Captured by a Dragon

by Christina Wilder

  Eventually, my earlier stress caught up to me, and I leaned over Drek and hugged his neck.

  I slept, only twitching when I passed through random dreams about sex.

  And nightmares about flame-shooting dragons.

  Chapter Twelve

  Drek

  I felt Jenny sit up and look around. As if she was unable to resist, she stroked my back and tightened her legs around my sides.

  “I can’t believe you’re a dragon,” she said. “I mean, you’re a hot dragon, but still, a rangy…thing. Sort of. You have really gorgeous scales, though, like they’re made from the finest spun gold. And ginormous wings. The mix of gold and orange makes your wings look like flickering flames when you fly. I imagine they’re silky soft, even though I can only touch the part of them that connects to your body. But you look like the dragons I’ve read about in legends.”

  Where did she think those legends came from? They weren’t just stories.

  They were real.

  “Earlier, you loved me to the point I could barely walk. It was wonderful. Better sex than I’ve ever had in my life.”

  As it should be. After all, I was her mate.

  But I couldn’t stop the surge of pride from filling my chest to overflowing. I liked that I’d given her the best sex in her life. As soon as we got our upcoming wooing out of the way, I’d give her more great sex, topping what we’d done already.

  “And now, here I am, riding on your back. How is this even possible?”

  I had to wonder the same thing.

  Who would’ve thought, when I left to seek the Lifegiver, that I’d be returning home with my mate riding my back? A mate from the Earth’s surface?

  With still a few more day’s travel left before we reached my valley home, I stopped to rest beside the river that wound all the way from the Lifegiver pool to the valley, where it fed an enormous lake.

  Here, Jenny would be able to bathe and drink. And I’d prepare another meal.

  I landed on a sandy beach and shifted back into a man again, pleased to see no flinch on Jenny’s part. Maybe she was starting to take my dragon form in stride.

  I’d chosen a beach with a steep, unscalable cliff behind. I didn’t fear her trying to escape, but I did fear predators. As we got closer to the lake, there was more chance they’d track us. Smell us. Hunt us.

  And Jenny thought my dragon form was frightening.

  She stood watching as I gathered up stones for another fire, her arms linked around her waist, her bare, gorgeous legs sticking out from underneath her shirt.

  She was too damn tempting with everything I desired exposed for the taking.

  I needed to get her clothing soon, because a shirt and nothing below her waist was not the way my queen should arrive at my kingdom. And maybe I was greedy, but I wanted to keep the view of her body all to myself.

  After a meal of roasted roots, we curled up together near the fire.

  Overhead, the lunar bugs winked out, and quiet descended around us as the world went to sleep.

  I told myself she nestled against me because she wanted to stay here in my world with me. But that would be lying. I was warm and she was cold, even with the fire. There was nothing more to this than that.

  “I do want to be close to you, snuggle in your arms,” she whispered, as if she’d snatched up my thoughts and spoken them aloud.

  I froze, hoping she’d say more. I was a fool for wishing she’d suddenly declare feelings for me, shout out her willingness to remain here as my mate once we found her friends.

  She could be talking to herself, like she’d done yesterday on the beach, or maybe she hoped I’d hear her.

  “My arms are yours,” I said. This not pushing her promise I’d made to myself was becoming a challenge. My body kept responding to her warmth.

  Her soft sigh was my only answer, but it sure as hell beat outright rejection.

  As birds cooed high in the cavern, and the light perfume of morning-blooming flowers drifted through the air, Jenny’s breathing evened out, and she slept.

  I kept watch. Seeking out with my senses, I determined that no one was stalking us. For now, we were safe. But I’d need to remain on guard for sarlons, radiation-mutated creatures that hunted the caves, picking off the weak and unwary.

  They particularly enjoyed women.

  But I was tired from lack of sleep and from flying for hours. Back at my palace, I only flew on rare occasions. My duties to my people kept me grounded.

  And holding my mate in my arms, knowing I might lose her within days, also drained me.

  I drifted between half-awake and half-asleep, until Jenny turned toward me. Because of her increased breathing, and her pulse jumping, I could tell she woke. She cupped my face with her palms, softly, as if she feared I’d speak about her action.

  She couldn’t know I saw everything. The desire on her face. They way her lips parted with longing.

  Dragons did not need light to see in the dark.

  Her eyes had darkened to smoky moss, the color they took on when she wanted me.

  In seconds, my pulse thundered in my throat.

  Needing someone this much tasted bitter.

  “You again,” she whispered. “Tell me this is just a dream. Because I’ve sure enjoyed getting to know my dream man.”

  The last thing I wanted was to scare her away. But I couldn’t stop my fucking cock from responding to her body pressing against mine. “Do you want me to lie to you?”

  Her chest rose and fell, pressing her breasts against me. “No. I want honesty.”

  “You know it’s never been a dream.”

  “Real, then. Every damn second.” Her pretty cheeks grew rosy. “I told myself I’d wake up and find this was all a figment of my imagination. I’d be lying in a hospital bed or wounded somewhere in these caverns. But so much of me wants—” Her lips quivered. “Okay, I’ll admit this much. I want you, even though I shouldn’t. If I was wise, I’d push you away and run. Because I don’t know if I want to stay here with you. Become a part of this world forever. But running doesn’t feel right either. It hurts to think about leaving. There’s something special between us I’d hate to throw away.”

  “We’re mates.”

  “You keep saying that.” Frustration lifted her voice.

  On the opposite shore of the river, something stirred. It stalked down the shore and slid into the water.

  If it came near, I’d rip it apart.

  Jenny stroked my shoulder, her fingertips sliding along my scales. “I don’t know what us being mates means.”

  Would she be angry if I told her I’d marked her? Another thing I’d done out of order. Breath-marking came after wooing and wedding. Not within moments of meeting.

  I really had broken the rules.

  When a bonded female rejected her mate, he would shift permanently into his dragon form. Unable to change back, he’d go out of his mind. He’d flee the city and fly for weeks without stopping, until he reached the boiling, flaming core of the Earth, where he’d plunge to his death.

  He’d incinerate immediately.

  This was my future if Jenny rejected me.

  I wouldn’t tell her that. Couldn’t tell her. If she stayed with me, it would be by her choice alone.

  However, that didn’t mean I couldn’t do all within my power to convince her she wanted to remain by my side.

  I’d worship her body until she no longer ached to be free.

  “Does your culture have mate bonds?” I asked.

  She frowned. “People marry.”

  “The same, then.”

  Her arms lifted in a shrug. “Probably not, because sometimes, people split up.” At my look of puzzlement, she added, “They end the marriage.”

  “Then not like our mating.” Dragons mated for life.

  Her head tilted, and her voice caught, as if she’d realized something wonderful. “We do have soulmates up there on the surface.”

  Had the word evolved from legends of dragon
mating?

  “I’m not sure I believe in soulmates, though.” She nibbled on her fingernail, and her eyes darted away from mine. “But, maybe?”

  We were soulmates. I couldn’t resist her. Perhaps that was why I’d fallen hard for her. As she said; we were special. We were meant to be together.

  I leaned closer, stopping before we touched to give her the chance to tug away, but she only looked up at me with parted lips. When she licked them, I groaned.

  Fuck.

  Holding her shoulders, I traced the seam of her mouth with my tongue. More than anything, I wanted to give my woman—my soulmate—every single part of me. But while my body demanded I take what she offered, I’d hold back this time, waiting, just as I’d promised myself. Even if it killed me, I’d fuckin’ woo her. I wanted her willing, fully consenting to remain here beneath the Earth and by my side.

  But that didn’t mean I couldn’t bring her pleasure.

  Pleasure could be considered wooing.

  And I was nowhere near giving up on us yet.

  With a gasp, she ran her hands down my shoulders and tugged me near. She pressed her body against mine as I captured her lips, deepening our kiss.

  She thrust her hips forward, and her moan rose up from her throat, breaking free when I trailed kisses from her jaw to her neck.

  I reached for her breasts but stopped, gazing at her. “Yes?”

  She thrust her chest forward. “Yes. Please.”

  Heat filling me, I cupped her breasts and when I rolled her nipples, they peaked. She gasped when I unbuttoned her shirt and took one nub into my mouth, laving the tip. I bit down.

  She fell back onto the sand, and her legs splayed apart. Her lips, swollen from my kisses, begged for more.

  I rose up over her and kissed her hard, my tongue thrusting deep. My cock throbbed, insisting I find her welcome heat, but I fought off the feeling. Trailing my fingers down her quivering belly, I traced her clit while she lifted up to meet me.

  “Oh, god, yes,” she whimpered, her head thrashing on the ground. “I shouldn’t be wanting this. Doing this. But I can’t help it.”

  Neither could I.

  As I stroked her engorged clit, she arched her spine and moaned.

  Still maintaining contact with her enflamed nub, I slid my thumb into her passage, as far as it would go. I tweaked that erotic spot deep inside her.

  She screamed. “Yes! Oh, yeah, that. Please…”

  Bracing my arms between her legs, I took her tender clit into my mouth as my thumb continued to move inside her.

  “Drek,” she shouted, her urgent voice echoing around us. “Now!”

  I lifted my head and grinned. “Sorry, but I’ve got plans for this part of you tonight.” To tease, I breathed dragon fire on her pussy. Breathing this way was stretching the rules a bit, but shit, I couldn’t help it.

  Her hips jerked upward, and she panted. Under my hand, I could feel her tension building to a feverish peak.

  When she bucked and screamed and called out my name, I knew I was making progress. There were more ways than one to convince a woman she wanted to mate with her dragon. And they didn’t all involve formal, courtly wooing.

  I smacked my lips with satisfaction. Sitting back on my haunches, my cock strained toward her, a bead of moisture on the tip.

  I groaned as I stared down at her wet pussy and told my damn cock to shut up.

  It would have to wait longer.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jenny

  My blood was on fire.

  This might be wrong, but it felt completely right.

  His smoldering gaze met mine.

  Warmth swirled inside me like melted honey, and my heartrate accelerated.

  “Spread your legs,” he said, nudging my thighs with his palm. “Wider, sweetheart.” He stroked a finger down my slit and dipped inside. The heady sensation made heat burst through me, centering between my legs. His breathing rushed out of him as he slid a finger into my passage. “You’re so fucking wet.”

  When he pinched my clit and rubbed, I shrieked.

  “You’re so responsive. I love it.” His legs brushed mine as he moved closer. “Just as a mate should be. Lift your hips. No, wait, I want you to get up onto your knees,” he said in a deep, guttural voice. Commanding, but I loved it. “Keep your front down on your arms but your sweet ass in the air. Show me everything that’s mine.”

  Oh, shit. Did he want to do it doggy style? Or, in his case, dragon style? I’d always wanted to try that position, but never dared.

  When I pointed my butt up into the air, my slit parted. I dripped.

  He loomed over me, his body rubbing against mine.

  That vibrating cock. I needed it.

  His fingertips slid down my throat, and he stroked my breasts. Like a wild beast, he hovered over me, panting against my hair.

  His rough palm moved down my belly to my pussy, where he rubbed my clit, bringing me to a fever-pitch all over again.

  He slid one finger inside me and tugged it out, only to shove two fingers back in swiftly. Plunging. Pulling.

  “Yes,” he murmured when I moaned and shoved backward, meeting his finger thrust. “Ride me, as fast and hard as you need.”

  Three fingers dove inside to meet me, while I writhed and leaned toward him. I ached for more. For his cock driving inside me. I bucked and strained while he continued a slow, steady rhythm. One threatening to drive me out of my mind.

  His fingers pulled out and shoved back inside, mimicking his cock. All the freaking way to the hilt, slamming deep, while he rubbed my clit. I writhed and shrieked and demanded it all and more, but he just kept teasing me.

  He pinched my clit and massaged it even harder, and I came apart. Stars shot across my vision, around me. Through me.

  With slow, stroking movements, he continued to pump his fingers, bringing me slowly to the edge all over again. When I moaned and spasmed, because I was tender and not quite ready, he only rubbed me harder, sending a surprising cascade of orgasms rushing over me, a sexual tsunami.

  Until I was beyond sated. Worn out. And trembling.

  After collapsing onto the sand, he curled himself around me from behind.

  No mistaking his pipe-hard cock.

  “You didn’t…” Well, he’d given me a series of ear-piercing orgasms, but his body made it clear there could be more action in my immediate future.

  Instead of holding me steady while he plunged inside me, he just stroked my face, my shoulder, my side.

  “I don’t understand.” I felt a bit sad and alone. Which I shouldn’t. I’d just experienced—again—something magical. How could I want more? Expect more? “Why didn’t you fill me? Take me?”

  “These times are for you, and you only.”

  This made no sense. A steel beam couldn’t get any harder than his cock. “But—”

  He placed a finger over my lips and said softly by my ear, “I won’t be with you again until I’ve finished my wooing.”

  “Wooing?”

  “According to tradition, I must court you. Only after that will I make you mine.”

  I liked that part of the tradition, but if this sudden custom didn’t involve full-on action every now and then, I was going to scream.

  “But—”

  Drek’s body stiffened, and he covered my mouth with his hand. Instinctively, I squirmed and struggled to get away.

  “Shhh,” he said softly. “Don’t move. Something’s…”

  My heart skipped a few beats.

  Something was what?

  Scanning the area from my limited location lying on the ground, I didn’t see anything we needed to be concerned about. But it was dark. I lay on the sand in an unknown world. And, obviously, his senses were keener than mine.

  So far, my excursion into the center of the Earth had shown me dragons were not the stuff of fairy tales. They existed.

  What other creatures had I dismissed as myth that might also be real? A shiver rushed through me, pepp
ering my skin with goosebumps. Maybe I didn’t want to know.

  “We have to go.” Easing away from me, Drek rose to his feet. He extended his hand, which I took, and he pulled me up to my feet. Keeping hold of my hand, he stared around.

  “What did you hear?”

  “Sarlons.” His intent gaze was focused upriver. “We need to ride. Once I shift, climb up on my back fast.”

  The urgency in his words sparked fear inside me. My hands trembled as I nodded and stared north, but I didn’t see anything—or anyone—coming. “What’s a sarlon?”

  “Something you don’t want to meet.”

  Ominous, but I’d take his word for it.

  In seconds, he’d shifted and I was climbing up and clinging to his wings.

  He rose quicker than he had before, but I no longer feared my dragon or riding on his back. This man—in any form—would protect me.

  Who couldn’t fall for a guy like that?

  We traveled for hours, and I knew he must be exhausted, because I’d had my share of sleep while he’d had little. Eventually, we landed on another beach, ate, then lay down in the sand again, spooning.

  My body relaxed as he stroked my neck and back. He massaged my legs that were sore from riding, and my mind took me away.

  I woke some time later to find a hot guy—not as hot as Drek, but still—standing over me.

  He shoved a sword toward my throat.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Drek

  Jenny yelped and rocks tumbled when she scrambled up the beach incline.

  She paused, her breathing ragged.

  “Actually, no way,” she said firmly. Returning to stand in front of me, she crouched and growled as if she’d defend me, instead of the other way around.

  “Damn, bro,” a harsh voice said. “Where did you capture her?”

  I slitted one eye open and tugged Jenny back down beside me, wrapping my arms snugly around her waist. “What are you doing here, Kemir?”

  The brother closest to me in age, Kemir was a total pain in the ass most of the time. Good with business, however. He’d taken the companies left to him by our father and turned them into highly-profitable ventures in a short time. They were doing better now than they’d done in years.