Night of the Dragon

by Alexandra O'Hurley

  Once inside the darkness of the woods, Karli pressed closer against Ryden, wrapping her arms tightly around his back, nuzzling close to him as she pressed hot kisses to his neck as her claws dug deeper into his skin. Rayne pressed close behind her, pulling her back by the hair to lick his tongue down the smooth column of skin below her chin.

  Karli’s hand went to Ryden’s groin, stroking the hard length of him through the denim of his jeans. “We need to get her home, and fast.”

  “No…here.” Karli was panting, grasping at both men to pull them closer.

  Rayne growled. “I am not taking her in the woods, Ryden, and the house is too far. I think we need the cave once more.”

  Ryden pulled her tightly into his arms and took off at an inhuman speed, racing as fast as his body would allow. The stars overhead streaked the sky as he pushed himself to the limit, feeling his brother beside him the entire way. Waves of need rippled from Karli and Ryden felt his body tense, his fingers clutching her tightly with each one. Even in the speed of their movements he heard the intermittent growls coming from himself and his brother, their desire as high as hers.

  Stopping moments later on the rocky crag, Ryden held on to her as she clawed her nails up his back. Rayne ripped open the door with more power than necessary, sweat coating his body as he nearly crumbled the rock in two when he slammed it closed once they were inside.

  Lighting a torch for her benefit, Rayne quickly added it to a sconce on the wall before ripping the clothing from his body. Ryden sat Karli in the center of the bed of furs to remove his own clothing, his hands tangling as the tremors of need spread through him. Unable to wait any longer, she tried to disrobe, finding it nearly impossible to. She ripped at the fabric with the extended claws on her hands, tearing the clothing in shreds.

  Having waited too long, Karli’s inner animal demanded she give it what it wanted, her blackened eyes causing a shiver to run down Ryden’s spine. He wanted this woman more than he had ever wanted anything in his life, and between her low growling and her scent, he was nearly as lost as she was.

  Rayne stepped towards her first, and as he approached, Karli turned from him on her hands and knees, lifting her ass to him. Ryden could see the sheen of her juices coating her pussy from half way across the room, and her scent was nearly suffocating in its exquisiteness.

  Rounding the bed, Ryden sat, watching her with his brother, absorbing the faces she made as Rayne rubbed the head of his cock along her slit, coating himself with her juices. Her eyes closed, her frown intense as he pressed his dick inside her slowly. Her mouth opened on a gentle moan of pleasure as Rayne filled her channel. Ryden watched his brother, knowing it was as if he watched himself with Karli in a mirror. There was a carnal satisfaction in watching the two of them together.

  Pulling her close, Rayne gripped his strong hands on her hips, guiding her to meet his slow thrusts as he seesawed in and out of her, both of their breathing increasing. Ryden grasped his cock and began to pump the flesh in his hand, spreading the glistening drop of liquid that had escaped the tip around the shaft. He leaned into the pillows, enjoying the show, finding pleasure in watching the two if them enjoying each other.

  Karli’s eyes whipped open, and she locked her gaze with Ryden’s, watching him leisurely stroke himself.

  “Stop.” She rounded to Rayne, who wrinkled his nose in confusion.

  Crawling forward, Karli moved close enough that her mouth was at level with his erection and grasped Rayne’s hand, pulling him forward, urging him to enter her again by moving her rear up to him. As Rayne entered her again, she licked her tongue down the length of Ryden’s shaft and back up again. Rolling around the tip, she suckled the plum tip inside her mouth before swallowing more, pulling several inches of his cock inside.

  Arching his back, Ryden brushed a hand through Karli’s hair, guiding her to the pace he enjoyed, as she moved over him, hollowing her cheeks as she suckled his length. Ryden closed his eyes, the pleasure too intense. When she growled deep in her chest, the vibrations made him clench, trying to hold off his release until he knew she had been sated. As he felt the fire spread from the base of his spine, he pulled from her lips, wanting to come inside her ass, not her mouth, and knowing if she continued, he would be lost to his satisfaction.

  Scooting down on the makeshift bed, Ryden nodded to his brother. Rayne moved from her pussy, Karli squealing her disdain. Twisting her around so she faced Rayne, Ryden moved her until she hovered atop his cock, reaching over her thigh to press the tip inside her tightened rosebud.

  Her breath came out on a loud sigh as Ryden entered her, she was still not used to their rough lovemaking, but in her heat, she did not care, pushing crudely against him, trying to take him all inside immediately. Stilling her with his hands on her hips, he held her at bay, slowly sinking inside her tight hole.

  Once settled inside her, he leaned her back to aid in Rayne’s entry into her pussy. Ryden felt the slide of his brother into her channel, the heat of his intrusion veiled by the thin layer between them. Karli struggled to move, demanding the friction their cocks could give her. Timing their movements, one pulled out as the other pressed forward, never letting her pleasure end.

  The rhythm set, Ryden reached over Karli’s hip, spreading one finger atop her clit, rubbing in a circular motion in time to the pump and release of his hips. Rayne grasped her lips in a kiss, and held one breast in each hand, plumping her nipples, rolling them in his strong fingers.

  Ryden knew that it was time to fully mark her. Their teeth needed to pierce her skin, drawing her blood into their mouths, the ultimate in claiming. He pulled her back against him fully and lifted her hair from her graceful neck, sniffing along the hairline, trapping her scent in his nose. Licking a spot just below her ear, his canines dropped and he pierced the tender flesh. Sweet blood rushed into his mouth as she jerked, the pain just barely registering to her in her heated state. As the blood rolled down his throat, he watched as his brother lowered to a nipple, pulling it into his mouth. Rayne’s canines also extended, ready to taste her essence, and Ryden cradled their woman as she jumped at the piercing of her breast. The two pulled pure life and energy from her, as she writhed between them. Her moans heightened as her body tensed, and her cries of pleasure echoed off the stone walls of the cave. Both men released their mouths and licked the wounds they had created. Rayne began to orgasm immediately after, throwing off the tempo, speeding his thrusts, before screaming his release. Ryden settled back, grasping her breasts as he pulled her lengthwise across him, continuing to pump into her ass as Rayne pulled from her body, resting along the back of the bed.

  Karli turned her head, capturing his mouth with her own before looking into his eyes. They stared at each other as he pumped within her, her hand rising to rub against his jaw. The tenderness broke him, a creature of war, the years of fighting, hardening him to not expect comfort. Her tender touch did him in.

  Crying out his satisfaction, he pumped wildly into her, clamping his arms tight around her body to prevent her from being thrown from him.

  Rolling onto his side, still within the confines of her body, he pulled Karli close. Rayne scooted along her other side, gripping a breast softly in his hand. Utter exhaustion struck Ryden at that moment, and he closed his eyes, knowing that they were safe and sated.

  The three awoke several more times throughout the night, the males giving Karli what she needed to get through the night, filling her with their bodies and giving her their souls.

  ****

  Karli awoke, no idea how much time had passed since the experience in the park. Part of her still wondered if it had all been a dream, but Ryden’s thick stalk of a cock was still buried within her pussy, and random arms and legs were draped over her, locking her in place.

  The low light of the nearly depleted torch across the room left most of Ryden’s face in shadows as she gazed at him in slumber. The strong lines of one side of his face, the regal bridge of his nose was visible, but not much el
se. Glittering light fell across his large bicep, which had to be nearly as big as her thigh. Running a finger across the tight skin, she wondered at how something so strong could be so soft. Not unlike the thick shaft inside her.

  She rotated her hips, the feel of him inside her enough to bring a wave of need through her again.

  “Keep that up woman, and I will take you again.” The whispered retort whisked across her skin.

  “Is that supposed to be a threat? I just might have to push to see where my boundaries are.”

  “No need in whispering you two, I am awake.” Rayne pressed close to her rear, his hardening length nestled between the cheeks of her ass, as his teeth nuzzled her shoulder.

  Suddenly sobered, Karli stilled. “Will it be like this everyday? An overabundance of sex and gratification?”

  Both men stilled, Ryden captured her eyes with his. “You are in heat; it is only one time a year. We only gave you what you needed.”

  “Why have I never felt like this before, if I am a mate?”

  “You wouldn’t feel it if we were not close. Our pheromones trigger your need.”

  Karli thought for a moment. “So if you weren’t around me, I wouldn’t feel this?”

  Ryden’s eyes grew large, and he inhaled deeply. He looked away from her, unable to hold her gaze.

  “No, my lovely, you would feel nothing if a Berserker male was not close.” Rayne spoke, and then rested his forehead on her shoulder.

  “Is that what you want, Karli? To leave us?”

  Karli felt the pain radiate off Ryden as he asked his question. His sorrow was a tangible thing, and it made her chest ache that her simple questions could cause him pain. Running a hand along his chest, she closed her eyes.

  “You haven’t asked me to stay.”

  Rayne laughed, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “It was implied. This is the Nave. You are now mated to us.”

  “Assumptions get us nowhere, Rayne. The last time you made love to me, you dumped me back in my bed. I was half expecting to wake up there again when I opened my eyes.”

  Ryden grasped both sides of her face, looking deeply in her eyes. “You saw what came after you last night. There are things much worse than dragons who will seek you out if it is found out that we have you. We offer you protection.”

  “I walk away from everything in my life, to protect myself from the dangers you brought to me, and in return you both get to use my body? Somehow that doesn’t seem fair.” Pulling from their grasp, anger filled her body suddenly, her mind struggling with what the pair was asking of her. In the midst of her need, it had all seemed so right.

  Now, fear overwhelmed her. And her instincts told her to flee.

  Ryden and Rayne steadied her, holding her flailing arms and legs, wrapping her in a cocoon of her body.

  “We gave you a choice the first night. If you had said no, I would have returned you to your home, and walked away.”

  Rayne had to throw his two cents in. “Liar. You and I both know we would not have been able to walk away from her.”

  Karli stilled. After a few heartbeats, she asked the one question that was foremost on her mind. “Am I yours because I am a mate or yours because you want me?”

  Rayne kissed her shoulder once more, his nose nuzzling her heated skin. “Your difference was the reason we noticed you. But in our culture, the woman chooses her mates. You chose us.”

  “And just when did I do that?”

  “The first night we met. There were five Berserkers standing in front of you, and you only had eyes for the two of us. Your attraction to us was your choice.”

  “Still, that doesn’t answer my question.”

  Ryden pressed his lips against hers. “We noticed you for being a mate. You chose us, and we chose you in return. We are linked, bonded together now, forever. Rayne and I will give our lives to protect you.”

  Is that enough? Karli closed her eyes as Ryden kissed her again, a feather light touch to her lips. It was more than she had ever been offered in her life. Two strong men to protect her, to bring pleasure to her body, and to lay down their life for hers.

  It would have to be enough, because she couldn’t imagine existing without them. Is that love? Or perhaps just the start of it?

  “You didn’t like my answer?” Ryden caressed her chin with his lips, rubbing against her as he spoke, and he twisted his pelvis, pressing his cock deeper as well.

  “I didn’t say that,” she sobbed on a sigh.

  “You didn’t have to; your body language was enough.”

  “I want…more.”

  “More of this?” Rayne pressed his cock flush to her puckered rear.

  “More…of…what is….outside….this bed.” Karli tensed as the head of Rayne’s cock pushed past the tight band of nerves, entering her fully, stretching the muscles wide. “And more of….that too.”

  Ryden surged forward, his cock pushing tight against her cervix. “We can’t promise you happily-ever-after, Karli. But the thought of you not being here leaves a hole in my chest. We want you with us. I want you with us.”

  Rayne echoed his brother’s words. “Love is a gentle thing. It needs time to grow and flourish. I can see the seeds. Can you?”

  Karli smiled. “I never would have thought a strong warrior would possess a poet’s heart.”

  “Give us the chance, and we will surprise you every day for the rest of your life.” Ryden pumped into her, and Rayne followed behind him, creating the tempo she needed.

  Moments later, as they reached their climaxes together, she knew that she could not walk away from these men. “Yes! Yes….yes….yes. I want to see it grow.” Kissing them both intensely, all three then drifted into a deep sleep, still holding Karli in the warm embrace of their arms.

  Chapter Eight

  Eryck looked out of the old mansion’s bay windows, peering up at the starry sky, wondering if Ryden and Rayne were enjoying their night with their mate. A smile formed on his lips, knowing full well they were. A stab of jealousy struck him as he thought about the woman who probably even now stretched between their large bodies.

  Why couldn’t it have been he and Erulf?

  Over one thousand years without a woman to warm your heart and mind, life was becoming boring. True, his newly found powers were causing an interesting mix to the everyday, but he couldn’t share his skills in fear of pissing off Erulf. He wouldn’t lose Erulf like Joran had lost Jakob.

  As if his words had conjured him up, Joran walked into the study, plopping down in one of the overstuffed arm chairs beside an old suit of armor. “What’s on tap tonight? Another Highlander movie marathon? Because believe me, those don’t get boring as hell to watch.” Eryck laughed to himself as he watched Joran’s eyes roll.

  “Yeah, you are funny. You know full well that I only watch those movies because they were written by one of our own.”

  “Hann did do a good job; I will have to give him credit.”

  “What else was he supposed to do after he lost Hake?” As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Eryck wished he could reel them back in. The shadow that fell across Joran’s face at the reminder that Jakob had left them, left him, was devastating to watch.

  “Well, I suppose he had to do something to make the loss go away.”

  That was the first time Joran had said anything at all about Jakob’s disappearance, and Eryck wondered if he should press further, give him the opportunity to unload about his missing twin. “Do you feel him at all? I know when Rulf is not in the same area I occasionally get snippets, feelings, thoughts….Oh, I don’t know how to explain it. I just know he is out there.”

  Joran looked at the floor, his bare toe curving along the outline of the design in the Persian carpet. He sat there silent for what felt like hours, but was mere seconds. “Yeah. I feel him. Jakob is out there, alright.” A large hand came up to rub across his face. “And as of late, the last couple of days especially, I have sensed so much emotion. Extreme highs. I don’t know what’s
going on.”

  “You miss him.” It wasn’t so much a question, but a startling statement of fact.

  “Of course I do. Did you think I wouldn’t?”

  “You pushed him so hard. I wasn’t sure…” Dropping the rest of his sentence at the look of fury on Joran’s face, Eryck changed course. “Perhaps if he ever comes back, you can tell him that.”

  “I didn’t push him. I just couldn’t….ah hell. I don’t know if he will ever come back.” The wistful expression on Joran’s face was heart wrenching. “But if he did, he wouldn’t care if I did miss him. If he cared, he wouldn’t have been gone so long.”

  Pain struck Eryck at that moment, the vision slamming into him with so much force that it knocked him to his knees. Bringing a hand to his head, he fought to stay conscious, swaying in the utter non-reality of the swirling space of his own mind. He watched the snippets of the movie playing behind his closed eyelids, trying to remember all the sights as they whirled around in flashing lights so fast he couldn’t tell one apart from the other.

  As the pictures faded, and the pain subsided, he fell over onto his side and rolled to his back, looking up at the bright white of the ceiling above, trying to find his equilibrium. He saw Joran huddled over him, as well as Erulf running into the room and standing above him as well, though he heard no sounds at all.

  Sitting up, the world spun one final time and everything sped back up to normal. Words hit his ear and he winced, the pain of their yelling hitting his eardrum perfectly.

  “What the hell was that? Eryck? Can you hear us?” Erulf’s face was red, his eyes wild.

  “Yes, yes, I can hear you.”

  Erulf knelt beside his twin, looking him in the face. “What aren’t you telling me?”