by Ginna Moran
He glides his hands up my stomach and around my back, tugging me even closer. Our tongues meet, his body ready and waiting to experience exactly what he does to me and to show me how good he feels inside me.
I hook my fingers to his shirt, and Kash arches down to let me pull it over his head. He rushes to kick from his boots and pants while holding my legs, the tip of his cock a mere inch from me.
“You’re beautiful,” Kash says, leaning in to kiss me again. “Sexy.”
I ease away to look into his eyes. “What, you’re not going to try to declare that I’m yours again?”
His eyes flicker with firelight. “Is that what you want?”
I smirk and align his body to mine. “How would you feel if I said you were mine? All mine. To do with as I please.”
Something shifts in his expression, his eyes locking onto mine with all his heated intensity. I wonder if I took it too far, but if I did, he manages to brush it off with a cocked brow.
Sinking his fingers into my hips, he bows in. “I’d like it,” he murmurs. “I’m yours.”
Well, okay. If this is how he wants to play it. “That’s right. Mine. You will give me whatever I want.”
His breath picks up as he tests my body with the tip of his cock, sending tingles bursting through me at the pressure. “Tell me what you want,” he murmurs.
Sucking my bottom lip between my teeth, I say, “You.”
With my word, Kash slides inside me, making me gasp. I moan so embarrassingly loud, the pleasure his cock brings me turning my mind into mush. I cling onto his shoulders as he thrusts at the same time he pulls my body toward his by my ass. Leaning down, he brushes his lips to mine, kissing me with so much passion that all I can think about is how I never want him to stop. This unexpected turn of my day couldn’t have been better than this.
Kash moans with his movements, breaking our kiss to trail his lips down my throat. I explore his broad back with my fingers, mapping out every tight muscle and what feels like the grooves of scars, though I can’t see them.
Bringing his lips to my shoulder, he sucks hard enough to leave a mark. I bend forward and return the favor, nipping his skin before drawing it into my mouth to give him a hickey. He moans under the sensation of my mouth and trails his hand between us to rub his warm finger over my clit. I gasp at the pleasure bursting through me.
“Fuck,” I whisper. “Don’t stop.”
“Not until you scream for me, kitten,” he murmurs, rubbing me with his even thrusts.
I rest my head on his shoulder, our breathing fast and in sync, the heat of his body against mine making my skin glisten with sweat. My moans come in quick bursts as he continues to work me over until my legs shake, my body tensing for my oncoming orgasm.
Sinking back, I smack my head against the mirror with my scream of pleasure. Kash pulls me back, swinging my body to his faster and faster. I dig my nails into his shoulder blades through the wave of ecstasy until he pulls out and cums across my stomach. He releases a guttural noise from his throat, his hazel eyes sparking with flecks of orange. For a second, his muscles ripple and his dragon peeks through.
A strange wave of emotions crashes through me, leaving me breathless. Kash freezes, still standing between my legs. His eyes turn from my body and to me, and he opens and closes his mouth like he has something to say.
I reach up and pat my hand to his chest. “What’s up? Do you regret letting me stake my claim on you now?”
He shakes his head, gracing me with a smile. “Careful what you say, Nova. I don’t think you understand what you’ve just gotten yourself into.”
“Uh-oh. I should’ve warned you that it’s actually me who is irresistible,” I tease, letting him pick me up to carry me to his shower.
“Addictive. I want you again and again,” he murmurs kissing me.
“That’s too bad. You’d have to break me out of this prison.”
Kash frowns at my words with a groan. He doesn’t respond to my comment, choosing just to kiss me again while he turns on the hot water. Steam fills the small bathroom, and I practically melt against Kash under the amazing stream from the showerhead. I can tell he wants to bang again, slipping and sliding me up and down the length of his shaft, but I wag my finger at him.
“None of that until I get to wash my hair,” I say, nipping his lip.
He lets me wiggle out of his arms and to my feet. Grabbing the bottle of shampoo first, he nudges me to turn around and massages a palm full into my long tresses. Shifting my hair over my shoulder, he traces his finger in a circle before doing the same to my other one.
“Who marked you?” he asks, keeping his voice even. “It’s not mine. Was it one of my brothers?”
“That’s none of your business.” I try not to react with annoyance in case he doesn’t blow things out of proportion like I expect.
“I don’t like it if it wasn’t.”
So he’s cool if it was? “You don’t have to like it.”
“But you’re mine, Nova. Can’t you feel it?” Kash suddenly spins me around, cradling my cheek with his big palm. “When we touch, kiss. Fuck, did you not feel anything as I made love to you?”
Made love? I don’t make love to people I barely know. “Uh, I had a good time?” My voice rises like I now question it.
“I realize you being here wasn’t bad luck on your part. It was supposed to be this way. We’d have never found you otherwise.” Kash’s voice lowers. “You wouldn’t have claimed me either.”
Ah shit. What the hell? “I was joking. Playing a game. Teasing you. I don’t actually think you’re mine, Kash.”
A strange look darkens his face, his chest bumping against mine with each of his deep breaths. “I know it’s confusing, but I can explain. What you are—you’re like me. You’re a dragon. I can sense it. Feel the heat and fire inside you. Rhett must’ve known. I bet he was trying to bring you home for us.”
Us? This is so strange.
“What do you mean by us? You claim I’m yours but you also keep mentioning your brothers. It’s weird. My home is in the Mortal World,” I say softly. “I have an aunt and uncle there. My friends. I’ve never turned into a dragon in my life. This is a mistake.”
He sighs, his cinnamon breath wafting over me. “It’s not a mistake. I’ll help you figure it out. When my brothers get here, we’ll all talk. It has to be us together. You’re our inten—”
Something crashes from the living area. Kash tenses, his muscles rippling. Pulling me closer, he shifts to stand in front of me protectively. A growl resonates through the air, followed by a second, much deeper growl.
Rowan flings open the door with Maddox looming behind him. “Brother, Nova’s gone—” Rowan snaps his mouth shut, his eyes darting past Kash to me. He devours me with his gaze, the fire in his eyes burning over me in a good way.
Maddox shoves past Rowan and crowds the tiny bathroom with his huge presence. He sniffs the air, his nostrils flaring. Without looking at me, he gets in Kash’s face. “Damn it, Kash. What are you thinking? We discussed this. You should’ve stuck to the plan. It was unfair of you to allow this when Nova knows nothing.”
“I needed proof,” Kash says, crossing his arms. “She wanted me. It was fate.”
I frown and slide past him, realizing a little too late that I’m naked and sandwiched between two sexy-as-hell men. “What are you guys talking about?”
Maddox ignores me and turns to Rowan again. “Get her some clothes and take her back to her cell.”
My heart stalls at his command. “What? No. You can’t do this. I want to know what the hell is going on. What proof? Why are you all here?”
“I said take her back to her cell, Rowan. Now!” Maddox grabs my shoulder and spins me toward Rowan.
“Don’t touch her!” Kash yells. “She claimed me! We made love. I know she’s my mate.”
All three men freeze, turning their attention to me.
I shrink under their scrutiny, my heart ramming so hard against
my ribs that it feels like it’ll crash through at any second. Pursing my lips, I say, “Uh, what?”
“Not only yours,” Rowan says, reaching over Maddox’s shoulder to touch my cheek. “She’s mine too. You know that.”
“You are both idiots.” Maddox combs his fingers through his long hair. “She can’t be our mate. Everything she did—”
“Our mate? Our? As in plural? You’re right, Maddox. I can’t be all of your mates. That’s crazy. This is all insane.” My mind whirls at his words. What the hell?
“She’s innocent,” Kash says, his voice softening.
Maddox surprises me by resting his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You can’t know that for sure, brother.”
Rowan nudges me forward as he steps inside the bathroom, leaving no room for me to move at all. “I feel it too, Maddox.”
“I don’t know,” Maddox responds, turning his attention to me. He drinks me in like he can somehow see the same thing his brothers do with me in this vulnerable state. If he does, he doesn’t let on to it. He hardens even more.
“I swear it wasn’t me. I didn’t do any of this. It was Lazlo Infinity.” Pain shoots through my head at the mention of his name. Dizziness washes over me, and I squeeze my eyes shut. What the hell? I feel ill just thinking about the warlock.
“What?” Maddox leans in and grabs my chin. I can’t move under his scrutiny. “What did you say?”
“Lazlo—” Agony bursts through my head once more, stealing all my senses away.
It feels as if my head will explode at any second. With the way all three Drekis look at me, shock and fear widening eyes, I think I might.
I scream.
Chapter 11
Claimed
“THIS IS THE kind of shit we’d call Rhett for.” Rowan’s voice tugs me from the numbing darkness of unconsciousness. “It was a spell. It had to be.”
“I still think we should take her to the infirmary,” Kash says. A warm hand touches my forehead and runs down my cheek and back up. “I’ve never heard anyone scream like that. I bet the asshole had something to do with my missing COs. Lowe doesn’t remember taking her to visitation, but he was there.”
Maddox growls. “No. She’s better here. It will give me a chance to sort things out. It’s bad enough I had to log her into the pit. If the warden realizes she’s not there—” Another hand touches my foot. “Hey, cookie. It’s rude to eavesdrop. Sit up. I want to check you out.”
I snap my eyes open with a grimace. Kicking my foot, I get Maddox to let me go. I peer up into Kash’s eyes as he cradles my head on his lap. We’re both on the couch—me covered in only a blanket and him in boxers—with his brothers sitting on the floor.
Rowan takes my hand and laces our fingers together. “You okay, Nova?”
I shrug. “I don’t know, to be honest.”
“You gave us a bit of a scare. I think you were cursed or spelled or something, but luckily, your brands work both ways. They suppress magic and block it. It’s not foolproof, but it works enough.” Rowan leans in and brushes his lips to mine like it’s the most normal, natural thing to do. Like we’ve been doing it forever. “Thank the fucking High Council.”
Everything comes rushing back to me in a wave of confusion. The visitation of Lazlo Infinity, Quillon’s revelation of me being a dragon with a bloodline supposedly hated by the Dreki Clan, how I had mind-blowing sex with Kash, and...fuck. Apparently I’m his mate—and his brothers’—whatever that means. All these things add up to weigh heavily on me.
“I bet you’re hungry, kitten.” Kash draws my attention from Rowan, and I tilt my head back to peer up at him. “I did promise to feed you.”
The second my brain processes his comment, my stomach rumbles loud enough that Maddox drops his gaze to it, furrowing his brows. He has the nerve to reach out and poke my belly. Swinging my hand out, I smack his shoulder. Then the fucker does it again.
“If you’d eat what was served, you wouldn’t be hungry,” Maddox says, the corner of his lips curling.
I whack him again, making him laugh and catch my hand. His smile falters, his eyes flashing with golden fire. The heat of his gaze burns over me as his eyes flick to my lips, reminding me of our kiss in the pit. His hot and cold attitude confuses the hell out of me. So does my attraction to him.
With a tug of his hand, he pulls me up so quickly that I fall forward and right into him. Maddox plants his lips to mine, surprising me with a kiss in front of his brothers. Neither of them says anything as I allow Maddox to kiss me deeper and tangle his hand into my hair. His other hand slides down the length of my bare back as he pulls me completely from the couch and onto his lap.
His body awakens against me, poking some sense into me, and I pull away. I slap him across the face, my breath panting with my desire. I lick my lips and scramble to pull the blanket tighter around me but my body refuses to move off him.
“What the fuck, Maddox,” I say, pressing my hand to his chest. “You can’t just kiss me whenever the hell you want, especially in front of your brothers.”
“But you’re ours.” Did he really just say that again? This. Guy.
“I am not.” My voice doesn’t come out as strong as I want it to. “Even if that bullshit is true, don’t think I have forgotten about the pit and what you pulled. Or how you treated me like shit and wouldn’t believe me about my innocence.”
He flares his nostrils. “I’m still uncertain. I saw some of the bodies. That wasn’t caused by warlock magic.”
I slam my hands into his chest and push away from him only to hit my ass against Rowan. Rowan hugs his arms around me, stopping Maddox from trying to pull me back. Kash growls softly, the heat of his hip radiating against my shoulder. My body totally goes out of whack, excitement building between my legs. I love and hate their attention.
“Another reason you can’t just kiss me,” I finally manage to say through a gasp of a breath.
“But you liked it.”
Ah hell. “So what.”
“I’m only doing things you like.” Is he for real? He sounds so serious, like it’s no big deal.
I wiggle in Rowan’s arms until he loosens his hold enough to break free. I scramble to my feet, gripping the blanket around me, and extend my arm out to point, keeping them in place. Being near them overwhelms my senses. I can’t breathe properly because even a simple touch from one of them makes me gasp.
“I’m not your little toy to be played with nor will I allow you to use my attraction to you against me. Until you believe me that none of this was my fault and that I don’t belong here, stay at least five feet away, got it?” I swallow, walking backward, afraid that if I turn away, one of the Drekis will close the space to test my resolve. “That goes for all of you. You can’t just declare I’m your fucking mate. I’ve been here for like five seconds. That’s not how things work. You can’t exactly take me on dates, so this is all going to end nowhere. I’m leaving as soon as I can.”
Kash cocks his eyebrow like I’ve said the most ridiculous thing. “Come on, kitten. Sit back down. I’ll get Maddox to shut up. He is more...wild than us. He’s our alpha and direct as hell so things don’t get misconstrued.”
I shake my head. “Yeah, right. And my answer is still no. I need space. I can’t think with you all so close.” I squeeze my eyes shut, gripping my fingers to the blanket. Shit, I feel like a hot mess.
“Just make her something to eat already, Kash. That’s probably why she’s so reactive and grumpy. I wouldn’t want to be your fucking mate either if I had to wait so damn long to be served.” Rowan punches Kash in the leg to get him up.
“She wanted sex first,” Kash argues, flicking the back of Rowan’s head. “You assholes are why I haven’t fed her yet.”
“I’m fine. I’ll make my own damn food,” I call, already entering the open kitchen. Because damn. I can’t listen to them argue about my needs and what should happen first. “You probably couldn’t cook anything I’d like anyway.”
; Maddox gets to his feet next and crosses his arms. “We could if you weren’t so damn picky.”
I flip him off and turn my back on the three of them. They chuckle, sounding so cute that I can’t help myself from peeking over my shoulder. Kash jogs the short distance and hooks his arm around my waist, spinning me toward Rowan and out of the kitchen.
“As much as I hate saying it, let my brothers help you dress. I still want Maddox to give you a quick exam. Your wrists still look tender,” Kash says, opening the fridge.
I don’t get a chance to see what he selects because Rowan scoops me up so quickly that I automatically wrap my legs around him. My heated flesh presses against him, and he grins like a cocky-bastard. Leaning in, he puckers his lips to see if I’ll kiss him. And how could I not? He looks like he might pout or some shit if I deny him. Plus, our hot kiss from earlier flits through my mind.
Slowly, I caress my lips to his, sliding my hands around his neck. It should feel so strange kissing him after kissing Maddox and having sex with Kash, but no one says anything, so neither do I. While it would’ve been useful to pit them against each other if they continued to be complete assholes, I’m a bit relieved they’re not fighting. I can’t imagine being between three dangerous dragons could end well on my part.
“You’re going to make me jealous, kitten,” Kash calls, drawing my attention from the softness of Rowan’s mouth. “If I didn’t think my brothers would fuck up your dinner, I’d expect to be in Rowan’s place right now. It is my apartment.”
“Make me something better than edible and maybe I’ll show my thanks any way you want,” I tease.
Maddox enters the bathroom first and blocks the way, stopping to peer around. “Not happening now. You’ll be going back to your cell when you’re through eating.”
“Seriously?” I gawk at Maddox. “What the hell? If this is how you’re going to treat me as your supposed mate, then fuck off.”
