Llyr hopped up and reached his hand down to her. She ignored it, her dragon not needing help to cross. They climbed over the crystal formation. When they were once again on the cave floor, Llyr shifted back and smiled. “Yes, these are the mines.”
“And is that the fuel ore? The silver?” Mede pointed to the wall where glossy silver ran alongside them as if pointing the way deeper. When she leaned close, she could just make out her reflection in it. The crunch of loose rocks gave away his position, but she didn’t need to hear him to know he was behind her. She felt him. It was like an innate beacon inside her that just knew where he was in proximity to her.
“No. The ore is deeper. Come with me. I want to show you something.” Llyr didn’t touch her, but he didn’t have to. Every brush of their bodies was burned into her flesh—his hand on her arm at the Dead Dragon campsite, his body to hers when she’d fainted into his arms, his fingers taking the food from her hand.
“Llyr?” she whispered, unsure. “What are we doing here?”
“Camping,” he answered simply.
“You know that’s not what I mean.” She took a deep breath. He had to feel what she felt. How could he not? It was too powerful.
“Just come with me. Please.” He backed away from her several steps before again turning around to lead the way deeper. The cavern narrowed and they walked until the natural cave became a manmade tunnel. At places water moved over them, detectable by the soft, echoing flow of an underground stream.
“If you’re taking me to be some kind of strange sacrifice for Trolla, I’m going to be really angry,” she said, trying to make a joke.
“There she is. Ask her yourself.” Llyr pointed to where a terrifying female dragon had been etched into the wall. She stood tall, surrounded by tiny worshipers. Llyr looked at the carving and then Mede. “Huh, you kind of look like her minus the wings. You have her essence, I think.”
Mede arched a brow. “Did you just try to compliment me?”
“You won’t let me call you a lady, so I will call you a goddess,” he answered, clearly teasing her.
“Careful, or Trolla will hear you.”
“We’re heading up there. We have to crawl, but it’s worth it. Trust me.” He tossed the pack up into a narrow hole before crawling in after it. Pushing it forward, he inched along.
Mede hesitated, glancing around the cave. Seeing the Trolla carving staring at her, she whispered, “We humbly ask for your protection, great one.”
“Are you coming?” Llyr yelled.
Mede held her breath as she went inside the narrow space. She didn’t like feeling closed in and tried to hurry. She made a weak noise as a six-legged insect nearly as big as her hand darted away from her to crawl into a hole. The rock pressed all around her and she closed her eyes. Somehow she pushed forward and only opened her eyes when she heard Llyr’s pack hit the floor. He reached to pull her out of the hole to her feet.
Tiny lights danced around her like the stars on the one night of planetary darkness. The bioluminescent creatures parted to let them pass, spreading away toward the rounded walls. Llyr kicked his pack toward the center of the cave room.
“We’ll camp here,” he said.
“It’s remarkable.” Mede turned in slow circles before walking toward the wall. She tried to touch one of the lights, but the tiny creatures scattered out of her way and she couldn’t even make out their true shape. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“The miners call them stardust because they look like stars and live in the ground. They light up the mines and always travel in groups.”
“They’re glowing,” Mede stated the obvious.
“Bioluminescence. They produce light to communicate with each other. At least that’s what I’ve been told. It’s said if they land on you, it’s good luck.” Llyr busied himself with his pack, pulling out bedrolls and laying them on the ground. “Are you hungry?”
Mede crossed to where he worked. She touched his shoulder. Llyr looked up in surprise. When she didn’t move or speak, he slowly stood.
“We’re not meant to be together.” Mede only stated a fact, yet it caused a wave of sorrow inside her. She buried the feeling and forced herself to touch his dormant stone.
“Then walk away from me. Leave.” His expression said he didn’t want her to go.
She tried. Her feet wouldn’t move. Her hand wouldn’t leave his shoulder. “I can’t.”
“Then stay with me and kiss me.”
“Llyr, you can see as well as I that we aren’t to be married. Whatever this is cannot last. I have worked so hard for my reputation. I can’t—”
“Mede, I have no wish to ruin your reputation. No one will know anything about this night that you don’t tell them. I give you my word as a prince, as a dragon, and as a man. From that first moment I have wanted to kiss you but I won’t force myself on you. Whatever happens will be what you want to happen.” He hesitated to touch her. When she didn’t pull away, his fingers glanced over her cheek. “Don’t think about marriage and gods and crystals.” He took off his necklace and dropped it into the open pack before resuming his caress of her face. Fingers slid down her throat to the pulse thumping in her neck. “Don’t think about fate or reputation or even that world outside this magical place. What do you want? What do you feel?”
Mede couldn’t hold back. She pressed her lips to his. All worry and doubt left with the touch of his mouth to hers. From that first second she’d been fighting her feelings for him. They welled inside her now, burning their way out of her stomach to fill her with fire and need. Before she could rationalize what she was doing, her fingers had gripped his shirt and she was pulling at his tunic to take it off.
Llyr broke their kiss and obligingly removed off his shirt. She dropped the material to the floor and stepped on it to return to the kiss. This time she met with naked flesh. The heat of him combined with the smooth texture of his skin mesmerized her as she explored the full length of his chest and back. Her finger met with his Dead Dragon scar and she pulled back.
“You didn’t stay to see me marked,” she said, her gaze dipping to his moist lips before moving back up to meet his eyes. “You left during my honor.”
“How can you fault me for that? As badly as I wanted you, do you really think I could stand by and see your beautiful skin injured? I left because it was your honor. You didn’t need me ruining your marking because I couldn’t bear to mar this pretty body of yours.”
“Then it had nothing to do with my being a female and you thinking me unworthy?”
“Unworthy? No, my lad—” Llyr quickly amended, “Mede. I left because if I had been forced to lift your shirt, I would have embarrassed you and greatly dishonored myself.”
He slid his hand around to touch the small of her back where her scar healed beneath the tunic shirt. A small, happy laugh escaped her.
“You earned your marking. I still don’t know how you managed to skin a member of the royal court.” He started to lean toward her, only to pull back. “How did you manage it?”
Mede grimaced. “I don’t want to tell you.”
“I promise your secret will be safe with me. You didn’t cheat and bring it with you, did you?”
“Of course not. I collected it that night. It’s just…” She made a weak noise and then rolled her eyes heavenward. “Fine. The catshifter gave it to me. I wanted to fight him for it, but he refused.”
“Gave it…?”
“Yes. He gave it to me. And there is no rule as to how you obtain your prize, only that you do. I was running in the forest and came across the drunken marsh farmer. I was about to take a piece of him like everyone else—which would not have been a challenge—when I heard a woman scream. Naturally, I went to help her, but then, I came across the Var. We talked. He seemed very interested in the fact that I was the female dragon. I told him I needed catshifter fur and he let me have his.” Almost defensively, she added, “Negotiation takes more skill than brute force.”
; “Just like that? You asked and he gave it to you freely?”
“Well, he…” Mede’s voice trailed off into a mumble.
“What?”
“He kissed me, all right!” Mede took a few steps back. His hand slid from her body. “I swear I didn’t know it was coming, and it was over before I could even stick my knife in his gut. I think he was just curious about me because I’m the dragon female—just like all you men are curious about me. I’m just some prize to be had, a rare special gem to be owned.”
Llyr’s expression became hard. “He kissed you?”
“Why are you getting upset? It’s not like I’d even met you.” She crossed her hands over her chest. “It’s not like I run around the countryside looking for men to kiss.”
“This Var dared to touch you without your permission?” Llyr breathed hard. With each passing second she could see his anger rising. “I’ll kill him. I’m going to hunt his stinking catshifting ass down and I’m going to string him up and kill him!”
When Mede realized his anger was not directed at her, she relaxed. “It was nothing. Less than nothing. It’s certainly nothing to go to war over.”
“He took advantage of you.” Llyr balled his hands into fists.
“And I can take care of myself.” Mede placed her hand on his chest and gave him a stern look. She felt his heart thudding wildly beneath her fingers. His fierceness excited her even as his protectiveness irritated her.
“I know you can take care of yourself, it’s just you’re—”
“A woman?” She pushed his chest. He swayed slightly but didn’t stumble.
“My woman.” The words were soft and he looked down at his hands. He nervously reached as if to stick them in his pocket.
Mede grabbed his hands and held them between hers. The arrogant possessiveness men normally carried when they said such things was not in his voice. She knew he was capable of both arrogance and possessiveness, but he didn’t look at her like an object to be had. His eyes held a stirring passion for her.
Mede took a deep breath. She could have reminded him that she belonged to no man. She could have said his crystal was dormant. She could have laughed and put on a brave face. Instead, she did none of those things. At their stillness, some of the bioluminescent stardust came closer and fluttered around them.
“Mede, I have to tell you—”
“Shh.” She shook her head. “No more talking. Look where we are.”
He didn’t look at the cave. Instead his gaze roamed her face. Mede dropped his hands and leaned to kiss him. A low moan escaped her as he slid his tongue over her lips, parting them. She inhaled deeply and his scent filled her. She wasn’t one to run from adventure and she always went after what she wanted. In this moment, this was what she wanted, he was who she wanted.
The passion surged between them in a frenzy of pulled clothing and eager caresses. Llyr lifted her shirt over her head. He paused to take in the undergarment she wore. A band of material wrapped her to support the weight of her breasts, covering her from upper chest to waist. A low groan of approval escaped him as he cupped his palm over the sensitive mound of flesh. He skimmed the nipple still hidden beneath the binding cloth before hooking his fingers along the top edge to tug the support strap from her shoulder. As if unwrapping a gift, he drew the material slowly down her body as he kneeled before her. When he pulled her undergarment, he also took hold of her pants and drew them along her legs, so that she stood mostly naked. Mede used her toes to slip out of her boots and kick her clothing aside.
Llyr surged back to his feet. That first contact of hot male flesh to her naked body was a shock of pleasure and sensitive surprise. He held her tight. The heavy lift and fall of his breathing moved his chest against hers. She felt the hard press of his member against her stomach. Mede was raised on a planet of male shifters. She wasn’t completely innocent as to the male form and function. Instinct filled in what she lacked in actual knowledge.
Her body took over completely. Hands roamed him—solid arms and neck, hot chest, the indent of his spine. Lips sucked at his tongue and mouth. Hips searched forward to rub the hard length beneath his pants.
Mede found his scar before moving lower to grab his ass by sliding her fingers down the back of his breeches. He groaned and reached for his waist to unfasten the drawstring. The material slithered down his hips. Unable to help her curiosity, she broke the kiss and looked down. Llyr used the moment to push off his boots with his toes and kick the material from around his feet.
The thick shaft stood tall and leaned forward as if pointing at her stomach. She reached for him, touching the firm, smooth erection. His breath caught. Mede used her free hand to cup his neck and bring him forward. They kissed again, but this time the movements were hampered by hard breaths. She wasn’t sure who started the descent to the ground, but they both moved in unison to kneel on a bed roll.
Mede pushed him so that he lay on his back. She slithered her body against his, enjoying the full contact. Llyr drew his knee between her legs to rock against her sex. The moist heat of her body helped her slide, and she jolted at the intense pleasure the gesture caused. She made a weak noise and stiffened.
Llyr rolled her onto her back. Within moments, he was between her legs, pushing his hips forward to sink his shaft into her. The hard press contrasted her feminine softness, forcing her sex to yield. He lifted on his arms to brace his weight as he penetrated her even deeper. Mede clawed at his chest as she took in the fullness of him. The stretching hurt, but she found the pleasure outweighed all else. Adventure excited her and what was this if not an adventure? Her heart raced, her breath became ragged, her body quivered, her nerves tingled, her sex ached.
“I did not imagine this would feel so…” Llyr closed his eyes tightly and moaned. He slid fully inside her and pressed his hips flush to her parted thighs. She could actually feel her pulse pounding in her sex. When he didn’t move, she wiggled beneath him. Llyr opened his eyes. His lips curled as if the action had caused him physical pain.
He began to move inside her, shallow at first as if both testing a rhythm and savoring the moment. The thrusts fulfilled the innate need inside her sex and she drew her hips back and up to encourage his movements. Soon he was quickening his pace and digging his hips forward so hard that their skin slapped loudly.
“By all the gods, don’t stop,” Mede cried. The tiny lights danced around his head, framing his sexy body. Her breasts bounced, holding his fiery gaze. The shift of gold radiated from his eyes and she imagined hers looked much the same as his—liquid and hot and full of passion. “So help me I’ll kill you if you stop.”
Llyr pumped his hips harder. He growled violently, opening his mouth to bite at the air, as if the fact that he couldn’t touch her breasts and maintain their bodies’ rhythm frustrated him greatly. Mede had never felt anything so intense, not even when she’d explored her body and learned its workings. Had she known an orgasm could be so powerful she would have probably found a bed partner long before now. However, she didn’t think the other dragons would make her feel as good as Llyr did.
She stiffened, arching her back as she came. The tremors took over, shaking her to the core. She gasped, a sharp, high-pitched sound of release. Llyr thrust a few more times before seating himself hard and firm inside her. His body jerked forcefully. For the longest time they were unable to move. When finally their breathing calmed and he pulled out of her, he fell onto his back. The frenzy of their lovemaking had excited the glowing creatures and they swarmed overhead, visually playing out the contradiction of chaos and serenity she felt inside. Her bones undoubtedly turned to liquid. Her muscles relaxed. Llyr must have experienced the same sensations because he barely moved, only to place his hand over hers.
Neither of them spoke. What was there to say after such an event? Mede stared up at the dancing stars and smiled. For the first time in her life, she did not regret being born a woman.
* * *
Var Palace’s Dining Hall
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br /> “We have something. I felt it.” Attor glared at his father as the man dared to laugh at him. He’d been a fool to think he could tell the king of his plans to marry the dragonshifter.
“You want to mate with a dragon?” King Auguste grabbed his giant belly as it jiggled in merriment. “You want to put one of those dragons on my throne?”
“It won’t be yours for long,” Attor mumbled. He traced his finger over the tiny scar that was developing along his forearm where Mede had cut him.
The comment wasn’t quiet enough because the king heard him. Instantly, his father shifted and lunged at him. There was surprising strength left in the man’s thick frame. His light brown fur spread out over his features, hiding the redness of his nose and the dark circles under his eyes. He threw Attor into the wall. “You think you can threaten me, boy? You think you’re man enough to take my throne?”
Attor flinched, hating himself for shaking with fear before his father’s shifted face. He stayed pressed into the wall. When shifted into a cat, his father almost looked like his old self—fierce and proud. The mask of fur hid the signs of gluttony beneath, but could not trim the stomach rounded from drink.
“That’s what I thought,” King Auguste dismissed with a mocking wave of his hand. He let the shift fade from his body. “Why would the most powerful woman born to this planet even want you? I’m sure the Draig have plans for her. Why would I want to connect our houses? They leave us alone. We leave them alone. The planet has been at peace. Why change what is working?”
Attor didn’t bother mentioning that this system wasn’t working for many of the old house nobles like Lord Myrddin. He forced himself to stand straight, though he didn’t step forward. “She does want me. She even kissed me when I met her in the forest. She wanted to stay with me, but I made her go back so we could do this properly. I can’t go and seek her out through royal channels without your blessing. So, I’m asking for it.”
The Dragon's Queen (Dragon Lords) Page 9
