The Dragon Sacrifice

by Lynn Best

  “What do you want, Seela?” He sucked at her neck again as his hand cupped her waist. The wall of his body brushed against her, and she felt the hard length of him press against her stomach. She wanted to see what he had for her down there.

  But she couldn’t answer his question. What kind of lady would talk about such things? “I… I don’t know.”

  He stepped back, causing her to pitch forward. His eyes roved over her face as if searching for answers and finding them wanting. “You don’t know what you want, do you? Well, I’m not going to push. You’ve been through a lot, and this all must be confusing.” He turned away, running a hand down his chest as if to calm himself down. It appeared as if he would leave.

  “Jerrard.” She reached out to him.

  Turning back, he raised his eyebrows.

  Seela opened her mouth, but the words she wanted stayed locked out of reach. “If you need more help… medically… well, I’m here for you.”

  “Thank you,” he said with the hint of a sad smile. “Please, enjoy the library for as long as you wish. And if you need anything, all you have to do is ask.”

  13

  When his brothers returned from their reconnaissance mission, Jerrard was at the kitchen table waiting for them. Stenton and Langdon gave him nods as they collapsed their tired and dirty forms into the battered wooden chairs on either side of the table.

  “You’re looking well,” Stenton said, clapping Jerrard on the back. “Nothing like a nice nap to refresh you, eh?”

  “You mean sucked of blood until near death? Is that what you call a nap?” Jerrard shot back.

  Stenton smiled, kicking back in his chair. “Near death. Nap. Tomato. To-mah-to.”

  “I’m feeling better if that’s what you were concerned about. Seela used the right herbs to help seal the wounds and speed up the healing process.”

  “Yes, Seela is very useful,” Langdon said, steepling his dirty fingers on the tabletop. “We are lucky to have her around.”

  Stenton raised an eyebrow. “Very useful? Is that how you woo your women? No wonder you used to spend so much time alone in the privy.”

  Langdon rolled his eyes, not taking Stenton’s bait. “You know what I mean. Seela is very talented.”

  “Indeed.” Stenton smirked.

  Jerrard didn’t want to reflect too much on his time with Seela. He’d really thought they were hitting it off, but then he’d sensed so much hesitation in her. Maybe she preferred one of his brothers. He couldn’t necessarily blame her. Langdon was the oldest. With that title came certain powers. And Stenton was the lady’s man. Though, Jerrard had his fair share of ladies back when they were free. They often liked a man who could tune into their emotions.

  “What’s the status?” Jerrard said, changing the subject.

  “Well, if you mean with the horde, their numbers are reduced thanks to Langdon’s barbeque, but they still outnumber us a hundred to one. So, enjoy living while you can. Enjoy a last meal. Take in the sights.” Stenton’s dark humor didn’t help to lighten this news.

  Jerrard sucked in a breath. “How long do we have before they attempt another attack?”

  Langdon focused on his fingers. “A few days? Who knows? They can sense we are at the weakest we’ve ever been. Only Stenton can shift. Once he does, that only gives us a few minutes. We’d never survive a direct attack. We’re finished once they figure that out.”

  “But the door will hold,” Jerrard said, turning his eyes to the ancient runed door. It had never failed them before.

  “The door may hold,” Langdon said. “Or it may fail. We’ve never had this little magic before.”

  “What about breaking the curse?” Jerrard asked. “Are we any closer?”

  “Has anyone been able to persuade Seela to… mate with them?” Langdon asked.

  Stenton tossed his head back. “I had a very romantic talk with her in my room. It’s only a matter of time.”

  Jerrard gave his brother a harsh look. “She isn’t ready.”

  Stenton lurched forward. “How do you know? You get some sense of her emotions? Not when she was with me, brother. If you had been there, you’d have known she was practically begging for it.”

  “Then why didn’t you?” Jerrard asked angrily.

  Stenton’s eyes darted to Langdon. “She happened to mention that she’d just been making out with Langdon. The thought of him and her together killed the mood.”

  “See!” Jerrard said, punctuating his point by jabbing his finger at Stenton. “Not ready.”

  “Well, ready or not, we need to try,” Langdon interjected. “And it doesn’t seem fair to have Stenton be the first. He can already shift.”

  Jerrard crossed his arms over his chest as anger pulsed in his veins. “It should be up to her to decide.”

  Stenton laughed. “Oh sure, little brother. What shall we say? ‘Seela, we’re a dying breed who’ve pathetically lost our powers, but we need you to fuck one of us to see if you can bring them back. Which one would you like to bone first?’ Sounds great, doesn’t it?” Stenton sneered.

  Jerrard shot his nasty glare back at him. “I’m sure if you were propositioning her, that’s exactly how you would put it.”

  Stenton reared up, appearing ready to slug Jerrard.

  “Enough! Stop squabbling. It’s going to get us all killed. I’ll talk to her.”

  “And ask her to fuck you?” Stenton said with an arched eyebrow.

  “No.” Langdon shook his head as if the idea was ridiculous. “I’ll think of a way to let her know our predicament without putting pressure on her to mate with one of us. Just give her a bit of a nudge.”

  “No lying,” Jerrard added bitterly.

  Langdon set his hands lightly on the table. “Of course. We’re princes, after all. It shouldn’t be that hard to convince her.”

  “I still don’t think it’s fair you get to go first,” Stenton said, kicking his boots up on the table.

  Langdon gave him a sardonic smile. “I’m the older brother. I always get to go first.”

  Stenton pushed up, his chair grating against the floor to punctuate how annoyed he was. “When you fail,” he added, “be sure to let us know, so we can woo Seela properly. That is, if you haven’t already messed everything up for all of us.

  The middle brother stalked out of the room, leaving Langdon and Jerrard at the table together. They exchanged a look.

  “Maybe getting him laid would make him less of an ass,” Jerrard added.

  Langdon rolled his eyes. “Trust me. Even when he was getting laid, he was still an ass.”

  Jerrard stood up. “Good luck, then.” He gave his older brother a pat on the back before leaving the room.

  But the wish for luck wasn’t sincere. He wanted neither of his brothers to succeed, even if it meant fighting the horde and possibly losing. He wanted Seela all to himself. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was the only woman they’d seen in ages, or that she could possibly give him his powers back. He wanted her because she was the total package, the most charming, interesting, and sensitive woman he’d ever met. And he’d find a way to woo her if it took everything he had.

  14

  Seela paced in the library like a caged animal. Nothing was turning out how she’d thought it would. Being abducted was horrible and attacked by those monsters was a nightmare, but she’d mostly thought that life with the three brothers was pretty great. She wasn’t at home having to tend oozing wounds or be harassed by her mother’s sick clients. She didn’t have to dodge ass grabs on the way to the market or shiver in bed when the nights grew long and cold.

  She’d really come to like and respect the three brothers. More than that, they did things to her she hadn’t even known possible. In fact, Seela had spent more time imagining them doing things to her in the last three days than she had about anyone in the entirety of her life outside of the cave. They were the sexiest men alive, and they had magic powers. Who could resist?

  Well, it turned ou
t she could. Or rather, she couldn’t get herself to say the things Jerrard needed her to say to let him know she was interested. In fact, in all three encounters, she’d flubbed the interactions. She was beginning to suspect she was terrible at love and at sex, and she’d better just throw in the towel now. The bishop had really dodged a bullet on bedding her. He would’ve left woefully disappointed.

  Seela stopped before an ancient painting above a low bookshelf stuffed with books. The image showed a beautiful young woman in a petal-pink dress that bloomed out from her hips like a chrysanthemum. She was doe-eyed and dewy-cheeked, gazing off toward something while one dainty hand rested on her collarbone.

  “That is my mother,” a voice said behind her.

  Seela whirled. Langdon stood freshly showered and shaved in fine clothing. He lingered in the doorway. “Did I startle you? I’m very sorry.”

  “No, I… was just thinking.” She pointed to the picture, going back to his original comment. “This is your mother?”

  Langdon walked up, admiring the painting as if it were fresh to him. “She was so young and pretty then. It’s no wonder Father picked her.”

  But there was pain in Langdon’s expression. “Did something happen to her?”

  He kept his eyes on the painting as he answered. “She was murdered.”

  “Murdered? I thought that dragons couldn’t be killed.”

  “That’s true, but she wasn’t a dragon. Dragons are only born male. We mate with human females to reproduce. Or at least we did.” His eyes dropped down to hers. She felt a pull between them, and something stirred in Seela that had gone silent after Jerrard left.

  “That must’ve been very painful for you,” she whispered.

  He nodded, reaching out to touch the painting before drawing his hand back. “It was a long time ago.”

  “Who killed her? That is, if you don’t mind me asking.”

  “I don’t mind you asking,” Langdon said, resting an arm against a bookshelf. “She was one of the first to die in the attacks that left my people practically destroyed. They came for the wives and consorts first. If you killed all the women, dragons couldn’t reproduce. But it turns out they weren’t willing to kill all human women, just the ones who would associate with dragons, and the human king underestimated just how charming dragon men can be. Plus, dragons live a very long time, nearly forever in human terms. Even if the dragons left didn’t mate, we could still outlive them by centuries. Thus, the curse.”

  Seela felt the pain deep in her chest as she thought about that time. “I can’t believe humans could be so cruel. To wipe out a whole species like that. Who could do such a thing?”

  “The human king at the time was very angry with my father over some policies he’d implemented. Most kings don’t like sharing power, and that human king definitely did not. He’d been slaughtering his enemies for years before he came for my father.” Langdon turned his gaze away, clearing his throat. “It’s ancient history now. No one really remembers it all.”

  Seela nodded, running a finger down a book’s cracked spine. “So what now? Did you keep the horde at bay? Are we safe?”

  “You are safe. I swear by my life no harm will come to you.”

  When she glanced up, he was watching her intently. These men had a way of doing that, locking her in their gaze like she was prey. But instead of feeling afraid, she felt aroused. It didn’t hurt that Jerrard had had her so turned on she’d soaked her undergarments. That desire had never been released. She burned with it now, a want she couldn’t satisfy on her own. It was a strange and complex feeling.

  “Langdon, did Jerrard say anything to you when he left here?” she asked.

  “About you? Not much.” But she could tell by his expression there were things he wasn’t telling her.

  She turned toward him, trying to get up the courage that seemed to slide back down her throat at the moment she needed it. “Did he tell you about… what we did?”

  Langdon straightened his posture. “What you did? No. Not exactly.”

  Not exactly? They had been talking about her.

  “Oh, Lords.” She whirled from him, a blush heating up her cheeks. “What you three must think of me.”

  She started to leave, but his hand caught her arm. When she stopped retreating and faced him, he let her go.

  “Seela, please, let me assure you we think nothing but the best of you. You helped heal Jerrard. You rushed headlong into a swarm of horde monsters with no thought for your own safety.” He chuckled at the memory of it, then reached out to tenderly tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “We think you are the most special woman we’ve ever met.”

  She gazed into his eyes, wanting to believe but having a hard time. “A woman who throws herself at three men, three brothers, in the span of a few days cannot garner their respect. It isn’t… proper.”

  “Is that what you’re worried about?” He gave a bright laugh. “I assure you, dragons have no such hang-up with women. That’s human nonsense. We have many women in our history who bedded lots of dragons, and no one had ill will toward them. In fact, many dragon men desire a woman who… uh… knows what she’s doing.”

  Seela blushed. How could it be true? Still, Langdon seemed sincere.

  “Well, that’s good,” she said, still unsure. “But I definitely do not know what I am doing.”

  Langdon’s gaze warmed. “That is something I could help you with.” He took a step forward until there was very little space between them. “If you’d like me to show you.”

  Her heart began to pound as she thought about the things Langdon was implying. She traced the lines of his hard chest with her eyes, the curve of his jaw, the way his hair fell around his ears. She wanted to run her hands over his pectorals, feel the rise of his nipples under her palms.

  She shivered.

  He slid up to her until their bodies were touching. His voice was a low growl as he placed both hands on either side of her head. She was mesmerized by his blue eyes. They seemed to pulse in the candlelight. “If you’d like me to teach you a few things, just say so.”

  Oh Lords, not this again. She couldn’t say so. That was her whole problem!

  But she needed release so badly. The pulse in her warm, wet womanhood was stealing all of her brainpower. The ache was building, and she didn’t know if she could stand to have the tension build with no release again. She would burst.

  Biting her lip, she gave a quick nod of her head.

  He smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  Wasting no time, Langdon directed her to one of the leather club chairs. He backed her into it, helping her ease down. Then he knelt between her legs, pushing her knees apart in a way that made her gasp, a thrill racing up her spine.

  “Mmm, you smell delicious,” he said, his voice taking on a gravely quality that made it extremely sexy. One hand gripped her ankle under her dress, beginning to slide upward.

  Seela’s chest rose and fell as his fingers trailed up her leg. Just knowing his hand was under her skirts made her pant with desire. What was he going to do to her? She could only imagine, but her imagination was making her even hotter.

  The other hand started up her other leg, touching and caressing. Her knees began to shake.

  He glanced from her skirts to her face. “If there’s anything I’m doing that makes you uncomfortable, I want you to tell me to stop. Understand?”

  She nodded, her lips pressed together. She never wanted him to stop. Her head was spinning. One hand was above the knee, sliding toward her inner thigh. The other was right behind it. The two sensations in tandem were amazing.

  “All right, then,” he growled. “Let me show you what it feels like to soar.”

  His hands moved faster, bunching up her skirts. His head disappeared beneath as his fingers caressed around the fabric of her undergarments. Then he slowly began to work them down.

  Seela arched against the chair in anticipation, helping him shimmy the fabric down her hips and over her a
ss. He slid them down her legs with deliberate slowness that had Seela aching with desire.

  “Oh, you’re so wet,” he murmured appreciatively as he settled himself between her legs again.

  But then his hands were gone from her thighs. What was he—

  One finger caressed the soft fold at the top where her desire was centered. A bolt of pleasure shot up Seela’s body. “Oh Lords!” she cried. “What was that?” No one had ever touched her there before.

  He chuckled. “Let me show you.”

  He began circling it slowly with his thumb. With each stroke, the pleasure doubled. Seela threw her head back, moaning as wave after wave of sweetness mixed with wild animal lust pumped through her veins. Her hands gripped the chair’s armrest hard enough to crack the leather as she called out his name. “Langdon…”

  But he wasn’t done. His other hand slid up the warm flesh, playing, teasing. Slowly, he eased a fingertip into her entrance. She shot upright with a jolt of pure ecstasy she hadn’t known was possible.

  But then, he began working both hands in tandem, back and forth up and down. His fingers moved deeper inside and over her slick sweet spots like he’d known them all his life. Seela felt the ache building inside her, better, higher. She bit her lip and moaned, her eyes rolling back in her head. Tingles broke out all over her body. Langdon growled, voice thick with pleasure as he drove her higher.

  The dam of pleasure burst. Ripples of ecstasy poured out over her body like liquid lightning. She soared high, calling out his name, riding it as long as she could.

  When she’d finally come down, panting and exhausted, she met Langdon’s gaze from where he still knelt between her legs. He looked very pleased with himself as he helped her straighten her skirts.

  “That, my dear, was an orgasm. And if you liked it, which it sounded like you did, there are many more where that came from.”

  “I think I’d die if I had another. At least for a little while,” she said, dizzy with the joy of being thoroughly pleasured. “That was… amazing.”