Dragon Wish

by Judith Leger

  own need pulsed. She whimpered at the answering throbbing

  between her legs.

  “Easy, my sweet, we have all night,” he murmured, and

  then ran the tip of his tongue over her nipple.

  A gasp escaped before she could stop it. “I don’t know if I

  can. I’ve never wanted someone like I do you.”

  He took the tip into his mouth. A second later, he sucked,

  drawing a moan from deep inside her. Her head fell back,

  leaving her neck open and vulnerable. Panting, she marveled

  over how his simple touch could leave her feeling boneless.

  He nibbled her breast and soon buried his face in the curve

  where her shoulder joined her neck. She shuddered, her

  body moving of its own accord against his.

  His hands clasped her waist as he lifted her off the floor

  and into the tub. “I’ll bathe you if you return the favor,” he

  whispered.

  All she could do was moan and nod.

  He removed his robe before he stepped into the warm

  water after her, guiding her down to kneel in front of him.

  Eyes half-closed, she watched him take a cloth and pour

  shimmering liquid onto it. Paladin rubbed the two ends

  together until a white sudsy foam appeared. He placed the

  cloth on her shoulder, massaging the soap onto her skin.

  She leaned closer, kissing the edge of his jaw, her lips

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  parted to draw in his flavor. The tension between her legs

  tightened, throbbing slow and long. The cloth moved over

  and around her breasts, pulling at the hard tips, sending

  sharp tingles through her belly.

  “You’re tormenting me,” she ground out.

  He chuckled, deep in his chest, before he dipped the cloth

  between her open legs. At the first contact of material against

  her, she cried while shockwaves flowed from the swollen

  flesh between her legs. Hands gripping his shoulders,

  holding on, she bucked her hips in time with his hand’s

  motion. Striving to maintain control, she relaxed when he

  slipped the cloth over the rest of her body.

  Each touch added to her passion, demanding more. He

  gave it. Once he finished passing the soap over her and

  rinsing her off, she glanced at the cloth, panting. She took it

  from his hand. “Payback time,” she said with a lazy smile.

  From the very first moment she had seen him, she’d

  thought he was beautiful. The very first night, she’d made

  love with him, but it had been almost an animalistic mating,

  both seeking some type of fulfillment for the emptiness

  inside them. Now, she savored each touch to his body.

  His hard, lean abdomen quivered under her hand as she

  in turn leaned into him, taking the tip of his breast into her

  mouth. He released a breath through clenched teeth. She

  smiled. Applying pressure to his middle, she eased him back

  so that he sat, his knees spread, allowing her to stay kneeling

  between them.

  She grazed her palm over his tattoo, admiring the lines

  shifting with his muscles. The grayish-white design rippled

  under her touch. She slipped her hand up to his collar bone,

  running her fingertips over the hard bone before continuing

  down the center of his chest to his belly button. His teeth

  ground together. She shifted lower to grasp the hard length

  below.

  He groaned, clenching the tub’s rim, knuckles whitening.

  She straightened, shifting her legs to fit on the outer side

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  of his hips, her body stroking up over his, ending with the

  pulsating core between her legs opening over his tip. The

  pressure within increased with her slow descent over him

  and wrung a moan from her.

  Wrapped around him, she was complete. She’d come

  home without even realizing it. He shifted closer and she

  murmured his name. She moved on him, starting a slow,

  mind-numbing rhythm. He slipped his palms under her hips,

  guiding her, helping her.

  His strength filled her with the one piece of her soul

  which had been missing for so long. All the new sensations

  along with the deepening emotions riffling inside amazed

  her. Lights, dim before, brightened. The air permeated with

  rich sandalwood; his aroma, the one she would remember as

  belonging to him.

  Throbbing around him, she continued to move, striving

  to reach the glowing splendor he’d given her the first time

  they’d made love. Heat built, muscles tightened then

  exploded in white hot layers between her legs, sending

  numbing fire throughout her body. His body stiffened then

  jerked, spewing his life force into hers, branding her.

  She lay, pressed against his chest, her cheek against his

  neck, waiting for her pulse to slow. A low, rumbling chuckle

  vibrated under her.

  Smiling, she pressed a kiss over the beating vein in his

  neck. “What’s so funny?”

  “Not funny, just happy. Content.” He massaged her scalp

  with both hands. “You’ve made me complete.”

  “Me too.” She nuzzled his neck.

  He tightened his arms around her and stood. Lifting her,

  he stepped from the tub, set her on her feet, and then moved

  back, separating from her. She wanted to cry out at the loss

  of his closeness, but he was already reaching for a towel. He

  dried her with the plush white cloth, his hands massaging

  her body, making the fires re-ignite in her. She moaned,

  moving closer to him.

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  When he’d finished, he lifted her again and carried her to

  the bed. Tucking her in, he dried off. She studied him,

  admiring the taut skin covering hard muscles. She could

  never tire of staring at him. He met her look. She patted the

  mattress at her side.

  He slipped under the covers.

  “Hold me close,” she murmured, moving nearer to him.

  He encircled her with his arms, and tucked her against

  him.

  “Forever,” he promised, his lips brushing her hair.

  She closed her eyes, snuggling alongside him, trying to

  shove all worry aside, but one sad thought kept appearing in

  her thoughts.

  His forever would end once she returned to Earth.

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  Chapter Sixteen

  Paladin stretched, enjoying the texture of the clean sheets

  against his skin. The musky scent from their recent

  lovemaking rose from disturbed covers. In an instant, heated

  desire pooled between his legs. He throbbed, painfully.

  Without opening his eyes, he rolled toward Seren and pulled

  her close.

  He positioned her head so when he opened his eyes, her

  features would be the first sight he’d see. Such a beautiful

  face with a light line of freckles coating her nose. Her skin

  carried a slight tan from her time aboard his ship. Her lips

  tilted up at the edges.

  Seren was so different from his dead wife, who’d had pale

  skin, black hair and eyes. She had been beautiful in a cold,

&nbs
p; untouchable manner. He’d tried to open his heart and love

  her, but she made it impossible. Not at all like the warmth

  coming from Seren.

  When Seren spoke, laughter laced her voice. “Do you like

  what you see?”

  “Very much.”

  She opened her eyes, the pale gray sparkling with joy.

  “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  He bent and kissed her, basking in the fervor of their

  passion. The slickness of her tongue over his urged him to

  rise up and ease on top of her. She opened under him and

  allowed him to slide inside her. Wet, hot, and slick, her body

  welcomed him.

  She matched him stroke for stroke, urging him on until

  he could hold back no longer. His blood pounding

  completion took his breath. He laid there for several

  moments before he found the strength to move off her. She

  moaned, her hands pressing him closer.

  “I’m too heavy,” he mumbled, settling at her side.

  “I don’t mind,” she answered.

  He chuckled, “You do not, but I believe our son will have

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  some complaints if I stay.”

  She smiled against his shoulder. The tender peace which

  radiated between them made him desire to stay there in bed

  and never leave, but Avaris beckoned with its bright sol light.

  A heavy fist pounding on his door was followed by the

  announcement that land had been sighted on the horizon.

  They had arrived in Durfalin. And as his crew demanded his

  attention, so did the world.

  He swallowed, dreading how little time remained for

  them to spend together before his departure to Velhaven.

  Would he survive the trip to return to her? He desired a

  future with Seren more than his life, but Denol, his father by

  marriage, might want him to suffer. If so, he would be hard

  pressed to survive. The unknown reeled in front of him.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” Seren whispered, her hand

  cupping his jaw, bringing his gaze to hers.

  Puzzled at the unfamiliar phrase, he asked, “What?”

  “Nevermind, it’s just a silly old saying on my planet.”

  “No. I think it is special, just like you.”

  She flushed a lovely rosy tint. “I’m not special. I’m just

  me.”

  “Stay like you are. I like it.”

  The blush on her cheeks increased, erasing some of his

  worry. He grinned. “Come, it is time to see my world with

  your blessed blood. Let us enjoy what it offers together. We

  might not have an opportunity to do so again for some time.”

  She shot him a knee weakening, bright smile. Without

  waiting for him, she crawled from the bed and pulled on her

  clothes. The sight of so much bare skin had Paladin’s mouth

  watering. He wanted to reach out and grab her, hold her

  tight against him while he devoured her lips. The curve of

  her hips disappeared, hidden by the pants she tugged on. He

  sighed and stood, finding fresh clothes then started to dress.

  Once clothed, they went on deck. There, they found the

  crew preparing to dock the ship. A wall built from pale,

  creamy-beige stone towered around the city, completely

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  encircling it. A broad walkway atop the wall spanned the

  diameter of the city. Soldiers in formal blue and purple

  uniforms paced in their positions along the walkway. Each

  man carried a long pike with blue and purple ribbons tied to

  them.

  “Is it dangerous here?” she asked.

  “Not anymore. Many years ago, this city lay amid the

  neutral lands between the white and black dragon clans.

  They fought many battles on this land.” Paladin took her arm

  to guide her to where Leo stood on the bow. “Look there, the

  docks.”

  Durfalin’s docks sat a few feet lower than the top of the

  wall. Wooden wharfs projected from the side of the wall with

  wide stone ramps leading through archways and into the

  town. Nothing supported the wharfs from below. Seren’s

  eyes widened in surprise.

  Paladin grinned at her reaction. He pointed at the nearest

  wharf. “Magic is used to keep them in place. Durfalin has the

  greatest wizard’s academy in all of Avaris. Many prominent

  families aspire to send their children here to learn. They

  often practice their abilities to create new and better ways to

  improve the city. This is one of them.”

  “Does the magic ever fail?”

  “No, the docks remain in place during the day, but are

  lowered in the evening. If an attack is launched after dark,

  the invaders cannot use them as a means to enter the city,”

  he explained.

  He changed the direction of where he pointed to the

  ground below each of the three wharfs. “See there, those are

  the containers which hold the dock structures. The cases

  magically protect the wood. With them sealed away, an

  attacker cannot utilize the wood to build their own war

  devices or set the city on fire.”

  Seren studied the large rectangular units situated

  underneath each of the docks along the outer walls. They did

  sit directly beneath each dock. Double doors lay open,

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  waiting for the wharfs to fit inside so they could be closed.

  Each case was made from a swirling coppery-like metal.

  When she looked back at the spot their ship glided

  toward, she noticed several men and a few women who

  roamed amid casks, barrels, and large wooden crates.

  Inhabitants of Durfalin, merchants, and travelers milled

  along the wharf. Small tented booths were pitched along the

  outer edges, closer to the archways leading onto the wide top

  of the wall. The voices of customers along with vendors rang

  across the dwindling distance between the ship and city,

  growing louder the nearer they came.

  She glanced at Paladin. He winked at her, his body

  relaxed. Without thinking, she wrapped an arm around his

  waist.

  “Do you suppose I can get some decent clothes? I hate to

  say it because I’m grateful for the ones I have on, but I’m

  getting a little sick of wearing clothes that don’t fit me.” Her

  gaze dropped to the oversized pants held up with a leather

  strip and one of Paladin’s gray shirts.

  “You may have anything you desire,” he replied. “There

  are many shops here. You will be able find something which

  suits you.”

  She glanced at him and smiled, slow and sexy. Memories

  of their recent lovemaking rushed to his mind. Just the

  thought of how she felt under him made him desire her

  again. His sex hardened, pressing against the front of his

  pants. Tightened to the point of pain, he debated whether or

  not they had enough time to return below.

  With his body tilted toward her, blocking her face from

  curious eyes, he warned, his voice gruff from his desire. “Do

  not look at me like that Seren.”

  Her eyes widened in what he could only call innocence.

  “
Sorry, I was just thinking of soft silky, see through

  underwear back on Earth. I wonder if they have anything

  similar here.”

  He hadn’t thought it possible for his body to react any

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  stronger, but it did. Deep throbs pulsated through the length,

  the ache increasing. “Why don’t we step below for a moment

  to discuss this?”

  She ran a finger across his chest where his shirt gaped

  open. “Anticipation, Paladin. Buildup of tension makes what

  you do so much better.”

  His knees weakened, and he placed a hand on the rail to

  keep from falling at her feet. “Does it?”

  She lifted a brow at him, daring him to argue with her.

  Without saying another word, her finger gliding a bit lower

  before she turned away. She moved, her hips swaying with

  each step, to join Leo and Calis further along the railing

  where they watched the approach of Durfalin.

  He remained where she’d left him for several moments,

  hoping that once he went to meet the others, the evidence of

  his need for her would have lessened. How had she become

  so important to him in such a short amount of time? He

  admitted the baby brought forth his need to protect her, but

  this strange emotion that came to life whenever she was

  near—he couldn’t explain it. She had become a delight. Every

  moment they spent together strengthened her hold on his

  heart. Was this love?

  He’d believed he had cared for his wife. When he was

  under better control and had moved to their side, the ship

  had maneuvered to an empty berth. The off ramps were put

  into place.

  Once the ship was tied off, he laid a hand at the base of

  Seren’s back and escorted her down the ramp and onto the

  dock. Humans, Felerians, dragonseeds, and many more

  rushed in the bustle around them. Shouts of greeting to his

  men, nods of respect to him, and curious glances at Seren

  flowed over them as they moved past one group to the next

  until they reached the archway.

  Seren stopped and tilted her head back. Her body

  swayed. “Wow, it didn’t look so big from the distance.”

  “Each one has a name. This one is called Justice. It is

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  considered a blessing from the dragons to enter here. To

  receive justice for all things is fortunate. The one there is

  opportunity. Most who arrive desire to enter through that

  gate, but not all are lucky enough to do so.” While he