He groaned as her wet cunt sucked his cock inside. He was beyond thought, beyond rational behavior. He needed to come inside her, to fill her with his seed. He had no control, no restraint. He thrust inside her twice, then again, feeling the steady rise of a sharp clear orgasm.
He shoved in deep and his world released. He flooded her with his come. Seconds later, the strength sapped from his body, he collapsed on top of her. He didn’t have the energy to move off and in this position, his cock stayed buried in her cunt. He was going to need more of her pussy in a while so he wanted to stay inside. Lorran shifted underneath him and he raised his head. Her eyes were clouded with pain and he had the sudden urge to nuzzle her. He rubbed his nose along her cheek, soothing her.
“I can’t provide you an heir, Kei,” she said after a moment. He leaned back and stared at her in amazement. “Is that what you thought?” She shrugged but he saw through the casual movement. This was the source of the pain. “It never occurred to me until three hours ago that you might get pregnant. I wasn’t fucking you for an heir. I was fucking you because I can’t seem to stop.”
She smiled and he felt her relax underneath him. “I’ve noticed.”
“I don’t
want
to stop,” he said, knowing it was an important distinction. He pushed himself up on his elbows and rubbed his softening cock inside her passage. The light friction immediately returned him to a hard state. Lorran gasped as he pulsed deep inside her. He knew she liked this, liked the short massaging pulses far inside her pussy.
“I want to move inside this tight cunt until you ache from need,” Kei growled. Lorran gasped. “And then I’ll give you what you ask for.”
He kept whispering to her as he rocked inside her, filling her mind with his voice as he filled her body with his cock. Her eyes grew vague as she lost herself once more. This was what he wanted her to remember when he was gone. He clamped down on his own need to thrust hard and worked for her, pleasuring her body with his hands, mouth and cock until the sun began to creep up in the sky. Then, her mind lost to all Tielle St. Clare
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but him, he sank one final time into her cunt and once again filled her pussy with his seed.
* * * * *
Kei grimaced as he washed in the miniscule tub. His knees were up against his chest and his shoulders were wider than the edge of the small tub. But it was a quick way to get clean. Maybe later he could convince Lorran to go to the waterfall—enjoy the pleasures of the warm pond. The hazy visions that seemed to characterize the dragon’s thoughts instantly formed pictures of Kei and Lorran, naked on the rocks beside the waterfall. She’d watched him that first night. Now he could enjoy her fully—her lips on his cock, his mouth drinking from her cunt. The dragon grumbled his agreement. He’d give her the day to rest. Nekane’s protest was a soft growl. Kei shook his head. It was strange how he’d adapted to the dragon’s voice. He almost expected reactions from the beast.
The low tones of a man’s voice outside the cabin drew Kei from his thoughts. He stood and draped a towel around his waist. It was odd to hear another human. The only contact with the world beyond the cabin had been Kei’s messages to the Castle.
No one visited Lorran. The town didn’t approve of her. She’d told him people had threatened her when she’d first moved in. Now, most ignored her. Flicking his damp hair over his shoulder, Kei walked to the window and looked out.
A tall burly man with an open friendly face and ready smile stood listening intently as Lorran spoke. The male reached out and patted her softly on her shoulder. Then he spoke and Lorran smiled. Kei couldn’t hear the man’s words. A violent roar in his head blocked the sound.
Kei felt the muscles in the back of his neck begin to twist. He stared down at his hand, watching it tighten and curl until it formed a claw. Lorran’s gentle laughter floated across the clear air. She nodded and watched the man walk back towards town. Seconds later, she came back inside.
“That was Mr. Fiya from the General Store. He was delivering—” She stopped and looked at him. “What’s wrong?”
“I can smell him on you.” Kei didn’t recognize his own voice. The sound was deep and low, like an animal’s growl. “He touched you.” He lifted his head and stared at her. The dark haze he associated with the dragon didn’t block his vision. It intensified it. Everything about her was clear. Every strand of hair was separated and every scent catalogued. Every breath she took was gathered in his lungs. Kei blinked and tried to push the fog away.
It was happening. The beast was battling for control. A male had touched his mate!
He turned his neck, stretching it up and twisting around, fighting for final domination over the body. “He touched you,” he heard himself repeat. As he said the words, he stepped forward—the human struggled to deny each footstep, but the dragon was too strong.
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Mine. Take mine!
Beyond the words, Kei felt the dragon’s fierce need to possess Lorran. Kei resisted, calling on every strength he had. And still he walked forward.
“He just touched my shoulder.” Lorran shook her head. And stepped back. It burst into his mind—
backing away, running from him.
Leave? No! Mine!
Kei knew that Lorran had heard the dragon’s mental cry when she shook her head and took another step back. Kei watched the movement and the dragon screamed. The bellow reverberated through the small cabin. Lorran slapped her hands over her ears to block the horrifying noise.
Kei felt his awareness fading, losing even the ability to fight the beast. She walked backwards. The movement felt familiar. It took a moment for her to remember—this was just like her dream. She was being hunted by a dragon. Stalked by the man she loved.
All semblance of humanity was gone from the black eyes that stared at her. But it was more than just the black eyes that warned her Kei was no longer in charge. Waves of rage emanated from his body. The dragon had taken control of the human mind and was close to freeing itself from the physical human constraints. When the creature appeared, the house wouldn’t be able to contain it. It would turn on her. That long contained fury would explode.
Unwilling to look away, she stepped backward, and placed her foot on the hem of her gown. She went down with a thud. Kei still moved forward. Lorran scrambled backwards on her hands and feet, trying to escape. Her heart pumped blood erratically through her veins.
“Kei, please,” she said when she could gather enough air to speak.
Mine!
The word entered her mind but Kei did not speak it.
“No.” She shook her head.
Mine!
The creature repeated.
“No, please.”
He bent down and began to crawl the last few feet to her. The rough wool of her gown flipped upward, baring her legs to her thighs. She moved to pull the material down but he was there—his hands reaching for her, grabbing her thighs and pulling her toward him.
“Kei, please. Don’t let him win.” She called to the human inside—hoping he was still there, still able to react.
He stared down at her spread legs. His hands tightened on her knees.
“Please, Kei, don’t do this.”
The fear in her voice reached deep inside him. It shocked him, sending strength to his body. He threw himself back, lunging for the door. He had to get away—had to get free. He ripped the door open and stumbled onto the wooden porch. He took a deep breath, trying to clear Lorran’s scent from his nostrils. The smell of her fear still haunted his senses. He stalked off the porch and paced the yard.
Male scent on mine!
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Nekane’s scream throbbed in Kei’s skull, making it almost impossible to think. The only choice was to move. He took off in a run, away from Lorran, into the woods. He raced down the narrow trail toward town. The smell of the man who’d touched Lorran was easily traced and he started to follow it.
The gut-tearing rage boiled inside again.
Kill male.
Kei jerked himself to a stop, gripping a small tree to keep himself from moving forward, from hunting the man who’d dared touch his woman!
He forced himself to take long slow breaths, to cleanse his body of everything but the smell of the soil and the trees lining the path. Fog blurred his thoughts but Kei refused to release his hold on the tree. It was the only thing binding him to the earth. Time slowly returned to focus and Kei looked up. The sun was almost set. He’d been gone for hours. He looked around and sniffed the air, hating the animal-like movement but needing the dragon’s senses. The scent of the shopkeeper had faded and there was no smell of blood. Kei looked down at his hands. They were clean except for the tree sap. So he hadn’t killed the man.
Nekane grumbled in response. The beast wasn’t happy. Kei could sense the dragon’s future plan. When Nekane was finally released from the constraints of the human body, he would return and kill the shopkeeper.
Lorran had told him at the beginning that it was unsafe for him to return home because he would hurt the people around him. Now he knew why. The dragon held the memory and the rage. It would return to punish any that offended it. But Kei was back in control—for now. Triumph pulsed through his veins giving him strength.
And another erection.
Lorran. He wanted her. Wanted to fuck her, drive his tongue into her pussy. Claim her so she’d never think of another man.
Yes. Yes. More. Mine.
But he wouldn’t. Kei crushed the dragon’s rebellion. The creature howled inside his head once again.
Barely holding onto the last bit of humanity, Kei started to plan. It was time. He had to leave.
Lorran sat by the fire, ostensibly reading but Kei knew she’d been staring blankly at the pages. She looked up when he entered and fear flickered in her eyes. She quickly hid it but it was too late. He knew it was there. He braced himself for the dragon’s cry. The beast growled softly, but remained steady.
“I’m leaving.”
“What? Now? It’s dark outside.”
“It’s best. I have to leave. Now.”
She set the book aside and stood, moving swiftly toward him. Kei backed away.
“Don’t come near me.”
“You won’t hurt me, Kei. I know that.”
He nodded. “I won’t, but what about him?” He tapped the side of his head. “I can’t control him much longer. It’s finally happening.” He’d wondered why the dragon had Tielle St. Clare
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stayed silent for so long—now, it seemed the beast was ready to appear. “I have to go home. Deliver my papers and speak to my brothers before the final change.”
“But—“
“Lorran, don’t. You did your best. I hope anything you learned from me will help others.”
“Let me come with you.”
“Don’t.” He found the courage to look at her. “I won’t have you sacrificing yourself the way you did with Cronan. This creature inside me would destroy you.”
“I don’t see it as a sacrifice.”
He felt her words in his chest. He could have her. She would come with him and stay by his side.
“I know what’s going to happen to me. Living with that horror will be bad enough. Taking
you
to that level of the Hells would drive me insane.”
He waited, watching her until she nodded, until he was sure she understood. If she cared about him, she had to let him go. He couldn’t bear the thought of her living in the dark corner of a cave. Only the Gods knew what the dragon would to do her. He had to go.
He looked around the room. He had nothing to take. Nothing here belonged to him. Except her.
Mine.
He ignored the voice, using the strength embedded in him since childhood. He could walk through fire, endure unimaginable pain—he could walk away from her. He stopped at the door knowing he had to say something. “Thank you. For everything.” Lorran followed, staying just out of touching range. Tears pooled along the lower edge of her eyes making them glitter in the pale candlelight. “You’re an amazing woman.”
And he stepped into the dark night, the dragon screaming in his head.
No!
* * * * *
No!
Nekane’s wail echoed through the empty room. She watched the door close behind him and felt her own heart cry in response. Sympathy for the dragon—and for the man destined for death. Tears poured unnoticed down her cheeks. She wanted to race after him, to drag him back, plead with him to stay but to what end?
The dragon was rising in him.
And Kei knew it.
He was leaving to protect her.
“Dammit.”
She could go after him but he didn’t want that. His honor, which was one of the many things she’d learned about him, wouldn’t let him stay. He was afraid Nekane would take over. Those shocking few moments this afternoon when the dragon had Tielle St. Clare
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stalked her across the room frightened her. She shivered at the memory. Kei had completely disappeared.
She’d been afraid, truly afraid of the beast inside him.
Mine.
Kei had said it to her often but it was only when the dragon had screamed it did she understand its true meaning. He wanted her to belong to him, completely. He wanted to consume her.
Lorran sank to the floor and stared blankly at the fire. The room was deathly quiet. How was she going to do it? How was she going to learn to live without him?
Her worst fears had come true. She’d fallen in love with him.
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Chapter 8
“Well, well, well. He’s back.”
Kei ignored Kafe’s mocking greeting. Nekane growled quietly in Kei’s head. The dragon either sensed Kei’s feelings toward his brother or he was a good judge of character. Kei had been back for a full day but this was Kafe’s first appearance.
“You’ll need to see that the North Shore Treaty is finalized.” Kei held up the document to Riker.
The young man nodded. Kei watched his brother for a moment. Some people would think he was too young to rule but Kei knew Riker’s strength. Like Kei, Riker had trained as a warrior. Now, he would be King.