Dragon Ugly (Dragon New Year)

by Selena Illyria

  His parents were hitting the road and going back up to the mountains to handle their Earth Haven Ski Resort. With all the travelers, they were already getting bookings for the ski season. The idea of spending a week up there with his parents and Carissa appealed to him, but for now he had to deal with his issues with his dragon.

  His mother had instructed him to meditate, do lots of swimming, and speak with his dragon until they could come to terms with this mating heat. He still had to speak to Carissa about shifting with her during the full moon. The magic made him more clear-headed and stable, but his core still felt like gelatin, as if it wobbled and shook with every step.

  He went down to eat breakfast. The table had been set, and food was being served. Everyone was in a joyous mood. He didn’t see Anna or Jez anywhere, and Louisa and Tor were gone too.

  Carissa pulled out a chair next to her and grinned up at him. “Come on. Sit. Eat. You’ll be my little pack mule as soon as we leave. Your parents want us to come up for Samhain. I hope you don’t mind, I said yes.”

  Brent glanced at his mother and shook his head. She came over to him, set down some coffee, ruffled his hair and pinched his cheek.

  “Mom,” he whined.

  “Oh, come now, your mother’s just having some fun.” Then Aurelia turned to Carissa. “It’s a standing tradition in the family. You’ll get to meet the rest of us. Hope you don’t mind being overwhelmed with competitive dragons. We run a chain of ski resorts all over the world. We tend to like to one-up each other. We don’t get to come together for Christmas.”

  Marcus frowned; sadness deepened the wrinkles on his face. “But we make up for it with Samhain.”

  Brent made a mental note to explain the family issues with Christmas once they got to the Festival Fairgrounds, but his mother beat him to the punch.

  “Brent’s grandfather died at Yule. It’s a sad time. We were all traveling when he passed beyond the veil. Fifty-thousand-year-old dragon, poor thing. Maynard was the glue that held us together. He paired Marcus and me up.” A wistful smile curled on Aurelia’s lips.

  Brent got up and hugged her, then did the same thing for his father. They were an affectionate family and it didn’t matter who saw. “It’s okay. Mom. We have Samhain to remember him. It was my grandfather’s favorite holiday. He used to dress up and scare the kiddies. He had this roar that seemed to come from the depths of the ocean.”

  He sucked in a breath when he felt Carissa’s hand slide over his belly. Prickles of magick danced on his bare arms as his hair stood up. The dragon curled and writhed in its bubble-like cell. A sense of longing filled him. The need to touch, to caress, to kiss. Brent fought the urge. If he gave in, his parents wouldn’t leave the house, and he still wasn’t sure if Carissa would want to make love with him as he was.

  He pulled back. “Okay, let’s eat and get over to the fairgrounds.” He sensed Carissa stiffen but he didn’t comment. Food, help unpack, help bring customers to Scentify, and then they could talk.

  “Let’s go,” Carissa said, once they had eaten their fill. “I went to the store earlier to get some boxes and stuff.” She grabbed her purse and left Brent to lock up. Tension swirled around the car but he didn’t say a word.

  * * *

  They unpacked in silence and got to work. Brent worked with Tor and Louisa. Carissa, Anna and Jez manned the booth and rang up sales. Shifters walked around in animal mode while bonfires raged in the full light of day.

  Brent avoided any discussions about the situation with his dragon. He didn’t want to think about it. All he wanted to do was have a good time and enjoy the day. Whenever Carissa tried to talk to him about it, he would change the subject. He talked about Scentify, or the products, or the food—anything except his issues with his dragon.

  As the day wore on, he became coated in sweat, with his clothes sticking to him in places he was pretty sure they shouldn’t be. He walked around the festival grounds, handing out coupons, drumming up business for the Scentify stand. He was thankful that he hadn’t bothered to wear underwear. He wanted to strip off and dive into the deep blue waters of Shadow Cove Lake.

  When he got back to the booth, he laid down his empty coupon packets with a grin. But all his happiness died when he saw Carissa frown and walk away, visibly upset. He didn’t know what that was about but it couldn’t be good.

  Anna grabbed his, took him aside and glared up at him.

  “Fix it,” she hissed.

  With a sigh, he followed Carissa out to a thick copse of trees, close enough to the fairgrounds but far enough for privacy. Fletch was hot on his heels.

  “I’ll be here if you need me.” Fletch had a sandwich in one hand—where he had gotten it, Brent didn’t know—and a soda in the other.

  Close by, The Snake set up a stool and guitar and began to strum a few cords before he launched into a song. The music would give them more cover and let them talk privately.

  A crowd began to form as Brent took a breath and went into the trees, hoping that Carissa would be open to what he had to say. She looked up at him, hurt in her deep brown eyes, and he felt his words dry up in his mouth.

  “I can help, you know,” she said. “I can be there for you. I don’t think you’re weak or unmanly in the least for having to seal away your dragon. But you need to let me in. You can’t just avoid talking about it.”

  “But I can’t make love to you!” Brent said. As soon as he said it aloud he felt stupid.

  She glared at him. “If you think incredible sex is the only reason I’m interested in you, then I’m stuck with a really stupid mate.”

  He grinned. “Incredible sex?”

  She threw an ice cube from her drink at him. “You know what I mean.”

  Brent nodded. “Yes, I do.” He came toward her and took her into his arms. “I’m sorry, it’s just I feel off-base. Part of me is sealed away. I didn’t really give my dragon much thought before, but now…it’s like there’s a wall inside of me and I’ve got magic prickling my skin, reminding me of the ritual. I just feel…awkward, like I’m covered in something or ill but I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  A breeze ruffled his hair. Carissa reached up and tucked some loose strands behind his ear. “Nothing’s wrong with you,” she said. “Once you shift properly, all will be righted again. But in the meantime, it means I get to play with you my way.”

  She stepped away from him bent down, rummaged around the picnic basket she’d brought, and pulled out some objects. “Call in Fletch.”

  The Snake’s song grew louder, his voice wrapped around Brent as he thought about what she wanted to do. The dragon roared within and moved this way and that, but couldn’t push forward as the words seeped deep into Brent’s soul and made him feel strangely settled and relaxed. His muscles loosened and his thoughts became clear.

  He didn’t ask how she’d known his friend was there, but she had called him in anyway. Were they doing this now? Here? Fire flared on his skin and churned in his belly as his stomach muscles clenched and all the blood headed south, leaving him unable to form coherent thoughts. Fletch joined them without a word. She held up both objects; the cuffs dangled from one hand, and in the other sat a small plug.

  Brent swallowed. “You brought them?”

  Was she really going to use that plug on him? The cuffs he didn’t mind, but the plug? He glanced over at Fletch who didn’t seem put off in the least by what she was holding.

  “Just so long as she doesn’t use that plug on me,” Fletch said, with a grin. “I like giving women pleasure with that, but I’m not comfortable with anything up there. Enjoy, buddy. How do you want to do this? I get her ass and of course you, being her mate, get her pussy?”

  “Yes, but this is a one-time deal until Brent shifts, okay?” Carissa gave Fletch a pointed look.

  Crimson patches appeared on his cheeks. “I totally understand. We did something similar with Tor and Louisa for New Year’s. Oh, oops.”

  “I already knew that.” Carissa
smiled. “Gentlemen, the trees will give us enough cover and The Snake playing will mask our sounds. Ready?”

  Brent looked over at Fletch, who nodded. “Totally understood.”

  Fletch placed a hand on Brent. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Concern filled his brown eyes. Gold and green flecks shimmered back at him. Fletch’s dragon was peeking out at him, curious. Brent’s own dragon looked back at its fellow beast and let out a low, keening whimper. It wanted out. Sadness weighed heavily in Brent’s chest. He hated to see his dragon like this. Its sad eyes gazed back at Brent, pleading with him, repeating a single word over-and-over: “Mate.”

  That was all the answer he needed. “Yeah, I’m fine with this and my dragon needs this. He’s unhappy, and if this can help him with it until the full moon then so be it. Plus, I wanna see what you’re gonna do with those cuffs, honey.”

  “All right boys, strip. Brent, you’re gonna lie down.”

  Carissa spread a thick blanket out on the ground and settled down onto her knees. Her brown gaze didn’t move from Brent as he undressed. The heat from her look only inflamed his need. Blood filled his dick, thickening the shaft; it pushed for freedom against his fly. With sure fingers, he peeled off his shirt and dropped it to the ground. Next to go were his shoes and socks. Then he undid his belt and zipper tab with deft fingers. He hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his jeans and shoved them down and stepped out of them. Arousal coursed along his veins. He felt the ripple and caress of warmth as the magick flared to life, keeping the dragon in its bubble and its desire to shift in check.

  He almost whooped in glee as the sense of freedom dawned on him. His emotions and desires were his own again. The dragon was there, but it was safely beneath the surface, like a distant rumble. Eagerly, he fell to his knees and cupped Carissa’s face. He devoured her mouth with hungry kisses as his hands threaded into her hair. Joy was poured into every movement of his lips as he tried to transfer what he felt to her. She responded, just as aroused and happy as he was. One hand rested on his chest while the other skimmed his side.

  Carissa pulled back with a groan. Without saying a word, Fletch had joined in the fray. He was kissing and nipping the skin of her shoulder. He met Fletch’s gaze and grinned. Without saying a word, they attacked, Brent at her front kissing his way along her jaw and down her throat, while Fletch teased and nipped the nape of her neck.

  They had done this before, but he wanted to make this the best ménage experience for Carissa, since it would be her only one. He could taste the saltiness of her skin, with just a hint of citrus and something floral. Brent circled a path around her breast, nipping and sucking on the soft flesh until he reached the nipple where he tongued the barbell with soft flicks. She moaned and arched her back as her fingers burrowed into his hair, urging his head closer. He took one round end and tugged and pushed the piercing. Her soft gasps and cries were his incentive. He took her nipple into his mouth and rolled the barbell with his tongue. She quivered against him, muffled whimpers floating down to him. Her breasts squeezed together and Brent released the tip with a pop and looked down.

  Fletch was massaging the mounds while Brent tormented her. Undeterred, Brent went back to his ministrations. As a team they wound her up. He could feel her emotions, taste them on his tongue, with her sweat and flavor. Brent went from one nipple to the other, showing each the same affection, before he moved down her stomach, swirled his tongue in the indentation of her navel, and kissed his way to the starting point of the strip of hair that would lead him to heaven.

  He paused to inhale her unique perfume and sighed. She parted her thighs for him, exposing her thick, dewy folds, already flushed with blood, her clit prominent and ready for his attentions. Brent buried his head between her thighs, to lap, nibble and suck on slick folds.

  Carissa’s hold on his hair tightened, pulling almost to the point of pain. He didn’t care; all that mattered was giving her pleasure. His own desire amplified and pressure tightened and coiled deep in his gut. A steady pulse that echoed his heartbeat started in his testicles. His instincts demanded that he mark her as his own, to make sure Fletch didn’t forget whose woman Carissa was.

  He ignored that part of him. There was no need to get in a shoving or pissing match with a friend who understood the rules.

  “So beautiful, like silk,” Fletch murmured as he settled behind Carissa.

  “She’s perfection, a goddess,” Brent said, before he dipped his tongue into her tight, wet pussy.

  “Brent, please,” Carissa urged.

  He pulled back and kissed his way up to her clit. “I want to pierce you here,” he made his point with another tick of his tongue. “It will increase your pleasure.”

  “Brent, later. Fuck me now,” she insisted.

  Brent sucked her clit into his mouth before he released it with a pop and moved away from her. He licked his lips, lapping away the last of her essence before he lay back. Fletch rolled on a condom and flicked up the top of the lube, then slathered it onto his erect cock.

  Carissa shook her head. “Roll onto your stomach,” she ordered Brent.

  She held up the slim plug and he sighed. She hadn’t forgotten.

  Fletch handed her the lube and she put some on her fingers. Brent rolled onto his belly and waited, ordering his body to relax. He felt a bit nervous about this. He knew Fletch wouldn’t laugh at him, but it had been years since that encounter with his ex and the plug. Brent closed his eyes and felt the steady thud of his heart against his ribcage. He sucked in air when he felt her fingers against his puckered hole. She passed her slickened fingers over the rosette, and his thoughts traveled to the state of his ass. Was he too hairy? What if he was gross back there? A slap on his ass brought him out of his thoughts. The pain was replaced by a pleasant burn. The smack came again, this time on his other cheek.

  “Relax, baby. I’m not gonna hurt you. Breathe,” Carissa ordered.

  “And besides, from what I can see, you’re pretty clean. Do you wax everything? I feel gross now,” Fletch chuckled.

  A laugh bubbled up and let loose bringing down the tension. “I’m just naturally less hairy than you, you bear,” Brent teased.

  He focused his attention on his feet, curling his toes and then releasing them. Next he tightened the muscles in his legs, then his buttocks, lower back, hands, arms, and face. Lastly, he pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth and let it settle back down. All the stress disappeared.

  Carissa went back to work, coating his entrance before pushing just the tips of her fingers into his hole. She worked gently, not pushing him too hard, but every once in awhile he’d hear a gasp that told him that Fletch was making sure Carissa continued to remain aroused. Good boy, he thought. The moments melted away, and then he felt the brush of her fingers over his prostate. He sucked in air as pleasure sparked in his groin and his cock jerked in response. There it was again. Another brush and he groaned into the blanket. Pleasure shimmered into his veins.

  “Mmm, feels good,” he muttered.

  “Good,” Carissa said.

  He felt something slick gliding smoothly into his ass until it rested against his prostate. His arousal amplified. Brent clenched his jaw. He wanted movement, something. Instead, he felt her tap his hip. “Time to roll back,” she ordered.

  “Finally,” he groaned, then grinned and rolled over, sucking in more air as the plug wedged in further. “Gods damn it.”

  He blew out a breath as more blood filled his shaft and the pressure increased. He tried to bump the plug to create more friction. He had moved closer to climax and he wasn’t even inside of her yet. Brent focused on trying to get more sensation. The pressure increased but it wasn’t enough. He wanted to be inside of her as well. They were definitely doing this again.

  He raised his hands over his head, showing her he was completely at her mercy. She gazed down at him, desire in the deep, brown depths.

  “You’re like a buffet. I’m so going to enjoy this.” She swung th
e cuffs around and leaned over him, putting the underside of her breasts in kissing distance. He didn’t hold back; he flicked and licked the soft swells as she worked. Carissa groaned but managed to cuff his wrists and pull back, a devious grin on her face. “Now, keep your hands over your head and I get to explore this beauty right here.” She wrapped her fingers around the base of his penis and gave him a single, slow stroke.

  Brent arched his back and pushed his hips upward. He tried to lift his arms but couldn’t. They felt as if they were weighed down, but he didn’t care. All he wanted was more.

  “More,” he rasped out.

  “Soon.” Carissa nudged his legs further apart and settled down on her hands and knees. She swirled the tip of her tongue around the flared crest of his cock. She repeated the movement, teasing and tormenting his shaft with quick circles. Then she sucked the thick crown into her mouth and released it with a pop. Again and again, she took him into her mouth, deeper and deeper, until he hit the back of her mouth and she swallowed him down.

  He bit his lip to keep from shouting. The metallic taste of blood flooded his mouth as his dragon roared and writhed in its bubble. Brent pushed his hips up and pulled back, fucking her mouth with slow thrusts. He felt the flex of her throat muscles and the suction of her mouth around the thick shaft. Pleasure seared in his blood as white-hot, electric pulses danced up and down his spine and around his head. Vibrations started, teasing and tickling his prostate, increasing his pleasure a hundredfold. Pain seared down the line of penis when he felt a sharp pinch. She released his cock and lapped at the hurt area with quick flicks.

  “No coming, baby. Not yet,” she ordered.

  Sweat bathed his face and chest as he squeezed his eyes shut. Everything in him wanted to come. The vibrations were too much. The inferno in his body was consuming him, inch by inch, until he was sure that he would explode. Added to all of this was the dance of magic and the glide of scales under his skin, as the dragon tried to breach its cage.