by Kendal Davis
Cobalt, however, ignored all that, and gently tugged at my hand, turning a corner from the entryway. Before I could ask where he was taking me, we were in his bedroom. As we entered, he pressed a button that moved the window shades to partially close them, dimming the light.
He guided me to stand at the foot of the big bed, then he paused, looking down at me. He lifted a hand to stroke my cheek. There was always a piece of flyaway hair that needed tucking behind my ear. My hair never cooperated the way I wanted it to. Usually, when I did it, I reached up absent-mindedly and pulled the lock of hair taut, trying to make it stay in its place. When Cobalt touched my hair, however, he did so slowly, running his finger along the line of it as if he was spinning gold.
My breath was catching in my throat, as if the room was emptying of air.
His tanned hand slid lower, running softly down my neck. His touch made me shiver. It was hard for me to look him in the eye. In a burst of bravery, I lifted my gaze to meet his.
“You keep saying that I’m your mate,” I whispered.
“Yes. It is as simple as that.” His tone was gentle, yet matter-of-fact.
“But is it truly simple? How can you be so sure that we are compatible? That you even know enough about me to judge that?” As I spoke, I leaned closer to him. The touch of his hand on my skin was hypnotic. Soon, I would lose all resolve to question this.
Cobalt looked right into my eyes as he answered. He had a way of seeing me, really seeing me, that made me sure that we were here, now, in the same emotional place. “Kat, there is no doubt in my mind. A dragon seeks for thousands of years, if he needs to, to find his mate. I have found you, and now I know why the search took so long. It was worth it.”
“I want to believe what you say.” I felt the flush of heat rising up my chest. The warmth climbed from my breasts to my neck, where his hands still lingered. He was stroking my skin, softly, yet not at all casually. It seemed that everything this dragon man did had a purpose.
Right now, his purpose was to take me to bed.
I answered my own thought, my words coming to my ears as if from far away. “I’m not sure I’m ready for an eternal commitment.”
“I know, dear one. I can hear your thoughts, remember? Let me show you, though. If you are not ready for me to do everything I imagine doing to you, then we will take the time we need. Whatever feels right to you. Tell me what to do.” His last words drifted into my ear in a whisper as he touched his lips to my ear.
He was breathing against me, lightly licking my ear. Nibbling, teasing, tugging…
I thought I might lose my mind.
I did the only thing I could possibly have done. I was in the bedroom of an infinitely desirable dragon man, who was literally whispering in my ear that he would do anything I asked, seeking only to pleasure me.
I turned my head, and murmured against his ear.
“Take me to bed.”
I finally found the strength to move my arms. I had been paralyzed for what seemed like forever, stuck in a sticky limbo while I reveled in his touch. Now I could move. Now that I had said what I wanted.
My hands were graceful, my fingers not fumbling at all as I released the clasp at the neck of my cloak. The blue garment fell soundlessly to the carpet. I lifted my hands again to untie my bathing suit straps, peeling the fabric downwards from my body and stepping out of it.
I stood there, without a stitch of clothing, in the bedroom of a man who was promising me everything. I held my shoulders back, my breasts tilting up, my nipples hard.
“Oh, Kat,” breathed Cobalt. He was still. It was as if he had never seen a woman naked before. His dragon voice was in my head, filled with wonderment and awe.
I have never seen my fated mate without clothing before.
Fuck, you are beautiful.
I want you so much more than anything that has ever happened before, in this world or any other.
My hands moved, as if with their own accord. They unfastened the clasp of his cloak as well. His nakedness was a revelation to me. I had seen his body without clothes before. Many times. But here and now, he was a different man than he had been to me in those times. He was the man that I wanted inside me.
He picked me up, gently holding me against his muscular chest. His broad shoulders hardly strained as he lifted me higher, then set me down on the bed. His arm pushed the bedspread away, so that we were resting only on the soft sheets.
When he was above me, as I lay back into the pillows, his sensuous lips crushed mine. His firm biceps were on either side of my head. All at once, I worried that it was too much. Too much trust. Maybe I didn’t know how to be this open with another person.
Kat, wait. I will do only what you wish for.
And he did.
Backing away from our hot kisses, he moved lower. He nibbled at my collarbone, then traced the curve of my breasts with his tongue. I bucked under him, wanting him to continue, needing it.
The faint scratchiness of his chin passed over my belly, then he moved lower still. When his lips met the wetness at my center, I cried out. My hands tangled in the sheets beside me. Even the first moment of contact was enough to bring me to the brink of orgasm. It appeared that I had wanted this more than I knew.
Oh, yes, my Kat. I have known.
I tried to bat away his smug smile, I only succeeded in resting my hand on his firm shoulder. His hands were still everywhere on me, but it was his tongue that was driving me wild. How was it possible that he knew just what to do? It was as if he was reading my mind.
You are so beautiful.
His tongue lapped at my folds, making me squirm with pleasure. When he found the button at the top of my wetness, I moaned, my wordless cries filling the room. I could no sooner have remained quiet than I could have flown.
You will fly.
Ahh. He pushed his tongue inside me, bringing me to the edge of my tolerance for this exquisite pleasure. Over and over, I approached a cliff of completion, then he stopped momentarily, teasing me.
Then, with a decisive manliness, he burrowed his face against my softest place as he feasted on my secret slickness. He groaned with passion, as if he gained as much pleasure as he gave. When he lapped his tongue against my clit one more time, I could no longer keep myself together. My mind and body exploded in a release that shook me to my core. I called out, knowing that I might be too loud, but unable to stop myself.
He drew himself up to my face, pressing his damp lips against mine. The closeness between us was no longer just about sex. It was about the trust we felt. That I finally allowed myself to feel. It was as if his tale of our being mates was finally within my reach.
I nuzzled against him as he kissed me. I opened my legs, wrapping them around his firm buttocks. I could feel the tip of his thick cock pressing against me.
Then, when I least expected it, he drew back again, separating our bodies and lying on his side. His massive body relaxed against the soft sheets. I could see that his body was still full of sexual heat. Why was he stopping?
He leaned on one elbow and looked down at me with care. “Kat, I know you aren’t ready yet.”
“Maybe I am,” I murmured.
“Sweet one. You don’t need to be.” His lips curved in an infinitely gentle reassurance. “Don’t you see? We have forever. We have as long as we want before I give you the bite of dragon mating and we become joined for eternity.”
“Do we? Will that turn me into a dragon?”
He did not answer in words, but the gleam in his eyes told me all that I needed to know.
When you are ready, my Kat. You will fly with me as my mate.
I wasn’t sure how to answer. “I do appreciate that you are giving me space, Cobalt. But it also makes me feel like...like maybe you don’t want me enough to be in a hurry.”
Somehow, his kindness in waiting for me to be ready had drained the passion from the moment. I no longer felt so desirable. It was unreasonable, but there it was.
“Ther
e will never be a time that I do not want you,” he said, kissing the top of my head.
“Aren’t you worried about what will happen with the other dragon? The one that is after me?”
“I would not put it that way, no. He should be concerned about what will happen to him when I’m done with him.” My dragon bodyguard bared his teeth at the thought.
“I know you plan to go after him. But I wish that you could let me solve the problem on my own. I’m not a helpless creature, you know. Maybe I don’t need quite so much taking care of.” I could hear how silly I sounded, but I couldn’t stop myself.
Cobalt’s eyes twinkled at me. “My Kat, what would you do to stop him?”
“I’ve been thinking about this, believe me.” I reached down and drew the sheet up to cover my nakedness. I no longer wanted to be quite so vulnerable.
I took a long breath, ready now to tell him my idea.
“Now, don’t get mad. But what if I fooled this mysterious dragon into thinking that I would do what he said? Then the contract would be fulfilled, and I could get away.”
Cobalt sat upright. His eyebrows rose like fierce wings. “What are you talking about? You can’t trick a dragon!”
I sat up as well, pulling the sheet around me. Why did it hurt that he underestimated me? “I think I could. I want to try. If I don’t, I will always feel bad that you had to step in and solve this for me. It is my debt, plain and simple.”
“No, that’s not how it is. It is not a valid contract. He took advantage of you in making you sign that agreement. The idea that a mere human could stand up to a plot hatched by a dragon, it’s ridiculous.”
Now it was my turn to raise my eyebrows. “Is it?” It felt as though an arrow had pierced my heart. Did he see me as so helpless compared to his kind?
Cobalt had the grace to flinch at my caustic tone, but he held his ground. “Yes. It is.”
“Well, in that case, maybe I shouldn’t tell you the rest of my idea.” I wrapped the sheet even tighter against my body, preparing to stand. I would put on that blue dragon cloak, at least until I could get back into my own things.
Suddenly, it felt that it had been too long since I’d had my own things.
My own life.
I had to keep moving. When I had my feet back on the ground, with my toes curling into the softest, most expensive carpet I had ever seen, I stood tall again. My knees were still quivering from the pleasure he’d given me, but I was my own person. I had to keep reminding myself of that.
I tucked my pride away to keep it safe as I donned the dragon cloak that had been on the floor. Cobalt was still naked, but he seemed unaware of it.
I felt ready to face him with all my ideas. “I’ll tell you. I know that you mean well. And, um, you do...certain things...very well.” I was faltering now, remembering the intimacy we had just shared. “But I have been taking care of myself for a long time now. And I can solve this problem on my own. I can.”
Cobalt was serious as he listened to me. He was not dismissing me. He genuinely wanted to know. “How?”
“I will marry him.”
Chapter 12: Cobalt
It took every ounce of self-control that I had not to explode in flames of fury, right there in my own bedroom. What I really wanted to do was to allow the force of my magic run through me, setting fire to everything around me. I wanted to use up all the power that I had stored within me in an instant, even knowing that it would leave me vulnerable until I could gather more from the portal between the worlds.
I ached so badly to allow madness to take over, sending me into the form of a winged dragon, so I could lift off through the shattered building that I would leave behind me as I trumpeted in the air, challenging my rival. I would fly in passion, in rage. I would destroy him.
The problem was, I would destroy Kat as well.
Her human form could not withstand the fiery violence of the havoc I sought to wreak. If I burned my way out of this room, crashing through this manmade structure, she would not survive.
And even if I carefully set her in a place of safety, before I went on the rampage that was calling to me right now, she would never view me in the same way again. She would never trust me.
It took all the discipline I had learned over my years as Captain of the Guard to hold back my impulses of destruction. To corral my feelings enough to even speak.
I bit out the words. I knew my voice was harsh, but she had no way of knowing how much worse my temper had almost been. “Kat. No.”
I could feel that my eyes were glowing blue at her, and I saw her step back with uncertainty at the sight.
She tried to keep her cool, but her hands were twisting in front of her. They were always her tell, the giveaway that let me know when she was uncomfortable. Her long, graceful fingers were locked together as she sought to calm herself.
“Cobalt, it would work. I know it.”
I bellowed at her. “It cannot work! You do not understand how dangerous a plan this is. Do you have any idea how powerful a dragon can be?”
“I’ve been thinking about that.” Her tone was full of reason and logic. “Why does he need this to be a contract? He could just come and abduct me at any time. What is the point of the paperwork? It seems very elaborate if it just a game.”
“Dragons do indeed play games that are beyond your human comprehension. It makes sense to me that this could be a plan that took years in the making, just because it amuses him.” My mind was racing, though, at her suggestion. It did seem odd that this harassment required a contract in the legal framework of this world.
“I think there must be a reason that he needs it to be a legal contract,” Kat insisted. “He wants me to marry him according to the laws of my people.”
“It reminds me of a fairytale from my youth,” I said. “That was what first made me suspicious that this involved another dragon. There are stories that tell us that the only way a dragon can mate with an unwilling female is if she signs away her rights in a contract. If you marry with witnesses, you cannot later object.”
“So he could not take me to bed against my will,” she mused.
Again, I felt as if fire might blaze from me at any moment. “No, he can. That’s where you’re wrong. He could kidnap you. He could rape you. None of that is against our laws.”
Her look of mute terror made me regret that I had spoken so bluntly. I was supposed to be giving her hope. Or at least support.
What I was certain I would give her was my protection, even if she seemed determined not to seek it.
I sighed, softening my words. “What he cannot do is claim you as his eternal mate, unless you are willing. And if you marry him according to the legal customs of your land, then you will be signing an agreement to do that.”
Kat stopped twisting her hands in front of her. She stood stock still, her face so pale that her eyes looked huge as she stared at me imploringly. “You mean there’s no way this idea could work? If I marry him, then I’ll automatically become his mate. Forever?”
“Well, not quite. The mating ceremony is a private, sexual matter. The two events are not simultaneous. You would mate after the wedding.”
Kat settled her shoulders. “Then I could, in theory, marry him and get it annulled before we did this mating, biting thing.” A glimmer of hope lit her face. “I would have discharged my duty, according to law and honor. No matter how you look at it, I would no longer owe him anything.”
I exploded at her. “How can I make you understand how foolhardy this is? You are playing with forces you do not understand!”
“And you do not understand how important it is for me to do this myself.” She set her jaw as she looked at me. She had no intention of yielding. “I have this one opportunity, don’t you see? I have the chance to set everything right. All the years of work that my parents put into trying to pay off that loan. Everything that Andres and I did to work off the debt. All those rude and annoying tourists we kowtowed to; that doesn’t have to be
for nothing. I can salvage everybody’s honor, and I can still come out of it safely. I know I can.”
“No.” I shook my head as I stepped closer to her. I reached out and closed one of my hands over her two small ones. She stopped fidgeting, keeping them still like a pair of frightened birds in my grasp.
“I will do it, no matter what you say,” she whispered.
But she stepped closer to me too, so that our bodies were touching, pressing against each other.
I knew, with every ounce of my being, that she was the mate for me. I had searched my entire life to find her. And would I now allow her to be taken from me by another dragon?
No.
I kept holding her hands, but I reached my other arm around her back. I pressed her against me, cupping her ass with more force than I’d ever used with her before. I was rough. I palmed her flesh, pinching her, bringing her against my hard cock. I needed to show her what this new danger meant to me.
“What would you do if he grabbed you, Kat? After your wedding was legally completed, right there in front of witnesses?” She looked up at me, blinking in confusion. “What if he was not gentle with you? If he pulled you to him to make you see that he was stronger than you? If he treated you like this?” As I spoke, I wrapped both arms around her and lifted her slightly. My fingers gripped her ass.
I knew I was being rough.
I needed her to hear me, to understand this.
And, truth be told, this moment between us was almost unbearably hot.
She squeaked, but she did not try to get away. Instead, she reached her arms up to encircle my neck. She twined her fingers into my hair and tugged me down until she could press her lips against mine.
“It wouldn’t be like that,” she said. “This is only with you. Only because I want you so much.”
I lowered my mouth to her soft white neck, still holding her off the ground. She had no idea what my true strength was. I could lift her like this all day. I could go all night, pounding into her like an animal.
My lips tasted the sheen of sweat on her neck. She had come already a few minutes ago. Now I would bring her to that peak of pleasure again. I licked the saltiness from her smooth skin, then bit her with more force than the little nibbles I’d sprinkled on her skin earlier.
