by T. S. Ryder
Braden picked her up, slinging her over his back piggy-style. Jessica gasped as he burst out of the club, transforming under her, warm skin becoming cold scales, wings sprouting against her sides. They took to the skies. Her heart sank. He was taking her back to the university. Closing her eyes, she fought tears.
Well, at least she knew. Nothing would ever happen between her and Braden, and she needed to get over her childish hang up on him.
When Braden landed, Jessica didn't have time to slide off his back before he shifted back into human form. She grasped at him, but she would have fallen to the ground had he not twisted and caught her.
As she opened her eyes, she barely had time to register that they weren't near the dorms before Braden's hands were twined in her hair, pulling her flush against his body, his mouth on hers.
Chapter Three
Braden's lips were soft but demanding, pressing hungrily to hers. She stiffened instinctively, not expecting this at all. But as Braden's mouth worked against hers and he let out a soft moan, she found herself parting her lips to allow his tongue to slip into her mouth, bringing herself closer to his body.
Sparks exploded in Jessica's skin, shooting through her bloodstream, heat building in her more quickly than she thought was possible. His grip was already like iron on her and she wanted him to hold her tighter, to kiss her harder, to never let her go.
But eventually they both had to breathe, and the kiss broke. Jessica panted, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright as she stared up into the dragon's eyes. He smiled tenderly, brushing a black curl from her face.
"Wow," she managed. "I've never been kissed like that before. I've never been kissed before at all but that certainly wasn't what I was expecting!"
"I'm sorry." Braden made to release her, but Jessica wrapped her arms around him tighter.
"It was better," she told him, and with a grin he squeezed her back.
Jessica's eyes sparkled, and her heart was swelling so much that she thought it might burst. Braden didn't think of her as a little sister. And now here she was, in his arms, the taste of his lips still fresh on hers. Was this a dream? It seemed too good to be true, that he would look at her with desire and affection in his eyes.
"So where are we?" she asked, looking around for the first time. In the darkness, it was hard to make things out, but they seemed to be high on a mountain next to an open cave.
Braden took her hand and led her into the cave. She stumbled over a loose rock, but the dragon caught her and steadied her, chuckling. A small puff of flame billowed from his mouth, illuminating his face and lighting a stick on fire. Braden left her in place, going to a fireplace to one side and starting a fire inside. The cracking warmth lit the space with a soft glow. They were in a cave, but it contained a queen mattress and shelves of water and canned foods.
"What is this?" Jessica asked, looking around with interest.
"It's my man cave," Braden said, pitching his voice deeper than normal. "Or dragon cave if you'd prefer. I like to come out here when things get too crazy. Usually I spend the whole spring equinox here so that I don't end up making a mistake."
Jessica nodded, but froze as a thought occurred to her. "Wait! Does that mean I'm drugging you?"
Braden's black eyes widened and he let out a startled laugh. "What?"
"The spring equinox. It makes you go crazy for virgins, doesn’t it? So you don't actually want me, it's just because of the equinox and because I'm a virgin!" Jessica bit her lip as disappointment crashed down on her. This wasn't what she wanted at all. She didn't want Braden to want her just because he wasn't thinking clearly! "I shouldn't have come to that club."
To her surprise, Braden laughed again, a full-bellied laugh that was delighted. "You came to the club looking for me?"
She ducked her head and wandered closer to the fire before she nodded once.
"I never thought you felt that way about me," he said. “Listen, you do know everything about the equinox, right?”
"Yeah, of course,” Jessica said impatiently. What was the fuss about? “But listen, what do you mean you never thought I felt that way? I thought I was being painfully obvious about my feelings towards you. I thought you were ignoring them because you didn't want to hurt my feelings. You never made any indication that you wanted me."
Braden shook his head, crossing the space to grasp her hands. "Why do you think I always got so angry if any of the other dragons tried to hit on you? It killed me to think of you with another man, even though I knew it was ridiculous. You don't know how many times I wanted to tell you how I felt."
"I thought you just saw me as Stafford's little sister and you thought you had to protect me." Her heart pounded as her fingers traced the tattoos on his smooth chest. She suddenly wondered if he waxed or if he was naturally this hairless. "I hoped… but I didn't think somebody like you would go for somebody like me."
"Somebody like you?" Braden pulled her tighter again. His lips ghosted along her neck. "You mean somebody with bright eyes, a lovely smile and a vivid imagination, who is always happy and bubbly? Somebody who isn't afraid of anything and never has a bad word to say about anybody else? Why wouldn't I want somebody like you?"
Jessica moaned as his tongue flicked across her throat and she let her head fall back. She clutched his shoulders, not certain what else to do with her hands. "So this isn't just because of the equinox? I'm not drugging you?"
Braden laughed. He smoothed her hair from her face and kissed her lips again. "The equinox doesn't work that way. Yes, it makes unmated dragons ache for virgins, but it's more like an irritating itch than a burning desire. Easy to avoid." He pulled back and his expression sobered. "Do you want this, though? Is this how you want to have your first time, in a cave with—"
"With you." Jessica pressed herself tighter to him. "I want you. I've wanted this for such a long time…"
She couldn't find the words to tell him how much she ached for him, so she pushed herself to her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck. He easily picked her up, guided her legs around his waist and carried her to the mattress. Jessica's body was on fire, her magic shooting to the ends of her fingers as she grew more and more excited. This was real. It was really happening. Braden wanted her.
When he lowered her to the mattress, he unbuckled her belt and tugged her jeans off. The cold air brushing against her skin made her shiver. The dragon added more wood to the fire and breathed onto it, making it flare, and she grew warm again.
He returned to her, and Jessica's hands trembled with impatience as she reached for him, but he took her wrists very gently in his and pressed them back against the mattress.
"I'm not going to undress yet. I'm going to make you orgasm first, and I'm not going to enter until I can put three fingers inside of you comfortably. I want to make sure you're ready."
Jessica's blood pulsed hot just from his words. Her pupils dilated as his hands slid up her thighs. She parted her legs, moaning with eagerness. She stared at Braden's profile, at his strong jaw and big eyes, the smile on his lips as he bent over her, pressing a kiss to her navel, his long black hair falling over perfectly formed ears. Her body ached with desire, her heart ached with love.
"Are you sure?" he whispered, kissing his way up her body, pushing her shirt up so he could find her breasts. As he took one into his mouth, something tightened and snapped deep inside her and she rolled her hips to his hand, groaning.
"Yes!" she cried. "Yes, I want this. Please. Please, I want it so bad!"
With a moan, Braden's mouth moved to her lips again. His fingers found their mark and pleasure shot up Jessica's legs, making her moan and tremble. Time lost meaning, and she wanted more, wanted this to never end. Her eyes were open, staring into Braden's as electricity passed between them, bringing them closer and closer together.
Was it hours or minutes later that he finally removed his clothing and let her prepare him? Feeling him beneath her hand was almost as pleasurable as when he touched her. The way he
moaned and bucked his hips towards her, his eyes half-closed while he whispered her name, was pure heaven.
Jessica's heart pounded with delight as he laid her on her back and slowly, oh so slowly, entered her. Nerves fluttered in her stomach, some part of her mind wondering if she could give him the pleasure he deserved, but then they were together, moving as one, arms wrapped around one another, tongues mimicking the thrusts of their bodies.
When both were spent, Braden pulled a blanket over their naked bodies, kissed her shoulders and turned her towards the back of the cave, shielding her body from the chill breeze coming in from the outside world.
Jessica's whole body throbbed with pleasure and she pressed herself tightly against her dragon, smiling as her eyes drifted shut.
This was it. This was her happily ever after. She had everything she wanted, and if her life was one of her romance novels then this would be the moment it would end, letting her and her dragon sleep forever in one another's arms.
***
Braden woke her up just before dawn, kissing her neck as he slipped from the bed. Jessica turned to him, holding out her arms to bring him back to her, but he shook his head.
"I need to get you back to your school. We'll have hell to pay if Pearl finds out about this before we're ready for her to."
Jessica made a face at the mention of the headmistress. "She doesn't need to find out. At least not until after I graduate."
Braden chuckled. "She'll find out sooner than that, Jess. It'll be impossible to hide it from her. Get dressed. We don't have much time before dawn."
When Braden let her off just beyond the protective wards he promised he'd call her, then he shifted into a dragon and left the university grounds. Jessica smiled and watched his form disappear into the sky before she got too cold and was forced to retreat into the dorms.
She tried to be quiet as she made her way up the stairs to her room, but on the second floor, she stumbled on the carpet and pitched forward; as she threw her hands out to catch herself, she knocked over a suit of armor. And it' halberd skittered across the floor, knocking the leg out of the next suit of armor. Which fell onto a table, collapsing one end, while a bowl of fruit that had been on it fell off the other side and shattered.
Crap.
Her heart caught in her chest and Jessica scrambled to her feet, running as hard as she could to get to her room and shower before she was called to Pearl's office about sneaking around in the middle of the night.
I'll tell her I was getting a snack, she thought, and suddenly she realized she needed one–her stomach was twisting in on itself in that aching way it got when she went too long without eating. As soon as the cramps hit her, a swirl of dizziness made her stumble. The twisting in her stomach turned to retching and vomit spewed from her mouth. She gasped, fell to her knees and vomited again.
***
An hour later, she was lying in the university hospital wing while Pearl sat beside her, telling her she was pregnant.
"Who was the dragon?" the headmistress demanded, while Jessica's mind reeled with this news.
"Pregnant," she repeated, tentatively pressing a hand to her stomach. "But how could you know that?"
Pearl sighed. "Jessica, you really need to pay more attention to your studies. When dragons have sex during the spring equinox, the women they mate always gets pregnant. And as the gestation period of a baby conceived during the equinox is only four months, it’s hard on the body."
Jessica's mind whirled. Holy shit! She had to tell Braden. What were they going to do?
Pearl stroked her hair tenderly, as if she was Jessica's mother, then withdrew at the younger witch's uncomfortable look. "I'll inform your brother. You rest and decide what you want to do now."
Jessica was grateful for the headmistress' departure. This was unexpected. Very unexpected.
But he clearly knew everything about the spring equinox. Which meant that he knew that they'd have a baby together, and he still wanted her. A smile blossomed on her face and she pressed her hands into her stomach, wondering how quickly she would be able to feel the baby move. And then she grabbed her cell phone, dialing Braden's number to tell him the good news.
There was no answer.
Chapter Four
He was probably sleeping.
That's what Jessica ought to be doing, too, after the long night they had. The problem was she was feeling a little sore between her legs, even though the previous night she had felt nothing but pleasure. No matter how she shifted, that whole region had a dull ache to it. The waves of nausea that kept washing over her didn't help, either.
Nerves churned in her gut. If women who mated with dragons during the spring equinox always got pregnant, then Braden knew she would get pregnant.
Why wasn't he answering?
Jessica slipped out of bed, eyeing the sleeping potion that Pearl had brought her. The headmistress was acting as though something terrible had happened. Like Jessica was going to die. But that was ridiculous. Nothing was going to happen to her, and as soon as Braden woke up and called her back, everything was going to be just fine.
Her stomach clenched, churned, and Jessica ran for the bathroom. The stone tile floor bit into her knees as she dropped next to the toilet. Her body heaved so violently that she thought she might throw up her stomach.
When the retching stopped, sweat beaded her brow. She lay down beside the toilet, too exhausted to try to make it back to her bed. Jessica glanced down at her pajama pockets. Her cell phone was still there. Not bothering to try to sit up, she yanked it out and dialed Braden again.
No answer.
***
By the time dusk was falling, Jessica still hadn't heard from Braden. Her nausea hadn't improved much, but a ginger-based potion Pearl brought her had at least helped her keep down some chicken soup, and she no longer felt like she was going to die every time she moved.
She had tried to phone Stafford, but she hadn't gotten an answer from him, so there must be something wrong with her phone. That was why Braden hadn't phoned her back. It had to be.
But wouldn't he have come to see her, then?
"I'm not sitting around waiting and letting my childish fears get the best of me," Jessica muttered, as she yanked on her riding boots. "He doesn't know my phone is being ridiculous. He doesn't know that I'm worried sick for him. There is only one thing left to do. I have to go and find him."
She hoped he was in the same apartment he had been in last year when Stafford took her there for a party. If he wasn't… well, she'd run into one of his flock members, and they'd be able to get word to him that she wanted to see him. Simple.
Jessica nearly tripped as she headed for her broom closet, but caught herself just in time. A scowl crossed her face. Feet that were too small for her body had made her a klutz, and people thought it was because she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. But who wanted to look at the ground when the sky was so interesting?
Just as she retrieved her broom, an old willow-branch one with a bicycle seat, the door to her room opened. Jessica repressed a grimace and turned to face Pearl. The headmistress' gaze swept down her riding outfit, and a pinched, concerned look came to her face.
"Flying while pregnant is not a good idea."
"It's safer than driving," Jessica argued. "Besides, I don't have a car."
"That's not what I meant. It will be very uncomfortable."
Jessica's shoulders hunched. She put the broom back. "Then I'll get Stafford to give me a ride to town on his bike or something. My phone's not working, and I need to talk with Br—my dragon."
Pearl sighed heavily. "Jessica, I know that the dragon you… slept with was Braden. Even if he wasn't the most obvious suspect, there were witnesses who saw you two together last night."
Jessica bristled both at Pearl's tone and her wording. She was acting like Braden had committed a crime! Since when were two consenting adults having sex illegal? Well, at least in heterosexual couples. There were plenty of times in
the past where homosexual couplings were illegal… Jessica shook her head and focused on the situation at hand.
"Braden didn't do anything wrong. He kept asking me if I was really certain that I wanted it, so you can stop acting like I was some sort of virgin sacrifice. But my phone's not working and I have to talk with him."
"That's why I came here." Pearl ran a hand through her graying, white-blonde hair. "Jessica, I think you ought to sit down."
Jessica remained standing. Her heart beat hard against her ribs. What had happened? Had Braden got into an accident? Was he in the hospital? Was he dead? Bile scorched the back of her throat but she swallowed it back down. No, nothing had happened to Braden. Pearl was just going to give her a lecture.
"Jessica—"
"I don't want to hear whatever you have to say. I know you don't like dragons and I don't care why. I love Braden! We’re having a baby together. And I'm not staying in your stupid university, either. I'll leave the coven if I have to!"
Pearl's gaze was full of pity. She didn't even flinch at Jessica's outburst. Instead, she shook her head and sighed. "Oh, Jessica… I wish that I didn't have to tell you this. The dragon's gone."
Jessica felt like she had been punched in the stomach. "Wh-what?"
"This morning he attacked a witch. He put her in the hospital and then fled when the authorities tried to question him. If he returns, he'll be jailed. If the witch dies, which she might, then he could be imprisoned for life for murder."
Jessica felt like the world was spinning around her. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, muscles so tense they hurt. "Braden's not like that. He would never attack anybody. He wouldn't leave without me."
"Honey." Pearl's voice broke as she stepped forward, holding out her arms as though she was Jessica's mother trying to comfort her. "Honey, he was at a bar all morning. One of those dragon-only places. And all the dragons he talked to are all saying the same thing. It's all over town. He was laughing about how you… He used you."
