by Kyra Jacobs
“No,” he said, bringing his face to within inches of hers. “I changed to save you.”
“But…why?”
He pulled her tight against his chest. “I had no choice.”
She clung to him as though he were the one thing keeping her afloat in this sea of confusion and misery. Heat radiated from his body and began to soothe her frayed nerves…until she realized her proverbial lifesaver wasn’t simply very warm but also very, very naked.
* * * * *
Zayne buried his face in Addie’s hair and drew in a deep breath. Though in disarray after their hurried escape by wing, her golden locks still smelled of wildflowers and sunshine. He sensed the fair maiden was on the verge of falling to pieces after all she’d witnessed, but he refused to let her go—he hadn’t saved her again only to watch her slip away. As they stood together in his hidden lair, her trembling body pulled tight against him, he began to doubt he ever could.
“Never before,” Zayne whispered as he drew her tighter to stave off his feelings of helplessness, “have I been unable to prevent my transformation. But twice in as many days, I have been overcome by the urge, no, the need to change. Both times, it was when I witnessed you in danger.”
Addie squirmed in his arms. “But that’s your job, isn’t it?”
“To protect the kingdom? Yes. Unfortunately, saving you today put the future of Edana in jeopardy. Both times, I knew better than to change, that it would be for the greater good to turn my back and let you die.”
The thought of her lying cold and still on the ground brought physical pain to his chest. He drew in a deep breath and focused on her scent. She wasn’t gone; she was here, safe, with him. Guilt speared him for Korey’s death, but he refused to bend to it. His warrior had died a noble death, the attack wholly unprovoked. When Zayne rejoined the others tomorrow they would celebrate the young warrior’s life and seek to avenge his death.
“It may be hard to understand, Adelaide, but when I take on dragon form, logic no longer guides my decisions.” He shifted his head to meet her gaze. “Heaven help me, the very sight of you pushes logic from my mind.”
“Sounds like something I’d do.” Her voice was bitter. “Cause people to act irrationally.”
“It is said that actions of the heart are often seen as such.”
Zayne studied the beauty in his arms and felt a flare of desire ignite within him. Her cheeks were flushed, though the exact reason was unknown to him, and her chest shifted against his as it rose and fell with each of her breaths. Her silken locks had long since begun to fall from their earlier coif, and a good portion of them had spilled upon her shoulders after their hasty escape. He longed to weave his hands in those soft, golden waves and began extracting pins to free the rest of her beautiful mane. Addie’s body tensed, but she didn’t pull away.
“Maybe you saved me because in your heart, you felt it was the right thing to do,” she said quietly.
He tossed the last of the infernal pins aside and slowly raked his hands through her hair. It felt glorious, like the finest of silks, and fanned the flames of his desire further.
“I saved you because when that first arrow took flight, all I could think was how cruel fate had been to bring you to me, merely to steal you away again.”
Zayne brushed her mane aside, then bent to press his lips against her delicate neck. Addie sucked in a quiet breath.
“It seems the beast with whom I share this life was unwilling to see you go,” he murmured, his lips still pressed to her fair skin. “Not without tasting of you first.”
He plunged a hand into her hair now and gave it a small tug to give his roving mouth better access to her neckline. Curse this dress, he thought as he gazed upon her from the new vantage point. It covered far too much of her.
“Please,” she whispered, eyes wide as a startled doe. “Don’t hurt me.”
“Never.”
He claimed her mouth with his own, the kiss gentle but firm. Addie froze beneath his touch. Undeterred by her reaction, Zayne whispered, “Never would I hurt you, sweet Adelaide,” then kissed her with a greater sense of urgency.
To his great relief, Addie didn’t push him away. Instead, she wove her fingers into his hair. Her touch set his very soul on fire like no other woman had. Zayne opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, and she readily complied. Her tongue was cool against his own, yet as theirs began a slow, rhythmic dance, the fire in him grew.
He slid one hand to the small of her back, and a shiver rippled through her. The beast within urged him to continue, to take what had been gifted unto him by the heavens. Instinct soon overpowered Zayne’s willpower. He wanted to taste her, to see her, to join with her. Now.
With his mouth still pressed to hers, he transformed one finger into a talon and carefully dragged it through the back of her dress from shoulder to waist. As the gown fell slack at her chest, the prince gave the gown a downward tug. Addie gasped in surprise as the fabric pooled at her feet and drew her arms in to cover herself.
“No.” Zayne pulled her hands aside. “Let me see you. All of you.”
Worry clouded her face, and Zayne leaned down to kiss it away. The kiss deepened once again, and again she acquiesced. When finally he released her lips from his, the sound of their ragged breathing echoed off the cavern’s walls. He wasted no time in drawing off the rest of her clothes, careful not to tear the others upon her whispered request, and stepped back to drink in the view.
Her breasts were plentiful and peaked with desire, her waist trim and taut. Addie’s stomach was smooth and unblemished with the marks of childbirth he’d seen on women in other forays, though he knew without a doubt they would only add to her beauty. As he laid her down on the discarded fabric, a soft voice whispered in the far corner of his mind that this woman would one day be another man’s wife, the mother to another man’s children. Jealousy for whoever that man might be welled inside his chest.
Thankfully, those thoughts were soon overshadowed by desire as his gaze drifted farther down her body and settled upon a trim patch of hair, the same color as the golden curls on her head, just above the V in her legs.
“You’re beautiful, Adelaide.” Zayne bent to explore her silky smooth skin with his hands and lips. “The most beautiful maiden in the land.”
“I bet you use that line on all your conquests,” she said, breathless.
“I speak but the truth,” he said between kisses, and nuzzled his way across her hips. The skin there burst forth with goose bumps, and a satisfied grin tugged at his lips. “Never have I seen such a beautiful woman whom I wanted more.”
To prove his point, he shifted above her to suckle from one of her perfect breasts, flicking his tongue gently across its nipple. Addie gasped and arched her back toward his touch. When she began to squirm beneath him, he released that breast and moved to the next. A tiny moan escaped her as her nails raked across his back.
He stretched to nip at her jawline, then kissed his way to one of her perfect little ears. “I want you,” he breathed as he slid a hand between her legs. Anticipation nearly consumed him as his fingers met and then glided into her wet, velvety folds.
Addie sucked in a sharp breath at his touch. “I…we…shouldn’t…”
Zayne could sense what little resolve she had waiver and sought to extinguish it. He shifted to claim a nipple with his mouth once more and gave it a gentle nip as his hand began a slow but steady rhythm between her legs. Addie made a small mewing sound and writhed beneath him, her eyes sliding closed.
“Oh God,” she whispered, defeat clear in her voice. “Never mind. Just, yes, please yes. And you don’t need to worry, about, you know, baby dragons. I’m on the shot.”
Zayne had no idea what that was, nor did he wish to spend time discussing irrelevant matters. He continued to tease her for several moments more, driving her nearly to the brink with desire while savoring her reactions to his touch. When he could stand to wait no longer, the prince shifted above her to nudge her legs apart w
ith one knee. Then, in one smooth motion, he drove deep inside her.
Addie’s eyes flew open as she sucked in a sharp breath, and Zayne froze. No matter how great his desire, it would kill him to know he had caused her pain. Had he not just promised never to do so?
“Did I hurt you?” He silently pled to the heavens her answer would be no. Never had a woman felt so perfectly made for him.
She blinked twice, and her gaze slowly sharpened on him. “No. You feel…incredible.”
Relief washed over him. He dipped to suckle at one of her delicious breasts again, and Addie’s breathing hitched. She clawed at his back, her nails digging deeper than before, and Zayne wrapped his arms beneath her to bring her body in tighter against his own. Bodies entwined, they moved together, her touch driving him into a frenzy. He let Addie control their pace, wanting to savor the moment, to please her. When her cry of ecstasy rang out through their hidden lair, Zayne could easily have followed her over the edge to his own climax. Instead, he chose to be selfish, to prolong the experience, and slowed to a stop as her center clamped tight around him.
As her body went limp with satisfaction, he withdrew his arms and leaned back, still hard and buried inside her. A moment later, her eyelids fluttered open, her satiated gaze full upon him. “That was…you were…thank you.”
Zayne raised her hand to his lips. She grinned, a sexy, lusty grin, and the beast in him demanded the reprieve come to an end. With an evil grin of his own, he withdrew and rolled her to her stomach. Then, in one smooth motion, he pulled her onto her knees and eased once again deep inside her cool center, still tight from her climax.
“God,” she breathed. “You feel so good.”
Her sultry tone stoked the fire within him, and a low growl was all he could manage in response. She was a vision of beauty, from her lean, muscular shoulders to the smooth valley at the small of her back. Tonight, that beauty was his and his alone.
Zayne thrust himself deep inside her over and over, the tempo rising as passion began to replace control. He wanted the moment to last, to remain joined with her forever, but his body ached for release. When he could hold out no longer, Zayne allowed the climax to consume him. With the last of his thrusts, he arched back to roar up to the heavens. Spent, he collapsed beside Addie.
She curled into his side and laid an arm across his waist. “That was…amazing.”
Zayne bent to kiss the top of her head. “Aye.”
Her eyelids drifted shut, allowing him to freely admire the beautiful, naked body molded perfectly against his own. Addie looked like an angel, one sent down to revive his very soul. But the thought was followed by the painful realization that, like an angel, Addie didn’t belong to either him or this world.
While the man in him grappled with the painful thought of her leaving him, the beast within could think but one thing: Having but one taste of her was not nearly enough.
Chapter Twelve
Princess Rosalind swept through the dimly lit back hall of Forath castle, her steps but a whisper in the shadows as she drew upon a waiting Quinn. Her pulse quickened at the sight of her brother’s childhood friend and young leader in their royal army. But tonight his presence ignited more than desire alone—it fanned the flames of curiosity as well.
“Where is she?”
Quinn’s head bowed. “We do not have her, Your Highness.”
“You don’t…have her?” Rosalind’s hands curled into fists. “Were the king’s orders unclear? Were you not to intercept the girl’s return and bring her here?”
“Yes. However, Prince Zayne…”
“Prince Zayne, what?” she asked from behind clenched teeth.
“He was in the clearing to oversee the exchange as a small band of his men rode toward our gate to escort her home. One of our men let his arrow fly too soon, and the others on the wall began to fire as well. They felled one of Zayne’s men, and the group turned back to flee from the attack. Jonathon prepared to transform and go after her, but the prince struck first. He took to the air and scorched my men, then stole off with her again.”
Rosalind’s vision went red with rage. Why the devil would he risk war and transform to save some lowly peasant girl? Especially after sending that last scroll, in which he implored her father to forgive his actions and finally set their damned wedding date.
A second emotion gnawed at her then, one she refused to court: jealousy. Rosalind would not be jealous of some poor woodland whore, even if Zayne favored the girl over her. They’d soon be married and, if she had her way, the girl would soon be dead.
An evil plan arose in her mind, one that tugged her lips into a grin. Rosalind had been puzzling over how to create the perfect distraction for Zayne once she lived inside his castle walls. If her betrothed truly felt for this girl and she were to meet an untimely death, then perhaps grief inspired by her loss might well consume him.
But not yet. Killing her now wouldn’t do Rosalind any good—she’d need to find a way to keep the girl alive and out of her father’s hands. She stepped forward to run a hand down her lover’s broad, solid chest.
“I shall give you a chance to redeem yourself, dearest Quinn,” she said, a challenge in her voice. “Find the girl and bring her to me. Alive.”
Chapter Thirteen
Addie lay draped across Zayne’s smooth, warm chest and stared into the fire he’d built beside them. Its flames reflected her conscience, dancing in celebration of the most amazing sexual experience of her life, yet snapping and popping over her loss of focus. She should be striving to get to Watford, not lounging atop a man who was nothing like she ever could have imagined existed.
Half-man, half-dragon.
Was that why her body came alive with his every touch? Why her pulse quickened each time their gazes met? What power did she truly have to stop from losing focus when the prince kissed her like that? Like she was more than his damsel in distress, so much more. The way he held her, touched her, kissed her… It was as though she were a priceless treasure. No man had ever made her feel more alive, empowered.
Zayne trailed a hand lazily down her back, his touch evoking a fresh ripple of shivers throughout her body. For as demanding a lover as he’d been, he’d also been the most giving. In her limited past bedroom experience, she’d never come close to the big “O” before. One partner had even coaxed her into believing she was just one of those girls who “couldn’t get there.” But Zayne had blown that theory out of the water tonight and taken her to the edge of heaven and back.
Her body began to hum again from his fingers’ fiery touch, but she fought not to lose control. Over the past day, she’d grown far too fond of Prince Zayne, more so than was wise for either of their futures. His life was here, with his people. Her life was in Indiana. Alone.
“Come back to me.” Zayne’s soft, deep timbre brushed a gentle caress across her weary soul.
“Sorry?” She lifted her head to meet his gaze, which was a mistake. Between the sexy blossom of stubble on his chin and the hungry look in his eyes, the traitorous hum in her body grew stronger. Addie tried to look away, but she lacked the strength—or will—to do so.
“You have grown unusually quiet.” He traced a thumb over her cheek. “Where are your thoughts, my lady?”
“Scattered and torn, I’m afraid.” She hadn’t meant for the truth to slip out, and yet somehow it had. What was it about this man that invited her to drop her defenses so readily?
His dark brows furrowed. “And why is that?”
“Because while all this is perfect, we’ve got a huge mess waiting for us outside. I can’t seem to get home without someone or something trying to kill me. You might have just started a war—”
“Stop.”
“Stop?” she asked. “Stop what, being rational? Trying to figure out a way to fix all of this?”
“Fate has allowed me but one night with you, Adelaide. I shall not waste it discussing these matters.”
“But—”
“Enough.�
� With the speed and agility of a cat, he rolled to pin her beneath him. “I forbid you to speak of tomorrow, or any day thereafter.”
“You forbid me?” Addie arched a brow at him. “And just how exactly do you plan to silence me, sire? You’ve already promised not to hurt me.”
A wolfish grin crept across his face as he bent to nip at her lower lip. “There are other ways you can be silenced.”
She swallowed hard. “You wouldn’t hold me against my will.”
“’Tis true.” Zayne’s nose trailed along her cheek, his warm breath washing over her. “If you order me to stop, I shall.”
“Promise to help me find my way home,” she breathed. “And I won’t.”
“I already made you that promise.” He dipped lower to nuzzle at her left breast.
Addie felt her traitorous body arch upward in search of him. “But that was before we got shot at. How do I know you haven’t given up on helping me?”
“Very well,” he said, his voice a deadly calm. “Promise you’ll not mention anything relating to tomorrow and beyond again before the sun rises, and we shall bind the agreement.”
Desire clouded her vision and logic. “I promise.”
“Then we have a deal,” Zayne purred as he nudged her knees apart with his.
Addie had but a moment to worry she’d made the right decision before his length filled her once more, obliterating all other thought.
* * * * *
Zayne would have gladly spent the entire night pleasing Addie, but, alas, she did not have the stamina his dragon heart provided. He gazed upon her now in silent appreciation as she lay curled against him, spent and sound asleep. Awake, she was a wonder, full of questions, curiosity, and apprehension. In deep slumber, her appearance was quite the contrary: relaxed, peaceful.
Trusting.
Zayne reached out to brush a few strands of mussed hair from her beautiful face and felt his chest tighten. He’d been wrong to bark at her earlier, to demand she not discuss matters plaguing her with worry. It was a selfish act, meant to prevent anxiety from consuming him. And at the time, it had worked.