"How about a little music?" She flicked through her MP3 player.
She chose a slow song and moved toward him, a hot look in her eyes. She took another sip of wine and set down her glass. They began to dance, swaying gently in each other's arms to the rhythm of the music. He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath of her scent. Her hair smelled like flowers. The soft curves of her form felt like a dream in his arms.
Akash knew he wasn't big and aggressive like Ragnar, and he wasn't fun and quick like Yuki, but he hoped he had something to offer, something she wanted, because he wanted her more than he'd ever wanted anything—more than he could even imagine wanting anything. It was an entirely new dimension of desire.
Krista must have felt his manhood rise against her, because she looked up at him with a sly smile on her lips. She was playful and cute when she wanted to be, and it made his inner dragon roar with desire. He leaned down and claimed her lips without a second's hesitation, devouring her mouth. Kissing her deeply and hungrily, he drew her closer as their bodies moved to the music. Soon, she was breathless and panting.
She gazed up at him through her eyelashes, turned, and led him down the hall to her bedroom. He kicked the door closed behind them, pulling off his tie. Gathering her in his arms, Akash would no longer hold back. Krista moaned as he devoured her with his kiss. With a deep growl, he gripped her ass in both hands, pulling her hard against his erection.
"Akash…" she breathed.
"I need to taste you, feel your sex quiver on my tongue.”
She sucked a sharp breath and sat down on the bed, kicking off her shoes as she looked up at him with a hungry, expectant expression. He threw off his jacket and shirt, moving toward her in a flash. He knelt between her legs, unzipping her dress and pulling it down over her shoulders. Her breasts bounced before him, exposed to his eyes. His tongue flicked out, tasting the erect buds of her nipples.
She ran her fingers through his hair and drew him closer. Unable to contain his need, he tugged her dress down her hips and legs, flinging it on the floor. She lay before him in nothing but a lacy pair of underwear that he ripped aggressively down her legs. Krista gasped as he leaned in to taste her sex. The flavor of her cunt was like the most delicious dessert he had ever sampled. He growled and dove deeper, flicking his tongue into her channel.
He wanted to taste every last drop that flooded from her core. She arched her back, panting and calling his name. He gripped her hips and slid his fingers into her wet core, lapping against the tight, swollen bud of her clit.
Groaning and bucking her hips beautifully against him, she ran her fingers through his hair and thrust against his mouth. Her insistent need turned him on even more. He pinned her down, slamming his fingers into her harder. She cried out as her pussy clenched. She came, grasping her own breast, arching her back. Her eyes rolled back in her head. To Akash, this moment would forever be the definition of erotic beauty, with all the pleasure life was meant to provide. If he died that very second, Akash would have lived a full life just seeing her come that one time.
But once wasn't enough. He wanted more, much more. As her orgasm subsided, he pulled back and began to thrust again. Licking her gently at first, his deft tongue darted over the sensitive bundle of nerves, exciting her anew. The men of the House of Flames had provided them with insight into the workings of the human woman's body. Akash had been a quick study, as he was at everything. As he held his goddess in his arms, mastering her body with pleasure, he was more grateful than ever for his studious nature. Every day forward would pale in comparison to that moment watching her orgasm under his touch. Her body clenched on his fingers repeatedly until she moaned and pushed him away.
"No more," she said breathlessly. “I need you inside me.”
He crawled up on the bed beside her, hard as a rock, his dragon growling and pacing inside his mind.
"I want you too." He kissed her hand, her cheek, her mouth. “But I can't. I made an agreement with the others.”
"I want you to make an agreement with me."
"Oh Krista, if only you knew how much I want you, how much you mean to me. You are everything. It's as if my life hadn't even started until now."
She stroked him with her hand, clenching his length as she pumped her fist up and down on his manhood. Akash tried to hold back, but Krista had other plans.
"If I can't have you, I will give you as much pleasure as you gave me."
She pushed him down on the bed and knelt over him. Adding a second hand, she sucked him deep into her throat. The arousal of licking her to climax over and over had brought him close to the edge many times. Her hands and her beautiful mouth on his shaft was too much. He growled and climaxed.
He wished he was inside her, seeding her womb and bringing a new life into the world. But this was almost as good. He growled, threading his hands through her hair as the last drops of seed slid into the back of her throat. Krista came up for air, panting and smiling. She giggled as she licked his shaft.
"You are a good woman." He pulled her toward him.
She walked her fingers over his chest. “You deserved a little bit of what you gave me.”
"That was definitely a reimbursement."
"I like you, Akash. I like you very much."
He pulled the blankets up over them, and they snuggled in each other’s arms. He took a deep breath and let it out, treasuring that moment with his mate. She said she liked him. And those words couldn't even begin to describe how he felt about her. He knew he had to give her time and space, but his greatest hope was that Krista would stay with him for the rest of his life.
Chapter 15
Krista scooped slices of bacon onto a plate, humming to herself as she finished preparing breakfast for her guest. Akash made his way into the kitchen, his eyes going wide at the sight of her cooking.
"That smells delicious," he said.
“I have eggs, bacon, pancakes, and a fresh pot of coffee."
"I am beginning to enjoy human food."
"What kind of food do dragons eat?"
"In dragon form, we like to eat a lot of raw meat. But in our bipedal form, we have delicacies that are not entirely dissimilar from human ones.”
"Then it isn't too difficult for you to adapt to our ways?"
"Humans are surprisingly similar to dragons.”
"Do you think that’s because we evolved from your DNA?"
"It is very possible."
Krista brought the plates to the kitchen table, sipped her coffee, and watched Akash eat breakfast. She couldn't remember the last time she’d cooked for a man. For some reason, she wanted to do it for him. He made her feel like a woman in a way she hadn't in a long time. The same was true for all three of the Storm men. Krista didn't know what she was going to do about it. Was she going to choose one of them and condemn the other two to death? Would she choose them all? And what exactly would that mean?
"I was wondering…. How exactly does a dragon claim his mate?”
"Good question. For a single dragon or for three?" he asked carefully.
"Both."
"The process is similar, but with more than one, it is more complicated.”
"Okay, please explain."
Akash took a deep breath and let it out. He looked as if he was uncomfortable and fidgeted in his chair. He took another sip of coffee and set his cup on the table in front of him, folding his hands.
"For a dragon to claim his mate, he and his mate make love. At the moment of simultaneous climax, the dragon male bites the female on the neck, injecting her with his mating venom.”
When Krista heard those words, her jaw dropped. That was not what she was expecting.
"The making love part? Is that necessary?"
"I'm afraid it is, which is what complicates matters when there is more than one mate."
"I see. Tell me the truth. I'm ready to hear it."
He took another sip of coffee and raised an eyebrow as if preparing himself to break the news to her.
"It isn't much different, except it happens with three instead of one."
"I make love to all three of you at the same time?”
"Everyone must climax at once. And then we each must bite you. It doesn't have to be on the neck, but it does have to be a major artery. Unless it happens simultaneously, it will be ineffective. If we go one at a time, the first dragon will claim you, and the others will be barred from mating with you at all.”
"What would happen if I had five mates?"
"The same."
"How is that even possible?"
"It's not impossible."
"You're going to have to explain that to me—but not now. I do need to get ready for work, and I think I’ve heard enough for today."
His face fell, and she hated that she’d disappointed him. The mating thing was a whole new level of crazy. The idea of mating with three men at once... She might be an intelligent, educated woman, but there were a few things in the bedroom she'd never done before.
"Of course," he said. She could tell he was growing uncomfortable. She reached across the table and took his hand, looking up into his eyes.
"Akash," she said gently. "I'm still with you. Okay?”
His face relaxed, and he smiled.
"I was afraid I’d lost you for a minute there. But I had to tell you the truth about how it was done. You need to know. It will help you make your decision."
"You have been wonderful. I honestly couldn't ask for more, except maybe that you were human and that vampires weren’t hunting me. But a girl can’t have everything." She laughed.
Akash laughed too and kissed her as he rose, his plate scraped clean and his coffee cup empty. "I'll be going then. I will be in touch. I can't wait to see you again.”
"Me too."
"I need to meet with the others to discuss our collective future. You should be there so we can decide how this will proceed.”
"I’ll send you my schedule." She walked him to the door.
They kissed one more time before he slipped out. She turned and rested her back against the closed door, letting out a deep sigh of contentment. Krista giggled and practically skipped to the bathroom, turning on the shower. She put her hands under the stream to feel the temperature. When the water was just right, she dropped her robe and stepped into the shower. Lathering up her hair with shampoo, she sang to herself like she was a princess in a fairytale. When she was done with her shower, she reached out to grab her bathrobe and found someone handing it to her.
The second she had her robe on, she was yanked out of the shower. She screamed when she saw several men standing in her bathroom. Then she recognized one of them from the day the Storm men had broken into her apartment.
"What do you want?"
"We want you, little Dragon Soul," one of them said.
Her wet hair dripped in her eyes, and she shivered with sudden terror. "Leave me alone."
"I'm afraid that's not possible."
"You're coming with us," said another. They grabbed her with viselike hands. She struggled against them, screaming at the top of her lungs, in the hopes that someone would hear. Why had she been so flippant about the vampires? Akash had warned her. She didn't want to believe it. She wanted to think she could go on with her life as she had before. But everything was different now. Dragons were real, and so were vampires. And they were after her.
"Don't you dare!" She flailed against the men, trying not to let them get a firm hold. She'd seen them materialize out of nothing, and who knew what would happen if they took her away like that?
She'd left her sliding door unlocked after having it repaired from Ragnar’s break-in. She prayed that he would be there again. But nothing happened. No one came.
"Ragnar? Yuki? Akash? Where are you?” she screamed.
"It doesn't look like they're coming," one of the vampires said before they finally got a firm hold of her and popped out of existence.
The next thing Krista knew, she lay on a floor in her bathrobe, her hair still sopping wet. She sat up with a start, looking around. She was in what appeared to be a stone cellar. On shaky legs, she pulled herself to her feet.
"No, no, no, no, no. This isn't happening. Guys, where are you?
She heard laughing outside the door. It swung open, revealing a man with a maniacal smile. He strode in, holding a silver-tipped cane, and assessed her.
"You are the mate of the dragons of the House of Storms. Not doing a very good job protecting you, are they?"
"They will, and they will kill you," she screamed.
Every cell in her body knew that it was true. Her men would never leave her like this. They would come, and they would avenge her.
"The Council is drawing straws to decide who gets to drink your blood. Should only be a few more hours. We had several new elders awaken recently, so the way we share things is a bit lopsided. If it weren't, you would probably already be dead with your blood in my belly." He laughed.
He disappeared out the door and left her in silence. Why hadn't her dragons been there? She couldn't believe she was having these thoughts, wishing for her dragons watching over her. What an idiot she'd been. She missed her men so much in the moment, she would do anything to see them again.
"Please come for me." She hid her face in her hands. “Please come for me."
Chapter 16
“Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?" Ragnar demanded of Akash. He went stealth and immediately flew to Krista's apartment. Looking through the window into her living room, he didn't see any signs of movement. Where was she?
He waited on the other side of the door for several unbearably long moments. He saw her car parked on the street. She hadn't left for work yet.
"Where is she?" he asked through the mental link.
"I just left her a moment ago." Akash sounded panicked. “I’ll call her.”
"She isn't here," Ragnar finally said.
He slid open the unlocked door and stepped into the apartment. He searched every room and found her missing. He waited several more moments in case she’d gone downstairs to pick up a package from the lobby. But as time ticked on, he grew steadily more concerned. Then he picked up the distinct scent of vampires.
“She’s not answering her phone.”
"They’ve taken her." Ragnar gritted his teeth.
"You were supposed to be watching after her," Yuki shouted at Akash.
"It was only for a moment. I was distracted," Akash said.
"I'm in route from the House of Storms," Yuki said. “I'll be there in a few minutes.”
"We have to find her," Ragnar said. “I'm not waiting.”
Ragnar messaged Cato from the House of Flames and asked him where the closest vampire stronghold was located. Cato immediately sent him a map through the mental link, and Ragnar looked at it on his wrist device.
"I'm sharing the location of the closest vampire compound," Ragnar said to the other two. “We move immediately."
"I'll be there in less than a minute," Yuki said.
"I can't believe I let this happen," Akash said. “I’d just stepped out the door. They must have been waiting.”
Yuki and Ragnar didn't say anything. Ragnar was fuming at Akash's stupidity. For a man who was supposedly so intelligent and educated, he was a real idiot when it came to practical tactics.
"I'm here," Yuki said.
Ragnar heard Yuki land on the patio and walk into the apartment. They let their stealth shields fall and faced each other in Krista's living room. "I can't believe we let this happen," Yuki said out loud.
"Akash is to blame.”
"We are all to blame. We're all responsible for her. We can't turn on each other now when she needs us most."
"This is the second time he’s done this. He should forfeit his right to mate with her."
"The choice belongs to Krista," Yuki said. "Not us.”
"I could kill him myself."
"It's not going to help to be angry, Ragnar. We need to go find her.”<
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"Then let's stop talking and go." Ragnar slipped back under his stealth shields.
Akash joined them in the sky as they flew north toward the vampire stronghold. The flight would take hours, even in dragon form, across the border into another country. Unlike dragons, vampires could disappear into smoke and teleport many miles in nonphysical form. What they lacked in strength and attack power, they made up for in speed.
If they did anything to Krista, Ragnar would bring down a storm so violent, it would strike thunder and lightning upon their home and burn it to the ground. He would kill them all.
Anger swirled in his mind. He would never forgive Akash for what he had done. Even if they found Krista safe and sound, he didn't know how he could ever live with a man who had left her unprotected, even for a split second.
"Are you still fuming?" Yuki asked through his mental link. All three of them had been flying silently in dragon form for quite some time.
"I have a right to be," Ragnar said. "Akash thinks he's better than us because he spent his years as a professor while we were fighting on the front lines. Neither of us would ever have allowed this to happen.”
"It was an honest mistake," Yuki said.
He didn't want to speak with Yuki anymore. The engineer was defending Akash, and he didn't want to hear it. Day slipped into night, and darkness fell over the land. The moon rose high as stars spread out across the night. Their home world could not be seen from this new planet. In this alien world, the only thing that mattered was Krista. He could burn it all down as far as he cared. He had no loyalty to humans.
Ragnar had fought for millennia to save his people and defend their quadrant of the galaxy. He had nearly given his life multiple times for other species who had not been willing to give dragons a home. He was done fighting for those who were not grateful. Krista was everything. He would give his life in a heartbeat just to see her smile.
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