Loved by a Dragon: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Exiled Dragons Book 2)

by Stone, Sarah J.

  “Mmmm,” she moaned as he softly kissed his way up her legs to her thighs, pushing them apart to access her already soaked pussy. He lapped gently at her juices, his large tongue dipping in and out of her folds and tangling around her clit as he took his time teasing her with his mouth. Her back arched upwards, pushing against his face, wanting more.

  Then he was pulling away, moving upward, his hand replacing his mouth as he explored her folds with his long, rough fingers. His mouth covered one of her nipples, teasing it with his tongue and nibbling softly with his teeth. He took great care to lick and suck one fully before moving to the other side. He could feel her getting wetter the more he fingered her and caressed her breasts with his mouth.

  “God, you’re incredible,” he told her as he brought his face up to hers, watching her reactions as he finger fucked her with longer strokes, simultaneously rubbing her clit with his thumb. She bit her lip as he smiled down at her, bringing her to an explosive orgasm with his talented hands before finally slipping his throbbing cock inside of her.

  “Yes. Perfect,” she managed to say between panting and whimpering. Though he was extremely gentle, he was also massive. It felt like he might tear her apart slowly from the inside as he pulsated against her inner walls. Her fingers dug into his back as he drove into her with slow, heavy strokes, filling her in a way she had never felt before.

  “You’re so tight. It feels like you’re squeezing my cock. God, it feels amazing,” he whispered in her ear, taking his time to let her feel every inch of him as he sank in and out of her.

  “Ahhh, I’m coming,” she sighed, her body trembling with the force of the orgasm that seemed to overtake her entire frame. It was quickly followed by a series of equally powerful explosions that shook her to the very core. Though she appeared weak and shattered beneath him, there were no signs of him stopping anytime soon. Instead, he bent forward to kiss her deeply. He felt overwhelmed with emotion but refused to give into anything he might be feeling in a moment of passion.

  “Beautiful,” he mumbled against her hair, pulling her legs upward and over his shoulders as he sank even deeper inside her. His hands cupped the cheeks of her ass as he plunged into her very core until he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold back. As if perfectly in tune with her, his fingers dug into her backside as he erupted into her center, filling her with a heavy load of cum before pulling free and slipping her legs away from his shoulders. Rather than dropping onto one side of the bed and falling asleep, he curled up next to her, wrapping one arm around her so that she could curl into the crook. It felt like the only place on earth he could ever hope for her to be again.

  The darkness drifted away as morning took its place. The light began to filter through the bedroom window, shining across the naked figures of Aaron and Kate, still wrapped together as they slept peacefully in one another’s arms. If anyone in the outside world could have seen them like this in these peaceful hours as they lay without a care in the world, they would not have known just how hard their lives currently were.

  Instead, all they would have seen was a couple on the verge of a love that would stand not only the test of time, but anything that might be thrown their way during the course of decades that might be spent in one another’s arms. Under different circumstances, two young people their age would have been enjoying life with friends, perhaps traveling or going to plays during the weekend, but that was not the world they lived in, and even if Aaron made it through this battle in one piece, it would never be the lives they could lead.

  They were remnants of a different age and a different species, trying to make the best of a time well beyond where they had been designed to exist. Gone were the days when dragons could fly freely across the skies, fearless and powerful. Now, they had to hide in the shadows or live in areas where they could at least be a bit free with themselves. That is what Aaron had chosen to fight for, what little freedom they were afforded in their village with their clan.

  At least there they could fly as they saw fit with very little chance of being seen by anyone who cared. There were some humans on the outskirts of their village that knew about them but said nothing. Part of it was a fear of being called crazy by those who wouldn’t believe it, and part of it was fear of the dragons themselves. Still, there were others that understood the majesty of their ancient ways and marveled at their wingspread as they took flight over the Mourne Mountains and the sea beyond.

  That was the freedom that Aaron would fight for – that, and the woman lying in his arms. The woman that he had no doubt he was in love with and wanted to stay with until the end of time. Without these things, there was nothing for him or for anyone like him. They would spend their days flying only in darkness and in places where there was hardly any population. They would live in fear of discovery and be afraid to have children that might reveal their secret to the wrong people before they understood the harm that humans could do.

  Lying together there in the early hours of the morning, everything felt right with the world, but the reality was that there was very little that was right at all. In only a matter of days, perhaps that would change. If it didn’t, there were only worse days ahead for those who had nowhere else to go but the village, where their freedom was only slightly less limited by the tyranny of their leader, Aiden. Aaron wasn’t keen on being the new leader. He had never been much of a politician, but it was time that someone did something, and he was that someone.

  CHAPTER 6

  “Good morning,” Aaron said cheerfully, slipping his arms around Kate’s waist and pulling her back against him in the bed.

  “It’s not morning. It’s the middle of the night,” she mumbled sleepily.

  “Nope. It’s morning for me. Time to fly,” he said happily, kissing her neck.

  “Mmmph,” she groaned, turning toward him with her hair splayed all over the pillow and a half-awake grimace.

  “It’s okay. You can sleep, but I have to go. I’ll be back in a few hours,” he told her.

  “Be careful,” she replied, now more awake and looking up at him.

  Aaron was once again taken aback by how beautiful she was. Even now, with her hair all messed up and no makeup to be discerned, she was gorgeous. There was nothing he would’ve liked more than to take her again before heading out, but there was no time. Daylight would arrive all too quickly, and he couldn’t allow himself to be swayed from his regimen by his libido. Kissing her bare shoulder, he reluctantly walked into the main room and straight out the back door, shifting as he ran across the yard and taking flight into the darkness.

  One advantage that Aaron had over other dragons was his coloring. He lacked any of the bright streaks of color many of them possessed. Though his gray-brown coloring was a bit on the drab side, it was nice cover in the darkness, as he was barely discernible from the sky around him. Anyone just casting a glance in his direction might see movement, but they would be hard pressed to define it in any manner. As long as it was fairly dark outside, he blended in quite nicely, including in the rain when the skies were gray and distorted by drops of water.

  It was for this reason that he had planned his attack for a few days from now, when storms were predicted. He would be a much harder target for Aiden while they were in the skies, especially during the dark hour at which he intended to make his play. All he had to do was lure Aiden out of his house and then challenge him once he was outside. After that, it was merely a matter of who was stronger and faster.

  “Aiden is not someone you should take lightly,” Kate warned him later in the day as they sat down to talk about his plans for challenging the dragon leader.

  “I don’t. I know that he’s powerful, but I can’t let that stop me. I’m strong, too, and I’m prepared for him.”

  “I’m scared, Aaron. You haven’t been preparing for very long. What if it’s not enough?”

  “It has to be. The longer I wait, the better chance of him doing more harm to innocent people in our village – people we know an
d love. We can prevent that, and we can change what he’s done to us and our families. You believe that, don’t you?”

  “Yes. I do believe in you, Aaron. I’m just scared, that’s all.”

  “I just wish I had a better feel for his routine. I need to lure him out at night, but I don’t know much about his guard patrols or when he might be more vulnerable to a challenge without interference from them.”

  “Let me go into the village and do some snooping for you.”

  “Oh, no. Absolutely not, Kate!”

  “Why not?”

  “You know why not. He’s dangerous. I don’t know what he would do if he found you there.”

  “He won’t know who I am. Look, you haven’t been gone that long. He knows your face, but my mother and I left when I was still young. I’ve changed a lot since then,” she said.

  “Not to me. I recognized you instantly when I saw you.”

  “You would, but he won’t. He was always too interested in looking at my mother to pay attention to me. In the handful of times he has seen me, he’s never paid any attention to my face and certainly won’t make the connection after all these years.”

  “I don’t care, Kate. I won’t risk it.”

  “I wasn’t asking, Aaron. I’ve already sent word to my friend, Rebekkah, and heard back from her. You remember her from when we were little, don’t you? She lived just down the street in that big house that made the rest of us look as if we were in shacks.”

  “Oh, yeah. Their house made like four compared to one of ours,” he laughed.

  “That’s the one. Rebekkah will let me stay with her and tell no one who I am. She was away at school for a while and only recently came back when her parents decided to give her the house and move to some remote island in the middle of nowhere. They always were a bit off in the head.”

  “I don’t know, Kate. I don’t like it, and I’m selfish, too, I guess. I want you here with me, not playing sleuth too close to Aiden.”

  “Too bad I’m not giving you a choice. It’s already done. I’m heading down there in the morning and will be posing as a friend she invited to visit from school.”

  “Kate, please,” he began to plead.

  “Did my pleas work when I wanted you to stay with me and not come here? No. Yours won’t work with me, either. We only have a few days left, and you need to know things that I can help you with. I’m going to do what I can to make sure you have every advantage possible in taking Aiden down, once and for all.”

  “What can I say to change your mind about this?”

  “Nothing. We’re in this together, and I’m going to do my part.”

  “I don’t like it, Kate,” he complained.

  “Yes, you’ve said that. You don’t have to like it. It’s as good as done.”

  “Fine, but I need to hear from you every day to make sure you’re alright. How do we do that?”

  “We don’t. We can’t afford for anyone to find out that you’re here and that I’m spying for you in the village. As soon as I get what I need for you, then I’ll come back here, and we’ll make final arrangements for you to return and do what you need to do.”

  “Kate, I can do this without those details.”

  “Maybe you can, and maybe you can’t. You should have every advantage though. I’m going to do this,” she said resolutely.

  “I don’t suppose I have a choice, you stubborn woman!” he said in resignation, unhappy about this altogether.

  “I don’t suppose you do. Now, let’s have a nice dinner and get some sleep. I intend to head off to Rebekkah’s at first light. I’ll only have a couple of days to gather information and get back here, so I need to make the best use of my time.”

  Aaron merely grumbled in response. He didn’t like this idea in the least. It had never been his intention for Kate or anyone close to him to be involved in this. He would either be victorious and bring them home, or he would die trying, but he had planned on no one else being endangered in the process. Now, Kate had firmly entrenched herself into the battle in her own way. He considered backing off and just going back to Kearney to rebuild there.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking,” Kate asked thoughtfully as they lay in bed later that night.

  “I’m thinking that it might be better for everyone if I just give this up and we go back to help the others start over in our new home.”

  “It’s too late for that, Aaron.”

  “No. It’s not too late. We can leave in the morning.”

  “And then what? You will never be happy with that decision. As much as I’m afraid for you to go through with this, I’m more afraid of what it will do to you if you don’t. I know you, Aaron. It will consume you until you pass from this world into the next, and that is a very long time from now.”

  “Hopefully,” he said with a faint smile. “Still, Kate. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I’ll be fine. We are going to do this. I’m with you one-hundred percent.”

  Aaron sighed and closed his eyes, feeling her soft hands as they roamed lightly across his chest. Having her here by his side, telling him he could do this, only strengthened his resolve to accomplish removing Aiden from power. After a moment, he turned to her and kissed her, pulling her tightly to him as the moonlight danced across her face.

  “I love you, Kate. I guess I always have.”

  “I know, Aaron. I love you, too,” she replied as her hand moved upward to caress his cheek and look into his eyes.

  “Tell me you believe I am doing the right thing.”

  “I do. I just didn’t want you to be the one to do it, because I’m afraid of losing you. Aiden is a monster, and he must be removed from power. If you’re the one that needs to do it, then I’m with you.”

  CHAPTER 7

  The following morning, Aiden went for his morning flight while Kate packed some things to go to Rebekkah’s house. When he returned just before daylight, she kissed him goodbye and climbed into the cab that arrived a short time later. Her plan was to not reveal herself as a shifter. They had decided that it would require more explanations of what clan she was from and where she had come from. Instead, she would pose as human, just a regular girl Rebekkah had befriended in college.

  Aaron felt ill from the moment she left. Having her too far away from him and too close to Aiden was very unsettling. After only the first day, he felt like he might come out of his skin with worry. No matter how hard he tried to shake it off, he couldn’t stop wondering if she was okay. It was maddening.

  By the end of the first day, he had decided it was doing more harm than good for her to be there. Perhaps she might learn something helpful, but he was exhausting himself just wondering about her. He waited until his usual flight time the following morning and did something he knew was probably a mistake, but he just couldn’t stop himself.

  Landing on the familiar soil behind his parent’s old home felt almost surreal. It still sat empty. Aiden had claimed all their property as his own upon their departure, according to word they had received through the grapevine. Quietly, he slipped into the back door, making his way through his childhood home. It was hard to make out much in the darkness, but he could see that it had been left intact, and he wondered why. Why wouldn’t Aiden have already cleaned out what they had left behind and put it up for sale or reoccupation?

  He wandered into his bedroom and lay down on his old bed. Being home again was soothing on one level and upsetting on another. He could remember the good times here, but it also brought the threat of not being able to return into full focus. The bottom line was that he couldn’t afford not to challenge Aiden. His family, Kate’s family…it would never end with them. Aiden would continue to use his power to squash anyone who opposed him.

  “It’s overwhelming, isn’t it?” came a voice from nearby.

  “Who said that?” Aaron said, jumping up to look around the room.

  “It’s just me, son,” his father replied, stepping from the shadows near his clos
et door.

  “Dad? How are you here?” he said in disbelief.

  “I’m always with you, Aaron. I’ve not left your side since the day you were born.”

  “No. You died. We cremated you. Your ashes are waiting until I can spread them here, at home where you belong.”

  “I am not my ashes, my son. I am a part of you. That voice that whispers to you in the darkness. That guiding hand that steers you in the right direction.”

  “Then it is you that has brought me here. This is what you want from me,” Aaron replied, feeling even more validated than before.

  “Is that what you need to hear? Do you need me to say that this is the right way to do things?”

  “I’m not sure you agree. If you did, you wouldn’t have run away. You wouldn’t have taken us from our home to some place where we struggle to even eat a decent meal.”

  “I did what was best to protect all of you. I couldn’t fight Aiden. If I could, I would have done so long ago.”

  “I could have. You could have told me what was happening instead of dragging us away in the night.”

  “No, son. I couldn’t put that burden on you. It was a decision you had to make for yourself.”

  “I’m not sure, Dad. I’m afraid. I want to do this, but I’m afraid I won’t be strong enough. What if I can’t take him down?”

  “Then you will have tried. Don’t worry about failure. Just focus on making sure you succeed. You can do this, Aaron.”

  Aaron looked down at his feet for a moment and took a deep breath before asking his next question, but when he looked up, his father was gone.

  “Dad? Are you still here? Dad?” he called out, stepping out into the hallways to look around.

  Making his way toward the stairs, he headed down when he felt a powerful hand on his back. He turned, expecting to see his father again, but his heart almost stopped in his chest as he found himself face to face with Aiden.