by Jadyn Chase
He sighed and wound up coughing. He snatched up my hand and brought it to his lips. When he took it away, he left a tiny smear of blood on my knuckles. “I thought I would never see you again. I should have told you. I kept thinking I should have told you, and I would never see you again to get a chance. I should have told you…..”
“What?” I whispered.
“That I…,” he stammered. “That I…. want…. I want so much….”
He faltered again, and before he could continue, he grabbed my head and pulled me in to kiss me. His fingers knotted in my hair. I tasted blood on his lips, but I no longer cared. He groaned in pain when we kissed, but none of that mattered anymore. If he wanted this, if he wanted me, I gave myself to him freely. Any man who did what he did today deserved everything I had to give.
We both attacked each other in rabid lust. Where did that come from? Did this powerful pocket of desire simmer below the surface the whole time? I never detected it in all the previous times I kissed him.
Would I have kissed him at all if I knew then it would come to this? I couldn’t think about that right now. I slipped my arms around his waist while our lips explored each other’s mouths, but when I tried to embrace him, he flinched. “Aargh! Easy.”
“Sorry.” I pulled back, only to have him come at me stronger than ever.
In a second, his mouth devoured me faster than before. His tongue slithered between my teeth, and a wicked tendril of luscious passion squirreled through my insides to my crotch. Wetness seeped into my panties and sparked fresh gusts of giddy desire.
I couldn’t make up my mind what to do with my arms, so I rested my hands on his hips. That seemed to be the only safe real estate around. He wrapped his one good arm around my back and pulled me against him, only to yelp again in pain.
I withdrew for a second. “Are you sure you want to….?”
“Yes,” he snapped, and swallowed any further protest from my lips.
He swiveled me around and backed me toward the stairs. My eyes widened when I realized what he intended to do, but he refused to release my mouth to say anything. He pushed me a step back. I had no choice but to climb onto the stairs.
One step at a time, he nudged me up the stairs toward my room. Were we really going to do this…. for real? His mouth and tongue demanded all my attention just to keep up with him, but he never let me go.
At the top landing, I wrestled free. “This really isn’t a good idea, you know.”
“No, it isn’t.” He took his hand off my back long enough to seize the doorknob, wrench open the door, and steer me inside.
The minute we crossed the threshold, he kicked the door shut and grabbed me. He backed me against the wall and leaned into me. He pinned me against the wall with his weight kissing me hard.
He really wanted to do this. He really wanted to go all the way. My mind reeled, but I couldn’t fight it. I wanted to. I wanted him, even if he was a dragon. This body against me, this mouth kissing me—he was all male and all human. Nothing could be more real and more enticing than this.
He glided his free hand down my neck to my t-shirt. He burrowed inside my jacket, and his grip closed around my breast. All thought of protest vaporized out of my mind. Oh, yes, I wanted it. His touch deluged pleasure through all my senses. His mouth felt so incredible nibbling my ear and down to the sensitive place where my collarbones met.
He arched his back and shoved his bulging pelvis into the soft recess between my legs. My damp tissues ached for him in there to fill the dripping softness with something hard.
He snarled under his breath every time he pushed his body against mine. If it caused him pain, he didn’t show slack his pace one iota. He rippled his solid, muscled frame over me in a maddening rhythm that ended each time with him digging his tool into my juicy center.
Oh, that drove me wild! His teeth nipped my nipple through my shirt and rocketed needle pricks of excitement into my guts. His hand closed around my backside in a dominating grip and he heaved me off the floor. He pulled one leg aside and sat me down on his stiff member. God, I needed him so bad!
The more he pumped between my legs, the more sopping wet I got. I never craved a man like this. I clawed his back with my fingernails in a desperate mania to get hold of all of him at once. I didn’t want to hurt him, but the overriding demand of carnal hunger whipped me to do things I never thought possible.
All at once, he strapped his arm around my waist and lifted me clear off the floor. He picked me up and held me against him in a crushing hold. I clung to him with all four limbs while I inhaled countless kisses from his mouth.
His eyes burned into my very core. He carried me to my bed and lowered me onto it. I couldn’t take my eyes off his face, even knowing what would happen. I eased back on the bed. He leaned forward to crawl on top of me and grimaced.
The magic shattered, and I laughed out loud. “Are you going to be able to do this?”
He tried to smile and flinched instead. He toppled over sideways and collapsed onto his back holding his injured arm against his middle. “I may not be much good to you like this.”
I bit back a giggle and shifted onto my elbow. “Here. Let me help you.”
I started unbuttoning his shirt. I slid it open to reveal his chest covered in bruises. I stole a peek up at his face and found his eyes boring into me with their magnetic intensity. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.
“More than anything.” I bent down and kissed his chest. My heart overflowed with aching longing for him. I never wanted anything more in my life.
I left the shirt lying open on either side of his chest and inched my mouth down the line of soft hair leading into his waistband. Every inch of him called to me to kiss and worship and consume.
He relaxed back on the pillow and his hand came to rest on my neck. “Oh, baby. Oh, please.”
That voice weaseled into my soul. I snaked his belt out of the buckle and unfastened his fly. Every move, every sensation overwhelmed my spirit with how much I craved him, body and soul. I could never stop until I experienced all of him in every sinew.
He pushed his hips up to let me slide his jeans down. I threw his pants and boots on the floor and reveled in the vision of his naked body stretched out just for me. I trailed my fingertips up his legs to the thick shaft straining its veins in blatant desire.
I got up on my knees and held his gaze while I peeled off my clothes. He feasted his eyes on me until I towered over him stripped of all my inhibitions.
He guided me to straddle him, and I took hold of that beautiful piece of flesh. I wanted it in my darkest places. I wanted it to know my insides the way I wanted to know his. I couldn’t know him well enough without this.
His thickness filled me to the breaking point, and I moaned in agony at the impossible tightness of it all. I couldn’t hold myself up, and my weight sank down on top of it. Oh, God, it shot so deep into me I couldn’t stand it.
He bucked his hips against me, and before I knew what I was doing, I broke into a steady beating cadence. What was happening to me? I couldn’t stop myself cantering against his shaft and driving that thing deeper and harder and stronger into the most secret recesses of my being.
My fingers raked his injured chest, but I couldn’t stop myself. The overpowering sensation of intense yearning and completion refused to stop. It vaulted me into space until I screamed, and still I couldn’t stop. I needed so much more than this, so much more of him.
His noises drifted into my ear from far away. If I hurt him, he never let on. He encouraged me with constant answering thrusts from below that exploded my mind to smithereens.
He massaged my breasts one after the other with his hand in between grinding my hips into his tool. He snarled and growled up at me through it all until I couldn’t take anymore. The sight of him welcoming my heartfelt adoration propelled me to greater heights of bliss.
A powerful burst of light ruptured everything I knew. I flung back my head and howled to th
e stars. I lost awareness of everything else around me, and a hot spurt of shiny golden rainbows poured into me through the holy nexus where his body joined mine.
14
Louise
I snapped awake and stared into the dark. I blinked, but I still couldn’t get my eyes to function. Dense silence closed all around me until, out of nowhere, a dull thud rattled me out of my wits.
I bolted upright in bed and realized I was naked. Then I remembered my encounter with Luka. The sheets and blankets on the other side of the bed lay in a rumpled mess. He came up here. We did it and we fell asleep in my bed, but he wasn’t here now.
My chin fell on my chest. So much for that. He ran off in the middle of the night so he wouldn’t have to face me in the morning. Whatever. I didn’t need him anyway. I could take care of myself and I still had the whole story packed away on my phone. To hell with him and his stupid Clan.
Just then, another, louder sound made me look toward the window. I might have discounted the noises if I hadn’t seen a simultaneous hint of light flash over the Ridge. While I stared, another series of low, distant thunder accompanied a rapid stutter of more light. It flickered against clouds blocking out the moon and stars.
I frowned. That was odd. Could it be thunder and lightning at this time of year? I slid open the window and stuck my head out. The air outside the building didn’t move. The town of Norton lay fast asleep and undisturbed by the slightest breeze.
I kicked away the covers and slithered into my jeans. I pulled the door open and stepped onto the landing to study the Ridge. From outside, I heard the booming noises clear as day. All the light clusters centered on the Ridge itself.
My blood ran cold. Something was going on up there. Just then, a thin jet of bright orange fire shot straight up out of the mountain. It emblazoned the underside of the cloud cover for a moment before it winked out to nothing.
Dragons were up there. They must be fighting. Did the Lynches finally bring their war to the Kellys’ back yard? No wonder Luka left me alone.
I dove back inside and grabbed my phone and my keys. Without stopping to consider, I charged down the stairs two at a time and raced for my car. I hopped into the driver’s seat and threw it the Mini into gear. I skidded out of town and followed the GPS to the road leading straight up the Ridge.
What did I think I would find up there? If I could get some footage of real dragons fighting, no one could refute my story. No one would be able to hide it away or claim I doctored the footage.
I slammed my foot to the floor and screeched around one bend after another until I came to the turn-off. I almost missed it and drove right past, and I had to do a multi-point turn to retrace my steps.
Before I put my car into Drive again, a hint of doubt tapped me on the shoulder. Luka told me not to go up there. Did I really want to get in the middle of a dragon battle?
The next minute, I kicked the accelerator down and sped up the hill. Whatever was going on up there, I had to see it for myself. I had to know for certain, without any shadow of a doubt, that these dragons really were real.
My car bounced over the tiniest rocks, and the tires slithered all over the place. The vehicle certainly didn’t perform as well on these backroads as the Kellys’ Jeep. I didn’t care. I locked my teeth and drove it harder. What did one car matter compared to the story of a lifetime?
I veered around one bend after another when, without warning, I peeled into a wide yard surrounded by buildings. Some looked like decrepit old houses that had seen better days. Others looked like barns and tool sheds, but I didn’t see any people. I hit the brakes and shut off the motor to listen.
The constant pounding noise shook the ground now. It drowned out any other sound, including my heart hammering in my ears. Blinding eruptions of light illuminated a spot behind the tallest house.
I inched toward it and took out my phone. I switched on the camera and prayed to High Heaven it would catch something I could use. I detected no sign of life in the house. All the windows remained dark and undisturbed. Where was everybody? Out at the battle?
I tiptoed behind the house. A line of solid forest blocked me from seeing anything. The next outbreak of light revealed a tiny path leading down a steep ravine. Did I dare go down there?
Just then, a catastrophic bellow split the night. In front of my shocked eyes, a massive black dragon shot up through the trees. It soared high against the cloud. The never-ending flashes gave me a clear view of its scaly underside and its gigantic wings outspread.
It hurtled skyward, hovered there while it righted itself, and then turned its piercing red eyes toward the ground. It checked its position for a second. Then it folded its wings and plunged. It vanished behind the trees from whence it came.
I stared at the spot with my mouth hanging slack. It was all real. The dragons were real. Any doubt I entertained until now no longer held any water. I took a firm grip on my phone and pressed forward down the path.
It led into the densest forest yet. I could never have found my way if the explosions didn’t light the way. The path sloped until it leveled off and eventually led me to a wide open field. I crouched in the undergrowth with my heart in my mouth.
I gaped in amazement at dozens of dragons fighting all over the field. They spat jets of flame at one another. They beat each other with their tails and heads and wings. They slashed each other with their teeth. The light of constant fire reflected off their colored scales. Other than that, I couldn’t distinguish one from another.
Who were they? No one would believe these things could really be people. Was one of them Luka? I couldn’t tell. I didn’t see any of them injured. Their sinuous bodies flashed back and forth before my eyes so fast I couldn’t follow everything going on.
I gawked at the sight in stupefied shock. My mind wanted to believe I was watching a movie or something. This couldn’t be real. It was too fantastic to be real.
I shook myself out of my trance and brought up my phone. I checked the image on the screen and hit the red button to start recording. I swept the camera back and forth over the field to capture as much footage of the scene as I could.
The longer I recorded, the more thrilling this moment became. I was doing it! I was documenting the existence of dragons. Just wait until Mac found out about this! This video footage would be all over the internet in a matter of hours.
I panned back the other way to where the same monstrous black lizard fought with an equally large red one. The two coiled their long bodies around each other and somersaulted over and over across the field. They slammed their noses into each other. They made feints with their teeth only to repel one attack to make another.
I recorded the formidable creatures for a while. I got ready to sweep to another part of the battlefield when another flash of firelight caught my phone. It reflected off the metallic casing and shone straight into the red dragon’s face.
His head whipped up in a heartbeat and he looked right at me. I moved my phone away, but it was too late. He shrugged off his adversary and stalked toward me. I floundered to scramble back into the forest to get away, but I stumbled and landed on a pile of dry branches. It made a very noticeable, very distinct crackling sound under me. The sound seemed to overshadow every other noise on the battlefield.
I struggled to my feet, and when I looked over my shoulder, my heart stood still. That glowing red demon stomped after me with malicious intent. He narrowed his eyes at me and lowered his head close to the ground. His nostrils flared, and his eyes gleamed
I shot off whining in terror. I couldn’t get eaten by that thing, not now, not in the middle of the night. Why didn’t I stay in bed where I belonged? Why didn’t I listen to Luka?
There’s a right way and a wrong way to go up on the Ridge. That’s what he told me, but I was too headstrong and willful to listen, as usual. When would I ever learn?
Probably never if that thing got its way. I hit the trail heading up the ravine, but I couldn’t run fast. My shoes
slipped in the soft soil. I pitched forward on my hands and knees, and my phone flew out of my hand.
I didn’t give it a second thought. I clawed the ground to gain any purchase, but I made slow progress. Sweat stung my eyes and mingled with tears of desperation. I couldn’t die. I had to live. I had to…. I had to…. I had to…..
I looked back one more time. The dragon shattered tree trunks. It bashed its way into the woods and let nothing stand in its way. Its red skin burned in the faint light of more bursts coming from the battlefield beyond.
I plunged deeper into the forest before I realized I wasn’t on the path anymore. I took only a fraction of a second to look around me before I ran on. I had no idea where I was going or what I would do when I got there. Terror and anguish blocked all thought.
I ran until my lungs rasped, but I couldn’t stop now. Every time I looked back, that thing gained on me. It moved over the uneven ground, uphill and down, with no trouble at all. What was I thinking? He could fly after me. I was toast.
All at once, I tripped over a rock and pitched face first onto a flat shelf of solid granite. I stared straight in front of me into a vacuous abyss with no bottom. Another eruption of firelight behind me shone against the clouds, and I found myself gazing across the Appalachian wilderness south. I was on the lookout.
A low, guttural rumble made me look over my shoulder. The red dragon stood right behind me, but I couldn’t run anymore. I had nowhere left to run. This was the end of the line.
He lowered his head again, and when he growled, the stench of sulfur stung my sinuses. His eyes glowed blood red in the dark. I cringed away from him and crab-walked backward toward the precipice.
I came to the edge shaking in every limb. What could I do? I would die as a meal for a dragon. No one would ever read my story. Who cared about that in the end, anyway? Why did I risk my life for something so trivial?