Until all that was left was her voice crying out their names.
* * * * *
Kei stared down at an exhausted Lorran. She’d done it. Nekane was gone, sated and faded to the background. But Kei’s need to reclaim his woman lingered. They had put her to hard use but he needed her. One more time,
he
needed her. Needed her eyes looking into his, needing her mouth calling
his
name. Her eyes fluttered open. She looked up.
“Kei?”
“He’s had you—now it’s my turn.”
The edges of her lips curled upward and she squirmed, positioning herself for the penetration of his cock. Nekane rumbled in Kei’s head but the dragon stayed back, contentedly purring as Kei filled Lorran’s pussy. He held her gaze until he was fully imbedded in her cunt. She reached up and brushed his long hair away from his face. He shifted his hips, resettling himself between her legs.
Her eyelids began to drift shut. He was slow, knowing she had to be sore from the hours they’d spent inside her. Still, she smiled, the contented smile of a well-loved woman.
“Hmmm, Kei.” She licked her lips. “Welcome back.”
“Mine,” he repeated the cry of the dragon. Lorran nodded and sighed as he sank into her again.
“Yes.”
It was a long slow loving, the drive only to feel each other, to be a part of each other, their climax a growing swell. The orgasm flittered through them, resonating between their bodies, vibrating until they each opened to the other. Loran moaned and felt Kei flood her again with his come.
She was complete. Home.
* * * * *
It was over. Lorran sat astride Kei’s lap, his semi-hard cock still buried inside her. She flowed over his chest, her head sagging against his shoulder. Exhaustion drained all Tielle St. Clare
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strength from her limbs and all thought from her mind. She had no idea how much time had passed since she’d entered the cave. Hours, days, months could have elapsed. She didn’t care. She had Kei back. A vague memory of Riker’s imminent return tried to insert itself but it faded into insignificance. She had Kei. Nothing else mattered. There was no thought of moving away, of disengaging her well-loved body from his. Lorran placed a light kiss on Kei’s neck. She was exhausted but she needed to feel him. His taste was familiar, an addiction from which she’d never recover. At the light touch of her mouth, his cock began to grow. She shifted, and found the energy to raise her head.
He made no attempt to make love to her, content to have her with him, to be inside her body, to lay claim to that which was fully his. He knew it. Even though the dragon was gone, for the moment, Kei the human knew he’d claimed Lorran as his. She’d never escape.
But while the dragon had taken her as his mate, Kei knew she was more. And he had to offer her the choice. Nekane grumbled. Kei ignored it.
“What’s wrong?” She pushed herself up and looked into his eyes. Kei was rocked by what he saw there—loyalty, commitment, perhaps even love. But did she understand what she’d done? The dragon now assumed she belonged to them.
“Do you know what you’ve done by coming here?” She blinked at his harsh question. She opened her mouth to speak. Kei looked away. He shook his head and stared into the dark. Lorran’s acceptance had strengthened him. He could keep Nekane at bay for a while longer. “I can feel him. He’s just waiting to return. If I even think about your leaving, he crawls up inside me and—”
“I’m not going to leave you.”
“If you stay with me, you’ll be binding yourself to a man who’ll spend his whole life fighting a dragon.” Nekane snarled in protest but Kei pushed on, wanting what she offered so desperately that he knew once he accepted it, it would kill him to let her go. If she left now, there was a chance, a small chance, he might survive. Nekane growled his disagreement and threatened to take over. Kei pushed him back. Nekane could convince her to stay—Kei knew that—but somewhere in the human that lingered, Kei wanted her to stay for more than loyalty to a creature desperate for her love. And for more than sex. He wanted her love. She may be Nekane’s mate, but she would be Kei’s wife.
“I’ll be outlawed immediately and then will come the endless line of dragon slayers. Every Kingdom of the Seven has laws banishing dragons and promoting their destruction.”
“We’ll change the laws.” A dreamy smile curled her lips as if the memory was too good to hide. “And if not, we’ll stay in this cave and live and make love and be at peace.”
Kei didn’t want to subject her to that life again. It was the life she’d had with her first husband—but there had never been peace. He didn’t want that for her.
“You would go through that again?”
“To be with you, yes.”
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“Why?” It was the question he had to ask—even knowing he’d regret the answer.
“Because I love you.”
Breath froze in his lungs, petrifying his body for a moment. She’d said it. And she had meant it. He could feel it. The instincts of the dragon gave his senses extra power. Her heart beat at a steady pace as if the admission were no more stressful than cooking a meal.
But his human mind wouldn’t accept it.
“Me or Nekane?” Kei had been there when Nekane had loved Lorran with his tongue. He’d seen her writhe on the ground, reveling in the tongue fucking the dragon had given her. Odd that he could be jealous of a creature that inhabited his body. Lorran cocked her head to the side and smiled.
“I love both of you.”
That wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
“I’ll never be normal. You’re going to be bound to me forever.”
“I already am.”
He continued as if she hadn’t spoken.
“I can’t stand the thought of you being out of my sight. He’s fighting me now. Wanting to overwhelm you. You’ll never be free.”
Lorran smiled. “I don’t want—”
A metallic clack on the walls of the cave stopped her words.
“Lorran! Lorran! Are you all right? Are you alive? The Council has arrived.”
Her head snapped up.
“We have to go,” she announced.
Kei’s fingers gripped her hips, not letting her move. “What?”
“The Kings’ Council is here. To investigate the rumor that you’ve turned.” She pushed herself up on her knees. He held her in place for a moment. Lorran looked into his eyes. The black glow of Nekane’s presence stared back.
“Leave?” The harsh word came out of Kei’s mouth but was clearly from Nekane.
“No,” she quickly reassured him. “I won’t leave you, but I need Kei here to convince the others. I’ll stay right here. I’ll never leave you.”
With her words, the darkness of Kei’s eyes faded and the glitter of green returned. It was like speaking to a child. A child in a dragon’s body. With a bull in rut’s sex drive. She couldn’t stop her smile. She was going to have an interesting life. The thought didn’t scare her as much as it probably should. Still holding his hand, unsure how much Nekane understood, she pulled Kei to standing.
“We have to—“
“Lorran?” Riker entered the cave, his sword bare and glittering. Shock and pleasure replaced the worry and tension on his face. “Kei? Hells, you’ve returned to yourself.”
He hurried across the stone floor. Kei backed away, pulling Lorran with him. He shoved Lorran behind his back and bared his teeth at his brother. Riker pulled to a stop.
“Kei? What’s—”
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Lorran pulled her arm free from Kei’s hold and slipped around to his front, placing herself between Kei and Riker. She rested her hand on Kei’s chest, soothing the frightened beast inside. “It’s fine, Nekane. Riker won’t hurt me.”
“Touch you?”
She followed Nekane’s dark stare to Riker. She turned back and nodded. “Yes, he was the man who touched me but he would never hurt me.”
Riker watched the exchange. “What’s going on?” he demanded. Lorran didn’t look at him—she kept her attention focused on Kei.
“It’s okay, Riker. Nekane just doesn’t know you. He’ll be fine. Won’t you, Nekane?”
She took a deep breath and continued to run her hands over Kei’s chest. “It might help if you put your sword away.” There was silence for a moment and then the slick of a blade returning to its scabbard. “See, Nekane, he’s here to help.” She stroked the tight muscles for a few moments more before she felt the tension begin to fade. And Kei’s eyes returned to their natural green. But he wasn’t completely calm. She could read his body. Something else was wrong. “What is it?” she asked. Kei cocked one eyebrow up. “You’re naked and my brother has now had a long view of your lovely ass.”
Lorran felt her cheeks heat up. She’d gotten used to being naked around Kei. Her dress was crumpled in a pile a few feet away. She moved to get it. Kei’s hand shot out and snagged her wrist. The quick tightening of his grip told her Nekane was struggling to keep her.
She smiled gently as she looked at him. “This is going to take some getting used to.”
Kei stared at his hand for a moment as if he didn’t recognize it. For a man who was used to ruling, being out of control was unbearable. Lorran twisted her wrist until their palms met, connecting them. She held him until he looked up. She smiled, letting him know she was fine with it. Then she led Kei over to her dress. She turned her back to Riker, picked up her crumpled gown and released Kei’s hand to pull the dress over her head. Even that distance was too much. As she raised her arms, he walked behind her and slid his hands around until they cupped the warm weight of her breasts. Her nipples were hard, long loved by Kei and Nekane. She sighed at the gentle warmth.
Lorran leaned back against him. He massaged those luscious tits that had sustained him so often and enjoyed her soft sighs.
“Riker’s here,” she whispered.
Damn, he’d forgotten about his brother. Now that the dragon seemed less concerned about Riker’s presence, he’d turned his thoughts back to his favorite subject—fucking Lorran. Kei shook his head to clear it. As much as he supported the idea, he needed to be able to focus on other issues.
“But later, when this is all over…” Lorran turned to face him, her voice laced with promise and lust. “I’ll expect you to have me,
fuck
me over and over until we’re both exhausted but can’t stop.”
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He felt his eyes widen. Lorran, using the word “fuck” so casually. He was definitely a bad influence on her. He smiled and finally pulled his hands out from underneath her gown, letting the light skirt fall and cover her.
“Trust me, I will,” he promised. He took her hand again and faced his brother. Riker’s suspicious eyes were like a knife in his heart.
“Kei? Is that really you?”
“Some of the time,” he answered honestly.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s a little difficult to explain.”
“Well, start with how you defeated the dragon.”
“I didn’t. He’s still here.” Kei tapped his temple. “But he seems willing to fade away for awhile.” He tightened his grip on Lorran’s hand. “As long as Lorran stays nearby.”
“What happens if she leaves?”
“Leave?!” The word erupted from Kei’s throat but it wasn’t Kei’s voice.
“No, no.” Lorran rushed to assure the still frightened dragon. “I’m not leaving. I won’t leave you.” She turned and faced Riker. “Until Kei gets a little more control, let’s just keep reassuring Nekane I won’t leave him. We don’t need him making another appearance this soon.”
“Especially not now,” Riker agreed. “The Council is here.”
“We’ll head down the mountain.”
“No, the Council is
here
. They were cresting the last ridge when I came in.”
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Chapter 10
“I think I’ll need some clothes,” Kei said, fully returning as the King. He might have a dragon living in his mind but he was still a ruler. He would continue to rule as best he knew until he wasn’t able.
The clanking of bells on mules and the clomp of footsteps rang across the stone. They were here. Moments later, dressed in Riker’s battle leathers, Kei took a deep breath and prepared to face the Kings’ Council. As the ruler of one of the Seven Kingdoms, Kei was a member of the Council.
The Council had been created during Kei’s father’s reign to end the constant border wars between the Kingdoms. It had been successful, with only minor skirmishes still occurring. But the strength of the Council depended on the strength of its members and if the other members of the Council decided one King wasn’t strong enough, they would remove him. For the sake of his Kingdom, Kei would walk out of the cave a King.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on the dragon, calling it by name for the first time.
Nekane. Nekane, I need your help. I have to go talk to—
Lorran started toward the door.
Mine leaving?!
No, she’ll stay with us. Just—
he didn’t know what he was asking the dragon to do. Be silent and stay out of it didn’t seem appropriate.
Stay calm. And quiet.
That didn’t seem enough.
I’ll protect Lorran,
he assured Nekane.
She’ll stay nearby.
The dragon grumbled but didn’t move for control. Kei could almost see the beast pouting.
But at least it was quiet. Kei took Lorran’s hand, making sure to keep her close. Nekane was quiet for the moment but Kei didn’t know if he could control him if the dragon thought Lorran was in danger. The memories of those moments before Nekane had appeared in corporeal form were burned into Kei’s mind. Nekane’s only thought had been to save Lorran—to protect his mate.
It made the creature easier to understand.
Kei, Lorran and Riker walked out of the cave into the sunlight. A small group of gentleman, a woman, and about a dozen heavily armed guards waited. Some of the soldiers held bared swords or bows with arrows notched.
“Am I under attack?” Kei asked, filling his voice with mockery and scorn. He stared directly at his brother. The surprised look on Kafe’s face when Kei stepped outside was enough to make anyone smile. Except Nekane. The crisp sharp image of Lorran being held at knifepoint entered Kei’s mind. He bared his teeth and released a low growl. Lorran’s fingers brushing across the back of his hand drew him back. He looked down Tielle St. Clare