Fate's Match

by Elysabeth Grace

  Her expressive face saddened and her fingers pressed his chest. “It would be better if you rape me so I can hate you.”

  “I will never rape you, Amina.”

  Lightly rubbing his chest, she murmured, “I will never be mastered.”

  His thumb delicately charmed her cheek. “No, you are not one to be mastered. How shall I woo thee? With words of love? A kiss? Tell me how I may win your heart, hawk.”

  His gaze drifted to the gentle swells of her breasts. Her coloring was purest dark honey and his mouth watered to take one of the hardening nipples between his teeth. The fingers of his other hand went to her other breast and the feel of her skin sent shock waves through him.

  “Who are you, Amina?”

  “I am Tamahaq,” she said, her fingers tracing the light dusting of hair from his chest to his groin. “Daughter of Askia Daoud, ruler of Timbuktu, and his Tamahaq wife, Saria. I am a child of the Sahara. I am the dragon’s mate.”

  Her fingers slid down his erection before cupping his testes. Drake sucked in a ragged breath, blaming his failing control on the fact that it had been sometime since he bedded a woman and his body was hungry.

  I do not think your response is simply because I am a woman, dragon.

  He lowered his mouth to hers and his lips slanted across hers. “Will you not leave me some measure of masculine pride?”

  She laughed against his mouth, the vibration rippling on his flesh. “Does the dragon cower before the innocent touch of his mate?”

  Drake nipped her bottom lip and her mouth parted in protest. His tongue entered and captured hers. His hand gently braced her head, his fingers fisted in her thick hair. The taste of her floated on the surface his tongue, all roses and spice, and he lapped the succulent juice as if it were a forbidden drink. Needing to breathe, he drew back, his teeth scraping her plump flesh. He pressed faint kisses at each corner of her mouth before his tongue reclaimed the hallowed space.

  Long slow licks elicited soft throaty moans from Amina. He uncoiled his fingers from her hair and traced the gentle slope of her shoulder, following the satin curve of her chest until a firm mound filled his palm. So tantalizing to his touch. His fingers kneaded her flesh, her body quivering beneath his caress.

  After the long drugging kiss, he lifted his mouth and stared down at Amina’s flushed cheeks, her soft pants a sign of her aroused state. “I will never force you, hawk. Your passion must be given freely, and only to me, Tamahaq. Only to your dragon.”

  He shifted her until she lay sprawled on his bed, her legs splayed and her scent eviscerating his control. He leaned down and licked the corner of her mouth. A soft gasp escaped and she ran her tongue along her lips. He captured her tongue, suckling when she tried to push his from her mouth.

  Open your mind to me, hawk. Share what you feel with your dragon.

  Amina’s mind reeled at the feelings Drake’s kiss triggered in her body. She wanted to understand them, to name them, but she couldn’t cede him that power. No man’s tongue had ever been inside her mouth, and Drake was doing things that twisted her insides and unhinged her reason. With each pass of his tongue across hers, sensations swam to her nerve endings before spiraling downward to the virgin space between her thighs. She was damp there, drops of wetness clinging to her skin.

  She sucked his tongue into her mouth, the taste of him more pleasurable than she imagined. His kiss was dangerously addictive and potentially heartbreaking, like eating a succulent date and finding none remained. Mimicking his strokes, she heard the inarticulate groan that said he was affected by what she did. She swept her tongue across his and her body reacted violently. A charged canon ready to fire its shot. For one rapid beat of her heart, he granted her mastery before his mouth firmed and he seized control.

  Drake was uncontrolled power, wild and dangerous. He set fire to her resolve and burned it to the ground. The provocative dance his tongue performed unleashed a craving for more. No part of her was left untouched as he teased and caressed the inside of her mouth. He stroked and she flamed so intensely her heart stuttered.

  Amina fought to free herself from the lure of Drake’s kiss. If she could separate her mind from the exquisite pleasures flooding her, she could flee the dangerous oblivion looming ahead. Deny him the victory he sought.

  Drake’s hand slid between her thighs and touched the tender folds of skin. “Open for me, Amina. What is here belongs to me.”

  She shook her head.

  Open.

  Her head flailed on the bed as a finger dragged the length of her flesh before easing into her. Her body arced at his touch and he retracted his finger. “I love that you’re wet, but I need you to open for me.”

  Soft words of seduction persuaded her ear, while his fingers engaged in the most delicious forms of temptation.

  She submitted.

  “So wet,” he murmured before positioning himself between her legs.

  He kissed a meandering path to the juncture between her thighs. Warm air flowed across her skin and she trembled, her breathing harsh. Drake lifted his head and peered at her. “I want to taste you.”

  What did he mean, he wanted to taste her? Taste her where? He couldn’t possibly mean to . . .

  Her mouth formed a silent O when his head lowered and his tongue lashed out. Her body came off the bed. Drake’s tongue teased the smooth folds, twirling around her nub until it stiffened. A delicious ache followed in the wake of his intimate kiss. It was a craving so unexpected she could only whisper, “More.”

  His head came up again and he flashed her a triumphant smile. “I intend to lick you until you’re so wet I will never thirst when I kiss you here.”

  Amina’s voice quavered as she said, “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “I do,” he replied. “A very fine idea indeed.”

  His hands gripped her hips when she tried to wriggle from his touch. No, hawk. You will not deny me my pleasure of you.

  Amina screamed when his tongue glided into her wet channel, stilled for a brief second and retreated. Before she could take a breath, he plunged once more into her. Her inner muscles clenched and released with each thrust of his tongue. The heated surface sent a rush of blood to her brain, choking all thoughts of fighting for control. Drake’s mouth was a tempestuous storm, buffeting every nerve and every muscle in her body.

  Her hands went to his head, fisting in his hair, and instead of pushing him away, held him in place when a long, callused finger drove into her. Her intimate muscles seized up, trapping the invader as it rhythmically abraded her inner flesh. She moaned his name, tension building deep in her core, a slow grinding against her sanity. Her beleaguered cries for relief went unanswered. Her hips rose to meet the seductive thrusts of Drake’s tongue. She was on the edge of an explosive precipice and there was nothing to pull her back.

  Drake paused and an anguished plea forced itself past her lips. “Dragon, please.”

  He rose over her, emerald eyes glowing as they captured her gaze. The weight of his knees shifted and parted her thighs, giving him full possession. His gaze locked hers and he drove into her.

  * * *

  Amina’s scream was one of pain, not pleasure. Drake stilled. “You were a virgin,” he growled. “I thought de Zarate made you his mistress.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks as she cut off his words. “Only my life mate had the right to take my innocence. The Spaniard was not my mate. I did not choose him.”

  Everything suddenly made sense: the archangel Michael’s urgency, the joining of their life threads, Amina’s words, and the ceremonial gifting of her knife. Even though he understood, comprehension did nothing to alleviate the guilt Drake felt.

  “How did you keep your innocence from the Spaniard?”

  “He was bound to the demon’s collar,” she said. “That binding gave me some control over his mind. De Zarate believed he possessed what was never meant to be his.”

  Drake frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

>   Amina glared at him, unshed tears glistening. “You didn’t ask. You thought I was de Zarate’s whore.”

  Drake didn’t deny her accusation. It was true. He had assumed as much since he found her in de Zarate’s cabin. Any man would believe she was the Spaniard’s doxy and ripe for the taking. Overwhelmed by a sense of shame and guilt, Drake leaned over to kiss a stray tear from her cheek. The knuckle of his index finger brushed the spot.

  “Forgive me, Amina.”

  “You are not the only one at fault,” she said. “I should have spoken earlier. I knew this mating was to come.” A spark of humor flashed in her eyes. “The pain wasn’t unbearable, dragon, and what went before was definitely worth the brief misery.”

  Drake kissed her deeply, his tongue expressing his remorse and a promise of delights. When they both needed to breathe, he lifted his head and smiled. He began to move, a slow sensual glide and retreat. Amina’s expressive face revealed the exact moment desire returned. Although their union had been decided by prophecy, he was determined to imprint his very essence on her body, her mind, and her soul.

  She would embrace no man’s touch but his.

  Drake rode her gently and languidly, the faint vibrations of her inner muscles against the sensitive skin of his shaft testing the limits of his self-control. Each time she inhaled, he felt another piece of his will fracture. Her tight, wet channel played havoc with his lust and he gritted his teeth against a powerful compulsion to release his seed in one thrust. His body was spiraling beyond restraint.

  “I need to love you, hawk.”

  Amina’s eyes darkened with passion and she sucked in air. Drake stiffened, afraid to move lest he relieved himself prematurely. Her fingers gripped his back, and she murmured, “I am your mate, dragon.”

  He angled her right leg to give him the deepest penetration and rocked back on his heels until the head of his penis rested against the opening to her seat of pleasure. Her flesh quivered in response.

  His hands splayed her slender hips and, pulling her against him, he drove deep inside her. Drake withdrew and plunged again, setting a rhythmic pace to match Amina’s moans of pleasure. The frictional contact between her tightness and his skin sent his lust skittering toward an explosive end.

  He bit the inside of his lip in a futile gesture to hold his release at bay. The tempo he’d set was pushing him and Amina to the edge. He knew he couldn’t hold out much longer.

  “Now, hawk,” he growled, pumping fiercely into her. “Soar for me, sweet bird.”

  Ecstasy roared into them at the same time, with the swift force of an expected sandstorm. Pleasure scoured sensitive nerves and decimated the final vestiges of Amina’s innocence. Her eyelids flew up and her mouth fell slack. He knew she was experiencing her first rapture, the tumultuous upheaval that can only be compared to a raging vortex.

  White-hot spasms flamed inside his sacs and he knew his time had come. He pounded into her, riding her pleasure the way his ship rode the sea in the middle of an Atlantic storm. Her ragged pants spurred his tempo, his thrusts timed to the constricting tightness of her.

  Drake retreated until the tip of him was just inside her. With a triumphant roar, he slammed into her body. Her drenched womb clenched his cock, and with an unbreakable hold, took from him every ounce of fluid his sacs held. What had been painfully full was now empty, his seed buried deep in her womb.

  He lowered her leg and collapsed against her. Breathing hurt, yet he forced himself to suck in the nurturing calm of air. Each breath became less labored and he moved his lips against hers, suckling her tongue inside his mouth. For a long moment he teased, licked, and tasted. She gave back, her tongue timid.

  Her hips gyrated and his cock hardened. Soft moans mingled in the space where their lips met and he initiated a new tempo, one that mimicked the fluid motion of her body. Amina inhaled, pulling him deeper, and a throaty laugh caressed his mind before her thought slammed into him. You asked who I am. I am the dragon’s mate, Michael Drake. I am the fire that gives you life. I am the air you must breathe to live. I am the mother of your true sons. I am Amina, mother to your warrior daughters. I am your life as you are mine.

  7

  Amina yawned and shifted on the narrow bed. Memories of Drake’s lovemaking, the hands and mouth that introduced her to a form of pleasure she had not known existed, evoked a smile. Her fingers brushed the linen sheet. It was cool beneath her fingertips, the space beside her empty.

  She lifted sleep-drenched eyes and searched the cabin before seeking his presence on the ship. He was talking quietly to Hodge, the ship’s first mate. There was a bond between the two men, born of a connection she didn’t understand. Hodge wasn’t supernatural. He possessed no gifts yet his mind was linked to Drake’s. She examined Hodge’s mind. It took several seconds before she spied the faint tint to his life thread. He was angel-touched but not descended.

  Amina closed her eyes. Her body ached for the English captain. Tempted to summon Drake back to bed, she banished the idea. Turning onto her stomach, she groaned. In less than two days, she had gone from cursing Michael Drake to mewling like a love-struck camel whenever he touched her. She fisted her hand and punched the bed’s mattress. She hadn’t lied when she said she feared him and the power he could so easily wield over her body.

  Her hand reached up and rubbed the angel’s wing birth mark both she and her twin possessed. Identical in every way, even to the hand that clenched their daggers, the one difference was the placement of their birth marks. Her mark was imprinted on her left shoulder while Asiya’s wing was on her right shoulder. Thoughts of her sister prompted Amina to swing her legs over the bed’s edge and sit up. She needed her sister.

  Fingers caressing her birth mark, she closed her eyes. Siya? Several seconds passed before a whisper voiced replied in her head.

  Mina?

  “Where are you?”

  Perched on the mast. I can feel your freedom, sister. What power does this English captain have to keep you at his side?

  Amina sensed her sister’s confusion and sighed. “He is my life mate, Siya.” Asiya’s gasp thudded in her mind and Amina chuckled. “It seems our mother did not err when she warned words can become destiny. My defiance of the Fallen Uriel nipped my heels. Come, it is safe to show yourself.”

  Are you certain?

  “As certain as I can be.”

  Asiya’s love caressed her troubled spirit, and she leaned into it as her sister’s next words followed.

  I see you destroyed the Spanish galleon. Was that necessary?

  “Drake was too kindhearted,” she retorted. “The slavers would have returned to Morocco, paid Ismail, and more people would be captured. I couldn’t let that happen.”

  Amina heard the anger and pain in her voice. “Three Imohag and two Tamahaq were enslaved. I couldn’t save the Tamahaq.”

  Did you sing her to the ancestors?

  Amina nodded, emotions cutting off her reply.

  Do not blame yourself, Mina. You saved the Imohag and the others.

  “He is Imohag.”

  Asiya’s astonishment whirled in her mind before her twin said, Your mate is one of the people?

  “Mariam, his mother, was daughter to the Tamahaq Tamallat and fathered by a Moor. Drake’s father stole Mariam from a Spanish ship near Jamaica and when he returned to London she carried his child. My life mate was five years when his father removed him from his mother’s care and fostered him with his kinsman.”

  Your mate has no knowledge of this?

  Amina shook her head. “Will you come to me now?”

  A tingling sensation went down Amina’s spine. She turned to glance at the door. The handle moved and the door creaked open. Drake’s heated fury slammed into her seconds before he stepped across the threshold, a rage so intense she drew back. “Siya.”

  A painful rupture severed their bond and Amina fell back onto the bed, her hands pressed against her temples. The pounding ache across her forehead stripped her breath, w
hile hot tears seared the inside of her eyelids.

  “Who is Siya?”

  By the time Amina’s blurred vision cleared, Drake’s thunderous face hovered inches from hers. “Who is Siya?”

  Amina searched his eyes. His emotions were unguarded and she shifted through them until she discovered the one that drove his rage. Jealousy. That dreadful, dangerous emotion was in control. What she couldn’t grasp was why Siya provoked his anger. She narrowed her focus. He believed Siya was a man. That was the reason for his jealousy. “Release me.”

  “You belong to me, Amina, and I will not share you with this Siya.”

  “I belong to no man, especially not to a cowardly English pirate,” she retorted before slandering him in Tahaggart.

  Drake’s silent perusal sent a shiver through her. She knew he didn’t understand her words. It didn’t matter. Something had shifted between them when his gaze raked her naked body. Their eyes met and she caught the blatant desire, knew it was in control. It stripped him of his defenses, curled inside him, and had him reaching out to claim it. She read the determination in his thoughts to possess her fully, so completely no other man would know her passion. Unable to stop himself, he sent a slow lick across her left breast without setting his tongue to her skin.

  As she peered into his mind, Amina saw a more pained emotion interwoven with his jealousy. Guilt. He recognized his anger was irrational, beyond his control and driven by guilt. What she couldn’t discover was the source of his guilt. He didn’t trust his life mate to understand so he kept the reason buried behind walls of silence. Without trust they would be forever at war. She needed to end this game now for her sanity, and his.

  “You would know about Siya?” Amina said softly.

  Her sister’s name wafted on a note of love, a harmonic sound intended to rub the edges of Drake’s emotions until they bled. She stared at him. “Siya is my beloved—”

  Her words died in her throat when her body jerked upright and floated into his arms. His hands locked on her shoulders, an unbreakable grip for all its gentleness. Amina realized that for all her dragon blustered and roared, he would never harm her. She took that gift and baited him further.