by Zoe Chant
“Probably. You two haven’t exactly been subtle.” With another laugh, Destiny gave him a shove toward the dance floor. “Go on, dance with your mate. Rafa and I have your backs.”
Feeling slightly dazed, Nick pushed through the crowd to join Raluca on the dance floor. She was waiting for him on the edge, her skin flushed with exertion and her eyes glittering with excitement. Another song was playing, and the floor was filled with dancers.
Nick spoke in Raluca’s ear. “Destiny and Rafa are taking over so I can dance with you. You were fucking spectacular. And by the way, apparently everyone figured out that we’re mates, so don’t worry about pretending any more.”
Raluca drew in a startled breath, then smiled and turned her head to kiss him. Her lips were soft and hot, tasting of her cucumber-mint cocktail and the slightest salt tang of sweat. Her scent of metal and roses was dizzying. She’d bought perfume at the hotel, but she’d worn none. Nick was glad. Nothing could possibly be sexier than her natural scent.
She took his hand. “Come dance with me.”
“I can’t dance anywhere near as well as you,” Nick warned her.
“I don’t care if you can’t dance at all. I just want to be with you tonight.” She tugged him on to the floor.
Nick had told the truth about his dance skills, but he had a sense of rhythm and a werewolf’s comfort with movement and his own body. He moved to the beat, following Raluca as best he could, enjoying being with her and not worrying about what he looked like. Once he began dancing, he found himself sensing her movements before he saw them and moving with her, reading her body language and echoing it with his own body.
Nick lost all sense of time as he danced with her, glorying in her beauty and their connection and the pure joy of moving with her, as if they were two wolves running in perfect sync. The beat of the music became the beat of his heart and hers, pounding in a single rhythm. He was tireless, for once using his shifter strength and endurance for nothing more than fun, and so was she.
They could have danced all night, but Nick was called back to earth when the nightclub closed down. He and Raluca came to a halt. The surprise and confusion he briefly felt was echoed in her expression; while they’d danced, apparently they’d both completely forgotten where they were, and lost themselves entirely in the movement and the music and each other.
Nick caught Raluca’s hand and guided her so they walked out with Destiny, who gave him an all-clear nod as they reached the door.
They stepped outside into a quickly-dispersing crowd. Nick took Raluca’s arm and guided her with seeming casualness until they stood alone with Destiny and Rafa in an alley beside the nightclub.
“Great dancing,” Destiny remarked.
“Thank you,” said Raluca. The night was chilly, but she seemed unconcerned. Nick edged closer, enjoying the heat of her body. With a laugh, she put her arm around him. “Warm yourself by my fire.”
Rafa’s eyebrows rose. “Guess we should leave the two of you to it.”
“Hang on.” Nick turned to Destiny and Rafa. “You didn’t see anything, did you?”
“Nothing,” Rafa said, and Destiny nodded. “Hal’s still researching leads, but I’m wondering if whoever’s behind this might’ve just given up.”
Raluca turned to Nick’s teammates. “I had a marvelous night. Rafa, Destiny, thank you for guarding me. Rafa, thank you for your kindness to me. And for dressing Nick for the ball.”
“Any time.” Rafa made a little bow, which somehow looked graceful and not weird, even though he was in club clothes.
Raluca seemed pleased with that, and curtseyed in return. She also did it gracefully, lifting her skirt about half an inch as anything more would have flashed them all. Then, surprising Nick, she gave Destiny a slightly awkward but sincere hug. “Destiny, thank you for the clothes you bought for me, and the shop recommendations, and playing me hip-hip that didn’t make my ears bleed, and teaching me to dance, and telling me funny stories about Nick —”
“What?” Nick interrupted. Suspiciously, he turned on Destiny. “What’ve you told her?”
Destiny gave him a sugar-wouldn’t-melt-in-her-mouth smile. “Girl talk. Nothing you’d be interested in.”
Nick doubted the hell out of that, but Raluca went on, earnestly clasping Destiny’s dark hands in her pale ones. “You have been a true friend. I look forward to our girls’ night out.”
“Me too.” Destiny grinned mischievously, giving Nick a vivid recollection of her joke — or had it been a joke? — about taking Raluca to a strip club. Though if she did, Nick was sure she’d pick a classy one and Raluca would actually like it.
“But if it’s safe, may Nick and I be alone now?” Raluca went on. “I am not tired, and I would like to continue enjoying the fresh air and the night.”
Nick wasn’t so sure the assassins had given up for good, but they did at least seem to have given up for the night. Besides, they were out of the crowded, noisy nightclub now. Nick was perfectly capable of protecting Raluca if she just wanted to walk around the city at night.
“It’s fine, guys,” Nick said. “I can take it from here. Thanks. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
Rafa and Destiny took off, she with a chuckle and he with a suggestive wink.
Once they were gone, Raluca turned to Nick. “You’ve shown me your world. Would you like me to show you mine?”
Confused, Nick asked, “Viorel?”
“No, that’s only where I came from.” Raluca’s eyes brightened until two stars seemed to shine from her face. “I’m a dragon, Nick. My world is the sky.”
“You mean, you’d fly with me? You’d let me do that? Lucas never lets anyone ride him. Well, except Journey.” Nick laughed, suddenly realizing why. “Oh. Is that something dragons only do with their mates?”
“Mates, or lovers. Sometimes best friends. Any others, only in case of utmost need. I have never allowed anyone to ride me. It seems very intimate.” She brushed her heated fingers across his cheek, trailing them down to her lips. “But we are intimate. And I would like to show you the freedom of the sky. Is that something you might enjoy?”
Nick took a deep breath, his head spinning. Shane had taught the team to skydive, and Nick had loved it. But that was nothing compared to getting to ride a dragon! “Fuck, yeah.”
He glanced around the alley, making sure no one was within sight or earshot. No one was. The streets of Santa Martina emptied out quickly once the nightclubs and bars closed for the night.
Following his glance, Raluca assured him, “Once you are riding me, I will become invisible to others. That is, other dragons would be able to see me. I am not sure about other shifters.”
“I can’t see Lucas once he goes invisible,” Nick said. “None of us can. But Journey says she can see him if she’s riding him.”
“Good,” Raluca said. “It might be disconcerting to seem to be flying unsupported through the air.”
Nick grinned. “Yeah, it might.”
Raluca backed away from Nick, until she stood in the middle of the alley with plenty of space on all sides. Her hair and eyes and dragonmarks and miniskirt glittered like the diamonds on her shoes.
The air around her began to sparkle silver. The specks of light gathered around her and began to spin, until Raluca vanished within a tornado of glinting silver. Then the glittering whirlwind vanished, and Nick saw a dragon.
Though all other colors were lost in the moonlight, Raluca’s dragon shone with the pure silver of her hair. She was exquisite, slim and graceful, with translucent wings and talons like silver daggers. Her eyes were Raluca’s eyes, gray as storm clouds and regarding him with excitement and love.
Nick’s breath caught at the sight of her. “You’re so beautiful.”
A dragon couldn’t smile, but her eyes brightened. She dipped one wing and bent her forearm, inviting him to mount.
Nick touched her back, marveling at the velvety softness of her hide. Moving carefully, he stepped on to her forearm and lif
ted his leg over her back. She was bigger than a horse, but slim. He easily settled into a hollow behind her neck, fitting into it as if it had been made to hold him.
She shook her head, sending her silver mane rippling. Nick realized what she was signaling him to do, and took hold of it. It felt more like feathers than hair, but he could feel that they were strong. He got a tight grip on it.
“I’m ready,” Nick said. He’d spoken softly, but his voice echoed in the empty alley.
Raluca’s flanks expanded between his legs as she took a deep breath. Then she spread her magnificent wings, their tips nearly touching the buildings on either side, and leaped upward.
Nick drew in his breath in amazement as Raluca soared up and up, out of the alley and above the buildings, into the sky. Santa Martina spread out beneath him, parts dark and others sparkling with multi-colored lights. The freeways flowed like rivers of rubies and diamonds. At first the sky was its usual orange-purple with reflected light, but as Raluca soared higher, it became darker and darker. Finally, it became black and then he could see the stars, pure and brilliant as Raluca’s eyes.
The air was cold, burning his lungs, but her body warmed his. Even her mane was pleasantly hot in his hands. Skydiving was nothing compared to riding a dragon. This was like being a part of the night itself.
“Fucking awesome,” Nick breathed.
Raluca flicked her tail, smacking him lightly across the back of his head with the tip. Nick laughed.
She soared and dove, becoming bolder and bolder with her aerial acrobatics as Nick cheered her on. He had a good hold on her mane and a grip with his thighs, and wasn’t afraid of being unseated. He wasn’t afraid of anything. It was amazing.
So this was Raluca’s world. It was more beautiful and thrilling than anything Nick had ever experienced. And she had invited him into it, because he was her mate and she loved him and wanted him to share her joy.
He did.
Finally Raluca swooped downward, flying low over the tall office buildings that were now dark and empty for the night, until she found one with a nice flat roof. She landed light as feather. Nick slid off and stepped back.
Silver sparks gathered around her, spun in a whirlwind, and then winked out. The dragon was gone, leaving Raluca standing before him in her heels and corset and glitter skirt, her long hair whipping in the wind.
“That was amazing. It was...” Nick searched for words, but could find none that conveyed his feelings. Finally, he simply said, “Thank you.”
Raluca gave him a smile that pierced him to the heart. “You do not need to explain. I understand. Has Lucas never told you of the three treasures of the dragon?”
Nick shook his head.
“Honor,” said Raluca. “Gold. And the open sky.”
“You’re my treasure.” Nick took a step toward her, then swayed. He felt slightly dizzy, not from the flight itself but from the sheer joy of it.
Raluca steadied him with one hand on his shoulder. Her touch seemed to sear through his entire body, setting him ablaze with desire. He caught her and pulled her to him, kissing her forehead, her throat, her soft lips. She opened her mouth to him and kissed him back with every ounce of the passion she’d had on the dance floor. Her mouth still tasted of the cocktail she’d drunk to pledge herself to him. But unlike that icy drink, it was hot inside. Her tongue was like a flame, if fire could burn with pleasure instead of pain.
Her dancing heels brought her to exactly his height. He didn’t have bend to kiss her.
He wouldn’t have to lift her to make love to her standing up.
Nick thrust his rock-hard erection against her mound. A bolt of intense pleasure rocketed through him at the touch, even through two layers of clothes. Raluca moaned and pushed back, rubbing herself against him with utter abandon. Her fingers clenched on his shoulders, tensing and releasing rhythmically with every thrust. She tossed her head, sending her hair slithering across his throat and down his back. It was cool where it touched his skin, almost shocking; he felt as hot as she was, and every touch of her silky hair was like a splash of water.
Her breasts heaved within the tight black corset, the pearly mounds lifting almost out of their leather cups. Nick bent to kiss her dragonmarks, sliding his tongue along them until he reached her breasts. Raluca gasped and trembled with every touch of his lips, every flick of his tongue, every thrust of his cock. Her scent filled the air, steel and roses and womanly musk. He didn’t have to reach down to know she was getting wet. He could scent it, and it drove him wild. So did her eager responsiveness. The pleasure he was giving her excited him just as much as the pleasure she was giving him.
Her face was flushed pink and glowing with a light sweat. It made her seem lit from within.
“I love you,” she gasped. “Make love to me here, under the sky.”
“I love you too, babe,” Nick said.
He was dizzy with love and desire, his hands shaking as he reached under her skirt. Her thighs were so smooth and hot. His fingers caught on lace. He tried to tug it down, but it caught on some kind of strap and buckle arrangement. Nick wished he could just tear it — he’d never be able to undo it in the state he was in — but Raluca cared about her clothes.
“Can you take off that strap thing?” he asked.
“My garter belt?” Her voice was shaky, her breathing fast and ragged. “Rip it off, Nick. I want you in me now.”
Raluca’s desperation was about the hottest thing Nick had ever experienced. He’d thought he was as hard as he could get, but his erection swelled even more at her words, tight and throbbing against his jeans. He ripped her panties in half. The straps snapped, and he dropped the whole thing to the ground. Hot liquid slicked his fingers. Her woman’s scent grew even stronger, musky and intoxicating. He brushed his fingers against her soft folds, and she moaned at even that lightest of touches.
Nick was panting too, just as desperate as her. Together, they fumbled to get his jeans open, their fingers colliding, clumsy with eagerness. They finally managed to unzip his jeans and shove them and his boxers to his hips. He didn’t bother to push them any farther down. Nor did Raluca take off her skirt. Neither of them could bear to wait even a second longer.
He lifted her skirt out of the way, and buried himself in her. Raluca cried out aloud with pleasure. Nick did too, unable to stop himself. She was so hot inside, it was a near-unbearable shock of sensation. Nick forced himself to hold still for a moment, biting his lip, so he wouldn’t come there and then. Just being inside her, being gripped so tight by those impossibly hot walls, was such an incredible feeling, he was afraid to move. His whole body was shuddering involuntarily as electric jolts of pleasure thrilled his every nerve.
“Oh, Nick,” Raluca whispered. She too was trembling, her head thrown back, her eyes closed. Her silver lashes fluttered against her flushed cheeks.
Nick took a deep breath, and began to thrust inside her. He slid in and out of her slick folds easily, despite her tightness. It was as if they were made for each other, inside and out. He heard himself mumble something like that. It sounded incoherent to him, but Raluca must have understood, because she said, “Yes. Yes, we are. I—”
She broke off into gasps, then cries. Nick had to hold her steady, clasping her tight to his chest as he thrust into her wet heat. Her black leather corset was cool against his skin, her bare arms and shoulders hot. He could feel in her heaving breasts and hear in her increasingly abandoned cries that she was close to coming. Nick felt like he was being pulled out to sea on a near-irresistible wave of bliss, but he made himself hold back. He didn’t want to ruin her pleasure. He wanted to feel her come. And he didn’t want it to end.
Raluca stiffened in his arms. Her heated walls clenched around his cock, and then she actually screamed. Her cry echoed across the sky. As her tightness pulsed around him, the current pulled him under. He came so hard, lights burst behind his eyes. For a brilliant moment, Nick forgot where he was. He forgot who he was. For an instant that
felt like an eternity, he was lost to everything but ecstasy.
Then he slowly came back to himself, his senses returning along with his memory. He and Raluca were still standing up, clasped tight in each other’s arms. Her scent was all over him, and the warm musk of their lovemaking hung in the cool night air. He pulled up his jeans, then settled back into her arms. She kissed him softly and leaned her head against his shoulder.
He turned to rub his cheek against her smooth hair, then looked up at the night sky. An enormous full moon glowed like a pearl amidst the blazing stars. That was Raluca’s world. And now it was his world, too, just as everything that was his was now also hers.
“That was marvelous,” Raluca said with dreamy satisfaction. “I would have been happy simply to dance and fly with you. But I do enjoy that you are such a skilled lover.”
Nick grinned. “Tell me more. Every guy loves to hear that.”
He’d been joking, but Raluca answered him seriously. “Well, to begin with, I have never climaxed with any man but you.”
That surprised him. “Really?”
She nodded. “When I said in the dressing room that I had never done such a thing before, that was what I meant. Though I had also never had sex anywhere but in a bed. But yes, before I met you, I had found sex quite disappointing. I could climax by myself, and I expected that doing it with a man would be even more enjoyable. But in fact, it was better by myself, because at least then I had a climax. I had begun to think that I was simply bad at sex.”
“No fucking way,” Nick said, instantly pissed at every asshole who hadn’t bothered to make sure she was having a good time and then let her blame herself. “Those guys were the problem, not you. You’re the best lover I’ve ever had. You make love like you dance. You’re fucking incredible. And if you ever think you’re not, just ask me, and I’ll tell you again. No. I’ll show you again.”
“I shall look forward to that,” Raluca said. Then, curiously, she asked, “When you say I am the best lover, do you too mean...?”
“No. You’re not the only woman who’s ever made me come,” Nick said, trying not to smile. He didn’t want her to think he was laughing at her. “But you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved.”
