by Lili Zander
“You’re trying to use your eyes,” Mateo says. “You’re fighting it once again. Focus inward, and don’t push against the magic. Push with it.”
Part of me wants to tell him where to stick his new-age mumbo-jumbo. The other part keeps remembering the blood congealed around the wound in Erik’s side. I need to learn how to heal. “Can you blindfold me?” I ask Mateo.
“Good thought.” He sounds pleased. I expect him to wave his hand and magic me something to prevent me from seeing, but instead, he walks over. Producing a silk scarf from thin air, he ties it over my eyes. “You’re doing really well,” he whispers encouragingly into my ear. “And if you heal my cut, I’ll give you a reward.”
My lips curl into a smile. As Mateo knows, I’m a sucker for a good reward.
It’s been two weeks since the attack. Erik has made a full recovery from an injury that should have killed him. Every time I see his brooding face, my heart clenches in my chest, and I have to remind myself that he’s fine. That all of my mates are fine.
The close call has also given me a small taste of what Erik’s lived with all these years after losing Gisele. Now, more than ever, I understand why he’s kept me at arm’s length.
Now, more than ever, I wish things were different.
“You ready?” Erik asks, coming into the study and gesturing to the pool table.
Date night. I almost forgot.
I give him a genuine smile. “Yep. I’m ready to kick your ass.”
Okay, we both know I’m not going to actually kick his ass. We’ve been playing pool for weeks, and I’ve yet to win one round. Despite my complaining about him cheating, I know he’s just that good. I shouldn’t be too hard on myself—he is five hundred and fifty-two years old, after all. He’s had a long time to perfect his game.
“We’ll see, princess,” Erik says with a wink.
Did my grumpy mate just wink at me? My mouth falls open, but I hastily cover my surprise. “Rack ‘em up, dragon. I’m breaking.” I know better than to let Erik break. When he does, the game is over before it begins. He can run the table unlike anyone I’ve seen before.
“As you wish.” Erik playfully bows to me.
I gape at him. “Did you just quote the Princess Bride?”
He shrugs, a tinge of pink on his cheeks. Oh my God. Erik blushes. I’m seriously starting to feel like I’ve fallen into the Twilight Zone. What the hell is going on? Could something have gone wrong with the magic when I pulled him back into the castle? Could he have gotten a brain injury that went undiagnosed? Or did the poison do more damage than we know?
“It’s a good movie,” he says.
“Hang on. You haven’t seen Harry Potter, but you’ve seen the Princess Bride.”
“No dragons were being willfully misrepresented in the Princess Bride,” he points out. “I like movies.”
Huh. “Never would have guessed.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he says quietly. “That’s my fault. I’m sorry, Aria.”
He takes the pool cue out of my hand and leans it against the table, then pulls me into his arms. My blood instantly heats at the contact. My body has craved his touch from the very start, and even though we’ve become friends of sorts, he has kept a physical distance from me. Until now.
“It’s okay, Erik,” I whisper. “You lost the love of your life and unborn child. I get it.”
Liar, liar pants on fire. The truth is, I want him to want me as much as I want him, but I know voicing that will only push him further away. We’re making progress. He’s hugging me. I refuse to put pressure on him.
“When Bastian and I were attacked… when I thought I was going to die… all I could think about was my mate.”
Oh, that stings. I struggle to keep the hurt from showing on my face.
“All I could feel was remorse and regret… Remorse at the way I’ve kept her at a distance. Regret that I didn’t tell her how much I’ve come to care for her.”
Wait, what?
By the look on Erik’s face, I’ve obviously blurted that out loud. I really need to learn how to keep my mouth on lockdown when I’m in shock.
His lips quirk into a slight smile. “It was you I thought of, Aria.” He takes a deep breath. “I know I’ve been difficult. A pain in the ass. I’ve been stubborn and stuck in the past, but I’d really like to change that.”
“Erik…” I start and then close my mouth. He’s rendered me speechless. I’m not a hearts-and-flowers kind of girl, but I’m totally swooning right now. I relax into his arms and let the bond between us strengthen.
Arousal sparks, and I start to pull away, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. Instead of letting me go, he slowly moves his lips to mine, giving me plenty of time to protest.
I don’t. I wouldn’t. I want him. He’s my mate. We belong together in this way. In all ways.
His lips are softer than I would have thought. His kiss is gentle, almost tentative, as if he’s not sure his touch is entirely welcome. Silly dragon. I stand on tiptoe. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pull him closer, sinking into the sensation of his lips on mine. When his tongue flicks across my bottom lip, I open to him.
Our kiss is slow and sensual and perfect.
When his hand threads through my hair and tightens, I moan into his mouth. A switch flips. My tongue becomes more aggressive, and my body wiggles against his. I silently beg for more, but Erik won’t be persuaded. He keeps our kiss slow all the way up until he pulls away. “You test my control, princess,” he breathes, his voice ragged.
I scoff. His control seems pretty damn ironclad, while I’m ready to hump him like a crazed monkey in heat. I want more. And I want more now. “Control is overrated,” I reply, cringing at the neediness in my voice.
He traces my bottom lip with his thumb. “Shall we go somewhere more private?”
I nod enthusiastically. My pussy clenches at the possibilities. As Bea would put it, my lady garden is completely on board with whatever he has planned.
“Want to watch a movie?” Erik asks, indicating the flat screen mounted above the fireplace in his room.
Not even a little. Did I misread his signals? I thought we were going to fall into bed, not veg out in front of the TV.
Just pull on your big-girl panties and tell him what you want, Aria.
“Not particularly…” I slowly approach him, not stopping until we are toe to toe. I look into his dark eyes and breathe a sigh of relief when I see desire reflected back at me. “I want you, Erik.”
He gives me a searching look. “I don’t want to rush you.”
“You’re not. I promise.”
Erik’s eyes grow dark with lust. “I want you too, princess.”
I stand on tiptoe again and press my lips to his. “You have me.”
We slowly undress each other, our hands hungrily touching each inch of skin that is revealed. Our lips duel, and our tongues clash in a messy kiss. We tumble into his bed, and I realize how big Erik is. Everywhere.
His cock is long and thick. Really long. Really thick. Holy fuck. It’s just... wow. Bea would call it a Unicorn Cock.
“You’re staring, princess.” Erik’s voice is laced with humor.
“Yeah, well…” My cheeks warm under his amused scrutiny. Sue me. It really is a fantastic cock. It takes effort to pull my gaze away.
“My turn to look.” Erik’s eyes are hot with desire as his gaze slowly runs down my body. “So beautiful.”
His mouth finds its way down my throat to my breasts. He circles one nipple, and then the other with his tongue. The touch is light and teasing, and I arch into him. “Please…”
“You’re so beautiful,” he says again. “Look at these perfect breasts.” He flicks his tongue over my nipple once again, causing me to shudder. He takes the turgid peak between his lips and sucks. Yes.
I whimper with pleasure. His beard scratches my skin, and that soft prickling touch just amplifies my arousal. “Harder,” I plead. “More.” What
can I say? I’m greedy.
He switches back and forth between my breasts, licking and sucking until I’m writhing beneath him. “I could suck on your pretty little nipples all night,” he growls. “But I want to taste you.”
You’re not going to hear a protest from me.
He slowly licks a line down my abdomen, stopping just above my pussy. He looks me in the eye as he presses his mouth over my folds, his tongue trailing through my wetness.
My hand finds its way into his hair, and I hold him to me, encouraging him to keep going. “Erik… ohhh… more… please,” I beg. Desire coils tight in my belly as he feasts on me, his clever tongue and mouth driving me to distraction.
But though I plead for more, Erik doesn’t appear to be in any hurry. Stubborn dragon. “What’s the rush, princess?” he asks, his voice muffled against my thighs. “Savor the moment.”
The pleasure builds and builds until I’m dangling on the edge of release. Every time I’m close to tipping over, he backs off, letting the orgasm fizzle before working me up again. Over and over he takes me to the edge.
Just when I’m about to threaten bodily harm, he slips a thick finger inside me, then another. One more flick of his tongue and my climax won’t be denied any longer. It’s too much, too good, too impossible to hold back my release…
I explode in his mouth, muscles quivering and trembling from the onslaught of pleasure. God, that was good.
Erik licks his lips as he crawls back up my body. “I could spend the rest of my life between your thighs, princess.”
“I wouldn’t complain,” I say with a sated smile.
He laughs, the sound glorious. Erik doesn’t laugh often. The rare times he does, I catalog them, etching each one into my memory so that I’ll never forget.
I rock my hips up into him, rubbing against his hard cock. His laugh turns into a sexy growl. He positions himself at my entrance and with a slow glide, pushes in deep. My muscles burn as they stretch to accommodate his thickness, but it’s an intensely pleasurable burn, one I can’t get enough of. “Yes,” I hiss, throwing my head back as he fills me completely. “So good.”
“Ah, princess,” he whispers. “Right now, I feel like the luckiest dragon in the world.” He lowers his head to my lips and kisses me deeply, swallowing my moans as he sets a steady pace.
Once again, my orgasm builds in a slow burn. The push and pull of his thick length rubs all the right spots. I’m completely overwhelmed. I dig my nails into his back and cling to him.
Erik isn’t fucking me. This isn’t a rough ride to the finish. This isn’t fast and furious. This is slow and tender. He’s making love to me, and it takes me by surprise. The Erik I know is gruff and taciturn. Not tonight. Seeing this achingly tender side has my heart clenching in my chest.
Stop being mushy, Aria.
I shake myself back into the moment. My orgasm grows, building to a crescendo until it crashes over me. Erik is right behind me, his cock jerking inside me as he fills me with his release.
“Aria,” he whispers, his forehead touching mine. We lay there, breathing each other’s breaths for long minutes.
I can’t speak. There’s a lump in my throat, and I’m feeling too emotional to form words. I just cling to him. The strong beat of his heart lulls me to sleep, and for the first time since Erik’s brush with death, I rest peacefully.
10
Aria
It’s still dark when I wake up. I grope for my phone and look at the time.
Five in the morning. Ugh.
At my side, Erik snores gently, and I squelch my giggles. I am so going to pull his leg about this when he wakes up.
The big dragon is like my own personal space heater. He’s radiating warmth, and it’s very tempting to cuddle into him and fall back asleep. I close my eyes and try doing just that, but after ten minutes of lying awake, I give up.
Doing my best not to wake him, I slide off the bed and regard him fondly. Last night had been a revelation. Erik’s gruff on the outside, but the dragon’s a softie. He’d been tender. Sweet. Loving.
Absently, I rub the mark on my wrist. The mating sign. If mating equals fucking, I’ve now done it with all five of my mates. Any chance that there’s some kind of revelation that’ll tell us how to amplify my blood?
Nope. No vision of Maija Essen appears to guide us in our quest. It looks like we’re on our own.
I’m naked. The fire’s died down, and it’s freezing. I look around for my clothes and get dressed. For good measure, I pull Erik’s thick woolen sweater over my head. It smells like him, and my lips curl into a smile. Screw the curse. I don’t have to be in the library until ten. I’m going to spend the next few hours savoring my memories of last night.
I tiptoe out of the room and make my way to my bedroom. I don’t even know why Frau Ziegler bothered to assign me a room of my own. Given how rarely I sleep in my own bed, she’s probably wondering the same thing. I keep waiting for signs of disapproval—Frau Ziegler clearly adores Bastian, and I have no idea what she thinks of the whole Five-Mates-For-Aria thing—but the housekeeper has never been anything other than warmly friendly toward me.
The castle is quiet, and the corridor is deserted. I’d learned just the other day that the staff has their own hidden staircases and corridors. Positively feudal, this place.
I’m making my way along the dimly lit passage when something yanks at the magic around me. All of a sudden, I’m pulled into a vision.
I’m standing inside Zyrian’s creepy Gothic masterpiece of a castle. The Bloodstone hangs around my neck, a warm, comforting presence. I’m clutching Endellion in my right hand, and the steel blade glows softly in the moonlight.
The shadowy wraiths glide up to me. Leave, they whisper. Leave before the Rogue Prince can get his hands on the magic inside the Bloodstone.
But though I know that they’re right, and though I know that if Zyrian possesses the Bloodstone, the world as I know it will end, I cannot turn back. My skin is cold and clammy, and my heart races with fear. He has Silas.
Every path in front of you ends in destruction.
All paths but one.
It is treacherous.
And you may yet fail.
But fight you must.
I don’t know where that whisper comes from. Somewhere deep inside of me.
I’m walking to my death. I can’t allow Gideon Zyrian to channel the magic inside the Bloodstone for his own nefarious purposes. I need to save Silas and absorb the tainted magic trapped inside the ruby before Zyrian can use it.
It’s an impossible task. But the whisper is right. I can’t turn back. For the future of magic, for the survival of everyone that I care about, to safeguard my five dragon princes, I must fight.
Two guards stand in front of a tall set of iron doors. I’ve reached my destination.
I’ve dreamed this scene so many times before. Every single time, the guards try to stop me, and I cut them down.
This time, the vision is different. The guards don’t challenge me, and they don’t try to stop me from entering the inner sanctum. Instead, they wordlessly open the doors for me.
Zyrian’s expecting me then.
The hair on the back of my neck stands up as the Bloodstone blazes a warning, one I ignore. I enter the chamber, the sword unsheathed and at the ready.
“You came,” the hooded figure in the center of the room says. I can’t see his face, but his voice is layered with menace. “A wise choice.”
“Where’s Silas?” I demand.
“Your concern for your family is… laudable.” He extends his hand into the air, and Silas materializes into the room, his arms tied behind his back, his feet lashed together with metal chains.
I take an instinctive step toward my father, but a solid wall of magic stops me. “Not yet, Aria Archer,” the Dark Dragon says. “You know what you need to do. Bleed on the Bloodstone. Open the barrier, and when I absorb the magic within, I’ll free your father.”
Wraiths str
eam into the room. Don’t do this, they shriek at me. If the Rogue Prince absorbs that magic, you will condemn all of us to eternal torment.
I can’t reassure them. I can’t even think of my plan. If Zyrian breaks into my mind, if he discovers what I’m going to do…
Keeping my eyes on the mage, I sheath Endellion and pull a small knife from my belt. I tug the Bloodstone from my neck. With a swift slice, I cut my palm and close my hand around the ruby.
Magic tears free.
I can’t let Zyrian have it. I close my eyes and tug the dark strands into my body. “What are you doing?” Zyrian shouts at me. “You’re trying to steal my magic? You stupid fool, do you think you’re strong enough to contain it?”
The net is weaving around me, tightening around my body, squeezing the air from my lungs. I’m forced to my knees. My vision blurs, and I feel light-headed.
Zyrian doesn’t need to do anything. The long-trapped magic inside the Bloodstone is more than capable of doing enough damage to finish me.
The last thing I see is Zyrian flicking his fingers in a slicing motion. Blood gushes from Silas’ throat, and my father falls to the floor.
There’s nothing I can do to stop the magic. Nothing I can do to save Silas. I’ve failed, and the Dark Dragon has won.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. The faces of my five dragon mates swim before my eyes. Erik. Bastian. Rhys. Casius. Mateo. As powerful as they are, they won’t be able to withstand the Dark Dragon, not now. Not when Zyrian has the power of the Bloodstone behind him.
My failure has condemned everyone I love to death.
No! I jerk back to Castle Jaeger, my body wracked with sobs. It’s not real, I tell myself. It was just a dream.
Except I wasn’t asleep.
Except the vision felt clearer than it’s ever felt before. I can still smell the coppery tang of blood in my nostrils. I can feel the pain from the cut on my palm. I can see Silas’ wide, staring eyes as he bleeds to his death.
I can’t stop shaking. I sink to the floor. With trembling fingers, I dial Silas’ phone number. It’s eleven in the night in Manhattan, and if Silas is running true to type, he’s having a pint in his local pub.