by Haley Weir
“Arrlien, what became of the Serpentina?” Drake asked.
“She still circles overhead. She must have followed you, brother.”
“She did. I am hoping she hasn’t had a chance to report back to her sisters yet. If she has, we can expect a swarm of Serpentina over our heads by tomorrow night. We should go and take care of the threat before tomorrow morning.”
“Won’t her sisters come looking for her when she doesn’t return home tomorrow?” Scyros bit into more roast beef. Drake nodded.
“They will, but if there is no sign of her, eventually they will be forced to leave. Crylaine, take point. Until the threat is removed, I am unable to move Claire back to the city. If the Serpentina find out about her…” He didn’t need to comment further. His brothers knew what would happen. The Serpentina would target her, as they did any women that the warriors became involved with. His brothers knew the stakes of finding mates.
“She will be well protected, brother.” Crylaine placed his palm over his heart in a gesture of fealty and affection for his leader.
Drake rose from the table, carrying a tray that Corey had prepared to take up to Claire. She might be hungry when she awoke. When Drake stepped off the elevator and opened the door to his bedroom, he did so quietly in case she was still sleeping. He just barely managed to duck out of the way when something came flying towards his head like a projectile.
“What the hell?”
“You’re a dragon?!” Claire was standing near the bed, looking around for more items to throw at him. He tossed the tray of food onto the small table near the door, not caring if it spilled everywhere, and smiled. Game on, Drake thought.
Chapter 5
“You’re a dragon!?” Claire hollered. She grabbed the alarm clock and chucked it in his direction. It whizzed past his ear and smashed into the wall. She didn’t care if she broke everything in his bedroom. “How? Why? How?” she asked, still not taking a beat. She spotted a heavy looking statue that looked like an antique. Her heart hurt thinking about destroying it, but she picked it up. Before Claire was able to launch the statue, Drake was across the room. He tossed the statue he had rescued from her fist onto the night stand. Claire stared up at him. For the first time, she recognized the danger that lie under the surface: those eyes that threatened to burst into flames. The skin that remained taught over hard muscles was merely a disguise. Claire felt the fear rise in her. She noticed the nuances of the way he moved. They were predatory. She shook the fear off when he reached his hand up and lightly stroked her cheek.
“I told you, I’m not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you.”
Claire stood still, stunned. When she woke up in his bed, she tried to convince herself that it was a dream. But her rational mind refused to deny the events of the night before, no matter how unbelievable they were.
“Drake…” she started, but didn’t really know what to say. It was all too much.
“I know it’s a lot, Claire,” he murmured, looking down at her. She swayed under the intensity of his gaze. How did he pick the thoughts from her brain? Was he a mind reader too?
“You wear your emotions on your face,” he explained. “That, and given the circumstances, I would be overwhelmed too. But you don’t need to worry. My brothers are taking care of the Serpentina who attacked us. Once she is gone, I can return you to the city.”
“There are more of you?” Claire asked. She was having a hard time wrapping her head around one dragon. Now she had to think about dragons, plural.
“My brothers Crylaine, Scyros, and Arrlien are here. Corey, our butler is a human. But there are more dragons in Europe. We are a dying breed though, so we keep our pods small. There are more in Europe than in America.”
“Uh huh,” Claire considered, and shook her head in disbelief. “And how many of these Serpentina’s are there?”
“Less than our numbers. The female dragons have turned vicious. They no longer reside with the dragon warriors. Which is why the breed is dying out. They attack us on sight,” he answered.
“So, what do I have to do with all of this?”
Drake smiled, another genuine smile that lit up his eyes. “Well, currently you get to play the role of damsel in distress until we take care of the Serpentina.”
“Unlikely,” Claire spat. She put her hand on her hip and Drake chuckled.
“Then, I suppose you can do whatever you want,” he shrugged.
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a reason I wanted you here, Claire.” A shiver ran down Claire’s spine again when he said her name like that. “I didn’t mean for you to be put in danger. Well, except for the danger of me trying to seduce you.”
Claire felt the heat of his words roll over her and light up the most intimate places of her body. He lips parted and she could feel her breath come in short bursts. Claire remembered the kiss they shared just before the Serpentina…the dragon…had attacked.
Claire hadn’t meant to, but she turned her face up toward Drake in anticipation. Drake didn’t hesitate to take her up on the subtle offer. Claire found herself wrapped in Drake’s arms and their lips fused with one another. She felt Drake’s hands span across her back as he pulled her close. As his tongue probed into her mouth, he kissed away all of her fear and hesitation. She still had so many questions, so many concerns, but she let herself live in this moment with Drake. . She really wanted to know how that tongue of his would feel if…
Claire shuddered as he broke away and trailed hot kisses down the column of her neck. His hands circled around, cupping her ass and kneading her cheeks. She felt the press of his cock through her pants, and her hands splayed across his bare chest. His skin was so hot, and she wondered if he naturally ran warmer than most people. He must, and she found that the burning of his cock pressed against her wasthe most erotic sensation she had ever felt. She couldn’t help herself, so she swiveled her hips and rubbed herself against the length of him. He groaned into her neck and used one hand to pull her closer, and ran the other hand up the front of her, cupping her left breast in his palm.
Claire arched her back so that the swell of her breast filled his palm. He was driving her wild, and she could barely stand the friction of clothing between them.
“Drake,” she moaned as he sucked at the pulse in her neck. Drake let go of her ass and pulled her t-shirt up and over her head. His lips only broke contact with her skin when he pulled the t-shirt off. Then his mouth found the hollow of her throat, and he was kissing down along her chest until his face was between her breasts. Claire ran her hands through his hair as he turned his head to one side and nipped the flesh, and then the other. He sucked one of her nipples through the fabric of her bra, and she felt the swell of arousal reach new heights. She needed to shed the rest of the clothes between them. She reached down and tugged at the waistband of his pants when he found the other nipple through her bra, and she momentarily forgot what she was doing. Claire jumped when his other hand reached for the button of her jeans. Drake’s fingers skimmed the soft sensitive flesh under her belly button. “Please,” she whimpered.
Drake’s fingers closed around the button of her jeans. He popped it open and ran the zipper down so that he could push them off her hips. Claire let them fall to the floor and she stepped out, kicking them aside as she remembered what she had been doing. Her hand found the front of his pants, and she closed her fingers around the length of him through the material and Drake through his head back.
Claire noticed the serpentine yellow of his eyes dancing with living flame, and she knew his beast within was enjoying this as much as he was. Claire pushed his pants down to the floor and discovered he wasn’t wearing any boxers underneath. His cock sprang free and the hard length jutted up, tempting her. She closed her fingers around him. His body jerked and twitched at the contact as his hands found the clasp of her bra. He began popping the clasps free, baring her breasts to him.
Claire stroked the length of him, up and down, as he struggle
d to remain in control and focus on the task of undoing her bra. Claire leaned up, holding him to her belly so he rubbed against her as she captured his bottom lip in her teeth. Then, she felt his hands cup her ass and she was being lifted from the floor down onto the bed. Claire gasped as she watched him climb up on top of her. He looked somehow bigger without his clothes on. Claire shivered in anticipation as he slowed his advance and leaned down to kiss her.
Claire met his kiss by leaning up on her forearms. He moved slowly, exploring her mouth like it was the first time they had kissed. He was building the anticipation and making her want more, faster. Claire let her palm trail from his chest down his stomach. He stopped kissing her to watch as she wrapped her hand around his cock once more. It twitched in her grasp and he shuddered as the head slipped in and out of her palm. When he looked back at her again, Claire slowed her pumping, afraid he would lose himself before he had even entered her.
Drake dipped his head, capturing one of her nipples in his mouth and Claire’s spine arched again as she felt the swirl of her tongue around the hardening peak. He sucked at it, causing tendrils of pleasure to ripple through her body under her skin. She couldn’t help herself any longer. Her thighs parted and she pulled on his hips, urging him to press himself against her again. When he obliged, all that was left between them was the lacey material of her panties. Claire felt the pressure in her abdomen begin to build as the wetness from between her thighs dampened her panties and began to slicken Drake’s cock.
Drake only let her continue the rubbing for a few more minutes, before his resolve weakened. He let go of the nipple he was teasing, and Claire felt his kisses trail down her stomach. Her hands instinctively went to his hair as she urged him on, needing more friction from him. When he re-positioned himself between her legs, he used one finger to hook the fabric of her panties and pull it aside. Claire bit her lip, trying not to whimper and beg. Drake made her wait another few agonizing moments before he finally dipped his tongue into her wet folds and began licking and sucking her. Claire’s moans were uncontrollable as he did the rolling thing with his tongue that she had fantasized about. When his mouth sucked her clit in and his tongue teased it mercilessly, Claire felt the pressure in her stomach boil nearly to the point of no return. She sat up on the bed, trying to pry his head up and away from her, but he continued the gentle sucking, not relenting to her cries. Claire felt the tremors rocket through her body as she orgasmed, and she squirmed under Drake as he continued to lap at her sensitive skin. She tried to pull him off again, but he proved to be impossible to move. Instead, he continued to swivel his tongue around until she felt the aftershocks of the orgasm send her spiraling into another one.
Claire fell limp against the mattress, feebly tugging on Drake’s shoulders until he gave her soft flesh one last kiss and then crawled up her body. His eyes were on fire, and she couldn’t do anything but wrap her legs around his waist as she lay there trembling. She had never been with a man whose tongue skills had made her come not once, but twice in quick succession.
Claire looked down as Drake swiftly pulled her panties down her hips. He was quick about pulling them down and then climbing back up to meet her body. He positioned himself between her legs. Claire gazed up at him, having seen the length and girth of his cock. She wondered how difficult it was going to be to take all of him. She didn’t need to worry, because he gripped himself, guided the head of his cock to her entrance, and slowly began pushing himself in. He was large, and he stretched her to the point of madness. But at the same time, he was massaging the ache that she felt since becoming aroused, that the orgasms could not even assuage. This was internal. It was a visceral response to having someone so masculine inside her. It made her moan into his chest. Drake immediately stilled above her.
“Have I hurt you?” he asked.
“No, please! Keep going!” she urged him. Then, she moved her hips back and forth. He closed his eyes, but his chest was rising and falling as he struggled to control his breathing. Claire had never felt so full, or so on fire as she did when he finally sank the length of himself in her. He paused for a moment, letting them both grow accustomed to the sensation, and then the ache she felt to have him rub again grew to immeasurable heights. “Drake, move!” she commanded as she tried to work her own hips. She heard him chuckle into her ear as he slowly withdrew and sank back down again. He had dropped his head to her shoulder as his cock filled her completely. Now he was groaning into her as the pressure of her muscles squeezed around the length of him.
Drake’s pace became faster and faster, more maddening with every thrust. Soon he found a tempo that had them both clutching one another, and holding on for dear life through the ride. Drake’s mouth found Claire’s when the pressure boiled inside her again, and she felt herself explode around him. Her muscles clamped down tight around him, and her thighs clenched his hips so that he struggled to keep his pace. But it was that pressure that tipped him over the edge as she thrust her own tongue up into his mouth. His head reared back, and she nipped at his lip as she felt the wet hot flood of him inside her. His body contracted and his muscles spasmed above her like he was bursting at the seams and struggling to contain himself inside his own skin. It pushed her over the edge once again. Claire collapsed under him for the second time, a shivering quaking mess of limbs. He rolled onto his side and pulled her to his chest.
Claire snuggled in and let her breathing relax. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt like everything was right with the world in that moment. Dragons and all. Maybe it was the endorphins, but this was certainly one experience that she wasn’t going to regret. She lightly traced circles with her fingertips on Drake’s chest and occasionally he shivered, as if even the slightest sensation from her was too much. She liked that she had this effect on him. “What now?” she whispered into his chest.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you take care of the Serpentina, and then what?”
Claire didn’t think he was going to answer for the longest time. She was almost lulled to sleep by the feel of Drake’s fingers running up and down her spine. “What would you like to do?”
“Well, there’s school. I suppose you aren’t really a professor.”
“Actually I am. I told you, my brothers and I are seeking to integrate into modern society. I intend to resume the teaching post after the threat has been annihilated, and I assume you want to finish your last two semesters?”
“Yes, of course I do.”
“Then it is settled. Later I will make a personal call to the Dean and see to it that your other professors know we are on an emergency assignment, and ask that they send along your studies until after the holiday break. I anticipate the Serpentina will have been dealt with by then, and we can return to the city.”
Claire thought about this. “When you say we, do you mean…like...we? As in us? Or is this,” she gestured between them, “Is this something that we just did to...you know…”
“No, I don’t know.”
“Pass the time.” Claire heard a growl rumble in his throat and then he was rolling on top of her again. She gasped and giggled, but fell still when she saw the seriousness of his face.
“This wasn’t just some passing moment for me, Claire. I told you that what I felt for you when you walked in this morning was inexplicable. I understand you have questions and concerns. I will try to answer them all, but I meant what I said about finding a mate.”
Claire pushed on his chest and sat up. “Is that all I am to you? Someone to mate with?” She rose from the bed and began stumbling around, gathering her clothes. She should have known better. She was such a fool.
“That’s not what I said, Claire.”
“Yes, it is! You said you and your brothers were looking for mates. I told you: I’m not the damsel in distress. I may not be able to go up against the Serpentina or whatever, but I can handle myself. Eventually she’ll stop looking for me. I don’t need a man to mate with. I certainly don’t need a man who
only views me as such!”
“Claire.” Drake sat on the edge of the bed and watched her hop around on one foot as she pulled her jeans back up over her hips. A mate. She scoffed at the idea. He really was living in medieval times if he thought that was how women wanted to be viewed nowadays.
“How old are you, anyway?” she demanded. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him when he held up her bra. So accommodating. It irritated her that he had just witnessed her hopping around. She quickly turned away from him and clipped the bra. She was fairly certain she heard a low growl from behind her, but she chose to ignore it as she pulled her t-shirt back on over her head.
“Is that really important?” Drake asked.
“Yes. You’re such a history buff, were you there for all of the major historical events?”
“A few,” he responded curtly.
“Your vague answers are so charming. Really, a woman loves a man who is incapable of communicating.”
“Well if that’s not the pot calling the kettle black. I am trying to discuss the things that are bothering you, and you are getting dressed so that you can run from me.”
Claire paused. She let her hand, which was outstretched reaching for the doorknob, to fall to her side. She slowly turned back around to face him. “That’s not fair. You don’t just get to dump your dragon clan on me, call me your mate, and then expect that I will just be hunky dory with it all.”
“Hunky dory?”
