“What am I to you, Minach?” she asked, lowering her chin to look at him almost shyly.
“You’re everything,” he said. “You mean more to me than anyone on this sodding planet. You keep me strong, hopeful. You keep me from falling back into the dark place where I lived for so many years. I’m so glad that you’re safe now, because I’m a selfish bastard, and I don’t know what I would have done if…” He let out a sigh. “If I’d lost you.”
“You didn’t. You fixed me, Dragon.”
Minach smiled. “I suppose we’ll be heading back to London now, returning to our lives. Bertie will find that her employee has changed somewhat since your last meeting, I should think.”
“Yes, I suppose she will,” Amara said laughing. “Changed some, but not enough.”
“No?” Minach rose to seat himself on the edge of the bed, staring into her eyes. “What else would you like to change?”
“A few things,” she replied. “The first involves my lips.”
The Dragon shifter made a tsk sound with his tongue. “Your lips? How could you ever want to alter such perfection?”
Amara smiled. “I don’t want to alter them per se. It’s only that they’re feeling a little lonely at the moment.”
The Dragon shifter edged towards her, his palms flattening on the mattress as he planted his feet on the ground and leaned in close. His heart was dancing, hopeful, excited beyond description. “Lonely, you say?”
She nodded.
“What, pray tell, would you have me do about that?” he asked.
Amara lay her flat palm on his chest, feeling for the heart that pounded inside him like an enormous drum. She slipped forward, pressing herself close to him, and said, “I would have you kiss me, for a start.”
Curse Lifted
Amara wanted to laugh as Minach stared at her, his eyes wide with a sort of adorable shock. Clearly he hadn’t expected this turn of events so soon after her trauma.
“What did you just say?”
“Kiss me,” she repeated, “like you did two nights ago. Only this time, I won’t throw you out.”
“Amara, please don’t tease me,” he replied, no doubt trying to pull back and to resist the temptation. He’d been cruelly rejected once; he probably had no desire to endure that again. But she grabbed his shirt, holding him firm. For a moment her ability to keep him in place stunned her. Holy shite. She was realizing for the first time just how powerful she’d become, how strong his blood had made her.
“I want you, Minach,” she said, levelling him with her gaze. “I’ve wanted you all along. I can admit to you now that I couldn’t stand thinking of another woman leaning on you for protection, petty though I may have been to have felt that way. I know it’s not noble of me, or kind, but when you left yesterday morning I hated Caitlin for being able to spend time with you. I hated knowing that your Dragon was growing protective of her.”
“I only ever wanted to look after you,” he said, his voice a deep, sexy growl in his throat. “My Dragon wanted to help her, yes, but you are the only woman I’ve ever wanted for a mate. You’re the only woman I want to make love to.” From the scent that streaked through the air in delicious ribbons about her head, she could tell that he was telling the truth, that he was as aroused as she was. “I want to look after your every need, Amara.”
Her eyes searched his, seeking the answer that they both wanted. An answer that couldn’t be conveyed with words.
As if in response, Minach reached for the t-shirt that she’d worn to bed. Grasping it with both hands, he tore its front in half, the soft cotton no match for his Dragon’s strength.
“Is this what you want?” he growled low, a feral tone coating the words as he stared hungrily at her bare breasts. “Are you offering yourself to me at last?”
Amara nodded, sliding the remnants of the shirt off her shoulders. “And more,” she said. “So much more. I want everything from you.”
Minach pushed the shredded garment to the floor and pulled himself close to her. As he stared at her body he let out a massive, prolonged sigh, slipping his fingertips over her stomach, guiding them up between her breasts.
“Every inch of you is perfection,” he whispered. “I’m not sure I deserve this.”
Amara reached forward, cupping a hand behind his neck. “You still haven’t kissed me,” she said. “You deserve that, at the very least.”
“True,” he replied, throwing her a teasing smile before pressing his lips to hers. Her arms slid around his neck as their tongues met, sweet ecstasy flooding her in a torrent of lust and delight.
They’d done this once before, but this time she wouldn’t ask him to stop. This time there was no risk. She desired only his body, her lust for blood gone at last.
It was Minach who pulled away first, slipping off the bed once again to land on his knees. Facing her, he drew her legs towards him, pressed his nose to her thighs and inhaled deep. She dragged her fingers through his hair and pulled his head and body upwards, guiding his lips to her right breast. She’d never taken control of a man’s body like this. Her blood hot with lust, pleasure coursed through her body, inspiring the most delicious ache that she’d ever known.
Minach kissed his way around her nipple, teasing her with those devastating lips of his, then drew it into his mouth, hardening the tip to a small, tight pebble. He was reaching for her panties now, pulling them down, wrenching them to the floor about her ankles. Gingerly she stood up and stepped out of them, revealing her naked body to him for the first time as he knelt before her.
Her lover pulled back and stared once again, the crease between his eyebrows deepening. But for once, the expression wasn’t one of anger. It was hunger that drew itself on his face, on his scent, as he reached around her waist and dragged her body towards him. He kissed his way down her belly, his mouth pausing when it reached the sweetest of all spots. There he inhaled again, letting out the sexiest groan any man had ever uttered.
“Magnificent,” he said, stroking his tongue over the soft, dark streak of hair that lay in wait. “Perfect. Beautiful, delicious woman.” With each word, another lick.
Amara spread her feet apart, inviting him closer, and he slipped down further, bending his head back to get his mouth on her.
“That’s too good,” she moaned, her head spinning, intoxicated by the sensation.
He found her bud with the tip of his tongue and lapped, taming her body into utter, perfect submission. Each time she tensed with pleasure he made her go limp, weakening her, bending her to his will. As much as she’d always wanted him inside her, she’d dreamed of this, too. Fantasized about his mouth a million times. Imagined what the sometimes-cold man could do to a woman’s sex if he ever gave himself over entirely to her needs.
“I’ve wanted you forever, Minach,” she said, her voice hoarse with desire. “Since even before I met you, I think. Through entire lifetimes I’ve wanted you.”
“And I you.” He looked up into her face, stroking fingers along her sex. “I’ve been as hungry for you as anything in this world.”
“You have me now. You have me forever. You’ve saved my life in so many ways, my love.”
“You’ve done the same for me, and more.” Aggressively he pulled her thighs apart, burying his face between them as she watched. Wonderful man was still fully clothed. Still focused purely on her pleasure, his tongue lavishing sensual delight on her clit, expertly tending her.
Slowly, gently, he slipped two fingers inside her, moaning long and hard as he did so, his low voice vibrating against her sex as he drew her bud between his lips and lashed it with the tip of his tongue.
“Minach,” she moaned softly, “I can’t…”
She didn’t need to finish the thought. The first shudder had already overtaken her body, her hips tensing under his touch as the orgasm hit her body, a blast from somewhere deep inside. Minach didn’t let up, though, not until the last tremble had assaulted her.
Finally he stood up, stripping
off his shirt. It was the first time, she realized, that she’d ever seen his naked torso. The first time that her keen eyes had taken in the incredible body that she’d imagined so many times.
He didn’t disappoint. He was masculine, sensual perfection. Strong, massive, muscular, his abdominal muscles formed a beautifully defined six-pack, tensing with each breath as his eyes locked on hers, his fingers unfastening the button on his jeans. Amara watched, anticipation rendering her breathless, as he pulled them down to the floor, stepping away. Only a pair of thin cotton boxers now stood between them.
“I need you,” she mouthed as she watched him slip the shorts down, grasping an impossibly thick erection in his right hand. She lay down on the bed, parting her legs to invite him to take her at last.
“I need you too,” he said, stepping towards her with hunger in his eyes. Slipping his hands over her thighs, he found her opening with the head of his cock as he leaned his body over her own. “I’ve needed this for decades, Amara.”
With one hard thrust he sheathed himself so, so deep inside her, inspiring a cry of shock and wonder as her body rocked with the sensation. He’d torn her apart and put her back together again, all in one swift gesture. Minach was claiming her, and she him.
The Dragon shifter pulled his torso downwards as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Tenderly he kissed the place between her breasts before pulling up again, easing his hips back slowly and then forward again, only to draw out another cry. His features had gone tight with his own pleasure, his arousal as intense as hers. Years of build-up had led to this moment for both of them. Years of enforced solitude, of punishment, of penitence.
But no more. Never again would either of them have to suffer in loneliness.
She reached for his hips, pulling him deep inside her as her eyes narrowed, fixed on his own. She knew that her irises had gone a little dark again, her Wolf retreating to let her most human emotions come to the fore, to savour everything that she was feeling so deeply. This was bonding. This was what shifters spoke of when they tried to describe the sensation of becoming one with another. After so many years, she finally understood an erotic pleasure that went far beyond mere sex. Finally understood what it was to intertwine herself with another being, body, mind and soul.
Amara pressed her palms into his chest. “Take me hard,” she commanded, a wicked smile curling her lips upwards.
“A day ago you thought I might break you,” he replied. “Are you sure you can take it?”
She nodded. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
He withdrew slowly and slammed back into her, watching her face for signs of pain. With each thrust, each reassuring sigh of pleasure from his lover, his pace accelerated. Amara cried his name, erotic pleasure consuming her mind as her lover took her greedily. Their bond would be complete soon. They would be linked forever, and nothing—not even death—would separate them.
“Amara!” Minach called out.
“That’s it. Come for me.” She pulled herself up, pressing her chest to his, wrapping her thighs around his waist and her arms around his neck as he thrust deep, shooting his seed into her core. Fire and lava filled her from head to toe, her body unleashing a dizzying array of sensations as she took him in.
She gasped at the sensation. Never had she felt such peace, such pleasure, such happiness.
Never had she known so much love for another being.
As Minach collapsed on top of her, his breath coming in heavy waves, Amara marvelled at how a life could end and renew itself so quickly. Reaching up, she traced a fingertip over a dark red marking on his right shoulder. “The mark of Air,” she whispered. “A swirling gust of wind, breathing life into us both.”
Minach nodded. “The mark of my line,” he murmured as he turned his head to look at his shoulder. “The line that you and I will continue.”
Happiness filled Amara as she thought of it. Having babies—Minach’s babies—was a dream she’d never dared allow herself. A future she’d never dared hope for. “I would love to have your child,” she told him. “I can’t imagine a more wonderful life.”
“Well,” he replied, a broad smile brightening his face as he pushed himself back inside her, “we’re off to a good start.”
A Coming Threat
It was noon when Amara guided Minach to the cliff’s edge outside, holding tight to his hand.
“Take a deep breath,” she said, smiling as he looked at her skeptically. He obeyed, inhaling the sea air into his lungs.
“All right, done,” he said. “Wait—what exactly am I doing?”
“I want you to learn to associate the ocean with good things,” she replied. “For too long you’ve linked it to your unfortunate youth. I’m conditioning you, you see.”
“Training me, you mean,” he chuckled. “Like a new puppy who’s peed on the rug.”
Amara pushed herself up onto her tiptoes and kissed him. “Training you, then. I don’t ever want you to have another bad thought. As handsome as I find the creases between your eyebrows, I’d be delighted if they went away, because I’d know then that you were permanently happy.”
“If anyone can make them disappear it’s you, my beautiful Wolf,” he replied, offering her a second kiss.
Just then, a loud, high whistle sounded from somewhere in the distance.
“We’re sorry to interrupt,” a woman’s voice called from the direction of the cottage. Amara knew before looking that it was Trix who’d spoken, laughter in her voice. She and the others were marching around from the back of the house, ecstatic smiles lighting up each of their faces.
“Amara, we’re so glad you’re all right,” Trix said when they’d come closer. “We didn’t mean to sneak up on you, but I needed to know how you were doing. This guy here failed to notify us.” With that, she punched Minach in the arm.
“It’s all right,” Amara replied, chuckling. “To give you the quick version of an update, it seems that Minach has miraculously saved me and my Wolf. By all evidence, he’s somehow found a cure for what ailed me. And by-the-way, I’m very glad you’re all here.” She wrapped Trix up in a tight hug before doing the same for the others. “I suppose we can think about heading back to London soon, now that the Relics are in your possession. Though I want to check in on Caitlin first. Make sure she’s all right.”
“Yes, I suppose we should—” Aegis began, but before he’d completed the thought, Ashlyn grabbed his arm silently, pointing to something high up in the sky to the north.
The others followed her gaze, their eyes drawn to a distant flying form moving rapidly through the air in their general direction.
“Shite, it’s Tryst,” said Minach. “Coming back, no doubt, to finish the job.”
“No,” Aegis said. “She’s not coming here.” His stare moved in the other direction, towards Perthewey. “I think she may be headed for the village.”
“He’s right,” said Amara, reaching for Minach. “Look.”
The Red Dragon was turning back in a tight circle, her face steering itself downwards as though surveilling something or someone far below. Beneath her, walking over the rough terrain of Cornwall’s coast, marched myriad forms, human and animal alike. A small army of half-breeds under her command, following a dirt road some distance to the east of the cottage.
“What the hell?” asked Trix. “I thought she hated the Forsaken. How could she possibly be aligning herself with them?”
“They’re probably Mardoc’s former allies,” said Ashlyn in response, a grimace taking over her features. “The shifter who took me prisoner. He had many loyal servants before he died. She’s probably promised them the same benefits that he did.”
“Probably, though she has nothing to offer them,” said Amara slowly, turning to the others. “She can’t offer them a better life.” For a moment her eyes closed, and she reached for Minach. After a few seconds she winced before reopening her eyelids, her irises bright, alive with her Wolf. “My Sight has grown strong
again,” she said, turning to her mate. “I can see her plan. We need to help the town’s residents. We need to fly down quickly, to warn the Wolves.”
Minach nodded, turning to his fellow Guild members. “Trix,” he said, “Not you. You need to stay here, and so do the Relics.”
“But I can fight,” Trix said, extracting a long stiletto from one of her boots.
“Just like my damned pregnant sister-in-law to be carrying blades about,” he groaned. “No fucking way. You’re not risking my little niece or nephew’s life because you enjoy jabbing Forsaken with pointy things. Give my brother a quick kiss, and we’ll be off.”
Lyre nodded, taking Trix aside to communicate something silent and intimate to her before laying a soft kiss on her lips. She threw her arms around him. “Be safe,” she said. “All of you.” Pulling away, she turned to Minach. “Don’t you dare let anything happen to my mate, brother-in-law, or my stiletto and your balls will have an unfortunate meeting.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it!” he laughed. Turning to the others, he said, “Let’s head out.”
“I’ll get on your back,” Amara said, and Minach nodded in reply before shifting. She scrambled onto his Dragon’s back just in time for him to arch into the sky, shooting them both towards Perthewey. Far below them in the distance, Amara could see Trekilling’s pack of Dire Wolves sprinting towards the village. Perhaps they’d seen the Red Dragon from their vantage point as well, and were headed to town to offer their protection.
“Do you suppose they’re on our side, or Tryst’s?” the Dragon’s voice boomed inside Amara’s mind.
“Ours,” she replied. “I met their leader yesterday. His name is Doric, and he wants to help the pack. He’s a good man.”
“My, you’ve been a busy girl, haven’t you? This is the first I’ve heard of this Doric.”
“Don’t even get me started,” Amara replied. “I’ll admit that I was thinking that perhaps he might be a suitable mate for a certain Wolf shifter in need of a man, but perhaps that was just my way of hoping you wouldn’t end up with her.”
Dragon's Curse: A Dragon Shifter Romance (Dragon Guild Chronicles Book 4) Page 16