No way would my friends pay for anything like that.
He growled. “You are mine, and I will not release you.”
Domineering, and I sort of liked it. But freakin’ married?
It was hard to ignore the little thrill going through me. Did he like me that much already? In Pretty Woman, the couple had ended up together.
But I really preferred to date a few times before getting serious. We had taken things backwards.
Hunching forward, he groaned.
Blinking fast, I jumped to my feet, hoping he hadn’t somehow been injured. Just my luck to give my escort a hernia the first time he fucked me.
His skin rippled, and with audible snaps, his bones elongated. While I blinked fast and rubbed my eyes, he tipped his head back as his neck extended. A snout—complete with real smoke drifting from the nostrils—formed on his face.
Wings—freaking awesome but holy-all-hell real wings—erupted from his back.
He tipped his head back and roared.
Chapter Four
Kemir
Backing away from me with her palms raised, Tanya did not look like she was going to willingly climb onto my back.
I held in my growl.
Should I have explained our circumstances better? She’d seen me change when we arrived, and I’d assumed…
As a surface dweller, she could believe dragons only existed in fairytales. How had she reconciled my earlier change in her mind?
We needed to reach my palace soon, however, as mating lust blood was surging inside me again already, and I needed to take her to my bed.
After that, I’d speak with the holy ones and arrange for our wedding. Now that I’d solidified our bond with my breath, my inner dragon boiled with an overwhelming urge to make her mine. Until I’d wed and then had her numerous times, I’d be unable to suppress my urges. We might need to remain in my room for a month or more.
Overriding her feverish protests, I snatched her up in my claws. She’d understand soon and accept me as her chosen one.
I lifted her and settled her onto my back, and, before she could slip off, I plunged through the cave opening. My wings fully unfurled as we dropped, and I flapped them, making us soar.
Tanya screamed.
So, we might need to have more than one conversation before we got married.
It would take a few day’s travel to reach my home, but we would stop at lunarfall to savor our bond further. I’d explain more about our mating rituals, and, once she understood, we’d come together again.
I had more interesting things I needed to do to her with my tongue.
She smacked my back. “You need to let me go! God, I didn’t realize you were a real dragon. I thought…” She groaned. “Okay, I thought this was all fake. That you were a hired escort.”
I was escorting her to my home.
“I thought you were wearing a costume.”
My chuckle rumbled through me, and smoke charged from my nose. A costume, huh? While I couldn’t speak with her in dragon form, I did understand everything she said. Did she realize this?
“Those bug things, too. God, they were actually real? Ugh.”
Her shiver zipped through her body and into mine.
“Of course, what we just did back in that cave was hot.” One of her hands released and it felt like she fanned her face. Odd, since my speed generated considerable wind already.
However, I did like that she’d found our mating hot. The man inside me thrust himself forward, eager to take her again, but my dragon form suppressed him. We were one, yet two, and to fly, my dragon needed full control.
But both of us were falling hard for our mate, Tanya.
We passed through a long tunnel with the river rushing below us.
Vines draped down the walls of the next cavern I flew into. Flowers bloomed among the vines, and their heady perfume filled the air. I passed a few terrators, but they wisely remained huddled in their nests. If they challenged me for the woman I carried, I’d shred them in seconds.
Soon, we’d reach the valley where my people had made their home multiple lifetimes ago, and Tanya would be safe.
I couldn’t wait to show my mate the world we’d built far beneath the surface of the Earth, and introduce her to my people.
“If you’re not an escort, there’s no reverse Pretty Woman for me.”
I frowned, because she was beyond pretty. Tanya was the most stunning woman I’d ever seen.
“Not that I need Richard Gere, though, because you’re cuter. But this dragon thing. Mate thing.” Her voice lifted higher. “Wedding thing! It’s not going to work.”
It would work. We were fated. Mated. We only needed to complete the last step, and our bond would be unbreakable.
As the day progressed, her one-sided conversation slowed. She lay across my back and slept.
Along the way, I grabbed my pack.
Everything looked good for us, until we landed. As I started to drop down onto my chest to make her descent to the sand easier, she hopped off my back in a flurry and stood watching intently as I shifted.
No fear in her gaze. Just narrow-eyed boldness.
The second I became a man, she advanced and poked my chest with her finger. “Let’s get one thing clear, buddy.”
I lifted my brow, though I was prepared to listen. My mate had yet to learn who ruled this matebond, but I could be patient.
“From now on, you’re going to tell me what you’re doing before you do it.”
I cocked my head. Not quite to show concession, but to indicate I was willing to keep listening.
“No more suddenly morphing into something that could eat me.”
“I do wish to eat you,” I said, my eyes drifting down her gloriously naked body.
There were other things I was more than happy to eat for belly sustenance, however.
Her lips twisted. “Ha, ha. Don’t even start thinking about oral, because we’re done with it.” She frowned. “And no more grabbing me and hauling me around.”
“You do not wish to have my arms around you?” Stepping toward her, I stroked her soft hair, her face, then trailed my fingertips down her arm.
Eyelids sliding half closed, she released a breath scented with lust.
“Wait.” She stepped away from me, shaking her head, making her dark hair sway along her back. “Hold on. None of that stuff, either.”
I chuckled, enjoying the response I could bring from my mate with a simple touch. I stepped toward her again and breathed across her hair. And savored her shiver. “What stuff do you speak of, my sweet?”
Her hand waved toward my rising cock. “That stuff. No more fingers. No more fucking.”
“What about kissing?”
A frown appeared on her lovely face. “We haven’t kissed.”
“Yet.”
“And we’re not gonna.” After putting a big step between us, she crossed her arms on her chest and she tapped her foot on the sand.
“Not even one little kiss?” I stalked her as she backed toward the cliffs.
Dragon mating had always been about the hunt and the capture. All that was left was to claim her fully.
“Not even one kiss, big or little.” She raked her hair off her face, wrapped it with a band she removed from her wrist, and finished off her grooming with a glare.
My mate was beautiful when she was demanding. Her breasts bounced with her agitation, and her softly rounded hips swayed in a seductive rhythm. Her brown eyes shot fire, much like my dragon’s.
But she couldn’t arrive at my palace naked. I picked up my bag from where I’d dropped it in the sand and handed it to her. “You’ll find clothing in here.”
“Perfect.” Unfastening it, she dove inside and pulled out my tunic, which she slipped over her head. The hem skimmed her upper thighs, masking the important areas, yet still tempting me, because I knew underneath, she was fully uncovered. She handed the bag to me. “Where were we? Oh, yeah.” She gouged at my chest again. “We
’re not getting married, either.”
I ignored my pack and the remaining clothing inside, happy enough to remain naked, especially as I’d caught her attention wandering down my frame with appreciation shining in her eyes on more than one occasion.
“We will wed.” Certainty filled my voice. I was not the only one who would be swept away by the matebond. I’d breathed fire on her and she’d crave more.
“No.” She stomped her foot. “I mean it.”
“Too late. We already mated.” She was mine, and she’d soon admit it.
She rolled her eyes. “One quick hook-up does not mean we’re engaged, let alone destined to remain together for life.”
“You are my life.”
She sighed, and her shoulders drooped. “You’ve got to stop the sweet talk, too.”
“Why?” Turning sideways so I faced her, I braced my arm against the cliff.
“Because it messes with my mind.”
Nothing would stop me from sweet-talking now.
“You sure you’re not an escort?” she asked. “This isn’t all an elaborate hoax?”
“This is real. I’m a dragon shifter, a prince among my people. We’re mated, and I’m taking you to my palace.”
She rubbed her face and her chest heaved. “God, I’m stupid. Of course, this is real, even if it feels like a total fantasy, come to life.” Hands flicking into the air, she stalked away. “I can’t believe I fucked a stranger, let alone thought he was a hired date. Because, jeez, he morphs into a freakin’ dragon right in front of me!”
I followed, smiling, enjoying the lilt of her voice, the way her backside swayed underneath my tunic when she moved.
“I am escorting you to my home,” I said. When I stroked my palm down her arm and linked our fingers, she leaned against my chest, dropping her head back. Her eyelids fluttered. “Come now. Is this really all that bad?”
She pulled away, spun around, and shook her finger at me. “Stop it.” Her huff shot between us. “I meant I thought you were a male escort. Like, a hired date. I thought Jenny and PJ hired you to fuck me.”
“Why would your friends do something like that?”
“Because it’s my birthday and friends come up with odd surprises to give as fun birthday presents all the time.”
Jealousy churned through my gut, but I stomped it down. I had no reason to doubt my mate’s affection. “Have they ever hired an…escort for you before?”
“Of course not.”
My chest lifted and fell. “Yet you assume they did so this time.”
Her head tilted, and, when I moved forward and rubbed her neck and her shoulders, massaging deeply, she closed her eyes and leaned into my touch. But her eyes popped open and she stumbled away, shaking that infernal finger at me again. “I said no way, buddy. I’m pissed off at you, so there will be no more banging today.”
I splayed my arms wide. “Why are you angry?”
“Because…Because…” Growling, she stomped toward the river, and I stayed close behind. Her hair drifted around her shoulders as if it had life of its own, and I ached to bury my face in the silky strands. After that, I wanted to lean her forward and nip at her neck while I took her from behind.
She whirled, and when her gaze fell, she sputtered. “Do you ever think of anything but sex?””
“Not while you’re around.”
“I thought what we were doing was temporary. A momentary distraction. Instead, you’re talking about marriage and everything I thought was far in my future, if ever.”
“You don’t wish to marry?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice softened, and she frowned. “Not right now. Besides, you’re a dragon. Not sure people marry dragons.”
“You’ll marry the man. And mate with the man.”
“This…” Another wave toward my groin. “Is it always this…large?”
“There are ways of making it larger.”
Her breath sucked in. “Really?”
I advanced on her. “I’ll show you.”
“Not so fast.” Her bare feet treaded closer to the river. “I don’t want you that way again.”
“Your scent alone—a rich, musky sweetness I will soon lick from your body—tells me you do.”
“Do not,” she charged out. Her arms flopped down to her sides, and she chuckled. “Jeez. I sound like one of Jenny’s students. A little kid.” Tears wet her eyes, pooling on her lashes. “Which reminds me. You said you knew Jenny. Is she okay? And what about PJ? I can’t believe I haven’t asked about them already instead of spending all my time thinking about boinking your brains out.”
My chest swelled at the confirmation of her desire, but I tamped down my urge to take her this moment. I cared for her and hated seeing her sad. I wanted to reassure her. “My people will soon search for PJ, but Jenny is with my brother.”
She gulped and peered up and then downstream, as if they’d appear around a bend in the river. “Jenny’s with your brother?”
“If I know Drek, the mating call is high in his blood, too. He won’t leave her side.”
“Mating call, huh?” She linked her arms on her chest again, and her mouth tightened. “You mentioned that before. Still sticking to all this mating stuff, are you?”
“You are my mate,” I ground out. Not because I was losing patience, but because she was too near the river. The water licked at her heels.
And, not far from shore, a ridder watched her intently. I released a low snarl, and it sunk further beneath the choppy waves. Chastened, but only for the moment.
Tanya followed my gaze over her shoulder, before she shrugged and faced me again. “We need to find PJ now, then, if Jenny’s safe. PJ could be hurt.” Her voice rose higher with each word. “Alone. And scared.”
“For your own safety, I cannot leave you by yourself while I find her. But my friends will locate her soon. Drek, my brother, was going to send someone to locate her.”
Tanya’s arms pebbled with goosebumps, and she rubbed them. “Are there any more of those big bugs around? I’m worried they’ll catch PJ.” She squinted toward the cliffs, but the sarlons would not come from that direction.
“None are near at the moment.” Slow moving, I’d hear them before they appeared. I tugged on her hand, pulling her away from the water. “There are other things near, however. Equally dangerous.”
My world was not a secure place for a woman with such soft skin. I’d need to protect her, watch over her, always.
When the ridder splashed behind her, she squeaked and darted forward, hovering so near, the heat of our bodies mingled.
“Don’t get any ideas,” she hissed out, peering up at me. “I’m close to you solely for protection.”
The ridder erupted from the water, and she screamed and jumped into my arms.
Chapter Five
Tanya
A giant fish-thing was going to eat me.
From the safety of Kemir’s warmly secure arms, I shivered as the creature slunk back into the water, leaving only the tip of its snout poking above the waves.
Not a fish, so much as a croc. A twenty-foot croc-thing with giant teeth, six legs, a tail with spikes, and multiple long, deadly claws.
“Come,” Kemir said, dropping me back onto the sand. After retrieving his pack, he pulled out soft, yet sturdy, handmade shoes that he slipped onto my feet, tying the laces above my ankles. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about anything biting my toes.
“The ridder may watch us,” he said as he straightened. “But we’re safe for now.”
“Easy for you to say. What’s stopping it from leaving the water and chasing us across the beach? You can turn into a dragon, but I’m…I’m bait.” My attention fully focused on the ridder, I backed toward the cliffs.
“I will protect you.”
I expected him to pound on his chest, caveman-style.
His gaze was intent on the water. “They prefer easier prey. Remain away from the river, and they will leave you alone.”
They? I studied the dark river and the large, flicking shadows underneath made me shudder.
“Do you mind spiders?” he asked, as casual as if he wanted to know if I enjoyed cream in my coffee.
“If they don’t crawl on my body, I don’t mind them at all.”
“Good.” He nodded toward the stone wall I hovered beside. “As long as you don’t get too close to their nests, the nasty ones will leave you alone.”
Nests? Nasties? Reeling away from the cliffs, I squinted up at the surface. Shit. Tons of tiny caves. Sort of tiny, that is. Large enough I could stuff two fists inside easily.
I did not want to know how big a spider lived inside those holes.
“Would you gather wood while I find us food?” Kemir asked while I emitted tiny shrieks and brushed at my shoulders and legs. Just in case a spider had decided to hop onto me or shoot out a web.
“Are we going to eat that croc? The ridder?” I waved toward the water, then cringed as I peered back at the cliffs. “Or a spider?”
He hefted a small log and, bracing it against his neck, carried it over to a flat area on the sand. His muscles bulged, which I couldn’t stop noticing. With a grunt, he dropped the wood onto the ground. “I don’t eat meat.”
I widened my eyes. “A vegetarian dragon?”
Stooping down, he made a firepit surrounded with small rocks, tossed a number of sticks and leaves into the circle, then topped them off with larger pieces of wood. “Yes, a vegetarian dragon.”
“Is that, like, even possible?”
He stood and brushed soil off hands. “I do eat meat on the rare occasion, but most of the time, I choose not to.”
“That’s…Not what I thought.” Everyone had heard legends about ferocious, man-eating dragons. Not that Kemir had been ferocious so far. With me anyway.
Those big bugs might disagree.
His eyebrows lifted. “What have you heard? Wait, I know—” He held up a finger. “I’m sure you mean the ungrounded rumors that were spread when my people lived on the surface.”
“Dragons don’t eat princesses?”
HUNTED BY A DRAGON: Fated Dragon Series (Book 2 of 3) (DRAGON MATED) Page 3