Dragon's Kiss: A Dragon Guild Novella

by Carina Wilder

  The scent of salt air hit her nose, a warm summer breeze caressing her skin. A solitary cottage sat perched near the edge of the cliff as though defying the ground to give way beneath it.

  This was the place she’d seen so many times in her dreams. The place where she and Dex had made love, where they’d kissed for hours on end. This was the place that had only ever existed in her fantasies.

  After her mount had landed gracefully, Flick slipped off onto the ground, her eyes focused on the sweet little cottage before her.

  “Here we are,” said Dex when he’d returned to his human form. He crossed his arms over his broad chest as Flick turned his way. “You’ve asked me before why there’s so much secrecy with my kind,” he said. “Dragons, unlike Wolves or even Bears, are not a particularly social community. I’m on my own, as is Eldrich. But there are friends and allies out there.” He nodded towards the house. “A friend of mine is currently staying here.”

  “I thought this was your place,” Flick replied, disappointed to realize they wouldn’t be alone.

  “It is,” he said. “My friend will be taking his leave once I’ve spoken to him. I thought perhaps he could be of service to us. But I also wanted to show you the cottage, because it’s special to me. Come.”

  Dex strode towards the front door and opened it. “After you,” he said, signalling Flick to enter.

  As she slipped in, he flipped a light on behind her. They’d walked into a blissful little country kitchen complete with white lace curtains on the windows, wooden chairs and a little wood stove set into one corner.

  “Do you come here often?” she asked.

  “Not so often as I’d like.” Dex slid his hand over the worn oak table. “It was my father’s favourite place, though. His retreat from life and all the madness involved in concealing his nature from humanity.”

  “It’s beautiful,” said Flick, pivoting around slowly as her eyes moved about, sizing the place up. Definitely a family-owned residence. She could see its history all around her, in chipped teapots and well-worn chairs whose varnish was cracking. “I thought you said I was going to meet someone?”

  “He must be in the living room,” Dex replied before calling out, “Oi! Mate, where are you?” as he made his way through the kitchen.

  A moment later, a tall, muscular man emerged from another room, bending down slightly to make his way through the doorway. He smiled when he saw Dex, locking him in a quick hug before turning his attention to Flick.

  “Well, hello there,” he said.

  “Hello,” she replied. There was no need to ask if he was a shifter; she knew immediately. His light eyes and physique gave him away. His face was friendly and handsome, and something about the way he moved reminded her of the man who was now standing at her side.

  “Flicka, this is Kliev,” Dex said, and the man reached his right hand out to shake Flick’s.

  “I’ve been borrowing the cottage from our mutual friend here,” Kliev told her. “Just for a few days. I needed an escape from the city. But I’m about to head back to London.”

  “I hope we’re not kicking you out,” said Flick.

  “Oh, no. Not in the least. I need to get back, anyhow. I’ve heard in the last day or so that there’s a little unrest in London. The Wolf packs and Grizzlies are talking about moving outside of the city limits, and I was hoping to look in and see if any damage control is in order.”

  “What? Why would they leave London?” asked Flick, pulling her gaze to Dex’s to gauge whether he was surprised or not to hear the news.

  “It seems that word is getting out about Eldrich’s little stunt last week,” Dex told her. “Their leaders know by now that Dragons have returned to London.”

  “I don’t understand. You made them all forget,” said Flick. “I saw it.”

  “The spell I cast was only powerful enough to work on those who were present, but it’s almost inevitable that one or two shifters snuck out while I was confronting Eldrich,” Dex replied. “Word would have spread quickly among their kind by now.”

  “There’s been some infighting among the ranks,” said Kliev. “Wolves and Bears are not keen on the discovery of stronger species in their midst, you see. It means their power structure was thrown somewhat off balance. I suspect that their plan is to regroup and return one day, once things have calmed down.”

  “Speaking of unrest,” Dex told Kliev, “it seems that Eldrich is causing more mischief. He’s threatened Flicka here, told her that he’d expose our existence once and for all if she doesn’t agree to be his.”

  “What an absolute arse that man is,” Kliev replied, his Dragon making its presence known via the growl in his voice.

  “Quite.”

  “It’s time, then,” said the other shifter, staring Dex in the eye. Flick got the impression that the two of them were communicating some silent secret between themselves.

  “Time for what?” she asked.

  Kliev turned her way. “Time for our kind to assemble and to work another spell, this time on the entire city of London,” he said. “There are others out there, other Kindred. We have a Guild, though we don’t meet so frequently as we should. I will ask them for help.”

  “Are you planning to kill Eldrich?” she asked, unsure of whether she should welcome the idea of not.

  “No,” replied Kliev. “No killing. There’s no need, not when the old ways are sufficient.”

  “All right, I’m utterly confused,” Flick said. “How are you going to prevent him from giving the Dragons away, if not by silencing him?”

  Kliev smiled. “It’s rather difficult to explain. But tell me, Flicka,” he said, his gaze moving to the window at the back of the house, “If I were to point over there and tell you there’s a monster just outside that window, would you believe me?”

  Flick’s eyes followed Kliev’s. All she could see through the glass was the blackness of the world outside, intensified by reflections of the light bulbs above her head. “I don’t see anything at all,” she said, “so I suppose the answer is no, I wouldn’t necessarily believe it.”

  “Exactly,” Kliev replied. “You don’t see the monster, so it’s rather rational to conclude that it doesn’t exist.”

  “I still don’t understand what you’re intending to do,” Flick said, turning to Dex, “but I believe that you two know exactly what you’re up to, and that’s good enough for me.”

  Dex threw her a reassuring smile before laying a hand on Kliev’s shoulder. “Tomorrow afternoon,” he said. “Kensington Gardens.”

  “Understood,” Kliev said before striding over to the door. “The Wolves and Bears still won’t come back to London, you realize. Now that they know…”

  “I know it,” said Dex. “But things change from time to time, and shifters adapt. They will find their way.”

  “I’m sure you’re right about that,” Kliev said, turning to stand in the doorway. “Meanwhile I’ll talk to the Guild.” Looking at Flick, he smiled again. “You have nothing to fear from a weak man such as Eldrich,” he said, leaning towards her. “Follow your destiny. Don’t let yourself be held back by a man who’s trying to manipulate you as he has done. Such creatures aren’t worth a moment’s pain or suffering.”

  “Thank you,” said Flick. “But I’m sorry—I feel as though I’ve caused some strife in your world.”

  “Strife?” said Dex. “You haven’t done anything of the sort. Only one person is responsible for any of this.”

  Kliev smiled. “If anything, you’ve done us all a great favour, actually,” he said. “We Dragons have been keeping to ourselves for what feels like an eternity. But now we have reason to come together and combine our strength. This reunion is long overdue.”

  “I still have no idea what you have planned,” said Flick, “but I’m happy to be of service.” She smiled nervously as they followed Kliev outside. A moment later he was gone, surging into the clouds in the form of a massive Dragon the colour of terracotta.

  “He�
��s like you, that one,” Flick said, watching him disappear into the night sky. “I mean as opposed to Eldrich. He seems so…good.”

  Dex nodded. “Yes. He’s one of the Kindred. A very good man, Kliev. Very old, as well.”

  “Oh? He looks about thirty.”

  Dex laughed. “He looks after himself, I suppose. But that said, he’s been around for hundreds of years.”

  “Blimey,” Flick sputtered. “That’s something, isn’t it?”

  The shifter watched her, his eyes twinkling with an amused expression.

  “What’s funny?” she asked, stepping back into the house.

  Dex followed her and shut the door behind them. “Not so much funny as charming. And the answer is you.”

  She flushed, her eyes veering to the floor for a moment. For the first time she realized that they were finally alone. Finally, she might get the kiss that she’d wanted since the first moment she’d seen Dex.

  As if reading her mind, he stepped towards her, pushed his fingers under her thick hair and stroked her neck. She lifted her eyes to meet his, all too aware of how close his lips were to hers.

  “You’re touching me again,” she said. “That’s dangerous for both of us, isn’t it?”

  “It is,” he replied. “Very, very dangerous.”

  “Tell me again why it’s dangerous?” Her voice was little more than a breath, caught somewhere in the fire that was sparking to life in her chest. “I seem to have forgotten.”

  “Because now that I have a hold on you, I may never let you go. Because I want you, Flick. I’ve wanted you from the first. I want to taste you, and I want to claim you.” He drew away, lowering his hand to his side. “I suppose in that regard I’m no better a man than Eldrich.”

  “Correction. You’re so much better,” she protested, slipping her body towards him so smoothly that it seemed as though her feet weren’t even moving.

  “Am I?”

  “Yes.” Flick laid her palms on his chest, feeling his hard pectoral muscles through his white shirt. God, he was glorious. Hard as marble, hot as flame, as sexy as anything in her imagining.

  Slowly, she slid her hands downwards, savouring each smooth ridge of muscle on his chiseled form. He was breathing fast and shallow now, and she knew why. Her own chest was rising and falling rapidly, desire forcing her heart into a wild race that she never wanted to end. “What would happen to me if you claimed me?” she asked softly, her lips barely moving, tingling in anticipation.

  “I think you know by now,” he replied, his voice strained, hoarse with some invisible emotion. “Though I don’t think claim is the right word at this point.”

  “Oh?” She dropped her hands for a moment, disappointment invading her chest.

  “No, you misunderstand me,” he said, taking both her hands in his and kissing them one at a time. “The thing is, I can’t lay claim to a woman who’s already claimed me. You have all the control, Flick. You have a power over me that I never thought possible. I’ve never surrendered myself to another being like this. But I’m glad to do it, you see.”

  The words were enough to pull back the blow that had assaulted her insides and to replace it with heat. Her right arm shot around his neck, her left hand pulling his face down to hers. “If I have all the power,” she said, “then I can order you to kiss me.”

  “Flick…” As his lips formed her name, they curled up into the most alluring smile before he finally pressed them to hers. Strong but gentle, his mouth was skilled, wonderful, sensual. His tongue found hers, a low growl rattling up from his chest as they tasted one another at last.

  Flick had fallen drunk, her head overtaken by some strange, wonderful substance as his scent and arms wrapped themselves around her, his muscular body pulling her to him like a magnet. As she pressed forward, she felt his arousal push against her like a thick iron shaft. She already knew how wet she was for him, how slick with need her body was.

  The time had come at last for them to bond.

  But it was Dex who hesitated, laying a gentle palm on her cheek and lifting his chin to kiss her forehead.

  “Not yet,” he whispered, his lips stroking her skin. “Have you thought enough about this? About the consequences of what we’re about to do?”

  Flick nodded. “I’ve thought of nothing else,” she said.

  “And you’re sure?”

  She nodded again. “But I feel so selfish. If I give in to my desire for you, I feel like I’ll jeopardize you and Kliev, and all of your kind.”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s no danger to us. We’ll find a way. We always do. The choice is yours alone.”

  “A life with you, or a life with Eldrich,” she said.

  Dex pulled back and shook his head. “My beauty. There is, of course, a third choice.”

  “What is that?”

  “A life with neither.”

  Flick stepped back and looked at him. “No. That’s not an option, not for me,” she said. “You know as well as I do what I want.”

  “Tell me, then. Say it. What is it that you want most in this world?”

  She swallowed hard. “I want you, Dex. I understand that we’re destined to be together, you and I. I can only hope…”

  “Don’t hope,” he replied. “Know. Have faith in my kind. Have faith in your destiny.”

  “I do. I can’t say that I know what will happen tomorrow. But I do know that tonight would be ours.”

  “Then come with me,” said Dex, taking her by the hand. “The kitchen is no place for what I have planned for you.”

  Chapter 12

  Flick found herself standing in the cottage’s cozy living room, mere inches away from the man who would soon be hers, body and soul.

  For a moment she looked around, marvelling at the feeling of familiarity in the room surrounding them.

  “I’ve been here,” she murmured, “with you, Dex. We lay on that couch, your arms were around me. We’d…”

  They’d made love. On the couch. On the rug. Upstairs, in the bedroom. No doubt if she’d dreamed long and hard enough, she’d have seen them outside, lying in the grass together, on the beach, naked under the stars.

  “I know,” he said. “I know all of it, because I’ve seen it just as you have. But dreams are never as good as real life, Flicka. Let me show you.” Dex kissed her with all the possessiveness of a man claiming what was rightfully his.

  He was right. No dream could ever match this.

  “I won’t let anything happen to us,” he promised softly, pressing his lips to her neck. He stroked the back of his hand over her breast, tightening her nipple under his touch. “Not tonight, not ever. I won’t let Eldrich ruin things. Do you hear me? I am yours, and you are mine. Nothing will come between us. This I can promise you.”

  “Say it again,” she replied, her hands finding his chest. She could feel the pulse of his heart beating against her palms, reassuring and powerful. “Say it again and again. About how you’re mine.”

  He kissed her cheek, her chin, the tip of her nose. She closed her eyes to savour the sensation. “I’m yours, Flicka,” he said. “I’m all yours.” Then his lips were on hers again, kissing her with the deep erotic need that surged like molten lava through them both. So good.

  Opening her eyes, Flick reached down and unbuttoned his shirt just enough to pull it upwards, tearing it over his head and mussing his pile of jet-black hair. He pulled it back into a half-ponytail, securing it with a rubber band that he’d been wearing around his wrist. Flick inhaled deep as she got her first glance at his incredible torso, tight with ripples of hard-edged muscle. He was even more amazing than she’d imagined, his body a work of art that she would explore for years—no, decades—to come.

  On his left pectoral muscle, a strange marking caught her eye. A sort of dark scar shaped like a wave, or perhaps it was a gust of wind. She traced her fingers over its lines, marvelling at the perfection of his flesh.

  “The mark of Air,” he said. “It’s th
e symbol of my lineage.”

  “The mark of Air.” Flick’s lips met it gently before brushing a series of kisses up to his neck. She could taste the salt on his skin, delicious masculinity meeting her tongue with each touch of her lips. “I want to do this for days,” she breathed. “I want to kiss every inch of your body. You’re so damned beautiful, Dex.”

  It would have shocked some men to have a woman take possession of him as she was doing, but the Dragon shifter sighed with pleasure at her touch. Perhaps he understood her desire better than any human man ever could.

  “I’m not the only one who’s beautiful, and you’re not the only one with a hungry mouth,” he replied, a sexy smile bringing his eyes and lips to life. He reached for her, pulling the jacket off her shoulders and tossing it aside before yanking her blouse upwards as she’d done to his. He threw it to the floor when he’d stolen it away from her body, turning his gaze to her bare skin.

  Flick looked down at herself, her form on display before him in little more than a bra and a dark grey skirt. She was his for the taking, but perhaps she should tease him a little. She stepped back and unclasped the bra, slipping its straps off her shoulders slowly. Playing with his eyes as well as his mind, she pulled the delicate silk cups away from her breasts with her fingertips, revealing just a little of the dark pink of her pebbled nipples before fully unveiling her body for his eyes to behold.

  Dex let out a delicious moan as the garment flitted to the ground, his eyes taking in the milky whiteness of her torso. He moved forward and reached for her, palms slipping over her hard nipples as he kissed her again hungrily, as greedy for her as she was for him. Then he moved in a flurry, undoing the buttons on her skirt, pulling the garment down over her hips, his hand sneaking its way deep into the front her knickers. Another sigh emerged from between his lips as he found her slick sex waiting for his touch. He slipped his finger over her and pushed inside her channel, forcing out a hard moan from deep in her chest.