Her Silent Knight

by Siren Allen

  If they were a couple, he would not be allowed to leave the house like that. If she could see his dick print, that meant other women could see his dick print. If he was her man, he wouldn’t be allowed to be showing all of that to the world.

  When he groaned, her thoughts were pulled away from his crotch and back to his face. He no longer had his head down. He’d caught her staring. She found him staring at her wearing a pained expression.

  She should probably explain why she’d been staring at his dick. The ability to speak left her mouth when he started her way. She wanted to tell him to stop. Her mouth opened. No words emerged.

  She leaned back when he reached the bed. That didn’t stop him from climbing onto the bed and straddling her. Unable to move, she leaned back some more until her head was once again resting on the pillow.

  With his arms and legs on either side of her body, caging her in, he peered down at her. She couldn’t move, couldn’t run, all she could do was stare up at him. He lowered his forehead to hers. Sin squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Look at me, treasure,” he growled.

  She obeyed. Why did she obey? It was that voice. Deep. Dark. Demanding. Staring up at him, she prayed her heart would stop racing ninety to nothing. If it kept this up, she’d have a heart attack. Or worse, do something insane, like fall in love.

  “I want to give you time. I don’t want to pressure you, okay?”

  Sin nodded. Only because that was what she thought he expected.

  “But you have to help me do that.”

  “I-I don’t understand.”

  “If you don’t want me to touch you, you need to stop smelling so fucking edible.” He growled the last part and that made her kitty purr.

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” he groaned and closed his eyes.

  “I’m not doing anything,” Sin hurried to say.

  “You can’t hide this from me. You can’t hide your desires from me.” He opened his eyes. “When I claim you, I want all of you, Sinclair Rose.”

  This was the first time he’d ever said her name. Before, she was mate, treasure or just plain witch. Hearing her name on his lips only turned her on more.

  “Mate...” he growled as he crawled backward on the bed until he was face level with her private area.

  She had no idea what he was about to do. The covers were separating them. That didn’t stop him from lowering his head to the covers and inhaling deeply. And that didn’t stop her body from responding instantly.

  Sin bit her lip to keep from groaning. His nose was touching her clit through the covers as he inhaled her scent. She felt it, pressing against her clit. She had no idea she could be aroused by a nose. Did that make her the pervert?

  “Mate,” he whispered. “You can’t want me here...” He raised his head then placed his hand on the covers above her clit and pressed down.

  Sin shivered. He wasn’t even touching her directly and her pussy was freaking rioting against her resolve to leave here without riding his face.

  “You can’t want me here,” he said again, hand pressing down gently on the covers, then grinding just enough to make her hips jerk. “And not want me here.” He raised his hand and placed it against his chest, over his heart.

  For some insane reason, her heart did a little flip in her chest.

  “It’s all or nothing. I need all of you. Not just one part. I want to fuck you sideways. I also want to hold you close and protect you from the evils of this world forever. I can do both, if you let me. But you have to let me. You have to want me. All of you, has to want all of me. I can’t force you.”

  He backed up off the bed until he was standing on the floor. She resisted the urge to reach for him. For a second, he just stood there, staring at her while she lay there in bed, staring at him.

  He looked so vulnerable. She wanted to say something, but she too, was feeling vulnerable. And she had no idea why. This was beyond strange to her. Lust and desire, she understood.

  It was natural to experience those things. This, what she was feeling right now, this was foreign territory for her. She didn’t have a name for it. It wasn’t love. Then again, she’d never been in love. She didn’t really know what that felt like.

  Finally, he sighed and turned toward the door. “I’ll have someone bring you something to eat.”

  That said, he left the room, closing the door behind him and taking a piece of her heart with him.

  Chapter Eighteen

  HE NEEDED A DRINK!

  Kaede entered Santiago’s Bar. The only bar in the compound. And it was more of a hut. But it got the job done and provided a place for the villagers and those who lived in the compound to hang out.

  Kaede wasn’t interested in hanging out. Right now, he needed something to take his mind off her. He needed something strong. Stronger than her scent. Stronger than her taste. Stronger than these feelings he was developing for her.

  Since nothing like that existed on this plane or any other plane of existence, he’d settle for some of Santiago’s moonshine. He pulled out a chair at one of the single chair tables and sat down.

  “Drinking alone as usual,” San said to him when he approached the table with a cup in his hand.

  “Moonshine?” Kaede asked.

  “With the scowl you had on your face, I figured you needed it.” San sat the drink on the table. “It’s good to finally hear your voice, friend.”

  Kaede nodded then picked up the cup and took a huge sip. The shine burned the back of his throat. He welcomed the feeling. Anything to try and mask the feeling of rejection he was currently experiencing.

  “Sil brought me some berries a few months ago. I took the wine from the cellar yesterday. It’s fermented and ready to serve. I thought I was going to get to bring it out for you to celebrate you finding your mate and your voice and all.”

  “Word travels fast.” Kaede took another sip and swallowed. “I guess you also heard she was my target.”

  “Yeah. Which is why we’re drinking moonshine today and wine another day.”

  “I’m not sure if I’ll make it to the wine stage.”

  “You will. I’ll be right back. I’ve got some synthetic O-Pos to serve.”

  Vampires! San nodded to the corner of the room. Kaede glanced over his shoulder to find Rhen and his crew seated at a table.

  “Hi, fellow day drinker,” Rhen shouted with his cup raised in salute.

  “You two have a truce, right?” San asked. “I just made these new tables.”

  “I’m not in the mood to fight,” Kaede replied, facing forward in his seat and ignoring Rhen.

  “Good.” San patted him on the shoulder. “Raise your hand when you want another drink.”

  Kaede nodded. Santiago walked away, leaving Kaede alone with his thoughts. The second he was alone, his thoughts returned to the female in his bed. The female whose body wanted him, but heart rejected him.

  She constantly smells of arousal yet she rejects us, his beast complained.

  Kaede didn’t have a response for his dragon. He was new to this. Having never been in a relationship, he didn’t know if this was common or not. He’d seen others woo ladies they liked.

  Sometimes the woman returned the guy’s affection. Sometimes she didn’t. If she didn’t, the guy moved on. Kaede couldn’t move on. His treasure wasn’t some random woman he was interested in.

  She already belonged to him. The Fates deemed it so. Yet, she refused to recognize the union. And even though her heart seemed to not want him, her body was screaming his name. And he wanted to answer it.

  He wanted to answer it so fucking bad. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d wanted something, anything, this badly. Kaede grabbed his cup and drained the rest of the moonshine then raised his hand, signaling he wanted more.

  “Coming up, K,” Santiago called out.

  “I’ll take it to him,” Rhen shouted. “You guys stay here. I’m going to go see what’s bothering our dragon friend.”

  Kaede close
d his eyes and prayed for patience. He’d told San he wasn’t in the fighting mood. That was slowly changing. A chair scraped against the floor. Kaede opened his eyes to find Rhen seated across from him.

  “Vamp speed.” Rhen grinned and sat two cups on the table then scooted the one with the clear beverage across to Kaede.

  Kaede grabbed the cup and took a huge sip.

  “I take it our witch...”

  “Say ours one more time, vamp.”

  “Your witch,” Rhen corrected. “I guess your witch isn’t behaving all docile and demure liked you’d hoped.”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “Want some advice?”

  “Did I ask for any?”

  “This is a freebie.”

  “Rhen...”

  “When she climbed onto my bike after escaping the shredders in her house, the first thing she asked me was, did you see my dragon or did they kill him?”

  Kaede looked to Rhen. “Truly?”

  The vamp nodded.

  Kaede stared down into his cup. “She was probably hoping I’d died.”

  “That’s what I asked her. Want to know what she said or do you still want me to shut up?”

  Kaede gripped his cup tightly. “I think you already know the answer to that.”

  “Okay. I’ll shut up and drink this Syn-O. This is my first time drinking synthetic blood. I didn’t know you guys had scientist here who was behind the scenes working on shit like this. This could be a game-changer. No, it’s not the same as regular blood. But it does quench the thirst and dull the hunger pangs.”

  “Rhen, what the fuck did she say?”

  “I thought you’d never ask. I asked her if she hoped you was dead or not. She hesitated and then she said.... Are you ready?” Rhen leaned closer and whispered. “She said, it wasn’t her concern.”

  “Fuck you, Rhen.” Kaede stood up, causing his chair to topple to the floor and drawing attention his way.

  “Hey, K, you promised,” Santiago yelled from across the room.

  Standing across the table from Rhen, with his fists clutched at his sides, Kaede glared down at the vampire who was still seated.

  “Meet me outside,” Kaede growled.

  “Stop being all, Me. Alpha. You. Vampire. Have a seat. I’m not done.”

  “I don’t want to hear more.”

  “Trust me, you do.”

  “That’s the problem, I don’t trust you.”

  “You should. Because I think you all got a shitstorm coming your way and you’re going to need my help. Or have you forgotten about The Deciders? Have you contacted them yet?”

  Fuck. No, he hadn’t contacted them. But after changing his mate’s clothes and putting her to bed, he did listen to a message they’d sent to him.

  Kaede picked his chair up and sat down. “They left me a message to turn the witch over within one week or die.”

  “At least they gave you a week. It’s usually three days or that’s your ass.”

  “What did you and Sil decide?”

  “That’s between me and...”

  “I’m not in the mood for joking.”

  “You’re a newly mated dragon, you should be in the mood.” Rhen winked.

  “What did you and Sil decide?”

  “You’re going to have to liven up a bit if you want to win Sin over.”

  “I’m more concerned with keeping her alive right now.”

  “To do that, you have to realize one thing first.”

  “What?”

  “Those assigned tasks from TD are bullshit.”

  “Don’t start this, Rhen.”

  “There is no leaving this plane, Kaede. I know that for a fact.”

  “Yet, every time I ask you for proof, you say you can’t give it to me.”

  “I can’t. I know that sounds suspect. But I’d be endangering someone’s life if I told you how I know.”

  “I call bullshit.”

  “I’m not bullshitting you. I’m serious. The creatures who complete their tasks don’t leave this place. They go missing.”

  Kaede sighed. “Missing?”

  “Yeah. Missing and freedom look the same depending on the person looking at it. We no longer see them so we assume they were granted their freedom. They, however, are probably wishing they were here with us, instead of where they are.”

  “Which is?”

  “That part, I don’t know. It depends on the creature and how useful he can be to The Deciders.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “So, did I. At first.”

  “What changed your mind?”

  “That, I can’t tell you.”

  “Damn it, Rhen.”

  “I know. I know. But it doesn’t matter for you anyway. You can’t take any more tasks because you’ll be on their shitless when you don’t turn Sin over. Your opportunity to kidnap your way to freedom has passed. What you need to do now is worry about surviving.”

  What Rhen said was true. There was no longer a way for him and his mate to leave this place. All they could do now was survive.

  “Why does she go to that house in the Frozen Region?”

  Rhen shook his head. “I can’t tell you that. Even she can’t tell you that without getting permission first.”

  “I’m her mate...”

  “But that secret isn’t hers to tell without permission. Don’t try to force her to divulge that information. Doing so will only push her further away.”

  “There should be no secrets between mates.”

  “Sometimes that can’t be helped. She has a family back on the Mortal Plane to protect. Give her time to open up. You’re trying to rush things along. You’ve just got your voice back. Use it. Ask her questions. Ask her what she wants. And don’t get upset if you’re not what she wants.”

  “How can I not get upset about that?”

  “She’s your world. You’re not hers, yet. Damn man, has it been that long since you’ve dated?”

  Kaede took a sip of his moonshine.

  “It has, hasn’t it? How long has it been?”

  Forever.

  “You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone... while I’m sober.”

  “None of your business. Tell me what you and Sil came up with.”

  “None of your business.”

  Childish bastard. Kaede shook his head. “I’ve never dated.”

  Rhen nearly choked on his drink. “Say what?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Ever?”

  “Do you know what never means?”

  “Damn. But... you have at least been in some pussy before, right?”

  Kaede simply stared at him, barely believing they were having this conversation. Rhen leaned back in his seat and grin.

  “It seems the mighty alpha has never had pussy before.”

  “Careful, Rhen,” Kaede warned.

  “No wonder you’re running around looking mad at the world. You’ve got a hard-on and don’t know what to do with it.”

  “Rhen, shut the fuck up.”

  “You’ve come to the right place.”

  “You came over here.”

  “That’s what I said. The first thing you need to do is stop thinking with your dick.”

  I’m trying. He sipped his shine and pretended to ignore Rhen.

  “Then you have to do little things, subtle things, to make her notice you.”

  What the hell was he talking about?

  “Like walking around with no shirt on. Let her see the goods. But don’t let her touch. Bend over in front of her.”

  “I’m pretty sure my ass isn’t going to turn her on.” Not like hers turns me on.

  “Women like asses. It’s a scientific fact.”

  “I’m pretty sure it isn’t.”

  “So am I. Anyway. Bathe and then walk naked into the room to get dressed.”

  “That’s perverted.”

  “Between mates, nothing is perverted.”

  “Where did you ge
t these tips from?”

  “I’ve done them. They’ll work.”

  “No thanks.”

  “Okay, dragon. What do you plan on doing? Sitting around, drinking moonshine until you pass out.”

  Kaede took another sip of his shine. It would take a lot of this to get him drunk. Double that to make him pass out.

  “Don’t even consider it. If you go home drunk, that will only piss Sin off.”

  “Sin this, Sin that. What about me?” Even as he said that, guilt consumed him. “Forget I said that. I no longer matter. My mate is the only...”

  “A lie. You matter. You just started this shit off wrong. Your first encounter was a kidnap attempt. Dude, getting pass that is going to take some time. She’s only seen one side of you. Show her who you really are. Let her get to know Kaede Oshiro. Then she’ll come around. Until then, you’re just the bastard who tried to turn her over to TD. Remember earlier, when I told you she said it wasn’t her concern whether you were dead or not?”

  “How can I forget that?”

  “You didn’t let me finish. After I gave her my helmet, she glanced back at the burning house. I asked her what was wrong. She asked me if dragons could survive inhaling smoke like fire witches could.”

  She’d been concerned about him.

  “I told her, of course, they could. Then she asked if dragons could win in a fight against a group of shredders. I assured her you would be okay. I didn’t know you were mates then. But I knew something was up from the way she was behaving.”

  “She was worried about me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why is she acting like...”

  “You keep forgetting you tried to turn her over to TD.”

  Kaede sighed. “Yeah. I keep forgetting that important fact. I told myself I wouldn’t rush this. But every time I see her...”

  “You want to poke her?”

  “Never say that again.”

  “Hey, every time I see my mate, I want to poke her. Until she tells me if I come near her, she’ll freeze it off. Then I remember that she hates me and wants me dead.”

  “It seems you know exactly how I feel.”

  “Bingo. At least you didn’t almost kill your mate like I almost killed mine. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever win her over. But, I’m hers. So, I gotta keep trying.”