Fireblood Dragon: Fire In His Blood Part 18

So I continue to blow him, taking him as deep as I dare and tightening the suction as I stroke him back and forth over my tongue, trying to shuttle him like he's f.u.c.king my mouth. I send visuals of my own, too. Of him putting his hands into my hair and twisting his fingers in the red curls of it. Of him guiding my head, pus.h.i.+ng me to take more and more of him, deeper and deeper. Of him f.u.c.king my mouth with rocking motions of his hips, and me loving it so much that I slide a hand between my thighs and begin to touch myself- I can hear his m.u.f.fled gasp, can feel the moment that his control breaks. The low growl starts in his throat again, but I'm not afraid. He's here in this moment with me. I can feel the connection between us, and when one big hand palms my head, I feel nothing but excitement. Yes. Yes. Feed me your c.o.c.k. f.u.c.k my mouth like you would my c.u.n.t. I'm so turned on by my own visuals that I'm squirming on the floor, unable to sit still.

I'm in the moment with him as he guides my head, f.u.c.king my mouth with big, sure strokes. I feel the p.r.i.c.k of his claws against my scalp, but I'm unafraid. It just adds to the edge of excitement, and when his movements become jerky and spasmodic, his breath more rasping, I'm encouraging him to lose control. Spill, I demand. Let me taste you. I want to feel you come in my mouth. And I send to him filthy visuals that leave no doubt as to what I'm thinking.

He comes with a groan, and his body shakes. My mind fills with an explosion of pleasure, and I'm surprised by it, as well as the sudden burst of spicy come in my mouth. I struggle to drink all of him down, but there's more volume than I antic.i.p.ated, and by the time his eyes open a slit, I'm wiping dribbles off my chin, which only gives him more satisfaction. I sense it pulsing in my mind.

My mate, he practically purrs in my head.

I don't say anything to that, just wipe at my lips. I'm exhausted and achy from the mental battering of our thoughts melding together, but it almost feels like I came, too. The achy wetness between my thighs tells me otherwise, but I can live with that.

Breathing hard, Kael pulls me to my feet. He tugs me against him, and his mouth claims mine again in a fierce kiss that tells me he's not quite done, not just yet. And I'm full of need, but at the same time, that's as far as I want to go for now. The b.l.o.w.j.o.b was so he wouldn't want s.e.x, not an appetizer for the main course.

So I push away, putting a hand to his chest. "No. Wait."

He pulls away. Of course he does. He always pulls away when I say no. He leans in and simply brushes his lips against mine. I like tasting you. Can I do that? When I nod, he kisses my mouth again. Do humans do this much? Press mouth to mouth?

I can feel myself blus.h.i.+ng, for some reason, as if I worry my explanation will seem silly to him and he won't want to do it anymore. I'd be sad if we stopped kissing, I think. He does it exceptionally well. "It's a sign of affection between mates," I tell him. That seems like the easiest explanation for it.

So when you pressed your mouth to me, you were accepting me as your mate? Satisfaction wafts through his thoughts.

Oh dear. "Not quite. People kiss just to try out their partner. It doesn't always mean that you'll take someone as a mate."

He growls low in his throat, jaw hardening as he gazes down at me. Have you done this 'kiss' to many humans?

"Not many," I admit. When he looks displeased still, I give his chest a little push. "Quit being so possessive."

He steps back, giving me s.p.a.ce, and considers me. A moment later, he pulls me close and nuzzles at my neck again, affectionate. I am sorry, Claudia. Your ways are strange to me, but I will learn them. Some are quite pleasurable.

Yeah, they are. Especially when they come from him. But I don't know that I should commit to being his mate. "Kael..."

Claudia, he tells me softly, my name the barest whisper. I know you do not wish to be my mate and that I scare you. I can smell your fear.

I s.h.i.+ver, a little worried at how he's going to react. "You smell everything." I remember him smelling my arousal. Just thinking about that is embarra.s.sing.

How can I not? His claws caress my cheek, curve along my chin. You are everything to me. I am attuned to your happiness. When you are sad, I feel it. When you are aroused, it arouses me even more. You are brave and strong despite your fragile kind. You please me. I will do whatever it takes to make you happy, but I will not let you leave my side. You are my mate, and you belong with me.

"And what if I wanted to leave you? What if that's what would make me happy?"

I wait for him to freak out, but he only caresses my cheek again. I would convince you otherwise. I would put my mouth on your c.u.n.t and lick that small hot bead nestled there until you beg to stay in my arms.

Heat floods through me. Such a blatant statement, and it makes me wet. But if he keeps turning me on, I'm worried I won't be able to push him away if he wants more than the b.l.o.w.j.o.b I just gave him. So I make a daring call and decide to tell him the truth. "You hurt me when we had s.e.x. I didn't like it."

Kael's eyes flare to black, and he goes still against me. I hurt you?

"When you bit me." My hand goes to my neck. "Still feels hot."

He relaxes, and the claws caress my skin again. That is the giving of fire. We do not bestow it every time we have s.e.x. It is like your kiss-you do it to claim your partner.

"Well, I didn't like it. And I don't like being claimed."

I will make it so you like it, he vows. Tell me what I can do to please you. Shall I lay you down and press my mouth to your woman's flesh? I can smell your need. You like the mental images I send to you.

Are there no secrets from a dragon? That's gonna take some getting used to. "You want to please me, huh?"

More than anything. His swirling eyes are an intense gold, tinged with blackness at the edges. He's aroused, but more than that, he's attuned to what I want.

And I have to think. What do I want? I want Amy. I want Sasha to be safe. But if I can't have that for now, I need to focus on what's in front of me. What would make me more comfortable to be here? I never imagined in a million years that I'd be taking a dragon as my 'mate,' but I guess I never thought big or crazy enough. Okay, if I'm going to think big and crazy, I'm going to go all out. "I want a home."

This makes him pause. I have claimed this territory. Is this not acceptable as a home?

I shake my head. "It's not comfortable. I need human things to make this a good place to live. If I'm staying with you-for now-then I want someplace real to sleep. A bed. A bath. Something to eat. Coffee. Things like that. I can't live like this." I gesture at the wreck of the tower. If anything, it's even worse since we arrived, because Kael likes to land on ledges, and they crumble inward, spilling rock and concrete. "This is not a place where my people sleep comfortably. I want that."

You wish a nest? I can hear pride in his thoughts. To make a home with me? I would enjoy nothing more, my Claudia.

For some reason, his pleasure at my request makes me happy. If I can't have Amy and Sasha, I can at least not live like a d.a.m.n animal. "I do want a home. And a bath. And something to eat."

And time to get used to the concept of being his mate.

Satisfaction flashes in his eyes. Tell me what you would like first, and I will make it happen.

23.

CLAUDIA.

So...we go shopping.

The good thing about Old Dallas is that it's super spread out. The city itself is completely ruined. Fort Dallas-the only settlement left for miles and miles around-occupies a tiny slice of the landscape, and the rest is left to scavengers, nomads, and wild animals. Oh, and dragons, of course. Can't forget them. But because it's so unsafe to venture far from Fort Dallas, and you can't get far on foot, everything close to the fort itself is completely picked over. The farther out you go, the more choices you have.

And with a dragon? I can go really d.a.m.n far out.

I don't have to worry about running into outlaw nomads who've been exiled from their forts. I don't have to worry about running into wild animals. I don't have to worry about dragon attacks. I'm protected. I don't have to worry about how far I can walk, either-Kael can take me wherever. The thought's a little exhilarating.

I give Kael a few mental images of the types of buildings I'm looking for, and he grabs me in his claws and flies, circling the city until we find the right place. We land at a furniture store that's not completely ruined, and I bounce on beds and sit on couches, testing everything out. There's dust, but the roof is whole (or was until Kael ripped it open for me) and so the contents inside are unblemished by time. I pick out the first piece I want, and Kael grabs it with one foreleg and me in the other, and we fly back to our office tower. I've decided we'll stay in the c.r.a.ppy office building because the parts with a roof seem to be decent, plus I really like the running water. I'm just going to decorate.

I sit in my chaise while Kael flies back to the furniture store and grabs the bed and mattresses I picked out. It's silly how happy the sight of them makes me, but when he gently sets down the big wooden bed and tosses the mattress down, I don't even mind that it's got holes in it because he had to carry it in his mouth. I have a bed. A real bed. And a mattress. I fling myself onto it and lie flat on my back.

I never thought beds would be a perk to living with a dragon, but it seems that they are.

Once I have a sofa, a chair, and a bed, I rearrange a few of the unbroken bits of office furniture and make a dining table, just because. Kael flings the rest of what I don't want out of my new 'apartment', and it's kind of fun to just fling s.h.i.+t over the side of the building and watch it disappear.

Next, we find one of the big-box stores that's not too picked over, and I rummage around with a shopping cart, looking for cleaning supplies, linens, and dishes. Kael's great at feeding me, but I'd like to not have to gnaw on dinner at every meal. If I'm gonna have a place, I want a legit apartment.

And no matter how much c.r.a.p I ask for, Kael is happy to get it for me. It takes all day for me to be satisfied with the acquisitions we've made, but by the end of the day I have an 'apartment' full of stuff to make a home, and a task list that seems to be growing by the minute.

I'm happy, though. I'm happy with everything we've grabbed. h.e.l.l, I have more stuff now than I ever did back in Fort Dallas. And I shouldn't be quite so pleased with material things, but...I am. Maybe it's because I've gone without for so long, but the sight of wrapped packages of bedding and unchipped ceramic cups for morning coffee (and heck, morning coffee) make me so happy. I sigh over my things and can't stop petting them.

My stomach chooses to growl as I pull a set of bedsheets out of some plastic wrapping.

Warm hands wrap around my waist, and Kael comes up to me from behind, newly changed into his human form. His fingers slide under my s.h.i.+rt, brus.h.i.+ng over my stomach in a caress that makes my senses leap. My mate is hungry.

Hungry, I agree. And tired and dirty.

I really am starving...but I'm super filthy, too, and I'm trying to decide which one is more annoying. I look at the grime streaking my arms. Most of the stores we'd gone into today (and we'd gone into quite a few) had a heavy layer of dust over everything, and picking through debris to find stuff that wasn't destroyed meant digging to find less-damaged items at the bottom of heaps. I'm pleased with what I got, but I'm also sweaty and exhausted. Kael, however, seems to be full of endless amounts of energy, always ready to do more at the snap of my fingers.

My 'apartment' is coming together, but there's no tub here. It's the only thing I'm missing. Maybe we can find a claw-footed one tomorrow, but for today, enough is enough. "I wish we knew of someplace that we could get a nice hot bath. Or a shower. I'd take either." I'd even nabbed soap and shampoo in preparation for that. A sink bath will just have to do.

You wish to clean? I know of a place.

I turn in his arms, excited. "You do?"

I do. It will please you to go there?

"Very much." I smile up at him. "I'm filthy and disgusting."

You are lovely. Other dragons would be jealous to see my mate. His eyes whirl brilliantly, and he brushes his knuckles over my cheek.

Flattering words, but they also make me nervous. I don't want to think of other dragons. If everything falls as it normally does, there's supposed to be a red dragon attack over Fort Dallas later today. But we're not close, and Kael's big enough to defend me. "Is it safe?"

Always safe with me. I would let nothing harm you. One claw traces my lips, as if he's fascinated by them.

I s.h.i.+ver, but it's a good s.h.i.+ver. Even the big claws don't scare me much anymore. I know he won't use them against me. "Let me get my things, then." I slide out of his arms and gather my new soaps and shampoos into a backpack, and then shrug it onto my shoulders. "Ready when you are."

He leans in and kisses me fiercely one last time before transforming to his dragon form. We're so domestic, I muse as I lift my arms so he can grasp me by the waist and haul me into his claws. Shopping, decorating, and now getting cleaned up before dinner. He launches his big draconic form off the side of the building, and then we're in the air.

We're going to have to talk about a better way of travel, I think, as I push my flying hair out of my face. Dangling in his grip grows more nerve-wracking each time we do it. I know he won't drop me, but I don't feel as secure with clothes on, because his grip is less secure with a layer of slippery clothing. It's either ditch the clothes (which I'm not keen on), or find a better way to fly.

Whatever makes you happy, he tells me, his thoughts affectionate.

I pat his claw, feeling a little pleased at that, too. Maybe we can come up with a harness of some kind, I tell him, and I like the idea. I'm feeling good at the moment. Retail therapy has done a lot for my mood, and so has the thought of an upcoming bath. Actually, what helped the most was this morning's s.e.xy play...and the fact that he won't have to bite me every time he wants to mate. Things are looking up.

I'm so lost in thought that when Kael turns and swoops, mid-air, I give a startled yelp and cling to his scales, desperate for traction.

I have you, he soothes. I would never let you fall.

That doesn't mean I won't let me fall, though! But I relax a little when his free hand comes around to cradle my legs. Below us, a ma.s.sive lake spreads out, the water crystalline and lovely. Is...is this where we're going? I ask him. I don't know what I'd imagined, but a lake isn't it. I giggle to myself, because what was I expecting? A carwash? A dragon-sized bathtub? A swimming pool? I've seen a swimming pool or two in the After. With no one to balance the chemicals, they've turned into murky, mosquito-infested swamps. But this water is crisp and pretty and ripples ever so nicely as we glide in lower. It's a hot day, and a dip in the lake sounds amazing.

You wish to be dipped? He descends sharply, and my feet skim the water, Kael's ma.s.sive shadow blotting out the light of the setting sun.

I shriek, drawing my legs up as high as I can. "No dipping! No dipping!"

A rumble starts low in his chest, and I realize with wonder that he's laughing. Suddenly, I'm laughing, too, because my dragon has a playful sense of humor, after all.

My dragon?

Where did that thought come from? I squash it instantly and feel a little guilty. Just because I'm content with Kael today doesn't mean this is going to work out. I have to save Amy. "How about you take us down nice and easy on the sh.o.r.e?"

If you wish, Kael tells me, and there's definitely amus.e.m.e.nt in his tone. It makes me feel warm to hear it. The longer I'm with him, the more his personality seems to surface. Is this how he was before the madness crept over him? Confident and amused, as well as fierce and possessive? I wonder what he must have been like back then. I know being here in my world has changed him.

What...what if he went back? Why does that fill me with a gnawing sort of dismay?

Do not worry. I would not go back now, Kael tells me. You are here. I will stay in this place with my mate.

I didn't know I was thinking so 'loudly.' "But you hate it here," I remind him as we circle back to the sandy sh.o.r.e and begin to descend. "You said it smells awful and it makes your mind crazy."

My mind is no longer wild now that I have you. And my nostrils are filled with your sweet scent. My mate is here. I have all that I need.

That's...sweet. I can't help but feel flattered and pleased to hear it. But what if I'm not always here? What if something happens to me?

Kael's claws tighten around me.

I squeak in alarm as his thoughts grow fierce, and flashes of madness seep through into my mind. Nothing will happen to my mate. You are mine, Claudia!

"Okay, okay. It was just a rhetorical question." I stroke a hand over his scales to calm him. "Don't squeeze me to death."

His thoughts calm, but mine remain troubled. What will he do if something does happen to me? I'm going to retrieve Amy-it's not an 'if,' it's a 'when'-and I worry as to how he'll react when I do. I can't stay with a dragon forever...can I? Do I even want to? I'm full of questions and conflicting feelings.

We land gently on the banks of the lake, and there's a sandy 'beach' area that is overgrown and has a few small boats stuck in the reeds a short distance away. I don't know what lake this is or even what part of Old Dallas we're in, but it looks inviting enough. Kael sets me down gently and leans in to nuzzle me. I will not let harm come to you. Do not worry, my Claudia.

I pat his large nose. "I know, big guy." But he can't control everything, and I can't, either. And I don't know what the future will bring.

His claws uncurl from my waist, and then I'm free. A moment later, he flashes into human form, all gorgeous rippling hair and long golden limbs taut with muscle. He stretches, oblivious to his nakedness, and gives the sh.o.r.e a pleased look.

I blink at all the flesh that long stretch reveals to me and feel a little flushed at the sight. "We might want to talk about some pants for you," I tell him primly. "I don't know that you should be running around naked all the time."

Pants?

I toss my backpack down on the weed-filled sand and slip off my boots. "Yes, pants. Like these." I give my ragged jeans a pat. "They keep you, um, safe."

He gives my clothing a scornful look. So I should cloak my limbs in material? What good does that serve?

"It protects your skin."

My skin is hard. Nothing will hurt me. Kael strides to my side, cupping my cheek and nuzzling my neck again, as if he can't get enough of my scent. You, however, are small and fragile. You should keep wearing these 'pants' if it will s.h.i.+eld you from wounds, though I find the materials you choose flimsy.

"It's not just for wounds," I tell him, amused. "It protects your modesty."

Modesty? I do not understand this term.