“Are you?” Larisa held the torch above her head. “You seem tense again.”
“I’m okay,” he assured her. “My dragon form is more attuned to the treasure. My human body needs to touch it and roll in it.”
“Roll in it?” Larisa cocked her head on one side. “You’re serious?”
“Yeah.” He looked down at his feet. “I have this urge to bury myself in the treasure like my brothers and I used to bury each other in the sand when we were kids.”
“Whatever floats your boat.” She arched an eyebrow at him and set off down the tunnel.
“You float my boat,” he replied awkwardly and strode after her, soon catching up.
“Do I?” she grinned but she soon sobered as they reached the cave. “Wow!”
No words could do justice to the sight before them. The first time she’d entered the cave, Larisa had been consumed with worry for Ivan and in awe of the sight of the dragon on the treasure. This time, the treasure was there before them in all its splendor.
Chapter Twenty-Six – Ivan
“It’s impressive.” Ivan hung back by the cave entrance.
“It’s yours,” she reminded him.
“I know.” He took a shuddering breath. “I mean I feel it. It’s like I’m connected to it. But that’s my body, it’s like an innate connection.” He tapped the side of his head. “But in here it’s like it belongs to someone else.”
“That needs to change.” Larisa moved closer to the treasure and dug her heel into the ground. Then she rammed the end of the torch into the dirt and twisted it around until it sank deep enough that it stood on its own. “Come on.”
She held out her hand for Ivan’s torch and he handed it over. Quickly inserting the second torch into the dirt floor, she put her hands on her hips and surveyed the mound of gold and jewels.
“Where do you think it all came from?” Ivan stepped closer to the treasure, his eyes fixed on it.
“I don’t know. Maybe your ancestors rescued a few maidens. You know, princesses and ladies. And their fathers paid them handsomely.” Her arms dropped to her sides. “Or maybe they robbed the king or something. They might have been highwaymen.”
“You’re enjoying this far too much.” He chuckled, the spell the treasure cast over him broken once more.
“Not as much as I am going to enjoy this.” She reached out her hand. “Come on.”
Ivan closed the distance between them. “What do you have in mind?”
“We are going to go for a swim.” She winked at him and pulled him forward.
“A swim?” He ran after her as she sped up.
“Yes.” As they neared the treasure, she shallow-dived into a pile of gold coins.
Ivan’s laughter filled the cave as he jumped in next to her and they pretended to doggy paddle through the treasure.
“Watch out for the treasure chest.” She picked up a small carved chest and opened it up. Holding the bottom against her shoulder, she opened and closed the lid, snapping it at Ivan as if it were a shark. “It’ll eat you alive.”
“Do I need to rescue you from the treasure, Lady Larisa?” Ivan waded through the shallow treasure and reached out for the chest. She snapped the chest shut on his hand, but he moved it just in time. “It’s a feisty one.”
“Don’t mess with the treasure monster.” Larisa’s foot caught around something large buried beneath the gold and jewels, sending her sprawling forward. With flailing arms, she dropped the chest and turned onto her back. “I could make a gold angel.”
She lay on her back, moving her arms and legs just like she as a child in the snow. Ivan knelt down next to her and then flopped over onto his back. His mood was lighter as he copied her motion and the disturbed gold coins and jewels streamed down over their bodies.
The treasure’s value was mind-boggling. The coins might be made of gold, but their value went beyond the sum of its parts. The coins were so old, each one would fetch a small fortune at auction, although they should be on display in a museum for everyone to see.
“I think I’m cured.” Ivan stopped moving and stared up at the cave roof.
“That wasn’t too hard, was it?” Larisa rolled onto her front and rested her chin on her hand.
Ivan sighed. “When I first sensed my treasure, it was like drowning. Like it was trying to pull me under. To the point, it blocked out everything else.” He turned onto his side. “But you were there. I could sense you as if you were anchoring me to the real world.”
“You worried me,” she admitted. “It was hard watching you go through it.” She brushed her fingers across his face. “How do you feel now?”
“Great.” He grinned. “Although I’m not looking forward to taking the potion again. I think that’s what messed with my head. It corrupted the call of my treasure. It was like listening to a distorted recording.”
“Do you want to risk not taking it?” Would she back him up whatever he decided? “We could drive fast to the portal and avoid everyone.”
He shook his head. “It’s too risky. I don’t want to get us into trouble. And I don’t want anyone asking questions about where a dragon shifter might have been in this realm.”
“In case they trace your movements, and it leads them to your treasure.” She nodded. “I’ll be by your side the whole time.”
He reached for her hand and curled his fingers around hers. Drawing her hand to his lips, he kissed her palm, his tongue leaving a sensual trail across her flesh. “I never want you to leave my side.”
“That would be weird. As much as I like you, Ivan, I need some privacy.” She moved closer to him, and a trickle of coins rushed downward. “Plus, I think we’d drive each other crazy if we were always together.”
“We could test that theory out.” He closed his large hand around hers and pulled her toward him.
“Are you trying to mesmerize me?” She stared into his eyes, which glowed as the flames from the torches reflected fire in them.
“I thought I’d already mesmerized you.” He let go of her hand and slid his arm around her. “Just like you mesmerize me.”
“I was going more for hypnotizing. I must be losing my touch.” She threaded her hand around his neck and licked her lips as if she could already taste him.
“Oh, you have me hypnotized. Whatever you ask of me, I’ll do.” He was deadly serious.
“That’s too much power to give another person.” She leaned forward until her lips were an inch away from his. “But there is one thing you could do for me.”
“Name it.”
“Are the others close?” She glanced nervously over her shoulder toward the tunnel.
He shook his head. “They’re outside of the palace.” The glow in his eyes faded as they went out of focus. “They’re all together. No one else is within the reach of my senses.”
“In that case.” She cupped his face in her hands. “Make love to me.”
“Here?” He swallowed so hard, she heard him gulp.
“Here. Before we have to...” She shrugged. “Before we have to split up.”
He groaned. “I don’t want you to go.”
“We agreed already that’s what we need to do.” She let him go and pulled away from him. “I’m sorry, I spoiled the moment.”
“No.” He pulled her back toward him. “You haven’t spoiled anything.”
“I spoiled your quiet life as a chef.” The corners of her mouth drooped but he slipped his fingers under her chin and brushed his thumb across her lips.
“My life needed shaking up. I’d gotten used to the idea of being on my own. My focus was on work, and I’d forgotten that there is life outside of the restaurant. Meeting Fiona and the other dragons was a step forward. Finding the tiara was another. But finding you was like a leap into the unknown. Scary and exciting.” He smiled as he lowered his head, his lips inches from hers.
“I’m happy we’re taking the leap together.” Larisa slid her arms around his neck and pressed her body so close to his, t
here wasn’t room for any treasure to come between them.
“Me, too.” He smothered a smile. “Do you want to talk it over some more?”
“What’s the alternative?” She raised an eyebrow as she looked up at him through her lashes.
“I can think of only one.” He turned her onto her back, and she sank into the gold and jewels.
“This is going to be interesting.” He brushed a handful of coins off her shoulder. “We could go find somewhere private up there.” He pointed toward the tunnel.
“Where would be the fun in that?” She levered herself up awkwardly on one elbow and shrugged her jacket off her shoulders. Ivan’s fingers twitched, he wanted to tear every last stitch of fabric from her body until she was naked beneath him. “And anyway, I want you to remember this every time you think of your treasure.”
“Ah, you have an ulterior motive.” Ivan caressed her cheek before he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers in a questioning kiss. He already remembered every last detail about his mate and each moment they spent together.
“I know I have some competition when it comes to this treasure of yours,” she murmured against his ear before she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him.
“There’s no competition at all. I could survive without my treasure, but I could never survive without you, Larisa. Not now.”
Larisa sighed in contentment as their kiss deepened. But he didn’t want her to be content. He wanted her to want him with the same burning desire he had for his treasure. “I don’t think I could survive without you either.”
Her admission shook him. His fears that she didn’t feel as deeply for him as he did for her haunted him. In the journey here when the call of his treasure had driven him half crazy, he’d become consumed with fear that he would lose her. That he’d mess this up in some way and she’d turn her back on him.
As she kissed him, her fingers tugging at the hem of his sweater as she pulled it up over his chest, he realized how blind he’d been. Larisa was his.
With a groan, he sat up and yanked his sweater over his head. His T-shirt followed and he threw them to the ground before unbuckling his belt. After shrugging off his jeans, he locked eyes with Larisa, asking her the question he needed her to answer.
He didn’t want to go too fast. She’d asked him to make love to her, but did she mean it? Did she really want to make love here?
“My turn.” She scrambled up and wrestled her shirt over her head before wriggling her curvy hips as she pushed her jeans down over her thighs. When she straightened up, she was dressed in only her bra and panties, her pale soft skin glowing in the light from the flames.
Ivan swallowed hard. His mouth watered as he watched her move toward him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back onto the treasure. Stepping over his thighs with her left foot, she lowered herself down until she straddled his body.
He licked his lips, his hands caressing her skin as she leaned forward and lowered her body over his. There was no question left to be answered. When he looked in her eyes, he saw her desire, as naked as his own.
“Stop overthinking it,” she whispered in his ear, her breath warm on his cheek as her mouth inched closer to his.
He fisted her hair. “I want this to be perfect.”
“It already is,” Larisa answered before she kissed his lips and robbed him of all thought. There was just her touch and the feel of her in his arms. Nothing else mattered.
He lifted his head off the gold and kissed her. Their lips locked together as she stroked her hand down his body. He groaned as she shifted her weight to one side and curled her fingers around his hardness but didn’t break their kiss.
She tasted sweet, like nothing he’d ever tasted before. Like the main ingredient for a recipe he hadn’t yet tried. He ran his tongue along her lower lip, and she opened her mouth, nipping his tongue with her teeth. He tensed, his arousal overwhelming. He needed to be inside her, to feel her around him.
Larisa read his mind. She broke their kiss and raised herself up and pushed her panties to one side before guiding him into her.
Ivan closed his eyes as incredible sensations flooded his body. She was tight around him, her inner muscles gripping him as she lowered herself down. Ivan cupped her breasts in his hand and pulled her bra cup down to expose her nipple. With a flick of his tongue, he teased the taut bud before he sucked her nipple into his mouth.
She gasped as his teeth grazed her sensitive skin and she tightened around him. For a moment, she stilled, although her breasts heaved with each breath she took. Then she regained her senses and circled her hips, rocking back and forth as she took them toward their climax.
Ivan gripped her hips and arched his back as he came, his seed filling Larisa. She threw her head back and cried out as she came. The sound echoed around the cave, accompanied by the tinkling sound of gold and jewels settling around them.
When they were completely spent, Larisa lay down on him and he held her to his chest, never wanting to let her go.
Tomorrow they would leave the palace. But for now, he wanted to forget what lay ahead.
One day, they would return to the palace and Ivan would claim his treasure as a dragon shifter.
Just as he had claimed his mate.
Chapter Twenty-Seven – Larisa
She wanted to stay. If they didn’t leave, they wouldn’t have to face the future. She wouldn’t have to find a way to get to the dragon isle. She wouldn’t have to risk losing Ivan.
His taste was still on her lips and her skin tingled at the memory of his touch. She wrapped her arms around her body and stroked her skin as if she could conjure him there.
“Larisa.” Gilliam’s voice made her jump and she spun around to face him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“That’s okay.” She wrapped her arms around her body to shield herself from the cool evening air.
Ivan was inside with Karros and Zara. He’d offered to cook their evening meal with fresh vegetables picked from Gilliam’s garden and a rabbit-like creature the fae had caught in the forest. The scent coming from the kitchen was incredible, although Larisa’s troubled thoughts threatened to chase away her appetite.
“I wanted to talk to you alone.” His voice was so low she could barely hear him speak.
Gilliam didn’t want Ivan to hear what he had to say.
“I’d love to see the orchard. Zara said the fruits are sweet and juicy. Like honey.” She inclined her head away from the palace and Gilliam smiled his thanks and led the way.
“I’ve tended these fruit trees all my life. I planted the first trees when I came to live here and have slowly added more over the years. I used to make wine from them and once a year I’d take it to the Midnight Palace and sell it. They drank it at the solstice.”
“You don’t do that anymore?” Larisa followed him across a courtyard and through a gate set in a wall. From there, they crossed an overgrown lawn that was going to seed.
“No.” He shook his head. “I have enough money to live off and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more reclusive.”
“You’ve lived a lonely life, Gilliam.” She placed her hand on his arm. “Once Ivan decides what to do with the treasure, will you leave here?”
“It’s my home,” Gilliam answered simply.
“People move.” The first stars appeared in the sky. They looked different from the ones she was used to seeing and the sudden realization that she truly was in another world hit her hard.
“Are you all right?” Gilliam stopped walking and placed his hand on her upper arms as she swayed.
“Yes.” She swallowed down the fear that bloomed inside her. “I just felt a little...” She put her hand to her temple.
“Far from home?” Gilliam asked.
“Yes. Far from home.” She stared up at the sky. “This is all new to me.”
“And you were trying to persuade me to leave?” He arched an eyebrow at her.
“Will you
at least come and stay with us in Wishing Moon Bay?”
“Is that where you intend to live?” Gilliam asked as they continued their journey.
“Ivan is married to the hotel restaurant.” She chuckled. “I assume he has room in his life for a wife.”
“He has plenty of room.” Gilliam hesitated before he added, “But Ivan’s destiny might not be to stay at the hotel.”
“I’m not going to ask him to leave Wishing Moon Bay and come live in my world. It’s no place to raise dragon shifter babies.” She placed her hand on her belly. “If we’re blessed with babies.”
“I think you’ll have plenty of babies. But those babies belong on the dragon isle.” They reached the wooden gate leading to the orchard and Larisa reached out, needing the gate for support as his words hit her.
“Ivan’s home is in Wishing Moon Bay,” she said firmly.
“No, his life is in Wishing Moon Bay. But his home is the dragon isle.” Gilliam’s eyes darkened. “If your plan works, there will be a seismic shift in power. Someone has to step in and stop any of Argothorn’s corrupt friends from taking over. There is no point switching out one bad leader for another.”
“I get what you’re saying. But that has to be Ivan’s choice.” She blew the air out of her cheeks. Being the mate of a dragon lord was not something she relished. How would they deal with an outsider coming in and telling them what to do?
And Ivan was an outsider. His father might have come from the dragon isle, but Ivan was a stranger to the place and the people.
“Ivan might not have a choice,” Gilliam told her.
“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?” They had reached the orchard, the scent of the ripe fruit was intoxicating as the breeze rustled the leaves.
“Partly.” He reached for a sheath attached to his belt and for a second, she froze. Had he brought her here to kill her? Her lack of support and enthusiasm toward Ivan taking on the role of dragon lord had prompted Gilliam to take action. To get rid of any obstacle in the way of what Gilliam saw as Ivan’s destiny. “I also wanted to give you this.”
The Dragon Shifter's Desire: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance Page 18