Forgiving the Dragon (Dragon Forged Book 4)

by Rinelle Grey

  And he certainly couldn’t imagine letting another man, human or dragon, touch her, let alone mate with her.

  Chapter 9

  Rita groaned in delight as Warrian thrust into her, filling her completely. She didn’t even care if anyone heard them at this stage, just so long as they didn’t interrupt. She’d had enough of interruptions. They’d been so close so many times. This time, she wasn’t going to let anyone or anything stop them.

  Luckily, nobody tried. The entire lair slept on. The only sounds in the room were Rita and Warrian’s moans of desire.

  Rita quietly urged Warrian on by twisting her legs around his waist, tucking her feet against his butt, and pulling him as close as she could. Her hands tangled in his hair, and she kissed every part of his face she could reach.

  “Rita.” He moaned her name into her mind, the sound so intimate and close it intensified the ache that permeated her body. Rita wished she could reply in kind, but no amount of thinking Warrian’s name made it so. Instead she used her hands and tongue to show him how much she was enjoying being close to him. From his sexy moans in her head, she was pretty sure he got the picture.

  As Rita tangled her hands in Warrian’s hair and pulled him close, kissing him passionately, his thrusts grew more desperate. His building urgency triggered a similar urgency in her, and Rita clung to him, carried away on his tide of passion. Her need built until it overflowed in the most intense orgasm she’d ever experienced, as Warrian thrust deeply into her. His passion must have overcome his willpower, because this time he moaned her name out loud as he came.

  Rita froze, half expecting a Trima dragon to burst into the room in response to Warrian’s passionate cry, but there was no sound of movement outside.

  And even if there was, at least they hadn’t been interrupted before they could finish.

  Finish.

  That’s when it hit her. The Mesmer ritual was done. Her tie to Warrian was gone.

  Her heart froze. Was this it? Warrian had admitted his love for her earlier, but he certainly hadn’t been making any promises of forever. He hadn’t even made any promises of tomorrow.

  One could say planning was pointless at the moment, when neither of them had any control of anything, but Rita wasn’t fooled. Warrian could have talked of hopes and dreams, even if he couldn’t guarantee them. She would have understood. But he hadn’t. He’d talked of passion, desire, even love. But nothing more.

  He hadn’t even suggested love as the reason for their mating, only that the completion of the Mesmer ritual would increase their chances of escape.

  Which was exactly what they needed to be focusing on right now. Not knowing what Ultrima’s plans were, it made sense for them to focus on escaping. Rita pushed any thoughts of love and commitment out of her mind. It was better that way. Less chance of getting hurt.

  “So, did it work?” she asked.

  Warrian gave a triumphant grin. “Yes.” He flexed his fingers, and they grew dark grey metal scales and sprouted claws. His eyes narrowed into dragon eyes. “Unfortunately there isn’t enough room in here to transform and show you my true form or I would.”

  That would be a sight to see. One she hoped to see one day. But that wasn’t the focus right now. “So what’s the plan then?”

  Warrian considered her for a moment, his eyes whirling. “Better to leave under the cover of darkness. The more Trima dragons that are asleep, the better our chances of sneaking past them.”

  “Is there really any hope of that?” Rita’s words were frank. Warrian might be talking of them both escaping, but she suspected he really meant her. That had been what he’d been planning when they’d tried previously, and she suspected his goal hadn’t changed any.

  Warrian didn’t deny it. “There’s only one way to find out,” he said. “Unfortunately, as a metal dragon, my powers of concealment are limited. Metal is perfect for fighting and protection, not so good for sneaking.”

  Yeah, metal wasn’t really a subtle material. Kinda like Warrian. Rita grinned at that, and then grew sober. “Fighting our way out of here isn’t going to work.”

  Warrian didn’t deny that either. He seemed all too aware of it. “Especially not when metal conducts electricity so easily, no,” he agreed.

  That gave Rita an idea. “How about if you could conduct their electricity away from us?” she suggested.

  Warrian’s eyes widened slightly. “That... might just work,” he said thoughtfully. “Or... even better, I wonder if I could conduct their electricity back on themselves.” He chuckled out loud. “Which is kind of like a prank Ultrima and I played on one of the elders when we were teens. Kinda karmic, if you think about it.”

  The idea of Warrian and Ultrima playing a prank together boggled the mind. It showed a side of Warrian Rita had never even guessed existed. Not to mention a side of Ultrima. “Whatever you reckon,” she said. “Can you do it?”

  Warrian nodded. “I can, but I’ll need some metal.”

  That one was a bit harder. “How much?”

  “Not a lot,” Warrian said consideringly. “I’d need the conductive wire to be very thin, to make it harder for Ultrima to detect. Even a bit the size of your thumb would do.”

  Such a small amount of metal, but they’d left the house in such a hurry Rita hadn’t even brought her phone. She did have her wallet, but she’d dumped all her coins in her savings jar before all this started. She heaved a sigh. “A great plan, but without metal, it’s pretty useless.”

  She fumbled about on the sand, looking for her clothes. If those Trima dragons came to find out what she and Warrian were whispering about, she might as well be decent. She found her jeans, and as she pulled them on, it hit her. “There’s metal in the buttons,” she whispered triumphantly.

  Warrian reached out to feel, his hands bumping against her lower stomach.

  Rita tensed, waiting for the spark of desire she’d come to expect, then told herself that was silly. The Mesmer bond was gone. She couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. Now that she wasn’t stuck with it, she almost missed it.

  But Warrian’s touch sent heat flashing through her anyway.

  Rita looked up, and her eyes met his in the darkness. His eyes glowed a deep grey in the darkness, and they looked as shocked as hers. “The Mesmer ritual is complete, isn’t it?” she asked in confusion.

  Warrian’s nod confirmed it. “It is.”

  “So why am I still feeling like I want to jump you?” Rita asked. As soon as the words were out of her mouth and she realised how they sounded, she clamped her lips shut. But it was too late.

  Warrian’s warm chuckle filled the darkness. “As I’ve been suspecting for a long time, the Mesmer bond wasn’t responsible for much of what we were feeling at all.” This time he didn’t bother to use his dragon speech, he spoke out loud. But that wasn’t what hit Rita most.

  We. He had said we. Meaning he was feeling the same surge of desire she was.

  Meaning he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

  Warrian’s hand caressed her bare belly. “I wonder...” he mused. Then before she could ask what he was wondering, he leaned in and kissed her deeply.

  Rita felt his kiss all the way to her core. The feeling swirled around, touching every part of her in a way even the Mesmer bond never had. Because this was different. This was real.

  “We definitely have to explore this further,” Warrian said softly. Then his voice turned businesslike in her head. “But after we escape.”

  Rita nodded. “After,” she agreed.

  It was enough. It might not be promises of forever, but she wouldn’t have believed those if he’d given them. Exploring this feeling between them was exactly what she wanted… Once they were free.

  Warrian plucked at the button at her waist, but Rita quickly directed him to the entirely decorative buttons on her back pockets. “My pants falling down might distract Ultrima, but it will make it a little hard to run if we need to,” she quipped.

  “I will
not allow Ultrima to be distracted by your nakedness,” Warrian growled. He pulled her close and kissed her again, his lips as hot as if they were branding her.

  She probably should have an issue with his possessiveness, but Rita couldn’t help but feel a thrill of happiness that he felt jealous. That was a good sign, wasn’t it? But she smiled into the darkness and let herself shamelessly enjoy him running his fingers across her butt as he pulled the buttons off.

  The small pieces of metal glowed red as Warrian worked them, elongating into an impossibly thin strand of metal that disappeared completely once it was cool.

  “We’re as ready as we’re going to be,” Warrian said.

  Rita nodded resolutely. “Let’s do this.”

  As if the dragons outside had somehow guessed at their plan, there was a shout from the room outside, then shuffles of movement, and a light flared.

  “There goes the element of surprise,” Warrian muttered into her head, stuffing the strand of metal behind his back.

  But to Rita’s surprise, no dragons entered the room where she and Warrian were trapped. The sounds moved in the other direction, away from them.

  Leaving their way out unguarded.

  Chapter 10

  Warrian took Rita’s hand and pulled her behind him as he peered around the hide covering the door and stared out into the empty hallway. He’d been sure the Trima dragons had heard this plan and had been coming to prevent their escape. Why had they just disappeared?

  Was it a trap?

  It had to be.

  Then again, the Trima lair was surrounded by human police. Maybe something was happening outside?

  Maybe the humans had finally realised making peace with Trima clan was pointless.

  Warrian scowled. He’d tried to make peace with Ultrima and even with Latrima, but the lightning dragons had rejected him. No matter how bad he felt about messing up things between Ultrima and Sarian, there was only so much he could do to fix it. He refused to feel sympathy for any trouble the humans caused, especially not if it helped him and Rita escape.

  “Come on, this distraction could be our best chance,” he said into Rita’s head. Then he pulled her out into the passageway, stopping every few steps to listen for movement.

  But when they reached the cavern, it was empty.

  For the first time since he’d realised Hailey was taking them to Ultrima’s lair, Warrian felt a sliver of real hope. If the Trima dragons were distracted, maybe there was a possibility he and Rita would actually be able to escape. His heart warmed at the idea, and it had as much to do with wanting to be with Rita as with the hope of escape. He was looking forward to exploring the strange Mesmer like intensity to their interactions.

  He forced that thought from his mind. He couldn’t afford to let his feelings distract him. Not now. He couldn’t trust their escape would be that easy or he could miss a trap.

  Sure enough, as they walked down the next passageway, Warrian’s sharp dragon hearing picked up voices. “Dragons ahead,” he told Rita. “Wait here while I check it out.”

  He wasn’t surprised or disappointed when Rita completely ignored his suggestion and stuck close to his side.

  Warrian peered into the main room of the lair, the room they had to pass through to escape, now abuzz with dragons. Ultrima stood in the centre of the cave in human form, surrounded by several dragon warriors, his life dragon at his right hand.

  Warrian grasped the thin wire he’d prepared. It was time. They had no hope of slipping through this room undetected.

  He turned back to Rita and reached out to clasp her face and turn it up towards his. “When they attack me, you need to run. Their attention will be on me. They won’t see you as a threat. You need to at least make it outside to the humans.”

  Maybe, just maybe, Rita could convince them to help him. But it all hinged on her. “I need you to listen to me this time,” he said solemnly. “You need to promise me that you’ll run and not look back.” He waited for a second before realising she couldn’t answer him back. For a moment there, he’d forgotten she wasn’t a dragon. “Nod if you agree.”

  Rita stared at him for a long moment, her expression mulish, her jaw jutting out, and her eyes sparking. If the Trima dragon’s in the next room hadn’t commanded their silence, he was sure she would have argued. But he wouldn’t accept any argument this time. “I know you want to help me, but this is the best way for you to do it, I can assure you.”

  He could see her reluctant acceptance in her eyes. She nodded, only once, but it was a nod.

  It would have to do.

  Warrian lowered his head to hers and risked the seconds it took to kiss her thoroughly, letting the heat from her lips flow through him like fire melting his veins, the promise of their possible tomorrows filling him with power.

  He shouldn’t feel like he was drawing power from her anymore, not now that the Mesmer ritual was complete. The feeling was entirely imaginary. But Warrian didn’t care. He’d take any advantage he could get right now.

  Then he pulled back and tucked Rita against the wall of the tunnel before taking a deep breath and stepping into the room. “Ultrima,” he said, his voice loud. “I’m tired of waiting on your pleasure. It’s time for us to have this out, right now.”

  All sound in the room ceased immediately, and all eyes turned to him. Good, that meant they weren’t on Rita.

  “You’re tired of waiting?” Ultrima raised an eyebrow arrogantly. “I’ve been waiting three hundred years, boy. Your two days is barely a blink of the eye.”

  Ultrima’s eyes flicked to Warrian’s left, where Rita hid. Warrian couldn’t help glancing up, sure she had stepped out of the shadows against his orders, ignoring her promise. But there was no sign of her.

  “I don’t need to see your girlfriend to know she’s there.” Ultrima sounded amused. “Even if I didn’t have a life dragon to tell me all I needed to know, she’s never far from your side. Come out, Rita, there’s no point in hiding.”

  Rita stepped out of the tunnel, her fists clenched at her sides. “Why won’t you just leave us alone?” she demanded, her eyes fiery. “Warrian has apologised to you. He even offered you a place in his clan. What more do you want?”

  Ultrima raised an eyebrow. “You would defend him, even though you know what he has done?”

  Warrian winced. Ultrima had a point. Why should Rita defend him after everything he’d done? She had no reason to. Just as she’d had no reason to sleep with him and complete the Mesmer bond. Yet she had.

  And she did the same now. “Yeah, Warrian made some mistakes, but haven’t we all? I mean, he might have lied about you, but then you went and declared war on his clan for three hundred years. I think maybe we could call it even and move on to finding a solution, don’t you? Which brings me back to what do you want?”

  Ultrima’s eyes darkened as though stormy clouds had passed in front of them. “I want my life back,” he said firmly. “I want to mate the woman I love. Just like any dragon does. You must know what I mean, don’t you, Rita? Dragons aren’t so different from humans, isn’t that what you said?”

  Warrian glanced over to Rita, confused, only to find her eyes wide. “I...” she looked over to Warrian. “I wrote that in my article. But it’s at home on my computer. Ultrima shouldn’t have seen it. Unless you’ve broken into my house?” She turned to Ultrima angrily.

  He held up his hands in defence. “I haven’t been anywhere near your house. I read that in the paper.” He held out his hand to another dragon, who handed him a bundle of papers, which he threw at Rita’s feet.

  Rita stared at Warrian, then bent and picked it up, her face going pale. “I have no idea how that ended up published.”

  Warrian held out his hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, she handed the paper over. Warrian stared at the front page. The big headline, “Dragon’s Battle for Love”, was hard to miss. Warrian skimmed the article, then found himself being drawn in. Was that really how Rita saw him? As a romantic figur
e who was fighting for what he believed was right? His heart warmed at the thought. She’d written this before they’d sorted things out, meaning she’d thought it for a while.

  Of course, she painted Ultrima in the same light, so maybe he shouldn’t take it too seriously.

  Rita was staring at him, her expression anxious, so he gave her a smile. “My brother, Verrian, would be impressed by your writing skill. I believe your article does dragons great justice.”

  Despite the fact that they were still stuck in Ultrima’s lair, Rita smiled as though he’d just given her a big gift.

  Ultrima’s eyes whirled as he looked at the two of them. “So, how much are you prepared to concede? Is there any way both of us can get what we want?” He glanced over at Rita. “Your article indicated you thought it was possible.”

  Every trace of arrogance and sarcasm was gone from the Trima leader’s tone. He seemed genuinely interested. He honestly seemed to want to find a compromise.

  If only Warrian could think of one.

  “I can’t promise you Sarian will talk to you,” he said softly. He gave a wry grin. “My sister always did have a mind of her own.”

  A shadow passed in front of Ultrima’s face. “She has already indicated she is uninterested in talking to me. You have already turned her against me. You need to fix this.”

  “I don’t think it was Warrian who did that,” Rita interjected. “I mean, you started a war with her clan, killed dragons she’s responsible for. How did you expect her to react?”

  To Warrian’s surprise, Ultrima’s face took on a mulish look. “What else could I do? I love her. Did she expect me not to fight for her? Did she truly want me to roll over and give up?”

  “We can’t answer that,” Warrian pointed out. “Only Sarian can. But if you let us return to my clan, I can talk to her.”

  For a moment, Ultrima considered his words, and Warrian held his breath. But then he shook his head. “It’s not enough. I need you to admit the truth to your entire clan. Maybe then they can see what I have endured. They will know my cause was right and just. And if they can forgive me, maybe Sarian can.”