by Chant, Zoe
***
She’d lost all sense of time. It felt like no time at all had passed, but when Damon began to make his descent back through the clouds, the ground beneath them had changed distinctly from what she remembered.
This was no longer the national park they’d just left. Instead, the landscape below was a pleasant green, lakes and rivers stretching as far as she could see, with mountains rising to their right. Every now and then, she could make out small houses.
They were all alone in the sky—no matter how she twisted, she couldn’t see anything but sky and clouds in all directions. Had they truly managed to escape?
When Damon slowed even more, she immediately forgot all thought of their pursuers. Instead, she clutched tightly at him once more, her heart starting to pound again when she caught a glimpse of the ground rushing towards them.
The roar of wind filled her ears now as Damon’s wings kept beating—and then, suddenly, they stopped.
They had landed, Autumn realized a second later. She hadn’t even felt the impact—despite her fear, this had been more comfortable than the plane, where a jolt had made her clutch her armrest when the wheels first touched the runway.
“I think we lost them,” she said. Her heart was still beating in her throat as she searched the horizon.
She couldn’t make out anything but blue sky and scattered clouds. And the landscape around them seemed quiet as well, untouched by civilization except for the occasional house.
Again Damon went to his knees and spread out his wings for her. Hastily, she descended.
A surprised squeak escaped her when she lost her footing and slid down his wing like a big slide. He changed the angle of his wing to slow her, and to her surprise, she managed a somewhat graceful landing, coming to a stand straight on both of her feet.
Despite the terror of the past hour, she felt a laugh bubbling up inside her. She twirled around and bowed, the way she’d seen gymnasts do on TV.
If dragon riding were an Olympic discipline, I’ve just successfully qualified for the US team.
Once again, there was the strange sensation of Damon’s answering laugh rushing through her mind.
A heartbeat later, the body of the powerful dragon, whose scales had gleamed in the sunlight a moment ago, vanished into thin air. It happened so quickly that she couldn’t even say how exactly it happened—one second a dragon had stood before her, the next second, Damon the human was back, still wearing his woolly sweater.
There was still a smile on his face as he looked at her—but then he, too, twisted his neck to search the horizon.
“We should be safe here,” he said, even though he wouldn’t take his eyes off the sky for a long minute. “I can still feel their presence, but they’re far off. I think they wanted to scare me, not kill me.”
Autumn swallowed as she thought back to the wall of deadly fire surrounding them. “I’d hate to know what it looks like when they actually try to kill you.”
Damon finally turned back to her, his lips quirking. “For one thing, there’d be more than just one—or even three. They know that my element is the earth. What can fire do to rock?”
“Melt it,” Autumn said with a shiver. She thought of that moment when Damon’s voice had guided her through the layers of stone that made up the earth beneath them. Deep below, there was a kernel of heat that could melt even stone and metal.
“You’re right, of course.” Damon had turned serious again. “They’re a threat. We can’t afford to underestimate them. Still—for now we seem to have lost them.”
“Where are we?” Autumn asked, turning again to look around.
They’d landed close to one of the solitary houses she’d spied from above. Up close, it was larger than it had looked from the sky. It was made of wood and built in a curious design. It looked like a triangle—or like a house that was all roof. A bit like a shed—only that even from the outside, she could tell that this was some star architect’s idea of a luxury shed.
While the two walls that formed the roof were solid wood, the entire front and back were glass. Inside, she could make out a spacious living room with a fluffy white carpet, two large sofas, and a real fireplace.
“This is where I’m staying,” Damon said. “It belongs to family friends. No one knows I’m here.”
“But they found you before,” Autumn pointed out.
Damon nodded grimly. “I know. But this is dragon territory. This entire area belongs to my friends.”
“Your friends—who are dragons?” Autumn asked, feeling weak again at the way the world had turned upside down.
How could this be real? And how was it that she, who’d never even left the country before, had ended up right in the middle of all this?
“Earth dragons—distant relatives of mine,” Damon said. “So far, the fire dragons have done a pretty good job of remaining in hiding. I don’t think they’ll dare to outright attack dragon territory. I think they just wanted to scare me.”
Silently, Autumn shook her head. Nothing made sense. But she’d seen him turn from a dragon into a human. She’d even flown on his back.
It was all real, as terrifying as that was.
“I want some coffee. Or a drink. Or maybe both,” she said. “And then I think you have a lot of explaining to do.”
Chapter Eight: Damon
The house was comfortably warm. Even so, Damon quickly built a fire in the fireplace, wrapping Autumn in a blanket before he went to fetch them both a cup of coffee. When he returned, he found her watching the fire with fascination.
“I keep thinking it’s not real. When I close my eyes, it keeps replaying—but it’s just like watching a movie.” Autumn hesitated a moment, then shrugged at last, her eyes turning from the fire towards him. “But maybe everyone would have that reaction. It’s a lot to take in.”
“It is,” Damon agreed, quietly settling down on the sofa next to her. He pressed a cup into Autumn’s hands, then took a sip of his own coffee. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I didn’t know this would happen. I came to Iceland to look into rumors of strange dragon activity—but these fire dragons have been hiding for centuries. And now they were attacking in broad daylight...”
Damon fell silent, staring into the flickering fire as well. Even now, it sent a shiver down his spine to think of Autumn surrounded by the flames. If he hadn’t been there to shield her...
“How many of you are there?” She put down her cup, turning to watch him.
The fire made her hair gleam, and Damon felt nearly overwhelmed by the need to pull her into his arms again, to reassure himself that she was safe and whole, and wholly his.
“Dragons? More than you think—less than you fear.” He flashed her a small smile. “But there are more of us shifters. Werewolves, for one thing.”
“Werewolves,” Autumn echoed, looking at him with disbelieving eyes.
“Always a bit rash, hard to control. That’s probably why you humans always had legends about them.”
“Uh huh,” Autumn muttered, looking pale again.
“But there’s a lot more of us you don’t know—bear shifters, lion shifters, deer shifters. Just last week I talked to a parakeet shifter in New York.”
“You’re kidding,” Autumn said.
Damon flashed her a grin and shook his head. “I’m dead serious, I promise.”
With a groan, Autumn grabbed a cushion and buried her face in it.
“This is all so complicated,” she said, her voice muffled. “I don’t want dragons attacking me!”
“Sorry for that.” Damon reached out—he’d planned to pull down the cushion a little, but for some reason, his hand seemed to have developed a mind of its own. He swallowed as he watched it gently touch Autumn’s auburn hair. The strands of her hair were as soft as silk.
A moment later, she slowly lowered the pillow. They looked at each other for a long, tense moment.
“Sorry,” he said again at the same time as she said, “It wasn’t your fault.”
> They stopped, laughing, still looking at each other.
Damon still hadn’t been able to force himself to stop playing with the soft strands of her hair. He couldn’t look away from her, irresistibly drawn towards the way her eyes gleamed in the light of the fire, her cheeks flushed from the warmth.
A moment later, they were in each other’s arms.
Autumn gasped as her mouth opened beneath his. He gently nudged her lips wider apart with his tongue, and then he slid inside, tasting her fully as she wrapped her arms around his neck with a moan.
She fit against him perfectly. Even with the blanket between them, he could feel the softness of her breasts against his chest.
Her hair brushed his cheeks, and he buried his hand in her locks again, holding her gently in place as he explored her mouth with all the passion of a man who’d waited for this moment his entire life.
The dragon within vibrated with energy and impatience. And once he was mated, he’d be stronger than ever before—an alpha dragon, in full control over his element.
Still, right now that was the last thing on his mind. All he could think about was the way Autumn fit against him as he ran his hand in appreciation down the soft curves of her body.
He wanted to spread her out before him and worship her, drive her wild with pleasure, claim her...
“Yes,” she gasped when he broke the kiss, her voice breathless with need.
There was still so much he needed to explain to her about his world. But right now, all that mattered was the way she felt against him, the seductive scent of her skin, the heat of his arousal.
The power that connected them was stronger than an earthquake, hotter than the molten core of the earth. No matter what the rational part of his human mind thought, the need for his mate was a force of nature that couldn’t be resisted.
He slipped from the couch, then pulled her down into his arms again for another kiss that left her breathless. Between his legs, his arousal was pounding. He’d never been this hard before—he’d never wanted anyone or anything so much before. He wanted, he needed to claim her, to make her his mate.
Instead, he forced himself to undress her slowly and carefully. He pressed a kiss to every inch of skin he revealed. When he finally arrived at her glorious breasts, he circled her nipples with his tongue, slowly and worshipfully, until she was moaning helplessly.
His hands ran up and down her sides, appreciating her soft, warm skin as he sucked her nipple into his mouth to tease the hard bud with his tongue. This time, she cried out for him, her body trembling in his arms. Her scent had intensified. It was heady and warm, and at last he released her.
When she wriggled out of her trousers, he could see that her panties were already completely soaked. This way, the scent of her need was even more overwhelming, and he didn’t even give her time to pull them down before he dove back down.
He flicked his tongue against her through the wet fabric, and she cried out, her thighs trembling against him.
“Do you have... do you have a condom on you?” she asked breathlessly.
Damon shook his head. “I didn’t expect a dragon attack—or to find you,” he said huskily.
Autumn moaned almost desperately. “I want you so much...”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said with a little smirk, running his finger right up the soaked panties. “There’s other ways to get what I want.”
“What you—” she began, then broke off with a gasp when he pressed his tongue to her again.
He teased her slowly with his tongue, circling the hidden little pearl beneath the fabric again and again while she arched helplessly against him. Then he fastened his mouth over her, his tongue stroking her demandingly while he sucked. With another soft, surprised cry, she surrendered to him, her body trembling as her climax overwhelmed her.
Grinning proudly, Damon sat up, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “See. Don’t need to a condom to make you feel good.” Then he reached out to finally roll Autumn’s panties down her legs.
She was so wet for him now that her thighs were slick when he gently pushed them apart. Autumn was too overwhelmed by her orgasm to answer, but she let out another surprised gasp when he blew cool air against the swollen little nub he’d caressed earlier.
“What are you doing,” she gasped weakly, and then reached out for him. “Come on. It’s your turn—”
He chuckled softly, ignoring her hand at his shoulder.
“Oh, but I haven’t even started.” He leaned down to breathe a gentle kiss to her clit, for the first time with no interfering fabric in the way.
Once more Autumn moaned, a shiver running through her body as she arched again.
She was hot against his tongue, the taste of her desire thick and sweet. It sent a low throb of desire through his own body, which he ignored.
Instead, he began to explore her folds with his tongue, lapping at the sweetness of her need until she buried her hands in his hair, her thighs tensing against him.
She made the most beautiful sounds as he teased her, little gasps and whimpers at every flick of his tongue. Then he allowed his tongue to delve a little deeper inside.
This time, she moaned his name, her hips lifting off the ground. He pulled back to circle the tip of his tongue around her swollen clit instead until she climaxed again with another cry.
She was flushed, her body gleaming with sweat. Her nipples were tight, and she’d bitten her lips until they were swollen and red. When the waves of her orgasm finally receded, she was so overwhelmed she could barely open her eyes to look at him.
Damon wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life—no treasure, no lands.
Instead, he ignored the throbbing of his rock-hard shaft, nuzzling against her thigh instead.
She’d barely recovered, her gorgeous, soft stomach still heaving with exhaustion. But when he trailed a finger through the wetness that made her folds gleam, she whimpered in disbelief.
“I can’t—” she gasped.
Damon laughed softly. “Oh, you can. Believe me—you can.”
Had no one ever taken the time to love her the way she should be loved, overwhelming her with pleasure until she was too weak to walk?
He couldn’t deny that he felt a certain satisfaction at the thought—but also a deep indignation. That was no way to treat his mate.
Fortunately, he had every intention in the world to show her exactly how much pleasure her body was capable of...
This time, he gently slid a finger into her, crooking it a little until she gasped and tightened around him in shocked surprise. Slowly, he kept thrusting in and out with his finger, stimulating just the right spot to keep making her moan.
Her beautiful, auburn hair stuck to her face. She’d lifted one arm to cover her eyes as she trembled, overwhelmed and more gorgeous than anything he’d ever seen.
Now he reached up and gently lifted her arm to the side.
“Let me see you,” he murmured huskily. “Let me watch. You’re so gorgeous like this.”
Her lips parted as she inhaled, her pupils so wide with arousal that they almost seemed black. He slid his finger back inside her, then added a second, rubbing insistently, her velvet-soft walls clinging to him.
He could almost see the moment her rising pleasure crested—all of her muscles seemed to tense, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as her thighs trembled. A drop of sweat was running down her throat, then continuing down between her large, flushed breasts.
“Now,” he breathed, and then leaned down to fasten his mouth right over her clit again, licking and sucking at the swollen little nub while Autumn came apart with a shout of ecstasy.
Chapter Nine: Autumn
It took long minutes for Autumn’s heart to calm enough that she could hear anything beyond the deafening pounding of the blood in her veins.
“Mmngh.” She made a sleepy, garbled sound as she finally opened her eyes again and managed to roll to her side.
Damon was still s
itting next to her, beaming like the literal cat that had gotten the cream.
And did he ever...
She felt herself flush as she remembered the playfulness of his tongue.
No matter how gentlemanly and serious he’d appeared, he definitely knew exactly how to drive her insane with pleasure.
And he’s very, very good at it...
With an exhausted sigh, she finally managed to sit up. She couldn’t stop smiling, even as she had to brush her tangled hair out of her face. She really needed a shower now. And maybe another coffee. But first...
She boldly pressed her hand to the front of his jeans. Even through the fabric, she could feel that he was achingly hard.
“You don’t have to,” he said hoarsely, only his breathlessness giving away his own need.
“I know,” she said and tilted her head at him, strangely reassured by his answer. Maybe he wouldn’t mind too much that she wasn’t as experienced as he’d been? “But I want to.”
Determined, she opened his zipper before he could protest. And it didn’t need words to understand what he needed when his hard length immediately pushed demandingly against her hand.
Wow.
He really was as huge as he’d felt. She had to swallow when she imagined him inside her. The thought was intimidating.
She’d only been with two men so far, and neither had come anywhere close to his size.
But on the other hand, neither of them had ever made her feel as Damon just had. It wasn’t that she hadn’t liked sex—it had been good, but mainly because she liked the sensation of being so close, and the cuddling afterward. She’d never come from it alone.
But then, neither of them had ever gone down on her, the way Damon had...
His appreciative groan brought her back to the present.
“Is that good? Tell me if I’m doing it wrong,” she said, watching his face in amazement.
His eyes gleamed with that metal sheen again, and she could almost taste the energy vibrating through the room. It sizzled against all her nerves—almost as if she could feel an echo of his pleasure.