“Tide, we’re okay now. You can stop.” She coughed, her lungs still affected by the smoke she’d inhaled.
He shook his head, running faster. They burst through the double doors and out into the sunshine.
“Stand,” he growled, setting her on her feet and stepping away. He shrieked as he changed. It was a terrible sound. Like he was in pain. But he looked fine.
Before she could think about it, he was scooping her up and flying for home. Going so fast that she felt nauseated. Her hair whipped about her face, stinging her. She moaned.
Her fur coat was still in the conference hall, as was her bag and the rest of her things. Then again. They were probably burned. There had been so much smoke. So much chaos. She’d never seen that kind of anger before. Blaze’s eyes were terrifying. There had been scales showing on one of his arms and across that side of his chest. The other king, Thunder, had been just as angry. Blaze had blown fire. She hadn’t seen it happen but she knew that it had. Thunder must be gravely injured along with the others. She took stock of herself. Nothing hurt. She hadn’t so much as broken a nail. Tide had kept her safe.
Meghan shivered, her teeth clattered together. Her eyes tightly shut against the wind. Tide made another shrieking noise. It didn’t sound right. She cracked an eyelid. Was that the lair up ahead?
Then he was dropping. Meghan screamed. They fell a few feet before Tide’s great wings flapped again. Harder and yet they weren’t gaining much ground. They were slowing. He roared, his grip on her slipping. Meghan grasped his claws tighter. “Take us down!” she shouted, not sure if he heard her. “Are you hurt?” she screamed, feeling like an idiot for asking. Of course he must be.
They inched towards the lair. The few hundred feet felt like thousands. He nearly dropped her a couple more times. By the time they made it to one of the balconies ‒ it wasn’t the usual one, this one was much smaller, but closer and not as high up as the main balcony ‒ by the time they made it there, her arms were shaking from holding on. Tide dropped her from about eight or ten feet. She landed hard, falling onto her knees and scraping them. Tide crashed on the ground beside her, he rolled once, smashing into the glass, which cracked. Thankfully it didn’t actually break but a zig-zag pattern formed along the middle.
“Tide!” Bruised and scraped up, Meghan jumped to her feet and ran over to the giant beast. The dragon that was Tide was breathing heavily, his eyes closed.
“Oh my god.” She covered her mouth. His back was a raw open wound of singed scales and flesh. His wings were perfect, as was the front side of him. “What should I do?” She needed to get help. She needed to get him to an emergency room or clinic. She needed medical supplies.
He opened his eyes. Pale blue and slitted, blinking a few times. He breathed in deeply and then exhaled. Breathed in again, seeming to hold it in his lungs and gave a shake of his massive head. Then he changed, folding in on himself. It was slow and cumbersome. The seconds ticked by, Tide stayed in mid-shift. He groaned, shifting some more. His jaw was too long, he still had a partial tail and scales. His hands were still curled into claws. Only they were smaller. With a loud shriek that hurt her ears, he shifted completely, lying in a heap on the stone floor.
His chest rose and fell quickly. His breathing came in loud pants. Sweat covered his body in a sheen. She knew he needed a few moments to recover. The shift had been hard on him. He lay on his side, so she moved around him to get a better look at his back.
Meghan swallowed thickly. His hair at the back was singed. His upper back, a black charred mess. “Oh no,” she whispered, her heart racing. She felt her eyes prick with tears but sucked them back. She couldn’t fall apart. She needed to stay strong for Tide.
“Is it that bad?” His voice sounded surprisingly normal.
"Um …" She cleared her throat. "You have first degree burns covering two-thirds of your back." She couldn't lie to him.
“I’m a dragon.” His voice was a deep rasp. “Help me up.”
“You shouldn’t move. Let me fetch help.” She blinked again.
“No need.”
“Don’t be stubborn. You’ve sustained major injuries and need—”
“What I need are a few hours to heal and maybe a glass of water.”
“Water?” She burst out laughing. It sounded a tad hysterical. “Look, I had to study to be a physician before I majored in genetics. I did my residency at our local hospital and I’ve—”
“I’m a shifter, doc. I have advanced healing capabilities. You can keep your degree. I don’t need it.” Tide turned onto his stomach in a surprisingly graceful move. He sucked in a deep breath and then pushed himself up. It took effort, his muscles strained. Tide grit his teeth, his face a mask of pain.
“Wait.” She gripped his upper arms. Tide held onto her, he looked out of it. “Let me call someone.”
“No,” he groaned. “Need to keep you safe,” he muttered.
“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.”
He grunted as he got to his knees.
“Hold on,” she instructed. “Let me stand and I’ll help you up.” She got to her feet and took hold of his biceps, which were almost too big to grasp with her hands. Stubborn, stubborn shifter. He needed his head examined, followed by his back.
“I just need a little leverage.” He grunted again, louder this time, lifting one leg to stand on his foot. He gripped her hips and pulled. So did she.
Meghan nearly fell over but somehow they managed to get him on his feet. Tide swayed, his eyelids at half-mast. She grabbed him by the hips. Tide held her shoulders and swayed again, almost pulling them over. He was breathing heavily again. “Damn, Blaze,” he muttered.
“Yeah, I can’t believe he did that.”
Tide chuckled. “Emotions.” He shook his head, looking a little drunk.
“Let’s get you inside.”
They slowly shuffle-walked until they made it to the door. Tide leaned against the glass that made up the wall, while she opened the door. They shuffled inside and Meghan shut the door with her foot. Then they continued over to the large bed situated in the middle of the room. It was unmade. There were signs that the apartment was occupied. A towel thrown over a chair and a pair of cotton pants on the floor in the bathroom, which was open.
“It’s mine,” he said, almost too softly for her to understand.
“Sorry?” she looked at him.
It took a second or two for his eyes to focus on her. “My chamber.” It took a lot of effort to say the words.
“Oh … oh, I see.” She nodded. “Let’s get you to bed.”
Tide chuckled, his laugh turned into a fit of coughing. He leaned into her, burying his face in her shoulder, swaying a little.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Just wish I was stronger, since you’re taking me to bed that is.” He chuckled again. Flip, he was acting like he was completely out of it. Definitely not thinking straight.
Tide fell onto the bed as they reached it. All sprawled out, his body on the mattress and his legs hanging off of it. He spent a long minute catching his breath before pulling himself up so that his head was on a pillow.
His back looked really bad. “I need to find you help. Medication—”
“No,” he growled the word. “Water … thirsty.”
"I'm not arguing with you," she spoke over her shoulder as she walked to the kitchenette. "I'll bring you a water." She rummaged in his fridge, snagging a bottle of water and made her way back. "Once you've had a drink, I'm finding you painkillers and—"
“I don’t need it.” He lifted himself onto his elbows.
Meghan uncapped the water and held the bottle to his mouth. Tide drank deeply, his throat working with each swallow. Broken, burnt and weak, he still somehow managed to make the act of taking a simple drink look sexy. How was that possible? She felt bad for even noticing.
Careful not to touch his injured back, she put the bottle down where he could reach it, leaving the cap off. Against
the stark white of the sheets, his flesh looked worse. Raw, charred. Just horrible. She tried not to react, not wanting to scare him. “I’ll be back within the next ten minutes. I’ll get help and a first aid kit. I saw one in—” She screamed when he grabbed her wrist and yanked her not only onto the bed, but right next to him.
Then he gripped her hip and flipped her around. He was still so strong despite his injuries. "No." A whisper. "Stay here." He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him. Right up close. Her back flush against his front. His very naked front. "Few hours." His words were slurred. "Safe." Then his breathing deepened, telling her that he was falling asleep. She expected his hold on her to ease as he sank deeper and deeper, but that didn't happen.
Great, he was gravely injured and wouldn’t let her leave to get help. Tide was not human, so she couldn’t think in human terms. He was going to heal up. Hopefully! A couple of hours though? That seemed just a little too optimistic.
What if his wounds became infected? With first degree burns like that, he might even go into shock. Her heart began to race but she forced herself to breathe slower. To calm down. She needed to find help, one of those dragon healers. What if he slowly became worse instead of better?
Damn. The stubborn idiot needed help. She tried to pry his arm off her but he was holding on too darned tight. Meghan attempted to slip out from his hold but he held her even tighter, muttering in his sleep. Then he hooked a thigh around her legs, completely trapping her.
Shit.
He was heavy. She was stuck. Unable to move a muscle. Okay, she could wiggle her toes but that was pretty much it. At least he was warm. Very warm. Too warm? Her heart raced again. What if he was running a fever?
Calm down! Stop it! There was nothing she could do. Not a thing. He had said he needed time and that he was going to be fine. She only prayed he was right.
Chapter 21
Tide woke up with a start. One second he had been deep in sleep and the next he was wide awake. The room was dimly lit, the sun setting. Where? What? Fuck! Why was he in his chamber? His mind was fuzzy.
He sniffed and closed his hands around … her … Meghan. She was in his bed, flush against him. His cock hard and straining against her ass. In one hand was her hip. Fucking lush, and in the other was on one of her breasts. Doubly lush. He squeezed, feeling her nipple harden against his palm. He growled softly as his nostrils filled with her scent. Why was she here again? Surely to rut? Yes, to rut. He rubbed his shaft against her ass. Why was she wearing so much?
Then it came back to him. What had happened. The flames. The burns. He’d nearly fucking dropped her. Did drop her? Yes! He could recall how she had fallen onto the balcony, crying out as she landed.
With a hard growl, he turned her around. Her eyes were both wide and hazy with sleep. "What?" she muttered.
“Are you okay?” he asked, cupping her chin. There was a smear of blood on her blouse. “You hurt?” He yanked the fabric aside. Her stomach looked fine, unmarred by scratches or bruises. “Did I hurt you?” He felt along her arms, her hips.
“Hey,” she said. Her tone soft and soothing. “I’m fine. You don’t need to do that … I’m alright,” she added as he checked her legs.
Tide growled. “Your knees. They’re scraped and bruised. Fuck!”
“Hey … Tide … I’m fine. Listen, it’s nothing. What about you? How are you?” She pushed against him, trying to make him lie back down. “You’re going to hurt yourself.” Her voice was thick with … worry? No, surely not!
Tide looked up at her. Her eyes were filled with tears. "Did I hurt you? I didn't mean to. Please don't cry." He cupped her cheeks.
“I’m not hurt,” she said more forcefully, trying to break out of his grasp. “I need to check your back. Let me look.” Another tear streaked down her cheek.
He couldn’t help but grin. “Oh, doc. Are you worried? About me?”
“Don’t you dare smile like that.” She used a harsh tone. “Don’t tease me either. This is very serious, Tide.” Another tear fell. “You are seriously injured. You need medical attention.” Then she frowned. “You do seem a bit better … thank god. Still, you’re not out of the woods yet.” She spoke quickly, looking worried. “I can’t believe I fell asleep,” she muttered to herself, clearly angry she had done so.
“You’re right, I do need attention.” He couldn’t help himself. She was walking right into this.
“Yes, you need medical attention.”
Using the pad of his thumb, he wiped away the tear. “I do need attention, doc, but not of the medical kind.” He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.
She squirmed and then she sucked in a shuddery breath, and then she kissed him back. He dug his fingers into her soft hair. Slanted his lips more firmly against hers and … She pulled away. "I can't … we can't … you're hurt. Stop this, you're not thinking straight."
Tide let her go and moved onto his belly. It wasn’t easy. Not with a throbbing erection in the way. “I assure you, I’m feeling fine and that my mind has not been affected.”
Meghan sucked in a deep, shuddery breath. “Oh my word. I can’t believe it. It’s gone.” She ran her hand over his skin.
He bit back a groan because the area was still very sensitive.
“It’s a little pink, but—” She yelped as he turned her onto her back and slid on top of her.
Meghan clasped his shoulders in her little hands. He wasn't sure whether she was pushing him away or pulling him towards her, maybe a little of both. "What are you doing?" Her eyes were wide, her legs open, knees bent, skirt crumpled up around her hips. His dick fit perfectly between the juncture of her thighs. Her panties, the only barrier between them.
“You were worried about me.” He kissed her softly, pulling back immediately.
“I would have been worried if it was anyone.” Her heart was racing, her chest rising and falling in quick succession.
He chuckled. “Bullshit! Just admit it. You were worried because you care about me.”
She swallowed thickly, the column of her neck worked. “No, I …” Then she sighed. “Fine. I care. I was very worried.”
“Good,” he growled. “Because I care too. A whole damn lot. I almost lost you.” His chest tightened. “You could have been hurt.”
“I wasn’t,” she whispered.
“Thank fuck,” he growled, slipping his hand between them and ripping the cotton that covered her sex.
Meghan groaned, she reached up and kissed him. He lifted her thighs and pushed into her wet heat. Tide broke the kiss, keeping his forehead to hers as he pushed all the way home, all the while, biting back a snarl. “You feel fucking amazing.”
“So do you.” She was already panting heavily.
“I’ve wanted you for the longest time,” he murmured, eyes on hers.
“Same here,” she struggled to get the words out.
Tide pulled back, ripping her blouse open and shredding her bra. Then he began to move, watching as her eyes first widened and then rolled back. Her head fell back as well and she groaned so deeply, it had his sacs pulling up, his skin tightening. He was already so damned close.
He leaned down and suckled on her nipple, taking the turgid flesh between his teeth before suckling some more. She cried out, gripping his hair and arching her back, almost making him come then and there. All the while, he kept thrusting into her hard, and yet slow. So deep. She took him, all of him. All. Of. Him. Into her tight confines. He was grunting hard with each rough thrust. Lost in her, like an animal. Even his scales rubbed him raw beneath his skin. He looked down, between them, to where they were joined. To where his cock pummeled into her welcoming flesh. Then her arms were tightening around him. Her breath came in sharp pants. She cried out as her pussy spasmed around him. Meghan called his name with a strangled wail and he was done for.
Tide first groaned and then roared as his sacs emptied inside her. He jerked hard, picking up the pace as his back bowed. His gums ached. His teeth
sharpened. The need to bite hit him and it hit him hard. Made him come harder. His mouth was right by her neck. Right there. One turn and she would be his. Tide bit the pillow instead, hearing it rip and he continued to slam into her. Must not hurt! Must not damage! He eased his hold, eased his thrusts. Let go of the pillow, which was in tatters.
She was breathing hard. Holding onto him tightly.
“Are you okay?” He looked down at her, still inside her.
He tried to pull away but she held onto him, giving him a lazy smile. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
She nodded. “Yes, but what did that pillow ever do to you?” Meghan was panting heavily, her eyes hazy, her lids droopy. She smiled, even that was drunk looking. Good! He had sated his female. His. What the fuck?
“Oh, um, yeah, I told you we can be base and intense and pretty savage. You saw that today.”
He eased out of her, still hard. Still wanting more. “I’ll be back.” Tide went to the bathroom. He quickly cleaned up, taking a towel back with him. He handed it to Meghan and climbed back into bed, on his side next to her. She had removed what was left of her shredded clothing. That had been hardcore. He had never wanted a female more. There were pieces of shredded clothing and feathers from the pillow everywhere.
“Thank you.” She blushed, taking the towel and using it to wipe between her thighs and legs. Tide would have liked to have been the one to have done it but he somehow knew that she would prefer to do such a thing herself.
“You said you’re on birth control?” He had to bring it up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t check that you were okay with rutting without a condom. I guess,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “I wasn’t really thinking clearly. You can’t get anything from me and …” he paused. Fuck, he sounded like a complete pussy but Meghan needed to hear it, so he would say it. “I haven’t had sex with anyone else in some time. The last time was with you.”
“Oh.” She frowned, looking shocked. Then she smiled looking … happy, relieved maybe. “That’s good to know … that you’re clean, that is, and yes, I’m on birth control.”
Dragon Prince Page 17
