Ruthless Knight

by Liza Street

  It would start with locating however many of her dragons she could find. Along with Charles, they would come to Idaho with her and Nolan. From there, she would rebuild her court.

  Dragonkind would not fall victim to the wicked skin-hunters.

  Under Tamryn’s rule of love and justice, dragonkind would thrive.

  Chapter Seventeen

  When it was time to stop for the night, Nolan tried to find some level of trust for the other man. Jealousy was the only explanation for his reluctance to accept him.

  They sat around a small fire and shared some of the dried food Nolan had packed. Tamryn ate daintily, but quickly. The rapid pace Charles had set today seemed to have increased her hunger.

  “I could hunt a deer to roast, if your appetite is strong,” Charles said to Tamryn.

  “No, no,” Tamryn said quickly. “This is fine. Next time we come to a stream or lake, we’ll fish for something fresh.”

  Nolan was glad. After befriending Jubilee, he’d never eat venison again.

  “Are you going to try shifting before retiring for the night?” Charles asked Tamryn. “I could sit with you while you quiet your mind, if you like.”

  Nolan wanted to snarl that helping Tamryn was his job, but then he stopped. He was jealous of the dragon man. He must have shoved the envy down hard in order to not recognize it, but it explained his suspicion and distrust.

  Tamryn looked over at Nolan, a question on her face. She was so beautiful. Did she know how effortlessly pretty she was? He wondered if the men of her court, or other men around her, were bothered by her burn scar. She hadn’t hidden it from Nolan, but she had flinched when he first touched it. He wanted her to know just how beautiful and precious she was to him, and he could start by trusting her, even if he couldn’t trust Charles.

  “It might be good to practice shifting with another dragon,” Nolan said, his voice gruff with emotion. Not emotion at her working with Charles, but emotion with the certainty that she belonged to him, and he to her. It seemed like some kind of fantasy come to life. How could he have gotten so lucky to have fate pair him with this perfect woman?

  “We won’t go far,” Charles assured him.

  Nolan waved a hand at him. He wasn’t worried. Idly jealous, maybe. Just jealous enough to make trusting the other man difficult, but not enough to go into a rage over Tamryn spending a few minutes with him in search of her dragon. Nolan was a bigger man than that.

  Tamryn and Charles stood up and walked away from the clearing. Nolan listened to pinpoint their location. He heard Charles laugh, and Tamryn say softly, “He is a good man. The best of men.”

  Nolan’s heart swelled with pride. Charles could want Tamryn from now until kingdom come, but Tamryn would only ever want Nolan. That’s what happened when mates were fated to be together.

  He finished his jerky and dried blueberries, then doused the fire. In the crisp quiet of the night, he listened to the faint sounds of nocturnal animals, the creaks of swaying trees, the soft hush of his own breaths. Charles and Tamryn were silent, likely meditating together.

  He understood Tamryn’s reluctance to find her dragon. Or rather, her dragon’s reluctance to come forward. The whole thing was a mindfuck. The most powerful form she could take was also the form that put her life at risk.

  Tamryn and Charles returned to the tents perhaps an hour later. Tamryn’s jaw was set and she avoided looking at Nolan. Charles caught Nolan’s eye and shook his head.

  “Goodnight,” Tamryn said stiffly, before briefly touching Nolan’s shoulder. Then she climbed into her tent.

  Nolan looked back at Charles. “You still up for taking a watch tonight?”

  “Yes, I could do that,” Charles said. “Does this mean you finally trust me?”

  “Nope. Not completely.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “But my mate’s upset,” Nolan said, “and this is a calculated risk. I’d rather comfort her than be paranoid. Ya know?”

  Charles nodded. “I do. Your comfort and words will do more for her than anything I could do.”

  Nolan should fucking hope so, but he wouldn’t be rude enough to say so.

  While Charles made himself comfortable on a stump, Nolan pulled up the zipper on Tamryn’s tent.

  “Hey,” he said, hesitating. “Can I...come in?”

  “Of course.” She sat up in the darkness.

  His night vision was good, but she was still mostly shadow. It was enough, though. He fell to his knees and reached for her with one hand while yanking the tent’s zipper closed with the other.

  “Talk to me,” he said as she leaned against his chest.

  “It’s impossible,” she said. “I’m starting to think that my transformation will have to wait until we return to Idaho. And even then, Nolan, what if I still can’t do it? What if I lost my ability because I ignored it for too long?”

  He hugged her close. “Trust me. You’ll be able to shift. You’re just scared, and for good reason.”

  “I know it happened over two hundred years ago,” she whispered, “but to me, my parents died two weeks ago.”

  She didn’t cry, but he could sense the sorrow coming off of her in waves. He didn’t need her gift of empathy to sense it, either.

  “Shhh,” he said, cradling her in his arms.

  Eventually, her breathing evened out until she slept. He eased her down to her sleeping mat and pulled her sleeping bag up to cover her.

  She stirred and her eyes fluttered open. “I need you, Nolan.”

  He needed her, too. He whispered, “But we’re not alone...”

  “He won’t care,” she said, her voice so soft, he could barely hear her words. “And so what if he does? We’re mates. We belong in each other’s arms, delighting in each other’s bodies.”

  His dick was getting hard, but he tried to ignore it. “I don’t want you to feel embarrassed in the morning.”

  “Nothing could embarrass me about being with you.” She reached up and traced his lips.

  Lowering himself to the sleeping mat next to her, he pressed his mouth to hers. She moaned softly, and he drank in her pleasure.

  She reached for his waistband, but he gently took her hand away.

  “But I want you, all of you,” she said.

  “Patience,” he said. “I plan on taking my time with you tonight.” Placing his hand against her chest, he grazed his thumb over one of her breasts, just shy of her nipple.

  She arched into his touch, trying to direct his movements, but he grinned and moved his hand, refusing to give her what she wanted. Tonight, she would get it all—she would get everything—but only after he’d gotten her as aroused as possible. He wanted her to feel she was bursting.

  He took his time teasing her, delighting her, stroking her body through her clothes.

  “This is torture,” she said quietly.

  “Mmm, but you love it,” he said.

  She didn’t argue, but she sighed with relief when he scooted down her body and yanked her pants down her legs.

  “I thought you’d never get me naked,” she whispered.

  He chuckled. “I’m only getting you naked enough to torment you further.”

  Her pussy was wet and desperate. He slid his finger in easily and his cock wept with jealousy at how she squeezed him.

  “Yes,” she said on an exhale.

  He bent down and kissed her folds while he moved his finger inside of her. Glancing up, he saw her closed eyes, her face soft with pleasure framed by her wild, wavy red hair. Her shirt was still on, so he whispered, “Lift your shirt and bra, beautiful. Let me see your gorgeous breasts.”

  Her eyes opened and she watched him while she lifted the fabric out of his way. Her chest heaved with her panting breaths. She seemed to be approaching her orgasm rapidly, so he moved his mouth away from the sweetness of her pussy.

  “What kind of torture is this?” she asked faintly.

  “Only the good kind,” he said, lazily pumping his finger within her wa
lls.

  “I was so close, though.”

  “Exactly.” He unbuckled his pants and pulled out his cock, then stroked it while she watched him.

  She licked her lips.

  “Do you want something?” he whispered.

  “I want to taste you, like you tasted me.”

  Fuck. He didn’t know how he’d resist if she wanted him to finish in her mouth, and he was trying to prolong their fun.

  Well, he’d have to stop her. He had enough control for that. Sitting back on his feet, he said, “I’d like that.”

  She sat up and pulled her shirt and bra the rest of the way off. Up until now, their voices had been so quiet, Charles wouldn’t have known what they were saying. But now, with the rustling of her sleeping bag and their clothes, it would be hard for Charles to ignore what was happening. Oh, well. Like Tamryn had said, they weren’t doing anything wrong.

  And when her luscious lips touched the head of his cock, all thoughts of what could be happening outside their tent left his head.

  She was heaven—warm, wet, soft. Perfect. He wrapped his hand in her hair, the strands silky between his fingers. His hips moved and he thrust into her mouth as shallowly as possible. When he looked down to see her mouth on him, he saw that her eyes were open and she watched his face.

  He whispered, “Fuck, Tamryn, you feel so good.”

  She ran her tongue over him and he gasped, pulling away from her, freeing himself from the paradise of her mouth.

  Easing her back, he found a condom in his jeans pocket and slipped it over his cock before positioning himself at her entrance. He touched her again and found she was still slippery wet. Slowly, he pressed inside of her.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist and whispered his name. He fell to his forearms, bracing himself above her.

  “Tamryn, Tamryn,” he said, “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” She flexed her legs, meeting his short thrusts with force.

  “I told you, we’re going to savor this,” he said. “Slow wins the race, my love.”

  “There’s no race,” she whispered, reaching up to touch his cheek. “Only you and me.”

  “Forever,” he said.

  “Forever.”

  He sat up and pulled her along so she sat in his lap, facing him. Clenching her hips with his hands, he helped raise and lower her onto his cock. The friction built, sending heat through his body. Tamryn shuddered and her breathing grew more erratic. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and palmed one of her breasts while she braced her arms on his shoulders.

  “More,” she said, “yes. Yes, soon, Nolan.”

  He rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, smiling at how she writhed against him. He kissed the soft skin of her neck and the rough skin of her scar. She lifted and fell on him with abandon, his cock pistoning in and out of her.

  “I want to mark you,” he whispered in her ear. Her hair and skin were against his lips, teasing his senses.

  “Do it,” she said. “Mark me. Make me yours forever. Oh—it’s happening—”

  Her words cut off as her orgasm took over her body. She tightened around him and he was exquisitely squeezed by her pussy, arms, and legs. His balls drew up, pleasure tingling as his own climax approached. He brought his teeth to her shoulder and bit down as he came. She tasted clean and pure, like air and fire. Ecstasy flowed through his body, sharp and strong as the north wind.

  Once her aftershocks had subsided, she pulled back slightly to look at him in the darkness of the tent.

  “You marked me,” she said.

  “You’re mine,” he answered. “And I’m yours. Do you want to mark me?”

  She grinned at him. “I do.”

  He tilted his head to the side in invitation. She pursed her lips, considering, then lunged toward him and locked her teeth over the flesh where his shoulder met his neck. The pain was sharp, but it dulled instantly, forgotten in the warm glow he felt in his chest.

  “I feel different,” he said. “Do you?”

  She nodded and put a hand over his heart. “Right here, I feel different.”

  He placed his hand over her heart, then kissed her gently on the lips. “We’ll never be the same.”

  “I’m glad,” she whispered.

  “Me, too.” He helped her get dressed again, then he dressed, too. It wasn’t safe enough to sleep naked, even with Charles keeping watch.

  “Dream of me tonight?” she asked as she fell against her sleeping bag.

  He tucked the fabric up to her chin. “When I sleep, I’ll dream of you. Every time.”

  Soon, her breathing was full and deep, her eyes closed. He lay on his back and looked over at her while she slept, but he didn’t let sleep take him. Even now, as satisfied as he’d ever been in his entire life, he couldn’t turn off his protector instincts.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The following afternoon, Tamryn carefully touched the place on her neck where Nolan had bit her. The mark was no longer sore, and she felt a twinge of sadness because she’d liked the ache reminding her of his claim.

  He walked at her side and she could see the mark she’d left on his neck. The warm glow in her chest flared to life, and he turned suddenly to look at her. He touched the space over his heart.

  “You can feel that?” she asked, surprised.

  He nodded.

  So this was what it meant to be mated to someone. A warm, happy feeling, a magical connection. Nights spent in each other’s arms.

  The future wasn’t certain. She didn’t know what kinds of dangers they would face once they returned to Idaho with her people. She didn’t know who the skin-hunters were or how they had known the dragons would return. She didn’t know if, or when, she would be able to transform into her dragon form. But what she did know was that Nolan would be at her side, working with her to make sense of that future, and loving her despite the struggles they would face.

  Charles, who was walking ahead and humming to himself, abruptly stopped.

  “What is it?” Tamryn asked.

  Charles didn’t say anything; his gaze was on the ground.

  Tamryn looked more carefully. Bare human footprints. The remains of a campfire—charred logs and ash. She sniffed the air and took in the wild, windy scents of aether and smoke. Nolan sniffed, too, and nudged the ash on the ground with his boot.

  The scents were very faint and the ash cold; whoever had stayed in this place was long gone.

  Tamryn and the men had been walking all day, hurrying forward, only for them to miss finding her people. She was tired, and this was a blow.

  “Dragons were here,” she said quietly.

  “We missed them,” Charles said, his voice angry.

  “That’s all right.” Tamryn went over to him and took his arm, hoping to comfort him despite the disappointment spreading through her heart. “They can’t be far from here—we will continue until we find them.”

  Charles shook his head. “I promised to bring you to them, Your Majesty, and I’ve failed. Perhaps we should return to this Idaho place you spoke of, and come back another time to find the others.”

  “We’re so close,” Tamryn said. “I refuse to turn back now.”

  “We must consider your safety,” Charles said.

  She frowned at him before turning to Nolan, to appeal to him. Nolan merely regarded her with his even, gray eyes.

  “Don’t you think we ought to find my people?” she asked him. “We’ve come all this way.”

  His voice was a deep rumble. “I want to get you home and in my bed as fast as possible.”

  Tamryn felt herself blushing. She liked that idea.

  “But I know your honor demands that we find your people,” Nolan continued. “I just wish there was a faster way to search for them.”

  “If only we had the witch’s help,” Charles muttered.

  “But...we don’t need the witch when we can fly,” Tamryn said.

  Nolan raised his eyebrows.


  “I suppose that would work,” Charles said as he seemed to take in Tamryn’s meaning. “I could easily carry two. I’m only sorry I didn’t think of it, myself.”

  Tamryn and Charles both looked at Nolan. Tamryn held her breath. This step would demand Nolan’s complete trust. No suspicious shifter would put himself willingly in the grasp of a transformed dragon.

  Frowning, Nolan said, “You gotta be kidding.”

  “You said you wanted me home and in your bed as fast as possible,” Tamryn said in a sweet voice.

  Now it was Charles’s turn to blush.

  “What, we climb on his back?” Nolan said, pointing to Charles.

  “Actually, I’d hold you with my claws,” Charles said.

  “Oh, hell no,” Nolan said.

  Tamryn felt her heart fall. She wouldn’t go without Nolan. And she didn’t want to do something he was so reluctant to do.

  Nolan’s expression softened as he looked into her eyes. “You really want to do this?” he asked in a quiet voice.

  She nodded. “I don’t want to, but I feel we need to find whoever is here. And I’d rather not hike all through this giant forest when we could hop into Charles’s hands and achieve our goals much more quickly.”

  “Okay,” he said, taking her hand and taking a deep breath. “We can do it. I don’t like it, but we can do it.”

  “You’re clever to listen to your girlfriend,” Charles said.

  “She’s clever,” Nolan said, bothered by Charles’s approval. “I’m just trying to follow along as best I can.”

  “Excellent.” Charles nodded. “I believe we should crest this mountain range and see where they might have come around on the other side. They could be sheltering in a cavern or making their way east for whatever reason.”

  “Then let’s go,” Tamryn said.

  “Very well, Your Majesty.”

  She very much wished he would stop using her royal title, and she was just about to open her mouth to say so, but he began pulling off his clothes so she quickly turned away.

  Nolan must not have felt any such inhibitions, because Tamryn watched his face as he watched Charles. His expression was impassive for a few moments, likely while Charles stripped down. Then the transformative green light that surrounded Charles’s shift glowed against Nolan’s face briefly. She saw Nolan’s eyebrows raise slightly, then he stepped back and gripped Tamryn’s upper arm to bring her with him, out of Charles’s reach.