“I’m okay,” she whispered. “I just…” She shook her head. “I think I just felt your pain in a whole new way. Better yet, Freydis’.” Shannon closed her eyes and took a long, measured breath. “Her dragon’s.” She opened her eyes. “No, all the dragons. Your family. Mine. And someone else’s.”
Nausea rolled her stomach before the air went icy and she looked up. They were in Helheim again, and a beautiful, multi-colored dragon was perched on the ledge above looking down at her.
She had absolutely no doubt who it was.
Her twin…or was it? She felt familiar. It had to be her sister.
“Erica?” she whispered, in absolute awe.
The dragon said nothing but lowered its head and started shaking in submission as a far larger dragon landed behind it. Black with blazing red eyes, she knew exactly who it was. Hallstein.
“No.” She shook her head, desperate to get to Erica but unable to move. “No!”
Seconds later, the world shifted, and both dragons vanished.
“Shannon?” She couldn’t quite place where the sound was coming from. “Can you hear me, Shannon?”
“Matthew,” she whispered, blinking a few times before everything returned to normal. Sort of. She was no longer standing but on Matthew’s lap on the ground. His back was against the tree.
“What happened?” She frowned and looked around. “How did I end up here?”
“One moment you were talking about connecting with all of our dragons,” he said. “The next you were staring up at the mountain and falling.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “That was several minutes ago. I didn’t bring you back to the others yet because I didn’t want Emily to be frightened.”
“Thank you,” she managed. Her eyes went back to the ledge where the dragons had been. “They’re gone.”
“Yes.” She didn’t miss the way he kept touching her gently here and there. As if he were subconsciously checking to make sure she was really okay. “I saw them but only within your mind. I didn’t cross into Helheim with you this time.”
She released a shaky breath. “That dragon felt like Erica…but not.” She found comfort staring into his eyes. A warmth she had never felt before. “Do you think it was Maeva?”
“Perhaps,” he murmured.
“This is what I get for not listening to my mother.” She shook her head. “For calling on the land of the dead, to begin with.”
“Did your mother share your abilities then?”
“No,” she murmured, remembering the day her mother passed away all too well. “She warned me after she died.” Shannon swallowed. “At first I pleaded for her to stay. I would miss her too much. Then, because of what I am, I had to turn around and convince her spirit to move on. In those last moments together after I finally convinced her, she made me promise not to summon the land of the dead. She never gave a reason, and I didn’t push it.”
“That must have been very hard for you,” he said softly. “All of it.”
“More than you know,” she whispered. “I remember wishing that I had told her what I was before she died, so she wasn’t shocked. In those first moments, she thought because I was the only one who could communicate with her that I must be dead too.” Her breathing was choppy, her words wrung with emotion. “So she had to deal not only with her own death but her child’s as well.”
“But you managed to convince her,” he said.
“Yes.” She fought a wave of sadness. “And I was able to help her communicate with dad. To say goodbye.” She swallowed hard. “They had been so in love and found that again at the end. Not that they had lost it...they just needed all the sickness and heartache to end.”
“And it did,” he murmured. “Yes?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “Of course, like all of us, dad grieved, but I got the impression he knew without question he would see her again. That they would find each other.”
“That is good,” he said. “Might we all reconnect with our kin.”
She yawned and nodded. For some reason seeing those dragons had zapped the last of her energy.
“Rest, Shannon,” he murmured. “Regain your strength.”
“No, I shouldn’t.”
“You should,” he pressed. “I have already sent a message to the others to keep Emily safe so do not worry.”
“But you’re sitting in snow,” she argued. “That can’t be comfortable.”
“I am dragon,” he said. “Snow does not bother me.”
She eyed him, unsure, before another wave of exhaustion hit her.
“Maybe just for a few minutes,” she finally relented and rested her head against his shoulder.
She meant to thank him, but the words were but a mumble as she drifted off. When she awoke, it was no longer dark but dim. The pine tree they were under was heavy enough with snow that its branches dipped to the ground creating a cozy hideaway.
“Emily,” she whispered, her first thought of her daughter.
“Safe,” Matthew whispered. “Asleep between three dragons who would die before they let harm befall her.”
Shannon shifted only to realize that she was no longer sideways on his lap but had at some point straddled him and was cuddled against his chest. As she sat back, she also realized that his arms were around her, and there was a fur not only beneath them but one wrapped around them.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know when I…” she trailed off, embarrassed by their intimate position. “Where did these furs come from?”
“Kadlin brought them.”
“That was nice of her,” she murmured and frowned, concerned about him. “I thought you were fine? That the snow didn’t bother you?”
“It doesn’t,” he replied. “I just wanted to keep you warm while you rested.”
Oh, she felt pretty warm, and it had nothing to do with furs.
Based on the huskiness of his voice and the erection pressing against her, he felt the same way. Shannon focused on deep, calming breaths as her eyes met his. In this lighting, with the snow, and evergreen backlit by a dim sky, his eyes were a unique, smoky shade of green. Beguiling. Mesmerizing. A shade you could stare at forever and still not know what to call it.
“I should get up,” she whispered. “We should go back.”
“We should. And we will.” His large, rough, warm hands cupped her cheeks. “Soon.”
Half a breath later, his lips were on hers.
This wasn’t what she had intended when she asked to speak to him alone earlier. This wasn’t what she had been looking for. And she meant to tell him as much. She really did. Yet somehow all her noble intentions fled beneath the feel of his lips. The tempting, erotic way he almost seemed to taste and sample her before he released a low growl, pulled her close and their tongues met.
She wasn’t aware of much after that. Her entire world dwindled down to the way their kiss evolved. How passionate it became. How right it felt. The next thing she knew, she had wrapped her hands in his hair and was grinding her pelvis against his. When he grabbed her butt, squeezed, then steered her exactly where he wanted, she almost cried out in pleasure.
She was already close to release.
Desperate.
So eager that things happened very quickly.
“Please,” she half panted, half groaned. “I need more...” She struggled for breath. “More of you.”
Breathing just as heavily, he was way ahead of her because a couple of yanks of clothing later, he pressed into the raging ache between her thighs. She whimpered with passion as he stared straight into her eyes and began filling her.
The level of intimacy she felt was indescribable.
Touching but sexy.
Encompassing but exposed.
Her jaw began to quiver, and her body tingled all over as he slowed, giving her time to adjust. Suddenly frustrated, she gasped, “No,” and pressed down, groaning with relief as he slid into her completely. Only then did she realize she had both hands twisted into his hair and her fore
head pressed against his.
She spent little time reflecting on how intense she felt but chased the feeling as she began moving. At first, he let her take the lead. Her eyes nearly rolled back in her head as she lifted, fell, ground, and swirled her hips again and again. In short time, it was clearly more than he could take as he braced his legs, grasped her backside tighter and began thrusting.
Shannon flung her head back, closed her eyes and bit her lower lip hard, so she didn’t make too much noise. Or at least she hoped. He had taken control, and she was just fine with that. It felt great. Better than great. A mental release that precursed the climax she was so eager to find.
The next thing she knew her hands weren’t tangled in his hair anymore, but he had wrapped her close, his strong arms a cage that held her tight against his chest. His speed increased. So fast. Maybe even unnaturally fast. So good. So very, very good. She pressed her mouth against the side of his neck and released a strangled moan as her body started to tremble from her core outward.
Once that happened, she barely felt a part of herself anymore. It was so intense, almost surreal when a bone-deep orgasm ripped through her. Submerged her. Swept her up in something fast and forceful yet at the same time, easy and freeing. Beautiful. Her ability to feel anything but him deep inside her completely vanished. Ceased to exist. He became everything in a way she couldn’t put words to as she seemingly broke wide open.
Her body, mind, and even her soul somehow.
It was the most amazing feeling she had ever felt while being intimate with a man and she held on for dear life. She pulsed and milked him as she rode wave after wave of pleasure. She only became vaguely aware of her surroundings when his arm tightened around her waist. Then his hand wrapped around the back of her neck, and he pressed deep one last time, releasing a long, strangled groan.
It sounded animalistic.
Powerful.
Hers.
Shannon didn’t move for a while. She couldn’t even if she wanted to. Her body was in a state of suspension, saturated in untouchable, utter relaxation highlighted by extreme pleasure.
When she finally lifted her head from his shoulder and met his eyes, she didn’t know what to make of what she saw there. It was first and foremost, vulnerable and confused. But it was caring too.
Then there was the guilt.
“No,” she whispered out of instinct, focusing on what hurt him the most. What he didn’t deserve to feel. “There’s no reason to feel guilty.” Then she reminded him of what she knew from being inside his mind. “You’ve had sex since she’s been gone, Matthew.” She pulled away but kept eye contact, so he felt grounded, her voice as tender and forgiving as she could manage. “And this is just sex. A way to relieve stress. That’s all. Nothing more. Just what your body needed.”
Shannon ignored how she felt, kept her voice calm and level, and focused entirely on him. “Do you understand?”
Matthew’s eyes remained on hers, lost, before they cleared and became so compassionate, her throat thickened with unexpected emotion.
“I do understand, Shannon.” When he continued, she knew he followed her thoughts. Her genuine need to ease his distress. He touched her cheek, then her neck before he shook his head and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Thank you.” He searched her eyes. “I have never met a more selfless human, let alone dragon.”
She had no idea what to say to that as their eyes held. It was the last thing she expected of him. The last thing she wanted. Or so she kept trying to convince herself as she finally tore her eyes away and adjusted her clothing. Strangely enough, like him, she suddenly felt a flash of guilt. Or was it so strange? She and Anthony might have drifted apart toward the end, but still, she hadn’t had sex with anyone since. So it was good that she had remained on birth control. Not that it mattered considering dragons could control pregnancy.
“We should get back,” she murmured as she stood, her mind suddenly on Sam and the fact she got pregnant simply because she was in heat. How did dragons know that anyway? And wasn’t what she just did with Matthew a little risky considering she didn’t have an answer to that?
It seemed Matthew sensed her concern based on his next words.
“There is a scent and feeling female dragons put off when they’re in heat,” he said, not meeting her eyes as he adjusted his clothing as well. “Usually only their mate can detect it. Sam and Bjorn were an unusual circumstance.”
Shannon nodded but offered no response as Matthew scooped up the furs and said, “Wear your hood. It’s cold and windy.”
She did as he suggested then passed him after he shook off then held aside a pine branch for her.
“Thank you,” she said, eager to get back to Emily.
As Matthew had assured, she was sound asleep surrounded by Kadlin, Kodran, and Sven. Cameron wasn’t too far away either.
When Matthew laid the furs down, and it appeared he was only creating one place to sleep, she spoke within his mind. “We should sleep separately. I don’t want Emily to be confused when she wakes up.”
“Are you sure?” he responded. “It is warmer to sleep in pairs or groups.”
“I’m sure.”
That had been another reason she decided against intimacy after Anthony passed away. She didn’t want Emily to see men coming and going from her life and tried to provide as stable an environment as possible. Not only that, she really wasn’t into one-night stands. She had toys to take care of those needs.
When Matthew released a muffled grunt as he set up her furs, she realized he was catching snippets of her thoughts. Shannon bit back a small smile. Apparently, he knew what she meant by ‘toys.’
“Thanks,” she whispered as she lay down on a fur and he covered her with another. He didn’t go far but rested a few feet away.
His eyes met hers. “If you change your mind and are too cold, do not hesitate to join me, Shannon. I will not,” he hesitated, struggling for the right words. “I will not touch you but simply provide body heat.”
“Thank you,” she said. “But I should be good.”
Soon after, she dozed off. When she awoke, the cave was awash in the warm reds and oranges of a sunset and Emily was curled up next to her. Her eyes widened when she realized what else had changed. Emily was cuddled between her and Matthew. When did this happen? When did they all end up together under the same fur?
As if he sensed her distress, Matthew’s eyes opened and locked with hers. “You do not remember? It’s okay. I will get up before she awakes.”
Shannon frowned, totally confused as he carefully moved away. “What happened?” Her eyes followed him. “Why did you join me when I asked you not to?”
“I did not.” He started to pull on his boots. “You joined me then she joined us.”
“Oh, God, what?” Shannon frowned. “Why would I do that?”
Matthew shrugged, his expression unreadable. “Perhaps you were cold?”
“And why would Emily…” she started but stopped, her eyes still on him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply anything. Just…”
“It’s all right,” he said. “I was as surprised as you.”
She didn’t miss the edge of happiness in his words or how his disposition, in general, seemed less intense than it had before. And she didn’t miss the way that made her feel. Eager for something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. A sense of elation just out of her grasp. Or was it?
“Good morning, Mama,” Emily murmured. “I missed you.”
For a second, she expected to see disappointment when her eyes went to Emily but that wasn’t the case in the least. If anything her daughter seemed rather upbeat.
“I missed you too, sweetie.” She kissed her forehead. “I’m so sorry I disappeared for a little bit. I just needed to go over some things with Matthew.”
“It’s okay. I did just fine.” She sat up and stretched. “I had fun with everyone.”
“Wonderful.” Shannon smiled and retrieved Emily’s shoes. “You’l
l have to tell me all about it.”
“I will.” Emily’s voice grew quiet. “I hope Matthew didn’t mind me joining you two.”
Shannon tried not to flinch. “Of course he didn’t.” She helped Emily put on her boots. “About that.” She cleared her throat. “I want you to know I was next to him because it was so cold.”
“Maybe,” Emily murmured. “But I think it was more than that, Mama. I think it’s hard for dragon mates to stay away from each other.”
Shannon was so caught off guard by her daughter’s assessment, she was speechless, long enough for Emily to continue.
“I’m okay with that, Mama. Just so long as I can still be one of your soul mates.” She shrugged. “Besides, daddy said it was okay to lay down with you two so that must mean something.”
“What?” Shannon whispered, choking back a wave of emotion.
“I saw him earlier,” Emily said as if it were no big deal. “He said his feelings wouldn’t be hurt if I slept with you and Matthew.”
Completely stunned, all she could manage to do was stare at her daughter.
“It’s okay, Mama,” Emily said, quite sure of herself. “Daddy’s not mad.”
Shannon put a hand over her mouth and shook her head. Anthony had been here? He knew about Matthew?
“Come, little Emily,” Sven said as he joined them. “Why don’t you help me start a fire?”
Thank goodness for small favors because she could barely pull herself together.
“All right!” Emily hugged Shannon then took his hand, smiling. “See you at breakfast, Mama.”
She nodded and smiled, offering Sven a grateful look as he led Emily off. Matthew had left the cave, but she still felt his faint presence within her mind. Almost as if he were trying to give her privacy as best he could.
“Good morning,” Cameron said as he joined her. “Or should I say good evening?” He helped her roll up the furs. She knew he was choosing his words carefully as he eyed her. “How did your talk with Matthew go?”
“Fine,” she murmured, not ready to share much more than that. “Good.” She stuffed a fur into a satchel and focused on more important things than sharing with her brother-in-law that she’d finally slept with another man. “Did you know Emily saw Anthony? Did you see him as well?”
Fury of a Viking (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors' Kin Book 4) Page 12
