Maybe, though, he should get a few pointers before he really did this thing with Skye.
That is, if she even agreed to it. She’d have to be almost crazy to agree to live with a wild dragonman for two weeks, to serve and submit to his every whim. Then again, maybe Skye was desperate. He’d seen the look in her eye when he mentioned turning her into Emerson. She hadn’t liked that. Maybe she would decide that staying with Alan was better than being killed or sent to jail by an angry dragonman.
Then again, Alan had never heard of a dragon being sent to jail.
Emerson usually just killed traitors.
Maybe Skye knew that.
With a sigh, Alan shut off the water and grabbed a towel. He dried himself and dressed in a pair of jeans, not bothering with underwear or a shirt. No matter what Skye’s decision was, he wanted to be comfortable.
And right now, he wanted to feed her. He headed to the kitchen and prepared a beautiful meal, then carried it to her room on a tray. When he entered, she was sitting in the middle of the bed with her legs tucked beneath her.
Almost like she’d been waiting.
She turned when he walked in and smiled. She was still naked and she didn’t bother to hide her body from him. He had seen it all, of course, but somehow, having her feel comfortable in her own skin around him made Alan feel really happy.
It made him feel worthy.
“I thought you might be hungry,” he said.
“Thank you. I’m starving.” Alan set the tray down in front of her on the bed and she dove into the food, acting like she hadn’t had a decent meal in months. Skye reached for the bacon first and ate two strips whole before moving onto the eggs and toast. He watched her for a moment. She devoured the food quickly, then downed the orange juice he had poured. Alan hadn’t ever seen anyone eat so fast.
“I’m sorry,” she said after a second, looking up sheepishly. “I haven’t eaten in a couple of days.” Skye must have immediately realized her mistake, because she blushed and looked down, shoving another bite of food in her mouth before Alan could react.
“Say that again.” He said.
She shook her head. “It’s just a figure of speech.”
He grabbed her chin and turned her head so she was looking into his eyes. “I warned you about lying, Skye.”
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and repeated herself. “It’s been a couple of days since I’ve had food.”
“Why haven’t you eaten, Skye?”
“I didn’t have any money,” she blushed heavily. Her skin turned rosy pink and Alan felt like a lovesick puppy. What would her skin look like after he’d cropped her at The Dungeon? What about in the throes of lovemaking? Would all of her pale skin turn that same shade of pink?
How was he going to resist her?
“I don’t know how I let it get to that.” Skye looked a little embarrassed. “I have a tiny bit in my bank account for emergencies, of course, but I only had a little cash. I was hoping to use it to get a ride to Dragon Isle, but that didn’t really work out well for me. I’m sure the rest of my cash vanished when I crashed.” She shrugged. “I quit my job in Oakson a few weeks ago, sold everything I had, and took a bus to Nellenston. All I have left is my suitcase. Well, I guess now I don’t even have that.”
“And you didn’t think being hungry constituted an ‘emergency’?” Alan was livid. Was she serious? She had sold everything she had to pursue this dream of writing a story, but she hadn’t considered that she would need to eat? Skye was a beautiful woman, but she was no waif. Alan bet she thought she was fat or that she could afford to skip a few meals.
She was wrong.
“I take back my previous offer,” Alan said, glaring at her. Skye’s eyes widened, but he continued. “You obviously are unable to care for yourself, so I will care for you. Two weeks, Skye. Two weeks of me taking care of you and you submitting to me.”
“But, I-”
“No,” he gave her a harsh look. “You will learn how to care for yourself or you will stay with me even longer. You cannot skip meals, Skye. You cannot avoid eating. You are a grown woman with legitimate medical needs. Food is one of them.”
She looked at her hands, obviously embarrassed she had admitted to not eating. Alan only hoped this wouldn’t lead to weird lying. His heart pained as he wondered what she had gone through to get to the island. She had obviously left behind her entire life. What had happened to make walking away from her life seem like the right choice?
He would have two weeks to find out everything about her. Alan knew once he gained Skye’s trust, she would open up about her past. She would tell him who hurt her and he would deal with the bastard. He would make sure she knew exactly what Alan thought of her. He would make sure she knew how important she was, how special.
“And sex is included,” he added, eliciting a gasp from her.
“But what if I don’t want to?”
“You don’t have a choice. Now eat your breakfast.”
Alan turned before he could lose his nerve. He left the room and closed the door. He didn’t lock it. He didn’t need to. She wouldn’t be able to get far even if she did try to escape. He went into the kitchen a grabbed a bottle of alcohol. Then Alan did something he hadn’t done in a very long time.
He got very, very drunk.
*
Skye stared at the food in front of her and took another bite. It was the best thing she’d ever eaten in her entire life. Maybe Mr. Dragon was a chef. She tried to let his words sink in as she ate, but she couldn’t focus on two things at once, so she decided to eat first and think later.
She focused on getting each bite of food from the plate to her mouth. Proud of her accomplishment, Skye finished her meal and pushed the tray aside. She had done it. She had finished her breakfast.
“Good girl,” she said out loud, but then she remembered it was time to think and a little bit of her excitement fled.
Mr. Dragon had offered her the chance to stay with him instead of being turned over the authorities. Skye was smart enough to know what that meant. She’d be killed. Dragons didn’t mess around when it came to their safety and they weren’t going to give second chances to a human.
Not to a lying, thieving human like her.
Fuck.
Skye had really messed things up. If only she had accepted Liam’s refusal and moved on with her life. She could have easily returned home, gotten some dead-end job, and started over.
Right?
Only in spite of Skye’s desire to ignore reality, she knew it wasn’t true. She could never go back. She could never live in the same place she and Jesse had dreamed up a future. She could never face their former friends.
She curled up on the bed and wrapped her arms around her legs. Mr. Dragon had given her a choice, then stripped it away. He had made her decision for her, but somehow, Skye didn’t hate him for it. In fact, it made her feel a little excited, a little anxious. He was going to keep her as his captive and he was going to care for her in every way.
He was going to feed her, bathe her, clothe her…fuck her.
He was going to do everything to her.
Skye wondered what it would be like to be beneath the dragonman as he pumped in an out of her wicked flesh. Her body grew hot and excited as she pictured the way he would pin her down and bite each breast before sliding inside of her. Was it so wrong she wanted to be dominated by this strange dragonman she’d only just met?
Skye rolled onto her back and slipped a hand between her legs. She had to relieve some of the tension that was building before she saw Mr. Dragon again. If she didn’t, there was no telling what she would do. Her body would betray her. That much was certain.
She slipped two fingers easily inside herself. She was still soaking wet. Skye hadn’t been this wet in basically forever. Certainly not with Jesse. She pulled her wet fingers out of her body and gently began petting her soft folds. Her lips were swollen and puffy with arousal. Each touch sent a wave of pleasure through h
er body, but all she could think about was Mr. Dragon.
The dragonman.
He was unlike anyone she’d ever met before: harsh, yet soft. She had no doubt he would demand perfection from her, but part of her loved the idea. Was that so wrong? When he told her she had to stay with him, she was torn. The strong, independent side of her said it was ridiculous. She was a grown woman. If she wanted to skip meals, that was her right. The other side of her said it might be nice to be cared for, to be pampered. That side of her said it might be nice to have someone watch over her.
Skye came quietly, biting back the moan that threatened to escape her lips. She thrust her hips as the orgasm overwhelmed her, enveloping every inch of her skin. Then she was done.
She sat up and looked around, half-expecting Mr. Dragon to emerge from the shadows and punish her for coming without permission. Yeah, she wasn’t so naïve that she thought she was allowed to masturbate now that she was “his,” but she didn’t care too much about that. Not yet. She knew she would change her mind after the next punishment, which she expected would be harsher.
Skye stood and looked around the room, then wandered to the window. She peeled back the curtains and looked outside. It was beautiful. She could almost see the ocean from here. If she squinted, she thought she could, but the sky was so blue it was impossible to tell whether it was water or sky.
She could do this, Skye thought. She would need to apologize to Liam, of course, and Mr. Dragon might make her apologize to the clan leader. Hopefully it wouldn’t be with her body or anything like that.
Skye walked over to a door at the side of the room and pushed it open. It was a closet. A second door revealed a large bathroom, and she went inside and closed the door. Her fingers hovered over the lock, but she decided not to press her luck. She had already done something she definitely deserved a spanking for. Did she really want a second? Besides, would it really be so bad if he decided to join her?
She turned on the shower and while the water warmed, she stared at herself in the mirror. Two hollow-looking eyes blinked back at her. Was that really what she looked like? Was that really what she had allowed herself to become? Maybe Mr. Dragon was right. Maybe she did need someone to look after her.
It had been a long time since anyone cared about Skye. She had worked her ass off to support Jesse so he could pursue his college education while playing in a band. Now that they were broken up, she realized how cliché the whole thing had been. It made her want to puke.
She slipped into the shower and allowed the water to rush over her. She cringed as the spray hit her injuries, but managed not to cry out. She had stitches in a few spots and a couple of bruises, but nothing was broken. That was good, right? Part of her couldn’t believe she had been so lucky. Part of her wondered how her scars would look.
What would the dragonman think?
More importantly, why did she care so much what he thought?
Skye had lived her life on her own for so long that now, having someone watching out for her seemed very strange. Even if he didn’t like her very much, just the idea that he was there, always present, always making sure she was safe was calming.
Skye should hate the idea that he was forcing her to stay with him, but something about him just turned her on.
What color were his wings?
Would he ever let her watch him shift?
Skye washed her body and stepped out of the shower. She dried herself and walked back into the bedroom. She wondered if she should try to rummage around and find clothes, but stopped herself. She had read romance books before. She knew a little bit about BDSM and submission and everything that went along with it.
More importantly, she wanted to write a book.
Did she really want to play the innocent on this one?
She pushed her shoulders back and steeled herself. She could do this. Mr. Dragon probably wanted her naked and obedient and pliable. She could do that. It was only for two weeks, after all. You could do anything for two weeks. That was just 14 days.
She had this.
Skye pushed the bedroom door open. She was a little surprised he hadn’t locked her in, but tried not to read too much into it. She wasn’t under the impression he would be letting her run wild around the mansion. She took her breakfast tray and walked down the hallway, trying to focus her eyes on what was in front of her.
And not on the scary paintings that hung on the wall.
There was nothing that should have screamed murder or terror to her, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit afraid when she looked at the majesty of the paintings. Each one was of a dragon in various stages of shifting. They were all of the same dragon and Skye noticed that in the background of each picture was a young woman. She was watching the dragon almost reverently.
Who was she?
Were they lovers?
She nearly tripped just then, but righted herself before she spilled the tray everywhere. She went downstairs and looked around for a few minutes before she found the kitchen. She went inside and placed the tray on the counter. Mr. Dragon was nowhere to be seen.
He hadn’t left her, had he?
She washed the dishes, knowing he couldn’t have gone far. Maybe he just needed time to himself. It had been a big day for him, too, after all. Skye guessed he wasn’t exactly in the habit of picking up strays. He probably hadn’t just randomly woken up this morning and said to himself, “You know, I think I’ll find a human and keep her.”
She had to be patient with him.
Skye washed her dishes and wandered around the house for awhile. She acquainted herself with the layout and figured out where the bedrooms were and the bathrooms. She found the living room and the library and even the study, but she didn’t find the man who had taken her.
She walked over to the large oak desk and ran her hands along the polished wood. It was lovely, and she wondered if he had built the desk himself. Was he that sort of man? Thinking back, she thought his hands were soft, not rough, so he had probably purchased it. Yes, she thought he had soft hands. He had definitely not built his own furniture. She picked up a letter addressed to “Alan,” and another one with the same name. So that was his real name. Alan.
“Alan,” she said it out loud, testing it on her tongue, weighing the word. It suited him, she thought. It was sort of old and stuffy and strange. It wasn’t a common name, not anymore. It was the type of name your dad’s best friend might have or the name you might call your doctor.
She preferred Mr. Dragon.
At least for now.
She went over to a couch and lay down, dangling her legs over the edge. He wasn’t around, so maybe he’d gone out. A flight to clear his mind, perhaps? Skye closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift off, but soon she was the one drifting off into a deep, relaxing slumber.
7
When she woke, it was dark. Her stomach growled and she realized she had slept the entire day away. The dragon hadn’t woken her. Did that mean her two weeks started tomorrow? Or did today count? She didn’t want to ask.
Skye pushed the blanket off her body and stood, looking around. She was alone in the study. She hadn’t put the blanket on herself, though. Someone else had. Had Alan come to look for her? Mr. Dragon had stayed away, but he had still cared for her. Maybe he was kinder than he was letting on.
Maybe Skye just didn’t know what she was getting into.
She walked out of the study and down the hall, trying not to look at what she thought of as “the creepy paintings.” Oh, they were beautiful. There was no doubt about that, but they were also deep. They were passionate. Whatever was happening between the dragon and his human mistress was too intense for Skye.
She hadn’t come to Dragon Isle to fall in love. She’d come for the story: nothing more. If she and Alan happened to spend two amazing weeks sleeping together, then so be it. She would accept the passion and the sex and she’d turn it into writing fodder. She could do that.
She wandered the halls of the mansion aim
lessly for a bit, but ended up in the kitchen. She heard voices coming from the room, so she stopped just outside of the door to listen before she barged in.
“It’s a bad idea,” a male voice said. It wasn’t her dragonman.
“I know,” that one definitely was her dragonman. “It’s a horrible idea, but I’m not sure what else to do. She stole Liam’s fucking boat. He’s not just going to let that go.”
The first voice chuckled. “When I first met Liam, he wasn’t half the man he is now. It’s good to see the poor sap has grown a pair.”
Skye could practically hear Mr. Dragon rolling his eyes.
“Well, that’s not a problem anymore. Figuring out how I’m going to get my money’s worth out of the little human is.”
Oops. And now they were talking about her. Alan was talking about Skye as if she were a piece of meat, as if she were some prize. The thought should have bothered her, but somehow it just made her wet, anxious. Somehow the thought made her feel delighted and excited and completely sexual. It was just another way she was a bit of a freak.
She had enjoyed sex, but it had never been crazy or passionate. Something told her that with Alan, she wouldn’t just be lying on her back. Maybe she’d actually be able to learn a thing or two she could bring back to her real life, wherever that might be.
She hadn’t exactly thought about what she would do now. Skye supposed she really was completely out of luck. She had sold everything to come on this little adventure. She didn’t even have a car or apartment waiting for her. When she crashed Liam’s boat, her last few possessions had disappeared.
At least she still had her bank account and the tiny balance it held.
If she could remember her number.
“I can help you train her,” the first voice said, bringing Skye back to the present. Train? Right. She was going to be trained. She was going to be Alan’s submissive while she was here. She knew enough about BDSM to know what that meant. She wasn’t ignorant, but she hadn’t tried much herself.
Dragon Isle Boxed Set, Books 4-6: Lost to the Dragon, Beware of Dragons, and Catching the Dragon Page 4