by Anna Lowe
“Yes, but a good explorer knows he has to forge onward. Who knows what new discoveries he might make?”
She stretched and opened her legs, mumbling, “Good thinking. New discoveries…”
Marco licked a circle around her navel. “But he must be thorough, and he must report back to the king.” Slowly, he moved back up her body, and she nearly groaned in protest. Before she could, though, Marco trailed his fingers down her middle. “Of course, the explorers could have left a caravel or two behind to scout the next stretch of land.”
Laura wanted to wiggle along the blanket until his fingers reached where she needed them most. Namely, inside her. But Marco pushed down with his hips, not letting her move. On the plus side, that made his erection press against her belly, telling her he was straining too.
She arched under him. “That caravel had better get scouting, because I’m ready to call out the whole fleet.”
He grinned and went back to her breasts, kissing and licking tenderly. “Let’s say the fleet gets hung up on other — er, rich lands. Meanwhile, that caravel continues to scout. It travels all the way down past Cabo Negro, past Cabo da Cruz…”
Laura shook her head as his fingers slid slowly from her stomach to her mound. “I think you’re making up all these capes. Who can think of geography at a time like this?”
Marco faked a sad sigh. “I had it ingrained in me in elementary school. Every Portuguese kid does. We might have lost our empire, but we still learned exactly how big it once was.”
She wiggled under him. “Didn’t they make it all the way to India?” She drew her leg along his. “I want to hear about that part.”
He tut-tutted, then nipped her nipple hard enough to make her jolt. “So impatient. Lucky for you, one brave crew finally made it around the Cape of Good Hope.”
“Good name,” she murmured as his fingers approached her core.
“They had discovered the southernmost tip of Africa and a whole new world beyond. What a moment that must have been.” He touched down on her clit and slowly circled around.
Laura bit back a groan, pushing against him.
“I can imagine them, pausing there, wondering how far they dared go.” His finger halted, and Laura’s breath caught. “Should they return to Portugal and report what they had found, or should they press on?”
“Press on. They should definitely press on.”
At her cue, Marco slid lower, sliding his fingers through her folds.
“So, they decide to continue on to new lands, amazed at what they discover on the way.” His narrative continued, but his voice grew raspier. “They explore deeper and deeper…”
Laura threw her head back as he sank one finger into her.
“Sometimes, they wait and explore one area…” He dragged his fingers in slow, lazy circles, making her body temperature soar. “But they always continue in the end.”
He dipped a second finger in alongside the first, moving easily in her slick heat. At the same time, he suckled her breast. Sweat moistened his hair, and his movements grew less controlled.
Laura gripped the blankets while the tension within her spiraled. Soon, she was going to blow, whether those explorers made it to their destination or not.
Marco groaned, then reared up and pushed a knee between her legs.
“Oh, good,” she managed. “Is the fleet coming?”
“Nothing can hold the fleet back,” he assured her, positioning himself above her.
The tip of his cock strained at her entrance, and his biceps bulged at her sides. Then their eyes met, and any hint of teasing vanished.
You are mine, those intense blue eyes said. And I will claim you forever.
Before Laura could reply, Marco thrust in. She cried out at the burn, then exhaled, relishing the stretching sensation. Marco withdrew, paused for a few agonizing moments, then plunged back in.
Her back arched off the blankets, but her hips stayed in place, anchored by his weight.
She dropped her arms to his shoulders. “So good…”
When Marco drew back, the sweat on his chest shone like the stars overhead. And when he thrust back in, comets zipped before Laura’s eyes. By the time she blinked them away, Marco was rocking steadily in and out. No more history lessons. No more teasing and no talking but for a few gritty commands.
“Like this.” He pulled her knees higher. “Here.”
She hooked her knees over his shoulders. And, wow, did that angle hit the spot. Every one of his movements made her cry out, whether he was pressing deep or sliding back. Both were so good, she lost track of which was which. Thank goodness for the nearby lighthouse, telling her she was still on earth and not orbiting wildly through space. Its bright beam swept around and around, illuminating Marco’s muscled back, then the brushy landscape, before rotating toward the sea. There, it skipped over huge, frothy wavetops and the open ocean before lighting Marco again.
Every time the light swept by, Laura noticed something else. The intense glint in Marco’s eyes. The happy winks of the stars. The soft glow of her ruby on Marco’s skin…
Yes, her dragon cried every time he bottomed out. Yes…
As loudly as the crashing surf boomed, the roar in her ears was louder. She could sense her blood rushing, her heart hammering.
“Marco…” At any moment, she would explode.
Then the light glinted off something else, and her heart leaped. Were Marco’s teeth extending?
Yes, they were.
Getting ready for the mating bite, her dragon murmured in glee.
She’d barely had time to ask about the basics earlier, yet a clear image formed in her mind, assuring her how it would work and how good it would feel. Instinct, giving her a little preview, she supposed.
Marco’s movements grew jerkier, his thrusts rougher. He mumbled in Portuguese — dirty words she didn’t recognize, though the gist was impossible to miss. Something along the lines of how fucking perfect she was, and how deliciously tight.
Her dragon twitched with glee. Oh, we’ll show him tight, all right.
She clenched her inner muscles, then smiled at Marco’s ensuing groan.
“Minha,” he muttered three times. Mine. Mine. Mine.
Laura would have echoed him, but Marco thrust one more time, threw his head back, and howled with sharp release. Laura cried too, clenching around him.
Somewhere in the haze of her ecstasy, she realized Marco was still moving. Dipping his head… Raking his teeth along her neck…
Seeking, she realized. Locating the perfect place for this bite.
There was a tiny pinch as his teeth pressed down, then a flash of pain, followed by a heady rush. Vaguely, she sensed Marco sealing his lips around her, then exhaling hard. Waves of heat exploded throughout her body, and she bucked against him again and again. That wasn’t just a tiny puff of fire. It was an inferno, swirling through her.
Like a dragon kiss, but even better, her dragon murmured.
A thousand images flashed through her mind. Some from the distant past, like the time she’d seen her great-great-aunt shift. She saw the more recent past, too, like the night she’d met Marco, and how he’d refused to abandon her. She saw herself dancing with him at Quintus’s soirée and huddling with him on the mountaintop after evading their enemies. Then came a slew of images she couldn’t place, because time seemed to jump and teleport her and Marco into unfamiliar places.
The future, her dragon breathed. That’s our future.
She saw herself and Marco laughing on his rooftop terrace while the lights of Lisbon twinkled all around. Then she glimpsed herself and Marco snuggling in a bed that bounced and heaved — not from their lovemaking, but from the movements of — two? three? — giggling kids. Finally, she saw herself and Marco — a little older and grayer, but as in love as ever — sitting by the pool in Madeira, holding hands and contemplating the sunset.
Laura clutched at thin air as the flood of images sped up, turning into a tornado that made everyt
hing a blur. Then the bright light in her mind dimmed, and she found herself back on that blanket under the stars, holding Marco close.
“Did you…” She gulped, rubbing her hands over his arms. “Did you see what I saw?”
Marco nodded slowly, looking just as startled. “I think so.”
Slowly, she loosened her grip on him and melted into the blanket.
“There was so much. Too much to remember, almost,” she admitted.
Marco pulled her close, holding her against his chest. “Maybe it’s for the best. The present is wonderful enough. We can take the future day by day.”
She mulled that one over. “You’re right. Everything I saw was good, so that’s what counts. No, wait. Everything I saw was great.”
Marco smiled, rubbing his chin over her head. “Same with me. But right now, all I want to see is this.”
She glanced up, sure she’d find him gazing at constellations or the mountains of his ancestral home. But he was looking at her.
“Minha. Para sempre,” he murmured.
“Forever,” she echoed.
For a while, they lay clasped together under the vast night sky. Eventually, Marco cleaned them off with a corner of one blanket, spooned Laura against his body, and tucked the free edge of the blanket over them to ward off the night chill. They held each other, talking, touching, kissing. Dozing off too, then waking at some point. The moon had reached its zenith and started its descent by then, and at one point, Laura cried out.
“Look! A rainbow. Wait. A moonbow?”
Marco kissed her bare shoulder. “Moonbow.”
Laura sighed and snuggled deeper into his arms, wishing she could stay there all night.
“Who says we can’t?” Marco grinned.
And in the end, they did, complete with several more rounds of snoozing and making love. It was only when the first beams of pink light appeared on the eastern horizon that Marco helped Laura up. She gathered her clothes but didn’t dress. Why bother, when she knew she’d be stripping the moment Marco got her home? Instead, she wrapped herself in one of the blankets and snuggled against Marco as he drove home. For the first time ever, it didn’t feel like they had anything to rush away from or toward. They could take their sweet time.
The road came to the crest of a hill, revealing a stupendous view. All of Madeira’s rugged north shore lay before them, tinted gold as the sun broke over the horizon, far, far away.
Marco slowed the Land Rover, letting Laura take it all in. The emerald mountains. The spray rising from the rocky shores. The terra-cotta rooftops of the cozy, traditional homes.
Laura’s chest rose and fell in a heartfelt sigh. How did she get so lucky?
“Such a beautiful morning,” she breathed.
Marco slipped an arm around her shoulders, keeping her close.
“The first of thousands together, my mate.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
EPILOGUE
Six weeks later…
Laura hung on to Marco as he raced the motorcycle around another turn. When they straightened out again, she raised her arms and whooped.
Marco laughed into her mind.
Enjoying this, are you?
She slid her arms around his waist again, nice and snug.
Hell yes, she was enjoying herself. A weekend trip along the stunning coast of Portugal, with no one chasing them? Carte blanche to hold on to Marco as brazenly as she liked, because he was her mate?
Yes, yes, and yes. Or rather, sim, sim, and sim. They were in Portugal, after all.
It had been six weeks since those unforgettable days on Madeira, and although things had settled down a little, it still felt like a whirlwind. Back on the island, Paloma and Dona Leonor had given Laura a crash course in the history of the dragons of Madeira, as well as the island’s cultural traditions. She’d been perfecting her language skills as well, with her accent sounding ever more local — on Madeira, at least. Now, she had to pick up the mainland style of speech. Ever since she’d mated with Marco, words had been coming to her in a flood, like childhood memories rushing in from a neglected corner of her mind. Not that Dona Leonor seemed surprised.
“It’s in your blood, like flying. And a little magic doesn’t hurt either.” She’d winked at Laura’s ruby.
Laura had touched it then, and she’d touched it when it was time to leave Madeira as well. She and Marco had spent three weeks on the island before returning to the mainland — by commercial flight, thank goodness — and Inés had fussed over them the entire time. When Laura had packed to leave, Inés had shed tears. Happy tears, as the housekeeper insisted.
“It’s so good to see Marco happy again. And so good to have you as part of the family.”
Laura had hugged her fiercely, along with Paloma and Dona Leonor.
“We’re not leaving forever,” Marco had pointed out at the time, though his voice was a little rough. And when the flight had taken off, he’d craned his neck to watch the island slowly disappear behind a veil of clouds.
Which made it Laura’s turn to reassure him. “We’ll be back soon.”
Marco had nodded firmly. “We will.”
Laura had touched her ruby more than a few times during that flight, considering everything that had transpired. She did it again now, on that motorcycle ride. Once upon a time, she had cursed the ruby for setting off her first, unexpected shift. Now, the gem felt like her strongest ally — besides Marco, of course.
She raised her arms out to each side as Marco powered the motorcycle along the coastal road.
“This is almost as good as flying!”
He laughed and called over his shoulder. “Should I do that too?”
She grabbed his muscled forearms, making sure he kept them on the handlebars. “Don’t you dare let go. Just drive, mister.”
“Bossy, aren’t you?”
“Just sane, thank you very much.”
Marco laughed. “It’s all a matter of perspective. Now that you’re so good at flying — and landing — maybe I should teach you to drive this thing.”
She shook her head. “When I get to be chauffeured around by you? No thanks.”
She’d been learning plenty as it was — in Madeira and over the past two weeks in Lisbon. Two exhausting weeks, but that was okay. Being a Fire Maiden wasn’t about living the good life. It was about forging alliances and maintaining peace — lifetime tasks that were never really finished. But she was determined to do everything she could. After all, it was about making the streets safer, if in a different way than she used to do.
At some point, she hoped to take up a volunteer job in the human world. Lisbon had a good public transportation system, but boy, could it use more bike lanes. That, and the housing situation really, really had to be addressed, with crumbling, uninhabited buildings and a gentrification process that was pushing lifelong residents out of old neighborhoods like the Alfama. But one thing at a time. First, she had to settle into her role as a Fire Maiden.
Marco had thrown himself into his new job too, and it had brought a satisfied new sparkle to his eyes.
So, whew. What a start they’d had. Laura and Marco had supported Cornelia in pushing through long-overdue initiatives with the Guardians of Lisbon, and they had been to meetings with allies all over the city. Scary meetings, like one in a huge Gothic mansion — headquarters of the local vampire coven. Laura had barely kept her knees from trembling as they’d headed in, but she had come out with her head high. The vampire elders, like their dragon counterparts, had learned the hard way about slacking off on discipline, and they were determined to turn things around. Fausto had been punished for two crimes — breaking articles of their treaty with the dragons and breaking the vampires’ own laws, which seemed even more complicated than the dragon code of conduct.
“After all, we can’t suck everyone’s blood. There wouldn’t be anyone left,” one of the senior vampires had sighed.
Not so reassuring, Laura had whispered into Marco’s mind.
Several of the younger members of the coven had rolled their eyes at that, and after the meeting, a young woman followed Laura and Marco outside.
“Believe me, we’re not all like that. Change might not happen overnight, but we’re working on it.” Then she’d smiled and offered a hand. “I’m Cloé, by the way.”
When they shook, Laura’s ruby didn’t heat in warning, and she felt sure the young woman could be trusted. And who knew? Cloé might even become a friend.
A vampire friend?
Laura had thought it over for a week and decided yes. Being a Fire Maiden was all about building bridges, right?
Still, those first few weeks had been fairly intense, and when Marco proposed a weekend away, Laura had practically jumped to say yes.
“After all, you have that house in the Algarve,” Marco reminded her.
That was another thing she’d had to come to grips with. Being a Fire Maiden came with a jaw-dropping bank account, a three-hundred-year-old farmhouse in the country, and a “cottage” in the south of Portugal. The latter turned out to be a villa overlooking a tiny cove where waves whispered over golden sand. A very run-down villa, as they’d discovered upon creaking the door open, but with a lot of potential. The best part was how close it stood to the sea, with all those sandy coves and stunning rock formations practically in her front yard. She and Marco had spent most of the weekend gliding over the clear, turquoise water on a pair of stand up paddleboards.
As Marco had put it, even dragons had to unwind.
“Fire Maidens, too,” she’d half joked, thinking back on the whirlwind of the past few weeks.
It was great, though — and great to call her family with all her good news. Not only was she safe, but thriving. She had the love of her life and challenging, but meaningful work. She’d resigned from her job in Boston, but the position was in good hands with the former intern who’d moved into her role. A little like Laura had, once upon a time.
On top of a great job, she had a great home — er, homes. She really did have it all — from the raw forces of nature in Madeira, to the vibrant city life of Lisbon, and the quiet “cottage” in the Algarve. She did leave out the part about the vampires when she called home, though.