by Crymsyn Hart
“Andrik, weren’t you telling me about a healer in the mountain that can help with dragon fire burns? Even old ones? Do you think you can ask her if she has some time to see Dathan tonight?”
He glanced at her. “I can see if she has some free time.”
She kissed him lightly on the lips. “Thank you. I’ll take him back to my room.”
“Are you sure you can trust him?” He moved the hair from her face.
She curled her cheek into his palm. “You can always trust me.”
“It’s him I don’t trust.”
“I owe him that. The old burns on his face are from me. It was after I lost Cas and I went insane. Please, love.”
He sighed and then smiled. “I can’t say no to you. I’ll be back soon.” He turned and then walked away.
Kestrel sighed when he was gone. She sank back down on the bench and ran her hands through her hair.
“Is what you say true? Is there a healer that can fix my face and my arm?”
She nodded. “She can try. Andrik said that old burns are hard to heal. I told you that I’d find a way to help heal your burns. Here is the best place to try. Come up to my rooms.” Kestrel tugged his shirt, got up from the bench, and brought him back to her rooms. Dathan sat in one of the chairs and gazed around her quarters. His observations were not lost on her.
“So I was your only thought when you left the Athenaeum?”
He sighed. “When you first came to me and asked for a ride, I was flabbergasted. Honestly, I never thought you’d leave the Athenaeum. No one did. Even after I dropped you here and then returned to the Athenaeum, it seemed a dream you had gone. I went to find you in the library, and you weren’t in your usual spot. The council called upon you for something, and you didn’t come. Simeon announced you had departed. The other spellcasters were surprised. I didn’t realize that I would miss you so much. And now you’ve met a man and gotten married. I didn’t mean to be such an ass. Can you forgive me?”
She chuckled. After all this time, he’s telling me he cares about me. Dragon’s teeth. “Maybe if you had told me sooner, like several centuries sooner, I might never have left. It’s too late now. I have a man who loves me, and you insulted him. Think about who you might have been talking to. You have to watch what you say here. This is the dragon king’s mountain. It’s a shame the Athenaeum doesn’t have an emissary here. We could learn a lot from these wild dragons, as we call them. I’m sorry things didn’t work out between us, but it’s for the better. This is where I belong.”
“Does that mean you’ll come back with me and help?”
“I’ll have to think about it. I’ll give you my answer in the morning.”
Andrik opened the door. He eyed her and gave her a small nod. “Reva will see you. After your session, someone will show you to your room. Your dragon will be cared for. Come, I’ll bring you to the healer.”
Dathan stood up and gave her a nod. Her mate escorted Dathan from the room and closed the door. She was left all alone to her thoughts. Everything Dathan had said ran through her mind. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do. The other dragons needed her help. They didn’t deserve to suffer because she had suddenly decided to turn her back on them. Shaking her head, she opened her wardrobe and looked at what she might take with her. Doing that helped take her mind off everything.
Chapter Eleven
Kestrel sighed and stared out of the window. The events of the day weighed on her shoulders the more she thought about them. She was ecstatic Andrik had found his dragon form once more and they had connected as spellcaster and dragon. It made things much easier. She didn’t want to have to think of her bonding with a dragon as a spellcaster and having to ride him when her mate would probably get jealous. It was bad enough the way he acted with Dathan. She didn’t want Dathan hurt. There was a time when she had feelings for the other spellcaster, but that was a long time ago, in another lifetime when she was more of a free spirit. Now she was more focused on her life. Centuries of being alone had done that to her. Her thoughts wandered back to Castigan. It had been amazing to speak with him and hear his voice even though his spirit was a part of Andrik’s. All of her dreams had come true coming to Blaze Mountain. Now she was being asked to return to a world she wanted nothing to do with. A place filled with people who treated her like she was a weapon.
“I’m not a weapon. I’m a human being who feels. I can’t fathom killing a dragon. I would rather attack their caster and hope the dragon is strong enough to break the bonds between them. What am I going to do?”
“Who says you have to do anything?”
She spun around at the smooth voice. Andrik stood before her wearing an open red vest and black silk pants. His hair hung loose to his shoulders. His golden skin glittered in the light. The pull she felt toward him drew her up instantly. It also helped relax her. The more she stared at him, the more she thought he was some god come down to claim her for his own. She could see the fire inside of him. He held himself with a confidence and bearing he hadn’t had before.
“I didn’t realize you were intruding on my thoughts.” She crossed her arms over her chest, not appreciating his eavesdropping.
He sauntered over to her and rested his hands on her hips. The pout on his lips was gut-wrenching. She almost caved. His smoky eyes started to pull her under his spell. “I wasn’t doing it on purpose, Kestrel. This new level of our bonding is different than that of a mate. I can feel your power burning against my soul. Connecting us. It’s more than the dragon power inside of you. It’s your magic. It’s so strong it rivals the flame. It opens me up to a whole new world I’ve never experienced before. Forgive me for overhearing when you wished privacy.” He gave her a light peck on the cheek.
“You have to learn to stay out of my mind when I don’t want you there.” She gripped his chin and gave him a quick kiss. His lips were soft. She tasted something sweet on them. She fought the urge to lick them so she could sample them once again. Her mate still hadn’t released her.
“You’ll have to teach me how to do that,” he whispered close to her ear. Then he placed a kiss just under her jaw. A pleasurable shiver danced through her. Andrik ran his nose along one side of her neck and then the other, inhaling her scent. He followed by licking the lines of her throat and placing small kisses only centimeters from one another. With each one, the intensity of her desire was building. She didn’t know if she could keep up the charade much longer.
“Maybe. If you behave.”
He gave her a wide smile. Andrik placed her hand on his chest, right over his heart. The steady thump reverberated up her arm. It thundered inside of her head. She could get lost if she listened hard enough. Kestrel drew in a breath and tried to shake off the power linking them together, but couldn’t. While she stared into his eyes, she began to sway to the rhythm of his heartbeat. Her lids began to droop. Panic flooded through her. That sudden jolt gave her some extra strength to pull away from him and break the contact.
“What was that?” Her head spun. Her heart was trying to go back to its normal pace. Her body shook.
“I’m sorry. I was only trying to calm you. I must have used too much power. You’re so tense. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.
The subtle beat of his heart quieted her. Soon she stopped shaking and began kissing over his heart. “What were you doing to me?” She pecked along his neck and sucked on his Adam’s apple. His cock pushed against her thigh. The sudden overwhelming urge to fuck him swept her up again. If being around him all the time tempts me to want to make love to him, then we are going to be in trouble.
“It’s an old technique used with my kind. Physical contact can help bring serenity, but with mates, it gets them in sync.” He pushed the side of her dress down to reveal her shoulder. His gentle touch drove her onward to bite harder at his flesh. “It’s the final phase of the mating ritual. I was going to try last night, but you shifted, and I didn’t want to spo
ok you anymore.”
“What are you doing to me?”
“Teaching you never to come into my thoughts again,” Andrik replied.
“I like your method of teaching. Will you let us finish the bonding ritual?”
Kestrel stopped and saw the seriousness of his expression. She bit her lip. “Only if you promise to feed me afterward.” She kissed him and then wrapped her mouth around his throat before biting lightly. He growled low in his throat, so she bit him a little harder.
“If you were anyone else, I’d kill you on the spot.”
She trailed her hands over his chest and slipped one underneath the waistband of his pants. She stroked his cock into hardness. “Do you want me to stop?”
“No.” The raw desire in his voice made her fondle him harder.
Kestrel moved to the side of his throat. He arched his neck to give her a better aim. Seeing his submission only drove her onward. The heat rose in her body. This time she didn’t fight it. Her teeth shifted. She ran her tongue over them, feeling the points sharpen. When she bit down on his throat, she broke the skin. His blood coursed down her throat and aroused her more. She lapped at the wound, wanting more of him. She bit into the meat of his shoulder. The ecstasy of the blood and flesh she tasted let the dragon instinct take over. The urge to give in to those animal instincts enveloped her.
Andrik pulled her away from him. She growled from being parted. He cupped her cheek, and she snapped at him. She tried to separate from the impulses overwhelming her. The dragon was strong. It recognized Andrik as her mate. But it was hungry. It needed sustenance. His blood was sweet and his body warm.
“Breathe, my love. Feel my heartbeat. Come back to me. Share my breath. Follow it back to me.”
The warmth of his hand on her chest brought her a little closer to herself. She began to feel his heart once again. The power tingled along her skin and through her fingertips until it encapsulated her. Kestrel opened her eyes once the pleasure wrapped around her. It started to wind around her spine, a dragon tail fusing with her. After another breath, she relaxed. Once she did that, the fervor burst within her.
“Andrik, I need you.”
“I know. Feel the rhythm of my heart. Let it guide you.”
She listened to his heart. The thunder wasn’t as deafening as before. Her breathing calmed, and she could focus. The dragon retreated, but the fire ignited along her body. She placed her hand on his chest. When she did, his face was awash in ecstasy. Leaning forward, she kissed him on the lips. The fire inside of her began to simmer. When she breathed, so did he. When his heart beat, so did hers. He deepened the kiss, running his tongue over her lips. A small sigh escaped her throat. All she needed was to be near him. Her whole being was at peace. His mind fluttered on the edge of hers. She opened the connection between them. Once that happened, their personalities merged, and serenity set over her. Andrik withdrew his hand, and so did she. She slid off his vest. Her fingers splayed across his muscled chest. Kestrel kissed a line down his torso and sunk to her knees. She pulled his pants down so his cock sprang out. Cupping his balls in one hand, she took his cock in the other and guided it to her lips. The salty taste of his skin made her yearn for more. A small amount of alarm went up her spine, but she drew on his strength. Slowly, she ran her tongue along his length, enjoying the smooth skin of his shaft. She drew him in until he hit the back of her throat. Already the pre-come lined the head. She sucked it down, enjoying his taste. His pleasure imbued her with new life, but he wasn’t going to be able to hold on much longer.
She drew him in once again, lingering over the throbbing vein of his penis, and squeezed his balls before she stood up and backed away. He stepped forward. She pulled her dress over her head and dropped it to the floor. Andrik licked his lips. It was hard to stay focused when his desire also consumed her. Kestrel covered her breasts with one hand and shimmied out of her panties with the other. His eyes lit up. She beckoned him closer and saw a tongue of flame wrap around him. She giggled and vanquished the dragon fire.
Kestrel placed her hand on his chest again and shivered. “This feels amazing. I want you.”
“You already have me, forever.”
He lifted her up and placed her on the bed. Andrik spread her legs and licked along the path of her thigh. The gentle pressure of his tongue made her wetter than she already was. He stopped when he got to her downy curls and buried his tongue inside of her moist sheath. She drew in a fevered breath and rose off the bed. The sensation went all the way through her. She clutched him while an orgasm rolled over her skin. She cried out. This was all too much. His longing twisted inside her. Her mate was holding on by a thread.
“Now.”
“We can go longer. The mating bond can draw this out for hours.” He flicked his tongue over her clit. “And I’m not ready to give up just yet.”
Kestrel groaned when he began nibbling on her throbbing nub. The subtle pressure of his teeth on her sensitive skin drove her into another world. She curled her fists into the blankets and tried to push her awareness into him to regain some control. The heated passion that bubbled inside of her kept her locked to her flesh so she wouldn’t start to shift. Andrik tortured her slowly, drawing her to new heights with small caresses of his tongue. His hands trailed down her sides and clutched the mounds of her ass. He slid a finger deep inside of her pussy, and then another.
“Ahh . . . Andrik. Now.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Please. Fuck me.”
Instead of obliging her, he pumped his fingers inside of her. He increased his rhythm on her clit until she could barely breathe. Her body hummed. She couldn’t think. He was pleasuring her beyond the point of reason. Kestrel stopped fighting and let the orgasm take over her body. Her mind was already gone, and she needed him inside of her.
“Please.” The word came out in a low groan while he lapped at her juices. Her nether regions were so sensitive now she could scarcely take any more.
He kissed her belly and brushed his tongue over her hardened nipple. He gave her a moment to catch her breath. Kestrel came back to her body, and the world returned. She saw the excitement in his eyes. Sweat plastered her hair to her face.
“You taste so damn good.” He sucked her nipple into his mouth and squeezed the other between his fingers.
Kestrel rose from the bed and let out a primal cry. Andrik wrapped her leg around his waist. At that moment, he plunged his cock inside of her. She cried out as she took all of him in. His mouth switched to her other breast. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on to him. She was beyond trying to control their union. Each time he pulled out of her and slid back in, he hit her sweet spot, bringing her higher and higher. Her heart raced along with his. She breathed in exact time with him. This was what their bond had created. A perfect union. His lips claimed hers at the exact moment they both came. He groaned into her mouth. She pressed her head into his shoulder to have an anchor in the real world.
“I love you, Kes,” he whispered.
“I love you, too.”
He moved inside of her for a few more strokes. At the end, he bit into her shoulder. That sent her into another orgasm. She saw blackness and fire before her eyes. Inside her mind, a dragon roared, and she wasn’t sure if it was her or him, only that the world ended for a little while and she was in the arms of her mate.
Chapter Twelve
When she opened her eyes the next morning, her body was her own again. After a deep sleep, she awoke with conviction. Her mind was made up. She was going to face the enemy that had destroyed the Athenaeum and then free the other spellcasters. Once the rogue spellcasters were gone, she would return to the mountain with Andrik. That was all she wanted. She might be the most powerful spellcaster the Athenaeum had ever seen, but she was done with that life. Kestrel had finally found her place in life, and that was by her mate’s side.
She got up. Andrik wasn’t in the room. The sun streamed in through the clouds and warmed her. Taking a moment, she summoned some of her pow
er. The fire flared up from her palm and twirled in a column of flame. It was hard to separate her dragon fire and the magic that she had been born with. She squelched the flame, drew upon her spellcaster power, and the flame appeared again. Gritting her teeth, she focused on the candle by her bed. It rose in the air by the power of her will. It floated above the covers before she beckoned it to her. Well at least I can still do that. Now something more difficult. Kestrel concentrated on the clouds burning off from the sun. A spell left her lips. The power surrounded her in a cool bubble. In her mind, she wove the clouds together. They began to darken. A rush of wind blasted through the room. The sky grayed over. Mist sprayed across her face. The energy reached out further along the clouds, pulling them together, further than she had stretched before. Her mind was one with the clouds until a crack of thunder drew her attention back. She opened her eyes and saw it was pouring out. With a small smile, she released the clouds and let the weather return to normal.
“I’m impressed.” Andrik stood in the doorway, dressed for traveling, with a pack slung over one shoulder. A sword was belted at his side.
“I haven’t done that in a long time. I wanted to be sure I could still summon the power.”
“Well, I never doubted you.”
“Going somewhere?” She took her pack and folded the clothes she would need.
“I’m coming with you.”
“I don’t want you to come.”
He chuckled. “You don’t have a choice about that. I’m not going to see my mate get hurt because of some rogue dragon war. Too many of our kind have died over land battles because the spellcasters wish to expand their kingdoms or decide who should rule. It’s time this ended. I spoke with my father this morning. We have lived in this mountain for centuries, keeping ourselves quiet. The other dragons think dragonkin are a legend, like the drakin myth. We have not pressed upon them our will or our laws, but it’s time that changed. Births are down. Soon there might not be any dragons left. Maybe our time is coming to an end.”
