by Lila Jean
Draven’s tone dropped an octave, dark and dangerous, nearly a growl. “How dare you—”
“Boy,” the king interrupted, his tone matching Draven’s. “No peasant girl will take my throne from me.”
That was all it took. Draven snapped. He lost it. His anger boiled over, festering into an unbridled rage, his form shimmering with the threat of a barely contained shift as his hand tightened painfully around the phone. “She is my mate, whether you want her to be or not!” Draven punched the wall, the drywall cracking from the force as he started to see red.
On the other end of the phone, his father went quiet, and Draven gritted his teeth, daring the old man to respond. “There will never be One Queen, Draven,” the king said, clearly disgusted. “The other kings will only step down if we all do, and I refuse.”
“It’s inevitable,” Draven spat. “You will.”
“I won’t, not even for you.” The king sighed, the first hint of remorse since the call started, and Draven remembered for a flickering moment how much he used to respect his father. “Unless you come home now, today, right this very minute, our little feud will end in blood, Draven,” his father said. “Our blood.”
“Yes,” Draven answered. “It looks like it will.”
With that, he threw the phone at the wall, shattering his only line of communication to his father as he stormed out of the room, too furious, too beside himself with rage to remain. He needed to shift, to fly, to vent some of this rage and clear his head, and the only way to do that would be to leave now before he got into an argument with the five people who still loved him.
As the door slammed behind him, shutting out Tina and his brotherhood, Draven wondered when the inevitable would happen, and wondered if killing his father would kill a small part of him as well.
26
Tina
Tina gently opened the door to the palace gardens, a little out of breath from running after Draven, and paused as she saw the massive red dragon perched on the edge of the cliff, his wings spread, about to take off. Her heart sank, and she resisted the impulse to run after him, to talk him down and keep him close. Of course, she wanted him near her, but he needed to clear his head, and she trusted him to be smart and stay close.
With his talons dug deep into the rock, scarring the perfect grasses in the gardens, he hesitated and looked over his shoulder at her. He huffed, a thick plume of smoke rising from his nose as their eyes met, and she suppressed a delightful shiver at the majesty of her glorious dragon. He needed this, needed to go clear his head and calm down so she wouldn’t take it from him. She just smiled and leaned against the wall of the palace, watching him fondly, mesmerized by the beautiful dragon that loved her so deeply.
Slowly, Draven lowered his wing toward her, creating a small bridge for her to climb on, and he waited patiently at the edge of the cliff. Smiling broadly, Tina jogged toward him and climbed his wing, the skin surprisingly soft until she reached the hard scales of his back. When she was firmly situated at the base of his neck, secure and knowing he wouldn’t let her fall, Draven beat his mighty wings against the air and launched off the cliff, coasting on the winds around the demigods’ island.
From the air, without the glass of an airplane blocking her view, Tina gasped in awe at the majesty of Olympus. The horseshoe-shaped mountain peak stretched into the sky, covered with mansions and forests, littered here and there with temples. She hugged Draven’s neck, pressing her cheek against his warm scales as the cold wind rushed by, staining her skin pink with the sheer force of it.
Draven tilted, banking toward the mountain as he kept close, his shadow occasionally racing over the ground far below them as he circled the massive island. The blue ocean glimmered like diamond, rippling as the sun beat down on them, warming the world below as the wind toyed with Tina’s hair. Each lazy beat of his wings carried them farther into the sky, toward the peak.
As adrenaline and joy buzzed through her, her body hummed with energy and life, the exhilaration of her new life lingering like a kiss on her skin. The rush of cold wind on her face lit her up, and the excitement of riding on her dragon made her feel alive like nothing could ever touch her. The incredible expanse of the Pacific Ocean around them left her breathless, as it seemed to go on forever, isolating everyone who lived here while simultaneously protecting them.
Over time, rocky cliffs of the mountainside faded away into a thin forest, which grew denser and denser as they flew higher. The winding trail of a river caught her eye, and Draven banked toward it almost immediately. He flew over the water, his claws dragging through the white rapids as they flew through the high mountains.
Ahead of them, the river crashed over a cliff, though from the forest visible over the edge, she suspected this would be just a short drop somewhere hidden deep in the mountain’s forests. Draven flew over the edge of the rushing river, over the thundering waterfall as he dove toward the lake below. Tina’s stomach lurched, but she trusted him, heart and soul, and laughter bubbled out of her at the exhilarating rush of diving head first off a cliff.
As the churning surface of the lake neared, Draven pulled up at the last possible second. Water splashed over Tina’s face as he tilted toward a stretch of rocks along the bank. Sunlight glinted off the turquoise water, which shimmered and rippled through the dappled shade of overhanging trees.
Instead of landing in the water, as Tina had expected, he coasted toward the edge of the lake and gently set them down on the bank, tilting his wing so that she could hop off. She obliged him, sucking in the cool air as the adrenaline from their flight began to fade.
Still in his dragon form, Draven curled up along the bank, his large muzzle resting against his front claws, and stared out over the water. He seemed calmer, just a thin trail of smoke rising from his nose with each steady breath as he gazed off, lost in thought.
Without a word, Tina sat in the crook of his neck, tucked away and safe beside her powerful dragon as his steady breaths soothed her. She leaned her head against him, and he shifted a little, nuzzling closer to her as they sat in silence on the bank of a mountain lake.
Tina lost track of how long they sat in silence, listening to the forest hum and buzz around them as the wildlife realized this massive dragon wasn’t going to eat them. A few otters played in the lake, splashing on the other side, still at a safe distance and occasionally shooting wary glances toward Draven.
After a while, Draven’s form shimmered, and he shifted back to his human body, naked and glorious, his hair wild and messy from the flight as he situated himself on a comfortable patch of clover and waved her over. Tina obliged him, leaning her back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, his strong body solid and comforting as they held each other, enjoying the silence and serenity of the wilderness.
“Thanks for coming,” Draven said softly, his voice gravely and coarse after such a long silence. “I needed this, but I needed you more.”
In answer, she simply kissed him, pressing her lips against his warm mouth and drinking him in. For a moment, they simply sat there together, lost in a deep embrace, but Draven eventually reached his hand into her hair, grabbing it possessively but with tenderness and care, his fingers weaving through her thick curls as his fingertips brushed her scalp. In this position, he could control her, tilting her head back until he had access to her neck. His kisses trailed along her jaw and toward her chest, and when he couldn’t reach the line in her cleavage, he gently pushed her onto her back to continue his trail of kisses southward.
Tina smiled, love drunk and blissed out, letting her dragon have his way with her, expecting his hands to lift up her skirts at any second, but he instead placed one hand on either side of her head. She looked up at him, a bit surprised, to find him watching her wistfully, a confusing blend of worship and worry on his face as he stared down at her.
“I lose my temper when I think of your wound,” he said, nodding to her scar as a flicker of rage passed across his face, but he cleared
his throat and carried on. “I lost my shit because, at that moment, I realized how close I came to losing you.” He sighed and leaned on one elbow, his hand pressing against her head as he stroked her hair possessively. “The others don’t get it since they haven’t watched dragons fight, but dragons go for the kill, always. If you hadn’t had those killer reflexes and intuition, Tina, you would have been burned to a crisp.” His jaw tensed with anger, and he glared at the ground, unable to meet her gaze as he fought something deep inside of him.
Knowing full well this was something he needed to get out, Tina didn’t respond, and instead, she simply ran her fingers tenderly along his jaw, rubbing her thumb across his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her palm, running his nose against her wrist as he inhaled her scent.
“Losing you would turn me feral,” Draven said, his voice almost a growl, and he leaned his weight against her chest, holding her close, pressing his nose against her throat.
Tina gasped at the idea and held him close, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tightly to help sweep the idea away. “You won’t lose me.”
He didn’t answer, and deep down, she wondered if he believed her. He simply began to kiss her neck again, this time with more abandon, as if his dragon were taking over. His tongue did magical things to her skin, igniting her deep longing for him as her eyes happily rolled back into her head. She tilted her chin upward to give him better access, and his grip tightened around her waist.
His rock-hard erection pressed against her thigh, through the fabric of her dress, and this time, he lifted her skirts forcefully. Draven pressed his mouth against hers, and she drove her fingers through his hair, holding him close, trying her best without words to make him believe she would always be there for him, forever, no matter what happened.
In a matter of moments, the tip of his hard cock pressed against her sensitive folds, and Tina smiled happily and the thought of once more being one with her dragon. Though she expected wild abandon and forceful fucking from her sexual beast, he tenderly eased her panties down her legs. When she opened her eyes to check on him, his gaze was focused on her body as he carefully pulled the underwear over her feet and set it on a nearby rock. He caught her gaze, smiling warmly, and she realized this was different, this wasn’t the raunchy sex she was used to with him, but rather a deeply emotional connection beyond anything they’d had thus far.
It was beautiful.
As he wove his warm hands up her legs and over her inner thighs, Tina surrendered, heart and soul, to his touch. Her eyes fluttered closed, and moments later, his tongue danced over her sensitive nub. She instinctively lifted her knees in surprise, loving the sensation and squirming beneath his magical mouth, but he grabbed her hips and held her in place as he kissed her entrance. His tongue danced in and out of her, his lips pressing against all the right spots, and she grabbed his hair in ecstasy.
Though Tina lost track of how long his tongue was inside of her, she loved every minute of it as he drove her closer and closer to the edge. All charm and patience, he pushed her relentlessly, seeming to enjoy her pleasure as much as she did, and only stopped when Tina was nearly at the brink of orgasm.
Without a word, he trailed kisses up her stomach until their mouths crashed into each other, and as they kissed deeply, he thrust into her with one fluid stroke. He filled her so completely, so beautifully, that she gasped into his mouth and clutched his shoulders, spreading her legs to let him go deeper and wrapping her heels around his calves to egg him on.
Draven thrust into her with fluid strokes, filling her each time, driving her wild with love and a deeply emotional need for him that transcended any physical sensation. She moaned as he plunged his cock deep inside of her, grinding her hips against him, riding her dragon as he drove her wild.
Her orgasm built first in her navel and rippled outward as it crashed into her, and she gripped him tighter with her thighs as he rode her climax with her, lifting her mouth to kiss her deeply as she came around his cock. When she finally relaxed against the mossy bank, the ground soft and cool against her skin, Draven released himself within her and sighed deeply, his own orgasm taking longer than it usually did, and she smiled at the look of utter bliss on his face.
When he eventually collapsed against the ground beside her, Tina leaned her head against his chest and drank in the warm charcoal scent of him, eyes closing as she relished in the warmth of his hard and muscled chest. He held her close, nuzzling his chin against the top of her head, and sighed joyfully.
“You own me, woman,” he said softly. “All of me, forever, and I never want to go a day without you.”
She chuckled and kissed his neck, lost in her love for the dragon that would move mountains and take on the world to keep her safe.
27
Tina
As Tina walked across the familiar stone pathway that cut through a lily-covered lake high in Olympus, she breathed deeply and relished the cool mountain air as she entered her second temple, the one Flynn had shown her back when they first visited Olympus what felt like ages ago.
As she stepped through the front door, she felt more at home, though this temple didn’t have the now-familiar power of her home in Bali. Deep down, Tina couldn’t wait to return to her magical temple, but for the moment it made more sense to be on an isolated island that offered better strategic value in case of a surprise attack. She sighed, eager for this damned war to end so she could simply live in peace and happiness with her men.
“Tina?” a woman asked from nearby, and Tina turned around to see Lillian, one of Damara’s demigod descendants, peeking in the front door. As their eyes met, the young woman’s face lit up with excitement. “It is you! I can’t believe it! ROSE!”
“It’s good to see you too,” Tina said, laughing as Lillian bounded across the entry and wrapped her in a tight hug. “I’ve missed you both.”
“What’s all the fuss?” Rose asked, jogging down a set of stairs off to the right. She paused when she saw Tina, nearly tumbling down the rest of the steps, and smiled broadly. “It’s about damn time, woman!”
Tina chuckled and gestured for Rose to join the hug. When Tina felt like the air was going to be finally squeezed from her body, the two demigods stepped away.
Rose clapped eagerly, almost mischievously, as if she had so much gossip to share that she could hardly contain it. “Where are the boys? Are they coming? I want to finally meet them, Tina!”
“And how’s the palace?” Lillian grabbed Tina’s hand and led her toward the gardens out back. “We haven’t been there in ages, not since last year’s ball.”
“They have parties at the palace?” Tina asked, a bit shocked, though after a moment’s reflection, it seemed fairly obvious. It just struck her as odd to think of King Frederick showing up to a gala and dancing while he chatted with the locals. In fact, it was too surreal for her to picture for more than a second.
Luckily, Rose didn’t give her much time to dwell on the image. “Have they been feeding you?” She poked Tina’s side. “You’re so thin. Are you being starved? We have cheese and wine. Hold on, I’ll find a priestess to help us.”
“Oh, and what’s the next move?” Lillian’s eyes widened with excitement. “We heard about Cimarron, which is great! Are the dragons next?”
Tina chuckled at their rapid-fire questions. “I don’t—”
“What about Aurous?” Rose asked next, appearing again from a side hallway as a priestess bustled off toward the kitchens. “I hear the eagle kingdom is beautiful, but I’ve never been.” She sighed wistfully.
“Good god, you two,” Tina said, shaking her head even though she couldn’t hold back her smile at their antics. “I came here to visit you and have some peace and quiet.” She tucked her dress underneath her butt as she sat in the garden and inhaled the beautiful day.
“Well that was a horrible idea,” Lillian said, grinning as she set one hand on her hip. “We’re physically incapable of quiet.”
“No
kidding.” Tina smirked, shutting her eyes and enjoying the sensation of the warm sun on her face.
Before long, Tina had a glass of red wine in one hand and a cheese-covered slice of handmade bread in the other as Rose and Lillian chatted away, filling the small garden with their words and laughter. As animated as they were, she loved them deeply, feeling like the two demigods were already as close as sisters to her thanks to the magical bond they shared with her and Damara.
The day passed on, and thankfully, no one brought up anything political at first. The three of them simply enjoyed the warmth and sunshine, chatting about this or that, about all the clothes Tina had ruined on her run from the law, and she rolled her eyes that such trivial things would matter when lives were on the line, but she loved these girls nonetheless.
As the sun finally inched toward the horizon, Tina leaned back on the palms of her hands, inhaling deeply as she smiled up at the sky and closed her eyes, just so happy at this small slice of home. “You two can come visit me, by the way,” she said. “When all this is over, come to Epara.”
“That would make my life,” Rose said, beaming, smacking her hands excitedly on Lillian’s shoulder. “We have to go!”
“Of course, we’re going,” Lillian said, chuckling a bit as she downed the last of her wine. “If the goddess herself lets us come, we would be stupid to refuse.”
“I bet it’s beautiful.” Rose sighed wistfully and laid on the grass, arms outstretched as she stared into the sky. “All that energy, all the magic of an awoken temple, to feel Damara’s magic as we walk in, wow.” She closed her eyes, blissed out and happy.
“You’re welcome any time,” Tina said, smiling broadly. “It would be my pleasure to host you, especially after how welcome you’ve made me feel.”
“Call us when you want baby help, too,” Lillian said as she poured herself another glass of wine. “We’re excellent babysitters.”
Tina smirked as she watched Lillian down almost an entire glass of wine in one go. “I’m sure you are,” she said, a twinge of humor in her voice.