Blood Bought: Cruentus Dragons Book Two (6 page)

She nodded again. “But I don’t need that. Not with you.”

He grinned. He adjusted himself so he was fully covered by his pants, then leaving the fly partially opened, he slid his hands up Athena’s torso. His palms cupped her breasts then his fingers rolled her nipples. Gently, he pinched, the pressure gradually increasing.

“And you like clamps?”

She gasped. “Maybe. I never tried them—oh, please! Harder!”

He complied, carefully watching her. The sensation pierced through her. He could tell by the undulating of her belly as her hips moved, trying to find more…something. More of what only he could give. Without releasing her peaks, he leaned his head down and licked each tip. Then he let go and watched as her breasts turned rosy with the blood flow.

Athena screeched, an orgasm flooding over her. Moving quickly, he dove between her thighs to eat at her cunt and devour the juice flooding from her. His tongue stabbed into her channel to gather the tangy lubricant while he treated her clit to the same handling as her nipples. Mmm…a set of three clamps might just be in order. And she’d love it. She was the most perfect Dragon mate any man could imagine. For the first time in six months, he thanked fate for the cards dealt him. No other woman could match her desires as she could. This was why such a strong willed banshee had been chosen for him. Anyone weaker would never survive eternity with him, let alone hold his interest for long.

He shoved down his pants. Holding her hips still, knowing instinctively that she’d like that restraint too, he surged into her pussy. He drove deep as she screamed. He gathered her cries in his mouth as his lips sealed over hers, giving her a taste of herself and taking her gasps to his soul.

His woman. His lover. His destiny.

The perfect mate.

His hips pistoned quickly while she moaned beneath him, unable to do much more than move her legs around him and battle his restriction on her. And there was no doubt she loved it as her channel convulsed, the sweet muscles there squeezing him. She grew wetter and wetter, her blood rushed so quickly through her, the sound was like that of a speeding train to his sensitive ears. His ragged breathing rivaled it, and his being seemed to gather in his groin as he pummeled her sex. Insidiously, it moved lower, taunting him, promising him. He wanted the moment to last forever, but he knew his end was seconds away.

“Jonah,” she screamed. “Jonah, please!” She thrashed. Her face contorted with pleasure. Her body clamped around him. Losing the battled, he cried out, his voice one with hers.

The sensation of Jonah’s cum surging into her was perhaps the most perfect feeling in the world. Athena stared up at him while she tried to catch her breath. In that moment, it was as if her world had just…shifted. No one—
no one
—had ever made her feel like this, like they completely understood her. And…being with him just…
fixed
the awfulness that had pervaded her life these last six months. Of course, the awfulness was partly his fault. At the moment, she could completely forget that.

Was it possible she really was supposed to be with him? Or was that just her sex-addled brain putting a golden glow on life?

As she looked into his eyes and took in his masculine features, his dark hair falling around his face, something clicked inside her. The thought of running from this man suddenly repulsed her. She didn’t want to be apart from him.

“Jonah…” she whispered.

He nuzzled her cheek then kissed her in front of her ear.

Her emotion-laden breath shuddered from her. The words to express her revelation evaded her. “Can you free my hands?” she asked instead. “My arms are starting to hurt.”

“Of course.” His thumb and first finger caught her chin. “Don’t run.”

She shook her head. A moment later, she was loose. He gathered her against his rock-hard chest, and his iron-like arms held her tight. He turned them, shifting her as easily as if she were a doll, so that she was between him and the wall. Reaching down, he grabbed the blankets then pulled them over their bodies. His breathing evened, though his arms remained tight.

The lamp he must have turned on when he’d initially opened the house was still lit, but she didn’t care. She snuggled into his chest and the light was blocked. Her own breaths calming, she inhaled his scent and wondered once more at the slightly smoky smell. She’d never sit near a blazing fireplace again and not think of him.

* * * *

Athena didn’t know how long she’d slept, but when she awoke, Jonah’s arms had shifted away and only his hand remained. It rested on her belly while his face pressed into the side of her neck. His closeness seeped inside her being and warmed parts of her that had been so empty.

Her stomach growled, but she didn’t figure there was food in the cabin. She wasn’t going searching for it by any matter. Stealthily, she crept away from Jonah and scooted to the end of the bed, determined to get a glass of water from the bathroom.

The air was chilly after being snuggled beside his furnace-like heat and the wood planking felt like ice beneath her feet. Shivering, she hoped she found the bathroom quickly. She didn’t want to wander around this place naked. She didn’t want to wander at all. She wanted to get back into Jonah’s arms—after her water. Now, that she was on her way, she realized her mouth was dry as the
Sahara
.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Jonah growled when she’d made it halfway across the floor.

She turned then gestured behind her to the door. “Just to the bathroom. To get a drink.”

He stared at her, obviously trying to decide if he should trust her.

“Look, I’m hardly going to go anywhere naked,” she said on a irritated sigh. He had every right not to trust her, but it still annoyed her.

One side of his mouth turned up slightly. “You know…you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

Heat rushed into her face as she glanced down at her nude figure. She’d never thought much about her looks. She was passable and not distracting with either extreme beauty or homeliness. Evidently, the lamplight here became her. Her slim curves appeared milky and free of blemishes. She didn’t know many men who wouldn’t like the way her nipples were beading in the cold. She supposed she did have nice breasts, firm and not overly small. He’d no doubt liked the way her waist narrowed then flared into her hips and thighs, creating what she’d always described as the female heart—her pussy directly in the center. His attention was centered on the small patch of black hair covering it. He might be a Dragon, but he was
such
a guy.

“So can I go now?”

He sat up, and she thought maybe he meant to drag her back to the bed.

Instead, he leaned against the headboard. “Hurry, back.”

She grinned. Returning to him, she brushed her mouth over his lips. “Keep the bed warm. It’s freezing out here.”

His warm hands caressed her hips. “Then stay here.”

She almost said yes. Reluctantly, she stepped away. She needed to get her head straight. At the moment, she’d give him anything and that might not be the best place for her thoughts to be. He wanted her as his forever mate and she just wasn’t ready for that. She didn’t know if she’d ever be.

Jonah watched as Athena rushed from the room. His first instinct was to run after her. That wouldn’t bode well for the faith that needed to build between them. He wanted to trust her, and he knew she didn’t trust him.

Across the hall, he heard the latch on the bathroom door then water running. He was just relaxing when she exited. Every nerve ending went on alert as she headed the wrong direction.
Damn it!

He shoved back the blanket and stomped out into the hallway. Just when he thought she’d cooperate. Chagrin stopped him as he entered the sitting room and found her crouched in front of the fireplace. She looked up and smiled.

“It’s freaking freezing in here. Do you think we could start a fire?”

“It’s warm in bed. Come back.”

With a sigh, she stood and swept past him. “You don’t trust me,” she muttered.

His arms spread as he followed. “Tell me why I should.”

The glare she tossed over her shoulder cut through him. “I
said
I wasn’t going anywhere.”

“You could be lying.” His eyes closed.
Shouldn’t have said that, Jonah.

Her face darkened, but whatever acidic retort she’d been about to spew was interrupted but banging on the door.

“Jonah!” came a muffled call. “Jonah! Athena! Open up!”

Athena had already entered the bedroom. Confused because no one should know they were here, Jonah headed for the front door. The Djinn and Elvish wouldn’t knock. They’d splinter through the wall or send the door flying from its hinges. The pounding continued. Despite his urge to fling open the door and demand the visitor go away, he cautiously approached and slid the curtain slightly aside.

At the sight of the Djinni on the other side, Jonah’s instincts took over. His scales slid into place, his body thickening and reforming into Dragon shape. The door slammed open. A rumble ground in his chest as his body prepped to explode fire at the interloper.

“No, Jonah!” Athena screamed.

Shock pummeled him as she dashed between them, wrapped in a sheet. She turned her back to the Djinni and hugged Jonah, her cheek to his chest.

“He doesn’t intend to hurt me! I promise.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Do you?”

The stranger shook his head. Quickly, he slipped around them. “For God’s sake, shut the door. Jonah,” he said. “I’m Riven.”

“He’s saved me from his people more than once,” Athena said.

What?
Jonah stared at them in shock.

“It’s true,” Riven supplied. “I report to Behe. I’ve been shielding her, keeping her safe all this time.”

Athena reached up and stroked Jonah’s cheek, though he could barely feel it through his Dragon armor. She pressed her lips to his chest. His arms and wings wrapped around her blocking her from the other man’s view.

Riven let out a disgusted breath. “Move ya bag of fire. I’ll shut the damn door.”

Reluctantly, Jonah stepped backward. He didn’t want to be shut in with this Djinni, but a closed door would at least act as a temporary deterrent against any others. In particular, he didn’t want his woman anywhere near his enemy, this man.

“Jonah, you’re crushing me,” Athena protested weakly.

Immediately, he loosened his grip.

“He’s not going to hurt me,” she insisted.

“I’m not,” Riven said.

“As if I should believe you,” Jonah snarled.

Riven threw up his hands and turned away. He paced to the window. “If I were going to fry her, I’ve had six months to do so. I’ve been keeping her safe.”

“Why?”

The Djinni’s jaw locked. He looked ready to say something then gave a small shake of his head. “Does it really matter? She’s alive.”

“She’s also in the room, imbeciles,” Athena snapped. “Jonah, let me go!”

He ignored her, tightening his wings when her small fist pummeled his chest. He couldn’t help the betrayal that hit him harder than she ever could. How could she defend this…
enemy
? His mind reeled while, on the outside, he remained impervious to attacks.

“Why are you here?”

“I’ve been discovered. I can’t shield her location anymore—they recognize my magic. I’ve come to warn you. To tell you to get her out of here. To get her to somewhere safer. I’m sure you wanted to be alone here, and you felt you could protect her since we usually travel in small bands, but you cannot fight the force heading here. They intend to take her—”

“You mean kill her?” Jonah interrupted. No one would harm his mate!

“No.
Take
her. They want you, and the quickest way to you is her. And the quickest way to your wingscion is you.”

They wanted Janos, the leader of the Cruentus. It was a strategy they hadn’t tried before now. Until this point, the Djinn and Elvish had been content with cutting down the Dragons’ mates like Athena and Janos’ mate, Scarlett.

“Jonah, what is he talking about?” Athena asked.

He looked down at her, knowing what he had to do. He had to end their bond in order to protect her. It went against his every instinct. No Dragon willingly broke the mating call. He had no choice. He couldn’t allow Athena to die. And the Djinn would kill her. Eventually. They wouldn’t let a Dragon mate live.

Fighting back his pain, he loosened his arms and his wings. A moment later, he stood before her in human form once more. Obliviously naked.

“Every Dragon had two parts outside himself,” he told her, his arms running over the smooth skin of her arms. He already missed what he would soon be without. “One part, you know. That’s the Dragon’s mate. Like you. Like Scarlett. Women destined to walk by our sides for eternity. Our bodies immediately recognize them.” He lifted his arm. “They show us. The Dragon blood marker in each draws design like the one that is on both of us. But each Dragon also has another part. His wingscion. He is the perfect partner in battle. Scions can read the other’s action without speaking. They can anticipate and strengthen. We can read each other’s minds. We can feel each other’s pain. We can sustain each other—Janos, the leader of my clan, is my scion. He’s upheld me while I searched for you.”