Marked by the Dragon [The Dragon of Skye 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Doris O'Connor

  “Fuck, you’re so deliciously wet for me. I have to taste you.”

  With that, he kicked her legs apart, forcing her to hold on to the worktop for support. He dropped to his haunches in front of her, lifted up her skirt, and then buried his face between her thighs. Kerry cried out in stunned delight at the feel of his tongue stroking her in several places at once, it seemed. His earlier comment came back to her, as she could feel him tunnel into her pussy at the same time as he rimmed her asshole.

  The sheer forbidden nature of it all made her grow even wetter for him, and Duncan murmured his approval into her pussy. The blast of heat that accompanied those few words made her knees buckle. Duncan caught her easily and shifted her so that she lay on the worktop like the proverbial virgin dragon offering. Not that anyone could ever mistake her for one of those, but the nervous anticipation remained. Kerry was so out of her depth it wasn’t even real. Not that she had to worry about it, because Duncan smiled down at her as he grasped her thighs and pushed them back and apart until she was utterly exposed to him.

  “What have we here? My little subbie is a naughty wee lassie, I see. All wet and puffy for her Sir.” He winked at her before he grasped hold of her hands and curled them around her ankles. “You keep them right here, sweetheart, while I feast on all that bounty. Do not let go, are we clear?” His voice dropped to that deep, growl-like snarl, and she saw the swirling fires of his dragon in his eyes when she looked at him.

  “Yes, Sir.” Her whispered reply didn’t sound like her, but lord almighty, Duncan looked magnificent as he stared down on her.

  “If I hurt you, if this gets too much, your safe word is ‘red.’ Got that?”

  His voice came out distorted, more animal than human, and when she managed a nod, his dragon burst forth. Blue flames shimmered around his head seconds before he blew a stream of heat over her wet pussy. Kerry threw her head back and screamed as her clit contracted in need, and yet more of her juices spilled out of her. That sting of pain was exquisite, especially followed by the soothing wetness of his tongue as he lapped at her sensitized tissues. Long strokes alternated with quick flicks of his oh-so-talented tongue, which made her climb those rungs of arousal to new dizzying heights. Every time she came too close, he pulled back and blew another stream of heat over her inner thighs. Flashes of blue alternated with the burn of yellow, licked up her skin until they hit her clit in staccato bursts that made her writhe on the hard granite she lay on. Her fingernails scored her skin in her desperate attempt to keep her hands locked around her ankles, while she dug her feet into the counter and pushed her hips closer to the delicious, painful pleasure he was tormenting her with.

  How long he kept up this dance she didn’t know, all her senses focused on him. Kerry was dimly aware of her pleas for him to let her come, for him to do something, anything, to please, please…

  “That’s my very good lass. Come for me now, sweetheart.”

  Oh, thank God!

  Chapter Nine

  By the fiery goddess, she was magnificent when she fell apart. Both her holes, slick with her arousal and his saliva, clenched in rhythmic ripples, pushing more of her cream out for him to feast on. Duncan dropped to his knees, grasped generous handfuls of her backside to lift and support her body as she writhed in her release, and proceeded to eat her out. He tunneled the ends of his tongue into her channel at the same time as he breached the tight ring of muscle guarding her ass, and her just-waning orgasm flared anew when he nudged her clit with his nose. A mere thought sent her dress into the ether, exposing all of her to his hungry gaze, and his dragon lost what little control he had left. He let forth a stream of flame that traveled up his girl’s luscious curves, licked across her belly, and swirled over the peaks of her nipples. Kerry let go of her ankles and, eyes wide yet unseeing, reached for him.

  Unintelligible sounds spilled from her lips, and Duncan swore softly as he called his fire back in. He needed to have her, to mark her as his in an age-old way, but she needed to give her consent with full knowledge of what this meant. The way his dragon roared at him to finish this, he had to step away. Taking her now would be a mistake because his dragon would take over. Kerry was human and fragile and she deserved a gentle mating, not a frantic, animalistic fuck over the counter, not to mention the fact that faint cries reached his ears. They, at least, got through to his dragon. The need to protect their young, even though the boy wasn’t his progeny, superseded all other instincts. Ignoring the ache in his balls, he eased off slowly, mindful of the need to bring her down gently from the endorphin high she was riding. Kerry’s tremors subsided, and she lay there all glassy eyed and spent, slowly catching her breath. He knew the moment the still-plaintive cries of the bairn they were charged to look after broke through her haze of arousal. She stiffened and made a grab for her nonexistent clothes.

  “Here, let me.”

  With a flick of his hand, her dress was back, covering her, and Kerry gasped.

  “How do you do that?”

  Little Maddock’s cries got louder, saving him from a response, because Kerry shooed him away.

  “Goodness, go get him. I’ll just…” She hopped off the worktop and blushed the most endearing shade of red as she no doubt recalled what had transpired there moments ago. It made his inner Dom grin to see her this rattled, but now was not the time or the place.

  “Go freshen up while I grab the wee fellow. There’s a bathroom at the end of the kitchen through that door.” He gave her a gentle shove in the right direction. Then, having adjusted his still rock-hard dick into a semblance of comfort, he washed his hands and, following the little man’s scent, found him squealing in his crib.

  “There, there, now. What’s all that fuss about? Your mummy and daddy are a tad busy right now, so you’ll have to make do with your Uncle Duncan, I’m afraid, and Kerry. You’ll meet her in a minute. You’ll like her, I reckon.”

  Little Maddock stopped sniffling when he lifted him up, and he fixed his green eyes firmly on Duncan’s as he kept talking to the little mite in low, hushed tones.

  “So, what’s all that crying about, ma wee lad? Will yer be needing your nappy changed, I ken?” It seemed the most natural thing in the world to drop into his brogue around the wee fellow, and sure enough, closer inspection showed the need for a complete change of outfit.

  Engrossed in his task, not helped by the wee lad growing impatient and starting to scream again, Duncan missed the arrival of Kerry until he turned around and saw her standing in the doorway. The tender expression on her face took his breath away, and dumbfounded, he wordlessly handed the red-faced infant over to her when she held her arms out.

  Kerry grinned down on lil’ Maddock.

  “My, you do have a good pair of lungs on you, don’t you? Made finding you easy, at least.” She switched her attention to Duncan as she sat down in the rocking chair, which occupied a corner of the nursery, and having settled the rooting infant into the crook of her arm, she unscrewed the bottle lid. “Pass me that muslin over there, would you?”

  Getting the hint, Duncan stepped up and draped the soft material over the baby’s chest. He tucked it under his chin as best he could with Maddock trying to attach himself to Kerry’s nipples through the flimsy barrier of her dress.

  She giggled and shook her head at the bairn.

  “Oh, little man, there’s nothing in there for you. Let’s try this instead, shall we?” She tried to get Maddock to take the bottle teat, but the screams only got louder.

  “Oh, damn. He’s not gonna take that, is he?”

  Duncan sat back on his haunches as Kerry shook her head and then, much to his surprise, laughed.

  “I wouldn’t expect him to. Not many breastfed babies like taking bottles, and his being a dragon, I bet his instincts are even stronger. Unscrew that teat and pour some milk into the bottle lid for me, would you?”

  Duncan frowned at her but did as he was told. He watched in fascination as Kerry sat the little guy up more and tied th
e muslin behind his neck. She took the bottle lid off him and, crooning softly to the baby, rested the soft edge of it on his bottom lip. She tipped the tiniest amount of milk into Maddock’s mouth. The wee one coughed, his eyes widened, and then he swallowed. Again and again she repeated the process until Maddock’s tongue came out and he lapped at the milk as it appeared.

  “Well, I’ll be fu…er darned.” Duncan corrected himself at the last minute, and Kerry smiled up at him as she handed him the empty lid for a refill.

  “Hurry up, please. We don’t want him screaming again.”

  Cup refilled, Kerry resumed feeding the wee mite. While it was excruciatingly slow progress, his godson did eventually finish most of the contents before his eyes closed and his head lolled back in that little-drunk-sailor look only a well-fed baby could produce.

  Kerry shifted the wee bairn until his head rested on her shoulder. It only took a few rubs on his back before he produced an almighty smoke-curling burp that made them both laugh, and she proceeded to rock him off to sleep.

  “How did you know that would work?” Duncan asked.

  Kerry rubbed her chin over the baby’s downy head and smiled.

  “You pick up a thing or two in a doctor’s surgery. Besides, our local hospital feeding coordinator ran a fortnightly breastfeeding clinic at the surgery. I volunteered to cover the paperwork for her, and she used to teach mothers this method when babies wouldn’t take a bottle. It’s very effective as you can see.” She stopped rocking and glanced down on the now-fast-asleep baby. “Mind you, I’m not sure I dare move him.”

  As if to prove her point, little Maddock woke up with a start, rooted around next to Kerry’s neck, and started sucking on his fist. Kerry pushed with her feet to get the chair rocking again, and she gave Duncan a grateful smile when he took over; one hand on the side of the chair did it for her. Slowly the baby drifted back off again, and Kerry breathed a sigh of relief.

  “We might be stuck here now,” she said.

  Duncan laughed, shifted his long frame on the floor, and continued to rock the precious cargo in the chair.

  “With that view, I don’t mind at all.”

  He winked at Kerry, and a soft giggle was his reward.

  “Seriously, my sweet, I did not expect you to be such a natural. Dragon babies, in particular, can be difficult to handle.”

  “Poppycock. Dragon or not—well, any species really, I expect—babies are much the same. They want love, milk, and to be held close. Meet those basic needs and you can’t go far wrong. Besides, smoke rings and fire notwithstanding, he’s adorable.”

  Duncan laughed and shrugged.

  “Aye, I dinnae count on his unpredictability when I decided to bring you here.” He sobered when she wrinkled up her little nose and simply looked at him.

  “So, you didn’t intend to tell me about the whole dragon part then?”

  Duncan reared back, and she swallowed nervously as flames surrounded him.

  “Of course I did. Count yourself lucky you’re holding that baby, or I’d put you over my knee right now for assuming that I wouldn’t.” He paused at her sharp intake of breath and grinned. “I seem to recall I owe you a spanking already for your sass, so I dare say Miri will not be the only one not sitting comfortably tomorrow.”

  His amusement increased upon witnessing her reaction. While her brows drew together in a frown and she shook her head at him, she also squirmed on the chair and he could smell her arousal.

  “Then again, that’s no doubt what my wee subbie needs. Tell your Sir how wet you’re getting at the mere thought of being draped over my knee while I spank that luscious ass.”

  “I’m not…that is…” Kerry wisely stopped protesting when he quirked an eyebrow at her. Duncan stopped rocking the chair, tapped her feet, and when she obediently opened them, ran his hand slowly up her bare leg. Maddock stirred, and he resumed rocking the chair while inching ever closer to the wet heat between her legs. A gasp escaped his sweet Kerry when he reached the juncture of her thighs and swiped one long finger through her puffy labia.

  “Well, what have we here?” He dropped his voice on purpose and was rewarded by a shuddery exhale when he flicked her clit, then withdrew his hand. His digits glistened with her juices. He made a big show of studying his fingers, and Kerry’s breathing grew labored. He proceeded to lick her sweet musk off them, not once breaking eye contact with her.

  “You’re not playing fair, Sir.” Her whispered protest made him laugh, and he shook his head.

  “Of course I’m not. That’s half the fun of it all, after all.” He sobered and ran a hand over his face. “On a serious note, aye, I was always going to tell you about my dragon. I was just waiting for the right moment to do so, and I had to be sure you wouldn’t run away screaming to the authorities.”

  Kerry sighed and rolled her eyes.

  “Seriously, even if I did, which I never would, by the way, who would believe me? I’d be more likely deemed insane than believed. I mean, I’ve seen you shift with my own eyes, and I still have a hard time believing this is real. It’s like something out of a fairy tale, you know.”

  Duncan nodded, and she breathed a seeming sigh of relief at his understanding.

  “Would now be a good time to mention that most things in fairy tales are based on fact and that the supernatural world is very much alive and kicking if you know where to look?” he asked.

  Kerry’s mouth fell open, and smiling, he leaned in to shut it for her. Once there he couldn’t resist the temptation of those sweet lips, and by the time he finally broke away, they were both breathing heavily.

  He loved the blush staining her cheeks and the trouble she had focusing on him. So damn responsive. If only they weren’t on babysitting duty.

  “Really, everything, even vampires and such like?” She shuddered and hugged the baby a little closer to herself.

  “Aye, wee one, even them, but don’t worry. The Protectors are very good at keeping the peace between the supernaturals.”

  “Protectors, as in you have your own police force?”

  Duncan smiled at her quick intelligence and nodded.

  “Aye, exactly like that. We have our own Dragon Protector here on the island. Not that he has much to do. Vamps don’t like the longer daylight hours up here in the summer, so they tend to stay away. Wolves can be an issue. Frazer doesn’t like anyone encroaching on his territory.”

  Kerry’s eyes grew wide as she made the connection.

  “Alexander Frazer, as in the businessman who’s one of your regulars at the tattoo shop?”

  Duncan inclined his head, and Kerry whistled softly through her teeth.

  “He’s a werewolf?”

  “No, sweetheart, and don’t ever let him catch you calling him that. Weres are bad news on the whole, far too unpredictable. Alex is a shifter and Alpha of the Scottish packs. He’s got a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, as you can imagine. Not quite sure how he manages it all.”

  Kerry worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Before he could voice his disapproval at that action, she stopped and fixed her expressive gaze on him.

  “Are you one of these Protectors? Or part of these elders Mark mentioned?”

  Duncan gave a short laugh and shook his head. Kerry visibly relaxed at his denial.

  “Good. I wouldn’t want to have to worry about you doing something as dangerous as that.” She paused and looked somewhat embarrassed. “I mean, I’m sure you can look after yourself. You’re freaking huge, but…”

  His laughter stopped her, and Duncan had to tease her a little. She was just too cute as she tried to figure this all out.

  “Are you accusing your Dom of not only being fat, but too much of a chickenshit to fight if he had to?”

  Kerry’s eyes widened and she hastily shook her head at his growled reaction. He hadn’t meant for his voice to sound quite so menacing, but his dragon side didn’t have a sense of humor when it came to his honor.

  “No, of course not. I
just meant…I didn’t mean to insult you or your dragon, Sir.”

  His dragon settled back down on his arm at that apology, and Duncan didn’t miss the way she glanced at his tattoo and relaxed. His lass was a fast learner.

  “Good, because that would add to the impressive tally you’ve already accumulated. I’m so looking forward to turning your ass red, right before I fuck it.”

  Kerry blinked and blew out a long breath, and Duncan smiled to himself. He really couldn’t wait to get her alone, and soon.

  “While I will defend those I love with my life, my talents lie elsewhere. My dear papa used to despair at what he called my fancy schmancy artistic side. I believe I got it from my mother.”

  His voice broke, his emotions too close to the surface right now. Kerry made a small sound at the back of her throat and then leaned forward to put her hand on his arm right on top of his frowning dragon. The gesture of comfort meant the world to him right now, especially when his emotions burst forth in a haze of blue flames that engulfed her fingers, and Kerry didn’t even flinch. Her hold on his arm tightened for a heartbeat before she relaxed her fingers.

  “Is she not around anymore?” she asked.

  “She died giving birth to me.”

  Kerry gasped in horror, and Duncan gave her a grim smile.

  “Does that happen often?” Her voice held a distinct wobble, and her fingernails dug into his arm, further testament to how worried she was.

  Duncan shrugged, and her eyes widened.

  “Not really. It was a long time ago, and I was a big baby. My mum, may the goddess bless her, was a small, fragile little thing. According to my dad, she was determined to birth me the dragon way, on her own with just him in attendance and in water.” He paused and shook his head at the folly of it all.

  “That’s what Miri did, right?” Kerry’s soft voice pulled him out of his macabre thoughts, and he smiled at her.

  “Aye, she did, but Miri is a dragon and thus knew exactly what she was doing. I would never allow my mate to risk herself like that. While it’s important to keep our true nature hidden, the elders have plenty of knowledge at their disposal, and medical personnel who can attend human-dragon births. Besides, our birth rates are low enough without risking our human mates in the process.”