when there's nothing you can do for the moment, sometimes stepping back and clearing your head can mean all the difference.

  I grab the mugs out of the cabinet as Ann selects the tea and puts the kettle on the stove. The familiar actions soothe my frazzled nerves. We've done this thousands of times over the years. And I can't imagine not doing it a thousand times more. Beck must be in an emotional hell. He's been trapped, and for a man of action like him, that has to be one of the purest forms of torture. "Did you make enough water for me to give a cup to Beck?"

  "Of course. I think he could use it." Ann buzzes around the kitchen and I scoop the loose-leaf tea into the metal tea diffuser balls we have, plopping each of them into the bottom of the cups. "Ivy, did Desmond say how they captured Isobel? Or how they're able to use her to do their dirty work?"

  I shake my head. "No, he didn't get much out past her name before Beck freaked out."

  "Perhaps I'll try to talk to him alone when he thaws out."

  "Beck or Desmond?" I ask curiously. I'm not sure that Beck would open up to Ann. He only seems to open up to me because of our mate bond. And even then he's weary. My poor dragon.

  "Desmond, of course."

  "That might be best." The kettle whistles and Ann pours the water, dropping a sugar cube in her cup before grabbing it and a second one for Jem.

  "I'll go work with Jem on the last of the invoices. Why don't you take this up to Beck and talk with him? He could probably use someone to listen to him right now."

  "Thanks, Mom." I stand and hug her. She clucks at me in a motherly way before leaving the room.

  I head up to my suite, walking slowly as I balance the full cups of hot liquid in each hand. I mutter a few words, opening the door to my rooms ahead of me and kicking it closed. I wander through the sitting room but don't see Beck. I place the mugs down on the nightstand in my bedroom but still don't see him. I can sense him, I just can't see him. I frown, checking the bathroom and my closet. Still nothing. I head out to the only other place he could be. The balcony. I pull the slider door open and peek my head out. Beck's sitting with his back against the wall. His knees are bent, his arms crossed on them, his head resting there. Misery pours off of him, permeating the air around us.

  "Beck?" I mutter his name softly, not sure if he wants to be left alone of if he'd accept my company right now. He raises his head and his eyes are red. My heart breaks for him and the pain he must be feeling. I drop to my knees next to him and rest my hand on top of his. "Tell me how I can help you and I will."

  "You are helping me, mate. You're here. You're searching with me." He pulls me into his embrace with his hand at the back of my neck and cradles me in his lap. His arms are tight around me and I squeeze him back as hard as I can.

  "I brought you some tea if you want to come inside?"

  "I can't be inside right now. I've had enough of being cooped up to last me ten lifetimes."

  I wince. "I know you have. I'm sorry. I'll go grab it for you."

  He tightens his arms around me. "Just sit with me for a little while longer."

  I nod and snuggle into his larger form. I don't know how long we sit there, but it seems like an eternity. The sun sets and the air cools outside. Finally, Beck stirs. He stands with me still in his arms in a quick movement, and I tense, waiting to fall on my ass.

  "Holy crap! You scared me!" I bat at his chest.

  "I'm sorry, mate. I didn't mean to. I thought you were asleep. I wanted to put you on the bed so you'd be comfortable."

  "I'm wide-awake. I don't think I can sleep just yet. Not with everything going on."

  Beck licks his lips, his gaze focused on my mouth. "I've got ways to tire you out, little witch. Plenty of ways to distract you."

  "Oh, you do, do you?"

  "Mmhmm." Beck places me on top of the mattress and steps back, pulling his shirt over his head and baring his upper half to me.

  "Give it your best shot, dragon."

  Chapter 9

  "Take off your clothes, Ivy. I want you bared before me." Beck growls t
he order and I jump up, eager to do as he says. Every second I'm around him, it's like our bodies crave each other more and more. Every touch is just enough to appease the craving for a little while longer, but until we fully connect, the longing only builds.

  "I want to look at you too. Take off your pants. It's my turn to play, handsome."

  Beck smirks and reaches for the button of his jeans. He steps out of them, his cock hard and ready for me. It juts out and I kneel in front of him, peppering kisses on his thighs. I sprinkle in a few nibbles, enjoying it when he growls each time in response. He tunnels his hands in my hair and tilts my head up until I can meet his gaze.

  "Are you sure, mate?"

  I always forget that he comes from a different time. I don't know how a lady would have acted back in whatever century he grew up in, but right now I could care less about propriety.

  "I want your taste on my tongue, Beck." His eyes turn from crystal blue to that light grey that usually means he's experiencing a strong emotion. It's sexy as hell to know that I can make this powerful dragon lose control with my touch.

  He grips my hair in a firm grasp and thumbs my lip with his other hand. "Open your mouth and take all of me then."

  I open my mouth but I don't do as he says. I lick at the swollen tip, lapping up the drops of pre-come. I drag my tongue down his shaft before kissing my way back up his length. I steady myself with one hand on his thigh and bring my other hand up to fondle his balls. He hisses in a sharp breath.

  "Mate…" His voice is deep, full of sex and sin and desire.

  I flick my tongue against the crest of his tip and turn my gaze up toward him, batting my eyelashes at him. "Yes?"

  "Take my cock inside your mouth before I lose my mind."

  Without pause, I suck just the tip of him into my mouth, hollowing my cheeks as I push down on his length, swallowing as much of him as I can until he hits the back of my throat. I breathe through my nose and swallow.

  "Fuck."

  Desire coils in my stomach from pleasing my mate and wetness pools at my center. I let his cock go with a pop and I smirk. "What?"

  "Don't what me. I can smell your desire for me, little witch." His hand clenches in my hair. "Cinnamon sugar, my favorite."

  I wink at him. "Better be your favorite."

  "Or what, mate?" Beck cocks his head, a smile twitching his lips.

  I don't answer him, instead sucking his length inside my mouth again, my head bobbing up and down, working him with my tongue, hands, and lips.

  "Ivy, I want to be inside you now." I shake my head, continuing my ministrations, letting my teeth softly scrape against his length. He bends at the waist, gripping me under my arms and pulling me upward. "Now, mate. I need your heat wrapped around my cock."

  "I want to be on top." I shuffle around him despite his frown and push him backward. He flops down, his shaft slapping at his abs. He's laid out before me like a present at Christmastime and I want to unwrap him slowly, enjoying every second of the moment.

  "You wish to ride me?"

  "Yes." I climb up on top of him and steady myself with a hand on his stomach, lifting up my hips and wrapping my hand around his hard shaft. I hover over his length, watching him as he watches me take his length inside me.

  "Little witch." Beck bites the words out between clenched teeth as he bucks up into me. "You are soaked without my touch."

  "I don't need your touch to make me wet, Beck. Just being around you or thinking about you does the trick."

  He swallows hard, his focus glued to where our bodies meet. I rock back and forth, swirling my hips as I straddle him. He grip my hips, holding me in place as he thrusts his hips upward to meet the rhythm of my movements. I reach down, circling my clit with my thumb, and he growls.

  "That's my job, mate." He brushes my hand out of the way and replaces my smaller fingers with his much larger ones, framing my nub with two fingers, the friction sending shock waves of pleasure through my body.

  "Beck." I sigh his name.

  "I can feel your walls fluttering around me." He changes the position of his hand, applying pressure directly on the little button with his thumb, and I falter in my movements. "You like it when I touch you here, don't you, little witch?"

  I nod, biting my lip as I move my hips faster, chasing after my orgasm.

  "Say it," he orders.

  "I love it when your hands are on my clit." My breathing speeds up and my legs start to shake as bliss flows through me.

  "Good girl. Now let go and come for me."

  "Beck…" I cry out his name as my body does exactly as he commands, tightening around his cock until I can't tell where he ends and I begin. "Oh, my god, yes." I grip his hand at my hip, needing to hold on to something solid as my mind blanks.

  "Ivy." He roars my name, the sound echoing off the walls of the large room. His length jerks inside my pussy, once, twice, three times and he empties his seed inside me. That cool sensation flows through me and my body flashes hot and cold, my mate mark pulsing with magic as we fall into each other, breathing hard.

  I push my hair out of my face and prop my chin on Beck's chest. "Wow…that was…"

  "Mind blowing." Beck grabs my hand in his and brings it up to his mouth, kissing the palm and smiling against it.

  "Is it always like this between mates?" I ask, curious about what being mated to a dragon will be like.

  "From what I understand, our unrelenting desire to constantly have sex will wane marginally, but we are meant to be together. We balance each other and that desire to form a bond will always be here."

  "And my mate mark… Will it always flash cold when you come inside me?" I blush at my bold words. I shouldn't. We'd just had sex and I'd given him a blow job first but still.

  "I am not sure. I've heard of mates exchanging magic and forming a sort of conduit between each other, but if you are worried, there are places we stored ancient texts that no one but a dragon could get to. I could always go in search of them."

  I frown at the thought of being parted from my dragon for longer than a few hours. "I'm sure it's fine. I'm just curious. Normally witches are lucky to find their true life mate. For it to be a dragon is something that is obviously not heard of."

  "There aren't many of us left. But a long time ago, mated pairs often included both a dragon and a witch."

  "That's so cool!" I read about dragons when I was younger. At least what little there was to read about them. But they'd gone into hiding so long ago I never thought that I'd have the chance to meet one, let alone love one.

  Beck rubs his hand up and down my back, his rough palm sending shivers over my skin. "Are you cold, mate?"

  I laugh, his question pulling me out of my thoughts. "Not at all. Why?"

  "I can feel your nipples pressing into my stomach." He grazes each breast with his hands as he runs them back up my sides and I smirk.

  "I can't help it. You turn me on." I press a kiss in the middle of his chest and smile up at him, contentment washing over me like a balm.

  The doors to my room crash open, and Jem storms in, waving a sheet of paper in her hands as Beck and I scramble to cover up our naked bodies from her view. "You guys! You will not believe… Oh. Oh, shit." Jem covers her eyes with one hand. "Uh, how about I just wait outside?"

  Chapter 10

  After laughing so hard my stomach hurt, Beck and I quickly dressed and joined Jem outside of my bedroom.

  "Hi, Jem. You were saying?" I try to keep a straight face but end up in another fit of laughter that results in Jem and me clutching at each other and Beck shaking his head at the both of us.

  "What is taking so long?" Ann asks as she ascends the top of the stairs.

  "Uh, nothing. They were sleeping. I had to wake them up," Jem fibs and I pray Ann will let it go despite the fact that I'm probably redder than a stop sign.

  "Riiight. Did you tell them?"

  "Tell us what?" I ask as the same time Jem shakes her head.

  "Not yet." Jem shoves the
pieces of paper at me and I pinch them between two fingers.

  "What is it?" I scan the top paper, flipping to the second page. My breath whooshes out of me. It's a picture of a stunning ruby ring. The middle stone is large and round, and a golden filigree flower wraps around it. To add to the dramatic look of the piece, a half crown of garnet points frames the center stone. It's a work of art, but it's also a prison. "Holy shit. You found it."

  "Where is it?" Beck reaches for the papers and I hand them over.

  "So…that's the tricky part." Jem winces.

  "What do you mean tricky?" I ask, dread coloring my tone. I knew the other shoe was going to drop at some point. I guess now is a good a time as ever.

  "I'm the one who bought it."

  "Come again? I'm not seeing the problem here, Jem. Get to the point." I wave a hand in a tight circle, expressing my frustration with my hands rather than shouting.

  "I bought it for a friend for her birthday. She absolutely loves it. Wears it all the time. So I'm not sure how I'm going to get it off of her finger without her freaking out." Jem bares her teeth in a semblance of a smile-slash-oh-shit expression.

  "I'm not really worried about her freaking out. Beck's brother could be in there! We need it back. Like, yesterday." I try to hold back my frustration. It's not Jem's fault that she gave the ring to her friend. She had no idea at the time that it was holding a dragon hostage and the object of desire for a bunch of nasty mages.

  "I know. I've already called her and set up a coffee date. We're getting together tomorrow."

  "And do you have a plan on how you're going to get the ring off her finger without her knowing?" I huff a breath, breathing through my nose to try and calm my nerves. This has to work. I won't let Beck down with this.

  "I'm going to charm another ring and sleight of hand it."

  "That's risky, Jem…"

  "I know it is, but I've got no other choice."

  "Do you need to brush up on your sleight of hand? It might be a good idea to get some practice in before you do it."