by Celia Kyle
The lower he came, the larger he seemed to grow, two hundred tons of massive Preor dragon drawing closer and closer. The wind whipped at her hair, tugging on the strands when he passed overhead. She tucked her hair behind her ears, trying to secure her mane out of her face. She wanted to see him, watch every shift and tensing of muscle, as he landed and transformed back into the male she knew.
Not that she didn’t know this dragon-shaped male, but… his mind was different when he changed. Feral. Base. Untamed. That part of him experienced emotions, but in a different way. It was somewhat selfish and dominating. It wanted what it wanted and had the patience of a two-year-old.
Zadri finally skimmed the trees right above Delaney, claws lowering just enough to rain leaves and flowers down on her. The scent of fresh havyn filled the air, countering the remnants of fire and smoke that still tainted the atmosphere. Havyn. Almost like an Earth honeysuckle. At least, that was what she thought. She’d only smelled that fragrant flower once in her life—after her father donated billions of credits to the historical gardens, he’d demanded a private tour in exchange.
A highly publicized “private” tour. One that showed just how much money the Cole family had. It was also the last public event she’d attended with Mommy and Daddy dearest.
He banked right once again, the turn tighter than all the others, and then a single beat of his massive wings let him gently touch down on the aerie’s grass. He released another stream of smoke, a sure sign of his dragon’s continued anger, but not a hint of fear crept forward. No. It was all pain and heartache—regret and caring for the massive dragon.
She padded toward him, stepping into the wide clearing, only stopping when Zadri lowered his head to the ground. The large snout was mere feet from her, his moist, heated breath bathing her in his scent.
His wings folded close, collapsing to rest against his back while he thumped his front claws to the grass. He lay before her, massive, furious Preor warrior dressed in scales. He narrowed his eyes, golden orbs turning into slits as he glared at her. She sensed his continued anger, the beast’s rough edges scraping at her. The dragon was Zadri and yet it wasn’t.
Delaney moved closer still, until she could reach out and stroke his large snout. She traced his slick scales, the surface soft and dry beneath her fingers.
“Like silk,” she murmured and then repeated the closest Preor word. “Aczi.”
He snorted, his breath hot against her skin but not burning. Though she knew if he’d done the same to another they would have cooked on the spot. Why…
Because fire—even a Preor’s fire—couldn’t hurt her. It was a benefit to being a Preor mate.
Delaney traced the sharp ridges along his snout, moving down his body as she explored the ridges on his head. A single eye tracked her movements, watching and searching for any hint of disgust. She could feel the wariness inside the massive beast, worry over being rejected.
As he had been so many times before.
“You’re beautiful.” His peach scales drew her touch, like a sparkling sun stone that begged to be cradled. Mixtures of pinks, oranges and golds swirled along his scales, a kaleidoscope of color that was more stunning than anything she’d ever seen.
Another dragon snort, and she smiled. This one wasn’t so annoyed, wasn’t filled with so much anger at her. More disbelief tinged with a hint of hope. Hope that she was telling the truth.
“You don’t have to believe me, if you don’t want, but you are. To me, you are perfection.” Delaney meant every word.
He rustled his wings, shifting them ever so slightly to draw her attention to that damaged part of him. Previously damaged part of him.
“Your wing doesn’t make you less than perfect, Zadri.” She spoke quietly, touching him, stroking him, and showing him she wasn’t afraid of him. Two legs or claws, she could never be afraid of her mate. “It’s a part of you. It is what made you the male I will spend the rest of my life with.”
He grumbled and shifted, curling his lip slightly to expose the tip of a single fang.
“That won’t make me afraid of you.” She bent down and flicked the tooth with her finger, showing him just how sure she was in his control and his caring.
More grumbling, but he lowered his scaled lip, hiding his fang once more. She moved on, finally stopping when she got to one of his fore claws, the deadly length of his sharpened nail curled into the cushioned grass. She traced that part of him, too. Moving on and pausing at his side, leaning against his chest between fore leg and wing base. She rested against him, her stomach gently nudging his ribs, her baby shifting and pushing as if he wanted to snuggle with his papa—his new papa.
Delaney laid her forehead against him, taking in the heat of his inner fire and the coolness of his scales. He’d shown her both parts of him now, the male still damaged by his past and the dragon deadlier and more dangerous than any beast she’d ever encountered.
And he was hers. Unequivocally hers.
Delaney brushed a soft kiss on his scales, enjoying Zadri’s tremble, and then whispered against his ribs. “Change for me, Zadri.”
His chest expanded and then contracted, a big dragon sigh, and then a screen of peach enveloped her—them. Like a sandstorm, it whirled and danced through the air, a cloud of whatever made the Preor able to shift forms surrounding them in an instant. The body flush with hers was racked with shudders and shakes, a low rumble coming from Zadri as the transition continued.
He gradually transitioned—claws retreating to reveal hands and feet—while she remained in place. She listened to the beat of his heart, the rasp of air in and out of his lungs, and the growls that bounced through his body but remained captured inside him.
Then… then large, strong arms wrapped around her, held her close in an unbreakable hold. Not that she ever wanted to be free of him. His body was flush against hers, his hard muscles a firm contrast to her curves. He was hard all over, thick muscles, lean flesh, and… sexual excitement.
Zadri’s cock was hard and heavy, prodding her hip as if begging to be buried inside her. Her pussy clenched, clit throbbing and aching for his touch, growing slick with desire. She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled his chest, breathing in his heated scent. She stroked his back and reveled in the smooth, warm skin beneath her palms. Like silk in some places, thick scars in others, but no matter the texture her need grew with each caress.
She suddenly hated every stitch of clothing on her body. She wanted the fabric gone so their skin could touch, so she could experience his warmth from head to toe.
His hands wandered over her as well—tracing her spine and teasing the very top of her ass. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling and slowly exhaling. As if he couldn’t get enough of her scent either.
“Zadri,” she whispered, afraid that speaking too loudly would shatter the sensual magic between them.
“Shaa—“
Shaa kouva. She wanted to hear the entire endearment on his lips, but she also wasn’t ready to say them in return.
Instead of finishing the sweet words, he shifted his topic to something else. He moved on to the real reason he’d stormed off and why she’d hunted him through the ship.
“I am sorry, my Delaney.” He spoke against her neck, breath fanning the column of her throat. “I should not have shouted at you. I should not have burdened you with my past.”
Delaney lifted her head from his chest and reached for his cheek, gently cupping his face. She encouraged him to mimic her movements until they stared into each other’s eyes.
“You can apologize for yelling if you want, but not for telling me about your past. You shouldn’t ever hold yourself back from me.” She made sure her gaze didn’t waver, that he could see the truth in her expression. “I want all of you Zadri. I hate that you suffered so much growing up, but you shouldn’t keep it a secret.”
“And your secrets, my Delaney?” His tone remained soft, but she sensed his strong desire for an explanation.
One
she couldn’t give. Not at that moment. She closed her eyes, memories crowding her. Memories she hated—despised—with every ounce of her being.
“I can’t.” A single tear escaped. “Not yet.” Not while the wounds were still so fresh. “Just… don’t push me about my parents, okay? Please?”
Zadri brushed away the tear, capturing it with his thumb. He pressed his forehead to hers, their stares locked and intent. “As you wish.” He sighed. “As you wish.”
Yes, she wished never to talk about them. She also wished…
With the quiet, her desire resurged, nipples hardening within the tight confines of her bra. Her pussy grew heavy, aching with need, and she couldn’t help but wiggle her hips in an effort to ease her desire. She let her hand slide along his jaw, down his neck and finally stopped when she reached his chest. His hard, chiseled chest.
Delaney easily found his nipple and rubbed her thumb across the small nub. ‘Round and ‘round she circled the tiny bit of flesh, savoring the feel of it growing hard with her teasing. His cock was hard as well, thick length pressed firmly against her, and she wanted to take him in hand as well. Hold his shaft and caress him as she’d wanted from the moment they’d first kissed.
Touch. Caress. Taste. Yes, she wanted to taste him all over as well.
“Delaney,” he rasped, a hint of smoke accompanying the syllables. His dragon was present as well. At least a little.
She abandoned his nipple, fingers searching out unexplored terrain. She traced the ridges of his abdomen, the rise and fall of each muscle, before reaching his waist. There, she traced that carved line of his hip, the sweet spot she wanted to trace with her tongue. From there, she didn’t have to go far to reach his co—
“Delaney,” he growled her name, thick, strong fingers enclosing her wrist. “You cannot.”
He tried to pull her away, his touch gentle and unbreakable, but she wouldn’t be moved. Not without a fight, anyway.
“Why?” She strained against her mate.
“You are bearing.” He didn’t call her an idiot, but it hung in the air regardless.
“And bearing women can enjoy passion, Zadri.” She ached to share passion with him.
“But… The pressure of your blood.” Was there a whimper at the end of his sentence? She was pretty sure there was.
“I’m wearing Whelon’s sareslia. Now, search the Knowing, Zadri. It will tell you.” She lowered her head, tilting slightly so she could brush her lips across his. “It will show you.”
“It…” his mouth teased Delaney’s, “says…” another gentle kiss, his grip tightening while his cock throbbed against her hip, “we may…”
The Knowing must have supplied the rest because then any thoughts she had were gone. Gone with the dominating kiss Zadri gave her—the fierce press of his lips on hers and the thrust of his tongue into her mouth. His flavors exploded across her tongue, the spice and sweet of his innate taste filling her with a new desire.
She countered every flick of his tongue, mirroring his movements, enjoying his taunting—his claiming.
Soon his hold loosened, his hand withdrawing entirely so he could cup her face. He tilted her head as he desired and she happily let him have that control. Because while he domineered their kiss, she continued her reach for what she wanted—his cock.
She encircled his length, hardly able to wrap her fingers around his thickness, and then stroked him from base to tip. Zadri growled into her mouth, the rumble vibrating through her and it went straight to her clit. She trembled with the shot of pleasure and repeated the motion, embracing his sounds and the delicious edge of ecstasy it gave her.
She pumped his dick, tracing every thick vein before rubbing her thumb across the slit at the tip. Warm liquid coated the pad of her thumb, proof of his growing desire for her. But it wasn’t enough. Delaney wanted more than that. She wanted it all.
12
Zadri rumbled, his dragon’s voice joining in and releasing sounds of its own. He tasted his mate, running his tongue along hers and gathering every hint of her flavors. He swallowed each morsel down, hoarding the very essence of her.
And he wanted more. More of her—all of her.
He delved deeper into her mouth, stroking her tongue with his own and mimicking what he wished to do with his wred—his cock. He would sink deep into her wet thasiq—her delicious pussy—over and over again until she screamed his name.
To have her wrapped around his wred… it would be better than the feel of the winds on his wings.
His mate stroked his wred once again, drawing his syha’i forward to coat the tip. And then she rubbed her thumb across the droplets of his cum, spreading the cool wetness with her touch.
He shuddered and moaned into her mouth, enjoying the intimate touch. No, enjoy was not a word strong enough to describe his pleasure—human or Preor.
His balls drew tightly against him, his body anxious to embrace the ecstasy of joining. It was anxious to come and fill Delaney with his syha’i over and over again. But she had to feel pleasure too. He was not such a poor male to take his own bliss and not return the experience a hundred times over.
His mouth watered just thinking about capturing her clit between his lips and gently sucking the nub. He recalled her flowing juices, the sweet heat that coated his tongue when she cried out for more. Her touch combined with his memories was too much for him, and he wrenched his mouth from hers.
“Delaney,” he rasped her name and buried his face against her neck. He fought for breath, battled to draw air into his lungs, but each inhale drove his need for her higher.
Instead of giving him a moment to breathe, she did something that nearly drove all sense from his mind—she bit him. She turned her head and bit him with her blunted human teeth. She clamped down on the flesh of his shoulder—not hard enough to break skin, but just enough to have his dragon pushing against what remained of his control.
Preor females bit their mates—sank their teeth into their mates’ flesh and claimed them. His wred twitched and jerked in her hold, a deep groan escaping his mouth. Her bite was no more than a pinch, but it was similar enough to a Preor female’s claiming bite that he nearly covered her in his syha’i in that moment.
And he was not prepared for their passion to end. Not yet. Not until he was inside her—filling her.
“My Delaney.” With his words, she bit him harder, the sting turning into a pulse of pain that he could not ignore. His dragon could not ignore the feelings either. His fangs pushed against his gums, dragon’s sight threatening to take over, and his wings twitched with the desire pumping through his veins.
His mate moaned against this flesh but did not release him, keeping hold while the caress of his cock went from slow passion to stinging bliss. She scraped her nail over the tip of his dick and he truly could not take another caress. Not without losing himself completely.
Zadri forced himself into motion, capturing her wrist with one hand to halt her movements while he cupped her cheek with the other. He put slight pressure on her jaw, encouraging her to release him. “I cannot take more, my Delaney.”
She whimpered and whined, the sounds going straight to his wred before releasing him and lapping at his flesh. She stroked him with her delicate tongue and he shuddered with the pleasure even that small touch gave him. The ecstasy rivaled that of his first flight. No, it was greater than the first time he ever spread his wings and floated through the skies. Much greater.
“I must have you.” He pulled her face away and looked down into her flushed gaze. “Now.”
Delaney whimpered, the sound wrapping around his balls and squeezing tight. “Please.”
As always, a bearing mate received all she desired and that single word was proof she desired him.
Him.
She wiggled and whimpered, the lushness of her breasts teasing his chest, and he knew it was a mere matter of moments before she distracted him once more. He bent and lifted her into his arms, cradling her against his chest while s
trode toward to a far corner in the aerie. It was a secluded spot Taulan had created for his own mate, a quiet pool shielded by native Preor plant-life. Taulan’s mate labeled the area a hidden oasis.
Zadri would take advantage of this hidden oasis.
The leaves of the pwaa tree caressed his heated skin as they passed, teasing their flesh with the gentle brushes until he believed he would lose his mind with his need for release. But he had to remain strong. Not until he stripped his lush mate and was inside her.
He must be patient and strong. He also must remind himself of that fact each time she whimpered and then moaned and then groaned. By the time he reached their hidden oasis, he believed he’d earned one of the highest honors available to a Preor warrior for not breaking during torture.
The small pool was as Taulan described, a serene bubbling of water with a small fall of liquid that created a soft sprinkling of sounds. The water concerned him, but he knew humans enjoyed the liquid. Plus, Taulan assured him it was not deep.
Despite the war master’s promise, he decided he would not venture there that day. Not when he held a wanting mate in his arms. Instead, he would lay her on the soft ground, the angles of the shore perfect for loving on a bearing female. It was why Taulan called the oasis a gift for the war mistress… and himself.
Zadri carried his mate to the edge of the pool and carefully lowered her to the cushioned ground. The roll of the earth supported his mate while putting her in the most perfect position so he could…
He shuddered, knowing what was to come.
“Zadri,” she whimpered, small hands reaching for him, and he moved out of reach.
“One moment, my mate,” he murmured. He eased over until he knelt between her thighs, her legs splayed. Yet the part of her he craved most remained hidden by clothing. “I must remove your coverings.”
His words also served as a reminder to her. As he reached for the waist of her flowing pants, she tugged on her delicate top. They worked together to pull her clothing free of her tempting form, their actions carefully revealing every inch of her tempting flesh.