Finding the Dragon (Dásreach Council Book 1)

by Josette Reuel

“No, if a mate is destined, then so is the time that you are meant to find her. I’m not saying I’m your mate. I mean I think you may be so desperate for a mate that you’re seeing things that aren’t really here. I like you, but I’m no leader.”

  “But, Alvena, you should see yourself as I do.” Kai began to protest again.

  But, Al had made a decision while listening to him speak about his people, about himself, and his brothers; she was going to take what she could get. She didn’t think she was a destined mate, but she could give Kai some comfort and take what she wanted from him. They could enjoy each other and then move on once the threat to her life was over. He would make her happy in the time that she could have him. She refused to admit to the feelings she was afraid she was starting to have for him, but she would admit to being in lust with him. She would give him her body and receive his in return. She would take the comfort and memories back to her real life, the life where she would never find someone as strong and honorable as Kai. Her libido had been on full speed ahead since she had sat next to him on that flight to Memphis. She was going to cave and let it have its way.

  She leaned forward, placing her lips on his, and lightly brushed them back and forth. Al ran her tongue over his lips, tasting him and wanting so much more.

  Chapter 23

  Kai’s breath seized in his chest. After the night in the cabin, he knew that he and Alvena were friends, but after what happened at the pub and things she had said, he hadn’t thought she would ever make the first move. But, she had, she had kissed him. He sat completely still allowing her to make the decisions, allowing her to accept the attraction between them. He was confused by this change in her. His shaft was honed of steel like it was each and every time he was near her. It would be so easy to take advantage of the situation, divest them both of their clothes, and plunge into her. His cock was on board for that. But, Kai had a feeling about his mate. She was a woman of emotion. Would she regret this? As he contemplated the woman he was falling in love with, the woman he knew to be his mate, she slipped her tongue into his mouth. Her taste exploded on his tongue. And with that taste of her, he knew he was done. Kai knew he was one step from being completely and totally in love with this woman. He needed her. Not just her body, but deep down, soul deep. She was the one who completed him. She was his sweet, shy, insecure Alvena; but she was also his strong, fiery, sexy Valkyrie.

  As his heart beat faster with the knowledge of his love for her, he knew he had to show her the depth of his feelings. Prove to her where she belonged – with him. He would reign in his raging body and take her gently. It wouldn’t just be sex with her, he wouldn’t fuck her, he would make love to her. I’ll go slow damn it!

  When Alvena’s fingers ran up his leg towards his cock, tracing the contours of it before flipping open the snap and grabbing at the tab to his zipper, Kai was so on board with the direction she was taking him. No, wait. Not yet. Kai quickly grabbed her hands. Stopping her and taking over control. If she touched him, it would be all over. Holding her hands in his, he lingered on her lips.

  The passion of their kisses caused a fire to burn through his blood. It’s a good thing I’m a dragon. Kai laughed to himself. As the flames licked through his insides, Kai slid his hands away from hers and to the hem of her shirt. His fingers tested the texture of the fabric as a way to keep control. Determined to worship her body, he began to kiss down her jaw to her neck. Such a delicate thing, a neck. He nibbled his way back to her ear, sucking the lobe into his mouth and tonguing it. He felt her shiver in his arms and her hands began to move over his chest. Not yet sweetheart. He thought as he once again grabbed her hands. No way was she going to make it end too soon. He was enjoying his voyage of discovery. Finding out the touch and kiss she enjoyed. Even so, he needed her under him. Needed to feel her curvy body, so much smaller than his own. Those thoughts in his head, Kai laid her back on the blanket and moved over her. He placed her hands to the side of her face and held them there. She jerked her arms, oh, how I understand the need to touch my love, but he held firm.

  “Kai.” She breathed.

  He knew what she wanted. He wanted it too. But, he had to show her how good they were together. He needed to show her how much he cared for and needed her.

  His lips continued to explore – behind her ear, the indent where her neck met her shoulder, and the swell of the top of her breast.

  At which point he realized that they still had their clothes on. Too many clothes. He had been so lost in the taste of her that he hadn’t even removed any of her clothing. Well, he knew what to do to fix this. And, with that thought he reached for the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it off.

  Moving her hands above her head and grabbing her wrists in one huge fist. He braced himself away from her the best he could on his other arm. He looked down at her in awe. Sun warmed skin, smooth and silky to the touch, covered every inch that he could see. A sexy lace bra barely covered her plump breasts. Oh Great Spirit, he loved a woman with some curves to her. He could feast on her beauty forever and never know hunger.

  “You are beauty defined, lass. A true feast for the senses.” He told her before diving in for another kiss.

  His cock needed relief, but he had so much to explore yet. It had swollen so much that his zipper was making a permanent indent along its length. He continued to stroke her tongue with his own while he reached down to alleviate the pressure on his confined shaft. Alvena had already undone the snap, so he grabbed the tab of the zipper and pulled it completely down. It provided some relief, but true relief would only come when he was inside her. He shoved his jeans down to his ankles where he kicked them off. Desperate to feel her skin against his, he rose up and jerked his shirt over his head, leaving him only in his boxer briefs. He then unsnapped Alvena’s jeans, slid down her zipper, and quickly pulled them off. She whimpered and reached for him with her once again free hands.

  “Kai,” she moaned as he divested her of her bra and panties. “I need you, Kai.” He looked into her face, his eyes locked with hers. Vibrating with his need Kai removed the last of his clothes with Alvena tugging them off along with him.

  “You’ll have me, my bonny mate, you’ll have me. But, first, I need to taste every bit of this silky skin of yours.”

  He gave her an evil grin and lowered his head to her breast. He slid his tongue across the top of the plump mound, lifting it with one hand, while the other explored its neighbor. He laved his tongue around and around never hitting the place she wanted him. He felt her hand twist into his hair. She tugged, trying to tell him something, but he was beyond hearing at that point. His blood rushed through his veins so fast. His heartbeat pounded in his ears. But, he knew what he wanted and sucked her taut nipple into his mouth. Sucking until he pulled a large amount of her breast in with it. Alvena was pure sweetness. Like honey over ripe fruit. He pulled back and nibbled on her nipple, biting down slightly and pulling at it. Her whimpers urged him on. He once again laved his tongue across the tortured peak, soothing it and feeling it grow even harder on his tongue. He let it pop from his mouth and laid light kisses across her chest to the other one, so he could give it the same treatment. Knowing he would never get his fill of the beautiful globes, but wanting to taste more of her, he began moving down her chest to her stomach. Reaching her belly button, he ran his tongue around its edge and dipped inside. Her stomach jerked away from him, the muscles undulating under him as her body tried to reach for what it wanted. He moved to her hip bone, kissing and licking as he explored her hip and upper thigh. He used his large hands to part her legs, kneeling between them briefly as he took in the view of her pink and slick with her want of him. His head dipped back down, he had one more place he had to taste before he combusted.

  Alvena’s legs begin to close and he grabbed them, placing them over his shoulders, he wrapped his arms around her thighs and held her in place. He breathed her in. Her thick musk was just as sweet and intoxicating as the rest of her. He nibbled at the crease where her leg
met her body and ran his tongue down it, his nose bumping against the side of her mons. As her hips undulated and he worked to hold her still with his free hand, he realized how close she must be. Her fingers were twisted in his hair holding him to her. Wanting to have her on his tongue, he ran it up her, stopping at her clit, his tongue circled, before moving down and diving inside. Kai made love to her with his mouth. Tasting her and drowning in it all – her taste, her smell, her skin.

  With a tug at her clit with his lips, Kai pushed one finger into her, her sheath so tight around the single digit. Shite! I’m a fucking dragon shifter. I’m huge. No, I’ve got to fit. She’s my mate, I’ve got to fit. He thought as the desperate words echoed around his mind. To be inside her his only thought. He pumped his finger a few times and added a second. Continuing to move his fingers in an out, he ground his hips against the blanket over the bed of straw to relieve some of the pressure as he struggled to hold on for just a bit longer. He returned his mouth to her lower lips. Licking and nibbling. He felt her inner muscles tighten and he went back and sucked her clit into his mouth. Alternating between long pulls and swipes of his tongue, his fingers and mouth moving faster, Alvena arched and screamed her release.

  “KAI!”

  The orgasm rushed fluid into his mouth as he pulled his fingers free and clamped down on her. His tongue diving inside; wanting to taste every drop she was able to give him. He gentled his movements and soon lifted his head, staring into the face of his mate he saw... pure and simple satisfaction.

  He crawled up her body, ready to give his aching cock what it needed. Shite! Protection. He didn’t want to, the thought of feeling her bare enough to make him come before he even got inside of her. But he pulled back, reached for his jeans, and pulled out the foil packet. Ripping it open, he rolled it on and quickly repositioned himself over her, the tip of him resting at her entrance. He placed his hands on each side of her face, lightly placing kisses on her lips, “Open your eyes lass, let me see you when I take you, Alvena.”

  Her dark chocolate eyes locked on to his deep blue ones. He could see that she was still drunk on her orgasm, but she kept her eyes open.

  Not able to wait a moment longer, he rocked into her. Afraid of hurting her, he forced himself to take it slow. Sliding in, then out, one small inch, becoming two, becoming three, until he had seated himself completely inside of her. He rested a moment, his forehead against hers. They both closed their eyes then opened them again, feeling the need to connect during this moment. It was the moment that he had been waiting for all of his life, the moment when he became whole and found heaven. His home, with this woman, he would never want another. He would never look at another. She would be his focus for the rest of his life.

  “Lass.” He groaned. “You are heaven. So tight around me.”

  “Kai,” she moaned, “move. Please, just move. I need you. All of you.”

  At her words, Kai’s last strand of control snapped. He braced, wrapping his arms underneath and around to grab and hold her still by her shoulders as his hips pistoned in and out. He had never felt anything this good. He felt her muscles rippling around him as she tried to hold on to him. Her hips moved with his. Their bodies pounded together, taking them both to the next level of ecstasy. Kai’s balls tightened with his impending release. Alvena screamed his name as she found her own. She clamped down on him, making it harder for him to move in and out. One. Two. Three. Lightning shot through his veins, down his spine and into her. Kai roared with his release, the sound more his dragon than human. He felt his dragon guardian pushing against his skin, trying to burst out and shout to the heavens with the joy of finding a mate.

  Kai held onto Alvena as he drifted in a realm of euphoria, holding them together for as long as he possibly could. He would die without her now. It would break him if she decided to walk away from him. He had to give her that choice though, no matter what it meant for him. He loved her enough to give her that.

  Realizing that a lot of his weight was on top of her, he moved to the side to allow her room to breathe. Pulling from her body, the loss he felt was staggering. He removed the condom and tossed it in the opposite corner of the stall from their bed. He pulled Alvena into his arms and she curled into him their damp skin to damp skin. The feel of her would never get old for him. She’s perfect. He ran his hand from the tips of her hair to her lower back, where he moved his fingers in the long ago learned design of his Warrior’s Mark. One day soon she would wear the same mark. With that thought, Kai drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  Al sank into Kai’s arms, so sated she didn’t think she could move even if the old barn collapsed on top of them. Her brain had slowed and she couldn’t make a coherent thought. Kai’s fingers made designs on her back, his light touch soothing her and relaxing her into sleep. When his fingers stopped moving and a soft snore escaped his lips. The one last thought she had was, Shit! I’m in so fucking deep! Yep, I’m so far gone for this man; I won’t survive when he realizes he no longer wants me.

  Chapter 24

  Al woke the next morning tucked into the blanket. Sunlight filtered in from hundreds of small holes throughout the barn. She could feel straw poking her in places she did not want to think about and quickly sat up, holding the blanket to her chest and looked around. She was alone in the stall.

  Feeling insecure and exposed, she searched for her missing clothes. When she found her t-shirt and bra she pulled them on, squeaking in pain as her t-shirt snagged on straw stuck in her hair. Her need to dress and clean up had her quickly wrapping the blanket around her lower half and standing. She stood and stretched, loosening her muscles and pulling the kinks out of her back. Then with the blanket re-secured, she looked around for the rest of her clothes. Her socks and underwear were over by the stall door and her jeans were in the corner where they had slept. They had been balled up and jammed part way under the straw. Lovely. She thought as she bent down with her back to the opening to the aisle. After pulling on her socks and grabbing her jeans, she stood and combed the fingers of her right hand through her tangled hair. I must look a fright. Like the Bride of Frankenstein. She giggled at her own picture of herself.

  “That’s a lovely sound to hear in the morning.” A deep voice said from behind her. “A lovely sight as well.”

  She swung around brandishing the balled up jeans in her left hand at the intruder. Kai stood there, sunlight like a halo around him, and looked at her. Lust was clear in his gaze and a smirk on his lips.

  “Dang it, Kai. Why do you keep doing that?” She demanded as she stomped up to him.

  “Sorry, lass, but as I said before, just part of being a Dásreach.” He chuckled and leaned against the door.

  “Well, you can just take that Dásreach stealthiness and go outside while I finish getting dressed.” She said as she shooed him away.

  “Lass, what are you trying to hide? I’ve already seen it all.” He stood there looking at her.

  Al braced herself and tried to stare the man down. He didn’t budge. There was no way she was going to stand half naked in front of him while she pulled on her underwear and jeans. The bending would expose her in a way that made her uncomfortable the morning after. She didn’t regret being with Kai. It had been amazing. The best experience of her life. Nothing topped last night with Kai. Nothing. She waved at him to leave again.

  “The light of day, and all of that, you know. Please, just go outside?” She asked. She wasn’t above pleading at this point.

  Kai laughed as he turned and walked out of the stall and down the aisle. Al walked to the doorway and watched his tight ass walk out the door of the barn. Damn. To be the denim on that ass. She didn’t know what it was about Kai, she had never ogled men before, but whenever he was in the room her eyes would inevitably land on him and follow the play of muscles as he moved. And, for some reason, she seemed to be an appreciator of asses. Being near him made her burn. Even now, she could smell that smoky, sweet smell of him clinging to her. She hoped it las
ted the rest of the day, because it filled her with a sense of contentment. Yep, I’m totally screwed. But, if that man wants me again, I am so his.

  She shook herself and pulled on the rest of her clothes.

  A few minutes later she was still sitting on the blanket over the flattened straw. She was pulling on her shoes when her thoughts inevitably returned to sex. Would Kai want her again? If he didn’t, Al was positive she would die of spontaneous combustion. Absolutely. Totally. Lost.

  *

  Al walked out of the barn shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight; even with what light filtered into the barn it was much brighter outside than inside. Her eyes soon adjusted and she looked around until she found Kai leaning against the corral.

  “So, big guy, what’s the plan?” She asked as she walked up to him.

  “Well, more riding I’m afraid. I would like to get to an airport today.” He answered with a piece of straw hanging from his mouth as he chewed on it.

  “So, you really think that going to this place in Colorado is the best option?” Al asked, unsure of how she really felt about going someplace with a bunch of Kai’s people. Her mind flashed scenes from the news when they reported on cults. Al seriously needed to watch less TV.

  “Alvena, I can see your mind jumping through a lot of assumptions, lass. If you have concerns, ask and I’ll alleviate them.” He offered.

  “It’s just that we’re going farther and farther from my friends and from the things I know.” She hedged as she walked to the end of the corral.

  Kai walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into him. His hands fell to her waist, his chin rested on the top of her head. She could feel his breaths ruffle her hair. Alvena was torn. Kai seemed so relaxed and comfortable with his affection this morning. In the previous days, she guessed he had held back for her, but with her making the first move last night, it was like giving him the green flag. She wondered if she should encourage the attention, or if she should distance herself. If she put distance between them, then she wouldn’t get hurt. With that thought in her head, she pulled out of his arms and walked a few feet away. Bending she plucked some grass from the field in front of her.