Then the two of us were trading kisses, and he pushed me down on the bed. I was already wiggling out of my clothes as he stripped his shirt off over his head. I got up on my knees to all but rip his pants off, then grabbed his shoulders and dragged him onto the mattress with me.
He let me push him onto his back and straddle him. I kissed him wildly, grinding against him. There was something rough and intense in the way we made love that time, the way he grabbed my hips and dragged me down onto his cock, pushing deep inside me. His cock filled me, my clit pressed against his rock-hard abs, and I began to move in circles rubbing my clit against him, quick and hard. His bed frame slammed against the wall over and over in quick, rhythmic movements.
He grabbed my wrists and pulled me down. His lips claimed mine. My nipples pressed against the hard planes of his chest as he began to drive up into me, rolling his hips. Even from the bottom, he could take control and fuck me wildly.
I lost myself to the sensations of his body against mine. Warm sunlight trickled through the windows and fell across his handsome face, lighting the dark hair, those intense amber eyes. He looked up at me as if I were his whole world.
The world narrowed to nothing but the two of us. I’d longed for him once when I was just a maid leaning against a railing, watching his powerful body when he was training. But that was nothing compared to how I wanted him now that I knew all of him, even his faults. His deep love for his friends, his protection of his kingdom, his endless bravery—those strengths made it easy to love him for his flaws too, his need to control and claim, protect and punish.
He was looking at me as I rode him as if he saw right through me the same way, as if we were both laid bare.
I’d never wanted him more. Even with his cock deep inside me, I pushed down against his cock, grinding against his lower abs, wanting more of him.
“You’re mine,” he said fiercely, cupping my cheek with his hand.
“Yes,” I murmured. The room blurred, pleasure coursing through my body. “But you’re mine just as much.”
Something inside him seemed to break at those words. He pulled me against his body, pumping into me furiously. Heat spread through my core and spilled through every line of my body, and I moaned into his ear.
His lips pressed the spot behind my ear that I loved best, then suddenly, he bit me. His teeth sank into my skin and I let out a cry that was half-pain, half-pleasure.
Warmth flooded me there too. His hands were on the nape of my neck, holding me steady as he kissed the wound he’d just made.
The two of us shattered together, his hands running down my ass to hold me tight to him as his cum filled me.
The two of us fell apart, just slightly. He held me near him, his cock still buried inside me, as if he couldn’t bear to be far apart. He brushed his fingertips over my neck, moving my hair so he could see the bite mark.
“I thought only wolves bit during sex,” I said, trying to keep the words light. I didn’t want to say The Other Thing.
I thought only wolves marked their mates.
“I never did that before,” he said with a frown. “I just had the strongest impulse to…” He stumbled over the words, then finally admitted, “To mark you. As mine.”
Neither of us knew what the hell this meant.
But I was adding this to my mental list of dragon mating secrets. I wondered if Damyn knew anything about this—had there been female dragon shifters earlier in our history?
He was staring down at me, worry dimpling the space between his gold-flecked eyes. “Are you all right?”
“I’m better than all right,” I promised, and his face softened with relief. “I’m yours.”
He leaned in and kissed me again, soft and slow, and the two of us started all over again.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
Honor
Over breakfast, Arren locked eyes with me at the table. Of course, it wasn’t me that he spoke to.
“We need to talk about Honor.”
Those little words brought the bantering conversation around the table to an abrupt halt. Talisyn rubbed his face with his hands, as if he already knew he was going to be in a whole lot of trouble.
“Why exactly is that?” Jaik turned his gaze on me.
“I already told Jaik everything,” I said.
Jaik’s hard gaze encompassed Talisyn, which everyone noticed.
Branok whistled. “Somebody’s getting a spanking.”
He was just joking around, but I wished he wouldn’t. It seemed a little too personal at the moment. My ass was still just faintly sore, but every time I shifted on the seat, it brought a new rush of warmth between my thighs. Branok’s gaze caught on me as if he’d seen me squirm, and I forced myself to meet his gaze evenly. The smallest smile suddenly came to Branok’s lips.
“What did Honor do now?” Lynx asked.
“Why do you assume that I did something?” I demanded. “I could be completely innocent in this situation.”
From the looks around the table, no one believed there was a situation where I could be completely innocent.
“Honor was attacked last night by assassins,” Arren said. “Although she barely noticed.”
“That’s unfair. I would’ve realized he was there—”
“I think you wouldn’t have,” Arron growled. “Because I was looking after you. Against my better judgment,” he added in a grumble, like an afterthought.
“I expect you all to defend Honor with your lives,” Jaik reminded them all. He moved his glare from Talisyn to me. “Just like I expect you to protect your own life. No doing stupid things.”
“I wasn’t doing stupid things. Assassins could have attacked me anywhere.”
“Well, they didn’t attack you anywhere, they attacked you when you were with my asshole brother. Who we already know isn’t capable of protecting you.”
I stared at Jaik, feeling betrayed. We’d had that whole talk where he agreed Caldren and I had every right to develop our relationship. But then, Jaik had his right to his own feelings.
“And on top of that,” Jaik added, “I’d appreciate it if you stopped meddling in my relationship with my brother…or lack thereof.”
“Tell me everything you can about that assassin,” Branok said. “Lynx and I are pretty familiar with all the assassins.”
“I already know,” Arren said. “I recognized him.”
“Which one was it?”
“Your old friend, Holum.”
Arren put particular weight in those words that sounded like an accusation.
Maybe that was why Branok looked stunned.
Lynx leaned over to me. “Holum taught Branok and me much of what we know.”
“That was a long time ago,” Branok said.
“He’s grown far too close to Faleen for my liking. Faleen is utterly loyal to the king, for reasons I will never fully understand,” Lynx observed.
“Some people have always believed Holum is really loyal to Branok and Lynx, that he’s staying in Pend’s castle reporting back to you.”
Branok nodded. “That would be quite useful.”
“And so some will think that Holum was doing your bidding,” Arren said flatly.
Branok leaned forward, resting his elbows lightly on the table. He had a fixedly pleasant look on his face that was an utter lie. “What are you implying, Arren?”
Arren shrugged.