Soulfire: A Dragon Fantasy Romance (Nightwing Book 1)

by Juliette Cross

  He shook his head. “Not yet.”

  He spread my thighs farther apart with his knee, settling his weight lower, bracing his upper body on his forearms.

  He nudged his hard length an inch inside me. Slick and ready, my body stretched for him. Another inch. Pain replaced the pleasure. Sharp and stinging. “Wait,” I breathed in a panicked whisper, my hands flattening on his chest. This wasn’t going to work. “You’re too big—”

  He stopped. “Shhh. Look at me.”

  I did. Trapped in blue flame, my pulse pounded.

  “I know you’re a virgin, love. Don’t be afraid.” His lips finally—finally—lowered to mine. “We were made for each other.”

  Heart racing, I remembered this was Lucius, the man who nearly murdered another for daring to hurt me. He was mine, and I was his. I had to trust him. I did trust him. He waited, lips hovering. The fear melted away under his loving gaze. Finally, I nodded, whispering, “Yes.”

  He sealed his lips to mine, urging them apart, then consumed me. A sizzling burn melted down my throat, pouring into my chest, to my limbs and to lower, deeper places. A sensual euphoria gripped my whole body, spreading molten pleasure like lava down a hill. I moaned deep in my throat. Soulfire burned its way through me, bleeding into my veins, pounding into my heart.

  I whimpered. Ecstasy soared through my body.

  Lucius pushed all the way in with a deep thrust, breaking my barrier. The sharp pain was engulfed by soulfire, melting away the hard edge of pain with melting sensuality. He filled me, stilling with agonizing restraint, waiting for my body to stretch for him. I arched my back, basking in the ecstasy of receiving Lucius inside me. Another wave of soulfire lapped through my veins, easing the discomfort, urging me to move. I rolled my hips in a slow, languorous motion.

  He uttered a curse under his breath. A shudder trembled through him, then his reins slipped. He devoured me with mouth and tongue, sliding in and out with increasing speed, stroking me deep. I scraped my nails down his back. The pain lingered, but pleasure soon swallowed it all. A primitive growl vibrated from his chest to mine.

  “Fuck, Jessen. I can’t hold back.”

  He was holding back? Hell. But I wanted him all. Right here and now.

  “Then don’t,” I whispered, lifting up and biting the shell of his ear.

  A primitive sound rolled from his chest and up his throat. When he peered down, I opened my mouth in a soundless gasp as I stared into the eyes of his dragon, his pupils long slits, dilated and swamping most of the blue. Slipping his hand behind one of my knees, he bent it high, opening me wider. He penetrated so deep, marking me in a place no one could reach, a place no one else ever would. But him.

  I gloried in the burn, pleasure and pain, melting me to my toes as he held me captive in his beastly gaze. A moan escaped my lips when he nipped along my jaw to my neck. I tried rocking my hips to meet his thrusts, unable to match his pounding rhythm. Too hard, too fast, he overwhelmed me. Deeper. I was wild and wonderfully broken. I plunged my hands into his hair and pulled his mouth back to mine. I kissed him, loving him with my mouth, lips, and tongue.

  Another melting swell of soulfire pushed me over the edge. I clenched around him, screaming his name, a pulsing orgasm ripping through me. Three more deep thrusts. Lucius tightened into a rigid wall of Morgon man. His wings whipped out to full breadth, spanning the entire bed. Only one part of him moved, spending, pulsing hard inside of me.

  With his chest crushing mine, our hearts synchronized, beating in exact rhythm with each other. Lucius nibbled on my swollen lips, keeping himself sheathed deep inside as if he would never leave.

  I felt sacred. Precious. Protected. Safe.

  I felt loved.

  “Lucius…our hearts. I can feel… I don’t know how to explain it.”

  He smiled, and I melted.

  “Yes, love.” A gentle caress of lips on my unbruised cheek in that deep, velvety baritone. “We are heartbound. I am yours.” Now the other cheek, more tenderly. “And you are mine.” Now my lips. “Forever.”

  Chapter 14

  I awoke to the sound of two masculine voices in the next room. One was Lucius, the other unknown to me. Scooting off the bed, I realized I was still naked. I smiled, remembering Lucius’s attentions late last night. Well, actually very early this morning. A warm bath in a pool-sized tub, his hands soaping and soothing me into boneless oblivion, strong arms drying and tucking me into his luxurious bed, his strong body wrapped around me as I fell asleep.

  My dress was nowhere to be found. I pulled a black T-shirt from his drawer, marveling at the nearly invisible zippers stretching along the wing-slits. Slipping it on, the hem hit below mid-thigh. It covered enough to venture out of the bedroom.

  When I stepped closer to the open-arched doorway, I paused at the unfamiliar voice, deep and gruff.

  “You do realize this could mean war between the families on the business front. Maybe even beyond business.”

  Lucius’s voice was a sharp blade. “That means nothing to me. She is my mate. I’ll kill anyone who even attempts to harm her. They’d best be ready for me if they plan a war.”

  “Slow down, brother. I have no idea what the reaction will be. Father will be displeased, I’m afraid. There’s no getting around it. But I support you, as always. And he will, too, when he understands the heartbond has been made.”

  “Thank you. I’d like you to meet her.”

  “How about now? She’s awake and standing by the door.”

  “I know,” said Lucius.

  I gasped in surprise.

  Lucius raised his voice. “Jessen, you can come in.”

  Feeling sheepish, I walked into a smallish den with low-backed, leather furniture and a bar in the corner—a bachelor’s lounge. This was a more intimate chamber than the living room where Lucius entertained me the first night we met. A narrower archway led to a terrace. “Sorry. How did you know I was here?”

  Lucius smiled. “We could hear you. And smell you.”

  Smell me! What did that mean? Damn Morgons and their supersonic hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell. Lucius’s eyes drifted down my legs when I walked toward them.

  “This is my brother, Lorian, who you met last night.”

  I hadn’t taken much note of him the night before since I was quite absorbed with Lucius at the time. He was the same build and frame as Lucius, though slightly darker skinned. His eyes were striking—one the same brilliant blue as Lucius’s, the other hazel-brown. His facial features bore a rougher, rugged quality, the jaw sharply squared. Like Lucius, he was the kind of man who would make the most confident person step out of his way. His natural expression was more brooding, more intense than Lucius, who wore a mask of indifference most the time.

  Except in the bedroom. With me.

  Lorian took my hand and dipped a regal bow over it. Kind of awkward since I stood there half-dressed in Lucius’s T-shirt.

  “Welcome to the family. As my brother’s heartbound mate, you have my unwavering loyalty and protection.”

  Wow. How did you respond to something like that? Especially when my family had probably disowned me.

  “Thank you, Lorian.”

  He gave me another tight bow, his expression fixed in hard lines. With a nod to his brother, he stepped out onto the open terrace and lifted off into the gray morning.

  “Your brother is a broody kind of guy, but I like him.”

  Lucius pulled me into an embrace. “Yeah. It’s just his way. You’ll never find another with deeper loyalty or a bigger heart.”

  “Why does he seem so angry or intense or whatever?”

  Lucius gazed out onto the terrace as if looking after his brother. “When my mother died, he took it hardest. I was already a grown man, plunging myself into the business to ease my grief. But he was younger, still at home, and quite attached to her.”

  “You weren’t?”

  He looked down at me. “I was. I loved her dearly, but I moved past my grief. Lorian c
ouldn’t. He immersed himself into violent arenas, trying to beat it out, I suppose.”

  “What happened? He works in the family business now.”

  “Yeah. After I dragged his ass out of the cesspool he was drowning in. Like I said, he’s got a gruff way about him, but he’s fiercely loyal.”

  “Good to know.” I pecked a tender kiss to his lips.

  Lucius nuzzled into my hair, his hands sliding up and down my back. One hand slid lower. He groaned when he found me bare beneath the T-shirt.

  “Lucius,” I warned, winding my arms around his neck anyway.

  “Still sore, love?”

  I nodded as he brushed his lips along my neck, letting his tongue barely caress my skin. “I want you again.” His mouth slowly trekked up along my jaw. “And again.” Finally reaching my mouth. “And again.” A soft, sweet exploration ignited every nerve in my body. His hands became firm on my bottom and lower back. Despite my soreness, I arched into him, my desire spiking whether my body was ready again or not. He flicked his tongue inside one more time before drawing back.

  “I can wait.” Funny, because one part of his anatomy completely disagreed. “We have a whole lifetime.”

  Chest to chest, I could feel our hearts pound in rhythm. “Will I feel soulfire every time we, uh, you know?”

  A wicked smile. “If by ‘you know,’ you mean have wild, passionate sex, then I think the answer is yes. Sometimes, soulfire will ignite with just a kiss. And it may feel different. Though you’re my first and only woman to experience soulfire with, I’ve been told the heartbond renews itself every time mated lovers join.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah.” A nip on my lips. “Wow.” With a sigh, he smoothed down the T-shirt to cover me, banding his arms around my waist. “What should we do today?”

  Something occurred to me. I frowned.

  “What is it?” His brow furrowed together. “You’re not having regrets or anything, are you?”

  I laughed. “No. Of course not. I was actually thinking I need to get my car. But it’s at my parents’ house, and I doubt I’ll be welcome to pick it up.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll buy you a new one.”

  “Lucius! Just like that. You’ll buy me a new one.”

  “Yep. What else?”

  “Obviously, I need clothes.” I looked down at his T-shirt hanging loosely over me.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll buy you more clothes. A whole wardrobe. Shoes, too.” He patted my behind. “Though I kind of like you in this.”

  “Oh, really? I wonder how the rest of the world will feel when I walk down the street half naked.”

  He scowled. “You’re right. You need more clothes. Actually, I do have something for you.” He released me and picked up a glossy black bag from a side-table. “Lorian brought it over for me this morning.”

  “What is it?” I asked, pulling out the paper-wrapped fabric.

  It was a black, V-necked sweater made of the most luxurious cashmere my fingers had ever touched. The inside tag bore the Nightwing crest. It was made for a human woman, not Morgon.

  “I have a feeling my new wardrobe will be mostly black.” I raised a brow, smirking at him. “A certain clan’s color.”

  His voice dropped deep, brushing me in a sensual caress, his hand combing through my long hair. “You’re already wearing my color.”

  I nearly lost my bearings, especially when his gaze fixed on me, luring me closer. I somehow managed to speak. “Since when does the Nightwing clan own a human retail store?”

  “We’ve already bought the property in the Warwick District. It’ll open by the end of the month. There are jeans and a pair of shoes in there, too. And…undergarments.”

  I blushed at the last added item. Especially when I pulled out a matching set of sheer black-lace panties and camisole. And they were the correct size.

  “Lucius, how do you know my exact size in everything I wear?”

  His mouth quirked into the sexiest smile I’d ever seen. “Get dressed, love. We’ll go out for breakfast. Because if we stay here much longer, I’ll be having you instead.”

  “Devil.” I shivered deliciously.

  “You have no idea.”

  “Oh, I think I do.” I arched a brow, slipped my arms around his waist and pressed my body into his.

  “Temptress.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “Oh, I think I do.”

  He fisted his hand in my hair, arching my neck up, his mouth slanting roughly over mine. The way he nipped and sucked, I thought maybe he did plan to have me for breakfast. One hand slipped up to cup my breast. Through the shirt, he teased me with his thumb until my nipple was hard. I moaned into his mouth. A small taste of soulfire slid down my throat, whispering through my veins with a ripple of ecstasy. Not the same as last night, but no less potent. Like a whiff of an intoxicating scent, it drifted to all the right places.

  “God, woman, I think I’m addicted to you already.”

  He gripped my hips and detached me from the curve of his body, leaning his forehead against mine. Both of us panted, wanting more.

  “So,” I said between breaths, “I’ll go get dressed.”

  He chuckled. “Yes. You will. Quickly.”

  Pulling out of his arms, I grabbed the bag and headed for the bedroom, shouting over my shoulder. “Even if you plan to buy me a new wardrobe, I need to get some personal things at my apartment.” I turned. “Can we swing by after breakfast?”

  Captivating eyes still burned for me. “Your wish is my command.”

  Chapter 15

  After breakfast at a Morgon café in the Warwick District where we attracted all kinds of gawking stares, Lucius flew me back to my apartment. We were nearly there when I giggled at something.

  “What?”

  “Poor waitress. She spilled almost everything she set on the table.”

  “Clumsy girl, wasn’t she?” he teased.

  “No, Lucius, she wasn’t clumsy. Maybe we should be more careful about how much affection we show in public.”

  “Why? Are you ashamed of me?”

  “Seriously? Of course not. I just think people might need more time to get used to the idea. I mean, how many mixed human-Morgon couples do you know?”

  “None.”

  “Well, you know one.”

  He glanced at me as we descended toward Emerald Isle Villas toward the parking lot. “Yes, I know one. And that’s all I care about. You’re all I care about.”

  I wound my arms tighter around his neck, utter joy fluttering in my chest. Not only were our hearts in sync, so were our thoughts. I pressed a suckling kiss right under his ear as we landed.

  “Mmm.”

  “You like that, don’t you?”

  He put me on my feet. “You know I do.”

  “I don’t think I’ll be sore tonight.”

  “No need to rush anything.” He planted a soft kiss at my temple. “We’ve got the rest of our lives.”

  I laughed, swelling with joy. Two girls pointed from their third-floor balcony. We walked across the lot to the main entrance. Since I’d been whisked away last night, I needed to get a key from the office manager to my apartment. Hand in hand, we strolled toward the entrance, sneaking glances at each other, love shining between us.

  I heard the sound of car doors slamming behind us right before a familiar voice called my name. “Jessen!”

  Demetrius and Aron approached. Lucius took a threatening step forward. I grabbed his arm to hold him. He angled his body, partly blocking me from view.

  An angry purple bruise wrapped Aron’s throat. Lucius tightened his hands into fists, his wings opening partway in a defensive posture. I knew whatever Aron told my family, it wasn’t the truth.

  “Don’t,” I whispered to Lucius, praying they didn’t do something to send Lucius into a blind rage. If they made one aggressive move toward me, it was all over.

  “Stop right there, Demetrius,” I shouted.

  My brother gla
nced at Lucius, noting the danger. He might be an overprotective, chauvinistic jerk, but he wasn’t a fool. He raised his hands, signaling for Aron to stay still.

  “What do you want?” I asked. Voices murmured from people gathering on balconies in the villas at our back.

  Anger brimmed in his eyes and the tight lines of his face. Concern? Regret? “It’s time for you to come home.”

  Lucius’s muscles bunched under my hand. I held him harder, my hand circling his bicep.

  “No.” I shook my head.

  “Look, Father will forgive everything if you”—he glanced at Lucius then back at me, shifting his weight to the other foot in agitation—“if you leave him and come home.”

  “He’ll forgive me?” I laughed with disdain. “Well, I don’t forgive him. He would sell me into marriage like a piece of property, nothing more than a business deal to grow his almighty empire. And to a rapist at that.”

  Demetrius visibly flinched, shoulders tightening and eyes narrowing in Aron’s direction. I’d been the object of his scrutiny many times. I relished seeing it thrown at Aron.

  “Go ahead. Ask Aron about last night.”

  It was my brother’s turn to freeze, muscles rigid, eyes leveled on Aron who was shaking his head. The gathering crowd grew quiet behind us.

  “No, Demetrius. I’d never—it was a misunderstanding.”

  Demetrius glared at Aron, uncertainty in his gaze as he looked back at me. It was obvious he fought between accepting a dark truth he might not be able to believe of a lifelong friend and what his sometimes excitable sister claimed as the truth.

  I moved alongside Lucius, clinging to his arm, willing him to stay put. I needed to get off this subject before all hell broke loose. I knew Lucius was imagining how he found me in the garden last night, rocketing his temper to a boiling point.

  “I won’t be returning to our parents’ house. Ever. It’s not my home anymore.” A truth I was shocked to realize didn’t hurt my heart as much as I’d thought it would.

  “Father will disown you.” Biting words from my brother, but his eyes held a plea. His body was a rigid line, unbendable—a bearing I’d seen a hundred times. He was his father’s son and would never accept the man beside me as family. At least, not if he continued to become more like our father.