by S. E. Smith
Zoran was pacing back and forth on the front porch of the small cabin for the past hour. It was beginning to get dark and Abby still had not returned. He tried reaching out to her but his symbiosis refused to answer his call. He growled, scaring Bo who was playing with his tennis ball in the front yard. Bo immediately laid down and rolled over to be petted. Where was she? Why was it taking so long? Had something happened to her? He knew he should have gone with her. He should have insisted she take the weapon he tried to give her. What if she was hurt? He paled. What if she was being held a captive or worse, dead? He shuddered at the thought, calling out to his symbiosis again almost frantically. He felt a wave of dizziness pass over him as it finally answered him. He growled wanting to know why it hadn’t replied before. Flashes of Abby driving down a road with the wind blowing through her hair flashed through his mind. He could hear her singing. His grin faded as he saw a man approaching Abby. The man appeared to be wearing some type of uniform. He couldn’t hear the conversation between them but he could tell from the look the man was giving Abby that he desired her. A deep growl exploded out of his chest when he saw the man holding Abby and kissing her. Zoran felt a flash of fury as the man pulled away from Abby, smiling at her. She had not resisted the man. Jealousy burned though him at the thought of Abby in another’s embrace. She was his!
Zoran’s head jerked around as the lights from Abby’s transport flooded the front of the cabin. Zoran growled again as he watched her pull up. The dragon inside him roared for him to claim her, to put his mark on her. Zoran was at the door to the truck before Abby even turned it off.
Abby laughed as he pulled the door out of her hands, “Not in a hurry to help get the groceries out, are you? You know, most men run the opposite way when they know it’s time to bring them in.”
Zoran was so lost in the haze of jealousy he didn’t hear what Abby was saying. He needed to know if the images his symbiosis sent to him were true. Zoran pulled Abby from the seat of the truck and into his arms, holding her close while he breathed deeply of her scent. The scent of another man still clung to her. A deep growl erupted from the back of his throat as his hand reached up to hold Abby’s jaw still as he sniffed her.
“What are you doing?” Abby asked breathless.
She thought it funny Zoran would react so strangely to her returning with groceries. She thought he must not have figured out how to work the microwave or make a sandwich and was just hungry. But, the possessive way he grabbed her and the way he was growling told her he was upset about something.
Zoran growled again when Abby tried to push him away, warning her not to resist. He could smell the other man on her skin. The thought of the other man’s scent on his true mate was too much for the dragon in him. He had to put his own scent on her. Gripping her neck in his large hand, he brought his lips down on hers, crushing her in his arms as he tried to gain control of his jealousy.
Abby resisted at first. Fighting the possessive hold Zoran had on her. She didn’t know what was wrong but he was obviously upset about something or he missed her more than she had thought. Abby was just beginning to relax and respond to Zoran’s kiss when the image of him naked with so many women rubbing on him flashed into her mind. Twisting her head to the side, she took a shaky breath before trying to push him away from her.
“What is your problem?” Abby demanded. “I haven’t been gone all that long and even if I had been, you have no right to manhandle me!”
Zoran pulled back glaring down at Abby. She was his. He was frustrated that he could not explain this to her. She had no right to allow another male to touch her. A Valdier male was very, very possessive of his true mate. He would not think twice about killing any male who even looked too long at his mate. For another male to touch her, mark her with his scent was more than the dragon in him could bear. He wanted to kill the male. If Abby purposely tried to leave him for another, he would do whatever was necessary to stop her; even if it meant tying her up or locking her away until she realized she belonged to him. He would never let her go. In Abby’s case, it was even more potent as not only had he chosen her as his mate but so had his symbiosis and from the feel of it, his dragon. This was very rare. As the ruler of his people, he would be expected to produce many heirs and only in a union where he, his dragon and his symbiosis accepted the female would this happen.
“Mine.” Zoran growled as Abby tried to push him away.
“Mine!” Zoran roared, the dragon in him finally overcoming his control.
Abby’s breath caught in a gasp as she watched Zoran’s face change. His eyes glowed with molten gold and his pupil’s became long narrow slits. As she watched green, gold, and red scales began forming as his head began to shift into the form of his dragon. His hands began to elongate, turning into sharp claws. Abby heard the sound of tearing as his shirt split open and long, leathery wings appeared out of his back. A sound penetrated Abby’s brain as if from a distance, it sounded like a whimper. That was the last thing Abby remembered as everything faded to black.
Zoran was so upset over the other male’s scent on his mate and Abby’s apparent rejection of him that he was unable to control his dragon any longer. He felt the change as it swept over him, enjoying the feelings of power and freedom as he let his beast free. What he had not expected was Abby’s fear at his transformation. He saw her flinch as he roared out and then the stunned panic as he began to shift. It was only when she collapsed unconscious in his arms that he realized just how much he had frightened her.
Chapter 7
Abby stretched her arms over her head, arching her back like a cat. She didn’t feel near as tired as she had been. It was only when she felt skin on sheet that she froze. Something was wrong. She never, ever slept in the nude. She tried it once and it felt to uncomfortable, not to mention she had gotten cold. Right now though, she felt nice and warm, like someone had put a heating pad or an electric blanket on top of her.
Opening her eyes, Abby turned her head to look outside the window. Frowning, she rose up on her elbows. The sun was just coming up. She didn’t remember getting ready for bed last night. Turning her head the other way, she let out a squeal of terror. She was not only in bed naked but she was in bed with a man naked. Abby tried to roll out of the bed but was pinned instead by the sheet tucked around her. The reason she was so warm was because her other side was pressed up against Zoran’s hot, naked body.
“What are you doing?” Abby squeaked. She tried to drag the covers up to her chin.
“You have awoken.” Zoran said with relief.
After Abby fainted last night, he brought her inside. He undressed her and placed her in his bed but she still did not wake up. As the long night passed, Zoran became concerned and had his symbiosis constantly monitoring her to see if she was injured. He finished bringing in the food products, guessing what went where by the temperature of it, while he waited for her to recover. When she appeared to have fallen into a deeper sleep, he finally undressed and joined her in the bed as was his rightful place as her mate. He held her throughout the night, waking frequently to make sure she was well.
Abby frowned. She really needed to learn his language or get one of those translator devices because this one way communication was getting on her nerves. Abby’s eyes widened as she recalled her last thought before everything turned black. She stared at Zoran, picturing how his eyes and face changed. She remembered his skin turning to scales and wings coming out of his back. He had turned into a dragon. A real live dragon!
Making sure she had the sheet tucked up under her arms as she rolled over until she was propped up on her one elbow, Abby tentatively reached out to touch Zoran’s face. It was warm and smooth. She let her hand moved down to his shoulder, running her hand gently over his back where the wings had been.
“You changed. Last night, you changed into a dragon. I saw you.” Abby whispered her eyes wide with awe.
“Zi.” Zoran said hoarsely.
Abby sat up pulling the covers with h
er. “Can you do it again? Change?” She asked.
Zoran frowned. He did not want to frighten Abby again. He liked having her in his arms. He liked her touching him. He did not like the look of terror on her face as she stared at him last night before she fainted.
“Ni.” Zoran said, shaking his head firmly.
“No? No, you can’t change or no you won’t?” Abby asked staring at Zoran.
Zoran ran his hand through his hair frustrated. He wanted to explain why he wouldn’t change but there was no way to do so where she could understand. He had six more days before his brothers arrived and could have a translator implanted into Abby so they could communicate. This was driving him crazy. There was so much he wanted to ask her, so much he wanted to tell her and yet he couldn’t. Swinging his long legs over the side of the bed, Zoran stood up completely at ease with his nudity. It wasn’t until he heard a gasp and turned to see Abby pulling the covers over her head that he began to chuckle then laugh. She was so adorable with her shyness. It took all of his enormous will power last night not to take her after he undressed her. If not for the fact that he wanted to watch her respond to him, he might have considered taking her anyway just so he could mark her as his. As it was, he had barely been able to cover her up without touching her. During the night, she had gotten cold and sought the warmth of his body. He was only too willing to offer his body to hers. It was pure hell as the scent and feel of her in his arms made sleep impossible. Now, he stood before her harder than hell and she was shaking like a leaf under the covers of the bed they had shared.
Abby kept her eyes firmly closed as she stuck her head out from under the covers. “Laugh all you want to but I don’t normally have naked men in my bed. Now, go into the bathroom so I can get out of here.”
Zoran growled at the idea of Abby having another naked man in her bed. The sound made Abby’s eyes fly open as her gaze flew to his. He made that same sound last night right before he changed into a dragon.
Zoran moved back to the bed pulling Abby up into his arms. He moved so fast that Abby hadn’t even seen him. The sheet was ripped out of her hands as he pulled her close, crushing her lips to his as he kissed her deeply. Abby could feel the coarse hair on his chest rubbing against her breasts. Zoran groaned as he moved one hand behind Abby’s head to hold her still while his other hand moved down over her body to rest on her bare hip; never before had Abby been held so intimately against a man. A shiver of desire ran though her as her pussy clench with desire. Zoran pulled back sniffing. He let out a growl when Abby tried to pull away from him. He could smell her desire. It was a heady scent and he breathed it in deeply. Moving his hand down from her hip until it covered her moist mound, he refused to let her look away from him or move as he let his fingers brush the hot curls.
Abby couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her. She had never felt so hot or needy in her life. She struggled to break the hold he held on her but she couldn’t look away from him as he slid not one but two fingers into her pussy. Abby’s hips jerked at the invasion to her body. She moaned as he rubbed her clit before pushing even deeper into her. Abby began to shake as she felt the hot desire build inside of her. Instead of letting her go, Zoran lowered Abby down until she was laying flat on her back in the huge bed. He still kept his grip on her neck and never took his eyes from her, even as he lowered his head to catch one of her nipples between his lips.
Abby jerked, arching upward as Zoran grasped her swollen nipple between his lips. A cry escaped her as her hips jerked in response to the pleasure she felt; the move drove Zoran’s fingers deeper into her hot channel. Zoran sucked deeply on her nipple before releasing it. He never took his eyes off of Abby’s as he moved to her other nipple. Abby couldn’t contain her moan of need as he moved over it, his hot breath causing the nipple to swell almost painfully in expectation. Abby’s hips were moving back and forth on their own, driving Zoran’s fingers deeper and deeper each time as her body picked up the age-old rhythm of love-making.
“Please.” Abby whimpered. She didn’t know what she was begging for exactly, just that she needed relief from the pressure building up inside of her. “Zoran, please.”
Zoran moved down to replace his fingers with his mouth. He needed a taste of Abby. Her scent was driving him insane since he woke up yesterday morning. He needed her like he needed air to breathe. Abby cried out as his mouth covered her mound, pushing closer to him. Zoran moaned at Abby’s response to him. Using his tongue, he ran the rough edge over her clit causing Abby to scream as pleasure swamped her. Zoran gripped Abby’s hips holding her to him as he sucked, licked and drank her essence; burning it into his soul. Abby cried out loudly as her orgasm took hold of her. Zoran moved up between her legs settling his thick, heavy cock at her entrance. Lifting Abby’s legs until her knees bent over his forearms he pushed slowly into her.
“Mine, elila. I claim you as my true mate. No other may have you. I will live to protect you. You are my mine.” Zoran said in his language binding them together as he drove forward into Abby’s slick entrance.
Abby cried out in shock as Zoran pushed through the thin barrier of her virginity. She gasped several times as pain washed over her. Zoran roared as he realized Abby had never been with another. He forced himself to hold still for a moment to let Abby adjust to his thickness and size. She was his, totally. She had never belonged to another. The dragon in him wanted to roar out a challenge to any man who would try to take her from him now. He would kill anyone who tried to harm her. His hips began to move on their own accord. He pulled out almost all the way before pushing back into Abby’s body as deep as he could go. Abby’s gasp of pain and shock quickly turned to moans of pleasure as Zoran began pumping into her faster and harder. His arms and neck strained as he fought his own release until Abby could again feel the hot release of pleasure he wanted her to have. Reaching down in between them, he flicked her sensitive clit with his finger driving her over the edge. The muscles in Zoran’s neck stood out as he roared his release for all to hear. Abby watched in disbelief as Zoran threw back his head, his eyes closed, and his mouth falling open as he filled her with his hot seed. Never had she seen anything so beautiful or so erotic. Her own body responded to Zoran’s claim on her; clamping down on him as if claiming him for herself.
Zoran held himself still until he felt the last of his seed empty deep inside of Abby. His scent was now deep inside her, claiming her as belonging to him, Zoran Reykill, Leader of the Valdier. She was now his queen and would always belong only to him. Her body would never accept another male. Zoran collapsed on top of Abby, holding himself up by his elbows so he wouldn’t crush her under his huge body. He ran little kisses over Abby’s forehead and cheeks before rolling over and holding her tightly against his body.
“You are mine, elila.” Zoran murmured softly as he ran his hands possessively over Abby’s soft figure.
Abby sighed contently. She couldn’t undo what happened. She had always been honest with herself. She really didn’t understand what happened but she would accept the reality of it. She wanted Zoran from the first moment she saw him laying unconscious in the damp meadow of her mountain. She knew she would not have very long with him. That, what was between them, was an impossible fantasy as they literally came from two different worlds. In as little as a few days, he would be leaving to return to his world and she would remain on hers. She believed in fate. It was meant for him to crash on her mountain and it was meant for her to find him. What happened next would take care of itself. The only thing she regretted was they would not have very long to be together. He couldn’t stay here with her, it would be too dangerous in the long run and she couldn’t leave, this was her world, her home.
Abby pressed a kiss into Zoran’s shoulder before turning to roll out of the bed. It was a little pointless getting shy now about her body, especially after what Zoran had just done to her. She stood next to the bed, looking down at Zoran with a soft smile, before walking towards her bedroom. She needed a few minutes a
lone to deal with what she had just done. She pressed a hand to her stomach as she thought of the consequences of her actions. She wasn’t worried about getting pregnant. The likelihood of their two species being compatible enough to reproduce was probably slim to none. No, what she was worried about was losing something far more important. She worried she would lose her heart to the one man she could never have. She knew she loved him. She didn’t know how she knew. She hardly knew the man but she could feel it deep down inside her. Stepping into the shower, Abby tilted her head back letting the warm water wash her tears away.
Chapter 8
Zoran let a small smile curve his lips as he watched Abby fix a meal to break their morning fast. He was concerned when she left the bedroom without a word. Deep down, he knew she needed time alone to come to terms with what happened. He knew she did not understand everything that had passed between them; he could tell by the small sad smile she gave him. She thought they would only have a few days together. There was no way of telling her it would be much, much longer. He had no regrets for what passed between them. He accepted she belonged to him and had no regrets or qualms at the thought of taking her away from her home. She would have to adjust. He would be there for her, guiding her as she made the adjustments to his world.
They ate in a comfortable silence. Zoran helped dry the dishes after breakfast. He watched as Abby would gaze out the window, her eyes distant for a moment before she seemed to remember he was there with her.
“I have to work today. If you want, I can show you where I’m going to be then you can do whatever you want. I have a project I’ve been working on and it is almost done. I would like to have it finished by today or tomorrow at the latest. Edna will be home the day after tomorrow to get Bo and Gloria. I promised to show her it before I delivered it to my clients.” Abby said softly staring out the window instead of looking at Zoran.