by Lolita Lopez
“I didn’t… I thought…” Shaking her head, she locked her legs around his waist and pressed her heels into his backside. “Don’t stop, Mad. I want to feel all of you.”
He was stronger and held fast to his still position. “I’m hurting you.”
“Not anymore,” she said. “Please, Ian, I need to feel you.”
Hearing his given name fall from those pouty lips broke his control. He plundered her mouth, stabbing his tongue against hers while thrusting forward and sheathing as much of his cock in her as possible. He was much too big, and she was much too inexperienced to take all of him. That would come in time.
He eased back and pushed forward again, gathering her slick wetness on his blazing hot shaft. The tight squeeze of her virgin pussy threatened to embarrass him. He had to clamp down on the clamoring urge to climax that already assailed him. His balls were heavy and throbbing, and a wicked shudder fluttered through him.
“Oh, Mad.” She sighed against his cheek. “You feel so good.”
Yes! His eyes shut briefly. The mating heat allowed her to enjoy their first coupling without the intense discomfort that often accompanied that initial experience. He had never been more thankful for this pain-in-the-ass biological function that terrorized their species.
Curling his fingers in her gorgeous, silky hair, Mad nipped at her mouth and sucked on the tip of her tongue. She shivered beneath his erotic assault. Lust sparkled in her beautiful eyes. A warm tendril of something very powerful encircled his heart. As he imprinted her scent and prepared to bind her to him as his mate, he finally understood that the bond they shared was so much deeper than he had been willing to admit.
Brushing his thumb along her cheek, he whispered, “I love you, Ivy.”
A wave of joy inundated him. He felt her intense reaction to his declaration. Before she even spoke, he knew that she returned his affection. “Oh, Mad, I love you, too.”
Grinning and whispering sweetly to one another, they rocked atop the bed. Their coupling was unhurried and tender. He thrust into her at a deliberate but easy pace, letting her acclimate to the newness of it. She relaxed into his touch and soon urged him on with her shaky breaths and clutching fingers. He slipped his hand down to the spot where their bodies were joined and strummed her clitoris. Her sheath clenched around his cock, and he knew it wouldn’t be much longer.
When she finally exploded with ecstasy, she howled his name. Head thrown back, she bared her neck to him. He latched on to the curve of her throat and bit down gently, marking her with his teeth while the spasms of pleasure tore through her lithe body. He chased his own release, thrusting and plunging into her wet heat until he came. Jerking hard against her, he flooded her with his seed and growled with sheer joy.
Not wanting to crush her, he propped up his body weight with his elbows. He flicked his tongue over the bright red mark he had left on her neck. She shuddered against him with aftershocks and caressed his back. Finally, he found the strength to slide out of her and onto his side. He dragged her in close and shared his heat with her. Ivy drew lazy shapes on his arm and smiled every time he kissed her.
A sensation of calm and contentment settled over him like a warm blanket. He had his mate. Everything was right in the world.
Chapter Ten
Not quite everything is all right,” Ivy said and then shot him an apologetic look when she realized she had answered his unspoken words. “Now you’re the one with loud thoughts.”
He snorted with amusement. “We’ll have to figure out a way to block that. It’s going to get annoying.”
“Maybe,” she replied, “but I find it reassuring right now.” Ivy cast a nervous glance her mate’s way. When his rough fingertips stroked her skin, she nearly gave in to the tugging pull of sexual lust that saturated ever cell in her body. Her core still hummed with erotic energy, and the mating heat brought on by the dose of lust root they had been given clouded her thoughts with visions of their naked, sweaty limbs tangled up in bed.
Her first time making love had been so much more wondrous than she had ever dared hope. With Mad there had been no awkward fumbling or uncertainty. He had been so sure and confident and shown her such incredible pleasure. Though she was a bit sore, she found herself already wanting to have him again. Although, maybe this time she could be on top…
Mad wrapped his strong arms around her waist and hauled her back against his chest. Enveloping her from behind, he pressed a noisy kiss to her cheek. Laughter deepened his voice. “You can be on top anytime you like.”
Blushing, she swatted his arm. “Stop listening to my thoughts!”
He nipped at her neck and made her shiver. “But they’re so interesting”
“Mad…”
His rumbling growl of need vibrated through her neck. Obviously warring with the desire that had taken hold of him, he forcibly dragged his mouth away from her skin. He pressed her onto her back and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. His irises remained a stunning shade of crimson that reminded her how otherworldly this man she loved truly was. “Tell me why you said ‘not quite’”
It took her a moment to understand what he meant. “You thought that everything was right in the world, but we’re locked up in this room like prisoners again. We were betrayed by your friends and my family. We’ve got the Knights on our asses, and I have a bad feeling the Seer and her minions aren’t going to leave us alone.”
He placed his hand over her breast, his fingertips brushing over the spot where her heart beat the hardest. “Can you feel her?”
Ivy nodded solemnly. “I can’t tell if she’s close or not, but she’s thinking about me. It’s a sickening, churning sensation right here.” She dragged his hand down to her navel. He splayed his fingers across her skin and rubbed gently. “We need to get away from here, Mad.”
His jaw tensed, and she could feel the bitter taste of betrayal that made him grimace so strongly. “We’ll have to leave the estate. Niko and Ignatius will keep us safe, but I can’t trust them anymore.”
Stroking his jaw and hoping to soothe him, she asked, “Where will we go?”
“My first instinct is to run to Griff, but he has Avani to protect now. We can’t drag this mess to his doorstep.” Shaking his head, he exhaled a ragged breath. “We’ll go to Reynard. He’ll help keep us safe while we’re in our mating heat. That lust root has kicked us into the shit now. We’ve got eight more nights of this and that means we’re extremely vulnerable to tracking.”
An intense sensation of guilt invaded her chest and squeezed her heart. Touching Mad’s cheek, she glanced questioningly at him. He pressed his forehead to her throat and sighed so sadly. “I’m sorry, Ivy. I thought I was saving you by bringing you here. Now we’re prisoners again. Even worse? You’re right back in the same cell where your life began.”
“Mad,” she whispered gently, “it’s all right. We didn’t know this would happen.”
Lifting his head, he locked eyes with hers. “If I can only give you one thing in the world, Ivy, it will be freedom. It might not be tonight or tomorrow, but someday, I swear, I’ll free you from all of this.”
Gulping down the ball of emotion that clogged her throat, she kissed him long and hard, threading her fingers through his short hair and lightly scratching at his scalp. Pulling back, she gazed at his handsome face. “Free us, Mad. You and me. Together.”
His eyes glittered, and a devastatingly sweet smile curved his mouth. “Together, Ivy. Always.”
A vicious punch of psychic energy knocked the air right out of Ivy’s lungs and shattered their sweet moment. Crying out in pain, she clutched at Mad. He grunted, the sound harsh, and braced a hand to his stomach. Clearly, he was experiencing everything she did. His panicked expression matched the tone of his voice as he pushed to his knees and touched her face. “Ivy?”
“It’s her.” She ground out the words through a clenched jaw. “She’s found us.”
Closing her eyes, she focused on the creepy, dark aura invading
her mind. No longer weakened by lack of food, water, and sleep, she easily slapped up a mental wall to block the Mind Miner. A soft voice insisted that it wasn’t simply good food and sleep that made it easier for her to protect her mind. Mad had been correct when he’d told her that his seed would change her. Already, she felt different and stronger.
Sweeping her mind clear of the intrusion, she pinpointed the Seer’s aura. Got you. Recalling her worst moments of fear and pain, she mentally balled up those feelings and flung them at the evil woman. Almost instantly, the Seer recoiled and stopped trying to hurt Ivy.
“We have to get out of here.” Mad jerked her into a sitting position and placed his big hand along her cheek. “Can you walk?”
“Yes.” She rubbed her temple and grimaced. “Mad, she’s close. Really close.”
“Don’t let go of me. If you do, I’ll change.” He dragged her hand to his shoulder and leaned over the side of the bed to grab her scattered clothing.
“Change? Why?”
“It’s the mating heat.” He tugged her dress over her head, yanking the loose cotton into place, and reached for her undies. As he tugged them up her calves, he explained, “It does strange things to us.”
Dazed by the Seer’s mental attack, she blinked and tried to focus. Mad didn’t bother with her shoes or a bra. Her fuzzy brain started to pulse as she felt strange new energy signals drawing closer and closer. Gripping her mate’s brawny arm, she hurriedly said, “Mad, she’s not alone. There are more of them. Lots of them.”
Crouching down in front of her, he gazed into her eyes. “How many, Ivy?”
She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. “Fifteen? No. Maybe twenty.”
He cursed softly and grabbed her hand. “Come on. We have to find Niko and Ignatius. We’ll be safe on the estate. You’re part of Niko’s tribe. They can’t attack us here.” He tried the previously locked and magically sealed door. It opened easily now that they had finally sealed their mate bond.
His explanation sounded awfully flimsy to her as she trailed him into the unnervingly quiet and still hallway. Where were Niko and Ignatius? A troubling thought struck her. What if the Seer had turned her mental assault on the elder dragons and put them out of commission?
“She did.” Easily reading her thoughts, he glanced at her with worry. “I can feel them. They’re totally unconscious.” He slowed his pace so she wouldn’t stumble after him as he dragged her downstairs. “I need you to find and wake them.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to make sure the Knights don’t break the rules.”
“What rules?”
Naked as the day he’d been born, Mad hustled her across the opulent foyer and toward the library. “We don’t attack each other in our homes, our places of worship, or on human battlefields. Those are the lines we never cross.”
“Are you sure about that?” Ivy clutched at his forearm as they passed a window and a terrifying sight caught her attention. “Look!”
Mad stiffened with shock as an SUV hurtled through the tall iron gate guarding the estate. More vehicles rushed after it. Their wheels tore up the grass and left ugly, muddy trenches.
Swearing loudly, Mad spun toward her and put both hands on her shoulders. “Listen to me. Go find Niko and Ignatius. Wake them up. Get the Seer out of their heads. I know you can do it. You’re amazing and so strong, but stay close to Niko. He’ll protect you.” He leaned down and captured her mouth in a passionate kiss. “Don’t do anything heroic, Ivy. Be smart. Be safe.”
“What about you?” She rested her hands on his chest and wished he wasn’t about to face off with those Knights.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got this.” He squeezed her hand before stepping back three quick paces and shifting right in front of her eyes. When he had undergone the transformation after the mating drugs took hold, it had been gentler and easier. This was horrendous to behold. She could hear his bones snapping, and her brain couldn’t quite believe what her eyes were seeing. He flapped his wings and stamped his clawed foot before throwing back his head and unleashing one truly hellacious roar. He turned toward the window, raced forward, and slammed through it, leaping into the fray amid an explosion of glass shards.
Shaken free from her stupor, she did as she had been told. She scampered out of the library and flung open the door. She quickly scanned both floors of the room but didn’t see Niko or Ignatius anywhere. Closing her eyes, she tried to slow the frantic beat of her heart so she could concentrate. Finally, she found the familiar dragon energy pulses hidden away upstairs. Their energies were covered by the nasty, dark aura of the Seer. Hearing Mad’s confident voice telling her that she was strong and amazing, Ivy psychically smacked the Seer and knocked her vile magic away from the elder dragons. No longer weakened by the Knight’s psychic weapon, the two dragons began to rouse and fight back.
Ivy opened her eyes and froze when she heard a noise like a plane coming in for a crash landing. It grew louder and louder and the front of the house began to shake. She gripped the edge of the closest reading chair but was tossed to the floor when something incredibly heavy hit the ground with enough speed and force to shatter the windows lining the front of the house and move the furniture across the room.
With trembling fingers, she dragged herself into a kneeling position and then to her feet. She carefully picked her way across the disheveled library, gingerly stepping to avoid glass shards, and peeked through one of the blown-out windows. A frighteningly huge and vibrantly orange dragon, one so big it made even her Beast look small, roared with fury. He slammed his wings together and created a crack of thunder and lightning sparks. Mad came to stand beside this newcomer who held a gleaming silver sword in one hand, his black talons curled tightly around the weapon. Together, they created a cacophony of rumbling and roaring that made her ears ache.
She counted the Knights squaring off with them on the front lawn of Niko’s mansion. Eighteen against two were terrible odds, even if the duo was of the winged variety. A window shattered on the second floor of the sprawling mansion. Niko and Ignatius jumped out of it and transformed midfall. It was the most extraordinary thing she had ever seen. Niko in all his golden splendor swooped down toward her. He used his wide wingspan to shield her from the Knights’ oncoming attacks. She heard him hiss and then he spit a mouthful of steaming hot and skin-boiling acid at one of the men who rushed them. She cringed at the awful sound the wounded man and averted her eyes.
Ignatius had joined Mad and the other dragon—Reynard, she realized—and billowed smoke from his snout. He unleashed a blazing inferno that scorched their vehicles and caught two Knights in the process. The battle erupted with violent chaos, and she was glad for Niko’s body between hers and the danger. She understood that Mad couldn’t help her now. If she touched him, he might turn back to human—and that would mean certain death under the current battle conditions.
A chill raced along her spine and a disgusting, creepy feeling curled around her neck. Recognizing the signature of the Seer, Ivy glanced around Niko’s wing and spotted that vicious, hooded hag near one of the vehicles. She stood just out harm’s way and seemed to be focused on Mad. Ivy saw her mate stumble twice and then fall to his knees.
“Oh no you don’t!” Infuriated that this witch wouldn’t leave them alone, Ivy shoved away from Niko. He tried to grasp her and draw her back to safety but one of the Knights fired a crossbow at him. An arrow ripped through part of his wing, and he let loose an eardrum-piercing shriek.
Clapping her hands over her ears, Ivy locked on to the Seer and mentally erected a wall between Madoc and the woman shrouded in black and gray. She could feel the Seer’s anger when her plan worked. Not easily beaten, the Seer changed her attack and focused on Reynard instead. The brilliant orange beast tottered on his feet and then spun toward Mad who had just managed to rise from his fallen position.
With a swat of his wing, Reynard tossed Mad across the yard and right into a pile of Knights
. Ignatius spit fire at Reynard, shoving his possessed comrade back, and leaped to Mad’s aid. For some reason, the fire sent Reynard into a panic. He slapped his wings together, the thunderous waves knocking her off her feet, and directed a bolt of lightning at Ignatius that the green-hided dragon barely escaped.
Ivy tried to break through to Reynard, to shield him as she had done Mad, but it was too hard. She wasn’t strong enough and her connection to the other dragons wasn’t as powerful as the one she shared with Mad. It occurred to her that there was truly only one way to stop the Seer.
Her determined gaze landed on the sword Reynard had dropped. Making a split-second decision, Ivy raced across the yard and picked up the weapon. The second her fingers contacted the cold metal of the ornately carved hilt, she had a vision of Griffin and a breathtakingly beautiful Indian woman. It had to be Avani, his new mate. Smiling with such happiness and radiating love, Griffin curved his hand against Avani’s high, round belly in a protective gesture. He received two very strong kicks and laughed. Ivy heard the heartbeats of two healthy babies—a boy and a girl. They filled her with the courage she needed to see this through.
Certain that she was fighting for the future of the dragons, she lifted the sword high and rushed the Seer, who had been left alone and exposed on the edge of the battlefield. Before being taken captive and treated so inhumanely in that prison, Ivy never could have believed she would take a life. Now she didn’t even hesitate. She stabbed the sharp blade deep into the Seer’s chest.
The psychic exhaled a cloud of putrid dust that made Ivy gag. She reeled back, jerking the sword free from the woman’s body. The rough movement caused the layers of material to fall away from the Seer’s face—and Ivy screamed.
The woman was nothing more than a rotting husk. She had been dead for years it seemed. Black bile spilled from the stab wound and poured onto the ground. Ivy scuttled backward in a desperate attempt to escape the outrageous stench. The Seer collapsed forward and began to melt into a puddle of stinky, sticky goo.
