Izzy’s face softened into a smile. “You already said you were sorry. You don’t have to apologize again, Noah. All that’s in the past now.”
“But I do have to apologize,” he insisted. “You’ve saved a lot of lives in this war. I had no right to criticize you just because you show your bravery in a different way than I do. Will you forgive me, Izzy? Will you give me a fresh chance to show you just how special I think you are?”
Izzy nodded, with moisture glistening in the corners of her eyes. “Of course,” she said. “I’ve already forgiven you.”
Noah bent his head to kiss her lips softly. Then he pulled back to look into her eyes, searching her face to see if there was anything there that would indicate that she was feeling something as strong as he was. He had never fallen like this before, and he felt his chest tightening up with anxiety, like he might die if she wasn’t falling, too.
She met his eyes with an unflinching gaze of her own. “This is crazy,” she whispered.
“I know,” he said. He didn’t have to say what he knew they both were thinking. Crazy or not, tonight they would give themselves to each other. Perhaps they were crazy, but at least they would be happy. And happiness had become so hard to find these days. The war had taken much of the zest out of life. Noah was about to put a little bit of it back.
He put his lips on hers again, this time with force and urgency. He slipped his tongue into her mouth as he slid toward her under the blanket. She was lightly dressed in cotton shorts and a simple white t-shirt, but even that was far too much clothing. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and he wanted to feel the bare skin of his chest against hers.
He told himself to be patient. He’d been waiting his whole life for this moment, it seemed. Surely, he could wait a few minutes more. He closed his eyes and let the sweetness of her kiss overwhelm him. Izzy seemed to melt into him, and he put his hands on the back of her head, running his fingers through her hair while his tongue danced with hers. Everything else faded away. There was only her, here in this moment.
When he couldn’t stand it any longer, he reached to pull her shirt up and over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and he found himself with his mouth right in front of her bare nipple. He seized the opportunity to pull the hard nub into his mouth, chewing and sucking and relishing the taste of her. She arched her back, pressing her chest harder against his mouth. He welcomed the pressure, drinking her in. Between his legs, he was now stiff as a rod. His erection poked against the fabric of his pants, searching for a way out, and a way into her.
After several minutes of teasing Izzy’s breasts, Noah pulled himself up and threw the blanket back, intending to pull off the rest of Izzy’s clothes as well as his own. He quickly kicked out of his pants, and made quick work of pulling off Izzy’s shorts and underwear. Finally, they were both naked. Noah felt jolts of electricity every time his skin brushed against Izzy’s. He felt a deep, primal hunger overtaking him. His erection was throbbing now, and he knew he couldn’t hold back much longer. He pushed Izzy onto her back, and moved to hover over her.
Then, he stopped short at what he saw, feeling as though he’d been punched in the gut. He looked down at Izzy, and felt as though his heart might break for her. There, cutting across her perfect stomach, were at least a dozen long silvery-white scars. The lines were long, stretching completely from ribcage to hip and back again. The lines made Xs and other tangled marks, like pathways to nowhere. Noah felt anger burning in his heart as the full realization of what he was seeing hit him. Izzy must have mistaken his expression as some sort of judgment on the way she looked, because her cheeks flushed red and she reached to pull the blanket over her stomach.
“I know it looks awful,” she said, her voice thick with tears. “I don’t think I’ll ever wear a bikini again.”
With strong, forceful hands, Noah pulled the blanket away. “It doesn’t look awful,” he said, in a tone that said he would not let her argue. “You. are. perfect.”
He emphasized each word, looking deep into her eyes so that she would know that he damn well meant what he was saying. The tears that had been threatening her eyes did spill over then, leaving two wet trails down the sides of her face before disappearing into her hair. She took a deep breath, and shuddered. He could tell she was fighting hard to regain control of her emotions—and losing.
“Listen to me, Izzy. You are so brave. I never should have told you otherwise. And that bastard Saul might have been able to torture you and scar your body, but he can never take away from you the fact that you’ve fought for the side of good, and saved lives. You’re beautiful, and perfect. I mean that. And I swear to you, if it’s the last thing I do, I will kill Saul for how he hurt you. Not just for the physical scars, but for the emotional ones, too. As long as there is breath left in my body, I will fight to avenge you, and to protect you.”
Noah could feel himself shaking with rage. He couldn’t believe that anyone could have hurt Izzy like this. She deserved so much better. He’d had a bit of a rough start in his relationship with her, but he determined in that moment that, if she would let him, he would spend the rest of his life showing her how well she deserved to be treated.
Tenderly, he bent his head down to kiss her scars. He covered each scar with a trail of kisses, pressing on even when he felt her body shaking with tears.
“It’s alright, Baby,” he said. “You’re safe with me. I’ll take care of you. You’re beautiful, and perfect, and I’ll never let anyone treat you as less than the princess you are.”
Noah had never called anyone Baby before, let alone princess. But he’d also never felt desire this strong. He gave in fully to the emotion. Why would he have wanted to fight this feeling, anyway? It was the most wonderful, intoxicating feeling he’d ever had. He had a sneaking suspicion that it was, indeed, love.
“I feel so small,” Izzy choked out, her voice hardly more than a whisper. “I used to feel like I was an expert at what I did, and in control of my life. Now, I feel lost, and like I don’t fit anywhere. Falcon Cross has never felt like home, and, as hard as I try, it’s true that I’m not a very good soldier. I want you so badly, Noah, but I’m terrified that you’re going to realize that I’m not good enough for you.”
Noah slid up so that his face was right above Izzy’s. “You’re too good for me. And it isn’t true that you don’t fit anywhere. You fit with me. You’re braver than you know. You’re better than anyone has given you credit for being. Even I judged you too harshly, but I won’t make that mistake again. If you want a home, then stay with me. I’ll be your home. Your anchor. Your safe space.”
Noah could hardly believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. He’d never been good at the whole romance thing, so it surprised him that such sweet, romantic words came so easily when he was talking to Izzy. Maybe he’d just never found the right person before. Now that he had, it was easy to give her his whole heart. He wasn’t trying to come up with something swoon-worthy to say. He was merely giving voice to the deep emotions that filled him. He’d never thought of romance as a very manly thing, but he was surprised to find that he’d never felt like more of a man than he did in that moment. He figured that he might as well keep talking, as long as his heart was still giving him the right words to say.
“Izzy,” he whispered to her, his whole body tense as it hovered right above hers. “I want to make love to you.”
He watched her eyes as they found his once again. And then, she smiled, and he knew that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. Without another word between them, he slid into her.
He groaned as her warm wetness enveloped him. Her inner walls were tight on his erection, and he loved how wet she was for him. Her heat felt like heaven on his dick, and he felt the pressure between his legs instantly ratcheting up to a nearly unbearable level. He forced himself to hold back, though. He must be patient, and pleasure her first. Although, damn, was it going to be hard to do that. He felt like he would explode if he moved even one centi
meter against her perfect heat.
Before he could overthink things too much, instinct took over. He thrust himself deeper into her, squeezing his eyes closed in concentration to keep the fire within him from bursting forth. He rocked his hips against hers, thrusting in and out and listening to the sweet, sweet sounds of her moans as he brought her to the very edge of ecstasy. Her breathing grew rapid and labored as he continued to push deeper and deeper into her. His whole body burned and tingled with the effort of holding back his own release, but he refused to give in until he knew she was coming with him.
She didn’t make him wait long. After less than a minute of that delicious, tortuous pressure, she suddenly gasped and cried out his name. In the next instant, he felt her inner muscles clamping down hard around him. After that he could not have held back even if he’d wanted to. Her spasms drew him in, causing his own body to give in, pulsing and spasming into her. Fire rushed through his veins, starting from his extremities and running like hot lava through his bloodstream. The heat centered between his legs and came bursting out of him as he came into her, giving himself fully over to her.
The room was still only lit by the silvery moonlight, and yet everything appeared to Noah like it was drenched in full color. The air around him sparked, and he trembled as he finally collapsed against Izzy’s body. The sweat that glistened on both of their bodies intermingled, and he could feel her pounding heart beating against his chest in the same way that his heart beat against hers. Noah had been through a lot of highs and lows in his life, and had felt plenty of adrenaline rushes before. But he had never felt quite this alive. He pulled his head up to look at her, brushing back a strand of hair that was plastered across her sweaty forehead.
“This is crazy,” he whispered, unable to find any other words to describe how he felt.
“It is,” she whispered back. “The best kind of crazy.”
Noah wasn’t going to argue with that.
Chapter Eight
The next time Noah opened his eyes, the dark, black velvet of the night sky had given way to the soft gray of dawn. The first thought that crossed his mind was Izzy. He looked over at her and smiled. She slept peacefully, on her stomach with one arm draping off the side of the bed. Slowly, Noah sat up, peering out the window at the deep green of the treetops, thinking how beautiful the color looked against the early morning sky.
And then, his eyes widened and he bolted out of bed.
“Izzy!” he yelped, already reaching to pull on his pants from the day before, which he’d carelessly thrown onto the floor. “They’re here.”
Izzy groaned and rolled over, clearly unhappy at the idea of leaving sleep behind. Noah went over and shook her by the shoulders.
“Wake up, Izzy! The wizards are here.”
This time, his words seemed to register with Izzy. She sat straight up and swung her head to look out the window. Noah looked out as well. In the distance, hundreds of black dots were approaching through the sky. The wizards were flying at top speed, not bothering with invisibility shields. He knew they were from Falcon Cross because, even from this distance, he could see the giant Falcon Cross military banner they were carrying, rippling behind one of the wizards on the front lines.
“Shit,” Izzy said. “I need to get dressed.” She bounded out of bed, completely naked, and started scrambling around the room looking for her clothes. Her bare breasts bounced invitingly against her chest as she moved, and Noah had to look away. As much as he would have loved to throw her back down on the bed and do a repeat performance of their romp from last night, he would have to wait. The Falcon Cross Wizards would be here in mere minutes, at the speed they were traveling. They would want to arm themselves with the artifacts and start heading for the battle with Saul.
Noah felt a shiver of adrenaline run down his spine as he pulled on his shirt. Depending on how far away Saul’s army was from here, the final showdown with Saul might take place today, even. After spending so much time searching for dragon stones and trying to thwart Saul’s plans, it felt strange to realize that today might bring an end to this war, one way or another.
Noah looked over at Izzy, who was now dressed in her Falcon Cross uniform and was pulling her hair into a tight bun. He felt his heart tighten with fear, a strange emotion for a dragon like himself, and certainly not a feeling he would have wanted to admit he had. After all, he’d given Izzy such a great deal of grief over how afraid she’d been of meeting Saul. But this was different. His fear wasn’t for his own life, but for Izzy’s. He’d only just discovered that he loved her. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her, but he knew there wasn’t much he could do to protect her in the battle that was coming. Things would be chaotic, and life-or-death situations were sure to be the norm. Noah clenched his fists. He realized, with searing clarity, that his life would not be worth living without her in it.
He crossed the room slowly, and pulled her into his arms from behind. With her back pressed against his chest, he buried his nose into the top of her hair, slightly messing up the bun she’d so carefully made.
“Noah!” she said in protest. But she didn’t pull away from him, and he tightened his hold on her. His arms fit perfectly around her, and, for just a moment, he closed his eyes and tried to memorize the way she felt.
“Noah,” she said after a few more seconds, trying to wriggle free. “We need to get out there. The wizards will be here in minutes.”
“What’s the matter?” Noah teased. “Are you embarrassed to be caught with me like this?”
Izzy let out a longsuffering sigh. “No. If anything, I’m proud to be seen with you. Quite honestly, I’d like to shout from the rooftops that I’ve found a man like you. But there’s a war going on, in case you’ve forgotten. And we need to get weapons in these wizards’ hands as soon as possible.”
“I know. But before we go out there, I need to tell you something.”
Izzy didn’t reply, but Noah could feel her breathing accelerate. He took a deep breath himself and then plunged forward with the words he was burning to say. He knew it was a risk to try to explain his feelings to Izzy right now, with only minutes to spare before they would be surrounded by hundreds of other people. He wasn’t sure how she’d react, and he worried that she would think he was crazy for saying what he was about to say when they’d only just discovered their passion for each other. But he knew that there were no guarantees beyond this moment. It might very well be now or never. Noah held Izzy tighter, and whispered into her ear.
“I love you, Izzy.”
One small, almost imperceptible tremor passed through her body. Noah wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad sign, but he had no choice but to keep plunging forward.
“I’ve watched all my clanmates find love, and, quite frankly, I thought they were crazy. I didn’t understand how they could get distracted by a woman in the midst of the war. Now I understand, because you’re not just any woman, Izzy. You’re my lifemate.”
“Lifemate?”
“It’s something we shifters believe in. Sort of like a soulmate, but deeper than that. Every shifter has a lifemate out there—someone they’re destined to be with. From the moment we’re born, fate works to bring that person across our path.”
“And…you think I’m that person for you?”
“I know it, Izzy. When you make love with your lifemate, a lifemate bond is formed. I felt that bond last night. I felt a burning in my core, a warmth that told me that I was home. That I’d finally found you, my lifemate.”
Izzy sucked in her breath and turned around to face Noah. “I…I felt a warmth, too. It was so strange, unlike anything I’ve felt before. Is that the lifemate bond?”
Noah hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath, but now he exhaled. His heart began pounding with excitement. Izzy was confirming for him that they were meant to be together, and that made him slightly dizzy from happiness. His heart warmed as he looked deep into her eyes. “Yes. That’s the lifemate bond. It’s unbreak
able. At least, for shifters it is. You’ll have to make your own decisions about what you want, Izzy, but for me, there will never be anyone other than you now. I will spend the rest of my life, however long that might be, protecting you and loving you. I need you to know that before all the other wizards get here and we head off to fight for the dragon ruby. I don’t know if we’ll make it through the battle alive. God, I hope we do. I hope we have decades ahead of us, for me to love you and treasure you and spoil you. But just in case this is the end, I had to tell you how I felt. I had to say I love you. I know it’s sudden, and a complete change from the things I was saying when we first left Falcon Cross yesterday. But it’s true. I love you. With everything in me, I love you.”
Izzy’s eyes misted. “I love you, too. I can hardly believe I’m saying that. I thought I hated you at first—”
“I probably deserved to be hated.”
Izzy grinned. “No comment on that. All I’ll say is I’ve seen past your rough exterior, and to your heart. To who you really are. And I love who you are. I love you. You make me a better person. A braver person. I hope with everything in me that we make it through this battle and this war, because I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I care for you.”
Noah bent his head to kiss away her tears, and then kissed her lips. “If I do have to die today, at least I’ll die a happy man.”
“Don’t say things like that,” Izzy said, her voice catching in her throat.
Noah sighed. “There are no guarantees. You know that. But I’m going to do the best I can to make it through this. For you. For us.”
“For us,” Izzy repeated. Noah kissed her again, and then, through the window, he saw the first of the Falcon Cross Wizards landing in the clearing outside. His moment alone with Izzy was over. It was time to equip the soldiers for war.
Victory and the Dragon Page 6