by T. S. Ryder
She took the robe off and hung it on a hook near the door. Her bathing suit was modest to the extreme. It looked more like a dress. The skirt hit her mid-thigh, and the neckline was at the base of her throat. The back was high, too. The waist pinched in just below her breasts in a way that showed her figure while almost making it look very innocent. All in all, he liked the way she looked in it. When she stepped into the springs, the skirt floated up to reveal she wore a skimpy bikini bottom with nothing else beneath. He grinned.
Willow cleared her throat and pushed the skirt down. Her face grew even redder. “So, um . . . I haven’t seen you around much. What do you do during the day?”
“Train, mostly. Most of the dragons born without wings never have a chance to join the raiding parties, and I’m determined to change that.”
“Wingless,” Willow whispered under her breath. Her gaze dropped to his chest, as though she was trying to peer at the scars on his back through his body. She opened her mouth again but he knew he didn’t want to answer the question that was certain to follow.
So he spoke first. “How are you doing? I know that it’s been hard, but you seem to be adjusting . . . If you want, I can put you in touch with some counselors. We have plenty available for captured humans . . . Although your case is rather unique.”
Her expression darkened and she looked away. “I’m fine.”
He could have kicked himself. The last thing she needed was to be reminded of those people who dared call themselves her parents. He had done some digging on the side, expecting – hoping – to find something that would indicate that they weren’t her real parents. That she was left on their doorstep or something. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.
“You can talk to me, you know,” he prodded gently. “I understand if you don’t want to, but I have my listening ears on.”
She looked down, letting herself float in the water. For a moment, she hung in the liquid, then slowly she sank down to her chin. She still didn’t look at him. “You’re not what I expected from a dragon. You’re . . . you’re kind and gentle.”
Heat rushed to his face. “Ah, I’m not that great. That’s just the Stockholm syndrome talking. You’d leave if you were given the choice.”
“I said you were kind and gentle, not that I wanted to stay forever.” Despite her words, she smiled at him. She paddled a little closer, then hesitantly moved behind him. Asa tensed, but as her soft, gentle fingers probed the scars on his back, he found he didn’t mind her touching them so much. “What happened here? When you fought that dragon that took me . . . ”
Asa swallowed hard. His first instinct was to tell her the cliff notes and leave it at that. He had been injured. He lost his wings. It had been a long time he had talked to anybody about it, ever since his appointed therapy sessions.
“I was born with wings,” he said. “I was out hunting with the king. Well, he was the prince at that time. What we didn’t know was that there was a rebellion brewing. There was an assassination attempt. A group of dragons attacked us. We managed to fight them off, but I was critically injured. Dragons heal fast, but not fast enough. And we don’t regenerate body parts.”
Willow’s eyes were wide. “When?”
Asa sunk deeper into the water until half his face was covered. He blew out a breath of bubbles as he considered. Time was hard to keep track of when things went from years to decades to centuries. Eventually, he resurfaced.
“I’d say close to two thousand years ago. It was when Quinn became the king. His parents were both killed. If I had the same injury today, my wings might have been able to be saved, but back then, medical procedures were . . . less refined. There was a lot more separation between humans and dragons. And when you’re a dragon, when you live all these years, you forget how to innovate. Invent new things. We would never have thought to create cell phones because shouting was good enough to communicate.”
“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “It must have been terrible.”
“It was.”
Her soft hands continued to caress his back. They began to move lower and Asa leaned into her touch. He closed his eyes, letting a soft sigh escape him.
“I didn’t realize you were friends with the king,” she continued. “That’s . . . that’s cool, isn’t it?”
“We’re not really friends. When we were attacked that day, I was in training to be part of the royal guard. It was my duty. Quinn and I get along and he’s as friendly as can be expected considering our stations, but we’re not friends.” He allowed his head to fall forward, his breathing growing deeper. Willow started to pull back and he followed her. With just her fingertips touching him, she led him back until they were seated against the side of the springs.
Willow rested her head on her arms and gazed at him with those green-grey eyes. “What happened to your parents?”
Asa glanced away. “Remember that rebellion? They were both killed defending Quinn’s parents. Quinn’s mate, too. His queen. She should have been ruling with him, but instead, he’s been alone. At least until he met Shante.” He smiled. “She’s been very good for him. She can’t be his queen since he lost his mate, but she is our queen in everything but name.”
Willow’s brows arched. “Oh. Is that how it works?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you ever have a mate?”
Asa shook his head.
“But you’ve had lovers, right?” She inched closer, licking her lips.
Asa tightened at the sight of her pink tongue against her ruby lips. He nearly moaned as it flicked out again. Was she aware of what she was going? She rubbed her thigh against his and rose a brow. Oh. Oh, boy. Yes. She knew what she was doing. The question, the suggestive glances. He cleared his throat and moved a little away.
“From time to time, yes.”
“Hmm . . . ” Willow’s face went bright red again and she moved away. He wished she hadn’t, but didn’t say so. She laughed self-consciously and brushed back a stray piece of hair. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be this forward. I guess I’m still figuring it out, you know? What it means to be here. Free from my village and the expectations there. Although . . . although, if you hadn’t kidnapped me, I’d find it very easy to fall in love with you.”
Asa’s jaw dropped. He wasn’t entirely certain how to respond as she looked up at him through her lashes. He liked that sexy little grin she gave him even if he was uncertain about how to proceed. His mind whirled over her revelation, but it kept returning to one important part . . . If you hadn’t kidnapped me.
Because he had kidnapped her. And, like it or not, there was a power dynamic between them. She was in a less powerful position. Even if she was the aggressor in the relationship, that didn’t mean that he should just ignore the fact that he was essentially her master . . . Should he?
Then she straddled him, thrusting herself against him, and all those thoughts fled. He gripped her hips as she pressed her mouth to his and let the sensations carry him away.
Chapter Seven – Hot Summer Nights
He was hard between her legs. She could feel him straining against his trunks and a heady rush filled her. This had been something she had been considering ever since that day when her parents refused to ransom her back – or, if she was being honest with herself, even longer than that. This was one delicious hunk of a dragon and she wanted a taste.
She moaned as she teased his mouth open, her eyes fluttering shut. His mouth tasted of smoke – of fire and passion. Her body seemed to move with a mind of its own, grinding softly against him. Her core came to life, burning in a way she hadn’t known was possible. The heat of the pool was nothing to the heat inside of her, begging – no, demanding – more.
Was this Stockholm Syndrome? She couldn’t think of what that really meant besides kidnapping victims falling in love with their captors. But this wasn’t love. This was lust, pure and simple. And, she realized, she wasn’t doing this because she was hoping for anything in return. For the first time i
n her life, she was able to actually act on her impulses. To do what she wanted without thinking about consequences or how others would judge her. She rocked her hips harder, panting now.
“You claimed me,” she whispered. “You own me.”
“Not really,” he started, but she cut him off with another kiss.
She wasn’t sure what was taking possession inside of her, but she knew that she wanted this. “You own me. But right now, I’m your master, understood? You belong to me.” She kissed him again, grasping his hands. She pulled them to her breasts as she continued to rock. “You will do everything I say.”
Asa grinned at her. “And if I don’t?”
“Then you’ll be punished.” She scraped her teeth on his collarbone and nipped at his throat. It earned her a surprisingly throaty moan, and her desires kicked up another notch. “I own you,” she growled.
Asa moaned, rolling his hips up to maximize contact as she came down on him. “You own me.”
His submission surprised her. It did not, however, lessen her need for him. As she pulled back and stared at his flushed face, droplets of water clinging to his lashes, he had never seemed more attractive. Her nostrils flared as she took in the scent of him. His woodsy, musky scent mixed with the smell of the hot springs had her head spinning. She increased her tempo, biting her lip against the arousal that strengthened with her increased speed.
She moved away suddenly, panting for breath, and smiled at him. “Take off your trunks.”
She made sure to keep her voice low and sexy. Her lover smiled back at her and obeyed, stripping off the trunks at once. He put them on the edge of the springs and reached for her again. Instead of letting him touch her, she slipped through his grasp and shook her head. Her eyes twinkled as she moved to the side of the hot springs. There, she lifted the top of her tankini over her head, then removed the skimpy bottoms. She loved the way his heated gaze roamed over her.
“Do you know what I want?” she whispered as she moved to drape her legs over his shoulders. “I want you to worship me.”
Asa grinned, his pupils wide. He kissed her thigh and she gasped in anticipation. Her head fell back and her eyes drifted shut as he made his way to her core. From the first touch, bolts of pleasure moved up and down her body. Her fingers grasped at the stone beneath her as she held herself in place. Her legs shivered, her core tightened and the heat inside of her flared to new heights.
“Do you like that?” Asa whispered into her.
Willow clamped her teeth down on her lip, rocking against him to increase the friction. She understood now why he had been ‘submissive’ to her before. He knew that as soon as he started to touch her, this tenuous control she had would be shaken. Her whole body felt like it was going to explode, everything too tight inside of her. Leaning on one hand, she grasped his hair with her other. She wanted to press him deeper inside her but held herself back, instead merely holding him in place as he did his work. Both of his hands grasped her hips, keeping her from writhing away from him.
“Don’t stop,” she begged as he began to move away.
Asa chuckled. He slid a finger into her while his thumb focused in on its target, moving in soft circles. Willow’s body hunched inwards as a cry was torn from her. Asa moved up, taking the hand wound into his hair and wrapping it around him. Willow marveled at the size of him, then began to move her hand. She was rewarded by her lover’s soft gasp as his hips came forward. Together, they stroked one another, the heat from the pool and each other pushing everything to a breaking point.
“Kiss my breasts,” Willow blurted, desperate for some sort of control.
Her dragon instantly obeyed. His head dropped to her chest, and with his free hand, he massaged one breast while kissing the other. Her nipples were already hard little points when he sucked on one and then the other. Her head fell back again and she rocked herself against his hand, unable to stop panting cries from coming out of her. She would have finished right then with nothing more if she hadn’t suddenly seized his hand, stopping him.
Asa kissed her gently. She rested her head on his shoulder while his hands moved down her damp back, bringing her closer to him. She reveled in their closeness as she centered herself again. His smell was even more intense, and when she licked his pectoral for a taste, he shivered. She liked that, so she licked again, moving down until she got to his own hard nipples. He moaned, thrusting towards her when she took one into her mouth. The reaction surprised her – she had never thought men might like that, too. She sucked gently and both of his hands wrapped in her hair.
“Let’s put that mouth to other uses,” he growled.
Willow laughed as she slipped out of his grasp. She wagged her finger in his face. “Nope. I’m your master, remember.”
Asa’s eyes were so focused and intense it was almost frightening. “I remember.”
“You will obey me.”
“I obey you, master.”
She tugged on his arms. “Come lie down on your back.”
He emerged from the tub, hard, erect, so beautiful that it took her breath away. Staring into her eyes, he laid down on his back as though he was a lamb, not the fierce dragon warrior she knew him to be. She straddled him. Part of her wanted to continue to tease him as she had before, but her own need was too intense. She took him in her hand and eased him into her as she came down. The sensations were enough to take her breath away, and once he was fully inside, all she could do was sit there for a moment, her eyes half-closed.
Willow put her hands on his chest, his huge broad chest, bracing herself as she began to move. All the tightness and heat from before came back on her tenfold and she cried out. Asa’s hands gripped her hips, his heated gaze locked on her face. Soon, it was him moving her, his firm grip unyielding as he rocked her back and forth over him. Willow gasped and panted, all thought fleeing before the flood of intense pleasure.
Everything came undone. Her head dropped back and she let out a howl. Asa jerked beneath her and then yanked her down. His hips thrust upwards madly as he pinned her close to his body. Somewhere in her own pleasure, she felt him release and then lay still.
After several minutes wherein they panted and fought to catch their breath, they eased off each other. Their skin suctioned to one another but released long enough for them to slip back into the hot water. Her muscles were so loose that the buoyancy granted by the springs was the only thing keeping her head up. Willow smiled as she stroked her dragon’s chest and arms.
“I’ve never met a man who would give up control like that,” she told him.
Asa laughed. “What makes you think that I gave up anything?”
She hummed. “Next time we’ll see.”
“Next time?” Asa buried his face in her hair. “Yes. Next time. Next time, you’ll call me master and beg me for mercy.”
“Unlikely.” She giggled, pressing her face into his chest. She was tempted to take him again right there, but she could feel a slight ache between her legs and knew she needed rest.
Her mind suddenly turned to what Sherwood had told her. That women stayed for the dragon children they had given birth to. More likely they stayed for the children and their fathers, she thought. If I had a child binding me to Asa, I would never leave . . . I don’t think I ever want to leave regardless . . .
Chapter Eight – Worth More than Gold
Quinn wanted to see him.
Asa frowned as he made his way through the palace. He had just had a meeting with the king about the wingless dragons. His group of bikers was improving dramatically, and he was considering putting his second in charge of his own group. The wingless were a group that had been ignored for too long. Even if the other clans mocked Cendas for having a raiding party dedicated to them, their success rates were consistently climbing upwards. But that couldn’t be what Quinn was wanting to discuss. What else could be it? It wasn’t time for tax settlement . . .
Willow.
The dragon stopped. His eyes widened as he reali
zed what he had done. The previous day, he and Willow had spent the entire day in the hot springs together, making love and talking. She was a demanding woman and knew exactly what she wanted him to do. But he had broken protocol.
With a curse under his breath, Asa continued. He’d messed up. Big time. Since he had captured her, he was meant to have to talk with a specialist before any sort of sexual relationship developed. It was law that humans needed to prove their desire to sleep with a dragon under special circumstances. He hadn’t done any of it.
That must be what this was all about. Asa could have kicked himself. What sort of bonehead was he to let himself get caught up in the heat of the moment? It wasn’t that he was regretting being with Willow – she was so sensuous. Just the memory of the way she grinned at him had him stiffening. But he needed to have gone through the proper channels first. Now there was going to be hell to pay. He wouldn’t be surprised if she was taken away and he was banned from every having human captives again.
His fires were flickering low by the time he got to Quinn’s study. His mistake would cost him, but he would accept whatever the king and Shante decided to do. Willow would be able to tell them that she wanted it as well and eventually, they might be brought back together. In the meantime, it was best just to toe the line and not cause waves.
The king nodded to him when he entered the study, a large room with a side desk, plenty of bookshelves and a space for a computer and printer. Asa bowed to the king, then glanced around. They were the only two there.
“Is Lady Shante going to be joining us?”
Quinn arched a heavy brow. “Shante?”
“Yes. This is about Willow, isn’t it?”
The king leaned on his desk, resting his elbows on the thick slab of wood. “Well . . . yes. It is about the human. But this case will not include Shante. Why? Did something happen between the two of you that she ought to know about?”
This wasn’t about them sleeping together. A rush of relief washed over him, but it was quickly overpowered by a churning in his gut. If this wasn’t about their night of passion that they had together, then what was it? What else would Quinn be calling him about in regard to Willow? Asa took a seat, a heavy frown on his face.