Kiss the Dragon (Maidens Book One) (10 page)

“It’ll be okay,” I said to her, my voice gentle. “You made a mistake, but now you get to fix it.” I waved to the smoldering remains of the other witches. “You were chosen for a special fate, one none of them deserved. Don’t waste it.”

Alec moved to go for her, not understanding what was happening between us. I held up my hand to stop him. “Let her go. It doesn’t end here for her.” He gave me a questioning look, which in dragons, manifested as raising the eyebrows almost as high as his ears. His copper tinged eyes met mine, probing. I held firm and motioned for the witch to go. She didn’t hesitate, and with a snap of her fingers and a few muttered words she disappeared, gone as if she’d never been.

“Don’t worry, she’s not going to bother us,” I said at Alec’s perplexed expression. He’d drawn up his eyebrows until they almost made a teepee over his nose.

“Malcolm,” he said.

I nodded and closed my eyes. “Let me see what I can do.” I didn’t poke at the voice this time, I was done playing. Instead, I rattled it, hard. It rose up in me, agitated and flustered.

Where’s Malcolm?

Snaking its way through my nervous system, the voice murmured something too low for me to hear. Then it laughed, a high shrieking sound that made me wince. Every muscle in my body tensed as I tried to rein in the voice’s power. It fought me, thrashing until I dropped to my knees, but I didn’t let it win. The voice was part of me and it couldn’t get away from me, not when I was this determined.

Show me Malcolm or I swear I’ll figure out that witch’s spell and you’ll be on mute as long as I live.

That stunned the voice into silence, and after a moment, it finally gave me what I wanted. Opening my eyes, I said, “Malcolm is fine. He’s back at the castle.”

Alec’s eyebrows relaxed as he took in the news. “Thank the gods,” he said casting his words skyward.

Locating his wallet on the asphalt, I scooped it up. Then, pointing to what remained of his clothing, “I think the only problem now is that you have no clothes.”

He chuckled, the sound low and deep in his enormous chest. Then leaning down, he carefully wrapped one claw around me and lifted me up. I gasped as I went airborne. I trusted him, I did, but I also didn’t relish the idea of my legs dangling from twenty feet in the air. Alec gently transferred me to his back.

“I want to take you somewhere,” he said, his voice rumbling like an earthquake. “Somewhere special.”

“Where is that?” I asked, sinking into the smooth warmth that made up his skin.

“In the north there are hot springs. Dragons have gone there for centuries with their maidens.”

“Do you know how to get there? I thought you hadn’t been here before.”

“Aye, I do.” He looked to the skyline, taking in the city lights that twinkled in the dark. “I havena seen this place in the modern era, but we dragons have flown the world, mapping it out long before humans did.”

Off in the distance, thunder boomed and lightning flickered, drawing our attention.

Alec craned his neck so that one large eye could meet my gaze. “You okay to fly?”

I watched the storm for a moment. It was a small thunder cell, nothing like the one that had brought the voice or taken Malcolm. “I’m good. I don’t think that storm is looking for me.”

Alec nodded and with one flap of his wings, we were airborne, flying off to a place only dragons knew how to find.

Chapter Eight

Iceland. I was in friggin’ Iceland and wearing a tiny bikini, although Alec kept trying to peel it off me. He didn’t even bother with a swimsuit and was doing a good job convincing me I should do the same. By which, I meant, he kept slipping fingers under the fabric and stroking my nipples or the juicy cleft between my legs.

We had a suite at a swanky hotel, but we avoided the hot springs there because of all the tourists. Besides, Alec knew of better places to swim. Every morning after breakfast, we collected a basket of food from the hotel kitchen, and then Alec led me outside, far enough away that no one would see him shift. Once he changed, he would set me on his back, and clutching the picnic basket in one claw, he flew me to remote hot springs surrounded by rocks and blue sky.

It was heaven.

Although, despite it being summer, Iceland was colder than I would’ve expected.

Without the pressure of having to save Malcolm, we could slow down and savor each other. I’d been so uncertain when we first met, but now I knew, without a doubt, that I was in love with Alec. From the way he looked at me, I could tell he felt the same way. There was a soft, golden gleam in his eyes and the corners of his mouth would quirk up in a half smile whenever he saw me. It was a smile he gave to no one else, one meant only for me. 

“Shouldn’t we head back to Scotland?” I’d asked when we first arrived. It had been dark then and I’d had no idea where we were. We could have flown to another planet for all I’d known.

“I’ll call and check on things at home, but you and I need this time, lass. We deserve to know each other without danger at our door.”

I’d been a bit leery of playing hooky, no matter how fun. I felt pressure to hurry back to Scotland and make sure Malcolm was okay as well as ask if he could use some of his magic to either get rid of the voice or contain it so it would stop running my life. When I took the pulse of the energy around me, though, it was serene and smooth. As for the voice, it had gone dormant. Perhaps it was taking a breather, too.

And when Alec called his brothers, we learned our suspicions had been correct. The witches had interrupted, but not broken the curse. Once we did away with their magic, the spell reversed and deposited Malcolm back on top of the castle turret, in the very spot he’d disappeared. He was fine, if a little shaken up, and already trying to puzzle out their spell for me to use.

Alec was probably right, we should enjoy ourselves, but I’d lived on the edge so long, I couldn’t relax. I kept wanting to run.

“What was the story with that witch you saved?” Alec asked me one morning as he waded into the frothy, bubbling water of the hot spring.

I followed him into the water, relishing the heat that immediately soaked my skin. The summer air here ran cool. “She has a future that matters. If you’d killed her, there would have been problems down the line.”

I’d decided not to tell him all of what I’d seen. I could only imagine how he would hunt the witch down and deliver her to his brothers. Not only did I want to avoid tempting him, I also wanted to be careful about openly using my unwanted power. Honesty had caused me no end of trouble. This time, I vowed to err on the side of discretion.

“Is that all you’re going to tell me?” He caught me in his arms and forced me to meet his eyes.

I didn’t blink and regarded him calmly. “Yes.”

“I donna like secrets,” he said, his voice gruff.

“I’m not keeping secrets,” I said. “Her future doesn’t belong to either of us. It’s none of our business.”

“Well, at least
you
are
my
business,” he said, lowering his head until our mouths met. Our lips collided and I shivered as he sucked on my bottom lip. Taking a breath, he said, “Someday you will trust me with everything, Sara. I will prove myself worthy.”

I put a finger to his lips, keeping him from kissing me again. “You’re already worthy, Alec. This isn’t about trust, it’s about what’s right. I’m yours, but this power I have isn’t. It doesn’t even belong to me.”

“Just don’t hide too much from me, lass. I’m your other half now. Lean on me, let me protect you. You’re not alone anymore.”

I cupped his face in my hand. “Thank you. And you’re not alone anymore either.”

He snorted. “What are my brothers? Chopped liver?”

“No, but they aren’t your maiden now, are they? They aren’t me.” I raised my chin, daring him to disagree.

“Aye, well that’s true enough.” He squeezed me close and his lips found mine again. This kiss was more serious than the first. His teeth nipped at the full flesh of my bottom lip and his tongue stroked mine. His hands went to the knot holding my bikini in place and I didn’t stop him.

Now that I thought about it, clothes really did just get in the way. I needed to feel Alec’s skin on mine without any barriers. I even resented the hot spring when its hot and steamy wetness flooded between us.

Alec removed my bikini top and tossed it onto the rocky shore behind me. Hooking his fingers on either side of the bikini bottom, he pulled, ripping the fabric away.

“Hey,” I protested.

“Donna worry, I packed an extra in the picnic basket. You won’t be naked going back to the hotel.”

I playfully swatted his shoulder. “Just how many bathing suits do you plan on buying?”

“As many as it takes,” he said, his expression serious. “And I hope it takes a lot.”

“Do all dragons have a one track mind?” I asked, gasping a bit as his fingers slipped inside the slick folds between my legs.

“When it comes to their maidens, they donna think of anything else.” He thrust a finger into me. “And one thing not many people know about dragons is they can hold their breath for a long time.”

“Oh really?” I moaned the words, doing my best to show interest in random dragon factoids, but Alec’s fingers were doing sinful things to me. This was not a good time for conversation, my focus was on how Alec would touch me next.

“Let me show you.” He dove under water, hands spreading my knees wide as his mouth found my core.

My eyes widened. Perhaps that factoid hadn’t been so random after all.

Alec stayed underwater, anchoring himself with his hands on my hips as his tongue played over my flesh, hard then soft, fast then slow. He used the spring water in a truly wicked manner, flushing it over my most sensitive spots with merciless pressure.

Once again, his fingers found their way into my wet passage and rubbed. I arched, almost falling back into the water and screamed as an orgasm rocked my body.

He lingered underwater for a bit longer, tickling my throbbing core with flicks of his tongue and wringing every last bit of pleasure from my body. The climax pulsed through me, driven by Alec’s fingers and mouth. Finally, when the orgasm had faded to the faintest echo, he came up for air.

Damn. He wasn’t even breathing hard.

This gave me all sorts of interesting ideas about Loch Ness, which wasn’t all that far from his castle. I was almost grateful to the voice for bringing us together. Alec was the first good thing to come of its power. My only worry was whether he would be left to die like my parents. How much would Alec suffer because of me? Was I safe for good, or was this just a pit-stop before the next kidnapping attempt? I wished I could see that much of the future, so I would know for sure, but that was not how the voice worked.

“You’re frowning,” Alec said, running a gentle finger over my brow. “That wasna what I was going for.”

“Sorry,” I said, flushing. “I was just thinking this is too good to be true.”

He nodded. “I know that feeling. We will just have to prove to each other that we are real and not going anywhere.” His hands went to my hips and pulled me forward. “Starting now.”

His hard shaft poked my stomach and I reached down to wrap my hand around him. “This is real.”

“So is this.” He leaned down and captured one of my nipples in his mouth, sucking hard. I had to grip his shoulder with my free hand, afraid I would fall otherwise. My body went slack with sensation. The scrub of his five o’ clock shadow, the thin edges of his teeth and the insistent thrashing of his tongue all conspired to rob me of control. Not that I minded.

He peeled my hand off his shaft and lifted me up. Moving on instinct, I wrapped my legs around his waist, allowing him to slide home. I convulsed as he filled me, every muscle straining to take more of him. He had yet to touch my other nipple, but it stiffened as if he had.

“Alec,” I gasped as he began to move in and out.

“Aye, lass.”

I couldn’t speak so I ground my hips into him instead, letting my body take over.

“You like this or should I stop?” He went still and my fingers reflexively dug into his back, urging him on.

“Take me, dragon.”

“Aye, that I will, maiden. Many times.” He resumed moving and took the other nipple in his mouth, the tip so hard I was sure I couldn’t take much more. Alec flattened his tongue over my breast, pressing into my flesh and easing the tension. Why I don’t know, because the second my body relaxed, he wasted no time winding it tight again. He lashed his tongue over the sensitive tip and nipped at it, using more force than he had before.

I moaned, grinding into him, needing all of him. I couldn’t stand it. Every nerve was alight with searing pleasure. There was too much energy crowding my nervous system, and needing an outlet, I planted my teeth in his shoulder to release it.

Alec grunted as I bit him and he thrust into me with matching intensity. Our love making became rough and wild, as if we wanted to consume each other. I sank my teeth into him again. He repaid me in kind, marking the flesh around my nipple.  I raked my nails along his back as he shoved me against the rocks, holding me in place as he took me with increasing force.

I loved it. All of it. The sting of his love bite throbbing in my breast. The rocks scraping my flesh. Alec’s strength holding me down, keeping me in place so he could bury himself in me.