by Lila Jean
In her core, she knew this mattered. This realization was crucial to finding the missing ambassadors. Wherever had happened to these dignitaries, Noxxom Corporation was a part of it.
Killian interrupted her thoughts with a deep kiss. “Tina, I’m so impressed with you.”
With a modest shrug, she abandoned the papers on his desk and wrapped her hands around his neck. “We really did it together.”
“We make a good team.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and smiled warmly, all noble charm and chivalry.
“That we do.” Tina grinned, a mischievous impulse urging her to tease him. She stood, lifting her skirts a little so she could set a knee on either side of him in the large cushioned chair. With a playful smile, she straddled his lap with nothing but her underwear and his zipper between them.
If nothing else, fusing with Damara had certainly made Tina bolder.
Killian held her waist, his grip tightening as she leaned in to kiss him. Beneath her, a bulge in his pants pressed against her inner thigh. With slow and sensual movements, she tilted her hips against him, tormenting her white knight with a bit of naughty fun. He closed his eyes and sighed with pleasure.
“I don’t want to push you into anything,” he said as a happy moan escaped his mouth.
“Oh, my honorable knight,” she said teasingly as she nibbled his earlobe. “You’re not.”
“I just want you to be happy.”
“I am.” She kissed him, winding her arms around his neck and leaning in until barely an inch separated them.
Slowly, his hands wandered down her back and gripped her ass. He gently squeezed as if savoring every sensation, his tender touch almost hesitant.
Tina could feel his carnal desire battling his gentlemanly nature, so she kissed the spot beneath his ear. “You can give in, Killian.”
He sighed deeply as if that was what he had needed to hear. He reached up her skirt and slid her underwear as far as it would go, not bothering to remove it entirely. Seconds later, he had undone his zipper.
The tip of his cock rested at her entrance, and she almost laughed at his eagerness. He wasn’t even going to take off her clothes.
Tina kissed his neck. “Impatient, hmm?”
“You have no idea.” With his hands under her skirts, he grabbed her hips and repositioned her body, sliding her knees forward until he held her over his cock. The tip teased her entrance, rubbing over her lips and sensitive nub. Tina arched her back, trying to lower herself onto him, but he held her in place.
She wiggled in his grip, eager for him to enter her, desperate to feel him plunge into her, but he refused. His erection taunted her until she was sopping wet with need.
Killian finally released her, and she gently lowered herself onto his thick shaft. He filled her to the brim, and she relished in every second of the descent as she took her time. Bit by bit, she lowered herself, savoring every twitch of his cock as it dove deeper into her.
When she was nearly at his base, he grabbed her shoulders and shoved her the last few inches down. She gasped with pleasure and surprise, not expecting her chivalrous gentleman to be so forceful.
He nipped her neck playfully, not saying a word. She chuckled, bliss shooting through her as she enjoyed the sensation of his bare cock inside of her.
“I adore you,” he said softly in her ear.
“And I, you,” she said back to him.
Killian sighed happily and tilted his hips upward, somehow managing to go even deeper. He grabbed her ass and lifted her until he nearly popped out, and then lowered her to his base once more.
He picked up speed, completely in control of her body even though she was on top. Tina grabbed the back of the chair for support as he rode her, bucking into her with utter abandon. Ripples of ecstasy exploded within her, rising to a powerful climax.
She wouldn’t last much longer, not in this position.
Tina tried to bite back her orgasm, to make it last longer, but it exploded within her navel. She moaned his name as he rode the waves of her climax, his soothing touch a welcome comfort as the pleasure faded away to peaceful paradise. Only when her orgasm faded completely did he release himself inside of her. The hot rush sent a shiver of delight up her spine, and Tina’s eyes fluttered closed with raw lust.
“You’re glowing,” he said.
Tina smiled and nodded without opening her eyes. “So are you.”
“Wow,” he said softly.
She leaned against him, her body humming with life and joy. With every orgasm, she felt closer to something amazingly powerful, something just out of reach.
Killian held her close, his breath slowing as they sat together in silence. His fingers ran through her hair, and the intimate sensation nearly lulled her to sleep.
46
Zane
Roughly two hours before his day with Tina began, Zane crossed his arms as he glared down at the traitor he and the other princes had captured back in Indonesia. The dragon traitor was locked in chains, bloodied and bruised, but Zane didn’t care. The man had tried to steal Tina away and do unspeakable things to her, so Zane had no sympathy for him or any of the other turncoats.
The door clanged shut behind him, and Draven’s footsteps shuffled nearer. Without looking over his shoulder, Zane nodded to the prisoner. “Looks like you all enjoyed yourselves.”
Draven shrugged. “We did what needed to be done.”
With a silent nod toward the exit, Zane ushered Draven into a nearby office to continue their conversation in private. When the door shut behind them, Zane leaned against the wall and folded his arms in front of his chest. “You got the name out of him, Draven?”
“I did.” The dragon prince paused beside Zane, hands in his pockets as he wrinkled his nose in disgust at the turncoat.
“Which of Tina’s priestesses betrayed her?”
“A priest, actually, who felt he wasn't properly provided for. He’s still there.”
“You have proof he’s involved?”
Draven nodded. “I found texts, call logs, and even an email. The idiot trusted them way too much.”
“Good. I’ll take it from here.”
The dragon prince grimaced. “I don’t see why we have to be subtle. One of her priests betrayed her. Kick in the door and take him.”
“However good your intentions, Draven, kicking in the door in this situation is still an act of war. We would have to turn over our proof to the High Priestess and hope she corrects the issue.”
Draven rubbed his jaw, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. “And you don’t think she will.”
Zane shook his head. “I don’t like that woman. I know she’s Damara’s high priestess, but I don’t trust her.”
“Why?”
“The way she looks at Tina, mostly. It’s as though she wants what Tina has. She’s too young to be a high priestess, which tells me she has unchecked ambition. From what I can tell, the two women who were better suited for her role mysteriously disappeared a decade ago. I don’t like what that insinuates.”
Draven ran a hand over his stubble, pacing the small office that had probably seen its fair share of blood and spilled secrets.
“I’ll handle it,” Zane promised.
The dragon prince hesitated, eyes darting over Zane’s face. After a moment, he produced a folded sheet of paper. “I know you will.”
With that, Draven slipped the note into Zane’s hand and left.
Based on what Zane knew of the dragon, he had expected a bit more of a fight. He had assumed details would need to be shared, terms and information negotiated before anything could get done. Yet with their mutual affection for Tina, none of that seemed to matter anymore.
Grateful and honestly a bit surprised at the dragon’s trust, Zane shot off a few texts with coordinates and orders to his father’s best assassin.
The priest would leave Epara today around noon local time to gather groceries for the temple, and he would simply never return. It seemed a fi
tting end for a traitor.
Less than two hours later, Zane approached Tina’s door for their day together. Though still a half-hour early, he figured she would forgive him for breaking one of her rules given the news he wanted to share.
47
Draven
Draven shoved open the doors to the meeting room where the other four princes waited for him. “We have a problem.”
The doors swung shut behind him. Anthony reclined in his seat on the far side of the round table, one eyebrow twisting with curiosity. Flynn sat to his left. Killian and Zane had chosen seats nearby, with only one empty seat between each of them. A large television took up most of the wall to his left, Draven’s family crest serving as a screen saver on the otherwise black screen.
Flynn chuckled. “You certainly have a knack for making an entrance.”
Draven didn’t laugh. This was serious. “An open threat has been made against Tina and, by default, us.”
Every man leaned forward, instantly switching gears. The mood in the room shifted, and a deadly serious silence settled on them all as his statement sunk in.
Zane broke the silence first. “By who?”
“We don’t know,” Draven admitted. “My father received a typed note this morning warning us that the next time we leave, Tina will be returned to her ‘rightful mate.’”
Anthony bristled. “Someone has a death wish.”
Draven nodded and grabbed a remote from a hidden compartment in the table. With a few clicks, he brought up a picture of the note. The photo was all his father would let him share with the other princes, but it would do.
“We have to change the travel plans,” Killian said.
“Obviously.” Zane stood, standing as he examined the note more closely.
“We should delay leaving.” Flynn rubbed his beard. “Stay here for another week or so to flush these people out.”
Draven’s shoulders relaxed with relief. That had been his plan, and he had been sure the other princes would protest the idea of keeping Damara in any one place for longer than the agreed upon week.
“We can’t let her know,” Anthony said, his voice almost a growl.
Killian frowned. “Why not?”
“She’s stressed enough as it is.” The wolf shifter leaned his elbows on the table. “As far as she’s concerned, let her think it’s plane trouble. I don’t want her feeling like she can’t go anywhere without provoking a war.”
“I don’t like lying to her,” Killian said.
“Then distract her instead,” Draven offered.
All four princes shifted their gazes to him, and more than one brow lifted in confusion.
“Keep her happy,” Draven said. “Make her laugh, take her out. I’ll get my father to lift the ban keeping you in the palace. Let her enjoy herself. We extend our stay in Mersarth by two weeks, and we each get an additional two days with her. Keep her mind off the, uh, engine trouble. I’ll even give up some of my time with her since that’s not, you know, fair.”
After a moment, all four princes nodded their assent. If their plans were anything like Draven’s, no one would take him up on his offer to let them out of the palace. They would probably spend every hour in her bed, same as him.
Zane paced the room, rubbing his neck. “We’ll have to come up with an alternative plan, one that allows us to travel unseen. In the meantime, I agree with Draven.”
Killian nodded. “I suppose you’re all right. If we can make this easier for her, it’s our duty and obligation to do so.”
“Agreed,” Flynn said.
Anthony stood. “It’s settled, then. Let’s figure out how to get out of Mersarth unseen.”
48
Anthony
After two weeks, when it was finally deemed safe to leave Mersarth, Anthony still couldn’t relax.
He lounged in a cushioned chair on a private jet out of the dragonlands, the plane provided by Draven and his father to deliver them to the cat kingdom Cimarron. It was the nearest kingdom to Mersarth, but he couldn’t shake the inescapable feeling that they should have changed their plans again at the last second.
Deep in his core, something just felt wrong.
Their plan seemed safe enough. Five other planes had taken off around the same time as theirs, four of them headed toward the other kingdoms and one back to Epara. It should’ve been enough to confuse anyone following them. Only the pilots and Draven’s father knew when they were leaving.
Last-minute plans. Almost no trace left behind. They should have been safe, but Anthony’s instincts flared all the same.
Anthony wished he had discovered his special new power like Draven had, but thus far he’d seen no change in his skills. It irked Anthony, mostly because new powers would be extra insurance in case things went south. Still, he had gone his whole life without magic, and he could protect Tina all the same without it.
Tina’s angelic laugh cut through his thoughts. She sat by the window with Draven at her side and Flynn across from her, though Anthony had to admit he wasn’t paying attention to what was being said.
For a moment, the thought struck him as odd, since he had been raised to not trust any of the other kingdoms or their citizens. Yet here he was, lost in thought as he allowed a conversation to go on nearby without eavesdropping.
Before, the idea of letting his guard down around politically significant men like the four princes would have made him question his sanity, but his time with Tina had changed him. What began as a political contest and struggle for power had opened his eyes to who these princes truly were.
Arms crossed and lost in thought, Anthony shifted his gaze to Draven. The dragon prince leaned toward Tina and smirked, whispering something in her ear that made her blush. With an unapologetic grin, Draven caught Anthony’s eye and winked.
Three weeks ago, Anthony would have grabbed Draven’s collar and taught him some manners for being crude to a woman Anthony cared about. Now, he merely shook his head at the horny dragon shifter’s antics. Sarcasm and sex, that was about all he could expect from Draven.
The dragon shifter nodded toward Anthony. “You doing okay over there, wolfie?”
Despite the looming sense of danger, Anthony laughed in surprise. “Wolfie? Seriously?”
“I kind of like ‘wolfie.’ It’s cute,” Tina said with a playful grin.
Flynn snorted. “Right, because that’s the word I’d choose for Anthony, cute.”
Draven laughed. “Of the five of us, I’d say he’s the most adorable. So furry.”
In a seat not far from Anthony, Zane lifted his head from his phone and chuckled. “Hey, tigers are furrier than wolves. Doesn’t that make me the adorable one?”
Tina laughed.
“You two are idiots.” Anthony shook his head, unable to hide his smile.
“All right, that’s enough,” Flynn reclined in his seat and grinned, his eyes briefly darting between Zane and Anthony. It was a subtle motion, almost imperceptible, but the message to refocus and stay alert came through loud and clear.
Anthony’s smile fell, and he nodded to the demigod. Flynn could be controlling and a bit stubborn, but he would always do what was best for Tina and the six of them as a whole. Right now, that meant getting to Cimarron safely.
Draven pulled Tina into a new conversation, he and Flynn doing what they could to distract her and keep her happy on the flight. It was up to Killian, Anthony, and Zane to monitor what they could both online and out the window to ensure a smooth trip.
They settled perfectly into their assigned roles like a flawless team. As Anthony scanned the horizon for possible threats, he couldn’t help but wonder when this friendship of theirs had begun.
Zane typed away on his screen, the subtle clicking steady as the cat shifter worked his nerdy magic. For a decade, Zane had played the part of a weak and pathetic geek almost too well when he was, in fact, the most brilliant strategist Anthony had ever met.
More surprising than Zane, though, was the eagle s
hifter pacing up and down the aisle at the rear of the plane. To Anthony’s surprise, Killian wasn’t the mindless drone he had hated from afar. The eagle shifter was one of the best warriors Anthony had ever seen, both in the sparring ring and on the battlefield.
Killian paused in the aisle and nodded to Anthony, who returned the gesture. It was a clear and silent signal that everything was okay. For now.
Anthony returned his attention out the window, shoulders aching from the tension as his intuition continued to flare. His gut churned with anxiety as his intuition screamed at him to prepare for war, so he stood and paced the aisle to blow off some steam.
Though they had been nothing more than obstacles at first, Anthony had come to respect all four of his competitors. The more time he spent with them, the less this felt like a competition and the more it felt like the founding of a brotherhood.
When the three months were up, their friendships would be tested, and sides would be chosen. Anthony didn’t want to think of what would happen when the time came, so he avoided the thought altogether.
Zane’s phone buzzed. The tiger shifter lifted it, and a smug smile broke across his face as he scanned the screen.
“Good news?” Anthony nodded toward the phone.
Zane nodded. “Epara is safe again.”
Tina’s head snapped toward the tiger shifter. She and Zane shared a knowing look, and her lips twisted into a smile as well. She was in on whatever Zane had done.
“Care to share with the rest of the class?” Flynn turned around in his chair, leaning one elbow on the headrest.
Zane gestured to Draven. “Thanks to the dragons’ interrogation skills, we learned the identity of the priest who betrayed Tina back in Bali. He has been dealt with.”
Despite his nerves, Anthony smiled. “I’m impressed. A tiger and a dragon working together. I never thought I would see the day.”