THRAX

by Bonnie Burrows

  He kept his promise. Several minutes later, we were soaring through the clear blue sky together. Perched on Nick's broad, scaly gray back, between his shoulder blades, I didn't feel in the slightest bit of danger of falling or being dropped. Which wasn't to say that I wasn't experiencing any nervous flutters in my stomach, though. I was. I'd never had a fear of heights before, but flying in the sky hundreds of feet above the ground was just a bit different than climbing to the top of the tallest monkey bars as a kid. The trees in the forest below looked like little broccoli florets.

  I really liked flying on Nick's back. Before climbing on, I'd thought that riding a dragon would seem like a strange, or even surreal, experience. But now, the only thing strange about it was how strange it didn't feel. Expect for occasional nervous stomach flutters from being up so high in the air, I felt at ease. I felt exhilarated. I loved feeling the power of Nick's massive wings beating the air. From tip to tip, they were at least twenty feet across.

  But, to my disappointment, my exhilarating dragon ride came to an end after only a few minutes. Nick began descending not long after we'd passed the forest, and I saw that we were coming up on a town I knew must be Crystal Falls. And it did look bigger than Stone River. And a little brighter, somehow, too, if that was the right word. It was definitely better maintained.

  In the center of town, at least a hundred large wooden buildings sat in rows. I assumed these buildings were businesses of some sort. Around these buildings, hundreds and hundreds, possibly even a thousand, log cabins formed a wide ring. As Nick and I got nearer, I could see that some of the cabins were single-story cabins, some were two-story, and some were even three. Behind each one, long stretches of grass rolled out like plush green carpet. I could also see that there were roads connecting all the clusters of cabins to the businesses at the center of town. And not dirt roads, but actual roads that were paved, like I'd seen in dusty old books with pictures of towns and cities pre-Catastrophe. On these roads, some people walked, and some people rode bicycles, which we had in Stone River, too. They were very hard to come by, though, because of a shortage of parts and metal,and usually, entire families would share one. But here, I could see more bikes on just one tree-lined street alone than we had all together in Stone River.

  Surrounded by forestland and with glittering streams running through it, the town was absolutely beautiful and I thought how I wouldn't mind at all being a "captive" in it and having it be my permanent home.

  Nick and I landed in a clearing just outside the town, and no sooner than he'd shifted back into human form, we were greeted by dozens of people welcoming their chief home and also looking at me curiously.

  Nick introduced me to the group as a whole, then briefly explained where I'd come from and why I was there, adding that I'd be staying in Crystal Falls indefinitely. "So, please, make Daisy feel welcome here."

  Everyone murmured that they would, and Nick continued.

  "To this end, I'd like to have a welcome dinner for Daisy in the great hall tonight. So, if one of you could please go let the chefs know, I'd greatly appreciate it.”

  Right away, several people said that they would, and strode off.

  Immediately after, one slender young woman about my age stepped forward and extended a hand to me, springy red curls bouncing. "It's really nice to meet you, Daisy. I'm Katie, though, kind of annoyingly, a lot of people call me Red. I have no idea why."

  Laughing, I shook her hand. "It's really nice to meet you, Katie."

  She grinned and I smiled in return, having a feeling that we were going to become fast friends.

  And we did. Later that afternoon, after I'd gotten settled into one of the many spacious guest rooms in Nick's massive, three-story log cabin, and after I'd had a little rest, Nick went to meet with the council, and Katie came to take me on a tour of the town. While we biked down the smooth, tree-lined streets, talking and laughing, she told me that she'd recently gotten married to a shifter named Alex, Nick's third-in-command.

  "Although, for all practical purposes, he's really Nick's second-in-command a lot of times because Damien's always so busy fighting with Nick and trying to get under his skin that he often doesn't stay on task or help much. By the way, have you met Damien?"

  I said that I had. "Though briefly."

  "Well, I'm sure that was long enough to be dazzled by his looks; however, I should warn you that he has a reputation as a real love 'em and leave 'em type. So, if I were you, I'd steer clear."

  I said that I planned to. "And besides, I have a bit of a crush on someone else."

  Katie glanced at me with a sly smile. "I thought I saw a few little looks passing between you and Nick. I sort of have a radar for these kinds of things. And from what it looked like, your crush is definitely being reciprocated. Which will probably make more than a few women in town a little envious, being that Nick is our most sought-after bachelor, without a doubt."

  We arrived at a clothing boutique Katie owned and ran, and she showed me around, then we went next door to tour what was called the manufacturing center, which we had no equivalent to in Stone River. At this center, machines ran on electricity, which didn't seem to be as spotty as it was in Stone River, and made everything from bicycle parts to socks. I was flabbergasted. Most everything in Stone River had to be made by hand.

  While I surveyed an assembly line, Katie smiled at me. "We even make cosmetics and jewelry here. Have you ever tried lipstick?"

  I hadn't. At least, not real lipstick. In Stone River, we made various makeup items from vegetable-based dyes and colorings, but I'd never seen or used real lipstick, like from a tube, like I'd seen in pictures in pre-Catastrophe books.

  But that evening I went to the special welcome dinner in my honor wearing real lipstick, from a tube, in a gorgeous shade of berry pink. I was also wearing a halter-top, knee-length dress in a similar shade, just one of many clothing items Katie had given me from her boutique as welcome-to-town presents. She'd basically given me a whole new wardrobe, which I appreciated tremendously, especially being that other than the clothes on my back, I'd only arrived with one sweatshirt and a few spare pairs of underwear and socks in my backpack.

  During my welcome dinner in the great hall, which was an enormous, long, single-story cabin structure with vaulted ceilings, Nick said I looked absolutely stunning no fewer than three times. And even though the dinner was attended by hundreds of people, many of them very attractive young women, he seemed only to have eyes for me.

  Over the next two days, we spent a lot of time together, getting to know each other even better. We also spent a good deal of time kissing. Though things didn't go much further than that, despite how much the feel of Nick's mouth against mine and his hard body against mine made me want him, because I wanted us to take our time. I wanted us to get to know each other over a period of several weeks, maybe, before things went further.

  However, on Sunday afternoon, while we enjoyed a picnic along the banks of a very secluded river a mile outside of town, Nick presented me with a gorgeous gold bracelet studded with emeralds and diamonds. And then he told me that he was falling in love with me.

  Realizing I was falling in love with him, too, I reached for his hand. "I think I've actually been falling in love with you from the moment you tackled me when I was trying to run away. Which...." I paused, fighting a smile. "Was that really necessary?"

  He cracked a sexy half-grin. "Maybe, maybe not. I suppose I could have darted around to the front of you and blocked your path. But...falling to the ground with you in my arms was just so, so much fun."

  Laughing, I leaned in to kiss him. Maybe a minute or so later, I pulled away, just as the kiss was intensifying. And then, I said some words I didn't think I'd be saying so soon. Yet somehow, they just felt right. I was falling in love, and I'd suddenly made up my mind.

  "Nick, I want you to make love to me."

  CHAPTER 3

  I didn't need to ask Nick twice to make love to me. Within a minute of my requ
est, we were both standing in the forest completely naked. Our clothes lay scattered around the blanket we'd had our picnic on.

  I ran my hands over the contours of Nick's broad, hard chest, my gaze going from his pecs to his six-pack abs and then even lower. And my breath caught in my throat. His manhood, thick, straight, and long, pointed nearly straight at the clear blue sky. I wanted it. I wanted it so badly I was developing a frustrating sort of ache low in my belly. An ache that only intensified when Nick raked his gaze over my own body with a growl rumbling in his chest.

  "Gorgeous. Every single inch of you, Daisy. Absolutely gorgeous."

  He cupped my full breasts and began circling my stiffened nipples with his thumbs, making me moan, before covering my mouth with his own and kissing me so passionately I was a little breathless when he pulled away. After brushing a strand of my honey brown hair out of my face, his eyes glassy, he moved his large, long-fingered hands to my rear and pulled me against his hardness. I whimpered with desire and wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling the feminine folds between my thighs becoming incredibly slick. Caressing and kneading my rear, Nick kissed me again, once more leaving me a little breathless when he pulled away. Yet somehow, I found breath enough to speak.

  "Can I tell you something?"

  He cupped my rear and spoke in a low, husky voice. "You can tell me anything. What is it?"

  "Well...it's that I've never experienced...release during intimacy. And this time, I'd really like to try."

  His green eyes widened slightly. "The fact that you've never experienced release during intimacy is a crime. And that will be the last time you ever say those words. Though as far as you saying you'd like to try, I actually don't want you to try at all. You shouldn't have to. I just want you to relax while we make love, without feeling like you have to try to do anything."

  I moved my head in a slight nod. "Okay."

  He began kissing me again, soon wrapping me in his strong arms and guiding us both down to sit on the blanket without even breaking the kiss.

  But eventually, he pulled his mouth from mine and eased me down on my back. "Just relax, you beautiful, exquisite creature. Just let me love you."

  I did as I was told and lowered the back of my head to the blanket. And within moments, I felt Nick planting kisses along my inner thighs. And I hoped with all my heart that what I thought was about to happen would happen. Though the act had been a frequent fantasy of mine, I'd never experienced it before. Just the very idea of it could get me completely aroused if I thought about it for longer than a minute. And I was definitely aroused now, while Nick continued his kisses from my thighs to my feminine mound, his mouth firm and warm. In fact, the ache low in my belly was becoming nearly unbearable.

  The moment I felt his tongue glide across the sensitive feminine bud between my slick lips, I cried out, grinding my head back into the blanket, the sensation more pleasurable than I'd even imagined it would be. Lying on his stomach, Nick cradled my hips in his arms, holding me to his face, and began gliding his tongue up and down my sensitive bud with exquisitely slow strokes. Moving my feet to his shoulders, I clutched the blanket, becoming lost in a world of pure pleasure.

  Nick continued on at a leisurely pace, but after several minutes, I suddenly needed him to increase it. I tangled my fingers in his thick, dark blond hair, squirming against his mouth, moaning, and he soon seemed to get the picture and quickened the movements of his tongue. And not long after that, my pleasure came to a peak, and I ground myself against his face, crying out, while wave after wave of pleasure, so intense I saw stars, washed over me.

  At least a minute went by before the rate of my breathing returned to at least semi-normal. Nick held me close from behind, smoothing my hair. And presently, I realized that although I'd been completely satisfied, I wanted to be satisfied again.

  I rolled on my side to look at him. "I want to feel you inside me now. Please."

  With a low growl, he hiked my leg up on his hip and positioned the head of his rock-hard shaft at my slick entrance, then slid into me with one long, powerful thrust, groaning. I moaned at the sensation of being completely and totally filled by his length and thickness and I immediately began moving my hips, encouraging him to thrust. Though he hardly needed the encouragement.

  With one hand gripping my hip, he began sliding his rod in and out of me with slow, deep movements, grunting. I looked into his deep green eyes, pleasure building inside of me once again. After a minute or two, he rolled onto his back, pulling me on top of him, and I rode him, rolling my hips at an unhurried pace. But soon, I felt an urgent need to increase my pace, and I did so, breasts bouncing. Groaning, Nick moved a hand from my hip and began stroking my feminine bud with a fingertip, and that was all it took to get me crying out with pleasure, seeing stars, for the second time. Almost simultaneously, he reached his own climax and thrust himself into me several times, deeply, lifting his hips completely off the blanket while a loud growl rumbled in his chest.

  Finally fully satisfied, satisfied beyond my wildest dreams even, I soon rolled off of him, panting, and rested on my side. With his own breathing still coming fast, he took me in his arms and began stroking my hair. I buried my face in his hard chest, and within a minute or two, I'd fallen asleep to the sound of birdsong.

  An hour or so later, we enjoyed a swim in the river before making love yet again. Now that I'd experienced what real pleasure felt like, I couldn't get enough.

  Late in the day, we finally dressed and returned through the forest to Crystal Falls, hand in hand. And that's when our afternoon of bliss officially came to an end. And suddenly.

  Damien, who'd apparently just returned from his trip to Stone River, judging by the fact that he was still wearing muddy black boots, sat at the kitchen table in Nick's enormous three-story cabin-mansion. Two of Nick's council members, Robert and David, as well as his and Damien's Uncle Marshall, sat at the table with him. When Nick and I entered the kitchen, still holding hands, Damien took one look at us, and his neutral expression became one of pain briefly before darkening, turning into a near-scowl. Not immediately making the connection between our obvious sign of couple-hood and Damien's grim look, I instantly feared the worst about little Matthew. I'd been so certain that the special herb would cure him of his fever, and right away.

  I said the most perfunctory of greetings to everyone before taking an empty seat at the table, my gaze on Damien. "Matthew. Is he okay?"

  Damien sighed, looking at me, his scowl softening. "He's just fine. The herb cured him completely. As of the time I left, he was up and out of bed, emptying a toy chest onto the floor."

  I breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God. Thank God. And thank you for making the trip and bringing me this news."

  Damien gave me the smallest of smiles. "You're welcome. I was glad to help. And by the way, Matthew's family is extremely grateful to you."

  Sitting next to me, Nick squeezed my hand and then picked it up and kissed it.

  Scowling again with his dark gray eyes narrowed, Damien turned his face away for a moment, as if the act of Nick kissing my hand had offended him. And that's when it fully hit me that he was upset about Nick and me now being a couple. But before I had time to contemplate this, he cleared his throat and turned his gaze to Nick.

  "I was just telling Robert, David, and Uncle Marshall about a little spying I did and a little information I found out while on my way back from Stone River. Would you like to hear this information also, or do you have more canoodling to do?"

  Nick snorted, glaring at him. "Out with it. What information do you have?"

  Wearing a little smirk, Damien sat back in his chair, folding his arms across his muscular chest. "I paid a little visit to Howler's Creek. And I discovered that Ezra and all his wolves plan to attack us at dawn four days from now, in an attempt to kidnap Daisy. They're going to come in from the west, and charge out from the forest into the clearing just behind this section of cabins. That's where they plan to fight us befor
e taking her back to Howler's Creek."

  Remembering just how terrifying Ezra had been while in wolf form, I shuddered, my blood turning to ice.

  Nick squeezed my hand again, frowning, his gaze still on Damien. "And just how does he plan to accomplish 'taking us out', considering that our shifters outnumber his by at least a hundred?"

  Damien scoffed. "I said I spied on him; I didn't say I'd gained access to the innermost workings of his mind."

  For the next several minutes, Nick, Damien, their Uncle Marshall, and the two council members discussed strategy regarding the fight. Ultimately, Nick decided that a few hours before dawn on the expected day of the attack, he, Damien, and a hundred of the community's strongest shifters would hide in a densely-wooded area to the east of the clearing behind the cabin; they'd then charge out when the wolves came in from the west.

  Uncle Marshall gazed at the surface of the light oak table, stroking his short gray beard. "And will you have the archers helping during this fight, Nick? And if so, where will they be?"

  Nick looked thoughtful for a long moment before responding. "Yes, and I'll have them hide near the center of town, then take position at the edge of the clearing when they hear the fight begin."