by Sophie Stern
He laughs loudly and as much as I don’t want to laugh at her silly joke, I find myself snickering.
“Where did you learn about BDSM and sex clubs and dungeons and masters?” I find myself asking Natalie.
Now she does blush and she shrugs. “A girl’s gotta read,” she mumbles.
“There’s nothing wrong with sexual curiosity,” Anthony says. “My family and I run the club together now. Gabriel, my best friend, and I share a mate. The three of us teach classes, host special events, and run the club on dungeon nights.”
“Is that right?” Natalie asks.
“If you two are ever interested in attending a class or event, I’d love to have you. Everyone is welcome,” he says. “But we do cater to shifters: dragons, in particular.”
“I might be interested,” Natalie says slowly, and I see her eyes light up. So the little human is a bit of a minx, is she?
“And you, Donald?” Anthony turns to me, a silent question hanging in the air.
Am I ready to provide for her?
Am I ready to give her everything she needs?
Am I ready to love her?
“I would be honored to accompany Natalie to a night at your dungeon,” I tell him.
“Excellent,” Anthony says. He rubs his hands together and grins, almost evilly, and I have the feeling we may have walked into some sort of weird dragon trap. Anthony has the look like he’s just secured fresh meat for the dungeon and he’s about to corrupt us. “What type of class would you like to attend?” He asks. “We have advanced rope techniques, elements of submission, beginner…”
“Beginner would be fine,” I say firmly, rolling my eyes.
“Yeah,” Natalie swallows hard. She darts a glance at me and then looks back at Anthony. “Beginner would be good.”
“We have something next month,” he says with a smile. “I’d love to have you out again.”
I shouldn’t be excited at the prospect of coming back to the island with Natalie. We’re only just starting to get to know each other. The truth is that we’ve been apart for so many years and we’ve both changed a lot. We do need some time to get to know one another.
Still, the idea of making plans a month out doesn’t seem to bother her, and I kind of like that. Maybe things are going to be okay between the two of us, after all. I really haven’t been considering finding a mate. I suppose I’ve been too busy running from my past and trying to make up for past deeds to even consider dating seriously, but something about Natalie makes me feel like if the two of us really are mates, then everything would be okay.
“Hey,” she suddenly says, interrupting my thoughts. “Look!”
My eyes move to where she’s pointing, and I can’t believe it.
“You’ve found it,” Anthony says.
And she has.
Chapter Fifteen
Natalie
Inside the shoulder bag, Donald had packed this huge, fold-up bag he uses for gathering plants. It can fold into a tiny little square, but when you unfold it, the thing is fucking huge. It’s at least four feet high. We fill it completely with the weird little blue leaves. The process leaves us tired and exhausted and by the time we’re finished, it’s past nightfall.
“We should head back to Fablestone,” Donald says.
“Tonight?” Anthony looks at the sky. “It’s dark.”
“We’re in kind of a hurry,” I tell him. “We need to get back to my father.”
“I know you’re in a rush,” Anthony says. “And it may not be my place, but I would urge you to reconsider flying this evening. It’s not safe to travel in the darkness when you’re tired. Trouble can be lurking anywhere, and although Donald is an experienced flyer, the truth is that you’re both very tired. When was the last time either of you slept?”
I blush, and I feel Donald tense beside me. I don’t want to admit that Anthony is right. I’m exhausted and I know that Donald probably is, too.
“That’s what I thought,” he shakes his head. “Follow me,” he says. “You can stay in my home.”
“The house with the sex club in it?”
“No,” he chuckles. “I have another house. One without whips and chains.”
“What do you think?” I ask Donald, but something tells me he’s going to be more than ready to take a rest. I know he wants to help the clan as much as I do. Not knowing how they’re doing is killing me, but Anthony is right. If we try to leave now, while we’re both tired, something could happen. We could be attacked and unable to fight back due to fatigue or we could do something stupid, like flying in the wrong direction.
If there’s one thing my father drilled into my head, it’s that personal safety is important, even when you’re trying to save someone else.
“I think it’s a good idea,” he says finally, and Anthony nods. The two of them strip out of their shoes and then Donald removes his clothes. We shove everything into one of the bags and then Donald shifts first. I climb onto his back and Anthony helps to ensure the bags are comfortable and arranged well and that I’ve got a good grip on the back with the plants. Between the backpack, shoulder bag, and plant bag, my hands are completely full and I’m feeling a little overloaded, but I know that everything is going to be okay.
Everything’s going to be fine.
In the fading light, we fly to Anthony’s home. It’s huge: bigger even than the other mansions I’ve seen on the island.
“Beautiful,” I murmur, but I don’t think anyone can hear me over the flap of their wings or the rush of the wind as we land. As soon as I’m off Donald’s back, he shifts into his human form.
“Why, hello,” I look up to see a man and a woman standing on the front porch. The man has his arm slung around the woman’s shoulders.
Anthony strides up to the house, kisses the woman, and gives the man a hug.
This must be his best friend and his mate.
The trio turns to us, seemingly waiting for us to approach. Donald takes the bags, carrying them for me, and I thank him. Then I swallow any nervousness I feel and move toward the beautiful porch. Donald is by my side the entire way.
“Hey,” the woman says, stepping forward. “I’m Audrey.”
“Natalie,” I say slowly. The woman is beautiful, but I don’t think she’s a shifter. She’s curvy and has long, dark hair. She smiles brightly and comes over. Then she hugs me tightly.
“Oh, it’s so nice to have another girl around!” She says. Jerking her head toward Gabriel and Anthony, she adds, “I’m always surrounded by guys.”
“Watch your mouth, pretty girl,” Gabriel says, but there’s a twinkle in his eye. This is a game they play, I see. “Or I’ll have to give you a spanking.”
Audrey covers her mouth in mock surprise and then winks at me. Turning to Donald, she holds out her hand to shake his.
“Audrey,” she says.
“Donald.”
“Now that the introductions are over,” she says. “What’s up? I assume you’re here to stay the night?”
Anthony smiles. “Audrey loves having guests. You’ll have to excuse her.”
“It’s true,” she says, not bothering to deny it. “A trait I picked up from my mother, I suppose. Well then, come on in.”
She motions for us to follow her and we head into the beautiful house. I instantly feel nervous as I wonder if I’m tracking in mud or dirt or anything else from the jungle.
“Don’t worry about dirt,” Audrey says, practically reading my mind. “We have a great cleaner and besides, a little bit of mud never hurt anyone. If you are worried, though, I’ll show you to your room and you can get cleaned up. Then we’ll eat, okay? Are you hungry?”
“Starved,” Donald says. “And thank you.” He nods to a painting and starts asking Audrey about it. She happily starts explaining that most of the artwork in their home was commissioned from artists right here on Dragon Isle.
Anthony reaches for my arm and places his hand on it gently. “If you’d rather have separate rooms, that
’s completely fine,” he says, lowering his voice. “I obviously haven’t had time to explain your situation to my darling mate. She assumes you’re a couple.”
Now’s my chance.
Now’s my opportunity to tell Anthony that yes, Donald and I will be needing different, separate rooms.
This is the part where I’m honest and blunt and stand up for the things that are right and proper. What would my mother think about me staying with an unmated dragon male in the middle of Dragon Isle? At a house run by a dungeon master?
Your mother isn’t here.
A little voice whispers in the back of my head, and I pause because it’s right. My mother isn’t here. She’s with dad. They wouldn’t have approved of me leaving the clan, either, but I did. I made the choice on my own, and I stuck with it. I left because my people needed me, because someone had to go and as a human, I wasn’t a possible carrier of the virus. Besides, Donald left because of my family. I had to be the one to speak with him.
Now I’m faced with another choice.
Somehow, this one seems almost harder.
I should tell Anthony that we need separate rooms. I should explain that although Donald and I are traveling together, we aren’t a couple, but something in my heart won’t let me do that. This day has been crazy for many reasons, least of all the fact that Donald is about to return to the clan that he left many years ago. I’m not so naïve that I think that’s an easy choice for him.
I may not be able to make things easier for him, but I can keep him company tonight so he doesn’t have to be alone.
I can help protect Donald, if only his heart.
“We’ll stay together,” I whisper to Anthony, and a sly smile spreads over the dragon’s face.
Chapter Sixteen
Donald
Audrey shows us to our room and leaves us to get showered and cleaned up. She also kindly provides a change of clothing for both Natalie and me.
“You’re about the same size as me,” she tells Audrey, handing her a pair of pajama pants and a tank top. “And you,” she glances at me. “Are more of Gabriel’s size.” She hands me a pair of pajama pants, too, along with a shirt.
“Thank you,” Natalie says, running her hands over the soft fabric.
“Pajama parties are my favorite,” I say, winking at Audrey. She just laughs and turns to leave. She pauses at the door and looks back.
“Take your time,” she says. “Come and find us when you’re ready to eat. If we aren’t in the kitchen, we’ll be in the living room. Shouldn’t be too hard to find us.”
“Thank you for everything,” I tell her honestly.
“Of course,” she says, and then Audrey leaves, closing the door behind her.
Suddenly, I’m alone with Natalie.
I’m alone with the woman who is consuming all of my thoughts, and right now, I don’t know what to do. My heart pulls me in thirty different directions, but all I want to do is just hold her and kiss her. I’m the kind of man who likes to live on the edge, so that’s exactly what I do.
I walk across the room slowly. Maybe I look seductive, but maybe I look silly. I just feel determined. This is the moment where I show her that I care. This is where I tell her that I can’t get enough of her.
She’s not looking at me as I cross the room. Her gaze is on another one of Audrey’s incredible paintings. This one features a human woman riding a dragon. The girl’s long red hair flows in the wind and it matches the stream of fire blazing from the dragon’s mouth.
“It’s lovely,” Natalie says aloud.
“You’re lovely,” I correct her. When she turns to me in surprise, I pull her into my arms and start kissing her. I don’t wait another second. Time is something I’ve wasted. I haven’t always been as strong or as dedicated or as careful as I should have been. I’ve made bad choices and unconventional choices and misunderstood choices, but the choice I’m making right now is probably the most important one I’ll ever make in my entire life.
I’m making the choice to choose her.
Natalie.
I’m choosing her.
She melts against my body, kissing me back. Her hands are in my hair and on my chest and then, to my surprise, they start to move a little lower. She settles her hands on my waist and then terribly slowly starts to move one hand closer to my cock.
“Careful, love,” I tell her. “You’re going to wake the dragon.”
“I thought I already did,” she says sweetly, looking up at me. Then she grips my cock in her hand and I fucking groan like it’s the first time. Her tiny human fingers wrap around my thickness and she begins to rub me gently, almost timidly.
“Natalie,” I moan loudly, but I can’t tell her to stop. I can’t tell her to go faster. All I can do is let her explore my body and take her time. She can have all the time that she needs if it means she’s going to keep doing this. I want more. I want her to touch me more. I want her hands on my balls and on my cock and then I want her mouth there. I want to feel her lick me, taste me, explore me, and then I want to do all of those things to her.
Natalie is perfect and beautiful and sweet. Oh, I bet she has insecurities as we all do, but none of that matters to me. In my eyes, she’s incredible, and I can’t get enough of her, so I just stand there, trying to stay as still as possible, and I let the human play with my body.
“You’re thick,” she murmurs, stroking me.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I do,” she says. “It’s nice. It feels…heavy…in my hand. Do you mind?” She looks up at me.
“Natalie, you can do whatever the fuck you want to me, baby. Just don’t stop touching me.”
A little sound escapes her lips. I’m not sure if it’s a groan or a sigh, but I’ll take whatever she wants to give me. The knowledge that this sexy, adorable human is playing with my cock and that’s she loving it just fucking thrills me. If possible, I grow even harder as she continues to touch and play with me.
While she’s rubbing my cock with one hand, her other one explores my chest, my arms, and finally, my face. She leans up and kisses me as she continues stroking me. She rubs faster and faster, and I find myself thrusting forward in time with her hand.
“Natalie,” I pull back. “Baby, I’m close,” I whisper. I don’t want to surprise her by coming all over her hand. If it were up to me, I’d come buried deep inside of her, but I’m not about to rush the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
She looks up at me, her eyes wide, and she whispers four words that make me come apart.
“Come for me, baby.”
Every shred of self-control that might have been remaining evaporates with those words, and I come, groaning, exploding. Fireworks fill my head as I whisper her name. I hold her as the last waves of my orgasm wash over me, and then Natalie kisses me once more.
“You are so fucking sexy,” she whispers.
“I think we can all agree that you’re the sexy one here,” I tell her. Glancing down at her messy hand, she smiles.
“Come on, dragon man. Let’s go get cleaned up.”
*
If Audrey, Gabriel, and Anthony didn’t hear us fooling around, they can definitely smell the last lingering scents of our arousal when we come into the kitchen. Audrey is sitting on the counter and Gabriel is at the stove, stirring something. Anthony is leaning against the wall with his legs casually crossed at the ankles. They’re all chuckling as we enter the room and offer welcome smiles when we walk in.
“Oh, good, you got showers,” Audrey says, hopping off the counter. “Did you find everything okay?”
“Yeah, we did, thanks. You’ve really gone above and beyond making us feel welcome. I hope we aren’t imposing,” Natalie says nervously. Audrey just smiles.
“Hey, we humans have to look after each other, don’t we?”
“You’re human, too?” Natalie’s ears perk up at that.
“Born and raised,” Audrey smiles. “I grew up in a dragon clan, too. Anthony tells me
you’ve got a similar story. You’re from Fablestone, right?”
“Yep,” Natalie says, taking a seat. “I was adopted by shifters when I was young and grew up with the clan. It’s kind of a weird feeling, isn’t it? Like I’m dragon in almost every way that matters, but I can’t shift or fly.”
“Pfft, who needs to shift or fly when you’ve got a mate or two?” Audrey looks over at her men and I can see them beaming at her. Is this what it means to be mated? To have someone who is by your side all the time? To have someone who always looks after you? To have someone protect you?
I desperately want to be Natalie’s mate. I don’t know if she wants to be mine. Yeah, we’ve known each other forever, but we were also apart for a very long time. Maybe the last thing she wants is to be mine. Maybe the last thing she wants is a dragon causing her trouble.
The girls continue chatting and I half-listen, half-eat the food Gabriel sets in front of me.
“Thank you,” I tell him, and he smiles and takes a seat beside me.
“It’s not easy,” he says.
“What’s that?”
“Being mated,” he says. “It’s not easy.”
“No?” I raise an eyebrow. “You have an extra partner to help you, though. That must simplify things a little bit.”
“In some ways,” he agrees. “I have another set of eyes to watch over Audrey and the kids. I have someone who will always be here when I can’t be. If something were to happen to me, I’d know they would be well taken care of.”
“But in other ways?”
“We have three people in our relationship: not just two. That means three opinions on everything. It means three viewpoints to hear. It means extra time spent talking each day, making sure we’re all working together to keep on top of this relationship.”
“You do make it look easy,” I comment.
“Years of hard work tends to do that,” Gabriel chuckles. He pats me on the shoulder and we look over at the girls who are eagerly talking about how weird it was to see their teenage crushes shifting for the first time.