Dragon's Kiss: A Dragon Guild Novella

by Carina Wilder

  “Too many clothes still,” he growled, easing down onto his knees to tear her knickers down over her shoes to toss it aside. Pressing his face to her thighs, he inhaled her scent deep into his lungs.

  “God, you’re fucking perfect,” he said.

  “So are you.” She let herself drop backwards onto the couch, splitting her legs apart and running her hands up her thighs, her leather pumps still on her feet, their heels enhancing shapely calves. “I’m yours, Dex,” she said. “I’ve always been yours. So take me.”

  Dex’s eyes narrowed, focused on her sex, but he too wanted to tease. He kissed each of her knees, the touch of his lips tender, worshipful. He tormented her with slow motion movements as he made his way gradually up the inside of one thigh and down the other, skipping her most sensitive place deliberately, making her writhe in anticipation of his tongue.

  Finally he looked up at her again, his bright blue eyes inquiring, searching her expression for approval. She nodded, her lips slightly parted as she mouthed, “Yes. I want you to taste me.”

  When his tongue met her flesh, Flick thought she might die from the perfection of it. The Dragon shifter’s mouth on her sex were heaven. Dex seemed to read her every reaction, knowing just what would make her body writhe under his touch, would make her go insane with pleasure. He knew how fast to lick, how gently. Psychic or not, he could read her body just as he seemed to read her mind. He knew just when she needed his fingers inside her, when she needed him to pull away. When to look up at her with that gorgeous face of his, to stroke her bud with his thumb and take a nipple between his lips.

  Her orgasm could have assaulted her so quickly. She could have surrendered her body to a series of instant tremors under his exquisite touch. But she wanted him inside her when it happened. Their first time should belong to them both, in every possible way.

  “Take off your trousers,” she commanded. “I want you in my mouth.”

  “My goodness,” he replied, pulling back. “You are the most delightful sort of modern woman, aren’t you?”

  “I believe in equality of the sexes,” she said. “Now let me show you what that entails.”

  He did as she ordered, slipping his trousers down his muscular legs slowly, taking his boxer shorts with them, and for the first time her eyes were greeted with the sight of his exquisite arousal. His cock was as massive as the rest of him; long, hard and thick, marbled with beautiful veins. Flick slid down to the floor and sucked on the swollen tip, licking away the drop of perfection that had gathered there in anticipation of her mouth.

  Dex let out a moan as she took more of him between her lips, stroking her way up and down his shaft slowly with her fingertips before wrapping both hands around him. God, he was huge. The thought that he would be inside her soon, splitting her in two made her ache with pleasure.

  From somewhere deep inside him a moan crescendoed, neither human nor animal. His cock twitched in micro-pulses with each tightening of her lips around him. Somehow he was still growing under her touch, even harder, even longer. He was an impossibly perfect entity, and he was hers.

  Greedily she pumped his shaft, her tongue playing with him, teasing and stroking as her lips worked his engorged head.

  “Flicka,” he moaned. “Too good, goddess. Too good. You’ll make me explode if you keep that up.”

  Flick pulled herself upright before laying herself down on the couch, lifting her right leg and wrapping her foot around his waist, pulling him towards her.

  “Now,” she told him. “Please.”

  He slipped over her, one powerful arm pressing into the couch next to her face, and eased the swollen tip of his sex into her opening. His eyes watched hers, reading her protectively, making sure he was welcome. She nodded silently, and he made his move.

  Her mouth flew open when he pushed himself deep inside her, a cry erupting from somewhere in her chest.

  “Did I hurt you?” Dex asked.

  “No,” she laughed. “On the contrary, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

  He pulled out again, smiling, and flicked the tip of his engorged cock over her clit. Then another thrust and he was far inside her again. With one thumb he massaged her bud as he moved in and out, filling her again and again with his impossible girth. Nothing could have been more blissful than the sensation of their two bodies intertwining as one.

  “Will you come for me, Beauty?” Dex asked, arching down to take a nipple captive between his lips.

  “Keep doing that and I will,” she moaned, staring at his form, his abdominal muscles clenching with each hard thrust as he teased her with gentle bites.

  His lips curved up in a crooked smile and he increased his thumb’s speed as he stroked her clit, pulling back to watch her eyes in challenge. In the end, that was what sent her over the edge; those otherworldly, beautiful eyes of his. Ethereal, human and animal all at once, peering into her soul, lingering on her face as the incredible being focused all his strength on her body’s pleasure.

  Heat melted Flick’s core as the first wave shuddered her body into ecstasy, her channel squeezing tight around him. She cried out, her hips bucking under Dex as her body laid claim to his with each hard pulse.

  With a hoarse, ecstatic growl from his chest, he exploded hot seed inside her, taking possession of his lover even as her body drew more and more delicious pleasure from him.

  “Oh, my lost girl,” he moaned as he thrust one last time, sending a final surge of scorching heat through Flick’s centre.

  In that moment, she knew she’d changed forever.

  She was no longer Flicka Jones, dull human in a dull world.

  She was Flicka Jones, Dragon’s mate. As she would be from this day forth.

  Flick lay in bed next to her lover several hours later. They were still awake, unwilling to drift off and risk waking up to a world where none of this had come to pass. She was on her stomach, and he was tracing a finger along her back, drawing an unseen design on her skin.

  She finally had the courage to ask the question that had instilled fear in her earlier. “Days ago, you told me you had the same dreams that I had,” she told him. “Have you seen all of it? Everything I’ve seen?”

  “Do you really want to know?” he asked, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. “Do you really want to see our future?”

  “Yes. I really do.”

  Gently, Dex slipped a large hand onto the back of her head. “Close your eyes,” he said, and she obeyed. A moment later, a vision was making its way into her mind, as vivid as her dreams.

  Two young boys were playing in a field of long, swaying grass. The same boys who’d shown up in her mind’s eye. They were identical, with black hair and light blue eyes. They turned her way, huge smiles spreading over their faces as she ran towards them.

  She wore a summer dress covered in small flowers. She could feel the wide smile stretching her lips as she stopped and called them into the cottage for dinner. They raced towards her, throwing their arms around her waist in an embrace that breathed love through her very pores.

  And then they were gone.

  Flick pulled away, opening her eyes, and stared up at Dex. “Are they…can they possibly be…?” she asked, too afraid to finish the question.

  “Our children,” he replied, nodding. “Those are our twin boys.”

  Our children, Flick repeated to herself over and over again. She should have been frightened by the idea. Should at least have found such a thought daunting. But she didn’t. She’d known Dex for such a short time, but she already loved everything about him. His face, his voice, his kindness, his protective nature.

  The thought of having children with him filled her with a bliss she’d only ever felt in her dreams.

  Her destiny was clear now. A perfect life awaited her.

  As long as the next day went well.

  Chapter 13

  On Sunday afternoon, Flick and Dex stood side by side in Kensington Gardens. Tourists milled about, examining the carefully plant
ed flower garden, their eyes fixed on every colourful bud. They didn’t seem to notice the very tall, very handsome man in their midst, or the slightly shaky woman who was trying very hard to put on a brave face.

  She and Dex had spent a night and a morning together in the cottage in Dover, making love with abandon, as though the world were about to end. Flick hadn’t wanted to say it, but she still wondered if it might.

  Grasping Dex’s hand, she stood still, her face tense, mind reeling with worry. She had no choice but to wait for Eldrich to show up and to hope that Dex’s and Kliev’s plan, whatever it was, would be enough to win the battle to come.

  At precisely two p.m., the enemy showed himself. He strode along the gravel path towards them, a look of rage colouring his cheeks and knitting his brows. Instinctively, Flick squeezed Dex’s hand again.

  “I see how it is,” Eldrich growled when he was close enough to be heard, gesturing at their clasped fingers. “I suppose you’ve given me your answer with this display. I warned you about the consequences if you didn’t agree to my demands.”

  “Really, Eldrich?” Flick asked, surprised that she’d spoken before Dex. “You think you see? Because I don’t think you see very much at all.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that you were wrong about you and me. You were wrong about our future together. It seems that your déor was misinformed, or at the very least confused.”

  “My déor doesn’t get confused,” he snapped. “If you think I’ll change my mind because you two are holding hands like schoolchildren, you’re a fool. Both of you were wrong to underestimate me. I can assure you that I will be contacting every paper in London this afternoon.”

  “You will do no such thing.” Dex said, letting go of Flick’s hand to step towards Eldrich, a stern look etched on his features as he snarled the words. “If it were legal, I’d kill you where you stand for your threats. But unlike you, I actually have respect for human laws. So instead, I’ll simply tell you that it’s time for you to make yourself scarce, you bloody little shite. Get out of London or suffer the consequences.”

  “Consequences,” laughed Eldrich. “What? You just said yourself—you won’t kill me. What in God’s name to you intend to do instead?”

  Dex nodded his chin upwards, and the other shifter turned his gaze to the sky. Flick followed their stare, gasping when her eyes took in the incredible sight that was unfolding in the air above. High among the clouds, seven massive Dragons were emerging, soaring in a diamond formation, their enormous wings beating the air about them.

  “I don’t understand,” said Eldrich, pulling his gaze back to Dex. “What is this? You’ve just revealed yourselves to everyone. Why would you…” He spun around, searching the human tourists’ faces for a reaction. Occasionally one of them would look up, appear to notice the Dragons for a moment and then look away again as though they’d taken in little more than a bird or a cloud. “What’s happening?” Eldrich asked. “What have you done?”

  Flick smiled to herself as the realization hit her. At long last, she understood the full extent of the Dragons’ magic, the power of the Kindred. She’d begun to feel it in her veins, in her heart, but now she could see it for herself. A protective shield now surrounded the city of London, an invisible veil that draped itself over the minds of the city’s human population, protecting them from the creatures that were hovering in plain sight above.

  “Monsters in the darkness…” she whispered, turning to Dex. “I understand what Kliev was saying. The humans don’t believe in the Dragons, so they can’t see them.”

  “That’s right,” Dex replied, turning to face Eldrich. “The Kindred have cast a spell of concealment. If humans see our kind, they will immediately convince themselves that we’re nothing more than an illusion, a play of light. As long as I’ve known you, Eldrich, you have always underestimated our strength. But my kind has the Old Magic in us, and we are not to be trifled with. We have more power than you ever will, and your petty games will never bring us down.”

  “No,” Eldrich choked. “You can’t do this. I can still go to the papers—”

  Dex shook his head. “No newspaper will ever print your story, because the minute anyone sees you in Dragon form, they’ll forget it ever happened. Your plan, I’m afraid, has been foiled.”

  Eldrich clammed up, his jaw tight. He looked so wretchedly unhappy that for a moment, Flick almost managed to feel sorry for him. The man had been taken down about fifteen notches with one hard blow from Dex’s invisible fist.

  “The Bears and the Wolves won’t forget,” he growled. “They’ll come after you, now that they know you’re a threat.”

  “Perhaps,” said Dex. “Though by all accounts they’ve begun to leave the city. One day they’ll regroup and return, stronger, smarter. When that day comes, the Dragons will greet them with open arms.”

  “You’re fools if you think there won’t be an all-out war.”

  Dex shrugged. “There may well be. My kind has fought many a war over the centuries, and we’ve always prevailed. As for you, Eldrich, you aren’t welcome in London, not anymore. If you want to live, I suggest that you leave this place today.”

  Eldrich’s face scrunched into a wrinkled state of despair. He looked as though he might burst into tears. For a moment all the cruelty, all the malice left his face, and all that remained were the strangely innocent features of a young boy.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” said Dex, “Eldrich, don’t be so miserable. I have something to show you that’ll cheer you up.”

  “What?” snarled the other shifter. “What could you possibly want me to look at, after all of this?”

  Dex reached for him, grabbing his arm hard. The other shifter resisted at first, but after a moment he relaxed, his eyes closing as if giving in to a silent command from the stronger Kindred. When a few seconds had passed, his eyes opened again, and Dex let him go.

  “Is it real?” Eldrich asked. “You’re not playing with me?”

  Dex shook his head. “Not playing at all,” he said. “I’ve seen it, and someday soon, you will too. Flick was not meant for you, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have a chance at happiness. Now go, get out of our sight.”

  Flick watched as their enemy turned away silently, his head down, shoulders slumped in defeat. Overhead, the formation of Dragons flew off one by one, their shadowy forms disappearing into the distance as though they’d never been there.

  “What did you show him?” Flick asked as she watched Eldrich walk away.

  “His future,” he told her. “His mate, his child. His home.” He pulled Flick towards him, laying a kiss on her lips. She smiled up at him, overwhelmed by his goodness.

  “Will he be happy?” she asked.

  “Who knows? Maybe. Only one thing is certain.”

  “Oh? What’s that?”

  “He’ll still be Eldrich sodding Smythe.”

  Chapter 14

  One Year Later

  Flick cradled the twin boys in her arms as she sat on the cozy bench in front of their cottage in Dover. The baby boys’ eyes were closed, but occasionally one or the other would let out a quiet chirp, his tiny lips puckering as though he was looking for a meal.

  “They’re just about perfect, aren’t they?” she asked, tearing her eyes away from the boys for a moment to look up at her mate, who was standing over them, admiring his new family.

  “Yes, they are,” Dex replied. “Much like their mother.”

  “Pfft,” she laughed. “More like their father. They look exactly like you, my love. Dark hair, blue eyes. They’re even marked with the sign of Air.”

  “Perhaps, but they have your personality,” said Dex.

  “That’s interesting. I’ve just discovered that my personality involves a lot of sleep, a thirst for milk and pooping myself on occasion.”

  “That’s why I love you,” her mate replied. “Your needs are few and simple.”

  Flick stifled a laugh, try
ing not to wake the boys.

  “Listen, I have some news. I heard a few days ago that someone we know recently had a child of their own,” Dex told her.

  “Oh? Who’s that?”

  Her mate put his chin down and looked at her with an expression that said “Guess.”

  “Oh, God.” Flick rolled her eyes. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Isn’t it bad enough that he’s living in Dover now? He had to go and breed, too?”

  “Well, I’ve always known he’d have a son; I’d seen him in my mind’s eye. I’m just hoping the boy turns out kinder than his father.”

  “We can always hope,” said Flick, shifting her eyes down to her boys once again. “Do you suppose these lads of ours will grow into powerful Dragon men?”

  “Yes, they will,” Dex replied. “I have no doubt of that. But…”

  “But what?” A shot of worry hit Flick square in the chest. “Is there something I should know?”

  Dex stroked a hand over her cheek. “No,” he said. “Nothing at all. I was simply going to tell you that I don’t want to look into their future. Whatever mistakes they make are their own.”

  “Yes, I suppose you’re right. I just want to protect them, you know?”

  “Of course,” said Dex. “We will, as much as we can. In the meantime, we must learn to let them live their lives, and teach them to be good men.”

  “That will be easy for you,” said Flick. “You’re the best role model a boy could have.”

  “Thank you, Beauty.” Dex knelt down and placed a kiss on each twin’s forehead. “Minach, Lyre,” he said, “Whatever nonsense you get up to in your long lives, I have one piece of advice. Find mates as wonderful as mine. Do that, and I promise you’ll be very happy for a long, long time.”