She wanted to convince him, make him see what she did. The strength in him that had her wanting to lean on him. His vulnerability that made him so attractive. His sensitivity which set him apart. The dominant part of him that brought out the woman in her.
“You don’t understand,” His eyes swirled; sparks of violet flowed in them. “I could have resisted more. I could have dropped back, retreated into the part of me where he couldn’t touch me on the psychic plane.”
“But you weren’t able to do that, were you?” She moved in, close enough for her breasts to flatten on his chest, so he could feel her flesh tremble against him.
“You’d changed me too much already, and I didn’t even know it.” The color fled from his features, leaving his skin pale. His high cheekbones stood out in relief. “You had called to my dragon, awoken him, and there was no going back. I had to embrace the energy of my animal, I had to open myself to him.” The cords of his throat moved as he swallowed.
“You had to give in to your vulnerability and face your fear. That is true strength. You stepped into the darkness to face the ghosts of your past.”
His heart hammered so hard she felt each beat like it was her own.
“You looked your worst nightmare in the eye, and you walked away strong in the knowledge he hadn’t broken you. That he’ll never break you again. You took your power back.” She peered into his eyes.
His features were shuttered. The scars on his skin writhed under her fingers like they were alive.
“Did I?” His eyes were hooded. Hurt, anger, and confusion poured off him. His palms shaped the curve of her butt and flowed up to rest on her hips.
She sensed he wanted to believe her, and yet there was something in him stopping him. “Neo.” She wanted to take away his hurt and heal the wound inside that held him back from letting go.
His grip firmed on her flesh. His features tightened. His arousal throbbed and pushed into her hip.
She sensed him retreat to that part inside him where it was safe. There he could turn away from his beast. He could turn away from her. She couldn’t let that happen.
She knew what she had to do. “Let me help you.” She placed her palm on his cheek. “Let me in, Neo. Let me step into the darkness with you.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I can’t hurt you.” A plume of agony rose off him and hit her in the chest.
She gasped. Pain, so much pain, white and red, and below it all, that indigo she knew so well. That essence which was pure Neo. “It’s not your choice.” She reached south, pushed her panties down her legs, then flung them off.
“What are you doing?” He sounded shocked and so aroused.
She loved it when she could surprise him. It gave her that final burst of courage she needed. She hitched her dress up, then straddled him and slid her wet, aching center over his hardness.
31
Neo
She took his breath away. He should have known by now she’d never do what was expected of her. She’d always be one step ahead of him.
She closed her lips over his.
All thought fled from his head.
Heat from her lips bled into his. That essence of hers laced with wild lilies swirled over his tongue.
He wanted to lick her up and hold her close and absorb her into himself. He wanted her to shine a light on all those parts of him that had been in the dark for so long. If he did that they would be mated; it would put her life at risk. Could he really do that?
As if sensing his hesitation, she gripped his hips with her thighs. Her inner muscles closed around him. Pleasure jolted through him. So intense, so sweet it had the breath catching in his throat, his heart hammering wildly until he was sure it would break out of his rib cage.
“Trinity.” He heard his voice, husky, deep, and realized he’d called her by her nickname. “You deserve better, someone as filled with light as you.” Sweat broke out over his forehead as he gritted his teeth.
“What good would that do me?” She chuckled. “I would fade into insignificance then. I need a counterpoint, someone who brings out the best parts of me. I need you.”
The depth of feeling in her voice pulled at his nerve endings, rolled over his skin, leaving sizzling sparks in their wake, and he grew harder, filling her even more.
A growl rumbled up, and he couldn’t stop it. A growing desire unfurled and tugged at his lower belly. His dragon had been still all this time, watching the two of them spar, waiting for the right opportunity to push through to the surface. Something inside him, knotted for so long, unfurled. Lust and need, a visceral want to make this woman his slammed through him.
He flipped her over, his movements so fast he blurred. He made sure to cushion the back of her head with his palm.
She squeaked, and her eyes widened. Color flushed her skin. The scent of wild lilies deepened, laced with musk.
He grabbed her wrists and raised them above her head, shackling her. He wanted to claim her.
Do it, his dragon urged him. Make her yours.
He hesitated.
“Kiss me.” Her silver eyes flared with little golden sparks. She was so damn enticing.
Dios, he couldn’t resist her anymore, couldn’t stop himself. Lowering his head, he licked at her lips. She groaned and opened her mouth.
He slipped his tongue in and danced it over hers. Her lips clung to his as she kissed him back, matching each thrust of his tongue. Each bite. He tasted blood, and that sent a shock of desire through him, and a warning that tore through the thoughts that whirled around in his head. He tried to pull away, but she wrapped her legs around his waist, gripping him and urging him deeper inside.
She felt soft, wet, and so damn hot. She felt like home. Like he’d been waiting to bury himself inside her for so long, and now that he was there, now he sensed the pleasure that coursed through him, the feel of his skin sliding over hers, the flare of her hips as she shuddered below him, he was lost.
She tugged her arms from his, and he let her go.
She wove them around his neck and clung to him.
The pressure in his lower belly grew and grew, until it filled his chest, soared over his arms, his face. It seemed like every part of him was on fire. He scented dragon fire, knew his dragon was so close to the surface, and yet he couldn’t tear his gaze from her. He withdrew all the way out, till only the tip of his arousal nudged at her entrance.
Her back arched off the ground, and her head snapped back. He sensed a scream bubble up through her chest. Her skin was flushed, and their joined scents surrounded them.
It was like they had found their own private bubble. His biceps flexed as he tried to hold his body up and off her. On the verge of sliding back into her, he paused.
“Don’t…stop.” Surging up, she sank her teeth into the side of his neck.
Pain tore through him, desire galloped up his spine, and he forged into her. On the psychic plane, his dragon raged against the shield he’d slammed on the mating bond and reached for her. Finding a crack in the shield, the energy of his dragon flowed through, just a tendril that twined with her silver energy.
She screamed and sank back, her head sliding over his hand, her fingernails digging into his shoulders.
He pulled out then plunged into her again. “Look at me.”
Her eyes fluttered open
He gasped.
The silver pools that looked back at him had a thread of indigo around the edges. Just a flicker, but it was enough for his chest to go cold. “No.” Reality hit him hard. His dragon was going to claim her. He was going to put her life at risk. How could he live with himself if something happened to her?
He tore himself from her. Sliding out of her, he surged to his feet and pulled her with him. She swayed.
He steadied her with a light touch then held her at arm’s length.
The sea breeze coasted between them, and she shivered.
He wanted to wrap her up in his arms, bring her close, and shield her from the wind.
But he couldn’t, he didn’t dare. Not if he wanted her to live. His heart felt like it would shatter any second.
“I’m sorry. I care too much for you. I can’t put you at risk.”
32
Trinity
He hadn’t just done that, had he?
She’d offered herself up to him, she’d wanted him to claim her, make her his. He’d refused her.
Was it because she’d put the entire burden of their relationship on him? Perhaps that wasn’t right. She had to be sure.
She couldn’t stop herself from taking a step forward and bridging the space between them.
She wasn’t quite sure where she got the courage from, but she slid around to face him.
He kept his gaze averted.
Anger licked down her spine. She slid her fingers through his hair and yanked his head toward her.
The breath rushed out of him. His shoulders tensed. He met her gaze.
His features were set in stubborn lines.
“You can’t walk away. I can’t let you walk like that. Besides, where will you go?” She flung an arm out.
He followed the line of her fingers as if taking in the island around them. “You have me there.” A smile tugged his lips, but it didn’t meet his eyes.
Her heart beat faster. Her fingers tingled with the need to grip his shoulders and hold on. “Talk to me, tell me what you’re thinking. What are you afraid of, Neo?”
He sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “If we make love, I’ll not be able to hold back my dragon from claiming you.”
“It’s what I want, too.” She stepped forward and, going on tiptoe, flung her arms around his neck. She buried her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. “I love you, Neo.”
His eyes widened. He pulled her arms from around his neck and took a step back. He didn’t let go of her hands, though, and that gave her hope. “I want more than anything to be able to tell you what you want to hear, but if I claim you, I put you at risk. The psychic impact of mating with a dragon is too strong for any other species.”
“Liar.”
He hissed out a breath. Those blue eyes of his lightened until they resembled clear pools of water. “Explain?” Spots of red burned on his cheeks.
“Dragons have mated with other species, and if the bond was strong enough, the non-dragon shifter mate has survived.” She raised her chin and thrust out a hip, then propped a hand on it.
“Yes.” He dropped her hand and moved back a little. “But we don’t know until the mating bond is formed whether you can take it or not, and if something were to happen to you, how can I live with myself?”
He raked his fingers through his hair then paced in front of her.
Of course, he was supremely unaware of the fact he was naked, or else he didn’t care.
The muscles of his back flexed as he walked back and forth. It entranced her. The planes of his chest winged down to meet his sculpted abs. His thighs seemed rock hard. And his arousal…he still wanted her. She licked her lips. He was driving her to distraction.
Neo turned to face her.
The air behind him shimmered. A portal formed.
He drummed his fingers over his chest. “I can’t live without you. But I can’t risk your life to be with you either.” He shook his head. Sweat trickled down the line between his pecs.
She squared her shoulders. “If my life were at risk and you had to mate with me to stop me from dying, would you claim me then, Neo?”
He frowned. “What kind of trick question is that?” He angled his head, and his nostrils flared. “What are you up to?”
Closing the distance between them, she gripped his arms and slid her palms down to his hands. She wove her fingers with his. “Answer me, Neo.” She knew her voice sounded urgent and he probably thought her crazy, but she needed to know, needed him to tell her.
“Yes.” The word was torn out of him. His features froze, the color fled from his face, and his cheekbones stood out in relief. “He’s here.” He began to turn around.
She yanked her fingers from his, swerved around him, and ran toward the Lord of the Dark Fae who stood at the edge of the waves.
33
Neo
“Trina, no.” His heart pounded, and the band around his chest tightened. Even as he ran toward them, he knew he was going to lose her.
The side of Igor’s chest showed pink scars from his still-healing wounds. At least he’d managed to hurt the Fae Lord. He felt a fierce surge of satisfaction.
Trinity’s steps slowed, and she came to a halt before she reached Igor.
The Fae Lord closed the distance between them. He slid his arm around her waist and, turning her around, drew her flush against him.
Neo snarled, and blood pounded at his temples. “Let go of her.”
Igor’s eyes dark eyes gleamed. “She’s made her choice, shifter. Deal with it.” He pulled the hair that hung over her back, so it flowed down one side of her neck.
Trinity shivered and bit her lip. Her gaze, however, was fixed on Neo’s face. There was a look of challenge on hers. Her features were pale, her chin firm.
“Don’t do this, please.” He curled his fingers into fists at his sides.
He wasn’t sure if he was begging Igor or Trinity—or was he talking to himself?
His dragon snarled inside, restless, and pushed against his skin, asking him to go to her. His breath came out in pants, and fear was a hard ball of emotion in his throat that threatened to choke him. He couldn’t lose her, not like this.
“Touching, really, the connection between the two of you.” Leaning down, Igor sniffed the side of her neck.
Trinity’s shoulders jerked, and she squeezed her eyes shut but didn’t pull away.
“She smells of you, dragon” He straightened and trained the darkness of his gaze on Neo. “Now all that’s left is for you to claim her, and then I can possess both of you.”
Neo clenched his jaw so hard pain sliced through the side of his head. He wanted to walk to Igor and tear him from end to end. When he was done, no one would recognize who he was.
“The only person who can cross the realms without using the portal is her. Now you know why I must take her for my mate. Not only will it give me access to all the information in her genetic code that has been passed down from the lineage of the unicorns, but it truly gives me a chance to become the lord of the nine realms.”
Anger, pure and cleansing, slammed through Neo, filled his head and consumed him. The scars rippled over his face, his neck, down the side of his hands.
His dragon snarled, and all his muscles tensed; he was ready to take on this man—he was ready to fight for his mate.
He took another step forward, blood roaring in his ears. “I am going to kill you.” His voice came out gravelly, and he didn’t recognize it. He narrowed his eyes, and that familiar tension built in his head.
“Stay where you are, dragon, or I’ll kill her and you.”
“Listen to him.” Trinity raised her head.
Her eyes were dull, the silver faded to a matt gray, and that almost killed Neo.
His vision focused on his enemy. “I am sorry I doubted you, that I didn’t believe in us.” The hiss of his dragon swirled through his words, making his vowels elongate and undulate out.
“You leave me no choice.” Igor peeled his lips back to reveal the fangs that dropped down from the side of his jaw. He wound her hair through his palm and yanked Trinity’s head to the side. He was going to sink those fangs into her throat and claim her right then.
“No.”
On the psychic plane, Neo yanked back the shield, and his dragon leaped and flowed to her. She was already there.
The silver of her essence slammed into him so fast it felt like he had been hit by a tidal wave.
He gasped. His spine curved back, the mating bond snapping into place. Their joined essences coursed through him, her silver and his indigo twining together in a shining strand of violet that swept thro
ugh his blood, rushing through his heart to his brain. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. His nerve ends ignited. His fingertips tingled, and he raised his head to the skies as the information downloaded into him.
Everything she knew of herself, the Fae, of the nine realms. Of ancient worlds and new beginnings, secrets he’d only heard whispered about, all of it flowed into him, permeating his cells, his pores, and just like that, it broke off.
Even before he straightened he was running to her.
His dragon roared forward, the flames bursting out from him, leaving a trail behind him, and he leaped toward them.
The darkness from Igor poured out, coming for him; it swirled closer to their combined energies, pouring over it, twisting it in a mire of murkiness that threatened to overcome him.
It was as if he’d slammed into a wall so hard and yet so sticky that it was pulling him under.
The psychic debris permeated every part of him, clogging his pores, twisting around his chest, and he couldn’t breathe.
It felt like all the water in his body was being sucked out and he was going to self-combust any moment… The pressure built inside him, racing through him, and then with a roar, the combined essence of his dragon fire and her unicorn brightness, that fierce violet flame sliced through the black. He felt its energy, the power to erase his past, to change their future. All of it ebbed through him.
The power of the transformation coursed in him.
Sparks of violet flared from his skin, his feet transformed to massive claws, his neck drew forward and was covered with scales, and his wings snapped out from his back.
His dragon roared at Igor.
34
Trinity
The dragon raised his head to the skies and shrieked its joy. He opened his massive jaw, and violet fire flared out and sliced through the air. He angled his head and snapped those beautiful eyes on her.
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