She stared at him and chewed her bottom lip before fixing her gaze on him. “Fine, as long as you feed me and your child; we’re ravenous.”
“You won’t be when I am finished with you,” he murmured.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Once again flowers adorned their tent, but these ones were in a rainbow hue of color. Their people had showered her with flowers for her bravery and fruit had been sliced in the shape of flowers and set in bowls. The smells were overwhelming and yet she inhaled deeply, forcing her nerves to calm as she turned to face Blane.
He pulled his shirt over his head, revealing ropes of tight muscle that drew her gaze to them. She swallowed hard, unable to divert her eyes as she saw the thick lines of black tattoos that slid from his back, wrapping around to dip down into his pants. He was a warrior, built to kill. Everything about him was man, from his enticing scent created to lure a woman close, to his ability to seduce with nothing more than a touch. She didn’t stand a chance against him, not with every part of her that was woman needing every inch of his masculine perfection.
She trembled like a leaf stuck in a storm, clinging to the branch to endure it. The air thickened around them, electrifying as he slipped from his jeans and stood before her as naked as the day he was brought forth into this world. He didn’t move, didn’t force her to strip before him. He waited, watching her as she bent low to hook the hem of her gown with her quivering fingers. Ciara lifted it, revealing herself to him with a nervousness born of intense stare.
Tossing her gown aside, she stood before him in her skin and nothing else. Her teeth worried her lip as she brought her hands down to cover the tiny bump, which to her was awkward, unnatural. What if he thought she looked fat? She blinked at her thought process, but she felt insecure, unsure how he viewed her changing body. She wasn’t even sure how she would see it yet.
“I…Maybe we shouldn’t do this,” she whispered thickly as her throat tightened.
“You’re beautiful,” he reassured as he moved closer, lifting her hands away from where his child sat nestled in her belly. “We created this, and I for one can’t wait to see you blossom with my child in your body. You shouldn’t fear what I think, sweet girl. You’re my dream, my reality, and my every fantasy come to life. You were created for me, a gift from the Gods.”
“Blane, I’m nobody’s gift,” she replied softly as she looked up at him with tears welled in her eyes. “I’m a glass doll. I’m the kind of girl you look at but never play with.”
“I play with you, and you don’t break,” he pointed out carefully. “You’re not made of glass, Ciara. You’re built for savage, to please a man. You’re my every fantasy come to life. When you drew your sword on me in the nursery, I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. I was fighting my fantasy in the flesh, and she was doing her best to draw my blood. I was taking you whether you were Horde or not because my cock wasn’t letting me leave you behind. Now you’re my wife, and you carry my babe in your beautiful body. Never hide it from me or think you’re not beautiful. Even when I hated you, I wanted you more than I ever have another woman. I fought it, Ciara, I fucking fought it hard. You won; you slew the dragon and made me want you more than I wanted revenge.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she peered up at him. She let go of the air in her lungs she’d held and lifted on her toes to touch her lips against his. His arms wrapped around her small frame, lifting her up until her legs wrapped around his waist as their mouths dueled in an ageless dance. She cried out against his hungry mouth, unable to get enough of it. Her hands threaded his dark hair, holding him to her as he walked them to the bed.
Once there, he slowly lowered her to it and pushed the covers away until she was on her back, ready to take what he could give her. He pulled back, lifting her lithe body as he tucked her into the bed. Standing back up, he retrieved the goblets and climbed back into the bed beside her, handing her one of the glasses. He brought the covers up, tucking her bare frame in tightly before he met her stare and smirked.
“Bottoms up, my queen,” he murmured as he took a deep pull from the wine.
Ciara hesitated as she watched him, and then followed his lead. Once they’d finished, Blane collected the goblets and set them on a small table before he turned over, pulling her against him as her head fell against the pillow.
“You’re in trouble now, little one,” he slurred.
She giggled absently, her entire body arching as it became affected by the drink. Her eyes grew heavy until she could no longer keep them open. The feel of his heat against her cold flesh comforted her a little too much. The velvet promise of blackness sucked her into his world, even though her nerves bunched at the idea of being bared to him. In there, her walls would crumble,, and he’d see every crack, every broken piece.
One moment she was on the bed, resting her head against his heat, and the next she was alone in a marble palace. Her fingers trailed on a wall carved with pictures of dragons in every state, from flying to blowing flames into the air. Her bare feet padded on the floor, creating an echo as she walked the empty halls.
She entered a grand room, lifting her gaze to the sparkling chandelier that shed a rainbow of hues from the gems that dangled, reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors. She peered down, finding herself dressed in the wedding gown she’d worn on the day she’d married Blane unknowingly. She searched the room for him, waiting for him to appear, but he didn’t. She called his name out, slowly moving through the beautiful, elegant room. The floor was white marble with dazzling quartz mixed into it. Her bare feet made little sound here, and yet it echoed in her ears.
The next room was a boudoir, filled with a bed and what looked like tables and seats, but something told her it was much more than that. Her lips quirked as her fingers strummed over the satin sheets of the bed. Rope was piled on the bed, and her eyes zeroed in on it. She spun around, finding Blane watching her slow perusal of the room.
He didn’t look away from her; his hooded stare seemed to see right through her, down to her bare bones. Ciara exhaled and backed up, falling onto the pillow-soft mattress. She quickly stood back up and chewed her lip nervously under his close scrutiny.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, breaking the silence.
“It was my home,” he replied thickly. “It’s where we should be, where our child should be born.”
“So let’s make it happen,” she whispered as she moved closer to him. He didn’t move, lazily watching her as she got closer to where he stood.
“So your people can murder us again?” he asked.
“They wouldn’t,” she countered. “That is why we are here? To see if I can lie?” she queried as she stopped walking towards him. “Ask me anything, Blane,” she huffed as the last little bit of hope she’d held dissipated. “No? Do I think my brothers will kill you because you’re a dragon? No, absolutely not. Do I think they will want your head on a spike when I return home with your son to visit? Probably. Am I plotting against you? No. Am I trying to change your mind about us so that your people can return to this?” she asked, throwing her arms to indicate the lavish room. “Absolutely,” she supplied as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“I believe that you believe what you say,” he nodded as he moved closer to her. “But that isn’t why I brought you here. I wanted to see inside of you,” he admitted. “I wanted to see how light got through your cracks. How you can still smile after everything you’ve been through. I wanted to see all of this beauty and the way your eyes light up when you’re happy. Remy gets your smiles, your laughter, and I get your frowns, your guarded looks, and your tears, but here, here I can see all of it and know why you can still manage to see the good in things. Here you can’t pretend to be whole and neither can I. In this realm, you’re woman, and I am man, and I’m about to show you why the Gods built us for each other.”
She chewed her lip as he pus
hed off the door frame and moved towards her, picking her up as he walked them to the cold marble wall of the room. His mouth crushed against hers as the wall touched her back, and her hands moved to his face, holding him there as she gave him everything she had.
He took her with him, walking them to the lavish bed that was made of silk and satin. Once there, he dropped her and pushed her body to where he wanted it. His hands captured hers, using the rope to bind them together.
“Blane,” she uttered as her eyes grew wide.
He didn’t answer, continuing to tie her hands together, securing the rope to the bedpost. When he finished, he caught her leg, slowly kissing his way down to the sole of her foot, before tying it to the next post, and then the other. She looked down at her body, finding it bare and naked as he rested between her legs.
“The first time a married couple is together, it’s here in this realm. There are no secrets between them, no fear of judgement. We learn of each other, the past, what our desire for the future is. We succumb to the desire of the flesh and learn what the other likes and dislikes. Only mates can enter it, true mates. It is the greatest gift we receive for finding our mate. I thought I wouldn’t get this with you, my little queen. I feared it would be withheld from me, that I would never see you as a mate does, which was why I was angry. You get to do this once, and when you entered without me, it terrified me that you had entered it alone. So now, now I punish you for scaring the shit out of me.”
Blane’s mouth kissed the inside of her thighs, and she moaned as she struggled against the ropes. She couldn’t touch him, couldn’t close her legs against his sensual torture. His tongue snaked out, licking the inside of her thigh and then the other until she trembled with the need for him to pay attention to her needy flesh.
His hand lifted, coming down on her pussy without warning. His slap burned, echoing through the boudoir. His fingers trailed over her pussy, soothing the ache he’d created. He did it a few more times, each time he’d caress or kiss it, easing the pain as he made it sensitive.
“You’re wet. You’re a naughty girl, aren’t you, Ciara? You like it when I fuck you hard, and when I manhandle your sweet, soft flesh,” he murmured as his mouth continued to taste her pussy. His teeth nipped the inside of her thigh, pulling a yelp from her lungs. Then his fingers delved between her petals, slowly pushing into her body. He rose, settling between her legs as he pushed two fingers into her body.
“You’re tight,” he laughed huskily. “We need to do something about that, don’t we?” he asked as he pushed his thick cock against it, rubbing his silken flesh against hers until she was moving her hips to the song of their bodies. He pushed inside, pulling a cry from her parted lips as he buried his cock to the hilt inside her warmth. “Bloody hell, you’re perfect,” he mumbled as he withdrew, moving down the bed until his mouth fanned her flesh, as his tongue slowly licked around her opening.
“Blane, stop fucking around,” she demanded as she fought the ropes.
His throaty laughter only seemed to enrage her as the anger settled into her mind. Her back arched, lifting for his sinful mouth as he held it away from her. His eyes ate into hers as he lowered his mouth, lapping against her pussy until once again he pulled away, slowly moving up as he leaned over and claimed her mouth. His cock entered her without warning, and she screamed against his throaty laughter.
“Scream for me,” he murmured against her lips as his cock grew until she was bucking her ass to get away from it. He reduced it until it was no longer a burning ache. “You can take more than that, my naughty little girl, you were born to be fucking savaged. Show me your naughty side; let it out to play with me.”
“Untie me then,” she growled and smirked impishly, pulling out of her to do as she’d requested. She watched as he leaned over, releasing her feet and then returned, spreading her wider.
“Tell me when to stop,” he whispered as he pushed inside, filling her until her body burned and ached. She wouldn’t cry mercy, not for him. He grew until she exploded around his cock, giving him enough arousal to slide through her warmth. “Fuck,” he snapped as he found a rhythm, watching her as her brands glowed with violet brilliance. He leaned over, pulling on the rope that held her hands to the post. Once she was freed, he pulled out, turning her over onto her stomach.
He thrust into her body, gripping her hair as he yanked her head back until his mouth found hers, his tongue demanding entrance as his cock pounded into her pussy with furious need. He grew, and she screamed. He continued it; as if his cock was some magical device, it grew larger when she needed it, and smaller when it became too much to bear.
He withdrew, sliding onto his back as he pushed her above him, using her body against her as he impaled her on his shaft, watching as she took him. He didn’t stop, lowering and lifting her until she was begging him to let her find her release.
“Say it, Ciara,” he demanded.
“Say what?” she whimpered as he lifted his mouth and clamped a nipple between his teeth, letting them scrape her delicate flesh. “Say what? I’ll say anything you want!”
“Say you’re mine,” he growled. “Say this pussy is mine, and mine alone.”
“It’s yours, I’m yours,” she uttered as he slammed her down, rocking her hips as her clitoris slid blissfully against his flesh. She detonated, trembling violently as he continued to drive her body against his. He lifted, placing her bound hands over his head as he claimed her lips, lifting to his knees on the bed, fucking her without mercy as the orgasm refused to abate. Sweat trickled down her spine as he continued slamming her down against his erection until another one built on top of the other, and then another until she was screaming hysterically and incoherently.
“You’re damn right you are,” he snapped as he claimed her mouth, catching her screams as he refused to stop. When he pulled away, he hissed. “Your soul is mine now, you feel that limitless pleasure?” he slowed, letting her find the ability to figure out what the fuck words were again. “That’s our souls mating, and how this will always be between us now. My soul fucked yours and won; therefore you belong to me.”
“What?” she whimpered through chattering teeth as her body quivered and writhed against his, needing more.
“Dragons go to war to see who owns who in the marriage,” he purred as he grew as he dominated her. “This wasn’t just to see you; it was to know which of us was stronger, which of us would mark the other’s flesh. You’ll wear my mark now, and I’ll wear yours on my soul. Now, come for me because I like the way you scream when I fucking dominate you. I like the way my name sounds when you’re coming undone on my cock. The way it tightens and gives me your sweet release to fuck you harder.”
“You’re so fucking romantic,” she hissed as she caught his lip and bit down, drawing blood. She sucked his lip between her teeth, moaning against it as he increased his speed until they were both nothing more than souls destroying each other. Her body arched as his fit against her perfectly, and when he rolled with her, pushing her beneath him, she dropped her legs, spreading to take him. He growled, driving his cock in with enough force that it shoved her further up the bed until her head hit the headboard and she didn’t fucking care. He was coming undone, and she was going to follow him over the edge.
“You’re mine,” he whispered through clenched teeth. “Mine!” he roared as he bucked against her, slowing as his cock jutted and released as his body tensed.
“And you’re mine, Dragon King,” she murmured, watching as her brands slid over his arms and wrapped around his torso, only they were black instead of violet.
He looked down at her and blinked, and she lifted, ignoring the subtle sheen of sweat that clung to her flesh. Each shoulder had a dragon, one connecting into her brands. Didn’t she already have his mark on her stomach?
“You have two,” he whispered as he removed her arms from his neck, sitting up o
n his haunches to stare down at her. “You should only have one, Ciara: mine.”
“Maybe you really dominated me?” she offered as she shrugged and held her hands out to him. He reached down, untying her, and then they were on a balcony. “You’re controlling that,” she growled.
“I am; you’re in my world. I figured it would be easier, here. I don’t think taking you home to your palace would be beneficial.”
“And this is what your kingdom looked like before we destroyed it?” she asked softly, taking in the grassy knolls full of wildflowers.
“No,” he said as he moved to stand beside her, wrapping his arms around as he whispered against her ear. “This is what it looked like.”
Dragons burst from the clouds, flying low as they sped past them on the balcony. They landed in the courtyard, rolling in the grass with a thundering noise. Children played outside, unafraid of the flying beasts. Life blossomed everywhere she looked. Roses covered the walls, while gardens flourished as fairies danced in them, dropping dew and magic as they danced along the fruit and vegetables.
The city below was filled with laughter and beauty. Her father had destroyed this; he’d taken it away from these people. He’d extinguished their light, their love, and this endless beauty. A smaller dragon landed in the courtyard, crashing down as it came to a stop. It transformed into a young girl, and Ciara didn’t have to ask who it was. She looked like a feminine version of Blane.
She was inside his memories.
“Why are you sad?” he wondered, holding her tightly.
“Because my father took this away from you,” she admitted, knowing she wouldn’t lie here. Not that she could out of this world, but she wanted him to know the truth. She turned in his arms and peered up at him. “Why is everything marble or quartz?”
“Because young dragons tend to set many fires,” he laughed. “Most people don’t catch that.”