Embrace The Dark (Her Elemental Dragons Book 5)

by Elizabeth Briggs

  I quickly held up a hand and tried not to gag. “Please stop right there.”

  Dad gave me a goofy grin. “All right. I just want you to know everything will be fine.”

  He gave me a warm hug, and then shook Erroh’s hand, before going with the priests into the library, his favorite place.

  Blair led us up a never ending spiral staircase, and even though Erroh and I were both in great shape, by the time we reached the top, we were both out of breath and needed a second to recover. Flying up here would have been so much easier.

  It was worth it though once we stepped through the doorway onto the open-air platform at the top of the temple. Most of the clouds had disappeared, and from here all I could see was endless night sky, sparkling stars, and the thin sliver of the crescent moon. Oh, and the large bed waiting for us.

  “Please let me know if you need anything else,” Blair said, before bowing and then heading back down the stairs.

  Erroh met my eyes. "Finally, we’re alone.”

  Chapter Nine

  I looked down at myself, suddenly nervous. I'd packed a light bag with a change of clothes and a silky tunic that would be more appropriate than my traveling clothes, but hadn’t changed into them yet. I'd expected to have more time to prepare somehow.

  I sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m dusty.”

  Erroh chuckled. “I can fix that.”

  With the sweep of his hand, a breeze swirled around me and sent the dust flying. It also undid my bun, loosening my hair, and we both laughed as my curls went wild.

  He moved close and tried to smooth my hair down with a grin. “Sorry! I’m still learning.”

  I pressed my hands to his cheeks. There was no reason for me to be nervous, not when I was here with my best friend. “You’re perfect.”

  With his hands still tangled in my hair, we moved together for a kiss. It started out sweet, but quickly turned deeper, as the magnitude of the moment settled upon us. After so many years wishing we could be together but fearing it was impossible, tonight we would finally be bound together as mates.

  Erroh broke off the kiss to lead me to the large bed, where he began unlacing his shirt, then shrugged it off as I stared in amazement at his sculpted chest. I’d seem him shirtless before, and it had been like looking upon a dessert I wasn’t allowed to eat.

  Tonight I could devour him.

  I began removing my own shirt as Erroh watched, and his eyes flew straight to my hands as they moved down my chest. The weight of his gaze excited me and made me want to keep going. When my shirt was completely undone, I left it on so it gaped in the front without exposing my breasts.

  We both pulled off our boots next, and when I bent down, my breasts spilled out of my shirt. When I rose, the shirt slid off my shoulders to the floor behind me, leaving me exposed. Erroh's sharp breath told me he liked the sight. I’d never been naked in front of a man before, but I wasn’t shy either, and the look on Erroh’s face encouraged me to keep going.

  He put his thumbs in the waistband of his pants and tugged down. I mimicked him, both of us kicking off our trousers simultaneously. And there it was. My first glimpse of the completely naked male form. I'd seen men fighting, sparring, swimming, but never this part of them.

  His hard cock pointed at me as if it knew the direction it wanted him to move, and he stepped close, sliding his arms around my waist. I had to touch him too. I couldn't help myself. Lifting my hands, I placed one on his hard chest and the other on his neck as I stared at his lips, willing him to take the lead. His calloused hands slid down my hips while he pressed his lips to mine, and I gasped against him as his tongue pushed into my mouth. My body acted of its own accord, arching toward him, eager for his naked body to press against mine.

  "Erroh," I breathed when he stopped kissing me to trail his lips down my neck.

  “I’m sure you know this, but I’ve never done this before. Have you?”

  He paused and then looked up at me. “Only a few times. When you made it clear we couldn’t be together, I tried to use other women to forget you, but it never helped, not one bit. The only woman I’ve ever wanted is you.”

  My cheeks flushed at that, and he pulled me back against him and resumed his exploration of my body with his tongue. I ran my hands down his body, then lost myself for a moment as his lips closed around my nipple. Sensations I’d never experienced before shot through my body, right to my core, and I sensed I was growing wet. His hands on my naked skin only increased my desire, as did the feel of his hard body under my fingertips. Years of looking but not touching had finally ended in this moment, and I couldn’t get enough.

  Neither could Erroh. He sucked on each of my breasts while stroking my body slowly, then we floated together toward the big bed. He set me down upon it, then spread my legs wide as he hovered over me. I thought it would happen, his cock finally breaching me, but then his head dropped.

  He grinned up at me. “I want to make sure you’re nice and ready for me so there’s no pain. Don’t worry, I read all about this in a book.”

  It was such an Erroh thing to say that I laughed, but the sound quickly died in my throat as his mouth pressed to the aching spot between my legs. Pleasure like I’d never experienced before spread through me as his tongue danced along my folds and his fingers slid inside me, and then he did things that had me moaning so loud, I briefly worried the people in the temple might be able to hear us. I didn’t much care though, especially when he sucked on me in a way that caused an orgasm to sweep through me like a tornado.

  As my body twitched with warm pleasure, he slowly moved up my body, until he hovered over me. His eyes gazed into mine as his cock brushed against my thigh. “Are you ready?”

  “Gods, yes,” I managed, reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck.

  “I love you, Sora. I always have.”

  “I love you too.”

  He captured my lips in a passionate kiss as his hard length slowly pushed inside me. The pressure was intense and I gasped, but then he paused and waited for me to adjust to his size. I had nothing to compare it to, but he felt huge inside me, and I wasn’t sure how he would ever fit. But he took his time until he was all the way inside, filling me completely.

  “Sora, this is incredible,” Erroh said, pressing his face against my shoulder. “I dreamed of this moment for so long, and it’s even better than I expected.”

  I wasn’t so sure, until he began to slowly slide in and out of me, and then things quickly turned pleasurable again. Soon my body took over, instinctively knowing how to move in time with his body so that we rocked together, taking us to new heights. I dug my nails into his shoulders as he thrust inside me faster, and all I could do was moan and hold on to him as the pleasure built. He slipped one hand between us and began stroking me in time with his movements, and I threw my head back as another climax took hold of me. He let out a shout as he increased his pace and came at the same time, spilling his seed inside me.

  As he did, a huge gust of wind swept around us, then lifted us into the air. Even knowing something about what to expect, it made me gasp and cling harder to Erroh. The air swirled around our entwined bodies and we flew high up among the stars, the cool night breeze kissing our naked skin. Power spread through me like crackling lightning, but Erroh only held me tighter, until we slowly floated back down to the bed.

  The wind disappeared as quickly as it started, and Erroh and I gazed into each other’s eyes. “Nothing has ever felt so right as this moment,” he said.

  I reached up to play with his dark hair. “We’re mates now, for all time. Bonded together for the rest of our lives.”

  “It’s about damn time.” He grinned and lowered his head for another kiss.

  We stayed on the bed like that for some time, just kissing and lazily exploring each other’s bodies, before I remembered there was more to this bonding ritual. We reluctantly put our clothes back on, with plans to take them off again soon and return to bed, then made our way to the edge of th
e platform. Erroh glanced at me and squeezed my hand, with eager eyes and a nervous smile. This was where the Air God had appeared to my parents, and we held our breath while we waited for him to arrive.

  And we waited.

  And we waited.

  And the Air God never came.

  Chapter Ten

  We had sex two more times that night, just in case that was the problem, but the Air God still never appeared to give us his blessing. Eventually we slept, tangled in each other’s arms and legs, with sated smiles on our faces.

  As dawn’s bright light woke us, we made love again, just for good measure, but then we grew worried.

  “This isn’t normal,” I said. “Not from everything I’ve been told. The Air God should have spoken to us.”

  “Can you use air magic?” Erroh asked.

  “I don’t know.” I reached out a hand toward the bed, and to my surprise, the sheets began to moved a little. “Yes, I think so!”

  “That’s good. The bonding worked then.”

  “Can you turn into a dragon?”

  “I’m not really sure how, but I can try.” Erroh’s brows furrowed in concentration, but then golden scales began to slide across his skin. His body grew larger, shifting and changing, until he grew wings and a long tail, along with sharp fangs and talons. He let out a roar and stomped his feet, swishing his tail around, and then gave me what I think was a toothy grin. “That was incredible!”

  I laughed and rested a hand on his golden snout. “I guess the Air God isn’t coming, but he gave us both his blessing anyway. I’ll have to ask Auric what he thinks on our way home.”

  “Hopefully the Air God doesn’t regret his choice,” Erroh said, in his rasping dragon voice.

  “Of course he doesn’t. If he did, you wouldn’t be a dragon right now. Let me see your wings.” He spread them wide, and I walked around him and stroked the scales. “Very nice. I can’t wait to ride you.”

  He snorted. "I thought you just did that."

  I rolled my eyes. “You’ll probably need to practice flying, but maybe not. Auric got the hang of it instantly, while Jasin and Slade needed more practice. Either way, soon I’ll be able to fly beside you.”

  "Get on," he said. "I want to see what it feels like."

  "I'm naked!”

  "After what we just did, I don’t think that matters.”

  With a laugh, I climbed up and settled myself on his back, his hard scales pressing into my core. He walked across the platform, spreading his wings, and I enjoyed the feel of his muscles moving under my legs and excitable areas. Then I climbed off, and he shifted back into his human form. I could tell he wanted to try flying, but probably not from this great height.

  Once we dressed, we headed back down the tower, where we met my dad outside the library. “How did it go?” he asked.

  Erroh and I exchanged a worried glance. “Um…” I started.

  Auric’s face fell. “Oh no. Was it awkward? I know first times can be difficult but—"

  “No! It’s not that!” I said, my face turning red.

  Erroh rubbed the back of his neck. “All of that was fine. Really good actually.”

  I had to quickly get us back on track before this became more awkward. “The Air God never visited us.”

  Auric’s jaw dropped. “What?”

  We quickly explained what happened, minus all the naughty parts, and confirmed the bonding worked. Dad said he’d never read about anything like that occurring before. We asked Blair and the priests about it, but they were just as surprised as we were, although they’d also not spoken to the God for some time either. That was pretty normal though—they often only appeared to choose a new High Priestess and after the Ascension bonding.

  After a quick breakfast we set off for Soulspire, with Auric promising to show Erroh how to fly later and to give me some rudimentary air magic lessons. As we flew, it was hard not to feel disappointment though. I’d expected to meet a God, and he’d never arrived. Was I not worthy of his time? Or did this have something to do with the Death Goddess and my fifth mate? Hopefully once I bonded with Carth at the Water Temple we’d gain more insight into the matter.

  When we arrived home that night I hoped to be able to speak with my mother, but she and my other dads had already left for Divine Isle to meet with the elementals, and there was a note requesting Auric join them the next day. My other mates grilled Erroh for details, but I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to collapse in my bed.

  Finally, I got a good night’s sleep.

  In the morning, I was excited to get to work. When I got outside, I found Auric and Erroh already in a nearby field in their dragon forms, and I watched from afar as my father taught my mate how to fly up into the air. Erroh caught on quickly, like he was born to be a dragon, and I laughed as he started doing flips in the sky. I laughed even harder when he crashed right into Auric, making them both fall a little, until their wings caught them.

  They shifted back to human form as I approached. “That was fun to watch,” I said.

  “I got a little carried away there,” Erroh said. “Sorry.”

  “It’s fine.” Auric smiled at us both. “I still remember how thrilling it was to be a dragon at first. Sora, I’d hoped to begin your air training today, but unfortunately Kira wishes me to visit Divine Isle to speak with the elementals. I’m sure Erroh can give you some tips though, and I can help you both some more when I return.”

  “I’d like that.” I said, giving him a hug.

  Soon he was flying across the sky as a dragon again, and Erroh started showing me a few of the things Auric had taught him. While we were training, my other mates joined us to practice their own magic. It was so easy being around them, joking and laughing as we’d done our entire lives, with the exception of Parin. He stood a little apart from us, solemn and stiff, like he wasn’t sure he belonged there. I wasn’t entirely sure either, although my pulse quickened when I looked at his handsome face.

  Afterward, we all headed into the city to share a drink at a pub, although not Varek’s one, of course. We stayed on the other side of the city entirely, though I distantly wondered if I should have invited him. No, he’d been clear he wanted nothing to do with this part of being my mate.

  “To Erroh and Sora!” Carth said, as he raised his tankard of ale with a wink. “And to getting that over with, so we can head to the Water Temple tomorrow!”

  We all raised our glasses and laughed, before chugging our ale down. Then Erroh wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “We had a pretty incredible night. Are you sure you want to follow that?”

  Carth smirked. “I’m sure I can manage to top whatever you did.”

  Parin held up a hand, his face serious. “Wait. Have you noticed it’s cleared out in here?”

  I set down my ale and glanced around the tavern. Parin was right—when we’d entered, the place had been packed, but now only a few people in hoods sat at various spots around the room. The bartender and serving staff were gone too.

  Then the people in hoods all stood and turned toward us, wearing those same blank gray masks as the protestors the other night.

  I hastily pushed my chair back and stood. “We have company.”

  There were about twelve of them, and they didn’t have any weapons. Then again, we’d left most of ours behind too. But we had magic.

  “We are the Unseen, and we reject the rule of the Dragons,” one of them said, wearing a black mask. Then she—I think it was a she, anyway—opened her hand and shot a ball of fire at us. We jumped out of the way, hitting the dirty, sticky floor as the flames engulfed the table where we’d been sitting. I could only gape at it, and at the person who must be their leader.

  “Believe me now?” I asked the guys, as we all scrambled to our feet and summoned our elemental powers. Carth dumped a bucketful of water on the table, dousing the flames, just as the woman sent another burst of fire at us. This time Zain managed to gain control of it and throw it back at her, but then one of
the other masked people used water to stop it.

  That meant more of them had powers. Maybe all of them. How?

  I didn’t have time to find out, not when the elemental attacks came quickly. Floorboards ripped up and flew toward us in sharp, pointed stakes. Chairs and tables were blown into us, along with tankards and other glasses. Shards of ice shot toward us, along with balls of fire. The attack came from all sides, and we were totally surrounded and outnumbered.

  “Shift into a dragon!” Zain called to Erroh, as he melted a shard of ice midair.

  Erroh used his air magic to toss a chair out of the way. “I can’t—there’s not enough room in here!”

  I tried to use my air magic to blast someone back, but I only made a light breeze. Damn, I needed more practice. Instead, I kicked one of the Unseen in the chest, then knocked them out with a quick move Reven taught me. One down. Many to go.

  It was a good reminder that I didn’t need elemental magic or weapons to take people down. I’d been trained by the best, after all. I moved through the pub room, using my combat and parkour skills to avoid attacks and knock the attackers down, while my mates handled the magic flying all around us.

  Suddenly the tavern door burst open, and Varek stood in the doorway. He grabbed the nearest cultist by the throat and the life drained out of the screaming man, turning his skin black.

  “Leave this place, or death will find you too,” his voice boomed out, making everyone pause. I couldn’t help but stare at him too. Darkness surrounded Varek like a cloak, and he looked absolutely terrifying.

  And devastatingly handsome.

  He wore a shirt that showed off his muscular, inked arms, and with his hands clenched he stalked forward toward another cultist. The masked person stepped back quickly, but they were too slow, and Varek grabbed them next. As death took the cultist, the other Unseen all stumbled and tripped and forced their way out of the building. By the time the cultist’s body hit the ground, the tavern was empty of everyone except us, along with the people we’d already taken down.