Naga's Concubine [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 4] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove)

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  He tried hanging on to prolong the moment, but at one point, it became impossible. Thrusting one last time into Camden’s mouth, he came. His mate drank down every drop of spunk, groaning as he found his peak without even touching himself. Sage managed to stay conscious and witness the sinful view of his mate gulping down his seed. If he hadn’t already climaxed, just that sight would have pushed him into it.

  As it was, his arousal returned with a vengeance, or rather, never really faded. Even if he’d just climaxed, his true need hadn’t been sated and wouldn’t be until he claimed his mate.

  He had allowed Camden to temporarily take the lead, but now, it was his turn. His normal facade cracked by the desire between them, Sage growled and shoved his lover away, his urgency making him almost violent. As Camden fell back, Sage pounced him and crushed their mouths together. This time, their kiss went beyond wild and into ferocious. Sage tasted himself in Camden’s mouth, and his dragon roared in wild possessiveness, desperate to take what was his.

  His angry passion made Camden even more frantic than before, which really should have been an impossibility. But Sage had already learned that between the two of them nothing was impossible. When they came together like this, there were no real rules, nothing that could keep them apart.

  Blindly, Sage reached for the nightstand, where his hosts had so kindly placed supplies for them. Not that they’d done any of it for his sake, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was the two of them, in the here and now.

  Completely focused on that, Sage retrieved a tube of lubricant and some condoms from the drawer. He had to admit it bothered him to use protection with Camden, but he’d promised to do so, and he couldn’t back out of it. He ripped open the package of the rubber with his teeth and rolled the latex onto his erection.

  A flash of regret passed through their bond, Camden’s own frustration with not being able to fully feel Sage inside him. Sage took a couple of deep breaths, struggling to calm down. He gripped Camden’s hand and threaded their fingers together. “One day, beautiful,” he promised. “One day, it’ll happen.”

  Even if Camden’s family was trying to smother their relationship, even if the supreme law of the paranormal world was against it, Sage had to believe that, eventually, he’d be granted the freedom to love Camden as the naga deserved. Guilt bloomed in Camden’s heart, echoing inside Sage and making the dragon grumble in disapproval. “None of that,” Sage told him. “You’re not to blame.”

  “I should be stronger,” Camden said mournfully. “I should be able to protect you instead of going along with what my parents want.”

  “And you will,” Sage answered. “This one meeting is the last, right? You’ve already decided.”

  Camden nodded eagerly, his eyes now filled with determination. “And you don’t have to worry about it. Talbot doesn’t mean anything to me, not anymore.”

  The young naga’s words propelled Sage into action. He didn’t even want to hear that man’s name on Camden’s lips. He believed Camden, and in that sense, this new plan could only bring them advantages. Camden would free himself from his obligations, and Sage got to release his dragon a little, too. But that didn’t mean Sage was gleefully anticipating it. In fact, the only thing he could focus on right now was marking Camden as his so that no one, not Talbot or any other ridiculous candidate, would even dare to think they had any right to Sage’s mate.

  Sage held Camden’s gaze as he poured the lubricant in his palm. Obviously understanding what Sage wanted, Camden lifted his legs, offering himself to Sage. He was so beautiful it hurt, and Sage immediately reached for his opening. If his hands trembled as he did so, Camden didn’t call him out on it. Instead, when Sage at last slid two fingers inside Camden’s channel, the naga arched his back and released a loud moan. “Yes,” he hissed. “Oh, yes, Sage.”

  Sage was so used to the particularities of Camden’s speech by now that he barely took heed of them. The sibilance of his words had become like music to his ears. Even now, hearing it made Sage’s cock throb in excitement. It was so very Camden that it chipped at the last remnants of Sage’s control.

  To a certain extent, it was perhaps a good thing that they’d had that slightly more serious exchange, because it had tempered Sage’s libido a little. At this rate, though, he’d reach the same state as before in seconds. Therefore, Sage had to use this temporary reprieve to prepare his mate.

  He scissored his fingers inside Camden, crooking them just so and aiming for Camden’s prostate. By now, he knew his mate’s body as well as he did his own, so he found the little gland with ease. His lover dissolved into incoherence as Sage started to rub his special spot. Their bond exploded with a litany of pleas that Camden could no longer vocalize. Sage focused on that, on his mate’s mental voice, to distract himself. Naturally, it didn’t work, as Camden’s desire couldn’t be separated from his own.

  No longer able to hold back, Sage removed his fingers from his mate’s body and positioned his dick at Camden’s hole. As he did so, though, he realized that his dragon was already too agitated and hesitated. He risked hurting Camden if he continued on this note.

  He couldn’t stop, so instead of thrusting inside like he’d wanted, he changed their positions and pulled Camden on top of him. Camden actually chuckled. “You’re hopeless,” he said breathlessly. “When are you going to learn that I can take it?”

  “I know that,” Sage answered. “I can’t help it.”

  Of course, this conversation wasn’t in any way smooth. Each word had about ten syllables more and was punctuated by a gasp. They probably couldn’t have understood each other at all if not for their connection. Either way, by the time they finished this brief exchange, Camden was already lowering himself onto Sage’s cock. Sage took hold of his mate’s hips, keeping Camden from just impaling himself on Sage’s dick. His resolve faltered as the head of his prick finally popped past the guardian muscle of Camden’s anus.

  Sage’s hold on Camden tightened, so much so that Sage thought he might be leaving claw marks on Camden’s skin. He bit the inside of his cheek so hard he tasted blood, seeking some sort of anchor in a world that was quickly starting to lose substance. Nothing he did could withstand the onslaught of sensation, however, not when Sage was faced with the sight of his lover’s flushed face and naked body, looming above him like some sort of debauched angel.

  Camden allowed Sage to set the pace, even if his entire body vibrated with sensual tension. If Sage wanted to be perfectly honest, this was what he’d craved, to see Camden like this, at his mercy, yet not. There was submissiveness in this position, and yet, Sage was still calling the shots. Simply that knowledge, that he had this perfect creature doing his bidding, drove Sage wild and had his dragon grumbling in satisfaction.

  At last, Camden’s ass was flush against Sage’s groin. Both of them stilled, or rather Sage held Camden down, buying them a little time to get used to the pure bliss that could only come with their union. But neither Camden nor Sage had any patience left. Squeezing Camden’s hips, Sage thrust up into his mate, in the process managing to jar Camden’s prostate. Camden’s eyes rolled in his head, and he released a sound that seemed like a cross between Sage’s name and something completely unidentifiable, like an “ngh” or an “argh.” Sage could certainly empathize, since he could sense everything Camden did. Even through the latex of the condom, Sage could feel Camden’s heat threatening to burn him alive, which should have seemed strange given that naga’s were, as a rule, cold-blooded. Indirectly, he also experienced the sensation of being pierced. Again, it might have surprised him, except, at this point, Sage had come to realize that their bond gave him access to his mate in ways he’d never even dreamed. It was carnal, sexual, but most of all, beautiful, their connection transcending the limits of their identity.

  They moved together in perfect synch, their bodies coming together in the harmony of their passion. Camden bounced above Sage, riding him with abandon, while Sage continued to thrust i
nside him. The pleasure soared more and more, until Sage didn’t even know where he ended and Camden began. Finally, it became too much, and Sage pulled Camden down, rolling the naga on the bottom. Camden tilted his head, giving Sage access to his neck. Thrusting one last time inside his mate, he buried his fangs into Camden’s flesh.

  An explosion of white-hot pleasure flashed through Sage like a thunderstorm born within the very essence of his soul. As his mate’s sweet blood hit his taste buds, the pent-up sexual bliss swallowed Sage whole and he came, filling the condom with his spunk. With a cry, Camden followed him over the edge, his seed splashing over Sage’s chest and his own as he climaxed.

  Sage registered all of this in two ways, first through his own senses, and second through his connection with Camden. Everything became sharper, brighter, his own emotions and Camden’s as clear as ice and as wild as an unleashed snowstorm, but still as hot as fire in a hearth. It was a paradox, an oxymoron, but their relationship had been like that from the beginning, and Sage wouldn’t have had it any other way.

  The presence of the latex was negligible now. A world of pure desire opened up to them, and not even the barrier between their bodies could ruin the moment for Sage. They were connected at a far deeper level, and this was something no one, not the naga or the draechen, could ever prevent.

  When they finally started to descend from the high of the orgasm, Sage collapsed on the pillows at his mate’s side. For a few moments, he actually thought he was going to black out, but he didn’t. It was fortunate, because he didn’t want to waste a single moment he could spend with Camden.

  Camden attached himself to Sage’s side and released a contented sigh. Sage suspected that if his mate had been feline, he would be purring. But since that wasn’t the case, Camden kissed Sage’s shoulder and said, “I should probably make you jealous more often. That was amazing.”

  Sage scoffed as he discarded the condom and tossed it into a nearby trash bin. “I don’t need additional incentive for this. You’re reason enough.”

  His mate chuckled. “Be careful. With all the praises you lavish me with, I might actually start to believe them.”

  “You do that,” Sage said, caressing Camden’s hair. “You know it’s true.”

  They didn’t speak after that, nor did they move. Sage knew that they should have at least cleaned themselves—dried spunk tended to get itchy and gross—but right then and there, he really couldn’t bring himself to make the effort. Instead, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy the afterglow and his mate’s soothing presence. In the end, this was the only thing that mattered, the fact that they were together. They could deal with the rest in time.

  * * * *

  Queen Anais Isaiat slid past her son’s room, sighing heavily. “I’m dealing with this all wrong,” she said under her breath. “I’m making an even bigger disaster out of everything.”

  Her mate Zaire took her hand and squeezed it tightly. “This situation is all so new, and that dragon… He doesn’t fully understand what’s going on.”

  “We can’t even expect him to,” Nikhil answered. “Even if he did know the truth, he might not be able to grasp its reasons.”

  Anais stole another look at the door of Camden’s quarters. The sounds of the lovemaking between the couple had stopped by now, and for some reason, that made her sad. It was actually easier to understand this whole debacle when Sage and Camden touched each other. Sometimes, she resented it, because it forced her to accept something she hadn’t been ready for, but other times, like now, it made her acknowledge the inevitable progression of their current lives.

  “It won’t work, will it?” she asked her two mates. “Talbot won’t be the third mate.”

  “Probably not.” Zaire sighed. “It was a little unfair of us to even ask him to come. But we have to make this final attempt, for Camden’s sake.”

  Sadly, Camden didn’t see it like that, and likely never would. At this rate, the only thing Anais and her mates were doing was alienating Camden. And that would never do. If anything, it just put Camden into more danger.

  “Sage needs to be told,” she decided. “He is a shifter, after all. He has a sister. He might be able to understand.”

  Her mates gave her a surprised look. “Are you certain, Anais?” Nikhil inquired. “Can we truly trust him?”

  She laughed bitterly. “After everything that happened, we can’t afford not to.”

  They had tried to dissuade the dragon, to make him grasp that the life of a naga held challenges draechen didn’t have to go through. They’d gone to lengths that, to this day, plagued Anais with guilt. Perhaps it was time for a new approach.

  “He loves Camden,” she said, “and in the end, he did help save our family. We’re just going to have to believe in that.”

  Nikhil and Zaire didn’t look convinced. Anais wished she was. She desperately wished she could believe her own words. At this point, though, she could only hope that Sagenamadeen Zager was truly ready for the responsibility of being Camden’s mate. She could only pray to Varuna that in her zeal to protect her hatchling, she hadn’t wrecked Camden’s future.

  Chapter Six

  That evening

  Sage bowed in front of the throne of the naga sovereigns, carefully masking his suspicion and resentment. “You wanted to see me, Your Majesties?” he asked.

  “Yes, Sage,” Queen Anais replied. “We need to have a very serious conversation with you.”

  Sage had hoped that with the promise he and Camden had made regarding the famous Talbot, they would be, at the very least, left alone until the damn naga arrived. He’d wanted to approach the naga sovereigns to wrangle a promise of their own, but the Isaiat had demanded his presence first, summoning him for this mysterious meeting.

  So far, it all seemed very strange. Anais had never called him by the shortened form of his first name. In fact, she generally avoided any type of familiar address. More often than not, she seemed to loathe him. The change kept Sage’s tongue in check and made him wonder what in the world was going on. It had been odd enough that the Isaiat had asked Sage to come alone. What did they plan now?

  As the naga queen approached him, Sage couldn’t help but tense. He didn’t fear her, but neither could he expect any good things from her part. She stopped right in front of him, her long, serpentine tail swishing slightly. In Camden, Sage would have read that motion as a sign of nervousness. In Anais… He didn’t even dare to hazard a guess. But this was his mate’s mother, and even if so far, neither she nor her two mates had shown any respect to his bond with Camden, he would respect her.

  “Thank you, Sage,” Camden said softly through their bond. “I know it’s not fair of me to ask you to be so patient.”

  “It’s not patience,” Sage answered. “It’s love, love for you. How can I despise them when they gave you birth and when they clearly care for you?”

  As Camden processed that, Sage again directed his attention toward the naga queen. “I’m at your disposal, Your Majesty,” he said calmly. “But I feel that I must warn you that anything you say to me, Camden will hear as well. Asking me to come alone was pointless.”

  King Nikhil and King Zaire joined their mate, eyeing him with interest. “We know,” Zaire said. “I imagine if that wasn’t the case, we wouldn’t be here right now, addressing this.”

  “I don’t understand,” Sage admitted. “Is this about the meeting you mentioned? We already agreed to it.”

  “No, this is something else entirely,” Anais replied, finally turning away from him. “What do you think about Patala, Lieutenant Zager?”

  They were back to the official address. “It’s a beautiful place,” Sage answered honestly. “Of course, I haven’t managed to see much of it, but the glimpses I get of it seem quite impressive.”

  She acknowledged Sage’s answer with a nod. “Do you know why naga live underground?” she asked.

  “From what Camden tells me, this is the safest place for you and your eggs,” Sage
said. “Also, naga are largely water oriented creatures, and your instinct is to cluster as close as possible to water sources. It’s been that way ever since Varuna first guided you.”

  “Very good.” The queen almost looked impressed. “Yes, Varuna guides us in anything. And you see, Lieutenant Zager, we naga are bound to the earth, while draechen are bound to air. I’m sure that now that you’ve lived here, you can grasp this huge difference.”

  Sage frowned. “It makes no difference to me. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it as many times as it’s needed. I’d rather give up on my dragon than abandon Camden.”

  “Admirable,” Nikhil piped up, “but this isn’t what our conversation is about.”

  This time, Sage decided to remain silent. Their questions were clearly leading up to a larger point, one which Sage suspected he would not like.

  “We were all rare shifters once, Lieutenant Zager,” Zaire said, “and in some respects, we are similar. Like you might know, we naga are also heavily inclined toward multiple births.”

  Sage was confused. How did that have anything to do with anything? Did they mean to berate him and make sure he didn’t get Camden pregnant? If so, why were they going in circles like this? The entire conversation seemed disjointed, like they were distant pieces of the same puzzle, with huge gaps between them.

  “We care about our children deeply, but sometimes, not even the underground can protect us,” Anais said, her voice suddenly turning sharp and brittle. Her slitted eyes that reminded Sage so much of Camden fixed him with the same hostility Sage had seen so many times in her. “Not from the draechen.”