by Rinelle Grey
That was the problem, wasn’t it? She was terrified he’d take the chance to back out.
And if he did, then it was better to know. Better to find out before she grew even more attached.
If that was even possible.
Morian took a deep breath. “I don’t know if you know this or not, but dragons mate for life.”
Finn looked a little more serious. “Well, humans do too, or at least they usually intend to. If you’re asking if I’m in this for the long haul, the answer is yes.”
Morian’s heart warmed at his answer, but it didn’t completely soothe her concerns because he didn’t fully get it. He couldn’t. She’d only given him half the explanation.
“Yes, but it’s different for dragons. Our mating isn’t just a promise to each other. It’s a magical bond, one that can’t be broken.”
She held her breath, waiting for his reaction, but to her surprise, Finn just nodded. “I had heard something like that, yeah. Although I have always been curious. What happens if we fall out of love?”
Morian struggled to explain. She’d never experienced the mating bond herself, only seen her parents’ relationship, but while that gave her a good understanding, putting it into words wasn’t so easy.
“We won’t fall out of love. The bond means we’ll love each other forever. We won’t even think about looking at someone else. That’s just how it works.”
Finn considered her for a moment, and even though she tried, Morian couldn’t read him. Was he freaking out? Was he going to run? She couldn’t tell.
Maybe he didn’t know.
When he spoke though, his voice sounded sure and certain. “Then that’s not going to be any different than how I feel right now,” he said firmly. “I love you, Morian. And I can’t imagine ever loving anyone else. So I can’t see how this bond changes anything.”
If Morian thought she’d loved him before, it was nothing compared to how she felt when he’d said those words. They mirrored how she was feeling almost exactly.
She smiled at him. “I feel the same way.”
Finn grinned again. “Then what are we waiting for?”
Morian giggled as he took her hand and pulled her towards the pool. “I’m just warning you that it doesn’t happen immediately. We have to mate three times before the permanent bond forms.”
“Even better,” Finn said promptly. “I’m so up to the challenge.”
Morian laughed, then abruptly stopped as he released her hand at the edge of the pool and began to strip off his clothes. This time she didn’t look away, and he wasn’t in the least bit shy about slowly removing his clothes and putting them on a nearby rock.
“You’re turn,” he said. Then he watched her intently as she did the same, his eyes widening at the sight of her body, and his own body responding eagerly.
“Now that you’re naked,” Finn said. “There’s just one more thing.”
Morian bit back a sigh. There was always one more thing. Were they ever going to get to mate or would she grow old waiting. “What?” She tried to keep her voice patient.
“I want to see you as a dragon.”
Chapter 22
Finn’s heart thudded in his chest. He wanted this badly, to see her as she truly was, but he was also terrified.
Not of her, Morian loved him. He wasn’t afraid of her.
He was afraid he’d be afraid. Not the logical, thought out fear that made sense, but that irrational fear that had hit him out of the blue when he’d faced that other dragon. That hadn’t been logical or sensible or based in anything other than pure animalistic fear, as though his mind had somehow sensed the human looking creature had been hiding who it truly was and the danger it contained.
Finn wanted to believe he’d overcome that fear, that he’d conquered the irrational panic. But until he saw her true form, he knew he’d never truly be sure.
That was why he needed to do this now, before they made this ultimate commitment.
So he held his breath, watching Morian.
She watched him for a few moments, as though sensing the battle happening within him. She probably did. Her dragon powers were both unsettling and comforting. If anyone had to know what he was thinking and feeling, he was glad it was her.
Then, when his heart calmed a little, she nodded and stepped back.
Right in front of his eyes, her body changed. First her eyes narrowed to slits, and then pure white scales sprouted around them, spreading over her body. Claws erupted from her fingertips and wings from her back. He was sure he heard her bones crack as she grew and changed.
It was awe inspiring. At first Finn’s mind tried to make sense of how this could be possible, but then he gave up and just watched.
When she stood in front of him, a snowy white dragon with pale blue eyes, he couldn’t help staring. She was, if possible, even more beautiful as a dragon than she was as a human.
She didn’t move, just regarded him solemnly, as though waiting for his judgement.
And then, to his surprise, he could feel it, a sense of nervousness coming off her, a longing, a kind of hope. His acceptance of her dragon form was immeasurably important to her.
Finn waited to see if he felt any fear, but there was none.
Of course there wasn’t. This wasn’t some random dragon whose motivations he didn’t know or understand. This was Morian—his love.
He stepped forwards, running his hand over her scales, a little surprised to find they were warm and soft, not cold and hard. Her skin rippled under his touch, and Finn couldn’t help leaning in to kiss it.
Morian bent her head and rested it up against him, pulling him in towards her.
She was huge, massive. She could have squashed him without a thought.
But Finn had no fear she would. He felt completely safe in her embrace.
“I would take you for a flight, but we’re not quite far enough away from the resort for that,” Morian said into his mind. “Hopefully later.”
“I can’t wait,” Finn said, and it was the truth. The thought of soaring over the island with her filled him with excitement.
The thought of the rest of his life with her filled him with excitement.
He felt no fear. How could he with a dragon at his side? He was sure he could even face up to that other dragon, the scary one, without freezing up.
And that thought exhilarated him.
“How about we go for a swim while we wait?” Finn suggested. He looked from Morian to the pool, then back again. He was pretty sure she’d fit. He was pretty sure this wouldn’t be the first time.
“Sounds perfect.”
Dragon Morian walked down to the water and slipped in. Despite her size, she barely made a ripple. Finn couldn’t take his eyes off her as she dipped her head under the waterfall, sending splashes everywhere.
Her eyes glinted at him, daring him, and Finn followed her, unafraid. She dipped her nose in the water and splashed him, her eyes whirling.
Finn laughed and splashed back, even though he was sure she could barely feel his tiny ineffective attempts. It was the thought that counted.
They played for a few moments, Finn swimming around Morian, delighting in her playfulness. But soon their exuberance slowed, and they came closer again. Finn knew the time was coming, and he had no hesitations. No regrets.
Any last fears evaporated. He knew he could never be afraid of Morian.
She nuzzled his hair, and then her body shifted again, shrinking and changing as her dragon form withdrew back inside herself, hidden again until she was just a small, slight human swimming in the pond with no evidence of the dragon within.
Except for her eyes. Those remained pure dragon as she stared at him with an exotic alienness that set his blood racing. She swam towards him, her eyes not leaving his.
Finn’s breath caught in his throat. Yes, she was amazing as a dragon, but as woman she was just as stunning, just as amazing.
And she was his.
He opened his arms and she swam right int
o them, her body sliding up against his, their legs tangling together in the water.
This time there was no pulling back, no ‘one more thing’. This time their lips met, and there was only one thought in both of their minds—to take this connection between them, the one they’d both been sensing from the start, and make it into something real.
Morian’s body was warm up against his, a delicious contrast to the cool water. Her lips tasted of waterfall, fresh mountain air, and dragon, his new favourite combination. Finn couldn’t get enough of her. And from the way she was kissing him back, she felt the same way.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
Finn portioned off just enough of his mind to keep moving his legs to tread water and focused all the rest on Morian. His hands roamed her body, gliding over her wet skin, feeling the heat emanating from every part of her.
He slid one hand lower, between her legs, feeling the heat building up in her. Morian groaned and kissed him harder, more desperately. She kicked her legs and pushed herself closer to him, bumping up against him.
Need and desire flooded through Finn.
He’d never felt anything like it before. He’d never wanted anyone this much.
This was about so much more than the sex. Oh, he wanted that too, but for some reason, this felt completely different. He wanted to connect with Morian on a deeper level, and the sex, or mating as she called it, represented that somehow.
And Finn couldn’t wait.
Chapter 23
Morian’s whole body ached to mate with Finn, to become one with him. For him to become her lifemate. And this was only their first time. This feeling would grow more and more intense each time they mated until the bond was formed their third time together.
She wanted to savour the experience, to enjoy every moment of it, and at the same time she wanted it complete so they’d be bonded right now. She longed to be able to converse in dragon speech with him, to feel his constant presence, to know they would be together forever.
All those needs drove her to keep kissing him frantically, to grind her body up against his, trying to angle them closer together. The fluid nature of the water made it hard. There was nothing to get a purchase against, and every thrust forwards seemed to also pull her away.
For a few minutes she let the delicious frustration build, enjoying the wanting, the need, knowing it would be fulfilled soon.
Everything felt right in the world, like she’d solved all her problems. Kissing Finn, being here with him, knowing he would be her lifemate, that was just the icing on the cake.
But she wanted that icing right now. And the water was only getting in the way.
Morian pulled back.
Finn looked back at her, his eyes only half open, a slightly surprised and disappointed look on his face. “Why did you stop?”
“I need to get my feet on the ground at least,” Morian growled. “Then I can mate with you properly.”
His eyes opened wider at that, and Morian could sense as well as see his approval of that plan. He wriggled a little, pulling them partly onto their sides, and began to stroke towards the shore, one arm still around her waist.
It was an awkward, inefficient way to move, but the bonus of staying close balanced it out. Morian helped. If she’d been a water dragon like her father and brothers, she might have been able to move them with a thought, but her life dragon magic wasn’t anywhere near as useful in the water.
But Morian didn’t mind. Her magic had done something far more useful. It had allowed her to realise Finn could be trusted, that he meant her no harm when everything else suggested the opposite. Without it, they wouldn’t be sharing this moment.
She felt the rocky bottom of the pool under her feet, and she stood upright, taking that moment to kiss Finn deeply again.
She’d had some notion of making it to shore and mating on the edge of the water, but moving any farther would take too long. And besides, the rocky shore wouldn’t be that comfortable anyway. Nor would the small sandy beach.
Here would do.
Finn was here. Here was perfect.
Finn stopped trying to move too, holding her head with both hands and kissing her thoroughly.
For a while Morian lost herself in his kisses, not caring about anything else around her.
But slowly the need to do more, to join with him properly, grew until it couldn’t be ignored.
Not breaking her lips from his, Morian put her arms around his neck and lifted herself up, the buoyant water helping. She wrapped her legs around his hips, bringing herself fully into contact with him.
He groaned, his arms around her waist pulling her closer. He moved and edged until he nudged at her soft folds.
Morian thrust her hips against him, encouraging him.
Finn laughed against her lips, licking and sucking them, teasing her, wriggling against her while his tongue thrust into her mouth. Morian groaned in frustration, punching him lightly on the shoulder, even while grinning back.
Somehow she just knew this was setting the tone for their life ahead. Playful, teasing, loving.
She could live with that.
As if sensing her surrender, Finn gave one final twist and slipped into her.
The movement was enough for Morian to break her lips from his and throw back her head, giving a groan of satisfaction. It felt so right, so good, to have him filling her completely. She could feel the connection building between them, body and soul.
Finn took advantage of her movement, trailing kisses down her neck, lifting her just a little out of the water to suck her nipple.
Morian groaned at the break in their bodies, then gasped as his lips on her breasts awoke a new wave of feeling.
Finn licked and sucked his way across her breasts, and then slid her body down against his, thrusting into her again as his lips claimed hers.
Morian settled against him, sensing his change from teasing fun to serious loving, and she welcomed it. She pulled her body against his, urging him to thrust deeper and deeper, her body insisting there was a way for the two of them to merge forever.
And she knew there was. Soon they would be bonded. Soon they would be lifemates.
That thought only lent a new urgency to her movements, and she pulled herself against him over and over. The intensity built up inside her, mirroring the desire she could feel building in Finn. Every movement only intensified her hunger, every feeling she sensed from him seemed to bring them closer.
Closer and closer until ecstasy burst forth from both of them in unison. Morian could feel Finn spasming as he thrust deeply into her just as she could feel herself clenching around him over and over. For a moment, it was as if the entire clearing was bathed in the sunshine of their joining.
Morian gasped for breath, not even sure if she’d remembered to breathe during their union. It certainly didn’t feel like it as she sucked in air, her whole body hot despite the cool water. Her skin tingled all over.
If that was their initial mating, what was their third time going to be like?
Anticipation of the event sent another surge of desire rushing through her. She grinned down at Finn, who looked as bemused as she felt. “How do you like dragon loving?”
He nodded enthusiastically. “Best thing ever.”
She giggled at that.
“Good, because we still have two more times left to go.”
Finn looked both eager and alarmed at the same time. “Now?”
Her body responded with instant agreement, but her arms and legs still felt like jelly. “Maybe we could take a short break,” she allowed. They did need to save enough energy to walk all the way back down the mountain.
Finn gave her a hug, then kissed her slowly and leisurely. “And maybe find a more comfortable location. While this has been an amazing adventure, there are advantages to beds. Like ease of napping between marathons.”
Morian had to agree.
Epilogue
Finn held Morian’s
hand tightly as they stepped into the house. He half hoped no one would notice them and that they might get to Morian’s bedroom before they had to make polite conversation. But of course that wasn’t to be. Damrian and Hayrian and their mates were in the middle of the hallway, as though he and Morian were expected.
Finn wasn’t surprised. But he was on guard.
And he was very glad they’d gone back to his cabin and completed their mating before coming here. Now, no matter what her brothers said or tried, there was nothing they could do to separate them. He and Morian were mates. Forever.
That thought filled him with joy just thinking about it. This dragon mating bond definitely had its uses. It was hard to argue against something that was set in stone.
Not that Finn thought her brothers would stop trying.
They might have agreed to leave the waterfall when Morian had made a strong case for making her own choices, but Finn wasn’t fooled into thinking they would suddenly approve of him.
Their crossed arms and scowls only emphasized that fact.
And Finn could understand their reluctance. He really had little to offer as a dragon mate. Especially not when he’d essentially come here to spy on them.
“We need to talk.” It was Damrian who spoke, the one who’d been most against Finn from the start. That wasn’t a good sign.
Morian squeezed his hand, but didn’t release it. “Yes, we do.” Her voice was strong and certain. She wasn’t worried about what her brothers might say. At least, she didn’t indicate she was.
To his surprise though, Finn could sense she was worried, almost as if the feeling were seeping through the link between them. He wanted to reassure her, but he didn’t want to make her look weak in front of her brothers.
Then he remembered. They could talk in private. He knew that would come in handy for something other than speaking while kissing.
“They can’t separate us now,” he reminded her in dragon speech.
This time he sensed her surprise. “Of course they can’t. I’m not worried.”
Finn frowned. He was certain she was, even if he couldn’t explain why. “I can feel that you are,” he insisted, even though it made no sense.
