by Ines Johnson
"I've only marked you. I need to get my scent on you to ward off any other predators."
"How are you going to do that?”
"I'm going to taste you."
"Taste me? Oh, you mean a kiss?"
"For starters."
He grabbed her thighs and tugged. She flopped on her back. Her legs were still bound in the rough fabric of her arrival. Corun grabbed the edge of the pants near her booted heel and ripped them apart. The cloth gave easily, falling away like dirt in a mine to reveal the treasure buried inside.
Her hand came up to his chest. "You'll be gentle?"
"No.” He grabbed her arms and pulled them over her head. "I'm going to be thorough. And you're going to be still."
His lips took hers in a searing kiss. He felt her body give beneath his. He was only getting started, and she was already squirming.
He looked down at what was his. She was a jewel in the rough. Red hair like a ruby. He was about to see just how red he could make her. In fact, he wondered if all of her was red. He was about to find out.
Chapter Twelve
Chryssie had been laid bare in front of others before. When she first became sick, she was often trussed up on an exam table in a sterile doctor’s office. There had always been at least two people peering down at her body or inside her body in medical fascination. No one had ever looked at her with carnal lust.
Corun ripped the fabric of her jeans. The thrift store designer-wear had cost her a pretty penny. Because she’d only had pennies to rub together. She did not mourn their loss.
She lay before a sexy dragon shifter with her flesh bare. Well, nearly bare. All that was left below were her panties and the kickass boots. She would not be cool if he ruined those boots.
Corun made quick work of her cotton underwear. Then he spread her thighs and simply stared.
Chryssie was becoming embarrassingly wet down there. Not only that, her sex was throbbing in time to his panted breaths. Mortified, she reached down to cover herself.
Corun’s eyes flashed red. A menacing growl came through his gritted teeth. Without warning, he tore her shredded jeans into thin strips. With lightning-quick speed, he yanked her hands from her sex and tied her wrists in an intricate knot. With her hands immobile, he stretched her arms over her head and bound the end of the fabric to the latticework of the headboard.
There it was again. That feeling of freedom, of weightlessness that had come the first time she'd awakened and found herself bound and hanging from a hook in a ruby mine.
The stretch of her body made her entire torso arch. The man hovering over her made her whole body clench into a sharp point of need. Her fingers balled and unballed into fists. Her wrists pressed against their bindings, stretching her body more.
With her arms caging her head in, she couldn't turn her head left and right to see what he was doing. Instead of spilling flat into her armpits, her breasts pointed skyward, feeling swollen and full. Her nipples defied gravity, aimed up at the man above her, begging for his attention.
"I want to touch you," Chryssie said.
Corun shook his head, capturing her lower lip with his. He nipped at the plump flesh he found there. The kiss was a fine line between gentle and stinging, and she loved it.
"That would be unwise," he said.
“To touch you?" Her voice came out on a whimper. “Why?”
"I can't control both of you at the same time.”
“Who?”
“You and my dragon.”
“But—”
“It’s better this way. This is the way it's done."
Corun allowed no more argument. He captured her lips. His body settled into the V of hers, and all protest left her.
This was it. He was going to take her V card. She thought she'd die holding on to it. But nope, she was overdrawing her account, canceling her membership, shredding that bit of plastic.
Corun was taking his time with her, moving slowly, methodically. She really couldn't complain. He was a man of his word. He was being thorough.
She had been kissed a few times. But never like this. Never like she was a fine wine or a succulent dessert. Corun was sipping at her, sucking on her. On her bottom lip. On her upper lip. On her tongue. On the seam of her lips. On the space between her teeth and her lips.
He claimed it all.
Finally, the previews were coming to a close, and the show was about to begin. He moved down her neck, tasting the skin as she gulped in lungfuls of air. She tugged on her binds, desperate to touch him. But he was in complete control.
"Please," she begged.
"What?" He took his lips from her skin. "What do you need that I'm not providing you."
“I … I …” She didn't know what she wanted.
"Hush, I know exactly what you need. I'll take care of you. I'll take care of everything."
She believed him.
Corun uncovered her breasts. Taking one in his mouth, he bit down. Chryssie’s body arched off the bed and deeper into his mouth.
He pressed her hips down with his. She felt the weight of his erection throbbing against her exposed skin. She crossed her legs at his low back, locking her boots over his ass. But he made no move to unsheathe himself and plunge into her.
Chryssie could wait. She could barely handle the attention he was delivering to her breast. And now he was switching to the other.
Heat pooled in her belly. So hot, so fierce, she wondered if she would breathe fire.
"Corun," she whimpered.
He stared at her. His eyes were glowing red slits. "Mine."
She wasn't sure if it was the man or the dragon that lay the claim. She had no fear of the dragon that stared back at her. She had no fear of the man who took hold of her.
Corun gathered her ankles in his hands. He gave her body a yank, pulling her taut until her back was flat on the bed. Or at least as flat as he could get it as she continued to arch into his touch.
He pushed her booted ankles towards her bottom until her knees were bent. He held her there, arms bound, lower body exposed to his touch. Chryssie began to squirm in earnest as he stared and licked his lips.
"Hush, this will soothe him, and it will settle you."
His descent was slow. His gaze intent, focused. His eyes were so red she felt the heat of them on her core.
No, that was his breath. Would he breathe fire? Would he burn her?
She jumped at the first brush of his scorching hot tongue. He licked at her seam, coaxing it open. She melted for him, like a flower stretching up into the morning sun, knowing the rays could ultimately burn it as it gave it sustenance.
Chryssie’s petals were wide open. Corun found the bud inside. He wrapped his lips around her and suckled.
She needed to press her thighs together to relieve some of the overwhelming, delicious pressure. But his hold was absolute. Her hands strained against the ropes, but she would not get away from him. She didn't want to get away from him. She just needed a moment, a second, an instance to catch her breath. But Corun was relentless.
He licked and laved and suckled until she was shaking. Even as she shook, she could still barely move. Which meant every sensation, every motion ricocheted back into her bloodstream.
She felt like a balloon reaching its capacity. She was going to explode at any moment.
Not at any moment.
This moment.
Right now.
Chryssie let out a scream. She had no choice. Her arms were immobile. Her legs were in his grasp. Her mouth was the only part of her that wasn't bound.
The tremors went on for an eternity. She couldn't bend her limbs, so the sensations bounced and bounded around inside her, reaching every corner of her being and knocking her senses out of her body.
On and on it went, a roller coaster of orgasms. Up and down, peak and crash. The peaks got higher. The crashes came harder. Until her body couldn’t take it anymore. The last crash dropped her so hard that she shattered. Pleasure turned to pain, and sh
e cried out.
“Corun, please,” she whimpered.
A snarl tore from him as he lifted his head. Ruby red eyes glared at her. His skin shimmered in scales. Steam came from his nostrils. He was more dragon than man. But it was the man who backed away from her in horror.
Chapter Thirteen
There was no pulling of his skin. There was no fire racing up his lungs. The dragon was not claiming his body. Still, Corun raced out of the room.
The dragon lay docile inside of him. On its back and showing its belly. The beast was calm and sated, relishing in the lingering taste of her in his mouth.
It was Corun, the man who was out of control.
He needed to get out of here. He needed to run. He needed to fly.
But his dragon wasn’t listening. It had no intention of lifting a wing for him. Corun passed the front door and headed out back to the entrance of the mines. Since his beast was too busy licking its chops to give him any fire or flight, Corun decided to work himself to the bone in the mines.
He went about his work the old fashioned way. Instead of fire and claws, he picked up an ax. Swinging the heavy blade was exactly what he needed to get himself under control.
Dust coated his tongue, drowning out her taste. Blood and sweat coated his fingertips, masking the scent of her. He swung the metal into the rock until it hit the hardcore of the earth. Slowly, red began to gleam through. This was the other thing that calmed his beast; adding to his hoard of treasure.
The beast in him was resting peacefully. It was the man that was finally coming to heel. It was the man that had lost control back there.
The beast had been docile while Corun’s lips had been on her flesh. Stopping was the last thing it wanted to do. Corun’s mind had reeled, but it was the beast that had wrestled the man down when Chrysanthemum had cried out in pain. When she begged, the dragon obeyed. Without thought. Without his interference.
Corun should be celebrating. His plan was working. He’d sated the beast, and he hadn’t killed the human. The simple taste of Chrysanthemum’s nectar would keep his beast under control better than any potion. He’d succeeded. So, why did he feel so defeated?
He worked the mines until his muscles were sore, too sore to carry himself back to their room and have seconds. His beast slept peacefully, snoring lightly in his gut. He didn’t need to see her anymore tonight …
He pressed his ear to the bedroom door. Cracking it open, he saw that she slept peacefully. The same light snore as his beast came from her perfect lips. He watched her breasts rise and fall. There he stayed in the shadow of the doorway.
He didn’t turn away until the sun was rising on a new day.
Corun dragged himself out of the doorway he’d been standing in for the last few hours before the sun could wake her. He was exhausted, mentally and physically.
As he made his way down the hallway, a crystal chimed in the great room. The two-way communication system was the only way those who dwelled within the realm could speak over the long distances of the Veil. Corun went to answer the call.
His elder brother’s face appeared in the gem. Though Kimber was what humans considered a twin because they were born together, it didn’t work that way with shifters. The brothers looked nothing alike.
Where Corun’s eyes flashed red, Kimber’s gaze was the harsh white of diamonds, his brother’s favored gem. His eldest brother’s chin came to a point where Corun’s was square. Kimber’s coloring was also a darker tan as he preferred to spend his days nearer to the heat at the core of the mountain, where the pressure was highest, and he could reach his precious diamonds.
“I wanted to check that Cardi’s gifts came from the Valkyrie? She’s been especially difficult, and I want something to soothe her when we return.”
That was the last thing either of them wanted to deal with; an irritable Cardi. The tiny girl could bring each of the dragons to their knees with a simple pout of the lip. She had Kimber’s beast wrapped around her finger. It was the man who was immune to her wiles. But not her temper.
Like any sacrifice, Corun was bound to protect Cardi’s life with his own so long as she lived. She’d lived longer than most sacrifices as she had been delivered before she was ripe for the plucking. She’d used the time to fulfill her every childish fancy.
“They came the other day,” said Corun. “Along with an unexpected addition.”
“Fine, I’ll send Morrigan extra gems when we return.” Kimber squinted into the gem. “You look awful, brother.”
“I have mated.”
“Mated?”
Corun nodded. “That was the unexpected delivery. I’ll tell you more when you get here.”
“A Valkyrie delivered a mate? Was this some kind of trick?”
“No, she’s … it’s complicated. I’ll explain when you get home.”
“Have you claimed her?”
“Not exactly.” Corun did not want to detail what he’d done with Chrysanthemum. Not in person or over crystals. “When the others went after her, I took her. I’ll tell you the rest when you get home.”
“Is she … mature?”
“I … Kimber, I don’t want to talk about this over a crystal.”
“Fine. You should’ve said so.”
Corun hung his head and sighed. Kimber leaned back from the crystal, a grimace on his face. The two men sat in silence for a moment, neither wanting to address the ugly truth of their predicament.
Kimber, being the oldest, took the first hack at the rocky surface of the quagmire. “You know it is our duty, brother. If we do not plant new seeds, our race will die.”
“Then you go first,” said Corun. “Plant a seed in Cardi.”
“Cardinal is still a child.”
“She is full-grown. She has been for some time now. Other males are certainly noticing.”
“Who is noticing?” Kimber’s eyes flashed white. Red flames escaped his lips.
“Only you refuse to see that.”
“We both know what it would mean if I allowed myself to notice.” Kimber gulped down his flames and looked away. His white gaze turned to icicles. “The girl annoys me to no end, but I do not wish her death. Maybe a muzzle.”
Despite himself, despite the gravity of the situation, a chuckle escaped Corun’s tense jaw.
“We can’t prolong the inevitable,” said Kimber “In the end, all of our fates are sealed. There is no other way.”
Corun tried to swallow down that bitter pill, but the lump didn’t move past his throat. The taste of Chrysanthemum was still on his tongue.
“Kimmy,” came a high pitched voice.
“Oh, hey, Cory.”
Both Kimber and Corun winced at the sound of Cardi’s voice. A tiny red ball of fury leaned into the crystal. Cardi had a heart-shaped face under a cloud of red curls. She’d tried to tame the curls with a band around her head. She had a habit of painting her face with tribal markings. Golden glitter over her eyelids, red on her cheeks and lips.
Cardi bounced on her toes as she stepped in front of Kimber and leaned her head against his chest. Kimber’s brown gaze flashed white as the dragon in him inhaled the smell of his mate’s hair. In a blink, Kimber’s eyes turned back to brown, and the man leaned away from the girl.
“Did Morri bring my new bras and panty sets?”
The brothers cringed at the mention of Cardi’s intimate items. She might see herself as a young woman, but she’d forever be a child in their minds.
“Everything is here, Cardinal,” said Corun.
“You know what I forgot to order from her.” Cardi snapped her fingers.
They’d tried to explain that the Valkyrie didn’t run a delivery service between the Veil and her old world. To no avail.
“The latest Wham! album.”
Both Corun and Kimber frowned. Sometimes, the girl’s words made no sense.
“Can you call Morri on the crystal phone and put it on the next order, Kimmy?”
“Cardi, she’s a Valkyrie. She�
�ll be busy rounding up human deplorables.”
“Like she can’t stop by a Tower Records on her way?”
Kimber pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. That particular space between his eyes was becoming permanently red. “Fine.”
Corun watched as his brother, the strongest amongst them, cowed to the whim of his mate. “I have to go.”
The gem went opaque. Corun saw his own face staring back at him. Few sacrifices realized the power they had over the dragons. It was the trade-off. If the woman gave her life to the dragon, the dragon would devote its life to what little the woman had left.
But not his Chrysanthemum. He’d formulated a plan, and he was sticking to it.
Chapter Fourteen
Chryssie didn’t remember falling asleep. She didn’t remember much after Corun rocked her world. She was surprised the world wasn’t off-kilter when she opened her eyes to greet the new day. The earth had shaken so hard she was sure they felt it back on the other side of the Veil.
She stretched her limbs and was surprised to find that they were unbound. There was still something heavy on her chest. She reached her hand up and felt something cold and smooth.
Rubies.
Thousands of dollars’ worth of rubies circled her chest. The gems gleamed and glistened, like the color of Corun’s eyes had last night. Looking at the gems made her shiver from the memory of it.
“Do you like them?”
She turned to find Corun watching her. He sat in the shadows where a tall-backed chair was pushed in the corner. He sat in the chair as though it were a throne. One ankle rested over his knee. His hands gripped the armrests on the chair.
“They’re beautiful,” she said.
He rose slowly, his eye twitching. His jaw tense as his gaze stayed locked on her. He appeared to grow impossibly tall and large. His steps were measured, unhurried.
Chryssie’s breath hitched as he came to her. His eyes were dark, no hint of red. It was Corun the man coming toward her. Yet, he seemed in even less control than when his beast was near the surface.
“Where’s your dragon?” she asked.
