by A. K. Koonce
How could Rime ever ignore this beautiful man’s demanding gaze?
Eight
Female Orgasm Connoisseurs
The afternoon goes on like that for an hour or so.
Until Kain turns his attention to me.
“Your turn.” He stands, extending his hand to my lazy position on the ground. I stare at that hand for a few seconds, not taking his offering. “Come on, let’s do some defense practice.” Still I stare at him. Chaos peers up at me. Rime and Sinister stand at my side and no one moves for a moment. “First lesson in defense—”
“Expect the unexpected,” Chaos finishes for him. He sits up abruptly just as Kain swoops down and tosses me over his shoulder in one brisk move.
A gasp tears from my lungs. I wiggle in his vise grip, but I know he won’t release me. Fighting off sexy men isn’t my strong suite. And honestly, he’s manhandling me like I’m his favorite toy. Why fight a good thing?
I rest my elbow against his back and my chin on my hand as I wait patiently for his point to be proven. Chaos trails after us, his gaze meeting mine, a smile tilting his full lips.
“How did you know to expect the unexpected? Has Kain done this very same thing to you, Chaos?” The dirty image of the two of them flashes through my mind and it makes him smile even more.
“You wish, Low.”
Kain’s fingers against my thigh tighten slightly and a tingling feeling spreads through my core at the small shift of his hand.
“I knew what he was going to do before he even knew what he was going to do.” Chaos taps the side of his head, reminding me of their bond.
Just how deep does that bond flow? Do they share images, memories, emotions?
We stop several yards away from the greenhouse and I look over Kain’s shoulder to try to see what his intentions are with the prize he has tossed over his shoulder. What sneaky thing will he try next? Instead of throwing me to the grass, he keeps a firm hold on me, his big hands pushing against nearly every inch of skin as he lowers my feet to the ground. My body drags against every part of his. My hands linger on his shoulders as I realize how perfectly our hips are pressed together. I swallow hard when I look up into his mossy green eyes.
“Yeah, this lesson is exactly how I used to train with Kain, for sure. Total defense tactics.” Chaos nods continuously and I have to put real effort into untangling myself from Kain and taking a step back.
A smirk almost touches the corner of Kain’s lips before he shakes his head and lets his seriousness fall back into place.
“Okay, let’s see that black magic.” He waves a hand at my hand as if it’s just that simple.
I’ve hidden my magic away for my entire life. I’ve certainly never attempted to do Kreedence’s magic without him.
“She’s afraid she can’t do it.”
My attention snaps to Chaos as my arms fold across my chest.
“Stay out of my mind, Chaos.”
“I wasn’t in your mind. I can’t get in your mind unless you let me. Did you ever think that I can tell what you’re thinking sometimes?” His stream of information makes my lips part, but I can’t find a thing to say to that.
“No, she thinks she’s very mysterious. Her mind is a mystery to men.” A smirk tips the corner of Kain’s mouth and my eyes narrow there.
They’re a bag of dicks when they team up together.
“You three fucks asked the one person you were hunting to help you hunt her. Let’s not act like you’re some all-knowing worldly female orgasm connoisseurs.”
“Damn, I do like that title.” Chaos looks at Kain and they both nod to one another as if it’s settled. I bet, in their minds they’ve already ordered Female Orgasm Connoisseur’s plaques and commemorative merchandise. Tee shirts, banners, underwear. All of it.
I think we’re getting off topic. This defense class should change its name. It’s not very defensive.
Or maybe I should start teaching.
I try my best to remember what Kreedence taught me. It’s there, the forceful power, the trembling black magic. It’s there. It’s just feels… repressed, I guess. It’s this thing that I never wanted to remember. So, I shoved it away, but I can see how it could help me if I come face to face with Kreedence in the next few days. I need it to help Agatha.
I need it to help us. And I want nothing more than to introduce Kreedence to it.
That indignant through alone inspires me.
A breath fills my lungs and it takes me a moment to find that suffocating feeling within myself. My hands shake as I let it settle in my palms. My eyes open, finding the target.
And then I release my hold on all that pent-up power.
It crackles through the air in flashing colors of red and white. It’s a wave of energy, strung out like a net. It sinks right through Kain’s chest. It encompasses him, snapping along his skin until it slinks out and carries off into the wind.
A groaning breath crawls through Kain and all that amusement he held just moments ago fades away.
Female Orgasm Connoisseur my ass.
“Fuck, Arlow. Do you know what defense means?” The words come out on a rasping tone.
“Yeah, I think you need to work on it.” I nod, keeping my features blank and innocent.
“Impressive,” Rime yells, his chin tipping up as if he’s truly paying attention now.
Sinister tilts his head until the two are close and he whispers something to the ice dragon. The two of them become quietly submerged into a discussion I can’t hear but I’d bet my life that it’s about me. My attention lingers on them and the serious way Rime speaks to my friend. He’s quiet and focused. There’s an animated way Sinister talks, with his hands and his expressions. It makes me want to be included in their conversation. He just has that effect, he makes people want to be near him. To listen to him.
Kain rubs his hand across his chest as he takes a step closer, pulling my attention back to the task at hand.
“Want me to try again?”
“No, I think once is enough for now.” A cough shakes through his words and guilt sneaks into my stomach.
“I didn’t mean for it to hurt you.” My fingers tick at my side and our hands almost brush but not quite.
“It didn’t hurt really, it kind of just stole my breath.”
“Good.” The tension leaves my chest and I can’t help but be excited that I did it right.
“Good?” Chaos arches a brow at me.
“That is good. You can control it, that’s good.” Kain stands straighter as he takes a full breath of air. “Let’s try it again.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Chaos says, and I can’t help but agree.
Kain takes a step back, as if he’s ready to be my target practice for the rest of the afternoon. “No, you’re right. It’d be stupid to do it twice on the same person. Too dangerous.” All three of us nod. “Try it on Chaos this time.”
Chaos turns his head to fully look at his friend.
“Excuse the fuck out of me?” Chaos’ big shoulders tense, his muscles become visibly tight with anticipation.
He’s apparently more than eager to be given the title of Female Orgasm Connoisseur, Human Target not so much.
Nine
Dragon Rider
The day passes with ease. Too bad it doesn’t stay that way. Dinner is uncomfortable, to say the least. The way Chaos is glaring at the leafy salad the waiter just brought him makes me want to punch him in his dick. How quickly our emotions change. He pokes at a tomato with the shining prong of his fork but doesn’t attempt to eat it. He rolls it a round a few times this way and that, but never once takes a bite.
“Please eat it,” I say under my breath.
At the head of the table the Prince smiles at me, raising his glass to me before taking a drink of the red wine. I smile sweetly back to him, wrinkling my nose even from the ridiculousness of the smile that I’m clinging to.
I haven’t seen a throne or a crown announcing Linden’s title bu
t the way the dark wood of his chair blooms out around his head appears elaborate and attention demanding. The fire place behind that chair is just as extravagant. It takes up most of the far wall near the kitchen door. The opening for the flames is large enough to house a small family. Ash and heat sit there, framed in smooth glossy stones that are shined to perfection.
Behind me a row of arching windows line the room, casting deep orange sunlight across the dark stained table. It catches on Kain’s emerald eyes, turning them a blazing color as he looks across the table at me. Sinister sits at his side, just between him and the Prince. He chats wildly with Linden, and it seems the demon’s friendliness makes the Prince uncomfortable. I’m almost certain that’s why Sin’s forcing the conversation to keep going. On my left, Rime quietly eats without a disgruntled word about his green salad. Unlike the man on my right.
Chaos’ heavy chair rakes across the floor as he sits up straight and looks over at me from beneath his dark lashes.
“This man is the richest guy in the kingdom and he gives us rabbit food?” His lip curls and he retains that look of disdain even as I glare at the side of his pretty face.
You’d think Chaos hated Linden because he served him a fancy salad instead of a steak, but I know deep down he has other reasons for hating the Prince.
And that reason is me.
Chaos is sweet, gentle, rational. But he promised to murder Linden if he ever kissed me again. And I don’t doubt that for one second. Chaos as a man is sweet, gentle and rational; as a dragon shifter, not so much.
“More food is coming, I promise. Please stop playing with your food.”
“Rime, what is it you do for a living?” Linden chooses the momentary lull between Sinister’s rambling to turn the conversation on the very last person who would ever want to talk to him.
Fuck.
Rime looks away from his nearly empty plate to peer up at the Prince. The shifter slowly turns his attention to me. That quick look he gives me spirals anxiety all through my chest.
Please don’t say you’re a dragon. Please don’t say you’re a dragon. Please don’t say you’re a dragon.
“I’m unemployed, actually.” Rime takes a long drink from his glass, taking down every drop of the red wine before signaling to the waiter for more.
“Unemployed.” The Prince nods as if he understands completely. “For how long now?”
There’s a gleam in Rime’s eyes and that’s the only sign that he’s amused. The straight line of his mouth holds in place as he drums his fingers casually against the glossy table top.
“Well, let’s see, I’ll be twenty-seven sometime this year. So—” he tilts his head this way and that as if math isn’t his strong suit. “—yeah, unemployed twenty-seven years now.”
Shit, maybe he should have just said he’s a full-time dragon shifter.
Linden stares at the side of Rime’s face as the shifter steals another dinner roll and takes a wide bite out of the bread. I imagine the Prince is mentally calculating how much money his pretty kingdom has lost because professional dragon shifter isn’t taxable work.
“How’s your father?” I ask, trying to pull the Prince’s attention away from the man at my side.
I haven’t run into the charming man who hates my guts. Not that I’m searching him out or anything either.
“The King is away on business today.”
Thank fuck.
“That’s too bad.” What a fucking shame.
I send a small thanks up to my mother’s favorite goddess as I take a large drink of wine. The dry taste of it makes me wish I had anything else on the planet to drink, but unlike Chaos—who still hasn’t eaten any salad—I’m not going to complain about it.
The smell of hot food and herbs fills the air as several men in navy shirts bring out new plates for us. The wafting smell of chicken hits the air as the plates are sat in front of us and a growl emits from the man at my side. He cuts into the meat before it’s even fully on the table. I nudge Chaos with my elbow as he shoves a massive bite into his mouth. His jaw works as he chews, passing me a meager glance before he takes another bite. He eats like a wild animal, not a shifter at all. He’s one hundred percent dragon right now.
Kain shakes his head and, with slightly more grace, he takes a bite of mashed potatoes and gravy. His tongue slips across his lower lip and he meets my eyes from across the table.
He was so distant with me when we first met. And then he was protective… and then he kissed me just to prove that sometimes we can’t ignore those tingling feelings deep inside us.
That kiss flashes through my mind as I stare at his deep eyes. I can still feel the heat of the shower raining down on us, his hands slick against my skin, his lips against mine.
“How’d you two meet?”
At the sound of Linden’s question, I blink away all my dirty thoughts, clearing my throat as I realize he now has his sights set on Sinister.
My eyes close slowly. Will this dinner never end?
“Uh, we—” I try to interject.
Sinister’s smooth voice cuts across my stuttering.
“We’re old friends.” He passes me a flirtatious wink that has me hoping the room will just collapse on us right now to put me out of my misery. “Arrie and I go way back. Don’t we, love?”
I peer up at the dark, sturdy beams overhead and it doesn’t look like they’re going to come tumbling down any time soon. A bit of magic might change that, but I’m not that desperate.
Yet.
“Yes, Sin has always been like a little brother to me.” He’s twenty-two. He’s no longer the eighteen-year-old boy I fell in love with. He’s all man now.
But I’m not going to announce that thought to the table. The sweet smile I pass Sinister only makes his lips part even more. His wide smile holds in place against his astounded look.
Linden glances from me to the man at his side. Sinister’s frame is slightly more delicate, less overbearing. He’s made up of sharp angles and hard lines. Dark beauty and sinful temptation.
I swallow hard at how fast my thoughts turned dirty.
Linden’s watching me. Heat flares my cheeks. Staying here is a bad idea.
I have got to get out of this castle because I’m trapped in an enormous luxurious prison filled with overly attractive men and I’m just supposed sit here and pretend like I haven’t seen half the room’s dicks!
My chair scrapes abruptly across the floor.
The tension pressing against my chest almost allows for a breath to sneak in but not quite.
“I’m going to get some air. Please excuse me.” More forced formalities fall from my lips when all I want to do is scream.
Marg passes me a sweet smile as I shove through the dining room doors and make a beeline for the closest exit. Winding dark halls and shining floors lead me to the door at the very back of the castle. I turn the knob and fresh air hits my face instantly.
Miles of deep green grass roll out to the pale horizon. The light blue sky is nearly the same color as the drifting clouds and I try to just focus on the little details. I count the purple flowers dotting the landscape that leads up to the greenhouse. I note the shapes of the perfectly cut bushes. The sounds of geese sail overhead.
I take it all in as I slide down the side of the brick building and let my knees curl to my chest.
“It’s a good day for the animals.” Kain’s voice is quiet as the door clicks closed behind him. His face is tipped up to the birds overhead. My lashes flutter open but his attention’s locked on the skyline. The warm sunlight highlights his features, bringing out the few freckles that kiss his cheeks.
For a few seconds I just stare at him, taking in the small details of his handsome face until the beat of my heart calms and I forget the pressure that’s now dissolving in my chest.
Just like that, Kain took away all my worries in the world.
“It’d be a good day for a dragon.” He peers down at me from the corner of his eye as if he just told
me a secret that no one else knows.
A smile pulls at my lips.
“It’d be a good day for a dragon rider as well.”
His brows raise like I just said the most ridiculous thing.
“It takes years of practice to be able to ride a dragon. Our beasts don’t just trust everyone.”
“Rime let me ride him.” As soon as the words leave my lips, I’m reminded of the fake orgasm Rime gave me. The one Kain walked in on, and I instantly wish I could rephrase my sentence.
“Rime’s dragon trusted you?” Confusion shadows the mossy color of his eyes.
“It was incredible.” A smile pulls at my lips.
It really was. It was the most freeing moment of my entire life.
“His dragon trusted you?” He repeats his question almost as if it’s more for him than me.
“Yes. He let me ride him.” There’s that cringe-worthy sentence again. I’m already throwing around awkward words, I may as well keep going. “Can I ride you?”
Kain’s lips part and it’s as if he’s just now hearing the dirty innuendo.
Luckily, he’s the serious one and doesn’t comment on it directly.
“I don’t know.” His palm pushes down the back of his neck, and since he didn’t immediately say no, I know there’s a chance. I stand and wrap my fingers around his bicep the moment I’m close enough. The muscle flexes beneath my touch and I hold on a bit tighter. The smooth muscle, the corded strength, the simple warmth of his body, make me never want to let go.
“Please.” The quiet sound of my voice must be his breaking point.
He looks, searching my face for a second before replying.
“Okay.” His gaze drifts from my eyes to my lips before slowly coming back to meet my eyes again. Sparking attraction sizzles through my body from the simple look.
With Sinister, we’re alike. We’re friends in every way. Or at least we were. With Chaos, we click. Chaos and I are easy together. With Rime, I want to figure him out. I’m drawn to him in a way that feels familiar. But with Kain?