Lauren bit back the immediate denial she felt but knew it was the right thing to do. As far as Mother Mary and twenty-first century law saw it, she was still married. While she might finally be realizing the monster Charles had been thanks to her dragon, she still hadn’t signed her divorce papers.
Tait murmured a chant, and a simple ash bed appeared. “That is for you to sleep in.” She sensed his curiosity as his eyes returned to hers. “Who is this Mother Mary you speak and think of so often?”
“A religious figure. She was mother to Jesus,” she whispered. “Someone my mother thought highly of and prayed to often before she passed away.” A small smile came to her lips as she remembered. “I made sure her statue was at her grave, yet I remember thinking when I knelt there years later, that she had prayed to her not only for strength but because she was a woman.”
“And you gained strength from that, yes?” he said.
“Yes,” Lauren confirmed, her eyes again on the flames. “Dad had secrets and became more distant after she passed away but I always had that. Mom’s grave. Mother Mary. The strength it took to be a woman. To survive. To do whatever needed to stay in control.” Her eyes went to him. “What I never realized until now was that though I will always firmly believe in her, I was simply trying to find my way back to my dragon…to the things I needed to remember to make myself stronger.”
Tait never responded, but she knew he understood. That he was adjusting to being inside her mind and handling it in a way she never could have anticipated. He was so far from being the brute she initially thought he was that she couldn’t help but kiss his cheek and say, “Thank you,” when he tucked her in on the ash bed but didn’t join her.
Yet she wasn’t so foolish to think he didn’t want her. Because he did. Likely as much as she craved him. Nonetheless, he respected her boundaries. Her beliefs. And her past.
“Why another ash bed?” she murmured before he turned away.
His eyes lingered on her before he said the last thing she expected. “Because it’s your tree. It’s what makes you feel most comfortable…finally…again.”
Lauren said nothing but nodded as he left. She had no idea where he was going but could only be grateful that he wasn’t pressing her for more. Not just mentally but maybe even sexually based on how aggressive she had been when she kissed him.
Did she want to experience more desire? Yes. Did she want to do it with Tait? Yes. But she had to rise above that until she figured things out entirely. Until she didn’t feel like she was betraying Charles. Content in her actions and feeling safe thanks to Tait, she closed her eyes, finally slept…and dreamt.
“Do not go,” she pleaded to a man without a face. “If you do, you will die.”
“I do not care,” he responded. “You cannot face this alone.”
“But I will,” she growled. “I have to.”
“No, you do not.” He came close yet she couldn’t quite see him as he pressed her hand to his chest. “He is baiting you. Anything to destroy you so that he can have your sister.”
“That is exactly why I am going.” She returned to sharpening her blade. “And you are not.”
“We are mates,” he returned and set to sharpening his blade as well. “We fight together or not at all.”
“Fool,” she muttered and set to working on her other weapons. “If you follow me, you will die, and you know it.”
“Yes,” he agreed and shrugged.
That was the last she caught of the dream before she was sailing over the moonlit ocean. At first, she thought she was in an airplane. Then she knew she wasn’t. No, she was in control. She had wings and owned everything that happened to her. How she moved. Where she was going. The strength of her body.
This time she would save her sister once and for all.
This time Bard would not hurt her.
While some part of her recognized that she was dreaming about her reincarnate and the vengeance she felt at the time, she couldn’t stop. She could not see reason.
So as she shifted into her human form at the same time as Bard and raced into the cave at Mt. Galdhøpiggen’s peak, it should have come as no surprise that everything would go horribly wrong. Her eyes met Maeva’s one last tortured time before Eluf unleashed his magical fury and barred anyone from getting to her sister.
Meanwhile, she went after Bard.
Battle was what she did.
War was what she was good at.
So she unleashed her fury just as readily as the enemy.
She drew her weapons and attacked. She was so merciless that the enemy never stood a chance. She came in fast, whipping several daggers that hit his chest before she ran up and thrust her sword through his gut. Snarling, she came nose to nose then dropped to her knees as he did, determined to show him that he had not won. He would never win. Only to realize how wrong things had gone as her eyes met his and found someone else.
Tait.
Her mouth fell open, stunned, as she leaned back and something caught her attention.
Bard.
He wore a devious grin as he stood just over Tait’s shoulder. “You made the mistake of letting your emotions control you, little dragon.” He walked around and leaned close, his breath rancid. “And now you have no control.” His eyes narrowed. “You just killed your own mate.”
“No,” she whispered and shook her head before she screamed, “No.”
Seconds later, searing pain tore through her as Bard drove a sword through her back. She ignored the pain and tried to get to Tait.
Only to bolt upright.
Desperate and confused, she blinked and tried to acclimate herself as Tait’s lair resurfaced. It had been a nightmare. She shook her head. No, it had been more than that. She gasped for breath and patted her stomach, convinced she would find a sword and maybe even a gaping wound. Yet there was nothing. Trembling, she put a shaky hand to her forehead. What was happening to her?
But she knew.
She was reliving her previous life more and more, and there was no escaping it. Not anymore. So she straightened her spine and gathered her wits before all control was lost. She had hurt Tait…likely even killed him.
Lauren put a hand over her mouth and tried not to vomit as the memory came rushing back. As she faced what she might have done. The terrible harm. The way she felt when she knew she had killed her best friend.
Her mate.
“I…no…” she whispered and held her head, unable to forget Bard’s face in his moment of triumph. Somehow he had tricked her. “I am so sorry, Tait.”
Lauren sat that way for a while before she shook her head and pulled herself together. It had been a previous life. Not this one. He was still alive. Tait wasn’t gone. Eager to find him, she went to stand only to spy a small table by her side. When had that appeared? Yet she didn’t much care as she picked up the bundle of papers resting on it.
She read the sticky note attached.
Hey, Sis. Thought you might be looking for these. Love, Sam and Cybil.
Her eyes widened when she realized what she held.
Her divorce papers.
How did they get these here? She bit her lower lip against a smile as pure elation blew through her. She read her name next to Charles’ and realized it would be the last time their names rested alongside each other. A few days ago she might have sat here reminiscing about her time with him and pondered such a big decision, but that time had passed.
Now all she could think about was how abusive he had been both mentally and physically. How he had cheated on her for years with the same woman. Yes, she knew about her, yet she had allowed it to go on. She had allowed so much for too long.
Well, no more.
She was about to pick up the pen and begin signing when something caught her attention. Movement. As if something shifted slightly. Eyes narrowed, she peered into the darkness. At first, she didn’t see anything…and then she did.
A huge black dragon was curled up on the shore sleeping.
Tait.
Her heart began hammering as she set aside the paperwork and slowly started in his direction. Lauren wasn’t afraid just curious as she crept closer then stopped mere feet away. She didn’t care that she was barefoot and icy water rushed around her ankles. She was too enthralled.
What a magnificent creature.
Her eyes traveled over his long, scaled body shimmering in the moonlight. He was muscled and strong. Masculine.
She was surprised by her thoughts as she studied him. It was as if she knew exactly what she was assessing. Because truthfully, what did she know about dragons? What made a female different than a male outside of the obvious? How could she know what made one dragon stronger than another? How could she look at one and know that it might be mightier than the next? Yet somehow deep down she knew. Better yet, her dragon knew.
It understood exactly what it was looking at.
And she liked it very much.
Him.
Desperate to touch him, she reached out but stopped. She didn’t want to wake him. Yet it seemed it was too late for that when one, large catlike eye opened slowly. Though tempted to retreat, Lauren remained perfectly still and held his gaze as his head came so close she had to rally a little extra courage. God, he was huge. Red skirted her vision as she took in the rich dark brown of his eyes.
She didn’t move a muscle as he sniffed her then stood abruptly. Maybe it hadn’t been so smart to sneak up on a sleeping dragon, after all. She might know Tait, but his dragon was another matter entirely. How much control did he have over his inner beast? Over the immense creature studying her so closely?
Soon enough she realized there was nothing to fear as he brushed his head alongside hers so gently it almost brought her to tears. He was being affectionate.
He rested his head at her feet. “Would you like to touch me, Lauren?”
She smiled at the sound of his voice within her mind. He wasn’t just being affectionate but playful. Her breathing grew choppy. She was getting aroused. The dragon inhaled and if she wasn’t mistaken issued a small smile. Or at least it looked that way. Sort of hard to tell for sure, but the back of its mouth turned up slightly.
“I would like to touch you,” she confirmed. “Just do not bite me.”
“There is not enough of you to provide a satisfying meal,” he replied. This time there was no mistaking the humor on the dragon’s face. “Though I look forward to tasting you.”
While she wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that, her inner dragon seemed to understand because the physical ache between her legs was only growing.
Best to move along and distract herself.
So she stepped close and touched the side of his nose, muzzle, snout, she had no idea what the correct terminology was.
“Nose is fine,” he assured. “Though it is technically part of my mouth too.”
“That it is,” she murmured aloud as she ran her hand over the slender scales in this particular area. They were cool to the touch and remarkably smooth. She thought they would be rougher to provide better protection.
“Have no fear,” he said, watching her closely. “They protect me very well.”
“I have no fear,” she replied but realized she did. More than expected when it came to his safety.
“You might be fierce but so am I.” Initially, she thought he was going to brush his head against her again, but instead, there was a flash of color and a slight gust of wind before not a dragon, but a man stood before her.
Her eyes widened.
“You’re naked,” she whispered, her eyes widening on his groin. On his daunting erection. “Dear Lord.”
“I have never been aroused in dragon form,” he said softly. “Things were about to become…”
When he trailed off, she tried to meet his eyes but couldn’t tear her gaze from his groin. “Become what?”
“It was becoming difficult to control myself because of how your dragon was responding,” he managed.
“You should dress,” she murmured, still speaking to his genitals because she couldn’t seem to look elsewhere.
“Yes,” he agreed. “But I would rather not.”
Her eyes finally rose to his, and she was shocked by what she said. How brazen. “I would rather you not as well.”
Their eyes held for several long moments, all of which she was unable to breathe, before he closed the distance, cupped her cheeks and kissed her gently. So gently it again brought tears to her eyes.
When had she become so weepy? So emotional? While she might be embracing a profound inner strength, she also seemed to be releasing far more than intended. An inner sadness that had formed from all the years with Charles.
Charles.
Though it was difficult, she pulled her lips away from Tait, took his hand and led him away from the shore. He remained silent when she let go and returned to her paperwork. Like before, there was no hesitation. She picked up the pen and began signing. After she was finished, she breathed a sigh of relief.
It was over.
She and Charles were done.
That part of her life had come to an end.
And another was just beginning.
When she turned, Tait was standing there. Patient, understanding, he said nothing, just watched her. Waited. The next move was hers. Despite her shyness, she ended up making her move with more gusto than she knew she possessed. She yanked her shirt over her head and struggled to pull off her pants while trying to get to him as fast as possible.
Unfortunately, that meant tripping right into his arms.
A small grin that reminded her of his dragon’s smile curled his lips as he swept her up and took control. He had her undressed and on the bed before she took her next breath. While she was certainly nervous about her evident inexperience, she was also excited. So excited her heart pounded and her vision blurred. It seemed her confident inner dragon was not going to surface this time because she started shaking and continued to struggle for breath.
“Shh, fierce dragon,” he whispered as his eyes met hers. He came down beside her and placed his hand on her upper stomach. “Do not be afraid of what you’re feeling. Embrace it. Enjoy it.”
Lauren closed her eyes and nodded, not sure why she was suddenly overreacting. At first, she was remarkably aware of his nude body next to hers. The feel of his hand against her skin. How close he was to touching the underside of her breast. Yet something started happening. A calm warmth began spreading through her. Much like what Cybil did to calm her but better.
“You’re doing that aren’t you?” Her eyes met Tait’s. “Calming me?”
“Yes.” His eyes held hers. “It is working, yes?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I am sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“Because I feel foolish for being so…unpracticed when I was so aggressive before.”
“Do not be sorry, Lauren.” His eyes never left hers. “There are two parts to you and both have been very much repressed. The dragon is far more determined than the woman to take what it wants, what it needs, but we will change that.” Warmth continued to spread through her. “You will learn to take what you need. You will learn what it feels like to desire and be desired.”
She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. “For goodness sake, this is silly. I’m acting like a virgin.”
“In some ways, that is exactly what you are,” he murmured. “And that is a shame.”
Her eyes met his again, and she frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You might have lain with a man,” he said softly as his hand made its way slowly down the side of her waist. “But that does not mean you have truly experienced sex.”
“Sex is sex,” she managed, overly aware of his every movement. “Something to get through.”
“Oh, it is much more than that,” he whispered as his eyes finally left hers and trailed down her body. He started to make feather-light circles on her stomach. “Much more.”
Little spirals of sensation
began fluttering outward from his fingers, snaking through her veins in a form of pleasure that made gooseflesh erupt in its wake. She suddenly became aware of her body in a whole new way. How her breasts heaved and her nipples grew erect. How her muscles tensed and relaxed all at once.
A soft glow started to spread through her as he kissed her lips then nibbled his way down her neck. She cried out and nearly pushed him away when he fondled first one breast then the other before his lips latched onto a nipple.
“Oh, oh, I do not think,” she started but was unable to say anything else as pleasure speared through her and she arched against him. Speech became impossible as he made his way further down her body. He took his time kissing and stroking parts of her that she never knew could feel so much.
What was he doing? Where was he going? He couldn’t possibly be...
That was the last coherent thought she had before he spread her legs and put his mouth somewhere her ex-husband never had. Now she understood what his dragon meant about tasting her. She should find it appalling. Indecent. But she didn’t. Not at all. Instead, that all-too-familiar purring sound started deep in her throat as unbridled bliss took over.
Bliss.
A word she never quite understood until now. Extreme happiness. Ecstasy. She clenched the fur beneath her and tried to hold on, but the room began spinning too rapidly. The pleasure so intense she could not make sense of anything let alone find balance.
“Tait,” she pleaded into his mind because her vocal chords only seemed capable of making lusty, animal-like sounds. “This is too much.”
“Do not fight it,” he murmured. “Embrace it.”
How was she supposed to do that when she didn’t even know what to embrace?
“Embrace the pleasure, Lauren.” He did something down there that had her crying out a little louder than before. “Let it consume you.”
Nothing consumed her. She would not let it. No, she had created her hallways and doors and never let anything take over. Not until Tait.
Not until now.
Now it seemed she had no choice because what happened next was indescribable. Pleasure built so quickly that she exploded. Or at least that’s what it felt like as her eyes shot open and she didn’t just cry out but screamed. Everything seemed to fall apart in what she could only describe as pleasure and joy at its pinnacle. She felt such an intense incomparable sensation that she swore the world turned upside down.
Soul of a Viking (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors' Kin Book 3) Page 15