by Brynn Paulin
They were still far better than the desolation-filled days that had followed the last attack on her. She’d found a cabin not too far through the trees, its cheery lights beckoning her. Whoever had lived there hadn’t been home despite the lamps she’d seen through the windows and her repeated knocking. To her relief, the owners had left their door unlocked as many did so far out in the country, and she’d snuck inside, feeling a lot like Goldilocks and hoping the owners wouldn’t return in the form of bears or worse—Djinn or Elvish. They hadn’t. After borrowing a pair of jeans and a cotton shirt that were both too big for her, and a pair of shoes that almost fit, she’d hightailed it out of the cabin. She’d returned to an icy stream she’d earlier crossed on her trek. After washing, she’d put on the clothes.
As she continued to watch her fire die away, Scarlett fingered the band still around her upper arm beneath her pajamas. She couldn’t bring herself to remove it for more than the few minutes it took her to wash every morning. She’d left it on after she’d washed in the stream, too. The other jewelry had gotten shoved into her pockets.
Having fresh, warm clothes and being clean had gone a long way toward clearing her thoughts. Returning to the cabin, she’d found a car with the keys in it in garage and had driven into a nearby town. She’d parked on the outskirts of town, and the following morning, had headed for the local bank. It had been a simple matter to leverage her star-power and her easily recognized face along with her knowledge of her account numbers and passwords to access the money she needed. After that, it had been a fairly easy trip home.
She’d left the locked car in a parking lot in Denver with an envelope of cash on the passenger seat, had purchased her own vehicle from a used car dealer who wasn’t averse to waiving photo identification after she’d slid him an extra thousand dollars, then had driven to her home in Vermont. She’d resurrected Molly Smith, sans mousy hair, and now was trying to choose her next step. As much as she’d told Janos she wanted to return to her music career, she wasn’t sure it was safe.
There hadn’t been an attack on her in the three weeks since he’d left her. But then they hadn’t found her in the seven years she’d lived here, too. Maybe the backwoods of Vermont were off their radar.
Sighing, she threw off the afghan and stood. Time to face the demons in the bedroom so she could be wide awake to face another empty day tomorrow. It would likely include several fruitless hours of searching for any listing of a Janos Aventech on the internet. Yahoo and Google came back with no results no matter what she searched. She’d resorted to census databases and genealogy sites and reports of people seeing ‘dragons’ or huge alien lizards.
She took her time getting ready for bed then wandered down the hall to her bedroom. Her lethargy instantly lifted as she opened the door. The dark shadow of a man blocked the window beside her bed. Screaming, she slammed shut the door. She should have known she wasn’t safe here. She wasn’t safe anywhere.
“Velree!”
Halfway down the hall, she froze at the muffled voice coming from the bedroom. Turning, she dashed for the door and shoved it open. She plowed into Janos, her arms and legs wrapping around him. His mouth covered hers, immediately reclaiming it as his.
“I’m so sorry, love,” he gasped between kisses. “I would never…leave you alone…willingly.”
Instinctively, she knew it was true. Every frantic touch told her of his desire, of how much he’d missed her, of how much he needed her. And she needed him just as much.
“I didn’t know how to find you,” she said.
Tears of happiness blurred her vision as he set her down and she took him in. Health glowed from him, all signs of the battle gone. She yanked up his shirt to see his scar-free chest for herself. She drew her fingers over the smooth skin then splayed her hands over his rippling muscles. Blinding need swamped her senses, stopping anything but the signals from her pleasure centers. Her pussy clenched with remembered sensation as it readied for him and dampened her cotton panties.
“I couldn’t find you, either,” he said, his frustration obvious. “I’d been unconscious for a week when I found out you were missing.” He pulled off her pajama top. His fingers stroked lightly over her armband before he dropped his hand. His eyes closed as he flattened his palm over her belly. He smiled then turned his hungry gaze on her. “It wasn’t until I received a package in the mail today from Levi that I found you. Several from his clan were doing cleanup at the church and one of them found your purse. This address was in it. I’ve been gutted. I’ve never been so desperate.”
His palm slid down, his fingers slipping into the band of her pajamas. She arched into his touch. “I thought you deserted me.”
“Never, not even when I thought you’d left me.”
“I didn’t. Athena—”
“She’s missing.”
“I haven’t heard from her. She doesn’t know how to reach me here.”
“Jonah’s out of his mind. I know how he feels. I’ve been insane with worry for you. And need. And emptiness.”
She gasped as he slid lower and parted her folds then rubbed her clit. Tiny streaks of lightning sizzled through her, stealing her breath. “I wouldn’t have left you.”
He shoved her pants down, and she stepped out of them. She reached for the button on his pants.
“Even if you did,” he said, “it doesn’t matter. We’re one. We cannot be separate without emptiness. It won’t go away.”
“I never want to be away from you,” she confessed, reaching up to kiss him. “The emptiness was horrible, but the pain in my heart was worse.”
With a groan, Janos sealed his mouth over hers. He lifted her and her legs went around him again. She ground herself against his cock, showing him how much she wanted him there, too. Her back hit the mattress as he tipped them onto the bed. He settled between her legs, taking up her grinding motion. His tongue thrust against hers, and she sucked it deeper into her mouth, reacquainting herself with his taste. Joy filled her as she felt the connection of their spirits.
Janos kissed a path to her shoulder. “I’m so hungry for you, love,” he murmured.
“Then take of me,” she said. Her mouth watered as she remembered the taste of him in that crazy moment before she’d passed out. It confused her. She tried to push it away and focus on him.
He drew back and looked down at her. His brow furrowed. Reaching up, he slid his thumb over the creases of her forehead. “What is it?”
She looked away. Gently, he caught her chin and drew her back.
“Don’t be afraid to tell me anything.”
“I…” She shrugged. “I-I don’t know why, but…I want to taste you, too.”
Janos chuckled. “Of course, you do. It is the way with united mates. I told you we have the perfect mix of blood.”
“But I crave it.”
He smiled, his eyes speculative and tender. “You don’t know…”
“Know what?”
Janos kissed her, his lips lingering over hers before he answered. His tongue flicked over one of her canines. She moaned, a waft of his blood seeming to fill her senses. How could she possibly smell it?
He kissed her once more then pulled back a few inches and smiled down at her. “You changed yourself.”
“What?”
“Remember what I told you about when mates unite. They stand before the people and exchange blood. At our ceremony, I would have taken your blood and, in turn, given you mine. Gold lights would have swirled around us sealing the union—ancient Dragon magic.”
“I saw the light…” Did this mean she was a Dragon, too?
“Our people are very put out that you’ve cheated them out of the ceremony,” he joked. “When I would have carried you off to our home after the exchange, they would have reveled through the night. Now we’ll have to fake a ceremony them for them.”
“I don’t understand. I don’t feel different.”
“You will. At first, the changes are subtle. Have you looked at y
our back? Your scars are gone. Any sickness is gone and will never touch you again. Any minor wound will heal instantaneously. Major wounds will heal more quickly. You’ll crave blood. Your strength and speed will grow by the year, as will your abilities. All of us have different skills—healing, telepathy, telekenesis, manipulation of elements, battle skills like mine…and many more. They’ll grow in time with your strength. Has sunlight given you headaches?”
“Blinding,” she replied, stunned by what he was telling her. “Are you disappointed that I accidentally changed myself before I got pregnant—I mean, is that going to be a huge problem. Maybe we could adopt orphaned Dragons—”
“Oh, my darling sweet Velree. I had planned our ceremony for that night.”
She stared at him, blinking as his words settled over her. “I’m…”
“Yes.”
“Wow.” She grinned. “I’m happy. Janos, I—”
He pressed his fingers over her lips. “No. I get to say it first. Every time you say it first, something happens to keep me from telling you. I love you, Scarlett. Not just because you’re my mate, but because you fill all the places that have needed you for a millennium. You charm me, you challenge me, and when I look at you…” He shook his head as if searching for words. “When I look at you, I just feel this mix of absolute peace and belonging and tenderness. And of course, I want to be one with your beautiful body as often as possible.”
“You could get to that any time now.”
“I also love your mouthy mouth.”
“I want your mouth on me. Can you arrange that?”
He growled and she lifted up so her lips were to his ear.
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
Janos’ hand changed to Dragon form before her eyes. He drew a claw across his shoulder. “Drink, love,” he urged. Without waiting, he leaned to the side and sank his teeth into her shoulder. Instant ecstasy laced through her. She pressed her mouth to the wound he’d made. Her gums tingled. Suddenly, she felt the movement of her teeth, felt them sinking into her lover’s shoulder. He groaned with pleasure as she drank from him, his sweet elixir slipping down her throat.
Her eyes closed as she let the waves of pleasure slide over her. Their bodies moved in unison. Janos shoved away his pants, then his cock pressed to her pussy. Unwilling to wait another moment to be one with him, she thrust upward. Janos’ mouth broke away on a cry.
Scarlett hummed around one last swallow, then she released him. Her head pressed into the pillows as her hips met his over and over. The hairs on his legs abraded her inner thighs. Rough against smooth. Soft against hard. Man and woman. Different but one.
Tendrils of exquisite pleasure spun around her womb, tightening, building her tension. Her nipples pulled to hard points and brushed against his chest. Each graze against him pulled at her flooded pussy. She quivered as her emotional connection with him collided with the sensations captivating her body.
Tiny swells of release pulsed into her limbs, promises of what would come. Her fingers dug into Janos. “Harder,” she urged.
“You feel so good squeezing me. Oh love…” He pistoned forward, the force slamming the bed into the wall, and she screeched with pleasure as his groin connected with her clit.
Suddenly, she was flying. She trembled beneath Janos’ powerful body as she soared through a starburst, her orgasm flooding through her in wave after wave, each more powerful than the last. His bellow joined her cry and his release splashed inside her. His arms cradled her, his wings brushing the calves she’d wrapped around him.
Smiling, she realized he’d taken her flying again. And she could fly with him forever. As long as they were together, they could weather anything. The strength was in their Dragon’s blood and in their hearts.
“I love you, Janos,” she told him again. Her lips pressed to the pounding pulse in his neck.
“I love you, mate. And whatever happens, that will see us through.”
She knew it was true.
He lowered them to the bed, and his wings disappeared. He turned to his back, pulling her toward him. She climbed on top of him. His cock was still hard and slid inside her again. She didn’t move, content to be joined with him, content to be herself and content with the path the universe had given them. There was much to do, battles still to be waged, a new life for her to learn, but side by side, they would endure, and find happiness and eternal love in one another’s arms.
She smiled down at Janos. “I want to go home. A totally new world awaits, and I want to discover it with you. And we should give our people their party. How long does a couple hide away after the change?”
“Days.”
“Perfect.” She nipped at his shoulder. “And if I have my way, we might need a few more to recover. And you can tell me you love me as often as you like.”
“Forever, Velree.”
Mmm…yes. Forever and forever and then perhaps an eternity more.
Read on for a preview of the next book in
Brynn Paulin’s Creuntus Dragons Series
Blood Bought
Coming October 2009 to Resplendence Publishing
The woman’s anger, unmistakable rage, radiated across the parking garage and hit Jonah full force as his sports car raced up to the third level. Grimacing, he pushed his body past feeling the pain that had plagued him for the six months since she’d left him. She was his mate and his body craved her, not that she gave a care about that.
No, she’d run rather than mate with him.
His jaw locked as his own anger joined hers. His only solace was in the knowledge that she’d be feeling equal pain, as was her rightful punishment for running from their union and kidnapping the Elder’s mate in the process. A thin smile momentarily curved his lips. Soon all the pain would end and his mate would bear another punishment for her desertion, one meted out by his hand, one he’d sorely enjoy.
The smile faded as she came into sight. Athena Xanthopoulos, his intended mate. Two of the Dragons from the New York clan held her and everything inside him rebelled at another male touching his woman, but it was necessary or she’d run. Athena was good at running as he discovered since she’d fled the Cruentus compound.
The two Dragons, who were in human form, seemed relieved that he’d arrived. Athena on the other hand looked even more pissed off. They had her chained between them as a safeguard. Impotently, she fought, her long black hair flying wildly around her head. Even from this distance, he could see the fury in her dark brown eyes while the muscles of her arms strained against the manacles that held her. Jonah knew she wouldn’t escape her captors.
She glared at his car though he was sure she couldn’t see who was inside, not in this dim part of the parking garage. Oh, she knew… As her struggle increased, her teeth bared in contempt.
“Get out here, you bastard, and call off your dogs,” she screeched.
“Um, honey, we’re Dragons,” the taller of the pair holding her said dryly. “And if you weren’t Jonah’s mate—poor sucker—I think I’d barbeque you.”
“Hey, no toasting my Velree, Levi,” Jonah cut in as he slid from his silver car. He drew a black leather case from the backseat and approached the trio.
“I’m not suggesting toast.” He glared at Athena. “I’m thinking banshee on a spit.”
Jonah shook his head, biting back his chuckle as he met Athena’s stormy brown eyes. Silently, he surveyed her while she just as silently glared back. He’d searched fruitlessly for her since she’d run away. Often he’d arrived just after she’d left wherever she’d stayed, her scent still in the air and tormenting him. The mating call would then twist his insides, the innate need to be with her bringing him physical pain. Did she not feel the same?
She must. In her short-sleeved T-shirt, he could see the mating mark on her left arm that matched the one on his right. How did she control the call? It should be so strong that even the Dragons holding her wouldn’t be safe from her need.
He shoved away that repugn
ant thought that would cause him to hate his friends who held her. Intent, he headed for directly for Athena, holding her gaze. One thought filled his mind. One thought? No, many. Full thoughts escaped him. His head was filled with random images. Her neck, his teeth, her blood.
His.
She was his and it was time she realized it.
Holding her gaze, he stopped opened the case and stopped before her. Her eyes widened at the leather shackles he removed, and she fought as he deftly replaced the iron that had held her.
“What?” she sniped. “You’re not man enough to handle me without tying me up?”
“Sweetheart, I’m not taking any chances of you jumping from the car.” He lifted her wrists to inspect the gashes from the metal shackles.
She pulled away. “Back off, Fang. I’m not dinner.”
“You’ll be whatever I choose,” he replied, content to spar with her as long as she was with him. At this proximity, the need to couple with her increased, but the pain somewhat receded. It was the first relief he’d felt since the mating mark had appeared on his arm.
He shook his head at her continued belligerence when he knew the need was pulsing through her as well. He could see it in the way her nipples pushed against her shirt and hear it in the way her heart was thundering. It certainly wasn’t caused by fear. Jonah was convinced this woman felt none.
His tongue pressed to the bottom of his front teeth and he slightly parted his lips, drawing in a breath. Yes…there it was. Her arousal filled his senses as he tasted the air. The heavy flavor of her desire nearly had him yanking her into his arms and dragging her away. The other Dragons would be able to scent it as well, and she was his! He wanted her as far from other males as possible until he was fully united with her.
