My hunt was over. It was time to claim her.
“I’ve killed a freakin’ dragon,” she whispered. Through my slitted eyes, I noted her sitting astride my abs, gazing down at me.
She thought I was dead?
The male part of me responded to her close proximity, and I knew the mating lust had sparked already and was eager to take control.
“What am I going to do?” she asked, wringing her hands. “It’s not like I can bury the body. One, it’s too big. I’d never be able to drag it away. Two, I didn’t bring a shovel.” Her short chuckle came out slightly hysterical.
Wait. Bury me?
“I can’t pretend it never happened,” she said. “The first person to appear in the cavern will have a hard time missing the dead dragon lying in the grass.”
She believed she’d killed me? I held back my snort of laughter.
“Someone will find out. They’ll expose me.” Her voice rose to a shriek. “I’ll never work in archaeology again. Hell, I’ll be lucky to get a job mopping floors at McDonalds.”
Should I let her keep talking? Or reveal I was alive and eager to get to know her better?
“But a dragon! I’ve actually discovered a fire-breathing dragon. A dead one, but still…a beast we can study.”
Hold on there. I was not available for a surface dweller’s version of examination. From my people’s history, it always included chains, sharp blades, and bright lights. We dragons had been subjected to enough of that in our past already.
“Maybe this won’t be that bad, after all,” she said. Her fingertips stroked my scales. “This specimen is fascinating, and he’s all mine.”
Ah, so she claimed me, too.
“He’s gorgeous,” she said. “His body is muscular. His scales are firm, yet soft. They’re not sharp, like I assumed they’d be.”
And I was ticklish. It was all I could do to hold still underneath her touch.
I already suspected who she was—PJ, the remaining, missing surface dweller friend of Jenny and Tanya. Every unbonded male in my kingdom was seeking her, but the Lifegiver had brought her to me.
To think I’d put aside my quest for a mate and come to the Noran city to search for the dragonstone heart. Once found, I planned to restore the heart to its rightful place so that Tanya and Jenny would be allowed to remain in Muraque. Then, I would’ve looked for my mate.
Instead, I’d met up with PJ along the way.
Well, I guess I should say I smacked into my mate, PJ, along the way.
“And wings!” Leaning to the side, she tapped her lip with an index finger. “They’re so broad. So big.”
Not the only thing that was broad and big. My inner male was shouting inside my dragon, insisting it was time for him to come through.
While the order was reversed, she’d hunted me down, captured me, and claimed me.
Nothing I could do now but reveal who I was. I shifted into man-form.
“Holy hell,” she yelped, her spine going rigid, her butt shifting on my belly. “What the…Where did the freakin’ dragon go?”
Keeping my eyes half-closed, I waited to find out where she’d take this. I wanted to gain my feet, haul her up, and kiss her.
Mark her as mine.
“You’re not quite a dragon, now, are you? You’re some kind of shifter.” She wiggled her sweet ass. “You’re…” A chuckle leaked into her voice. “You’re not just a dragon, you’re a complete man, too. A…good-sized man.”
More than good-sized. And the proof was rising fast.
During the mating lust, I’d have little control. My need for her would never be fully slaked, though my goal would always be to satisfy her first.
“I said I was taking a dating hiatus after Jim, but this whole falling through the Earth and landing on a dragon shifter situation is making me reconsider.”
No dating? We’d see about that.
And who the hell was Jim?
“Jim said…Well, I shouldn’t be sharing this with a dead dragon shifter, but why not? Who else can I tell if not you? Jim said he found me unappealing. Can you believe it? I’m not that bad looking.”
She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
“Then, he had the nerve to say I’d look decent if I just lost weight. Decent?! Evil bastard.”
From what I’d seen already, PJ was beyond perfect. She was gorgeous, with curves in all the right places. As for Jim? A growl rumbled in my chest.
“Oh!” She jumped, but remained astride my body. “Maybe you’re alive after all? I shouldn’t be saying any of this, but I imagine you’re unconscious from the fall. After all, I slammed on top of you. You probably hit your head.” The weight of her gaze landed on my face. “You’re kinda cute. Dark hair, richly tanned skin. And lots of muscles. I like that.” Her fingertips traced along my shoulders. “You still have those awesome scales when you’re in this form, thankfully. A mix of dark blue and deep red. They feel like raised tattoos.”
My stomach muscles quivered as I held in my laugh. Her touch, like dragonfire on my skin, tickled.
“This entire situation is magical. With you lying underneath me, looking beyond perfect, I feel as if I’ve somehow stumbled into a reverse Snow White, minus the dwarves. Nothing against dwarves, but I do like that seven men aren’t running around me at the moment, acting grumpy or sneezy.”
The little green jealousy monster was clawing its way through me. Seven men?
“It’s kind of nice we’re alone, because…” She gulped. “Okay, because I want to kiss you. Knowing you’re out of it, that you won’t be aware I’m doing it, just adds to the charm. My only concern is consent, because I’m all about making sure the other person’s as into it as I am before proceeding further.”
My rock-hard rod should show her I was as into this as she was.
Palms braced on my shoulders, she leaned forward. “This can be quick. I’ll steal a tiny kiss, before you wake up and tell me to get lost.”
Her mouth met mine, and heat exploded inside me. My cock surged forward, ready to impale itself inside her.
As her tongue traced my lips, teasing them to open, I groaned.
She sat up abruptly again, and I opened my eyes.
“Oops, sorry,” she said, her fingers fluttering against her lips. “You, uh, didn’t feel that, did you? Crap.” Color rushed up into her high cheekbones, and her eyes gleamed.
My mate had long, blue hair—much like a Noran elf’s, a lush shape with full breasts, and hips I ached to hold onto while grinding inside her.
“Double Crap,” she said. “I’m not going to be arrested for killing a dragon, I’m going to be arrested for kissing a guy without his consent.”
Rising up, I flipped her onto her back and loomed over her, my palms planting on either side of her shoulders.
“Consider this consent,” I growled out, as my mouth captured hers.
In one breath, I claimed PJ as my mate.
Chapter Three
PJ
There wasn’t anything better than having a naked, virile man lying on top of me, the proof of his interest pressing between my thighs.
Dating hiatus? Fuck that. For some reason, this man turned me on like no one ever had before. And, luck was on my side, because it appeared he felt the same. As his fingers trailed down my side, his breathing increased, making it clear he also didn’t mind I’d made moves on him while he was sort of unconscious.
Jim had gone flaccid during my strip tease. He’d turned away, told me to cut back on the carbs.
This dragon-man didn’t seem to think I needed to cut back on anything.
His hands gripped my shoulders while his mouth moved on mine. Sparks flew through me, centering between my legs.
I shouldn’t be grinding against him already. He was barely touching me. But I did it anyway, unable to resist him.
What would it be like to give myself to a man who wanted me not just for who I was inside but for the shape I presented to the world?
&n
bsp; It would be awesome.
“I do not know who Jim is, but you are the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen,” he said gruffly. His fingertips stroked my cheek, along my neck, then cupped my shoulder.
I bit down hard on my lower lip and studied his face, looking for hints of deceit. If he was like Jim, I’d say, let’s do it, and he’d close his eyes and fantasize to get off—something he told me he’d done most of the time.
Talk about a mood-killer.
“Are you teasing me?” I asked, hesitancy ripe in my voice. Because it wouldn’t be easy to trust another guy, even if only for a hookup.
“Does this feel like teasing?” He pressed his lower body against mine, the evidence of his arousal raking across my pussy.
Heat spiked through me, and I couldn’t hold back my moan.
“Feels real, but…” I could watch him, see what he did, before I trusted him.
A quick glance around told me we were alone, thank heavens. We lay in a tramped-down circle in the broad, grassy meadow that spanned the front of the city. Tall flowers swayed in the breeze. Leaves rustled in the woods nearby. But no voices shouting or chattering nearby, making me believe we were alone.
No one would see us unless they pretty much stepped on us.
I could do whatever I pleased with my dragon-man, which was an intriguing thought.
Nervousness snaked up my spine, telling me I was stupid to let another man into my life so soon after I’d been burned. Especially a man I’d just met. But, really, it wasn’t like I’d ever see him again. We could do…whatever, after which he’d go on with his life—whatever that was for a dragon-shifter, while I’d return to the university.
One of my biggest fantasies was having a hot encounter with a stranger.
He kissed his way along my jawline, stopping to nibble on my earlobe.
The best kind of shivers wracked my frame.
I was crazy to be contemplating this. But, hell, while I was sick of being hurt by guys, I was even more tired of holding myself back.
I would test him.
“What if I do this?” I asked, unclipping my harness and unzipping my climbing suit all the way to my belly. If he found my rounded body unappealing, he’d go limp in seconds. Nothing would hide that.
His snarl ripped through his chest. He kissed my collarbone and moved to the top of my breasts peeking from beneath my lacy blue bra. While his teeth plucked at my nipple through the material, he prodded me with his still-rigid cock. My clit shouted more!
So far, so good.
“How about this?” I asked, my voice soft and husky, because, despite my best intentions, I was into this guy already. It was going to be painful if he pushed me away.
Sitting up a little, I pulled my arms from my sleeves and shimmied my climbing suit down over my hips, leaving most of me exposed to his view.
Nothing but my bra and blue thong remained between us. I was never more grateful that I refused to leave my apartment before putting on cute undies.
His breath caught as he gazed down at me, and I stiffened, guarding myself against his rejection.
Instead, he sat back on my thighs, his cock thrusting between us, and slid his hands across my belly to my breasts, where he stroked my nipples through the fabric.
“Take this off?” he asked, with a hitch in his voice, as if seeing me fully naked was the most exciting thing in the world. “And this?” He flicked the side of my thong.
“You’re not going to get me hot and bothered, then say you’ve changed your mind, are you?” I asked. Changed his mine. Why not be clear? I was worried he’d say I was ugly.
“I’m going to lick every inch of your lovely body, then fuck you.”
My breathing shuddered to a halt, and I grinned, because that pretty much summed up my stranger fantasy.
“I know I’m taking things out of order,” he said, as if admitting he was doing something bad. “But I can’t help it.”
Well, the usual order would be him asking me out, me saying yes, dinner, maybe the movies, a kiss, then—
“Normally, I’d bring you to my palace and woo you, first.”
Sounded old fashioned, but wooing could be fun. Wait a minute. Palace?
“After that, we’d wed,” he added.
Uh-uh. I lifted my eyebrows. “I just met you.”
He pressed his fist against his chest. “We know each other here.” His smile sunk through me like melted honey. This guy was not only gorgeous, his words, his touch…He was dangerous. He cleared his throat, as if he had something momentous to say, but frankly, the palace, the wooing, and the wedding stuff had taken us beyond momentous territory already. “Under the usual circumstances, we’d wed before I took you to my bed and made love to you for hours.”
Hours? Mmm.
“But I can’t wait.”
I wasn’t sure I could wait, either.
“I need you now.”
The words thrilled through me.
“However,” he said. “Before I reverse the order and strip you and lick every inch of your body, I must ask one question…”
Ah, here it comes. He’ll say, It’s okay if I pretend you’re skinny, right?, or, Do you mind if I close my eyes while we do it?
I held myself tight, waiting for him to spit out the worst.
“Do you accept me into your life and your body as your mate?” he asked, his fingers tickling down my sides.
I arched my hips toward him, seeking…
Hold on. Life, body, mate? This was not what I was expecting. Life, body, and mate sounded momentous, too. What, exactly, was he asking me?
I frowned. “You mean, do I want you to touch me, kiss me, lick me, and fuck me?” My voice squeaked out as I laid it all out for him. “If so, yes.”
“Yes?” The word came from deep in his chest, almost as if we were speaking vows. “You’re completely sure?”
“I am.” He had me so heated up, I’d promise him just about anything as long as he kept touching me.
“Then so be it.” He spread my legs wide and crawled between them. Without a how-do-you-do, he slid my thong aside and stroked my slit.
While I groaned, he tugged my thong down over my hips. His palms spread me wide, and his fingers tweaked my clit. He leaned forward and breathed on me.
Electricity jolted through me like I’d been struck by lightning. Tipping my head back, I shrieked.
So much for remaining hidden in the deep grass. If anyone was around, they’d come running, believing I was about to be murdered.
No, I was about to come after a guy barely touched me.
He chuckled. “You like that?”
Hell, yeah. “More.”
While a few fingers slid inside me, stroking my inner walls, he breathed directly on my clit.
Moaning, I thrust myself up toward him, which drove his fingers deeper. Little pants coming from my throat, I thrashed on the grass.
I’d never been this tightly sprung for a man before, and he wasn’t inside me yet.
While his thumb rubbed my clit and his fingers slid in and out, he reached up and fondled my breast, pinching the nipple that had solidified into a pebble.
I writhed, wanting all of it. My whimper slipped out. “Please.”
“Please, Jarik?”
“You’re Jarik?”
“Yes, PJ.”
Somehow, he already knew my name. But I guess that made sense, since this entire hookup was magical.
If my brain was working, I’d ask him how he knew who I was, but all I could focus on was the feel of his fingers going faster. His mouth replacing his thumb, sucking my clit deep inside his warmth. His tongue flicking across the tip.
I wanted to hold back, at least until he’d shoved himself inside me, but I was rushing for the cliffs, aching to tumble down the other side.
When he shoved more fingers inside and tweaked my G-spot, I shouted out his name. And spasmed around him.
“Yes,” he said. “Like that.” He stroked my belly, all while his f
ingers moved in and out, his thumb soothing my clit while I twitched and shuddered.
Embarrassment climbed into my cheeks, and I knew my skin must be flushed scarlet. “Sorry I came so soon.” Could I crawl away into the grass and hide?
He grinned and rose up over me. His cock teased my slit. “Surely you don’t think we’re finished yet?”
“I am,” I said. “I’m never good for more than one orgasm.” Assuming I got one. Lately, with Jim, I’d had to pretend. Probably because I could tell he was doing the same.
“You, my mate”—Jarik’s lips hovered over mine—“are about to experience multiple orgasms.”
Grasping my legs, he tucked my ankles over his shoulders.
He was pushing forward, his enormous cock probing and…vibrating? when hoarse screams erupted in the nearby forest.
Jarik froze, his eyes widening. “Fuck,” he said, pulling away from me. “The dead are rising.”
“Dead?” I gaped up at him. “Hold on. What’s rising again?”
He sat back in a crouch and extended his hand toward me. “Tell me, love. Are you up for a run?”
Chapter Four
Jarik
The Lifegiver had been generous, bringing PJ to me. But before I could fully savor her body, we needed to escape the ghost wraiths of Noran.
PJ peered around. “What was that—”
Another unearthly shriek echoed from deep within the forest, cutting off PJ’s question. She gulped and stared up at me before sitting bolt upright.
Her body trembling, she got to her feet. “No big rats around, but there’s something creepy going on here.”
“The wraiths are still some distance away, but they’ll fly to us quickly.”
“Flying wraiths?” She scowled. “What are you talking about?”
“We need to get inside the city walls before they discover us.” The Noran magical protections would prevent the wraiths from crossing the threshold, but out in the open, we were prey.
Grabbing her hand, I pulled her behind me across the grass, rushing toward the entrance to the crumbling ruins.
“But, but…” She stumbled, tugging up the scrap of fabric she’d worn snug against her slit. Still right on my tail, she stuffed her arms into her blue outfit and zipped it to her chin, covering her gorgeous body.
CLAIMED BY A DRAGON: Fated Dragon Series (Book 3 of 3) (DRAGON MATED) Page 2
