by Celia Kyle
And considering Shanas and Lorrasyh often attempted to dispose of each other… Yes, very dangerous.
Hannah rested her head on his shoulder. “And Lorrasyh shouldn’t be able to breathe fire or have scales, either, but she does.”
Shanas’s scales slithered up his arms, rising higher and embracing more of the dragonlet’s skin. Brukr prepared himself to act, to move between the two dragonlets if needed.
But the next rush of movement proved his intervention was not necessary. Lorra, ever troublesome and just as violent as her winged brother, dove forward and pushed her younger clutchmate backward into the shallow water. She then followed the move with a gout of flame and ended her attack with a high-pitched giggle, one Hannah echoed.
“I don’t think we’ll have to worry about Lorra and Shanas. She might not have claws and wings, but it looks like she’ll hold her own.” His mate tipped her head back and he focused on her. He focused on the healthy flush of her cheeks and the wide smile on her lips. They had only been on Kouvai Nihon for mere moments, and already she seemed stronger. “Do you think Taulan will calm down a little before he makes it back here?”
Brukr used a word he despised more than any other. “Taulan will be fine.”
Hannah quirked a brow. “Really?”
“He is not happy.” An understatement. “But he was returned to the ship. I am sure he will continue to voice his displeasure.”
“But will he take this away?”
Brukr turned his attention to their surroundings, to the oasis spread before them. It no longer resembled a battered training platform and had been transformed into a lush sanctuary.
Much of the surroundings were generated using technology similar to the ship’s senchambers, yet it seemed like so much more. The colors were richer, brighter, and more alive. Preor and Earth plant life co-existed, decorating the platform with parts of his home… and Hannah’s.
Truly a place for both of their species to find joy.
“No.” Brukr brushed a soft kiss across her lips. “I believe it will remain. He is not happy with the way Kouvai Nihon came to be, but he will appreciate its existence once he calms.”
Hopefully.
Though he was not sure if Penelope’s second theem park would be built.
“Do you know where Penelope got the idea for Kouvai Nihon?”
Hannah winced, wrinkled her nose, closed her eyes, and lifted her shoulders. “Well…”
“Well?” he drawled.
“Violet sorta met Liquid Knot. Then it all kind of went downhill from there.”
He furrowed his brow and scanned the platform once more. He noted the swaths of green grass, the trees gently swaying with the wind, and the crystal-clear pools. Three tall buildings also called Kouvai Nihon home, the structures erected to provide sleeping chambers for Preor and families while they were on vay-cay-shun.
But he did not see…
“There are no hills, shaa kouva. And the platform hovers above the sea. It does not reside on a land mass.” He narrowed his eyes and scanned her features. Perhaps her face was flushed due to illness and not excitement. “Your mind is damaged if you believe Kouvai Nihon is on a hill. You are still unwell.” He bent and swung her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. “Penelope, transport us directly to—”
Hannah laughed, a high-pitched, tinkling sound. “Cancel his order, Penelope.” She turned her broad smile on Brukr. “I’m not still ill. It’s a human expression. It means that the idea started with one tiny little comment and grew into,” she gestured at the platform, “this.”
“I do not know if I should believe you.”
Her smile softened, a different emotion sliding over her features. At the same time, a wave of caring washed over him—Hannah’s emotions. “You can read my mind.”
He grunted. “You may think you are well, but your body disagrees. You would not be lying, merely wrong.”
“Ooooh, Brukr,” Lana clucked her tongue and padded toward them. Lorrasyh rested on her dam’s hip while Shanas fluttered around her, flapping his tiny wings to keep himself aloft. “You never tell a woman she’s wrong.”
He stared at the War Mistress and then his mate—who nodded in agreement—and then back to the War Mistress. “But if she is incorrect…”
Lana sighed and shook her head. “You poor, poor male.” Her look of pity transformed into a teasing grin, and Lana winked at Hannah. “The ladies are always right, and even when we’re not, you just need to know that you’re wrong.”
“I do not understand. If a female is not right, how can she be—”
“War Mistress Lana, Taulan requests your presence,” Penelope broke in—again. He figured he would have to become used to the ship doing as its programming pleased.
Lana reached up and snatched her son’s ankle, giving him a tug until he fell into her embrace. “C’mon kids, let’s go convince Daddy that we need to keep our theme park, huh?” With the chorus of yells and squeals, Brukr knew Kouvai Nihon would remain. “Go ahead and transport us, Penelope.”
With that confirmation, the trio disappeared, leaving utter silence in their wake. The others in their group had already disappeared—Triem and Radoo trudging off down one path while Ivoth and Elle navigated another. No others would step foot on the platform until their vay-cay-shun was complete. Both Ivoth and Elle instructed them to take as much time as they wished, though they would only relax for a couple of days before returning to their duties.
They did not realize that Brukr wished for a lot of time with Hannah. Time to explore her mind, her heart, her… body. He wanted to know all of her, and he was in no mood to rush.
“Where shall we go first, shaa kouva?” He still held her close, unwilling to release her just yet. He’d carried her in the past, but now it was different—she was different. Her appearance did not match the senchamber display, but the healing had altered her body.
She had been beautiful before, but now… Now her true self—her true goodness—shined through. He had not recognized the dullness caused by the gen mods. He had always believed her beautiful, but this Hannah…
This Hannah brought him to his knees with nothing more than a smile.
This Hannah made his wred hard with a glance. No, that was untrue. Before she had been healed she’d made his wred hard with a glance. Now she simply seemed more potent.
“Hmmm…” She hummed and nuzzled his neck. “We could go to the hotel and…” She nibbled his shoulder, dragging a moan from his chest, and he locked his knees when they threatened to give way. “Get to know one another.”
“Hannah,” he rasped. His wred throbbed, anxious and more than willing to get to know her body. “We…” He swallowed hard, searching for the words he needed most. Searching and coming up empty. “We must…”
“We must solidify our mating? Yes, we must.” She smiled against his shoulder and nipped him once more.
“No, that is not what I meant. We… You nearly died, Hannah.”
She licked him. The temptress soothed the sting of her bite with her tongue. “But I didn’t.”
No, she did not. He held her in his arms, the Knowing continued to strengthen and grow within their minds, and her thoughts effortlessly twined with his. She was alive and his kouva in every way but one. He’d claimed her with words, their connection formed after her healing, and now he had only to take her body.
A body that’d so recently experienced the scorching of a cleanse flare.
That final thought forced him to come to a final decision. Or at least a decision he would cling to for the next hour. Or until Hannah kissed him again. He found he was not very strong when it came to her kisses.
“Let us explore Kouvai Nihon while the sun remains in the sky. When this was nothing more than a training platform, I often enjoyed the sunset.” He stared down at his mate, every cell in his body urging him to take her—claim her—before she could escape him, but honor held him at bay. “Penelope indicated we have been assigned a large roo
m at the top of the west tower—a perfect position to view the disappearance of Earth’s sun.”
And once the sun disappeared, he could convince her it was time to sleep. And if he was a lucky male, she would sleep before she had a chance to try his resolve once more.
Because if she pushed him… he would take her, claim her, make her his.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Penelope—or Liquid Knot—had thought of everything when designing Kouvai Nihon—areas for dragonlets and human children to splash and play, other spaces for the adults to relax and quiet, secluded nooks for couples to simply enjoying being together.
Brukr hadn’t let her explore those tucked away nooks. Every time she’d drifted toward one, her fingers entwined with his as she tugged him along, she ended up in his arms while he stomped in the opposite direction. He always had something else to show her. Something that involved being in open spaces and visible to anyone who passed.
Not that there were many on KN. At some point, Lana, Taulan, and the twins returned to the platform—Lorrasyh and Shanas’s laughs followed by the occasional cry when one knocked the other down. That would be followed by their sire’s bright ball of flame while he tried to end their tears.
The Preor were rough and gruff warrior males who crumbled beneath the sound of a female or dragonlet’s cries.
Which was something Hannah had tucked away for later. Not that she was one of those women who took advantage of a male’s better nature, but… She knew from experience that desperate times called for desperate measures—even wet, sniffle-y, teary ones.
She hadn’t caught sight of Ivoth or Elle, but KN was large—larger after Penelope’s alterations to the training platform—and the couple had their own section to enjoy. Which left Triem and Radoo. Radoo, who had appeared as if he wished to be anywhere but on Kouvai Nihon. Anywhere.
Part of her wanted to search for them—him. The part that saw the pain in his eyes just before he strode into the digital forest with Triem in his wake.
“Hannah,” Brukr murmured and slipped his arm across her shoulders. “The sun will disappear soon.” He gave her a careful squeeze. “It is time to find our suite if you wish to watch it set. We can return to the beech tomorrow.”
She tore her attention from the clear waters, the pure water gently lapping at the digitally constructed sand. It was a version of Tampa’s beach but without the crowds or fear of tiny fish nibbling at her toes.
“Unless you wish to remain.”
Hannah shook her head. No way. She’d have a hard enough time seducing him in the privacy of their suite. She didn’t think he’d relax enough to make love to her on the beach.
“No.” She tipped her head back and gave him a wide smile. She fought to suppress the thrum of excitement that slithered down her spine. She battled back the tendril of arousal that fought to suffuse her blood. “I’m ready to relax in our suite.”
Brukr stared at her, eyes narrowed, and searched her expression as if he didn’t believe her. Well, he shouldn’t believe the feigned innocence on her face, but that didn’t mean she liked that he didn’t trust her words.
She nudged him, shoulder bumping his side. “What about you? Ready to get off your feet?”
His wings twitched, the slightest ruffle and brush of wing-skin. “Preor warriors are able to remain standing for many turnings. We have the strength to—”
She snorted and poked him with her elbow. “The question wasn’t an insult. It was a question.”
“But we are trained to remain prepared for battle for no less than eight turnings.” He straightened his spine and his chest swelled. “I am capable of being battle ready for eighteen.”
“Brukr,” she whispered. She wasn’t going to even question his need to be prepared to fight for eighteen days straight while other warriors only trained for eight.
He released his breath slowly. “Yes?”
“I wanna go to our suite and watch the sunset.”
“Good.” He huffed out a breath, this one almost of relief. As if he’d been waiting for her to finally be done with exploring.
Was he as excited about being alone as she? Was he ready to…
Hannah let more of his emotions through their connection, squeezing and restraining her own while she sought his. Nope, he wasn’t looking forward to alone time. He was anticipating the sunset and then tucking her into bed.
Alone.
Untouched.
Had she mentioned alone?
But beneath that driving desire lurked the reason for his wants. He worried about her—about her condition and health. He craved her but didn’t want to touch her for her own sake.
Well, she knew her body, and she knew she wanted him in her body.
It was simply a matter of seduction.
Starting at that moment.
“Do you think you could carry me to the hotel? It doesn’t look far, and—”
And she didn’t have to say much else to be in his arms.
“You should have told me you were tired,” he grumbled. “I knew I allowed you to explore too long. You have exhausted yourself. I will not—”
Hannah wasn’t sure what he wouldn’t do. She was too focused on what she was doing—to him.
She slid her arm around his neck, but she didn’t rest her hand on his shoulder like she had so many times before. No, she reached further. She stretched for his upper wing joint. Her goal was that thick bend of blue-gray scales that were so strong… and sensitive.
She extended her arm as far as she could and gently ran her fingers down his flight line. The warm, smooth scales teased her fingertips as she caressed him from the joint down toward his wing base. She couldn’t touch him as much as she desired, but it was enough to stoke that initial flame of need.
A wave of arousal and deep craving flowed over their connection. Brukr’s wanting sank into her, curled around her spine, and finally settled in her pussy. Her center clenched, body reacting to his flare of yearning. Her clit twitched and throbbed with a silent plea for his touch—his fingers, his mouth, his cock.
“Hannah,” he rasped.
“Hmmm?” She tilted her head and rested it on her bicep.
She relaxed into his hold and repeated the motion, the gentle tickling of her fingers from wing joint to just shy of his wing base. He shuddered, his entire body trembling with her caress, and she echoed the movements. Another rolling stroke of need. Another push of desire that sank into her soul.
“You must…“ He tried speaking again, the rough edge of his voice even more garbled. “You must…”
She adjusted her position slightly, her other hand moving to cup his opposite shoulder, and she used the grip to embrace him further—to bring her resting higher on his chest. Now both hands could reach scales, could touch and stroke places that would push Brukr to the edge.
The edge and hopefully beyond.
“I must…” she whispered into his ear and followed the words with a gentle nip. She grabbed his earlobe between her teeth and gently bit, following the nibble with a scrape of her teeth along his jaw.
She’d never been so thankful for the Knowing before that moment. But as facts about her mate, the sensitive parts of a male’s body, flowed into her mind, she was grateful for the alien phenomena. It let her stroke him just right, let her touch him in the perfect spots, told her that the edge of a nail just above his wing base would…
Brukr released a deep groan, the sound vibrating through him and shaking her from inside out as well. Her pussy clenched and a shudder raced through her—pleasure on its heels. The ache deepened, sliding across her nerves, and then stretching to fill every part of her.
And that was only the pleasure she experienced through their connection. What would it be like to feel his hands on her body? She couldn’t wait to find out. Soon.
She repeated the scratch of her canine on his flesh, adding a hint of sting to the graze. Preors were animalistic and violent. Even while they craved the softness of a mate, they enjo
yed a rough edge to their passion.
An edge she was happy to give him if it ended in the solidifying of their mating.
“I must?” She captured the skin along his jaw between her teeth and bit, pinching his flesh until a guttural groan escaped him.
She repeated the action, traveling further along his jaw and toward his chin—then his mouth. And with each snippet of pain she gave him, his breathing increased. His heart thundered, beating faster and faster while more and more arousal enveloped him. While more and more of his need traveled over their connection. She gave him one last nibble of his lip, one last stroke of his flight line before she slid her hands away from his sensitive wings.
She leaned back and turned her attention to his face, meeting his stare, and she gasped. She didn’t meet Brukr’s eyes but the yellow orbs of his inner dragon. The beast was there, staring at her through her mate’s vision.
But both halves of him were her mate—the male on two legs and his dragon form. She didn’t mate only one part of Warrior Brukr joi Hannah Carr. She mated all of him.
“Brukr,” she whispered, unable to remain silent beneath his fierce stare. It was a mixture of emotions, a tumultuous roll of conflicting feelings. He wanted her—desperately—but he held himself back. “Please.”
“Shaa kouva.” Smoke escaped his nose and drifted past his lips, his dragon’s voice deep and guttural. “Hurt.”
“You know I’m not,” she countered.
“Healing.” The dragon again, tendrils of gray smoke accompanying his voice.
“I’m healed. Whelon wouldn’t have let me leave the ship if I wasn’t.”
The dragon—and Brukr—still objected. “Changing.”
Yes, parts of her continued to change, her body undoing years of gen mods one cell at a time. “So you won’t claim me until it’s over?” She lifted her eyebrows. “It could take years. Will you be my mate in all ways but one? For years?” She licked her lips, gratified at the flare of need in his eyes. “Loving you—being loved by you—won’t hurt me. You could never hurt me, dragon.” She spoke to the bestial half of him. “Brukr would never hurt me.”