"Of course I am."
"Well, this moment nearly felt romantic."
"You shouldn't have thanked me, then. Being appreciated by a beautiful woman, especially one they love, kind of turns on men on."
"You… love me?"
"Bloody yes. I said so in the letter, didn't I?"
"I thought it was simply a sign-off." She cocked her head.
"I don't sign off with love unless I mean it."
She blinked, allowing the confession to seep in. Then, hesitantly, she said, "I suppose I might start to feel the same way."
He flashed her another toothy grin. "I'll take that." He drew her closer by hooking his arm around her waist, making her shriek and giggle at the same time. She shocked herself by sounding so… feminine. She decided she liked letting herself behave that way, although she shouldn't get used to it. Otherwise Diovan, being the way he was, would walk all over her. "Wait, Diovan."
"I've been waiting too damn long for this. Do you know how hard it was to catch bush mice when feeling hot because of the mating? It was akin to having my balls iced off." He landed kisses on her nape, his eyes flashing yellow. He shredded her clothes. They fell in tattered pieces to the ground.
"I… I'm… Well, this is sudden." She moaned when he captured her lips with his. He was like the wind, sweeping her up and dizzying her.
"It's not sudden for me. In fact, we waited too long. It was hard to even hold a conversation for that long without throwing you onto the mattress."
She saw his hunger for her in his electrifying blue eyes. The way he hungered for her almost reminded her of an animal… a dragon. He was her dragon. That was when she decided to throw all fucks to the waters and give in to her desires. She didn't care about Enid. She didn't care for the tribe's ridiculous rules. Enid's hatred for dragons blinded her. Enid hadn't experienced this wanting… this… intoxication. Not from a dragon.
"Take me," Aryana said, partially talking to her lust instead of the dragon.
"I already am, love."
She knew he couldn't wait, but he took the time to pleasure her. She started to feel like liquid. Like clay that Diovan could do anything he wanted with. And she loved it.
When she was ready, he pinned her hands over her head. It made her feel exposed to him. She bared herself completely to him, naked and whole, her body belonging to him, and that felt right.
"Let me claim you," he said with a commanding tone.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and brought him closer. She wanted to feel him inside of her. "I'm the one doing the claiming around here."
A corner of his lip curved up. "That's not how it works."
He entered her, filling her with his length. She grunted, forcing back a scream. Her body had been aching for this all week. It had what it wanted, but it wasn't satisfied. She needed more. More of Diovan. Tears watered her eyes as they mated. He was nearly too large, yet still a perfect fit.
"Diovan, I—" She what? Words were lost on her.
He leaned down. His frame made her feel sheltered and safe. "You belong to me."
"I do," she said, not caring how those words went against everything she'd been made to believe growing up. She was a changed person, and the gold dragon had done that. The part of her that was a stubborn water witch wanted to surface and make her push Diovan away, but she forced it back. She needed him like a drug. He was wrong for her in so many ways, but her soul sought him regardless.
He landed kisses on her collarbone. He worked his way over her body, biding his time as he entered her repeatedly. His cock strained against her walls. She shifted her hips to meet his pace. She wanted to anchor herself by holding on to him, but he kept her hands pinned over her head, leaving her utterly vulnerable. Wings unfurled from him, a leathery canopy that framed Diovan's glorious body. He was the epitome of gorgeous. Many women must have fallen to his charms in the past. How else would he have gotten his title? Her heart sang at the notion that he wanted to bound himself to her. It bothered her how many women he'd been with before, but knowing that he wanted to be just with her soothed Aryana.
A coil began to form at her center. Her body searched for release.
His lips found her shoulder. He slid a tongue over her skin, then bit.
Immediately, a gush of pain and intense pleasure washed through her like a torrential rainfall. Her head whirled. Her vision blurred. A light, sparkling glow emanated from her shoulder. The sensations sent her falling past the edge, and she climaxed. Her center pulsed over Diovan's length.
"What… what was that?" she asked, still feeling the aftereffects of the intensity of emotions. Her vision blurred and she grasped for some semblance of calm.
"I claimed you," Diovan said, his voice in an uncharacteristic low whisper. "Now you properly belong to me." He made a satisfied hum as he kissed her again. He released her hands. She brushed them through his tousled hair, pulling him deeper, needing to feel as one with him.
As they kissed, Diovan thrust deep into her. The tension started to build in her lower belly again. With one final plunge, and a load groan, he pumped his seed into her. She watched his face as he came, knowing he felt the same pleasures she did.
He collapsed over her soon after and rolled aside. "That was… Wow."
"That thing you did with my shoulder. Can you do it again?"
"Why?" His skin was too warm to the touch.
"It felt good."
He shook his head. "That was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, love. Now you're going to remember that the best you felt was when I claimed you." He grinned.
She pressed her lips together. "We'll see about that. I'm sure I could concoct some spell." She crawled over him, then tossed a piece of cloth that was still stuck to her arm aside. Diovan wasn't particularly careful when tearing her clothes off. "Time for round two," she said, lowering herself over his waist.
"So soon?"
"I could do this all night." She shot him a naughty look. A niggling in the back of her mind was asking her to chase it, but she brushed it aside as nonsense. It might not have been the smartest thing to trust the dragon, but she felt righter about it than most things in her life.
"Challenge accepted." He took the sides of her waist into his hands and put his lips to hers.
She drew back and winked at him. "Try to keep up."
Chapter 9
Joakim, the Red Beast, flew over the jungle. His warriors had reported sighting the water witches here. He'd have those weaklings gutted if they had dared waste his time with a false report. He stilled his wings, allowing himself to make a sweeping descent. Five warriors followed after him. They were the protection he needed during his negotiation with Enid, the woman he'd heard ruled the water witches. He landed then called to his human form. He took his clothes out from the sack he'd brought and put them on.
The short trek through the jungle peeved him. He didn't appreciate the earthy scent of the swamp and his boots getting soaked by black mud. Thankfully, his reports had been accurate. The tents, set up in a random fashion between the trees, soon came into view. He wondered how these women were able to live in such barbaric conditions. They didn't have lanterns to light the night. Primitive torches were nailed to trees to light the way.
"Halt!" a woman shouted. She was situated next to the first trees that framed the tents. Magic exuded from her hands, coming from the beads that the water witches used to store the souls they harvested.
She looked like Wesryn. All of them did. He saw his wife everywhere.
Joakim raised his hands. "I come in peace. I merely want a negotiation. No need for any brutalities."
The woman didn't back down. "What do you want?"
"Merely to speak to Enid, your leader. I have a proposition she can't refuse." Because if she did, her entire clan would be turned to ash and dust by dragon fire.
"Wait here," the water witch said.
Silence followed. The cicadas in the trees enveloped him and his warriors with their grating singing. His warr
iors grew anxious. The weak men began chattering behind him. They talked of whores and ale. A quick glare from Joakim silenced them.
Joakim crossed his arms and tapped his foot. If not for the advantages of having the water witches on his side, he would have already burned down the tribe for not valuing his time.
He wondered if he would be this impatient if Wesryn were here. Probably not.
"High seeker Vardar will meet you here," the water witch said, returning.
"She won't even have the courtesy to invite me in?" he asked.
"No. We do not trust dragon men like you."
He growled, disapproving greatly of the disrespect they were showing him. "Fine, where is she? She has kept me waiting long enough."
"I do not come at your beck and call, man." Enid's voice was almost masculine. She was built like a man as well, albeit a small-framed one. Her arms were sinewy, and her breasts hard to notice. A group of more than ten similarly plainly dressed women trailed behind her.
He'd change the way they dressed once he got a chance to. Women should dress more femininely. These witches were weak imitations of men. Maybe, if Wesryn hadn't been so strong-headed, she wouldn't have insisted on the birth of their child, and died.
Joakim drew his lips into a thin line. "Ah, yes, certainly. I was not expecting such… disrespect. I simply wanted some hospitality." He reached out a hand to take hers, wanting to kiss it as a common form of greeting.
She ignored his hand. "You speak of a proposition?"
"Straight to business, I see? It is strange for a woman to be so direct."
"Enough of your games. You have been circling us for long enough. Reveal your intentions."
"Yes, yes. I'll get to it, then. Have you heard of the Dragon Mother?"
"Your stories do not concern us, dragon."
"She is our goddess. A visit from her grants us dragons immense power, or so it is fabled, and she is awakening. This will be an opportune moment to strike the Everstones in Dragon Keep. We can secure the regions from Ocharia to Falron with your help."
Enid raised a brow. "You speak of war?"
"'Expansion' is the term I'd prefer." The taste of conquest was merely a distraction from the turmoil of his mind. Joakim knew most of himself had died, along with Wesryn, but he held on to the ambitious part of his personality—the single part that struggled to survive—as tightly as he could.
"No." Enid turned around.
As she walked away, Joakim blew fire at her feet. Dragon fire was hard to put out. Normal water did nothing to it. If the water witches didn't stop it, it'd spread and burn as far as it could, even with the jungle's muddy ground. Tales of dragons leveling entire forests weren't uncommon.
Of course, Enid knew how to deal with the threat. She was a powerful witch. The high seeker cast a spell. With a low chant, she brought out a mist to extinguish his crackling flames.
"Heran?" Joakim said.
His warrior took a fowl out of his satchel and killed it. Joakim's dragons didn't have the same beads the water witches did, so they couldn't store souls. Heran countered Enid's chant with his own spell.
Joakim smirked. The fire grew before Enid directed more souls from her beads to extinguish the flame.
"Some of our dragons have magic, too," Joakim said.
"Your magic is weak," Enid said, but she sounded less confident than she had before.
"Yes, but we have brute force and wings on top of our weak magic. You don't stand a chance against us. Join us and conquer the region, or perish resisting."
"The answer is no. We would rather die than help a tyrant like you." The witch seemed worried. A crease had formed on her forehead.
Joakim's goals for today had been accomplished. He didn't have to change her mind right now. He calmed his impatience and reminded himself that his visit was merely the beginning of things.
Joakim summoned his red wings. "You have two weeks to decide. And then I'll give you your wish of dying."
"I already said no."
"Consider it."
"The answer will be the same." And with that, Enid stalked away with her entourage of witches.
Wesryn whispered in the back of his mind. She wanted him to be good. The memory of her was only pain, so he shunned it, and fell back into despair.
Chapter 10
You're troubled," Aryana said to Enid. They rode on the backs of the Geckari. The day hadn't started yet, and it was good to have a stroll every so often, to clear their minds for the important things. A small waterfall gushed nearby, dividing a stream. The Geckari waded across the river. A group of Enid's bodyguards followed behind them, each with their own mount. Aryana looked down. The water was too murky to see fish it in. Algae and grime made the stream green.
Aryana tugged her sleeve down, conscious of the new marking on her shoulder. What would Enid say when she saw it? Would she blame Aryana for giving in to her desires? Or would Enid accept her failings?
Aryana had read that a dragon bond only formed when complete trust was fostered between dragon and mate. Had Diovan truly won her loyalty that easily? Did that make her gullible?
"I should be troubled," Enid said, patting the back of her Geckari. "A war is brewing. The Red Beast met me today."
"The Red Beast?" Aryana sat up straighter and tightened her hold over the reins of her mount. "He's really here?"
"Of course he is. He's been stalking us. The tales of him are vivid. And if he is as ruthless as they say, we might not be safe anymore. We might have to move, or camouflage."
"What does he want?"
The Geckari stopped, finding a patch of their favorite kind of grass to chew on.
Enid didn't bother to kick the beast forward, so the whole group of them halted behind their high seeker. "Us. He wants us to join his war with the Black Dread in the east. He doesn't stand a chance with the Everstone dragons. They have enormous strength in numbers. Judging from what I've heard, with the Red Beast exiling his stronger younger dragons to maintain his position, he's weakened and won't hold up."
"That's why he wants us."
Enid nodded. "We are the strongest witches of the west." Enid slid from the Geckari's back, prompting Aryana to do the same.
Aryana paced next to her sister. "You didn't accept, did you?" She was certain she could hold herself against a dragon, maybe even more than one, but she preferred to avoid violence if she could. It wasn't in her nature to kill. Even taking the lives of animals bothered her, but she had to, for sacrifices and food.
Enid pinched her forehead. "I refused his proposition."
"And he is still persistent?"
"He won't back down. Says he'll burn us to the ground if we don't let him have his way." Enid snarled, "I'd like to see him try."
"I don't want to fight," Aryana said.
"Neither do I, sister. But I'm afraid we'd have to if we want to protect this tribe. Even if we move, or camouflage, he might still hunt us down. I know a hardheaded and overly arrogant man when I see one. Kind of like your Diovan."
"Diovan is different," Aryana said, placing a hand over her marking.
Enid squinted. "What is that?" She inched closer to Aryana's shoulder, where the distinct dragon marking rested. The riverbank here was rocky, and Enid's sandals crunched against the terrain.
Aryana licked her lips. "Nothing."
"I saw it. The head of a dragon. Lower your hand, Aryana."
She swallowed the lump in her throat. There was no lying to Enid. Her sister had sharp eyes. Cautiously, Aryana let her hand fall to her thigh. Her sleeve covered most of the marking, but a part of it must have stuck out.
Enid lifted her sleeve and inspected Diovan's brand. Fierce fury burned in her eyes. "I've heard of this." Enid reeled back and looked like she would stumble from the shock. She pressed a hand to her temple, as if trying to calm a headache. "How could you, Aryana? You are less of a woman now."
"I'm sorry." Aryana bowed her head. "But Diovan doesn't wish to subdue me. You don't know him.
He's caring, protective. He's not a weak man, but that doesn't mean he's bad. He empowers me. He's helped us. You need to understand." Aryana herself needed to give in to her longing for Diovan. Trusting that he wouldn't hurt her was one thing, but what about her clan? If she had her doubts, she supposed she couldn't blame Enid for having more.
"I need to understand?" Enid strode forward. "Come with me, Aryana."
Aryana didn't like the way her sister was acting. Enid suddenly seemed cold and reclusive. Her expression hardened. Enid never looked like that. She always appeared warm to Aryana. She followed her sister into the jungle. Morning dew wet the leaves, and birds were only beginning to sing a warning. Enid's guards trailed behind them.
Enid turned around and made a signal with her hand.
Aryana knew that hand sign.
She started, but at once, the witches threw their magic at her. She uttered a quick spell and resisted with a shield. But she was too late. The force of three water witches' soul magic, combined with her sister's, threw her off her feet and onto the rocky ground. Her elbow cracked underneath her weight. She let out a cry of pain.
"Why?" she asked, looking up at Enid.
"You have to learn from your mistakes, sister. This is for your own good."
Enid reached down and took away Aryana's beads—her magic. Her magic was her life.
"Dragon piss. You just want to control me."
"It's for your own good. I will have you locked up until you understand that you cannot be with that dragon."
Diovan had rested better last night than he had the past week. Thoughts of plowing Aryana with his cock had lessened. They were still there, definitely. The thoughts of making love to his new, beautiful, raven-haired mate wouldn't cease. But instead of having a constant yelling in his head to take her, his need had softened into a low hum.
He stretched as he got up from his woolly mattress, feeling rejuvenated and in a better mood than ever, and walked from his section of his cave to the main one.
"You're mated," Cyrion said. He was throwing a rock at the wall, then catching it again, with so much speed that a human would find it hard to follow.
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