Her tongue felt thick but she rushed to ask another question. “Why are your eyes like that?”
“Red?”
“Yes.”
“Daryk Ones are unique. Not only are we stronger than the average man, we have strong sexual needs. And when a woman is attractive to us and we want her, that’s what happens.”
“Oh.” What else could she say? A rush of satisfaction replaced other emotions. Part of her loved that he’d been so aroused by her that his eyes would reflect it.
He gazed at her a moment longer. “Relax if you can. We’ll be here for the night at least. I’d offer you the bathing area first but I need that relief you mentioned.”
After he closed the bathroom door, she heard water running and her imagination took over. She closed her eyes and wondered what his body would look like stripped of clothes. She ached to know. For one small moment the idea of walking in on him to see what his relief would look like almost pulled her to the bathing area to find out.
Eryk stood under the cascade of gentle water coming from the spray over his head and wished the water could wash away the turmoil inside him. Mia had taken hold of him in a way he’d never experienced with another woman. It scared the shite out of him.
He tried ignoring the treacherous thoughts roiling in his mind. The bathing area had recently been fixed, he noted. The lodging in Felican Castle had always been clean and well cared for, and after travels he wanted nothing more than to clean the grime off him and sink into the bed to sleep.
No, that wasn’t true. He wanted more. He’d stayed in this room before but never with a woman.
Fuck. This won’t do. He soaped his body thoroughly and when he reached his still erect cock he closed his fist around it. He closed his eyes and remembered what Mia Griffi had looked like when they were in the alcove, how she’d responded to his touches with a wildness that had taken him off guard and pleased him beyond measure. All the little grasps and moans she’d made when he’d slipped his hand in her pants and grasped her ass had about driven him mad. Sucking her sweet nipple and slipping his finger into her hot, wet pussy had made him almost drunk with desire. Remembering what she’d felt like, he squeezed his hard-on and pumped faster. His imagination took hold and he imaged what she would have done if he’d thrust two fingers inside her.
He’d wanted to do as many nasty things to her as he could. He wanted to fuck her pussy and her ass if she’d allow it. He hadn’t fucked a woman in the ass for a long time and just thinking about her accepting his thick cock into her tight little anus made him growl.
If she’d been any other woman, willing and as hot as she had been to take him, he would have thrust deep within her and fucked her right there in the alcove where anyone could have come upon them. Public sex in Dragonia wasn’t against the law but most people waited for privacy. No one would have rebuked him for it.
That wasn’t what disturbed him the most.
He’d never considered having public sex before. Never been so out of control and raging for a female he couldn’t wait to find privacy. As he stroked his cock, he recalled how her hands had clutched at him, how silky her skin felt, the excitement that shook him as he’d slipped his fingers deep into the soft wetness of her pussy. He wanted more than a quick fuck with her. A long night of exploring, finding her pleasure points, knowing what caused her to scream with excitement… Yes, he wanted it all. He wanted so much more it scattered his thoughts and messed with his equilibrium.
Yes he liked sex. Every Daryk One did. Every Daryk One could fuck and fuck for hours. Any woman lucky enough to find herself with Eryk’s cock in her would be assured the utmost pleasure. Daryk Ones didn’t suffer from sexual anxieties. Nature had endowed them with a sexual prowess that outstripped other males’. Eryk knew it was one reason women flocked to him. They hoped, secretly or not, that he’d give them the most amazing sex they’d ever had. Yet he didn’t have sex indiscriminately for the pleasure or to make himself feel like a stud. A woman needed more than a beautiful face and body to attract him. Other Daryk Ones that he knew thought him crazy. Even fellow Daryk Ones Dane Charger and Rayder Tyrus had teased him before on being romantic of mind. He rebelled against the idea. Both men had yet to find mates. Rayder he hadn’t seen in a long time. Three years ago the man’s sister Aknada had been kidnapped and killed. Rayder had gone rogue, aligning himself with Drakus Fina and his hoards of rebel Daryk Ones willing to pillage Magonia and take their women.
His reaction to Mia had been so violently sexual and possessive that he’d wanted to kill Livir or any man who dared touch her. His desire and need for her had overwhelmed him with protective, fierce feelings. Now that he’d kissed her, claimed her…well everyone out there thought she was his mate. And his body thought she was too.
No. A Magonian? A possible healer?
He refused the thought.
His adventure with her had obviously warped his thoughts.
By the god he wanted to teach her what it really felt like to have mind-melting, bliss-inducing orgasms with a man’s cock inside her. He wanted to hammer into her until she had so many orgasms she couldn’t walk or speak. The desire burned within him so high he wondered if he had a fever. That’s what it felt like. A staggering, gripping excitement that needed cooling.
He’d told her that she’d have to ask for sex, and maybe that had been a huge mistake. She might never ask, and with any other woman he wouldn’t have cared.
With Mia he couldn’t stand the thought of not having her. Not knowing at some point what the silky wet heat of her pussy would feel like wrapped tight around his cock.
He made a quick decision. Eventually he’d fuck her and be done with it. Once he’d bled off the heat that came from a good fuck he wouldn’t want her anymore. His cock was so damn hard he knew his fist pumps would take him to the top. All he had to do was imagine her pussy, imagine the way she’d clench around him, the flutter of her tight body shivering as he fucked her into another orgasm. He moved faster, stroking from root to tip with more pressure.
“Fuck!”
With a shout he shivered and shook and his cock shot semen in heavy spurts.
He hung his head, his entire body trembling. He gasped for breath as ecstasy continued to batter him.
Despite the gut-wrenching intensity of the fast orgasm, his cock stayed hard as rock.
Shite.
When he left the bathing area, a cloth wrapped around his waist, he expected to find her lying on the bed, perhaps asleep.
She was gone.
Chapter Four
Mia smiled as she chatted with Finny. The older woman had a wonderful sense of humor and delighted in telling jokes.
Leaving the room had calmed Mia. The thought of a fully naked Daryk One caressing his own body and pleasuring himself made her crazy. Fatigue took over her body but tension also made her uneasy. She didn’t want to find herself alone with Eryk right now. Her desires, new and primitive, still rocked her deep within.
“Does Eryk know you’re down here?” Finny asked.
“Of course not.”
Finny laughed, her face wrinkling and dimples denting her cheeks. “He has mated with you.”
The woman’s bold statement gave Mia pause. Maybe everyone in Dragonia spoke plainly and didn’t lie. “Not exactly.”
Finny frowned and tapped a finger against her lower lip. “Mentally, that is. He has the look of a mated Daryk One, and I’ve seen them before.”
“What makes them different than anyone else when it comes to mating?”
“They mate for life once they find a woman who calls to them on the deepest level mentally and physically. It doesn’t happen to every Daryk One, but to a large portion.”
“Why?”
“No one is certain. We only know it is true.”
“Does it happen to other people on Dragonia?”
“Not so much. At least not with the consistency it does for a Daryk One.” Finny looked toward the stairs as if she feared Eryk would appear.
“It’s like this. Daryk Ones are highly sexual beings. And women are always chasing them, hoping they’ll be the lifelong mate.”
Though she thought she might know the answer, Mia asked anyway. “What’s the advantage in that?”
“Several, according to those lucky enough to secure a Daryk One for their own.”
“There aren’t many Daryk Ones?”
“In the total population, not many.” Finny cleared her throat and gave a small smile. “Daryk Ones have a sexual prowess that is legendary. Women want that. At least most Dragonian women do. Even beyond that there’s security. Daryk Ones can protect them because of their physical ability and their extreme status in communities.”
“I see.” Feelings flooded Mia as she mumbled an answer. “At the very least they’re hoping a Daryk One will take them to bed.”
Finny’s nod was emphatic. “Most definitely.”
“And Eryk has mated with many women?”
Finny’s gaze lifted to the ceiling as if contemplating her answer. “Eryk is very discreet, so I’m not aware of any liaisons. I’ve never seen him bring a woman here. I’m sure he has had sex many times. It’s a mark of a fine man who keeps his sexual escapades under wraps. That’s why I knew you were different.”
“Oh?” She felt breathless.
“I thought he was going to drag you right past me and not even stop to pay.”
Mia’s curiosity increased. “Why?”
Finny pursed her lips. “Are you that naïve, girl?”
It grated on Mia’s nerves to have anyone call her naїve but what could she say in this case? “Perhaps.”
“He wanted you badly.”
Perhaps in this new world Mia could take a local’s word for it. Eryk wanting her above other women? Exclusively? The idea swam in her head, filled with wonder and surprise and a glowing gratification. Then a darker thought emerged.
“A man wanting me sexually is not important. From this point forward I only want men who care for me…for whom I am at the core.” Mia tapped the middle of her chest.
Finny tilted her head to the side and leaned on the counter. She clasped her small hands together. “I get the impression Eryk Gauth is that type of man. You may have made a good match.” Finny waved one hand. “Daryk Ones can take a woman to bed for hours, until she passes out from bliss. There’s a lot to be said for the physical.”
Heat swam over Mia at the incomprehensible thought. “A man who can do that? How unlikely.”
Finny chuckled and stood straight. “Daryk Ones are not ordinary. Remember that. Whatever you think of Eryk, whatever you think you know, he’s not like anyone you’ve met.”
“How long have you known him?”
“She’s known me too damn long.” Eryk’s voice came from the stairs.
Mia started and turned toward him. He was dressed, of course, but his hair fell around his shoulders in wet lengths. “Eryk.”
A lopsided grin touched his mouth. His eyes, though, were hard. “Finny, can you suggest a tavern for a meal tonight?”
Finny lifted her hands and shrugged. “The old tavern is still operating. You could go there.”
He winced. “Annalica still own the place?”
“Yep. And she still hates your guts.” Finny laughed.
“Annalica?” Mia asked.
“No one.” Eryk finished descending the stairs and stood by Mia. “Just an old friend who wants to kick my arse.”
“Oh?” Finny snorted and shifted some papers around the counter. “I think she’d take your arse any way she could get it.”
Mia’s face flushed at the implication. Finny’s bold-faced statements made Mia wish she were skilled with frankness.
Finny’s smile said she understood and her words proved it. “Dragonians are notoriously outward with their meaning. It will take some getting used to.”
Finny’s friendly expression eased Mia’s apprehension. “I’ve spent all my years learning not to tell the truth.” She turned her gaze on the big, handsome man next to her. “I don’t lie so much as I…adjust the truth to fit the circumstances.”
Eryk frowned and she saw disapproval in his dark eyes. He crossed his arms. “Pretty lying.”
Anger sparked inside her. “I did it to survive.”
His eyes softened a little and he nodded. “Of course you did.”
For a moment she hoped and cared that he understood. “I was frank for Magonia.”
Finny reached over the counter and pressed Mia’s forearm. “Then you’ll do well here.”
Doubt, one of her biggest enemies, flooded Mia. What if she couldn’t learn to fit into the fabric of their society? What if even here, in this wild and free place, she still didn’t find a place to belong? She drew a huge breath. She forced back tears. They were a weakness she would never succumb to, no matter what this world threw at her.
Mia glanced around the space behind Finny and the counter. It was barren, the castle wall cold and unwelcoming. The entire place looked as sterile as anything Mia had encountered. Despite this, the Dragonian world she’d encountered since she arrived here appealed more than the society she’d known. It was colorful, varied and dangerous. Magonia could eat up and spit out anyone but the wounds and cuts, the horrible teeth marks, would be just as staggering as Dragonia’s.
Mia’s stomach growled and she smiled. “Food would be good.”
“You’re not too tired?” he asked.
“Yes, but I’m more hungry than tired.”
“We need to find you new clothes,” Eryk said as they head for the door. “Clothes first. Food second.”
As they left lodging, he took her upper arm in a proprietary hold.
“Is that necessary? The way you’re holding me?” she asked.
“Until I know you don’t plan to run off.”
“I won’t run. Where would I go?”
“Anywhere you could.” His grip tightened a bit on her arm. “You left the room without telling me.”
She glared at him as they made their way through a heavy crowd, dodging around people who didn’t move. “I needed to have some space.”
“Why?”
“You were… We did things in that alcove that I’m not ready for.”
He stopped and turned her toward him. His touch on her shoulders felt infinitely gentle, his eyes warmer than she expected. “One thing you must know about me, about all honorable Daryk Ones. We do not harm children or women. We guard them with our lives.” He cupped her face between both of his big hands and the fire she saw in his eyes wasn’t created by a red glow. “Yes, I want you. Yes, I’d love to thrust deep inside you and fuck until we’re both exhausted and sweating and can’t remember our names. I want that more than you know. It scares the shite out of me that I want it so much. But I’m not going to do anything about it. If you want me, from this point forward you have to tell me. You have to show me.”
His touch fell away. She shouldn’t have found his bluntness surprising. What she did find disconcerting was her own recognition of how much power this gave her. “Why are you giving me a choice?”
His head went back a little and his frown turned grim. “You honestly believe I could rape a woman?”
She shook her head, mortified. “No, I…” She swallowed hard. “In my country a man marries a woman and that is it. If he wishes sexual congress with her she has no recourse but to give it to him. Women have no rights, especially after marriage.” She gazed around at the number of women who moved through the courtyard with free will. “Your world is different than mine. And there is one thing I already enjoy here I never could have in Magonia.”
His voice dropped, low and inquisitive, his frown slipping. “What?”
“This conversation. The freedom in having it with you, discussing situations and subjects as an equal. It is unheard of in Magonia.” Fresh enthusiasm made her place one hand upon his chest. “Here you claim a woman, but out of protection of her not suppression. Do you know how wonderful that is to a woman who has n
ever known anything but condescension?”
Eryk’s gaze turned reflective as he nodded. “I hadn’t given it any thought until I met you.” He placed his hands on his hips. “Then you understand I’d never force sex upon you? Ever?”
Her heart lightened. “Yes.”
“Did I frighten you while we were in the alcove?”
“Yes.”
Frown lines formed between his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“No… I understand you didn’t mean it. I was frightened because of the way it made me feel. Because of what I wanted to do.”
“What did you want to do?” His voice dropped, the low timbre making her insides tremble with renewed arousal. “Tell me.”
She shook her head. “I can’t yet. Let me become used to this world. It’s too much, too fast.”
A smile broke over his face. “All right. Let’s go then. You need those clothes.”
Feeling substantially better, she went along with Eryk’s suggestion. The shop they entered a short time later was little more than a big hole in the castle wall. Two men and a woman worked the shop where a variety of clothes hung on hooks or lay on shelves.
“I’ve never seen anything like this.” She spoke softly so the shop people couldn’t hear. “All the colors are so beautiful.” Disappointment returned. “Wait. I don’t have any money for clothes. For anything. I lost it all in the shipwreck.”
Eryk didn’t look fazed. “I’ll pay.”
“But—no. You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Why would you spend your money on clothing for me?”
“Because I want to.”
His generosity sent a glow through her. “Thank you.”
He shook his head. “You really aren’t used to men wanting nothing from you.”
“No, I’m not.”
One of the shopkeepers attended Mia and she brought several clothing articles to try on.
“She’ll take two sets.” Eryk gestured at the woman shopkeeper.
When everyone stared at Mia expectantly she said, “Thank you, Eryk.”
Daryk Warrior Page 6