by Sophie Stern
“Are you hurt?” I whisper, reaching for him. There’s a little bit of blood on his face.
“I’m okay,” he says quietly. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”
“I’m fine,” I shake my head.
“Good. Stay here.”
Then he goes back into the cabin and comes back a few minutes later. He makes a couple of trips, bringing out things he’s found of Bernie’s. There’s a duffel bag with some clothes and a cell phone, as well as bunch of other random tools and weapons. He makes trip after trip and then, when he’s finished emptying the cabin, he stands beside me and just looks at it.
“It was a lovely cabin,” he says.
“It was a lovely cabin,” I agree. “What are you going to do now?”
“There’s a lot of...evidence in there. If the wrong people were to stumble across it, it wouldn’t look good.”
“Burn it?” I whisper.
“Burn it,” he says. Together, we haul the things from Bernie away from the cabin. Then Lee jumps into the air, shifts, and hovers above the cabin. He hesitates for only a minute, and then he breathes fire. It shoots from his mouth in a long, even stream, and part of me can’t believe what I’m seeing. It’s the most incredibly beautiful thing.
He seems strong now, powerful. Brave.
He comes beside me and we wait, watching the cabin.
“I’m sorry about your space,” I tell him. “You brought me here to unwind, and you ended up losing everything.”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “I found everything I’ve ever needed. You.”
Then he kisses me in front of the fire. It’s hot and messy and wonderful, and for the first time in a very long time, I feel complete. Whole. I shouldn’t be falling for Lee again. Not right now. It’s bad timing, and there’s so much happening, but I don’t care about any of that. I just care about him.
He lays me down in the soft grass. It’s a little overgrown, but feels delicate and soft.
“Lee?” I whisper.
“I have missed you.”
He doesn’t need to say anything else. I don’t need a promise of love. I don’t need forever. I don’t need a “Will-You-Marry-Me?” I just need this moment. I just need him.
He strips off my clothes easily, quickly. It’s like we’ve never been apart. His lips cover my neck, my chest, and then my breasts. Slowly, he sucks one nipple between his lips, followed by the other.
“Lee,” I whisper, reaching for him. I run my hands through his hair as he explores me slowly, tauntingly kissing each inch of me, and I’m reminded of one of the many reasons I loved being with Lee. He always took his time with me in this way. He always was careful to go slowly. He would touch me and kiss me and fuck me until I was wholly satisfied. He never rushed.
Even now, here in the grass, he is quiet with me and gentle. The sun is setting and the cabin is burning, but the only thing I can do is close my eyes and just feel.
He runs his hands up my legs and traces his fingers on my thighs. Then he looks up at me.
A silent question.
Am I ready for this?
For him?
For us?
I know Lee.
I know he’s not the type of guy who just messes around. If we’re going to do this thing, then there’s going to be a commitment. There’s going to be a relationship. If we’re going to do this, then we’re going to make this last a good long time because Lee is a serious person.
When I nod, I don’t hesitate. He slides his hands higher, cupping my bottom, and then his lips crash down onto mine.
“I love you, Nicole,” he whispers.
I don’t hesitate.
Chapter Ten
Lee
“I love you, too,” she says.
The words hit my ears and go straight to my soul, warming my heart, making me think that maybe, just maybe, everything in my world is actually going to be okay. We may have been through hell these past few years, but we’re together now, and that’s enough. It’s going to be enough.
Everything’s going to be okay.
I kiss her again, harder, faster. My body is aching for her. Every part of me wants to be inside of her, but I haven’t touched Nicole in nearly a decade. I want this time to be perfect, sweet. There will be other times when I take her hard and fast, but right now, I want this to be a time she won’t ever forget. She deserves to feel cherished and right now, I’m going to give her that and so much more.
One hand is behind her neck and the other is planted firmly on her ass. I’m grinding against her and I can smell her arousal from here. My inner dragon is begging for me to fuck her hard and fast and quick, but I can’t. We both need this. She smells like flowers and honey as I kiss her lips and move to her neck. Each inch of her is just begging to be kissed and I’m more than ready for that. I swipe my tongue over her softly, tasting her. She groans and the sound shoots straight to my cock, making me ache even more.
She wraps her arms around me and kisses me softly, gently. She’s so tender as she touches me, running her hands down my chest and then lower, lower. I growl as Nicole wraps one of her hands around my length and begins to stroke me slowly at first and then harder, faster.
“You’re teasing me,” I whisper, kissing her again. Nicole only laughs as she strokes me. Then she pushes me, rolling us. Now I’m on my back looking up at her. She straddles me and bites my ear, nibbling down my neck. She licks my skin and I close my eyes, enjoying every bit of this moment. She moves slowly down my body, tracing circles and lines in my skin. I feel every bit of her. The touching just makes me ache more, need her more.
Lower, lower, lower.
She moves with grace and seduction as she licks down my stomach and slides lower down my body. Soon I can feel her breath on my cock. Her hands are on my balls, caressing me softly. She’s both gentle and firm at the same time. It’s enough to make a man come undone.
“Fuck, you look so damn good,” she murmurs, swiping her tongue over my cock before taking me completely into her mouth. I groan at the sensation as I fill her mouth. She sucks hard and fast, but then slows down to tease me carefully. Nicole moves her tongue up and down my length, taking her time. She teases me over and over, using both her hands and her mouth to please me. I’m so hard I feel like I could explode, but she doesn’t stop. Nicole takes what she wants. She’s a woman who knows what she needs and I love that she’s confident enough to just go for it.
She’s not shying away now.
She’s going in for the kill.
Nicole flicks her tongue up and down my cock. I know she’s just as affected by this as I am because I can fucking smell her. She’s wet and ready and aching for me, just like I’m aching for her. Soon I’m going to be buried deep inside of her, but right now, it’s all I can do to hold myself back. I want to come in her mouth. It’s so tempting, but I know I need to hold back. I need to let her have this moment, this control, but she’s crazy if she doesn’t think I’m going to fuck her hard as soon as she’s gotten her fill.
“You’re so damn hot,” I tell her, groaning.
“You like this?” She whispers, pressing her lips to my cock.
“So much,” I murmur, barely able to speak anymore.
“What about this?” She licks me up and down, running her tongue up and down my length.
“Nicole, baby, if you keep this up...”
She just chuckles.
“You aren’t going to come too fast, Lee. You never have before. Trust me,” she whispers, and she starts sucking on my balls one at a time. That in itself is something no girl but Nicole has ever done to me, and I realize suddenly that I’ve forgotten just how much I love this. I close my eyes as she touches me, kissing me over and over, sucking and playing, but soon, I can’t resist her anymore.
“Baby,” I whisper, but she knows what I want, and she’s ready for me. Nicole slides up my body, rubbing her breasts across me as she straddles me once more. This time, she doesn’t hold back. Instead, she sinks do
wn onto my cock. She moves painfully slowly. I can feel her tightness squeezing me inch by inch until I’m all the way inside of her.
“Fuck,” she breathes out. “You feel so good inside of me,” she whispers.
“You feel fucking fantastic,” I counter, and she smiles as she begins to move up and down on top of me. She runs her hands up and down my chest, but then she touches herself, which is a treat in and of itself. Nicole runs her hands up her breasts and neck, then down through her hair. She tosses her head back and closes her eyes as she bounces up and down on top of my cock.
I grab her hips as I thrust up into her. She squeaks in surprise, but then melts down onto me, grinding as I fuck her. I’m so hard I could burst, and she’s so damn wet. It’s amazing. She feels incredible, and I realize that I’m never going to be able to get enough of her.
Not if this is what it’s going to be like.
If this is what being mated to a girl like Nicole is going to be like, then I don’t want to have enough.
I don’t ever want to be satisfied.
I just want her over and over again, just like this.
For always.
She loses herself in the moment and I watch as she pinches her nipples, rubs her breasts, and pulls her hair. My nails dig into her hips, but she doesn’t seem to mind. She just clenches me harder, pulling me deeper into her, and then it happens. She clenches my cock tightly and opens her eyes for just a moment. Then the orgasm washes over her. She whispers my name as she comes hard on top of me, and that’s more than I can handle.
Then I do lose myself to her.
I come apart as she touches me, and I find that nothing else matters in this moment but her and the way she makes me feel. I whisper her name as I fill her up, taking her for myself. No one has ever made me feel the way that Nicole is making me feel right now. It’s really fucking remarkable, actually, and I come for what feels like an eternity.
The pleasure rolls over my body in waves and I reach for her, pulling her mouth to mine as I come deep inside of her, and then I pull back and bite her neck hard, tasting her, marking her as mine. She pulls back from me slightly, curiously, and reaches for her neck. There’s just a little bit of blood and she stares at the redness on her fingers.
Then I realize what I’ve done.
I’ve fucking marked her.
She’s mine.
My beloved.
My mate.
“You mated me,” she says quietly. She knows enough about dragons now that I don’t need to explain this part to her. She knows what happened and she knows what this means. Most interestingly enough she doesn’t seem to mind. If anything, she seems curious: not sad or scared or angry.
“I wish I could say I’m sorry I didn’t ask you first,” I begin. “But I’m not. I need you, Nicole. I’ve always needed you. It’s always been you. You’ve always been my mate.”
“Of course it’s okay,” she whispers, pulling me close. “You told me years ago I was the one for you. I wasn’t ready then.”
“I’m ready, Nicole.”
“I’m ready, too.”
She pulls back and places her hand on my chin. She searches my eyes with her own. “Are you sure about this, Lee?” She whispers carefully. “It was a moment of passion, you know. If you don’t think your clan will be accepting of this, I understand.”
“They’ll love you,” I whisper to her.
Because I love her.
And they’re supportive.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being part of Fablestone is that the clan means family. We don’t turn our backs on each other even when things get tough. No matter how hard life is around us, we come right back to each other because that’s what matters most.
Nicole may not have the cleanest of pasts, but who does? We have all made mistakes. We’ve all made judgment calls. We’ve all gotten into trouble. What matters now is that Nicole and I are together again and this time, it’s forever.
I hold her close to my body. She closes her eyes and breathes softly, but my eyes are open. I sit quietly and I watch the rest of my cabin burn. Soon there won’t be anything left but ashes, and that’s a good thing. After what happened with Bernie, I wouldn’t come back here again, anyway. Not because of how things ended, but because of the bad emotions associated with the place. I wouldn’t want to be thinking about her every time I step foot in the cabin.
“Is the fire going to spread?” Nicole asks, watching the flames lick at the building.
“No,” I tell her. “We’re far enough from town that no one is going to notice the flames. They might see the smoke, but it’s dark, so they won’t be able to pinpoint where it’s coming from. We’ll stay until the flames die down, and then we’ll put the rest out.”
We watch for a long time. The cabin was surrounded by dirt, so the flames aren’t able to jump to the nearby grass or trees. I had been planning on planting a garden this spring, but now I’m glad that there was the empty mud and dirt to block the flames from leaping across to the grass.
I pull Nicole closer to me as we sit there together. By the time the cabin is finished burning, it’s pitch black out, and I realize we should get back to Fablestone. The clan is going to wonder where we went, although I’m sure Marta and Jeremy were able to cover for me for awhile.
“Time to go,” I say, standing. I get up and start tossing all of Bernie’s things into the bag.
“What are you going to do with it?” Nicole asks. “Are you going to take it back to Fablestone?”
“No,” I shake my head. “Look,” I point to the phone. “It might be a burner, but someone could still track her with it.”
“Just take the SIM out,” Nicole offers helpfully.
“I don’t know if any of her other stuff is bugged,” I tell her. “We’ll leave it for now. Jeremy can come out tomorrow and sweep it. He may be able to pull data off the phone before we have to toss it.”
“Better yet,” Nicole says. “We might be able to keep whoever is communicating with her talking.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” she says carefully, thoughtfully. “I know the lingo. I mean, I only worked with Lucky for a short time, but I know Bernie fairly well, so I know how to text and sound like her. Our voices are pretty similar, too, so I could probably fake my way through a phone call.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“We need to know how to bring this organization down, Lee. I’m saying, let’s not burn any more bridges than we have to. Keep the phone. Maybe don’t bring it to Fablestone, even if it does come back clean, but keep it. We can use it to get more information. We can use it to find them. We can use it to make sure no other dragons are hurt.”
“All right, my little spy,” I kiss her on the forehead. “That’s actually an incredible idea. That’s fine. We’ll do it.”
She squeals, jumping up and down, and I grab her and spin her around, kissing her. Then we carefully set all of Bernie’s things beneath a particularly large pine tree, note it’s distance from the remains of the cabin, and head back to Fablestone. Jeremy can come back tomorrow and we’ll see what he can dig up.
As we fly back with the cover of darkness on our side, I’m a little more willing to fly high. I soar up and down and even do a spinning roll once or twice just to hear her squeal and laugh and sigh with contentment.
Mates.
It’s been forever since I thought about finding a mate.
I’ve dated since Nicole, but somehow, nothing ever made sense the way it did when she and I were together. No matter what we’ve been through, she really is, and always will be, the one for me.
And I count myself the luckiest dragon in the world that today I had a muffin craving and wandered to her bakery. It’s amazing how your life can change in a matter of hours, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Nicole and I are going to be together for always, and if that’s not magical, I don’t know what is.
Epilogue
; Nicole
We all make mistakes, but we often feel that we don’t deserve forgiveness or a second chance. We typically believe that we aren’t worthy of compassion or caring or love. In life, we tend to assume that the people around us just don’t know how bad we are. If they did, they wouldn’t love us anymore.
That’s not true with Lee.
With him, things are different.
When he walked away, I didn’t dare to dream that we’d be able to get back together to make things work. I didn’t think there was a chance we’d somehow manage to find each other and make our worlds work once more. The idea of us somehow meshing back together and managing to have a relationship with each other seemed foreign, but now?
Now I can’t imagine my life without him.
We don’t have all of the answers.
If we did, our life would probably look a lot different than it does. Still, we have a mission now, a shared goal. We need to get to the bottom of Dragon-X and somehow, we need to stop it. Maybe that means destroying the lab. Maybe it means stopping the organization in a different way. I just know that there are so many offshoots when it comes to these people that if we don’t get to the bottom of who runs Lucky, of who’s behind the organization, than we’re going to have a hard time stopping it.
When you have a disease, you can’t just fight the individual symptoms.
You have to get to the core root of the problem.
You have to get to the center.
And that’s what we’re going to do.
We have names now.
We have ideas.
We have the clues we need to keep us going, even if it’s just one day at a time.
From my position in Lee’s hacking station in Fablestone, I look over at him. He’s serious, and handsome, and everything I need right now. He’s got strength when I don’t: bravery when I feel fear. And I know that no matter what we find at the bottom of this rabbit hole, it’s going to be something that we face together with our team.
We’re going to stick together.