by Rinelle Grey
It felt like every pore in his skin was opening up and letting her in. Their chests pressed up against each other, and their hearts connected, beating as one.
Need washed over Taurian. Need to make her his, need to be part of her. He just wasn’t quite sure how this worked. At what point did they become mated? Would he feel it? Would he know?
Then the need washed all that away. It would happen. He just needed to go with it.
He thrust into her, frantic, wanting to feel every part of her all at once.
Karla’s hands urged him to go faster, harder, more, and even though he was sure he couldn’t, he somehow found a way.
Taurian stared into her eyes. She was his lifemate. Never had a word sounded sweeter. Never had it been more meaningful.
Never had he wanted anything so much.
He built up a rhythm, sliding in and out, building up intensity, sending every muscle taut.
Then it all washed over him at once. His need for her, his love for her, his connection to her. He felt his breathing and heartrate slowed, and synched with hers. For a few seconds, their hearts beat as one.
This was it. This was the moment. And it felt so right. All the tension and fears and doubts Taurian had ever had washed away in this moment. Instead, he was filled with certainty, love, and acceptance. She was his, and he was hers.
Forever.
Waves of ecstasy flooded through him, and he could feel Karla responding in kind. The emotional connection between them went even deeper. He only wished he could tell her, but no words would convey this feeling.
He didn’t need to. Her eyes reflected it straight back at him.
“You are my mate,” he proclaimed loudly in her mind.
“I am,” Karla’s mind voice was filled with the same pride and love that his was.
Taurian pulled back to look at her, his breath catching in his throat. But no, he was pretty sure she was still a human. She’d just somehow gained a dragon voice. He’d thought the ability to speak directly into each other’s minds without words was exclusive to dragons, but apparently not.
That was going to come in handy.
Taurian lay down and pulled her close, his urgency fading now. She was his. No rushing any more. His fingers trailed over her bare skin and his lips found hers.
“Taurian?”
Karla’s lips didn’t have to part from his to say the dragon speech words. Another advantage.
“Yes?”
“You know how you wanted to take things slowly?” The growing intensity of her lips on his were a delicious contrast to her slow words.
“Mmhm?”
“Maybe we could try that now?”
Chapter 59
Karla stared down at what had been her wedding dress, her face heating at the memory of how enthusiastic she’d been last night when Taurian had torn it off her. “There’s no way I can wear this again today,” she told her mate. “I don’t care how important it is for the clan to know you’re virile.”
Taurian gave her a look that turned her insides to liquid.
Seriously. How could he keep doing that? They’d made love, quite thoroughly, at least three times last night. Maybe four, depending on whether that second time counted as once or twice.
Would this need for him ever dull?
Not that she wanted it to. But a break while she had to go out in public, would be nice.
“The mating costume is supposed to be unwearable after the final night,” he assured her. “No one will be surprised at you wearing something different.”
That was a relief. “Is there anything special that’s supposed to happen this morning?”
Taurian nodded. “You will be formally welcomed into the clan, and we will have our first clan meeting as joint leaders.”
Karla stared at him. So drop her right in it, then. She took a deep breath. She could do this.
“So no pressure then.”
Taurian smiled. “I have faith in you, mate.”
His voice filled her mind, washing away any doubts. “I will do my best to live up to it, mate,” she replied, still amazed that they could communicate like this, mind to mind.
“You already have.”
Karla’s heart warmed at his certainty, and that helped her remain confident as she dressed in her normal clothes, and she and Taurian walked down into the main clan room, hand in hand.
Dragons and humans cheered when they saw them, and there were a few whistles. Karla felt herself blushing, which only made the cheers louder.
Finally, Mesrian put up a hand, and the crowd quietened. “Welcome, Prince Taurian and Princess Karla.”
That necessitated another cheer, which gave Karla a moment to collect her thoughts. She’d totally forgotten that being leader of Rian clan with Taurian meant she was a princess. Would she ever get used to that?
At least she didn’t have to wear a crown.
She felt like royalty though, as she and Taurian sat and ate breakfast with the clan. Everyone focused on making sure she had what she wanted, and offering particularly nice fruit or drinks to her. It was a little overwhelming, to be honest.
It was almost a relief when Ostrian broke the happy mood. “So, what are your plans for waking your brothers and sisters then, since we will never have a life dragon to protect us now.”
Was he ever going to get over this?
“Once my mate and I have finished settling in to our new home and new roles, that will be the first order of business.” Taurian’s voice was calm. “Since we have already shown that we can hold off the Trima clan, thanks to Karla’s help,” Taurian put a hand over hers, “I foresee no problems with waking them all in short order. I hope to have the full Rian rulers joining us here within the month.”
It sounded so easy, when he said it.
“Then we’d better start selecting dragons to wake them.” Mesrian’s voice was full of suppressed excitement.
“Actually, I’m not so sure that’s such a good idea,” Taurian said quietly.
“What? Not a good idea? But you said you were going to wake them? How can you wake them but not wake them?” Mesrian frowned.
“I didn’t mean not wake them. I mean I think we should continue to let humans wake them.”
Taurian’s words produced a stunned silence in the lair.
“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Karla asked privately.
“Can you think of a better one? If your people are putting all that effort into protecting my dragons from our enemies, then I think they deserve proper recognition for it. They need to be a real part of our clan, not just hired warriors. I can’t think of a better way to show that than giving them the honour of waking my brothers and sisters. If they wish it, of course.”
Karla nodded slowly. Taurian’s words made sense, but would his people see it that way?
“Let humans wake our princes and princesses?” Ostrian’s voice was a screech. “Sacrilege. How dare you even suggest it.”
Taurian didn’t respond to the vitriol in his voice directly. He just said quietly, “Karla seems to have done a perfect job. Are you saying you don’t believe the rest of her people would?”
“They’re not dragons,” Ostrian said firmly. “They can’t possibly understand.”
“Then let us show them. Let’s invite them to be part of our world, as fully as we are.” Taurian’s voice was full of passion and intensity. It started to wash off on those around him. They exchanged glances, their faces still a little uncertain.
“We have more in common than you might guess,” Karla said quietly. “I think, if you let my people in, you will all see that.”
“Your people don’t really understand our ways, no offence,” Mesrian said quickly. “While I have no grudge against humans, can they understand and be willing to participate in the Mesmer ritual? Your culture views sex differently. I wouldn’t want to put undue pressure on anyone. Or have them expect more of the relationship than our dragon prince or princess is prepared to give.”<
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Taurian looked to her, letting her answer that one.
Karla gave a small smile. “I’m pretty sure that we can sort that one out. Just so long as they are given a choice and the ritual is explained to them beforehand.”
Mesrian hesitated, then nodded, and stood back, her concerns satisfied.
Taurian looked around the clan, meeting everyone’s eyes, then nodded. “It is settled then. We shall select humans to both protect, and wake, my brothers and sisters. Do we have any volunteers?
Not surprisingly, Lisa almost leapt out of her seat, waving her hand in the air. “Me. Me. I volunteer. Please?”
Taurian laughed. “Lisa, I bestow upon you the duty of waking my brother, Verrian.”
Lisa’s face was wreathed in smiles. “What is he like? Tell me about him?”
Taurian considered her question for a moment. “Verrian is a sound dragon. His magic is based on the manipulation of sound.”
Lisa obviously tried to hide her disappointment, but failed miserably. “You mean he doesn’t shoot fire or lightning?”
Taurian smiled. “Nothing so obvious for my brother. His power is subtle and controlled, and very, very beautiful when he chooses. I’m sure you will be suitably impressed when you meet him.”
Lisa swallowed, and nodded. “I’m sure I will.”
Taurian nodded. “That’s one,” he said. “Any others?”
To Karla’s surprise, Bruce stood up. He looked so dashing with his arm in a sling. His hair was even a little mussed, probably from the lack of mirrors in the lair. The more relaxed look suited him. “I would be happy to accept the honour, if you consider me suitable?”
He looked uncertain, but determined.
“Your choice, my mate.” Taurian’s voice filled her mind, his doubt obvious. “Do you think he is up to the task?”
Karla looked at Bruce. Her estimation of his character had only risen throughout their adventure together, even though she had become more and more certain that she had never really loved him. “He threw himself in front of a gun to save my life, I’m sure he can handle it,” she said with certainty.
Their conversation took mere seconds, the pause unnoticed by the clan.
“We would be honoured,” Taurian said solemnly. “Bruce, it will be your duty to wake my sister, Lyrian, princess of the wind.”
“I shall do my best to honour her,” Bruce said simply.
Karla was sure he would. He was the perfect candidate.
“Any others?” Taurian asked.
Chase volunteered readily as well. Aunt Mary looked tempted, but didn’t say anything. Karla made a mental note of that, but didn’t say anything.
“Thank you for your enthusiasm,” Taurian said solemnly. “I’m sure we will find more volunteers along the way to wake the others.”
“When will we start” Lisa asked impatiently.
Taurian looked around the clan, then nodded. “Next week,” he said. “Our next adventure will begin then.”
Karla felt the excitement well up in her too.
She and Taurian may be mated, but that didn’t mean their adventure was over. There was still so much to do.
The adventure was only beginning.
The End
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She may not be a dragon, but it was her humanity they needed right now.
With time running out before his clan’s prince is discovered by mining or killed by enemy dragons, dragon shifter Jayrian needs to convince the elders to accept help from the humans. He hopes that the clever librarian, Gretchen, might be able to help him with that. He didn’t count on falling for her—that wasn’t part of his plan at all.
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Read about Wayrian and Chase in Wayrian: Dragon's Cowboy - Available now!
Dragon shifter Wayrian just wants to live a quiet life. Fat chance of that when her clan is at war and her grandfather wants her to marry a prince. As if that isn’t enough, a crazy goddess appears in her dreams and threatens to turn her clan human if Wayrian doesn’t marry her fated mate by the Blood Moon.
A mate who is not a prince.
Who isn’t even a dragon.
Despite being lured away from his father’s cattle station by the excitement of the dragon shifters, Chase is careful to keep his distance. He’s happy to help out by waking one of the dragon princesses, but he isn’t planning on mating forever—even if Wayrian thinks that’s the only way to save her people. He doesn’t believe in true love, he’s been burned before.
But when a reporter bent on exposing the dragons' existence drives Chase and Wayrian into hiding on the cattle station, things between them begin to heat up. The only problem is that Wayrian’s grandfather, hiding with them, is determined to keep them apart at all costs. Will Wayrian risk her grandfather’s ire to save her people, or will she make her own choice?
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Wayrian - Chapter 1
Wayrian sat up and rubbed her eyes, staring around her cave. But no one was there to see her bewilderment. She was in exactly the same place, and her world was exactly the same as it had been before she went to sleep.
She heaved a sigh of relief, marred only by a tinge of disappointment. It had all been a dream then. A very strange dream, but a dream none the less.
That thought should have brought her comfort, but it didn’t. The goddess hadn’t hidden the fact that she had appeared to them in a dream. She’d admitted that everyone was dreaming. But she had said it was real too.
Wayrian shivered. A dream couldn’t be real, could it? Her clan didn’t worship any gods or goddesses. In fact, given their magical powers, they had always felt they were in more of a position of being gods than serving them. And this goddess who had appeared in her dream, Allendra, wasn’t even one of the humans’ gods. She’d never even heard of her before.
She must have dreamt the whole thing.
There couldn’t really be a goddess that no one had ever heard of who was going to turn her whole clan back into humans if she didn’t find her fated mate by the end of the Blood Moon?
Could there?
Hopefully not, because that wasn’t a lot of time, and it wasn’t as if the goddess had actually been open about who this fated mate was supposed to be. Wayrian couldn’t even begin to guess.
She heaved a sigh. It was a nice thought, that the perfect man for her existed somewhere out there, but reality didn’t work like that. In reality, even if she found someone she loved, her grandfather would just forbid the relationship.
If it had been just her grandfather’s disagreement, she might have stood a chance. Though the elders would consider her grandfather’s disapproval, they had been known to overrule parent figures before.
But her grandfather wasn’t just her sole living relative. Her grandfather was one of the elders so she had little hope of ever getting permission to mate anyone other than one of the princes. Not unless they were all already mated. Or dead.
Since disobeying an elder was a severe offence in Rian clan, punishable by banishment from the clan, that didn’t leave her many options. Not unless she could somehow convince her grandfather of the dream’s importance.
As though summoned by her thoughts, her grandfather’s shrill voice echoed inside her mind, a private message for her alone. Wayrian winced as soon as she heard his first word. The dragons’ ability to speak directly into each other’s mind over short distances meant she could never escape him.
“Wayrian, hurry up. They are about to leave. I told
you, you must go with them. It’s important that you catch Prince Verrian’s eye as early as possible. You may even have the chance to impress him if Ultrima does turn up for a fight. Have you been practising your water jet? I’m sure it is powerful enough to knock a dragon out of the sky.”
Wayrian bit her lip. Her grandfather’s insistence on the need for her to impress Prince Verrian was a little embarrassing. She somehow didn’t think that the prince would be considering mating as soon as he woke. He’d be far more concerned with figuring out where he was, and why so much time had passed while he was in the Mesmer sleep. If he noticed anyone, it would be the human woman who woke him.
She didn’t dare tell her grandfather that. Instead, she obediently threw back her furs and began to get ready.
She had been practising, but her grandfather’s assumption was far from true. Maybe there would be enough water to give her water jet some power if they lived somewhere other than the dry, arid plains of inland Australia, but out here…
She wasn’t going to say that to her grandfather. He would just tell her to mind her elders, and remind her that when she’d lived as long as he had, she might be able to offer a useful opinion.
As scared as she was of being in the middle of another battle, it wasn’t worth the argument. He would win. He always did, and she’d just be wrung out at the end of it.
Eventually, her grandfather would have his way, and she’d mate with one of the princes. She just hoped she didn’t have to go through too much turmoil first.
Even though Taurian, the first prince to be woken, had chosen to marry his human mate instead of her, she didn’t hold a grudge. In fact, when she did consider him, it was with the wistful hope that one day she would meet someone who loved her as much as he obviously loved Karla.
That reminded her of the dream. The goddess had said that everyone either knew their fated mate or would meet them soon, but she’d been looking directly at Wayrian when she said some of them had already met their mate, and Wayrian was sure it was the case for her.
