Dragon in the Blood (Vale of Stars Book 2)

by Juliette Cross

  Without a word, I inhaled a quick breath and blew out a small flame, letting it coalesce into a ball. I waved my hand and rolled it around the perimeter of the blue-light to stop directly in front of her.

  “You shouldn’t, Conn. Fire is dangerous on this kind of mission.”

  Fire was a sure sign of Morgons, which could give away our whereabouts to unseen enemies. But this small ball of flame could do no harm, especially within the cover of the cavern.

  “Yes. Fire is very dangerous on this kind of mission,” I repeated, my tone speaking not of the flame in front of her but of the one sparking between the two of us.

  Her eyes widened, meeting my gaze for a moment before returning to the ball of flame I kept airborne, turning in a circle before her. With a thought, I changed the hues of the flame, from orange to red to purple, then to the sapphire that matched Valla’s eyes. She watched the flame, her smile widening. My heart soared.

  I elongated the ball into an oval, then an hourglass, molding it with my mind. Slowly, the fire took on a familiar shape. Valla’s mouth fell open.

  “A vitr’mir,” she said on a gasp.

  “Your vitr’mir,” I corrected.

  I sent the flame-beast running around the blue-light, transforming its hue as he ran, galloping and tossing his head wildly as he did in the clearing today. Valla laughed. It was the first time I’d ever heard the sound—a sweet, soft melody that burned straight into my core. I hitched in a breath at the shock, longing to hear that sound over and over again.

  “You are a truly gifted firedancer,” she said, watching the vitr’mir come to a stop before her in a red hue.

  “Thank you. But I would love to experience your gift,” I admitted, letting the vitr’mir dissolve into a flickering gold flame before snuffing out in a plume of smoke.

  No longer having the distraction, she steadied her gaze on me, her smile slipping. “My brothers can dreamwalk without even sleeping, did you know that?”

  “Makes sense,” I said. “They’re twins.”

  “So are you,” she said. “Do you and Corbin have a similar connection like other twins?”

  I shook my head, not wishing to discuss my brother or how disconnected we’d become the past few years. His desire to indulge in hedonism when we were far past our days of playing schoolboy shamed me.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked quietly. “Why do you look so sad?”

  “Do I?”

  “Yes. Is it your brother?”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “You never talk about him anymore.”

  “Anymore?”

  “Do you remember when we first met? At the Obsidian Games two years ago?”

  “Of course I do.” How could I ever forget it? It was the first and last time I’d seen her in a dress. A sleek black gown that fit her like a second skin. I wanted to punch every Morgon in the room for looking at her…the same way I had been looking at her. I knew then she’d be trouble for me. She was still in training with the Guard, but she wore her confidence like a fierce warrior, daring anyone to fuck with her. No one did. And I wanted her even more for it.

  “You bragged about Corbin’s exploits in the arena, right before his match. Couldn’t shut up about him actually.”

  “Yes. He was a good fighter.”

  “Was?”

  “Is,” I corrected myself.

  “Then why aren’t you proud of him anymore?”

  “Why would you say I’m not?”

  “Don’t be angry. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay,” she said in a soothing voice. She spoke to me on an intimate level, from a place of honesty in a way only Valla could. And something pulled on me from deep within, gnawing at me to reach out and take the breadcrumb she offered.

  I lay down on my side, mirroring her position, and sighed, staring at her across the blue-light. “I thought my brother’s pursuit of the Games was a means to a career.”

  “But it’s not?”

  “No. It’s not.” I crooked my elbow to prop my head in my hand. “It’s just that I thought we’d be officers for Nightwing Security together. But when I joined Nightwing, he said that wasn’t his thing. I respected that and encouraged him when I saw him training to be a champion to fight in the Games. But the champions have strict schedules and training regiments. He fought that one fight, then bailed.”

  “What did he do then?”

  I scoffed. “He went on a binge with his friend, Slade, back in Gladium. Partying. Womanizing.” I fell silent.

  When she spoke, her voice was even gentler than before. “And how long did he do that?”

  “He still is. About a month ago, he mentioned he was heading back to training in Drakos for the next Games. I had hoped…well, I’d hoped he was serious this time.” I stared at the blue-light, avoiding her gaze.

  “But he didn’t stick with it, did he?”

  I shook my head, not bothering to tell her I only found out this morning.

  “It’s not your fault what your brother does or doesn’t do, Conn.”

  “I know that.”

  “I don’t think you do. Listen, I understand the tight bond between brothers, especially twins. My two bull-headed brothers fought for years after our parents’ death. Actually, they stopped talking altogether. But when Kol needed Kieren most, when Moira was taken by that monster, Kieren was there, risking his own life to save her because he understood what she meant to Kol.”

  I knew all this, of course. I was there. But I never knew Kol and Kieren had been estranged. Now I understood what Kieren’s sacrifice meant. He’d suffered severe burns across his entire chest and torso in saving Moira. It had nearly killed him.

  “Where is Kieren now?” I asked, knowing he’d not returned to his home in Cloven. He couldn’t since the man he’d killed, Barron Coalglass, had a very powerful father in the Cloven Senate.

  “To the south is all Kol will tell me. He’s protecting his location.”

  “Even from you?”

  She gave me her one shoulder shrug. “You have to know Kol. It’s not that he doesn’t trust me. He’s just on a need-to-know basis with everyone. He’s especially protective of Kieren right now. I get it. I’m okay with that. The fewer people who know, the safer he is.”

  Kol was a laconic man to begin with. I imagined he was even more tight-lipped about those he cared about.

  “But they’re in constant communication,” she added. “I know because I ask him. But they only communicate through dreamwalking. Kol won’t jeopardize his location, especially with a traitor still in the midst of either the Guard or Nightwing Security.”

  That troubled me. That we still hadn’t determined who the mole was or who had given intel to our enemy a few months ago. As far as we knew, he could’ve been killed in our battle with the Larkosians. But we didn’t know for sure. And there was the huge coincidence that the Greyclaws knew the Morgon Guard had sent a mission through Aria. That certainly pointed to the fact that our traitor was still alive and kicking. Until we found him.

  Kol’s family had been friends with the Rowanflames for ages, which is why he trusted me to be the representative of Nightwing Security, to accompany his only sister. That niggled my conscience just a little. If he knew what I was thinking about his sister, he would probably beat me to the ground. Still, I couldn’t help it. Not anymore. I’d tried to ignore her night-flower scent, the way her walk made my heart thrum faster, the way her mouth gave me wicked thoughts, and the way one look from those clear-blue eyes made me want to be a better man. But it was no use.

  She wiggled on her side, drawing my attention to her hips.

  I steered the conversation back to where I wanted it in the first place. “Dreamwalking is a cool gift you Moonrings have. Why don’t you come visit me in my dreams? I could show you more of what you’re missing.”

  She blushed at my suggestion. “I told you. We need to keep this relationship professional.”

  Not if I had anything to say about it.
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  “No one will know. And technically, we won’t have done anything wrong. Not in the physical world.” I smiled, sensing her desire pique at the thought. My dragon sniffed the air, savoring her dark floral scent, wanting to nuzzle up close, wanting to do more. “Come visit me, Valla,” I beckoned, hearing the dragon in my voice as I closed my eyes, hoping she’d take the bait, hoping she’d give me a chance.

  CHAPTER 9

  Did he actually just invite me into his dreams? Apparently so. He’d closed his eyes without another word. Even now, his folded wing slumped forward against his shoulder as he fell asleep. I’d never dreamwalked into anyone’s dreams but my two brothers. It was an intimate act, to nudge into someone’s mind when asleep.

  Conn’s chest rose and fell in an even tempo. His face relaxed in repose. I could ogle to my heart’s content, and he’d never know. So I did. The man truly was a lovely specimen of Morgon man. Perfectly proportioned in almost every way, though his wings were overly large, and as he’d pointed out, this coincided with his big…heart.

  Damn it! Why was my mind constantly wandering to sex around this man? Perhaps because I’d denied myself so long. Too long.

  Closing my eyes, I sent my mind into deep sleep, at the same time reaching out with my sixth sense where I could walk the dreams of another. Picturing Conn clearly in my mind’s eye, I let his image imprint, drifted deeper into my subconscious and into his….

  I walked onto a sandy beach, the sun kissing my bare shoulders. Waves of ethereal blue washed ashore, lapping at the bare feet and ankles of the Morgon man who stood facing the rolling sea. He was shirtless in billowing white linen pants.

  He turned his head at my approach, auburn hair glistening in the afternoon light. My hair was down, falling to my waist, brushing the bare skin on my back. I glanced down to find myself wearing a blue bikini with a white wrap around my hips. Conn raked my figure from top to bottom, his heart-stopping smile well in place.

  “The Sorrel Sea?” I asked, waving a hand to my right.

  “Yes.”

  The Sorrel Sea was far to the south near the human-only province of Nibea. Though Morgons didn’t live there, Nibea was open to all visitors. Being a northerner, I’d never been. But Conn was born and raised in Gladium, the one province heralded as the most tolerant, where both Morgons and humans lived alongside one another. Surely, he would’ve visited the famed vacation haven of the south.

  I glanced down at my attire again. “A bikini?” I asked, arching a brow.

  “My dream. I wanted to be with you some place warm.” He faced me fully, both hands in his loose pockets, his chest and abdomen sculpted to perfection. “I’m certainly warm now.”

  The things this man said.

  He stepped closer, removing one hand from his pocket and tucking a loose lock of my hair behind my ear, letting his fingers trail down. Such a small gesture, but it felt so natural. And at the same time, my pulse, even in sleep, fluttered wildly.

  He slipped his hand around my nape. “Valla. We’ve danced around each other for far too long.”

  “That’s because we despise one another.”

  “No, we don’t.” He brushed his thumb along the pulse point in my neck, pressing his body a few inches closer. “You know that’s not true.”

  “You have irritated me from the first day we met.”

  “And why is that? What bothers you so much?”

  “You’re just so cocky and so damn—you know—arrogant.”

  “Cocky and arrogant are the same thing.”

  “See! And you’re always trying to one up me.”

  “No, I’m not. I’m trying to entice you.”

  His bold admission stumped me, my mouth half-open to reply but with nothing to say. “Me? But…why?”

  He edged closer. I let him. This was a dream after all, never mind that we’d remember this when we were fully conscious.

  “Because you’re so fucking beautiful you bring me to my knees. You’re fierce and intelligent and…untouchable. I want to touch.”

  “Untouchable?”

  “As Kol Moonring’s baby sister, few men are man enough to dare approach you.”

  Stunned for five full seconds, I finally found my wits again. “Are you telling me you think Morgon men are afraid to be my lover?”

  “I know they are.”

  “And how could you possibly know that?”

  “I asked them.”

  “Them who? All of the Morgon men I know?”

  “Pretty much.” He shrugged. “Whenever we did an operation together, I asked. They answered.”

  With a swift sweep of my arm and a pivot, I broke his hold and walked away down the dreamy beach.

  “Wait! Valla!” He laughed. The bastard. He gripped my shoulder and spun me back around.

  “What right do you have poking your big, fat head into my personal business?”

  “I thought that was quite obvious.” He didn’t seem disturbed at all by my ire.

  “What? Because you’re a complete and total ass?”

  “No. Because I want you. I want your first lover to be me.”

  Well, that shut my mouth up. Before I had time to think, he knocked the backs of my knees with one leg, catching me as I fell to the sand. I gripped his shoulders for balance as he lowered himself over me, flaring out those great, rust-red wings.

  “Conn.”

  “Yes?”

  “What are you doing?”

  “What you won’t allow me to do in the light of day because you’re afraid.”

  “I’m not afraid.”

  He nuzzled into my hair and nipped at my neck just below my ear. “Yes, you are.”

  Arching my neck and closing my eyes, I reveled in the sensation. “What am I afraid of…if you know so much?”

  “All the things Valla Moonring is afraid of.” He kissed a hot trail down my throat then licked the hollow between my collarbones. “You’re afraid of intimacy, so you keep men at a distance.”

  The string of my bikini around my neck loosened. Conn wasn’t playing anymore. I kept my eyes closed.

  “What else?” I urged.

  “You’re afraid to feel too much and become dependent on someone else.”

  His lips skimmed lower. My top came off. He brushed the scruff of his chin over one breast. I whimpered, the sensation so foreign and so wonderful. I watched him as he flicked out his tongue over my nipple. I started to pull away, but he gripped my thigh to keep me in place. He teased my nub into a tight peak then shifted and did the same to the other before opening his warm mouth on me and sucking hard.

  “Shit,” I muttered, clasping my hands in his hair.

  My legs widened on instinct, and he gave me his weight right where I wanted it. My brain hazed as I rocked my hips up, needing friction, right there. Then he was on his knees, pulling my bikini bottom off. I curled my fingers into the sand, wanting something to grip and squeeze as he lowered and laved his tongue in one long stroke between my legs.

  I couldn’t watch anymore, my neck arching, eyes shut as he licked and sucked. My body rode on pleasure I had never experienced before. In reality, I still hadn’t, but dreamwalking felt so real, and this felt so wonderful.

  I moaned, rolling my hips in rhythm to his tongue. He licked once down my center and stroked inside my core, then repeated. When I rocked faster, he slipped a finger inside me. I came hard and fast. He opened his mouth on me then, the wet warmth prolonging the pulsing sensation. So absolutely amazing. Definitely not the same as pleasuring myself.

  He crawled up my body, his wings open wide, and swept his lips over mine, kissing me hard and deep, stroking in with his tongue as he did a moment before down below. When he came up for air, his gaze was full dragon—fire-gold with straight black pupils.

  “You’re also afraid to care too much for someone who might let you down.” He nipped at my swollen lips. “But I won’t let you down, Valla. Let me be your lover. Let me pleasure you…in real life, not in dreams. When you are done
with our arrangement, I’ll go without protest.”

  It was common for Morgons to take lovers before they found their mates. Unlike humans, Morgons did not date to try one another on for size as a lifemate. We took lovers to meet that need until we found our one lover for life, the one to heartbond to for the rest of our days.

  But I’d never taken a lover. And I wanted one. I wanted the man lying on top of me in this dream world. But he was an alpha male, very much like my brothers. He would try to rule me. I couldn’t have a man stealing my independence, no matter what my body said, even as it still hummed with pleasure.

  “You’re a dominant male, Conn. Very dominant.”

  He didn’t smile as most men would at that sort of compliment, but frowned instead. “That frightens you, too, doesn’t it?”

  I gave a short nod, unable to say anything else.

  Whipping his wings, he lifted off me onto his feet. He stared down, lines marking his face with anger and…pain.

  “You won’t accept me as a lover because I’m too dominant? Do you think a weaker man could satisfy you? You’re fooling yourself, Valla.”

  I propped onto my elbows, aware that I was displayed nude before him. No matter that this was a dream, he was looking upon me as true as I was in life.

  “I’m not sure you could let go when I was ready for you to.”

  Because he was right. I was afraid of intimacy and needing a man. When my parents died at a young age, Kol became my father figure. I had to learn what it was to be a Morgon woman without a mother as a role model. So I found my place in my brother’s shadow, learning the life of a warrior. I loved the woman I had become—strong and independent. And I didn’t want to need anyone else. I didn’t want to give my freedom away.

  “So the answer is no?” he asked, grave and still, his lovely auburn hair waving in the dreamy breeze.

  “It must be.”

  He gazed down the beach, jaw clenching, fists tight at his side. Finally, he looked back at me. “Being alone does not make you stronger, Valla. Or more independent. It just means you’re alone.”

  With that, he walked away, his wings tucked tightly against his back. As I watched him stroll farther away, his figure blurred then vanished, and I couldn’t help but wonder one thing.