Her Silent Knight

by Siren Allen

  Kaede scooted a little closer.

  Closer, his dragon roared.

  He scooted a little closer.

  What the hell is wrong with you? Closer.

  If he scooted any closer, his cock would touch her.

  No time for those thoughts. She’s shivering.

  Her well-being was more important than his discomfort. Kaede moved closer and wrapped his arms around his treasure. Ignoring the feel of his cock pressed against her smooth skin, he called on his dragon.

  His beast’s roar reverberated through him. Smoke circled from his nose and his skin became hotter but no fire erupted. Holding his mate close, he felt her shivers cease. It wasn’t long before her teeth stopped chattering.

  It’s working. Her core temperature is rising.

  That wasn’t the only thing rising. Gritting his teeth, Kaede closed his eyes and listened to her breathing.

  Her body isn’t erupting into flames. Her magic must no longer recognize us as a threat.

  “Must not. About time.”

  It’s your fault. You put her in this situation.

  “No need to remind me. Shit, it’s the cuffs. I forgot she was cuffed. That’s why she’s no longer attacking us.”

  “Oh, right. This is still your fault.”

  He’d already decided to spend the rest of his existence making it up to her. Kaede pulled her closer, offering her more of his warmth. With her back pressed against his chest, he buried his face in her hair and inhaled.

  Mine, his dragon whispered.

  Indeed, this treasure was theirs. Her scent washed over him. Her natural scent, a scent unique to her. She smelled of fire and flowers. It was unlike anything he’d smelled before. He burned that scent into his memory. If they were ever separated, he’d be able to find her.

  We will not be separated from her.

  “I have no intention of that happening. The Deciders, however...”

  Will die if they try to harm her.

  “We don’t even know where they’re located. We can’t take the fight to them. And for as long as I’ve been here, I’ve never heard of them taking the fight to anyone. They always send their henchmen.”

  Their henchmen will die.

  “I don’t think keeping her safe is going to be as easy as that.”

  You doubt our ability to kill those who come after her?

  “Hell no. I’m ready for that. I doubt our ability to keep her from making those late-night trips to the frozen region.”

  Oh... that.

  “Yeah, that. If I tell her she can’t go, she’ll probably try to burn me up again.”

  That sounds like something our mate will do. That will only bring her pain.

  “I would accompany her on the nights I don’t have to stand watch at the compound. But on my watch nights, I’d have to send someone else with her.”

  We cannot entrust her safety to anyone else.

  “Which is why we’re going to have a problem keeping her safe. Fuck it. I just won’t let her go.”

  Eventually, she’ll come to understand we’re only doing what we have to in order to protect her.

  “She will. That’s settled then. Once we get her to the compound, she’ll remain safely inside until I find a way to return us to the Mortal Plane. Even if it takes another sixty years to do so.”

  It’s for the best.

  “It is.”

  He would keep her safe. Even if doing so angered her. He’d rather have her mad at him than have her be captured by The Deciders’ henchmen. In time, she’d get over her anger and learn to love being safe within the walls of the compound.

  She’d make friends. She could even help the other females who live there with the daily chores. Her life would be much safer there than it had been here. He just needed to find a way to convince her of that without her trying to kill him.

  Good luck with that.

  Chapter Ten

  IT WAS WARM AND COZY.

  Sinclair couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt this comfortable. Snuggling underneath the blanket, she buried her face in its warmth. This almost reminded her of home. Not because of the rough fur rubbing against her skin.

  That reminded her that she was in the Frostlands. It was the sensation of safety she was experiencing that was reminding her of home. It was a feeling that made her think everything would be alright.

  Like when she and her sister would pretend they were asleep as their parents did their final walk-through of the house before going to bed. Her dad would check to make sure all of the doors were locked.

  Then her mother would say a spell of protection over the house and all of those who dwelled within. After the house was secure, they’d come to Sin and Shade’s bedroom to check on them.

  Only then, would they retire for the night. That was their nightly ritual all of Sin’s life. From when she was a child and shared a room with her sister. Until she became a teen and finally got her own room, which her sister often snuck into during the night.

  Gosh, she missed those days. She missed her family. She missed her dad’s smile. Her mom’s laughter. Her sister’s constant chattering. She missed her coven and her best friends. A tear trickled down Sin’s cheek. She wanted to go home.

  “Everything will be alright, treasure.”

  She was even starting to hallucinate. She could’ve sworn she heard a sexy voice whisper in her ear.

  “I’ll protect you.”

  Yeah, she was definitely hallucinating. She’d been in this place too long. Two years too long. Nights like this, well, mornings like this were the worst. She tried not to let depression kick in.

  Sometimes, she couldn’t help it. It kicked in at random times and once it had her in its grip, it was hard to shake it loose. After two years of being stuck here, it was hard to be optimistic about her future, about being saved, about surviving long enough to be saved.

  Though sunlight drifted in through the threadbare fabric covering her window, Sin’s mood was dark as night. More tears trickled down her cheeks. Today was no time for a pity party. Her list of things to do was too long for a pity party.

  At the top of that list was, torture a dragon. Sin raised her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes but paused when she realized she couldn’t move her hand. What the fuck? She lifted her head from underneath the fur to stare at her hand.

  She was handcuffed to her fucking bed. No way. Impossible. There was no way for her to be handcuffed to her bed. Both hands. To the bed. No way. Panicking, she tried to pull her hands free of the cuffs.

  Even as she did so, she knew her actions were pointless. Her brain knew that. Her panicking heart was telling her to do anything to break free. How the hell had this happened? How the hell was she going to get free?

  Wait, magic. Duh. She was a fucking witch. Brain finally starting to work, Sin whispered a spell to free herself. The handcuffs glowed bright red for a moment then returned to their silver color.

  Magic dampening cuffs. She was fucked. Totally fucked. With no lube. Fucked with a huge dinosaur dick and no lube. How? Who? When? Sin tried to sit up. That was when she noticed the massive arm pinning her down.

  How the hell had she not noticed that before? It wasn’t the warmth of the blanket she’d been feeling. It was the hot ass creature behind her. Her entire body tensed when the creature moved slightly. Something rubbed across her ass.

  Her bare ass. Why was her ass bare? And why was there a hard dick rubbing across her bare ass? Who the fuck was in her cabin? What to do? With her magic not working, she felt completely helpless. Helpless and pissed the fuck off. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the creature behind her spoke.

  “I know you’re awake. Say something.”

  That voice! A wave of dizziness washed over her. That voice was the reason she’d felt safe. That was the voice she’d heard in her dreams. The voice that had been telling her she’d be alright, that he’d protect her.

  That was the voice of the creature who’d cuffed her to her bed.
The voice of her dragon. Memories from earlier flooded her brain as her body stiffened against the beast behind her.

  She’d tried to torture him. Epic fail. All she’d succeeded in doing was hurting herself and causing herself to pass out. How had he gotten free? The chains that held him in place were spelled.

  Even if her magic had backfired on her and caused her to pass out, the spell on those chains should’ve held. They hadn’t. The dragon was free. And she was handcuffed to the bed and he was holding her. Holding her? Sin was both afraid and confused.

  “Do you remember what happened earlier?” Her dragon asked.

  Fuck yeah! That didn’t mean she had to answer him. Sin’s eyes darted around the room. Well, as much of the room as she could see without moving. There was nothing close to her that she could use as a weapon. Wait... under her pillow...

  “I removed the dagger you had under your pillow.”

  Bitch ass dragon!

  “The handcuffs you’re wearing prevent you from using your magic against me.”

  No shit, Sherlock.

  Right now, she really wished she had the misting ability that some witches in her coven possessed. The ability to phase through, or as they called it, mist through objects. Her mother and her friend Tiana could mist through doors like nobody’s business.

  Fire witches didn’t possess that ability. Being part fire witch meant she had to find another way out of these cuffs. A way that didn’t require magic. Or strength. There was no way she had the strength to break these cuffs. What to do?

  “Say something. You’re mad, I know. I’m mad too. Being mad isn’t going to solve our problems.”

  No. But killing you would solve all of my problems, Sin thought. She was going to have to reconsider her no killing policy. Becoming a murderer had perks. One of which was not ending up naked and cuffed to a bed. Seriously, why was she naked?

  “We wouldn’t be in our current situation if you hadn’t thrown a ball of fire at me, treasure.”

  A ball of fire? She’d done that? Oh, yeah. Now she remembered. That was how she passed out the second time. What kind of weak ass witch was she for passing out twice in the presence of an enemy? Her teachers at the Guardian Academy would be disappointed in her.

  “Haven’t you realized that trying to hurt me is only hurting you?”

  I’ve noticed. What’s up with that?

  “You can’t hurt me.”

  Not true. I just haven’t figured out a way to hurt you.

  “Mates can’t harm each other.”

  Not true. I will harm you... wait... did he say mates? It sounded like he said mates. He couldn’t have said mates. Maybe he wasn’t talking to her. Who else was in her house?

  “Mate, I was wrong for trying to capture you and turn you over to The Deciders.”

  Shit. He was talking to her. But mates? How had he come to that conclusion?

  “I’m ashamed of my actions.”

  Say what?

  “In my defense, at the time, I didn’t know who you were to me. I didn’t know what you were to me. I didn’t know you were my treasure.”

  That was his second time calling her that. His treasure. Did he really think she was his treasure? Sin wracked her brain for all she knew about dragons, which wasn’t much. Their treasures were usually gold and silver.

  They stockpiled it and kept it hidden. Oh, right, they kept it hidden until they found their true treasure. Their mate. Then they gave everything they’d saved up to their mate and spent the rest of their existence treasuring her.

  “I swear to you I’ll never do anything like that again.”

  She was no longer listening to him. It wasn’t her fault he’d mistaken her for his mate. In fact, she had no idea how he’d come to that conclusion. She’d tried to torture him. Mates couldn’t do that to each other.

  However, she could use this misunderstanding to her advantage. If he thought she was his mate, that meant he’d do anything for her. Like, free her from these cuffs. Yet, just asking him to do it may sound suspicious. She had to ask nicely.

  “Mate?” He pulled her closer.

  A tiny gasp escaped her as his cock pressed against her ass.

  “Please talk to me,” he whispered.

  Damn, that voice could almost make a witch forget she was his enemy. And that huge cock against her bottom could almost make her want to touch rather than torture him. Hold up. Stop the press. Touch!

  That was her way out of this. He thought she was his mate. He was hard as stone. That meant he wanted her. He wanted to be inside of her. Never happening. However, if it led to her freedom, she could make him think it was going to happen.

  She was the smartest witch alive. Moving slowly, Sinclair adjusted her body so she could stare over her shoulder. In doing so, her ass rubbed against his cock. His swift intake of air was the sound she’d hoped to hear. However, the look in his eyes damn near stole her breath.

  Not part of the plan. Focus witch. You’re the seductress here. Not this sexy dragon shifter with a big cock and an intense look in his eyes. Forget if looks could kill. If looks could fuck, she would’ve come three times by now. Focus on the mission, Sinclair.

  Forcing a smile onto her face, she whispered, “You... you’re my mate?”

  That intense look faded a fraction. Still there, it was now overshadowed by the look of happiness that swept over his features. Damn, he was handsome. Ignoring the guilt creeping over her, she brightened her smile as he spoke.

  “Yes,” he told her as he raised up and braced himself on his elbows.

  His movement caused the fur to dip lower, revealing a glimpse of her shoulder and her cleavage. His eyes strayed to her flesh. A growl rumbled through him. It even vibrated her a bit. It vibrated its way down her body and stopped at her pussy.

  At least, that was what it felt like happened. Underneath the fur, his hand strayed to her hip. Her smile wavered. His eyes didn’t. They remained glued to her cleavage. She was a big girl so she had a lot of cleavage. His hand gripped her hip. She needed to do something to take control of the situation.

  “You said I was your treasure,” she whispered in her sexy voice.

  She hoped it sounded sexy. She hadn’t had a chance to use it in two years. His gaze crept up her body until his eyes connected with hers.

  “You are,” he told her, voice deeper, even sexier.

  Sin cleared her throat. “What does that mean?”

  She already knew. She was just feeling a little lost at the moment. It had been a long time since she’d seduced someone. Actually, she’d never seduced anyone before. This was a first and she was winging it.

  “It means you’re mine.”

  Wow. That escalated fast.

  “You belong to me. And I’m yours. I belong to you.”

  She couldn’t deny the small thrill that made her feel. Still, she had no time for thrills.

  “But you wanted me dead,” she whispered coyly.

  “Never,” he growled. “I’d die before I let anything happen to you.”

  Remember those words buddy.

  “Swear it,” Sin demanded.

  “I swear on my ancestors that I’d die before I allow anyone to harm you. That includes myself and The Deciders. I’ll spend the rest of my existence protecting you. This, I swear to you, mate.”

  Tempting. Extremely tempting. But she could protect herself just fine. Usually. Today didn’t count.

  “You no longer have to fear anyone,” he told her.

  “You’ll protect me?”

  “I swear it, mate.”

  Was now the time to ask him to remove the cuffs? No. She needed him to be distracted. So distracted that he couldn’t think about what all the possible outcomes could be if he released her.

  She needed his mind focused solely on one thing. From the feel of his cock against her, she knew getting him there would be no problem. Sin licked her lips. His gaze dropped to her mouth.

  He mimicked her action. Watching him lick his lips shou
ldn’t be enticing. Damn him and his sexy mouth. She was the one doing the seducing here, not him. Come on Sin, she gave herself a mini pep talk.

  You can seduce a dragon into freeing you. This isn’t whoring, because you’re not getting paid. This is survival. Out here, only the strong survive. And there’s no one stronger than a woman with her back against the wall. Or the headboard. Same thing.

  Game plan on her mind, she turned in his direction, as much as she could with the cuffs holding her in place. The cover slipped a little more, freeing her nipple to his gaze. This time the growl that rumbled through him was louder, deeper.

  Sin clenched her thighs together, hoping that would stop the need his growls were creating inside her. It didn’t. She kept reminding herself that he’d planned to turn her over to TD. That helped suppress her desires.

  Lowering her eyes to his chest, she whispered, “I never thought I’d find my mate here.” Damn, he was ripped. Focus on the mission. Sin returned her gaze to his.

  “Neither did I,” he whispered while lowering his head a fraction.

  His scent was masculine. A mixture of pine trees, whiskey, and fire. Only a fire witch would find that scent mouthwatering. It reminded her of her camping days with her family. Fire with a hint of sweet. Mouthwatering.

  “Are you okay with it?” He asked. “Are you okay with being mine?”

  The vulnerability that could be heard in his question tugged on her heart-strings. She cut those strings, freeing herself from the guilt that would consume her if she put his wants and goals before her own. Only the heartless survived here.

  “I’m more than okay with it,” she lied. “I’m happy I’ve found you. I no longer have to be alone. I’ve been so... lonely.”

  There were those panty-soaking growls she was becoming accustomed to hearing. Well, she didn’t have on panties, thanks to the fire spell she’d used earlier. So, there were those thigh-soaking growls she was becoming accustomed to hearing.

  “Have you been lonely?” She asked, surprised by the husky sound of her own voice.

  His hand trailed over her hip and down her thighs only to reverse and trail back up. His head dipped lower, bringing his face even closer to hers.