by R. E. Butler
She sat on the edge of the bed. “I don’t really want to watch a movie.”
“I don’t either.”
He put the bottles on the dresser, which doubled as a TV stand, and joined her. She spread her legs to make room for him, and he moved between her thighs and cupped her face. Tucking her silky hair behind her ears, he lowered his head to kiss her. She opened her lips, swiping her tongue along his. He tilted her head and deepened the kiss, his body coming alive as she untucked his shirt and started unbuttoning it. When she had it half- opened, she slid her hands up his stomach, her fingers splaying over his skin.
He sucked on her bottom lip and broke the kiss, smiling down at her. Sliding his hand to the zipper at the back of her dress, he drew it down, trailing his fingers along her spine. Then he slipped the dress off her shoulders. He finished unbuttoning his shirt while she made fast work of his pants and underwear. She stretched out on her back, tilting her hips up seductively so he could tug her dress the rest of the way off her beautiful body. His mouth watered as he planted one hand on the bed by her waist and skimmed his fingers up the inside of her leg.
“I love it when you’re all mine,” he whispered, sliding his fingers in a slow pattern over her hips and down to the inside of her thighs.
“I am so totally yours.”
He kissed up the center of her body, stopping to tend to her nipples until they were tight little nubs on his tongue. Her breathing picked up as he carefully drove her wild with his fingers, never quite touching her heat. She fisted his hair and brought him up to her lips; he chuckled at her eagerness.
“You don’t play fair,” she said against his lips. “You and your devil fingers.”
“You mean these?” he asked, sliding two into her pussy with a slow stroke.
Her hands twisted in his hair, and he smiled as her eyes closed and her hips flexed.
“Yes, yes.”
He brought out his wet fingers and rubbed them against her clit, pushing her legs apart with his knees and stretching over her. Sometimes all he could think about was bringing her pleasure, with little thought for his own. But tonight he wanted to hit that peak with her, to lose himself in her heat and fall apart together.
He curled a hand under her shoulder and kissed her, grasping his cock and aligning himself with her center before pushing in with a deep stroke. She gasped into his mouth, and he surged forward to kiss her, sucking on her tongue as he rubbed her clit in time with his thrusts. She wrapped her legs around his hips and moved with him, their bodies coming together again and again. His spine tingled and his cat purred as he felt her pussy contract around his length. He could scent the change in her body as she neared the height of pleasure, her naturally sweet fragrance deepening and growing even sweeter, until his fangs throbbed and his cat writhed under his skin.
She released her tight hold on his hair and pressed her hands to his back, her nails digging in as she drew ever closer to the edge.
He kissed down her jaw to her throat, nipping and sucking at her neck. She chanted his name as he swirled his finger in fast circles until she gasped and jerked in his hold, her pussy gripping him tightly. She buried her face in his shoulder to stifle her shout of pleasure, and he pumped into her until he crashed over that edge into pure pleasure. He let out a growling shout which was only partly contained by his clenched teeth, pressing himself to the hilt within her as he came.
He stilled over her, his face in the crux of her neck and his heart racing. His cat let out a deep and satisfied purr.
She relaxed, her legs and arms falling to the bed; he kissed her throat where he’d marked her with a light bruise, and withdrew, groaning as he settled next to her. She rolled into him and snuggled close, smiling at him with bright eyes and pink cheeks. Her whole body was flushed a beautiful rosy color.
“Love you,” he said, his voice rough.
“I love you, too.”
* * *
After cuddling for a long while, Treasure and Kevin dressed and ate popcorn, watching a TV show and talking. Then he took her home, and she wished – not for the first time – that they were already living together.
“I think this is good for us,” she said as they kissed once more in the truck outside of the farmhouse.
“Date night?”
“No, the wait. I was lying next to you and wishing I didn’t have to go home.”
“You could have texted Rhett and Lisa and told them you were staying with us for the night.”
“Yeah. On one hand I hate the waiting, but on the other hand it’s given us something amazing to look forward to. If we’d mated and married the second I turned eighteen, we might not have gone into the careers we did. I probably wouldn’t have gone to college and started my own business, and maybe you and Brian would have chosen different things to do, too.”
He smiled. “It’s given us time to really get to know each other, for sure.”
“And to figure out who we are as individuals before we join as a group.”
He walked her up to the front porch and they sat for a few minutes on the wooden swing that hung from one end. The night was full of the sounds of nocturnal creatures, from cricket chirps to bird twitters to the scampering of small, furry animals in the nearby trees.
“Thank you for dinner,” she said, leaning on his shoulder.
“My pleasure. I thought you’d like it.”
“It was pretty neat. I liked the meat that we cooked in the hot oil, but the dessert one was my favorite. I think we should have Lisa make us a molten chocolate fountain to dip stuff into at our reception.”
“I’m sure she can make that happen.”
Treasure covered her mouth as she yawned and snuggled a little closer to her mate. He always smelled so good to her, and she could never get enough of the way his skin felt under her hands, rough and muscular from years of hard work on the farm.
“All right,” he said as she yawned again. “Time to get the princess to bed so she’s not a grump in the morning.”
She giggled as he pulled her to her feet and kissed her. “One more day down. Nine to go.”
“Sleep well, sweetheart.”
Their final kiss lingered, until she heard Rhett’s throat-clear from the family room. With a smile, she said goodnight to her mate and shut the door.
“Did you have a nice time?” Lisa asked as Treasure walked into the family room to greet them.
“Yeah. We tried a fondue restaurant.”
“I always thought they were a lot of work, having to cook your own food and all,” Rhett said.
Lisa swatted him on the shoulder. “It’s romantic.”
He arched a brow. “If you say so.”
“I’m heading up, goodnight.”
“Sweet dreams,” Lisa said.
Treasure shut her bedroom door and toed off her shoes, stripping and tossing her clothes into the hamper. She tugged a nightshirt over her head and went across the hall to brush her teeth. When she’d cleaned up, she noticed the light was off in Hope’s room, so she didn’t knock to say goodnight, assuming her bestie was already asleep. Or perhaps out for a moonlit romp with her mates.
Treasure climbed into bed and yawned, rolling to her side and ordering her subconscious to not play any tricks on her dreams tonight. Then she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
She woke abruptly, no longer in her bedroom. Instead she was sitting on a large, flat rock, overlooking a waterfall that looked strangely familiar. She rose slowly to her feet. The hair on the back of her neck prickled in warning, and she turned, fangs and claws ready.
“It’s you!”
The male she’d seen in her dream the night before stood in front of her now, arms crossed over his chest and feet planted shoulder-width apart. He looked the same, except instead of wearing what had appeared to be armor the night before, he was now in dark trousers and a linen shirt.
“Greetings, female,” he said. “I mean you no harm.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Am I dreami
ng?”
“Yes. I brought you here in a dream-walk.”
“A what-now?”
“A dream-walk.” He frowned. “Are you unable to dream-walk?”
“I don’t even know what that means.”
His brows rose and he let out a little chuffing sound. “That’s odd.”
“Odd is you showing up in my bedroom last night.”
“So you remember that? I was very careful.”
“I thought I dreamed it.”
“It was no dream. I opened a portal into your bedroom.”
“How did you even find me? Who the hell are you, and where the hell are we?”
“My name is Drayce. I’m the only son of King Ladon, leader of the dragon clan. I found you because you’re a female dragon, and I’m a male dragon. Our kind can easily locate each other. And we are in the Valley of Valleys, on the southern border of our people’s territory – but only in the dream state. In reality, you and I are in our separate bedrooms in our different realms. What is your name?”
“It doesn’t matter what my name is. Stop this dream right now. I’m mated, and I don’t want whatever you’re selling.”
“I smelled the other males on you, but my father is insistent that I bring you to him. You’re a female dragon, and that means you fall under not only his protection but also his rule.”
“I don’t live in the fae realm, Drayce.”
He gave her a long look. “Tell me your name.”
She rolled her neck with a grunt, her claws and fangs receding as she realized she wasn’t in actual danger; it was just a dream. “Treasure.”
“Your father was Valor.”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“He and my father were friends. But no one knew that he and your mother had a child. They hid you from everyone. And I suspect the reason has to do with why you don’t smell quite right to me.”
She resisted the urge to sniff herself. “I was told never to share the truth of myself with anyone from the fae realm.”
“I think it’s easy enough to figure out without any help,” he said, looking slightly smug. “Your father was a dragon, but your mother was fae. A powerful one, from what I’ve heard. And instead of the usual outcome of you taking after one of your parents, you are both – a dragonfae.”
Treasure worked hard not to make any sort of acknowledgement, but it was difficult. Her dragon wanted to burn him to ash so he could take the secret of her dual nature with him to the grave.
“I’m not confirming anything,” she said finally.
“You don’t need to. Your hair is a dead giveaway.”
“What?”
“I looked up hybrids; although the phenomenon is rare, there are records of it. The hair is the giveaway, the coloring related to the fae wings and also to the dragon scales. I’m guessing your dragon is pink and blue.”
“I don’t want to come to the fae realm again, so I’m not going to. And besides, I don’t know how you even found me. I used a spell to make myself invisible.”
“Yes, but my father spelled the entire territory to alert us to intruders. Although we couldn’t tell who or what had entered our area, we could definitely tell that someone was there. My father is fanatical about keeping our kind safe because fae, as you know, have a tendency to kill us and strip us for parts. You were smart enough to make yourself invisible, but it didn’t hide you entirely from your own people. And because of that error, you’re visible to the king now, and that means you need to meet him. And soon, or it won’t end well.”
She narrowed her eyes, her dragon huffing. “Are you seriously threatening me right now?”
“I don’t have to threaten. You now know that I can find you in the human realm very easily. I was aware of shifters and humans in your house, but I can assure you that they’re no match for dragon warriors. I’m certain you don’t want to endanger the people you live with. The alternative is to come willingly and explain yourself to the king.”
“I don’t see why I need to. I’m not living in your realm, and haven’t for years.”
“You’re a dragon.”
He said that in a final sort of way, as if it was all the explanation necessary.
“When?” she asked.
“Now.”
“No. I won’t come to see your father alone. I want to bring my mates with me.”
He snorted. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Then I’ll force you to bring your soldiers here, but you’ll come against the pride. I promise there’s no one more protective of their mates than mountain lions. If your father won’t recognize that I’m mated and under the rule of the pride, then I won’t willingly come to see him. Period.”
Her dragon gave her a nudge in her subconscious, a flicker of a memory from her father. About dream-walking.
“Don’t walk in my dreams again.” She put her hands up and called on her dragon. With a mental push, she sent herself tumbling backward into her own bed, the dragon prince fading into the dreamscape.
She sat up with a start, her heart pounding and her wings flapping wildly. Pressing her hand to her chest, she looked around her bedroom and thanked her dragon for remembering what her father had said to her years ago, in a conversation about dreams.
“Remember, sweet little dragoness,” he’d said softly to her as she’d looked up from a coloring book. “No one can keep you in their dream. If you’re called to walk in a dream, you can push yourself out at any time. Just ask your dragon for help and push hard. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Papa,” she’d said, even though at the time she hadn’t understood at all. She did now. Her father, in some strange, prophetic way, he’d given her the knowledge years ago to set herself free from the dragon prince’s dream-walk.
But he would return, that much she was certain of. The question was, should she go see the king on her own, or wait for him to come back?
Chapter 9
Brian had the strangest feeling as he drove the ambulance away from the hospital. His cousin Ethan was in the seat next to him filling out the report on the person they’d brought to the ER. The engine was a loud hum in the background of Brian’s subconscious, his eyes on the road but his mind elsewhere. Something was wrong, but he didn’t know what. His cat paced in his mind, hackles raised.
“I need to see Treasure,” Brian said.
“It’s two a.m.,” Ethan pointed out. “And why?”
“I don’t know.” He rubbed his fingertips over his heart, wondering what was going on with him suddenly.
“Is something wrong? Did she text or call?”
“No. I can’t explain it, I just feel like I need to see her.”
Ethan was silent, and Brian glanced over at him to see that his cousin was watching him intently.
“You three have a connection that’s unique because of what Treasure is. If your cat is telling you that you need to see her, then I suggest getting off at the next exit and heading directly for Ashland.”
“What about the ambulance?”
“If Treasure needs you for some reason and you can’t finish your shift, I’ll handle things.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Brian blew out a breath and pressed on the gas, pushing the speed limit as he took the next exit and headed toward the farmhouse.
He handed his phone to Ethan, who called Treasure’s cell, but it went to voicemail. Brian guessed she’d put it on silent when she went to sleep. He knew that she and Kevin had had a date earlier that night, and she was most likely not expecting to hear from either of them overnight. In the future, though, he was going to suggest she keep it off silent at night. Just to be safe.
When they reached the farmhouse twenty minutes later, he saw the entire house was dark, which made him wonder if he’d just been imagining the strange feeling. Was his cat just missing her?
He put the ambulance into park and stared at the front door of the farmhouse, knowing just how pissed Rhett would be if he woke them all up for no reason. He was about
to tell Ethan that he must have misread his feelings, when the front door opened and Treasure came out.
In two seconds he was out of the ambulance and racing toward her.
He hugged her tightly, his cat letting out a happy purr.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I had a weird feeling about you and I was worried. Are you okay?”
She pressed her palm to his cheek and looked up at him curiously. “How do you do that?”
“What?”
“Know just when I need you.”
“It’s my cat.”
“I’m thankful for him.” She peered around him and waved at Ethan. “I do need you. I need you and Kevin. And Rhett and probably the whole damn pride. I think I’m in trouble.”
“You’re not hurt, are you?” he demanded, looking her over.
“No. But I’m freaked out.”
“Let me tell Ethan what’s up. You go wake up Rhett, I’ll call Kev and we’ll go to the boarding house.”
She nodded, rose onto her toes and kissed him, and then hurried into the house.
He opened the ambulance door and said, “Something’s up. She’s freaked out and said she needs all of us.”
“Is she hurt?”
“No. She’s scared.”
Ethan unbuckled and got out, coming around to the driver’s side. “I’ll drive this back to the station and meet you at the boarding house, and I’ll call Eryx, Dad, and John. You handle your dad and whoever else you think you need to wake up.”
“Thanks, Ethan.”
He nodded sharply. “The pride’s been there for me and Eryx countless times. It’s what we do for each other.”
Brian walked into the farmhouse and heard Rhett and Lisa moving around upstairs. Treasure walked down the stairs swiftly, pulling her long hair into a ponytail as she went. He called Kevin as he planted a kiss on her cheek, telling him to get their dads up and in the kitchen for a meeting ASAP. Before he ended the call, he said, “You know what? I think we need the panthers, too. Ask Rue to call Hanai and Dag to join us.”
“Why?”
“Just a feeling.”