Andor (The Dragon's Mate Book 1)

by Dena Christy

  He settled more heavily against her as he pulsed inside her. She tightened her arms and legs around him, the weight of his huge body wonderful against her as she cradled him. She held him close as he lay against her, vulnerable in his pleasure. His face rested in the crook of her neck as she put her hand on the back of his head and stroked the damp silk of his hair. She never wanted this to end, but knew it would soon enough.

  With a flutter of leathery wings, Andor alighted on the ground and turned back into a man. This wooded area was his favorite spot on his estate. Its quiet isolation reminded him the most of his time in Europe centuries ago. He had not been awake long enough to have become accustomed to how fast life moved in this time.

  There was one area of his life that felt like it was going by at a snail’s pace, and that was his relationship with Lyssa. He knew he needed to let her dictate how fast things developed between them, but curbing his impatience was difficult. The deadline to make her his was looming, and with every moment that passed it got closer to the time when he would have to tell her the truth about himself.

  He turned and walked back toward the house. Now that he had been intimate with her he was certain that she was destined to be his mate. There were no longer any doubt. Making love with her last night had felt like a homecoming, and he had fitted with her so naturally that it was if she was made for him.

  He hated leaving her alone in his bed this morning, but he needed to take his dragon form and expend some of the primitive energy that was bouncing inside him. Taking his other form was as natural as breathing to him, and he always felt calmer after he had an opportunity to fly.

  He bound up the steps to his house, eager to see Lyssa again. With any luck, she would still be sleeping and he could slip back in bed with her and make love to her again. Being intimate last night had not dampened his hunger for her, if anything it made his cravings for her body that much stronger.

  He walked into the foyer and strode toward the staircase. He wanted to get back into Lyssa’s arms with an eagerness that he’d never felt before.

  “Andor, there you are.” Lyssa’s voice called to him from behind him, and a brief flash of disappointment went through him. She was not in bed waiting for him to gently wake her after all.

  He turned and it seemed that every time he saw her, she grew more beautiful to his eyes. The soft light purple sweater she wore, while not his color, made his hands itch to touch her. It no longer mattered that she was not in bed waiting for him, they would be making their way back there soon enough. The intensity of his longing for her was stronger than it had been before now. Yesterday he had not known the pleasure he would find in her arms, but now he knew and he hungered to sate them both again.

  He strode over to her and cupped her face with his hands, caressing her skin as he gazed deeply in her eyes.

  “I missed you this morning,” she said as she brought her hands up to rest them on his waist. “That big bed was empty without you in it.”

  There was a curiosity in her eyes, as if she wanted to know where he had been. He could not tell her that he was soaring about the clouds in his dragon form, it was much too soon for that. He was not yet certain if she was ready to hear the secret he carried.

  “I had a few things to take care of this morning, nothing important. I would have given you a proper morning greeting if I had been by your side when you woke.” His thumb stroked over her bottom lip, and her pupils grew large.

  “And what is a proper morning greeting?” Her voice had dropped to a husky whisper, and he knew she felt the same pull toward him that he felt toward her. He could not keep himself from her any longer.

  “This.” He lowered his head slowly and covered her mouth with his. He could taste coffee and fruit on her lips and he pulled her closer to him. His hunger for her deepened and he swept her up in his arms. She gasped in surprise as she pulled back.

  “Andor, what are you doing?”

  “I am taking you back to bed.” He strode toward the stairs and took them two at a time as he went up to his bedroom. Once inside, he kicked the door closed and set her down on her feet.

  “What if Rickman comes looking for you?” There was a nervous excitement on her face, and he knew it would not take much to allay her fears.

  “Rickman knows better than to come knocking on this door after the last time he did so." He kissed her again and not another word was said about Rickman.

  He eased her down to the bed and kissed her as if he had forever to do it properly. If only the need to take his dragon’s form had not been upon him so strongly in the morning, he could have spent the time he was flying in the sky making love to her. He would make up for that now.

  With soft whispers of adoration, he removed the clothes from her body. Her plump, pale flesh glowed like a pearl in the morning light flooding through the window. He studied her for a long moment as he stripped the clothes from his body. She lay before him on the bed, open to him without guile or artifice. It hit him like a hammer that she was meant for him, and his hand trembled as he reached out to stroke the soft skin of her full breast.

  His body filled with elation, not because with her his curse would be lifted, but because he would spend the rest of his life giving thanks for her. He would protect her with his life, and worship her with his body. A feeling swelled inside him, one he had not experienced before, one he thought would elude him. She had to love him for the curse to be broken, but there was nothing in it that said he had to love her. But that was what was happening. He was falling in love with her, and he embraced the feeling as he lay beside her and pulled her to him.

  He stroked his hand over her hair as he looked into the deep green of her eyes. He longed to bare his soul to her, and tell her his deepest secret. He wanted nothing between them when he joined his flesh with hers.

  “Andor? Is something wrong?” A tiny frown pulled her brows together as she put her small, pale hand on his cheek. The rasp of his whiskers against palm was the only sound in the room as he debated with himself whether now was the time to reveal all to her. He saw the attraction and desire for him in her eyes, but how could he be sure that she loved him enough to accept him for what he was? If he miscalculated now he would not get another chance to do it right.

  He took her hand with a faint smile and pressed a kiss against her palm. “There is nothing wrong.”

  Her face cleared as she pressed her body closer to him and he closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the feel of her against his heated flesh. The dragon inside him roared to claim her, but he was not ruled by the beast inside him. He would take his time making love to her, while the secret he harbored remained inside him. There was still time before the Hunter’s Moon forced his hand.

  He took her lips in a kiss that communicated all that was roiling inside him. His desire, his passion and his growing love for her was in that kiss, and she responded by opening herself to him completely. There was no part of her that he did not have access too, and his lips and hands drifted down the satin of her skin, worshiping her. Whether she knew it or not, she was his mate and a possessiveness went through him that was so strong that he could no longer hold himself back from her. When he found the silken flesh between her thighs was ready for him, he possessed her completely. He stole the breath from her body with his invasion, and he could see the pleasure of his flesh filling her written on her face.

  “Andor.”

  His name was a sigh upon her lips, and he swooped down to take her lips with his as he moved inside her. She fit him perfectly, her soft warm flesh cradling him, squeezing him as he used his body to wring every ounce of pleasure from both of them. The floral scent of her skin, the soft silk of her flesh and the cries of her pleasure was like a siren's call that he willing rushed to.

  His movements strengthened, and she responded to his demands and met them with demands of her own. His love for her was on the tips of his tongue, begging for release. He held it back. Neither of them was ready for the secret his love f
or her would reveal, and soon all thought were driven from his head under the beat of the pleasure he found in her flesh.

  She tightened around him as she gave a cry that signaled her release. He was there to meet her, and he held her close as he poured all his love and satisfaction inside her. He wanted this moment, this perfect point in time, to last forever. It was a time when he was free to love her without the beast inside him intruding and potentially destroying what was building between them.

  Her arms and legs went around him, cradling him to her as his body collapsed on top of her, drained of even the energy to move or think. All he could do was feel, and what he felt was love for her. She was his mate, and he would love and cherish her for the rest of their lives if she let him. Only one obstacle prevented him from making that wish a reality, and as he rolled to his side and held her, he shoved that worry aside. He still had time, and when the moment was right, when he was sure of her love for him, he would reveal the deepest part of himself to her and hope that she accepted him.

  13

  Lyssa was in her car on her way to have lunch with Portia, and a frown marred her forehead. A week had passed since Kevin’s arrest, and she was no closer to learning anything more about Andor than she had been days ago. She spent every night in his bed, making love with him, and woke alone every morning. What did he need to do that would take him from her so early every morning?

  Rickman provided no useful information, so she’d stopped asking him. There was a secret in that house, she was sure of it. One that Andor and Rickman shared, and one they kept from her. Would Andor ever trust her enough to tell her what it was, or would he continue with whatever took him from their bed every morning?

  She sighed as she pulled her car into a parking spot in front of the restaurant where she was to meet Portia. Was she blowing this all out of proportion?

  With a shake of her head, she grabbed her purse and got out of the car. After feeding the parking meter, she headed inside and looked around. She spotted Portia at a table tucked away in a quiet corner and she shoved aside her doubts as she walked toward her friend. Wth all the time she’d been spending at Andor’s house, she’d had little time to spend with Portia. Apart from a few texts back and forth, she hadn’t really told Portia much about what was going on.

  “You are one hard lady to get together with.” Portia stood and gave Lyssa a quick hug.

  “I know. Between work, the whole Kevin thing and Andor, I haven’t had much time for anything else. I’m sorry we haven’t gotten together before now.” Lyssa sat down at the table, and picked up the menu. It didn’t take long to decide what she wanted, and after the waitress left with their order, she took a sip of her water and looked at her friend.

  “It looks like something is bothering you? Want to talk about it?” Portia sipped her coffee as her blue eyes studied Lyssa. Should she tell Portia about the doubts she was having? Or would speaking them out loud just make her look ridiculous? A concerned look came over Portia’s face when she remained silent. “It’s not Kevin again is it? Has something else happened?”

  “No, it's not Kevin. I haven’t heard from him since his arrest. I don’t know if he got bail or not, but if he has he’s taking the protection order very seriously. I haven’t seen or heard from him since he broke into my house.” Perhaps it was too soon to tell, but it appeared that he’d gotten the message to leave her alone.

  “Thank God for that. And how are things with that new hunk of yours?” Portia had been excited for her when she told her that she was staying with Andor in the aftermath of Kevin’s break in. Lyssa had shared the same excitement, until the doubts crept in. She was only plagued by them when she wasn’t with him. When she was in his arms, all hesitation fled and the excitement returned.

  “He’s great.” She wasn’t going to give credence to what was going on through her head by giving voice to it. It was only a foolish notion on her part that there was a secret he kept from her.

  “You don’t seem as enthusiastic about being with him as you were when you first went there. Has he turned out to be a complete dud and you don’t know how to tell me?” Portia set her cup down on the saucer as she tilted her head to the side. Lyssa should have known that she wouldn’t be able to hide much from her.

  She licked her lips as she tried to think of how to talk about what was bothering her with out sounding like a paranoid idiot. The waitress came by with their food and Lyssa picked up her fork and shoved the salad around on her plate, her appetite suddenly deserting her.

  “Lyssa, talk to me. Has he done something?” Portia spoke in a quiet soothing tone as her food sat untouched in front of her. Lyssa gave a little laugh.

  “Of course he hasn’t. He’s been perfect. The sex is amazing and when he’s with me I feel cherished and protected. I’ve never been with a man like him before, and when he’s in the room all I can focus on is him and what he makes me feel.”

  “So what’s the problem?” Portia took a bite of her sandwich as Lyssa searched for a way to articulate what the issue was.

  “I think he’s hiding something. He lives in this big, beautiful house and yet as far as I know he doesn't work. Rickman says he’s an investor, which is believable, but there is something tickling at the back of my head. Some kind of red flag. There is a secret in that house and I don’t know what it is.”

  Portia reached out to put her hand on her arm, and Lyssa saw deep concern in her eyes. “Has he hurt you?”

  “Oh God no, nothing like that. I think he would kill himself before he would harm me in any way. I’m not afraid of him or of what he might do to me. It’s silly. Forget I said anything.” Lyssa speared some of her salad with her fork and brought it to her mouth. She was sure it would be delicious if she could taste anything, but eating was for Portia’s benefit, not for her enjoyment.

  “Something must be going on for you to feel this way? What’s been happening?”

  Lyssa set her fork aside with a sigh. She’d opened a can of worms, and now Portia wasn’t going to let her close it again.

  “We sleep together every night, but I wake up alone every morning. He goes somewhere for a couple of hours every day and I don’t know where. I’ve asked Rickman and he says to ask Andor. Andor says it's nothing I need to worry about.” She wasn’t explaining this right. There was nothing specific that she could pinpoint, no moment that she could point to and say that this was the reason she needed to exercise caution. She was falling in love with him, and it felt like nothing she’d been through before. Things with him were wonderful, and all doubts and fears were erased when he was with her. It was the moments when he wasn't around that a black spot crept into her heart, and tried to spread its rot. It whispered that things were too perfect, that something had to be wrong. “I don’t know how to explain it. He’s hiding something from me. Sometimes when he looks at me, I can sense that he wants to tell me something, but he doesn’t. When I ask him what it is, he always says it’s nothing and then he kisses me.”

  “So you have an attractive, rich man who rocks your world, and you think something is wrong because he spends a few hours on his own every morning? You think there is something wrong because he looks like he wants to tell you something but kisses you instead?” Portia looked at her like she’d lost her mind, and maybe she had. Rationally she knew that she was jumping at shadows, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

  “I know how this sounds. Crazy right? But Kevin did the same thing when we were together. He would disappear too. Mind you it was for days at a time, and he would tell me I had nothing to worry about. When I pushed him on it, he told me that he was a dragon hunter and that he was going to meetings with his fellow hunters. How can I not think that this is going to turn out to be the same?”

  “Because Andor is not even in the same league as that punk Kevin. Kevin was a slimy little shit from the jump, and when you started dating him I told you that he would bring you nothing but trouble. You can’t compare the two, but I know why you are.�
�� Portia smiled at her to soften her words. “You should have been doing this when you were dating Kevin, but you blinded yourself to his faults. It was like you thought Kevin was the kind of man you deserved. Now a man like Andor comes along, who is decent, who respects and protects you, and you think there is something wrong with him. God knows your mother never showed you what a healthy relationship looks like, but you have to stop letting her ghost run your life. She made bad choices, and it was tragic that she paid for it with her life, but you are not her.”

  “This has nothing to do with my mother.” Lyssa shoved her plate away. She wouldn’t be able to eat any more. Perhaps lunch with Portia had been a bad idea. All it was doing was stir up things that were better left dormant.

  “It has everything to do with her. You pick men that are unworthy of you, and you set yourself up for disappointment and heartbreak because you think that is all you deserve. And now that you’ve found someone who is worthy of you, you are throwing up doubts and reasons for something to be wrong with him. You need to stop doing it. You’ll never be happy until you accept that you aren’t your mother and that you deserve better than what she had.”

  Was that really what she was doing? Was she grasping for reasons that Andor could not possibly be the kind of man she deserved to have a relationship with? He treated her with kindness and respect, and was she so twisted inside that she thought a man like Kevin was what she should have, instead of a man like Andor?

  “Am I really doing that? I don’t want to live my mother’s life. I want to have a relationship with a man who I can trust. At least that’s what my head says.”

  “I know that’s what your head says, and you can have that with Andor. But you have to stop sabotaging yourself. You deserve better than a man like Kevin, you just need to convince your heart that it’s true. I think you are falling in love with Andor and that’s why you are doing this.” Portia reached out and squeezed her hand, and Lyssa’s eyes swam for a moment.