by Juniper Hart
“For what? For saving my life. For not telling them about me being a thief. For…” Coral shrugged her shoulders. “You name it.”
“I didn’t do it for you.”
She was a little taken aback by his remark. “Oh?”
“I did it for me,” Kai clarified. “I want to get to know you better, and I can’t do that very well with you in jail.”
Coral felt her heart go aflutter.
“Promise me one thing,” Kai said with a smile.
“Anything,” she said.
“Promise me that you’ll give me the opportunity to uncover who you really are, deep down inside?”
That was her breaking point. Tears fell down her cheeks.
“What’s wrong, Coral?” Kai asked lovingly while stroking her hair.
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” Coral tried to explain, her voice wobbly and wet from her tears. “I feel drawn to you, like I’ve known you my whole life. And in the mere hours that you have known me, you’ve done more for me than anyone else ever has—even those who were supposed to love me.”
The dragon shifter took a lingering look at her like she was a goddess before kissing her forehead, and then her lips.
“I knew you were desperate when you drugged me,” Kai told her. “I sensed your guilt, and I also sensed that your spirit was broken. But I know that your spirit is longing to break free. I want to be the person who cares for you, the person who will protect you. You deserve happiness, Coral.”
Coral swallowed to moisten her suddenly dry throat. No one had ever cared so much about her. No one had ever told her anything like what Kai was telling her now. “How can you feel that strongly for me? Why do I feel this strongly for you?”
Kai smiled at her. “Because we’re soulmates.”
The notion sounded ridiculous to her. She had never believed in soulmates. To Coral, it had always seemed like a concept from fairytales, something that couldn’t be carried to real life. But after tonight’s events, it didn’t feel so ridiculous anymore. It felt right. “You believe in soulmates?”
“Of course.” Kai said, as if he had waited his entire life for her to ask. “Since the beginning of my existence, we’ve been destined to meet. But, we have eternity to learn more about each other.” He caressed her hair. “I bet after everything you’ve been through, you’re starving. I’ll make you some dinner.”
“Eternity?” Coral could barely hold back a scoff. “You do realize my lifespan is eighty-something years, maybe one-hundred if I am extremely lucky.”
“You have a lot to learn,” Kai said as he grabbed her hand and led her to his kitchen.
Coral smiled. “Okay, let’s say we have eternity to learn about each other. But, just in case we don’t, tell me something about yourself. I want to know something about you that makes you seem more human. Something that you enjoy doing, like a normal person.”
He snickered. “Okay, but if you ever tell anyone else, I will deny it and call you crazy. I still, to this day, have a soft spot for this. Take a guess at what it is?”
She shrugged helplessly. “I can honestly tell you that it would be impossible for me to guess.”
“Animated movies,” the immortal dragon shifter said. “They get me every time.”
Coral’s eyes widened, and she smiled at him. “Really?”
“Really.”
“But you seem so…calm and collected,” Coral said, remembering how he had turned into a dragon and chased away more than fifty armed men in around two minutes.
Kai chuckled. “I can’t explain it.”
She lost control of herself and finally laughed, but she didn’t do so to mock him. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t mean to laugh at you, but that’s both funny and amazing.”
“No, no,” he told her with a half-smile. “I told you that so you’d feel more comfortable with me. I’m just like you. Personality doesn’t change with time.”
The kitchen was large and built for a man who loved to entertain. The black granite counters stood out boldly against the cream-colored walls and stainless steel appliances. Four stools were placed on one end of the large island in the middle of the kitchen. Coral imagined herself eating breakfast at the island with Kai, or fixing dinner together while drinking wine. She quickly put that thought out of her head.
You just met him. It’s not like you’re moving in. This is seriously crazy, she thought to herself, trying to bring her mind back to reality.
He opened up the refrigerator and pulled out some mushrooms, lettuce, and tomatoes. Then he reached into the cupboard for balsamic vinegar, some spices, and hamburger buns.
“Mushrooms?” she asked.
“Portobello mushroom burgers,” Kai answered.
“You’re a vegetarian?”
“Yes.”
Coral frowned. “But you’re a dragon.”
Kai raised an eyebrow at her. “Your point?” he questioned. When she didn’t answer, he smiled and chuckled again. “Calm down. You’ll love it.”
He walked to the stove and put the mushrooms in a pan along with some olive oil and spices, then invited Coral to sit down at one of the stools while he cooked.
“I have some questions for you,” she said. “You defy logic and reality.”
“I don’t hear any question,” Kai said.
“Okay.” Coral looked down at her hands before looking back up at him. “How do you exist, and why don’t humans know about you?”
“They do know about me,” he replied. “They just don’t recognize me. Trust me. You know magic creatures when you see them, sometimes. You merely choose to ignore them because it defies human convention. You’d be amazed. Humans will do anything they can to ignore the possibility that dragons and other legends of folklore exist. Those that know about us are generally laughed at and ridiculed. Isn’t that true?”
Coral thought about it. She had personally watched shows on people that insisted dragons and other such fantastical creatures existed, but she’d thought it was funny. Not so much anymore.
“True,” she agreed, frowning. “And you said only four of you are immortal? You and your brothers?”
“Not exactly,” Kai told her. “Most dragons are immortal. My brothers and I are different because of our parents. Our father is the Dragon King and our mother is Gaia, like I mentioned. Upon our births, our mother gave each of us an element to control. Other dragons don’t have those types of powers or responsibilities.”
Coral crossed her arms over her chest, but it felt more like she was hugging herself. “Must be lonely,” she said.
“Not really,” Kai said. “My family is close. We rely on each other. And now, you will be part of our family.”
Coral straightened her back. “Wait…what?”
“I told you, we’re soulmates. You feel it, too. We will be together for eternity, if you’ll have me.”
She couldn’t believe how casual this conversation had turned, how Kai could still be cooking as if he wasn’t talking about spending eternity with a woman he had met only a few hours ago.
“I’m not immortal, and I’m not a dragon,” Coral said, reminding him of the blatantly obvious facts. Even if she felt drawn to him, could she truly say that what she felt for him was enough to stay with him forever?
“Someday you will be immortal and be able to shift into dragon form,” Kai continued. “When we find our mates, their bodies transform when they become pregnant. The chemistry of your body has to change for you be able to carry a child.”
“Umm…I’m not ready for a baby.”
“There’s no rush. You asked, and I am answering your questions.”
“Is that true for all dragons?” Coral asked, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Kai was apparently completely sure that she was his mate.
“No. Just for my brothers and me. Other dragons came into existence after us, but none of them have the power that we have.”
Nothing seemed to make sense. Nothing shou
ld have made any kind of sense, but the more she thought about it, the more it did. In her heart, Coral knew it was true. “So, even after everything that happened tonight, you still want to be with me?”
Kai turned back to her. “Unquestionably, but I want you to know what this entails. Being a dragon’s mate is permanent, just two of us for life.”
Coral sighed to herself. “Eternity is a long time. I can’t say that I am totally convinced that fate exists,” she breathed.
Even she knew her words were not true. Everything felt so right. Coral knew exactly what Kai was talking about, she felt her soul yearn for him. She wanted to take him in her arms and make love until the sun rose. She wanted to explore his world.
She wanted him. Every part of him.
Kai took her hands and stroked them. “I hope to change that.”
Her ears picked up the sound of crackling food.
“The food’s burning,” she told him, although eating was the last thing she could think about at the moment. She couldn’t quite pull her gaze away from him.
Kai laughed at himself with a funny look on his face. “You know, I just don’t care right now.”
He walked back to the stove and turned it off. Then, he picked Coral up from the stool and kissed her.
8
Their lips met passionately. Instinctively, Coral wrapped her legs around his waist as he held her up easily.
The kiss lingered. No need to hurry. If he was right, they had eternity to explore each other’s bodies. She allowed herself to relax. She closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the taste of his lips.
It finally ended, leaving her exhilarated. She felt alive, more alive than she had ever felt before. Kai’s touch stimulated every nerve in her body and felt incredibly erotic.
Kai placed her on the island countertop and moved his hands up her legs, lifting her dress until her black lace thong was visible. He brushed his fingers across the outside of the fabric, across her outer lips. Applying pressure, he began to toy with her, massaging her in slow, sensual circles. Her body reacted strongly as her nectar soaked her thong’s cotton lining.
His hands, strong enough to rip steel, felt her with incredible sensitivity.
She sucked gently on her lip as he fondled her lovingly. “What the hell did I do to deserve someone like you?”
“I wouldn’t know that,” Kai purred. “After all, you’ve been a bad girl…”
“Oh, terrible.” Coral pushed her hips forward against his fingers to intensify his touch.
She reached down to massage the bulge that grew in his pants. After unbuttoning the top button, she slid her hand inside, under his boxers, until she firmly grasped his cock.
“Oh, God,” she murmured. “You’re huge.”
“I won’t make you do anything you’re not comfortable with,” he assured her.
“I didn’t say that was a bad thing,” she said with a smile as she began to stroke his shaft in a rhythmic motion.
Kai kissed her again and then wrapped his arms around her, cupping her ass. She removed her hand from his pants and then ran her fingertips across his bare back, which was strong and defined. She wanted to feel muscle and power, and with Kai, she did.
She slid her hand down his abs and then back down inside his pants. He let out a low groan.
His pants were tight from his erection as his rod tried to escape its bounds with increasing determination. She wasn’t going to let it be that easy for him.
“You’re a tease,” he accused her with a moan. “Let’s see how you like it.”
“I’m all yours.”
Kai kissed her neck before he moved to her slender jawline and then down her chest. He slipped her dress off. The fabric caught on her full breasts for one moment before he lifted it over her head.
Coral couldn’t help blushing. She had never felt so exposed before, and the last thing she wanted was for him to reject her now.
It turned out that she didn’t need to worry about anything.
“You’re breathtaking,” he whispered before kissing the very top of her breasts. She arched back as he moved his lips across her bare skin down to her nipple. He grazed her nipple with his tongue before putting his teeth around it and lightly biting her. Every touch made her want him more.
Coral slid off the counter and onto her knees on the floor.
She ran her index finger along the distinct imprint of his cock, hesitating a moment on the head. She looked up at him and saw that his eyes were wild and excited, and she couldn’t wait to do what she wanted.
She unzipped his pants and pulled them to the ground, exposing all of him to her. Kai stepped out of his pants and kicked them to the side. She grabbed his cock in her hands and applied pressure to his shaft with deep, long strokes. She placed the tip in her mouth and gently sucked before stimulating him by swirling her tongue around the head.
Taking as much of his length as she could into her mouth, she expertly moved her lips over him. Her hand worked in perfect unison with her mouth, massaging him while simultaneously licking and sucking his throbbing manhood.
A loud growl from deep within Kai’s throat let Coral know he was on the verge of climaxing, so he lifted her up and laid her back against the cool, hard island countertop. She wanted it all, and she wanted it right then. No waiting. No slow, drawn-out process. Now.
Kai ripped off her panties with his teeth and inserted two fingers into her sex. He bent over and applied pressure to her clit with his tongue while massaging her g-spot. The intense sensation sent her over the edge within moments. He didn’t allow her body a second of relaxation before removing his fingers and thrusting his cock into her core.
Coral couldn’t suppress her loud moans as he moved in and out of her, over and over. He grabbed onto her hips and guided her movements to his, sending him deeper within her.
She met his eyes and saw a storm begin to form. Rain began to pour down outdoors as lighting crackled all around the house.
He continued to ravage her until once again she felt her body tense and she shattered around him, as her unrelenting orgasm pulsed throughout her body. One more thrust and Coral felt Kai spill his seed inside of her.
He pulled out and wiped her clean with a warm wash cloth before helping her off the counter.
They walked to the living room and sat down on the couch. Kai pulled her into his arms and she rested her head against his shoulder.
“So what now?” she asked.
“You’re mine. I want you to stay with me, and become part of my world.”
Coral looked up into his blue eyes. “Stay here?”
“Yes,” Kai said. “And I will bring you to my kingdom, which is where I spend most of my time. I only keep this house to protect the Tree of Life.”
She smiled at him and laid her head on his chest. “This feels right. It feels like you are supposed to be in my life. You really want me to stay though?”
“I have no doubts,” answered Kai. “I’ve been alive more than five-thousand years and I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
“Yes,” said Coral. “I want to stay with you.”
“Soulmates,” he repeated, and Coral felt the word ring true down to her bones. “I will cherish you for every moment you grace me with your presence. Every morning, with you beside me, my world will become more alive and joyful. And when the time is right, you will become like me.”
Now Coral realized that meeting him at the bar had only been the beginning of their journey. She realized that she had specifically chosen Kai for a reason. Smiling, Coral kissed him on the lips. She knew, without a doubt, that she’d made the best choice of her life.
THE END
Part III
Wrong Mate
By Alexis Davie
1
Harley pulled his hair back. “I don’t want to hear it.”
Across the table, his friend Ross took a long swing off his beer. “Why don’t you just cut it off? You’re not dating Chelsea anymore, so it’s no
t like you still need all those flowing locks.”
“Maybe I kind of like it now,” Harley said, jokingly fluttering his eyelashes.
Ross laughed. “You mean the girls like it, right?”
With his swarthy skin and athletic build, dark hair, and eyes to match, it wasn’t like Harley needed any help in finding girls. Now that he had let his hair grow out in an undercut, he had been confused for a biker and for the front man for a metal band a few times.
Ross also stood out from the crowd, except for completely different reasons. He was dark-skinned, bald, and his piercings weren’t for the faint of heart. As a tattoo artist, he felt it was an artist’s duty to express themselves at all times. He took body decoration more seriously than most.
“Excuse me?” The waitress who had taken their table came back with another beer. “I thought you could use another one of these.” She placed a napkin on the table and then put the bottle down. She winked at Harley and walked away before he could thank her for the beer.
“You should probably turn it over,” Ross said, a sly smile on his face.
“What?”
Ross gestured to the napkin. “Turn it over.”
Harley grabbed the beer bottle and turned the napkin over. The waitress had written her phone number on it, as well as her name and a kiss mark.
He turned to Ross. “How did you know—”
Ross sat back in his chair and raised his empty bottle, hoping to catch another waiter’s attention. “It should have been obvious. She’s been eyeing you since we came in here.”
Harley looked back at the napkin in his hand. Then he balled it up and tossed it onto the table.
“Oh, come on!” Ross exclaimed. “You’ll hurt her feelings! At least put it in your pocket! Give the poor girl something to dream about tonight.”
“Dating girls in Birch City is a no-go,” Harley said, his tone overly serious.
“What?” Ross asked. “Afraid Chelsea will find out and come a-knocking?” Harley’s glare made him shrug his shoulders. “You could always try dating online. I know you said you didn’t believe in that crap, but weren’t you considering moving somewhere else, anyway? Maybe Cupid will tell you which way to go.”