Northern Realm Royal Dragons Shifter Boxset Bks 2-5

by Lisa Daneils

  Rhionnan cheeks became beet red as she tried to shut him up.

  “You can head on home. I will bring her back once our negotiations are finished.” The way Greyson said it caused Rhionnan to want to hide her face, which he refused to let her do as he held one of her hands. “Now, if you will please excuse us.” With that, he pulled her back into the woods. As soon as they felt safe, he shifted and took off, leaving her protectors behind to make their way back to the palace.

  Chapter 11

  What the Heart Wants

  Greyson flew them to a small home along the ocean. After landing, he stayed in his dragon form for a while, looking around and exploring the place. Rhionnan sat and watched him, not quite sure what to make of the situation. Had he really forgiven her that easily? It didn’t seem entirely likely because he was not one to let go of things readily. A little apprehensive, she sat and watched him, deciding that trusting him was far better than letting her suspicions ruin the glimmer of happiness she was feeling. If he decided to strand her here, it would be fair enough. It would hardly be the worst thing in the world.

  When he finally shifted back into a human, Greyson approached her, a pensive look in his eyes.

  Rhionnan spoke up, “I don’t know if you have brought me here to exact your revenge or if you just wanted some space to talk to let me down gently. But whatever you do, I’m still glad for the time I get to spend with you.”

  Greyson’s eyebrow arched. “Though I can see how you might think that, I have no plans for revenge.” He sat down. “I admit that for most of the last decade, I have been reckless, indifferent, difficult, and bitter. I’ve shut myself off from family and friends and have come to trust absolutely no one. But when my father said that I had to marry a human, my first thought was of you. That’s when I realized that even years later, the wound was still fresh, that I still missed you as much as I had when you first banished me from your side.”

  She nudged him with her shoulder, “That’s melodramatic.”

  “No. That was your word, not mine.”

  “Did I really banish you?”

  “You said, ‘I banish you from my sight. Never let me see you again.’ And ever since, I have followed that decree. Even though you are just a human.”

  “If I hurt you so much, why aren’t you trying to get revenge on me?”

  “Humans are so damn simple, I swear,” he rolled his eyes. Turning to her, Greyson’s expression was serious. “When I realized that I was still hurting, I realized that I still loved you. The problem was that there was no solution to it. I couldn’t get any closure or talk to you about it because I couldn’t see you. So when I ran into you, I was absolutely torn. You showed no signs of wanting to see me.”

  “To be fair, I didn’t expect it and we were fleeing from shape shifters.”

  “To be more fair, your words weren’t exactly kind either.”

  “If I recall, you were the one who was rude.”

  “Absolutely. I wanted to hurt you because I knew that you didn’t care about me, and I figured you were already upset that I suddenly popped back in your life, no matter how short the encounter.”

  “That’s…”

  “Petty?”

  “I was going to say fair. It was an honest reaction, so I can’t blame you for it.”

  “Then you kept trying to talk to me, and I got so confused and angry.”

  “Until Cinthia talked to you.”

  “Yeah, I can’t believe I didn’t notice her after saving you two. But seeing you again was a complete shock, and I couldn’t see anything else.”

  “That’s almost romantic.”

  “It wasn’t meant to be.”

  “Which is why it wasn’t.” Rhionnan smiled at him.

  With a chuckle, he took her hand. “When you said you loved me, I thought about hurting you, about being stupid and petty, but where would that get me? It hasn’t brought anything good into my life since I last saw you. And I’ve already missed nearly 10 years with you. So instead of messing it up, I decided that it was best to forgive so that I could have you back in my life. I’m making myself sound more mature than I actually am, but that was what I was thinking.”

  “It’s still far and away better than my thought process. Cinthia had to pester me to get me to confess.”

  “Well, of course. You’re just a human, after all.”

  Rhionnan pushed him, causing Greyson to fall over into the sand. He pulled her over with him, then rolled over on top of her. His fiery eyes looked down at her. “I still love you too, Ri. So much that I just want to enjoy the rest of our time together because it will be over too fast. Before I know it, you will be gone and I will really lose you.”

  Rhionnan wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her. “I don’t deserve you, Greyson.”

  “Of course you don’t, but you got me anyway.” He laughed as she began to try to push him off of her.

  “You stubborn dragon shifter. So condescending and—” Before she could insult him further, Greyson began to kiss her. Soon all of his digs at her species were driven from her head.

  This time when Greyson pulled away, his voice was different. “When I first started to love you, I kept the relationship as innocent as possible because you were so young.”

  “You mean you never went beyond kissing me.”

  He nodded. “But you aren’t young anymore, and I want to finally—”

  Rhionnan leaned up and kissed his neck. She felt his body shiver against hers. “Me too, Greyson.”

  The next thing she knew sand was flying away from her as he swooped her up off the beach. His mouth was covering hers, his arms pulling her legs around his hips. In response, Rhionnan pushed against him, her body sliding against his. Sliding a hand under her shirt, Greyson ripped it in two as he kicked the door to the house open. Once inside, he put her back against the wall and began to kiss down her neck. With a moan, Rhionnan pulled at his shirt. “I want to feel you, Greyson.”

  Holding her against the wall with his body, the dragon shifter removed his shirt, then began to kiss her neck, trailing down to her breast. Adjusting her body against his, he managed to slide her pants off while he sucked on her nipple. Rhionnan reached up her hands, trying to grasp anything as her body began to heat up under his touch. He grabbed her hands with one of his, stretching her against the wall as his other hand slid between her thighs. “Don’t think I’m going to go easy on you. Not after tormenting me like you did.”

  Rhionnan wasn’t even able to respond to his words as her mind was unable to register much beyond the way he felt against her. After the initial fire, Greyson began to slow down. True to his word, he wasn’t taking it easy on her, but the way he tortured her was exquisite. Keeping her pressed against the wall, he explored her body, finding out how she reacted to a wide range of touches, kisses, and nips. He determine where she was the most sensitive, then exploited it, constantly bringing her close to climax, only to back off again.

  Unable to take the torment any longer, she began to beg him, “Please, Greyson. I want you. I have to feel you.”

  To her surprise, he lowered her to the ground and released her. “Hmm, not quite what I thought.” He then turned and picked up the clothes.

  Shocked, Rhionnan stood dumbfounded. “So that’s it? You really were just going to torture me?”

  “Oh, this is mostly going to be torture for you. But that doesn’t mean I’m not being tortured at all. I’ve been celibate for over a decade now, and that is not at all in my nature. But for now, I’m not in a rush.”

  “I am!” She stepped forward.

  “Remember that the next time you want to do something without talking to me first.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Rhionnan could not believe how he had played her.

  “No. But Cinthia brought up a good point. If our kings are actually trying to inject new blood into the lineage so that we can increase the population—because let’s face it, a lot of us are related at this point—
that makes finding a partner difficult without traveling into other kingdoms.”

  Rhionnan closed her eyes. “That’s what you are thinking about right now?”

  “Of course. Here we are, about to finally consummate a love that we have harbored for over a decade, but we have never once talked about children. It seems like that would be very important to both of us, as a ruler,” he pointed to her, “and a future ruler,” he pointed to himself. “I think it best that we actually take the time to discuss—”

  “I will have as many kids as my body can take if they are yours.” Rhionnan blurted out the words, not entirely sure how much of it she meant.

  Greyson look at her. “You see, that is your libido talking. Try to—”

  “Shut up,” she said, jumping up onto him and pressing her mouth against his.

  Greyson laughed as he walked her back to the bedroom. Once they were in the room, he pulled a silk scarf off of the dresser. “Do I need to tie you up to get you to take this conversation seriously?”

  Dragging her nails along his back, Rhionnan replied, “You want me to take it seriously, fine. Don’t take me home until you are certain I’m pregnant.”

  “Wait, that’s not what I—” There was a hint of panic to his voice as he lost his balance and fell onto the bed. “We haven’t discussed marriage or anything.”

  “Is that really what you want to talk about?” She looked at him with a knowing smile.

  “Of course. Do you think I would bring it up if I didn’t mean it?”

  Rhionnan stared at him, her mind reeling. Seeing that he was serious, she tried to compose herself. Slipping out from under him, she pulled the sheet around herself. “Well, I’m not sure how the whole marriage thing will work with—”

  “No.” His hands began to tug at the sheet.

  Wrapping it tighter around herself, Rhionnan said, “You wanted to talk about it, but you have half dressed. Don’t expect me to be alright with being fully exposed while you are partially covered.”

  Greyson stood up. His eyes stayed on her as he removed the rest of his clothing. Rhionnan’s mouth dropped open as she looked at his nearly perfect body. The smile on his face let her know he was enjoying watching her try to keep herself under control.

  Cleaning her throat, Rhionnan said, “For children, I think—”

  Greyson pulled on the corner of the sheet, yanking it out of her hands. “It’s only fair.”

  Her face was pink as she tried to look anywhere else in the room but at him, her mind perfectly aware of how he was looking at her. “Alright,” she cleared her throat again.

  “I believe you said we stay here until you are pregnant, so I guess that means we have a good bit of work to do.”

  Rhionnan’s eyes widened as he pushed her roughly onto the bed. She was about to say something when she felt his head slip between her thighs. Instead of words, a long groan issued from her mouth.

  Greyson looked down at her. “You were saying?”

  Rhionnan did not care that he was tormenting her, he was also bringing her sensations that she had never experienced. He was barely inside of her when she first orgasmed, leaving him watching her, his expression slightly confused.

  “Already?” he asked.

  In response, she grabbed him and pulled him further into her. This seemed to be all the invitation he needed as he grabbed her hands and stretched her out on the bed.

  Hours passed before he let her relax, by which time Rhionnan had learned what pleasantly tired and completely satisfied meant. He pulled her close and whispered to her, “Get some sleep. I’m only going to give you a couple of hours.”

  Burrowing against his chest, she asked, “You promise?”

  He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “Absolutely. You aren’t pregnant yet, so we are just going to have to keep going.”

  “There’s no way you know that for certain.”

  “You are right. I guess we are just going to be stuck here for a few months until we have proof.”

  “What kind of proof do you need? I’m not having the baby so far from the palace.”

  “You don’t trust me to deliver it for you?”

  She pulled back a little. Unable to open her tired eyes, Rhionnan nestled back against him. “You can do that?”

  “Of course. But,” he kissed her head, “if you want the comfort of thousands of people checking on you every so often, to witness you going through some of the most exquisite pain—”

  She covered his mouth with her hand, “How can I handle all of this sexy talk from you?”

  “That is something you will have to figure out on your own. I’m not about to help the woman who tormented me for the better part of a decade.”

  “Right, you will only marry her and have children by your tormenter.”

  “Well, it makes sense, in a strange way.” He laughed as she began to push him toward the side of the bed. “Oh, little human, that just won’t work.” He wrapped his arms around her. “Clearly there is still some energy left.”

  Any protest she was about to make was quickly lost in the sensation of pleasure that swept over her body as Greyson began to make love to her again.

  When she woke later, he was looking out of a window. Propping herself up on her elbow, Rhionnan felt more sore than she had ever felt in her life. Ignoring it, she asked, “Is everything alright?”

  “Best be careful, my love. I’ve been bonding to your lands, so I’ve got more energy now than I had when we arrived.”

  Rhionnan sat up. “What? Really? That fast?”

  He turned to look at her, “Does it bother you?”

  Vigorously shaking her head, the queen said, “Not at all. But please show me some mercy. I don’t think my body has recovered from the last round yet.”

  “I know. That’s why I warned you.” He turned back to the window.

  Rhionnan slipped out of bed. Pulling the sheet over her, she joined him.

  “You are so prudish, keeping your gorgeous body hidden from me.”

  “Well, if I didn’t, would you be able to control yourself?”

  “Barely, yes.”

  “Well, then, consider this me trying to be nice and save you from that temptation.”

  He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek.

  “What were you thinking about?” the queen asked, leaning against him.

  “I’ve got a lot of apologies to make now.”

  “Really? To whom?”

  “My brother and his wife, for a start. I was really… I treated her poorly when we met.”

  “Yes, threatening a bride on her wedding day isn’t recommended.”

  “Despite what has happened, I really love Liam, and I want to try to be closer to him. He only ever tried to do what was right, even if it did end up hurting me. Kind of like you.” He smiled down at her.

  “I’m going to spend the rest of my life apologizing for that, aren’t I?” she asked, smiling.

  “I’ll only remind you for the first few months. Then I’ll expect you to do that yourself. There isn’t enough time to see you looking sad for something in the past.”

  “My divines, but I love and adore you.”

  “I love you too.” He leaned over and gave her a sweet kiss before carrying her over to the bed. “Now, I think it is time for you to sleep. Because if you keep talking, all of my will to hold back is going to disappear.”

  “Alright,” she said, looking up at him.

  He chuckled, “I know you think you mean that, but get some rest. We have plenty of time.” Pulling her close, he hummed the song he had first hummed when they met. A song that had helped her to fall asleep despite her sorrow. This time, she fell asleep feeling that for the first time in her life, she might actually be happy.

  “I love you so much, Greyson. I want to make you happy, no matter how much you torture me.”

  The notes to the song wavered as he shook the bed with a laugh. A few minutes later, she was asleep.

  Click Here
for a compilation of some of mine and Mia Taylor’s paranormal best sellers: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MM32TQJ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i7