by Rinelle Grey
But was it enough for her to ever consider mating him? Rita had never met the future Rian queen, only seen her on a video, so she couldn’t even begin to guess. She looked over at Warrian questioningly. If anyone could know, he could.
He didn’t look certain either. “Once Sarian has made up her mind, she rarely changes it,” he warned.
Latrima gave a ghost of a smile. “I’m not surprised. Somewhat like Ultrima I can imagine?” she asked dryly.
She must have hit the mark, because Warrian actually laughed. “They do share that similarity, yes,” he agreed. Then his expression grew more serious. “I take it you have something in mind?”
Latrima hesitated. Then she looked from Rita to Warrian, her expression curious. “The two of you had much to overcome before you were ready to declare your love, no?”
That was an understatement. Rita nodded, wondering where Latrima was going with this.
Warrian nodded too, and reached out to take Rita’s hand. “I never expected Rita could forgive me, but she did.”
Latrima’s eyes bored into him. “And what exactly made her change her mind?”
Rita watched Warrian, curious what he would say to that.
He looked over at her, then smiled. “It must have been Rita’s amazing capacity for forgiveness. Or perhaps it was her understanding that we all make mistakes. It’s what we do afterwards that matters.”
Rita couldn’t help smiling back at him. “I knew you had it in you.”
As she stared into Warrian’s eyes, she almost forgot Latrima was even there. Until the life dragon said snarkily, “I wasn’t talking about that. Would you have ever talked or sorted this out if you hadn’t been forced together?”
Her question was enough to catch Rita’s interest. She looked over at Latrima, trying to figure out where she was going with this.
“I might not have even tried,” Warrian answered honestly. He threw Rita a guilty look. “I was so focused on what mattered for my clan, I couldn’t even consider the things that were important for myself.”
They had come incredibly close to never sorting this out. Rita could almost feel grateful to Ultrima for throwing them together…
Her eyes narrowed, and she stared at Latrima accusingly. “He did it deliberately, didn’t he?” she blurted out. “The reason Ultrima wouldn’t let us go, even when Warrian apologised, was because he wanted us to admit how we felt about each other.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt silly. Why on earth would Ultrima care if she and Warrian confessed their feelings, much less scheme to achieve it? It made no sense. And yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling it was true.
A truth confirmed by a nod of Latrima’s head. “He did. As he’s done the same for several more of Warrian’s brothers and sisters.” She held up her fingers and ticked them off. “He agreed to leave Rian clan in peace if Taurian and Karla mated. He forced Verrian and Lisa apart so they could realise the strength of their feelings for each other.” She looked over at them and shrugged. “The others seemed to work things out on their own.”
And now he’d done the same thing for Rita and Warrian. The feeling of gratitude in Rita’s heart was so foreign it stung, but she couldn’t entirely deny it.
And neither could Warrian from the frown on his face. “Even if that is so, I’m not sure what we can do to change things? It’s not as if we can do the same thing for him and Sarian.” He gave a wry laugh. “Or at least, Rita and I certainly don’t have the power to.” He looked at Latrima shrewdly. “You might though.”
Latrima looked outraged. “Are you suggesting I would use my life dragon magic to influence Ultrima? As if I’d do something like that.”
“You didn’t think twice about using it on the police to stop them from helping Warrian and me,” Rita pointed out before she could stop herself. It probably wasn’t the best plan to irritate the enemy life dragon, but she couldn’t help it. Her honesty did get her in trouble sometimes.
This time was no exception. The look Latrima shot her was pure irritation. Rita had hit a sore spot. “That was different. I was doing it for your own good.”
Rita knew she should stop there, while the life dragon hadn’t bitten her head off. But she couldn’t make herself. “This would be for Ultrima’s own good,” she argued.
Warrian put a hand on her arm and looked at Latrima. “You know Rian clan would never ask you to use your life dragon magic without someone’s knowledge or consent, don’t you?” Into Rita’s head he added, “Let it go.”
It took all her willpower, but Rita didn’t antagonise Latrima any further. She just watched instead.
For a moment, it looked like Latrima was arguing with herself internally, but then she nodded, was that gratefully? “I have heard Rian clan has strict rules for the use of life dragon magic. I used to think that would be miserable, someone else limiting my power, but… I’m beginning to see the logic.”
Rita was pretty sure that was a win for Rian clan. “How do we help Ultrima and Sarian without using life dragon magic to influence them then?” she asked.
Everyone in the room fell silent.
There was no easy way out of this, no obvious answer.
“I would have far more chance finding out what our options were if I could speak to my sister,” Warrian suggested. “Perhaps all is not as hopeless as it appears. I could certainly do more back with my clan than I could here in this cave. I’m sure we could escape if you’d just help us…”
It was a logical assumption. Surely it would find favour with Latrima.
But the life dragon only scowled. “You certainly didn’t help last time, did you? In fact, you created this mess. No, I think you can do far less damage here. I’m certainly not risking my neck helping you.”
And with that, Latrima strode out of the room.
Rita leaned back against the wall. Another chance for escape gone. She’d really thought they had a real chance there. Latrima had seemed so open to the idea. Until she wasn’t. At this rate, it looked like she and Warrian would be stuck here forever.
Perhaps it was time to start considering some alternatives?
Chapter 8
The day was long, and after having their plans thwarted yet again, Warrian could have been feeling hopeless. But he found it impossible to feel despondent in Rita’s presence. Even though she’d seemed lost in thought and not very talkative after Latrima’s visit, he could have spent the whole day just staring at her and never once been disappointed.
Oh dear, he was starting to sound exactly like a newly mated dragon. He’d always abhorred the way they swooned over each other and couldn’t be apart even for a second. And now he was doing the exact same thing. And he didn’t even want to stop himself.
He smiled at the thought.
“What are you thinking about?” Rita sounded irritated, and Warrian might have felt chastised, except it was hard not to feel irritated when you were confined and restricted as they were. The light was fading, and it was growing dark inside the cave. Movement in the room outside was slowing, sounds were quieter and less frequent. Soon the lair would all be asleep.
Well, mostly asleep. Enough dragons would stay awake to make any hope of escape impossible. It didn’t even matter that Ultrima’s life dragon was sympathetic to their plight if she wasn’t willing to use her magic to help them escape. It was all very well to believe Ultrima and Sarian could sort things out, but Warrian didn’t see how he could help his sister from in here in either case. He heaved a sigh. “Just that I have no idea how I’m going to get you out of this.”
Predictably, Rita bristled at that. “I don’t need anyone to rescue me. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“Oh, so you have a plan to get us out of here?” Warrian hoped she did. He’d follow anyone’s suggestion right about now.
Rita paused just long enough that he was pretty sure she did. But all she said was, “I’m working on it.” Her words held her usual determination, but her voice sou
nded tired.
Warrian scooted along the wall until his leg touched hers and risked putting an arm around her shoulders, enjoying the warmth of her presence. “We’ll figure it out somehow.” He hoped his words sounded more certain than he felt.
He couldn’t help feeling like he’d achieved something when Rita leaned her head in against his. “I was sure apologising to Ultrima would work.” Frustration coloured her voice. “That really seemed to be what he wanted. And when that failed, I was sure Latrima was going to help us.”
Warrian shrugged. “Who knows what any of these crazy dragons are aiming for. I think they’re just making it up as they go along.” He’d had enough of talking about Ultrima and his rebel dragon clan. He had other things on his mind. His desire for Rita blotted out all else.
Maybe now that it was dark and most of the Trima dragons were asleep, Rita might feel less exposed. He put his hand on her leg, gently rubbing his thumb up and down through her clothes. Just her proximity was making him wild.
Her breathing hitched, and her scent grew musky, indicating she was as tempted as he was. But that didn’t stop her talking, nutting away at the bigger problem. “Maybe Latrima told him you weren’t genuine in your apology. Were you honestly feeling sorry for what you’d done?” Rita stared at him, her determined expression back. She didn’t seem upset at the possibility, more like she wanted to know.
Warrian couldn’t help smiling at her attitude. “It was a completely genuine apology,” he assured her. “You know, it’s entirely possible Ultrima doesn’t have a reason for not accepting it. While he may have been my friend once, that was three hundred years ago. Living that long, however he’d managed to do it, is bound to send one a bit crazy.” He smiled at that last bit, hoping she’d realise it was at least partly a joke.
But she didn’t really seem to be paying a lot of attention. Her mind was elsewhere. “He’s after something more,” she mused. “Something bigger than an apology.”
Warrian sighed, and let his hand fall from her thigh. Clearly her mind was in a different place than his. “What do you think he’s after?”
Rita chewed the edge of her fingernail. “Latrima said he’d been helping your brothers and sisters fall in love. Why would he do that? It doesn’t make any sense to help people you’re at war with, does it?” She frowned. “And don’t spout that nonsense about love making them weaker again, because I know you don’t really believe it.”
Her angry, determined expression was so cute. What Warrian really wanted to do was to kiss her until she forgot all about war and was completely focused on something else. But that would be disrespectful. He heaved a sigh. “I don’t know why he’s doing it, unless he’s after our sympathy for his separation from Sarian.”
The more he thought about it, the more Warrian realised that was the only possibility that made sense. Rita was nodding as though she thought the same thing.
“Right, so what does that mean for us? When he refused to let us go after your apology, he asked about us admitting our feelings for each other. We didn’t see what relevance that had at the time, but maybe he felt we wouldn’t really help him until we understood what he’d gone through.”
Rita’s words made perfect sense. “So what do we do then?” Warrian asked. “Do you think Ultrima will let us go if we’ve admitted our love and mated?” He wasn’t averse to the idea in principle, but his heart rankled at the thought of mating Rita on Ultrima’s command.
Rita looked equally offended. “I don’t care if he would. That dragon has already played with my life enough. I’m not going to let him dictate my choices like that.”
Warrian was too relieved that she agreed with him to be upset at what could be called a rejection. “So what are we going to do then?”
Rita’s eyes narrowed and her chin jutted out in what Warrian was fast coming to recognise as her determined look. “We have to find our own way to escape,” she said firmly. “Together. None of this ‘I’ll distract them while you escape’ nonsense. There has to be a way.”
Warrian stared at her for a long moment, his heart melting. He wanted that too, more than anything, but he didn’t see how it was possible. Not that Rita was going to listen to that. But Warrian would make sure she escaped, no matter what he had to do.
Either way, the first step was obvious. And it wasn’t entirely a coincidence it happened to coincide with the one thing he couldn’t stop thinking about. Mating in order to escape on their own was different to mating to concede to Ultrima’s twisted ideas, wasn’t it?
It was their best chance. Warrian took a deep breath and said, “Maybe it’s time to reconsider completing the Mesmer bond. Our chances of escape go up exponentially if I’m at full strength.”
As he’d expected, Rita immediately frowned. “You mean my chances? I told you, we’re escaping together or not at all.”
He somehow didn’t think she’d be convinced by him instructing her to bring his clan back to rescue him, so he didn’t even try. Instead he said, “Both our chances go up if I’m at full strength. Without that power, I can’t protect us if Ultrima attacks.” Frustration laced his voice, and he realised how pushy he sounded. That wasn’t what he’d intended at all.
It was too dark for him to see into Rita’s eyes, to judge her reaction. He hoped she wasn’t mad at him. His voice softened. “I don’t want to push you into this. This is not at all how I want our first mating to be. I want it to be special. But if we’re to have a chance to have any special time, this really is our best option.”
“Shh...” Rita put a finger on his lips and leaned in close to him. “You had me at mate.” Her voice was thick with emotion, and none of it was anger.
His relief at her acceptance clouded everything for a moment. Then the clouds parted, and it hit him that this was really going to happen.
He should be thinking about the success of this plan and about the fact that being at full strength would greatly increase their odds of survival.
Instead, he gave a growl low in his throat and reached out to bring her head towards his. As his lips met hers, days of pent up desire spilled out. He gave a groan of satisfaction. Finally, she would be his, for the night at least. He wouldn’t think beyond that. He couldn’t. Now was all they had, and he refused to waste time.
“Shh...” Rita spoilt her admonition with a giggle. “We don’t want anyone to hear us.”
Warrian kissed her again, effectively silencing her orders, but he did his best to keep quiet. He most certainly didn’t think now was the moment to tell her how keen dragon hearing was. Hopefully, everyone out in the other room would be asleep. Especially that nosy life dragon.
Rita was silent too, but she didn’t need words to show him her enthusiasm for his plan. She pulled him down onto the sand beside her, her hands roaming over his back, then down to cup his buttocks. It took all his willpower not to growl in pleasure. Instead he reciprocated by brushing his fingers across the side of her breast, eliciting a gasp of surprise and delight. Warrian smiled in satisfaction into the darkness. Rita reached around and ran her hands up his hardness, and it was his turn to gasp.
Who knew teasing and trying to remain silent could be so damn sexy?
Luckily, silent for him could be a little chattier. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting to do this?” he said in dragon speech into her mind?
“That’s cheating,” Rita hissed into his ear, then bit it lightly.
“So it is,” Warrian agreed silkily. “I never said cheating was beneath me.”
Rita giggled, then covered her mouth with her hand. Warrian slipped his own hand between her thighs, rubbing up and down the material there. Rita’s giggles turned into a moan, and she slapped him lightly. “That’s not helping,” she whispered.
“I wasn’t trying to help. But here, is this better?” Warrian put his own hand lightly over her mouth, smothering her sounds.
Rita sucked in her breath, all her giggles gone. Her body rubbed up against his, suddenly urge
nt.
Warrian wasn’t going to object. He used his free hand to push up her shirt, and she used her hands to pull down his pants. He nudged between her legs, giving an internal groan at the barrier of her clothes. He would need to release her to remove them, but he didn’t want to move. He was afraid if he paused at all, something would interrupt them, something would stop them from taking this step he’d been dreaming of for so long.
He tugged at her pants with one hand, relieved when she helped him remove them. It was awkward in the darkness, but Warrian didn’t care. Once they were gone, she was his. He rested his weight on top of her, enjoying the feeling of her body under his, and he relaxed the pressure of his hand on her lips. “Do you think you can be quiet now?”
She couldn’t answer, of course. Humans had no ability like dragon speech. But she did nod her head. Warrian removed his hand, then replaced it with his lips. “Just in case.”
Rita’s enthusiastic return kiss showed she approved heartily.
Her hands roamed his back, pulling him closer, urging him on.
Not that he needed any urging. Unable to contain his fear they would be interrupted yet again by a Trima dragon or even just a change of heart, Warrian gently pushed her legs apart and slid into her.
He was the one who couldn’t suppress a groan of pleasure, albeit a quiet one. She felt even better than he’d imagined. Soft, silky, exquisite. And as he slid his full length into her, her return moan welcomed him. Warrian kissed her desperately as he thrust into her, his need and desire building to levels he’d never experienced before.
He couldn’t help wondering, had Ultrima and Sarian ever done this?
He didn’t want this to make any difference to his choices, but he couldn’t deny he could suddenly understand the Trima leader’s motivations in a way he’d never done before.
Because he knew that having had Rita once, he never wanted to let her go.