by Kyle, Celia
And he took advantage of that new freedom. He caressed her everywhere he could reach, callused fingertips skating over sensitive skin, the scraping sensation adding to the rollercoaster of pleasure.
His touch wandered, moving from her ass to her hips as he squeezed and kneaded that part of her, tugging her to the very edge of the counter. He made room for his hips between her thighs, his hardened cock searing that needy part of her once more. God, she needed. Based on the hardness of his cock, he needed just as much.
Desire glazed her mind, blinding her of everything around them except for the potential bliss—the possibility of that ultimate pleasure that hovered on the horizon.
Lily reached for Argan’s wings, unable to keep her fingers from his wingline, unable to resist the need to touch that sensitive part of him. His wings rustled at her touch, twitching and pulling closer to his back.
Putting his wings within easier reach.
Did he want her to continue toying with him?
The thought swept from her mind with his next movement, those callused, blunted fingertips tugging on her shirt and dipping beneath the hem. The rough pads of his fingers scraped her smooth skin, a mixture of pleasure and a sting assaulting her. The room’s cool air bathed her flesh, chilling some of the burning passion they’d stoked between them.
The temperature didn’t bother her. Argan ran hot enough to keep them both warm. It was simply a matter of this new sensation bringing everything back to her—a stark reminder of recent events and how little she knew of the male she embraced.
Penelope’s voice drifted through her mind, effectively stomping on what arousal remained in her blood. “You have access to an endless database. You literally know everything.”
Lily groaned and rested her forehead against the base of his throat, eyes closed while she breathed deeply and tried to calm her heart. She counted to ten with each inhale and released the breath at that same tempo. Slow in, slow out. She hoped her heart would calm.
Argan rested his chin on top of Lily’s head, his breathing just as ragged and uneven as her own. His whole body trembled, muscles quivering as he fought against himself. She found she was having just as much trouble. She simply wasn’t going to do anything about her simmering need. As Penelope pointed out, she had immeasurable knowledge at hand, but Argan did not.
Which meant he didn’t know about her deepest secrets, her darkest moments, and of the lives she’d ruined no matter her original intent.
She returned to breathing slowly, each inhale and exhale coming with the count of ten. She focused on the counting, on one controllable thing in her world of seductive chaos.
Her mate’s hands returned to her hips, grip loose though the tautness of his fingers was unmistakable. He still fought his own internal battle and regret crept into her thoughts.
“Argan, I’m—”
“Shhh, shaa kouva.” His voice was so rough it seemed as if it scraped the air. “All is well. A female will always set the pace. Always.” He adjusted his stance and his cock brushed her cloth-covered folds. A low whimper burst past her lips and she scrunched her eyes shut, shoving at her remaining need. It needed to go already. He pretended not to hear her whine and continued speaking. “I am sorry for taking too much.”
Too much? She nearly snorted. “You didn’t take too much. You stopped the moment you sensed I was uneasy.” She grumbled, her mind split between her conversation with Argan and convincing her body to behave already. “I shouldn’t have started something—”
A rumbling growl came from his chest, the threatening noises traveling through her. This wasn’t the sound of need, but of anger. He stepped back, the hot, hard part of him no longer teasing her. He placed a finger beneath her chin and encouraged her to lift her gaze to meet his stare.
“A female’s right—anyone’s right—is to say no at any moment they wish. I cannot promise that my dragon will not grumble and growl at being denied. He is a feral beast. But your wishes will be respected. Always.”
Lily fell more than a little bit in love with him at that moment. Not because of his promise meant to make her feel safe. But because he’d acknowledged that stopping something in its tracks was an option due to any and all—not just females.
So help him if he made her cry because he was so good…
Her eyes burned, a hint of tears making themselves known, and she pulled away from his touch. She turned her attention to her lap, drawing her thighs closed. Then she coughed to clear the growing knot in her throat. “Right.” Another cough. “So…”
A tendril of wind wrapped around her, the cool breeze tempering her heated need. Some of her desire bled away with the sudden chill. Then another brush of air came from the other direction, the air caressing her body. Argan’s wings twitched and rustled with the gust, reminding her of something else she’d created.
Something that would get her mate away from her long enough for her to get her libido under control.
“Um,” she licked her lips, not missing the way his eyes flared with a returning hint of desire. “I need to get down. I just want to grab something really quick.”
He leapt back, almost as if she’d burn him to a crisp if they touched again. His lips fell at the corners to form a small frown while a hint of loss filled his eyes.
“It’s a surprise for you.” She hopped from the counter, bracing herself on the stone for a moment while she fought for balance. “You’ll love it. I swear.”
The longer the idea lingered, the more her excitement grew. He really would love her next gift. The force fields that allowed fresh air to fill the apartment were one thing. This was something else entirely. Something amazing. Though, after the way Argan had been treated, she wasn’t going to jump on providing them to the rest of the Preors just yet. Maybe the dragonlets, but the warriors could just deal.
Lily darted around the corner and snatched the tiny device from her desk—one of them anyway. The small circle was flat, no more than half an inch thick, and about an inch and a half in diameter. Small enough to tuck out of sight if needed but not so small it was easily lost. Hiding it wasn’t a big deal at the moment but if she ever got around to some of the modifications she had in mind…
“What is that?”
She jolted, mind refocusing on the present instead of remaining lost in her layers of ideas. “It’s uh…” She glanced at the device, mind coming up blank. “The acronym is BAT, so we can just call it Bat.” She just hoped he didn’t ask her what BAT stood for. She didn’t think Bad Ass Thing sounded all that professional and worthy of trust. “Anyway,” she waved her hand and strode forward, not stopping until mere inches separated them. “Let’s just get this on, okay?”
She carefully reached for the katoth strap that crossed over his chest. Normally a warrior wore two, but they had stripped Argan of rank when he’d been sentenced. That left him with the strap announcing his accomplishments, which based on the innumerable symbols pinned to the katoth were many. Her mate was a hero.
A hero who would now have a hero’s toys. The best of any Preor out there. Just wait for those guys to come begging and then negotiation would be on. She’d get Argan reinstated no matter what tech it cost. He’d get everything he lost and then she would be sure he stuck around for… her. Not because her actions had saved his life.
Slipping her finger beneath the snug katoth, she eased it away from his flesh and gently pressed the disc to the tanned leather. Giving it a small twist, the unbreakable teeth she’d built into the device extended and grasped the strap. That sucker wasn’t going anywhere unless the katoth was cut from Argan’s body entirely.
“This…” she tapped the disc twice and then gave the center a solid push. A soft blue light glowed around the bottom edge for a brief second and then the glimmer burst to life, blinding her with its brightness. The light was followed by a soft buzz, a low murmur that gradually grew softer until it couldn’t be heard at all. “This is Bat.” She waved at the wall of windows. “After figuring out h
ow to let the outside in, I worked on a way to keep the outside out while you, uh, went out.” A whole lotta “outs” in there. “You can’t shift, but I know you can still fly. I also know that the salt hurts your skin if you don’t shift before flying. This,” she tapped the strap beside Bat. “protects you against salt, sand, and any other icky beach-related thing.”
She shuddered. The beach was so… beachy. And dirty. And things lived in the water. She shuddered again, thankful she could remain in her tower that kept out all things not her or Argan.
“I can fly?” Hope tinged Argan’s voice. “With no pain?”
Lily grinned and nodded. “You can fly with no pain.”
“I can fly,” he whispered, gaze on BAT. “With no pain.”
“Yup.” She made a popping sound at the end of the word.
“Lily… Shaa kouva… What you have given me… All of this…”
Penelope interrupted their schmoopy moment. “You sure got a smart one.”
Lily was gonna reprogram Penelope’s hard drive so fast. Just wait.
“Haven’t you ever heard that you fuck dumb. You don’t marry dumb.” Penelope snarked and Lily gritted her teeth against the first words that leapt to her lips. She wasn’t about to reveal how closely she was tied to the ship. She would move the creation of security protocols to the top of her to-do list, though.
“I want you to fly, Argan.” For more than one reason, now. She grabbed his wrist—hands were a dangerous territory—and drew him back to the wall of force fields. “Go test Bat and see how it performs.”
“I should stay—”
She shook her head and nudged his shoulder. “Go. I’m just going to go over some security protocols for a while. It’s boring work and you’ve been cooped up in here for a week. Go have some fun.”
“But you shall be working. I should—”
“Work is fun for me.” She grinned. Fighting a nice electronic battle with Penelope would be hella fun. “Go. Come find me when you get back.”
Argan’s gaze danced between her and the morning light, the sun’s brightness glinting off his scales. The rays would polish his scales, would breathe some life back into his body—his dragon. She sensed his hesitation through the Bindings, his mind flipping between the drive to fly and the equally strong drive to remain with her.
Lily fed him a little of her resolve, making sure he knew she truly wanted time alone to work and that seeing him enjoy flight would make her happy. The last thought had him moving. The last thought had him lowering his head to lay a quick, fierce kiss on her lips. The meeting of their mouths was short and passionate, the barest hint of his tongue teasing hers. Then he was gone, his heat absent, and she opened her eyes just in time to watch him…
Throw himself off the building.
Chapter Sixteen
Earth’s crisp air flowed over Argan’s scales. The beat of his wings slicing through the humid winds with ease. There was no hint of salt or the briny scent of the sea in the skies. No sting accompanied his flight as he traveled over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. He stretched his wings, gliding on the swift breeze before flapping them to gain height. The sun bathed him in golden rays and returned a healthy glow to his body.
There were no other Preors like him in the skies. The water below him was deadly should it come into contact with his wings. A hearty splash and he would be unable to fly—drowning in the salty waves. As for the salt itself… It usually burned and stung his flesh and scales. The tiny bits scraping his pores and causing pain. But thanks to his mate—and her small device—salt was no longer a problem for him.
He was unsure what he did to deserve such an intelligent, gorgeous mate, but none would take her from him. Now that he’d held her close, tasted her lips, felt her lush body beneath his hands… he would never let her go. He would kill any that attempted to hurt her—take her.
Argan banked left and then flapped his wings, taking himself higher and higher before snapping them closed. He immediately plummeted, the whistle of air racing past his ears cutting off all other sounds. He spun, whirling like a top as he descended. A shout of joy burst past his lips, the freedom of falling—and flight—banishing any hint of remaining heartache and physical remnants of his imprisonment.
He was free. Free to fly. Free to fall. Free to live a life with Lily.
Lily… Thinking her name brought her to the forefront of his mind. He pictured her smiling face, sparkling eyes, and tempting lips. The happiness that she had exuded as she revealed her gifts for him.
Him. An Izz’bara. He hated that addition to his name. After he had survived his attack centuries ago, he had passed out as Argan sen Izz and woke as Argan sen Izz’bara.
Because he had survived a death blow—scars and all.
But now he had a mate who had claimed him—scars and all. Even more, the Binds told him that she enjoyed his company and his kisses. More than any Bara male like him had ever thought to have. Just thinking of her and her gifts had Argan wishing to return home, to their Earth version of a Preor aerie. An aerie unlike any other Preor had ever known.
The war master did not have such an appealing home. A home filled with fresh air untainted by the salty sea hundreds of feet below. The war master did not have the magical device pinned to Argan’s chest, either. The male could not take flight without feeling the sting of the salty skies. Not like Argan could.
Argan could admit that a sense of pride and happiness filled him with the thought. His mate had more knowledge than the best scientists of Preor. His mate had created such powerful technology that all others would be envious of his female.
A female who had chosen him.
A female he ached to hold now that thoughts of her had overtaken all others.
He banked right, turning back toward Preor Tower, and rose to catch the flow of air that would return him to Florida’s coast. One beat and then a few more had him in place, the sun beating down on his exposed skin. He absorbed the warmth, allowing it to heat him—his wings.
Soon the massive tower came into sight, the high-rise building now home to many human-Preor couples, single Preors, and quite a few ill human females. Though their illness was being treated by another warrior’s mate. Once well, those females had turned out to be eager for a Preor mate—a male they could depend upon.
Once upon a time, Argan had hoped to find his mate among those females. Now he wished to stay away from all others. He did not want to find his true mate when he had Lily at his side.
The tower in the distance grew larger. The closer he drew, the more heavily the stares of others weighed on him. As if each set of eyes were a physical presence that climbed on his back. Some looks were filled with awe while others held a hint of fear. A few even overflowed with fury. None of those emotions troubled him, each one understandable since the attitude of the humans varied greatly.
The only feeling that concerned him was the hatred. Pure, unadulterated hatred burned his skin, the mysterious observer scorching him with his disgust.
He scanned the skies for this furious observer, hunting for the source. Then he turned his attention to the ground, eyes continuing to hunt. But he found nothing. No hint of the one who ached for Argan’s death. He shook his head. Ached for his death? No. There could not be anyone who wanted him dead that close to an area so populated by many. The warriors would not allow such a thing.
Right?
The fact that he was unsure twisted his gut and he beat his wings with another few furious swipes until he could clearly see the apartment he shared with Lily. Their apartment.
He tilted upward with a handful of beats, coming to a stop mid-air, and then allowed himself to nearly fall into the empty space. The cool winds followed him in, the breeze as fresh as it had been when he was outside.
Argan scanned the open area, searching for his mate so he could show her proper appreciation. His cock twitched at the idea, his hands tingling and lips curling slightly with the thought. He wished to show her a lot of appreciat
ion.
Unfortunately, he did not spy her immediately. With a sigh, he stared at the round device Lily had attached to his katoth strap and tugged on the round bit of metal. He twisted and pulled, flicking the bit of metal with his fingernail before finally giving up. Instead of pulling the device off him, he stripped himself of the strap entirely. A tickling buzz floated over his flesh, caressing him from head to toes. It slipped over his wings, that part of him fluttering with the sensations.
The fleeting stroke was almost like Lily herself touching him, exploring him. It had his cock twitching within his katoth pants and he reached to the growing bulge between his thighs. He squeezed his dick, fighting off his increasing need. He wished to be in Lily’s presence but not as an aroused, needy dragonlet.
Argan had better control than that.
He hoped.
Feet bare, he padded throughout the apartment, searching out the location of his mate. Now that she had emptied one half of the apartment, other places had become crowded. Electronic chips, cords, and half-destroyed devices now littered different rooms. Some spaces held desks while others simply contained tables cluttered with her possessions. He was unsure how she located anything within the apartment.
He concentrated on the Binds, hunting Lily’s mind as he sought her body. His sense of her grew the longer they remained together, almost as if they had a true mate bond.
Soon he sensed her mind, the whirling mass of emotions and thoughts that spun through his head. He recognized the feel of her busy mind that indicated she was working. Perhaps he could convince her to cease working and instead enjoy a bit of play…
Turning a final corner, Argan entered a spacious room, the area empty save a large computer setup in a far corner. Cameras surrounded the white outline of a circle painted on the floor and row after row of screens were stacked on top of each other along one wall. But those items only held Argan’s attention for a passing moment. Once he located Lily within the large space, he had no attention to spare for anything else.