Master of Dragons (8 page)

Nineva curved her arms around his narrow waist. His back felt like sun-warmed marble under her hands. His magic seemed to foam its way into her mouth like champagne. “You taste so good,” she breathed.

“So do you. And you feel like my hottest fantasies.” One big hand came to rest on her breast, cupping it gently. His thumb stirred over her nipple, which tightened into a berry-firm peak. Smiling, Kel plucked it gently, then slowly twisted, sending a sweet swirl of pleasure shuddering through her body.

Nineva lifted her chin, dragging her mouth from his as she panted, feeling as if she were drowning in the waves of pleasure. “Has anybody ever told you…” She had to stop and pant. “…you have a real talent for that?”

“Someone may have mentioned it.” Kel started a chain of delicious little bites along the curve of her jaw. Discovering one pointed ear, he paused to sample it with teasing swirls of his tongue. Nineva gasped, throwing her head back even more.

“You taste exotic, Sidhe girl,” he said roughly. “You make me think of magic and dancing naked in the light of the moon.”

Nineva smiled, shuttering her lids. “For such a big, bad warrior, you've got a poetic streak.” Her fingers explored the hard satin ridges of his ribs.

“We dragons are a poetic people.” He paused to taste the hollow of her throat.

She discovered the upper rise of his muscular ass. It felt temptingly compact and delightfully warm as she cupped it. “In between eating the occasional virgin?”

He lifted his head to give her a grin. “We find the taste of virgin very inspiring.” Eying her right nipple, he added, “In fact, I'm feeling pretty inspired right now.”

“I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not exactly a virgin.”

“Well, there are virgins…” His tongue flicked over her nipple, making her gasp. “And then there are virgins.”

As he settled down to suckle in earnest, she threaded her fingers through his silken hair. “I'll—Oh!—take your word for it.”

“You do that.” White teeth raked gently across a beaded point, sending a lovely wash of heat through her body. As he shaped and teased her breast with one hand, he reached between her legs with the other. His palm stroked over her soft hair, then a strong finger slipped between the lips of her sex.

They both groaned. “Goddess,” she gasped, “you've made me so hot.”

He lifted his head. His eyes blazed like twin fires. “And you make me hard as a pike.”

His hand pumped, fingers stroking deliciously deep as he flicked and swirled his tongue over her nipples. Nineva threw her head back as sweet delight stormed her every sense. Her fingers curled into involuntary fists in his hair, knuckles going white. He licked and bit, fierce and gentle by turns.

By the time he left her nipples, she was all but writhing. He pressed a kiss between her breasts, then began nibbling his way down her torso. Nineva caught her breath as she realized his intentions. Her hips thrust eagerly. He rewarded her with another long pump of those wicked fingers.

Then his mouth found her most delicate flesh, and his tongue teased her clit with a series of lazy figure eights. Finally he closed his lips over the hard little pearl and suckled.

“Kel!” Pleasure detonated through her body like an erotic bomb, jerking her spine into a tight bow.

Gently, wickedly, he scraped his teeth softly over her thrumming core. Heat pulsed through her, so bright she saw it behind her closed lids. Crying out, she writhed in the cool sheets, spurred on by his deliciously ruthless mouth.

Just as the last waves died, Kel abruptly reared over her, spread her thighs wide, and presented his thick cock to her slick opening.

Dazed, she whimpered as he started working into her, one slick, solid inch at a time. He felt even bigger than he looked. “Oh, God!”

“Mmmm,” he purred. Burning ruby eyes focused on her face as he braced a fist on the mattress, leaning in, pressing hard. “Slick, tight…Want more?”

“Yes. Oooh, Goddess, yes!” Nineva threw back her head and gritted her teeth as he fed the rest of his shaft into her. His gaze never wavered from her face.

When his heavy balls finally lay against her ass, he started to pump. The strokes were long, deep, searing her tight flesh with delicious friction. She could only grab his broad shoulders and hang on, her breath sobbing.

 

Nineva wrapped Kel's
cock in cream and velvet. Feeling the pressure of the climax building in his balls, he gritted his teeth, trying to fight it down. He wanted to stay in her as long as possible, wanted to watch her come again.

Iridescent fire swirled in Nineva's eyes whenever pleasure overcame her, a sight almost as hypnotic as the feel of her sex gripping him.

She curled one long leg over his ass as he rose over her, a bare heel pressing hard, demanding as a knight's spur digging into a stallion's side. Setting his teeth, Kel gave her what she asked for, lunging harder, shafting deeper, fighting the climax that boiled closer and closer to the surface with every hot stroke.

Then her tiny inner muscles began to clamp and pulse again, and he lost the fight with a shout. His orgasm jetted up from his balls in waves of sweet heat. Driving his cock to the root, Kel stiffened, losing himself as she writhed around him with soft, strangled cries.

As they stiffened together, something stirred. Kel sensed the distant presence on the horizon of his consciousness, a ghostly touch of something powerful and elemental—and very female.

Nineva's eyes flared wide, meeting his in startled awareness. “Semira!”

But as if their sudden mutual distraction had snapped the link, the presence disappeared.

“Cachamwri's Egg!” With a groan, Kel collapsed over her, panting. “We almost had her.”

“Almost.”

“Unfortunately, almost is never good enough when it comes to magic.” Kel dropped his head on her pretty breast and concentrated on breathing. “We'll have to try again.”

Her teeth flashed white in a wicked grin. “The sacrifices I make for mankind.”

Kel laughed. “You're a true heroine.”

 

Diana lay listening
to Llyr's heart thump, feeling pleasantly damp and sated. She was a little too close to Dearg's delivery to chance conventional intercourse, but that was no deterrent to a couple as creative as they were. They'd taken turns pleasuring each other with hands and mouths, and a lovely time they'd had doing it.

Now, however, Diana could sense Llyr's growing preoccupation. Being the sort of man he was, he could never let go of a problem for long.

“Worrying about the sword again?” she asked him, toying with a lock of his blond hair. It felt a little sweat-damp in her fingers and smelled deliciously of Sidhe male. They'd both played hard.

“We've been unable to track the man who took it,” Llyr admitted. “Which is no surprise. Arralt has done a particularly skilled job in hiding his base of operations. I'm told he has a fortress somewhere in the eastern hemisphere, but I have been unable to locate it.”

“Eastern hemisphere? Like Asia?”

“Not exactly. Our Earth does not have the same land masses as yours, so the continents are different.”

“Oh, that's right.” This world was so much like the one she'd grown up on in some ways. But then there were the alien continents, apparently the result of tectonic forces made just slightly different by magic. Not to mention the really weird differences, like the dragons and unicorns…

Suddenly the air filled with several bars of familiar music. Diana lifted her head in surprise. “‘Blue Suede Shoes'?”

“It's Arthur,” Llyr said. “And it must be important, if he's calling at this hour.” He rolled over and opened a drawer in the bedside table, then fished out a small object that looked a lot like a cell phone.

Once, of course, it had been. Now it was enchanted. Arthur had given him the gadget months ago as a way to communicate through the formidable magical shields of the Sidhe Kingdom and Avalon.

Diana watched as her husband opened the flip phone and put it to one ear. “Greetings, Arthur.”

Her keen werewolf hearing had no trouble picking up the reply. “Sorry to bother you at this hour, but we seem to have a mutual problem.”

She listened in growing alarm as Arthur related Kel's conversation with Cachamwri and his subsequent rescue of an exiled Morven Sidhe princess from Arralt.

Her husband went dangerously still as his friend described the general's escape with the Sword of Semira. Worst of all, it was all part of some plot involving the Dark Ones.

“He stole that sword from my armory,” Llyr told Arthur. “We learned of its theft only yesterday. And this girl Kel rescued claims to be the Last Avatar?”

“That's what I understand. Seems a decent enough kid, though. Says she wants nothing to do with this Arralt and his rebels.”

“That may be, but I'm going to want to talk to her myself. She may be part of this plot.”

There was a markedly uncomfortable pause. “I can understand your caution, but Grim says the girl is on the up and up. What's more, she doesn't much want to talk to you. Apparently she's spent her entire life running from that psycho brother of yours, and she's a little jumpy when it comes to Sidhe royalty.”

“That,” Llyr said in a silky tone, “is too bad.”

Arthur's sigh came clearly even over the cell. “Yeah, I figured you'd say that. Trouble is, Cachamwri has told Kel to protect the girl, and that's exactly what Kel is going to do. I'd rather the two of you not get in a magical pissing match over this.”

“I'm not going to hurt her.” Llyr's expression went hard. “I do, however, need to question her about the threat to my kingdom.”

“I can't let you arrest Nineva, Llyr. I gave the kid my word. And if she really is our one hope to stop the invasion…”

“I have no intention of arresting her—at this point—but I need to find out for myself if she is indeed the Avatar, and what her intentions are if she is. That girl could trigger a civil war that could rip my kingdom apart.”

“Yeah, I get that. Why do you think I'm calling you at oh-dark-thirty in the morning? I know you don't keep vampire hours.”

Llyr dragged a frustrated hand through his hair. “I give you my royal oath she'll come to no harm.”

“I'll do my damndest to talk her into meeting with you, Llyr.” He paused. “Which might be easier if you come here.”

“Fine. I'd like to discuss this with you in more detail anyway. Given the situation with the rebellion, I may need your help.”

“You'll have it. God knows you helped pull our chestnuts out of the fire with that bastard Geirolf. And if the Dark Ones do invade, we're going to need every Sidhe and Mage to fend them off.”

“That's putting it mildly.” Llyr paused thoughtfully. “On second thought, let me speak to the girl about our meeting. I'll give her my oath she'll be safe. Perhaps she'll find that more reassuring.”

Arthur considered the point. “That's likely. I'll have Gwen open the wards for you.”

“Thank you. I'll be bringing a complement of bodyguards, as well as my queen.”

Diana could plainly hear the amusement in the vampire's voice. “Don't like letting her out of your sight, huh?”

Llyr snorted. “These days, she's probably safer in your kingdom than mine.”

Frowning, Diana listened as the two men said their good-byes. Llyr snapped the phone shut and sat on the edge of the bed, a frown on his handsome face.

“Why didn't Cachamwri tell you about this instead of going to Kel?” she asked quietly.

“Kel's a blue dragon, and the prophecy specifies a blue dragon.”

His tone was so grim, she instinctively covered her pregnant belly with both hands. “What prophecy?”

In growing horror, she listened as he recited it. “Oh, shit.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“What's this about the Dark Ones?” Cachamwri had killed a bunch of them ten thousand years before with the help of one of Llyr's ancestors. In the process, the dragon had become a god and formed an alliance with Llyr's line. The remaining Dark Ones had fled to Mortal Earth, only to be banished again centuries later by Merlin and Llyr's father.

“Apparently, they're coming back. Though Cachamwri alone knows how—Merlin erected a magical barrier to protect both Earths. They must have figured out a way to break through it—if the prophecy is correct, and if this girl is the Avatar.” He sighed. “I'm going to have to attempt to contact Cachamwri and find out what in the name of the Egg is going on. With any luck, he'll decide to be cooperative.”

“We can only hope.” Cachamwri tended to play by his own inscrutable rules.

“In the meantime, I'm doubling your personal guard.”

She groaned. “Jesus, Llyr, I can barely take a step without tripping over one of them as it is.”

He got that familiar hard-eyed look Diana had come to recognize. They'd been married less than nine months, but she already knew no argument she could make was going to budge him when he wore that particular expression.

“This is not a topic open to negotiation,” Llyr said, his lush mouth pulling into an inflexible line. “I will not give Arralt and his rebels a chance to kill you.”

“Llyr, I'm Direkind. Merlin himself created us to be resistant to magic…”

“But you're not resistant to decapitation, so none of my enemies are getting anywhere near you.” He sighed and laid a large, warm palm against the side of her face. “I've lost four wives, none of whom held my heart like you do. And none of whom carried the Heir to Heroes. You are not expendable.”

Well, there wasn't much she could say to that, except…“I love you.”

The kiss he gave her had her counting the minutes until Prince Dearg made his appearance—and they could make love without holding back.