by Michelle Fox
“I have to stop the slavers,” I continued. “I can’t leave my people unprotected.”
“I’m not asking you to, Mila. What kind of dragon would I be to claim my maiden while letting her people die? All I want is to seal the bond that aches to be between us. Then we will rescue your sister.”
“And after that?”
“We will decide what needs to be done, but know this, lass, I willna be living without you. If you return to the ocean, I will follow. I will be your dragon of the sea. You will be my life, my breath in this world from this moment forward. I will be at your side as long as you will have me.”
“You would leave your home for me?”
“Aye, I would. I’ve been here for a few centuries. A change wouldna be a bad thing. Besides, once I have my dragon form back, I can fly anywhere. I am sure I will return here for visits, and I would like verra much if you would come with me.”
“I-I-I suppose that would be okay.” I paused for a moment, wrestling with what this all meant. Here I stood in a magic place, with a cursed man, promising myself to him. “What if we don’t like each other? We’re strangers after all. If it weren’t for my sister, I would not be here.”
In response, he pulled me close and captured my lips with his. The tingle of the kiss shivered through my entire body.
“We were made for each other, born for this day. We are not strangers, lass. Just halves of a whole. When we come together, you will understand this.”
I just blinked at him, a little stunned still from our kiss. It had been chaste as kisses went, but same as our first kiss, there was an instant spark, hot as lightning, that arced between us.
“Are you all right?”
I nodded. “It’s just, whenever we touch, it’s so intense. I feel things...” Unable to describe it, I waved at my body.
“That is the truth between us. The doubts and the fears aren’t real.” He took both my hands in his. “I Niall MacTeine swear to honor and protect you so long as my fire burns.”
He fell silent, and from the way he looked at me, I gathered I was supposed to say something. I tried to think of words that would have meaning without giving away too much, but I couldn’t think of any. “Uh, my people, we don’t do this. We don’t marry like this,” I said attempting to explain.
“'Tis okay, lass. You donna have to say any pretty words, just accept mine.”
“I accept,” I said. Honor and protection were easy things to accept, and Niall’s vow made everything he and his brothers had been saying official in my mind. The stone circle was a sacred space, the things said here carried weight. “And I will do my best to honor and protect you,” I added, thinking it was only fair to offer something in return
Niall kissed me again, and his tongue breached my lips. He stepped close, pressing his body into mine. I held back for a moment, but then gave in, letting my weight sink into him. He tasted masculine with a hint of sweetness—no doubt from the cupcakes earlier—and he radiated heat that warmed my chilled skin. When he wrapped his arms around me, I thought I might overheat.
My head swirled at the dark heat of desire emanating from my core. Niall’s hand ventured under my shirt, grazing my skin with such a light touch it tickled. I startled, surprised by the goose bumps twisting the sensation Niall had teased out of my body into a fine point.
He went still at my reaction and pulled back slightly, although he kept his arms around me. Clearing his throat, he said, “Mila are you...experienced with men?”
I chuckled softly at the embarrassment flushing his cheek. “Are you nervous, Niall?”
“Aye,” he admitted, hanging his head. “This curse has owned me for centuries, and I canna remember what it is to be free. Touching you, the thought of knowing a woman again, that is the stuff of dreams. I canna believe it’s true.”
“Well, it is. I’m really here, and I guess we’ll find out if I’m truly your maiden or not.” Maneuvering around Niall’s embrace, I yanked my shirt over my head. “As for your question, I am very experienced.”
“You say that like you’re proud.” His gaze roamed over me as his thumbs spun circles on my shoulders.
I straightened in his arms and looked him in the eye. “My people aren’t shy about sex. There's not much privacy underwater, and the pleasure between two—or more—bodies is no secret. Is it different for you?”
His gaze broke away from mine. “Aye. Well, you see, I was so busy fighting wars and then getting cursed that...it's been some time since I've loved a woman.”
I shrugged, unconcerned. “I’m sure I ken enough of the way this works for both of us.” True, this would be my first time with a two leg and as a two leg myself, but the mechanics of it were simple enough. “And the sooner we finish this, the sooner I can rescue my sister.” Tossing my shirt away, I said, “Your turn.”
He pursed his lips and thought for a second. Giving a decisive nod, he shed his shirt and started on his pants. I matched him, glad to be rid of the stiff fabric around my legs. Within moments we stood naked in front of each other. Niall had a broad chest with lean muscles and more than a few scars.
I reached out and traced one that ran just under his clavicle. A thick, smooth ridge had formed where the wound had sealed itself. “War wounds?”
He nodded. “Aye. Dragon skin is tough but some ken how to sharpen a blade to cut us.” Capturing my hand, he reached out and traced a scar that wound its way around my bicep. “What happened here?”
“Caught in a fishing net,” I said. “Rescuing dolphins.”
“Did they make it?”
“Aye.”
“Do you come to the rescue a lot?” His head dipped down, and he pressed a kiss over my scar. "Dolphins, your sister...me."
I shrugged. “I do what needs to be done.”
“You sound like a dragon,” he murmured.
“You would ken more about that than me.” I kissed his scar, and once again the warmth of this skin amazed me. The ocean ran cold more often than not, especially in the dark deep. Niall radiated heat like the tropics.
“You’ll be an expert in dragons soon enough.” His hand cupped my breast, thumb teasing over the nipple.
I arched into his warmth and trailed a finger down his chest, past his belly button to the hard shaft between his legs. Heat pulsed against my palm as I wrapped my fingers around his length, wanting to take his measure. He would fit me as well as one of my kind, and my core trembled at the idea of such pleasure.
He had captured both of my breasts in his hands now. His lips trailed over my skin—first my neck, then my collarbone, followed by a kiss for each breast. Then he kneeled to kiss my stomach and down to the cleft of my thighs.
I adjusted my stance, widening my legs for him and marveling at how my new form worked. He hovered, his breath fanning my most intimate place. His fingers touched me first, stroking along my flesh until I shivered. I gasped when he slipped a finger inside me, dipping into the wetness of my core.
“Have you ever wanted love?” He tilted his head and looked up at me.
I went still, the question a surprise. “What are you talking about?”
“I mean, did you ever think to have a mate, to be with someone?”
I shrugged. “I suppose so. Someday.”
“And you haven't met a man you thought could be yours?”
I shook my head, thinking of Kark and Qitu. “No.”
“Even now?”
“I-I don’t know.” I looked away. “I’m sorry.”
“Nay, donna be sorry. There’s no shame in honesty. I had hoped...” he trailed off and was silent so long, I looked at him only to find him staring into the distance.
“Hoped what?” I prompted.
He cleared his throat. “My maiden would want me as much as I wanted her.”
“I want you now, and that is going to have to be enough for the both of us. You’re brave and strong and a man I’m proud to be with.” I dipped down, rubbing myself on his hand which had gone still. D
esire flamed hot inside me as I moved, startling me with its intensity. Niall and I had electricity. It sparked between us like one of Ndia's eels. Sex wasn't new to me, but this was. Fate was being cruel, giving me things I shouldn't want and couldn't have.
"Thank you, lass." He nuzzled my neck, his whiskers pricking my skin and raising goose bumps.
I moved closer to him, pressing my body against his. “Let’s break your curse, save my sister, and then get rid of the slavers. Freedom for everyone.”
“What about after that?” He wrapped his arms around me, hands gripping my waist.
“I donna know. Maybe we find out if a dragon and a mermaid can really fall in love.” I kissed him, and his hands moved to wend themselves in my hair. After a moment, I lost control of the kiss and Niall set the pace, sweeping my mouth with his tongue and nipping at my lips with his teeth. He kissed me down to the grass, hands cradling my head. I sank into the ground with a sigh.
More goose bumps skipped over my skin from the contrast of the cold earth at my back and the heat of Niall at my front. One of Niall’s hands found my core again while his chest hair rubbed over my breasts, roughly tickling my nipples.
I lifted my hips, arching as his fingers brought forth an urgent pleasure. “Make me yours, dragon. Let’s set you free.”
He nodded and removed his hand. Nudging my legs wide, he settled between them. Thrusting into me, he sank his hard shaft into my dark depths. I absorbed him with a soft cry. It had been a long time since I’d allowed a male to fill me and I’d forgotten how satisfying the sensation was.
Niall's body pulsed around me like a flame, heat rolling off him as if heralding a storm. Our bodies grew slick with sweat and a pleasure quivered deep inside me. Sensation wiped out thought. My heart pounded and I gasped as the quiver flexed bigger and bigger in my core.
"Niall."
"Yes, lass." He leaned down and caught my lips in a rough kiss. His chest bumped against my nipples, sending electric pleasure up and down my spine.
I bite his lip and whimpered as a sweet ache blossomed inside me, spreading from my center to the edges of my soul. Then twisting my head away in search of cool air, I said, "I canna hang on."
"You donna have to. I have you. I'll never let you go, Mila. I'm yours as long as you live."
"I canna..." I gasped and arched my back. "I canna want you."
"Donna or canna?"
"Canna," I said.
"Then there is hope." He dipped his head down and sucked a nipple into his mouth, lightly scoring it with his teeth.
That pushed me over the edge and I flew, weightless with pleasure, my entire body contracting in time with my heart. I couldn't stop shivering, not from cold—Niall ran too warm for that—but from the intense pleasure echoing through my body. My breath came in short gasps, and sensation filled me until I could do nothing more than let the ground cradle me as I looked up into the sky.
Coupling with a lover had never been like this before. I'd never felt it down to my heart beat.
Niall groaned, first with pleasure as he reached his climax, but then his voice began to reflect a deep pain. I turned my head and panic flashed through me at what I saw. He was on fire. A flame shot up from his feet to well past his head, the top of it blue.
"Niall!" I scrambled away, breaking the connection of our bodies.
He held up a hand. "Stay back." His voice came out as a thunderous roar, so loud it hit me with the force of a slap.
I went still despite the desperate urge to do something.
His head reared back as he blew a stream of fire out of his mouth. His skin burned away, revealing the bright red muscle underneath, which also began to char as flamed ate it. His flesh didn't last long and soon I could see only white bones.
A hand over my mouth, I backed away. I had to. The fire blew too hot, threatening to sear my skin. "Niall," I whispered his name into my hand.
His empty skull turned my way. One skeletal hand raised in a wave before the bones collapsed to ash.
I screamed. Fire reared up, flaring into a large explosion that reached for me. I ran, leaving the circle and took shelter on the other side of a rock. Sparks rained down, and the smell of something burning filled my nose. Looking over my shoulder, I found my hair on fire, the ends already crisp and black. I pressed myself against the rock to dampen the flames. I had no other way to save myself. The fire in the stone circle flared around me which made running impossible. My only shelter was in the lee of the rock.
Hunkering down into a small ball and staying as low to the ground as I could, I closed my eyes and prayed I would not burn to death. Finally, the fire burned itself out. The flames went silent and cooler air whooshed in to fill the circle.
Peeking out from between my fingers, I confirmed the immediate danger had passed and left me mostly intact. The scorch marks in the earth on either side of me showed how close it had been.
Standing, I patted down my hair and backside to extinguish any lingering sparks. "Niall? Are you there?"
A huffing bellow sounded somewhere in the sky above me.
I looked up, and up and then up again. The first thing I noticed was the orange-red, scaly body that filled the stone circle. The body led to a serpentine neck and the face of a...of a dragon.
"Oh, Niall. Is that you?"
The dragon nodded. His head snaked down, his golden eye—easily as big as my body—studied me. Then one of his front claws scooped me up and deposited me on his back. I screamed the whole way up and then screamed some more when I saw how small the ground looked below. The wind dropped things and stirred up trouble. Mermaids never trusted it.
My hand scrabbled over hard scales, looking for a place to hold on. Just as I found a way to anchor myself at the top of his shoulder blades, Niall began to flap his wings. Muscles rippled under me as he moved.
Sea save me, we were going to fly.
I held my breath as the ground dropped even farther away and the clouds above loomed larger and larger yet. Niall flew with smooth strokes of his wings. I kept my grip tight on his scales, though, knowing I wouldn't be of this world anymore if I fell.
We flew through dusk and into night. A cold moon rose in a sky as black as the ocean's depths. Once I got past my initial fear and realized Niall wasn't about to dump me off his back, I could see the beauty of it. There was no weight in the air. The ocean held me up, true, but it could also weigh me down. In the sky, it seemed like we determined our fate, which the wind ruled with a light touch.
Or, perhaps, it was busy causing trouble elsewhere. I'd been through too many storms to believe the wind was benevolent.
We landed outside of the stone circle just as dawn cracked the horizon with a bright orange line of light. Niall's claw reached back for me and gently brought me back to earth. I stumbled and dropped to my knees, wind-worn from our flight and disoriented. I'd gone from sea to earth to air in the space of a day. The demands of each environment had all left their mark on me.
Even Niall, the dragon, looked a little deflated. Wait, no, he was actually deflating like a puffer fish losing its round fullness. Worry flashed through me. Would there be another fire? I pushed myself back up to my feet and made for the stones.
But no flames came. Instead, the dragon grew smaller and smaller. His scales fell away and then disappeared in a cascade of sparks that illuminated him like fireworks. I'd once watched a whole show put on by a cruise ship marveling at the beautiful lights in the night's sky. Things lit up and glowed in the sea, but the patterns were random and senseless. There were no circles or hearts or even very many colors.
A loud pop sounded, and a cloud of smoke covered Niall, who had now shrunk to his human size. When the smoke dissipated, the orange-haired man who'd saved me from the slavers stood in place of the dragon, wearing nothing but a broad smile.
He jumped into the air, arms raised overhead and gave a loud whoop. "We did it, lass. We did it! You brought my dragon!' He ran over to me and swept me up in his arms, spinning
us both in a circle. "Thank you. You've broken my curse."
I clung to his shoulders as the world spun by. Something warm and slick flooded my palms, though, breaking my grip. Lifting up one hand, I gasped. "You're bleeding." The scar on his chest had opened and now wept dark blood.
He stopped spinning so abruptly that my body was still moving and almost twisted out of his arms, but his biceps flexed and held me tight. Frowning at my hand, which I held up for him to see, he said, "That I am." He set me down.
"I don't think it's healing, either, Niall. It's bleeding even more. What's happening?"
Niall pressed his hand over his wound and grimaced."I canna say, lass. We must get back to the castle. I need to speak to Malcolm. He'll ken what to do."
Chapter Seven
We quickly pulled on what was left of our clothes. Niall's fire had eaten his shirt, but he had his kilt still. My shirt had charred holes across the stomach but otherwise covered me. The pants had a smattering of black smudges where sparks had landed but failed to catch fire.
I tried to walk back to the castle, but my legs were slow and time mattered. Niall scooped me up in his arms. "I got you, lass."
"Are you sure?" I watched fresh blood pour down his chest.
"Aye. I'm stronger than a scratch, remember?"
"What happened? Did you hurt yourself when you shifted?"
He shook his head. "'Tis an old wound. Something I thought long healed."
"Maybe flying again after so long was too much for it." I kicked my feet. "Just like I can only walk so far."
"Maybe," he said. "Malcolm will ken what's happening."
"I just hope you're okay. That's a lot of blood, Niall." It was dripping down his chest to soak my jeans, spreading in a dark spot that covered my entire thigh.
"I'll be fine. Dragons are tough."
Remembering how well the bullet wound had healed, I nodded my agreement. Then resting my head on his shoulder, I gave into the languorous satisfaction humming through my body. Our coupling had shaken me. I hadn’t expected to feel such a connection to this two-leg dragon man, but I did. Desire warred with my sense of responsibility and reality. Dragons didn't live in the sea and mermaids didn't live on land.
