By some unspoken command, Rainer stepped back and Zander swept her up into his arms. Quick strides brought them to his room, where he set her gently on her feet by the bed. She heard the door quietly snick closed, then the heavy treads of Rainer's large feet as he walked over to them.
A quick glance around the room brought back sharp memories of loving Zander in the big bed, of lazy weekend mornings spent curled up in his arms. Her gaze shot to the bed and her heart went mad when she saw the bottle of lubricant sitting on the bedside table.
"Take off your robe, raindrop.” Zander's voice was deep and raspy, drawing her attention back to him. His face was harsh planes and angles, his eyes dark and hard. Lust rode him in waves so high Leilani could feel it in the pulse between her thighs.
Nervousness made her pause. His face gentled.
Then Rainer pulled her back to his front, brushing her hair out of the way before burying his face in her neck. He pressed kisses along the side of her throat. His hands slid from her waist up to underneath her breasts, cupping them through the soft terry of her robe.
Zander's eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared as his gaze moved to where Rainer's hands were kneading her breasts. “Take off the robe,” he ordered again, his voice soft like the breath of a promise.
Heat flashed low in her belly at the command in his voice. She shivered and, as desire quickened her body, her breath came in shallow pants. Her fingers went to the belt at her waist.
When she untied it, Rainer's fingers curled around the lapels and swept the robe off her shoulders. He tossed it to the side. Warm lips pressed against her shoulder, then trailed down the line of her spine as he went to his knees behind her.
Zander moved in, big hands going to her waist. He jerked her forward, holding her still as he slowly pumped his hips against her, driving his jeans-covered erection against her belly. His eyes flared golden with dragon heat, his face flushed with lust as his gaze roamed over her nudity.
Leilani arched in reaction, silently begging him to take her aching nipples between his lips.
A slow, feral smile curved his lips, and he bent his head to her breast. As Zander sucked the hard tip into the warm, wet heat of his mouth, Rainer's tongue flicked out and traced a path from the small of her back to the crease between her buttocks.
She arched and cried out at the twin assault. Strong hands—whose, she didn't know, didn't care—lifted her and gently laid her on the bed. The men dropped to their knees on either side of her. Her eyes moved from one masculine face to the other. “I ... don't know what I'm supposed to do. For the ceremony,” she clarified.
Zander's face lightened with a smile. “We'll let you know, when it's time. For right now...” He lay down beside her, his chest half covering hers, his cock a hard, thick weight against her thigh.
Rainer moved into a similar position, and his hand slipped into the folds of her sex, fingers sliding through her wet slit.
Her legs widened, and Leilani pressed against his hand, seeking a firmer touch. Cream slid from her core, coating her swollen pussy lips and his hand. Rainer leaned in and kissed her, a tender and caring caress that brought tears to her eyes because of its very unexpectedness.
Arrogant dragons weren't usually known for their gentleness, especially when they were mating.
When Rainer began kissing a path down her throat, she turned her head and met Zander's lips. “Beautiful,” he murmured against her mouth before thrusting his tongue between her lips with forceful demand.
Rainer latched onto her nipple and suckled her with hard, strong pulls of his tongue. Her clit throbbed in response and she jerked as Rainer rubbed the swollen nub.
When Zander's mouth left hers, she whimpered at the loss, then gasped as he sucked her other nipple between his lips. The men's cocks rubbed against her thighs, leaving her skin moist with their pre-cum.
Leilani's hands went to their hair, threading through silky strands, clutching them to her as they suckled her. She looked down, seeing two dark heads at her breasts. Then her eyes closed as the sensations of being pleasured by two men became overwhelming.
* * * *
Zander's entire body was coiled tight. He rolled to his back. Rainer moved out of the way and helped him position Leilani over him. Her eyes flew open, staring down at Zander with anxiety in her gaze. She wasn't new to anal sex—hell, he'd taken her in the ass as often as he could—but it had been awhile and she'd never made love to two men at the same time. He knew that was what caused her nervousness.
"Take me, raindrop.” He smoothed his hands over her ass. “Put my cock in you."
With a low moan, she did as he'd instructed, straddling him. Slender fingers wrapped around his cock, guiding it to her entrance as she lowered her body. As her slick heat surrounded him, he sucked in his breath, his hands tightening on her hips. Only when she fully enveloped him did he start breathing again.
Rainer's hand on her back urged her forward until she rested against Zander, her tight nipples scraping through the wiry hair on his chest. Zander thrust into her once, twice, then stilled, spreading her buttocks for Rainer's possession.
Zander felt the brush of Rainer's hand as the other man began preparing Leilani with his fingers. He murmured to her, pressing kisses against her cheek, soothing her. She shivered against him and cried out, pushing her hips back into Rainer's touch.
"That's it, Lani,” Rainer muttered. His face was hard with need, his jaw held tautly. The muscles in his arm flexed as he continued to stroke his fingers in and out of her anus. She shuddered and moaned, her hips pumping.
With a low groan, Zander met Rainer's gaze and nodded. She was ready.
Rainer shifted to one side long enough to roll a condom onto his erection. Moving back behind her, he grasped his cock in his hand.
"Hold onto me, baby,” Zander whispered, tightening his hands on her ass, keeping her open for Rainer's possession. “Relax and let him in."
She gave a shaky laugh. “Oh, Goddess. You relax."
A lustful smile tightened his lips, but quickly faded as he felt the slide of Rainer's thick cock against his, only her thin membrane separating them.
Leilani cried out, jerking in his arms, teeth latching onto his shoulder.
"That's it, raindrop,” he muttered. “Taste me."
Rainer's cock in her ass made her vaginal sheath even tighter around Zander's prick. For a moment he savored the tight clasp of her body. The moment was brief as his body demanded he move. His gaze met Rainer's again and in synch they began thrusting into her.
Knowing he wasn't going to last long, that the words of the ceremony needed to be said before any of them climaxed, he reached behind her and grabbed one of Rainer's hands. Twining their fingers together, he told Leilani, “Repeat these words after us, baby."
She nodded, her teeth clamped onto her lower lip.
In perfect synchronization, he and Rainer intoned, “My power to your power, my blood to your blood.” He waited until her shaky voice repeated the words then, with Rainer's voice steady and strong with his, he added, “I am yours, body, heart and soul. Take my magic, let it flow through you forever."
She braced herself against his chest, her fingers rubbing across his nipples with every thrust of Rainer's cock into her ass. “I am yours, body, heart and soul,” she whispered, her gaze wide and fixed on his. “Take my magic, let it flow through you forever."
He saw Rainer's mouth settle onto the meaty part of her shoulder. Moving his head to the other shoulder, he bit into her at the same time Rainer did. She cried out and bucked against them, her climax building with the primal marking.
It was a dance as old as time, a melding of earth and dragon magic that had happened in eons past and would continue with all dragon lines to come. The intimacy of sex, of opening oneself body and soul to another, as well as the act of giving Leilani their mark drew their magic swirling through them to her and back again.
Her salty, coppery blood filled Zander's mouth as heat spread from the
center of his body outward. His skin heated as magic danced around and through them.
Zander let loose of her shoulder, pushing his head down into the pillow. He groaned and pumped his hips against her, helpless in the grip of his body's response. Mine! his body roared with each jerk of his hips. Fire raced down his spine, had him slamming against her with as much force as he could muster, the same force with which Rainer rammed into her ass, until she arched over him, crying out with her climax. Through the thin membrane separating her channels, he felt Rainer's cock as he thrust one last time and held himself still, his release shouted out in a loud voice.
Leilani's tight channel clenched around Zander's cock and milked his orgasm from him in jets of hot pleasure so violent he shuddered and panted beneath her.
With a final soft moan, she collapsed against his chest, pinned to him by Rainer's big body. Rainer's cock gave a jerk with the last of his release.
Zander felt her shiver as Rainer carefully withdrew from her ass. A whimper left her, a mixture of pained pleasure.
Rainer's dark head bent, and he placed a kiss against her shoulder. “I pledge my life to protect you, Rastabana,” he said softly, bestowing upon her the royal title she was due as wife to the Head of the Order of the Dragon. The bed sagged and then lifted as he rolled to his feet. He walked into the adjoining bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Zander kissed Leilani again and somehow found the strength to pull out of her.
The bathroom door opened, and Rainer came back to the bed. Handing Zander a cool, wet washcloth, he sat on the bed and gently brushed sweat-dampened hair from Leilani's face.
Once Zander had cleansed Leilani, holding the cloth against her swollen flesh to relieve some of the heat from their mating, he handed the cloth back to Rainer. He sent the other man his thanks with an incline of his head.
Rainer acknowledged it with a small, formal bow. After putting the washcloth back in the bathroom, he quietly gathered his jeans in his hand, opened the bedroom door and eased through it, closing it behind him with a soft click.
Leilani exhaled noisily and rolled to her side. Zander pulled her against him, his hand going between her thighs, nestling against her pussy. He rubbed his hand against her, and her clit responded, coming erect beneath his palm.
At her incredible responsiveness to his touch, pure male satisfaction and pride surged through him. That, and the powerful need to protect her, to keep her safe. To stake his claim against any other male. While he had found complete pleasure in the bonding ceremony, from now on, she was his and his alone.
Zander closed his eyes on a sigh. He needed this. Needed to be close to her, to hold her warmth in his arms, feel her silken skin against his.
If only ... His jaw tightened. He knew she hadn't meant to be unfaithful to him before, knew, too, that she was just stubborn enough to insist he put his full trust in her.
He just wasn't wired to trust easily. And once that hard-won trust had been broken, it wasn't readily re-established.
Nor was he one who asked for forgiveness. He was the Rastaban—the Head of the Dragon. He was ruthless.
Possessive. He wasn't sweet romance and sunshine.
He was fast and hard, the boom of thunder in the wildness of a storm.
He wouldn't apologize for what he was, what he'd done or not done. He'd made a tactical error two years ago in letting her walk out of his life, but he wouldn't waste time or energy looking back into the past and living with regrets.
The bonding was set; he had claimed what was his. Leilani was his now. Light to his dark, soft giving to his hard taking.
They would look together to their future. And if all she would give him was her body ... Having her in his bed would have to be enough.
CHAPTER 9
Leilani stared at the windows and watched as the shadows lengthened, signaling the waning of the day. She was pleasantly sore physically and amazed at how well she felt emotionally.
The bonding was unlike anything she'd ever done before. The sex had been astonishing. When she'd felt the magic of the dragon flow through her from both Zander and Rainer ... It was as if she'd never before felt truly alive until that moment.
Even now, as Zander lay slumbering behind her, his warm hand between her thighs, her skin still tingled with residual power released during the joining.
Goddess. There was no going back. She was bonded for life to Zander and Rainer. While she would never again have Rainer in her bed—Zander would never stand for it—Rainer's power would be hers to draw upon whenever she needed it. And should something ever happen to Zander, Rainer would step in as her protector.
But, for now, Zander ... He was hers whenever she wanted him. And she wanted him all the time.
She could no longer fool herself that it was enough to just have sex with him. She loved him. She had from the moment she met him and she always would.
However, one-sided love wasn't enough. It was just sex for Zander. Had always just been sex for him. He'd never given her the words, those three little words that said so much. Besides, as far as she was concerned, if he loved her, he would have trusted her.
She couldn't spend the rest of her life with a man who didn't love or believe in her. No matter how good the sex was. The bonding was forever, but that didn't mean she had to live with him the rest of her life. With a sigh, she started to ease away from him, only to still when the hand cupping her pussy tightened.
"Where do you think you're going?” His voice was gruff with sleep, but she heard the alert quality to his tone.
"I'm going to get dressed.” Leilani wrapped her fingers around his wrist and tried to pull his hand away.
In response, he slid his middle finger into her sheath and pressed his erection into the crease of her buttocks.
She gasped and arched, her hand tightening around his brawny wrist. “Zander, we don't have time. Gerszon..."
His heavy sigh gusted against the back of her neck. “You're right.” He pumped his finger a couple of times, then slowly withdrew.
She couldn't stop the involuntary movement of her hips following his finger.
His hand slipped from between her thighs to rest for a moment on her hip. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder and turned away to get out of bed.
With a sigh of her own, Leilani rolled to a sitting position. She heard the rustle of clothing as Zander got dressed. His jeans swished as he walked over to her, a navy blue T-shirt slung over his shoulder, her terry robe in one lean hand. “Here. As soon as you're dressed, come downstairs."
Bending, he curled his fingers under her chin and tilted her face. He slanted his mouth over hers, his kiss hungry and possessive. When he drew away, he rested his forehead against hers for a moment, his breathing heavy. “Don't be long,” he murmured. His smile was a brief tilt of one side of his lips before he straightened and left the room, closing the door behind him.
She stared at the closed door. Getting to her feet, she shrugged into her robe, belting it tightly around her waist. With a slight grimace at the lingering soreness between her legs, she hobbled into the master bathroom and twisted the knobs in the shower. Testing the stream of water with one hand, she adjusted the temperature.
Leilani dropped the robe on the floor and stepped into the shower, pulling the curtain across the edge. She took the shortest shower on record and, clothed in her robe again, rushed into the other room to get fresh clothes. If she knew Zander, and she did, he was downstairs right now formulating a strategy for dealing with Gerszon without her.
Since she and Melantha were the ones under attack, it seemed only right they should have input into any plans that were made. Building up steam for the fight she just knew she was going to have with him, she grabbed the towel from around her head and scrubbed her scalp, drying her hair as much as possible.
When she made her way to the living room five minutes later, she found Melantha sitting on the sofa, Terik's arm around her shoulders and Nikolai seated on the other side of her. Leilan
i's two dragons stood in front of the fireplace while Zander outlined his plan.
"...then as soon as he's distracted,” he was saying, his gaze on the men on the sofa, “you two move in from behind."
"And what, exactly,” Leilani asked in a tone as dry as cheap whiskey, “are Mel and I doing while you big-ass heroes save us poor, weak women from the bad guy?"
Rainer twisted to look at his rear end and then shot a glare toward Terik. “I asked you if these jeans made my ass look big,” he muttered, his wide grin belying the disgruntled tone of his voice, “and you said no."
"It ain't the jeans, buddy.” Terik smirked.
Melantha let out a bark of laughter. When Zander frowned at her, she snorted back another laugh and said, “We're supposed to sit here like good little girls and do nothing while they lure Gerszon away from us."
"Oh, really?” Leilani looked at Zander. “And what if Gerszon won't be lured?"
Zander's eyes narrowed. His chauvinistic tendencies were such that he didn't like it when a woman questioned him. Tough. He'd better get used to it.
No, wait. She clenched her jaw against a shaft of pain at the mental reminder that she wasn't planning on spending her life with him. He wouldn't have to get used to anything where she was concerned.
"If he thinks you're not here, he'll go where he believes you are.” Zander's even tones didn't give away his thoughts at all.
She tilted her head to one side. “And just why would he think we're not here?"
"Part of the way he senses you,” Nikolai said, the baritone of his voice a pleasant rasp on her eardrums, “is through your blood. The bloodline of Cathal."
"Okay. I still don't see how—"
"Your blood will be elsewhere,” Zander interrupted.
"Elsewhere?” she asked. She looked from one man to the other. “Elsewhere as in not in my body?"
"We'll take some of your blood and put it higher on the mountain,” Rainer said. “That will make him think you're on the move, especially if you and Mel here behave yourselves and aren't very active. He'll follow the blood and, when he moves in to finish you off, we'll have him."
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