Princess Lyrian: Dragon Breeze Compilation (Return of the Dragons Book 7)

by Rinelle Grey

  “We can,” Taurian said firmly. “That’s what aunts and uncles are for, isn’t it, Karla?”

  His mate didn’t look quite so sure. “Do you know anything about babies, Taurian? Because I don’t exactly have a lot of experience.”

  “There’s nothing to it,” Taurian insisted. “Besides, we need to start practicing, we’ll have our own soon enough.”

  Karla didn’t look quite so sure about that either, but she didn’t argue. “What do we need to know?” she asked Lyrian instead.

  Lyrian explained Anarian’s care to them, and Brad couldn’t help thinking her advice sounded remarkably similar to what she’d told him, was it really less than a week ago? How much his life had changed in that time. And he didn’t regret one bit of it.

  With his one concern taken care of, all Brad could think about was how much longer he had to stay to be polite. He glanced around surreptitiously, to see how much attention was on them, slightly discomforted to find that just about all the dragons and humans were staring back at him. Those who weren’t staring at Nate and Kyrian anyway.

  “It’s custom to tease a new couple about how impatient they are to get some time alone,” Lyrian said into his mind. Her tone was half amused, half nervous, all impatient.

  Brad groaned. “And I suppose it’s even worse with a double mating. Now they’ll be judging who leaves first, Nate or I.”

  “Probably,” Lyrian agreed. “We should be the last to leave, to demonstrate our commitment to the clan as leaders.”

  How did Brad know she was going to say that?

  “Perhaps you can talk to Kyrian and tell them to get a hurry on then?” he suggested under his breath.

  His whole body ached with holding back. Although he knew it wasn’t medically possible, he suspected he might explode if he didn’t mate with Lyrian soon. He swelled and throbbed just thinking about running his hands over her smooth skin and kissing every part of her body.

  No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  It really wasn’t fair. Nate had been waiting less than a week for Kyrian, he’d been waiting a year.

  Up until now, it hadn’t been that hard. Maybe because he had convinced himself it really wasn’t ever going to happen. When Lyrian had told him that if they slept together again they’d be mated for life, it had thrown a bit of a damper on his desire.

  But now, the idea only served to make him hotter under the collar.

  What would it feel like, mating for life? Would it change how he felt towards Lyrian? Somehow, he couldn’t imagine that. The love he felt for her was greater than anything he’d ever known. How could it possibly increase?

  There was only one way to find out.

  Kyrian leaned over to whisper something in Nate’s ear, something that put a grin on his brother’s face. When Nate glanced over at them, Brad suspected that Lyrian had taken his advice, and made a suggestion to them.

  Hopefully they’d leave soon, and he and Lyrian could too.

  Except they didn’t.

  Nate turned to the person next to him and chatted for a while. Then he heaped another serving of desert on his plate. Just what was his brother up to?

  When Nate gave him a cheeky grin, Brad realised—he was playing the game. Nate had always been the competitive one. As soon as Kyrian had hinted this was a competition, Nate was determined to outlast his brother.

  Brad ground his teeth together in frustration. Surely Nate was as impatient as he was? Didn’t he love his mate? Had he just been pretending to care so deeply for her?

  Lyrian put a hand on his arm. “Take a few deep breaths,” she advised. “It helps.”

  Brad sucked in his breath through gritted teeth, but the ache of need didn’t diminish at all. It certainly didn’t go away.

  Lyrian looked so cool and calm and collected. Was she feeling this need too?

  Her fingers tightened on his arm, and she leaned in to kiss him, her lips as hot and desperate as his, reassuring Brad that she wasn’t having an easy time of it either.

  He groaned, his arm going around her and pulling her up against his side as he plundered her lips, a desperate need filling him. He needed her. All of her. As archaic as it sounded, he needed to claim her as his own. As his mate.

  It was such a primal feeling, one Brad had no experience of. He flattered himself that he was a modern man who considered women his equal in all respects. So where did this bizarre feeling come from?

  Then again, he wanted Lyrian to claim him as hers just as much.

  Every time he kissed her or touched her, the need grew. He needed the connection between them, needed them to be one.

  He’d never felt anything like this before. And he couldn’t help thinking that if he’d realised it would feel like this, he might have given up everything else much sooner.

  *****

  The princess side of Lyrian’s mind said that she needed to hold out, to wait at least for Brad’s brother to leave, to prove that she was committed to her role in the clan. The womanly side of her mind just kept screaming that she needed to mate. Now.

  It was louder than the princess side, and far less controllable. It was hard to even hear the princess under all that demanding.

  And the way Brad was kissing her, his lips hot on hers, his fingers brushing the underside of her breast, his thigh pressed up against hers, wasn’t helping.

  It wasn’t helping her stay under control anyway. It was helping satisfy the need that she hadn’t even realised had been building for twelve months. Having Anarian, then finding her brothers had distracted her, for a time. Now all that was all done, she could give herself over to this, just for a night.

  Yes, there were enemies outside their doors, and dragons working frantically to create a passage out of the caves for them. But right now, there was nothing more she could do.

  Tomorrow morning, she’d be a princess again, and put aside her passion and take care of her clan. Tonight, she was going to enjoy herself. Because if she was in the middle of the mating bond, when she could think of nothing else except the need to mate, then what use would she be to her clan?

  She was almost at that point now. Her body was hot with need, and it was hard to even think of anything besides Brad, and her need to claim him as her mate.

  Lyrian pulled back, out of Brad’s embrace, away from his lips.

  His eyes flicked open, staring at her with a mixture of confusion and hurt. “Is something wrong?”

  “No. Yes. We need to wait, just a little longer.” Damn a double mating, otherwise she would be free to give into her desires now.

  She wasn’t speaking loudly, but her brothers were close enough to hear her words. Taurian winked. “If you can hold out, then you’re stronger than I.” His voice lowered. “No one can resist the mating bond once they’ve accepted it, Lyrian. There’s no shame in admitting that, no matter how much of a game we make of it.”

  Of course she’d heard stories of how intense the need to mate was. She could feel the truth of them in her own body now. But nothing had prepared her for the reality.

  Taurian was right. It didn’t matter if she and Brad left the room before Nate and Kyrian. It just showed how much they loved each other.

  Brad glanced over at his brother, then back at her. “I won the princess,” he said with a smile. “Nate can win the willpower contest.”

  Some of the guilt eased, though it didn’t quite disappear. Lyrian suspected it never would. “Fine,” she agreed. “Let’s get this over with then.”

  She didn’t mean it to sound quite so resigned, and was relieved when Brad laughed, and gave her a mock salute. “Your wish is my command, Princess.”

  She reached for his hand, and stood up, Brad following her. Neither of them said anything as they wound their way through the crowd. Lyrian tried to ignore the whistles and cheers, ducking her head and trying to pretend her face wasn’t quite burning.

  As they passed Brad’s brother, Nate stepped forwards and held out a hand
. “Congratulations, Brad,” he said quietly. Then raising his voice he added, “I always thought you had way more willpower than I did, but apparently none of your iron will can stand up to the beautiful princess. I don’t blame you.”

  That just increased the cheers. Lyrian’s ears were burning by the time they escaped from the main cave, and into one of the side tunnels.

  Her body was burning too, with an urgent need to mate before anything else could interrupt them.

  Chapter 35

  Though it wasn’t quite dark outside, little light reached the inside of Lyrian’s sleeping cave. The flickering light from the lantern illuminated the room, the shadows dancing over Brad’s bare skin.

  Lyrian drank in the sight of him. For a few moments, all the worries of the day filled her mind, clamouring for attention. It was hard to let go of her responsibilities, even though she knew Taurian and Verrian could handle them.

  But this moment wouldn’t ever come again. A dragon only mated once in their lifetime. She deserved to enjoy it. So she let the fears and worries be carried away on the wind and focused instead on the man in front of her.

  Focusing on Brad made everything else fade into the background. With him she felt safe, protected. She had no doubts in her mind that he’d do anything he could to look after her. Of course her brothers would too, but that was different. They had so many people who needed them. Brad just had her. And Anarian of course.

  He stood in front of her smiling, running his fingers over her body. She’d shed her clothes as soon as the fur covering the entrance fell behind her, partly out of a need to complete the mating quickly, while they still had time, and partly because she couldn’t wait to feel his skin against hers.

  He’d followed her example without hesitation.

  Brad took a step towards her and pulled her into his arms, and Lyrian sighed in enjoyment at how good his body felt against hers. For a moment, she just rested her head on his strong chest. His hardness pressed into her stomach, just below her belly button. She needed it lower. But his closeness was enough to stave off the urgency, just for a little while.

  Enough to give her a chance to just enjoy his presence.

  Nothing had ever felt more right.

  She ran her hands over his chest, down over his hard abs, the strength of the muscles at odds with the softness of the skin. The contrast that fitted so well with his personality, hard and determined, but with a soft centre. Lyrian felt a love for him well up in her, mingling with the need. The need not just to feel his body, but to be one with him.

  Brad must have been thinking along the same lines. “So, is there… anything special we need to do, to form this bond?”

  His fingers running across her bare bottom made it hard to think. Hard to even form the words to answer his question.

  “I… uh… No. Just… mate.” The word sent a shiver up Lyrian’s spine. Sent waves of longing pulsating through her. Her feelings for Brad had always been strong, but right now, they were consuming her.

  Brad’s eyes widened a little. His hand stilled for just a moment, then resumed its stroking. “I think I can manage that.” His voice was low and husky, and his words sang through Lyrian’s veins like molten rock, settling in a bubbling pool in her stomach.

  “Are you… Are you sure you want to do this?” It was a struggle to get the words to form, even more of a struggle to give him any out. She wasn’t sure if she could bear it if he changed his mind now. Once they were mated, it wouldn’t matter. Neither of them would doubt this again.

  Which was why she needed to be doubly sure now.

  “Not at all,” Brad said promptly.

  Lyrian’s heart skipped a beat, then thumped uncomfortably hard as Brad continued.

  “I think this is the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life, and I’m not sure it’s the right choice at all. It’s not sensible, or practical, or like any other choice I’ve made. But it’s what I want. There’s nothing I want more than to mate with you right now.”

  Lyrian’s heart was torn. He’d said he wanted it. But did he mean now, or forever. “There’s no turning back, you know that, right?”

  “Good. Because I don’t think I could make this choice twice.”

  Lyrian reached up to cup his cheek and stared into his eyes. She searched his face, looking for some sign. Something that would tell her what she should do.

  “Lyrian, I never would have imagined I’d say this, much less feel it, but I want you to be my mate. I want to be by your side as we watch our daughter grow into a beautiful young dragon, and as we grow old together.”

  Lyrian’s heart sang at his words. Of course he was nervous and uncertain, this was a big step for anyone, but huge for Brad, who was so used to controlling everything in his life. But that didn’t change what was in his heart. And he’d just offered that to her. Her eyes filled with tears. “I want that too,” she whispered.

  Brad bent down and claimed her lips as he pulled her body up hard against his.

  Lyrian kissed him with a desperation that had been building all evening. It had stilled, just for a moment, while they were talking, but now it returned with a vengeance, the desperation only intensified by their conversation.

  Now that she knew he was committed, that he wanted this as much as she did, she couldn’t get enough of him. She wanted to fill her mind with his scent and taste, with the feel of his body under her fingertips. She wanted to touch and caress every part of him at once.

  But she didn’t know how long they’d have. At any moment, they could be interrupted by an emergency. And most of all, she wanted to feel him inside her.

  Brad seemed to feel the same urgency. He lifted her up, his hands under her buttocks, and held her against him.

  Lyrian swung her legs up and wrapped them around his waist, eliciting a groan of desire from him. “Can you hold me?” Lyrian asked, uncertain. Brad wasn’t a dragon, he didn’t have the strength and endurance that came from flying.

  “I feel like I could do anything right now.” His voice wasn’t even breathless, though it was a little ragged.

  Her mind freed of its one concern, Lyrian let herself focus on the moment.

  She could feel him, nudging at her opening, and for a moment, she let herself enjoy the anticipation. How good would it feel to have him thrust into her? His teasing promised so much. Lyrian let the longing build, knowing the anticipation would only increase the ecstasy.

  Brad was the one who gave in. With a groan, he buried himself into her in one swift motion.

  Lyrian clung to him, knowing her fingernails were digging into his back, and not caring in the moment. “Brad,” she said breathlessly, her mind unable to form the words to say what she wanted to tell him.

  She didn’t need to. He knew. He began to thrust in and out of her in long, swift strokes. Building in intensity with each thrust.

  Each thrust sent new waves of pleasure through Lyrian. It felt amazing. Intense. Like coming home. This felt right. How had she managed to wait for this for so long? How had she not mated with Brad far earlier?

  Each thrust seemed to burrow deeper and deeper into her core, bringing them closer and closer, until it felt like they were one.

  Lyrian clung to him as emotion and ecstasy flooded through her, exploding through her body in a kind of pleasure she’d never known before. She’d thought she was prepared for this, for how intense the mating bond would be, but intense didn’t even begin to describe it.

  Suddenly she realised that up until now, until this very moment, she’d been alone. Her connections with her brothers, her clan, all that had been superficial. Distant.

  Her heart beat in time with Brad’s, and for a few seconds, it was as if they were one person.

  *****

  Brad gasped in astonishment and wonder. Emotions washed over him—love, connection, belonging, all coloured with pure joy.

  He’d never felt anything like it in his life before.

  The way he felt about Lyrian, the magic he felt
when they were together, he’d thought it couldn’t possibly be any better than that. Until this moment, when it was as if his heart fused with hers.

  It wasn’t ordered. It wasn’t under his control. And yet, it was perfect.

  Truth be told, up until this moment, he’d doubted that the mating bond they all kept talking about could even exist. It had seemed impossible. Even more impossible than accepting that Lyrian could transform into a giant blue dragon.

  But it was true. All of it. And more. So much more.

  His heart beat in time with Lyrian’s and it felt like she was all around him, like he was encased in her love. Everything else faded away. All his fears, all his need to control. He just was. He and Lyrian were part of each other. Nothing had ever felt more right, more certain.

  His legs began to shake, and he wasn’t sure if it was from the intensity of the emotions running through him, or the fact that he’d been holding up both of them for several minutes.

  He gently set Lyrian on the ground, reluctant to pull out, half afraid that if he did, the bond would be broken. He didn’t ever want to lose that connection to her.

  Lyrian stumbled a little, and they parted, then she leaned into him, giggling slightly. “Well, that was well worth the wait,” she said breathlessly.

  That was an understatement.

  Brad leaned forwards, resting his forehead against hers. The connection was still there. As though he were aware of her through some unseen sense. He had no doubt that if he closed his eyes, he would be able to point to her unerringly, even in a crowded room.

  The words, the declaration that he’d never made, hovered on the tip of his tongue, but for some reason, he hesitated over saying the words out loud. It wasn’t as if he’d never said them before, to other women, but that was different.

  They hadn’t really meant anything then.

  “I love you,” he thought, trying to convince himself to say the words out loud.

  “I love you, too,” Lyrian’s voice in his mind was warm and loving.

  Brad pulled back to stare at her. “You… you heard that?”

  Had she read his mind? He knew that dragons had telepathy, but he didn’t.