“I think this woman is my mate,” Yuki said through their mental link, a link all dragons had from a tiny microchip implanted at the base of their skulls. It interfaced with their wrist devices and allowed for communication with their ship AI system and each other.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Akash admitted.
“She’s mine,” Ragnar growled through the mental link in a tone that left no room for disagreement.
“She can’t belong to all of us,” Akash said carefully.
“She doesn’t. She’s mine,” Ragnar said again.
“There’s only one way to determine the validity of a match,” Akash said. “I suggest we all wait until we are able to confirm who is her fated mate. Perhaps none of us are.”
“I’m contacting Cato right now and asking him to prepare for a mating test for all three of us and Krista. I know she’s my mate. But if it would make you feel better, we can run the analysis for everyone,” Yuki said.
“She’s mine.” Ragnar grunted again.
“Gentlemen,” Akash said, “we have been tasked with finding a home for the House of Storms. I will remind you both this is our primary mission.”
“It won’t interfere with the mission. The woman is my mate. I already know that. It’s merely a matter of you two getting it out of your head that she is yours.”
“She’s mine,” Ragnar roared.
“Do I need to send you two home?” Akash asked.
As the oldest of the three and the Duke of the House of Storms, he outranked them both in nonmilitary matters and could send them home, which, of course, would leave him alone with Krista. He was extremely tempted to do exactly that, but Hanish had tasked all three with the home-finding mission. He knew from long experience that once Hanish gave an order, it was to be followed to the letter. Hanish made decisions like a lightning strike and could be just as quick to admonish those who did not follow through. Hanish was a good man and a good leader, but he had little patience for insubordination. Akash had a strong sense that sending the other two home so he could pursue a human female for himself would count as precisely that.
“If you failed to follow Captain Hanish’s orders, that’s on you,” Ragnar said in a gruff, low tone.
“Yes, yes,” Akash said. “I completely agree with you. Hanish has us all on this mission for a reason. He wants our varied impressions on the subject. He, Zephyr, and Raiden have other projects to complete. This is ours. And we should focus on it. Not the woman.”
“Good. Then we’re all in agreement. Krista is my mate, and you two will forget about her.” Yuki’s voice was triumphant over the mental link.
“That is not what we agreed on,” Ragnar said flatly.
“Yuki, we will get a DNA sample somehow, and then we will commence the mating test. That is the only way to determine if she is any of our mates. We are all on the same footing here. Your one-track mind may help you in your occupation, but in this instance, it is less than beneficial to any of us.”
Akash looked over his shoulder into the back seat of the car, where Yuki sat beside Ragnar. Yuki had been reprogramming a human smartphone all morning and had barely looked up since he got his hands on it. He glanced up at Akash and frowned.
“I don’t have a one-track mind,” Yuki said.
“Yes, you do.” Ragnar looked out the window.
Yuki didn’t respond. Akash let out a long sigh and turned back to look out the front window.
“The property is up here on the right.” Krista pointed to a wrought-iron gate.
They stopped in front of the gate, and she rolled down her window before pressing a few buttons on a device. The gates swung open, and she drove through.
“This property is on twenty acres, which I know you’ll appreciate. The house itself is thirty-five thousand square feet, two stories, and has a full, finished basement. You have a pool, tennis courts, greenhouses, and extensive patios and landscaping on the outside. In the basement, you’ll find a bowling alley and a home theater. There are ten bedrooms, a five-hundred-square-foot kitchen with top-of-the-line finishes, two living rooms, and a family room on the second floor. There’s a study with built-in bookcases on the first floor. This house also has five gas-burning fireplaces throughout. I think you’re going to like it.
“Is it on a hill?” Akash asked as they approached the mansion.
“Yes, it’s on a slight elevation.”
Akash considered the specifications of the property but would have to know if the ship could be buried under the house. The House of Flames had buried their spaceship in their basement and used it as a laboratory. Kian had suggested they do the same, and Hanish had agreed. Akash, Yuki, and Ragnar were tasked with finding a mansion on a hill with adequate space to bury the ship. He had a sense Krista didn’t understand this, but it was one of the most necessary aspects of the property.
“This mansion was built in the year 2000.” She slipped her key into the front door. “So it isn’t very old. It’s been remodeled in the last two years by the original owner.”
They walked into the entry hall, and Akash looked around. From what little he knew about human design, housing, or decorating, the house was nice enough. He knew it was built in Tudor style but was almost brand new. They took a tour of the house, with Krista showing them from room to room. None of it mattered much. All they really needed was space for everyone on the crew and their potential mates and children. More importantly, they needed to bury the ship. Right now, it was hovering in the airspace above the House of Flames. And neither Hanish nor Kian wanted to leave it there for very long. It was under a stealth shield, but the ship still had a physical presence, and having a massive object hovering in space out in the open could present many possible problems.
It was a primary goal of the House of Flames not only to protect humanity but to keep the existence of dragons a secret. Kian and Cato had determined that making humans aware of dragons could potentially lead to widespread panic and the eventual breakdown of civil order. It was an intelligent choice to remain unknown. The vampires had done the same. Although from what he’d learned in their brief discussions about the vampire race, Cato had concluded from human historic research that the vampires had once been more open about their existence and had presented themselves as gods to the primitive humans. Something happened soon after their arrival that not only made the vampires physically weaker but magically stronger. Now, the vampires lived in secret and controlled humanity through more clandestine means. The vampires’ power was widespread and far-reaching, like the roots of a poisonous, invasive plant that stretched out underground until it was everywhere.
“I’ll show you the elevation now.” Krista led them outside.
They went out the back and walked across the grounds to where the land fell away in a moderate slope. Akash considered this while Yuki did some calculations and determined that it was not enough clearance for the ship.
“You don’t need to make a decision now, of course,” Krista said. “We have many more properties to look at.”
“And we want to see them with you,” Yuki said.
Was that an attempt at seduction? Akash shook his head. Akash, in his quest for knowledge, had immediately begun studying the materials Cato suggested on romance and human relationships. One thing he was sure of was that Krista was a business associate and was not here to be seduced. She was here to sell them a house. He had the distinct desire to slap Yuki upside the head. But he had to suppress it as his own dragon raged uncontrollably inside his mind every time his eyes met Krista’s gaze or fell over the generous curves of her breasts.
Krista checked her watch and smiled. “I’m sure we can see two or three more properties by the end of the day if we hurry.”
“Lead the way, madam,” Ragnar said after having remained silent almost the entire time.
Krista’s mouth dropped as she gazed at Ragnar and batted her eyes. Ragnar was as clueless as Yuki about the seduction of women and social interaction in gener
al. But Akash had been stuck with both of them at the command of his prince and captain. He would do the job he’d been tasked with, even if it meant dealing with these two. As Krista’s eyes flicked over Ragnar, Akash could tell she found him attractive. He was a big hulking mass of a man, and he’d quickly discovered that human women found this attractive. Akash himself was a moderately skilled fighter, having served briefly in the war against the vampires. But his true passion was history, not combat. His natural physique was well muscled and strong, but he wasn’t nearly as big or broad as the mountain of man that was Ragnar.
Akash gritted his teeth as his inner dragon growled. He wouldn’t allow himself to be jealous of Ragnar’s size and strength. Whoever was Krista’s mate would ultimately be the one who had a claim to her. And the others would immediately back off. Of the three of them, he considered himself the best catch—of course. He was the Duke of the House of Storms, a highly educated, intelligent man, and a battle-tested warrior. Krista would be lucky to have him.
As he watched her lead them toward the car with her hips swaying and her round behind hugged inside that form-fitting costume, his mouth watered at the very thought of her choosing him. What he wouldn’t give for just one kiss, one single taste, or even just the chance to get a better whiff of her scent. Yuki abruptly knelt in the path beside him and discreetly shoved something into a containment device in his pocket.
“I’ve procured a hair sample,” he said. “Now we can begin the mating test. Soon, you will both know that Krista is mine.”
Ragnar growled in disagreement.
Chapter 3
When Krista returned to her high-rise luxury condo that evening, her panties were absolutely soaked. She had no idea what had gotten into her. Being around Yuki, Akash, and Ragnar had left her nearly mindless with lust. She knew it had been a while since she’d last been with a man, but this was simply ridiculous. Each of them had something about him that was alluring and sexy: Akash with his diplomatic chivalry, Yuki with his energetic inquisitiveness, and Ragnar with his silent and stoic presence. And the bodies on those men? She fanned herself as she kicked off her shoes.
Akash had told her in the car that he was a history professor, but she had never seen a body like that on any professor she’d ever known. Yuki, who had explained he was an engineer, was tall and powerful. His eyes had such hidden depths she knew she could get lost in and never want to be found. Ragnar, after a bit of polite prodding, had informed her that he was a warrior, which she assumed meant military of some kind. The three of them together made a combination that spelled disaster—or rather, uncontrollable arousal.
Krista was not a prude. She’d had plenty of experiences in her life, but as a woman who was more driven by success than relationships and family, she had never had the time to find the right partner. Her ex certainly proved not to be that. But being attracted to three gorgeous, intelligent, exciting, and mysterious men at the same time, well, that was something she’d never experienced or expected. She grabbed her bottle of Chardonnay from the fridge and made her way to the bathroom, where she started the water flowing into her deep-jetted tub. Sitting on the edge of the tub, she watched the water pour into the basin as she drank straight from the bottle.
She felt sweat trickle down her chest and began to unbutton her shirt. Throwing it on the floor, she stood and slipped out of her skirt. A moment later, she was naked in the tub with the bottle of wine and bubbly warm water rising up around her curves.
“I really need to get laid.” She took a sip of wine. “I’m going to embarrass myself the next time I see those men, and then I’ll blow this deal.”
As much as she knew she needed to, she absolutely could not stop thinking about them. They were all so different. How could she be attracted to three men whose characters were so varied and contrasting? How could she be attracted to three men at the same time in the first place? Even though she had never been big on relationships or romance, Krista had only ever dated one man at a time. The idea of wanting three… And then it happened: an image flashed through her mind of all three of them kissing her shoulder, neck, and lips. She gasped and sank under the water, wetting her face and hair. She stayed under there for a long moment before emerging with a gasping breath as she wiped her face. But the vision wouldn’t go away.
“Oh, my God. What is wrong with me?”
It wasn’t that she objected to the fantasy. Fantasies were just fantasies. What she objected to was the fact they were multimillion-dollar clients, and she was trying to sell them a house. She couldn’t be having these ideas about them. It was extremely unprofessional. And if Krista was anything, she was professional.
She took another sip of wine and set it back on the porcelain lip of the tub. Unable to control her impulses a second longer, she ran her hands down her chest, over her breasts, down her stomach, around her hips, and between her thighs. Ever so slightly, she tapped her labia and sent a jolt of electricity through her body. A shock of desire infused her system, and that made the images in the back of her mind come to the forefront of her consciousness with absolute clarity. She closed her eyes and rested against the side of the tub, letting the fantasies play out on the screen of her mind. Her hands slid higher up her thighs, resting against her outer lips. She pursed her lips and moaned.
“What do you think of this bedroom?” she asked.
“It’s nice,” Yuki said.
“But it would look better with you naked on the bed.” Ragnar pulled her toward him and ripped open her shirt.
The buttons popped off and flew across the room, landing on the hardwood floor. He grasped her breast and kissed her aggressively as Akash walked up behind her and gently slid her hair away from the back of her neck. Ragnar’s insistent tongue slid between her lips, darting relentlessly into her mouth as Akash spread gentle caresses over the base of her spine. Yuki, not wanting to be left out, kissed her neck and caressed her side, running his skilled and dexterous hands over her hips and breasts.
“You should be naked.” Ragnar ripped her shirt the rest of the way off.
She gasped as he spun her around and gripped her chin. He pulled her bra down off her breasts and squeezed. Akash and Yuki began to lick her nipples, one man on each breast. Akash unzipped her skirt, and it fell down around her ankles. Yuki was on his knees, pulling her panties down. Ragnar’s long, thick cock pressed between the cleft of her ass as Yuki’s tongue found her slit. Akash licked and fondled her nipples, sucking one while he rolled the other with his fingers. Yuki’s tongue flicked the outer shell of her sex, lapping gently until he pressed deeper.
Ragnar pulled out his cock and slid it between her legs, pressing hard against her dampening sex. Yuki’s tongue circled her clit as he groaned at the taste of her. Ragnar insistently thrust between her legs, the length of his cock pressed hard against her pussy. Yuki’s tongue grew fast and insistent, circling, twisting, and pumping against her pleasure bud.
The head of Ragnar’s cock slid between her lips, pressing against her sopping-wet entrance. Akash kneaded her breasts, sucking, plucking, and rolling her nipples with his mouth and fingers.
In the bathtub, Krista slid her fingers deeper into her pussy, sliding up the wet slit until she pressed her clit and began to stroke in even, leisurely circles. She groaned, her eyes pressed tightly shut, sucking her lower lip into her mouth as she fondled her breasts with her other hand. The vision of her clients continued to play out in her mind. An avalanche of desire and pleasure bore down on her, and she didn’t feel at all guilty about it.
Ragnar pushed her forward into Akash’s arms. Akash held her gently, kissing her mouth as Ragnar pushed the head of his cock between her folds. Yuki’s frantic tongue slid around her clit, pumping and pressing the tight bundle of nerves as Ragnar pushed into her channel. She groaned into Akash’s mouth, kissing him deeply as Ragnar slid deeper inside her. His strong hands were on her hips, holding her still. He pushed deeper as Yuki’s tongue drove her mad. Ragnar thrust until his cock was a
bsolutely buried in her pussy. He held her there, fingers gripping into her flesh. And then he began to frantically pump, thrusting hard and fast. Akash held her as Yuki sucked her clit. Ragnar’s violent thrusts pushed her to the edge.
Krista slid her finger frantically over her pussy, dipping the other hand inside. She groaned as the fantasy brought her to the edge and pushed her over. She was falling into an abyss of pleasure, her pussy clenching on her fingers, her fantasy still full blown inside her mind. Even as the last aftershocks of her orgasm pulsed through her, she became increasingly aware that this wasn’t just a fantasy. She wanted these men—and not just one of them—all of them and at the same time.
She drew her hands away and splashed water on her face, trying to wash away the ludicrous images. But they wouldn’t go away. As she stepped out of the bath and wrapped herself in a towel, she caught sight of her reflection in the foggy mirror.
“What are you doing?” she asked herself. She made a tsking noise and shook her head at herself.
As she ran her fingers through her wet hair and walked across her bedroom to slip into her comfortable pajamas, she let out a deep, ragged sigh. Letting herself indulge in that, whatever it was, was irresponsible. Now, every time she saw them, all she would think about would be Akash fondling her nipples, Yuki’s tongue on her clit, and Ragnar violently thrusting his long, thick cock a deep into her needy cunt. She groaned and palmed her forehead. She really needed to get laid, and not by her clients—definitely not her clients.
Her libido had never been a problem for her before. Even the six months her ex-boyfriend had been away in California, she hadn’t once been gripped by a sexual fantasy so strong she couldn’t resist it. She would fantasize about strangers alone in bed at night with her toy, get it taken care of in about two minutes, and be done with it. But this? It was the kind of thing she couldn’t be done with. Now that she’d satisfied herself to the image of those men, she wanted more. She wanted to live it out.
Dragon Guardians: Complete Series Page 3