by Naomi Sparks
His thrusts start slowly at first and build until Faris is hunched over my back and pounding me as roughly as he can without making too much noise. I do my part by covering my mouth whenever a squeal or a moan dares try to escape from me. Still, I feel like there’s no way the guys aren’t hearing our lovemaking. At this point, however, I really don’t care.
We stay like that for some time, until Faris withdraws and directs me onto my back. He grabs under my knees and rolls me up so that my sex is on rude display, then pins me there in place. His arms are like iron, holding my legs apart. I watch in the flickering firelight as his stiff member plunges inside.
He’s taking deep, powerful strokes, burying his full length into me until I can feel his balls resting against my backside. The pace of his thrusts begins to increase, along with his breathing. I reach down with one hand and feel his slick, plunging thickness as it feeds into me.
“Give it to me,” I whisper to my lover.
Faris raises his head, seemingly lost in the sensation and the act. Another wave of warm orgasmic pleasure washes through me and my world opens up again. I ache to wrap my legs around him and pull him in, but his arms still have me firmly locked in position.
His cock swells and stiffens. It seems both of us no longer care about the noise we’re making. With each thrust, our flesh comes together in loud slaps. My entire body shakes in response each time he drives into me. If this sleeping bag had a headboard, I’d probably have a concussion.
Faris lets out a low growl and I feel his cock bulge and twitch as he has his release. He relishes in the moment, getting every ounce of pleasure he can out of my pussy until his cock finally softens and he withdraws.
As soon as he’s on his back and resting, I curl up beside him. I need to feel those strong arms around me again and he doesn’t disappoint. A playful nuzzle against his ear and I feel contentment like I haven’t felt in ages. It’s bliss watching him smile and knowing I put that smile there. And it’s just as good knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that I’m so deeply wanted.
The campfire light grows low and the night folds in around us. Everything is still and quiet. I silently wish every night can be the same as it is right now, forever.
13
Faris
“They’re coming!” Bren shouts directly into my mind, startling me awake. I lift my head and look towards the tent flap and see his face peering in. The concern that’s etched on it seems to melt away as he transforms into his dragon form.
I throw back the covers. “How did they find us?”
“I don’t know,” Bren answers. “But it is definitely Dez and his men, and they’re coming up the road leading into camp. Galen spotted them from above. If they turn onto the trail which leads here—”
“How many?” I ask. The surge of adrenalin pumping through my veins has me completely awake.
“At least fifteen of them. Two trucks. One car. All of them have guns, I think.”
“What’s going on?” Kyra mumbles and rubs the sleep from her eyes.
“Get dressed. Dez and his men are about to attack us,” I say. With that, Kyra hastily grabs a clean top and pulls it on. I can tell she’s scared. “Don’t worry. You’ll be safe here at the encampment. I promise they’ll never touch you.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Kyra says and grabs my arm before I can exit the tent. “Please. Be careful.”
“I will.”
Outside, it’s still dark and several hours remain until sunrise. Only a sliver of the moon and the stars provide light, which should give us an advantage for now.
The biggest disadvantage to fighting here is the flat terrain. There’s very little cover besides a bit of high brush and a handful of large boulders here or there. Besides that, the plateau we’re on is like one big shooting gallery. Luckily, my tent and Kyra are positioned behind one of the larger rock formations in the area so she should be protected there in case of stray gunfire.
I look up and I can just make out the dragon forms of Galen and Bren. They’re circling like dark storm clouds in the sky, watching and waiting. Across the plateau I see the red dragon form of Ezra, who has taken up position behind a boot-shaped cluster of rocks.
I land next to Ezra and peek out from behind the rocks. About forty yards away from us is Jerrick, still in his human form, and fiddling with what looks like a long cable and some kind of box.
“What the hell is Jerrick—“ I start, but I’m cut off when I see bright headlights beaming up the trail and through the brush towards us.
“They’ve turned onto the trail leading here. Be ready.” It’s Bren’s mental voice, calling to me. The concern seems to have left his voice now. Now he’s grown deadly calm and ready for the coming fight.
Thinking back on it now, it isn’t too hard to see how they found us so quickly. When Dez and his group kidnapped me, I was on foot. He knew that I couldn’t have gone that far without my bike. From there, the campgrounds were about the closest thing to the main road besides a few small houses. It wouldn’t take rocket science to narrow down where I’d come from.
So, they didn’t know we’d be here for sure. They were still searching. We had the element of surprise, another advantage for us.
The vehicles clear the sloping embankment and come tearing up the trail at a speed much higher than anyone would consider safe. I can see them clearly now—two large four-by-four pickup trucks in front, each one filled with armed men holding on for dear life in the beds, and a few beats behind them, Dez’s black Dodge Challenger. I can’t tell for sure how many are in Dez’s car, but I’m guessing there’s at least three or four men.
Just as the first truck reaches the end of the trail I hear a sharp crack. It’s a man in the rear and he’s already firing his rifle towards the encampment. I quickly shift into dragon form and I’m about to take flight when the truck suddenly explodes, consumed by a bright, startlingly red ball of flame. The heat radiating from the explosion is powerful enough to feel from where I’m standing, so I shield myself with one wing. When I look up again, the wheels of the truck have been blown clean off and the still-burning tires go rolling off in random directions. Nothing else of the truck—or its occupants—seems to remain. It’s been almost completely vaporized.
“Whooo-hoooo!” shouts Jerrick jubilantly, and he throws up his hands in celebration. “Nothing wakes ‘em up like a dragonfire mine under their truck!”
“You couldn’t have done it without my help,” Ezra adds from behind his rock. He turns to me, awkwardly points a clawed thumb towards his scaly chest and says, “He used my dragonfire to build it, you know.”
I watch as the second truck slams on brakes and skids across the loose dirt at the end of the trail. For a moment it just sits there and I wait. What are they doing? I ready myself.
Five men jump out of the bed of the truck and one exits the passenger door. Then, the truck lurches into reverse gear and begins to retreat. The driver must have had second thoughts after seeing the lead vehicle incinerated. I can’t blame him for not wanting to be turned into charcoal. A wise move, indeed.
The attacking men immediately rush forward and scatter behind whatever cover they can find. Gunshots ring out. They’ve found Jerrick. Or maybe it’s the other way around?
I leap up and feel the air beneath my wings. Soon I’m high enough to see what’s happening. Jerrick still hasn’t transformed, but he’s disarmed one of the men and is engaged in a fist fight. He punches the man in the face once, twice. The man goes down to his knees and surrenders. Jerrick shouts at him, points towards the trail, and then the man rolls and stumbles away as fast as his legs will carry him.
“Holy shit!” I hear someone yell below me.
“It’s a fucking dragon!” another one the men shouts.
Their voices are filled with dread. As they should be. These men cannot be allowed to live if they’ve seen one of us in our true form.
More gunshots erupt. It sounds like war is breaking out.
Over the smoke of the burning truck, I spot Ezra, who is busy tearing off one of the men’s arms while the remaining four men open fire. The bullets strike Ezra and he lets out a roar of rage.
I land behind them and let out a stream of indigo-colored dragonfire. The men seem startled by the sudden presence of another dragon and raise their weapons, but begin to scream as the fire burns like acid through them before they can do anything. Thankfully, it doesn’t take long for the fight to be over for them. I do not relish this part of my existence, nor do I enjoy inflicting pain upon others.
But Dez hasn’t given up. Nor did I expect him to.
His car weaves past the retreating truck, nearly colliding with it. I see Dez roll down his window, shout something, and fire a few rounds from his pistol at the fleeing vehicle. Then he looks forward again and seems to notice the clearing ahead.
Dez’s car speeds around the burning wreckage and across the clearing, past myself, Jerrick, and Ezra. It’s too big and too fast to stop without a coordinated effort, so all I can do is give chase. The car is moving at what must be over a hundred miles per hour by the time I’m back in the air. I pray that they don’t get too far ahead of me.
I’m a few hundred yards away and closing when the headlights shine across the open plateau, revealing our bikes and the tents. And there, standing in the middle of it all, is Kyra. The front wheels turn and dig into the dirt as Dez hits the brakes and the car comes to a swerving halt only a few feet away from her. Kyra turns on her heels and dives behind one of the tents.
Dez, AJ, and Sherman all exit the vehicle. Each man is carrying a firearm.
“Found you! Come on out, dear sister!” Dez yells, looking all around.
He fires indiscriminately towards where Kyra was previously standing. I hear the high-pitched whizzing sound of a bullet ricochet.
No! My wings are pumping as hard as I can make them go. Time seems to move in slow motion. A million terrible thoughts run through my mind all at once. Must stop them. I can’t let them hurt Kyra! Hang on, I’m almost there…
“Where’s your new cop boyfriend?” Dez calls out and fires again. He’s enjoying this. “I don’t know how you helped him escape, but he’s dead this time!”
I can see Kyra crawling between the tents. She’s trying to stay low and out of sight. Carefully, she opens the canvas flap to mine and slips inside. There’s nowhere else to hide, it’s too open all around. Dez and his men come around the corner, but miss seeing her just in time.
I watch in horror as Dez lifts open the flap to one of the tents and thrusts his gun inside, ready to pull the trigger. Then he moves to the next tent, the one Kyra is hiding in.
The wind whips by me. I’m at terminal velocity. I’m closing fast, but not fast enough.
Oh no. No! Just a few more seconds…
Dez throws back the flap to my tent and I hear Kyra scream. He raises his gun. He’s going to kill her.
He takes aim. “Found you, dear sister—“
“What in the hell is that!?” Sherman loudly interrupts, his voice filled with fear, and grabs Dez by the shoulder. He’s spotted Galen and Bren, who are swooping out of the sky and streaking towards the men.
The men turn and fire their weapons at the very last moment, but miss. Even if they’d hit one of the dragons I doubt it would have made much of a difference.
AJ and Sherman are both scooped up and lifted away. Their guns clatter onto the ground, left behind. I hear their screams fade into the distance as I pass by.
Before Dez has the opportunity to target Kyra again, he’s in my claws and I’m back in the air. I carry him by his legs, so he’s dangling upside down and several hundred feet above the high desert below. Briefly, I think about just dropping him and letting the fall kill him, but decide against it. Instead, I lower my altitude until I’m only a few feet above the desert floor and release him, almost like I’m tossing a bowling ball.
He smashes over rough brush and cacti before coming to a stop. Covered in dust and bleeding from his nose and a dozen cuts all over, Dez looks up at me and sees the fearsome sight of my true dragon form hovering over him. I roar, unable to contain my rage, and pin him down in the sand. The compulsion to tear his head off is nearly impossible to resist. So, keeping him pinned, I transform back into my human form.
“Do you see the stars, human?” I ask him. Dez struggles against me for a moment and then gives in. “Beautiful, aren’t they? Well, enjoy them, because it will be the last time you ever see them.”
“Go ahead and do it, you freak,” Dez mutters. He’s completely exhausted. “Kill me. I ain’t gonna beg for mercy, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
I’m taken aback, but I don’t release him. He’s not leaving here. I answer, “You’ve killed others. You would have killed your own sister today. And now you know about us. I cannot allow you to leave here alive. There will be no mercy for you.”
Dez spits out some blood and continues, “Goddamn. I guess maybe my sister wasn’t as crazy as grandpa made out, after all. Magic is real. So are fuckin’ dragons. How about that?”
His statement piques my curiosity, but I don’t have time to question him further right now. I must deal with him quickly and get back to check on Kyra and the others.
“Goodbye, Dez.”
“Fuck y—“
With a quick twist, I break Dez’s neck. He lets out a final, weak gasp and then becomes very still. It’s the least painful and humane way I can think of to end his miserable life. I leave him there, face up and in the dirt, to rot in the desert. At least in death he can be of some good to the world.
My flight back to the encampment feels like it takes forever. When I see Kyra and the others sitting outside my tent and waiting for me, a great weight seems to lift from my heart.
“Thank god you’re ok,” I say after I land and transform back into human form. I hold her close and then lead her inside the tent.
“Is he dead?” Kyra asks stoically.
“Yes. He left me no choice.”
I’m surprised by how calm she is. I almost expect her to burst out crying at any moment, but she’s collected and resolute.
“He didn’t have to try to kill me, Faris. I already knew that all the good had left him before that. What happened tonight just verified that my brother was beyond change or redemption.”
I lift her chin and kiss her softly. “I understand. And I’m sorry.”
She’s being so quiet. Right now she has somehow managed to control her emotions, but I just know that there will be times in the future where she can’t hold it all in. No one with half a heart can lose a brother—even an evil one, and not grieve the loss one day.
“Jerrick and the others have gone to put out the fire and dispose of the bodies,” Kyra says. She finds her spot on the bedroll and gestures for me to lie down, too. “They told me that we should try to get some rest.”
Rest sounds nice right now. But there are things to discuss. I take Kyra’s hand in my own and say, “Before I killed him, your brother mentioned something. He seemed to think that you knew about magic in some way, that you weren’t as crazy as your grandfather worried you would be. Does that mean anything to you?”
Kyra’s eyes widen. She releases my hand and says, “Let me show you something. You won’t believe it.”
She gets up and goes over to the small backpack that’s leaning against the side of the tent. There, she digs out a handful of change and a bottle of water. Kyra comes back over and sits the items down in front of me. Then, she closes her eyes and begins to concentrate.
“What are you doing?” I ask, but she shushes me.
“Just wait.”
It doesn’t take long. First the bottle falls over and then starts roll around. Then the change lifts up off the ground and begins to levitate. Soon, she’s got everything floating in the air and swirling around the room.
“Thirsty?” Kyra asks and I nod.
The water bottle gently floats down into my outstretched hand.
“That’s amazing. You have witch blood in your family. This explains at least partly why you and I are such a strong match for each other. But—”
I can’t hide my pained expression. Had I forgotten what Bo had told Bren and the others about humans carrying dragon babies? Why hadn’t I told Kyra sooner?
The truth was, I didn’t want to say anything until I knew that Kyra was my fated mate. And now there could be no doubt. The connection was there. Everything made sense.
But being with me was too dangerous.
“What’s wrong?” Kyra asks and places her hands on my shoulders to comfort me. She leans in close, patiently waiting for my response.
“It’s what’s wrong with Hannah. Humans don’t always survive a dragon pregnancy. In fact, most of them die. It’s only recently that The Clutch has had any success in keeping the human women alive long enough to give birth.” I push her hands off my shoulders and close my eyes. I can’t look at her right now, it’s too painful.
“I…we can’t be together,” I manage. “If you were to be my mate, and we conceived a child together, you could die.”
“But I don’t want you to leave. This isn’t fair, and you aren’t making any sense. I want to be with you.”
I don’t want to leave her, either. More than I could ever say. My heart feels like it is going to tear itself apart, but I do not respond in kind.
Instead, I roll over, away from her. It’s easier this way, if we move on from each other before our connection is too strong. Before I can no longer resist and perform the life-mate bond with her, tying myself to her as her mate forever. Before dooming Kyra to a painful death or a life without ever being able to have a child of her own. At least now the town she lives in will be safe for her. At least I accomplished that.
“You’re right, we should get some sleep,” I say, coldly.
I can hear her crying for a while. It takes everything in me to not comfort her. I want to tell her I’m sorry, I was wrong, but the facts still remain. It’s simply too dangerous for her and I to be together. If we bonded and she became pregnant with my child, she would almost certainly die. And if she died, so would I. Even if our child somehow survived, what kind of future would that leave for him, with no parents? No, the risk was too great.
