Authors: G. A. Aiken
Tags: #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Romance, #dragons
Gwenvael didn’t think he’d ever pry Duchess Bantor off his neck. She clung to him like a vine, the wine she’d been guzzling all evening making her much bolder and harder to get rid of than usual. He finally dumped her off at her room into the arms of a giggling servant girl who liked the way he crossed his eyes when her ladyship drunkenly told him to “take me, Gwenvael. Take me now!”
Chuckling, Gwenvael went down the four flights of stairs to the second floor, walked past his own room, and rounded a corner, walking right into Briec.
“Ho there, Briec! What a delightful ass you’re carrying.”
“A delightful
drunken
ass.”
“I’m not drunk.”
Gwenvael grinned. “The ass speaks.”
“Put me down!” the ass demanded. “I can walk on my own.”
“As you wish.” Briec dropped his package, and Talaith grabbed hold of her mate’s arm to prevent her rear from hitting the floor.
“See?” she said, when she’d finally found her balance. “I’m as dry as the desert sands.”
And to prove it, Briec pulled his arm away. With nothing to hold on to, Talaith went down like a stone statue Gwenvael once stole.
Talaith glared up at Briec. “Bastard.”
“I told you, my beautiful Talaith, that
I
was the dragon for you,” Gwenvael reminded her. “But no. You had to go with the arrogant one. Whereas I am always loving and charming and simply wonderful to be around. There isn’t an arrogant bone in my beautiful, perfect body.”
Briec’s eye twitched seconds before he jerked toward his brother, but Gwenvael held up his hands. “Not the face! Not the face! I have plans for this evening and my perfection must remain unmarred.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“Prove it.”
Looking down at his brother’s mate, “Speaking of which, last I saw you, you were with the cunning”—Gwenvael flashed his teeth at his brother, making Briec laugh—“Lady Dagmar.”
“Last I saw her,” Talaith said while trying to get herself to her feet, “she was heading outside.”
Gwenvael threw up his hands. “I order a woman to be in her room, naked, waiting for me, and she traipses off.”
Shaking his head, Briec reached down and grabbed hold of his mate’s shoulders, lifting her to her feet. “Next time use the chains. That way they can’t get away.”
“Good idea. Perhaps I can borrow your set.”
Now that she was on her feet, Talaith slammed her hands against Gwenvael’s chest. When he didn’t fall back, she frowned and hit him again.
“We do not have a set. Borrow Annwyl and Fearghus’s like everyone else. And another thing, slag, keep your dirty, dirty, whorish hands off Lady Dagmar. She’s nice.”
Gwenvael stared down at his hands. “They’re not whorish.”
“A bit slutty, though,” Briec joked.
“And what makes you think I plan to take advantage of Lady Dagmar?”
“She has a pussy, doesn’t she?” Talaith sneered.
Gwenvael’s laugh rang out through the hallway. “We should keep her drunk
every
day!”
Briec sighed. “Once a year is quite enough, thank you. But I will say this one is different from the others you’ve rutted with. She’s well read. Well spoken, too. And her thoughts progress in a nice logical order. She actually kept my interest in our conversation for five…maybe even six minutes before my mind wandered away to something much more interesting.”
“Talaith’s ass?”
“Rude,” Talaith hissed. “Tell him he’s rude!”
Briec shook his finger at Gwenvael. “You’re rude! Don’t speak to her that way!” He pulled Talaith into his body, holding her tight against him before he added a wink and mouthed at Gwenvael, “Definitely her ass.”
Dagmar marched up the hill and awkwardly climbed on top of a boulder. It was a good choice. Gave her a lovely view of the entire valley that separated Garbhán Isle from Dark Plains as a whole.
“So many lakes,” she said out loud. “So much potential defense.” The queen had asked for her help and Dagmar happily accepted, determined to prove her worth, at least to the Southlanders.
About to step down, Dagmar noticed the tall male standing beside the boulder. It wasn’t Gwenvael, but definitely another sneaky dragon. She could tell easily now, which made her wonder how she’d ever missed it before. Of course, Ragnar had been different. He had an entire backstory and even play-acted as if he were old and wounded. All very brilliant, and it still pissed her off.
“Good evening to you,” she said.
The male looked up at her and then around as if he expected her to be speaking to someone else.
“Um…good evening?”
“I don’t remember seeing you at the dinner.” She held her hand out for him to grasp it, and, after a pause, he did just that, helping her to settle comfortably on the boulder.
“I didn’t attend. I’m searching for my wandering mate. Some days I don’t think she loves me at all.”
“Traveling has an allure of its own. I know that now. And perhaps the time away strengthens her love for you.”
“She may have said that one or two times. But I miss her.”
He smiled and Dagmar had to hold back a little sigh. He was astoundingly beautiful with his long dark hair and violet-colored eyes. She’d love to meet the female, dragon or human, who’d willingly wander away from him.
“Are you meeting someone out here tonight?” he asked.
“Doubtful.” The image of Gwenvael taking that royal back to his room had not left her head. “I just needed a bit of fresh air.”
“And some time to yourself. Noisy lot,” he added, motioning toward the castle.
“Very noisy. But not what I expected.”
“Everyone expects the worst of dragons. They can’t help themselves.” His head cocked to the side. “I think it’s time for me to go.”
Dagmar nodded. “As you wish.”
“It was nice”—he looked at her strangely—“talking to you.”
She didn’t know why he seemed so surprised she’d talked to him, but she didn’t care enough to ask.
“And you.”
He gave her a very courtly bow before walking off into the surrounding woods. She watched him go, impressed with the rear view as much as the front one.
“Reason preserve me,” she muttered, appalled with herself.
She turned back around, her entire body jolting when she heard, “I thought I told you to wait in your room and be naked?”
With one hand against her chest, she raised the other. She was appalled at herself even more now that she’d allowed the Gold to startle her.
“Well?” he pushed.
“Don’t snarl at me. And I didn’t see the point of being in my room waiting for you when you seemed to be off with someone else.”
“I was?”
“Do you not remember the royal draped around your neck like a noose?”
“The duchess you mean?”
“Yes. Her.”
“Why would I waste my time with her when I
thought
I had you waiting in your room for me?”
“To quote my father, ‘Bigger tits?’”
“You think so little of me.”
“No, actually. I don’t.”
He casually walked around the boulder until he faced her. “My brother Éibhear says you’re too smart for me.”
“Your brother Éibhear spends too much time in his books and staring at Izzy.”
“Annwyl said you defended me to Morfyd.”
“I was simply clarifying the situation to her.”
“I appreciate your clarification then. It means much to me.”
He grabbed her hands and held her arms away from her body. “I do like this dress on you. Fannie has a good eye.”
“She knew not to bring me something garish. I appreciate that. And thank you for the compliment.”
“You’re very welcome. Now come down here.”
Gwenvael stepped back and she carefully slid to the ground.
“Take off your dress.”
Startled, Dagmar glanced around. No kiss? No romance? Just orders? And even more annoying was how her nipples hardened at the thought.
“Out here? Now?”
“Yes. Here. Now.”
“Lord Gwenvael, there’s quite a difference between enjoying the observation of others and enjoying
being
observed.”
“I know that. Take off the dress.” He stepped closer. “Unless, you’d prefer I hold you down and tear it off.”
“These perverted fantasies of yours—”
“Make you wet?”
She held her thumb and forefinger up, a bit apart. “A little,” she whispered.
Before Dagmar knew it, they were both laughing. Should there be laughing? Listening to her sisters-in-law, she thought there should be something desperate and uncontrollable and wild. And although she felt all those things, she also felt…happy.
Gwenvael pressed his forehead against hers and kept his voice low, “It’s just you and me here, Beast. We’re not involving anyone else except maybe the crows sleeping in the trees. Whatever we do between the two of us, with only the two of us, is our business. That, my lady, is the beauty of fantasy.”
“As always, your words are smooth as glass, Defiler.”
“That doesn’t mean they’re not truthful.” He carefully removed her spectacles, taking the time to slip them into the hidden pocket of her gown. “Take off your dress. I’d hate for you to have to explain to Fannie what happened to the gown she got for you.”
Trying to focus her vision, Dagmar reached for the ties of her bodice. “You don’t think the mauling bear story would work with her?” she asked with a giggle.
Gwenvael silently watched while Dagmar untied the ribbon holding her bodice together. To keep some females calm, Gwenvael would talk. About their beauty, their wit, anything that would keep their focus on him and him alone. But he knew he had Dagmar’s attention and mere words were something the pair of them played with. They tortured others with their words, used their words to get what they wanted or needed.
He didn’t want any of that between them right now. He only wanted Dagmar, the woman boldly leering at him as she pulled the slightly too large bodice apart. His gaze remained on her face, watching the flush that flowed across her cheeks as she became more excited. Her scent teased his senses, making it hard for him not to throw her to the ground and take what he wanted.
Dagmar pulled the dress off her shoulders and off her body. It dropped to the ground, quickly followed by her shift. Hands on her hips, she stood there with her brow raised in silent challenge.
With a quick swirl of his forefinger, he motioned for her to remove the bit of material covering her sex.
Letting out an annoyed little grunt, she muttered, “Lazy,” under her breath before tugging at the ribbons on each hip until they split apart and she could add the cloth to the growing pile at her feet.
Although she stood before him completely naked while he was clothed, her stance was defiant, brave, and demanding. It aroused him more than he could have imagined.
Uncrossing his arms, Gwenvael gently removed the scarf covering her head and pulled her braid around to the front. Untying the ribbon at the end, he took his time unbraiding the silky mass. When done, Gwenvael combed his fingers through her hair until it hung loose and free to her hips.
Now that he had her as he wanted her, he cupped her breasts, his thumbs toying with her nipples. Her eyes closed, body trembling, while Gwenvael amused himself.
His cock pushed hard and heavy inside his leggings, and with every passing second it became harder and harder not to simply mount her and fuck them both into oblivion. But he needed her more ready than this.
Using gentle pressure, he pushed her back until her rear was pressed up against the boulder. He took her hands and kissed them. “I want to see what these small fingers of yours can do.”
She automatically reached for him, but he took firm hold of her hands and pushed them back against her body. “No. Show me on yourself.”
“You’re being lazy,” she teased.
“Desperate,” he replied. “Not sure I can get you ready before I take what’s mine.” Gripping her hips, he lifted her until she was spread out on the boulder.
“Lie back and show me,” he calmly ordered.
She didn’t move right away, her head leaning back a bit as her squinty gaze searched the darkness.
“Here,” he said softly, lifting her dominant hand with his own, “let me help you.” He sucked her middle finger into his mouth, his tongue slowly swirling around the tip. She moaned, sounding in pain as her mind fought what her body wanted so badly. When she began to squirm, he released her finger and placed it against what was quickly becoming a very wet pussy.
“Show me,” he whispered, and waited.
This was insanity. Out here in the open, naked except for her boots, with a dragon everyone knew to be an unrepentant slag. Not simply naked, though, but splayed open across a boulder with her hands between her legs.
Yet this had been the substance of her fantasies for years. Fantasies, where everything was safe and hers without the involvement of anyone else. She used those fantasies to help her fall asleep at night after pleasuring herself once, maybe twice. And she’d had no intention of telling anyone about those fantasies. No husband or female friend because there had been no one she’d trust enough with that information. How could she? When she’d been forced more than once to use that kind of information to protect herself against someone else?