“I’m listening,” she said, setting down her suitcase. Was he really coming around? What had happened?
“I would very much like to see your plans for the new, New York City,” he said.
She smiled brightly, excitement bubbling up from her chest and spilling over into her face. His expression crumbled, and he lurched towards the couch where he collapsed. She darted toward him, suddenly feeling concerned for his health.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Are you all right?” She put her palm to his forehead, feeling his fevered skin. “You’re burning up.”
“It is the mating impulse,” he stuttered. “My dragon is punishing me for my actions, for my disrespect of my bride.”
“Is there anything that can be done?” She had heard that Draconians would lose their minds if they did not claim their brides. She had never heard that they would become feverishly sick and collapse for disrespecting them.
“I do not know. It is highly uncommon for a male to disregard his bride as I have you.”
“Why have you been such a dick?” she asked. Maybe it wasn’t the most appropriate time to ask that kind of question, but she couldn’t keep the words inside. He mouthed the word dick, looking up at her with confusion.
“I assume you are questioning why I have been so unkind to you,” he said, his voice soft and distant.
“Yeah,” she said. She wrapped her fingers around his hand and held it in her lap. Now that he was coming around, her own feelings were beginning to throb and burst in her chest.
All this time, she had been resisting the emotions that had been building for her from the first day they met. He’d been such a jerk, it had been impossible to even like him, let alone love him. But now, the fate that had brought them together was making itself known. She felt softer towards him. She wanted to help him. She didn’t want to fight anymore.
“A long time ago, when I was a young man, I loved a girl. She was a Draconian like me. We both came from high-ranking families in the Draconian government. We were in the same social circles and spent most of our youth together. Our feelings were mutual and we loved each other.
“Though it is frowned upon by Draconians, we had a love affair before we came of age, before the mating impulse could show either of us who our fated mates happened to be. We both believed that when we came of age, the mating impulse would begin for each other.
“Alas, it did not. When she came of age, her mating impulse came for another man. He was an older, wealthy man with a high ranking position in the government. His mating impulse began for her as well. She left me without a single word, without a single goodbye. Though we had broken Draconian custom, I had believed that we had meant something to each other. She still meant something to me, but I meant nothing to her.”
“I’m sure you still meant something to her. Isn’t the mating impulse super strong for Draconians? She probably just couldn’t resist it,” Octavia said, patting his hand.
“Perhaps you are right,” he said, sighing. “I had never thought of it that way. I was hurt. From that day forward, I resented the mating impulse. I believed that I would never find my own mate and was destined to be alone for eternity. When Commander Or told me that I had been entered into the mating lottery, I scoffed at the idea of being mated with a human. I had lost my Draconian love, a woman I had idealized for decades. How could I possibly settle for human?”
“I thought you were turning over a new leaf,” she said, snorting.
“Turning over a new leaf? You mean changing my attitudes about humans?”
“Yeah, it’s just a saying.”
“I am changing. I have been a fool, a ridiculous fool. Humans are vivacious, beautiful creatures. You are a beautiful creature, my human bride. I beg that you forgive me for my idiocy and my inappropriate treatment of you,” he said, looking down at his hand as she stroked it.
“Do you really mean it?” she asked. She wanted to believe that he could really change. She wanted to believe that all the sacrifices she had made for her people were worth it. And even more than that, she wanted to believe that she and Joss could really be meant for each other.
“Yes, I mean it,” he said.
“You aren’t just saying this to get in my pants are you?” she said, with a laugh.
“I will prove it to you. Come with me to my planning office. I will show you exactly how serious I am.”
He stood from the couch, seeming to be a little less shaky on his feet as they walked towards the door. She followed him down the hallway to his planning office, where his assistants were still gathered around the table, waiting for him. They looked at him with questioning expressions, most of them betraying how intimidating he must have been to work for.
“There’s been a change of plans, gentlemen,” he said, taking his seat at the head of the table. He offered Octavia a seat beside him and she took it. His fingers began to flick across the holographic screen and the blueprints that hung above the table disappeared. A map of New York City and the area’s debris spread out over the table. He briefly explained to her how to use the controls on the table.
“Now, show us, my beloved mate, how would you redesign New York City?”
Her heart leapt in her chest and started doing a tap dance. After everything he put her through, this was finally happening. She suddenly felt a wave of apprehension. Were her ideas really any good? Maybe they were ridiculous. But she drove those fears away and began to draw out a rough sketch of her plans for the new, New York City. It took into consideration what the old city had once been, but at the same time, it made for greater use of public transportation, walkability, public spaces, and open areas where people could gather and recreate.
The team of architects around the tables watched her with rapt attention. Several were shaking their heads and scratching their chins as they inspected her plan. She looked up at Joss and could see by the expression on his face that he was impressed with what she had to offer.
“I see where you’re going with this. It is a very human design, but our cities on Draconia are not altogether different from what you are proposing. It was backwards and foolish of me to expect to turn your grand old city into a Draconian colony. Let us work together to create an advanced and beautiful city that both Draconians and humans will be proud to live in.”
Octavia breathed a massive sigh of relief, her heart fluttering triumphantly in her chest. For the rest of the afternoon, Joss, Octavia, and the entire team worked to put together plans for the reconstruction of the new, New York City. By the time they were done, their collaboration had created something so monumentally beautiful and functional that it could truly be called utopian.
It integrated human aesthetic and the human need to walk rather than fly with advanced Draconian technology. All of the poor planning of previous centuries was swept away and the space had been turned into something that represented the great bright future Draconians had promised.
The team celebrated their triumph and began to plan the removal of debris throughout the city so that construction could begin while leaving Central Park intact. She was so overjoyed that she almost forgot the pain Joss was in through the entire process.
Night began to fall. When she looked up at him, she could see the torment in his eyes. She leaned over to him and whispered in his ear.
“I think it’s time we went back to our apartment and finished what we started,” she said.
He gave her a surprised look and immediately stood, taking her hand. They left the office without another word.
Chapter 14
They made it back to the apartment and Octavia’s heart was pounding. She’d learned more about Joss today than she had in the entire time she’d known him. Every emotion she could have flashed through her body and mind as they stepped into the apartment and faced each other.
“Are you sure you want this?” he asked her.
“Yeah. What about you?”
“I want what you want,” he said, staring straight
into her eyes.
It was as if the first time they’d made love had all been real. She wanted to believe it more than anything. He had the same look on his face that he’d given her then.
“What about my body?” she asked. “Can I…take you?”
She trembled at the thought. They stood several paces from each other in the living room. Her back was to the couch, and she gripped the soft foam in her hand. Her heart thudded in her chest and echoed in her ears.
“You’ve been ready all day. I can smell your scent. My dragon is going wild for you.”
“And you spent all day working on the designs instead of trying to fuck me,” she said.
She had to appreciate his commitment to showing he respected her. She wanted to believe it wasn’t just because his dragon was thrashing around inside his mind and driving him crazy.
“Yes.” He turned away. She could see his handsome face in profile. He looked distraught. Tension gripped his brow. “It was my utmost priority to prove to you that I value your mind, your expertise, and that I value your humanity.”
“You’ve shown me that,” she said in a low voice. She felt a well of tenderness burst up through her heart and flood her throat. She wanted to tell him all the things she was feeling. Instead, she closed the space between them and took his hand.
Silently, she led him to the bedroom and stepped in front of him, slowly removing her clothes. The bag she’d packed earlier sat forgotten by the front door. Now that he’d listened to her, given her the one thing she truly wanted, she could allow herself to give in to the overwhelming feelings that she’d been struggling with all along.
He watched her as she took off her clothing, one piece at a time. She could she the massive bulge under his uniform, telling her how very much he liked what he saw. Once she was naked, she stepped toward him and flicked the spot at his neck that made his uniform contract.
Joss’s eyes grew wide as she stepped backward and climbed onto the bed. She lay down before him, spreading her legs and running her hands up her bare flesh. He growled and showed the sharp fangs under his lips.
In an instant, he was above her, sniffing the air. His nostrils flared, and his eyes rolled back in reverence and deep pleasure. Octavia ran her hands up his arms and around his shoulders, bringing him closer to her.
Leaning up, she kissed his full lips, letting him know how much she wanted him. His cock pressed hard against her stomach, the size of it still mind boggling.
Joss pushed his tongue inside her hot, wet mouth, darting into her with the same intensity she knew he wanted to drive into her pussy.
His hand reached up and grasped her breast. He took a sharp breath and rolled her nipple between his fingers. Octavia gushed hot juices from deep within and wrapped her legs around his waist.
Raining kisses over her body, he crawled downward. His tongue tasted her skin, lapping over her stiff nipples, darting in and out of her belly button. He sank between her legs and pushed his tongue against her clit while wrapping her legs around his head. He gripped her thighs hard with his hands.
He held her there as he devoured her pussy. The sounds he made between her legs and the feel of his slick tongue on her desire made her throw back her head and arch her back.
She moaned, growing close to release. Her emotions swirled around her mind and heart. She gripped his hair and thrust up against his face, taking his tongue harder against her clit.
Joss thrust his fingers into her pussy, caressing her inner desire. Just on the precipice of orgasm, Octavia groaned out his name. Her whole body felt like molten desire. Her fingers gripped harder into his blond hair and she let go.
All the anger, frustration, and rage she’d felt for this man clashed and flipped into something totally different, totally opposite. Connection, tenderness, adoration, those feelings replaced what had once been there.
When he rose over her body, his face slick with her sex, she pressed her lips against his and pushed her hungry tongue into his mouth. She held him tight, leaning back down onto her back.
He growled, gripping his cock. He angled it to her opening and drew back to look her in the eye.
“All along, it was you,” he said. “All my life, I’ve been waiting for you. Oh, Octavia.”
She silenced his words with her mouth, and he lunged forward. His cock burst through her outer walls and thrust deeper into her channel. Octavia gasped, her eyes growing wide with surprise. He was so big. He stretched her beyond comprehension. The stretching pain soon gave way to intense pleasure as his massive shaft pressed against every pleasure zone in her body.
She groaned over and over before he even thrust a second time. Her body stretched taut around him, to its ultimate limit. Her breasts swelled and her nipples pricked ultra-tight. Octavia’s entire body was like an electric current, ready to spark and burst into flame.
Joss pulled back and slid into her again, slowly building his momentum as he looked deep into her eyes. He caressed her forehead as he held his weight off of her with the other arm.
Her mind was a blank wash of emotion and sensation. All that existed was Joss and this moment with him deep inside her. He was everything. Absolutely everything. The world could have exploded, destroying all of existence. That wouldn’t have mattered as long as they were bound together in this space of utter connection.
Her heart felt ripped open and turned inside out, as if she’d never known what love could be until that moment.
Joss increased his rhythm, pummeling her little body with his massive cock. Her hot, slick pussy took every thrust of his diving shaft. The pleasure built unto something she didn’t even recognize. Her mind went blank as the orgasm drew closer.
Stars sparked in her brain and circled around her as the pleasure exploded in her throbbing cunt. His eyes focused on hers, and they became like celestial objects in orbit, deep in space.
She sucked a deep breath and Joss lunged forward, his fangs exposed. He thrust them hard into her neck, biting down with furious intensity. She tried to cry out but her voice was cut off.
Joss continued to pound into her, harder and faster with each thrust. He growled, his cock growing wider, deep in her pussy. He went stiff and hot jets of come exploded against her womb. All Octavia could do was cling to his rock hard body for dear life. And he was her life. Now more than ever.
She could feel herself transformed by his bite. The millennia of time and space that separated their species closed and all that was left was them in that moment. She could feel her very DNA begin to change. Stronger, faster, wiser, more intelligent.
The gift of his mating bite would change her forever and give her a longer life. She could carry his child safely and be the woman he needed to carry on his grand species.
Blood dripped down her neck and dropped onto the mattress. Joss grew still, holding her neck between his teeth. Finally, he withdrew his grasp and slid his cock from inside her.
They gazed into each other’s eyes for long moments before he rolled over and lay beside her on the bed. She climbed up on his chest, and he held her in his arms.
Nothing would ever be the same.
Chapter 15
Octavia rubbed her round belly and held Joss around the waist. Their child would be born in the early fall, but the city they’d planned together would be complete any day now.
After the debris had been moved and taken to the new Draconian recycling plants, the real reconstruction began. The plans they had created together were coming to fruition right in front of her eyes, and she couldn’t be happier.
The city had much of the same character as the old New York, but the new, New York was something out of a dream. Using both Draconian technology and human aesthetics, they’d created something that she could have only dreamed about before the Mulgor invasion.
The flying cars that the Draconians had begun to manufacture flew around the towering, shining city. Octavia remembered seeing visions like this city in old movies from her childhood. No one ever expect
ed them to come true.
The Draconians had technologies they hadn’t shared with humans before. But now that they were in control of the world, they had opened the floodgates. Human scientists were getting to learn millions of years in advance from what they’d known before.
With Draconians in charge of the global economic system, it was impossible for anyone to take advantage of the technology.
As far as Octavia knew, there were still some bad apples, but with the reconstruction happening all over the world, humans had become more than happy to allow the Draconians to do their work.
“It’s so beautiful,” she said.
“You are beautiful,” Joss said. “Everyone on the planet owes you a debt of gratitude. But no one more than me.”
“I’m just happy you came around. Working together was better than working alone. That’s for sure.”
“People love the design of the new cities. From what I hear, we have a ninety-eight percent approval rating.”
“That’s such a human thing to say,” she said, rubbing his chest. “It’s so sexy when you talk human.” She giggled and he caught her hand with his own, leaning down to claim her lips.
“Fate gave me a brave, intelligent mate who was a match for my stubbornness.”
“I’m beginning to believe in fate, too.”
“I never believed in it until I met you,” he said, nuzzling her neck where he’d given her the claiming bite.
“You didn’t believe it when you loved that Draconian girl?” she teased.
“I thought I did. But I was wrong. She wasn’t fated for me. We can’t make fate do what we want. She has her own plans.”
“Fate is female?” Octavia asked, giggling.
“Of course. Something so beautiful could only be a woman.”
“Oh, Joss, you say the sweetest things.”
They held each other close and looked out on the city that they had created together. The male and female parts working together. Her swollen belly growing the most sacred thing they’d created, more important than every city on Earth.
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