The Lionheart (The Harbinger Book 4)

by Candace Wondrak

  On his knees for a Human. For the Harbinger. Dracyrus never imagined this day would come, never thought he would begin to care about any Human, especially the Harbinger. He hated mankind as a whole for what the first Harbinger had done, and this woman—she’d gotten on her knees before him first. In that magic-infested structure in the plains of G’alen, she’d told him to do what he had to.

  Right now, he was doing exactly that. Showing Faith he meant every single word he’d said. He told her he would kneel, and by the fires of Furen, he would. Only for her. His pride was strangely out of the equation—or perhaps his pride was too awe-struck by everything she was.

  Love. His pride had been swallowed, utterly enveloped and taken over by love.

  Dracyrus, a lovesick fool. The tides had turned completely.

  Faith shook her head slightly, eyes falling as she took in his kneeling form. “Dracyrus,” she whispered, her voice light and feathery in all the ways that made him desire to hear her say more. The way she spoke his name, it was unlike any other. She could make even the vilest of words sound sweet.

  She said nothing more, leaning against him as she placed her hands on the sides of his face, bringing their mouths together. A kiss. More than one, truly. Quite a few, actually—but Dracyrus wasn’t paying attention, nor was he counting. Kissing was oddly calming, and he liked feeling her body pressing against his. Beneath the cloak, he wrapped his arms around her, pinning her to him harder.

  When Faith pulled her lips off his, her eyelids semi-closed to reveal hungry, desperate eyes, she ran her hands down his chest as she whispered, “Take off your clothes.”

  He didn’t need to be told twice.

  Dracyrus released his hold on her, getting to his feet to take everything off. As he did so, he couldn’t help but watch Faith shed her clothing. The Fae world was asleep, passed out from their drunken revelries. Though this was a public space where anyone could stumble upon them, he was fairly certain no one would. It was only them.

  Faith’s body was kingdoms different than a female Dracon’s body. Where female Dracon were tall and rough, she was short and round in places his kind simply weren't. Female Dracon never had such large, rounded breasts, for instance, nor were their backsides so supple and soft. Wide hips for birthing, a flat but strong stomach—Faith was everything a Human female should be. Everything and more.

  Faith laid her back on the cloak, spreading her legs before him, giving him a nice, long view of the pink, wet folds of skin at her apex. Wet with desire for him. Dracyrus got to his knees, crawling over her. He wanted to run his hands all along her, touch her like how he had in the dream, but his body ached. The tender moments could come later. Right now, he needed to be wild, needed to have his release.

  “If it hurts too much, tell me and I will stop,” Dracyrus told her, though he truly didn’t want to stop. He would though, if he had to. His body, his cock would hate him later for it, but at least Faith wouldn’t.

  Unable to speak, Faith could only nod.

  He wondered if she was too busy anticipating what would come to talk. That would be a first. Faith was always one to have heapings of words to say, even if the situation didn’t call for it.

  Dracyrus inhaled sharply when he started to push into her. Slowly, so slowly every hard inch of him throbbed, but he could not go fast, lest he risk hurting Faith too much. Faith gasped, biting her lower lip to stop herself from crying out. Though he couldn’t see her, couldn’t gaze into her eyes as he entered her, he could imagine her expression well enough. It would hurt for a while, at least until her body got used to it.

  If her body ever got used to it. He hoped it would, for she’d never want to be with him like this if it hurt her every single time.

  He filled her to her core. Every inch her body would give, Dracyrus took, and he took it slowly. Once he was in as far as he could go, as much as her body would allow, he held himself there for a few moments, seeking to acclimate her body to his. She was slick with wetness for him, so entering her hadn’t been as difficult as it could have been, but he knew her body was not accustomed to someone of his size. The Malus, the Elf, the Ulen, even the other Human—none of them were built like a Dracon.

  His arms tensed as he held his body up above hers. “Are you alright?” Dracyrus asked, his voice coming out almost like a growl. She felt good around him, tight. Her body would milk him well, provided it wasn’t too much pain for her.

  Faith managed a soft, “Yes. Don’t stop.”

  Don’t stop. As if he wanted to. No, the last thing Dracyrus wanted in this world was to stop, and as long as she wanted him to go at her, he would.

  He sluggishly withdrew his hips, pulling himself out nearly all the way before pushing back in. This time Faith could not stifle the cry her body let out. He was not sure if it was a cry of pain or pleasure. Or, perhaps a mixture of both. If it involved pleasure in any capacity, he’d rather hear her noises. They were like a sweet, harmonious melody his ears were not yet used to. In time, hopefully they would be.

  “Let me hear you,” Dracyrus uttered, letting out a grunt as he pushed into her again, as far as he could. With every thrust of his hips, with each exit and enter of her body, it was easier for him to slide back in. Her body might not be built to be a match for his, but it was acclimating all the same.

  Faith no longer tried to stifle the noises. She let out every groan, each and every moan her body built up—and there were many. Such beautiful, carnal noises, spoken to no one other than him.

  Dracyrus kept his pace slow for a long time. He knew for a fact he’d already lasted longer than the others. Dracon lovemaking was not something that could be rushed; it was often an affair that lasted the whole night, although he doubted he’d last that long. After all, it’d been too long, and he wanted Faith too much. He would not deny his release if it came to him early.

  And, by the fires of Furen, she felt almost unnaturally tight around him. How could he possibly last the rest of the night when her inner walls clenched around him so tightly? Dracyrus could hardly think straight while inside of her; it was not a sensation he’d been prepared for, but it was one he would welcome forevermore.

  Faith was now his, just as she belonged to the others. He was now a member of her nethelell, a mate to her and her alone. Regardless of what happened, whether or not they were able to defeat Yulena, he would stand by her side and fight with her. For her. He would do anything she asked of him.

  He felt her run her hands along his sides, and he shuddered, heat tingling everywhere her fingertips touched. Her hands on him ignited a fire deep within him, the flames only quenchable by her body and her soul. Dracyrus never wanted her to stop, never wanted this moment to end, but he knew it would, for all good moments ended too soon.

  Her body, her tight and slick sex was all Dracyrus needed that he never knew he was missing. It was as if she was the missing link, what his life had been devoid of for all of these years. All those lives, spent on nothing, wasted on war and revenge…but it was those lives that led him here, to her. Without those lives, without his past mistakes, they never would be in each other’s arms, and he could no longer imagine any life without her.

  Faith had him. She had him utterly and completely. Every part of him was hers. She could use him up, spit him out, do whatever she desired, and Dracyrus would not fight her. He could not. His will to fight the Human female below him had long since disappeared. The only thing he wanted to do to her was please her, feel her soft, fleshy body against his.

  So smooth. So tender. So breakable. Dracyrus was amazed at how fragile her body looked, yet it was able to take him in with only minor adjustments. That, or Faith was just good at ignoring the pain and focusing on the pleasure. Then again, she had to want this as badly as he did, had to desire him the same way.

  Dracyrus took his time with her, pumping in and out of her, relishing in each and every thrust of his hips. He would never get used to feeling her walls around him, how it felt like he was stretching he
r. He would never become acclimated to how frail and small she felt under him, how her sounds, her moans and her wails of pleasure, danced into his ears and made him work harder.

  He was not rough with her, or at least he did not believe himself to be. The true test would be when they were finished, the next day, how well Faith would be able to walk. Depending on the nethelell, sometimes even female Dracon had a tough time walking the next day. He’d meant what he said, though; he would carry her if he had to.

  Faith made a new sound, a low moan, deep in her throat. How badly Dracyrus wished he could see her face. It wasn’t long before her body started to tremble, and her muscles tensed—including her inner walls. She let out another moan, this one louder, world-shattering, and he could not help but wonder if he’d brought her to the apex of her pleasure.

  Her inner walls clenched around him, milking him, begging him to release his seed in her, and he had his answer. Dracyrus fought to keep himself under control, to not let her body’s release give way to his. Not yet.

  They’d only gotten started.

  Time mattered not as he rocked in and out of her. Dracyrus lost himself in the feel of her body, in the wetness of her sex. Her body had long since forgotten its resistance to his size, and he was able to go in and out of her without any hardships. She would most definitely be sore come morning, but she hadn’t yet told him to stop. And judging by the way her body was arched against his, she wasn’t going to. Faith wanted this to last as long as he did. Dracon stamina surely put every other race’s to shame.

  The night sky began to grow brighter as the sun started to rise in the far-off distance. Dracyrus had made Faith’s body shake with passion and heat at least six times before he lost count, before he had to focus on his own impending release. Fought it as he willed, there was only so much he could do, only so long he could fight it before it came whether he welcomed it or not.

  The pressure built in his lower gut, his sack tightening, a precursor to what was about to happen. Dracyrus’s eyes closed as his back tensed, his scales starting to warm up. His chest rumbled, a growl coming from his throat the moment the pressure began to release. He roared when his orgasm came, a violent yet pleasurable sensation that rippled through him like a storm. His seed spewed inside of her as his thrust became quick and successive, coating every inch of her.

  His body had built up an impressive amount of ejaculation. The longer a Dracon fought his release, the more that came out when it finally happened, and the harder it was to deny his body’s need to release that seed. He came and he came and he came, filling Faith up with everything he had stored. Every ounce of him that he could release, he gave her.

  Once the long orgasm was done, Dracyrus was unhurried in withdrawing from her, wondering if her body would take all of his cum like a Dracon female’s would. The moment he pulled out, he saw bits of white already beginning to ooze out of her. Human bodies were not as greedy as Dracon bodies, clearly. That, or perhaps because Humans were built for procreation better than Dracon were.

  Dracyrus, somewhat tired, fell onto his back beside her, turning his head to watch her, finally see her face. It’d been a long night of staring at the bark below him, and truly, it was a good thing she’d thought to put the cloak between her and the wood, otherwise her back would be hurting now, too.

  “Wow,” she muttered, out of breath, her bare chest heaving. “Not what I expected. Not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t that.” Faith turned her head to meet his eyes, and she gave him a lopsided smile. “You’re…” She apparently couldn’t find the words to say.

  He set a hand on her stomach, still amazed at how soft she was. “How are you feeling?”

  “Oh, sore. You know. Hurts a little, but I’ll get over it.” Faith laughed. “I kind of feel like I’m pissing out your cum, though. I’m scared to look.”

  Right, she wouldn’t be used to that, either. Dracyrus dragged his nails lightly across her stomach, making her shiver. “I could find something to clean you up with,” he offered, meeting her eyes once again.

  “No.” She rolled to her side. “I want to be dirty with you.” Scooting closer, she kissed him slowly, her lips melding to his.

  Dracyrus pulled her body against his as he rolled onto his side. Hand traveling up her back, he did his best to kiss her back.

  After a while, Faith pulled back to ask, “What would happen if I grab your horns now?”

  He rested his forehead upon hers, gazing intently into her bright green eyes. “I would break you, Faith. We should give your body a rest.” But it did make him feel good that she wanted more; it meant this hadn’t scared her away.

  She giggled, a light, soft sound, her chest pressing against his with each intake of breath. “You’re right. I don’t think I can take you again, at least for a few hours. You…does your kind always last that long?”

  “Longer, usually,” he told her, tangling a hand in her hair, pulling on it ever so slightly.

  “Damn,” Faith whispered, impressed. “Remind me not to attract any more Dracon lovers.”

  “I shall do my best.”

  For a while, they remained there, in each other’s arms, taking turns gazing at each other and the vast expanse of leaves and branches above them. Dracyrus felt calm, at home, even though he was far from the lands of Furen. Anywhere Faith was, he would feel at home. She was his home now. Faith was the only thing he needed, and he would do whatever he had to to keep her safe, to keep her alive.

  For her, he would do anything. Positively anything, without a hesitation, no second thoughts. If it ever came down to it, if things ever spiraled and they had their backs against the wall—if there was ever a choice between Faith and Dracyrus, he knew what he would do.

  Die for her. He would die for her, if he had to.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The next day, the two Fae who had stolen Faith brought Jag a cup of something they said would help with his aching head. Light wasn’t certain if he’d trust anything those Fae gave him, but Jag’s head must’ve hurt something fierce, for he took it without hesitation and downed the whole thing in a minute.

  Dracyrus had brought Faith back, advised them both she needed to sleep—which, Light knew, meant she hadn’t gotten much sleep last night after she crawled off and went to him. Light did his best not to think about it; it’d been much easier to ignore it when he was still half-asleep.

  Light, Jag, Vyserous, and Dracyrus were outside. The sun high over their heads, Fang frolicking in the field just outside of the Eldertree’s reach.

  Vyserous was busy staring at Dracyrus, his black scales glimmering in the sun. “You were gone almost all night. Where did you go?” Light, Jag, and Dracyrus all stared at him as if he were stupid. He noticed all eyes were on him, and he said, “What? What did I say? I don’t…” He stopped speaking, probably coming to the one conclusion he didn’t want to come to. “Oh. Oh. I didn’t think—apologies.” Though his scales were black and his skin was dark under them, he looked away as if he blushed.

  Dracyrus watched him. “Soon enough, fledgling, I’m certain you’ll find your own mate and know what it feels like.”

  Letting out a laugh, Jag said, “I don’t know. I still think he’ll be all awkward and embarrassed.” His somewhat insulting words earned him a quick glare from Vyserous. Just a fast one, for then the Dracon looked away, finding something so terribly interesting on the ground.

  Light did not want to talk about mating or hear about Dracyrus’s experiences with Faith, in fact he preferred not to think about it at all, so he said, “We need to come up with a plan. Where we’re going next.” Thought it should’ve gone without saying, he still said the next bit anyway: “We have to find Cam. And Finn.” He didn’t really care about Finn, but Faith did, somewhat.

  And besides, he had the strange feeling that if they found Cam, they’d stumble upon Finn, too.

  “Back to the tribe?” Jag offered. “They might’ve moved on by now, but maybe they’re still there. Maybe som
eone saw something.” They hadn’t had the time to ask, too busy worrying about Faith. Faith was their priority, not Cam or Finn, unfortunately for them.

  “What we should do is focus on finding where Yulena is and destroying her,” Dracyrus chimed in, scowling.

  Light gave him a frown in return. “My brother is out there somewhere—”

  “And so is Yulena, plotting. It will only be a matter of time before she lashes out and tries to harm Faith again,” Dracyrus growled.

  Sensing that the tension was only rising, Vyserous spoke up, “Why don’t we return to Furen and we can split up our forces? I can have scouts search for your brother, and other scouts look for clues to where this Yulena is.” It was a remarkably considerate approach to both of their problems. He ruined it by adding, “Well, I mean I can have my mother send the scouts. I’m not in charge of doing that.”

  “Furen,” Jag repeated. “You really think they’ll let that one—” He pointed at Dracyrus, who sneered and said something about cutting off his finger. “—inside? Or maybe it’s Faith they wouldn’t let in. Who are you loyal to?”

  “We are only loyal to our High Queen,” Vyserous said. “We will not side with the Dread King again, nor will we side with the Harbinger. But, maybe, if we show my mother that they are united against an even worse enemy, she’ll agree to help.”

  Light closed his eyes. “Furen is across the sea. It is a great distance to travel. What if we get there and it’s all for nothing?” It would involve too much time being wasted, provided the High Queen refused to help them.

  Another presence appeared beside them, portaling out of nowhere just in time to hear what Light had said. Hart. Of course, the red-headed Fae who was Faith’s father. Today he wore a tan tunic, complete with stitched leather pants. His glowing purple claw hung around his neck, shining in the sunlight.