by Larissa Ione
He had never imagined she would feel like this. So hot and wet and, gods, so tight!
Ghleanna brought her hands up, stroked his jaw, his neck and Bram kissed her. He pulled her tighter against him until he was buried balls deep. Until he knew nothing would be getting between them anytime soon.
Ghleanna surprised herself with a squeak. A sound she’d never made before. But she’d been unable to help herself once Bram filled her. She shuddered around him, kissed him harder and nearly wept when he began to move inside her. His strokes long, powerful, and as always it seemed, in complete control.
Knowing that for once she didn’t have to do anything but enjoy the ride was a rather heady experience for her. All day, every day, Ghleanna planned and plotted and executed. She led three hundred dragons into battle whenever they were called by their queen and every decision she made affected the lives of those dragons. But for once . . . for once she didn’t have to do anything. She didn’t have to think, question, or kill. She just had to enjoy. And enjoy she did.
Bram still had tight hold of her hips when he began to take her harder, faster. And she didn’t mind. Did her wound hurt? A bit. But it was nothing she couldn’t handle. Nothing she wouldn’t risk to experience the best bloody fuck of her entire life.
She came hard, her body stiffening in Bram’s arms, her cry of pleasure caught in her throat. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and let the climax rip through her. When she gave that last gasp, Bram laid her back out on the desk and then he was pounding inside her, taking her brutally until he came, his body shaking over hers, his head dropping between her breasts.
Ghleanna stroked Bram’s hair and let out a soul-deep breath. They didn’t speak. Perhaps there was nothing to say. Instead, after a few minutes, Bram picked her up and stumbled to the bed, dropping them both onto it. He pressed his hand to her wound and she patted it. As she’d predicted, the wound had not opened. She had not been further damaged. She was fine. More than fine in fact.
He stayed inside her, managing to get off his leggings and boots without moving away from her.
Once Bram was completely naked, he began kissing her neck, her jaw, her mouth, and slowly, taking his time, he began to thrust inside her again. This time, she knew, would again be on his very controlled terms.
And she had no problem with that.
Chapter 14
Bram woke and he knew Ghleanna was already awake too. He knew because he felt her sucking his cock into her mouth. She was under the fur cover, but he opened his eyes and watched as the fur rose and fell while she manipulated his cock the way she manipulated her damn battle axes.
One hand reached back and he gripped the headboard. Gods, her mouth! Her beautiful, wonderful mouth. Everything about Ghleanna was wonderful, beautiful, amazing, perfect . . . absolutely perfect. Perfect, perfect—
“I have been waiting over an hour for—” The Empress of all Sea Dragons in this region halted to a stop after walking into Bram and Ghleanna’s room unannounced.
Helena stopped. Ghleanna, however . . .
Helena’s mouth opened, closed, opened again. Then she rolled her eyes and snapped, “When you two cretins are done molesting each other, we are waiting for the next draft of your truce proposal, peacemaker. And I don’t like to wait!”
With Ghleanna turning him inside out, all Bram could manage was a, “Uh-huh” along with a thumbs-up.
Disgusted, Helena spun on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
“Barbarians!” he heard Helena yell from the hallway. “Every Land Dweller is a bloody barbarian!”
If she said anything after that, Bram didn’t hear it. He couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the rushing wave in his head as his body bowed and he came in Ghleanna’s mouth. She sucked and licked until she’d milked him dry and then she crawled back out from under the covers, licked her lips, and grinned at him.
“Did I hear something?” she asked, cheeky cow that she was. “A little earlier?”
Bram caught hold of her face between his hands and held her in place while he kissed her, tasting himself on her lips, knowing she’d taken all of him in.
“You are such a naughty She-dragon,” he laughingly accused her while he pushed her back on the bed. “What am I going to do with such a naughty She-dragon?”
Bram had left her alone so he could finish that stupid truce. And feeling remarkably well, Ghleanna headed back to the soldier’s training room. When she entered, the soldiers stepped back, bowed their heads in respect.
“Captain Ghleanna.”
“Captain.”
“Lady Captain.”
Ghleanna grinned. Oh, yes. She had all sorts of things to keep her busy until Bram was done.
She picked up a battle axe, gave it a few practice swings, feeling complete with a weapon back in her hand, then asked the roomful of soldier dragons, “Who’s first then?”
While the senators argued and debated about issues they had absolutely no control over—why did he need to be here again?—Bram stared off across the chamber and wondered when this would all be over so he could get back to Ghleanna. Get back inside Ghleanna.
They’d only spent a few hours together in the big scheme of things, but gods! That female. She turned out to be everything he’d ever dreamed of. In bed and out. And not everyone fucked well while human—but she did. A good thing since it was one of his favorite pastimes.
“So,” the Empress asked over the shouting of the senators, “you and the Cadwaladr?”
Bram looked up at the dais she sat upon and replied, “Aye.”
“Shocking. I thought you’d find someone more . . . feminine.”
She smirked and returned her attention to the arguing senators but Bram asked, “Why?”
“What?”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did you think that?”
Her eyes widened a bit and the Empress stammered, “Well, you are so . . . and she is so . . . and the two of you together are so . . .” She gazed at Bram a moment, forced a smile and a laugh and said, “Oh, nothing!”
Bram had focused on the arguing senators again when one of the royal pages rushed into the chamber. He stood in front of the Empress until she motioned him closer. He whispered something in her ear. And, while Bram watched, her pale human skin turned bright red with rage. Helena jumped to her feet and rushed from the chamber, her entourage scrambling to catch up with her.
Bram gazed at the page. “I’m sensing this isn’t good.”
The page shook his head. “No, sir. It’s not.”
Ghleanna was sitting on the bed, trying to pull off her boots, when the door slammed open. She looked up, expecting a foolish Kleitos—but it was the Empress.
“You,” the royal snarled. “You did this.”
“I did what, my Lady?”
“Don’t lie to me, barbarian!”
Slowly Ghleanna stood, and she towered over the monarch. “I don’t appreciate being called a liar by you or anyone else, my Lady. I’m not one of your subjects.”
The Empress didn’t let Ghleanna’s size overwhelm her. Far from it. “But you could easily become one of my victims, Cadwaladr. You’re in my territory.”
“Aye. I am. But I have what you need, my Lady.”
“Ghleanna.”
Ghleanna heard Bram’s voice, but she didn’t move her gaze from Helena’s until the Empress sniffed and stormed out, taking her suffering entourage with her. Gods, to do nothing all day but follow that viper around. Like a form of hell.
Bram closed the door once they were alone and that’s when he asked, “Do you want us to die here, among the Fins? Is that your purpose, Captain? To get us both killed?”
“ No.”
“Ghleanna . . .”
“It all happened so fast,” she explained. “One minute I was showing them how to fight with a battle axe and the next”—she shrugged—“revolution.”
Bram walked over to the bed and s
at down. “Don’t use that word. Not if you want us to live through the night.”
Ghleanna sat on the edge of the bed. “The soldiers have no representation in her court. No one watching out for them. And no say in decisions that affect them directly. How is that fair?”
“Fair? Captain, we are hundreds and hundreds of miles under the ocean and at the whim of a dictator.”
“A dictator not nearly as powerful as her father. A dictator who needs her army, who needs our queen. A dictator whose tiny head I could easily crush between my big, meaty hands.” She smiled. “A dictator who needs you. And now . . . she needs me.”
“But why? Why do you want her to need you?”
Ghleanna leaned in, kissed Bram once, twice. “My reasons are my own.” She kissed him again. “But for now”—another kiss—“we’re going to let her stew.” And another.
“And while she’s stewing whatever will we do to fill the time?”
Ghleanna climbed into Bram’s lap, facing him. She put her arms around his shoulders and said, “Fucking, my Lord. We’ll be fucking.”
“Well . . . if we must.”
Laughing, Ghleanna nipped his throat. “We must, my Lord. We must.”
Chapter 15
Bram held Ghleanna’s hips, pulling her in tighter, gripping her hard with his hands while she gripped him hard with her pussy.
Sweating and gasping, the pair rolled, Bram on top once again.
He dragged his tongue along the new scar Ghleanna had where the sword had torn through scale and flesh and bone.
Ghleanna’s legs wrapped around his hips, her head thrown back and Bram buried himself inside her body again and again.
She groaned, loud and long, her body shaking beneath his as she came hard, his name a whisper on her lips.
Bram, grateful she’d climaxed because he was unsure he could hold on much longer, held Ghleanna against him as he came hard inside her.
Blindly, he lifted his head from her neck and sought her mouth, found it. They kissed, their tongues sliding, teasing, tasting—enjoying. And they’d been enjoying each other for hours.
Too bad nothing wonderful could last forever.
The bedroom door flew open.
“Are you two still at it?” the Empress snarled. “My empire is falling apart and you two are swallowing each other’s tongues—and other body parts?”
Bram pulled out of the kiss and asked, “Is there a problem, Empress?”
“You damn well know there’s a problem. She”—and the Empress pointed right at Ghleanna—“has turned my soldiers against me. Her death is mine for the betrayal.”
Bram kindly suggested, “It seems a foolhardy move since she is the only one who currently has control of your soldiers, my Lady.”
“I should have killed her when I had the chance.”
“But it’s too late for that now. We have to deal with what we have. Here. At this moment.”
Pointing at the door, the Empress ordered, “Get out, peacemaker.”
“Empress, I don’t think it’s—”
“Pull your cock out of her cunt and get out.”
Ghleanna pressed her hand against Bram’s chest. “It’s all right.”
He gazed at her a moment. “You sure?”
“Positive. Besides, you need to finish that truce.”
He did need to finish it. The quicker the better.
Once Bram was gone, Ghleanna sat up. She didn’t get dressed, didn’t wipe the sweat from her body or Bram’s seed from her pussy.
Instead, she smiled and said, “My Lady.”
“You’ve turned my soldiers against me.”
“Hardly. They just want what’s fair.”
“I decide what’s fair.”
“Every strong monarch I’ve known has understood that their soldiers are their life’s blood. Deny that at your peril.”
“What do you want, Land Dweller?”
“What your soldiers want. Representation for them in your Senate—and for your Senate to have some actual power in your empire.”
“I am the one who rules here. As my father did before me.”
“Isn’t he dead now?” Ghleanna asked. “By poison, I think.”
Cold blue-green eyes locked on Ghleanna. “That’s never been proven.”
Ghleanna chuckled. “Of course. But imagine how loyal your soldiers will be to you if you do this? Who would dare risk their wrath by angering you, knowing you have several legions at your back? And, of course, I can help you with this.”
The royal smirked. “And what will that cost me, I wonder?”
“Not much, my Lady,” Ghleanna told her. “Not much at all.”
Chapter 16
The gold collar was removed from Ghleanna’s throat and Bram watched her shift back to her natural form. She shook out her hair and wings and unleashed a nice bout of flame at the cave ceiling—something else that had been denied her by Helena’s yoke.
“Good gods,” Helena muttered to the sorceress who had placed and then removed the collar from Ghleanna. “Even her bloody scales have scars.”
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Bram asked with a smile.
“Land Dweller,” she sneered.
Ghleanna put on armor given to her by the soldiers. It was quite . . . elaborate and spoke of how they felt about her.
Her battle axes were tied to her back and her sword to her side.
“Excellent,” Helena said, prodding. She couldn’t wait to see the back of them. “So you’re off.”
“We are.” Bram faced the Empress. “Thank you for everything, my Lady.”
“You’re very welcome, Bram the Merciful. Good and safe travels to you.” She looked over at Ghleanna. “And to you, Captain.”
“Thank you, my Lady.”
She didn’t mention the truce because she didn’t have to. She knew Bram would keep his end of the bargain. It was a tragic flaw in his nature.
The Empress motioned her entourage to leave and Kleitos took the opportunity to slither over to Bram.
“Good-bye, old friend.”
“Shut up.”
The Fin sneered and turned to Ghleanna. “And good-bye to you, Captain.”
She gazed at the Fin. “And to you, Chancellor Kleitos.”
Bram turned, thinking they were done with all the formalities when he saw a flash of steel. He spun back around as Ghleanna’s sword rammed into Kleitos’s gut.
“Ghleanna!”
Gods, what had she done? What had she done?
Ghleanna twisted her sword, and Kleitos dropped to his knees. She pressed her back claw to his chest and shoved him off her blade. The Fin dropped to the ground, his insides pouring out from the hole Ghleanna had made.
Yet Bram began to notice something—no one did anything. Nothing. Not to him, not to Ghleanna. There was no shock, no confusion, no outrage.
Ghleanna wiped off her blade and put it back into its sheath. She walked to the Empress, and stopped, briefly bowing her head. “Empress.”
“Captain.”
Completely confused, Bram followed Ghleanna to the tunnel they’d take back to the surface. “Ghleanna?”
She stopped, faced him. “Did you really think I’d let Kleitos live? After what he did to you?” She raised a brow. “Really?”
“I told you that Kleitos was not to be touched. You said you understood.”
“And I did. I understood that you wanted me to leave Kleitos be. I never said I would. Never agreed to that.”
“Gods,” he sighed in awe, “my father will adore you.”
Catching his tail with hers, Ghleanna tugged. “Come, peacemaker. My kin awaits.”
Chapter 17
Bram landed on the ledge and waited for Ghleanna. She landed beside him.
“So Helena agreed?” he asked.
“She hated Kleitos and so did most of her army. Plus he firmly represented her father’s reign. Getting rid of him was a favor she was more than happy to allow.”
“And?”
> “And?”
“You don’t like Helena, Captain. You’d do her no favors unless it was in your best interest.”
She shrugged. “Well, I wanted Kleitos dead and . . .”
“And you still have the loyalty of her army, in case she ever tries to cross us. And you’ll most likely have that loyalty for a very long time after the rights you’ve won them.”
“Perhaps.”
Bram grinned. “And if you’d been completely wrong? Miscalculated even the tiniest bit?”
“I’d have let you fix it.” She nuzzled his snout with her own. “Now let’s get out of here.”
Good plan. He was done with the memories of this place. He’d faced it again, and had conquered it—again. But there’d be no nightmares this time.
“Come. This way.”
Another mile to the surface they went, cutting tree roots that were in their way until they reached the mouth of the cavern. It was brilliantly hidden behind a close-by hill and together they maneuvered around it and headed toward the ocean.
But suddenly Ghleanna stopped.
Lifting her face, she gazed up, past the trees of the surrounding forest, at the two suns. “I didn’t realize how much I would miss them until they were gone from my sight for so long.”
“I don’t know how the Fins do it,” he admitted. “Living under there without the suns. The moon. It’s not like our caves, is it? Where fresh air and freedom are just a short walk or flight away. And the short time we were down there, I began to feel . . .”
“I know. Me, too.”
Ghleanna caught Bram’s claw and tugged, her eagerness clear. “Let’s go. My kin wait for me on the beach.”
They walked until they reached the edge of the forest, but Bram stopped and gazed out. “How long do you think they’ve been standing there like that?”
He watched Ghleanna smile at the backs of her kin. They all stood on the beach, looking like statues, staring out at the ocean, waiting for Ghleanna to appear. She’d originally told Addolgar she’d be coming from the ocean because she hadn’t known there was another exit. One that placed them directly on land.
