Releasing the Dragon: Myths and Legends, Book One (11 page)

He shrugged his shoulder grinning. "Perhaps
I'm one of the fabled nightshifters and my beast is currently in a
magically induced coma. My human half wouldn't be able to mark
you."

"How would your human half be able to
recognize me then?"

He chuckled and rose from his chair. "A very
logical question, for which I have no logical explanation." He
extended his hand towards me. "Would you care to dance with
me?"

I felt a smile curl my lips and took his hand
as I stood. "I would love to dance with you, but perhaps we should
slow down on the whole mating idea. You know, a lot of men would be
scared to death if a woman started talking about forever on their
first official date."

He pulled me into his arms and we began
swaying to the music. "The prospect of spending forever with you
doesn't scare me in the slightest, but I can do slow if that's what
you need." A vision of us slowly moving together under red satin
sheets flashed through my mind. Whether I believed in fated mates
or not, there was no denying the effect he had on my libido. I felt
like I needed him more than I needed air to breathe and my craving
for him was nowhere near being sated after our time on the balcony.
All those years and all those dreams couldn't compare to the
reality of his flesh driving into mine. Now that I'd had a taste of
the real thing I was greedy for more.

Dragon pulled me close and we danced in the
moonlight to the soft sounds of jazz music. He held me with his
arms around my waist. I put my arms around his neck and ran my
fingers through his hair while resting my head against his chest. A
sense of belonging settled over me as we swayed to the music, a
feeling that this was exactly where I should be. When the song
ended, I looked up into his eyes. The desire I had seen before was
still there, although more like a banked fire, not the inferno it
had been. With that desire I could see a stronger emotion starting,
not quite love, but affection. I wondered how that was possible
after only a couple of dates, but couldn't deny I felt the same for
him.

He bent his head to caress my lips with his.
Soft kisses so warm, so achingly tender. His tongue came out and
licked across my lips, not entering my mouth, just another caress.
He kept up the gentle pace for a while then slid his tongue along
mine with languid strokes. Slowly, tenderly, he seduced me with his
skillful mouth.

After several long moments he swept me into
his arms and carried me upstairs to his bedroom. He walked as if I
weighed nothing at all. When he set me down beside the bed I kicked
off my shoes and wrapped my arms around his waist. He kissed me
again, still making love to me with his mouth, not devouring me as
he had on the balcony. The sensuality of his kisses left me
breathless, caused warmth to spread throughout my body.

His hands smoothed over my shoulders and down
my arms, back up and down again. The gentle caresses so loving they
tugged at my heart. He moved his mouth to my neck leisurely kissing
and licking, then sucking lightly as his tongue made circles on my
sensitive flesh. I couldn't believe how good his hands and mouth
felt on my body. It was nothing like how I'd felt in Mystique with
those other men. They could have gotten my body off, but with
Dragon it was so much more. Every touch of his hands, every kiss of
his lips or slide of his tongue, seemed to reach into my soul and
draw me closer and closer to him.

I pulled his shirt from his pants and started
undoing the buttons. When I was finished, I ran my hands through
the soft dark hair covering his chest, then over the sculpted
muscles of his shoulders and arms. The feel of his body under my
hands was indescribable. He let his shirt fall behind him then spun
me around putting my back in front of him. I started to protest
until he pushed my hair over my shoulder and kissed the back of my
neck as he unzipped my gown. The dress slid down over my hips and
fell to the floor. My head rolled back against his chest while his
hands moved slowly along my hips, then up my sides before cupping
my breasts. I closed my eyes focusing on the incredible sensations
pulsing through my body. He continued exploring my neck and
shoulders with his mouth as his fingers circled my nipples
teasingly.

I moaned, tingles of pleasure making me
shiver. "Will you tease me all night, or will you give me more?" A
breathless question I couldn't hold back.

"Is this what you want Serafina?" His breath
skated across my ear.

One of his hands trailed down over my stomach
sliding between my legs, delving into my soft pink flesh as the
other hand squeezed and massaged my breast. His knowing fingers
soon had me quivering in his arms, barely able to remain standing.
My heart was pounding, my breath rushing in and out. Just when I
thought I couldn't take any more, he pinched my clit between his
thumb and forefinger sending me over the edge with pulsating waves
of pleasure. Dragon caught me as my legs gave out and placed me on
his luxuriously soft bed.

Through the haze of afterglow I watched as he
removed the rest of his clothing, drawing it out to tease me. I
licked my lips as Dragon slowly revealed himself to me. He was
truly magnificent, powerful with an edge of darkness, that bad-boy
look that drives all women wild. His muscular body prowled towards
me with predatory focus, his eyes following the curves of my body
like he was trying to commit every detail to memory. He crawled up
the bed where I was leaning back on my elbows and whispered, "You
are always beautiful, but lying on my bed with your skin flush from
orgasm, you are breathtaking." His words and the heat in his eyes
tightened things low in my body.

Dragon smoothed his hands over my leg while
lifting my foot to rest on his shoulder. He kissed his way down my
calf and thigh to the hollow just before the bare mound between my
thighs. His beard brushed along my skin, light and teasing. He gave
my other leg the same treatment before leaning forward to continue
his sensual assault on my stomach and hip bones, licking, kissing
and sucking with excruciating slowness. I buried my hands in his
hair urging him higher. He was driving me crazy and I wasn't sure
how much more I could take. When the coarse hairs of his beard
rasped over my nipples I arched into him begging for more.

"I can’t wait any more Dragon; I need to feel
you inside of me."

"I promised you we would take things slowly,"
he murmured against my breast.

I felt his erection pressing into my thigh, a
scalding heat that said he wanted more as much as I did. But still
he kept up the maddening slow pace, just as he had with his earlier
kisses. His teasing rode a fine line between arousing and
frustrating. Every one of my nerve endings was on fire. My breath
came in shallow pants as I writhed beneath him searching for the
release he wouldn't allow to come.

Finally, when the fire between us burned out
of control, he claimed my mouth in a hungry kiss as he thrust
himself into my body with one powerful stroke. We both groaned with
satisfaction as his shaft filled me, stretching the tight muscles
of my entrance. Our bodies moved together, the erotic dance driven
by primal instinct and need. My slick heat gripped him as he slid
into me again and again.

Any thoughts of slowing down were forgotten
under the onslaught of sensations ravaging my body. Ragged moans
filled the air as pleasure coiled in our souls. When the wildfire
of orgasm spread from my center, Dragon pulled me up, clutching me
to his chest as he thrust into me with increasing strength and
speed. My nails clawed at his back and I gloried in the savage
intensity of our joining. A deep growl thundered through the room
causing an explosion of ecstasy inside of me. Dragon thrust one
last time, violently, impaling me on his hard length, spilling his
seed like a fiery brand on my soul.

For that one shining moment we were one - one
body, one heart, one soul. Then the euphoria started to fade and he
rolled to the side pulling me on top of him. We laid there taking
deep shuddering breaths as our hearts slowed. His warm hands
caressed my back with slow calming circles until I shivered from
the cool air in the room. Dragon kissed the top of my head and
rose, taking me with him so that we could get under the covers. He
was on his back with me plastered to his side, my head resting on
his chest and my leg draping across his lower body.

After a while he said, "I guess I need to
work on slow after all."

I chuckled at that. "I don't think you have
any problems with slow, or fast, or any other speed for that
matter. I've never had orgasms like that before - not even in my
dreams."

He rolled me to my back and propped himself
up on his elbow beside me. Using one finger he drew circles around
my navel as he spoke. "That's a shame. A woman as beautiful and
sexy as you deserves to have her body worshipped by any man she
deems worthy of her bed." He bent his head to kiss my shoulder.

"Well I'm glad you feel that way, but most
men probably wouldn't agree with you."

"Lucky for you, I'm not most men." He closed
his mouth over my nipple, sucking strongly as his tongue flicked
over its tip. My spine arched as tingles of pleasure raced to my
core. He continued worshipping my breasts until little whimpers of
need escaped me. Then he covered me with his warmth and eased his
way into my welcoming body. This time we did keep it slow, taking
our time, getting to know each other's bodies. And when release
came it wasn't a shattering explosion, but a slow burn that spread
over us like sunshine after a storm. It was only after we quieted
for the night, when I was about to drift off into sleep, that I
realized we were wrapped in red satin sheets.

I woke up feeling like I must be dreaming.
How else could I possibly be holding my mate? Smelling her sweet
scent on my pillow? I had waited over four hundred years for that
moment, and when it finally came, I couldn't believe it was real. I
felt happier than I would ever deserve, but at the same time a pang
of sorrow struck me deep in my soul. My last spark of hope had been
snuffed out. The dragon may have been rumbling, but this morning he
still slept sound as ever. If claiming my mate couldn't end the
curse, then I feared nothing ever would. The only solace I had left
was having Serafina by my side for as long as the fates
allowed.

I brushed her hair away from her face and she
stirred in her sleep. Even through the pitch black in the room, I
could see the outline of her soft, delicate features. She really
was the most amazing creature I had ever seen. Under the covers I
ran my hand lightly down her back and over her thigh. Her hips
pushed back towards me, her body responding to my touch even in her
sleep. I reached around to her abdomen and pulled her into my lower
body, enjoying the feel of her naked flesh pressed against
mine.

Slowly I eased her from her slumber by
placing kissing along her neck. As she woke, she titled her head
back giving me better access. If she only knew how badly I had
wanted to sink my fangs in her tender throat last night. The blood
pulsing in her veins called to me, tempted me with its sweet scent.
I'd nearly given in to the impulse dozens of times, realizing too
late that it had been far too long since I last fed. An oversight I
needed to remedy but had no idea how. Taking blood was such an
intimate act that I had never drank from another male and now I
couldn't imagine sharing the experience with anyone but
Serafina.

She turned to face me and I kissed her softly
on the lips. "Good morning beautiful."

"Good morning yourself." She smiled the
sweetest smile, filling my heart with joy. Her head moved around
like she was trying to see something through the darkness
surrounding us. "It's so dark in here, how do you find the
bathroom?"

"I have excellent night vision."

"It would take military grade night vision
goggles to see through this. How do you get it this dark?"

I reached over and grabbed a remote off the
table. Using the remote I turned on the entertainment system across
the room causing it to light up with a soft red glow. It wasn't
much light, but it helped a little. "I'm sorry; I don't have any
lamps beside the bed. The metal shutters are on timers set to close
just before dawn. Last night with the moonlight streaming in here I
didn't think about how dark it would be when we woke up today."

Her eyes blinked several times and she
focused on the clock that had lit up along with the entertainment
system. "Wow, we slept through half the day. I guess that's one
advantage of having light blocking shutters."

"That, and not bursting into flames," I said
seriously and she laughed like I was joking. I reached out and
tucked her hair behind her ear. "Are you hungry? I could order room
service"

"Would room service normally deliver out here
to the staff apartments, or is that just something they do for
you?" By her dubious expression she already knew the answer to that
question.

"Well, being the owner should have some
privileges or what would be the point? At any rate, I don't abuse
my power often and the staff members never seem to mind indulging
me."

"In that case I would love room service. I'm
famished after the workout you put me through last night." She
waggled her eyebrows. "Do they have waffles with peanut butter
chips?"

"I'm sure they can accommodate any request
you make, even if they have to resort to magic to make it happen,"
I assured her.

She laughed again then smiling said, "Well
thankfully we live in a magical castle surrounded by myths and
legends who might just be able to do that. I'd like a waffle with
peanut butter chips, sausage, and a big glass of orange juice if
they can swing it."