by Riley Storm
Red, green and green-gold sparks shot from her fingertips, exploding in a cascading display of light at the top, a magical display of fireworks that had the entire little crowd ooh-ing and ahh-ing over them.
“Now let’s party!” she cried as the lightshow faded away half a minute later.
The group broke up, some heading for drinks, others for food, and everyone intermingling with each other.
Kyla couldn’t see a non-smiling face in the room, including her own.
If this was to be her end, then this was a memory she planned on holding until the very end. This, and what she was going to share with Galen later…
Chapter 31
“I can admit, I never saw that coming,” he said with a chuckle as Francis and Margery finished saying their goodnights and retired from the ballroom, arm in arm, heads together, talking quietly to one another.
“Me neither,” Jax said, his chest bouncing with quiet laughter as he watched them go, Sarah pressed to his side, his arm draped over her shoulder, holding her tight.
Galen squeezed Kyla’s hand twice in rapid succession, reminding himself that she was still there. In return she snuggled in a little tighter.
The four of them were sitting on some over-large lounge chairs, talking quietly amongst themselves. Valla and Liz had already retired for the night, gone to be with one another and Melina, a family.
Galen envied his youngest brother that moment, wishing that he’d had the chance to have children, to experience parenthood. Still, he was happy, happier than he’d been in a long time. Nobody was judging him for his choice to be with Kyla, and in fact everyone seemed happy for him, as if they knew that this was the way it was meant to be.
“I think we’re going to call it a night as well,” Victor said as he and Cheryl came by, arm in arm.
“I just can’t keep up,” Cheryl said, rubbing her stomach. “My feet are killing me.”
The assembled group all smiled and laughed, nodding their heads in understanding. A round of goodnights was said, and then the pair drifted away.
From the far side of the room, Aaric caught their attention and waved. He and Olivia were in deep conversation, all smiles, and judging from their body language, Galen had an idea of what they were talking about. A moment later, the fire dragon scooped his mate up into his arms and dashed from the room with a bellowed ‘Goodnight’.
“So subtle,” Kyla joked, bringing the quartet to laughter once more.
Galen joined in easily, not bothering to hide his emotions any longer. He was happy, this was the perfect sort of night. There would be many tears and long faces come the morrow, but for now—for now, everyone was happy, and together.
As a King, even if for only a short period of time, that was what he wanted to see from his family, from his fellows. Happiness, and comradery.
“Well my darling,” Jax said, getting to his feet and extending a hand down to his mate. “Shall we?”
“We shall,” Sarah giggled, letting herself get hauled to her feet, then jumping into Jax’s arms. “I’m tired. Right to bed for me I think,” she teased.
Jax snorted loudly. “Riiighht,” he drawled, rolling his eyes even as Sarah’s fingers began to idly trace patterns on his chest. “Sleep.”
“Quit your whining and get moving, mister,” she said, leaning up to whisper something in his eyes.
Jax’s eyes went wide as she continued to talk. “Yup. G’night all. Bed time. Sleep tight.”
He all but dashed from the room.
“Well that was entertaining,” Kyla said, reaching up to lay a hand on his chest. “Then there were two.”
“And then there were two,” he echoed, his right hand coming up to play with her hair, trying to tuck it behind her ear, only for it to fall forward again, too short to stay.
“What do you think about that?” she asked.
“I think that, while I wish you would never have come back, I’m also beyond grateful that I got to spend a night like this with you before tomorrow,” he said, opening himself to her slightly more than he had. It was hard, and parts of him railed against admitting even that much, but she deserved to know that much at least.
In truth she deserved to know more, but Galen wasn’t sure he had the strength to admit it, to himself, or to her. Not yet. That would take time.
And time is the one thing we’re lacking.
“Me too,” she said softly. “It was like a dream.”
“I wish you would consider leaving now,” he said quietly. “But I won’t ask you to, I know better than that,” he added with a smile.
“You wish it because you care,” Kyla said.
He tried hard not to stiffen at the blunt words. It was true, he did care, and he needed to stop being so scared of that. He needed to accept it, to let Kyla see that he accepted it. That he liked it. That he liked her.
“But I’m not leaving, Galen. This is my place, here, with you, fighting against evil. I’ve trained all my life for something like this, to be in a place to do some good. Getting to do that at your side, well, that’s just an unexpected bonus.”
He leaned over and kissed the top of her head without thinking.
“Meeting you,” she continued. “Your brothers. Learning about your world, it has changed me, Galen. More than I think I can ever express to you. There is so much that I was taught about you that is just plain wrong, and it was visible from the moment I stepped through the portal. So many misconceptions, mistruths and outright lies have been told about shifters to my people.”
“It’s not just your side doing that,” he said softly. “We’ve done the same. We’ve had to, so that we could feel comfortable killing your kind over the centuries. Dehumanizing your opponents is an age-old tactic to make it easier to take a life.”
She nodded, taking his hand and kissing the back of it. “Maybe,” she said. “Maybe if somehow a miracle occurs tomorrow, then you and I, perhaps we can work to heal that rift, to close the gap between our kinds.”
“I would like that a lot,” he said. “I’m tired of killing. Of fighting. I would really like to be about more than just a force of destruction. But peace, harmony. Love,” he added after a moment. “Those are things I would like to enjoy. To be a part of.”
Kyla nodded, getting up from her chair, tugging him up with her, keeping him close. “Then let’s go make some memories of that,” she suggested.
“Oh, is this the ‘later’ you were talking about?” he teased, getting up and pulling her in close, looming over her, his hands slowly beginning to wander her body, feeling it beneath the fabric of her clothes.
“Maybe it is,” she murmured as he bent over her, kissing her, tasting her. “Maybe it’s not.”
Galen made sure he was thorough, not breaking apart until Kyla began to arch into him, her body responding to his touch in the most obvious of ways.
“Well, which one is it?” he asked, nipping at her neck, teeth digging into her skin just enough to cause her to gasp in surprise and enjoyment, not pain.
“I think it is,” she moaned, her arms clasped tightly around his neck, pulling him in tight.
“I’m going to need more than just an “I think”,” he rumbled, running one hand slowly up the inside of her leg, carefully avoiding anywhere overly sensitive.
“I think you should take me back to your room now,” Kyla said tightly as his hands continued to wander, dancing slowly across her breasts and cupping her ass. “Then I think you should…”
Galen stiffened, his eyes going wide as Jax’s as she continued to whisper into his ear.
“Yup. Yup I can do that,” he all but yelped.
Then he bent down and, instead of taking Kyla into his arms, he hauled her over his shoulder and took off.
“Hey! Hey what is this! What the heck!” she protested, alternating between laughing and beating her fists on his back. “Put me down!”
“No time,” he laughed. “Must get to bedroom!”
“Great. I’m going home wit
h a caveman,” she said resignedly from over his shoulder, stopping her protests. “Just my luck.”
“Oh trust me,” he teased. “You’re going to get very lucky.”
Chapter 32
Galen bent over at the edge of the bed and lay her back onto it, standing up to admire her like she was his prize.
The humor of the run faded abruptly at the lust in his eyes, a reminder of what was to come, and how he would make her feel. Kyla’s throat was suddenly dry, her body warm as she watched Galen remove first his shirt, and then the rest of his clothing, until he stood over her, naked and semi-hard, a sight to behold.
“Not bad for a caveman,” she all but purred as he bent over her, covering her mouth with his, making it hard to talk for the next few minutes.
He didn’t climb on the bed, instead staying at the edge, but that didn’t mean he was out of reach. Dragging her fingernails down his sides, she switched to her fingertips as they curved over his firm stomach, until she found what she was looking for, wrapping one hand around it.
Galen hissed with delight, the sound loud in her ear, and providing even more stimulus for her body as he started to strip her of her clothing, exposing her body to his eyes. She watched them devour her, every square inch. It was a thoroughly arousing experience, feeling him grow harder in her hand with each piece of clothing that came free of her body.
He well and truly found her attractive, despite her thickness and all the other flaws she saw in herself, and the effect that knowledge had was to release her of most inhibitions, including her normal desire to be completely clothed. With Galen, she felt free and desired, and this swept away much of her vulnerability.
Anything that was left was forgotten about as his hands, and several moments later, his mouth began to explore its way around her body.
They didn’t speak for a time, too wrapped up in exploring one another. But just because they didn’t verbalize, didn’t mean that there was no communication. A glance here, a gasp there, the arching of her back when he touched her just so, it all brought them together, making them closer as they explored, and enjoyed, the company of one another.
“Kyla,” Galen groaned as she teased him with both hands, stroking him gently with one, while cupping and stroking just behind his sac with the other, noting the way he stiffened each time she found that sensitive area just right. “I want you so badly.”
“You can have me,” she whispered, hearing the urgency, the desire, in her own voice. “I’m yours.”
Galen’s pleased growl filled the entire room, and at long last he climbed on top of the bed, casually lifting her with one arm and sliding her back among the pillows. They hadn’t bothered to remove the covers or anything, and she didn’t care. Her attention was firmly on Galen, nothing else. Most of the room was a blur even, the only focus being his face, and what was between his legs.
“No,” she said as he started to kiss his way down her body. “I need you inside me.”
The evening had built her anticipation to this point, and now she could wait no longer. She was ready, her body eager to feel him enter her. Galen nodded in understanding, though he did run one hand between her legs, gathering some of her evident wetness and coating himself with it, all the while teasing her just that little bit more.
“Please,” she said as seductively as she could. “I want you.”
Pushing her legs gently to the side, Galen positioned himself between them, one hand stroking the side of her face while the other grasped his cock and placed the tip of it against her opening. A tremor of anticipation shuddered through her body from just that, and Kyla whimpered when he didn’t immediately continue.
“Galen,” she moaned.
Then he was suddenly inside her. Just barely, little more than the tip, but she could feel him all but bursting with a desire for more. Whether it was her imagination or not, Kyla swore she could feel his cock throbbing already.
“More,” she said, realizing he was no longer teasing her, but making sure she was ready to take him in. “I can take it.”
Galen didn’t need further urging. She hissed, digging her fingernails deep into his back as he pushed all the way inside her in one slow, smooth motion. It hurt ever so slightly as she stretched to accommodate him, but the pain was far outweighed by the pleasure, and her eyes rolled back into her head as she relished that first moment of entry.
He slipped both hands under her back and pulled her up off the bed, leaning back on his knees. Clinging to his neck, she thrust her hips back and forth against him, riding him even as he held her aloft. The sheer strength he was demonstrating by holding her so easily inched her arousal higher.
But it wasn’t until his hand dipped between them, one finger finding her clit, that she truly lost control. Her own wetness was flowing out of her as she rode him harder and harder, head back, his mouth clamped down on her neck. Her moans became cries as she tightened, her entire body going stiff as he made her come.
“Oh fuck.” She felt Galen’s arms grow tighter and he growled distractedly.
Despite the waves of pleasure flowing out through her body amid the continuing thrust of her hips, capturing and releasing his cock, Kyla somehow managed to realize that he was on the edge himself, trying hard not to lose control.
The knowledge that her orgasm had almost made him explode was a real confidence booster. Then he lay her back on the bed, leaning over her, unmoving while he breathed hard in her ear.
“Holy shit, that was hot,” Galen growled. “You’re hot.”
She just pulled him in tight and kissed him, her brain not quite up to words yet, still basking in the afterglow of her climax. Her lips parted for his tongue and she clung tightly to his neck, feeling him shudder and then relax.
As soon as he did that, he started to thrust again, still thoroughly kissing her. She was all but moaning into his mouth, finding it hard to double-task both kissing him and getting fucked.
All at once, Galen pulled out of her. His hands casually gripped her waist and flipped her over, a manhandling that had Kyla biting her lips. She loved feeling so small to him, the way he just moved her body, doing to her as he pleased.
She started to get on all fours, to stick her ass up for him, but Galen growled a wordless negative at her, pushing her down flat onto the bed, legs closed. Then he mounted her and easily slid back inside, filling her once more.
“Oh, my God,” she gasped as he started to move in and out from behind her, his body lying on top of hers, allowing her to feel his weight without squishing her.
His cock was also hitting her just right from this angle. Her breaths came shorter and shorter, and she could hear him begin to groan in her ear, a surefire sign that he was getting close.
“Don’t stop,” she ordered. “No matter what. Don’t stop.”
“What if I—”
“Keep fucking me,” she moaned, not caring. There wasn’t going to be a tomorrow, who cared. “I’m going to fucking come, Galen, oh my God.”
He growled deeply, and she could feel his chest vibrate against her back. A second later he swelled inside of her and she couldn’t take it. Her walls clamped down around him and she thrashed against the bed, her cries bouncing off the walls.
Galen groaned loudly and she could feel him emptying himself inside her, warmth filling her as he shot stream after stream, his body jerking and writhing on top of her, which only enhanced her own climax, making it twice as hot.
They collapsed into the bed, Galen still on top of her, a heavy, comforting presence as they both gasped for air, the frenzied, intense lovemaking having sapped them of energy.
He kissed her behind her ear at one point, and she shivered, biting her lip involuntarily at the attention. It was the little things, like that, like the way he’d touched her and even now clung close to her, that showed Kyla the things Galen was having trouble putting into words.
Namely that he needed her, wanted her, and most of all, he cared for her. It was obvious in the way he tou
ched her, the way he desired to please her, even if he couldn’t yet feel comfortable saying it.
It was all she needed. Well, that and his body, she was quite content with needing that too, she thought to herself as he stirred a minute later, his cock already hardening inside her once more.
“Again?” she moaned, feeling tired, yet also feeling her body respond to him as he moved back and forth.
“Are you really complaining?” he teased, gently biting her ear.
“I guess not,” she admitted in a throaty voice. “But turn me over, I want to be able to look into your eyes this time.”
Galen did as he was told, and she shivered at the intensity of his stare. She’d never seen him look at her like that. Not with such open emotion at least. It was a look she’d desired to see, but hadn’t expected, not yet at least.
But now Galen stared at her, unabashed. Like she was his.
And Kyla loved it.
Chapter 33
Galen shot upright, startling her.
“What?” she asked, immediately on edge.
“It’s time,” he said quietly, looking over at her with a gravity to his face she’d never seen before.
In the distance, she heard a distant rumble of thunder, followed by another, deeper rumble. She knew what that meant, could feel the magic stirring to life.
The final assault on Drakon Keep had begun.
Kyla sat up and let Galen embrace her. They kissed furiously, knowing it may very well be the last time.
Then they split apart, pulling on clothes and preparing for the fight to come. She slipped on her robe and thrust her hand out. Her staff flew across the room from where it had rested against the wall, ruins bursting into light as she grasped it firmly.
Galen had donned a sweatshirt and sweatpants. Not the most intimidating of battle uniforms, but she knew that it was what lay underneath that would be his most formidable weapon, and that no body armor or attire could hold back his dragon.
“Let’s go,” he said, and she stepped into his arms.