Dragon's Mate [Cairgorm Dragons 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) (8 page)

She couldn’t deny it. Ever since he’d promised a spanking, she’d been getting wetter. Her nipples were hard and achy. She longed for his fingers in her cunt.
Crack!
The first smack took her by surprise, and she squealed. He held her in place as she tried to get up, and then he peppered her plump cheeks with sharp slaps. At first the blows stung, but soon the delicious warmth spread from her bottom to her cunt. More moisture gathered and ran down her legs. He paused and thrust two fingers into her, grinding and scissoring as he pulled them out. She moaned and sighed.

“Yes, oh, yes, more, please more. I love your fingers inside me. You make me feel so good.”

He stood her up and carried her to the bed. Pulling down the sheets, he placed her carefully with her head on the pillows and sat beside her. Her legs fell open as he lifted her night-robe to her waist. He leaned down and began to fuck her with three fingers. She arched her back and pumped her hips as he twisted and curled his fingers inside her, thrumming over her G-spot. She thrashed her head from side to side as he drove her arousal higher. Then he withdrew his fingers.

“No, no, please. Don’t stop.”

His ardent mouth replaced the fingers. His tongue swirled around her little nub. He licked, sucked, and nibbled. She pressed her hips up, offering herself unreservedly. He took her clit in his teeth and gently bit down on it, and she shrieked as the mother and father of all orgasms lifted her up and hurled her over the edge, into pleasure that was almost painful in its intensity. Kneeling between her thighs, he gathered pillows and placed them under her hips. Then, with her cunt in the perfect position, he entered her with his thick cock as her pussy muscles spasmed. Her legs wrapped around him, holding him inside her where she needed to feel him. His hips pumped his erect cock deep inside her again and again. The tingles returned as he drove her to yet another climax, powerful in its intensity. This time, the clenching of her pussy dragged him with her, and his copious release flooded her. Moving the pillows from under her, he collapsed on top of her. He would have rolled to the side but she held him.

“I want to feel your weight on me. I want you inside me. Please don’t leave me.”

He lay on top of her, taking the weight on his elbows. He pressed butterfly kisses all over her face, her eyelids, her nose, until she stiiled and, eventually, his cock softened. Then he got up to clean himself and her. When he returned to the bed after disposing of the cloths, she held out her arms to him. He cuddled her close, and she heard, “I love you so much,” as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, after a leisurely breakfast of oatcakes and preserves, with a large cup of that delicious chocolate, Eilidh went to find Seonag. Braemuir was in council with the elders of the Clan, and not expected to be free for some time. As was the way of the Braemuir Clan, his parents took no part in the council or the Gathering. Once his father had abdicated power, they didn’t appear, so there would be no divided loyalties, or conflict within the Clan. The council had to discuss the mating with a man, who was not of the Clan. Although Braemuir had no idea yet which female Ness wanted, he was in favour of closer links with that Clan. He had told Eilidh that some of the older men would take some convincing, so she would have plenty of time. He had told her not to wander away anywhere alone.

Seonag and Eilidh went to the stillroom together. Eilidh’s parents’ house had a small store with herbs drying, hanging from the beams. This stillroom was the largest Eilidh had ever seen. The Caisteal had many servants, and played host to the Clan at varous times of the year, so large stores were needed. Seonag showed her what stores they had, and promised to take her to gather the herbs that they used to make the medications and the scented soaps for the house. There were particular places for different herbs. As the Braemuir’s lady, she would not be expected to go and gather them herself, but she would be expected to oversee the stillroom, and ensure there was an adequate supply. Many herbs were utilised in the cooking and to scent the linens.

Eilidh felt as though they were being watched. She turned and looked about her, but could see no one.
I’m imagining things. There’s no one there.
She shook off the feeling and attended to Seonag
.
The other stores were close by, and, as they had plenty of time before luncheon, Seonag offered to take her to see them. They entered the cool room, set aside for preserves. Eilidh was amazed at the number of different ones. There was honey. “From our own bees,” Seonag told her proudly. Some fruits, like raspberries, loganberries, and strawberries, were grown in the gardens. Others, like blackberries, were gathered from the hedgerows. Preserved mushrooms were kept there, and some shelves were set aside for the apples, when they were ripe. Some of the apples would be used to make cider, some left for the table. Pears and plums were also preserved for the table in winter, and elderflowers gathered to make a strong cordial. Uisge beatha was made by an old woman in the settlement, who would pass the secret recipe on to her daughters and granddaughters. Nuts would be gathered and stored in the rush baskets, set aside for that purpose, on the shelves. There was another store, which held nothing but potatoes and vegetables. They were about to go to see that, when a small boy came running up, to ask Seonag to return to the kitchens, where she was needed. Eilidh said she’d stay and look around. Seonag left, taking the small boy with her. Eilidh sent a thought to Braemuir, as he sat in the council discussing Ness’s request.

“Stay there and await Seonag’s return. Don’t leave the buildings alone. Take care,
mo run
. I’ll be with you for luncheon.”

Eilidh picked up a few jars and read the labels, all written out in beautiful copperplate. She wondered who had written them. Suddenly she felt uneasy again. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. She turned around, but no one was there.
Stupid, there is no one there. You are imagining it.
She turned back, but the feelings persisted. She could feel that someone was watching her. She turned round again, looked down, and saw a note had been pushed under the door. She picked it up and read.

If you want to see your parents again, come at once to the small copse, at the bottom of the garden
.
Tell no one and come alone.

Eilidh dropped the note, flew out of the room and raced to the copse at the bottom of the garden. She was frantic. She knew who had her parents. She gave no thought to what was going to happen. She just ran.

“Eilidh, don’t go, Eilidh
,
wait. Wait for me. It’s a trap. I’m coming
,
my love.”

She heard him, but she took no notice. That evil man had her parents because of her. She had to go to stop him hurting them. She ran into the copse, frantically calling her parents. She heard a chuckle behind her. Whirling
,
she saw the same man, masked and now standing between her and safety.

“Where are my parents? What have you done with them?”

“Come with me
,
and I’ll show you.”

“No. How do I know you have them?”

“Well, I’ll just go and get rid of them
,
as you aren’t interested in saving them.” He turned and strode off. She ran after him, clutching his arm.

“No, please, I’ll come with you. Don’t hurt them.”

He took hold of her arm and hurried her out of the copse and down to the coast. He rushed her along the shore, and into a cave. There, in the gloom, were her parents, gagged and bound to stakes.

“Let them go. Please let them go. Take me instead,” she begged.

“Stupid cunt.” He grabbed her, gagged her
,
and loaded her with the iron chains again. He lashed her to one of the stakes, next to her parents.

“I’m so sorry that I can’t stay and watch. I have to go and be seen about.” He laughed and left the cave.

Eilidh struggled and fought to free herself and her parents. They were deep under the earth and, try as she might, she couldn’t feel Braemuir’s mind. The cave was a sea-cave and, sooner or later, the tide would come in, and they’d drown. The evil man was nothing if not consistent, letting the sea do his work. She looked at her parents with tears in her eyes
.T
he gag stopped her even saying goodbye. Her unborn child would die and Braemuir
,
too.
What have I done?
She threw herself from side to side, trying to to move the stake. It wasn’t moving at all
. T
he chains swung, but they stayed in place.
This couldn’t be the end.

Braemuir leaped up out of his chair, sending it crashing to the floor. He ran to the door seizing his sword from the table. Lachlann followed as Braemuir shouted.

“She’s gone somewhere. She’s in danger. We have to find her. Oidhche has set a trap. Lachlann, go and find her parents. Muireall, go and ask Seonag where she last saw her.” Both hastened to do his bidding. To the other men who, hearing his raised voice, had streamed into the hall, he said, “Go and search the grounds. My mate is missing.” Lachlann returned, saying her parents couldn’t be found.

“You are the only one I can trust. Oidhche is in the Caisteal. He’s one of us. Go and see who’s missing. Ness and our brother, where are they?”

“Do you suspect them?”

“I suspect everyone but you and Muireall. Go!”

Braemuir tried to call her, but all he got was silence.
Had the man knocked her over the head? Why couldn’t she answer?

Muireall came back, and together they went to the storeroom. Finding the note, and reading it, Braemuir cursed. He paced up and down, his face a mask of fury and fear, and no one dared go near him. One by one, the parties of searchers returned, reporting no news of her or her parents. Lachlann told him that both men had gone out with search parties.
Oh, he was clever. He had arranged it so that no one would know who he was yet, until it was too late.

Braemuir thought he has going out of his mind. A small hand, stealing into his, was of some comfort. Muireall and he had always been close.

“Can’t you hear her?” she asked.

“How do you know?” She met his startled gaze.

“I know because I can hear my mate in or out of dragon-form.”

What mate?
Braemuir couldn’t go into that now. He put it to the back of his mind. He
would
find out later.

“No, I can’t. He must have hit her over the head. If she’s only sleeping, I can hear her so she must not be in her senses.”

“No, maybe not. Mind you, if I am in the castle basements, under the rock, I can’t hear my mate. She may be under rock.”

Braemuir wondered just what his sister had to do in the basements.
Something else I shall have to discover later.

“She can’t be in the basement. She was outside, and no one saw her come back in. So where can she be? Where could he hide her under rocks?”

Braemuir paced and thought.
I have to think. I have to get it right. There must be a place, and not too far away. Oidhche wouldn’t be able to change to dragon-form without risking being seen, so he had to be able to get to the cave and back in time to join a rescue party before Eilidh was found to be missing.
Suddenly it came to him.

“That’s it! The caves on the shore.”

He was a dragon and in the air almost before the words had left his lips. He flew like an arrow to the shore. So many caves. Which one? Oidhche would have had to walk to the cave. Still, there were many to search. Maddain and Feasgar were in the air and following him. They landed on the sand and changed back to human-form. The cave entrances were too small for dragons. They began to search, becoming more frantic, as they realised the tide was turning, and soon, the tidal race would flow into the caves and flood them. Braemuir shouted, but there was no reply. Muireall held up her hand for silence, and then they all heard the rattle of chains. Braemuir hurled himself inside the cave, and there she was. As before, she was loaded with iron chains, but this time he couldn’t tear the stake from the ground. He had to cut their bonds with his
sgian-dubh
and try not to hurt them in the process. Muireall and Lachlann busied themselves removing gags.

“Who did this to you? Did you see his face?” Braemuir was determined to find out who Oidche was.

“He was masked, like the last time. It was the same man, but I don’t know who he is.” Elidih sobbed out her answer. “I’m so cold. Can’t we get out of this horrible cave and get warm?”

“I’m so sorry,
mo run
. Of course we can.”

Braemuir lifted her up and carried her outside. She was soaking wet, so he wrapped her in his plaid to carry her back to the Caisteal.

Lachlann and Muireall helped her parents, who were so shocked they could barely speak. Frustrating as it was, they made no sense, at the moment, so questions would have to wait. Seonag was waiting for them at the entrance.

“There are fires, hot baths, and dry clothes ready in your bedchambers.”