Charred Hope (#3, Heart of Fire)

by Lizzy Ford

  But, well, he kinda was. Every time he felt calm enough to shift back into his human form, the thought of what she’d done sent dragon fury pumping through him once more, sabotaging his attempt to shift.

  So he soared up and around, unable to recall when flying had felt this good or when the world below had been so beautiful. Nothing was new about the familiar scenery or the way the wind tickled his sensitive muzzle and ears.

  I’m different. He was surprised to realize just how much he’d changed. He had never noticed or appreciated how steady his wings were or how perfectly formed each and every pine tree below truly was. There was so much outside of himself he’d never been grateful for, including the damn slayer-turned-Protector who scared him shitless earlier in the day.

  Landing in the field as twilight draped over the world, he willed himself to stay focused long enough to make it inside the cabin, whose lights glowed warmly, as if it was happy Skylar was there. The moment he touched her, he’d have no problems controlling his magic.

  Assuming she let him touch her. If not, he’d be right back out in the field, unable to control his temper or his magic once more.

  Chace shuddered and shifted back into his human form. Standing naked in the field, he took a deep breath and waited a moment to make certain he was calm enough not to start changing into his dragon shape involuntarily.

  “Calm, calm. The most beautiful girl in the world is waiting for you. Just because she fucking threw herself off a cliff …” The muscles beneath his skin rippled. He blew out a breath. “We’re okay with that. We are … okay. With. That.”

  The tension in his muscles eased.

  The forest breeze skated across his bare skin, making him shiver. His gaze went to the cabin, and he started forward, his heart quickening at the idea of being near Skylar again.

  Unwilling to think about how irked he’d be if she didn’t want anything to do with him still, Chace opened the door of the cabin and stepped into his home.

  Candles were lit in a couple of windows, creating a romantic, warm atmosphere. It smelled of incense – something slightly sweet.

  Any thought he had about her not wanting anything to do with him banished when he saw her. Skylar wore a see-thru teddy, tied beneath her ample breasts and flowing down over a thong that left little to the imagination. She was lying on her belly, facing the door, as if waiting for him.

  He froze.

  “I see you’re ready,” she said with a laugh, gaze going hungrily down his naked body to his erection.

  “Is this a trick?” he asked warily. “Is cabin messing with me, or are you going to disappear if I try to touch you?”

  “Come and find out.” Skylar rose, holding his gaze. She tossed her dark hair over one shoulder and moved towards him. Her large breasts were barely contained in the nighty, and her skin glowed in the candlelight.

  Desire spun through Chace, mixed with both hope and sorrow. The last few times he’d made love to Skylar, he’d been convinced he’d lose her afterwards. Being with her was bittersweet, a reminder they were at the beginning of what might become a full-blown shifter war. One they may not both survive.

  Chace reached out and rested a hand on her arm, tracing it lightly from shoulder to wrist. The other half of his heart stood before him, gazing up at him without the anger or hurt she’d expressed the last few times they’d been together.

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered, cupping one cheek in his hand. He gazed deeply into her eyes and saw the tiny flame in her pupil. “I have no idea what I did to deserve someone like you, Sky.” She was close enough for her body heat and faint scent to reach him.

  Yet he feared touching her, feared that he wasn’t yet worthy enough or worse, that she still might reject him after what he’d done.

  “You’ll always be my dragon, Chace.” The softness of her voice, coupled with the unguarded warmth in her gaze, was his undoing.

  Chace wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him hard. Her body molded against his. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her familiar scent. Its effect was immediate; tension fled his frame. As turned on as he was by the near naked body pressed to his, he needed a hug more to reassure him that she – and they – were real.

  Wetness on his chest made him move away. “You okay?” he asked.

  Skylar nodded. She was trembling.

  “Sky, what’s wrong?”

  She was quiet for a moment then lifted her head to gaze at him. Tears sparkled in her eyes. “When I was falling, there was a moment I thought you weren’t coming for me.”

  “You thought I didn’t care enough.”

  She nodded.

  “You know better now?”

  She gave him a watery smile, and he marveled at it. It was free of the disappointment and pain she’d expressed the past two weeks.

  His Sky was back in his arms, where she belonged.

  “Baby, I’ll always catch you from here on out,” he said with a faint smile. He wasn’t about to tell her that there had been a moment when falling where he, too, didn’t know if they’d make it. “You’re my heart.”

  “I know,” she replied. “I’m sorry about the cliff.”

  “Not a problem.” He forced himself to say.

  She laughed, hearing the reluctance in his tone. Skylar took his face in her hands once more, rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly before dropping back onto her flat feet.

  “I want this to be my home and you and cabin to be my family,” she murmured.

  Chace was quiet. He’d never thought such simple words could affect him so easily or that he, too, might one day want his own family. His throat was too tight for him to respond, the intense warmth blooming in his chest making him ache for a reason other than because he was aroused.

  “Is that okay?” There was a tremor in Skylar’s voice at his silence.

  Chace drew her against him once more, holding her warm frame tightly. “Yes, Sky,” he managed at last. “That’s more than okay.”

  She sighed.

  He let a hand travel down her back to her perfect ass. Chace slipped a finger between the thong and her skin and ran it around her hip, pausing at her lower belly.

  “I need you, Sky,” he whispered.

  She lifted her head, the fire of desire burning in her eyes as well. She tugged the ribbon holding her teddy in place free then shrugged it off her shoulders to expose the firm mounds of her breasts.

  Chace kept one hand on her backside to press her against his aching erection. With his other, he released the thong and slid his hand up her torso, admiring the way the candlelight cast shadows along her feminine curves. Taking one breast in his hand, he teased the nipple with this thumb then lowered his head to kiss her.

  Skylar was pliant in his arms, her arms circling his neck. Chace kissed her leisurely, savoring her flavor and the heat of her mouth. Her skin was so smooth and soft, her body fitting against his perfectly. He couldn’t remember a moment that felt more real or a woman he wanted all the way to the depths of his soul.

  She responded to him with the same deep hunger he was experiencing.

  “Let me see that ass in a thong before I strip it off you,” he whispered huskily, withdrawing.

  She smiled and turned in his arms, wriggling her backside against his erection. Chace growled in satisfaction at the sight of the thin black rope that slid between her cheeks to the place he wanted to be.

  “So sexy,” he murmured. He tightened his grip around her, drawing her body fully against his once more. His dick settled against the firm, plush spheres of her ass, and he moved suggestively against her.

  Skylar lifted her arms to wrap them back around his neck, exposing her body to him completely.

  Chace nipped her neck then kissed a trail from her ear to her collarbone. His hands roamed her body, one cupping and twisting a tight nipple gently while the other palm slid down her body to the apex of her thighs.

  “Yes,” she whispered, head lolling back against his
chest.

  For his first night with the woman he chose to spend the rest of his life with, he wasn’t about to rush it or fail to appreciate every small part of it.

  Chace slid two fingers into the plump folds of her sex, past the swollen clit and to the slick heat of her core. He dipped them inside the tight sheathe to rub her G-spot, and Skylar groaned.

  “I definitely could do this every night for the rest of our lives,” he whispered.

  She wiggled her butt and pressed it harder to his erection.

  He pulled his fingers free of her depths then loosened his grip on her, kneeling to tug off the thong. She stepped out of it, and Chace twisted her hips to face him. He lifted one of her legs and draped it over his shoulder, eyes on his target – the pink nether lips of her sex.

  Skylar wound her hands through his hair, gasping when his tongue teased her swollen clit. He licked her firmly then slid his tongue down to her core. Intoxicated by the scent and taste of her arousal, Chace closed his eyes to savor both, listening to her breathing grow irregular as he drank from her core and traced the sensitive path back to her clit. He circled it with his tongue a few times, gripping her ass with one hand to keep her pressed to his mouth.

  She gave a throaty moan that pushed his control closer to slipping.

  “I love the way you taste, Sky,” he said, raising his head. “And my god … the way you smell …” He took her hips then kissed a trail from her nether lips to her lower belly. He pushed her gently back towards the bed, walking on his knees until her legs bumped the bed, and she sat.

  Chace tugged her closer to the edge, positioning her. He lowered his mouth to her core once more, the urge to taste her sweet nectar inhuman. Her knees parted to give him access, and he buried his face in the sacred spot between her legs, breathing in the scent of her arousal then devouring her flavor with intensity driving his need. He slid two fingers into her once more, his tongue working in harmony with their movement to pleasure her.

  Her hands ran through his hair and she pulled him into her body harder.

  “Chace,” her voice was as unsteady as her breathing. “I need to feel you inside me. Please!”

  He continued for a moment, certain he’d never be able to satiate the yearning he had to drink from her. Her legs were quivering already in anticipation of the orgasm building, and he relented, wanting to be inside her when she came.

  Straightening, Chace wrapped his arms around her and took one hard nipple in his mouth, circling, licking and grazing it with his teeth until she gasped. Her skin was warm against his, her body responding to his touch in a way that made him feel gratified, even before fucking her.

  He kissed and nibbled her other nipple before lifting his face to hers. Skylar claimed his lips hungrily, her desire clear. Chace pushed her back onto the bed and settled between her thighs, determined to taste every last inch of her mouth before he let himself sink into her hot depths. Her skin was warm and soft beneath his, her plump breasts pressed to his chest and her fingernails trailing lightly down his back.

  Had he ever thought it possible for every one of his senses to be so intoxicated by one woman? Her scent ensnared him, her sweet taste lingering in his mouth. He focused on the way her body moved beneath his, how lively and warm and soft she was.

  What had he ever done to deserve someone so beautiful and sweet?

  He left her mouth and spread hot kisses down her jaw. Her thighs were tight around his hips, her body trying to position itself to feel his dick at her core.

  Chace gazed down at her, mesmerized by the glow on her cheeks and in her eyes. He brushed hair away from her face absently and held her gaze, unable to identify any other moment in his life that felt so intimate and powerful.

  “Family,” he murmured. The concept was so foreign – yet so right with her.

  Skylar touched his face. She traced the line of his cheekbones then rested her warm palms on his cheeks.

  “You’ll always be my dragon,” she said with a hint of a smile.

  “You’ll always be my heart.” He gave a wicked half-smile and positioned his hips to penetrate her. He let the head of his arousal settle against her opening.

  “Damn dragons,” she whispered, the pinkish glow of her face growing darker.

  He eased into her, inch-by-inch, relishing the heat and exquisite tightness of her sheathe while listening to her husky moan. He pushed himself deep into her and shuddered. He wasn’t able to remember a time when simply entering a woman’s body made him want to come.

  Chace lowered his head beside hers and breathed in her scent, astonished by how good being inside her felt.

  “We belong together,” she said breathlessly. “Like this.”

  “Yeah.” He gave an unsteady chuckle. Being inside her, pressing her to the bed, was far too natural. When his control was back, he met her gaze again. “I am so sorry for everything I did to hurt you.”

  “Show me.” She smiled mischievously.

  “Show you,” he repeated. He moved in and out of her a few times with slow control, holding her gaze as he did so.

  She groaned.

  “I think I can do that,” he said casually.

  “Shut up!” She ordered in a breathless whisper and pulled his face down to hers.

  Any thought he had of a long night of controlled passion melted under the intensity and demanding of her full lips. Dragon fire tore through him and into her, edging their desire higher, hotter than any he’d ever felt. Chace thrusted steadily but quickly, feeding the fire growing between them. He pressed himself the length of her body, needing to feel every inch of her against him, to capture every sigh and moan in his memory. His hands roamed her body in an attempt to satisfy the primal need to possess her fully, to brand every inch of her with his touch.

  Skylar held nothing back, calling his name, arching, digging her nails into his ass … She was uninhibited, responsive and intoxicating, a combination that left him pushing their passion farther, harder, closer to an explosive ending. Light sweat soon covered them both.

  Chace rolled onto his back, his lips never leaving hers and his hips never still as he pumped faster and harder. She moved with him, her nails digging into his chest and shoulders, her hips riding his with building urgency.

  “I never want this to end!” she gasped.

  “It never has to,” he responded.

  Skylar smiled and closed her eyes, tossing her head back as the orgasm within her reached its peak.

  Chace had never wanted to please anyone the way he did Sky, to feel her body respond to his touch and hear her cries when she climaxed. As many times as he’d touched her, it always felt like the first: magical, thrilling, and satisfying on a level that reached his soul. Everything from the flush of her cheeks to the wetness of her core was branded in his mind, an intangible treasure for him alone to safeguard. The dragon in him roared with triumph while the man wanted to weep in gratitude for being granted such an incredible gift as the woman in his bed, the other half of his heart.

  They made love over and over, unable to satisfy the primal need to be one, to unite their bodies and magic with the powerful emotions stretching between them.

  I’ll never get enough of this woman. The thought stuck with him, even when sheer physical exhaustion forced them to take a breather some time later, curled in each other’s arms. He breathed in their combined scents, more at peace than he’d ever experienced before. For the first time in his life, he not only knew where he belonged, but he’d found what made him happy. And he had a lifetime to experience every inch of her body over and over again.

  Chapter Eight

  After the fireworks of their long, sleepless night, Skylar should’ve been too exhausted to try to shift the next morning. If anything, she’d never felt so renewed, alive, or hopeful as she did standing across from the man who tenderly agreed to become the family she didn’t have with emotion that left her feeling humbled and honored. Of all the people he’d met in a thousand years, the most incredible
man in the world had chosen her.

  The joy it caused was a source of amazing depths of energy, fed by the fire of his magic in her blood. She’d been unable to stop smiling like a lovesick fool. His honey-bonfire scent was ingrained on her skin and in her senses, saturating her with a smell that drove her wild yet left her feeling at peace as well.

  “Where are you?” Chace’s laugh drew her out of her blatantly adoring stare.

  Skylar flushed. “Can’t help it. I’m pretty happy right now.”

  Chace was eyeing her like he was ready to eat her or toss her back into bed, where they’d spent the night making love.

  “Would you stop?” she asked with a playful laugh. “You’re distracting me.” Naked and exhilarated, she stood a few dozen feet from him in the field outside the cabin, trying hard to concentrate on shifting into a dragon instead of wanting to feel his skin against hers.

  He crossed his arms, eyes lingering on her breasts. Chace wore a pair of sweats that rode low on his hips and nothing else, his chiseled features and muscular chest making her almost giddy with need and something deeper – the knowledge she had a home finally and a family.

  Chace was her dragon. Forever.

  Focus, Sky! She closed her eyes and internalized her senses, seeking out the strong flow of dragon magic that kept her from getting cold despite the chilly morning. She concentrated hard on the image of Chace in his dragon form then braced herself for the pain of shifting.

  Agony and fire shot through her as her body broke, contorted, grew and reformed. The world fell away, and she surrendered to the pain, familiar fear going through her at the idea of what she was really doing: changing shapes. Turning into the creatures she used to hunt.

  The pain diminished and disappeared when her body was done. Skylar lay still, trembling, exploring her new senses. She was able to smell every flower within miles and hear the soft hop of a rabbit making his way to food on the other side of the forest. The grass in the field tickled her nose, and the breeze ruffed her tufts of fur.