“You totally let him win,” Sybil whispered to him as he sat beside her on the grass.
He nodded to the boy, who was surrounded by his friends, slapping him on the back and congratulating him. “Let’s have our young friend bask in his glory.”
Sybil gave him a bright smile that warmed his heart, then leaned her head on his arm as she sank against his side. Aleksei closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of his mate by his side. Where she belongs.
“Ahem.”
“Yes?” Aleksei said in an annoyed voice. “What is it, Thoralf?”
The Captain of the Dragon Guard’s face was drawn into a severe frown. “Your Highness, it’s getting late. We should get back to the castle.”
Aleksei’s spine stiffened. What is the matter, my friend? The tension from Thoralf was practically rolling off him.
His Majesty planned this outing last minute, and I’m concerned that we have not prepared the security plans well enough. Thoralf’s eyes scanned the area.
“You’re doing it again, aren’t you?” Sybil said in a dry tone.
“Doing what?”
She tapped the side of her temple. “That mental talk thing. I know you are, don’t deny it.”
Aleksei chuckled. “Fine, you know our secret.”
She huffed. “Maybe someday I’ll learn it too.”
Thoralf cleared his throat again. “Your Highness? The car is waiting.”
“Right. You go ahead and secure my father. We will be along shortly.” As Thoralf bowed and walked away, Aleksei stood up and offered his hand to Sybil, which she accepted. When he pulled her up, he felt a little cheeky and pulled her to him. “You look beautiful today, did I tell you that?”
“No, I don’t believe you have,” she said with a mocking pout.
“Well, I am telling you now. Especially when you were holding that baby.”
A blush spread over her cheeks. “Aleksei …”
He was desperate to have her alone again. To kiss her, and maybe undress her again, and have her writhing in pleasure as he tasted her. He meant what he had told her last night. “I should—”
A scream interrupted his words and suddenly, his dragon instincts went into overdrive.
“Aleksei!” Sybil’s voice was panicked. “What’s happening?”
He was already running back toward the tent where the scream had come from. There. Three men were standing a few feet from his father and Thoralf. These men, they were dressed in the same white uniforms as the servers, but Aleksei could feel they weren’t from here. Outsiders. “Father!”
The horror in front of his eyes unfolded in slow motion. One man pointing something at his father, and a sickeningly familiar orange light zoomed toward him. The Wand. It hit King Harald with a loud sizzling sound and his father staggered back. Thoralf stepped in front of his father as the second man took out a large weapon, but the captain was too late. The weapon went off, and both Thoralf and King Harald collapsed to the ground.
“No!” Aleksei’s heart jumped into his throat and the three men turned to him. The man raised The Wand toward him, but before he could use it, something large—Stein—tackled him to the ground. He dropped the wand, but unfortunately, the third man picked it up and ran away.
Aleksei was torn, but decided to continue running toward his father, stopping his momentum in time to kneel down. “Father … please …” He cradled his head gently on his lap, trying to control the expression on his face as he looked at his father’s torso, where red bloomed through his shirt.
“So … cold.” King Harald was on the ground, his face ashen. “My … boy … you must …”
“Shh … don’t talk, Father. It’s all right. You’ll be fine.” His throat was constricting so hard he couldn’t breathe.
“Your Majesty.” Thoralf looked even more horrified. He also had a wound on his arm, but clearly it was already healing. “The bullet went through me and must have …”
Rage began to pour into his veins. But first he had to take care of King Harald. “Get my Father to the hospital!”
“At once!” Thoralf scooped up King Harald into his arms and quickly made his way out of the Royal Gardens.
Aleksei turned to the attackers. Stein and Rorik had already wrestled both under control. The two men were on their knees as the Dragon Guards held them down, arms behind them. “How did you get in here?” He didn’t need to ask who they were. “Who betrayed us?”
One of the men—the one who had used The Wand—craned his head up at him. “Dragon scum.” He spat at Aleksei.
Aleksei reacted instantly, landing a blow on the man’s cheek so hard he heard the bones crack. “Someone betrayed us. Who? Tell me now and I will make your death quick.”
“Does it matter, you abomination?” The man laughed, and Rorik tightened his hold, but he refused to make a sound though his face twisted in pain.
“You.” He looked at the other man. “Tell me what you know.”
Stein didn’t even need a signal from Aleksei as he held that man in a headlock and twisted. The man screamed in agony. “All right!” he gasped when Stein released his head. “It was one of your own. Your cousin.”
The words hit him like a ton of stone. At first, he denied it. Erik would never betray them, especially to their mortal enemies. What would he hope to achieve? But why would this man lie?
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” the first man said with a laugh. “Soon, all of you will be gone! We will decimate this Godforsaken island. Your dear cousin has betrayed you, and now we know your location. We are coming and we will be prepared.”
“Aleksei!” Sybil had caught up to him and held his hand. “Oh my God! Your father—”
“He will be fine.” But the pit in his stomach grew. Even if King Harald did survive, what kind of life would he live, without his dragon? He knew exactly how that would be and had seen it with his own eyes. But there were so many other things to think about. The betrayal of his cousin. An impending attack. And the safety of his mate. “Take these scum away,” he ordered. “Then have the Dragon Navy comb every inch of the Northern Isles to find that third man. He has The Wand and we can’t let him get back to the rest of his companions.”
Rorik and Stein hauled the two men to their feet and dragged them across the grass.
Finally, he turned to Sybil. “I must take you to safety.”
“What? No! Aleksei, you have to—”
He couldn’t hear her words. The anger was buzzing in his head, making it hard to think. Later, he couldn’t even recall what had happened. All he remembered was pulling Sybil along despite her protests, and commanding Gideon to take her back to the palace and secure her.
Aleksei did remember the last thing he said to his remaining Dragon Guard. “Niklas, go find my dear cousin and tell him we need to have a chat.”
“And if he resists?”
“Then do what you must.”
Chapter Fifteen
Sybil had never been so sick and anxious in her life. It had been more than twenty-four hours since she’d seen Aleksei. She’d been angry at him for locking her up, but she understood that he had duties and responsibilities to his people.
Still, it wasn’t a reason to keep her a prisoner. While Gideon seemed like he was the most reasonable of the Dragon Guards, he was no less loyal and followed his prince’s instructions to a T. He had brought her to her room and stood guard outside, and no amount of pleading and begging would get through to him. Finally, she gave up but asked to be put in Aleksei’s rooms instead. He had to come back and rest or change clothes at some point, right? She wanted to catch him and make sure he was okay.
And so here she was, all alone in Aleksei’s room, laying on his bed. Her heart hurt for him and for King Harald. Every now and then, she would ask Gideon if he had heard any news about the king’s condition, but he didn’t know either, only that he was still alive and fighting. Even Ursula, when she came in to bring Sybil her meals, simply answered her questions with shrugs and sighs.
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Sybil didn’t even have the energy to be bored. She was so caught up in her own thoughts. Her phone didn’t work, of course, so she didn’t even know what was happening outside the Northern Isles. Was everyone back home okay? Did The Knights attack the other clans?
All this uncertainty was driving her crazy. And to think, right before those men attacked, she really was having a good time. The barbecue with the kids and the elderly people had been fun, and more than that, she had seen a side of Aleksei she had never seen before. Kind, caring, and loving to his people. It was a breath of fresh air, and it was almost dizzying the way she found herself being drawn to this Aleksei.
Her dragon snorted, as if chiding her: why did it take you this long? She mentally shook her head. She wasn’t sure. But all she wanted was to see Aleksei now to comfort and hold him.
This was driving her crazy, and she was ready to shift into her dragon form and break out when the door opened. Her breath caught in her throat. “Aleksei.”
His face was drawn into a deep scowl when he walked into the room. It was obvious that he hadn’t slept at all, based on the disheveled state of his clothes—the same ones he had been wearing yesterday—and the bags under his eyes. When his gaze crashed against hers, his eyes grew wide. “Sybil? What are you doing here? I told Gideon—”
“He did what you told him,” she said. “But I asked to be moved here.”
“Why?”
“Why?” she said in an incredulous voice. “You had no plans of seeing me at all, did you? Otherwise, you’d have realized my room was empty.”
His lips drew back into a thin line. “I have been preoccupied, as you can imagine.”
“I know that.” She tried not to let his dismissive tone hurt her. Aleksei needed her right now and her heart was aching, knowing the pain he was going through. “Please, Aleksei. Sit down and talk to me.”
“I don’t have time!” he growled. “My father is clinging to life, I found out my only other family has betrayed me and I had to throw him into the dungeon, not to mention, The Knights are probably on their way here now with an army of their own.”
“You can’t do this to yourself,” she said. “You’re obviously tired. When was the last time you slept? Or ate? Rest for a bit. Just lie down. You have competent people under you, and I’m sure they’ll understand if you need a moment to process things.”
“I have had time to process things.” His hands clenched at his sides. “One thing at least. You are leaving as soon as the jet is fueled and prepped.”
“What? No!” How dare he! “I am not leaving!”
“Did you not hear what they said? There is an impending attack! The Knights have known our location for months. We interrogated Erik and he confessed that he gave them all the intel they need for this attack,” he said in a bitter voice. “This is no place for you.”
Sybil walked to him, facing him toe-to-toe, despite the fact that he towered over her. “This is exactly my place. I can help, Aleksei. Are you forgetting that I’m a dragon too?”
“I would never allow you to risk your life.”
“You wanted me to live this life with you, right? Then don’t shut me out now.”
Aleksei grew quiet, then said, “Then maybe I don’t want you in this life.”
Her heart dropped to her stomach. He couldn’t mean that.
No!
Her dragon protested, too, with a roar of defiance.
Mine. Mate.
“No way.” She poked a finger on his chest. “You don’t get to decide. I have my own mind and my own heart.”
Aleksei sighed, turned his back to her, and walked over to his bed. He sat down and dropped his head into his hands. “I realize it was unfair of me to issue you an ultimatum without you knowing what the responsibility a life like mine has. Ruling is not a privilege, but a burden. That’s a lesson my father has been trying to teach me all my life. We serve the people, not the other way around.”
Tears burned at Sybil’s throat as she approached him. She knelt down in front of him and pulled his hands away so she could look into the blue-green depths of his eyes. “Aleksei, please don’t take back what you said to me the other day. Don’t take back your offer.”
“Knowing what could happen, you would still want to be Queen? You would want this burden?”
She laughed. “I’m not saying I want to be Queen. Aleksei, this life wouldn’t be a burden. Not to me. Not when I get to have you.”
His expression was one she could only describe as astonishment. He didn’t move, as if he wasn’t sure what he had just heard. So, she decided to make it plainer. “Aleksei, I love you. I want to be with you. If that means I’ll be Queen, so be it. But I will be your wife and your mate first.” She got up and stood between his legs. Leaning down, she brushed his hair back from his face and pressed her lips to his. He remained still for a few seconds, but soon he was responding ardently. His hands planted on her hips, then wrapped around her waist, pulling her down on the bed.
His lips never left hers, like he was savoring her, his tongue teasing and tasting her. He rolled over so he was on top, careful not to crush her with his upper body. He propped himself up, leaning over her. “You acknowledge me as your mate? And accept the mating bond?”
A warmth spread over her. “I do. But,” she traced his lips with her finger. “I claim you as my mate, too.”
He let out a deep growl before he took her mouth in a savage kiss. It was wild, claiming, but freeing at the same time. She knew what it felt like to fly, but it was like she was being launched into the stratosphere. Soaring high above the earth that it was almost dizzying, then free falling. But she wasn’t quite falling because she felt a sensation of something wrapping around her like a warm, cozy blanket, and for the first time in her life she had this comforting feeling that she would never be alone again.
When Aleksei released her from the kiss, he looked just as surprised as her. “The bond. You felt it too.”
She nodded.
“Sybil … I never thought … this is …”
She couldn’t blame him, she felt just as speechless. But, one of them needed to say something. “Aleksei, please … make love to me now.”
The growl of desire that rumbled from this chest was unmistakable. “Sybil. Thank you. For this wonderful gift.”
“I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for you, Aleksei.” She reached up and pulled him down again, eager to be spoiled by his kisses. And he did spoil her, his kiss passionate and fierce and intense. She never wanted this to end, and she gave a disappointed cry when he moved away, but then let out a gasp when his tongue licked a path down the column of her neck.
He made quick work of her clothes, whipping her sweater over her head and tugging her bra off. As he licked and suckled at her nipples, his hands slid down her jeans and her panties. She felt vulnerable, bared to him under lights, but at the same time it was like her skin was on fire and his touch was the only thing that could soothe her.
“My mate,” he murmured against her skin as he moved lower down to her belly and then between her legs.
“Aleksei.” She groaned aloud and lifted her hips up to meet his mouth. His hands steadied her, bringing her back down as his tongue did delicious things to her. He was relentless, bringing her to the edge, then backing away just enough to keep her there. When he finally did tease her to orgasm, she swore she went blind briefly from her world exploding around her.
“Please,” she panted as she came down from the mind-blowing pleasure. “Don’t make me wait any longer.”
“As you wish.” Aleksei rocked back on his heels and pulled off his shirt. The sight of his bare torso took her breath away, and she couldn’t help but groan when he took his pants off. His cock was ready, hard and standing at attention, a pearl of pre-cum beading at the tip. “I’ll be as gentle as I can,” he whispered as crawled over her. Nudging her knees apart, he moved between her thighs.
She sighed and closed her eyes. She felt the th
ick head of his cock pressing against her and she let out a breath, trying to relax her body. Slowly, he moved into her and she opened her eyes to look at him. He was deep in concentration as he slipped more and more of himself inside her. When he hit that barrier, he bit his lip.
“I’m sorry, lyubimaya moya.”
“Oh!”
The pain was brief when he pushed all the way inside her. She knew it couldn’t be helped. His body went all tense.
“Aleksei, you feel incredible inside me,” she whispered, running her fingers up and down his back. “More. Please, I want it all.”
He grunted and slipped his hands under her, raising her hips up. Then, he began to move and she gasped. She thought him being inside her was nice, but now … “Ooh!” The pleasure building inside her was too much. She couldn’t believe … nothing could possibly feel like this. Aleksei changed his angle just right so he could brush up against her clit and that sent her yelping and clawing her nails down his back.
“Aleksei! Oh God!”
It was like she was in a dream. But no, this was reality. Aleksei had taken her virginity and was now making love to her. He slid all the way out, and then pushed back into her quickly. The friction was maddening, exhilarating, and almost frustrating because she didn’t know how to react or how this would end.
“Sybil,” he gasped. “Sybil … Sybil …” He said her name over and over again, as if it was the only word he knew. He shifted her hips again, this time deepening his thrusts into her.
“God!” Sybil cried out when the orgasm hit her. She knew it was coming but still, it was like a hurricane out of nowhere. Her body convulsed involuntarily as the pleasure seemed to hit her over and over again like waves crashing on a rock. She tightened around him and then felt his cock pulse as a sticky warmth filled her. Aleksei thrust into her a few more times, moaning her name as his body shivered, then his movements slowed down.
The Blackstone She-Dragon: Blackstone Mountain Book 8 Page 17
