The Fifth Moon's Legacy

by Monica La Porta

  Jade relaxed in his hold and leaned her head against his chest. “It doesn’t make you vulnerable? This depending on someone else for happiness is new and it scares me.”

  He leaned to kiss her crown. “I’ve never felt as strong as I feel now with you in my arms.”

  Tilting her chin, she looked up at him. “Aren’t you crippled by the fear that anything could change and ruin what we have?”

  He shook his head before brushing her mouth. “I’m worried about everything where you are concerned, but love conquers all, and as long as you are by my side, I am the happiest man alive.”

  Jade brought her hand to her chest and pressed her palm against her heart. “Sometimes, thinking of us hurts. I’ve been alone all my life, and now I have you and a child to care for.” Her eyes took a faraway look. “Making love with you is so intense, it makes me forget who I am and how this—” she gestured between them “—started.” She paused before adding, “When I’m with you, nothing else exists. I’m worried it will consume me.” She caressed the spot over her heart as if she were staving off pain. “It’s too much.”

  Their breakfast arrived, and Dragon waited for the servant to lay the food on the table and leave before talking again.

  “What we have is precious and doesn’t happen often.” He took her chin and angled it to access her mouth. “I was destined to marry two women I would’ve respected and felt affection for but never loved, then you came along, changing my life.”

  Jade’s stomach rumbled, reminding him why they had moved to the living room.

  “Let’s eat something first.” Reaching around her, he fixed a plate with bread rolls and roasted meat. He cut the meat in smaller bites and broke a chunk from the soft bread before bringing the food to her lips.

  Jade angled her body on his lap, slightly leaning away to receive his offering. Enthralled, he watched as her red mouth, swollen by his kisses, opened and accepted the bread and meat. She swallowed the morsel, and he couldn’t help but trace the column of her throat. Once she was done, her eyes hooded and darkened with desire. She parted her lips once more, inviting him to feed her as she reached for one of the rolls and brought it to his mouth, mirroring his gesture.

  They fed each other, and with each bite, the atmosphere heated until Dragon thought he would burn. When the air between them vibrated with sheer lust, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He stood, sending the chair against the wall. With one hand he kept Jade firmly against him, while with the other, he cleared the table, sending plates and glasses crashing to the floor.

  Worried about losing control and hurting her, he slowed his movements and gently laid her on the glass surface, placing her arms above her head as her legs dangled from the edge. He nudged her thighs apart with his hands, moving between her legs. Leaning over her, he trailed kisses along her eyes, the point of her nose, the corner of her lips, her throat, and down to the collar of her shirt. He raised his eyes to hers and found her grinning. His teeth grazed the skin around her collarbone before throwing his head backward and rendering the fabric with a loud rip. Her lovely breasts exposed for his pleasure, he sucked one nipple in his mouth and teased it with his tongue.

  Jade’s hands pulled him down, her fingers greedily touching him. He softly bit on her nipple as he caressed her other breast before traveling toward her pants. She raised her hips to help him lower the leather garment encasing her long legs like a second skin.

  Trembling with need, he jerked her pants away and made short work of his own, tearing the flap of his trousers before he shimmied them down to his knees. He united them with a long stroke, his dragon roaring loudly and extending his wings in his mind, spurring his lust into a frenzy. The sight of her swollen belly calmed him immediately, and he thrusted into her, focused on her comfort and pleasure as he kept his beast at bay.

  Jade hooked her legs around his waist, her fingers raking his back. Her touch would leave signs on his skin, and he loved the idea. Dragon took hold of her mouth for a long kiss, his hips rolling against hers, drawing out her moans as he changed speed from slow to fast and slow again. After several minutes of such ministrations, she whimpered, scratching his back and telling him what she wanted.

  Dragon brought them both to completion in a growing fever, using his entire body to pleasure her. His hands stroked and caressed as his mouth kissed and sucked, his teeth biting and grazing her skin, while he pumped into her warmth, filling her completely. When her moans became loud cries and her channel tightened around him, he let himself go and reached his explosive ecstasy.

  “Jade,” he whispered, collapsing to the side.

  She pulled at his arm, silently demanding he cover her.

  He obeyed but kept his weight off her. “I don’t want to crush you,” he explained when her nose scrunched in displeasure. His hand trailed along the swell of her breast and down to the apex of her legs, making her sigh.

  “You make me feel whole,” Jade said, her big, black eyes welling with tears. “I don’t know how it happened, but you are lodged here—” she pressed the heel of her hand against her heart “—and it feels right.”

  She shivered, and he splayed his hand against her stomach.

  “Is this what being in love feels like?” Jade asked.

  “It is, my soulmate,” he hoarsely answered. “And so much more.”

  In the aftermath of their lovemaking, all his senses were amplified. Her words and her bright eyes touched him deeply. With the utmost care, he scooped her up, her lithe body feeling like a feather in his arms. He brought her to their bed where he cradled her and softly kissed her, wishing for time to stop and reality to disappear, leaving them alone in their bubble.

  The outside world intruded a few minutes later when the gramophone rang, announcing an incoming call.

  17

  Jade listened to Dragon telling Valerian that he would see him in twenty minutes. She teased him by brushing his thigh with her fingers, inching closer to his nest of blond curls.

  His hand clamped on hers before she could reach his manhood. “Stop it,” he whispered with a naughty smile as he wrapped up his conversation with his lieutenant. “We need to shower and get presentable,” he said, taking her wrists and pinning them above her head. “We’ll finish this conversation later.” He kissed her hard before taking her in his arms.

  Cocooned in his embrace, she leaned her head against his shoulder and let him take the lead. “What’s your secret?” she asked, smiling against his skin.

  “Secret?” His large hand roamed over her back, warming her but also awakening her senses anew.

  “You’ve found a way to tame a ferocious Master Assassin.” She trailed feather-light kisses all over his throat and finished by nibbling his earlobe.

  “That secret,” he chuckled and shivered at the same time. “Not sure, but if you don’t stop what you’re doing, I’ll never talk to Valerian, and it didn’t sound like the kind of conversation that could be delayed. He gave us a few hours for ourselves, but now, I need to confront reality once again.”

  Dragon’s suddenly serious tone dampened her playfulness. “What did he say?” she asked.

  “It seems that his investigation has already yielded results.” He kissed her crown and entered the bathroom. With his free hand, he opened the shower stall and placed both of them under the large glass umbrella with working gears hanging from the ceiling.

  “A steam bath. What a luxury.” She appreciatively eyed the transparent, clockwork apparatus that produced a warm cloud, bathing them in scented vapor. “Not something I ever experienced as an assassin. Traveling with the High Lord has its advantages after all.”

  “Indeed.” He planted a kiss on her nose. “Wait until you bathe in our chambers at Sol Manor,” he said matter-of-factly. “As soon as we’re back home, I’ll block out an entire week for ourselves just to show you the baths.”

  Jade was taken aback by his statement, not because of what he said, but because of her reaction to his words. Dragon always us
ed “we” and “us” when he talked, but it was the first time that it had sounded perfectly normal to her ears.

  “I’ll introduce you to the many pleasures we can have in the water—” His whisper reached deep inside her, spurring her imagination toward new frontiers.

  Playing with his hair, she stood on her toes to brush his lips. “You’re expanding my horizons.”

  “My absolute pleasure.” He took her mouth for a punishing kiss.

  Soon they were drenched, water drops gliding along their united bodies. Dragon finally released her to the floor, but only to lather his hands with a cleansing foam he thoroughly applied to every inch of her. The scent of red lavender filled the stall, saturating the space, relaxing her. He rocked her as if they were dancing, his touch soothing, and his words sweet promises.

  “Valerian is waiting outside,” Dragon said several minutes later.

  She smiled. “Probably for quite some time.”

  They exited the shower stall, and he dried her with a warm towel, his hands lingering between her legs and over her breasts. Dragon kneeled in front of her and hugged her waist, his face resting against the swell of her stomach.

  “I need you so much it drives me crazy.” He kissed her bump, then leaned his forehead against it. “Baby, I love your mother to perdition and can’t wait to see you.”

  For the second time, Jade was taken aback by Dragon’s words, and again, it was her own reaction that surprised her. Warmth radiated from her heart, encompassing her entirely as she thought of this big mountain of a man holding their small child in his arms. It was perfection. What dreams were made of.

  “I’ve imagined our baby with your eyes,” she said, her voice quivering with emotion.

  “As long as our child has your resilience, I’ll consider myself the luckiest father alive.” He kissed her sweetly before adding, “We really should let Valerian in.”

  She sighed. “So be it.” Playfully pushing him away, she said, “You better wear something, though.” Her eyes lowered below his waist. “I can’t vouch for my actions to remain civil a moment longer if you parade yourself naked in front of me.”

  With a jolt, she realized she was being flirtatious. She didn’t even know she was capable of such behavior.

  “I rather enjoy this new attitude of yours—” He smiled, winking at her. “You do talk a big talk, my love. Are you ready to follow through with your threat?” On the last word, his expression changed, and he canted his head to the side as if he were listening to something before adding, “Valerian is pacing outside.”

  “Let’s get this over with.” Jade stepped to the side to let him hastily dress. She found herself ogling Dragon as the muscles on his back flexed when he raised his arms to put on a fresh shirt. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as beautiful as you are. Your body is perfect.”

  Dragon turned. “And I don’t think I’ve ever so thoroughly enjoyed a compliment.” He stepped closer to Jade and kissed her. “Thank you.”

  “I thought women fell at your feet on a daily basis.” Jealousy snuck into her mixed emotions.

  “They did,” he said with another wink, his dimple showing in his contagious smile. “But confronted with such an example of masculinity, they usually fainted before they could utter a single word of praise.”

  “Good thing I’m not the fainting type.” She hugged the towel tighter against her chest and walked back to the bedroom to grab a new change of clothes for herself.

  “It’s a blessing, truly.” Dragon followed her, hopping into his pants as he walked.

  As usual, Jade chose leather pants and a lawn shirt she tucked into the waistband of the tight pants.

  Dragon’s palm skimmed her stomach. “You’ll need new clothes soon.”

  Jade placed her hand on top of his, liking the feeling of his large palm against her belly. The warmth of his skin radiated beneath the flimsy layer of cotton, and something magical happened. A small bump formed under their united hands.

  “Is it—?” Dragon’s eyes widened.

  She nodded, unable to talk, and pressed their hands down against the moving bump.

  Keeping his hand where it was, Dragon kneeled once again in front of her. “Baby, I love you so much already.”

  As if answering him, their child pressed back.

  Out of nowhere, Jade’s eyes welled. Never before in her life had she had so much to lose.

  Unexpectedly, a few errant thoughts she recognized as memories hit her, leaving her breathless.

  In the midst of her dramatic escape, Jade realized a truth that had been eluding her. She didn’t want to kill any longer.

  She wanted to retire and live a simple life. Maybe at the side of a man who made her dream of better things. But that too didn’t matter, because Assassins didn’t retire from the Academy, and the man she wanted would be marrying his two beautiful brides with the perfect faces, beautiful, long hair, and luscious, fertile bodies.

  If the situation weren’t dire, she would have laughed at her errant thoughts. Woolgathering while attempting to ride the thermals with someone else’s gear was suicide. Yet, here she was, thinking of Dragon when she should have focused on what to do next. But then, a second enlightening truth hit her: She liked that, even now, fighting or making plans didn’t make up the entirety of her thoughts. It sure was inconvenient, but Jade had never felt more alive. Her silly reaction to Dragon would probably be the cause of her untimely demise, but she didn’t regret the stolen moments of bliss he gave her.

  The memory vanished as fast as it had come, leaving Jade with a new sense of understanding of her past. Before she had the erasion, when she was still on Solaria, she had realized she loved Dragon and couldn’t share him with anyone else. She couldn’t lose him now.

  18

  Dragon felt Jade’s shift in mood and raised his eyes to face her. He saw the fear in her eyes and stood to take her in his arms.

  “Everything will be fine.” He kissed her softly. “I promise.”

  Outside in the foyer, Valerian’s pacing had become too loud to ignore. Still, Jade’s distress took priority, and Dragon pulled her along with him as he lowered himself into one of the wingback chairs by the fireplace in their bedroom. Valerian had already waited an hour; a few minutes longer wouldn’t make a difference.

  “What’s going on, my love?” he asked, sitting her on his lap and turning her slightly toward him.

  “I remembered something…”

  “About us?”

  She nodded. “Yes. About not wanting to kill any longer, and stolen moments with you before you married your brides—”

  “That was never going to happen. We’re back together, and you have nothing to fear any longer.”

  She leaned away. “But things don’t magically fix themselves because you say so. I told you already—” she said, “It was always me, and now I’m not alone anymore, but it’s so scary, and I have all these emotions I can’t understand.” She shook her head. “I can barely recognize myself. For as long as I could, I refused to consider that there could be something between us, but it’s like I changed the moment I gave myself to you.” She looked at him with her big, almond-shaped eyes, her expression pleading. “I don’t know who I am. For the Goddess’ sake! I even flirted with you—”

  “Even though we were fated to be together, it’s still the beginning of our relationship, and you might feel the strain because it’s all so new to you,” he said.

  “But it’s all new for you as well, and yet, I don’t see you acting as strange as I do.”

  “Your body is undergoing a drastic change which probably explains your emotions being all over the place.”

  She eyed him warily, but then her expression slightly relaxed. “You think?”

  “It makes sense,” he said, caressing her arm. “It might also be that you now feel free to be yourself—”

  “I’m not flirty.”

  “Maybe you are, and much more, but the Academy suppressed your true self because
an assassin doesn’t need certain traits.”

  Jade canted her head to the side and scrunched her forehead. “You think so?”

  “You started training when you were—”

  “Sixteen,” she supplied.

  “You were too young and still developing as a woman. The Academy pruned and molded you into the perfect soldier they needed.”

  She nodded. “So I could be flirty.” She didn’t sound convinced.

  “You can definitely be flirty if you want.” He smiled, leaning to brush her nose. “You are actually great at flirting. But if you don’t feel like it, be whatever you want to be. You can finally be yourself.”

  “And if I want to be something you don’t like? What then?”

  “You are my soulmate. I’ll adore you no matter what.”

  “You can’t be sure of that.”

  “I can.” He rubbed his nose against hers. “It’s the way of the dragon.”

  She raised her hands up in defeat. “There’s no winning against your circular logic.”

  Chuckling, he shrugged. “It’s the way it is. I exist to serve you. No other explanation is necessary.”

  “Your blind belief scares me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because.” She waved her hand in frustration. “What if I’m not able to match the depth of your sentiments?”

  “Me being devoted to you doesn’t require that you feel the same. I would love you in any case.” He smiled, although he felt a bittersweet pain taking hold of his heart. “Of course, it would be nice if you loved me as well, but I can’t command your heart.”

  Dragon heard Valerian’s knocks but ignored them, focusing on his soulmate.

  The knocks didn’t stop though. If anything, it sounded like his lieutenant was about to destroy the door. That wasn’t like Valerian.