He closed his eyes and grimaced. “Hit me with it, but not too hard. I might break.”
“I, Ciara Mosley-Willingham, take you, Jakob Zeleny, as my lawfully wedded husband. I do promise to love you for richer or for poorer, through sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live.”
Jakob didn't say anything and his eyes remained close.
Ciara's heart stopped, waiting, waiting. Her lungs burned, her skin tingled, and her eyes filled with tears.
He sighed softly. “Aren't I supposed to give you a ring and a kiss now?”
She laughed and cried at the same time, choking over her own words. “You already did.”
A ring and a kiss that she’d denied, almost lost, and wanted more than anything now.
His breath came out ragged. “I wasn't sure you wanted to keep them.”
“I do. There mine, just like you are.” She was never letting any of them go, ever again.
“About time you figure that out.” He coughed, blood coming out of his mouth.
“Oh, Jakob. You’re hurt really bad. I don't know what to do to help. The other dragons are all still fighting the demon dragons.” All she'd ever had was basic babysitter’s first-aid. She had never had to use it on anything more than her own scraped knee.
He groaned trying to get words out. He coughed again and rasped his request. “My soul shard. Do you have it?”
She plucked the shard up from where she had dropped it when she knelt beside him. “Yes, right here. Should I put it back on you, will that help?”
Jakob slowly opened his eyes again, the light there fading so rapidly. He lifted his hand, she didn't know how, and she pressed the shard to his palm. He wrapped his hand around both it and her fingers.
“Put it on.”
She moved their hands toward his neck, but he resisted. “No. You put it on. Wear it. It belongs to you. My soul belongs to you.”
His hand dropped and his eyes fluttered shut. Ciara scrambled to tie the cord around her neck so that he could see his last wish fulfilled. She grabbed his hand back up and pressed it against her chest.
“I have it, Jakob. I have it. Your soul is mine. Forever.”
But, he was gone.
The shard burned against her skin, the green light igniting her, him, and the entire world.
Fear and anxiety, lust and need, sadness, contentment, and dare she say happiness all flowed over, around, and through her. She wanted to cry and laugh and throw up and dance all at the same time.
Gah. It was too much, it wasn’t enough.
The dam she’d put up long ago to hold back all of her emotions broke and the world exploded.
The light reached inside of Ciara and sparked and flickered into red flame, blue mist, golden whisps of wind, and the green spark of life itself. It flickered across her body, pooling in her heart and combining the colors into the purest of white hot love.
She arched her back, letting the power flow through her, over her, and out, into Jakob. Everywhere the white magic swirled his body was knit back together. Fire cauterized his wounds, water and ice cooled them. The wind whipped the magic across his body and the lush green life force inside of him grew and grew until he sucked in a great breath. The magic of love surrounded him, mixing with Ciara’s until they both overflowed with it.
Jakob’s eyes flew open and he caught Ciara’s hand in his. Their eyes met and they gazed at each other in wonder and awe.
The light around them slowly faded, some into Jakob’s chest and the rest into Ciara’s womb.
She wrapped her arms around him and swore she’d never let go.
“Uh, are we interrupting something. Want us to come back later, lovebirds?” Cage landed in the hole in the wall, shifted into his cocky ass human form and sauntered into her disaster of a living room.
Match and another red dragon followed, doing the same, and then Kai and a green dragon. Kai looked around at the overturned furniture, the black stains all over the room, and at the dried blood covering Jakob. “Bro, she’s not much of a house keeper. You should think about getting a maid to help out around here, Wahine.”
Ciara squirted him in the face with water. He laughed and winked at her.
“Jakob, are you injured. Do you need Dragon’s breath?”
“Umm. Ew.” The warriors all assumed fighting stances again and turned toward the door on the side of the room. Wesley stood in the doorway.
“Whoa, guys. This is my friend Wes. Wes, welcome to DragonCon.”
Chapter Twenty
Stronger Together
Ciara’s love may have healed Jakob's injuries, but he was not back to hundred percent. If he were, he would have picked up this Wesley character and tossed him out the window. Jealousy was a particularly strong attribute in green dragons. Right now he didn't want any other man or Dragon even looking in her direction, much less talking with and touching her.
“Jakob, stop with the growling. Wes is my friend. Nothing more.”
“Then why is he touching you?” Maybe he did have the strength to toss the pecker overboard. Every second he had his arm around Ciara, Jakob felt stronger and stronger.
Ciara frowned at him and narrowed her eyes into a glare.
“Because we have all been through a very big ordeal and need comforting.”
Jakob grabbed her hand and pulled her into his lap. “I will comfort you.”
“I mean, I'll take a hug from him.” Wes opened his arms and waved Jakob into them.
Jakob just stared at him.
“Okay, your loss. I'm an excellent hugger, ask Ciara.”
Wesley was lucky Jakob was not a red Dragon. Because he would be toast right now.
It was far too long before Jakob could have CR all to himself again. Wes had managed to get through to the emergency services and a whole squadron of police cars and fire trucks surrounded her building. Cage the Great Convincer, somehow managed to make them all think that the blackened interior, the hole in the side of the building, and the stains all over the lawn were from a kitchen fire. In fact, he had the building superintendent apologizing all over himself for not noticing such shoddy work and the possibility of a dangerous situation.
Whatever. Jakob would pay what it took to either repair the building, or buy it outright. It wasn't like Ciara needed to live here anymore. As soon he could, he would be taking her back to the Czech Republic. He just hadn't told her that yet.
Later.
After a lot of hot makeup sex. He was really looking forward to makeup sex.
Steele never strayed far from Jakob side. He'd insisted on giving Jakob a good dose of Dragon's breath in case he still had any lingering injuries. Even when Jakob had shooed him away to heal the other wyverns and Dax's wounds, his second in command continue to check on him.
When the police and fire departments finally called it quits for the night, the son was already rising. Wesley, finally proved himself useful and got them rooms at a local hotel that Ciara said they booked often enough for weddings that he should tell them they owed her a favor.
When they arrived at the hotel and steel tried to escort him and Ciara to their room, Jakob had had enough. He sent Ciara ahead and pulled Steele aside.
“What's going on with you? I'm pretty sure I don't need a babysitter in the bedroom tonight.”
Steele rolled his neck and leaned back against the Hall wall, propping 1 foot up against it. “Sorry, man. It's just, no second has ever lost their wyvern. I'm not even in my prime yet. I don't know how to lead a Wyr, I was pretty damn sure tonight that I was going to have to. You scared the shit out of me, dying like that.”
Jakob clapped Steele on the arm. “I was only dead for like a second. It's fine.”
He figured it must be something like that. They were both young to be leaders of the Green dragons and there was a lot of pressure to be good at it. But, it was pressured that Jakob needed to shoulder, not Steele. “You look like you could use a vacation. I'm putting you on a week's leave.”
&nbs
p; “No, I'm fine.”
“I am your wyvern, and you will do as you are commanded. Understood?”
Steel raised an eyebrow, but nodded. “Understood.”
“You look like you could use a good lay. Make that happen on your leave.”
Steel laughed and saluted. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Orders effective immediately. Get the hell out of here.” Still glanced at the door Ciara had disappeared into, gave a curt nod, and trotted down the hall.
Thank God.
Jakob pushed into the room and found Ciara on the phone ordering room service. “Yes, I realize it's 7 o'clock in the morning but I still want two cheeseburgers. And throw a couple fried eggs on top. And cheese. And French fries and chocolate cake.”
She hung up the phone and fell back on the bed. “It'll be here in half an hour. If I don't make it that long, wake me up. I'm starving.”
He needed much more than half an hour to do all the things he wanted to do to her. But, he supposed they would need some sustenance to keep their energy up. “I can think of a few things to keep you awake for the next thirty minutes.”
Jakob peeled off his shirt and tossed it directly into the trashcan. He glanced at Ciara hoping she was undressing as well. She propped herself up on one elbow on the bed wide-eyed, simply staring at him.
“What? Do I still have blood on me somewhere?” Ciara had insisted on cleaning him up with a warm soapy washcloth while they waited for the police and fire men to finish their business. But, his guts had been spilled out all over the place, so there was a good chance she'd missed something.
“No. It's just… You're so fucking hot. I could say here and look at you all day.”
“While I'm flattered, that doesn't sound like as much fun as what I had in mind.” And that required for them both to be naked.
“Oh, really? I can imagine anything more fun than me getting to explore every nook and cranny of your body.”
Jakob crawled onto the bed, rolling her on her back and pinning her under him. God, how he loved the feeling of having her beneath him.
“Only after I get to explore all of your next and crannies with my tongue.”
“Your dirty, Dragon.”
“You would know.” She giggled and he inhaled her laughter into his mouth along with her kiss. He took his damn sweet time kissing her, licking her lips, sucking her tongue into his mouth, pushing his into her's rhythmically, mimicking what his cock was going to do to her pussy later. She moaned and pushed her hands into his hair, kissing him back with as much ferocity. He'd always taken charge, because he knew she liked that, liked getting over her power, submitting to him. But it would be a lot of fun to put her on top. Let her decide what she wanted him to do to her, for her. He slid his hand up under her shirt and found her nipple. He pinched it through her bra loving the sound of her whimpers as he did.
“I'm going to fuck these lush tits of yours later, come all over them.”
“Mmm, we should have grabbed my toy chest when we were at my apartment. I have a pair of nipple clamps connected with the chain that would have looked great wrapped around your cock.”
Holy hell. “I'll just have to buy you a whole new toy chest. Until then will make do with fingers and tongues.”
He traced his fingers down her chest across her soft belly and under the waistband of her pants. His fingers skimmed the lace of her panties. “I thought I told you not to wear these.”
He slipped his hand beneath them and pushed a finger into her wet heat.
“Ooh, yes, right there.” She squirmed doing her best to write his fingers. “If you don't want them on me, you'll just have to take them off.”
Jakob ripped her pants and underwear down her legs and over his shoulder. “Spread your legs for me, Ciara.”
She didn't have to be told twice. She lifted her knees and opened her thighs, exposing her pretty pink pussy. First he would make her come with his hand and then he would make her come again as he lapped up all of her cream. He wanted to hear her cry his name. And even more he wanted to hear those three little words from her as he buried himself deep inside of her.
He pushed to fingers into her, stretching her and feeling her inner walls clench around him. He pressed his thumb against her clit and squeezed her rhythmically.
“Oh, God, Jakob.” She threw her head back and her arms over her head gripping the pillows in her fists.
She was already so wet his hand was soaked he drew some of the liquid out of her and pulled it down coating her little tight pucker. He did that two more times until her own juices lubricated her asshole. Then he slowly pushed a finger into her there too. He worked a finger in and out of her ass and two fingers of the other hand thrust into pussy.
“Jakob. Jakob,” she moaned exactly what he wanted to hear. “That’s going to make me come so hard. Ooh. Yes. Yes.”
A knock sounded on the door, two fast raps.
“Oh no. The food,” she panted the words between gulps of air.
“Tell them you’re coming, Ciara.”
He fingered her holes relentlessly and finally added his thumb back into the mix, swiping over her clit, fast and hard.
The knock sounded again along with a call through the door. “Room service.”
“Tell them you’re coming, my love. Now.”
Her body clenched and jerked, her orgasm hitting her hard. “I, I, I’m coming. I’m coming.”
Her muscles squeezed his fingers as she exploded, but he didn’t let up. “Give me more, Ciara. You’re not done yet.”
Her words had turned to primitive guttural sounds. Her head thrashed back and forth and her back arched as her body came, as he drew the orgasm out.
She finally collapsed onto the bed, periodically moaning as another and another pulse gripped her. Jakob didn’t pull his fingers out until he was sure her body was replete.
He wiped the fingers that had been in her pussy across her lips and then kissed her, letting them both taste her. She bit at his lip and he nipped her back.
“Hungry, darling?”
“Always.” She had a sloppy grin on her face that he loved.
“Then let’s eat.” Jakob quickly washed his hands and opened the door to retrieve the food. The tray had been left at the door, the delivery person long since fled.
He’d tip the staff big later for their trouble.
By the time he got the tray back into the room, Ciara snored softly. He couldn’t imagine how tired she was. Probably twice as tired as he was, and he was near dead on his feet.
He couldn’t decide whether he should let her sleep or wake her up and feed her. She’d been pretty adamant about getting these burgers so he figured she wanted them badly enough that she wouldn’t be mad if he woke her up.
He grabbed a French fry and painted her lips with it. She licked the salt away and her eyes popped open. “Mmm. That’s not what I thought that was.”
“And you say I’m the dirty one.”
She licked the fry and took a bite out of it. Iff Jakob though his cock was hard before, he was wrong. Hard was nothing compared the stone rod pressing against his zipper watching her eat that.
He’d never wanted to be a French fry so badly in his life.
Ciara grinned, sat up and kissed him. Then she rolled her bare ass across the covers and pulled the top off the other tray. She grabbed the cheeseburger and took an enormous bite out it. The yolk from the fried egg on top ran down her chin.
“Fuck, my love. You could make eating into a porno. Another few minutes of watching you eat and I’m going to come in my pants.”
She licked her lips, dipping her tongue down to catch the dribble of egg and waggled her eyebrow at him.
That was all he could take. He pushed her back on the bed and licked that exact same spot. She squealed and giggled, but didn’t let go of her cheeseburger for one second. In fact, she took another bite and then turned the sandwich and gave him a bite.
“That’s all you’re getting for now, dragon.
I ordered you your own. Go eat it.”
He snagged another quick bite of hers just to get a rise out of her. Then he let her up and got his own food.
Even though he was still harder than was comfortable, they took a nap after they ate. But, they saved the chocolate cake for later.
He planned to smear chocolate icing all over her and lick it off. He was sweet on her after all.
Then he was going to smear it all over himself and let her do the same.
Chapter Twenty-One
Love and other drugs
Ciara woke up hours later, with Jakob's arms and legs wrapped around her. It was right where she wanted to be.
And it felt so damn good to finally admit that. Some real crazy shit had gone down in the past five days. Was it really only five days?
It felt like a lifetime.
Luckily, that's what she had to look forward to. A lifetime with Jakob.
She had no doubt that it was not always going to be easy. He did love to be in asshat, and she was definitely a witch, the bad kind not the good kind, on occasion.
They would probably fight, they would probably be tears, there would definitely be items thrown in broken, and she envisioned more than one wall in their house needing to be repaired. They should probably put a construction crew on retainer.
And it was all because he loved her, and she loved him.
She was more than a little worried about the future, because she had a horrible feeling that the battle of last night, was only the beginning of a war between good and evil. It would be made even harder because they had no idea who or what the evil was.
Not everything was clear cut black and white. Like the jet black-eyed demon Dragon. He was definitely different than all of the others. He had helped her escape, had killed his own brethren, but in the name of whatever he was pursuing.
She didn't think he was in command of the rest of the demon dragons. When she had encountered him in her apartment, it was more like he had slipped in with them. He didn't even look the same as they did and Jakob said demon dragons didn't shift into men. But, there was no mistaking that she had seen him in the forest when she was on the train.