by Kira Nyte
But there was no pain.
No regret.
Nothing but pure completion as he claimed her.
“Damn,” he said, their foreheads pressed together. “I’m sorry.”
“Why?” She stroked his cheek, reveling in the feel of him inside her. The wonder and pulsing anticipation.
He chuckled. “I didn’t hurt you.”
“No.” She allowed his hand on her lower back to guide her into a slow, methodical rock. “Mmm. I never imagined it feeling good.”
“I was hoping to shatter you.” He kissed an area below her ear that made her croon. “However, I think I might enjoy gently delivering you to bliss instead.” He pressed his fingers against her neck, easing her head to the side as he nibbled his way to her shoulder. “Ah, yes. Most certainly gentle.”
To emphasize his words, he rolled and laid her down on the blanket without interrupting their steady rock together. She hooked her ankles at his back as he kept an easy pull-and-push rhythm. His lips caressed her, kissed her, consumed her with a depth of passion she had only imaged.
Slowly, the pressure built. Slowly, her nerves began to sing. Slowly, the burning ache intensified until she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Oh, Taryn,” she whimpered, clenching down around him.
A snarl escaped Taryn. The battle between man and dragon flared in his eyes. His controlled thrusts grew stronger and harder. He dipped his head and crushed his mouth to hers, possessing her with each sweep of his tongue. She clung to him as that sweet symphony of pleasure speared through her with each piston of his hips. She rode with him until he launched the merciless explosion of bliss through her body, shredding her to bits and pieces of beaming light, screaming nerves, and the ultimate encompassing ecstasy.
Floating through euphoria, soul caught in pleasure, she heard a muffled groan before heat filled her. Heat and bliss and perfection.
The heavy weight of Taryn’s body shifted from above her to beside her. He gathered her into his arms. They clung to each other, bodies trembling, breaths shaky, hearts racing.
This was life. This was happiness. This was contentment.
Gabby calmed her breathing and tipped her head up. Taryn watched her through sharp eyes that glowed with wonder.
“I never want to be without you, Taryn.”
The corner of his mouth curled as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I will always be here for you.”
A truth settled in the deepest crevices of her heart.
A heart that belonged to Taryn.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Come on in!” Ariah urged Gabriella from the center of the swimming hole. “If it’s too cold for you, the guys will warm it up a bit more.”
Taryn dangled one leg into the warm water from where he sat on the edge of the swimming hole. He kept his arm draped lightly over Gabriella’s shoulder as she leaned back into his chest, her feet dancing over the water’s surface.
“Maybe in a little while,” she called back.
“Do you want to go in?” Taryn asked, stroking her arm with his fingertips.
The swimming hole was filled with dragons, Keepers, and lifemates, splashing and enjoying the late afternoon weather. They only missed Cade and Tajan, and waited on Zareh and Kaylae. Alazar had prepared snacks and Briella, Ariah, and Amelia had set them up on makeshift tables beneath the weeping branches of a nearby tree.
Syn swam over to them and hoisted himself onto the rocky prominence. He plopped on his ass and shook his head, sending beads of water everywhere. Gabriella shrieked and curled into Taryn.
“Bastard,” Taryn snapped.
“I’ve never known you to sit on the sidelines.” His brow arched and his gaze flicked to Gabriella. “Unless—”
“Don’t you even go there,” he growled.
Syn laughed. “I see how it is. You don’t like being on the receiving end of the taunts. Just remember what you put me through.”
“Syn, stop it.” Briella tread her way over to them and rolled her eyes. “You two could drive a saint mad with your bickering.” She smiled at Gabriella. “If you don’t want to come in, don’t. Not everyone likes water.”
“It’s not that I don’t like the water. I just…never mind,” Gabriella said, waving away her comment.
“If it’s because you don’t have a suit, none of us do. We’re all going in underwear or clothed. At least you missed Gabe and Emery’s attempt to skinny-dip. I think Alazar would have roasted their scales and set them out with the rest of the snacks had they not gotten their clothes back on.”
Briella’s cheeks flushed. Taryn caught Syn’s scowl. His friend wasn’t too pleased that his lifemate received an eye full of another man’s package. Or two.
“Syn, concerned you might have something to worry about?” Taryn teased.
“Brother, I know I have nothing to worry about.” He slid back into the water and tugged Briella into his arms. “Right, sweet?”
Briella giggled. “You know you don’t have to ask me that.”
Taryn snickered as the two swam off to join a game of dragon-style chicken. He kissed Gabriella’s temple.
“What’s keeping you out of the water?” he asked against her ear. “I sense your desire to go in.”
She sighed. “Don’t laugh.”
“Why would I laugh?”
She twisted to look back at him. “I never learned how to swim. Doggy paddle is the best I can do, and I don’t do that well.”
Taryn blinked. “That’s the only thing keeping you out of the water?”
“Only? I think that’s a pretty good reason.”
Taryn laughed and stood up, pulling Gabriella to her feet. He stripped off his shirt and jeans, leaving only a pair of boxer briefs on. He kept a few pairs for instances like these, but otherwise didn’t care for the undergarments.
He basked in the appreciative perusal he earned from his beloved and gave her chin a playful pinch.
“You don’t have much on under that, do you?” he asked, motioning to her pink camisole and the black shorts. “Please tell me you have underwear on at least?”
“And if I don’t?”
Taryn snorted. “You’re bad.”
Gabriella winked. “I’m learning from you.” She unbuttoned the shorts and gave him a peek of the simple striped panties beneath. “You’re safe.”
“Darling angel, I’m never safe around you.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead then dove into the water.
“It’s about damn time!” Emery said, sending an arc of water to drop on top of Taryn’s head as he shook his wet hair from his face. He deflected the arc with a spurt of magic and sent it splashing into the pool beside him. “Pansy!”
“Watch it, bro! I’m going to kick your ass in chicken,” Taryn warned. Laughter erupted from the group as he turned to Gabriella and held out his hands. “Come on, love.”
She licked her lips in that sexy way that never failed to ramp his blood to boiling. “Maybe I should wait. I don’t want anyone to—”
“Angel, not a single person here will have anything to say. We’re family. We help our own. So if you want to swim, swim. I’ll teach you. Everyone here will teach you. You’ll be a pro by sunset.”
“Ugh, you’re impossible.”
The miniscule grin that played along her mouth gave away her ease.
“One day you’ll love me for it.”
As much as he wished she reciprocated the love he felt for her, he knew she was still working out her past. He would wait forever to hear those sweet words from her lips.
She slipped out of the shorts and sat back down, cautiously lowering herself into the water. Taryn moved closer as she pushed away from the side and began a frantic paddling until he grabbed her about the waist.
“Water’s nice, right?” he asked.
“Yeah, uh, sure.”
“You scared to put your head under?”
Her eyes widened a fraction. “What do you mean?”
“Take
a deep breath when I say and hold on. Blow the air out your nose as we go under.”
“You’re kidding—”
“Breathe.” He sucked in a large breath, cutting her off and startling her into following his lead. Tightening his hold on her waist, he pulled her under the water.
Her eyes went wide and her mouth moved soundlessly. She started to resist his lead until he waved his hand in front of her face, forcing her to focus on him. When she did, he pointed to the underwater patches of brilliantly colored flowers and stones that dotted the perimeter of the pool’s bottom. Small fish darted out of sight, taking refuge in the plants.
“See the things we miss when we don’t take risks?”
Gabriella twisted and turned, taking in the underwater oasis. An entirely new world of strange, magical, and beautiful creations. Taryn stared at her, the golden color of her hair capturing the dappled sunlight from above as it floated around her angelic face. Her eyes so utterly blue flooded with awe. Tiny bubbles drifted up from her nose. One caught in her lashes.
“I need air.”
“Come closer.” Taryn guided her head to his and covered her mouth with his own, sealing their lips. “Breathe, love.”
“Breathe?”
“Yes.”
She took a small breath at first, then a large one, drawing from the reserve in his lungs. When she leaned back, she blinked at him before placing a finger against his lips. He grinned.
“How is that possible?”
He brought her closer to the bottom of the pond. “Dragons have reserves. To help us survive extremes.”
“How long can you stay under water?”
Taryn pulled himself to the rocky bottom and guided Gabriella down beside him. He gave her another breath, then pointed to a crevice in the rocky wall.
“Depends. Alone, a few hours. Providing air for another, about an hour or so. Also depends on the depth I’m at. Ah!” He squeezed her hip gently as a rainbow fish with long, feathery-like fins cautiously emerged from the crevice. Gabriella’s mounting excitement poured into him, creating a delightful glow. Her hand slipped over his knee and her fingers gripped tight as the rest of her tensed.
“The marine life here is nothing like what you’ll see on Earth. And when the water is crystal clear, like it is here, the brilliance is pretty breathtaking. Many of those fish tend to hide until nightfall, when their scales don’t reflect the sunlight and enhance their colors as much.”
The fish swam a little closer, then twisted in a trail of colors and sped back into the crevice.
The water-dulled sound of rocks scraping together drew Taryn around. Gabe snorted, steaming bubbles rising from his nose toward the surface. He motioned with a finger toward the surface, then made a motion of cradling a baby.
“Zareh and Kaylae have arrived, and they’ve brought the baby,” Taryn said. He gave Gabe a thumb’s up and waited for his brother to leave before providing another breath to his angel. This time, he stole a quick kiss, followed by a second. Her fingers danced over his face as she indulged in the sweep of his tongue and the air that filled her lungs. Her joy and contentment was near tangible. “We should go back up.”
“But I can’t swim on the surface.”
Taryn wagged a finger. “Remember what we’ve agreed about that word. Can’t leads to won’t. You’ll swim. Trust me.”
He took her by the hands and guided her to the surface without her needing another breath. When she broke through the water, she grappled for his shoulders. He tsked and held her steady beneath her arms, keeping her head above water.
He shook his hair away from his face and smiled. “Relax, angel. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Look. Did I let you drown at the bottom of the pool?”
Gabriella’s nervousness turned into a flash of exasperation. “This is different.”
“Going under is different. This is a piece of cake. Just let your body rest on the surface and kick your legs. I’ve got your arms.”
Taryn watched Gabriella’s expression morph from unsettled to frustrated to self-conscious, and finally relax by the time they reached the opposite side of the pool. Everyone had climbed out of the water to greet Zareh and Kaylae, and get their dose of baby in before snatching up some snacks.
He helped her out of the water and hoisted himself out once she was safely on the grass.
“Was that so bad?” he asked quietly, slipping his arm around her waist when she shivered. The goose bumps that popped up over her arms didn’t survive the heat of his body.
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Good.” He led her to the crowd and waited for an opening to usher her closer. Zareh came over, hands in the pockets of his jeans, and motioned toward his lifemate. Kaylae sat on the grass, her dark hair tied up and her hazel eyes glowing with the love of a new mom as she basked in the coos and ogles her son received. “How’s the whole dad role panning out for you?”
“Definitely an adjustment, but I wouldn’t change it for the universe. Kaylae’s a natural when it comes to all that maternal instinct gibberish.” Zareh’s green gaze landed on Gabriella. “How’re you doing? That canopy still holding up?”
Gabriella nodded, sinking closer to Taryn. “Doing well. And, yes, still hanging strong. Thanks again for your help.”
“That’s what we do.” He turned his focus back to the woman and infant. Ariah and Briella were making strange noises and faces at the bundle. “You haven’t met Kaylae yet. Let me introduce you.”
Taryn nudged Gabriella forward in Zareh’s wake. He followed. Kaylae looked up as Zareh neared, her gaze on him, then shifting to Taryn and Gabriella.
“This is Gabriella, Taryn’s lifemate,” Zareh said, sitting beside his woman.
Kaylae beamed at Gabriella, warming Taryn’s spirit. That everyone accepted her with open arms eased his dragon and his own conscience. Janice had a black reputation, and the last thing he wanted was to see any residual ill feelings fall onto his woman. It was bad enough he was guilty of doing just that on their first meeting. The guilt of that encounter continued to gnaw at his spirit.
“Call me Gabby,” Gabriella said. “I’ve heard much about you and your son from everyone.”
The bundle of blankets moved and a tiny arm popped out. A ripple of translucent red scales came and went over the small fingers.
Kaylae’s cheeks flushed. “Jessyn always steals the show. Zareh was telling me a bit about you. I haven’t had much opportunity to get together with anyone since returning here. It was unexpected and very sudden. We were living in Georgia and had planned to wait until the baby came before migrating.” Her grin widened as she placed her finger against Jessyn’s palm and received a secure squeeze in return. “Then he came along a few weeks ago. This is my first time out since having him. I’m looking forward to spending more time with other women.”
“Well, we all have a bond we share. A sisterhood, so to speak,” Ariah chimed in before she leaned over the bundle and crossed her eyes. Taryn bit back a chuckle and watched Gabriella’s eyes gleam down at the baby. “The dragons are brothers, after all.”
“Hey, Al. Think you might be needing to concern yourself with a dose of baby fever here,” Emery said, hitching his thumb toward Ariah.
Alazar laughed and crossed his arms over his chest. He had tied his wet hair into a knot at the nape of his neck, but a few stubborn strands remained plastered to his face. “I think we’ve decided to hold off on that for a while longer.”
“Like you use condoms,” Gabe interjected.
Ariah groaned. “Really, Gabe? My uncle’s standing five feet away. I don’t need our love life being discussed in front of our parental figures, thank you.”
Ariah’s uncle, Mark, reddened beneath his neatly trimmed beard. The Keeper rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d appreciate that as well, Gabe.”
While comebacks ping-ponged back and forth, Taryn noticed Gabriella’s expression change from wonder to something altogether angelic. She leaned closer to the baby, her li
ps curling upward as she admired the infant.
“He’s precious,” Gabriella murmured.
“Thank you.” Kaylae lifted his tiny hand and placed a kiss on his fingers. “It’s been a wild ride.”
“That I can agree with.”
“While there’s baby talk in the air, Syn and Taryn, any thoughts on the subject?” Saralyn asked.
Oh, how he adored the woman, but the look of masked horror that came over Gabriella’s face almost made him snap at her for bringing the subject up. Yeah, he wanted kids, but apparently his angel had other thoughts.
“Mom, you already know we’ll be giving you grandbabies at some point. But like Al and Ari, we’re not in any rush,” Briella said. “And I certainly don’t think that’s even a point to be made with Taryn and Gabby yet.”
Taryn clapped his hands together, drawing their attention. “How about we steal a few bites to eat and get back to those games of chicken?” He made a gun with his fingers and pointed it at Emery. “I’ve got an ass to kick.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Taryn milked a single drop of blood from the pad of his finger and spread it through the narrow channel in the stone. It took a few moments for the magic to adhere to his essence and open the secret compartment in his vault. When the brick door slid down into the wall and exposed the dark wooden box, he found himself hesitant to reach for it.
Decades had passed since he last opened the secret door, shortly after the attack on The Hollow that killed Corvin. Cade had been heartsick after rummaging through the remnants of their world, searching for survivors and the dragonstones of those lost to the Baroqueth.
He found his own beneath the crushed mountain home of one of their less fortunate brothers. The world had been thrown into the proverbial blender by the time the slayers were through with their attack, and the dragons had time to regroup after defending their world.
It had taken years for the dragon and Keeper blood spilled in the battle to seep deep enough into the ground that it didn’t taint the low-lying rivers and ponds.
He gathered the box and the key and closed the door. Before he left his vault, his hoard, he rummaged through some of the jewelry he had collected over the centuries and chose a simple piece he hoped Gabriella would like. A thin, gold chain with a teardrop ruby. The red would be perfect against her creamy skin. She had so far refused to accompany him to see his hoard. Each time, she insisted none of his wealth mattered to her.
