I’d felt different since my very intimate and very unexpected encounter with Draven. Closing my eyes, I could remember everything. I could remember the weight of his body on mine. The touch of his lips along the side of my neck. His hot breath on my shoulder. I was almost shaking at the thought when I remembered that first moment I felt him plunge inside of me. It was a careful and almost respectful maneuver that eased me into a moment I’d never forget. Against every instinct, I found myself enjoying it. I almost felt like I was trapped inside a body that wasn’t my own. Only moments before, I wanted to rip the man’s throat out with my teeth and now I found myself wanting to kiss it.
Something about giving myself completely to someone, something like him, was a nightmare and a dream combined. It was both thrilling and delicious. When I tasted him I tasted danger and heat, like he was an open flame that could do tremendous damage at any moment. The feeling was invigorating, like juggling sharpened blades.
I took long, slow breaths in an attempt to fool my body out of the arousal I felt climbing in my blood. It was no use. That moment when we’d both reached the breaking point, I felt something deep within me explode like a safe being shattered into a million pieces. With the walls down, I felt as if I was seeing things I couldn’t before. I was feeling things I never knew existed. Draven’s fire had touched me in that split second and left a mark deep in my soul. As much as I wanted to forget, I couldn’t and I knew I never would. The leash he’d thrown around me that first day we met felt like nothing compared to the tether I was feeling now.
By the time I’d fallen asleep, the thought of Draven was deep enough to continue through my dreams. Despite my resistance, he was there to haunt me. I woke with him still on my mind, but at that point I was beginning to wonder if this was some kind of Draak power of his. It couldn’t be normal, the amount of attention I was placing on him. I was almost infuriated when morning came and I still couldn’t redirect my focus.
Rolling out of bed, I went straight for the shower to drench myself in cold water. It worked until my skin began to sizzle with a heat that I’d never possessed before. I let the cool water run down my body only to notice that it wasn’t cold by the time I was finished. Stepping out, the water rose off my skin in thin vapors as if I was made of red-hot metal. I wanted to be more disturbed than I was.
I was changing. I could feel it from the inside coming out, like a bubble of air rising to the surface of a pond. I took a deep breath, smelling every oil, salt, and soap that filled the bathroom, and looked up into the mirror where my naked reflection stared back at me.
I was still me, which was a relief. My hair was a strange mix of sloppy, artificial color. It draped in wet streams over my shoulders, tracing my breasts. The burn scars crept around the side of my neck, woven in with black, abstract tattoos that slipped further down over part of my chest in a swirl of elegant designs intermingled with sharper ones.
I was nearly dry, save for my hair, and I hadn’t even used a towel yet. My eyes were brighter. My skin was less ashy. I even had color in my cheeks after spending days looking like a ghostly version of myself, and a straightness to my posture that suggested I was content, though the thought of being content in that manor was a strange concept to grasp.
I reached toward a black, satin robe on the wall and threw it over myself, my mind leaping to the first night at the estate. I’d almost jumped from the top story of the building in an attempt to break the chains Draven had put around me. Now, here I was having thoughts about his body pressed tightly against mine again in an act that somehow made me feel freer than ever. He’d touched me and threatened me that first night and now I wanted him to touch me. He’d killed Taurus and yet now I was somehow understanding his anger. How could I think that way? How could I forgive him for that? How could I have given myself to a man who killed without thought? Who took so much from me?
As the questions piled up, I found myself still unable to rid myself of Draven, whether the thoughts were erotic fantasies or angry regrets. I wrapped my hair into a sloppy, damp bun and threw on a shirt and some slim jeans before wandering the grounds in search of something to do. I was in need of distraction, so of course I wasn’t going to find it.
On my way to check on Stormcloud, instead I saw Jericho trot out of the stables like a king, his head held high and his hooves hammering the ground with an energetic bounce that made him look powerful and majestic. Atop him was Draven, holding the reins with one hand while his other rested atop his thigh. He had on one of his long sleeved shirts in a deep red that somehow looked rugged despite the gold embroidery going down one sleeve. His black pants were filled with mended tears, patches, pockets, and lacing that hugged his legs and were tucked into black boots. He was a casual vision of complete, captivating, dangerous elegance, if such a thing was possible. His hair was tied into a low bun, cleared from the impeccable structure of his face. I found myself standing ten feet from the stables, midway through a step, watching as he rode the big, grey stallion out into the yard. He was unaware of me at first.
At a loss, I started to turn the opposite direction and head back to the manor when I heard Jericho’s heavy steps trotting toward me. I bit my lip, my muscles tensing the moment I knew Draven had noticed me. As soon as Jericho’s large, solid body turned into my path, I felt my blood shoot nervously through my veins.
I clenched my fists, stopping to look up at Draven. He eyed me with a teasing look that curled just one corner of his mouth. I tried to step around him and Jericho’s large form only to get blocked again by the pacing horse. Rolling my eyes, I stepped the other way and began walking, but, like a well oiled machine, Jericho began striding backwards to keep pace with me before Draven again turned him into a solid barrier to keep me in place. I stopped, looking at him with a huff.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“Get on,” he dared me, looking at me as if he thought I’d refuse.
“Why?”
He extended his hand down to me. “Because I said so.”
Obeying him was the last thing I wanted to do, but before I could tell my body to back away, my hand was already in his. He’d slipped his foot out of the stirrup, allowing me a place to step up, and with his pull I was on Jericho’s back with little effort.
Draven made sure I was balanced before letting me go and taking hold of the reins. I adjusted myself behind him, my thighs hugging the sides of his and my arms wrapped around his waist. I didn’t want to enjoy the way he smelled or like the way his hard back felt against me, but I did. I tried desperately to calm the beat of my heart, but I’d already given myself away. There was no way Draven didn’t notice the way my pulse was fluttering.
“Have you ridden before?” Draven asked over his shoulder as Jericho turned us toward the woods.
“Yes,” I answered. “I grew up with horses.”
“Good,” Draven smirked, tapping Jericho’s ribs just enough to urge him into a gallop.
I held on tight as we approached a narrow trail that led into the trees, the cool air brushing past me so quickly it was all I could hear aside from the powerful drum of Jericho’s hooves on the ground. The trees passed in a blur of green as flashes of yellow sunlight beamed through gaps in the foliage. Moving that fast felt safe, as if nothing could touch me, though one of my biggest dangers was right there in front of me, wrapped in my arms. What the hell was I going to do about him? He’d burned his own little place into my mind. Now he was taking me somewhere excluded and I was letting him. I knew exactly the kind of game we were playing and I knew what was going to happen, but despite that, I practically leapt on the horse before he’d asked. Gods, I was in trouble.
Jericho galloped through a shallow stream, throwing up splashes of water in our wake. At the other side of the creek was a clearing where the trail finally ended and faded into the trees that stretched on endlessly ahead. There were flat beds of stone and moss where the water didn’t quite reach. Draven pulled Jericho to a stop just at the edge of the trees
and turned back to the creek. The water ran through the woods like a mellow snake, singing a relaxing, trickling sound that added to the serene noise of the wind as it whispered through the leaves.
Draven swung a leg in front of him and over Jericho’s neck, sliding off the saddle in a smooth motion and dropping to the ground. I could barely look away from the surrounding greenery as he walked Jericho to a moss-covered branch and tied his reins loosely around it. Jericho bent his head and began grazing when I finally moved to slip down off his back.
The sun was still out with patches of slightly greyed clouds, yet somehow a subtle sprinkle of mist had found its way through. I watched Draven step to the very edge of a large rock flat that dropped straight down into the water a few feet below. He closed his eyes, taking in a long, deep breath of the fresh air and in that moment I felt that unwelcome thump hit my chest. I looked away, trying to focus on the scenery again, but every second I wasn’t looking at him I felt deprived in some way. I turned to Jericho and began stroking his neck to keep my hands from wanting to touch Draven, perturbed by my inability to shut him out of my head.
Combing my fingers through Jericho’s mane helped only until I felt Draven’s presence move directly behind me, pulling my attention back toward him like a magnet against metal. I paused, glancing toward my shoulder to catch Draven’s form in my peripheral. He was so close and so silent. I could feel his warmth on my back as he took another step forward, reaching around me to run his hand along the length of Jericho’s neck. His chest pressed into my shoulder, stopping my breath.
I was sober now, although I wasn’t so sure the alcohol had anything to do with what I’d done. I was in my right mind, in theory. I’d had plenty of time to think of what happened and to imagine what it would feel like to do it again without being influenced at all by drink.
I dreaded making a choice about whether or not I still hated him with every part of my being, or even with any part of my being. I still loved Taurus. I cherished the memory of him and his teachings and would never forget him, but I was beginning to see past the person who pulled the trigger. There was deception all around us, and we had both been acting on lies we’d been told. Now we both needed the truth. Somehow we’d found ourselves on a common path with common interests, despite the violence and anger that put us there.
I filled my lungs with fresh, clean air, taking in the subtle hints of Draven’s scent with it. Turning around, I faced him with whatever strength I still had stored inside me. He was standing close, his arm still extended around me toward Jericho. His ember-like eyes dropped to mine, hitting me like a spear. Now I was lost again. Cursing myself, I took another breath and raised my chin challengingly.
“I want to say I’m confused, but I have a feeling you’ll just laugh about it,” I said. “After all, playing with my head is what you do best.”
Draven lowered his hand from Jericho.
“What makes you think I’m playing anymore?” he said, his voice a deep, satin sound in my ears.
“You got what you wanted,” I said. “Drunk or not, I stupidly gave myself to you and let you…” I paused, shaking my head. “What we did was--”
“Did you like it?” Draven asked.
“Of course not,” I swallowed. “I was...”
Draven moved closer to me, stealing my words away, his chest almost touching mine.
“You weren’t as drunk as you’d like me to think. You remember how it made you feel. You remember it very clearly.”
I cleared my throat, squeezing out from the small space I had between Jericho and Draven. Once free, I spun and looked at him again. He seemed intrigued.
“I came to you,” I said, narrowing my eyes and stepping further back. “That’s where your plans stopped, right? So if I ran right now, would you stop me or just let me go?” I looked toward the woods over Draven’s shoulder. “This forest leads all the way out of the sector, right?”
Draven stared at me for a moment. “Seventy miles or so,” he said . “You could make that on foot in a few days with ease. Do you think you can?”
Draven took a stride forward and I took another step backwards to maintain the distance between us.
“Maybe,” I shrugged.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he said in a too-sincere tone, pinning me with his gaze. “You know that outside the sector Ashlings aren’t protected. They’re targeted.”
I took a step to the side, inching toward the trees bordering the clearing. Draven watched me like a predator did its prey, his eyes growing more fierce with each movement I made. As he began to advance, the blood inside me became hot with a familiar longing. The same longing I felt the other night. It was near unbearable. My heart raced. My ears tingled and as the sensation moved to my cheeks, I knew there was no hiding my urges, especially from someone who could probably read them long before my body gave them away.
Draven was right. I could run and I could probably make it, but my feet wouldn’t listen. Fear was loud in my head, but it wasn’t fear of Draven any longer. It was fear of what I was feeling for him.
In a sad effort, I lowered my head and attempted to pass Draven and shake off what was going on in my mind, but he caught me, his hand shooting out to grab my wrist. He didn’t give me any leeway to resist as he spun me around and pulled me to him. My body collided with his and before I had a say in the matter, his lips were locked against my mouth. My body didn’t give me much of a choice either. I was on my toes, lifting myself to meet him, my hands running through his hair. I cursed myself, unable to pull away. The feeling of his arms around my waist was too consuming. His kiss was too perfect and demanding. I soaked him in like I’d been deprived of him for too long.
I kissed Draven greedily as he drove me toward an eight-foot rock face that stood vertically beside the clearing. He pressed me against it, pushing his pelvis into me so I could feel the hard protrusion forming beneath his pants. My skin was burning up with need. So was his. I could see the faint glow of his flame coursing beneath his flesh. His deep, heavy breathing echoed in his broad chest. I wanted him and I wanted him now.
Draven drew back his lips from mine, looking me in the eyes with a bright, feral gaze just before he spun me around to face the wall. Excitement pulsed inside me when I felt his hands on my hips and I didn’t know why. Nothing I was doing now was something I imagined I would be doing in my future let alone enjoying, but here I was, lusting for a Draak and letting him touch me and explore me in ways I never thought I would allow any man.
When my jeans slipped down and I felt the cold air on my skin, I pressed my palms against the stone in front of me, closing my eyes. I could hear the buckle of his leather pants falling away and in no time his body was pressed behind me. He felt divine, his heat blanketing me and washing through my blood. His hand slid between my legs, his fingers massaging my wet heat. He knew his way around, perhaps better than I ever did, playing at my needs, drawing a quivering breath from my lips as he explored me and discovered just the right strokes to make my knees weak. My head fell back onto his shoulder and he took a long, deep breath of my hair, caressing my neck with his sigh. His fingers swiped slowly up through my clefts before his cock replaced them, hard and massive at my entrance.
As Draven’s other hand cleared the hair from my neck, he pushed inside, steady and demanding. I grunted, biting my teeth as I stretched to take him. He coiled an arm around my waist and slipped his hand under my shirt, cupping one of my breasts in his warm palm while his lips covered my neck with kisses. He was awakening a hundred senses at once all over my body with every touch. He thrust deep before he withdrew and entered me again, slowly picking up pace once my body had adapted to his presence. My body tingled with heat, my skin flushing as he claimed me.
Still being sore from the last time he’d taken me had little bearing on how much I wanted him now. In fact, somehow the soreness fed my arousal. A few days ago, I would have been appalled. Now, all I wanted was more. I was beginning to wonder if I was insane
as each pump of his hips fueled an explosive reaction inside of me. A greedy one that just hungered for more.
Looking at my hands, I could see the same, glowing energy starting to faintly illuminate my veins. Draven became more aggressive, his hot, heavy breaths hard on my shoulder as he filled me deeper with each thrust. He growled, his teeth raking across my skin. I could feel his fangs and moaned, losing myself to every, wonderful sensation he introduced.
Just when I felt that climb begin, Draven dropped a hand around the front of me toward the heat of my sex. His fingers stroked me in a way that sent my nerves sparking like fireworks. I reached down, pressing my hand over his as he massaged my most sensitive places, triggering a whimper from my lips when he found the right spot and caressed me there.
Draven read my body like a book and listened to every twitch and moan that came from it until my body was writhing with pent up tension. He thrust with force, his rhythm in perfect harmony with the strokes of his hand. As if he’d cut the reins on my self-control, I began to plummet down that steep hill into release, a knot in my stomach exploding through me.
A cry bellowed from my lips just as a wave of dizzying pleasure poured across my entire body. Draven bit down on my neck as I came, just hard enough to amplify every sensation without breaking the skin. When his body grew rigid against me, I could feel his release seizing him as well. He growled against my neck, burying himself to the hilt as he unraveled. Like I had been shattered, I was spent and filled with a satisfaction that I didn’t think was possible.
Draven slowly withdrew his still firm cock, the two of us breathing like we’d just run that seventy miles we talked about. I turned to face him, my limbs almost too weak to support me. His large form trapped me when he claimed me in a kiss, his hand cupped around the back of my neck.
Ash Bringer (A Storm of Fire: Paranormal Dragonshifter Romance Book 1) Page 22