by Sophie Stern
His lips melted onto hers as he gripped her hips, pulling her close. She felt his hardness pressing against her, already ready for her, already needing her.
She needed him, too.
That was the time, that was the day. That was the moment when they both knew it was perfect. Sanguine had thought for weeks that Kaira was his, meant for him, designed to complete him. She was his one true mate. Her. Her and only her.
And oh, he was ready for her.
Sanguine had lived many years alone and many years around others, but he had never lived in a way that made him feel as wonderful as the way he felt around Kaira.
She was his gold.
She was his everything.
More important to him than treasure or fighting or battles. More important to him than conquering. More important to him than anything else in the world. That's what Kaira was to Sanguine. She was the world.
His world.
He pressed his fingers harder into her skin as he kissed her, never wanting to let her go. He needed to show her how much he needed her. He needed to devour her.
So he dropped to his knees.
Kaira lifted her skirt for him, holding it around his waist. He couldn't help but smile at her. She was no longer embarrassed or shy around him, even when it came to this, even when it came to taking her hard. He loved it. Many women were scared to show their pussies, scared to have their lovers taste them there. Not Kaira. Not anymore.
She lifted one leg over Sanguine's shoulder as he dove his tongue into her soft folds, tracing up and down before playing his lips along her clit. He let out a soft hum and she let out a soft moan and then he slipped two fingers into her.
Then the moan that she elicited was anything but soft.
Sanguine played with her until her hands were gripping his hair tightly, almost painfully, and then she was coming on his face, screaming his name in the darkness.
Sanguine.
Oh, he loved to hear his name on her lips.
Loved it, craved it.
It was wonderful.
Little did he know that everything was about to change.
35
One month later
Edward stomped through the woods, making a beeline for Sanguine's cave. He had to hurry. There was no time to waste, no time to lose. Most of all, there was no way that anyone could follow him. Not this time.
Unlike the last time Edward had been in the forest, he now knew where he was going. Sort of. He knew the general direction, anyway. This time, though, Edward wasn't guided by fear for the princess' life. This time he was guided with fear for his own life.
And the lives of everyone he loved.
This time, it was he who needed Kaira's help.
Well, hers and Sanguine's.
In fact, Sanguine was really the one he needed. Sanguine was really the one who could be strong, who could scare or force the villagers into compliance. Sanguine was the one who could save the kingdom. It was up to him.
Edward rushed through the woods, not willing to stop running. He worried that if he stopped, he might never stop again. He wasn’t sure if he was being chased or anything like that. No, Edward was mostly worried that he might die of tiredness, of sheer exhaustion.
The King had been dead for a month and in that time, Kel had taken his place on the throne. While the people had originally supported the decision, knowing that the King’s second-in-command should be able to rule properly, Kel had turned out to be a very poor ruler indeed.
Edward had fought the urge to seek out Kaira for weeks, but it couldn’t wait any longer. Kel was letting the power go to his head and now he was starting wars with former allies. If Sanguine and Kaira were not willing to help Naga, the castle that had once been Edward’s home would soon fall to ruins.
He could not bear to let that happen.
He would not let that happen.
Edward trudged on.
***
When Sanguine stopped talking and turned his head, Kaira knew that someone was near, but who? Who would seek them out? She and Sanguine had been alone for a long time, never needing or seeking the assistance of others. Yes, they went hunting, but that was only to procure food. It was never, Kaira thought, to cause trouble.
They had not done anything that should have attracted attention to their position.
Sanguine’s nostrils flared.
“What is it?” Kaira went to him, placing her hand lightly on his back. Sanguine was in human form, having just finished making love to her, and a thin layer of sweat covered his muscles.
“That damned knight,” Sanguine said, and Kaira knew he meant Edward.
“But,” she looked at Sanguine. “Why would Edward come here? He has no reason to.”
Sanguine just stared at the doorway. It wouldn’t be long before the man marched through, undoubtedly to ask for Kaira to return. Maybe her father couldn’t handle it. Maybe he couldn’t deal with the loss. Maybe Edward was just more cowardly than Sanguine had suspected. Maybe he hadn’t been able to lie to the King at all.
He didn’t know.
All he knew was that he could smell the nobility dripping off Edward, even from a distance, and he hated it.
Part of Sanguine still felt that Kaira had made a mistake in choosing him. Part of him still believed that she would be better off in the hands of someone like Edward. He was a real human, Sanguine thought. Edward was a complete, normal, and ordinary human. He was brave and wise and he would take good care of Kaira.
Sanguine knew this with all of his heart.
But he also knew that he loved the way Kaira looked at him when she thought he wasn’t looking. He loved the way Kaira managed to make him feel more alive than anyone else ever had before. He loved that she was so patient and so gentle with him. He loved that she had chosen to stay.
She had given everything to him.
It was not a gift he took lightly.
36
“He’ll be here soon,” Sanguine said to Kaira, knowing they had maybe fifteen or twenty minutes before the knight would appear in the caves.
“What is it?” Kaira placed a hand on Sanguine’s face. “What’s got you so nervous, my love?”
Sanguine wanted to think about the way he melted when she said that, how his hard dragon heart felt soft when Kaira touched him. He didn’t, though. When Edward got here, everything would change. He knew this. He didn’t know how or in what way, but things would change.
Knights did not make social visits.
Sanguine fisted Kaira’s hair and pulled her into himself, kissing her harshly. She met his kiss eagerly, allowing him to suck on her tongue before softly biting her bottom lip. Oh yes, Sanguine could kiss. She wasn’t sure what had him so riled up, but she wasn’t going to refuse his embrace.
His hands were on her breasts, then her waist, then up her skirt. By the time Sanguine's hands reached Kaira's pussy, she was wet for him.
"Dragon," she moaned in his ear. "My dragon."
The sound of her claiming him as her own sent a shiver of excitement down Sanguine's spine. Oh yes, he was going to show Kaira exactly what kind of dragon he was.
He stroked her slit gently with one finger, softly caressing her as he kissed her. She wiggled against his hand, trying to feel more of him, trying to direct his strokes.
"None of that now," Sanguine whispered in her ear. "You're mine now."
"I know," she murmured through his touch. "But I want more."
"More what, Kaira?"
"I want more of your fingers...Sir." She whispered "Sir" with a soft smile and closed her eyes as they continued to kiss. "I want your fingers in my pussy. I want you to touch me. More."
Sanguine plunged two fingers deep into Kaira's core. She moaned into his shoulder, holding her breath as he continued to play with her.
"You're wet, princess," Sanguine whispered into her ear. His breath was hot on her neck.
Kaira could only moan. Sanguine's touch was unbearably perfect. He continued to alterna
te stroking her soft lips with feeling her from the inside, moving faster and faster until he could feel her body tense.
"Breathe," he whispered, knowing she was still holding her breath against him.
She opened her mouth and screamed his name as she came.
Sanguine.
That was more than enough for him. He guided Kaira to the wall and turned her around so that she was facing it. She leaned forward, placing her hands on either side of her head, ass out. Her skirts were still around her waist, giving Sanguine quite the view of her ass and pussy.
She heard him moving behind her, then, without warning, he was thrusting into her, filling her. Sanguine stroked in quickly, then stayed inside of her for a moment before pulling out. Unlike their usual hard-and-fast lovemaking, this was something different.
Today he was taking her completely, branding her from the inside.
Today he was reminding her exactly what kind of a dragon he was.
And "nice" had nothing to do with it.
He held himself just at the edge of her pussy before thrusting in again, holding himself there before pulling out and waiting. The hard thrusts with extended pauses were driving Kaira insane. She kept wiggling her ass backward, trying to get him to fuck her harder, faster.
Sanguine spanked her, hard.
"Who is in control, Kaira?" He asked quietly, spanking her other cheek.
"You are," she moaned.
He swatted her again, loving the way her ass slowly began to turn pink from his touch.
"Who is in control, Kaira?" He asked again.
"You are, Sir," she whispered.
At that, Sanguine began giving her what she needed: hard and fast. Just a few strokes and Kaira was coming again, squeezing his cock so hard that Sanguine thought it might break. Damn, she was tight. She was perfect.
"Come for me, too," she whispered as her orgasm took her completely.
Sanguine did as she asked.
37
Edward knew that he was walking into something he couldn’t control. He knew he was taking a huge risk coming to Kaira, to Sanguine. He knew the dragon man would not be pleased at his return. Edward’s fear, however, drove him to keep going.
He reached the entrance to Sanguine’s cave and stopped. Should he go in? Should he stay here? Should he knock? The last time Edward was here, Sanguine had stolen him in the night, forcing him into a cage. Now Edward had his freedom, for now, and he didn’t want to ruin that.
But he had to do what was right for Naga, no matter what it took.
Edward closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and remembered who he was. He was a knight. Not just any knight, either. He was the knight that King Liam had entrusted with the task of finding Kaira. He was the knight who had looked a king in the eye and promised that a young girl was dead. He was the knight who was singlehandedly responsible for the ruin of his world.
But this was his chance at redemption and Edward didn’t plan to mess it up.
He stared into the darkness of the cave and he took a step forward.
It was time to speak with Sanguine.
***
Kaira was thirsty after being fucked so hard, so she went to find some wine, water, anything. She kissed Sanguine before turning to leave, feeling satisfied and filled.
Very filled.
"Do you want anything?" She asked softly, but he just shook his head. She knew he was nervous at Edward's return.
"Hey," she went to his side and wrapped her arms around his waist. "It's going to be all right," Kaira promised.
Sanguine held her close and stroked her hair, then leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. He knew things would be all right. They always were, in the end, but that didn't change how he felt at that moment.
Edward coming back could not mean anything good.
Sanguine wondered if he should just go kill the knight. He could. It wouldn't even be hard. Sanguine was quiet and quick, fast and deadly. He could kill Edward before the poor knight even knew what was happening.
But he wouldn't.
Kaira touched his face one last time and kissed him before leaving to get her drink.
Sanguine pulled on a pair of pants, so as to not be all the way naked, and went to meet Edward.
He knew the knight was going to come in the main entrance. Where else would he come from? Sanguine rolled his eyes at Edward’s incompetence. Only a stupid knight would think he could sneak up on a dragon, and using the front door.
Sanguine met Edward precisely where he expected to: about twenty yards into the cave's entrance.
"What?" Sanguine barked from the darkness. He could see Edward quite well from where he stood, though he knew the young knight must be struggling to see in the darkness.
Edward held up his torch a little higher and peered into the depths of the cave.
"Sanguine?" He asked.
"No," Sanguine rolled his eyes. "It's a different talking dragon. What do you want, Knight?"
Edward stepped forward.
"Is Kaira here?"
"What do you want, Knight?" Sanguine gritted his teeth.
Edward sighed, but stood where he was.
"I've come to seek your help." Then, in an unexpected show of respect, Edward knelt down, still trying to hold his torch, and bowed his head. "Sir."
Sanguine wasn't quite sure what to expect from the knight, but it wasn't this. Edward was bowing to him: a dragon. He was bowing and asking for his help?
"What do you need, Knight?" Sanguine asked, walking forward to Edward. "And dammit, get off the ground."
Edward scurried to his feet and took a deep breath. Then he began rambling so fast that Sanguine could barely understand him.
"IneedyouandKairatocomebackwithmeandsavethekingdom."
"What?" Asked Sanguine. "For a knight, you aren't very good at talking to dragons."
Edward frowned.
"I'm good at talking to dragons," he mumbled beneath his breath.
"What do you want?" Sanguine asked again, tiring of the question.
Edward's eyes look sad, but he tried again. He knew this was his only chance. If Sanguine refused to help him, then he knew that most of the kingdom would perish.
"King Liam is dead," Edward told Sanguine.
The dragon frowned. This was not good news. When Kaira heard about her father's passing, she might want to return to the throne. Then again, he wondered, would she really? Kaira seemed quite happy living with Sanguine and surely there were other nobles who could take her place.
"What of it?" Sanguine asked.
"Kel has taken his place."
Sanguine knew the man well. Too well. Kel was almost as much of a dragon-hater as Liam was. Almost. He knew that with Kel on the throne, Sanguine would never have a chance at freedom. He would spend his life hiding in caves with Kaira. While he loved her dearly and wanted to enjoy his time with her, he also knew that there would come a time when she would want to leave the cave.
There would come a time when she wanted to go out with him.
There would come a time when simply being alone with a dragon was not enough.
Sanguine remained silent for a few moments, but did not speak. He knew now what Edward had come for. He knew now that Edward had come to beg Kaira to return, to save the people. He knew that Edward wanted a good queen to rule over Naga: not an evil villain.
"Come," Sanguine said softly. He turned and began walking back down the hall. As he made his way back to Kaira, he tried to prepare himself for losing her.
But nothing could ever prepare him for that.
38
Kaira's face was devoid of emotion when Edward told her that her father was dead. She did not cry, or speak, or scream. She simply sat down in a chair and stared at Edward and Sanguine. They both looked back at her, unblinking.
"You came to ask me to rule," she said to Edward. It was not a question. She knew why the knight was there. It was her duty. She was the heir to the throne. Edward obviously thought it was her res
ponsibility to come back.
It was, wasn't it? They were her people, after all. Who would rule them if Kaira wouldn't? Who would love them if she wasn't there to care for them? She had been gone o'er a month, and though she loved her time with Sanguine, Kaira missed her people.
She missed her village.
She looked back to Edward, waiting for him to say the words, waiting for him to tell her that it was her job to come back, but he shook his head.
"No," he told her. "I came to ask you and Sanguine to rule."
The room was silent.
Sanguine shot a harsh look at the knight.
What?
Edward wanted him for a king?
Kaira looked far less surprised than Sanguine was at the idea. In fact, she looked almost...happy. She bit her bottom lip as she looked from one man to the other.
"Give us a moment," she finally said to Edward. The knight nodded and looked around, not sure what to do or where to go.
"I'll just go..." his voice drifted off and he walked back over to the hallway. He stepped just outside of the door and waited in the darkness, trying not to let himself grow worried or nervous about the space.
As soon as Edward was out of the room, Sanguine turned to Kaira.
"Tell me what you're thinking, princess."
"I'm thinking," she said, standing, "that I love my people."
She ran her hand gently through his hair and down his hard chest until it was resting on his hip. She gripped him and pulled Sanguine closer.
"And I love you, dragon, even more than that."
She leaned forward on her tip-toes and kissed Sanguine. When she stopped, he just stared at her. She had no idea how beautiful, how perfect she was.
"I love you, too, Kaira."
It was the first time he'd told her, the first time he'd told anyone, really, and it felt incredible. When he looked at her, he knew she was the strongest, most fantastic woman he'd ever met.
And she wanted to be with him: not just in a cave, not just hidden away. She wanted to be with him, for real. She wanted him to come to her kingdom.