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The idea made her tense. Kei pushed in to the hilt of his shaft and held himself there, stretching her tight passage.
She stared into his eyes and was struck by the pain. The beast was on him tonight. Lorran reached up and smoothed her hand down his cheek.
“I need you tonight,” he whispered. It was a plea and the need came from a place she couldn’t understand. But she couldn’t leave him to ache like this.
“Yes,” she replied.
* * * * *
The bleak light returned to Kei’s eyes the next morning. In the cold dawn, there was no way for her to comfort him. And he didn’t seek her comfort now. He knew his destiny as well as she did.
After cleaning the cabin and watching Kei stalk into the forest, Lorran decided to walk to town. She needed the time to herself and she was out of some staple items. Lorran lifted her chin as she walked into the General Store about an hour later. The glares that were sent her direction were not new. She’d grown used to the disdain of the townspeople. But today it was different.
Always before she’d been able to ignore their taunts, knowing she had righteous virtue on her side. But now, it was true.
She’d become the dragon’s lover. Dragon’s whore is what they’d call her. He’d been relentless last night, pushing her ever higher and himself ever deeper as if trying to banish the darkness with her body. Her legs ached. Her pussy throbbed from the constant pounding. And more was the memory of her own voice begging him to fuck her, to come inside her. She blushed as the door closed behind her.
“Mistress Lorran, welcome.” The storeowner, Mr. Fiya greeted her with a friendly smile. Many in town didn’t approve of his serving her. They wanted her to leave and hoped if she were unable to purchase goods, she would do so. He’d shrugged and welcomed her anyway. Fiya owned the only store in town so few could afford not to patronize his shop.
“Mr. Fiya,” she said.
“It’s been awhile since you’ve been by. I bet you’re desperate for some fresh flour.”
“I am.” She followed him around the small store, dismissing the small group of women who gathered to stare at her. It was a stare designed to intimidate. Most days, Lorran had no problem ignoring them but today, she felt decidedly conspicuous.
“Humph,” one woman grunted as Lorran passed by. The woman led the crowd as they pointedly turned their backs to Lorran. The situation suddenly seemed so ridiculous. These women didn’t understand. They never would. Lorran squeezed her lips together and resisted the urge to open her arms wide and shout, “Yes, I’m fucking a dragon and it’s incredible.”
Fiya gathered her order and placed the items in a rough cloth sack.
“Now, Mistress, you be careful on the walk home,” he warned. “Effron’s been particularly nasty these last few days. Don’t know what’s got him so riled up.”
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Dragon’s Kiss
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Another dragon in the neighborhood.
Lorran kept the comment to herself. No one knew about Kei and it had to stay that way. Riker had somehow managed to keep it a secret. Kei still sent and received daily messages from the Castle. He gave instructions to his advisors and commanders but only provided vague assurances of his recovery and imminent return. She didn’t understand it but she had a feeling there was someone at the Castle he didn’t trust. She didn’t think it was Riker. Kei spoke of him with great fondness. There had to be someone else.
“Dragon whore.” The hissed comment snapped Lorran from her thoughts. She raised her eyes and stared defiantly at the women crowded at the back of the store. Mr. Fiya placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t let them get to you,” he whispered. “You just keep on doing what you’re doing.”
Lorran nodded and walked out.
And what am I doing?
That question haunted her as she walked home. The past week had changed her. She’d gone from an observer to a participant. Even now, she couldn’t believe the things she’d done with Kei. When they’d started, she never realized the danger. The obvious danger of living with a man about to take on dragon form had proven easy to endure. No, the true danger had been to her heart, during those quiet moments after the loving, when Kei held her in his arms and told her of his plans for the Kingdom; or those meals when Kei listened intently as she discussed her research; or the long hours when he loved her body, whispering hot sexy words and showing her how desirable she was. She was falling in love with him. Her steps slowed as she left the town and started down the path to her cabin. In love. With a dragon. This was what she’d feared last night.
Dammit, she couldn’t do it again. She hadn’t been
in love
with her husband but that would make this time so much worse. The pain as Brennek had turned from her, as the dragon Cronan had ignored her presence, was an ever present wound. She’d tolerated it because she’d committed herself to Brennek. And because she felt responsible for his change.
But how much worse would it be when Kei changed—when he turned from her, not wanting her touch. When he stepped around her to reach for a woman he’d kidnapped from the village. Her throat tightened and she swallowed deeply, trying to dislodge the lump that had formed.
She had to stop it. Somehow. She had to step back. She’d lost her ability to observe, involved herself too deeply in the subject. The few others who studied dragons as she did had warned her not to get involved. She had to remain separate—apart from the victim. Sympathy only led to pain. Dragon’s rarely lived for long and they made rotten friends.
This time, she’d let herself get involved with the human but the result would be the same.
She pressed her shoulders down. Well, she’d just have to get herself uninvolved. How hard could it be? She would keep her discussions with Kei strictly to learning how the dragon was impacting him. And she wouldn’t watch him as he split wood or Tielle St. Clare
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worked in the garden. She wouldn’t wait for his reaction to dinner to see if she’d pleased him in some small way.
She could do it, she silently vowed. In the interest of her own sanity, she could pull herself away from the Kei.
Until nighttime. Then, what was she going to do? Each night as they ate dinner, his eyes would begin to warm and with a word or a slight tug of his hand, he would lure her into passion.
It didn’t take much to get her into his arms. Just the hint of fire in his gaze. He’d watch her, pierce her with those hot eyes as if he wanted to look away but couldn’t. She’d fight the pull, until the pressure became too much and they’d fly together, desperate to be united.
Her body ached from the constant assault, but still she wanted more. The simple heat of his gaze sent a sharp pain to the center of her stomach, a need to feel him inside her. Even now, with only the memory to warm her, her sex began to moisten, to open, readying for his penetration.
She stopped and leaned against a tree, waiting for the sensation to pass and her knees to strengthen. Well, if nothing else came from this, she had memories to draw from for years to come. Somehow she knew, Kei would be the standard for all other men.
She quietly growled as she pushed herself away from the tree. It was a strange habit she’d learned from Kei over the past days—growling when she wasn’t happy. It seemed to work for him. When she did it, he just laughed. But when she was alone it made her feel better, more powerful.
She savored that power, trying to remember it as she walked into the clearing. Kei was at his usual position, splintering logs into tiny slivers—trying to exhaust the demon in his head.
He looked up as she approached the cabin. His nostrils flared like a wild animal scenting his mate. He started toward her, then stopped. The tight line of his jaw was the only sign of any response. He was fighting, struggling against another of those demons. She would tell him her decision tonight. It was best for everyone. She knew it and Kei would see the logic of it.
She waited until dinner was on the table. And this time she brought her parchment and quill with her.
“So, I’m a little behind on recording my observations. I thought I should catch up.”
Kei looked up but didn’t speak.
“I’ve made notes about the progress of our studies so far. I just need your input.”
She cleared her throat. “Are you noticing a change in your…” She looked down and saw his plate. “Uh, appetite?”
Kei straightened in his chair and stared at her. Lorran lifted her chin and returned the gaze. She couldn’t let herself be intimidated. Or seduced. She had to protect what was left of her heart. Kei’s eyes crinkled at the edges as if he were trying to figure out what she was up to. Damn the man was too perceptive by half. Tielle St. Clare
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“Kei?” she prompted. “Changes in your appetite?” He seemed to enjoy whatever she cooked. He’d been raised a warrior before becoming a King—no doubt he was used to worse food.
Finally he shook his head but his eyes didn’t lose the wariness.
“Ability to sleep?” Again he shook his head. “Do you feel the dragon’s presence growing in you?”
He paused as if considering his answer then said, “No.”
“Is there anything unusual about your behavior? Anything that you notice is different from before the bite?” She pressed her shoulders back and tapped her quill on the edge of the paper. “I didn’t know you before so I don’t know if there is any personality change that’s occurred.”
“You mean besides the constant need to fuck?” he growled. Lorran swallowed. “Uh, yes.”
“No, that’s pretty much the only the change.”
“What do you attribute the, uhm…constant need to—” She’d said the words before, usually shouting them as Kei was entering her body, but to sit and discuss it calmly…
“Engage in sexual relations?”
The corner of his mouth kicked up in a smirk.
“Kei?” she pressed when he didn’t answer. His lips flattened out.
“I don’t know.”
“Really?” She let her skepticism creep into her voice. He was hesitating too much between answers. He was either lying or not telling her everything. He pushed back from the table and stood. He grabbed his plate and walked to the sink before speaking. “What? You want me to tell you that the dragon is talking to me?
Fine. He’s in my head, or my body, or some damn place. He’s just there and all he wants to do is fuck. Trust me, that’s the only thing going through the creature’s mind.”
Lorran cleared her throat. “Dragons are known to have rapacious sexual appetites.”
“This one does, and lucky for me, we’ve found a woman willing to accommodate us.”
“Well, since you brought that up, I think we have come to the end of that portion of our relationship.”
She waited for the growl, or grumble, or sigh, or some sort of response. He was silent. Finally, she lifted her head and met his eyes. They were cold green stones.
“What?” His voice was soft and menacing when he spoke.
It was infinitely worse than a shout or growl.
“I think we need to stop our intimate encounters,” she reasserted. She folded her hands primly on the table, planning to calmly lay out the logic that had brought her to this point. “We’ve been together every night—“
and day
, she added silently, “since you awoke from the trance. The dragon has not appeared. We have to conclude that while there is some need for sex, it is not something that brings about the transition into the dragon. And I believe that we must move on.”
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She waited, defiantly meeting Kei’s stare. She wouldn’t back down on this. Kei already meant too much to her. She had to begin distancing herself from him. His eyes seemed to darken as they watched her. He pushed himself away from the counter.
“Fucking me was just an experiment?” The chill in his voice sent a shiver down Lorran’s back.
She didn’t dare lie to him. “Well, no, but we must use all the knowledge that we can gather. And we have to take into consideration that our, uh, physical relationship might be encouraging the dragon’s presence.”
“So, it becomes stronger because we fuck?” He didn’t sound like he believed it and she couldn’t really blame him. But any excuse would do. She couldn’t tell him the truth.
I could easily fall in love with you.
“I think it’s something we need to consider,” she said primly, marking a note in her pad.
“Very well,” he agreed, his voice quiet and unconcerned. “If that’s what you would like.” He wandered across the room.
“There is a cot in the closet,” Lorran said, hoping to keep her voice as equally disinterested. She thought she’d succeeded quite well.
“Of course. I’ll set that up.”
No, he definitely sounded more casual about it. As she cleared the table and washed the dishes, she grumbled under her breath.
She’d expected him to escape—to head toward the woodpile and continue his campaign to decimate the forest. Instead, he collected the cot and set it up on the opposite side of the cabin. Then he sat down in front of the fire, ignoring her.
“He could have at least protested a little,” she muttered as she scrubbed the stew pot. Obviously, she’d made the right decision. Their hours together had come to mean too much to her and they meant nothing more than an available body to him. There was the possibility that the need for sex would drive him into town but she had to believe he’d return. If for no other reason than he’d said he would allow her observation. She finished the dishes and turned around. Kei continued to watch the fire. It was strange to work without his scrutiny. Every other night, he’d watched her, lust becoming a palpable sensation in the room.
She studied him for a moment. His jaw was tight and his knuckles white. He was fighting something. She wanted to ask him about it—but the need to comfort him was too great. She couldn’t. Though it killed her inside, she turned away. She had to protect herself. Her life had been thrown into turmoil when her husband had made the change into a dragon. The guilt and regret that lingered from that experience still weighed on her heart. How much worse would it be this time, when her heart was engaged? There was only one way for her to survive this time—she had to build the distance between herself and Kei.