“Zoe,” he said, squeezing her hands. “I love you. I can’t imagine a life without you, and I know in my heart of hearts that you’re my lifemate. I want to spend the rest of my days protecting you and caring for you. I know things are so uncertain right now, especially since we lost the dragon ruby to Saul. But no matter what the future brings, I know one thing for sure: I want to spend that future with you. Please tell me you feel the same.”
The tears did spill over then. Zoe smiled and nodded, reaching to wrap her arms around Grayson. “I love you, too, Grayson. I can’t think of anything that would make me happier than spending my entire future with you.”
Grayson let out a long breath, and Zoe realized he’d been nervous about her reaction. That thought made her laugh. The very idea of rejecting Grayson seemed preposterous to her. He leaned his face back to look at her.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
Instead of answering, Zoe put her lips on Grayson’s. The heat that rushed through her body burned away any lingering doubts. Grayson was her lifemate. Her destiny.
And then, despite the fact that they were in a hospital room, where any doctor or nurse might walk in at any moment, Zoe and Grayson could not hold back their passion for each other. As Grayson undressed her, then undressed himself, Zoe figured that it was late, and Izzy had left her with orders to sleep. They weren’t likely to be disturbed. Besides, the possibility of getting caught only added to the excitement of the moment.
Grayson threw his clothes and Zoe’s hospital gown into a pile on the floor next to them, then crawled under the thick hospital comforter with her. The scent of fresh laundry from the comforter mixed with that heady, woodsy smell that always clung to Grayson, and Zoe closed her eyes to breathe in the wonder of having her dragon right here next to her. There was no sound in the room except for the soft hum of the hospital machines, and the ragged breathing coming from both her and Grayson as they explored each other’s bodies.
Warm and safe under the comforter, Zoe gave herself over completely to enjoying Grayson’s hands on her body. After he spent plenty of time kissing her lips, their tongues dancing together, he moved on to her breasts. He took his time there as well, circling each nipple with his pointer finger, then massaging with his tongue and nibbling with his teeth. He was hovering over her, and the whole time he was sending tingling ripples of pleasure through her breasts, she could feel his stiff erection pushing against her leg. She moaned softly as the symphony of his lips, his hands, and his erection touching her skin filled her with overwhelming heat and pleasure. She closed her eyes and drank in the wonder of him, of his body against hers, of the juices of her desire flowing from between her legs. She was ready for him, and she wanted him now. But at the same time, she never wanted this moment to end.
Grayson must have felt the same. He was in no hurry to leave her breasts, and he gave Zoe’s nipples such pleasure that, by the time he did pull his mouth away, she was on the verge of coming just from his tongue and teeth.
But Grayson wanted more than just her breasts. He wanted all of her, and now, in the still hum of this dimly lit room, he was going to take her. And she was going to give herself to him. He shifted his body so that he was directly above the sweet spot between her legs, and then, quietly and gently, he slid into her.
The movement set off a thousand fireworks inside of Zoe. She felt hot electricity spreading from his body to hers, and the pressure of his shaft pushing against her inner walls caused the pressure building in her core to reach its breaking point. Grayson had barely begun to thrust against her when she felt her release come.
The sweet, burning heat intensified with each spasm of her inner muscles. She felt her inner walls squeezing his dick over and over, wanting more and more of him, never satisfied. His hips pressed against her hips as he pushed deeper and deeper inside of her, every thrust renewing the intensity of her own body’s pleasure. And then, moments later, he found his release, too. She felt him, throbbing and pulsing inside of her, giving himself completely over to her. There, in that moment, they were one. The wonder of that truth washed over Zoe, and she felt happier than she could ever remember feeling.
Grayson stayed inside her long after both of their bodies had stopped trembling. When he did finally slip out to lie next to her, he wrapped Zoe in his arms and then let out a long, satisfied sigh. Zoe thought to herself how different being with him had been this time. Before, they had both been overcome by a fit of primal passion. This time, they had been overcome by a need to make love—truly make love—to each other. It had been sweet and meaningful.
But both times had been wonderful, and Zoe had a feeling that they had only scratched the surface of the good times they would have together, both in and out of the bedroom. With a happy sigh, she snuggled closer to her dragon. Perhaps they had lost the dragon ruby, but their mission together had still been successful, in more ways than one.
Chapter Fifteen
Grayson blinked at the bright sunlight that shone directly into his eyes, but he did not turn his head. He stared proudly straight ahead at the crowd gathered below the stage and listened as Peter, the highest ranking wizard in Falcon Cross, continued to praise the work that Zoe and Grayson had done.
“These two displayed what we try to teach all our soldiers from the very first day of training: the most important mission is to protect innocent lives. They showed tremendous presence of mind when they flew directly to Shadowdale and saved that city from danger. Thanks to their selfless bravery, hundreds of lives were saved, and we were able to avoid permanent harm in wizard-human relations. Today, we honor their work, and give them the recognition they deserve.”
The crowd cheered as Peter stepped away from his podium and walked over to where Grayson and Zoe stood. Zoe was wearing wizard dress robes in a rich, velvet purple. Her wizard hat was deep purple with golden threads interwoven throughout. Grayson thought she had never looked more beautiful than now, her clothing and her face alike shimmering in the sunlight. As for Grayson, he wore a fresh Falcon Cross military dress uniform. The gold thread in the black uniform shimmered as well, and he stood tall and proud as Peter took a medal from a box that an assistant held out for the old wizard.
“Zoe Whitt, for your part in rescuing the people of Shadowdale, I now present you with the Falcon Cross Medal of Courage, a high honor bestowed on those who go above and beyond to save the lives of innocent people.”
The crowd went wild as Peter placed the medal around Zoe’s neck. Peter took a second medal from the box and turned to Grayson.
“And Grayson Pars, for your part in rescuing the people of Shadowdale, I now present you with the Falcon Cross Medal of Courage, a high honor bestowed on those who go above and beyond to save the lives of innocent people.”
Again, the crowd roared. Grayson bent his head low so that Peter could place the heavy golden medal around his neck. When Grayson looked up again, he took in the view before him. On the front row of the crowd, he saw his own Redwood Dragons clan, all cheering him on. Knox, his clan leader, was whooping loudest of all. Behind his clan, the crowd stretched on and on, and Grayson realized that he’d gotten what he so desperately wanted after all: fame, glory, and recognition. The funny thing was that, now that he had these things, he realized they didn’t matter as much to him as he thought they would.
He’d realized what the important things in life were: love, honor, loyalty, and, yes, courage. He still regretted not getting the dragon ruby, but he knew there would be another chance. Saul’s day was coming, and all of the Falcon Cross wizards and Redwood Dragons would work together to make sure Saul’s evil plans were stopped. That was what true courage was, after all. Not seeking after glory, but seeking to help the cause of good wherever and however you could, to the best of your ability.
Grayson looked over at Zoe then. She looked back at him, beaming, then took his hand. Grayson felt his heart warming at the gesture.
“Looks like you got your medal of courage, after all,”
she said to him with a wink.
“It doesn’t matter anymore what medals I get,” Grayson said. “I got something far better out of our mission. I got you.”
And then, with everyone watching, Grayson leaned over and placed a kiss on Zoe’s lips. The whooping from the crowd instantly reached a deafening level, but Grayson didn’t notice. He’d found someone who made him much happier than a cheering crowd, and he was never letting her go.
Thank You For Reading!
Book Ten, the action-packed series finale in the Redwood Dragons series, will be coming in late August 2017!
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About the Author
There are shifters walking among us. Sloane Meyers is devoted to telling their stories.
Sloane thinks we could all use a little escape in our lives. And what better way to shake up the ordinary than to transport yourself to the mysterious world of those who have an animal within them, roaring to be let out. Sloane brings you hot shifter males, and spunky, spirited heroines—with NO cliffhangers! Each book can be read as a standalone.
When she’s not busy crafting shifter tales, Sloane enjoys a good glass of wine, preferably shared with good friends. She loves reading (duh!) and spending time in the great outdoors.
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Courage and the Dragon (Redwood Dragons Book 9) Page 13