Dragon's Melody (3 page)

When Cassie finally came around the bar an hour later, Gwen’s aura was so bright and energized, the fine hairs on Skye’s arms stood on end.

“We’ll go to your room, if that’s all right,” he said to Gwen, who only nodded. Her aura shivered with anxious excitement that Skye found it difficult to resist. Only a few more minutes and he’d get to taste her.

“What did you guys talk about?” Cassie asked when they exited the bar and were halfway to the small motel a few hundred yards away.

“The conversation was enlightening. Gwen here has never come before.”

Cassie paused and gawked at the other woman. “Don’t you own a vibrator?”

Gwen blushed and shook her head. “I could never bring myself to buy one.”

Cassie stared up at Skye with a dark, wicked gaze. “I’m going to love watching this. I’d put money on whether or not you can do it, but I think I’d be a fool to make that bet.”

They paused at Gwen’s door while she fished in her purse for her key. Both women were awash in a variety of emotions. Gwen’s aura still pulsed with anxious arousal. Cassie’s was gradually catching up, but with more eager anticipation and impatience. She wanted fun, that much Skye could tell, and was likely hopeful for more.

Abruptly Cassie reached up and clutched Skye behind the neck with both hands, pulling him down into a kiss. He let her capture his lips with hers, but didn’t immediately give in to her. She nipped his lower lip with her teeth and teased her tongue along the barrier of his teeth. Skye slid his hands down her sides to her hips and squeezed, pulling her tight against him. When his erection pressed into her belly through their clothes, she let out a small chuckle and pressed harder against him, rubbing deliciously along his erection. He took advantage of the small distraction to gain control, plunging his tongue fully into her mouth and threading his fingers into her dark curls.

His own energy had risen close to the surface, making his skin itch. He was perilously low of the energy needed to maintain his human form. The more aroused he became, the more difficult it was to restrain himself from shifting into his native form. No human could see that side of him, however. Not unless they were marked and mated, either by himself or one of his dragon brethren.

Tonight was just about filling his well, not emptying his balls.

Gwen made an odd noise from the open doorway and Skye pulled himself away from Cassie’s luscious embrace. He stepped into the room, his gaze focused intently on Gwen.

“I think we have a task ahead of us. Are you ready?”

“N-not really,” she said, backing away.

Skye immediately changed his stance, seeing her hesitance. It would do no good for her energy to cool before he had a chance to taste it. “Hey, we won’t do anything you don’t like, all right? Tell me what you’d like first.”

“Just … kiss me? I’ve kinda been dying for you to kiss me all night.”

His eyes darted to Cassie, whose lips were still swollen from his attention. Without a word he nodded, and stepped toward her, cupped her cheek in the gentlest way possible and brushed his lips across hers. Gwen sighed and leaned into him, her aura pulsing strongly again. He pressed his mouth harder against hers, teasing his tongue past her lips and was rewarded by her opening up entirely. It wasn’t just her mouth that opened to him, either. Her entire aura seemed to swell around him and engulf him. He rejoiced inwardly. Humans had no idea how easy it was to read their desires and influence them.

Halfway through undressing her, he turned his head to meet Cassie’s avid gaze. “You’re all right watching for a bit, right?”

Cassie licked her lips as her eyes settled on Skye’s thumb teasing back and forth across Gwen’s hard nipple.

“As long as you promise not to leave me hanging. And you have to do it naked, too.”

“You have my word, just as long as you can wait to come until my cock or my tongue are inside you.”

“Don’t disappoint her,” she said with a grin.

Gwen shivered when his tongue teased wetly at her nipple. He urged her down onto the bed and pulled her jeans off, then swiftly discarded his own clothes with a sly look back at Cassie, whose eyes had gone wide at the sight of his body. He got a sense of her aroused speculation about what his cock would feel like when he fucked her.

Gwen sat demurely, watching with bright, eager eyes. She seemed apprehensive until he knelt before her.

“Are you ready?” he asked softly.

“Will you fuck me, too?” she asked.

“I’ll do whatever you’d like me to do.” He slid his hands along the insides of her naked thighs, pausing just shy of her heated core. She spread her legs without even a hint that he wanted her to. He gazed up into her eyes, brows raised with a question.

“I want you to touch me,” she said finally, catching his hint.

“Here?” He slid his hands higher and grazed his fingertips along the outside of her lust-slickened folds. Her pungent, earthy aroma was thick in his nostrils and he longed to bury himself in her somehow, but sometimes the best payoff was worth a little bit of extra effort.

Gwen spread her legs wider. “Lick me,” she said.

Gladly.
Skye bent his head to the glistening pink flesh and abruptly lost himself.

Perhaps he’d made too much of a habit of collecting Nirvana from women this way, but it was his long-held preference. He would absolutely still fuck them, though with the sensibilities of modern women, he’d have to wear a condom, which he hated. Not only were they superfluous for male dragons, who couldn’t impregnate a female without first marking them, and then with both party’s explicit consent. Condoms dulled his sensations too much to find his own release. That wasn’t always a bad thing, however. Holding back his Nirvana meant he could avoid infusing these women with his own magic that might inadvertently bind them to him. Even though it was a temporary bond, it would linger like a bad breakup if he failed to court her afterward.

The exchange of energy was a necessary step if he had any intention of mating either of these women, which he didn’t. Someday soon he would have to break down and find a female mate.

Tonight was not the night. These two women would end the night sexually satisfied, and Skye would have a full well of energy again, but would have to find his own release elsewhere.

Chapter Three

“I
 need you. Meet me at the penthouse in half an hour.”

Garen stared sleepily at the screen of his phone. He groaned and kicked the covers off, went to his closet and grabbed his jeans and a t-shirt. He cursed his hard-on as he tried to pull his jeans past it.

Fucking Skye.

The late-night calls only ever meant one thing. Skye had found a nubile human woman, or three, to share his bed and fill his well, and had left them without seeing to his secondary needs. The foolish Blue had some strange hang-up about coming in a human pussy.

Garen was loath to complain, however. If it meant
he
was the lucky recipient of Skye’s Nirvana, why should he? The two had shared so much as young dragons prior to their hibernation. He’d pledged his loyalty as a Guardian to Skye’s higher rank when they were fledglings. Skye was only a step down from a Court dragon, after all, and his mother had been a forbidding presence to a young dragon.

Guardians were meant to serve their superiors. Garen accepted that role eagerly. Only occasionally did he wish he’d been the chosen one during the Ascendance ritual that released his generation from their hibernation. He’d been trapped in his stone form next to the Queen’s throne that day when a sweet-smelling man came along and stroked his stone-hardened cock. He’d sensed the Virgin nearby, too. She’d been all over the temple, yet had given her gift to another Guardian rather than him.

He was trapped there, a silent observer, until the ritual was finally complete. The lower-ranked Roka had secured the Virgin. Garen, one of the Queen’s guardians, had been left with nothing. Displaced.

Skye, his best childhood friend, had been his salvation. They’d shared everything growing up, and even more after their Ascension. Yet their ranks still dictated a dynamic that Garen had fallen into more easily than he’d like to admit.

What would his friend ask for tonight? Garen pondered the possibilities as he took the stairs down to the garage of his San Francisco apartment building. He never took the lift if he could help it. It felt too much like flying and it made his shoulder blades itch to let his wings out.

He’d become acclimated to the acrid scents of the modern world. Parking garages used to make him sneeze, but he had developed a love for cars, and cars required garages, so he had adapted. His treasure, the vintage white Stingray, rested in her regular spot. Simply sliding down into the soft leather seat still gave him a rush. Thrusting the key into the ignition almost always made his dick hard. It would’ve now, if he hadn’t already been hard from Skye’s call.

Then the ignition lit and the engine kicked over. Every single second of the process sent thrills through his body. He almost wished his car could harness the magic they needed so much, but that was never going to happen. It was either dragons or humans. Humans were preferable. They made better mates because human women had easier pregnancies than dragons.

Human women were sweet. He’d had his share since ascending. But none of them had ever been as responsive as Dove. His car did everything he asked with no question. He was almost always hard as a rock while he drove her. A slip of his finger across the wheel and she turned. A twitch of his wrist on the gearshift and she went faster.

Sweet Mother, the modern world was amazing.

More amazing was that admirers regularly told him his car was an antique.

If they only knew how old the driver really was.

He pulled into the garage of Skye’s tower a few minutes later. Dove’s engine rumbled in contentment after the run he’d given her. She liked to get a workout, once in a while, just like he did.

“ID, please?” the guard at the desk in the lobby asked.

Garen flashed the silly white card that let him into Skye’s tower.

He regretted leaving Dove behind, but Skye called. This close, he could feel his friend’s presence. Their connection was strong. It always had been.

Service him then get out. No snuggling.

The penthouse was dark except for a dim light in the kitchen. A figure moved restlessly, pacing in front of an open refrigerator.

“I can’t find it,” Skye’s voice carried across the room.

“What are you trying to find?”

“Mochi.”

“Mochi?”

“She tasted like it. Sweet Mother, her pussy tasted just like mochi.”

“I can go get you some mochi if that’s what you want,” Garen said.

“No, I need it now. Jesus!”

“Jesus?”

“Humans say it. It rolls off the tongue. It’s a good curse they recognize, at least. So are you going to help me?”

“What flavor?”

“I don’t fucking know. Flowers?”

Garen turned and left. He wasn’t pissed at his friend’s irrational demands. They weren’t uncommon. Dove let him breathe at least. The nearest Japanese market was several miles away, which only meant he got to drive a little more. Flowery flavored mochi wasn’t a hard thing to find, either. Garen just hoped they were the right flowers for Skye.

When he presented the tiny, rose-flavored orbs to his friend, Skye snagged the first little confection and bit into it. His eyes rolled back in ecstasy. He opened them again after swallowing, the piercing blue gaze meeting Garen’s with that particular intensity that always left him feeling like lightning had just struck, making all the small hairs on his arms stand on end.

Skye closed the distance between them in a quick stride, reached up to clasp his palm tight at the back of Garen’s neck, and pulled him down into a hard kiss. The sweet, starchy flavor hit his taste buds along with Skye’s cold tongue. Garen moaned into Skye’s mouth.

“She tasted good, didn’t she?”
Skye sent to him in a quick blast of thought.

“You taste good
,” Garen replied, pressing his hips against Skye’s and rubbing his erection tighter against his friend’s.

He pulled away from the kiss, dazed, his cock throbbing almost painfully. In a quick tug, he pulled Skye’s shirt off over his head and bent to trail hungry kisses down his torso, lowering himself to the floor as he went. Skye leaned back against the kitchen counter with a heavy sigh when Garen unfastened his pants and let Skye’s erection come free.

Garen trailed his human tongue along the entire length of the sweet shaft before him, now more eager to take his time and savor the experience than get in and get out like he’d originally intended. He loved Skye’s flavor, and particularly loved it mixed as it was now with the distinct aroma of two different women’s essences.

Garen hummed in appreciation as he slipped his lips over the hot, smooth head, rubbing his tongue between the small slit at the tip. He could imagine how magnificent Skye must have been, fucking the women one by one, or pleasuring them with his tongue. Occasionally they did share a new lover, but rarely—only when they were both desperate enough and the selection of potential partners was slim.

The modern human world was overflowing with beautiful people, men and women both, all ready to let themselves be pleasured and their energy absorbed whether they knew it or not. If Garen could only enjoy them as much as Skye did. He often wondered if Skye’s reluctance to find release with any of them was some kind of sign of solidarity for Garen’s own issue. No matter how many humans Garen had coupled with since his Ascension, he’d found a true release with none of them.

Skye was too stingy with his own essence, but Garen was grateful for the privilege to partake on such a regular basis. He sucked Skye’s shaft deep into his throat, cupping his friend’s balls and gently rolling them in his palm. Skye raised a hand and threaded his fingers through Garen’s hair, urging a faster rhythm. Garen complied, salivating at the chance to give Skye more pleasure. Garen lived for these moments, convinced that this might be the best he’d have—though he’d love nothing more than to service Skye for a lifetime.

“That’s right. Sweet Mother your tongue is so hot. Take me deeper.”

Garen opened wider, savoring the slick heat of the flesh that filled his mouth, rubbing against the back of his throat. He let his tongue elongate and coil around Skye’s cock, pulling back and running the taut, agile muscle down to the tip and back to the root, over and over. Garen invited Skye fully back into his waiting mouth, sucking harder with each pass. His own cock ached with need and he pulled it out with his free hand to stroke himself.

A slow vibration began to grow in Skye’s sack under Garen’s hand, rising up through the shaft. Skye’s voice rose at the same time, his low moans coming quicker with each deep shove of his cock into Garen’s waiting mouth.

With a harsh cry, the dam broke. Skye’s hot semen shot against the back of Garen’s tongue and Garen swallowed, sucking greedily on Skye’s cock like a hungry child at its mother’s tit. At the same time, the pulsing energy of Skye’s arousal let loose, surging into Garen in a rush. He lost himself from the overwhelming thrum of the power sinking into him to the core, his own hot semen spurting forth and covering his hand and wrist.

He was loath to release Skye now, wanting to linger here even on his knees as he was. He’d gladly have submitted to his friend in other ways, if Skye asked, but he never did. They made love on occasion, but a true submission meant even more—it meant ownership in a sense that not even mating signified.

Skye’s hand released itself from Garen’s hair and slid down to gently cup Garen’s cheek. The salty, silken skin slid past Garen’s lips for one last, slow stroke as he pulled back. Garen flicked his tongue once more around the tip, enjoying the way Skye’s hips twitched.

Skye chuckled softly. “You always know just how to satisfy me.”

“What will you do when you finally find a mate?” Garen asked, peering up Skye’s torso. He spent so much time on his knees for Skye, both literally and metaphorically. The idea of their dynamic changing, if and when either of them did finally find a mate, left him apprehensive.

Skye closed his eyes tightly. “Don’t remind me of obligations now, please. Just let me enjoy the moment.”

Garen stood and grabbed a kitchen towel, then leaned against the opposite counter to clean himself up. “You know it has to happen. Both of us need to, for the sake of the race. You have a greater obligation than I do, due to your bloodline, of course. The women you were with earlier …” He let the implied suggestion hang between them, his gaze meeting Skye’s.

Skye’s brow creased and he looked away. “They weren’t appropriate. Entertaining, and fulfilling in some ways, but not potent enough on their own.”

“So find more than one. Find a whole harem if you have to. That’s one law I doubt the Court will ever change now that they’re in control. Multiple mates are encouraged, particularly for the males.” Silently, he hoped that Skye would find several. If he fell in love with one woman, it would hurt too much, but an entire harem would at least let Garen still feel like the most prominent feature.

“I don’t mind playing with more than one at a time, but if I’m going to find a mate, she’d better be good enough to breed with, not to mention live with, and the chance of finding that many perfect human women is close to nil.”

Garen pursed his lips and nodded, though he grimaced inwardly at his uncharitable thoughts. One woman would be hard enough to find. As many human women as there were who responded to a dragon’s seductive nature, few of them were truly of the caliber a dragon could be happy enough to love for a lifetime. Dragon females were more ideal mates in some ways, but there were too few of them as it was, and they were too spread out. Not to mention any of the ones Skye would find worthy outranked him, and he wasn’t the kind of dragon who would easily submit to another of their race.

There was a limit to their patience with each other, however. As much as Skye tortured himself with his restraint around human women, he did occasionally lose patience if Garen was unavailable when Skye needed that release.

Sometimes Garen wondered what it might be like to have the tables turned—to have Skye on his knees, seeing to Garen’s needs. Or on his belly with his ready ass poised in the air for Garen’s cock to sink into. His cock twitched again in interest at the mere thought. To have Skye submit to him for once was a fleeting fantasy that he’d likely never experience. As much as dragon laws had changed this year, one thing that hadn’t was the psychology of their ranks. His White Guardian rank would always be subservient to Skye’s Blue. Only one Guardian in a generation had the privilege of outranking a dragon like Skye, and Garen wasn’t him.

Garen wanted more than to be merely a friend with benefits, but if he couldn’t, he’d prefer to see his friend with a mate who made him happy.

“We have time to make it happen. At least the new laws have allowed for that, finally. You know you can always call if you need me until that time comes.”

Skye’s lips twitched into a half smile of gratitude, but his brow didn’t relax. “True enough. I have more crucial business to deal with now, at any rate. I decided to appeal to Kol for recompense over losing Trevor.”

Garen raised an eyebrow at that, but the admission wasn’t a surprise. “Oh? So you decided not to challenge Rowan or Rafe for possession of their human?”

Skye sighed. “I don’t really want my mother’s leavings. And I hear he’s very happy. But the insult still requires redress.” He gave Garen his sweetest smile and his eyes brightened just enough for Garen to know the emotion was genuine. “Tonight was a perfect diversion from the issue, but I’ll have to deal with it sooner rather than later.”

“Call me soon, then? I’d like to know how that plays out. If I can help …” He always offered, and Skye always declined. They both had their own positions in the Magnus empire. Skye was an executive. Garen was technically an operative in Magnus’s intelligence division, but his assignments tended to align with Skye’s business associates, so they had frequent contact. Garen rather thought Kol had arranged everything just so.

He said farewell and left Skye brooding over their complicated situation.

On the way home his mind churned. He’d be happy if their situation never changed, but knew Skye secretly still lived under the sway of his dead mother. Even after five hundred years, the female dragon’s influence hadn’t waned. Carrying on the family line was a task Skye took very seriously, so he wouldn’t be satisfied settling. Any woman he mated would have to live up to the rigorous standard of a female dragon who was now dead, but whose desires still tormented her son.