Daryk Hunter

by Denise A. Agnew

  When he turned to look at her, she shivered, but not from the cold of her damp hair or the cool night. Heat invaded her at his look—a look that suggested he’d never seen anything more beautiful, more edible than her. He would devour her, she knew, if she didn’t take care. A man, a warrior like this, apparently didn’t have the social manners she’d become used to on Magonia. Getting used to that fact would take more time.

  “What are you looking at?” she asked, full knowing the answer.

  He grinned but didn’t speak. Without another word Dane stripped off his metal breastplate and unbelted his tunic. He tossed the belt on a chair and the breastplate against the leg of a chair. The tunic ended up on the chair too. Bare-chested, he reminded her of what attracted her in the first place. Sheer animal power. As she watched without thinking, he unlaced his trousers Once more his thick erection was bared, and she couldn’t help but look. She jerked her gaze away as he drew his trousers off his legs. He’d apparently removed his boots while she cleaned up. Watching him undress shouldn’t do anything to her. After all, she’d seen him do it before. This time it had a significance she couldn’t articulate.

  He walked past her and into the bathing room. After he closed the door, she yawned. She was so tired, her body aching from the ordeal. She lay on the bed and turned over on her right side, her heartbeat pounding as she allowed his naked body to form an image in her mind over and over. Water splashed in the bathroom, and she closed her eyes. Before long she felt the bed sink down beside her. She was too tired and sore to care, hoping that Dane wouldn’t either. His arms came around her, pulling her close so that he cradled her back against him. Within moments the heat of his body eased her.

  His hand brushed over her hair, his warm breath teased her ear. “Rest, sprite. No harm will come to you in my arms. Rest.”

  No harm will come to me in his arms, just a lot of tossing, turning and trying to figure out why I feel all squirmy and so hot. That was her last thought before she forced her eyes shut and hoped that sleep would erase the image of his hand sliding up and down his cock.

  Chapter Eight

  Ketera awakened to warm palms sliding over her with sweet attention. She sighed at the comfort, mixed with an aching arousal that already built between her thighs. Dane’s powerful arms turned her over on her back, and as she opened her eyes, he propped on his right forearm and looked down at her. His other arm bracketed her, making certain she couldn’t escape. She hovered between asking him to release her and falling into his eyes, never to return. Curiosity burned with a solid yearning she battled hard to suppress. She wanted to know what it felt like under his touch, to experience passion once more, to discover what it would feel like with his long, hard cock inside her.

  She glanced to the curtains and the dim light showed enough to prove morning had arrived. Time to move on, to finish her quest, no matter the cost.

  What of Dane? Would he vow to continue his help? His eyes blazed red, but then softened to a glow more golden than fiery. Within them she saw genuine affection, and it warmed her to the core. She lifted her arms and slid them upward over his forearm, upward to his biceps, testing muscle as she went.

  When she reached his broad shoulder, she caressed. “There’s so much about this world I don’t understand.”

  “Stay with me and I’ll teach you.”

  She shook her head. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t. My father needs me.”

  He nodded, and for the first time she thought she saw more understanding inside him than she ever had. “Very well. I would rather help you than have you run off. And you are certainly clever enough to do it. I warn you though, if you stay with me I’ll try to seduce you at every turn.”

  “You can try, but I’m not one to be intimidated by an aggressive man.”

  She licked her lips, remembering that Bantu had told her some strange things. Was now the time to tell Dane?

  Before she could speak, he lowered his head and kissed her. As his palm slid down to the side of her breast, her skin prickled with awareness and sensitivity. She gasped into his mouth and shivered.

  He drew back. “Stay with me. Let me give you pleasure.”

  “I need to get to my father.”

  “Not yet. You’re tired. You need to rest a while longer.”

  “Is kissing me a part of my rest?” Doubt colored her voice.

  With a grin he dipped his head and gently brushed his mouth along her jaw, sprinkling small kisses until he reached her ear.

  “Yes,” he whispered into her ear. “Yes.”

  His affirmation sounded like urging, like a demand to do his bidding. She squirmed under his touch. “Please.”

  “Please what?” His voice rumbled, an animal urging her to allow him to devour her with pleasure.

  His tongue touched her earlobe, his hand cupped her rib cage, his other hand tangling in her hair. “Tell me anything, Ketera. I will listen.”

  “There’s so much about you I don’t know.”

  “Then ask me and you’ll know the answers.”

  She yawned.

  He laughed. “Perhaps we should leave this until tomorrow, after you’ve slept.”

  “No. There are things I have to understand.”

  He didn’t loosen his grip on her, but the fire in his eyes lessened. “All right.”

  She blinked, trying to decide what to ask first. “You never explained why people mate up. How is a man certain a woman is his mate?”

  “I mentioned that before. The physical reaction.”

  “So the draw is instant?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you knew from the time you found me on the beach that I was your mate?”

  He sighed, closed his eyes and waited so long to answer she was certain he wouldn’t. He opened his eyes. “Yes. And no. I felt a tremendous pull toward you. But I also knew you were Magonian. That made me wary because of the differences between our cultures. It made me want to deny how strongly my body craves yours. I know it sounds barbaric to you, but when I realized that your body and soul belonged to me, there was no hesitation. No denying it. You will be mine.”

  Anger started slowly. “Regardless of what I want.”

  He grimaced, a short burst of understanding mixed with impatience. “I will honor what you want. You want to rescue your father, and I’ll help you. But not at the risk of your life.”

  “Magonians do not have this mate thing. We don’t crave others sexually.”

  “You don’t?” His eyes narrowed. “Then how do you procreate?”

  “In marriage of course.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t believe it. Some of your kind must want sex outside of marriage. It isn’t normal.”

  “Just because you say so doesn’t mean that it isn’t normal. Dragonians do not know everything. What is right for one people may not be for another.”

  She half expected his indulgence, a grin. He glared. “Are you asking me these questions to fight with me? Because you’re trying to distract me from sex?”

  Was she?

  “Uh…no. Of course not.” She shifted under his grip, aware that his fingers were still twined in her hair, his arm anchored around her waist. He swiveled his hips, a warm touch with just enough to make her heartbeat quicken and a sweet burst of pleasure arching between her legs.

  “I didn’t read anything about the mate phenomena in the ancient texts. But I read something about sex. What it is and how it happens,” she said. “At least in a superficial way.”

  “Then maybe I should show you more. Take the mystery away.”

  “I thought what you did that one day…when you made me feel such pleasure…I thought that was most of it.”

  He shook his head. “Only some.”

  He scooped her into his arms, taking her mouth in a languorous kiss, tongue plunging deep. Ketera felt his cock pressing her, naked and bold. So much for clothing. His nakedness contrasted against her tunic and filmy pants, a rasp of raw fabric against his strong, hair-roug
hened skin. His body seemed to grow harder, more purposeful. Dane’s fingers cupped the back of her neck, his other hand reaching beneath to grasp her butt cheek. Overwhelmed by his touch, she didn’t struggle. He rolled over on his back and pulled her on top of him. He squeezed her butt, a low groan slipping from his throat. His mouth still devoured hers, but she tore her lips from his.

  “What are you doing?” she gasped the question.

  “Trying to make love to you.”

  “Trying?”

  He pressed kisses to her cheek, to her chin. “You keep talking.”

  His touch drifted upward until he slid beneath her pants and inserted his fingers between her legs from behind. She gasped again as he smoothed her wetness around the entrance to her womb. His touch was delicate, tantalizing, gentler than she expected. Though he’d made her shudder in pleasure before, this was different. She knew that if she didn’t push him away now, he’d have her. That scared her more than anything.

  “Wait.” She gazed into those blazing eyes.

  He didn’t stop touching her, but his fingers ceased exploration. “What is it?”

  “What will you do when I go back to Magonia permanently?”

  His jaw clenched. “I dare not think of it. Feel what you do to me.” His hips surged upward and bumped that pleasure spot he’d caressed before. “That is me wanting you more than I’ve ever wanted anything or anyone.” The glow in his eyes softened. “Do you understand what happened inside me when I thought you’d left and put yourself in danger?”

  Her palms flattened on his broad chest, fingers tingling as they brushed against the hair over his pectorals. “No.”

  Smooth, satin touches caressed between her legs, and sensation tingled and burned.

  “I was angry.” His brows drew together, the hurt in his eyes astonishing. “But when I realized you’d been kidnapped, I would have done anything, gone anywhere to get you back.”

  And he had. That’s what frightened her. The length to which he’d go, the violence he could wreak upon another person without blinking.

  “You surprised me.” She had to admit it. “I didn’t think at first that you’d come for me. Then I thought you would.”

  He slipped one finger into her core, and she gasped. “Oh.” She cleared her throat. “Um…I thought you’d want to scold me. Which you did.”

  Puzzlement crossed his strong features. “Is that what you think this is all about? That my sole purpose is to dominate and hurt you? Damn the hells, it isn’t.” He growled a little. “Do not tell me you don’t feel it. That my finger deep in your pussy isn’t driving you wild.”

  It was. She closed her eyes and allowed the sensation to trail upward and pinpoint on her most sensitive spot. The spot he’d rubbed and caressed until she’d come apart in a blast of super-fired heat.

  She whimpered as his finger slid in and out, and then did the most shocking thing of all. Gently, but with purpose, he drew her liquid upward until he teased her back hole. She twitched in surprise, jerking in his arms. “What are you—”

  His mouth took hers again. As his tongue plundered and stroked, making intoxicating love to her, his finger teased her back entrance. With slow deliberation he slipped a small way into her forbidden entrance, and this time her gasp was filled with equal amounts of shock and astonished pleasure. He took her reaction into his mouth, thrusting his tongue in a cadence that mimicked the gentle motion of his finger. He kept that finger buried then flipped her on her back. His other fingers found her center, and this time her pleasure came out in a groan. He released her mouth but not her pussy. As his fingers worked her, she writhed under his touch, the feelings more intense than the last time he’d teased her with his touch. Ketera lost all inhibition, the power of his assertive movements making her heart trip over itself. He leaned in and took one nipple into his mouth and pleasure spiked. He licked, sucked, swirled his tongue over her nipple with voracious appetite. Powerful tremors started inside her. She ached with it, burned with furious need. She grabbed the covers beneath her, cried out and almost begged for the crazy pleasure to stop.

  He whispered against her ear, “That’s it. Let it go. Let it go.”

  He pushed his fingers deep and thrust faster. She couldn’t reach the peak and couldn’t stand the rising sensations that refused to release her. He eased his fingers from her, and she groaned in protest.

  Seconds later he opened her thighs and knelt between them. He lay on his stomach across the bed, her private areas completely exposed to his gaze and touch. Her face flamed.

  Dane licked over her wet folds, a delicate touch that made her gasp. Without hesitating, he slipped his finger into her backside and softly moved while tracing his tongue around her softness. She arched, closed her eyes and decided to take the ride, wherever it might lead. This wasn’t what she’d expected, her heartbeat banging against her chest with a thumping heat that demanded an end to the madness. As he plied her with sweet kisses, his tongue flicked over that button that seemed to lead to her greatest pleasure. She moaned softly, unable to stop her body from responding. Warm touches grew into faster, more urgent caresses as his tongue flicked back and forth over the button and refused to give up. She shivered, shook and resorted to begging for a finish.

  “Please, Dane. I need…”

  When she opened her eyes, he looked down at her and the feral expression in his eyes told her all she needed to know. He wanted this for her, and he wanted it for him.

  “Give yourself to me. I can take the pain away. I can make you feel things you’ve never imagined.”

  She gasped as his fingers moved again, lingering over that sweet pleasure spot. “Please.”

  “Please take you?”

  She shook her head. “Make it stop.”

  “The pleasure?”

  “No. Give me what you gave me before.”

  His tongue swirled around her pussy lips, the tingling, tickling, unwavering pleasure growing. His finger urged her higher. Higher yet. She gasped, moaned. Quivered on the edge as his tongue fluttered over her button.

  Pleasure started deep in her womb, growing in size and scope until it spread down her core and burst with heat. Fire erupted, the blaze as eclipsing as Braxos, the star that heated Croan. Her body shuddered as she groaned, writhed under his touch and the bliss took her skyward. It seemed a lifetime before she came down from the explosion.

  As she lay panting, he removed his fingers and left the bed. He was in the bathing room for a time, and when he returned, she couldn’t help looking at him. At the magnificent body he owned. Everything about Dane screamed man—from the thick auburn hair tumbling around his shoulders to the strength of his nose and jaw. Arms rippled, stomach muscles bunched, reflecting his power. If he’d wanted to he could have hurt her a long time ago. Killed her, she supposed. Instead, in this moment, he treated her with a gentleness she’d never imagined resided in a man. Certainly not in any Magonian man she’d ever met.

  “Let me give you more protection. Once I’ve made love to you in the deepest sense, your life will be extended by another ten years. My essence will keep you alive longer than you could imagination.” Before she could protest, he climbed on the bed. “Put me out of my misery, sprite.”

  “Misery? You?”

  “Yes. I’m aching so badly my cock hurts.”

  She looked down at his thick intruder and saw that it looked swollen. Inches of thick cock demanded her attention. “All right.”

  A huge smile lit his features as he climbed back on the bed. “Thank Draconus.”

  He tried to take her into his arms, but she put one hand to his chest. “You don’t understand.”

  He plunged his fingers into her hair, cradling the back of her neck. “Enlighten me. Hurry before I die.”

  “I don’t mean that I want us to have full sex. There’s one part of the texts that describes a sexual act that sounds…well, interesting. A woman…” She blushed but forced the words from her mouth. “A woman sucks a man’s…you know…
into her mouth and makes his semen exit again.”

  At her awkward explanation, he laughed and released her. “You want to suck my cock?”

  “No…I mean that I will do it for you, but not because it’s pleasant. I cannot imagine why any woman would want to.”

  He laughed again, and this time the wicked sound sent a sweet, aching thrill all up and down her body. “Perhaps you should try it and decide for yourself.”

  “This isn’t amusing.”

  Dane shifted away from her, his eyes serious once more. “I’m sorry. I’ve never met a woman like you before, Ketera. You surprise me at every turn. I don’t want you to suck my cock because you’re paying me back for something.”

  His cock strained upward, and she considered it seriously. “Will it make your…cock happy?”

  He grinned again, a small snort of laughter trying to escape. “Oh yeah. Perhaps faster than I’d like.”

  Without another word, she reached out and touched the tip of his manhood.

  He sucked in a breath. “Ah, Draconus.”

  She hesitated, taking in his reaction. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No, sprite. Do it again.” He lay back on the bed. “Do whatever you want, save biting me.”

  With a returning smile, she leaned toward him. “Perhaps I should bite it. Then it won’t be in this condition so often.”

  His eyes sparked with danger. “Don’t even think about it.”

  She threw him a wicked smile and circled his thick length with her palm. He groaned, the sound pleasure-filled. Though her cheeks heated with embarrassment, something stirred low in her belly, an answering throb of alertness. She worked him, sliding up and down, but kept her touch light. His hips lifted, encouraging her to move faster, to give him the satisfaction he craved. Emboldened, she shifted closer and held his cock while she licked the tip. Around and around she circled the thick head, and again she tried to imagine drawing this stalk into her body, of feeling pleasure from his body the way he did from hers. She couldn’t imagine it, and she’d always thought of herself as too fanciful.