by Kyle, Celia
Low music drifted through the apartment, though this time his mate’s voice did not join the song. Thank the stars for small favors. His mate was beautiful. Her voice was not.
The moon cast long shadows and a soft glow into the apartment. He used that soft shimmer to guide him as he sought out his mate. He breathed deeply and drew her scent into his lungs, savoring the sweetness that was wholly Lily. Her scent had changed since they had shared a bed—her sweet now tempered with his natural flavors. That combination infused him with a measure of pride though he would never admit it to Lily. He was unsure how she would feel about the changes overtaking her. He had often overheard the war master and his mate discussing her “losing herself” to Taulan and their dragonlets. Argan did not understand how the war mistress could be lost since she stood at the war master’s side, but he did not say so.
The war master said the words. Then the war mistress glared and growled at the war master. It made Argan thankful he didn’t have a mate. At least he hadn’t at the time. Now, he did.
The reminder warmed his heart, filling him with a sense of wonder and comfort. He had a mate… somewhere.
He padded from one side of their shared space to the other, the entire floor of Preor Tower their home. And every bit of the space was filled with something. His mate had more belongings than Argan had ever possessed in his life. Though he could not call her wasteful. She also used each piece of equipment to the betterment of the Ujal and Preor both. His mate had her human fingers in every issue their kind could conceivably face and she constantly worked to “grease the wheels” as she called it. He did not believe her computer devices had wheels, but he did not argue. Not when he was so proud of what she accomplished.
Argan moved to the west side of their home, peeking into different rooms as he went. He followed the sound of his mate’s music as well as her soothing scent. He finally located her in what he considered the “Penelope” room. His mate often worked with the ship when in this corner. Whether it was to argue with the ship or work the “kinks” out of Penelope’s code. Though that often led back to arguing with the ship, as well.
“Shaa kouva?” he murmured, afraid to interrupt yet unable to spend another moment without looking into her eyes.
Lily spun in place, hair flying out from her body as she quickly whirled. Her gaze collided with his, her eyes bright and shining, her lips split in a wide smile. She bounced on the balls of her feet, never leaving the floor, but it was a near thing.
“Argan!” she squealed, and he winced at the high pitch.
“Finally,” Penelope grumbled, a harsh contrast to his mate’s happiness. Perhaps there were more “kinks” to be worked out of Penelope.
His mate narrowed her eyes and glared at the ceiling. “Shut it, you bucket of bolts.”
“You shut it if you expect me to do the heavy lifting.”
“I’ll show you heavy lifting. While I lift a heavy wrench and throw it into one of your engines.”
“You wouldn’t,” Penelope hissed in return.
“I would. I’d—”
“Shaa kouva?” It was best he interrupt them before they caused trouble. Their arguments never ended quietly or without a great deal of damage. “Have you eaten? I could…”
She cut off whatever else she intended to shout at Penelope and turned her bright smile on him once more. “I’m starving but,” she waved him away, “we can eat after.”
“After?” Argan’s mind immediately went to activities that could cause additional hunger. Any activity that might be important enough to avoid food for a while. “After what?”
Lily twined her fingers together, forming a white knuckled fist. “After this.” She cleared her throat and tipped her head back, speaking to Penelope once more. “Penelope, please initiate program Bad Ass Mate.”
Penelope grumbled and grunted. “Acknowledged,” she huffed. “Please do not move. Keep your hands and feet within the car at all times and return your tray tables to their upright and locked positions. Thank you for flying Lily Is a Pain in the Ass Airlines.”
Lily leveled a glare on the ceiling, but her attention did not remain there long. No, it traveled throughout the room. No, beyond the room and throughout their apartment?
Eyes wide, he fought not to blink to be sure he didn’t miss a moment of the magic unfolding around him. It began with the nearest wall. It shimmered in a dazzling array of glitter and flickering lights, the show going from a glaring brightness to hardly a spark. Which left… nothing in its wake. The wall that had once separated the room from the next had vanished. But that was not all. The transformation continued, the bright lights peeling away yet another barrier.
“Shaa kouva?” he mumbled the words but kept his stare centered on the changing world around him.
Yet another wall drifted into nothing, expanding the room they occupied more and more. The contents of Lily’s space were revealed, her innumerable items of technology now visible. The transformation continued. One solid surface after the next until the far window on the other end of the floor came into sight.
“What is going on, shaa kouva?”
“Shhh… this is the best part.” She clapped and bounced in place once more.
“For you, maybe. You’re not the one—”
Lily made her hand appear to speak. “Blah, blah, blah… You love this so quit your bitchin’.”
Penelope sniffed and got on to “the best part.”
Instead of glittering sparkles, flares of white-hot light danced around the apartment, nearly blinding him with their brightness. Even with his eyes closed, the glare seared his eyes and had him jerking his face away from the continued flashing. His ears picked up new sounds with his eyes closed—a pop followed by a soft sizzle with the occasional thump scattered throughout.
Heat surrounded him, clouding the air as if he’d released his dragon’s breath in the apartment. It flowed over him in a wave and his wings rustled with the sudden warmth. He lifted them away from his back, allowing the dry currents to dance over his scales.
Soon the whisper-like sounds slowed, eventually stopping entirely, and he carefully opened one eye. He waited for the bright pain to strike but found that the blinding flashes had ceased. He went ahead and opened the other eye and then focused on the changed world around him.
No, it was more like a foreign world. Utterly different and alien from what he experienced only moments ago. He’d witnessed the removal of the walls, but the rest…
“Lily? What…” Argan licked his lips and continued staring, wholly unable to comprehend the changes. What had once been a crowded space overflowing with Lily’s belongings was now… empty. From their small corner of the apartment all the way to the other end was utterly bare. That included the hallway partitions, creating an almost echoing warehouse. As if the apartment had been stripped to bare bones without being rebuilt.
“What is this?” He drew his gaze from the emptiness and focused on his mate. “What did you do?”
Lily scrunched her nose and nibbled on her lower lip, a sure sign she was unsure of him—of his reaction. “I did a little redecorating?”
Argan stepped nearer, hand raised as he reached for his mate. He cupped her cheek and tugged her lip from between her teeth before rubbing away the bright pinkness. “I am not upset by the changes. I simply do not understand.”
“Oh.” She went back to nibbling. “Sooo…” she squirmed in place but did not attempt to flee. “You got in trouble because of me, right?”
He sighed. “It was not because of you, shaa kouva. You should not hold any guilt.”
She waved him away. “Whatever. I’m just saying that you lost a lot by coming to my defense.” She gestured toward the empty expanse. “This is my way of making up for some of it.”
Argan’s attention drifted from her to the empty apartment and then back to his mate. He did not believe himself to have a mind like a dragonlet, but… “I still do not understand.”
His mate simply rolled h
er eyes and grasped his hand, pulling his palm from her cheek before adjusting her hold. She twined their fingers together and tugged, a silent request to follow. He kept pace with her across the open space, their steps echoing off the bare walls and floor-to-ceiling windows.
She drew him to the center of the altered room, turning until they faced the wall of windows and the rolling waves beyond. The sun glittered off the clear, blue waters. The sight had recent memories surging. Memories of leaping from the top of Preor Tower and spreading his wings as he took flight. Of the sting of salty air on his scales and the exhilarating experience of having wind beneath his wings.
It had been many turnings since he had experienced that flavor of joy. The rustle of wing-skin and the brush of wings on scales…
Argan froze in place as the truth solidified in his mind. Or was it only in his imagination. It felt real, but it couldn’t be possible.
Argan stood within Preor Tower and yet the subtle feel of wind caressing his flesh asserted itself. The crisp wafts of air teased him, urging him to spread his wings and enjoy the wash of cool air over his scales. It felt as if the windows had vanished along with the furniture and walls. As if their apartment was now exposed to the Earth’s elements.
“I feel wind,” he whispered the words, fear that he had lost his mind now assaulting him.
“I know. Isn’t it awesome.” Lily’s happiness drew his eyes and he stared into her bright gaze.
“Have I lost all sense, then?”
She snorted. “That assumes you had sense to begin with. Badum-ching.” She raised her eyebrows. “Nothing? Not even a chuckle?” He shook his head and she sighed and released his hand. She padded toward the window as she spoke. “I wanted to give you a little bit of the world in here. I had the windows replaced with force fields, so we can get a little wind.”
Lily tapped the “window” twice and then her hand went straight through the glass as if it had vanished.
“Be careful.” Argan rushed forward, grasping her arm and hauling her away from the edge. Panic surged inside him—worry over the possibility of losing Lily taking over. Yet from her, he sensed only calm tinged with a bit of teasing laughter.
“I’m fine, shaa kouvi,” she murmured. If she expected the endearment to calm him, she was mistaken. It soothed some of his nerves, but aroused others. “I was just showing you that there was a field there. It allows filtered air into our home. No salt or heavy scents from the ocean are getting in here. It’s nothing but clear, pure air.”
She breathed deeply as if to punctuate her words. “The system will also keep the temperature stable so we’re not freezing during the two days of winter that Tampa gets.”
The wind she spoke of rustled his wings and he opened them, letting some of the breeze caress his scales. He tested the air, focusing on the sensations that came with the wind. Was salt present? Did it sting his scales and make him wince? Did his skin…
Argan cut off his trail of questions because the answer to each was no. There was nothing wrong with the winds. It was as if he stood on the edge of his aerie on Preor. As if he stood atop one of Preor’s quiet mountains and watched the sun rise. As if his home planet’s wind caressed him.
“You…” he whispered, shock thrumming through him, pulsing in time with the beat of his heart. Surprise and awe stole the breath from his lungs, snatching the ability to speak from his throat. “How…” he rasped and forced his chest to expand, fighting to breathe. “I don’t understand.”
“You like it… right?” He tore his gaze from the world beyond their home and turned to Lily.
“How could I not?” What little air he’d managed to inhale left him in in rush. “This…” He shook his head. “I may have lost my dragon, but this gift means I have not lost the skies.”
He could still fly through the clouds with the wings on his back if he wished. He could brave the salt infused in the air, but without the protection of his scales the flight would be uncomfortable—painful. The joy of feeling the wind on his wings did not outweigh the potential pain… yet. He imagined that with Lily’s gift, he could suppress that craving for open skies even longer.
“Thank you, shaa kouva.” Argan leaned down and rested his forehead on hers. “The words seem insignificant but thank you.”
He closed his eyes and breathed her in, drawing her scent into his lungs until her flavors filled every inch of him. He was infused with her smell, her innate flavors. Then he went further, focusing on the Binds, purposefully seeking her thoughts and emotions.
Happiness. No, joy. Utter delight. Bliss. She was near to bursting with excitement and was thrilled he appreciated her gift. Intermingled with those emotions was another feeling. One that his body was eager to match—arousal.
His nearness teased her senses. His touch sparked a simmering flame along her nerves. His scent crept through her blood and caused her desire to flare.
And as he monitored her responses, they fueled his own. His skin heated and wings softly rustled, desire literally warming his body. He eased closer, not lifting his head from hers yet still bringing their bodies together. He lifted his arms, sliding them around her lush body before slowly enveloping her with his hold. He traced her form, one hand gliding down her spine before settling on the top curve of her ass. The other followed the curved line of her waist, starting at her ribs and continuing to her hip. Then that hand, too, came to rest above her ass.
As Argan moved, teasing them both with his touch, Lily leaned into him. She pushed forward into his embrace, getting rid of any space between them. Her plump curves caressed the hard planes of his body and he shuddered with the touch. His cock hardened, going from soft to hard in an instant. His length strained against his katoth pants, the tanned hide from Preor not giving him much space. He ached to free himself, to take himself in hand and stroke his dick until he came.
But not yet. He refused to push Lily beyond her comfort level.
She wiggled against him, lower stomach snug against the bulge in his pants. Then her hands were on him, her small fingers tracing his arms and chest. Her palms gliding over his sensitive flesh.
“Shaa kouva,” he murmured, hardly recognizing his voice. Passion and need coated his tone, making his voice rough and barely audible.
Lily’s response was just as needy, just as rough. “Shaa kouvi.”
Then she did the unexpected. She kissed him.
Chapter Fifteen
His nearness drove Lily to act. Drove her to initiate a kiss that they both yearned for. Her mouth met his in a gentle exploration before turning into burning passion. Her tongue slipped into him and he responded in turn, a sensual give and take that made her need rise higher. Her nipples had turned into hardened nubs, desperate to be touched, stroked, and pinched. The mere idea of Argan giving her a hint of pain with her pleasure sent a shiver down her spine. Her clit twitched and core rippled.
Yet another shiver of pleasure assaulted her, her body now a tuning fork of need. She wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers playing with the long strands. She used this new grip to pull him closer, to demand more of her mate. Argan must have recognized the benefit of such a grip because his hold changed. He lifted one hand to slide into her long hair, fisting her strands, and then using the gentle clasp to position her head as he desired. And the moment she was repositioned, she realized she desired it as well.
Argan took their kiss to the next level, tongues mating to mimic what would soon happen between them. An erotic push and pull, a sensuous slide that poured another dose of arousal into her blood. Need thrummed throughout her body as she continued to taste him, explore him.
Sweet smoke and warm ash combined with spicy cinnamon overwhelmed her taste buds—a mixture of his dragon’s smoke with a dash of his human-shaped half as well. The Preor might have taken his dragon form, but they couldn’t take his dragon entirely.
And that feral part of him taunted her even more. A promise of what could be. A promise of feral passion and overwhelming pl
easure. She allowed the Bind access to her every thought, accepting Argan’s in return. Even the slightest opening of that emotional door eclipsed all other feelings. Pleasure and bliss unlike any she’d ever known slammed into her body, nearly making her come with the sensations.
Argan hadn’t even touched her pussy and yet she hovered on the edge of release, dancing along the precipice from nothing more than his kiss.
Lily moaned against his lips, unable to remain quiet. He continued his devastatingly hungry kiss, both of them playing an erotic game of come-and-get-me. And in that moment, she wanted to get caught. Desperately.
His hand left her hair and she sensed him bending lower, felt his hands as they cupped her ass, and then… Then she found herself in the air, Argan using his grip on her ass to lift her from the ground. Lily wrapped her legs around his waist without hesitation, her aching pussy centered right over his hard cock.
Just thinking that word sent another cascade of desire slithering through her. Cock. Her clit throbbed and pussy clenched, growing wetter and wetter by the second. Her body knew exactly what it craved, what it needed—Argan. Between her thighs, sliding in and out of her over and over.
Argan squeezed her ass tighter and forced her hips to move, to inch her higher and then lower—rubbing his dick along her cloth-covered slit. That was enough sensation to force her to break the kiss, to bury her face against his neck while she shuddered and called out his name.
“Argan!”
“Shaa kouva.” His voice rumbled through her, vibrating her from inside out.
Pleasure skittered down her spine, wrapping around her hips before delving between her thighs. It felt as if invisible fingers slipped in and out of her core. Those same fingers teased her clit and pinched the bundle of nerves. He rocked his hips, moving her as he picked up an explicitly erotic pace. The whoosh of their panting breaths intermingled with Lily’s moans and Argan’s occasional groans, their passion nearly uncontrollable.
Argan moved around the apartment, the heavy thud of his steps jarring her, making her wiggle against his bulge. The uneven pace changed the flavor of her need. She no longer fought for release but whined as it slipped from her grasp. But not for long. Not when she found a firm, flat surface beneath her ass, a cool countertop holding her upright, which left her mate’s hands free.