Her joke came on the end of a laugh, but the truth of it struck a resounding chord. Having never experienced a physical connection with a human before, he found himself wondering exactly how he could please her. “If I’m lost, it’s only because your beauty has beguiled me in such a way I can’t imagine where to begin my appreciation of it.”
How she did not tear a hole in her lip was a mystery, but the way it made her look when she nibbled nervously on her bottom lip sent an ache down below that rivaled the explosive force of the volcano just outside of their window.
“Maybe if you could see more if it, you’d know better where to begin.” She reached for the hem of her shirt.
He understood her direction loud and clear, and helped her to lift away her shirt, his every movement vibrating with nervous excitement.
The sight of all that gloriously soft skin stole his breath. The more Dax saw of her, the more he wanted to see and explore. She presented an uncharted territory full of wonder. His heart raced as he watched her hands travel south and unsnap the button of her pants.
Still more glories to behold. He took hold of her pants and helped her shimmy free before resuming his place kneeling in reverent worship of what she had offered him.
With its gentle curves and creamy skin, her body was a piece of masterfully crafted art, a true mystery waiting to be discovered. He wanted to caress every inch of her and learn the secrets that would make her melt.
“Are you okay?” Jane asked.
“I’m so overwhelmed by your perfection I can’t decide where to begin,” he responded.
“Oh, damn.” She sighed and fanned herself. “You really know how to make a girl hot.”
“I’ll try my best not to burn you.” Dax winked back at her.
“Well, I’m sure if you look hard enough…” – the double meaning in her simple words made her breath catch for a moment – “you’ll find the perfect place to start.” She worked her bra open and pulled the shoulder straps down her arms, her hands moving like thick lava and igniting inside him a similar heat. A moment later, the cups released their hold on her breasts, and she slid the garment to the floor. Before Dax could make any move, she took his head in her hands and guided him straight to her breasts.
Her body was a breathtaking cocktail of scents, intoxicating him with its heady mix of flowers from her perfume and the sweet musk of desire. He nuzzled her breast, tracing the sensuous contours, the soft and the hard, before pulling one peak into his mouth.
Her breath stuttered from her chest, stopping him for a moment with the worry he might have hurt her. She stilled with his mouth clasped around her flesh. The racing of her heart thrummed against his cheek like a drum roll, and Dax couldn’t decide if he should continue or move away.
As if she understood his internal war between weakness and strength, Jane took control and guided his head to her other side and held him to her. As he took her stiffened flesh into his mouth, she massaged her nimble fingers into his hair as a reward.
Dax felt the rhythm of her heart as though it were beating inside his own chest. The gentle moans he coaxed from her were more music than voice, and he memorized every place that brought her pleasure.
For all his desire to take things slowly and appreciate every last inch of her body, he weakened in bliss when she nudged her hips toward him.
He let his fingers wander south, tracing her silky thighs, gripping the lusciousness of her hips, and finally came to rest between her legs, the heat of her evoking memories of his home.
This was the place her passion emanated from. Her desire was so clear and so strong, it was as if she were one of his kind. Like home, she exuded a lush heat, the fire tempered and balanced by the spicy tang of the ocean. As he explored her softness, he knew beyond doubt he’d finally found something more valuable than treasure.
She breathed in a stuttering breath, and her body suddenly stiffened.
Dax looked up again, always ensuring she was okay. Jane was in charge. She was offering the privilege of her body. As excited as it made him, he would only go as far as she would allow.
Jane panted as their eyes met. Heavy-lidded and glassy, she appeared to be half in a dream, with the other half anxiously awaiting what would come.
He held her gaze as he gradually drove forward, finding new wonders and even greater heat. The way her mouth gaped open and a slow moan rolled from inside her awoke an even deeper desire within him. Dax held the moment for as long as he could, memorizing the look of ecstasy on her face and the language of her body, as she begged wordlessly for him to continue.
More than anything, he wanted to bring her pleasure. And now he knew exactly how he could do it.
“Jane, look at me,” Dax whispered. “See me.”
With every tiny movement of his hand, her body responded as if by instinct, her hips nudging forward to meet his gentle thrusts.
She breathed heavily as she found his eyes.
A fire burned within him and was echoed back in the gold flecks of her emerald eyes.
He lifted and captured her lips once more. One finger became two as he worked her into a frenzy of desire.
She moaned into his mouth and he swallowed her pleasure whole, enjoying how her body warmed to his every touch.
“I want you, Dax,” she said between kisses. “In every way.” She reached down to find the buttons of his pants.
The words brought back the thoughts he’d envisioned of their bodies joining so closely they could be one. He’d been so caught up in the desire to bring her pleasure he had suppressed his own needs, but now as her hands worked to free him from his cloth prison, the aching of that desire roared back to life with a monstrous appetite.
She gripped him tightly, surrounding him with warmth as she ran her hands up and down him. He growled, more beast than man, as she moved to replace his exploring hands with his swollen hardness.
“Now. I need this. I need you.” She moaned and nudged her hips again.
Flames burned within him so intensely that he nearly lost control of his form. He fought to remain human as her words stoked his need into an inferno.
With one glide he merged with her, as close as two people could be without actually becoming one. His desire found voice, and it was closer to his dragon’s roar than any human sound. He’d never experienced a sensation such as this. Their bodies fit together as if made simply to give each other pleasure.
She might not have been like him, but she had an inner fire that spoke to him in his own kind’s language. Her need seared him, licking at his skin like an open flame. She took his every move and countered in kind until the last embers of pleasure cooled, and they collapsed, utterly spent.
“You are the enigma,” Jane said dreamily.
“I’m no more than you are.”
“You are something more. But what that is remains to be seen.”
“What do you mean?” Dax asked.
“Your secret is yours to share when you’re ready, but whatever you are… it’s something pretty special. And I’m okay to leave it there for tonight. I’m simply too exhausted to do anything else.”
It’s Too Late
Lost somewhere between the haze of sleep and the waking world, Dax became aware of the earth shaking as he awoke to alarms going off all around him.
Jane tore out of bed and headed for the door. “This isn’t good.”
Groggy and only half conscious, Dax failed to process what was happening. And then like lightning, reality struck hard.
He looked to the window, hoping to see out to the volcano, but trees obstructed his view.
“When this stops, I have to get to the lab,” Jane yelled, bracing herself against the frame of the door.
“You have to get off this island.”
“We’ve had this conversation. First I have to get the data to the powers that be. And then yes, I’m getting to safety.”
The earth stopped shaking, and they both rushed to dress.
“Promise me,�
� Dax demanded.
“Yes, of course. I don’t plan on dying.”
He headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” she called after him.
“Don’t worry about me. Secret agent business.” The last thing Dax wanted was to leave Jane alone, but he had a hunch the other drake was pushing all the right buttons to get Mother Nature riled up.
“You made me promise to be safe. What about you?” Her tone sounded angry, but her big watering eyes coupled with a slight tremble to her lips was unmistakably fear.
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me,” Dax tried to reassure her, but he could see his words were having no effect.
“Don’t do this to me,” she pleaded, and tears welled in the corner of her eyes.
Human emotions and their facial expressions had him more confused than ever. “What?”
“I’ve tried to be cool about the whole secret identity thing. It made you seem mysterious and hot. But… After what we just did… Don’t break my heart by getting yourself killed.”
He closed the distance between them and pulled her into a fiery kiss, infusing it with all the passion he had for her in the hopes it might overwhelm her sadness. “I promise you this: the volcano won’t kill me.” He wanted to say more, but complicating the situation with truth would do no more for her mental state. “We will see each other again soon. You have my word.”
Dax turned away while he still had the resolve to do so and headed back out the door, saying, “You just make sure you get off the island before it blows.”
***
Although he was unsure he could have any mitigating effect on the impending eruption, Dax had to at least try. He shifted, welcoming his scales and massive wings as they rose to the surface and his body increased in size. His sharp claws scratched deep into the ground as he finished transforming and became a drake once more. Dax secured his bag of human things on the spine of his tail and entered an abandoned lava tube. Despite the flowing magma deep within the earth, this one had run dry. The general theme he’d come to understand had started all this drama. The other dragon must have been hard at work for a very long time to have orchestrated all of this – and with the Jane there the whole time watching. How had he done it right under her nose? The pieces of the puzzle didn’t quite match up. Jane and her team should have seen the signs much earlier. Altering and diverting the flow of lava was something that took time. Why hadn’t anyone noticed?
As troubling as those unanswered questions were, the violent rumblings deep inside the earth took precedence.
He entered the cavernous tunnels, lighting the way with an occasional burst of his inner flame until he found himself walking out into a crater steaming with thick smoke.
Early rays of morning’s light tried to pierce the clouds, but they could not reach him at ground level.
Dax hunted for the other drake, hoping to find him here at the heart of it all. Where else would he be? Surely after all his hard work, he’d be front and center to watch the show. And yet there was no sign of him.
Being a member of the peacekeepers, Dax had never trained for volcanic manipulation. Mother Earth rumbled below, threating to spill her fiery blood, and he had no clue how to stop it from happening.
With little time to spare and still no sign of the other dragon, Dax escaped into the tube he’d entered and walked the entire path to the shore, confirming that there was nothing to block the flow should that crater finally bubble over.
Salty sea air stung his nostrils before he reached the mouth of the cave. The sun had risen higher now and fought against the graying clouds. More light was a good sign. Hopefully the winds would be in their favor, so people could see where they were escaping to. If Jane had done as promised, she should have already made her exit from the island.
His heart sank. He’d promised to see her again. In the moment, it had been truth. Seeing her, being with her, had been the bright spots of his entire visit to the island. But what then? They couldn’t be together. He was a drake; she was a human. And at the end of the week, he’d still have to return home.
This was merely a vacation for him. And another hundred years would separate them before he’d be allowed to leave his island again. Jane would be only a memory then.
In his own selfishness, the desire to explore the softness of her soul, he’d stolen the one thing most precious. And for what? A few minutes of rutting pleasures.
Her heart was worth so much more than that.
And he’d dared to call the humans savages. He was no better. A heartbreaker. Either way, he’d have to do it. Better she think he was dead than watch him walk away forever.
As he wallowed in his own idiocy, only the insistent quaking of the ground pulled him from his thoughts.
The drake. He needed to find that other dragon.
Dax began to make his way to the exit when he realized he’d forgotten to shift. Out in the open along the sea wall, there were bound to be humans. Under the cloak of smoke and clouds he could risk his true self, but in public view, he had to maintain secrecy. He retrieved his bag and clothes and then sent his glorious wings and tail shrinking inward as he changed form and became human.
As comfortable as he had gotten on two legs the day before, he again wobbled a bit before finding balance again after his body had taken shape.
The sky above was hidden by a haze of white smoke, but a little sunlight still found its way through. The winds began to pick up and hints of sulfur rode the breeze, a warning of the path of destruction to follow.
He hiked along the coastline, hoping to see other volcanic tubes smoking or showing any signs of activity.
He found Trevor instead.
“Where’s Jane?” Dax asked, gruffly rather than greet the annoying human. “Did she get on a plane?”
Trevor’s eyes narrowed as Dax closed in, and he pointed upwards.
The sound of a helicopter circling above confirmed his wordless response.
“Where’s your protective gear?” Dax asked, seeing that Trevor, like he, was wearing very little in the way of clothing. Yet Jane always had her suit on, even if it was only worn loosely. That thought stuck out oddly in his memory. Every time he had seen her out in the open, she’d been wearing that shiny suit.
“I could ask you the same. You don’t ever seem to need it.” Trevor’s words carried more than simple curiosity in them. The way he scrutinized Dax, carefully looking not at his face but at the skin on his arms and hairless legs, it seemed as if he were recognizing clues rather than forming more questions.
“Worry about yourself. The volcano isn’t finished.” Dax changed the subject.
“Oh, I am well aware.”
“Then you should be moving away from its path. Didn’t Jane call for an evacuation?”
“I can take the heat,” Trevor scoffed. “And I took care of that evacuation order for her.”
Dax grumbled, “Arrogant human bastard.”
Trevor turned on him, eyes burning with hatred. “I’m no more human than you. But I would have thought you’d have guessed it by now.”
Of course. It all made sense at that moment. The voice was sharper in human form, but that note of superiority couldn’t be ignored. And with that last piece of the puzzle, Dax understood how he’d orchestrated it all under Jane’s nose. Trevor had access to all the data. He could have hidden his work for months or years as he slowly shaped the volcano’s innards.
“I thought I told you to leave my island.” Trevor’s tone turned threatening, but Dax would not be intimidated.
“Make me.” Dax squared his shoulders and stared straight at Trevor, ready to call up his true form and embrace the fire that fueled his anger.
Trevor looked up to the helicopter still circling and then back down at Dax. “When we’re not being watched.”
Coward. “I look forward to it.”
“She’s mine as well.” Trevor pointed up to the chopper. “Before you get any ideas. I’ve seen the way you loo
k at her.”
“You don’t deserve her, you honorless wyrm.” Anger burned so hot within him that he’d incinerate soon if he didn’t find an outlet. “She’s more dragonkin than you’ll ever be, scales or not.”
“Oh, so you’ve had her?” Trevor taunted. “And you call me honorless. Sleeping with a human after only forty-eight hours.”
Dax gritted his teeth. That had not been his finest moment, taking advantage of their passion, but unlike the drake in front of him, he at least cared about her feelings.
“Savor that memory. You won’t have her again,” Trevor said with finality.
“Neither will you,” Dax countered. He had balled his fist so tight his nails were biting into the flesh of his hands. He tried to quiet the tremble of his arms, the pent up energy waiting to be used. He’d have punched Trevor straight in the face at that moment if not for knowledge that the woman they were both arguing over was looking down on them.
He changed tactics, hoping to rile his enemy into throwing the first punch instead. “You poor thing. You have the fever, don’t you? Been away from your people for far too long. What is it that keeps you here?”
“You insult me with your pity.”
“Your whole existence is an insult, Trevor. We dragons are supposed to be better than this.”
“We dragons?” Trevor bellowed.
“Yes. We,” Dax said poignantly, though he hated to admit they were the same. He was nothing like that asshole. And Mother Earth seemed to agree, rumbling as he spoke the words. In the distance, more of the craters that dotted the eastern slope of the island began to vent off smoke, a small sign of hope that they might help to relieve the pressure before the main mountain blew her top.
“We were once proud, feared, respected, and revered. Now we’re scattered, hiding from the rodents of the earth,” Trevor ranted, like a mad wyrm.
“We live in symbiosis with nature. Humans are part of nature, even though they don’t understand it.”
“And nature can be cruel.” The insane drake smiled wickedly. “Maybe I’ll let you stay and enjoy the show.”
A Plague of Dragons (A Dragon Anthology) Page 12