When Fallon opened the door, Sage finally stepped inside. While on the outside, the warehouse looked pretty innocuous, the interior of the building had been clearly outfitted for a longer and more comfortable stay. Instead of being a wide, cavernous space, there were two floors, and while the first one seemed reserved for organizational purposes, the second clearly contained rooms.
It was there that Fallon led Sage, and in one of the rooms, Sage at last found his quarry. A large bed dominated these particular quarters, and in it, Camden slept, looking pale, very small, but otherwise unharmed and as beautiful as ever.
Sage pushed past the vampires and climbed into the bed next to Camden. He took the naga in his arms, brushing a light kiss over his temple. A part of him wanted to touch Camden all over, to awaken him from his slumber, but he couldn’t be selfish right now. It seemed clear that the vampires had taken blood from Camden, perhaps a lot of it. If that was the case, he needed rest and, when he woke up, appropriate nourishment.
Stealing a look toward the vampires, Sage glowered at Fallon. “I’m not calling anyone until Camden recovers. This is all your fault, and the fact that you drew the anger of my people onto yours is strictly your responsibility.”
“If you don’t plan to uphold your end of the bargain, I’ll just take you back to the cell,” Fallon replied calmly. “And believe me, I’m not out of options just yet.”
Once more, Sage was kind of stuck, really tempted to cast a spell that would teach Fallon a little lesson. Before he could do that, however, Camden stirred in his arms. Their bond flared to brilliant life again. Well, it had never actually disappeared, but now, Camden’s voice and consciousness returned to it, allowing Sage to communicate with his mate.
“Sage!” Camden gasped out. Through their connection, he added, “Thank Varuna. You’re all right.”
“I’m fine, beautiful,” Sage replied, hugging Camden tightly. The intimacy of their bond made him truly feel like he had his mate back, but he wanted to make sure, to touch Camden all over, to map every inch of the naga with his fingers, his mouth, his tongue. “Probably thanks to you, although I wish you wouldn’t have risked your life like this.”
Camden met his gaze and smiled, looking so impossibly beautiful and so happy that Sage’s heart hurt. “It was all worth it,” he replied.
They were interrupted from their reunion by Fallon, who naturally had to be as obnoxious as possible. “While this is all very touching,” he said, “I believe you can go through with what you agreed now, Lieutenant Zager.”
Camden threw Sage a confused look, and Sage rushed to explain the situation. “Apparently, Karein and Emperor Hareematek are attacking vampire covens. This vampire wants to use us to make them stop. He also said he’d return the naga he kept prisoner to their homes, but the two of us have to stay.”
“But you can get us out eventually,” Camden replied. He obviously agreed with Sage’s assessment of the situation.
“I’m certainly going to try,” Sage told him. Out loud, he said, “We’ll send word to Draechenburg. I can’t guarantee what will happen from that point on.”
“You’d better hope they listen.” Fallon shot him a dark look. “If not, naga blood or not, both of you will die.”
* * * *
“They want us to do what? Stop the attacks?” Rachen huffed, obviously not happy about the request, but not protesting as much as Hareem had expected. “What a question. Of course they do.”
“Supposedly, in exchange they’ll free the naga prisoners, with the exception of Sage and Camden,” Hareem replied, gazing from Rachen to Karein. He had summoned both of them to Draechenburg when they’d received the peculiar communication, a video from Lieutenant Zager himself. To be true, Karein had been the one to receive it, and he’d transported it back here so that they could make a decision. “What do you think, Karein?”
“Do we really have a choice in the matter?” Karein asked. “I suspect that if we continue on this note, they’ll just kill Sage and Camden. Of course, even if we do stop, it might happen anyway.”
Hareem had figured that out already. “I will agree to a ceasefire but demand a regular report from Lieutenant Zager, so that I’ll know they’re safe. In the meantime, we’ll keep scouting for their location in secret. But truth be told, I suspect Lieutenant Zager wouldn’t have agreed to this if he wasn’t already planning to escape.”
Karein nodded. “You’re probably right. We just have to figure out a way to help. But how?”
Hareem mused over the question. He didn’t like just waiting to see what would happen. His empire couldn’t be tamed by a bunch of ninth-caste terrorists. But impatience wouldn’t help him right now. As an emperor, he had to think that, as much as he hated losing a valuable member of the community, he couldn’t be rash just because he needed Sage free.
No, this was the wrong way to consider the issue. Whether they realized it or not, the vampires had accepted a spy in their midst. The only thing Hareem had to do was to get them to accept a sporadic communications between him and Sage. After that, everything would fall into place. Sage was a soldier, and he’d come up with a way to notify them where he and Camden had been taken.
This plan heavily relied on trusting Sagenamadeen Zager’s abilities, and Hareem was highly reluctant to do that. However, all other options appealed even less. He didn’t want to send his brothers into the unknown again. Karein needed to be with Sari, and Rachen had his own issues to sort out. They deserved peace of mind, not being thrust into a war.
“We’ll give it a little time if and only if the vampires agree to our terms,” he said. “But we won’t be sitting around twiddling our thumbs, will we, my brothers?”
At that, Karein’s lips twisted into a small, dark smile. “Certainly not,” Rachen replied, looking just as pleased.
Hareem couldn’t laugh, since he’d lost the ability to be amused when he’d sent Taryn away. He was aware, though, that the draechen were entering a new age. Oddly, the vampires had been the ones to give them this opening, but Hareem wasn’t above using it for his own purposes. Next time a draechen faced a vampire in battle, they wouldn’t be caught by surprise. Hareem would make Ornoz the most powerful force on Earth. And then, maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to earn his mate’s forgiveness. He had a feeling that particular battle would be even more difficult than the one with the ninth caste.
Chapter Eleven
Things had gone strikingly well. The draechen had sent back word to Camden’s captors that they agreed to the proposed terms and would cease the attacks, as long as the vampires allowed Sage and Camden to regularly contact Draechenburg. At first, the head vampire leading this coven, Fallon, had seemed reluctant, but he’d eventually agreed. Camden suspected that he wasn’t the only one involved in the entire thing. Likely, vampires had their own leadership who didn’t appreciate the storm that had been drawn onto them.
But for the moment, Camden couldn’t worry about that. He just wanted to focus on the mate he’d found again. And by some miracle, Fallon allowed it. Apparently, he realized that if he wanted Camden to continue giving him a supply of blood, he’d have to indulge both Camden and Sage in some respects. Fortunately, this meant that, as soon as confirmation arrived regarding the draechen’s agreement, Camden and Sage were left alone in the room Camden had been assigned.
Relieved, but exhausted, Camden plopped back down on the bed. He honestly couldn’t remember much of what had happened in the past few days. It was a blur, since he’d been torn between the cold, the separation from Sage, and being bled by Fallon, betraying Sage by exposing his neck to someone else.
But now, none of that mattered. He didn’t want it to matter. He didn’t want to think too closely about how it had felt to be held by the vampire, to give to him the blood only Sage should have tasted. And most definitely, he wanted to ignore that he’d have to do it again.
Smiling at Sage, Camden beckoned his mate closer. “Come to me,” he said coyly.
Sage stood i
n front of the bed, his body as tense as a bowstring. He didn’t move, and if not for the bond, Camden might have actually felt rejected. As things stood, Camden understood the reason for Sage’s behavior. “You don’t have to be worried anymore,” he insisted. “Just come to me. I want you to touch me.”
All right, so circumstances weren’t ideal. Just outside this door, their captors were waiting, probably listening in. And Camden would have been uncomfortable, except he didn’t care anymore. He’d reached the point in which he could have been floating in a void, and it wouldn’t have mattered, because Sage was here. Sage was the only one he cared about.
So he wasn’t perfectly rational. Fine. He could admit to that. But in the end, reason was overstated. Camden had plenty of time to recover it. For now, he just wanted to feel whole again, to have Sage touch him like they both craved. Closing his eyes, Camden imagined everything he wanted Sage to do to him. He could already feel Sage’s dick piercing him, breaching his body, filling him so perfectly. Sage’s lips on Camden’s would taste so right. Or maybe Sage would feed his cock into Camden’s mouth first before starting to fuck him. Yes, oh, yes, that would be amazing.
Sage had never been able to resist him, and Camden hadn’t been fighting fairly, so it came as no surprise when Sage released a low growl. He pounced onto the bed and crawled on top of Camden. Camden opened his eyes and beamed at his mate. Even knowing that they remained prisoners, even acknowledging the danger they were in, he still felt happy, like a hole in his heart had miraculously been patched up. Was this how it felt like to snap back from the cold, or was it something that strictly related to their unique bond? Camden didn’t know, but he didn’t dwell on it too much either. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Sage and pulled the draechen close for a kiss.
At first, Sage went with it, complying with Camden’s desires but keeping the lip-lock lazy, unrushed. As Camden began to grind against him, though, Sage’s control grew insufficient, and he took over, thrusting his tongue into Camden’s mouth. Camden melted into his mate’s embrace, swept away by the intensity of the draechen’s passion. He’d have called it a fire, but he’d long ago realized that it went way beyond such a simple concept.
Camden had once before tested the limits of his resilience with regards to his separation from Sage. He’d actually managed to withstand it much better, but even then, he’d nearly succumbed to the cold. Since then, he and Sage had grown even closer, the bond strengthening with every moment that passed. Perhaps it was for that reason that losing it had hurt so much. The only thing that could make that pain go away was being in Sage’s embrace. But the kiss wasn’t enough, barely taking the edge off Camden’s lust. He needed more, so much more. He craved everything Sage had to offer.
Desperate, lost in the near insanity of his own desire, Camden writhed under Sage, biting on Sage’s lower lip, clawing at Sage’s shoulders. His clothes felt scratchy on his skin, uncomfortable to the point of being maddening. Sage’s kiss, as passionate as it was, simply fueled Camden’s hunger instead of sating it.
All of a sudden, Sage tore his mouth away, scanning Camden’s face as if seeking the answer to a question he hadn’t asked. His blue eyes had gone almost black with passion, but he didn’t pounce on Camden again. Instead, he grabbed Camden’s wrists and pinned them over his head, effectively immobilizing Camden.
“Shush,” he whispered. “I’ll give you what you need.”
Normally, Camden would have pushed to have his wishes fulfilled at that very moment. He trusted Sage, but his urgency was such that it petulantly refused to vanish just like that. And yet, Sage’s words held such authority that, even if Camden’s need didn’t disappear, it became tamed, leashed by Sage’s strength.
Camden could breathe again, reassured by Sage’s promise. He tested Sage’s hold on him, and he found that he couldn’t break free. And for some reason, that sensation of being immobilized seemed freeing, cleansing. The last time someone had held him down, he’d been captured by a vampire and forced to become a blood donor. But now, those haunting images were vanishing, replaced by Sage’s touch, by his overwhelming presence.
Sage rewarded him for his obedience by starting to remove his clothes. He didn’t rush, but neither was he slow. He kept a moderate and efficient pace, slashing the material that refused to budge with his claws, but pressing his lips to every inch of skin he revealed. It would have been gentle, except, from time to time, those same claws would pass over Camden’s now-exposed nipples.
Once Sage removed the shirt, he advanced toward Camden’s lower half. In the process, he had to free Camden’s wrists. Before he did so, however, he pinned Camden with a glance and said, “Hold onto the headboard and don’t let go, no matter what. Understand, beautiful?”
Camden just nodded, unable to actually vocalize his thoughts. He craved Sage like a drug he couldn’t get enough of, and today, he wanted to overdose on it, to never have to experience that cold emptiness, to have it replaced by Sage’s lust for him.
Sage didn’t disappoint. He did keep a close eye on Camden as he released his hold on Camden’s hands. Camden obediently gripped the headboard, watching Sage with greedy eyes. The draechen appeared to be losing his patience, because he didn’t even bother to pull Camden’s shoes off. Instead, he just tore Camden’s pants off, exposing his nether parts to Sage’s gaze.
Camden couldn’t help it. He shivered. He wasn’t cold, but he couldn’t help it. The honest appreciation in Sage’s eyes made Camden want to reach for the draechen, to hasten him along. Instead, when Sage’s hands landed on his hips, Camden clenched his own around the headboard railing, refusing to let go. For some reason, it was very important to him not to fail Sage in this.
Sage smiled, and although he didn’t speak, Camden could tell that was Sage’s way of reassuring him, of telling him that between them, everything would always be perfect. Even then, that smile held something tight, a restrained power. Camden had seen it before, whenever they made love, when Sage bit him and his energy flowed into Camden. That magic bubbled right under the surface now, begging to be released, a chill that wanted to be absorbed into Camden’s body. For them, it would never be fire fighting fire, but cold fighting cold.
And yet, in spite of Sage’s affinity, when his hands traveled all over Camden, they seemed blazing hot, biting, almost like brands aiming to remind Camden who he truly belonged to. Sage’s fist engulfed Camden’s cock, pumping softly and making Camden whimper in dismayed arousal. It was so good, and yet, so agonizing, the pleasure slowly trickling through him, awakening every nerve ending and holding him there, unable to go any further. His balls ached with the need to come, and his ass begged to be filled.
“All in due time,” Sage promised, his voice a low growl. “Now, remember. Don’t let go of the railing.”
Camden nodded again, but when Sage gave him an expectant look, he realized that this time, he actually had to answer. “I understand.”
Sage didn’t talk again, but instead, he reached out to Camden’s mind through their bond, inserting an image there—that of Camden spreading his legs to accommodate Sage.
Camden instantly responded, mimicking the image in his head. Sage’s eyes flashed with dark satisfaction as the conveyed picture developed. On instinct, Camden followed the instructions, lifting his legs to expose his hole and practically bending himself in half. It was very strange, so intimate and so freeing.
Sage reached down between Camden’s ass cheeks, and seconds later, a dry thumb nudged at Camden’s opening. The draechen didn’t try to push in, although he did crawl between Camden’s legs and supported them on his shoulders, releasing the strain on Camden. He made no attempt to take things further, instead starting to massage Camden’s dick again. The combined sensations were like the most beautiful torture Camden had ever experienced, and perhaps he would have actually come. However, Sage’s voice drifted into his mind, ordering, “Don’t come. Don’t come until I tell you.”
Camden clenched his teeth, his entire
body going rigid as his cock jerked painfully in Sage’s grip. He was right there, on the edge, but he couldn’t surrender to the orgasm. Only his mate could grant him that permission. He had to hold on. He was not used to it, since Sage had only ever indulged him in everything, practically spoiling him. The difference was disconcerting but not unwelcome. The pressure of being so close to climax but not falling over the edge kept building, making Camden’s skin sizzle and his body vibrate with sexual energy.
And then, Sage released him, his hands disappearing from Camden’s body, and Camden revised his opinion of extended foreplay. “What… Sage?”
He didn’t want to sound too demanding, but he was getting a little desperate here. A lot desperate, judging by the amount of pre-cum leaking from his cock. Sage seemed completely unruffled, still dressed and watching him with those seductive eyes.
“We don’t have any of the stuff,” Sage pointed out calmly.
Seriously? That was the reason why Sage had stopped. Because they didn’t have supplies? Camden had always hated the condoms, and they could replace the lubricant with something else. Camden didn’t know exactly what they should use, but Sage had always been very inventive and resourceful.
Sage chuckled. “Thank you, beautiful. I appreciate the compliment. I think maybe you deserve a reward for being so brave.”
Another image drifted into Camden’s mind, this time of him on all fours, while still holding onto the headboard. Camden got the hint and followed Sage’s cues as the draechen turned him around. It wasn’t exactly easy to allow himself to be moved without letting go of the railing, but Camden miraculously managed.
“And now, for your prize,” Sage said once he had Camden in position.
Camden had a flash of what Sage planned, but he didn’t even get the time to process it, because Sage didn’t waste one single second. He spread Camden’s ass cheeks and licked over his crease. Taboo pleasure exploded over Camden. Even knowing that everyone outside could hear him, he cried out and pushed back against Sage, fucking his mate’s face. Sage released another growl, seemingly enjoying Camden’s abandon and passion a great deal. He stabbed his tongue into Sage’s ass, using it like a tiny cock and wriggling it around, stretching Camden’s channel. Camden tried to withstand the onslaught of pleasure, to be as brave as Sage considered him, but there was only so much he could take. At last, he lost his grip on the headboard, almost falling face-first on the mattress.
Naga's Concubine [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 4] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Page 16