As with Anthony, the edges of Draven’s form shimmered like a mirage. His hands balled into fists, and he gritted his teeth with pain as his body warped. Red scales erupted along his skin. Horns grew from his hair. Wings sprouted from his back. His neck elongated, and razor-sharp claws grew from his fingernails. As his body continued to morph, he grew. First twice Tina’s size, then three times, then five. It seemed as though he would never stop.
In a matter of seconds, a fully-grown dragon stood before her, the scales on his body red as blood. He craned his neck and roared into the sky, the vibration shaking Tina to her core. The dragon tilted his massive head until she could see his golden eyes. The fury. The fire. The power. Tina was smitten. She couldn’t move. She could barely breathe. All she could do was stare in admiration and awe.
Slowly, gently, the dragon laid down until his massive head rested on the grass, his glimmering eyes finally on her level. Trails of black smoke escaped his nose, his body rumbling with a barely contained growl.
Just as Tina was beginning to wonder if this was a good idea after all, he winked.
She laughed, and it took a moment to remind herself that this ferocious and awe-inspiring dragon was Draven. All sexual appetite and snarky one-liners, but no bite. At least not with her.
“Can I touch you?” she asked.
He huffed once in answer. Hopefully, that was a yes. With the utmost care, Tina set her fingertips against his neck. His eyes rolled back into his head with pleasure and fluttered closed, and the smoke coiling out of his nose thickened.
I guess he liked that.
Tina ran her hands down his neck, the shining scales hard and cold as diamonds. One of his massive wings curled around her, the webbing supporting her weight as he lifted her into the air. She suppressed a startled yelp as he lifted her onto his neck, and she clung to his body for dear life. “Wait just a—”
With one fluid motion, he soared into the air. Tina’s stomach lurched as he launched into the sky, his powerful wings beating the air and lifting them ever higher with each stroke. In mere moments, the temple below became nothing more than rooftops and pathways through the garden. She clung tighter, not entirely sure she liked this until the first tuft of cloud ambled by.
The nervous jitters began to ebb away, replaced by surging adrenaline. Draven tilted effortlessly on a gust of air, riding the turbulence with grace. Tina barely felt a bump as he traced large figure eights in the sky above her temple.
The biting cold bit her face as they climbed higher, and she was suddenly grateful for his gift. The cloak clung to her body, its fur lining insulating her against the bitter chill. The temple sprawled below, and she saw new paths through the garden for the first time. The street out front that had hosted the kings’ parked limousines now sat empty.
A broad smile crept across her face, so wide that it hurt her cheeks. She let out a whoop, hoping it would egg him to fly higher, as laughter bubbled out of her, wild and uncontrollable.
Tina lost track of how long Draven soared above the temple, and her cheeks were numb with the cold and wind by the time he began to descend. Part of her wanted him to fly forever, but her body had begun to ache from clinging to his neck for so long. She closed her eyes and sucked in the crisp air as adrenaline raced through her.
Instead of returning to the grassy field, he flew over the forest. They passed a few meadows, and Tina recognized the one Anthony had taken her to yesterday. It seemed as though Draven was venturing even further into the forest.
Ahead of them, the river crashed over a cliff. Draven flew over the edge, diving toward the lake below. Tina’s stomach lurched, but instead of a scream, laughter bubbled out of her at the exhilarating rush of the dive.
As the churning surface of the lake neared, Draven pulled up at the last possible second. Water splashed over Tina’s face as he tilted toward a stretch of rocks along the bank. Sunlight glinted off the turquoise water, which shimmered and rippled through the dappled shade of overhanging trees.
Landing in the water with a mighty splash, her dragon meandered toward the bank, tilting his wing so that she could hop off. She obliged him, sucking in the hot and humid air as the adrenaline from their flight began to fade. She laughed, blood still rushing through her veins from the excitement of her time in the air. Her hair was likely a windswept mess, but she couldn’t have cared less. “That was amazing!”
She tugged off the cloak, grateful to be out from under the thick fabric as the hot Indonesian air once more clung to her. Behind her, the thundering roar of the water drowned out most other noises in the forest. She closed her eyes and sucked in the crisp scent of water and earth as the adrenaline slowly faded.
I just rode a dragon. A dragon!
Not for the first time lately, Tina was grateful for the goddess sharing her body. She was on one hell of an adventure.
Out of the corner of her eye, Draven’s form shimmered as he returned to his human form. The water hid the lower half of his body, but Tina grinned playfully as she admired the hard muscles along his torso and abdomen. His biceps flexed a bit, and she wondered if he was showing off.
All charm and sex, he winked and smacked his hand against the surface of the lake, splashing her. The stream hit her shirt, and the warm water trailed down to her pants.
She shook her head, laughing. “Rude.”
“You like it.”
“Maybe.”
“Come join me. We need to work on your defensive techniques and blade work.”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense for us to do that on dry land?”
Instead of answering, Draven waded deeper into the water, the lake swallowing his shoulders as he swam through the waterfall’s low-hanging mist.
Tina chuckled and rolled her eyes, obliging him. She stripped off her clothes and bra, deciding to leave her panties on for no other reason than to be a tease. With a coy tilt to her eyebrow, she met his gaze and let the bra dangle from one finger before dropping it onto her pile of clothing.
With only his eyes above the water, Draven watched her like a predator as she stepped into the lake, careful not to slip on the rocks. He waded toward her and took her hand in his as she left the shallows, the water now to her waist. His strong fingers curled around her hips and pulled her close until her breasts pressed against his chest.
Tendrils of need snaked through her core, and a rising tingle of desire hummed between her thighs.
The dragon prince spun her around effortlessly, his hardening rod pressing into her lower back. “You left your knife on the bank, so I’m afraid I can’t teach you any new techniques.”
“You weren’t going to anyway,” she said with a chuckle as his grip tightened on her waist.
He let out a mock gasp of horror. “Are you besmirching my good name and calling me a liar, woman?”
“What if I am?”
“Slander is a crime, boss. I’m afraid I’ll have to punish you.”
Before she could come up with some witty remark to lob back at him, his hand plunged into the water and pulled aside her underwear. Those expert fingers of his effortlessly pried apart her folds, sliding into her with ease.
Surprised at how fast he had moved, she gasped and reflexively pressed her back into his chest. The subtle movement brought his cock to full attention, the rod pushing between her thighs. His shaft brushed her entrance, fully erect.
At that moment, it was as if a switch had flipped in Draven’s brain. His entire demeanor shifted from lighthearted fun to raw, untamed sexual energy.
He held her neck, the grip gentle but firm, and kissed her shoulder with feral abandon. His wild tongue did something magical to her skin, and she melted into him as she surrendered. She didn’t even want to fight him. He might have been arrogant and a little pushy, but she felt safe with him. He made her feel alive, happy, and wanted. Her eyes fluttered closed. When he kissed her like that, there wasn’t a thing she could do but give herself to him completely.
At the same time he worked his magic on her neck, two of his fingers plunged into her entrance. Tina arched her back, tensing as he shoved his way inside of her.