by Katie Reus
But she needed to say it. Heck, she needed him to hear it. He’d opened up to her about all of his past, and while he’d had a mother who had loved him, he’d never had anyone else in his life. Until her. And she didn’t want him to doubt for one second how she felt about him. “I’ll always love you,” she continued. “No matter what.”
In response, he cupped her mound, slid a finger into her already wet sheath and growled softly against her breast.
“Ian.” She arched into his hold as he slid another finger inside her.
He flicked his tongue over her aroused nipple as he began sliding his fingers in and out of her.
Okay, maybe he couldn’t say the words back just yet. She knew how he felt though. He showed her every time they were together. Right now she didn’t want to think. She just wanted to feel every delicious thing he was doing to her.
She dug her fingers into his shoulders as he began moving lower, lower. “Not this time.” He seemed to be obsessed with going down on her—not that she was complaining. But she desperately wanted to feel him pushing deep into her.
Her blue fire was wild around the room, the pale flames dancing over every surface. Even Ian’s dark, smoky manifestation couldn’t hide her fire. She didn’t think anything could at this point. She felt as if her fire could take over the whole city.
He looked up the length of her body and gave her a wicked grin. “I’m tasting what’s mine first.” A soft, demanding growl.
Her cheeks warmed up at his words and when he withdrew his fingers, only to replace them with his mouth, she let her head fall back as he started teasing her into near delirium.
He was incredibly talented with that mouth, something she was very grateful for. She slid her fingers through his dark hair as she neared climax. He’d brought her to countless climaxes over the last few days and she was ready for it, her body automatically tensing for that release. He’d learned what she liked so quickly it scared her a little.
She had no secrets from him, this wonderful, strong male who would soon be her mate. Maybe not tonight, but she couldn’t wait much longer. Her dragon half was going mindless with the need to be claimed and claim him right back, clawing at her, demanding she mark him.
Right before she would have come, he tore his mouth from her. “Ian…” Her stomach muscles tightened in protest, all the muscles in her body pulling taut as her orgasm was withheld from her.
Moving quickly he stood and stripped his jeans off with incredible speed. Standing above her with nothing on, the male looked like a god, as if he’d been carved from marble and made just for her. His long legs were cut, muscular lines of perfection, and his cock… Another rush of heat flooded between her legs.
She’d seen and tasted it before but the male was huge and all hers. “Get your ass down here,” she murmured, putting bite into her words.
His dragon flickered once in his eyes before he was back on top of her, this time crawling up her body like he was a predator and she his prey. She welcomed being completely claimed by him.
He cupped one of her cheeks, his hold shockingly gentle as his cock pressed against her entrance. “I love you.”
To hear him say the actual words set something free inside her. She hadn’t realized how badly she’d needed to hear them. Her throat was too tight to respond, but she wrapped her arms and legs around him, urging him on.
He kept his gaze pinned to hers as he slowly pushed inside her. She gasped as her inner walls stretched to accommodate every inch of him.
His jaw was clenched tight, his expression as fierce as she’d ever seen it as he stared down at her. “Never letting you go,” he whispered before pushing all the way to the hilt.
“Ian.” She’d never felt so incredible in her life. Shifters were built different than humans so unlike the pain that human females could sometimes feel, she only experienced…heaven.
There was no other word for it.
“Love when you say my name,” he growled. When he reached between their bodies and tweaked her clit, she jerked against him.
Then he started moving inside her, oh so slowly at first, definitely teasing her. She dug her fingers into his back, scraping her nails against him. “More.” She needed faster, harder or…something. Her body was on a razor’s edge and she needed—
He crushed his mouth to hers and began thrusting inside her.
Too many sensations overwhelmed her—the feel of his thick cock pulsing inside her, his lips against hers and the perfectly wicked way he was teasing her clit.
He had the right amount of pressure to drive her absolutely wild. Her heart beat out of control as he teased, stroked and pushed her right to the edge of sanity. She just needed a little more but it was as if he was restraining himself.
She moaned against his mouth, wanting to tell him she needed more again, but she wasn’t sure what she needed.
He tore his mouth from hers, nibbled little kisses along her jaw and neck. The sweet sensation sent shivers scattering through her entire body. Her inner walls tightened around him with each thrust.
“Want to feel you come around my cock,” he whispered darkly. “Want to hear you say you’re mine.” There was that bite of darkness to his words again.
“I’m yours.” She could never be anyone else’s. That was a fact she knew without a doubt.
“Say it again.” He thrust harder.
“I’m yours, Ian.”
He growled again, the sound as untamed as the male himself as he bit down on her earlobe. The bite set her off and her inner walls clenched tighter and tighter the harder he thrust into her until her climax slammed through her, a tidal wave of pleasure she felt as if she couldn’t contain. Nothing could contain her right now.
A blast of pale blue fire shot from her, rippling out across the room and up the ceiling as her orgasm slammed into her.
“Fiona.” Ian growled as he let himself go, joining her with his own climax. His canines descended as he stared at her, as she met him stroke for stroke.
For a moment she thought he’d bite her, complete the mating, but he buried his face against her neck instead, shuddering as he came inside her.
She wrapped herself tightly around him as her climax crested higher and higher. When she could finally see straight, she loosened her grip on him and opened her eyes. She was vaguely surprised to see flickers of blue still dotting the ceiling but dismissed it.
She stroked her fingers down his back, filled with so much love for the male she felt as if she couldn’t contain it all.
When he lifted his head to meet her gaze, his eyes were pure dragon. “Did I hurt you?” A trace of fear threaded through his raspy voice.
She shook her head and cupped his cheek. “Not possible… You could have bitten me,” she whispered, not trusting her voice not to crack otherwise. She’d thought he would mark her, claim her for good. It was what she wanted and she was pretty certain he did too. So she didn’t understand why he’d held off.
“I want to wait until we’re away from here. Until you’ve had time to fully embrace leaving everything behind. I want to mate with you more than my next breath, but I need you to be sure.” His eyes were human again as he continued. “Dragon matings are for life. I…don’t ever want you to regret mating with me. Even if every second that you’re not mine is torture.”
She cupped his cheeks with her hands as tears stung her eyes. He brushed his lips over hers, his kiss immediately deepening as she arched into him again. His thick cock was already hardening again, making her moan into his mouth.
How could she not love this male? He wanted to wait for her—even if she knew without a doubt he was it for her. Fine, they’d wait until they’d left her clan far behind.
Then he’d see just how damn serious this was for her. There would be no looking back. No regrets when it came to the two of them.
Chapter 15
Colm stared at the pile of his brother’s ashes he’d had moved to the banquet hall hours ago. No one was in here to
disturb him as he tried to get his mind wrapped around what had happened—and to reformulate his plans. He couldn’t understand how his brother, Byrne, had been taken from him so quickly. They’d had that half-breed dragon in their sights. They’d even prepared for a situation like this in case any other dragons decided to screw with them.
It had been risky but when they’d relocated here, Colm had created a dagger using his dragon fire. It gave him or his brother—or anyone—the ability to see other dragons, even in camouflage, as long as it was in his or whoever’s possession. Most dragons never made anything out of dragon fire for that very reason. And he usually kept the dagger locked up because he wouldn’t risk it falling into the wrong hands and allowing himself to become vulnerable. But he’d needed the extra security in case something like today happened. Now he was glad he’d been smart enough to be prepared.
He might be working with half-demons, but he sure as hell didn’t trust any of them. He trusted no one but himself and his brother. He swallowed hard, still not processing that his brother was truly gone. He would grieve later, once their mission was finally complete.
Now he knew for a fact that his stupid sister had lied to him. She’d said she’d come alone but she’d brought way more intruders than he’d imagined. Including that dragon from fifty years ago. She wasn’t mated to him though, because he would have scented it on her. So that was a strange development, but maybe the male had mated to someone else and was simply helping her. No matter why the other dragon was here, Colm would destroy him. He should have done it fifty years ago but his family had promised Fiona not to if she stayed away from the male. Now they’d both die.
He’d worked way too hard to see this operation brought to fruition to have it ruined by that stupid bitch. The only reason he’d even planned to let her go was because she’d been hit with one of his poison darts. She wasn’t going to live much longer. Maybe a week maximum, since she was a dragon after all. But he didn’t think it would be longer than that.
Unfortunately he had more problems than just her now—like those other shifters who’d infiltrated this realm. He had to stop them as well as Fiona and her half-breed before they escaped.
One of his lieutenants stepped into the banquet hall, letting the heavy door shut behind him with a thud. The male nodded respectfully at Colm. “I’ve sent twenty men to guard the exit of the Hell realm.”
“Are you stupid? That’s not enough. My sister is a dragon and the male with her is a dragon as well.” A half-dragon with a unique kind of fire he’d never seen before. It had incinerated his brother, causing him to burn and die so quickly. He never even heard of something like that blue type of fire, much less seen it. But he wasn’t going to tell this half-demon that. He might be working with them but he was still the superior race and he only told them things on a need-to-know basis. “Send thirty more,” he snapped before the male could speak. “And make sure they are all armed with crossbows and poison darts.”
“Respectfully, sir, are you sure? We’ve lost that half-demon and our supply is small.”
Colm inwardly cursed because the male was right. They’d been mixing that half-demon prisoner’s blood with human blood—as well as another secret ingredient—and while they had a large supply of humans, they didn’t have another half-demon. Not one like that male anyway. His DNA was unique. “How big is the party out hunting him?” He didn’t micromanage because he trusted his lieutenants to do their jobs, but he’d also been out hunting the wolves and his sister before returning to the castle. Now it was time to get his shit together. He needed to be on top of everything.
“I still have three hunting parties out right now. But darkness has fallen and we’d just be running around in circles even with our trackers. This land is too vast.”
Even though the male was right, Colm still didn’t like it. But he’d learned to adapt over the years. That was why he was such a strong leader. Unlike his arrogant father. That male would see how strong Colm was when he finally took his rightful place in the world. “Fine. Get three more hunting parties together and be ready to go at daybreak. I don’t think he’ll try to exit right away. That male is too shifty and he’ll try to wait us out.” Waiting would be the half-demon shifter’s mistake. They’d hunt him down before that. No way would Colm let him escape. Not when he needed him so desperately. “I’ll lead one of the teams. We leave as soon as it’s light.”
The male simply nodded and stepped out of the room, leaving Colm with his brother’s ashes. Sighing, he stared at the pile. He needed to get rid of it.
Thousands of years ago dragons had been hunted and sacrificed for any number of things: their blood, bones, ability to open gates of Hell. Even though Colm didn’t think his brother’s ashes could be used against him, he decided to scatter them in one of the few bodies of water in this realm. It should render the ashes useless. He was going to make that half-breed pay for killing his brother. Make him bleed and suffer until he begged for death.
Chapter 16
Ian focused his senses as they quietly walked down the mountain in the early daylight, concentrating on scents and sounds. If anyone tried to attack them, they were getting ashed.
Earlier he’d flown halfway down the side of the steep incline with Fiona riding on him, but since he knew her brother had the ability to see him when he was camouflaged, he didn’t want to make them bigger targets. Now they were on foot and using the trees as cover from any aerial threat.
“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly as wind whipped over them. He barely felt the cut of it, but Fiona shivered slightly as their boots crunched over the snowy ground. The tunic she wore was thick, but he’d given her his own, telling her that he wanted to spare it from getting shredded in case he had to shift at a moment’s notice. It revealed more of his blue skin, his lineage markings, but she truly didn’t seem to care. It erased his fear of her rejection or disgust.
“I’m good.” She gave him a small smile and while it definitely reached her eyes, she still seemed a little winded.
“I’d like to carry you.”
She shook her head. “No. But thank you.”
He started to argue, but stilled at a new scent trickling in on the air. He held up a hand.
Immediately she stopped next to him, withdrawing one of her blades as she glanced around. The wind was the only sound and though the scent was subtle, he recognized it.
His half-brother dropped down from the trees about twenty yards in front of them wearing dark pants and a tunic. He moved like a feline, with a liquid grace Ian had never seen in the wolves. Ian tensed, ready to go into battle if the male had brought others with him, but the half-demon held up his hands, palms out in a peaceful gesture.
“I’m alone. And I’m here to tell you that the fucker in charge of this operation has added guards to the exit gate. At least thirty half-demons. But by now maybe more. I was up there a few hours ago before daybreak and there was no way I could have fought through all of them. They’ve created a sort of net over the actual gate and I’m not sure what it’s made of. It looked metal. Maybe silver. I didn’t want to risk getting tangled in it.”
“Why are you telling us?” Ian kept his voice neutral. He might be related to this male via blood but that didn’t mean anything. Because this guy still had their father’s blood running through his veins. Ian did too but he’d also been raised by a loving mother and he knew that made a difference, especially since he had to fight his dual nature all the time. He was just lucky that his dragon side was a hell of a lot stronger than his demon side.
“You saved my life. And…I want to get out of here, but I also want to meet the rest of my family if you’re telling the truth.”
“I think we would all like to get to know you better. Once we’re sure we can trust you.” There was a bite to his words he couldn’t contain. If this male ever became a threat to his family, to the people he loved—to Fiona—Ian would end him with no problem.
“Okay, that’s fair enough.”
He cleared his throat and ran a hand over the back of his neck, making the sleeve of his tunic slide back. It was weird to see another male who wasn’t Rory or Bo with the same lineage tattoos marking his skin. “I spotted the wolves you said were with you a few miles to the west of here. They hunkered down for the night and blended into the shadows so well I wouldn’t have seen them if I hadn’t known where they were before. That was hours ago so I have no idea if they’re still there but if you’re looking for them—”
Ian nodded. “Lead the way. But what I said before stands. If you fuck with me or try to hurt anybody with me I will destroy you.”
The male didn’t seem offended at all as he nodded. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. By the way, a dragon? Our asshole sperm donor sure got around.” There was serious disgust in his voice, which made Ian smile. Maybe he’d end up liking this male after all.
“He did.” And if Ian ever saw him again, he’d kill him. Or die trying. “What’s your name?”
“Javier. And I’m a hybrid wolf/jaguar. My mother’s a mixed breed and I received her genes. I only shift to wolf, but the jaguar gene is still there.”
Interesting. Though Ian wanted to link his fingers through Fiona’s, pull her close, he just remained at her side as they walked, alert for any danger. “My name’s Ian. And this is Fiona. She’s mine.” He thought it was already pretty damn clear, but he was making sure this male had no doubt she was taken.
Fiona just gave a slight smile as her cheeks flushed pink, but didn’t respond otherwise.
Javier nodded. “I figured you guys were together. How old are you anyway, if you don’t mind me asking? I’m thirty.”
Christ, that made him feel ancient. “I’m a little over a hundred.”
“And I’m eighty-two.” Fiona’s voice was soft as she scanned upward, taking in the all-green trees, looking for any would-be attackers.
The matching green bark and leaves were strange, just as Gray had said they would be. Ian hadn’t seen anything to indicate the trees were alive enough to harm them, but he still wanted to be aware. In the realm he’d lived in before, most of the tree trunks had been a bright red and the sky lavender.