Releasing her arm, he growled and resumed his pacing.
Shaking off the initial shock of his harsh, intolerant words, Suniko stared Jayket down. Then she engaged in a dramatic bow. “Oh, thank you, great and wise holy man,” she said, sarcasm clearly evident. “How benevolent and noble of you to grant me permission to speak when it suits you.”
Jayket’s eyebrow arched. “Suniko…” he warned.
Her hand held up in defiance, Suniko said, “Hear me out, healer. The poultice you made for D’Akola, where did you learn to concoct it?”
“From the other priests who trained me, but what does that have to do with—”
“Is the combination of herbs, weeds, flowers and berries you used last night common or unique?” Suniko asked.
“It is found only in the chronicles of the goddess Gavnina, why?”
“As I suspected.” Her gaze solemn, Suniko pointed to the cave. “Into the cave with you. We go to visit our dragon and inspect its wounds.”
“What?!” Jayket’s eyes bugged. “Have you succumbed to lunacy, woman? I’m not going to disturb a sleeping dragon and neither are you. Now sit down and behave yourself while I think.” He gestured to a small group of rocks.
Her eyes narrowing, Suniko’s arms crossed over her breasts and she fumed. “If we weren’t hopelessly trapped on a cliff high in the clouds, Jayket, I’d knock your empty head against one of these rocks.”
“Hopefully there’ll be ample time for rough play later, little bird,” Jayket said with an annoying wink.
“You see? That’s the trouble. Because I am a woman you charge me with irrational thinking, yet it’s acceptable for men to think with their cocks instead of their brains.” Suniko tapped her temple. “If I recall, great and wondrous thinker, your plan was to sneak into the cave and slay the dragon as it sleeps.”
“It’s a fine speck better than your plan of paying the beast a cordial lady’s visit,” Jayket accused.
“And just how do you propose that we escape from this crag in the sky once you slay the dragon?” She gestured to the nothingness around them. “Hmm? Tell me. Do we dive into the abyss and pray that Ko’Loran snatches us up in his godly arms and deposits us safely on the earth? Be sure to remind Ko’Loran as we fall that he’s your father. I’m sure that will help.”
“Damn, but you set my teeth on edge, you mouthy wench,” Jayket snarled, closing the distance between them and grabbing the back of her hair. He stared into her eyes for a moment before yanking her head back and assaulting her mouth with a harsh, demanding kiss.
Growling into his mouth, Suniko fought against him, pounding his chest and raking his flesh with her short nails. But Jayket’s tongue only delved deeper, intoxicating her with its rhythmic swirls and thrusts. Soon she ceased fighting and clutched his ragged tunic, holding him close to her, crushing her breasts against him as their tongues warred.
His hips ground against her, providing ample evidence of a firm and ready erection. Again she wanted to tell him he thought with his cock but she decided against it, wallowing instead in the sheer erotic deliciousness of the fevered moment.
Jayket backed Suniko against the mountainside, his manner abrasive, more urgent and insistent that he’d been with her before. He tore at her garment until it fell at her feet and he growled in appreciation as he eyed her nakedness. With a quick unfastening movement at his groin, his cock was free and pressing against her belly. At the same time, he caught her nipple between his teeth and tugged hard.
His coarse, hurried conduct matched hers as Suniko heard herself cry out, “Yes, yes, fuck me, Jayket.” The fleeting thought that this might be the last time either of them ever had sex raced through her mind. The twin aspects of fear and danger made their coupling all the more exciting.
Though rushed and crude, this pairing was no less satisfying than those they’d shared the night before. Before Suniko could take in her next breath, he’d lifted her by the waist and fully pierced her with his cock, leaving her feet dangling in the air.
Jaykey slammed her back against the rock, his fingers pressing into her shoulders as he fucked her, Jayket’s fingers pressed into her shoulders. He growled as his tongue again invaded her mouth and his teeth nipped her bottom lip, drawing the coppery taste of blood. Their hearts thudding fast and hard in their breasts, Jayket and Suniko fucked like rabid animals.
Unmistakable in its ferocity, climax was soon upon them with a swiftness and intensity born of fear-tinged lust and desire. The resulting quaking and convulsions seemed to go on forever as they clung to each other, muttering nonsensical syllables of affection.
When her senses finally returned and Jayket had set her feet back on the rock floor, Suniko looked up into his eyes. “That was rash and foolhardy,” she said, slipping back into her threadbare garment. “We were mere steps from death, Jayket. One slip and we would have plunged into that chasm.”
“I know.” Jayket nibbled her earlobe. “It was magnificent, was it not, little bird?”
Suniko broke into a smile. “The best sex I’ve ever had,” she admitted. “Now let’s go into the cave.”
A look of annoyance across his features, Jayket shifted his weight to one hip, crossing his arms over his chest. “I had hoped you would have forgotten that foolishness.” When Suniko opened her mouth to protest, Jayket held up his hand. “Please, save me from your endless womanly ranting.” She saw his expression soften then. “All right,” he said, shrugging his broad shoulders in frustration, “into the dragon’s lair we go.” Jayket took her by the hand and led the way.
“Remember when you removed the arrows from D’Akola,” Suniko asked softly as they stood beside the snoring dragon. “Can you recall their location?”
Jayket nodded. “I believe so. Why?”
Suniko pointed to healing wounds on the dragon’s arm. “Were they here?” She walked to the creature’s thigh. “And here?”
“Yes, but…” Jayket’s brow furrowed. “Suniko, you can’t possibly believe—”
“Smell the poultice covering these wounds,” she urged, feathering a finger through some of the herbal mixture bordering one of the injuries. “Taste it.” She held her finger beneath Jayket’s nose. He took a whiff and then licked her fingertip.
It was no surprise to Suniko when his eyes widened.
“It is your healing poultice, Jayket, is it not?”
“It is.” He gawked at her and then shifted his gaze to the dragon. Looking back at her, he said in wonder, “D’Akola?”
She nodded. “As impossible as it seems, yes. The dragon and the man who slept beside us last night are one in the same.”
“A shape-shifter,” Jayket said.
“I’ve heard of such creatures,” Suniko agreed.
“He said he was a Guardian of Zalvanus, from Yassaria,” Jayket noted.
“I’ve heard that all males of the Yassarian tribe are trained to be guardians at an early age,” Suniko said.
Jayket nodded in confirmation. “They’re wholly dedicated to the Zalvaneans. The Yassarians helped our village battle the Pushgans several times. We’ve all heard stories of Shivrane bringing down a curse on a small band of guardians who dared to rescue prisoners from Tordanuk’s dungeon.”
Suniko shivered at the name of Tordanuk’s vile sorceress. The three-eyed beast of a woman was said to have a lump of onyx in place of a heart. “I’ve only had the displeasure of glimpsing Shivrane from a distance,” she told Jayket. “But I’ve seen the results of her malevolence far too many times. Poor D’Akola must be a man by night and dragon by day.”
“It seems so. That’s why the dragon snatched us from certain death this morning.” Jayket glanced at the creature. “It’s why he didn’t kill us. Even in his fearsome animal form D’Akola the Strong recognized us as the two who ministered to him throughout the night.”
Suniko sat on a rock, hugging her knees to her chest. “Oh, Jayket, do you realize what that means? If we hadn’t helped D’Akola last night, if you hadn’t
been there to tend his wounds and—”
“And if your sweet mouth hadn’t caringly tended his cock,” Jayket added, sitting next to her and wrapping a strong arm around her as he tongued her from chin to temple.
“We’d be dead,” she went on, delighting in Jayket’s affectionate attention. “The Pushgans would have killed us because D’Akola probably wouldn’t have lived through the night. He wouldn’t have been there to save us this morning.” The grim thought chilled her.
“So it seems your womanly compassion for both the dragon and the man saved us from a visit from Shorana.”
“Ruler of the dead,” Suniko acknowledged with a shudder.
“If not for your sympathetic leanings,” Jayket continued, “we might be lingering in Niranjan with the other spirits instead of perched atop a mountain paying a visit to our dragon.” He lifted Suniko’s hand to his mouth, brushing a kiss across her knuckles.
“Perhaps in the future you’ll remember that before you resort to name calling.” She smoothed the hand he’d just kissed along his jaw.
A hearty sigh seeped from Jayket’s lips. “As much as I hate to admit it, Suniko…you were right. I apologize for the unkind things I said earlier.”
“Of course I was right,” she responded with a confident smile. “I am a woman.” Her mighty yawn prompted Jayket’s to follow. “We didn’t get near enough sleep last night.”
“Because we couldn’t get enough of each other,” Jayket said, rimming her ear with his tongue, cupping her breast and kneading.
“Yes.” Stilling his playful hand, Suniko rolled her eyes in remembrance. “Which almost cost us our lives. We must never be that foolish again.”
“Then you must promise not to be so damn appealing,” he told her. “If it’s true that men think with their cocks, then it’s unfair of you women to give them so much to think about.”
Slipping to the rock floor, Suniko curled up far enough away from D’Akola’s dragon belly to avoid being crushed should he turn over in his sleep. Jayket situated himself behind her, molding his form to hers and draping an arm over her.
“Today’s events have sapped the last of my energy,” she said with a sleepy sigh. “I need to sleep, Jayket.”
“As much as I yearn to glove my cock in your heated depths again, little bird, I too must sleep.”
“Jayket…”
“Yes?”
“You can’t pinch my nipples that way.”
“How shall I pinch them then?”
“You’re supposed to let me sleep, remember? How can I sleep when you have me lusting anew for you?”
“Ahhh, my poor little Suniko, you’re plagued with lust?”
“Deeply.”
“Never fear. You’re in the hands of a master healer,” he whispered into her ear. “I have the cure.” His skilled fingers speared her channel and she moaned.
Sleep didn’t claim them for another few hours.
———
The roar of the dragon roused Jayket and Suniko from their slumber with a start. Rising to a sitting position, Jayket glanced across the cave, only to catch the backside of the creature as it exited the cave.
“The sun is setting,” Suniko said, rubbing her eyes as another of D’Akola’s soulful howls rent the air. “Perhaps he’s beginning to shift.” She and Jayket got to their feet.
“The sounds he makes seem as if he is in agony,” Jayket noted. “Keep your distance as he shifts form, Suniko. D’Akola may lash out in pain and hurt you without realizing it.”
“You’re right. I’ve avoided a roasting so far and I’d like to keep it that way.”
Jayket’s belly growled from gnawing hunger. If he was that hungry, he knew poor Suniko must be near starving. The delicate little creature was in sore need of meat on her bones. Ah, but what lovely bones they were, adorned with plump tits, a curl-cloaked cunt and a round, firm ass.
He watched it sway as she walked in front of him to the mouth of the cave. That ass of hers had tempted him mightily and he planned to partake in its tight, cock-clenching offerings the next time they fucked.
Jayket had never been without the charms of a woman for long. His elevated stature as priest and healer, as well as his warrior exploits, had plenty of lustful women offering themselves to him. Of course, his well-muscled physique and handsome features, or so he’d been told, didn’t hurt. And then there was the added attraction of his rumored parentage. After all, what woman would pass up the opportunity to be fucked by a half god? Not many he’d come to know.
While Jayket appreciated the attention of beautiful women, he’d never found himself particularly enamored of just one. Why settle for one when there were so many beauties from which to pluck?
Until Suniko.
The first time he set eyes on her Jayket knew she was different. This was not an ordinary woman, content with cooking and cleaning and sewing clothes. No, Suniko burned with an inner fire, a passion for life, a lust to learn. While embracing the typical female traits of compassion and sympathy, she also embodied the soul of a warrior, a true survivor. Perhaps it was because she was so headstrong. The thought brought a smile to his lips.
As much as it amazed Jayket, willful little Suniko had somehow managed to capture his heart. The notion that he’d found a woman, just one woman, to love was strange. Most extraordinary, yet entirely appealing. He’d had a good, fruitful life but never had Jayket experienced such raw passion, such incredible ecstasy in the arms of another woman.
He joined her just inside the entrance to the cave where they watched the dragon pace. Suniko leaned into him, resting her head against his chest and he knew she belonged there. Always.
“There, Jayket, did you see that?” she asked.
He watched as D’Akola’s form quickly shimmered from dragon to man and back again. The implausible image left him at a loss for words.
“Oh, look at him,” she continued, clutching Jayket’s biceps. “He seems to be in such pain. How I wish I could comfort him.”
“I’m sure he’ll appreciate your comfort more after he transforms,” Jayket assured her. Watching the dragon’s body hunch and twist wrenched something deep inside Jayket as well. It was thorny watching D’Akola suffer so and not being able to assuage his torment.
After what seemed an eternity, the dragon was no more and in its place, D’Akola, the man, knelt, his head bowed as deep breaths shuddered through him.
Suniko ran to his side, wrapping her arms around him and cradling the man.
“Are you all right, D’Akola?”
Jayket watched D’Akola turn his warm brown eyes on Suniko and smile. He nudged her cheek with his nose and then he licked her face, just as he’d done while in dragon form. Witnessing the simple gesture of affection hardened Jayket’s cock.
“I am much better with you here, Suniko,” D’Akola answered.
“Wherever did you find the strength and stamina to fly while carrying us in your talons?” she asked him, feathering a light touch at his wounds. “With such grave wounds I feared you might not make it through the night. Surely such strength is why you have earned the title D’Akola the Strong.”
“I found renewed strength through your benevolence,” D’Akola answered, threading his fingers through her hair. “You gave me a gift. Both of you.” He glanced at Jayket and smiled. “Healing, affection and camaraderie. It’s been so long since I’ve been treated with such kindheartedness. Living as a dragon by day doesn’t allow for much time to develop friendships.”
“I imagine not,” Jayket said, imagining the looks of horror on people’s faces at the sight of a dragon approaching. “What of those who have learned your shape-shifter secret? Have they not become allies?”
D’Akola huffed a humorless laugh. “The few that found out have either been terrified to the bone or they’ve made it a mission to slay me in hopes of gaining acclaim.”
“Is that how you came upon your most recent wounds?” Suniko asked. “From friends turned hunters?”
/> “No, the arrows belonged to Pushgans who spotted me as I flew low over a field to snatch up a rabbit.”
“How awful.” Suniko smoothed her fingers up and down his arm.
“I must admit to having had thoughts of slaying you,” Jayket admitted.
“Yes, but that was before Jayket realized who you were,” Suniko jumped in. “Neither of us would ever dream of killing you now, D’Akola.”
“I know you wouldn’t,” D’Akola told them. “In these last three or so years since suffering Shivrane’s curse, I have learned to judge people quite well. When I am fortunate enough to find a true friend, I do all I can to be a friend in return.”
With a lung-filling breath, D’Akola got to his feet and stretched. The sight of his magnificent, powerfully built naked body highlighted by the moon’s glow had Jayket’s cock throbbing. The man was a vision of strength, beauty and intelligence.
“I had shifted into dragon form shortly before the Pushgans found you early this morning,” D’Akola said. “While I was still weak from my injuries, I dug deep for the strength to take you to safety. Fortunately I have greater vigor and endurance while in dragon form.”
“We’re so grateful,” Suniko assured him. “If not for you we’d be in pieces on a blood-soaked field.”
“The hardest part was not eating you,” D’Akola admitted. He laughed at Suniko’s surprised gasp. “You see, there’s the ever-present problem of fighting my animal instinct and not allowing it to overcome when it’s inappropriate. My dragon belly was empty and there you stood, two succulent morsels ready to nibble on.”
“I thought I saw that hungry look in your eye,” Jayket quipped. “Suniko and I feared you’d roast us for sure.”
“Yes, that was a consideration too. Although when I breathe fire it’s more of an anger or pain response. If I were to eat you it would be raw.”
Dragon by Day Page 4
