Prisoner (Dragon Shifter Book 5)

by Naomi Sparks

  For a while, the two of us just sit there in silence, eating our food. The other Fire Riders sit away from us, around a small fire. I can hear them chattering amongst themselves but can't make out what they're saying. I wonder if they sent Bren over here to help keep me distracted, to prevent me from eavesdropping on them. But I doubt it. Something about the way he stares down at his plate makes me think he has something on his mind, something he's not quite sure how to get out.

  "Just spit it out," I snap at him, rolling my eyes. Whatever is on his mind, he might as well just get it over with. There isn't much point in beating around the bush.

  He looks up at me in surprise, and he tries to smile, though even I can tell it's forced. "Can you read my mind?" he asks.

  I roll my eyes. Such a silly question. "No. My power isn't like that witch of yours. I cannot read your thoughts. I can only influence them. When I have all of my strength, and if the person is weak enough, I can control their actions. But no, I cannot read your mind."

  Bren nods then looks down to study his plate again. It's obvious that's not the only thing on his mind, but there's not much point in snapping at him again. Either he'll spit it out or he won't. "How old are you?"

  For a moment, I just stare at him, blinking. Of all the things I'd expected him to ask, that is not one of them. Why in the world does he care how old I am? What benefit does that information give them? But as I think about it, I realize there's no reason not to tell him. I can't see how it could give him an advantage.

  "About four hundred and fifty," I say at last. I'm far from being old as far as dragons go, but I'm no longer a hatchling.

  Bren nods, and I can't help but wonder what he thinks. His face is neutral and gives me no idea what's going through his mind. Once again, I wish I had Faith's ability to read minds, this time though, it's for personal reasons.

  "How long ago did you meet Amasis?" he asks.

  Another question about my past, and one with little relevance. Our kind are rarely raised by our fathers, something I'm sure Bren knows full well. "I guess it was about sixty years ago."

  Again, Bren just nods. He doesn't give me any hints as to what he's thinking. It's driving me insane, being asked random questions ,and not being given anything in return.

  "How about you? How old are you?" I ask, deciding it's my turn to get some information out of him. His age doesn't make much of a difference, but if he knows mine, I should get to know his.

  "About two thousand and four hundred years old, last I checked." He grins at me. "But to be fair, they didn't exactly keep close track of the dates back then. So, I'm sure I'm off by a couple years."

  I find myself smirking at his little joke. I still can't figure out why he has such an effect on me. There's something about him that just works its way under my defenses, making me like him no matter how badly I want to hate him. The bastard...

  Bren asks me a few more random questions as we eat. None of the other Fire Riders seem to be paying us any attention. And none of his questions seem relevant either. He's not asking me about the Clutch or the Nevada facility's defenses or layouts. No doubt Faith has already pulled most of that information out of my head during her little probing session, but I still expect him to ask questions that make more tactical sense.

  This feels almost like he wants to know about me... like we're on a date. I immediately dismiss that thought, but it makes my heart flutter. It really shouldn't. I keep reminding myself he's my enemy, but that doesn't seem to change my body's reaction.

  Bren asks me about my youth and the time before I met Father. I know I shouldn't be talking to him like this, shouldn't be spilling everything about myself to him, but I can't stop. It's like a compulsion inside me to tell him everything he wants to know. If I didn't have this ability myself, I might think he's using some kind of power on me, but he's not.

  I just like talking to him, like telling him about myself.

  And, somehow, that's even scarier.

  Every once in a while, I ask him questions, and he answers each one readily. He doesn't seem to be holding anything back from me. But, so far, I haven't asked him anything of any tactical value, so it's not like he really has any reason not to tell me stuff. He talks about how he met Lex and the others, tells me about some of the antics they've gotten into over the years.

  Before I know it, I'm laughing at his stories. I no longer feel like his prisoner. I feel like his friend. It's strange how easily he's got me to open to him, to relax and let my guard down. It goes against all of the training I had with Father. I'm supposed to be on guard at all times, to never trust anyone. I would never sit around laughing and telling stories with any of the guys back at his compound.

  Both Meroe and Yin had been trying to catch my eye for years now. Each time though, I've brushed them off. Neither of them was interested in me as a person. They only care that I'm Amasis's daughter. By mating with me, they expect to secure their position in the Clutch. I'm just an afterthought.

  It's been like that with every guy I've tried to get close with over the years. Long ago, I gave up on it, caring about any of them as little as they care about me. They want to use me as a pawn, and I'm no one's pawn. Spending my life unmated will be much better than being used just to gain power with the Clutch.

  But as I sit and talk with Bren, I find myself thinking it wouldn't be so bad to be his mate. He at least seems to care about me. Even when everyone else ignores me or acts cold to me, he's always been kind. He's brought me food, kept me company. Even when I tried to escape, he didn't harm me. As far as I knew, he didn't tell the others about my attempt.

  He's my enemy though, I keep reminding myself. I've seen the way he and the others interact, seen how they think. I wish I could bring him back with me, convince him to abandon the Fire Riders, but I know that's impossible. Which means us ever mating is impossible as well.

  6

  Bren

  I should keep my distance from Saphira, not getting close enough for her to use her powers against me. According to Faith, Saphira hasn't used her power on any of us. She saw no sign of it inside Saphira's memories. She's tried, Faith said, but she's not strong enough to influence any of us. Just to be sure, Lex made her search through our minds, looking for any signs of manipulation.

  Faith wasn't eager to do that, but she relented. She understood the risk associated with having someone with Saphira's ability around. She looked at me curiously after it was my turn. No doubt she saw my warring thoughts and my attraction when she went digging around. But if she had an opinion, she kept it to herself, declaring me free of influence.

  It means my attraction to Saphira is natural, not influenced. So I brought her dinner, sitting down to eat with her. Something inside me screams to know more about this person. Maybe if I get to know her a little better, I can convince her that we don't have to be enemies. I know about breaking her loyalty to Amasis, but if she realizes we're not evil barbarians, I might sway her a bit.

  When the sun finally set, my muscles ache from the day's exertion. I look forward to slipping into my tent and getting a good night's sleep. The Fae were kind enough to set up our things while we were out raiding the compound, even as they set up their defensive spells to shield the area.

  I wonder how much longer the Fae will be able to keep it up. They've lost a good number of their people, including some of their best spellcasters. Katia's sister had hinted that it's taking more and more time to set up the camp's defensive perimeter, and she's worried about finding her people soon. They are happy the weakened Fae are free, but these new ones are too weak and cannot help defend the camp.

  We need to find the other Fae, soon, which means getting on the road tomorrow and heading to the Nevada compound. I wish I had more time to spend with Saphira, to convince her to join us and put an end to Amasis's reign of terror. But time is quickly running out.

  When the sun goes down, and the camp is shrouded in firelight, I let out a sigh. If we're going to be on the road again fi
rst thing tomorrow, I need my rest. I glance over at Saphira who has gone quiet as well and wonder what to do with her. I should probably leave her here, and keep my distance. But there's still the chance she might try to run while we sleep.

  In the end, I bring her back to my tent with me. She looks surprised when I unhook the shackles from the post, but she doesn't argue. I don't bother tying her to me either. I know if she tries to leave my tent, I'll hear her. And it won't take much for me to catch up to her.

  She lets out a sigh as she makes herself comfortable on the pallet in the middle of the tent. I wish I could tell what she's thinking right then. For a moment, I just watch her lying there, admiring how beautiful she looks, even in this low light. She is a stunning dragon, and I'm surprised she's not mated yet. She's still on the young side for our kind, but she's strong, beautiful, and anyone who mates with her would have some political power inside the Clutch.

  I wonder if there's someone she has her eyes set on. The entire time we spoke, she didn't mention any lover. I'm not sure if she purposely steered away from those topics or if she just genuinely doesn't have a love interest. Perhaps she doesn't. It must be hard to please someone as strong and willful as Saphira.

  I find myself smiling as I watch her drift off to sleep. She's gorgeous, even though she still looks rough from the attack. I find myself wanting to run my fingers over her dark skin and feel its softness.

  She would be a challenging lover, but I've never shied away from a challenge before. What would it be like to have a mate like her? One who will soon be as strong and powerful as me? Someone I wouldn't have to be gentle or careful with? Who could give as well as she could take?

  The others have all found strong women to stand by their side, but even their strength pales in comparison to a dragon's. Katia is the strongest of them all, a powerful Fae warrior in her own right. But I have a feeling Saphira would easily overpower Katia, when she is back at full strength.

  A sigh slips from my lips as I crawl into the pallet next to Saphira. I close my eyes and let slumber overtake me. After everything we went through today, it doesn't take long before I drift into the world of dreams.

  My dreams are filled with thoughts of Saphira. I find myself dreaming about mating with her, about claiming her as mine, giving myself to her. It's all so real and vivid. I can practically feel my teeth sinking into her neck as I give her the mating bite, my cock hard and throbbing, anticipating the next step.

  Whimpering fills my ears, making my cock twitch and throb. Then, the whimpering grows louder and louder until I realize it's not part of my dream. My eyes fly open, and I realize that it's Saphira whimpering. My teeth are sunk into her flesh as her body writhes against mine. No wonder it had been such a realistic dream. It hadn't been a fantasy.

  Immediately, I pull away from her. My heart is pounding, body coated in sweat. I couldn't believe I'd just done that. I had bitten a female against her will, without her consent. What the hell is wrong with me?

  I back away from Saphira, moving to a far corner of the tent, putting as much space between the two of us as I can. I suck in deep breaths, trying to get my body to calm down, trying to regain some semblance of control over myself. I need to get my head on straight, need to figure out what to do next.

  "Are you okay?" I manage to ask as Saphira sits up, rubbing at the area where I'd bitten her.

  At first, she just glares at me. I can feel her hatred rolling off her body in waves. I can't blame her. She has every right to be pissed at me. Not only am I keeping her bound as our prisoner, but now I just gave her a mating bite without her consent. I'd just committed one of the most serious taboos in our society.

  No doubt Amasis and those that serve him don't think that way anymore, but I still do. Lex and the others still do. A mating bite is something sacred, something to be shared with someone you truly, deeply love. Someone who loves you back and understands the implications of it. Not someone you've taken prisoner. Not someone you've attacked in the middle of the night.

  Then, Saphira lets out a sigh and shakes her head. She scoots back a little bit, drawing her knees up against herself and wrapping her arms around them. She looks even younger than she is. It takes all of my self-control not to walk over there and wrap my arms around her. But as much as I want to beg for her forgiveness, I still don't trust myself.

  "It's not completely your fault," Saphira says at last. When I look up at her in surprise, she lets out a sigh. She looks so pained, and something tells me it's about more than me biting her. "It's my mating cycle. It has this effect on men, even men like you."

  I nod as she speaks. That's what we'd suspected a few days ago. But even so, that doesn't excuse what I've done to her. I should be stronger than this, should be able to control myself, even when confronted with a woman in heat. It's not all common anymore since there are so few females left, but it's not my first experience with a woman in the middle of her cycle.

  The tent goes silent as we both watch each other from opposite sides of the tent. Eventually, I can't take it anymore. I cross over to where she's sitting and sit down, putting my arm around her shoulders and pull her against me. At first, she stiffens, then she relaxes and seems to melt against me.

  Sitting there, holding her, seems right. I can't explain it, but it does. Even after everything that has gone on between us, there's nowhere else I want to be at that moment. "At least I didn't complete the ritual, right?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood a little.

  Saphira scowls at me, clearly not impressed with my attempt at humor. Not that I can blame her. We both know exactly what the rest of the mating ritual requires. And even now, it's all I can think about. I want to strip the clothing she's wearing off her, tear off my own, and make her mine. Become hers.

  It's then that I realize after everything, I'm still rock hard. My pants are tight, my cock trying to break free. With the way we're sitting, there's no way Saphira can't feel it. But if she does, she doesn't say anything. She just stays nestled up against me. Which most definitely does not help my situation.

  All I can think about is her. What would it be like to see her naked and have permission to touch her? I can easily imagine running my hands all over her bare body, giving her pleasure unlike anything she's ever experienced before. My cock gets even harder as all of these fantasies flow through my mind. The tent is still dark, morning a long way off, but I don't want to go back to sleep.

  I want to make love to Saphira.

  And despite her earlier anger, she still hasn't moved away from me. She seems content to sit there and let me hold her. It's heavenly, feeling her warm body pressed against mine. The only thing that could make this moment any better is if both of us were naked. But no matter how badly I want to make her mine, I refuse to let my body move. I've already made one mistake, committed one sin, tonight. I don't need another.

  When Saphira looks up into my eyes, though, my heart seems to stop beating. My lungs stop working. Time freezes.

  The next thing I know, we're moving closer together. My body acts on its own as our lips meet in the middle. Fire floods through me, and I shudder, every nerve ending in my body stands on end. This is what I need. It's what we both need. In that instance, I know that better than I know anything else.

  Saphira seems to know it too. Keeping our lips pressed together, she climbs into my lap. I shudder again and wrap my arms around her, pulling her tight against me. She grins down against my hard cock even as I lift my hips to grind against her. Our bodies move together, almost without thought, acting on pure instinct.

  She doesn't stop me when I slip my hands beneath her shirt, caressing her bare back. I'm on high alert, waiting for any sign that she's uncomfortable, that she doesn't want this as much as I do. When no signs come, I get bolder, moving my hands to the front and cupping her breasts. She moans into my mouth as I squeeze them, and my cock throbs beneath her ass.

  Fuck, I think to myself, fighting back moans of my own. Just being able to kiss and touch he
r like this has my cock wanting to explode in my pants. No other woman has ever turned me on this much before. Something about Saphira, though, makes me want to throw everything else out, to make her my one and only. She makes me want to give her the world and the moon and the stars.

  It doesn't take long before our shirts come off. I don't know how we managed it, but I don't think we broke our kiss for even a moment. Now, my hands are free to roam all over her bare torso, touching and caressing her as much as I want. Her skin feels like heaven beneath my fingers, and I want to spend all night touching and licking her.

  She touches me too. First, she strokes the muscles of my back and shoulder, her fingers soft and delicate. I expected her to be firm and rough, like a warrior dragon, but it seems she has a soft, tender side too.

  I can't wait to see what other sides of her I can bring out.

  We roll around on the floor of the tent, still making out as we work each other's pants off. I can hear things getting knocked over and shoved roughly out of the way, but I don't care. We're probably in the process of waking up half of the camp, but I don't care about that either. In that moment, Saphira is the only thing I care about. Everything else can wait until later.

  Once Saphira's pants are off, leaving her only wearing her panties, I reach between her legs and rub her through the thin fabric. She's dripping wet, the fabric damp with her juices. It takes all of my self-control not to break the kiss and latch my lips between her legs to suck her panties dry. Her scent has already filled the tent, and it's just driving me even more crazy.

  My jeans go flying across the tent, landing God knows where. My cock tries its best to tear through my boxers. I can feel a damp spot already having formed from my arousal. But the moment Saphira's hands are between my legs, I moan into her mouth. My entire body shudders, and I fight back with everything I have to keep from unloading right then.

  Saphira seems to be amused by my predicament. She wraps her hand around my underwear covered cock, squeezing and teasing me, like she wants to see just how much I can handle. Unfortunately for her, or maybe, fortunately, I'm just as stubborn as she is. I'm determined to see this through to the end now. I want her to be mine, want to show her just what real pleasure is.