Inception

by Laxmi Hariharan

  It satisfied him to see color back in those cheeks, those eyes snapping with flecks of gold. He'd meant to distract her, and he'd succeeded.

  But he wasn't pretending his anger when he said, "Is it so difficult to tell me how you feel, when I can feel you in my heart, in my soul? You are in me, Hope. Your dragon breathes fire in my blood."

  48

  Hope

  He was killing her with his words. That look in his eyes echoed everything she was feeling.

  He'd saved her life and helped her save her race.

  She could tell him what she felt for him. That much she could do.

  She swallowed, her stomach fluttering. "Since I saw you at Alex's bar, I knew it was you. My dragon accepted you at once… and I resisted it for so long." Her lips parted. "With Eve hurt and the Elysian overpowering both you and me, it was the most natural thing to accept the bond."

  She leaned forward, breath quickening.

  "I had to join with you to overcome the threat. I don't regret it, Aaron. But you must know, I never meant to hurt you. By accepting the bond with you, I put you in danger."

  Her fingers tingled where they touched his.

  And Aaron? Those beautiful cobalt-blue eyes of his darkened. He was looking at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world.

  The dragon inside her stretched in sensuous pleasure, bathing in the attention of her mate.

  Dragon 3. Woman 4.

  No. No more games.

  Hope didn't need to play games with herself, not when her dragon and the woman inside were in perfect harmony. Both agreed on what was needed.

  His fingers slid up her arm to rest against her cheek. Heat from his touch bled into her, sending a pulse of such desire, such longing through her.

  Molten need zoomed through her veins.

  "Aaron."

  Her voice seemed to galvanize him into action. His head swooped down, his lips slanting over hers. Liquid pleasure zoomed straight to her core. She should protest and tell him he shouldn't be doing this, that this would only deepen the bond, that it would only hurt him.

  The thought had her tearing her lips from his, even as her body swayed toward him. "It's only a matter of time before the impact of the psychic bond becomes too much to bear. I can't live with myself if something happens to you. Do you understand?"

  He cupped her cheek. "I am not going to die."

  The arrogance in his tone startled a smile out of her. "You stubborn man, you. You think you can fight the impact of the psychic bond? No other species has survived mating with a dragon."

  "I am an Ascendant. An immortal." His eyes narrowed. "I am not going anywhere."

  The tenderness in his eyes mixed with a glint of stubbornness.

  "How can you be so sure?" she whispered.

  "Just look inside yourself. Tell me what you see." He covered her eyes with his fingers so her eyelids fluttered down.

  As she sank into herself, her dragon drew her spirit to the psychic plane, and she gasped.

  The cobalt-blue that was Aaron had twined with her green to form a shimmering chord that bound them, and as she watched, a spark of gold zinged down the bond from her to Aaron.

  Her dragon fire united both of them in a way that was so unique that a tear ran down her cheeks.

  There was a touch on her cheek as he wiped it away. He cupped his hand around the nape of her neck, holding it there in a gesture so possessive that she felt her lips tremble in a smile.

  "How is it possible?" The surprise shimmered through her as she tried to make sense of what she'd seen. "It's as if our psychic energies are…"

  "In sync?" The smug tone of his voice had a smile tugging at her lips again.

  She nodded and found she could still speak. "We are beautiful together. My dragon was right all along. It's as if the force of the psychic energy was absorbed by the bond so it didn't harm you." Her pulse raced as hope bloomed inside.

  "The excess energy from the mating simply flowed out of the bond and into the psychic web Aaron shares with the rest of us Ascendants."

  The new voice had Hope turning to look up to face the man who'd just walked in.

  "Kris," Aaron exclaimed, looking at the tall, muscular man who'd just walked in. "I thought you were on your honeymoon."

  "We arrived earlier in time for the naming ceremony for Leana's child." The petite, curvy woman who held Kris’s arm smiled.

  Hope cleared her throat, "did we interrupt the festivities?"

  "The mayor has postponed the ceremony until your sister is fully recovered." Kris' features softened.

  "The overflow of energy that poured through the psychic web, it didn't hurt anyone did it?" Hope's voice was cautious.

  "On the contrary," Kris chuckled, "It has given us a stamina boost, one I plan to put to good use later." He pulled his giggling mate close to his side, leaving them in no doubt of exactly how he planned to work off that excess energy later on.

  The door to the operating theatre whispered open, and Vance stepped out. His face was drawn with dark circles under his eyes, but his lips were stretched in a half-smile.

  Hope felt the breath rush out of her. Gripping Aaron's hand, she rose to her feet. "Eve, is she…"

  "She's out of danger but in a coma." Vance put his hands in his pockets. "It's just a way for her body to cope with the damage, giving itself the time and space to heal by shutting down everything but the most vital functions."

  Finding her knees weak, Hope swayed on her feet.

  Aaron slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "How long will she be like this?"

  "Hard to tell," Vance replied, forehead wrinkling. "But her vitals are strong. We just have to monitor her and wait for her to wake up naturally."

  "And Freya?" Hope asked.

  "She's in the recovery room, sedated. I reckon she'll be out for another twelve hours at least." Vance smiled. "You did well, both of you." His glance encompassed Aaron. "You can see Eve, but just for a few minutes." Vance stepped aside, beckoning to Hope to go in.

  Hope walked into the room, toward the bed where Eve lay covered with a sheet.

  There were tubes running from her, and a machine beeped in the background. Underneath it all, her sister, so vibrant in real life, lay still, face pale.

  Hope held her hand, curling her fingers around Eve's. "I'm alive, thanks to you. Don't give up on me. I need you to see for yourself the miracle that I have with Aaron. I want it for you too, Eve. This feeling of finding another who fits you like he was born for you. A feeling so seamless that I don't know anymore where I end and he begins."

  Her sister lay quiet, and perhaps it was just her imagination, but Hope could have sworn her breathing grew calmer.

  "It's possible to mate with non-dragon shifters. Our species has a chance of surviving, and on our terms. Do you hear?"

  Eve didn’t answer. The machines beeped.

  Hope held her hand a little longer, until Aaron walked in and put his arm around her. "She needs to rest and so do you."

  When she walked out, it was to find Kris and his mate waiting.

  "I'm Tara." The woman hugged Eve. "Kris and I will wait here and watch over your sister while you go get some rest.

  Hope began to protest.

  Tara patted her cheek. "You go on home, honey. It won't do any good for your sister to wake up and find you in a bad state. You haven't had it easy either. You need to recover your strength so you can take care of her."

  Aaron ruffled Tara's hair. "You always know the right thing to say."

  Aaron trusted Kris and Tara, and that somehow made it easier for Hope to nod her acceptance.

  "Cain's coming in a few hours to relieve us." Kris touched her shoulder. "You’re family. We take care of each other."

  Hope felt relief course through at his words. They'd make sure her sister stayed safe. Tiredness washed over her as the events of the last day caught up with her, and she swayed.

  Aaron's grip tightened on her.

&nbs
p; "You two get some rest."

  49

  Aaron

  Everyone in the infirmary had referred to Hope as his mate, and she hadn't protested. Either she had accepted it, or… No. That was just wishful thinking. Hope had only mated with him because it had helped overcome the Elysian so she could save Eve and Freya.

  No. That wasn't completely true either. The woman in her loved him as much as her dragon did, only she was too stubborn to say anything about it.

  Aaron contented himself with walking with her through the quiet township. They passed the lit windows of the little standalone bungalows that dotted the street. Shifters, humans, and vampires who had families lived here.

  Walking into his room on the ground floor of the barracks, he opened the door, letting her precede him.

  He wondered what she made of it. It was a studio-like space with a small kitchenette at the far end. A single bed big enough for his length was neatly made up.

  To the right, the double doors opened onto a patio. The one perk of being a Guardian was that he got the sea view.

  She didn't look at it.

  Crossing the floor, Hope went to the bed. Lying down on it, she turned on her side where she doubled up her legs and brought them close to her chest. Pillowing her face on her arm, she shut her eyes.

  Following her example, Aaron lay down next to her. Stretching out, he put his arm over his eyes.

  He must have dropped off to sleep, for a sound jerked him awake. Opening his eyes, he realized it was dark but for the faint starlight that came in through the windows behind the bed. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore reached him, but it wasn't that which had woken him up.

  There was another low cry, one filled with such terror that it twisted his stomach.

  Aaron turned and curved his body around Hope's. Her back was drenched in sweat, and she was shivering, even though it was warm in the room. Waves of helplessness brushed up against his senses through the mating bond.

  She wouldn't want to be seen as this vulnerable, wouldn't want him giving her comfort, but he didn't care. She was in agony, and he had to soothe her.

  Curling his arm around her, he pulled her close to his chest. That seemed to calm her down, for her body stopped shaking.

  Making a small noise at the back of her throat, she burrowed in further until her curves were molded to him. The soft slide of her butt against the front of his jeans had heat tugging at his groin.

  He knew he should pull back then. Yet, to do so would be to disturb the woman who was sleeping in his arms. Her chest rose and fell against the arm Aaron had slung around her waist.

  Letting the rhythm of her breathing soothe him, Aaron felt his eyes close.

  50

  Hope

  The warmth seeping into her skin had her burrowing in further. At her back was a wall of heat that flowed over her, wrapping her in a cocoon of such comfort she didn't want to move. Sighing, her dragon and the woman inside, both, wallowed in the sheer feeling of being exactly where they wanted to be. In the arms of their mate.

  Mate.

  Hope's eyes flew open.

  She tried to move, only to find a heavy weight around her waist holding her down.

  When her fingers brushed against Aaron's forearm, a shudder of liquid want zoomed straight to her core. She knew where she was then. In Aaron's room, in his bed.

  His scent surrounded her, tugged at her.

  She wanted to lean back against the hard planes of his chest. He felt big and strong, and so sexy.

  Hope swallowed, even as her dragon brushed up against her skin, its fire simmering, ready to pour out into her veins, into him.

  Turning, she placed her lips at the base of his throat.

  Licking the saltiness of his skin, she breathed in his dark eucalyptus and pine scent. Her dragon simply wanted to fold itself around him. It wanted to be with him on the physical plane and complete the mating bond that was a living, breathing thing between them. And Hope wanted that too. The woman inside her acknowledged that she needed him, needed the strength of his presence to anchor her. More than that, he made her dragon feel at peace, like it had found its place.

  There, surrounded by the warmth of Aaron, by the living energy of his heart beating against her own, Hope realized she couldn't live without him.

  As the realization rippled through her, she shut her eyes and slid into the psychic plane where her dragon's energies swirled.

  There it was. The cobalt-blue of Aaron's spirit folded around the green-gold of her dragon fire… except, the strands were woven over each other like a double helix.

  It was as if since she'd last seen the bond it had solidified, their spirits intertwined with each other even more. As she watched, sparks of gold zinged across the helix, this time in both directions. It was mesmerizing. Just like that, all her doubts fell away.

  Turning in the circle of his arms, she pressed her lips to his. The taste of him called to her. Firm, strong yet soft. Giving in to the temptation, she licked his lower lip and was rewarded by his hardness thrusting against her. Just as she was about to deepen the kiss, his eyes flew open, and she froze.

  51

  Aaron

  The sensation of soft skin, the rustle of clothes, the scent of vanilla and hot spice, and then a surge of heat in his lower belly had Aaron fumbling up through layers of darkness.

  His arm tightened around the curves that slithered under him. Sensations of need coursed through him, stiffening his desire, making him thrust his hardness against Hope.

  That ever-vigilant part of his mind, which had been trained for battle and which never slept, knew it was his mate.

  She was here in his bed. He was supposed to take care of her.

  Except his skin was on fire with needing her. All the pent-up desire that he'd subdued since the day he saw Hope surged to the fore.

  When his eyes focused, it was to meet those startling emerald-green ones. The flares of gold in them sparkled and swirled. A man could get lost in those eyes and never find himself.

  She leaned in closer, so close her breath whispered over his cheek.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Isn't it obvious?" Her lips turned up in a smile.

  "Why?" he heard himself ask and cursed inwardly.

  Hope was in his arms, in his bed. All he could think about was kissing her, possessing her, burying himself in the soft cradle of her thighs that brushed against his throbbing hardness. Yet he had to ask her why she was doing this?

  "Why not?" She smirked.

  And that pushed him over the edge.

  Ignoring the pain from his still healing ribs, he flipped her so he was above her, on her, surrounding her. Making sure she could feel the full impact of his desire.

  "Don't play with me, Hope," he grated out through a throat that felt like it was lined with sandpaper.

  "I love you, Aaron."

  His heart simply stopped.

  "All this time you were there, and I kept turning you away. I used the mating bond and the chance of hurting you as an excuse." Leaning up, she placed her forehead against his.

  Aaron found he couldn't breathe. His heart beat fast, the blood pounding in his ears.

  "I was afraid that you would tie me down, cage my dragon. When I woke up next to you, I realized I am exactly where I should be." She looked into his eyes.

  Aaron couldn't look away. He wanted to say something but found his throat was all clogged up with a big ball of emotion.

  She wet her lips, a pulse fluttering at her throat. "My dragon soars high, safe in the knowledge it has a home here with you. You are strong enough to take the impact of the psychic bond—"

  He grabbed her chin and then fitted his lips to hers.

  When his thumb pressed against her chin, she opened her mouth. Taking advantage, his tongue slid right in, tangling with hers, sucking on hers.

  Just like that, he wanted more.

  His hand cupped her breast, squeezing her pebbled nipple, even as he swallow
ed the moan that bubbled up from her. The feel of it vibrating down his throat was so erotic he found himself surging against her.

  Tearing his mouth from her, he looked into her eyes. "I love you."

  She leaned up and bit his lower lip, and damn but he almost came right then.

  Hope wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  A surge of adrenaline had him tearing her shirt open, the buttons flying around the room.

  Her body trembled.

  That pleased him and turned him on even more. Dipping his head, he bit down on her nipple and felt her upper body arc off the bed. It drove him a little mad with wanting.

  Placing a trail of kisses up her neck, he once more captured her lips, even as his fingers slid down the zipper of her pants. Then, he was pushing aside her panties, and his finger dove into her wet heat. This time a scream was torn out of her, and her nails dug into his shoulders.

  Her eyes were unfocused with desire and passion and a want that was so intense he had to stop himself from sinking into her right away. Not yet.

  A second finger joined the first, and he slid his fingers in and out of her, rubbing the heel of his hand against her center.

  He had the satisfaction of seeing her throw back her head, exposing the underside of her neck. He didn't stop himself. Bending his head, he bit the side of her neck; not enough to draw blood, but just deep enough to mark her as his. He captured her mouth with his, and his tongue dove in again, even as his fingers plunged, taking what was his.

  She came apart in his arms, her leg twined around his, her fingers buried in his hair.

  52

  Hope

  Heat from him poured into her as her dragon stretched out toward him on the psychic plane, and both dragon and woman didn't hold back. When Hope looked into his eyes, the blue poured over her, bathing her in a flood of desire so intense she knew she had to have him.