by Amelia Jade
“I know.” He didn’t seem ready to relent.
“No. I need you at full strength if you need to protect me again. Look at the size of this thing,” she said, pointing to the oversized mattress. “That could fit two of me and one and a half of you. We can make that work.”
She flopped down onto it, immediately feeling her eyes begin to close.
Then Hel was there, on his side next to her, and sleep became the very last thing on her mind.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked. “I don’t need to sleep here.”
Maybe not, because I can think of a lot of others things to do here.
“It’s okay,” she insisted, reaching out to pat his shoulder.
Instead her hand made its way to his face and stroked his cheek, feeling the tickle of his short stubble. Her fingers trembled when her brain caught up to her body. Hel must have felt it, because his hand closed over hers. Big. Warm. Soft. Strong.
She licked her suddenly dry lips. Had it all been leading to this? All their flirting, tension, ten years of friendship? Was it all really supposed to be more than it had been?
“Megyn…” he said quietly, never moving his eyes.
“Yes?” She was barely breathing.
“I’d really like to kiss you right now.”
It was one of the first times Hel had ever expressed any sort of desire for her in words. Ever. He wanted to do something to her. He wanted her. She could see it in his eyes, and now she’d heard it from his lips. It wasn’t the words she secretly maybe wanted to hear, but it was a start. For Hel it was a major stepping stone.
“I think I’d like that,” she whispered, barely getting the words about before he was there.
Beside her. On top of her. With her.
She tore frantically at his shirt, pulling it off so that she could run her hands along his body. After years of being friends she’d seen him shirtless on multiple occasions, but this was the first time Megyn was able to truly explore his body. To feel the individual muscles beneath her fingertips, running over the curves of his sides and pressing her palms to his chest to feel his heartbeat.
“That feels good,” he said between kisses of her neck.
“That too,” she moaned as his teeth pinched her skin gently, shivers following the trails of her veins.
“Now, if you’ll just move like this.”
She did, and abruptly her shirt came up over her head and was deposited on the floor somewhere out of sight and out of reach.
“Well if you’ll just back up, I can do this.” She slipped his belt off, managing to get the buttons undone at the same time.
Hel removed her bra next, and then he sat back to look at her. Never did she feel nervous or uncomfortable. Instead his gaze traveled her body, lighting a fire wherever it went. He lingered on her breasts, and Megyn felt her nipples harden, reaching out toward him, begging to be sucked.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered before dipping down and covering her mouth, preventing her from replying.
Megyn just moaned into his kiss, pushing her hands between his pants and boxers, feeling him there, exploring the length and emerging more than impressed and perhaps a little eager. This was all so new to her with Hel. She’d seen him in next to nothing…possibly even nothing at all, though alcohol interfered with that memory of them and some other friends going skinny dipping.
Never had she truly expected that they would have a physical relationship with one another. Nor that there would be such a powerful connection. Every area of her skin burned when he touched it, heated and eager for more. Her hips constantly thrust upward with a mind of their own, wanting nothing more than to capture him inside her.
This was lust, pure and simple, but it wasn’t one-sided. Hel was breathing heavily as he moved from her neck to her breasts, his grunts and pleased noises filling her ear, driving her onward.
Taking turns they stripped one another naked, rolling around and giggling as they went. It wasn’t sexy, but it was fun, and that was almost more enjoyable to her. She enjoyed a good power-sexy romp in the bedroom as much as anyone, but there was something adorably innocent about this, and it spoke to her on a level that transcended lust, and bordered on another l-word.
“Hel,” she whispered as he kissed his way over her nipples, sucking on them once more, much to her delight.
“Yes?” He kept going this time, his lips trailing over her stomach, exploring her every curve. If she let him he’d probably kiss every inch of her body, but fingers had already made their way beyond her waist and were teasing between her thighs, focusing her mind on something else entirely.
“Nothing,” she gasped as his tongue flicked out, shattering any thoughts she might have had and replacing them with the first flickers of the ecstasy she hoped would follow. “Just don’t stop.
He didn’t. Megyn pushed herself up on a pillow and locked eyes with him, feeling herself tremble and writhe while he guided his tongue across, over, down, and against her. He started from nothing and didn’t stop until she was a quivering, pulsing mess trying her best to sink deep into the covers as the first, and then very quickly the second orgasm crashed into her.
“That was really good,” she half-moaned once her brain recovered. “I’ve never…wow.”
His kisses touched the insides of her thighs, and just like that the furnace was stoked back to life. Hel was gentler this time, and made sure he eased her back up to speed, taking however long she needed. Her hands grasped her breasts, rolling her nipples gently between two fingers.
All at once Hel slid a finger inside of her, and suddenly it was a race to the finish. She bucked and thrashed, but he used his free hand to hold her tight. Eventually she fell back, little more than a puddle. Hel took a break as well, coming up to cuddle with her, and she rolled onto her side, resting her head on his chest.
With his nakedness it didn’t take long for her to begin stroking him, unable to keep her hand away. It was a satisfying feeling to take him in her hand, gripping him tight and feeling how hard he was, all because of her. She’d never known this power over Hel before, and with his buff bod, it wasn’t something she’d expected.
“That feels really nice,” he groaned as she caressed his sac and ran her fingers down past it, loving the way he shivered under her touch. “But I have a better idea about what we could do.”
“What’s that?”
Hel pulled her leg up and over him, lifting her until she straddled him. It was only once the tip of him pressed against her opening that Megyn realized what he’d done. “You’re strong,” she breathed, further aroused by the display of power.
Short and wide her entire life, she’d never experienced the thrill of just being tossed around. Until right then. Hel had done it casually, as if she weighed nothing at all, and it was the most erotic movement. Fresh wetness flowed through her and she pushed back onto his shaft, craving him inside her.
He slipped inside with ease. Megyn’s fingers dug into his chest as she breathed deeply, waiting for her body to remember what it felt like to have something, someone, penetrate it. Hel wasn’t tiny either, and it took her a solid three minutes to capture him fully.
For his part Hel looked like he was having a hard time.
“So. Tight,” he grunted. She felt his abs flex and relax in swift succession.
“Are you going to be all right?” she asked, lifting herself off him and then back down.
“Maybe.” His voice was tighter. “Never been. So. Turned on.”
She grinned, and slowly worked her hips back and forth, grinding into him. She’d already achieved her pleasure. Now it was his turn, though Megyn wasn’t exactly going without. He felt very good inside her.
“It’s okay,” she told him, staring at his face, moaning softly while rocking back and forth. “I want it, Hel.”
He twitched, a dead giveaway that he liked listening to her.
“I love the way you feel inside of m
e. You fill me up,” she gasped, taking all of him deep as she said that, pushing down into the bed, aching for every last inch.
The next time Hel spread his legs slightly and thrust up against her. Megyn’s eyes went wide and she fell forward slightly. “Oh my God.”
“I can’t hang on,” he groaned.
She could feel him swelling. Her own body was shivering, ready to explode. “Don’t,” she begged. “Just let go. I want it. I’m ready too. I’m so close, Hel. Just do it.”
He groaned, loudly this time, and his hips lifted clear of the bed, taking her with it. Every available bit of him was inside her now. Her body was on fire; she knew all it would take was—
She felt his shaft pulse and warmth exploded into her, causing her body to tighten around him. Megyn tossed her head back and let her cries fill the room, more focused on what he was doing to her body. If someone heard them, so be it. She was overcome with pleasure as Hel came.
Eventually his body went limp, and she spilled onto the bed next to him, a satisfied smile on her face. Something about having him release inside her filled Megyn with a primal happiness and satisfaction she’d never experienced before. It wasn’t usually her thing, but with Hel it was more than just fun. It was right.
“I’m sorry.”
Her head lolled to the side, muscles responding weakly to her commands. “Sorry? What, exactly, are you sorry for?”
“Uh. The quickness. I’m, um. It’s just that I—Well, it was good, and then I was inside you, and I couldn’t. Then you did the thing, and I—”
She cut him off. “Hel.”
“Yes?”
“Shut up.”
“Okay, but—”
“Hel.”
“Yes?”
“You’re making it awkward. I’m over here unable to move. Look at my face. How does it look?”
“Um. Happy?” He was starting to cringe at himself.
“Exactly. Stop making it awkward.”
Hel went silent, and all at once Megyn realized that was the worst thing he could have done. Now they were lying there. Together. Unspeaking.
Aww shit. It was awkward now. There was no undoing that.
“I’m going to shower now,” she muttered, getting up and walking into the bathroom, her legs still a little shaky.
Hel mumbled something about getting unpacked, and left the room before she’d shut the door.
Well, great. Did I just screw up a good friendship over a night of sex?
Chapter Eleven
Hel
It wasn’t until they exited their destination airport the next day that Megyn finally said something to him that wasn’t out of sheer necessity.
“The mountains remind me of home.”
He followed her gaze, trying not to overreact to the change. After sleeping on the floor, he’d hoped that the next morning things might be less awkward between them. To his dismay nothing of the sort happened; if anything they got worse. Even just speaking to one another was awkward.
“Yeah. Smaller. Less impressive. But still comforting.” Hel choked down the lie out of necessity.
Perhaps lie was the wrong word. The mountains themselves were comfortable. The visual panorama in front of them was stunning with how far they stretched to the left and right, visible for miles upon miles. Below the mountains, however, was something that instantly colored his view of them, and would have done the same to Megyn too if she knew the truth of it.
Far below one of the peaks lay a portal to another world. Possibly even another realm or dimension. The humans didn’t know, and right now that was beyond their worry.
Like most of the Enclave’s dragons Hel had been briefed about the Outsiders. Horrific creatures with black exoskeleton armor that emerged from the portal, they could, with a simple touch of their matte black exterior, drain the life force directly from any living creature. The debate amongst mortals and semi-immortals alike had raged long and hard for centuries about whether or not a “soul” was a real thing.
After seeing the footage of an Outsider warrior ruthlessly sucking human soldiers dry, Hel no longer knew what side he was on. The blue-white energy glow that was ripped from the humans moments before they became corpses was difficult to deny as anything but a soul. What else could it possibly be? Some form of energy? Nobody really knew.
All that was known was that they were horrific, and the more they fed, the stronger they got. Dragons, it seemed, had an advantage over humans. Not only could they hit harder with their powers, but when they bonded with their mates, they became impervious to the Outsiders’ energy-stealing ability. They could still be maimed and killed physically, but it took more than a simple touch.
So why the hell did I bring my mate within striking distance of these creatures?
“Tell me again why we came to Barton City, of all the places in the United States? Why couldn’t we visit New York, or Los Angeles? Or Miami? Oooh, the beach would be wonderful!”
It was nice to see her happy, even if she was complaining about their ultimate destination. “The reasoning is simple,” he said. “This is the last place they would ever expect me to go.”
He kept any reaction of his slipup from reaching his face. Megyn was still under the impression that they were fleeing her ex and his pack. Truthfully though, they were here to escape the magistrates the enclave would have sent after him by now for the way he’d disrupted a shifter function.
Ian no doubt would have filed a formal complaint, and when they found out it was him, they would send Kase and Stoen in a heartbeat.
So Hel had brought Megyn here, to the most dangerous place on earth, all on the crazy idea that they wouldn’t expect him to do something so stupid. Either he was a genius or he really was insane.
“Right.” She didn’t sound convinced about his answer.
“That, and I’m paying.” He held his breath at the joke, not sure how she would react.
Megyn snorted. “You have me there. I shouldn’t be ungrateful. At least the view is pretty. I bet there are some amazing trails out there.”
“You’re probably right,” he agreed, even antsier about taking his mate into the mountains than bringing her near them. That was a bad idea through and through.
“Have you already gone ahead and arranged a place for us to stay here?” Megyn asked.
He decided to take that at face value, and not a shot at him taking charge of everything.
“Not exactly. There’s a place I know of that will hopefully let us stay with them.”
“Hopefully?” she asked, lifting her eyebrows. “That doesn’t sound promising.”
Grimacing, he pointed her toward a taxi cab. “Yeah, I’ll be honest with you, Megyn, I’m sort of winging it from here.”
To his complete surprise, she grinned. “Finally.”
“What? Why are you happy about that?”
“Because it’s great to know that you’re human. You’ve been going at this like some kind of methodical monster, every step planned and prepared for once the previous one proves untenable. Now you’re admitting that you actually don’t know what we’re going to do next, and that means you and I are on the same level. It’s immensely relieving.”
“Megyn, I’ve had no idea what the hell I’ve been doing this entire time. All I had planned out in advance was taking you to the cabin to relax and think things over, and then also considering the idea that we might have to leave the country if Ian didn’t accept the truth. This idea came to me near last minute, and everything that happened at the cabin? Wasn’t expecting that. I wasn’t sure if we’d be there for a few hours, a day, a few days. I’ve been making it up as I go, trying to do what seems best for you.”
She was staring at him. “Really? Big bad Hel, with his secrets and his toughness, has no idea what he’s doing?”
“Well, right now I’m confessing something to you and getting made fun of for it, all while trying to get in the cab so we can get a mo
ve on. But in the grand scheme of things? No, this is where my plan runs out.”
“You just wanted to strand me in a foreign country, didn’t you? To kidnap me and take me away.”
“No.” He stared at her. “I wanted you to come willingly.”
He opened the cab door and held it for her.
“It’s a good thing I trust you,” she said emphatically, then slid into the waiting vehicle.
I know. I just hope I don’t do anything to break it.
With all the secrets he was harboring, Hel knew that he was asking for the impossible.
***
“Here. This is it,” he said abruptly. “You can let us out here.”
The cab driver pulled over obligingly into the first empty spot he could find at the side of the road.
“What is this place?” Megyn asked, looking up at the huge apartment building they had pulled up next to.
“This is the next step in the plan,” he said, hopping out after paying.
“It looks nice enough.”
“It had better be,” he muttered, more to himself than anything
This was the Dragon Tower, or so he hoped. Word had reached the Enclave about it. It was the tallest apartment building in Barton City, bought by the military and renovated to accommodate the dragon army they were building.
It was here that Hel hoped to find a place that they could stay for a long time. He dreaded what it might cost him for a room, and hoped fervently that they would only ask him for money instead.
“Ooh, cupcakes!” Megyn half-squealed as they entered the lobby and saw the sign for the shop.
“Here,” he said, shoving a handful of American bills he’d grabbed from a teller at the airport into her hand. “Go enjoy while I get us a room.”
She looked at the money. “Are you sure?”
“I told you, it’s not a big deal.”
Megyn looked like she could kiss him, thought better of it, then just smiled and disappeared into the store under the sign that read Violet’s Cupcakerie.
Relieved at the distraction, Hel hurried to the front desk, where a young male with a fresh haircut and professionally trimmed beard stood. A nametag read Aaron on the right breast of his dress-shirt.