by Mary Auclair
His hand lowered to descend into the pulsing heat between her legs. The possessiveness of his touch and the tone of his voice made Endora squirm, trying to get free of his embrace. She couldn’t bear the control, the overwhelming claim he made on her. Belonging to him was a dead end she couldn’t afford to be trapped in. As she tried to free herself from his embrace, his grip tightened, his fingers spreading, digging into her flesh unrelentingly.
She tried to tear his arms away from her, but all Aldric did was growl. A tingle of fear traveled down her body, all the way to the heat between her legs—the same heat Aldric clasped with an unforgiving grasp. Some primitive part of her wanted to give in to the claim of the male but she refused to listen to it. Giving in was too easy, it meant too much loss.
I have to get away as soon as possible.
“Let me go.” Endora heard her own voice, low and filled with lust. “I want to go back to my rooms.”
“You are my Draekarra. Neither the beast nor the man in me will ever let you go.”
With that, his mouth closed on her. A deep, hard kiss landed on the crook of her neck. His touch set her ablaze, and this time, she was unable to stop it. She leaned in to his kiss, asking for more. He was only too happy to provide.
“I have been longing for you all day,” he said between kisses. “I’m working to defeat the greatest evil this world has ever seen, and all I can think of is you.”
“What evil?” She turned her head, forcing him to look into her eyes. “Is that why you assigned a guard to me?”
Aldric nodded, his gaze fixed on her lips. His pale eyes were reflecting the light and his elongated pupils revealed how much he wanted her. His face was set in hard lines, and a vein was pulsing at his temple.
“The Knat-Kanassis,” he said in a half-whisper, like the very name could burn his tongue.
“What do they want from me?” She turned to face him, and this time, he let her, bringing his arms up to circle her waist. His face was dead serious, and it filled her with a deep dread. This threat wasn’t to be taken lightly.
“They want to keep the Dragon blood pure.” Aldric’s mouth twisted in disgust. “On Dagmar, they killed any Delradon woman who mated with a Draekon, and any child resulting from those unions. Thousands died in the war we call the Civil Chasm. We all thought they were dead.”
“But not anymore?” Endora’s voice was small in the cave, and Aldric’s words sent shivers of horror along her limbs.
“Not anymore.” He nodded. “Two days ago, there was a raid on a small settler village in the north. Today, four families of mixed blood were murdered in Hylberia. Sixteen people were killed; women, children, it made no difference.”
A chill settled inside Endora. Children. She closed her eyes and saw Tallie’s face, then the face slowly morphed into Shari’s pixie features.
“Shari.” Endora swallowed, but the stubborn lump in her throat stayed. “She’s in danger.”
“Not only Shari. You are the primary target in their eyes.” He pulled her closer, his hot breath caressing her lips. “But they will not succeed. I will wipe them from existence once more, and they will not come back this time. On my life, I swear.”
He bent his head, his lips just brushing hers, tantalizing her. His hand on her waist moved, kneading her flesh with a gentleness that made her heart surge. In his arms, there was so much safety, she knew nothing could happen to her as long as she was there. Aldric was the rock on which the world leaned, and as she pulled her chin up to stare into his wondrous eyes, she believed it all.
“I believe you,” she said. “You will keep us all safe.”
His lips tugged up into a wry smile, and the sight of it blew her mind away. He was so changed when he smiled, with the corners of his eyes creased by tiny wrinkles and a dimple creasing his cheek. He was breathtaking.
Then his smile was gone, replaced by a male hunger that sent her senses afire. His lips closed on hers, and Endora shut her eyes. Without restraint, she answered the kiss, opening her mouth eagerly for his exploring tongue. His passion unleashed, he deepened the embrace, melting their mouths together until she was left gasping for air.
Aldric bent and swept her off her feet, their eyes still locked together, then walked her to the deep bed of straw where the dragons slept. The smell of fresh straw and dragon filled her nostrils; good and earthy. He set her down carefully, with a tenderness that tore her heart apart.
“My sweet little Dora.” Aldric looked down her body, his hand traveling down her leg to her ankle, gliding under the fabric to reach her skin. He reached up to lift her skirt until his bare hand was on the inside of her thigh. He slid it higher until his thumb brushed the soft curls between her legs.
A moan escaped her mouth as his thumb parted her lips to delve into the hot moisture between.
“Mine, Endora,” his dragon voice rasped in her ear. “You’re mine. Never forget it.”
He lifted her skirt higher to reveal her glistening sex. His eyes latched onto her curls, and he moved to position himself between her legs, gently coaxing them wider apart until she was fully exposed to his view.
“I want to feast on you,” he said before placing a long, deep kiss between her folds, his tongue sliding up and down the slick opening. “I want to feast on you until you scream for mercy.”
He didn’t give her time to answer, bending to renew his sensual attack on her clit, licking and sucking on the sensitive bud in rapid succession. Endora’s head jerked on the bed of straw, and she arched her back under the intensity of the pleasure. She could feel her climax approaching fast, her inner walls clenching, shooting their own sensation straight to her brain. Without pausing his unrelenting assault on her clit, he brought his thumb up, circling her opening. She began to moan and squirm, ready to beg for mercy. She wanted to feel him inside her, filling her. Heeding her demand, Aldric’s large thumb pushed inside her, to be immediately sucked in by her greedy walls. He pushed against her clit, stimulating it from both sides.
Endora screamed as rapture tore through her entire body, the fury of her pleasure wiping her mind clear of any awareness other than the delicious sensations bursting from every nerve ending in her body.
When she’d finally settled, Aldric released her and went up on his knees, his eyes a landscape of male lust and something else, deep and tender like only a man could give.
“Remove your dress,” he said, sending his own shirt over his head in one clean swoop. “I want to see your body naked.”
Endora obeyed in silence, still too stunned by her orgasm to utter any word. Words were not adequate to express what was passing between them. Finally, as her dress fell to the side in a puddle of velvet, Aldric stood over her body, completely naked, his long, hard cock straight in front of him. She looked at him; his perfect, muscled chest, his lean, strong thighs. He was the most amazing man she’d ever seen.
He leaned over her, grabbing behind her knees to part her legs wide for him. His eyes locked with hers as he positioned himself at her slick entrance, then kept watching as he used his weight to penetrate her body—not pausing for her walls to adjust—until he was fully seated inside her. Endora gasped as she was filled, sensations building as her body stretched to accommodate his large size.
Slowly, Aldric withdrew almost completely, then pushed in again as deep as he could. Then again, fast and profound. Endora’s pleasure began to build again as Aldric’s eyes clouded over with his own sensations.
Their eyes locked as their breathing came in unison. More and more, Aldric pushed deeper, stronger, until he was riding her like a beast, fast and frenzied. Her body trembled with overbearing sensations and she turned her head away from his stare.
His hands gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him again. His eyes glowed in the semi-darkness, the vertical pupils small and animalistic in the midst of their pale blue irises.
Then Aldric roared as his pleasure exploded, his engorged cock releasing his hot seed. Endora joined him, screaming her ple
asure again as his fingers kept her looking at him.
When her voice died down and her eyelids fluttered closed, he let go of her chin and embraced her, holding her so close to him she could feel his heart beating against her own. After a long moment, he withdrew from her, then rolled to the side.
“Let’s get you to bed, sweet Dora.” Aldric smiled, the light reaching all the way to his rapidly changing eyes. “I have much work to accomplish before the morning.”
“Won’t you sleep with me?” she asked, her heart in her throat. How she longed to lie in his arms all night.
“I am afraid there will be no sleep for me tonight.” His smile turned sad. “I would much rather lie with you, but there can be no rest until I erase this threat.”
Endora blinked and sat up. “You can’t mean you won’t sleep until you catch those Knat-Kanassis?” That was madness. She scoffed. “You’re going to kill yourself this way.”
Aldric chuckled, then raised his eyebrows, his gaze lingering down her body again, pausing at her breasts. She was astonished to feel the prickle of desire making her nipples hard so soon after so much pleasure.
“Whatever strength a human or Delradon man would lack, a Draekon can draw from his dragon. Rhyl will provide me with more than I need.” A lazy finger stroked her erect nipple, making the sensitive flesh bunch into a hard knot. “But even Rhyl might not be able to provide me with enough strength to keep making love to you like that.”
Endora laughed, the sound good and clean, free of worry. She was surprised to hear it. It had been so long since she’d laughed freely. As she got dressed, she wondered if she ever would be able to laugh again after she left.
A curt knock on the door had her on her feet. Voices were arguing behind the wood, too muffled to understand. Endora went and opened the door but immediately regretted it.
The pale yellow eyes of a tall, painfully thin Delradon woman settled on her.
“Mistress Hael.” Endora smiled, but it was false. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Mistress Hael, Shari’s governess, returned the smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. The other woman cast a cold glance to her side at the towering figure of the guard.
“I am sorry, Lady Endora.” Walfrey scowled at the woman. “I told her to wait.”
“It’s okay, Walfrey.” Endora smiled at the guard, a real one this time. In the two weeks since he’d become her bodyguard, she’d learned to appreciate his company. Beneath his gruff manner, he was a good and simple man, and his loyalty to Lord Aldric was bone deep.
“Has the Lady Shari been to your apartments?” Mistress Hael’s usually sharp tone was rendered grating with annoyance. “I have formally forbidden her to disturb you but that child never listens.”
“Why would you forbid Shari to visit me?” Endora frowned. She disliked the governess more every time they met, but this time, worry pushed her aversion aside. She looked down the long, cold hallway. Whispering Castle was a maze, one a child could easily get lost in. “Has Shari been gone long?”
“Do not concern yourself, Lady Endora.” Mistress Hael began to turn away. “Lady Shari is my responsibility. I will find her soon enough.”
“I think not.” Endora stepped into the hallway. “She’s so young, you need all the help you can get to find her.”
“I do not need help in retrieving my charge, thank you.” The woman pulled on the pleats of her long gray dress, pursing her lips in frustration. “You may stay in your apartments, my Lady.”
“You might not like it,” Endora said through clenched teeth, “but Shari needs to run and play. She’s a child, and she can’t always be studying or working on her manners.”
“Lady Shari has been under my care since her birth.” Mistress Hael’s words were careful and polite, but it was easy to hear the poison underneath. “She is the heir to the Donos family. A young Draekon lady has much to learn.”
“Well, I’m the Draekarra to her guardian now.” Endora didn’t even try to disguise her antipathy. “And I say she needs to act like a child from time to time. Now you can help me, or you can step aside and explain yourself to Lord Aldric.”
Mistress Hael’s eyes shone with anger, and her thin lips pursed in a single white line, but a curt nod answered Endora’s words. Turning to her guard, Endora shot him a look. He frowned, but nodded in return.
Shari had been visiting Endora every day since the mating, and the old guard always acted with a gruff sort of kindness toward the child. It was plain to see that he cared for Shari, and wanted the little girl to be found—fast and safe.
As Endora walked away, Mistress Hael and Walfrey followed in her footsteps.
A few minutes later, a giggle traveled through the air, down a long hallway where the wind traveled with a biting cold.
“Shari!” Endora called, her mouth stretching into a wide grin. “Rasha! There you are, little rascals.”
Shari appeared out of a connecting hallway, running, her cheeks flushed a bright red and a wild laugh coming out of her mouth. At her side, the small dragonet ran and twisted, absorbed in the game like only children could be.
“We were looking for you!” Endora bent down, catching the child in her arms as she threw herself at her. “Your governess was worried.”
Shari’s smile melted and she shot a fearful glance over Endora’s shoulder at the tall figure of Mistress Hael, who stood ominously silent.
“It’s okay.” Endora shot a look at the governess, a warning plain in her face. She wouldn’t stand for any harsh punishment from the woman. “But you know better. You should never run away like that. You gave us all a good fright.”
“I didn’t mean to. Rasha said she could run faster than me. I just wanted to show her.”
It was such an innocent, childish statement that Endora chuckled, unable to reproach the kid. As she stared at the girl’s young, dainty face, her heart squeezed and she forced herself to her feet. She shouldn’t allow herself—or Shari—to get too attached. Not when she was planning a betrayal that would break their hearts.
“Well, we must go now.” Mistress Hael extended an impatient hand to Shari, motioning for the child to follow. “We need to clean you up before dinner, and you need to change your dress.”
Shari looked at Endora, then hugged her hard, pressing her frail frame close. At her side, the dragonet did the same and Endora held both of them for a few moments, unable to push them away. Then Shari broke the embrace and followed the governess, her steps subdued and her arms hanging loose at her sides.
Endora watched them leave, a knot in her guts. She shouldn’t have gotten attached but she had. She could lie to herself all she wanted, that child had forged herself a place in her heart since the first time she’d laid eyes on that tender, heart-shaped face.
She got to her feet, only too aware of Walfrey’s tall, strong shape behind her. He was waiting for her to go back to her apartments—to the golden prison she was supposed to stay in until Aldric was sure of her safety. She knew she had no right to complain, no right to judge Aldric for his protectiveness. It wasn’t like he was leaving her alone all the time. Each night, he came to her, making love to her until she lay in bed, exhausted and satisfied.
Then he would leave, working relentlessly to fight that faceless enemy she knew nothing about.
The three rooms Aldric had assigned to her were large and luxurious, furnished with all the comforts no normal human could hope to possess, but they were foreign to her. She longed for fresh air, for the wind on her face and for the vast open spaces.
Two weeks. It had been a full two weeks since she’d last kissed Tallie, hugged Henriette, and left the only home she’d ever known. It seemed like years ago, and with every minute that passed her worries grew until she walked with a rock heavy in her stomach. She could barely eat, and didn’t sleep unless Aldric left her exhausted after a night of wild sex. She was falling apart at the seams.
If only Junco were back. She should be back. Something was wrong, Endora c
ould feel it in her bones. Fear was gnawing at her; a living, vicious little animal, furrowing in the folds of her chest.
Did Junco manage to send the money to Henriette? Was Tallie receiving treatments? She had too many questions, too many things could have gone wrong.
She had to do something. She was going to go crazy if she had to spend one more day confined to those three rooms, no matter how comfortable.
Instinctively, her fingers found Tallie’s necklace.
Nobody matters like you.
Endora sighed. Maybe she should tell Aldric all about Tallie now. After these past two weeks, could he really discard her? After the way he made love to her? Now that she might be pregnant?
Maybe Junco was right. Maybe I should put my trust in him.
Her feet moved of their own accord, pulling her toward the breath of fresh air. Soon Endora was walking, the pull of freedom too strong to ignore. She just wanted a few minutes, nothing more.
“Lady Endora!” Walfrey caught up with her. “You have to go back. This is not a secure location.”
“Why?” She stopped when his large frame blocked her way. “Isn’t the castle protected enough? Aldric tripled the guards and you’re by my side all day, every day.”
“This is the direction of the courtyard, my Lady. It is not safe because it’s open to the public. Any Delradon or human with a purpose with the High Lord may enter there.”
Endora bent to peer around Walfrey. She could smell it. The scent of snow in the air, of saplings. The smell of freedom and open skies. Without even realizing it, she took her first step around the guard. Then another… and another.
A hand closed around her arm and she turned. Her eyes reduced to slits. “Please, Walfrey. Just a few minutes. Then I’ll go back.”
Walfrey frowned, but as he locked eyes with her, his expression changed. His fearsome features softened, and his fingers relaxed. He nodded, once, and Endora turned back toward the delightful breeze, her heart thundering.
She needed the free air as much as she needed to breathe.
