by Marcy Jacks
Renford grinned. “You like this?”
Miles nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good. Move your hips.”
“Oh, yeah sure, of course.”
Miles wanted to act like he’d known this the entire time, that he knew what he was supposed to be doing, but he was pretty sure Renford could see through the bullshit act.
Didn’t matter, because then everything felt amazing again. More so than it had been before. His cock throbbed between their bodies, and his knees were up almost to his chest, but it felt so damned good…
“That’s it,” Renford said, his hands moving, gripping Miles’s waist. “That’s it.”
His hands were rough. Miles felt the scales forming again, and even through the pleasure, he knew he definitely didn’t want this guy transforming into a dragon while he was inside him.
Miles glared at the man. “You’d better keep that…that dragon inside you. You are not fucking me while you’re a dragon.”
Because it was sick, and there was no way he was letting that fly.
He’d almost called the dragon a giant lizard, but luckily Miles had been able to hold back those fighting words while Renford fucked into him.
Panting for breath, Renford glared at him. “Shut up. I’m not doing that to you.”
Miles glared back, looping his arms behind the man’s neck and back, holding on tight and putting more effort into thrusting his hips.
“I didn’t know, and I wasn’t about to take the risk.”
Renford sat up, grabbed Miles by his waist and pulled him up and onto his lap.
Miles really had to hold on at that point, but the position change was amazing.
“You just keep looking pretty, and we’ll get through this.”
Wait, he thought Miles was pretty?
He didn’t know whether to be flattered or offended by that. Pretty was what people normally called girls, but at the same time, it was kind of nice to have his looks complimented. Miles knew he wasn’t the best-looking guy in the coven, not by a long shot, and this…
He lost his train of thought as Renford fucked into him harder, faster, to the point where there was nothing but pleasure and Miles didn’t know how his body was supposed to handle it.
He threw his head back and shouted. He could feel his orgasm coming on to him again, building up, ready to overflow, and he wanted it so badly.
“I’m…I’m gonna come. I’m coming,” he said, though he wasn’t sure why he had to warn the man.
Renford took him by his cock, pumping him out of sync with his hard thrusts. He didn’t say anything, but Miles could feel the encouragement.
He felt a little guilty for having another orgasm before Renford had even one, but he couldn’t help himself, and when his body clenched, his testicles tightening, and then warm cum shot onto Renford’s chest.
God, that was hot. Miles was pretty sure it prolonged his orgasm because he was coming on Renford’s chest and stomach.
As though he were marking the other man.
He imagined it wasn’t too many warlocks who came on dragons. Miles would be thinking about this for a long time.
Renford groaned low in his throat. He pressed his forehead down onto the crook of Miles’s neck and shoulder, fucking into him harder, faster, until it started to feel a little uncomfortable as his body settled down from the high of his orgasm.
But then it was worth it when Miles felt the rumble of a growl rippling through him, and the rush of warmth that hit inside him made something within him unwind and relax.
Renford grunted, then sighed, and his body relaxed. It was pleasant. There was something wonderful and calming about both of their bodies, weak from the sex, slumped against each other as they kept each other upright.
Miles let his hands move across the expanse of Renford’s back, enjoying the feeling of the scales that were there.
They were smooth but still felt different compared to the rest of his skin.
He never wanted to leave this spot.
Miles was so comfortable, and he’d nearly started to doze when Renford started to move.
Miles smiled, thinking at first that Renford wanted to go for another round when the dragon shifter put Miles down on the bed and got up.
“Where are you going?” Miles asked, smiling, his eyes fighting to close so he could nap as the other man tucked him in.
“I need to stretch my wings a bit. Need to think about some things.”
That sounded a whole lot as though he were planning on leaving. Miles sat up, a little more awake now. “Wait, you’re leaving.”
“Not for long. I’ll be back. There’s food in the fridge if you get hungry.”
He was too blurry for Miles to see his expression, but the tone of his voice was heartbreaking.
Something was wrong here. Something was so very wrong, and Miles knew that if the other man left to think about whatever it was he wanted to think about, then he might not have such a fun talk when he got back.
If he came back at all.
Miles reached out for his wrist, grabbing it, holding it tight since it was a miracle his aim had been right. “No, wait, stay here with me. Please?”
Renford hesitated, then pulled his hand away. “I’ve got to go.”
Miles opened his mouth to say something, anything at all while Renford got into his clothes, but nothing came out of his mouth, and as Renford descended the stairs of the loft, then left the cabin, Miles never felt more alone in his life.
He fell back onto the pillows with a heavy sigh.
All right, so losing his virginity was a depressing experience after all.
Chapter Seven
Miles wasn’t exactly tired anymore after Renford left him behind. He didn’t exactly want to sleep in another man’s bed when said man walked out on him, as though having sex with him were the worst thing in the world he could have done.
Wasn’t sex with a mate supposed to be an amazing experience? Why was it that Renford left as though he’d done something terrible?
Was it really that big of a deal that Miles was a warlock?
Well, fuck him if that was the case. Miles had done nothing wrong, and he wasn’t about to let himself be guilted because Renford had his own shit to dig through and deal with.
It was a pain in the ass finding his clothes and getting dressed without his glasses. Miles had to rest his eyes a few times between easing himself down the stairs and searching for the bathroom.
His eyes weren’t hurting yet, but eventually, the strain would get to him, and he wouldn’t be able to handle it, so he needed to take it easy.
He managed to figure out the small bathroom, then found the fridge, but when he opened it, he struggled to figure out what everything was.
Luckily, colors and shapes made it easier than it otherwise would have been.
An orange carton was orange juice. He knew that even before smelling the contents.
That would have been fine on its own, except after the sex, he was suddenly starving and needed to eat.
There seemed to be leftover take-out boxes in there. Miles had no idea who would deliver all the way out…wherever he was, but the Chinese noodles tasted amazing, even when he ate with his hands because he couldn’t find the cutlery.
Without much of anything else to do, Miles ate and drank, and waited for Renford to come back.
He also worked on a quick spell, something to tell his sister that he was all right, but that he’d lost his glasses and would need some help getting back.
He sent the message off, knowing his words would fly through the air, and when they made it to Molly’s room, write themselves down on that notebook she kept by her bed, or, failing that, type themselves out on her computer screen.
There. At least she would know he was alive and would be coming back soon, but what to do now about Renford?
Fuck, it really sucked that he couldn't see anything so great immediately in front of his face.
At least he could see thin
gs at a distance, but it was still a bitch and a half to get around.
Then there was the problem of what the hell he was supposed to do until Renford came back? He was in the guy’s house, they were mated, had pretty much sealed the deal, and now…what? Was he supposed to just rifle through the man’s stuff and entertain himself?
They were mated, but they didn't know each other, and Miles was under the impression that Renford greatly enjoyed his privacy.
Luckily, he didn't have to wait long before Renford came back, because Miles heard the distinct sound of heavy, flapping wings, and he felt the boom in the earth as something large and heavy landed with a thud outside.
Renford. He was back. Perfect.
Miles got up and rushed to the door. He had to watch out for anything underfoot before it got too close and he tripped over a boot, but he made it to the door without incident and yanked it open.
He stopped suddenly at the sight of the blurry dragon outside.
Its coloring wasn't quite so different from Renford’s, but it was different enough from the scales Miles had seen, even up close and blurred that they were, that Miles was fairly sure this wasn't Renford—even before the big blur shifted into the shape of a man and approached him.
He was about as tall as Renford, but his hair was a bit longer, and Miles didn't think there was any gray around the man's temples like Renford had, and he was walking right up to him.
Miles prepared a small fire spell in his hand. He kept his hand down by his waist, making sure this guy would not be able to see it, but that didn't seem to help since he definitely could make out what he was barely hiding.
“Uh, I can see what you've got there, you know?”
Shit.
Miles let the spell die out, mostly. He kept a small ember in his hand, just in case he needed it for later.
“You're that other dragon, the one we met in the sky?”
Miles tried to remember his name, but it wasn't coming to him. At least he felt a little safer knowing this guy knew who Renford was, and they seemed to be sort of on friendly terms.
“Yeah. I'm Marek, by the way.”
He held out his hand, but Miles hesitated for just a second or two before taking it.
He didn't want to accidentally touch the man's dick or anything.
Luckily when he reached out, he did end up shaking Marek’s hand.
“Wow, you really can't see, can you?”
Miles glared at him. “I can see well enough to get around. Where did you come from?”
He still wasn't entirely sure that he should be talking to this guy.
Dragons had attacked his coven, and this guy could have been one of them.
“I was asked to come and check on you, so I got your scent and came.”
That made no sense. “What? Who would ask you to come and check on me?”
“Right, well, I guess you didn't know this, but I'm the dragon that your coven caught messing around on your territory, and I was locked up, and Jason and I are mated to each other.”
Miles frowned. “What do you mean? I never heard of anyone locked up in our coven.”
He couldn't see the man so well, but Miles was positive the guy was looking at him as though he were nuts.
“Are you serious? I was locked in a shed and chained up. I thought your whole coven knew I was there.”
Miles rolled his eyes. “I don't always pay attention to what the warrior warlocks are doing, all right? I didn't get the memo, and to be honest, I wouldn't have cared anyway.”
Which was a lie. He was lucky nothing had happened. Usually, whenever there was anything to do with dragons going on in the coven, he and his sister had to know because they were meant to protect the kids.
So, yeah, him not knowing there had been a dragon prisoner in their coven was a massive fuck-up on his part, but in all fairness, the latest update for World of Warcraft had come out, and he'd been a little preoccupied.
In fact, he could totally see his sister mentioning something about a dragon prisoner from outside his room, and him, with his headphones on, blindly accepting whatever it was she'd said without actually paying attention.
God, that was embarrassing.
“So…what are you doing here then? You working with Renford now? He said he defected from his clan.”
Which he still didn't have an answer for.
Again, even though Miles couldn't make out the details, he was pretty sure he could see the other man staring at him with pity in his eyes.
“He didn't exactly defect from his clan. Is this his place? He must have just put it up, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so. It didn't look like there was much inside there. What do you mean by, he didn't exactly defect? What does that even mean?”
It looked like the guy was rubbing the back of his neck. Yeah, he really didn't want to be here, that was for damned sure.
“He was kicked out of the clan, for trying to…look, it doesn't matter. You said you're mates. Jason was worried, and he doesn't have magick anymore. He wanted me to find you, and that Angelica chick was worried. I came to check on you.”
Fuck, Angelica. One of the warrior warlocks. She was a badass motherfucker and totally sweet on Miles.
He would have been interested in her if she didn't scare the piss out of him. She was hardcore as all fuck, and there was no way he could keep up with her.
He'd forgotten all about her, and now that he was reminded of her, knew that she was worried about him, it made him feel even guiltier.
Not that he was about to forget about what Marek had said.
“Okay, but can you please get back to the point of Renford getting kicked out of your clan? Why did he get kicked out?”
The fact that he wasn't getting a straight answer out of this guy was probably the thing that made him so paranoid about it. That had to be the reason why this was bothering him so much.
The whole imagination running wild thing, making him think it was much worse than it actually was.
But what if it was worse? What if Renford had done something? He had kidnapped Miles, and Miles still didn't have a straight answer as to how he knew about the fight, or who those dragons were who attacked the coven.
“Did Renford…did he have something to do with the dragons who attacked my coven? He wasn't in on that? Was he?”
“I don't think so. I hope not.”
“Jesus, you know you're really not good at defusing a situation, right?”
“I know, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to think here.”
“Well, can you think in a way that doesn't make me think my mate murdered someone? Christ.”
The sudden silence made things that much worse.
“Did he try to kill someone? Did he kill someone?”
“He's a warrior dragon, and he's fought off other dragons and plenty of warlocks before, of course he has.”
Miles probably should have seen that coming, but it still blindsided him.
“Has he ever killed anyone from my coven? Was that him who was responsible for the attack?”
“I really hope not. You know something, I really do.”
Miles waited.
Marek decided to get to the chase.
“Arty, your friend? You know him, right?”
Miles nodded.
“He mated with Keagan, and Keagan was pretty hung up on him. I think he's still in love with Arty. Anyway, the reason why Keagan gave him back and negotiated the peace between our clan and your coven was because he was in love with Arty, but also because Renny tried to kill him.”
Miles swallowed hard. “What?”
“Come on, please don't make me repeat myself. You know what I said.”
Miles did, but he really wanted to pretend that he hadn't.
“But…it was self-defense, right? I mean, Arty sucks at using his magick worse than anyone else in the coven, but maybe he attacked first? Maybe he accidentally shot off a spell he didn't mean to, and Renford acted accordingly, right?”
<
br /> Please be true. He wanted so badly for it to be true, but something told him that it wasn't true.
That his mate tried to kill someone, not in battle, not in self-defense, but in cold blood.
Worse, someone Miles knew to be harmless. Someone good and decent, if a little annoying with the spells he could shoot off at random that could really fuck everything up.
“You only just mated with Renny, didn't you?"
Miles happened to think that was obvious. "Well, yeah of course I did. He was the one who grabbed me and brought me here. Where even are we?”
Marek seemed to be shaking his head. “I'll find your glasses and get them to you. You're only a few-minute flight away from your coven. Maybe he wanted to be close to you, that could be why he built this shack here.”
“It's not a shack. It's a nice cabin.”
“It looks like he converted a shack to a small house.”
“So? Some of the buildings in my coven are converted shacks. They're nice. What's your problem?”
“Nothing, okay? I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. Please, just don't get defensive. This is weird enough having to explain this.”
“So stop being a dickhead and explain it. This is my mate you're talking about.”
Again, Marek rubbed the back of his neck. He hesitated, his whole body language giving off a massively uncomfortable vibe.
“Renny tried to kill Arty. There was nothing self-defense about it. Arty didn't threaten him, didn't accidentally cast any spell. It just…was what it was…he did that. Keagan got pissed. They fought, and Renny was kicked out of the clan after Arty had the chance to go home. Things were delicate for a bit. I don't know if Renny had anything to do with the attack on your coven. I would hope not, but I also used to hope and think that he wouldn't have had anything to do with the attempted murder of innocent people.”
Miles was going to be sick. He could feel it in his stomach. He was going to puke. He stuck his hands on his belly and everything. Anything to make the quaking in his stomach ease up.
“But why?”
“To be honest, it's not my place or my business to tell you, but your coven is worried, and with everything going on, I am too. Renny was once mated to Keagan's father. They made a good team. They defended the clan. They helped provide for widows of the dragon warriors who had fought the good fight. All that stuff.”