Dragon's First Rule (Dragons of Midnight Book 1)

by Silver Milan

  He released her and gently shrugged out of her hold to shuck his dress shirt, revealing his sculpted chest and the upper part of his eight-pack, which vanished beneath the hem of his jeans. Then he grabbed one hand, standing her up, and steered her toward the kitchen countertop.

  He swung her around roughly and pinned her against the counter, ramming his hips into her jeans. She really liked being restrained by him. At his mercy. Ready to be pleasured.

  He slid one hand behind her neck and pulled her face into his. His other hand eased down the back of her jeans, his skin smooth as silk.

  She moaned in anticipation as he kissed her. She could feel his boner pressing through his pants, and the feel of it turned her on immensely.

  She wrapped both legs around his butt and slid her arms around his thick back to pull him tight against her.

  During those nights when she’d raced into the dark in search of him, her lioness caterwauling for her mate, she’d experienced an insatiable lust that no ordinary man or shifter could placate. No, she needed a dragon.

  She felt so free in that moment as she kissed him. Free of the shackles of her animal. Free of the trammels of the world. Nothing else existed but him in that moment, him, and her own body, throbbing with want. The two were an island in a sea of bliss.

  As their lips remained locked, opening and closing in unison, his tongue darted into her mouth, penetrating her, exploring. He tasted like mint, with a hint of musk, cinnamon, and wood chips. Manly.

  His hands drifted as he kissed, sliding underneath her T-shirt, and he momentarily broke away to lift the shirt over her head. She raised her arms to help him and felt her breasts jiggle free.

  “Not wearing a bra again, I see,” Jett said. “Did you forgo panties, too?”

  “Guess you’ll just have to find out,” she replied.

  She smashed her lips into his and threw her body into him, squeezing her breasts into his hard chest. He pressed his hips into hers, and she rocked against the bulge she felt in his pants, rubbing her center against him. One of the buttons in her jeans repeatedly scraped against her clit, and she couldn’t help but squirm with pleasure.

  “Definitely not wearing any underwear,” he gasped.

  “That’s a button in my jeans you’re feeling,” she panted.

  “Oh.”

  “But you’re right, no panties,” she said.

  “Let’s check.” His hand slid down the front of her jeans and found her folds. “Yup.”

  As his tongue explored her mouth, his fingers scouted her insides. How could he be so good at this?

  She shuddered, arching her back, already getting close to climax.

  But then he withdrew his hands and stepped back teasingly.

  “You forgot to beg,” he said.

  She was panting too much to even form any sort of coherent answer.

  He slipped out of his shoes, and removed his jeans and underwear at the same time. His thick manhood sprung forth, pulsing in anticipation.

  Her eyes gazed longingly at his throbbing dragon as she removed her runners and dropped her own jeans, stepping out of them.

  Then the dragon king pinned her naked body to the countertop once more. Ariel kissed him passionately for several moments. Then she released him to lie back on the counter and spread her legs invitingly.

  Jett knelt, momentarily vanishing from view.

  She wasn’t sure if he was going to plant his head between her legs and pleasure her with his lips, or whether he had some other special surprise planned. When he reappeared, she saw he was opening a small packet.

  “I brought something from Midnight City,” Jett said.

  “Oooh,” she said. “Dragon condoms.”

  He smiled, sliding the sheath over his throbbing member. “Extra textured for your pleasure.”

  “Don’t you worry, your dragon alone is pleasure enough for me,” Ariel said.

  He grabbed her hips and then slowly slipped inside, stretching her to her maximum.

  Ariel moaned.

  I think I really love him.

  And then he began to rock back and forth, moving hard and fast, just the way she liked it.

  It felt incredible. She wasn’t sure if it was the condom, or the many days since she last had him, but this had to be some of the best sex she’d ever had in her life. If not the best.

  Her toes curled up, and she stared at him, finding it hard to keep her eyes from rolling in pleasure as she watched that sexy body pounding into her. She vaguely felt a moment of disbelief. It almost didn’t seem possible that she was with such an incredibly hot man so attuned to her needs. But here he was.

  Yep, I love him.

  “I’m going to come,” she said.

  He thrust harder; she thought he was trying to time his own release with hers.

  And then she reached her climax; her muscles convulsed inside her, squeezing Jett.

  He gasped, and his body shuddered as he, too, peaked.

  “Jett!” she shouted.

  “Ariel!” he yelled right back.

  And then it was over.

  He slid away from her, gasping for breath. He peeled off the condom, tossed it in the garbage, and then lifted her up off the table and carried her to the bed. He lowered her to the comforter and lay down beside her.

  As he wrapped an arm around her, she snuggled her body close to his slick chest, letting her breasts press into his muscular torso.

  She felt so safe. So at peace.

  Daylight filtered in through the open window beside them, and motes of dust floated in the rays, adding to the magical atmosphere.

  Her animal purred contentedly. She’d been so enthralled by Jett that she’d forgotten about the beast entirely.

  “Are you real?” she said. “Or is this a dream? If I pinch myself will I wake up?”

  Jett smiled, then pinched her on the butt. Hard.

  “Hey!” she said.

  He lay back, still smiling. “Now you know it’s real.”

  She huffed in feigned outrage, but couldn’t maintain the mask for long; a moment later she snuggled back against him contentedly.

  She traced her fingertips across the tribal dragon tattoos on his arms. The designs seemed to be embossed slightly, standing out from the rest of his skin. “What do these mean?”

  “All dragons have them in human form,” Jett said. “They’re like the chevrons human militaries use, allowing fellow dragons, or those in the know, to gauge the power and rank of the individual in dragon society.”

  “Interesting,” Ariel said. “No other shifters have them?”

  “None that I know of,” Jett said. “Of course, you do see some shifters getting tribal tattoos inked on at parlors, to mimic us. But they don’t have them naturally.”

  She glided her fingers across her own forearms. “Maybe I’ll get matching tattoos someday.”

  Jett laughed. “That would be pretty funny.”

  She crumpled her forehead. “Why?”

  “You’d confuse the hell out of my fellow dragons,” Jett said.

  She laughed too. “We could tell them I was a newly awakened dragon. You found me while you were hiking the Andes.”

  “You know, I’d actually do that, if it made you come back with me,” Jett said.

  She sighed, snuggling into him. “No. That would be living a lie. I couldn’t pretend to be a dragon any more than you could pretend to be a lion. It would eat away at me.”

  “Actually, I think I could do it,” Jett said. “Pretend to be a lion, I mean. We could run off, find some other pride, tell them we’re both lions.”

  “My dragon,” she said. His words made her feel all tingly inside. “My sweet dragon. I doubt it would work, but I love that you’d be willing to do something like that for me. They’d wonder why you never transform, though.” She tapped his collar. “I wish you didn’t have to wear this. I so badly want to see you in your natural state. I still have the mallet and chisel Ephephany gave me...”

  “I
realize that,” Jett said. “But you know the rules. I can remove it only in times of great need, remember?”

  “You’ve broken the First Rule already,” Ariel said.

  “I know,” Jett said. His voice hardened. “And I have no intention of breaking any other rules.”

  “Sorry,” Ariel said. “I didn’t mean...”

  “It’s all right,” Jett replied. After a moment, he added: “Though I admit, there’s another reason I don’t want to remove the collar.”

  “What’s that?” Ariel said.

  Jett seemed to tense underneath her.

  She sat up slightly. “What is it?”

  Jett couldn’t meet her eyes. “I guess, well, just as you were self-conscious about revealing what happened after you were bitten, I’m worried you won’t want me once you see my dragon.”

  “What?” She giggled softly. “Silly man. I already know I’ll still want you. Besides, I’ve already seen your dragon.” She reached down and squeezed between his legs mischievously. She felt him growing hard again.

  “Funny,” he said. “But you know what I meant.”

  She released him. For the moment. “I do. And you’re wrong. I’ll accept you no matter what, just like you did me. I was afraid no man would ever want me again after what I had become. Well, turns out I was right. Because a dragon wants me, not a man. And honestly, I dream of the day I can ride upon your back and soar above the clouds with you. I want to race my lioness through the forest, shaded from the sun by your gorgeous wings. I want to look up in the sky as you come in for a landing, and watch as the sun glitters off your beautiful scales. I want you, my dear dragon, in all your shapes and forms.”

  “You say that now,” Jett told her. “But you have no idea what it is I’ll become.”

  “Sure I do,” Ariel said. “I’ve seen your dragon friends soaring across the skies in that valley, what was it called? The Hooded Valley or something?”

  “The Hooded Dale,” Jett said. “And I guess you’re right. I’m not all that different. Bigger, though. And the design of my scales is unique among my people. Like my tattoos.”

  She gripped the molten hot shaft between his legs and Jett shuddered. “I’ll bet you are bigger. Maybe you should let me feel those scales again. I know it’s only been a few minutes, but I’m afraid I need reminding. I’ve been a very naughty lion.”

  Jett growled and flung himself on top of her. “We’ll have to remedy that.”

  “Yes please,” Ariel said.

  Jett momentarily retreated from the bedroom; he returned with another packet and ripped it open.

  “I hope you have a lot of those,” Ariel said.

  “Tons,” he said.

  Ariel moaned as he plunged himself to the hilt inside of her.

  20

  With his sat-phone, Jett secretly kept in touch with Flame and Brazen, whom he pulled back from their search of the forest and assigned to keep covert watch on the outer perimeters of the camp. If any Orion attack came, he would be the first to know.

  But no hunters came.

  He was lulled into a sense of complacency, and the days passed idly for Jett in the Blue Hurricane camp. Blissfully. Those were some of the best days of his life.

  He watched from the sidelines as Cliff and the others taught Ariel the ways of the lions, and he learned many things he didn’t know about the shifters. For example, they were instinctively afraid of expanding objects. The best way to spook a young lion—in human or shifter form—was by opening an umbrella near him. Finn theorized it was a genetic memory related to porcupines, a defensive instinct meant to prevent the lion from receiving a face full of quills.

  Lion shifters had to learn to control their instincts and to operate from a place of intellect, becoming more than mere animals. Giving in to instincts was a temptation many lions faced, because by doing so they were able to hunt and track with ease; unfortunately, it was also the best way to lose control of their inner beast. Hence, desensitizing Ariel to her instincts was the first step in restoring dominance over her animal.

  One lesson involved placing Ariel in the center of a circle of pride members. Around her, those members would open umbrellas in turn, spooking her into running. It took many days, but eventually Ariel—both in human and lion form—was able to sit calmly in the circle even though umbrellas were opening and closing all around her.

  Sometimes, Ariel’s training got more physical, and she would wrestle with other lions. Jett often had to bite down on his temper during such training, as he hated anyone touching her. Sometimes they would hurt her, and it was all he could do from charging into the fray and kicking in heads, but his anger usually alleviated when she wounded her opponents right back, often causing twice as much damage.

  During some of the more aggressive matches, Jett noticed Cliff studying him closely. The Alpha was testing Jett, no doubt. Looking to see how the dragon king would react. But Jett refused to give Cliff a reason to kick him out of the pride. At least not before Ariel had her beast under control.

  Jett occasionally went into the woods with the two prides to observe them in action during one of their nightly hunts. Ariel had begun joining them, and Jett watched in satisfaction as she readily pulled her weight. She was a fast learner, and quickly grasped the dynamics of hunting. There were two groups in any hunt: the beaters and the attackers; the former would flush the game animals to the latter, who waited in ambush. These tactics bore the mark of human intellect, and there was only a small amount of instinct involved. So when Ariel was able to switch between roles with ease, it pleased Jett immensely.

  She’s getting the hang of this.

  Still, sometimes she reverted. One time Ariel killed a small boar while on the hunt, and she carried it straight back to Jett, dropping the animal at his feet like a cat might gift a mouse to its master. While somewhat cute, it meant instinct had taken over. Even so, overall she was making great progress.

  One night after a seriously hot session, Jett cuddled with Ariel as he always did. He twirled her sweet-smelling hair around a finger, and rubbed the strands under his nose. Bit the silky tresses. Nibbled at her ear. Meanwhile, she traced patterns over his forearm tattoos.

  “I like it here,” Ariel said. “These people were cold at first, but now that they’ve opened up, they’ve become like family to me. And you. Don’t even get me started on you.”

  “I didn’t say anything,” Jett said defensively. He ran a finger up the inside of her thigh.

  She shivered underneath him. “You didn’t have to. Your touch, your very presence is… enthralling. I almost wish you could use your compulsion on me. And literally command me to have the greatest orgasm of my life.”

  “I don’t need compulsion,” Jett said. “I can command you to have the greatest orgasms of your life by touch alone.”

  His finger edged onto her hip, and he steered it across her abdomen, circling it around her belly button.

  “It’s a good thing you’ve already satisfied me so many times already tonight,” Ariel said. “Otherwise I’d be eating out of your hand right now. Begging you to take me.”

  “Who’s to say I won’t have you begging shortly?” Jett said.

  She snuggled into his chest. “Ah, my dragon. My big, big dragon. You’re mine.”

  “And you’re mine,” Jett said.

  She was quiet for several moments. Jett listened contentedly to her relaxed breathing, and the beating of her precious heart. She had that fluttering sound in her throat that told him she was purring. There was just something about that sound, especially after wild sex, that just calmed the hell out of him. She was… amazing.

  He concentrated on everything that was her. The feel of her breath on his chest. The wet, hot press of her side against his ribs. The pleasant weight of her head and arm on his pectorals. Her sensual smell. Her arousing figure. She was the full package, a woman fit for a king. That she was a shifter was only a bonus. Was he really going to give her up for a lonely life spent squatti
ng on a throne, surrounded by sycophants and admirers who pretended to be his friend, hoarding riches whose intrinsic value meant nothing to him compared to the richness that was her?

  She seemed to sense where his thoughts were heading, because she asked: “What’s going to happen to you if the dragons ever find out you’ve broken your First Rule?”

  “I’ll be stripped of my title and my lands,” Jett said. “Banished.”

  He was about to tell her that might be a good thing, but the words seemed to pain her. She closed her eyes, hugged him tight. “I don’t want this to ever end. You. Me. This.”

  “It doesn’t have to,” Jett said.

  “Doesn’t it?” she said. “I could never ask you to give up your people. Never. And you wouldn’t want to, I’m sure. So eventually you’ll return to your kingdom and leave me here. And we already talked about how I can’t come with you.”

  “Maybe I’ll stay, then,” Jett said.

  “The Alpha will never let you,” Ariel said. “Cliff did say this was a temporary arrangement.”

  “Then we’ll move to the city,” Jett said. “Your beast is almost under control.”

  She smiled sadly. “Let’s talk about something else.”

  She must have been getting really attached to these lions. Jett had to wonder, would she really choose them over him? Well, he’d just have to make it work, whatever she chose. But for now he’d change the subject like she wanted.

  The problem was, he didn’t know what to change it to. So he simply lay back and remained quiet, absorbing everything about her like he had been doing moments before.

  “I know we’re using condoms now,” Ariel said. “But I’m wondering… do I have to worry about getting pregnant at some point? You hinted before that if we have a kid, he or she could be a monster?”

  “No, not a monster,” Jett said. “If we do have a child, the babe will be a hybrid, neither lion nor dragon, but something in between, with attributes of both. It’s possible he or she won’t have the ability to shift at all, but might have strong affinities to Fire and Earth, priming the child for the witchhood. If our kid can shift, we’ll see features of both of us in the transformation. He might become a lion with dragon wings, for example. Or a wingless dragon with a lion’s mane.”