by Chant, Zoe
“How about you stay here with us tonight?” Naomi said to his parents. “Braeden and Alyx only just left his home. And I was thinking that we could go through a couple of photo albums together...”
“Oh, no,” Gregory said, although he was smiling. “I should never have brought those out.”
Naomi giggled. “It’s too late now, I’ve seen it all! And I bet you two would love to see the ones where Gregory tried to turn Jared into a dragon by gluing glitter to his skin...”
Gregory grimaced and gave Jared an apologetic look. “Hey, at least it wasn’t super glue. It came off easily, didn’t it?”
“Only took a week of glittery baths.” Jared shook his head at the memory, amused by the weird things they’d gotten up to together as children.
He wanted to stay around, to go through those albums together with his parents—but there’d be time for that. They’d have all the time in the world to get to know each other.
And right now, the newly mated griffin inside him wanted to proudly show off their home to his mate.
As amazing as it had been to spend an entire day with their friends and family, it had been ages since they’d had any time to themselves. With the heat of the new mate bond still sizzling in his blood, the prospect of an entire night all alone in their own home was more than enough to make up for the embarrassing childhood stories Gregory would tell his parents.
And if they wanted to give the new dragonet a little griffin friend, they’d best start early...
Some of his thoughts must have filtered through the mate bond, because Chiara’s cheeks were flushed as they made their goodbyes.
It had been a long day, but even so, Jared was wide awake by the time they’d made it down the hill from the storm dragon’s mansion.
They were silent for most of their walk, watching as the sun slowly sank below the mountaintops. As twilight settled on the small town, lights began springing up everywhere.
His own house was built against the side of the mountain as well, overlooking the town from a different angle. When they finally made it there, their hands entwined and walking so closely together that their shoulders kept bumping into each other, the driveway was deserted, the last boxes gone.
“Welcome home,” Jared said softly, trailing his thumb down Chiara’s cheek before he leaned in to kiss her.
Her eyes were warm and knowing when he drew back.
“Welcome home,” she said in return.
He drew in a deep breath, startled to realize that she was right.
It had never been a real home before—home was Gregory’s mansion, where they’d grown up together.
But now, for the first time, this large, empty house that he’d built for the family he’d never had seemed to come to life.
He hadn’t spent much time here. He didn’t have many memories of this place to share with Chiara.
But that was all right. Because now, for the first time, he could see in his mind’s eye how it would look one day soon: windows filled with light, a swing in the garden, and inside, the laughter of children.
A real home. Just what he’d always wanted. Something he hadn’t been able to build with his own two hands, because it took more than that.
It took a second set of hands. A second heart.
He took hold of Chiara’s hands and gently drew them up to his mouth, kissing them tenderly in a promise of what was to come.
And then he swept her up in his arms while she laughed in delight.
“What are you doing!” she demanded, giggling. “Put me down!”
“What does it look like?” He grinned down at her. “It’s our first night in our new home. And I’m going to do things right from now on. Which includes carrying my mate across the threshold.”
Amused, she shook her head at him, but her eyes still gleamed with laughter. Through the bond, he could feel her happiness—and her own desire, now that they were skin to skin once more.
He had to swallow when she wrapped her arms around his neck. It took all of his strength not to just press her against the wall and kiss her breathless—but they had a perfectly good bedroom inside. And he wanted to make it perfect.
The first night in their new home.
The first night of many more that were to come.
He’d wanted to give her a tour of his house—but right now, with Chiara at last in his arms and the house all to themselves, he found himself carrying her straight towards the bedroom instead. In the doorway, he stopped.
Braeden and Alyx had told him that they’d moved out all of their things and had taken care of the cleaning too.
But what they hadn’t told him was that they’d apparently found the time among the chaos of the move to prepare their bedroom for them.
Wryly, Jared realized that the idea had probably been all Alyx’s. Braeden, who’d grown up underground with the other fire dragons, still wasn’t entirely up to date on human courtship rituals.
Still, the bedroom had never looked so lovely before. It felt as if they’d stepped into the honeymoon suite in a luxury resort.
There were flowers everywhere, vases with roses covering every surface. A large “Just Married” balloon floated beneath the ceiling—only someone had taken a sharpie and crossed out the married and written MATED in large letters underneath.
There were candles scattered around as well—not yet lit, but Jared saw that they’d thoughtfully left him a lighter as well.
The bed was freshly made, with new sheets of red silk he’d never seen before. And on top of the sheets, they’d scattered rose petals—red and pink and white, forming the outline of a heart.
Gently, he placed Chiara down on the bed. Her eyes were wide as well. And then she broke into sudden laughter when she saw the balloon and the helpful correction on it.
“This is amazing. What a wonderful surprise!”
“Not my idea,” he admitted, “but I wish it had been! I was so overwhelmed by everything I didn’t think—”
“Come here,” she said tenderly, reaching out for him. “It’s been a crazy few days for all of us. And honestly, our mating was perfect the way it was. Which still doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate this, because this is lovely. Your friends are lovely.”
“There’s only one thing in this room that is lovely,” he said hoarsely, “and that’s you.”
She sighed when he kissed her, relaxing against him even when he grew more demanding. His erection had been throbbing with need ever since he’d realized that they’d finally get some alone time—and now he could hardly bear the rough denim anymore.
“I’ve been thinking,” she murmured, looking at him from half-lidded eyes, “that it would be sad if their little dragonet grew up without a griffin to play with, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Exactly what I was thinking.” He pushed his hands beneath her shirt to run it over her soft skin, loving the way she arched into his touch.
He found her nipples through the lacy fabric of her bra, teasing them until they were hard and sensitive and Chiara was moaning, her eyes closed as she abandoned herself to his touch.
He was so hard it hurt, his body on fire with the need to claim his mate.
They said that whatever you dreamed your first night in a new home would come true. And there was a dream that he wanted to come true more than anything...
Jared popped open the button of his pants, his erection eagerly pressing forward when it was freed. He pulled off his shirt, then his jeans. And then, at last, he reached out for Chiara.
With gentle hands, he began to undress her, trailing his lips across every inch of soft, warm skin he uncovered. By the end of it, she was gasping softly as he licked wickedly at the crease where her thighs met her hip while he pulled down her panties.
Then he got up.
“Hey,” she gasped, “come back here immediately!”
“One moment.” He held up the lighter, loving the way her eyes followed his every movement.
She wanted him. He cou
ld feel it through the mate bond—but he could also see it. Her skin was flushed with desire, her eyes dark and warm.
He wanted to claim her right this minute. He wanted to make love to her until she moaned his name and trembled around him, make love again and again until they’d have that baby they both wanted.
But the view of her stretched out on the bed, completely naked save for the rose petals tangled in her mermaid hair and scattered over her luscious breasts and soft belly, was too good to not enjoy for a minute or two.
Or for as long as he could last.
He swallowed, his senses filled by the scent of desire and crushed rose petals.
It took him two tries to light the first candle. Between candles, he kept looking at Chiara, who in turn was watching him, her eyes wide and dark with need.
His shaft was aching, his entire body burning. The griffin inside him, who didn’t understand about the finer points of romance, was hissing at him to claim his mate.
But Jared kept denying his own need for her until at last, the final candle was lit.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Chiara
Chiara couldn’t look away from where Jared stood, outlined by the soft glow of candles. He looked stunning, the hard, masculine planes of his body gleaming in the light.
She realized all of a sudden that burning in his eyes, she could still see a spark of the light that had chosen him as its champion. The incredible blue seemed lit from within, the intense azure of a summer sky.
With his new powers, he wouldn’t have needed to light the candles. He could have probably summoned the eerie light that had filled the cave with the lift of a single finger.
But she loved that he’d lit all of the candles instead, one by one. And she loved that his friends had prepared this little surprise for them.
It really did feel like coming home, even though she’d only just arrived. But not once had she’d been made to feel out of place. Instead, all of Jared’s friends had made her feel welcome—and more than that.
Wanted.
They wanted her here, as Jared’s mate. Her, Chiara, who’d turned her back on her small, sensible life to hunt aliens and werewolves instead, and who’d scraped out a living writing articles for conspiracy websites.
But no one in Mountain View had looked at her with the pity or the open derision of her old friends and neighbors. Everyone here had judged her only on her love for Jared and the capacity for bravery she hadn’t even known she possessed, which had led to exploring mountain caves and fighting a shadow dragon.
All in all, she couldn’t be happier with the new Chiara she’d become. Someone who pursued her dreams. Someone who didn’t give up—and someone who was determined to grasp this chance at happiness life had given her, and to never, ever let go of it.
As if he’d read her thoughts, Jared came towards her. He was achingly hard.
As she stared hungrily at his impressive erection, she felt her own inner walls pulse with need. She was wet with arousal—had been since he’d first started to tease her with his lips and fingers.
Now her body was so needy that she could feel the tension thrumming beneath her skin, all of herself aching for his touch. Aching to be claimed, to feel him close again—and to feel how right they were together.
“Our first night in this house together,” he said as he sat down on the bed, then slowly moved towards her.
She couldn’t look away from him. His eyes were still gleaming with that otherworldly light—but his element wasn’t the only one who had chosen Jared. She had chosen Jared. And she’d never, ever let go of him again.
“The first night of many.” She reached out for him, trying to pull him closer.
With a soft laugh, he evaded her hand. Instead, he leaned down, lightly drawing a finger along her ankle, then pressed a kiss to the sensitive skin.
Slowly, so slowly that it was nearly unbearable, he worked his way up her leg, covering every inch of her skin with kisses. She allowed her thighs to splay open as he gently nudged her knee, letting him see how aroused she was. In response, he groaned softly, his teeth rasping against her skin.
But even now he didn’t speed up. If anything, he moved even more slowly, as if he was savoring each and every kiss.
Or as if he was savoring driving her utterly insane with desire.
She gasped and dug her fingers into the sheet when he finally moved further up her thigh. Between her fingers, she could feel the velvet-soft texture of rose petals. All around them, the candles flickered. She couldn’t even say if it was Jared’s arousal doing that to the light, or if she was too overwhelmed to keep her eyes open.
And it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered, because now at last he’d reached the crease of her thigh, and his hand began to slide further upward, curving around her hip.
Then his mouth was on her.
He explored her folds hungrily, the heat of his tongue making her moan almost desperately. It didn’t even take much this time—she’d already been pulsing with need for him before he’d even started to kiss his way up her body.
And now, at last, when he gently slid a finger into her, she found herself clenching around him with a surprised cry. Her climax came rushing through her the first moment the tip of his tongue touched her swollen clit.
He didn’t stop there. Even as she was still trembling through her orgasm, he kept caressing her, his finger crooking a little, slowly sliding in and out until his touch made a new wave of heat build up.
Teasingly, his tongue licked a circle around her clit, again and again while she gasped and arched against him.
Through the mate bond, she could feel his own desire. It wove around her seductively, mingling with her own need until it felt like they were tied together by strings of golden light.
And then he fastened his mouth over her, his tongue demanding as it caressed her clit with lick after lick, and she was lost.
Heat rushed through her body. Every pulse of it sent waves of ecstasy through her entire body, until she felt as if the golden light of their bond filled her from the roots of her hair down to her toes.
But still it wasn’t enough. Even as she gasped for breath, she knew that she needed more. She needed him.
This time, when she tugged at his arm, he didn’t resist.
His body was damp with sweat, gleaming in the light. She could feel the tension in him, every muscle in his body hard as stone as he moved over her.
And then, at last, he slid into her.
Another moan escaped her at the feeling. She felt nearly delirious, overwhelmed with sensation. He was rock-hard, filling her perfectly, and at every thrust, new heat flared up inside her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, breathlessly clinging to him as best she could.
This was what she’d always wanted.
Not just the sex—although the sex was perfect.
But the intimacy of it. The way she felt so close to him. There was nothing selfish about the way he made love—they were truly coming together.
And he saw her. He saw her, in a way no one else had ever seen her, and he loved and desired her despite it.
No—because of it.
She ran her hands down his back as his mouth trailed a path along her shoulder. The light of the mate bond was so brilliant now she could see nothing but golden light, feel nothing but the ecstasy of Jared claiming her, their bodies truly one.
She closed her eyes, but the golden light surrounded her even now as she arched desperately.
His lips rested against her throat as she clung to him for dear life. It felt as if she was hanging above an abyss, held just by a thin thread...
And then he slid into her again, heat flared, and the thread snapped.
Dimly, she could hear herself cry out as light streamed through her. Wave after wave of ecstasy filled her as her body pulsed around him.
She could hear him groaning her name, his own body tensing as he came.
But she didn’t fall. She was floating, drifting on
wave after wave of pleasure. She was soaring—soaring with her griffin, surrounded by light, held safely in his arms, their bodies still joined.
He didn’t slide out of her until long minutes later, when their breathing had at last calmed down again.
Even now, when he moved to his side so he wouldn’t crush her, he carefully kept an arm wrapped around her. With a pleased sigh, she snuggled into his embrace, loving the way the firm, masculine planes of his body felt against hers.
She still hadn’t heard from her aunt. Maybe her dad had told her not to talk to Chiara—but she couldn’t believe that.
Her dad had been worried for her, that’s why he’d stopped talking to her. He’d never drag Auntie Mary into this.
And even if he tried to, she wouldn’t have allowed it.
Thoughtfully, Chiara trailed her fingers across Jared’s chest.
“What are you thinking about?” he murmured sleepily, moving his own hand to cover hers.
She smiled helplessly when he entwined their fingers. Beneath her hand, she could feel his heart beating. The strong thuds were reassuring. It was a melody that told her that everything was going to be all right.
That there were still things she badly needed to fix—but that she’d have Jared by her side. Always.
“I’m thinking about my dad.” She gave him a wry smile. “Sorry. Not the best bedroom talk, I know.”
He tugged up their entwined hands, then brushed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “Hey, if there’s someone who understands what it means to have lost your parents, it’s me.”
She felt her smile widen and leaned forward, brushing her lips against his. “I’m so, so happy for you.”
With a content sound, he wrapped his arms around her again, holding her tightly.
“Call your aunt again in the morning,” he said firmly. “And if she still doesn’t answer, we’re going to fly out there. Surely that’s what wings are for.”
“What about your own parents? We can’t just abandon them. You’ve only just found them!”
“They’re not going anywhere.” His fingers gently rubbed her nape, his touch warm and reassuring. “I mean it. We’ll fix this tomorrow. You deserve to have your own life back.”
