Serena's Salvation: Fated & Forbidden

by Crystal Dawn

  It wouldn’t be long before he filled her with his seed and he hoped it took. Right now, creating a baby with his mate was the only thing he wanted more than just being with her. He drove in one more time and felt her body explode all around him.

  Chapter 5

  Heading Home

  Serena should feel victorious about gaining Flint’s hand in marriage. She had managed to do it without the marks that Allendra would soon put on their hands. A niggling doubt made her wonder, what if she’d made a mistake. What if the full dream never came? The marks were something she’d just known would come later in the dream but she’d not actually seen yet. They’d be a hint that all of those challenged would receive.

  It wouldn’t matter to her because right now Flint was making her feel things sexually, but also emotionally, that she’d never felt before. A sense of belonging was flowing through her along with an incredible rush as her climax blew her away.

  Her body gripped Flint and she felt the warmth as his seed filled her. Would she conceive? Possibly and she didn’t mind that at all. That was, until the thought of the difficulties that lay ahead came to her minutes later, once she’d come down from the amazing feelings her mate had given her. He had brought her so much pleasure that she had lost her grip on reality.

  Flint wouldn’t be pleased when they made it to the White Dragon kingdom. That was where he would get the rest of the story unless she was brave enough to tell him more along the way. The kingdom wasn’t as far as she had implied and he would think she’d purposely misled him. Hadn’t she?

  She’d tell him the truth about that before they left, because she had to. “What are you thinking about? You’ll get permanent wrinkles on your brow from all that concentration.” Flint teased.

  “I wanted to tell you that my land, while magically far away, will only take us a few days to reach. The magical portal will take us across time and space.”

  “Is that what you’ve been hiding from me?”

  She was surprised that he’d realized she wasn’t telling him everything. Maybe it was the connection between them as fated mates that made him so perceptive. “No, my people won’t be completely accepting. Have no concerns, it is my place to convince them I made the right choice.”

  “Won’t they know about the challenge once this Allendra makes it?”

  “No, I don’t believe they will. It’s another part to add difficulty. If others knew, it would ease things for us.”

  “She truly has set you up to fail, possibly even to suffer at the hands of your people, maybe even to die.” His eyes seemed to see into her soul but she tried to hide the things she didn’t want him to see.

  “Just have faith in me, my mate. We will get through this somehow because right is on our side.”

  “That just makes me wonder if you are hiding something else from me.”

  “I told you my people wouldn’t accept you easily but I can get them to see your worth. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe.” Flint still lay on top of her but now he rolled them over.

  Serena lay on top of him looking down into his face. A feeling of complete satisfaction rolled over her. Had she known a fated mate would do this for her, she would have searched him out earlier. Of course when she had been younger, he had been too young to mate.

  “So how do you plan to make an arrogant, superior feeling, human hating, and aggressive race accept a human as its heir to the throne?” Flint asked.

  “Ha, you make it sound impossible. I can fight for my right to have a fated mate, regardless of who he is or what race he represents.”

  “You’re talking about an actual fight? Good thing I know you can kick ass. Who is the local champion?”

  “I am. Once I was fully trained, I haven’t lost a fight. It’s the royal blood of both my parents.”

  “So your mother is Queen?”

  “I don’t know. My father took her in a raid and seduced her. Once I turned five, he sent her back to her people. I’ve never seen her or heard anything about her since.”

  “Your father is one fucked up man.”

  “I can’t disagree with you. He’s cold and unfeeling and he’s never shown me or my sisters love.”

  “I’m sorry that you had a rough childhood. My parents always made it clear they loved all of us. Selling me to you was the only time I’ve ever felt used.”

  “Don’t feel bad for me, I had Sir. They felt they were doing what was best for you. Your father would prefer you rule here, but Damian is the oldest and custom dictates he rule.”

  “Can you read minds?”

  “Not really. I do have some empathy which means I pick up on emotions. I can also read expressions. Neither of those things are magic, humans have those skills, too. Believe me when I say your parents love you and want only the best for you.”

  “I suppose I’m being a brat. I wanted them to hold out a little to show they hated letting me go. Now I have another problem. Ender is unhappy here and I promised if I ever left, I would take him with me.”

  “Hm, I think I can help you with that. I’ll talk to your father before we leave.”

  “What would you say to him?”

  “I need to keep some secrets. You have nothing to lose. If it doesn’t work, you’re no worse off.”

  “That’s true. Do it soon so I have time to try something else if my father doesn’t want to let him go.”

  “I will do it next time I see him. We still need to get Sir to the royal stables and feed him some meat so he doesn’t munch on a human.”

  Flint chuckled. “Munch on a human, haha.”

  “I’m not joking. Dragons will eat any kind of meat except other dragons. If someone comes around and bothers him or even if they get too close, they might end up missing a limb.”

  “I guess we’d best go get your dragon horse then before he causes any trouble.” They both got up and Serena dressed with a snap of her fingers while Flint hunted his clothing down. It took him so long that she snapped her fingers and he found himself fully dressed. “I don’t suppose you could teach me that trick?”

  “Maybe after we mate you’ll develop the needed affinity for magic.”

  “That was a sweet way to say hell no.”

  “Let’s go get Sir before he gets upset.”

  “The man eating dragon? Yes, let’s get him before he chews someone’s arm off.”

  “He’s only dangerous if he’s disturbed.”

  Flint led his mate out of his room and down the hall. They went to the royal stables and the stable hand prepared his horse. Once it was brought to them, he mounted and pulled Serena up behind him. The horse trotted, bouncing her against his back. She didn’t mind the contact even if it was jarring. Her mate didn’t complain, either.

  “We’re almost there.” He said as if he meant to comfort her.

  She didn’t mind the ride, but she was worried about Sir. He’d been alone all day without the meat he craved. Serena was happy when the stable came into view and there were no signs of a catastrophe. She slid off the horse and ran to the stable searching out Sir’s stall. It seemed she was just in time.

  “Who are you and what are you doing to my horse?”

  “Call him off!” The terrified man yelled.

  “Sir, come here.” Sir snorted and tossed his head at the man before turning and coming to her. She petted him. “It will be alright, Sir. We are going to the castle and we will be headed home in a few days.” Turning to the man, she glared at him. “Who are you?” She demanded.

  “I’m Forest, a prince of this kingdom. That horse is dangerous and should be locked up.”

  “He is locked up. What were you doing in his stall?” Flint asked.

  “We had all heard about the horse and the stranger. I just wanted a closer look.”

  “Seems like you got it, now get out of the horse’s stall.” Flint growled. Forest moved to the door.

  “Who is this woman?” Forest’s eyes held a glint of lust. It was perfectly normal consi
dering how lovely Serena was, but it pissed Flint off.

  “She’s your sister. Treat her as such.”

  “I have no sister and she doesn’t look like I would expect a sister to look.”

  “She’s my wife and that makes her your sister.”

  “You were unmarried this morning and now you have a wife? That’s just crazy! What did father say?”

  “He was the one who married us.”

  Serena listened to their conversation as she saddled Sir. It was clear Forest had been attempting to steal him and was lucky he hadn’t been eaten. She led him out of the stall with his reins and stood waiting patiently as Flint continued to speak to his brother.

  “You’re leaving? What will we do?” Forest asked.

  “You’ll pick up the slack and learn to be a man.”

  “That’s not nice. I see to the castle and the properties.”

  “You mean your assistant does?”

  “I picked him and I supervise him, so it’s the same as if I were doing it.”

  “That statement you just said tells anyone listening all they need to know about you.”

  “What do you mean?” Forest looked confused. That was telling Flint even more.

  “Never mind. We’re heading back to the castle.” Flint informed. “Are you ready, Serena?”

  “Hey, don’t leave me.” Forest yelled after them.

  “Do you have a horse?”

  “I can ride with your wife.”

  “No, you can’t.”

  “I’ll have a stable hand get me a horse. Just wait a minute.”

  ”Just hurry.” Flint after releasing a pent up breath. He was the very picture of a big brother pushed to his limit.

  Forest ran off yelling for a stable hand. He came back ten minutes later with a horse. They all walked their horses outside and mounted up. “Is he hard to mount? He’s quite tall.” Forest asked.

  “No, I have no problem.” Serena assured.

  “Only because you’re all leg.” Forest observed with a wink.

  Flint growled. “Don’t flirt with my wife.”

  “Do you have any sisters, Serena?” Forest asked.

  “I do, there are four.”

  “Is there one that might like me?”

  “No, sorry. You are too short for Esmerelda, not fierce enough for Marion, not blond enough for Katerina, and not rich enough for Belle.”

  “You certainly know how to hurt a guy!” Forest whined. “Who is richer than a prince?”

  “The lords in our kingdom who own mines that are full of gold and jewels, vineyards and wineries, or horse breeding farms famous in all the surrounding kingdoms. Our kingdom is known for its riches and Belle loves the things money can buy.”

  “So she’s shallow?” Forest asked.

  “No more than you are with your drinking and chasing whores.” Flint interrupted.

  After that, Forest quieted and they made the rest of the trip to the castle in silence. Serena got Sir settled in his stall and Flint went to get a couple chickens for his to eat. When Flint returned, Serena had him feed the hungry dragon to help build trust. Sir seemed to take to Flint right away. Flint returned the affection and petted him and tickled his chin.

  Before they left, a sated and happy Sir was fast asleep. “He’s a sweet and affectionate boy.” Flint commented.

  “He always has taken immediate liking or disliking to those he meets. Sir likes you and that means a lot.”

  “So had he not liked me you would have thrown me away?”

  “I would have given you a closer look to find out what made him feel that way. He’s a good judge of character. I’ve relied on him in the past.”

  “Now, you have two of us to rely on.” Flint said as he stopped and pulled her to him stealing a quick kiss. “It’s supper time, so where do you want to eat?”

  “I think we should join your parents, if possible. They’ll be disappointed if we don’t.” Serena pointed out.

  “Okay, we’ll drop in on my parents and see if we’re welcome.” Flint escorted her to the rooms his parents usually entertained at in the evening. There were sounds of laughter and the aroma of cooked foods filled the air. They slipped in a side door that was open to catch the unreliable breeze.

  They stood at the edge of the party watching silently. These were the people of means- rich merchants, lords and ladies, the head of the religious communities, and others that were rich or leaders in the surrounding community.

  “Flint, Serena, come over here!” Flint’s father had noticed them and was gesturing for them to join him. “My dear girl, how did you convince him to come to our gathering? He usually avoids these like the plague.”

  “Flint realizes he’ll be expected to attend gatherings like these in the future.” She explained.

  “That made a difference?”

  “Oh yes. My father likes to tell this story of a king he once knew. He had six sons but only two did as he asked. It bothered him since the two were his youngest. An advisor told him that the other sons were in awe of the two youngest sons. They felt it hopeless to compete because those two young men were so talented and had developed their abilities at young ages.”

  “What did the advisor suggest?”

  “He thought if they sent the two youngest away, even if just for a year, that the others would develop and be what the king hoped they might. They needed to be out from under the shadow of the two nearly perfect sons before they could reach their full potential.”

  “Did it work?” The king asked.

  “Yes, especially in the case of his heir. One of the sons was only marginally better, but most of them changed a great deal. He gave the adviser a castle to retire to with the understanding that he would continue to advise the king on serious matters.”

  “That’s amazing. I never thought about how sons sometimes compete since I didn’t have any brothers.” The king had a serious look on his face as if he contemplated the mysteries of life. Since he no longer had anything to say and the queen was occupied, they wandered away to a table covered with food.

  “Will I really have to attend functions like this?” Flint asked.

  “Only occasionally. I don’t like them much either and Father gets onto me when I miss them or sneak off early. You’ll be my partner in crime.” She turned to him with a smile. “Everything is easier when you’ve someone special to share it with.”

  They filled their plates with savory meats, vegetables, and desserts before finding a place to sit that afforded them privacy and some place to set their plates. Both of them ate slowly, enjoying their food, and watching the people that filled the room.

  Once they were finished, Flint held out his hand to her. “Come, my darling, I’ve a better use for our time.” His eyes promised everything as he led her away. As they entered his room and he shut the door, she snapped her fingers and they were both naked. “Someone’s showing off.” Flint chuckled and she knew he liked it.

  His heated gaze was on her body making her break out in goosebumps. No man had ever affected her the way he did. It was no surprise since he was the special man made just for her and no one else. Serena wanted to enjoy this time with him, because she knew tonight was the night. Allendra would call them all to the meeting and challenge them to do what she had already done, find their mates.

  Because this was the way it happened in her dream, she would say her lines without hinting to what she had done. The hardest part was still ahead, she had to introduce her man to her people. Their arrogance and superiority hadn’t changed. She would have to fight for her life so she could keep him at her side. Nothing was too much, no risk too great to keep Flint at her side.

  “Where are you, Serena?” Flint asked.

  “I’m here.”

  “Your body is here, but your mind is far away. Are you thinking about tonight? Rest at ease, I will be by your side, fighting every step of the way. You are mine, and no one will take you from me.”

  They were beautiful words, but w
hat he didn’t know and she would never tell him was what faced her at home. “Come, make love to me so I will sleep soundly until my challenge.”

  “The hardest part is done. You have me forever and always.”

  If only that were true. “I feel a growing attachment to you. Or perhaps it’s just parts of you.” She teased.

  His hands stroked her body. “My hands?” That maddening tongue that filled her with desire licked her nipple. “My tongue?” His hand moved her hand down to touch his velvety smooth cock. “Perhaps it’s my cock?”

  “It’s all those things and more.” She admitted as she moved to the bed and got on it on her hands and knees. She looked over her shoulder at him tempting him. “What are you waiting for, Mate?”

  That seemed to spur him into action and he moved right up to her. She could feel his heat against her as he tried to decide what to do next. He smacked her lightly on her ass cheek before rubbing it. “You’re so beautifully wet, soaking actually. I could just shove my cock into you and it would slide right on.”

  “Do you need an invitation?”

  “Cheeky little thing, aren’t you?” He observed, but then his fingers moved and he slid one into her channel. She strained back so he would sink it in further and she moaned with pleasure. Flint finger fucked her rapidly and then he added another finger and sank both into her aching core. His other hand moved around her thighs to her pussy and his fingers circled and pinched her clit in a slow and steady assault.

  Now she was ready and he pulled back and she felt the head of his cock press against her entrance. He slid in effortlessly, she was that wet. “Damn Flint, just fuck me!”

  He started slamming in and out hard and fast. It felt incredible. She could tell he wouldn’t hold out much longer and her release was nearly upon her as well. It wasn’t long before she exploded all around him. Her pussy squeezed him so hard, she felt the heat as the seed erupted from him. Thrashing in and out of her, he emptied himself completely before he stopped.

  Serena fell over onto the bed and Flint joined her there wrapping himself around her as they drifted off to sleep. It was hours later when the dream came back only this time it was for real. It started as it had before with Allendra and Zaan, but this time it continued past the point where it had stopped before.