Age of Dragons

by Olivia Ash

After everything he’s said about me being his equal, this feels like the ultimate betrayal.

  There's no way he missed this chatter on all of the different bounties on my head. He can’t possibly have overlooked the sheer volume of hit squads that have come after me. There’s no way he didn’t see Jace deploy the troops.

  My question is why he never told me.

  I kneel at the door to Drew's bedroom, picking the lock. I seamlessly juggle the tools, holding the ones I’m not using between my clenched teeth as I fight with the keyhole.

  For some reason, his doorknob is a difficult one. I figure he gave himself a nice little upgrade when he got here, but it's not sophisticated enough to keep me out.

  The mechanism clicks, the door finally unlocked, and I strain my ear in the lingering silence as I tuck my tools away. The hiss of running water filters faintly beneath the door, and I figure he's probably in the shower—that is, until I hear the subtle footsteps across the carpet in the hall. There's the creak of skin on a gun handle, and the footsteps stop.

  He's probably at the tail end of the hallway, facing the door, armed and ready to fire on whoever would dare enter his room.

  I smirk. This will be fun.

  I kick open the door to find Drew just where I figured he would be, at the far end of the hallway with a handgun aimed at my face. Water drips along his gorgeous and very naked body, and his left hand holds the ends of a white towel strung loosely around his waist. His eyes are narrowed, ready to fire at a moment's notice, and it's not until our gazes lock that he relaxes his shoulders.

  “Come in,” he says sarcastically as he lowers his gun.

  I slam the door behind me, trying to ignore his bare chest and the defined muscle in his abdomen. Drops of water slide along his biceps as he watches me.

  “Tell me the truth about the bounties,” I demand. “Everything you've picked up that Jace won't tell me. Everything you’ve been hiding from me.”

  He groans, tilting his head backward slightly as he realizes what this is going to be about. “You found out.”

  I nod, taking a few steps toward him even though it's next to impossible to keep my gaze trained on his face. I keep wanting to examine his hard abs or admire the way his tight grip on the towel is the only thing keeping it around his waist.

  “How'd you do it?” he asks, lifting one eyebrow in curiosity.

  “You don’t get to change the subject,” I snap, admittedly sounding far more irritated than I really am.

  It's difficult to maintain composure around a naked Drew. He's just so damn distracting.

  He grins, clearly caught in the act. “What do you want to know?”

  “Everything,” I repeat.

  “You're going to have to be a little more specific,” he says, turning on the safety on his handgun before he tosses it onto the bed.

  “How long have you known?”

  “A while,” Drew admits.

  “That's not what I—“

  “This is what Jace and I've been fighting over,” he interrupts, his dark eyes locking on me and snaring me in his intense gaze. “We agreed at the beginning that you needed to focus, that we shouldn't tell you because you needed to train. You needed to get clear on your powers, your limits, and your abilities.”

  I grit my teeth in anger, furious and annoyed that Drew's in on this, too. I open my mouth to speak, but he cuts me off yet again.

  “The tide, however, is changing,” he says, standing a little taller and rolling his shoulders back. “People are being more brazen. There's more competition, and the longer we wait, the more people come after you. The less you know, the more enemies you make.” He lets out an exasperated groan and runs a strong hand through his gorgeous hair. “Rory, half of these people—you don't even know their names. You wouldn't recognize them in the street or know the organization they work for. But they know you. They know far too much about you.”

  I shake my head in irritation, furious that it's gotten this bad. I've been so disconnected from the world out there that I've lost touch with the people who are after me. In his effort to protect me, Jace just took away one of my most important weapons—information.

  “You're my equal,” Drew says, his tone hard and serious. “I told you that before when you and I made this pact of ours, and it's been true ever since. Even now. I might not tell you things I deem irrelevant, but if it impacts you, if it threatens you, you need to know about it.”

  I study his face briefly. “Then why didn't you tell me this?”

  He scoffs, his nose wrinkling briefly in disdain. “Because Jace swore that if you so much as hinted at knowing, he would throw me in a cell in the capital. He would forbid me from ever seeing you.”

  “That’s not even possible,” I counter, hardly believing it. “That isn't how the embassies work. There are laws—”

  “There's a loophole in the law,” Drew interjects. “If I give him reason to kick me out, and if there just happens to be soldiers waiting at the edge of the embassy to carry me off, there's nothing against him giving me a ground escort right to them.” Drew cracks his neck, his jaw tense. “Or, as he put it, knocking me the hell out and letting me wake up in a cage. It was a very real threat, Rory.”

  I bristle at the idea of Jace using me as leverage against Drew. I don't even quite know what to say, but I do know that there's a certain neck I want a wring right now.

  Drew watches me, and it's almost like he can read my thoughts. He debates something for a moment, frowning slightly. But in the end, he sighs. “Rory, the mate-bond makes thunderbirds do incredibly stupid things. Don't be too hard on him.”

  “Has hell been freezing over a lot lately?” I scoff. “You told me yourself how much you hate him. Why are you defending him now?”

  “I thought this over very thoroughly,” Drew admits. “Jace is still an invaluable asset, even if he is a royal asshole.”

  I set one hand on my hip, shaking my head as I think through this again. “I don't think he would have done it, Drew. That's just too far, even for him.”

  Drew shrugs. “You forget how much the Fairfax dragons hate me, Rory. Jace's brother was a legend, and they all think I killed him.”

  “And yet you won't tell them the truth,” I counter, narrowing my eyes at him in disappointment. “That would solve all of this, Drew. Tell him the truth. Tell him what really happened.”

  “I thought about it,” Drew admits, taking a few steps toward me. “I’ve kept it a secret to keep Milo alive. He travels a lot, and you never know when even a Darrington might go missing. My brother relies too much on his security detail,” Drew says with a huff of disdain. “Until I met you, my priorities were always to honor my family—and have a bit of fun,” he adds with a wry grin. “But my priorities are changing. You’re more important than Jett or Milo, Rory. You’re in my world, now. And if Jace is going to be in your world, too—if you really believe he’s good for you, for us, then…” He groans, rubbing his eyes in frustration. “Then I don’t know. I’m not sure what the best move is, yet, and I’m not used to not knowing. One thing is for sure, though,” he says, looking me dead in the eye. “I take care of my own.”

  His intimate tone disarms me, and for a moment, all I can do is study his face. The intensity of his gaze. The way his eyes gently soften as he drinks me in, like I’m a priceless portrait he loves to look at.

  Before I can say anything, he drops the towel at his waist and reveals that he is, in fact, delightfully and deliciously naked underneath. My eyes impulsively flit downward, taking in his thick cock as it begins to harden. Droplets of water trail down his toned body, and I bite my lip to keep the rising tide of desire at bay.

  We’re not done talking, damn it, and it isn’t fair for him to use his gorgeous body against me.

  Then again, it’s not like Drew ever plays fair.

  He grins mischievously, knowing full well what he does to me, and closes the final few steps between us. His strong fingers weave through my hair, his hands en
gulfing me as he tenderly holds my head.

  “I can tell you, however, that you’re safe here at the dojo,” he says quietly, gently pulling me closer. He presses his lips against my forehead, and I can’t help but drink in his delightful scent—like smoke and sweat. He radiates power and strength.

  “Maybe,” I concede, trying to regain at least some of my composure even as heat snakes between my thighs. “For now, at least. It won’t be long before the other Bosses use political and trade pressure to try to force the Fairfax dragons to hand me over.”

  Drew reflexively tenses, and though he relaxes almost as quickly, I still caught the subtle movement.

  “Gods, they already are, aren’t they?” I press.

  “Uh…”

  He clears his throat, his gaze darting off to the side like he’s debating whether or not to lie.

  “Yeah, they are,” he ultimately admits.

  “We should leave,” I say quietly, not wanting to really consider the option even though I know I have to. “It isn’t fair to put so much pressure on Harper and Jace. They—”

  “We need to wait,” Drew interrupts. “As much as I hate having little to no control over my environment, and despite how little I enjoy giving the others so much access to my woman”—his grip on me tightens as he says the word—“Zurie is a real threat. At least here, we have the resources to truly handle her.”

  “We don’t know how much longer that could take,” I point out. “It could be years.”

  “Do you really think she will wait that long?” he asks, leaning back until he can see my face.

  I hesitate, and though my impulse is to say yes, I know better. She’s desperate—and desperate people don’t dally.

  Tenderly, Drew trails a hand down my neck and along my spine. His strong fingertips press against my skin, marking their path with a ribbon of warmth that kicks up the deepest, most primal flurries of lust deep within my core.

  He leans against me yet again, and this time his hard cock presses against my leg. Warmth pools at my entrance, and my treasonous body aches for him. My legs want to spread apart. My hips want to tilt toward him, to let him inside of me.

  This man knows exactly what he’s doing—and what he wants.

  My dragon stirs within me, curling with glee and mischief as my fire dragon toys with me.

  She loves it. And him.

  A burst of energy blazes through me, and white light shimmers along my arms along with the surge of power. The wisps of magic blur across my skin as my dragon aches for us to get on with it already.

  “Beautiful,” Drew says gently, his eyes on my arms as the white light begins to fade. “Shift, Rory.”

  “What, here?” I laugh, gesturing to his suite. “Just… right now?”

  He nods, smirking as he watches my face.

  “I don’t even know how.”

  “Listen to her,” he commands, gently pushing me until my back presses against the wall behind me. “Trust her. Touch her.”

  Briefly, I debate shutting him up with a kiss and just wrapping my legs around his waist to get things started, but I decide to indulge him.

  I close my eyes as his warm hands slip to my waist, holding me in place as he peppers kisses along my neck.

  I can barely focus on my dragon—all I can feel is the fiery delight of his touch.

  “You’re distracting me,” I say with a grin.

  “Oh, am I?” he asks mischievously as he nibbles my jaw. “How rude.”

  Without warning, he lifts me into his arms and carries me into his bedroom. I laugh, caught off guard with the sudden movement, but he doesn’t lay me on the bed like I expected.

  Instead, he carries me into the bathroom where the hot water is still running in the shower. Steam billows around us as he nudges open the door with his foot. He carries me into the sauna, despite the fact that I’m still fully clothed.

  “Drew, what—” I laugh, trying to squirm out of his grip, but it’s too late.

  The water blasts me, drenching me instantly from above as it seeps into my shirt and clear through to the bra and underwear beneath it all. I close my eyes, laughing as I try to shake the water off, but he’s on me instantly.

  My fire dragon presses my hips against the wall as the water slides over us. Wordlessly, he grabs my thighs and spreads my legs apart, and the only thing keeping me upright is his chest pressed hard against mine, pinning me to the tiles.

  His thick cock hits my entrance, the fabric of my loose dojo pants the only thing between us. I can feel myself getting wetter the longer he holds me there, suspended in anticipation and desire—and it’s not from the shower.

  He leans toward me until his mouth is by my ear. “Is this better?”

  “You’re such an ass,” I say, laughing.

  “You love it.”

  Drew grabs the back of my head, snaring a fistful of my hair as he roughly kisses me. His fiery kisses are full of hunger and need, like he can’t possibly wait another second. Like he has to have me—right now—and will never have enough.

  Yes, I love it. I truly do.

  As my clothes get heavier from the water they’re absorbing, Drew reaches for my shirt and rips it clean off. I can’t suppress the gasp as he tears into my clothes, leaving nothing but rags behind, and I love it.

  The force. The strength. The power.

  No one dominates me like Drew.

  In seconds, the ribbons of what were once my clothes are tossed aside, nothing but heaps of fabric in the corner of the shower. Drew presses his naked body against mine. His hard muscle pins me to the wall as the full length of his cock glides across my entrance, teasing me with his length even though he won’t let me ride it yet.

  He weaves his hands down my waist and to my ass, gripping me tightly as he effortlessly lifts me into the air. I’m spread eagle and at his mercy, pinned against the shower tile as the water drips over me.

  At this moment, I can’t think of anywhere else I would rather be.

  The tip of his cock presses against the sensitive folds between my thighs, inching inward as if he can hardly hold himself back. Somehow, he manages to restrain himself.

  It’s torture.

  He kisses my neck as he pins me there, his dick slowly forcing its way into me. He’s barely giving me a taste, and I arch my back to invite him in. Anything at all to make the torment stop.

  “When you do shift,” he says, gently nibbling my ear. “Your IUD won’t work anymore.”

  “What—”

  With that, he thrusts himself into me.

  I gasp as our hips meet, the full length of him stretching me in delightfully sinful ways. He waits for a moment, gently pumping his cock into me as he rocks his hips against mine. His hands grip my ass and hold me in place as we become one.

  Slowly, tantalizingly, he pulls out of me, and I can’t help but moan in pleasure as his cock slides through me, raw and unprotected. The thought of my IUD failing is both terrifying and exhilaratingly wrong.

  Drew sure knows how to talk dirty.

  I freaking love it.

  When his dick finally slides out of me, it bounces slightly before he presses it once more against my entrance. And just like that, he’s ready to go again, to continue this delightful torment.

  “You’ll have to brew a special tea,” Drew continues calmly, like he didn’t just rock my world with a single thrust.

  I look at him, my brain foggy with lust and the unyielding need for him to be in me once again.

  He’s really milking this.

  I smile, too horny to fight him on this. “Tea? That’s—”

  He rams into me, and my back arches against the warm tile wall as he once again fills me to the brim. I moan, wrapping my legs around him as my clit slides along his body, buzzing with delight and desire.

  Gods, he’s so damn good at this.

  This time, he doesn’t stop. He thrusts into me again and again, somehow picking up speed and power every time he bucks into me.

 
; “You have to stay regular with it,” he says through heavy breaths as he fucks me hard in the shower.

  The hot water rolls over us, filling my lungs with steam as he drives his cock into me again and again.

  I moan, barely able to think, much less listen.

  “If you don’t take it daily,” he continues, gently biting my neck between words. “You might get a little surprise nine months out.”

  I can barely handle this.

  Lost in him, in his cock, in the way he thrusts again and again into me, I moan in pleasure. My hips rock against his, milking every motion and movement for every ounce of ecstasy his body can give me.

  He’s never ridden me this hard before—and with Drew, that’s saying something. He rides me like he wants my IUD to fail.

  With his hands on my ass, his powerful grip keeping me rooted against his body, I spread my legs as wide as they can go. Anything at all to get closer, to feel more, to be even more filled by him.

  The ribbon of delight and pleasure builds slowly, deep within me, blooming more every time his cock slides deep inside of me. I gasp, enchanted and ensnared, feeling my orgasm build long before it hits.

  I love every second of this rapture.

  It’s heaven.

  When I come, it’s unrelenting. I moan and tighten my legs around him, riding the orgasm as his cock continues to dive into me again and again and again.

  I hold him tightly, my arms around his neck as I kiss him fiercely between delightful moans.

  I lose all track of time. For all I know, I came for several minutes straight—it’s so intense, so all-encompassing, that I don’t care about anything but the moment.

  The sensation.

  Him.

  When the orgasm slowly begins to fade, he picks up speed. He almost sends me spiraling into another orgasm as he rails into me, his grip on my ass so tight my skin begins to tingle.

  But I don’t care. This feels too amazing to ask him to stop.

  With one final thrust, he forces his cock as deep into me as he can go, and I feel the hot surge of him releasing deep within me. It’s rough and raw, and he sighs with contented delight as he reaches his own orgasm.

  Drew holds me pinned against the wall, my feet off the ground and my legs wrapped around his waist. With his mouth near my ear, he breathes heavily, apparently unable to move.