by Ginna Moran
A cramp clenches my side, trying to slow me down. It takes everything in me to keep moving. We’ve been working out for hours in a constant game of chase, combat, and practicing control over my dragon fire. All I want to do now is prove to Maddox that everything he’s been teaching me sticks.
At this point, I don’t actually want to lose against Maddox and hear him gloat that I lost because I want his punishment. I would much prefer to beat his ass, so I can rub it in his face that I defeated a highly trained beast man. He outmatches me in skill and strength. It pisses me off that stamina is supposed to be my strong suit, yet he constantly looms right behind me. Damn him and his long legs.
“Brace yourself, cookie. I’m coming for you and your lazy, unmotivated self. You’re about to find out what this grass feels like on your naked ass when I pin you down and claim you as my reward.” Maddox’s shadow appears next to me as he catches up. Fuck. “Or maybe we can find out if it’s possible to get grass stains on those perky tits of yours. How does that sound?”
“Like fucking fun,” I say, forcing my legs to haul ass faster to get ahead of him. “But it’ll be your damn ass on the grass. You’re mine.”
Maddox races up beside me and grins, the strands of his long hair framing his face damp with sweat. He peeks at me in his peripheral vision as he swings out and slaps me on my ass hard enough that I might have his handprint of my butt cheek for days. “Go, cookie. Move. Don’t slow down. I’ll let you try a little longer.”
Except I’m exhausted. I used to think training with Galaxy Gold and the Sky Dancers was difficult. It’s nothing compared to the hardass former CO and leader of a dragon clan. And I know this is Maddox going easy on me. I’ve seen him in action. Hell, he and his brothers rough each other up for fun. These fireballs to my feet and stinging swats to my ass are his gentle side.
“You suck,” I mutter.
“Just wait to find out exactly how hard,” he responds, coming up next to me only to flick his tongue and waggle his brows.
There is no way I’m going to win unless he lets me.
Or I play dirty.
Grabbing the hem of my shirt, I yank it off and throw it in his face. The sudden distraction is enough to give me the split second I need to ram into his side. Maddox growls and tries snatching my leg as he stumbles to take me down with him, but I leap into the air, kicking my legs into the splits for a graceful landing. I don’t stop to find out if Maddox recovers and rush toward the magnolia tree, blooming with giant white flowers.
My chest burns from exertion, and the edges of my vision darken, but I’ll be damned if Maddox is going to beat me this time. It’s going to feel so good putting this cocky bastard in his place. I’ll show him that he might have skills and strengths, but I have my own talents. He’ll see. He’s going the fuck down.
“You haven’t won yet, Delphia.” His voice sneaks into my mind, giving away the fact that he could hear my thoughts. “You better figure out how to take me down, and soon. The bad guys never wait for you to be ready.”
“Neither do you,” I snap, thinking my response to save my breath.
And damn it.
Annoyance rushes through me. I bolt ahead, refusing to lose now. Maddox’s thumping footsteps push me forward. I dash the remaining distance as fast as I can until I’m within jumping reach of a low branch. Vaulting from the ground, I launch into the air and hook my hands to the tree, swinging my body up. The branch shakes at my weight, but I manage to keep my balance long enough to see Maddox only feet away. I rock my body, kicking my legs, and throw myself toward a close branch and flip around, treating the tree like a prop to one of my many performances over the years with Galaxy Gold. I drop right on Maddox’s shoulders and squeeze his head between my thighs, using my upper body strength to knock him back.
Latching his fingers to my hips, he forces me to fall with him. My knees hit the grass and I bow forward, pressing my palms to the ground. Maddox releases a deep, sexy-as-hell rumble from his throat, his voice vibrating against the apex of my thighs. Now this is one way to take the bastard down.
I straighten my back and sit back on his hard pecs. “Might as well reward me while you’re there,” I tease, squeezing my legs together to lock him in place. “How does it feel to submit to little me? Bested by an untrained, tired, unmotivated pain in your balls.” I smile with my words, repeating some of what he’s said before.
Maddox digs his fingers into my hips, arching his neck a bit to bury his face right where it counts. I screech and wiggle, trying to escape, but he hums loud enough to vibrate his voice across my body.
“Hold still, cookie. I’m going to melt your clothes off for your reward. I knew you had it in you.” Maddox breathes a breath of smoke, his eyes lighting with dragon fire.
I laugh and throw myself sideways, breaking free of his grip. He might be teasing me about the reward, but I wouldn’t put it past him to burn my panties right off of me anyway. He takes things literally and seriously, especially now that I’ve accepted that we’re mates, even when he pisses me off.
“Don’t you fucking dare, Maddox. This isn’t Max. You can’t just have me when and where you please. Someone could see us. Humans hike around here. We have neighbors.” I try to crawl away from him, but he catapults to his feet and lunges for me. Hooking his arm under my waist, he lifts me up, dangling me under his arm until we’re out from under the tree, and he can throw me up onto his broad shoulders.
“I think you underestimate my ability to care about any of that. You beat me, my sneaky, lucky champion, so I need to reward you. It’s my duty.” Here he goes. He’s obviously serious, but at least he strides toward the house instead of arguing outside. “How else will you find the motivation to learn to take care of yourself? I know you prefer to just hide behind me and let me handle things, but—”
“I don’t like to hide.” I grab onto the porch cover and haul myself off his shoulders. Swinging back, I drop to the ground and land with perfect accuracy on my feet. “That’s your ego talking.”
He spins around, crossing his arms. “Are you telling me if someone from the High Council shows up, magic blazing, that you wouldn’t run and take cover, expecting me to protect you?”
This fucker.
I glare daggers and place my hands on my hips. He’s right and we both know it. I hate admitting it, but he knows how to summon his dragon fire effortlessly. I don’t even know what button to push on my body to ignite it, and I’m too chicken to transform because of the magical collar Lazlo Infinity, the asshole responsible for getting me sentenced to life in prison, hooked on my neck.
The protective magic shields in place around the house aren’t intended for huge bursts of magic like it takes to shift into a dragon. Kash can do so without much interference because he’s bound to Quillon, and Quillon is tied to the damn house.
Maddox’s face lights up with an irresistible smile. Fuck, I love when he does. Ruffling his fingers through his hair, he pushes the long tresses back. “I love being right, cookie.”
“You also love being an asshole,” I mutter, shifting on my feet, looking for an opening to dodge past him. “And because of that, I think I’ll find one of your brothers for that reward. They don’t get off on pushing my buttons.”
“Maybe I’m just trying to light you up. Get your fire to spark like you asked me to.” He chuckles at his comment, and I realize he’s teasing me because he heard my damn thought about not knowing how to summon my dragon fire on cue. “Show you that you need a bit of a challenge to hone your skills.”
“Or maybe I just need you to give me a damn instruction manual.” Bolting forward, I slide between the small space between his body and the open door.
He misses grabbing me by an inch, and I squeal and run, putting space between us. Now that we’re inside, I know he’s going to go full-on beast-mate mode, and teasing him is so damn fun that I can never resist. If he wants to challenge me, he better be ready to accept a challenge of my own. I’m not going to just give him what he wa
nts. He has a huge alpha-complex and loves getting his way. I’m determined to show him I will get my way too. Even if he is considered a leader of the Drekis, I’ll climb his hot ass to be at his level if I have to.
Maddox play-growls from behind me, unable to resist another game of chase. His bare feet slap the tile floor, and I screech again, catching sight of him in the wall mirror at the end of the hallway. I can’t get over how fucking fast he can be when he really wants me, and I brace for him to snatch me off my feet, drag me toward his room, and fuck me like the wild animal he keeps caged within him.
“Need some help, Doe Eyes?” Rowan peeks his head out from the first door on the right and stretches his hand out to me.
I leap to close the last few feet as fast as I can and let Rowan pull me into his arms. Clinging to him like a sloth, I tip my head back and laugh, watching Maddox materialize in the doorway from upside down. Fire lights his golden eyes, and he squares his shoulders and fists his hands, looking determined as fuck to steal me back from his brother.
“Take her to the bed and hold her still for me, will you? Our mate craves my reward but loves to tease me too much.” Maddox licks his lips and kicks the door closed behind him.
My. Damn. Vagina.
The needy bitch wants me to give up on being a pain in Maddox’s balls.
Hell, she even wants Rowan to join in.
“Don’t you dare, Rowan,” I say, locking my legs tighter around him. “He thinks I’ll only learn to protect myself if he makes me cum. I need to prove his smug-ass wrong. I already am learning to protect myself. My reward should be him admitting as much.”
Rowan spins out of Maddox’s reach and throws a burst of his dragon fire in his direction, smoldering the fabric over his knee. I kind of wish he had aimed higher, because their fire doesn’t hurt each other, and I’d like a window to Maddox’s junk while he tells me I can take care of myself. It’ll be like the cherry on top.
Rowan chuckles and aims again. Maddox twists on his feet, getting blasted right on the butt. He stumbles forward and catches himself on the wall. Smoke wafts from his athletic shorts before fading to show off his tight ass. He shakes it, taunting us.
I practically cackle, my voice erupting through the room. “Get him on his knees next.”
“What do you think I’m trying to do, Delphia? Now take her to the bed brother.” Maddox swings his arm out, throwing an orb of fire in our direction.
Rowan catches it and snuffs it out in his fingers. “I’ll do so, but not for you. She hates when you use her given name. Maybe next time you’ll think better of it. Now, I’ll be rewarding her. But you can watch.”
Oh. My. Fucking. Clitoris.
I screech as Rowan throws me on the bed, my body already zinging in anticipation. I’ve never met men so determined to satisfy my every need while yearning to just taste and play and enjoy my body while I savor theirs. And they’re mine. I’m theirs.
Maddox crashes into Rowan, sending him off his feet. I scramble up and stand on the bed to peer at the two of them rolling on the floor. Clapping my hands, I laugh and jump, loving every second of their wrestling over me. I’ve never felt so wanted in my entire life. I can almost forget our shitty circumstances. I can almost pretend that we live and breathe and exist for each other. I had no idea how much I wanted it until the world finally hit a pause and didn’t feel as if my life was doomed. But then, I’m constantly on edge, waiting for the universe to slam her finger on the play button and sit back, watching in satisfaction as my world explodes.
Because I’m paying for my mother’s crimes.
For a fuckhead warlock’s power trip.
“Nova...” Rowan’s soft voice trickles into my mind, and I realize both he and Maddox have stopped wrestling and now sit on the floor, looking up at me. “We’re going to fix everything. Our lives will be like this without all the bullshit.”
“The High Council will reward us for our good deed. They’ll void our work contract and overturn your convictions. We will be able to return to Magaelorum to our home in Star Fall Canyon.” Maddox pushes to his feet and holds out his hand to Rowan to help him up. The two of them join me on the bed, where Maddox tugs me to sit between them. “We’ll breed and bear powerful offspring. We’ll—”
Snatching a pillow, I whack him in the head with it, cutting off his words. “We’ll be requesting a damn post as gatekeepers to live in the Mortal World. I’ll buy a chastity belt and lock you all out during my heat, and we’ll get a dog.” Because children? Moving to another realm, where they’ve falsely convicted me of a crime and never even gave me a chance? Fuck that.
Maddox mutters under his breath. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“It doesn’t have to be a dog. I like cats too,” I tease, bumping my shoulder into his.
“What the fuck is a chastity belt, anyway?” Rowan asks, tilting his head. “If it is what I think it is, it sounds like torture.”
I smirk. “I might give Kash the key. You two on the other hand...are way too excited. He understands I will not be having children with you after five minutes.”
“You have been ours your whole life, cookie.” Maddox laces his fingers through mine, tugging my hand to his chest. His heart thuds in even beats, the melody slowing my heartrate down until it falls in sync with his. “The fates don’t care about time. Just that we’ve bonded in body, mind, heart, and soul.”
I narrow my eyes at him in suspicion. “Who are you and what have you done with my hot-headed, stubborn as hell Maddox?”
Rowan barks a laugh from next to me, slipping his hand around my stomach to lean me back. Bending down, he smiles as he kisses me, just grazing his soft lips to mine without getting carried away. “I told you she’d never buy it, Maddy-poo. Your ass is permanently on the dickhead list she keeps.”
I smack Rowan’s chest, laughing aghast. “You were feeding him lines to say to me?”
He smiles and nods, stretching to kiss me more, peppering me with light caresses of his lips. “It’s a work in progress.”
I crane my neck to peek at Maddox. Sticking out my tongue, I tease him and then say, “It’s ridiculous.”
“And it’s never going to fucking happen again. You obviously don’t want me to romance you. You get enough of that from my brothers as they treat you with gentle protectiveness. But I know you want more than that. You enjoy danger. Some pain to remind you of the pleasure I promise.” Maddox snatches my legs and lifts my hips, not giving my brain a chance to catch up to what he plans to do. “You want me to treat you like the wild woman you are.”
I laugh and throw my body up, landing on his lap. Pushing him back, I straddle Maddox on the edge of the bed and clutch his face between my palms. I show him exactly how wild I can be, locking my lips to his, slipping my tongue into his mouth to taste the spicy cinnamon flavor of his kiss. His fingers dig into my sides, pushing me down until I feel his stiff bulge flexing between my legs.
I groan and kiss him deeper, grinding on him through our clothes. He’s totally right about me. I don’t need him to be romantic or sweet and gentle. What I need is to have someone who accepts every one of my flaws and calls me out with unfiltered honesty. I need him to test my strength and show me how powerful I can be.
“I’m ready for my reward,” I murmur against his lips. Reaching out to Rowan, I grab the front of his shirt. “From both of you.”
Kash roars, his dragon’s call rumbling through the walls. I jerk up with wide eyes, trying to figure out what his calls mean.
Rowan swears under his breath. “Nova—”
The room quakes at the same time a boom startles me. A few of Rowan’s books crash from the dresser and onto the floor. The lamps tremble, and I clutch onto the front of Maddox’s shirt, feeling as if I might fall over. The heat and lust flowing between us cools. My mind shoves away any and all thought of rewards and pleasure—of any sort of happy life—because we are incomplete without Kash.
Guilt ignites inside me, and I’m pissed o
ff at myself that I forgot for even a second that he’s trapped in his dragon form. Quillon’s twisted behavior has my body in knots, my fury on the brink of exploding.
I rip away from Maddox and hop to my feet. Kash’s powerful roar echoes through the room again, coming from outside the window. And something’s different and utterly wrong. I know his call with every fiber of my being, and this one? It’s nearly unrecognizable to my ears thought my soul knows it’s him.
What the fuck? What the hell is Quillon doing? I know he’s behind this. He’s stupid enough to test me and seriously think he can get away with it, hiding behind his messed up bargain with my mate. Well, fuck that. I’m about to light his ass up and teach him that he doesn’t have the power he thinks he does.
Rushing across the room, I bolt to the window and throw open the curtains. Kash locks his dagger-length fangs into a small palm tree and rips it from the ground. Fire lights his dragon eyes, and smoke wafts him his nostrils. His pearlescent scales shimmer in the fading light of dusk, though the world remains warm in color because of his flames. Throwing the tree into the air, he whips his tail so fast that it splits the palm tree in two.
I spot Quillon standing a dozen feet away with his back facing me. He raises his hand and points at another tree. Kash shrieks, sounding as if being in his dragon-form is utter torture. A wave of ice blossoms in my chest, freezing my insides. But the emotion, the dread and defeat, doesn’t belong to me. In a form Kash usually feels the most powerful now has him feeling weak, useless, and like a true animal. I can’t hear his thoughts, and I wonder if being in this form, under Quillon’s control became too much and he cages his humanity tightly within him to bear this bullshit.
Kash stomps, spreading his wings wide, and stretches his long neck above the height of the house. His claws impale the grass like sharp stakes, ripping up grass and dirt. He breathes fire, burning a path through the grass until his flames consume another tree. Then he torches another and blackens the sidewalk with another wave of fire. It’s almost as if Quillon wants to burn the property, his sick-fuck mind not caring about the damage and only about enjoying his power and control over one of Magaelorum’s strongest enforcers while he watches the world burn to ash.
