Dragon's Blood (The Dragon's Gift Trilogy #2)

“That’s it,” he breathed as she came, clutching at his broad shoulders while she shook from the force of it. Rolling her onto her back, he kissed a scorching path down her chest, then traced slow circles around her nipples until she was gripping fistfuls of his hair, urging him lower. Her hips shot straight off the bed when he took her clit in his mouth, sucking hard, and she clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her scream as she flew off the deep end again.

“Again,” Alistair demanded. He slid two fingers inside her as he continued to lick the sensitive nub, driving her absolutely wild. Unable to control herself, Dareena stuffed part of the sheet in her mouth so she could grab his hair again, urging him on. She was on fire, burning from the inside out with need, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if her entire body glowed from the force. Her mind was saturated with need, her heart full to bursting, and she couldn’t get enough, she couldn’t—

“Mine,” he growled, finally slamming into her. She screamed his name as he filled her, stretching her to the fine line between pain and pleasure, and he ripped the impromptu gag from her mouth. He kissed her fiercely, filling her with the taste of him, his tongue deep inside her mouth as he fucked her with single-minded determination. The bed shook so hard beneath them that he gripped the headboard with one hand, and Dareena sank her fingernails into his luscious arse, urging him faster, harder, deeper. The air around them hummed with power as their souls, for a brief moment in time, strained toward each other, determined to become one.

“Yes,” she moaned into his mouth as the edge rushed up to meet her. The orgasm hit, a tidal wave of pure pleasure that had her eyes rolling back into her head. Alistair stiffened, and then he came, his entire body vibrating from the force of it. Dareena smiled against his mouth, her walls clenched around his cock as she milked him for all he was worth.

“Mine,” he growled again, tucking his face into the crook of her neck. He bit down on her shoulder, a gesture that was somehow possessive and tender all at once.

“Yours,” she murmured in his ear as he collapsed on top of her. A soft warmth spread through her as he rolled onto his side, cradling her back against his chest, and she smiled as he nuzzled her neck.

“Yes, I’m definitely feeling much better,” he said, and she laughed. “Thank you.” He pressed a gentle kiss against her cheek.

“You don’t have to thank me.” She twisted her neck so she could stick out her tongue at him. “I’m not doing you a favor. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

“An arrangement, is it?” He nipped at her earlobe, making her squirm. “I’ve got some news for you.”

“Oh?” She stilled at the serious note in his voice. “What is it?”

He splayed a hand against her belly. “You’re pregnant.”

Dareena’s breath caught in her throat. “Pr…pregnant?” she whispered. Her world seemed to tilt sideways as she looked down at the big hand pressed against her abdomen. Was she really carrying a dragon baby so soon after meeting the princes?

“Yes,” Alistair confirmed, a smile in his voice. “I’ve been around enough pregnant women to recognize the scent. Not to mention,” he added, tweaking her nipple, “your breasts are more sensitive than usual.”

Dareena squealed, batting his hand away. “Stop that!” she scolded, and he laughed, nibbling her shoulder. The shock of Alistair’s impromptu announcement was eclipsed with blinding joy, and she grinned so hard her cheeks began to ache. “I wish Drystan and Lucyan were here with us right now. We must tell them immediately!”

“No.” Alistair went still, his voice hard. “We can’t risk the elves reading the message first. They can’t know about this, Dareena.”

The joy vanished as swiftly as it had come. “Damn,” she said softly, tears springing to her eyes. For a moment, she’d forgotten all about the elves. “You’re right. If the elves find out I’m carrying a child, it will only make me a more valuable hostage.”

“I’m sorry,” Alistair said softly. “I wish things were different. I wish you were safe at home in your bed, and that we could celebrate together. Instead, you’re in enemy territory, and you’re saddled with a useless lug who can’t even shift.”

“Oh, hush.” Dareena turned in his arms so she could cup his face. “It’s not your fault that you’re not up to your usual strength,” she said. “The same thing would have happened to Lucyan or Drystan. I’m glad to have you with me, Alistair.” She kissed him gently. “I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t by my side.”

“Neither would I,” he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Your eyes are more luminous than usual,” he observed, a curious note in his voice. “I noticed it after we crossed the border—you seemed to glow with new vitality.”

Dareena nodded. “I’ve long suspected I have an elven ancestor in my family tree,” she explained as she traced the lines on Alistair’s face. “I think being in the elven lands might be awakening something inside me.”

Alistair’s eyes lit with hope. “Perhaps you’re capable of elven magic, then. I might be useless, but if you are able to harness your power in any way—”

“We’ll be able to better protect ourselves from whatever Prince Arolas has planned,” Dareena finished. From what Tariana had briefly told her, she knew he was the real enemy, not the king. “I’ll see if the king will let me access the library. Perhaps I’ll find something that can get us out of here, or at least alleviate your symptoms.”

“My little bookworm.” Alistair smiled fondly, then tucked her head beneath his chin. “If anyone can find the answers to our problems between the pages of a manuscript, it’s you.”

As Dareena pressed her cheek against his chest, she listened to the steady thrum of his heartbeat and let it rock her to sleep. Tomorrow, they would visit with the High King and find out if there was anything they could do to convince the elves to let them go.

And maybe, just maybe, Dareena would discover more about her elven heritage, too.





9





The next morning, Dareena and Alistair were woken by a bloodcurdling scream.

“What is it?” Alistair jumped out of bed, ready for battle. Unfortunately, he was also stark naked, and the maid who’d opened the door only screamed louder at the sight of him, her eyes popping so wide Dareena wondered if she would have to reach out and catch them before they landed on the floor.

Certainly, it was possible the woman had never laid eyes on a specimen as fine as Alistair. But did she have to act as if she’d never seen a naked man before?

“By the gods!” She pointed a shaking finger at them. “You…with your brother’s wife…!”

Oh.

“It’s not what it looks like!” Dareena clutched the sheet to her chest as she sat up, trying to find the words to explain. But really, what was there to say? It was what it looked like. She was in bed with Alistair, and as far as the elves knew, she was Drystan’s wife.

An assumption she would have to correct immediately, she decided.