Master of Dragons (17 page)

He was a huge creature, even bigger than Kel, though his scales were paler than Kel's deep cobalt, with just a tinge of purple. Black horns jutted from his head, matching the spines that marched down his long body all the way to his tail.

“Perhaps we'd better adjourn to my cave, then,” Soren said in a voice so deep, she could feel it in her breastbone. “Somehow I have the feeling this is not a conversation we want overheard.”

He flew past, and Kel followed, his wings beating in long, unhurried strokes. Nineva hunkered down against his neck and tried to ignore all the hostile eyes she could feel boring holes in her back.

 

Two sets of
multiple gashes ran the length of Kel's belly where the scales were silvery pale, framing a vicious bite mark wider than Nineva's shoulders. The wounds were deeper than the length of her fingers, and blood ran down his chest as he lay on his side. If he hadn't rolled during the fight, deliberately taking Irial's strike, she had no doubt she'd be dead.

Nineva took a deep breath and laid both hands over the bite. The Goddess Mark burned fiercely on her breast as she sent her magic pouring into the injuries. Dragon physiology was different from what she was used to, so she had to concentrate even harder than usual to sense how his body should heal. Distantly, she felt the wounds begin to knit under her spread fingers as the bleeding slowed and stopped.

“I'll say one thing for her, she's got power,” Soren said. “I don't know many Majae who could have healed a set of wounds like that.”

“She
is
the descendent of a goddess.” Kel sounded remarkably like a proud lover.

“And Cachamwri told you to protect her?”

“Insisted on it.
And
told me to help her find this sword of hers.”

The blue dragon grunted as he sat back on his haunches, the tip of his tail flicking restlessly. “And Grim's missing, too. That's bad. Very bad. Arthur must be snorting fire by now.”

Finished at last, Nineva stepped back. Her knees wobbled under her. Usually a healing made her feel exhilarated, but there'd been an awful lot of Kel to heal.

“For Cachamwri's sake, sit down before you fall on your face,” he growled. “I told you to let me take care of those. I've certainly healed worse.”

“Yeah, well, I wanted to do it.” Nineva looked around to see he'd conjured an armchair in the middle of Soren's cave. She collapsed into it. “Healing's what I do.” Lately it seemed the only thing she had any success at. Goddess knew she'd been a bust at finding the sword.

“Tell me about this vision you had.” Soren settled onto his belly as Kel sat up to wrap his tail around himself like a cat.

Nineva rubbed her aching forehead. The dragon's cave was lit with a green light that reminded her of the view through night-vision goggles on CNN. The sourceless emerald glow illuminated craggy walls and the ceiling that soared two hundred feet overhead. Here and there stood thick columns, marked with deep grooves that looked suspiciously like claw marks. Apparently Soren climbed them to reach the second level, which ran around the sides of the cave like a balcony.

“Nineva?” Kel prompted gently, reclaiming her wandering attention.

She cleared her throat and related what she'd seen—the Sidhe and Magekind, riding dragons into battle against the rebels and their Dark One allies.

“Cachamwri's Egg.” It was a soft groan. Soren covered his muzzle with a clawed hand, his eyes closed in pain. “They'll never do it, Kel. Let humans
ride
them? They'd rather be tortured by Dark Ones.”

“Getting tortured by Dark Ones is exactly what it's going to come to if those bastards invade.” The tip of Kel's tail flicked restlessly.

“Perhaps, but the Dragon Lords will never believe it. I've served on that council for centuries now, and I've never been able to get them to even consider things a lot less humiliating than that.”

Nineva frowned, remembering how they'd mocked Kel for letting her ride him. The idea of dragon-mounted warriors hadn't seemed so far-fetched—until the past couple of hours had taught her otherwise. “But Semira sent me that vision. It's going to happen.”

Soren lowered his head until he was eye to eye with her. She managed not to shrink back in her chair, though his head was taller than her entire body. “Semira is not our goddess, Nineva. And even if she was, they'd never believe a half-breed Sidhe.”

“Soren,” Kel growled, his voice rumbling with warning.

“You know that's how they'll see her. At least we have some history with the Sidhe—Cachamwri proclaimed them our allies. But you can smell the human blood in this one. And that, to our people, will make her safe to hate.”

Nineva rose restlessly from her chair and began to pace in front of the two towering dragons. “I don't doubt you're right—and frankly, the thought of confronting a bunch of bigoted dragons makes my stomach hurt. But the rebels have Grim and the sword, and they're working on breaking the planetary wards. We can't afford to sit by and let that happen without doing something to stop it.”

“I'm not sure if she's got courage or a suicidal streak,” Soren said to Kel.

“Oh, it's about seventy percent courage.” His muzzle stretched into something that looked like the dragon version of a dry smile. “The rest is pure, unadulterated bullheadedness.”

Before Nineva could formulate a suitable retort, the beat of huge wings drew her wary attention to the mouth of the cave.

A white dragon rustled inside, eyes huge with excitement, tail lashing. “Soren, is it true? Is Kel here?”

Soren laughed, a deep rumble. “Yes, Eithne, Kel is back.” To his guests, he added, “Eithne is my protégée. she's fascinated by all things human, and hopes to be allowed to visit Avalon—once she can talk her clan into allowing it, anyway.”

“They are so…blind.” Nineva's translation spell rendered the dragon's voice as breathy, female, and a bit young. It reminded her of a college coed—and sounded really strange coming from a creature who had to be a good thirty feet long. “I'm not a fledgling anymore, but you'd think I just escaped my egg, the way they take on.”

Nineva stepped warily aside as Eithne crossed the cave to Kel. Big as she was, she looked almost dainty next to his massive strength. There was a certain elegance of line to the shape of her head, and her neck was graceful and long, putting Nineva in mind of a swan. Instead of the males' black horns, a pair of fan-shaped frills stood on either side of her head like an exotic hat. Her tail flicked eagerly as she stared up at Kel with what looked uncomfortably like hero worship. “Soren's told me much of your adventures among the humans,” she said in that coed voice. “I saw you fight your uncle when you were last here, but you left before I could speak to you. I was very impressed.”

Kel looked taken aback, as if he wasn't sure how to deal with the sudden acquisition of a dragon groupie. “I'm…sorry I missed you.”

I'll just bet you are
. Nineva's eyes widened as the implications of her waspish thought registered.
Wait a minute—am I jealous of a thirty-foot lizard?

Kel gestured at her. “This is Princess Nineva of the Morven Sidhe. She's here to address the Dragon Lords.”

Eithne's head swung quickly, following his pointing claw. Her eyes widened as she spotted Nineva. “That's a human? I didn't get a good look at the ones who were with you before.” She rustled closer, dipping her great head until they were almost eye to eye. Pride wouldn't let Nineva retreat, despite her clamoring instincts. “But it's so…small! The way everyone talks, I assumed they'd be much bigger.”

“Hello,” Nineva said stiffly. Her translation spell turned her words into what she hoped was the appropriate hiss.

“It talks!” The she-dragon laughed with delight, almost blowing Nineva back on her heels.

“Of course she talks,” Kel said, giving Nineva a nervous look. “Among other things.”

“Many other things,” Nineva growled. The spell gave the sentence a gratifying rumble.

Eithne drew her head up in surprise. “Oh. Well.” She blinked huge round eyes. “Perhaps you can tell me about life among your people.” She spoke slowly, raising her voice slightly, as one might to someone of dubious intelligence. “I hear your ways are very…different from ours.”

Nineva bared her teeth. “That's a safe bet.”

Soren produced a sound the translator rendered as a strangled snort of laughter. He cleared his throat. “Well, Eithne, it might be best if you run along. I'm going to have to summon the Dragon Lords and attempt to arrange an audience for Kel and Nineva.”

The white dragon swung her head toward him and gave him a limpid look. “I'd be happy to entertain your guests while you're occupied, Soren.” Her tail flicked eagerly, then stole over to touch the tip of Kel's. He looked around at it, startled. “I would much enjoy hearing Kel speak of his centuries in Avalon.”

“I don't think your clan mothers would approve of my leaving you alone with our guests just now, Eithne. Perhaps later.” Soren gave her shoulder a nudge with his nose. “Off with you, then. We'll talk later.”

“But Soren…”

“Eithne.”

“Oh, very well.” The white dragon moved toward the cave entrance. “But only because I don't want my brothers to jump Kel.” She gave him a downright flirtatious look over one shoulder. “He'd probably hurt them.”

With that, she launched herself out of the cave with a lithe spring, like a cat leaping onto a countertop.

“Unfortunately, I doubt it would be quite that easy,” Soren told Kel. “She has a great many brothers.”

“Red Rock Clan, right?”

“That's the one.”

“They do produce beautiful females.”

“And touchy, bloodthirsty males, a fact you should keep in mind.” Soren gave Nineva a look. “Besides, I have the distinct impression you've got your hands full as it is.” He headed for the entrance, forcing Nineva to step aside for his enormous tail. “I'll go summon the Lords, though you probably shouldn't expect me back too soon. It's going to take me time to talk them into seeing you.”

“Good luck, Soren,” Kel told him. “And thank you, whichever way it goes.”

The blue dragon grunted and threw himself into the air.

Nineva waited until she thought he'd flown out of earshot. “What's the Draconian word for ‘jailbait'?”

“Nineva, she's eight hundred years old.” Magic flared around Kel, and he was human again, dressed in his familiar jeans and black T-shirt. A knot of tension deep inside her immediately loosened.

“Which is what? The equivalent of sixteen in human years?”

He sauntered over, giving her a wicked grin. “More like twenty-five. Are you jealous, Nineva?”

“Why would I be jealous of a giant reptile?” She folded her arms and glowered. “I just don't like being talked about as if I'm a somewhat dim toy poodle. ‘Oh, it's so tiny! And it talks!' Bite me, jailbait.”

Kel laughed and pulled her into his arms. “That would hurt. A lot.”

Nineva sniffed. “I could take her.”

“I don't doubt it.” His handsome mouth curled up into a smile. “You certainly took me.”

Then he dipped his head and found her mouth with his.

Nineva's lips felt
like rose petals and tasted of mint. They opened against Kel's, welcoming his questing tongue. She melted into him, her soft breasts pillowing against his chest, her arms tightening around his waist.

It was a good thing she hadn't known Eithne was coming into season. That was why the white dragon had been so sexually aggressive, and why her brothers wouldn't have wanted her coming anywhere near Kel.

Yet the truly amazing thing was that even with Eithne pumping dragon pheromones into the air, all he'd been able to think about was Nineva. He'd been preoccupied with the fear in her scent, the way she struggled to hide it and show a brave face to the huge, threatening creatures that surrounded her. When he'd sensed her growing jealousy, it had actually been a relief. At least jealousy was better than fear.

Not to mention oddly gratifying.

Yeah,
he thought, still kissing her hungrily,
I've got it bad. But she's not immune to me either.

Hunger infused her scent now, teasing his own growing arousal. “I've got to touch you.” She banished her armor to stand against him in jeans and a lacy camisole, as if not quite brave enough for nudity. He reached down and cupped her toned little backside in one hand. She responded by hooking one long leg over his hip and boosting herself up, climbing him like a tree. Something about the raw desire in the act sent lust stabbing through him. “Cachamwri's Egg, Nineva,” he gasped against her mouth.

“Can we do this?” she murmured back, wrapping her legs more tightly around his waist. “Do we have time?”

“They'll argue and bitch for the next hour at least.” Kel nuzzled beneath her chin, bit gently. “And in the meantime…” He reached for his magic and surrounded them with an invisibility spell.

She responded with a moan, fisting both hands in his T-shirt, hauling it upward. They both groaned as she found bare skin with those small, soft hands. “We really shouldn't be doing this, making love in your friend's cave. It's tacky.”

“Tacky is a human concept.” He shuttered his eyes as she found his small male nipples with her clever fingers. He returned the favor, slipping one hand under the hem of her camisole.

She hadn't conjured a bra. Her round, soft breast filled his palm with warmth and sweet femininity. He lifted her higher and found its rosy tip with his mouth. Savored her groan as he savored her taste. Magic and sex.

He danced his tongue over the hard peak, gave it a gentle, teasing nibble. Closed his mouth to suckle. She threw back her head, and the silk of her hair danced over his bare arm as he supported her bottom.

“Am I too heavy?” she gasped.

“You've got to be kidding.” His shape-shifted Draconian muscle barely felt her weight at all.

Responsibility reared its head, made him frown. “Should you cast that spell again?”

“If you think I'm going to stop and spend an hour drawing Sidhe power patterns on the floor, you're out of your mind.” She ground against him and bit her lower lip. “Besides, I want this time to be for us. Just us.”

“Just us,” he repeated, and banished their clothing. The sensation of his rock-hard erection pressing against her down-soft belly made heat flood his balls. “Nineva,” he whispered hoarsely.

She ground against him again as her eyes met his, bright and laughing. “I gave serious thought to scratching that lizard's eyes out.”

He laughed. “You couldn't reach them.”

“I'm resourceful. I'd have found a way.” Nineva kissed him, slowly, thoroughly, tangling her hands in his long cobalt hair.

He held her like that, loving the satin warmth of her, loving the delicious, teasing anticipation of that tight, wet sex so close to his aching cock. Loving the mint and magic of her mouth.

When they finally came up for air, they were both panting. She clung to him, looking up into his eyes. The opalescent swirl of her gaze was dizzying, as if he was staring into infinity. “What are we?” She brushed a lock of his hair back, as if to see his face better. “What are we to each other?”

He went still. There was something in her face, something he hadn't expected to see. Something beyond duty or desire or even friendship. His heart began to pound with something more than arousal. “What do you want to be?”

“I think…” She stopped and swallowed. His eyes focused helplessly on her mouth. “I think I'm falling in love with you.”

He stared at her, stunned to stillness.

“Is that stupid? Tell me if it's stupid.”

“I thought you were afraid of me.”

She smiled, a bare twitch of the lips. “Now,
that
was stupid.” Her grip on his neck tightened convulsively, as with sudden anxiety. “You haven't answered.”

“I'm in love with you.” He didn't bother with a hedging
I think
. He knew. He'd known for days.

“But you're a dragon, and I'm…” She didn't finish, but the complex emotion in her gaze made him wonder what she had in mind. Sidhe? Semira's Avatar?
Doomed?

“I don't care.” Fiercely. His hands tightened on her bottom, and he lifted her, poised her over his hard cock. “It's what we are together that matters.”

He rolled his hips up and brought her down, and hilted himself in one breathtaking plunge.

Nineva threw back her head and screamed in a blend of shock and delight. It was almost too much, that sudden impalement, yet at the same time it was deliciously arousing in its very ruthlessness.

Kel cupped both hands around her backside and lifted her to the perfect height, then started to grind in and out. Helpless, she clung to his brawny, sweating shoulders, glorying in their mutual need.

Even in this position, his torso was longer than hers, and she had to look up to see his face. His crimson eyes were wide, wild, intent, and a muscle flexed furiously in his jaw with the effort of his sawing thrusts. His sensual mouth was folded in a tight line.

Every time he drove himself into her, her sex clenched at the sweetly brutal pounding. She writhed against him, not sure whether she wanted to protest or beg for more.

Then he did something, some clever roll of the hips, and suddenly he started hitting exactly the right spot. Each thrust became a spike of delight that wound her building orgasm tighter and tighter in a creamy ball of heat.

She threw back her head with a shout and started grinding against him, arching back in his strong arms, trying to get that last little bit of friction that would shoot her over the edge. Yet it remained frustratingly out of reach…

Until suddenly he changed his grip on her ass and traced a finger between her lips. And made contact.

The detonation of her orgasm was silent and blinding, a white-hot blast that tore a scream of raw pleasure from her mouth. As she convulsed, her entire body clamping, he stiffened and roared. Deep inside her body, she felt the hot jets of his pleasure.

And somewhere in the distance, she sensed the goddess's power flare bright.
“Ah, yessss…”

 

Nineva sprawled across
Kel's panting chest and concentrated on breathing. He'd conjured an enormous feather tick a moment ago and dumped them both onto it as if his muscles had suddenly given out.

For a long moment, she thought nothing at all, her mind deliciously blanked by pleasure. She felt boneless, euphoric. At peace, despite the Dark Ones' imminent invasion, despite the need to convince xenophobic Dragon Lords to help. As if she and Kel were up to any challenge, as long as they were together. Too many years of being her father's daughter told her that was a dangerous delusion, yet she didn't care. Not when she could hear his heartbeat against her chest, solid and strong.

Nineva wondered exactly when she'd fallen for him. Love seemed to have crept up on her while she'd been busy doing other things. He'd built it bit by bit from steamy passion and comforting touches, from his willingness to believe the unbelievable, from the rage in his eyes whenever anyone threatened her. He'd shed blood for her without a second thought, taken blows that would have killed her. Who wouldn't love him?

The only question was, why did he love her? Oh, by human standards, she was pretty enough, but Nineva suspected Eithne was the Draconian equivalent of a raving beauty, at least judging by the startled look in Kel's eyes when she'd flown in. And Eithne had the added advantage of being the right species.

Yet against all logic, Kel loved Nineva anyway. She didn't even question that. It had been there in his eyes when he'd said the words, unmistakable as a shout.

Kel, Dragon Knight of the Round Table, loved her. She, who'd never been loved by any man because she'd never let any man get that close.

But then, Kel hadn't exactly asked permission.

A big, warm hand came up and cupped her cheek, tilted her head until she met his eyes. “Are you okay?”

She gave him what she suspected was a catlike smile. “Oh, I'm
much
better than merely okay.”

A faint frown formed between his cobalt brows. “Are you sure? I was a little rough there at the end. I got carried away. I'm sorry.”

“Don't be.” She rolled over and stretched, smiling in sated pleasure. “It was wonderful.”

“Good.” He smiled, but there was something a little troubled in his eyes.

“What's wrong?”

“Did you mean it?” He searched her gaze.

She didn't have to ask what. “Yes, I meant it.” She brushed his hair back. “I love you, Kel. I don't know what's going to happen between us, I don't know if we're going to get some kind of happily-ever-after, but I know how I feel now. And it's something I've never felt before.”

He searched her gaze a moment before his crimson eyes lit with such joy, she had to smile back. “You mean it.”

“Oh, yeah.”

His smile warmed her to the bone. “I love you, too.”

“Good, because feeling this way alone would really suck.”

Kel's laughter boomed through the cave.

 

Knowing they were
running out of time, Nineva conjured her armor again. From the sound of it, she needed all the protection she could get before meeting with the Dragon Lords. Kel returned to dragon form while she tried not to wish he could remain human. It was painfully apparent that wouldn't be politically wise.

Even so, she thought his expression softened as he looked down at her from his Draconian height. “I won't let anything happen to you, Nineva.”

She forced a smile. “I know you won't.”

The thunder of wings drew their attention to the mouth of the cave. “Are you decent?” Soren called from somewhere outside.

Nineva shot Kel a mischievous glance. “‘Decent' doesn't do it justice.”

“Bad girl,” he murmured, then lifted his voice. “Yes, we're ready.”

“Good.” Soren touched down in the cave mouth, though he kept his wings spread for takeoff. “I talked them into meeting with you by invoking Cachamwri's name, but we don't want to keep them waiting. I don't know how long their patience is going to hold.”

Kel crouched and boosted Nineva astride across his back with a clawed forelimb. “I thought it best not to wear a harness this time,” he murmured for her ears only. “Can you manage bareback?”

“I'll give it my best shot.” She settled herself into place at the base of his neck, hooking her legs over his shoulders and wrapping both hands around one of the spines that jutted from her neck. Her heart started pounding as he moved toward the cave entrance. By an effort of sheer will, she managed not to scream as he threw himself from the cave and dropped like a stone into the bright morning sunlight. Just as her stomach stuffed her mouth, his spread wings finally caught the air. They soared upward, borne on thermals and magic.

They didn't go far, spiraling upward a thousand feet or so before following Soren into another cave mouth. This one was even wider than his own, as though created to allow multiple dragons to take off and land.

It was dark inside the cave after the sunlit flight upward, and Nineva couldn't see a damn thing as she clung nervously to Kel's warm back. When her vision finally cleared, she realized they were moving down a long tunnel lit by that dim green light the dragons seemed to favor. Like Soren's cave, the tunnel was obviously artificial, with smooth rounded sides that made it look as if it had been cut by a huge drill bit. It sloped gradually downward, curving off into the dim green light. The Dragon Lords must meet deep inside the mountain.

Neither dragon spoke as they walked, their claws clicking on the stone, their breathing deep. Nineva could hear the faint whisper of scale rubbing on stone as they moved. Something about that sound made her sharply aware of being a mammal alone among huge reptiles. She was grateful all over again for Kel's solid, comforting presence.

He wouldn't let anything happen to her.

They rounded a bend, and a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Draconian voices rose in argument.

“…could this creature possibly have to say that would be worth hearing?”

“At least it should be entertaining.”

“If Cachamwri told Kel to guard this female, we would be ill-advised to refuse to listen to her.”

“I'm not convinced the god said any such thing. Kel's probably lying.”

Kel growled at that, a deep rippling rumble of rage.

“Why would he do that?”

“Probably out of some worm-witted desire to force us to have contact with those disgusting pets of his.”

“Oh, yeah,” Nineva murmured to Kel in dry sarcasm. “This is going to be a piece of cake.”

“Better put her down,” Soren whispered before Kel could reply. “I don't think it's a good idea for her to ride you into the chambers.”

“Good point.” Kel hunkered down and lifted a foreleg. She gingerly planted her foot in his clawed hand and dismounted. When she stood on her booted feet again, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, aware of Kel's worried gaze. “You ready?” he asked.