“I will not be gone long and then I will take you to them and show them that I have kept you alive and well,” he said before he ducked out the door.
I stared at the empty doorway for several minutes after he left and wondered how I could have let myself get so tangled up with someone I barely knew who happened to be a creature that was not even of the world as I knew it. As far as I had known, dragons were pretend creatures that had been created for movies and TV shows. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would find one.
I knew that I needed to get in contact with Ming and Lu and I started to regret promising him I would not leave the tree house until he returned. I reached into the side table by the bed and pulled out my phone, hoping there would be a bit of signal. I was surprised to see two bars of signal and I immediately sent a text to Ming:
Ming,
I just wanted to let you know that I am alive and well. I have learned so much about Mishal while staying here. If my nosey sister tries to contact, you do not let her know anything about me not being there. I do not want to have to deal with another lecture from her. He has gone from the tree house for now and asked me not to leave, but I will be returning to your house as soon as he gets back.
June
I hit the send button and waited for a response from her. I grabbed my phone quickly when the tone sounded only to find a text from my sister instead of Ming:
June,
I have not heard from you in several days. I need to know that you are okay and that is all. I do not want you to tell me what you are doing or who you are with. I assume you are still with the strange man in the area by the volcano and if that is true then just please be careful. You are the only family I have, and I do not want to lose you.
Love,
Your annoying older sister
I wiped the tears from my eyes and read her message over again before hitting reply. I stared at the blank screen and blinking cursor for what seemed like hours before I could form a single word to write to her. Finally, I just decided to write what I thought instead of trying to plan something out. It brought tears to my eyes again to realize that she finally understood that she did not have to be overbearing and manipulative like our parents had been and I looked forward to our relationship growing stronger from this point on. I clicked on the button to bring up the keyboard on the screen and began typing my reply.
Sam,
I am okay. I have not had any cell reception the past few days and I am sorry for not being able to let you know sooner. I have learned so much and I cannot wait to share the things I have learned with you. I am so glad you are my sister and I will be home soon I promise. I do not think you are annoying either.
Love,
Your crazy younger sister
I snapped my phone closed and placed it back in the drawer. I hated being alone in the quiet, it made me feel so alone. I decided I was going to take a shower to pass the time. I gathered the things that I would need and made my way to the bathroom. I turned the water on and let it warm up as I undressed. I laid my discarded clothes in a pile beside the door and stepped into the steaming shower.
Once the water was the temperature, I wanted it to be, I submerged my entire body into the stream of the shower. My thoughts drifted to the time he was in the shower with me and I became aroused at the thought of it. I felt heat pool between my legs as I remembered the feel of his touch and how his lips felt against my skin. I knew I needed more of him and now that I knew more of his story, I was ready to give him more of me if he wanted it.
As my thoughts swirled in my mind, my hand roamed my body. I wanted so badly for him to be touching me again, but I knew my hand would have to do for now. I moaned softly as my fingers slid between my soft, wet folds of flesh. I plunged two fingers deep inside me as my thumb teased my swollen clit. I continued thrusting my fingers in and out of my dripping pussy as I thought of Mishal and all the things he had done to me and the things I wanted him to do. I cried out as my release came crashing over me and my legs almost buckled beneath me. I quickly finished my shower and dried off with a towel, wrapping it around my body as I made my way back to the bedroom. I laid on the bed still wrapped in the towel and proceeded to pleasure myself again as thoughts of Mishal floated through my mind.
No one I had been with before had ever captured my attention as Mishal had and I wondered if he might be right about me being meant to be his queen. I never pictured myself being the kind of woman to rule a kingdom. I could barely rule my own life and keep a fish alive. I knew that he had gotten to me so completely that I would do anything I needed to for him including rule a kingdom.
As I neared climax once again, I heard the door open signaling Mishal’s return. I did not want him to find me pleasuring myself, but I could not bring myself to stop. My fingers were buried deep inside my throbbing pussy when he entered the doorway. I watched as his cock hardened against his pants immediately and he pulled them off. I cried out as my orgasm crashed like waves over me and before my spasms could subside, Mishal had buried his head between my legs.
As we laid together after hours of pleasure, I knew in that moment was where I was supposed to be.
Weeks had passed and I was still at the treehouse with Mishal. The others had returned but stayed away from me as they did not think I was good enough for their king from what I was told. Mishal argued with the one called Danol daily and it saddened me that I was the reason for the discord between them. I listened to them yell at each other in the other room and decided that I would go and stay with Ming again for a while to lessen the fighting between them.
I gathered the things that I had acquired while being there with him and put them in my bag that he had taken me to get from Ming’s house weeks before. I walked into the main living area where they were arguing, and they stopped short when they saw me.
“What are you doing, June?” Mishal asked with an edge of panic to his voice.
“I am going to go stay at Ming’s for a while until you boys can get your hormones under control,” I snapped harder than I intended.
Mishal quickly came to where I was and put his hands on my shoulders.
“Please June, do not leave. I need you here with me,” he pleaded.
“Mishal, I am not going to stay gone, I just need time away from the arguing and I need to spend time with my friends. I have not seen them since we went to get my bags from Ming’s house,” I said.
His posture stiffened and his eyes went flat as I stepped away from him to go to the door. I saw the way he looked at me and I knew he thought I was running away from him like others had. I knew I needed to reassure him that was not what I was doing and that I would be back.
“Mishal, do not look so sad. I will be back to you. I just need time away from the chaos that the arguing creates. When you two get your stuff figured out then you can come for me at Ming’s. I promise you I am not running from you,” I declared as I kissed him softly before slipping out the door.
I hurried down the spiral staircase and made my way down the trail. I made sure I did not look back or I would not be able to leave. I heard the yelling start up again and I shook my head as I continued my walk down the trail. I thought of the look on his face as I left, and my eyes filled with tears. I hated that he thought I was running like others had. I reached the trail head and headed down the main road as I checked my phone for signal.
I discovered that I had full signal and promptly ordered a car to pick me up. As I waited for the car, I heard a loud roar in the distance. I had to fight the urge to turn around and run back to the treehouse. I knew they were physically fighting at that moment, and I worried for his safety. At that moment the car pulled up and I quickly jumped in. I told the driver where I needed to go, and he turned around heading back toward the city.
Ming opened the door with a smile on her face before I had the chance to knock. She stepped aside so I could enter the house and closed the door behind me.
“It is good to see you agai
n, June,” she said with excitement in her voice. “Sister and I were beginning to wonder if you were going to come down out of the mountains.”
She laughed as she pulled me into a hug and Lu came running around the corner.
“It is good to see the both of you again as well,” I replied. “I have learned more in the last few weeks than I planned to learn on the entire trip.”
Ming laughed and ushered me into the sitting room while Lu brought in a tray of tea and sweet buns.
“Thank you, girls, this is delicious,” I said as I washed down a bite of sweet bun with the warm tea.
“We are glad you are back, June. We started to worry until I received that text from you, then we just figured you were busy getting busy with your volcano man,” Ming said as she laughed.
“Has my sister bothered you anymore?’ I asked curiously.
Ming shook her head and I breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing I wanted was for my sister to drive them so crazy that they drifted apart from me. We laughed and talked as we drank more tea and ate more sweet buns but soon, my thoughts traveled to Mishal. I missed him even though I had only been gone for a few hours. I shook my head at that realization. I was foolish to let him in so quickly, but that was what I did. I had always let myself fall for men way too quickly and it always backfired on me.
I knew I needed to put my guard back up and make it harder for Mishal to win me over, but there was no point in that when I had already spent weeks in the treehouse with him. We had yet to make love, but the pleasure he had given me was already more than any other man had given and I needed more. I hoped that he would come for me sooner rather than later. If not, I would find myself climbing the staircase to heaven once again.
8
Mishal
I had watched June walk out the door and down the staircase and my heart broke a little with each step that she took. I dared not show how I felt for fear the men would sense my weakness. Anger coursed through me in a way I had never felt before and I turned toward Danol with fury.
“Are you happy now you son of a bitch? You ran her off with your incessant arguing! I told you once before that woman WILL be my queen and if you do not like it you are free to go find another king to serve,” I bellowed in his face.
I ran back to the window to watch her, but she had already disappeared. I whirled around to face him again as Kyal entered the room and put himself between us.
“Please, stop this foolishness,” he pleaded with us. “This is not good for the kingdom.
“What kingdom, Kyal? You said yourself there was nothing left of it,” I snapped.
“Why the one you’re going to make, Your Majesty,” he retorted.
“What in the hell makes you think I am going to build another kingdom?” I asked.
“Well, speaking frankly as a friend Mishal, that is what needs to be done. Our people need to thrive again, and it is up to you to make us a prominent people again,” he declared.
“That would mean that I would have to find a queen and start reproducing the population would it not?” I asked with a sly grin on my face.
Danol chose that moment to step into the conversation and once again tear down my choice of queen.
“Yes, but that does not mean that human girl is the right choice, Your Grace,” he sneered.
“Danol shut up before I put you back in the damned volcano and somehow seal it up again!” I exclaimed in anger.
Before I knew what had happened, Danol had transformed into his dragon, busting a wall free from the treehouse. While he was distracted by the wall crumbling, I ran for the stairs and made my way to the bottom of the tree where I quickly discarded my clothes and prepared to shift. I heard the flapping of his wings and watched as he landed in front of me.
“Danol, we do not need to do this. I know the reason you are acting this way is because you want her for yourself. I know you are scared that you will not be mated in enough time, but I assure you I can help you find someone. Please calm down, Kyal is right this will not be good for whatever kingdom we create,” I pleaded with him.
He responded with a guttural roar and I knew then that what I said had fallen on deaf ears and he wanted a fight. I flashed a look at Kyal, and he nodded his head, a look of disappointment on his face. There was no way in hell I wanted to do this, and I waited until the last possible second before I shifted. My dragon burst forth, scales shining in the sun and I roared as smoke billowed from my mouth and nostrils.
Danol did not waste any time and charged at me, the pounding of his feet shaking the earth as he neared me. I braced myself for impact as he ran into me. I shoved him backwards and raked my talons across his arm bringing a shriek of pain from him. He decided to run at me again and this time I was more prepared. I stepped to the side and he ran past me hitting his head on the tree behind us.
I centered my thoughts and tried to reach him telepathically, but he blocked me out. I looked to Kyal for help, but I knew deep down there was nothing he could do. I watched as he shifted quickly, and I heard him in my head as he tried to communicate with Danol. I quickly zoned out, so I did not hear him anymore. I wanted their conversation to be private so maybe Danol would calm down.
I watched Kyal beseech him to stop, but Kyal’s requested appeared to also fall on deaf ears. Danol charged at me again and I punched him square on the jaw which caused him to stumble backwards. I hoped that he would gather his senses about him and stop the foolishness, but my hopes were in vain. He charged at me once more and I whipped around smacking him with my tail, knocking him to the ground. He laid on the ground unmoving and for a moment I wondered if I had seriously hurt him. I watched as he started to shift back to human form, and I shifted back as well. I rushed over to where he laid on the ground and noticed that he was unconscious but breathing. I was relieved that I had not killed him and hoped that his injuries were not too bad.
Kyal came and sat with me until Danol started to stir. By the time he was fully awake, the other two guardians, Tanesh and Naal, had joined us to see how Danol was doing. Danol was drifting in and out of consciousness so we carried him up the stairs to the treehouse and laid him in his bed. Once we had him safe in his bed, I went back out and retrieved my clothes from where I had stripped and put them on. I was still very angry and Danol for causing June to leave, but I knew in order to be a good king to whatever kingdom I would have one day I needed to forgive him and move on.
My thoughts turned to June and I wondered what she was doing at that moment. She had only been gone from the treehouse a few hours and there was already a large void it seemed. I shook my head at the thought. It was too soon to be feeling the things I felt for her and I knew I was crazy for feeling that way, but there was nothing I could do about it. June had stolen my heart and quite possibly my soul in the few short weeks that she had spent with me. In fact, if I was honest with myself, she stole my heart the moment I saw her through the gap in the igneous rock of the volcano.
I worried that she would decide not to come back to the treehouse, but she had promised that she would so I would just have to wait and see if she kept her word to me or not. I went to the porch and watched the sun set wishing she was in the chair next to mine. I could not believe how much she meant to me in such a sort amount of time. I had not felt this way about anyone since Amina although I had been trapped in a volcano for over a century so there were no opportunities to fall for anyone.
“Your Grace, may I speak with you?” Danol asked softly, bringing me from my reverie.
“Of course, you may, Danol. What is on your mind?’ I asked.
“I wanted to apologize for my horrid behavior earlier today and for my behavior ever since the human girl started coming around. You were right, I was acting that way because I wanted her for myself and I thought if I could convince you that being with her would be a bad move for the kingdom, then I could take her. I am sorry Your Majesty, I did not mean to betray you like that I just got scared about my own mortality. I promise I will
behave myself from now on,” he said sticking his hand out to shake mine.
I took his outstretched hand and shook it with a firm grip. I sensed that his words were sincere, and I would have no other trouble out of him. I was grateful for that, I just needed to get June back to the treehouse.
“I know thinking about your mortality can be a scary thing Danol and I will try to help find a mate for you. June has a sister, maybe she could help set you two up. I will approach the subject with her when she comes back if you would like me to,” I offered.
Danol nodded his head and left me alone on the porch for a while before I decided to head inside and go to bed. I decided as I drifted off to sleep that I would go looking for her after breakfast and convince her to return to the treehouse with me.
I woke with a start as my bedroom door creaked open and I was surprised to find June standing in my doorway.
“June? What are you doing here?” I asked sleepily, motioning for her to sit beside me on the bed.
“I came to tell you that I am going back to the states. I need to get back to my life. I cannot stay here and live in a treehouse forever; I have responsibilities that I need to take care of. I hope you understand,” she stated, her expression blank and unreadable.
“What?” I asked confused. “You promised me you would come back to me when you left to see your friends, how is this happening right now?”
“Please,” she begged. “Please do not make this harder than it has to be. I know what I promised, and I know it seems as if I am betraying you, but I did come back I just cannot stay.
This was it, the thing I feared most was happening and there was nothing I could do to stop it. There was nothing I could say to make her change her mind and stay. I wondered if her sister had something to do with it for a moment, but I knew after the way I had seen her stand up to her sister, that June would not let herself be put in a position like that. I did not know what hurt more, the fact that she was going to leave and break her promise or the fact that it was her idea to do so.
The King 0f Fire: Dragon Shifter Romance Page 6
