by Anna Lewis
They neared the tip of Manhattan and the majestic green form of the Statue of Liberty loomed before them. With one flap of his mighty wings, Endres alighted on the edge of Lady Liberty’s torch, neatly depositing Amaya on the catwalk.
A pop of rushing air and the dragon was gone, replaced by a man who Amaya was quickly coming to regard as beautiful.
“Your clothes,” Amaya said shyly, handing over her bundle.
When Endres was dressed, he joined her at the railing.
“I used to fly up here when I was young,” he confessed, smiling down at her. “My family was having so many problems, fighting all the time, and this place made me feel… peaceful.”
“I understand that,” Amaya replied, sliding her hand into his. “Thank you. For this, I mean.”
He looked at her for a long moment, his deep brown eyes unfathomable. “Amaya,” he said, finally, his voice thick. “I didn’t ask permission when I tried to take you from Raeph and you were hurt. I regret that deeply.”
“It’s all right,” she said, although it wasn’t all right and her leg still burned from his claws.
Endres slid his hand along her cheek, and Amaya nuzzled in to his touch. “I’m asking permission now, Amaya Bond,” he said. “Can I…”
The words were not there, but Amaya knew what he was asking. “I wish you would,” she whispered.
Endres’ mouth was on hers, his lips warm and soft. Less than twenty four hours ago, this man was a violent creature prepared to rip her from his rival’s grasp. Now he was kissing her so tenderly, it was like an apology.
An apology that Amaya accepted. She leaned into the kiss, lips parting, teasing Endres’ mouth open with her delicate tongue.
He gasped and pulled back, brown eyes wide.
“I’m sorry,” Amaya said, unsure what had just happened. “Did I move too fast, I didn’t mean—“
“No,” he replied, the words tumbling out of him. “You were perfect, you were… amazing. I’ve just never…”
His voice trailed off and he ducked his white-blond head.
“You’ve never kissed a woman on top of the Statue of Liberty before?” Amaya joked.
“I’ve never kissed anyone before,” Endres admitted.
“No one?” Amaya was shocked.
Endres shook his head. “When I was young, my parents told me that they would find me the perfect mate, that I should wait for her. And I did.”
“Me?” Amaya asked. “You’ve waited your whole life… for me?”
Endres nodded. “Honor means nothing if you don’t keep your promises. My parents promised that I would have you, and I promised that I would be good enough to deserve the most beautiful woman in the world. So, I waited.”
“Endres…” Amaya had told herself that this man would never see her cry, but these were an entirely different species of tears. Amaya reached for him and he leaned in, eager to reignite the kiss that had been doused.
Endres drew nearer, tantalizingly close, lips almost meeting hers.
And then, with a rush of wind, he was gone.
A pair of black wings filled Amaya’s view now, blocking Endres from her sight. She could not see him, but she heard his scream as he tumbled over the side of the torch.
“Endres!” she screamed into the void he’d left.
***
Amaya she rushed to the edge of the catwalk, searching desperately for any sign of Endres. His body wasn’t sprawled on the lawn below.
Amaya batted at Raeph’s claws as he tried to snatch her up, tried to take reclaim his captive. Hitting his scales was like punching a brick wall, but she lashed out again and again in spite of the pain. Endres’ name tumbled from her lips.
“Endres!” she yelled, the wind from Raeph’s wings engulfing her words.
Raeph’s claw had caught her coat and he dragged her along with him, toward the ledge. Amaya struggled with the coat, desperately trying to wriggle her way out of it and away from Raeph.
A large red body slammed into the black dragon, pushing him over the edge of the catwalk. Down they fell, Amaya tangled in her coat and Raeph’s claws as the dragons thrashed above her.
At the last minute, Endres snatched her from Raeph’s claws and they shot skyward, toward freedom.
“Stop!” Amaya yelled, as Raeph resumed the chase, slamming his black body into Endres’ red form. “Stop!”
Endres dove again, dropping Amaya on the lawn and wheeling back around to face Raeph, his brown eyes nearly red with his fury. The dragons clashed, a tumult of claws and teeth, fighting for dominance on the picturesque green landscape of Ellis Island.
Amaya, oblivious to her own danger, raced around their fray, screaming at them to stop. They tumbled once more, then skidded to a halt, each dragon glaring at their damsel. She stared them down, one at a time, emerald eyes then red ones.
“Stop fighting,” she commanded, breathless.
A small pop of air and Amaya was no longer facing two fearsome dragons. Instead a pair of battered and naked men stood on the lawn in front of her, both heaving from the effort of the battle.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she shouted at Raeph, her voice unrecognizable in her fury.
“He was stealing you,” Raeph said, his tone was so petulant it practically sounded like a whine.
“He wasn’t stealing me, you idiot,” she snapped. “He took me out for a breath of fresh air. We were going to come back.”
To his credit, Raeph had the decency to look chagrined. “Well, how was I supposed to know that?”
“Could you just trust us?” Amaya said.
“Never trust a Solas,” Raeph retorted.
This was too much for Endres. “Clan Solas is bound by honor,” he growled. “Clan Donaes are the ones you shouldn’t trust—“
“Stop it! Both of you!” Amaya exploded. “I’ve had enough of your childish squabbling. You want to eat me? Eat me. You want to sacrifice me? Then get on with it. But I refuse to listen to the two of you bicker over ownership rights.
Both men gaped at her.
“I mean it,” Amaya demanded. “I’m tired of this. Get it over with. Kill me.”
She spread her arms wide and screwed her eyes shut, waiting for the blow.
Nothing came.
Amaya stood like that--arms spread, wind whipping the tatters of her coat and dress around her gashed leg—for another moment. When she ventured to open her eyes, both men were still… men.
“What’s the hold up?” she demanded.
“I think we may not have been entirely clear, Amaya,” Endres said.
“Our choice of words might not have been the best,” Raeph admitted. “I mean, you’re a sacrifice, all right, but… um…”
“You’re not a blood sacrifice,” Endres finished. “You’ve been given to us, but not to kill.”
“Excuse me?” Amaya was confused. “You two have been fighting over which clan gets to kill me, right?”
Raeph breathed in, slowly. “Not exactly. We’re fighting over you, but not over who gets to eat you.”
“Amaya,” Endres said, “we’re fighting over who gets you.”
“You’re ours,” Raeph admitted, “but you weren’t meant for a blood sacrifice. You are meant to be a… mate.”
***
“So you’re fighting over who gets to marry me?” Amaya asked. It had been hours since the brawl on Ellis Island and she was still having trouble processing this new information.
Raeph slammed the refrigerator door closed and turned to her, bottle of white wine in hand. “I wouldn’t say marry, exactly. Dragons aren’t big on white-tie affairs but… yeah. Pretty much.” He opened a cupboard, presumably in search of glasses.
“Okay, so you’re fighting over who gets to put a dragon baby in me?”
“Little goat, you need a lesson in the dragon birds and bees,” Raeph said, emerging with two slender wine glasses.
He popped the cork and filled the glasses. Amaya checked her watch. “When ex
actly is Endres getting back?” He’d been gone for hours, only stopped in the loft long enough to make sure she was safe, then flew off again.
“He said he’s running an errand,” Raeph said, handing her a glass of wine. “Probably off collecting rent from his daddy’s tenants. Clan Solas is so poor, they’ve started investing in real estate, can you even believe it?”
“Why do you do that?” Amaya asked.
“Do what?”
“Say such awful things about his family,” she said. “When it seems like your family is—“
“Is what?”
“Is… terrible.”
“They are,” Raeph agreed, shaking his head sadly. “My family is awful.”
“Then why are you trying to please them? Why are you fighting over me?”
Raeph looked at her, his green eyes dull with sorrow. “Because I thought that maybe, maybe, if I was the one to bring home William Bond’s daughter, they might actually respect me.”
“Raeph—“
“No, Amaya, don’t,” he said. “You don’t need to pity me. I see the way you look at Endres. It’s the way everyone looks at Endres, like he’s some kind of god. It doesn’t matter that his family has fallen out of favor, he’s still upright and noble and, and, I don’t know, perfect.”
Raeph drained his wine and poured himself another.
“I understand why you want to choose him, but please give me a chance.” He gazed at her, pleading.
“What do you want, Raeph?”
“Give me a chance to prove that I can be as good for you as Endres, please. Don’t write me off.”
Amaya set down her own glass of wine, barely touched. “Okay. This is your chance. What are you going to do?”
“Can I…” Raeph’s voice trailed off, but he was looking at her hungrily. Amaya knew what he wanted.
“You can do anything you want, Raeph. I’ll tell you if you need to stop.”
That was all the permission he needed. Amaya didn’t even see him move, she just felt the hot press of his lips on hers. He was more aggressive than Endres, more insistent. She moaned involuntarily against his kiss and he took it as an invitation to press harder into her waiting mouth.
Their tongues slid together, desperate and searching. Amaya hadn’t even known she wanted this, but now desire was her entire world. Raeph loomed over her, thighs bracketing hers as he straddled her chair.
“Raeph,” she sighed, pulling back from the briefest of moments. His lips left her mouth and he explored her neck, kissing along the delicate skin of her throat. His tongue flicked and searched, nibbling and nipping as he reached her collarbone.
His black curls tickled her face, and she plunged her hands into them. Their softness was delectable and Amaya enjoyed the sensation of tugging at his hair while he lapped at her throat. A moan of pleasure escaped Raeph as her hands slid through her his curls, so she pulled again, harder.
He groaned again, an electric hum of pleasure against her soft skin. The force of Raeph’s kiss was so overwhelming that Amaya lost herself in it, only coming to awareness as the tips of his fingers danced up her thighs, daring to explore the edges of her panties.
Amaya wondered wildly how, in all the clothes-tearing excitement over the last day, her silk panties had managed to survive. She thought that it was a shame that the poor garment had literally made it through blood and fire, only to be ripped off now, in a moment of desperation and longing. It was shame, but she also didn’t care. She wanted those panties out of the way. Now.
“Raeph,” she breathed, voice ghosting across his curls. Instructions seemed pointless, he would do as he wanted, so she simply begged, “Please.”
The dragon took his cue, deft fingers pushing passed the flimsy silken boundaries of her undergarment. Amaya shuddered as his fingers found her entrance, wet with desire, and pressed in.
This was nothing like the chaste exchange with Endres earlier that day. That kiss had been full of devotion and shy reverence, this kiss was so much more. Raeph’s kiss threatened to consume her as his fingers claimed her.
There was more pressure against her as Raeph added another finger. She quivered at his touch, full but still wanting. He crooked his fingers inside her, a gentle beckoning that sparked her on to a new level of desire. His kiss assaulted her mouth again, the tempo of his hot tongue matching the pressure between her legs.
He was skilled with those hands, he’d definitely done this before. Amaya’s body tensed at the thought of Endres’ sweet virginal devotion to her, and it seemed cruel to consider his chaste kiss while she was being plundered by his rival.
We should stop, Amaya thought wildly, but Raeph’s fingers were working a steady rhythm now and she could not make her body and mind come to an agreement to ask for a pause. Her mind had a conscience, but her body was hungry, insatiable. Instead of asking for a pause, her mouth begged for more.
Raeph drove her on with his clever fingers, and Amaya’s breath sharpened as she felt herself nearing her climax. “Don’t stop,” she cried, and Raeph obeyed. He pushed faster, harder, and Amaya’s thoughts faded to white as her climax washed over her. Her mind was filled with a silver-white light, while her hands grasped at midnight black curls.
She shuddered against Raeph’s firm body, the aftershocks of her release still shuddering through her. He held her tightly to him as her trembling ceased and she came to into herself. Raeph’s voice murmured softly above her head as he cradled her, whispering words of endearment in a language she did not know.
“Thank you,” she said, finally, when speaking was an option.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her auburn head. “Thank you,” he whispered back. “Thank you for giving me a chance, Amaya.”
The last thing in the world that Amaya wanted in that moment was to pull herself away from the warmth of Raeph’s embrace, but they couldn’t stay like that forever. “We should move,” she warned, tearing herself away from Raeph.
He rewarded her with a disappointed grunt. “Not yet,” he begged. “Stay with me, just a little longer.”
“I can’t,” she said, sitting back and putting proper distance between them. “I don’t want Endres to come home and find us—“
“It’s okay,” Endres’ voice came from behind them. “He’s already home.”
Silhouetted in the doorway stood Endres, his hands clenched at his sides and eyes a deep, dangerous red.
***
Amaya had been expecting fire, another explosion, but there was nothing but coldness as Endres strode toward the kitchen and tossed a small brown shopping bag on the table.
“That’s for you,” he informed her, eyes firmly locked on the floor.
“Endres,” Amaya felt the need to explain, apologize, but he cut her off.
“There are clothes in the bag,” Endres said. “Shower and get dressed, please, then come with me.”
Raeph pushed away from the table, chair skidding against the floor. “You’re not taking her, Endres,” he began.
“I’m not taking her, Raeph,” Endres said, his voice dangerously low. “You made your case, now I need a chance to make mine.”
This seemed to be enough for Raeph, who sat back down at the table, mollified. But his eyes followed Amaya as she obeyed Endres’ instructions and made her way to the restroom to shower and change.
Strangely enough, Endres did not lead her to the roof to exit the factory. Instead, he pulled her to the twisted stairway through which she’d tried to escape earlier that day. It felt like a lifetime. Had it really been less than twenty-four hours?
The stairs were still a mangled ruin, but now a ladder stood in the chasm providing a simple means of exit.
“I thought we might try being civilized,” Endres explained, a small smile flickering across his face, his first since he came home and found Amaya and Raeph. “After you,” he swept his toward the ladder.
When they reached the ground, they set out of foot, pushing their way through the teeming Brooklyn streets. �
�I thought we might do something… normal,” he explained as he led Amaya to the nearest subway station.
“Dragons take the subway?”
Endres pulled out two Metro cards and swiped them through the turnstile. “Not everything is flight and fight, Amaya,” he said. “Some of us still lead normal lives. Come on.”
He guided her through the station, moving past track after track of crowded commuter trains, until they reached the very end of one empty station. Endres glanced around to assure they were not being watched, then scooped Amaya into his arms and leapt onto the track below.
“Whoa,” she protested. “This isn’t safe. Didn’t you pay attention to, like, every PSA about the subway ever?”
He laughed and carried her deeper into the tunnel. “You know an awful lot about subways for a billionaire’s daughter.”
“Hey,” she huffed. “Not everything is diamonds and decadence. Some of us still lead normal lives.”
Endres paused. “Are you quoting me?”
“Maybe.”
His laughter shook around her. This was a good place to be, warm and safe inside of arms that adored her. Raeph’s affections had been passionate, yes, but could he be as tenderly devoted as Endres?
Down they went through the tunnels, pushing deeper and deeper into the bowels of New York until finally Endres stopped.
“This is it,” he announced, setting Amaya on her own two feet.
The tunnel was pitch black, but it felt different. The air was clear, none of the dank smell that Amaya always associated with the city streets. There was a rustling beside her and then she felt a bundle of cloth being shoved into her arms.
“Hold these for a second,” Endres asked, then the tell-tale pop of shifting. There was a burst of fire that illuminated the red dragon by her side, then a steady light. Another pop and Endres the man was back, holding a flaming torch and gazing at her.
Amaya really didn’t want to bring it up, but there was no escaping the fact that Endres was naked and didn’t seem to notice.
“Um,” she hummed and shoved the bundle of clothes back to him. There was an awkward shuffle of torch and clothing, but Endres managed to get dressed without losing too much dignity. He pulled his final garment—a red sweater—over his head and smiled ruefully at her.