The ship leapt away just as Xavier’s fire burst through the air. He missed it by inches. The drone darted above them and circled behind, shooting a laser toward Xavier. Circe pumped her magic into his body as if her life depended on it.
Xavier pulled back and dove just in time. The laser only singed the tip of his wing. He let out a loud roar and whirled to meet the ship head on. He needed time to build up the fire, but he burst through the air toward the ship in a deadly game of chicken.
Circe screamed. Xavier pulled his breath in and let loose a stream of acid flame. It grazed the ship’s wing, igniting. The fire burned slowly, building and eroding the wing. The ravens flocked over the ship, blinding it as it burned.
Xavier flew above the drone and came down behind it. Before it had a chance to correct course, the ravens flew away and Xavier hit it with another burst of fire. This time the ship exploded in midair and sank to the ground like a fiery stone.
Below, the forest burned hot from the fallout of the two ships. The ravens broke formation and flew to the forest. Xavier followed and landed at the edge of the blaze.
The ravens shifted to human form, wailing at the destruction of the forest. Xavier stood eying the birds as they cried. Circe frowned. If the dryads lived here, they could be killed in the fire.
Circe jumped on Xavier’s back. They rose into the sky. She could feel a new mental connection between them that made it as if they could read each other’s minds. It must have happened when they’d been cured by the Solomon’s seal and the metamorphosis became complete. She knew what Xavier meant to do, and she wasn’t at all sure it was a good idea. Xavier assured her it was the only way.
He let out an ear-piercing screech. All Circe could do was hold on. Out in the distance, a collection of blue dragons flew toward them. She didn’t think this would go well, but Xavier’s mind reassured her.
She closed her eyes and ran energy into his body, praying the dragons would not attack. When she looked up, she could see the collection of sea dragons flapping their wings in a circle around Xavier.
He growled and roared, and the dragons seemed to understand him. The blue dragons swooped down over the forest, gushing bellyfuls of water over the burning land. The ravens burst up from the forest upon seeing the dragons. Before the last of the fires were out, the water dragons chased the ravens away.
The ravens flew as fast as they could to avoid the small, quick water dragons. Circe gasped and gritted her teeth. The dragons had turned on the ravens. Water burst from their mouths as they shot at the birds. The ravens broke ranks and dove into the forest.
Xavier followed them, roaring for the water dragons to stop. They smaller dragons turned on him, their blue eyes gleaming in the sunlight. They faced him, growling. They were questioning his authority, he told Circe through their mental connection. He traveled with a witch on his back. What gave him the right to command them?
Xavier blew a warning gust of acid fire toward the small water dragons. They shuffled away and, gurgling, admitted he was stronger than the rest. Xavier roared again, and the water dragons continued to extinguish the fire.
Once the fire was out, Xavier dismissed the water dragons, and they flew away. He landed at the edge of the devastated forest and shifted. Circe fell into his arms as they looked at the burnt forest.
The ravens flew in around them, writhing in a mass of black bodies, squawking angrily. They shifted one by one and stood before Xavier and Circe. Barb approached them, naked, her face dark with anger and despair.
“We lost over a dozen ravens today,” she said, her voice wavering.
“This is what it means to fight the Anu,” said Xavier. “You have the strength to stand with us or you don’t.”
“You helped put out the fire in our forest, but your dragons killed five of our number. It is unacceptable.”
“So our partnership is nullified?” asked Xavier, a sneer twitching on his lips. He didn’t trust the ravens, didn’t like that they had kidnapped them. Plus, he didn’t need them. Circe’s cure had seen to that. They could find the dryads on their own.
“For now,” said Barb. “We must go home and heal our wounded. You may call on us again once we have regrouped. The dryads you seek are to the north of here, near the Oregon border. Perhaps a hundred miles by air. We will leave you now.” She turned as she shifted, launching into the air with a loud caw. The rest of the ravens followed her. Some were helping to carry the wounded.
Chapter 23
Circe looked at Xavier, his naked body proud and strong in the fading golden sunlight that filtered through the trees. She smiled up at him and pressed her lips to his. His arms came around her and he gathered her into him, giving her a hint of his extreme power.
She gasped under his force, clinging to his neck. His erection pressed against her stomach, and she could feel her body respond, growing moist inside her jeans. He pulled back and smiled at her, showing his sharp canine teeth.
She bit her lip. This was the man she’d been pulling through the forest, healing bit by bit as they went. This was the man who blacked out at the worst possible moments. Now that he was healed, everything would be different.
She could feel his power inside her mind, soothing her, caressing her. It filled her with overwhelming excitement. She reached down and grasped his shaft, loving the feel of his mighty rod in her hand. He licked her neck with his long, wet tongue and pulled back.
“Perhaps we should find a place to sleep for the night. We may be healed, but you need rest, beautiful lady. I won’t have you scarifying yourself for my sake ever again.” His deep, husky tone sent shivers down her back. It was as if she was seeing Xavier for the first time, waking up with clear eyes.
“Okay,” she breathed. He shifted, and she hopped on his back. They flew through the forest until they came to the sea. He swooped down over a beachfront mansion and settled down in the driveway. It had been grown over with ivy in the past five years, but it was still a beautiful house.
Xavier used his long claw to pick the lock on the front door, and they walked inside. It smelled clean of death. Xavier walked to the massive stone fireplace, leaned over, and blew a blast of fire up the chimney. A gust of smoke filled the room for a moment but quickly dissipated.
Xavier threw a bunch of logs in the fireplace and blasted them with a fire breath. Circe sat down on the couch, dust flying up around her. As soon as Xavier had the fire roaring, he sat beside her.
The house was furnished in comfortable modern furniture. The wall beside the fireplace was covered in floor-to-ceiling windows through which they could see the sea crashing against the rocky shore below.
“Stay here,” said Xavier. “I’ll be right back.”
She did as he asked, knowing he was going to get food. He opened the sliding glass door that led out onto a patio. She watched as he jumped, shifting in midair. He flew into the ocean, skimming his jaw along the water. Moments later, he dumped a load of fish on the deck outside.
Circe stood up excitedly as Xavier shifted back to human form and began gathering the flopping fish into a pile. Circe grabbed a big bowl from the kitchen and joined him on the deck.
Together they put the fish in the bowl and brought them inside. Xavier told her to make herself comfortable while he prepared the fish in the sink. He turned on the water and found it still running.
“This house has a well,” he announced.
“Maybe we should live here forever,” she mused.
He laughed as he cut through fish scales and bone. “Maybe after this is all said and done. This would be a nice place to settle down.”
A few moments later, Xavier brought the fish to the fireplace and set them up on a wire rack he’d found in the kitchen, flipping them with a pair of tongs.
Still naked, he sat before the fireplace, cooking their food. Circe watched Xavier cooking for her as the sun set in brilliant pinks and yellows over the silver-gray sea outside. She stood and lit the many candles around the living room as Xav
ier put their cooked fish on fine china on the dining room table.
They sat together, eating fresh perch with salt and pepper from the table. Circe was famished from a day of running and fighting. She ate three whole fish, and Xavier ate five.
After they ate, Xavier took a candle and led Circe upstairs. He ran water into the large soaker bathtub and sprinkled bath salts into the water, filling the room with the scent of citrus.
“It’s cold,” she said.
He winked at her in the candlelight and blew a concentrated stream of pure fire into the water. Steam rose from the water. He gave her a sly smile, and she dipped her fingers into the bath. It was perfect.
She slipped out of her clothing as Xavier climbed into the tub. Giggling, she stepped in and sat beside him. He sat in the water and gathered her in his arms, setting her on his lap to straddle him. She gasped as his erection pressed against her sensitive parts.
He ran his hands up her sides and over her stomach until he gripped her breasts with his strong fingers. Circe encircled his neck and covered his cheeks and forehead with affectionate kisses. She was so relieved she had finally healed him, healed them both. They were finally out of the woods. He’d come to his full strength. She no longer had to worry and could take a breath, relax, let him take control for a while.
He sucked her breast into his mouth while his fingers tweaked at her other nipple. She moaned and tilted her hips over his hard shaft. Moving in a smooth rhythm, she rode his body in waves as the pleasure shot through them both.
The mental bond they shared enabled them to communicate more than thoughts. They could feel each other’s emotions as well. Circe could feel his desire grow uncontrollable as she teased him with her body. He caught her tight and pushed his hardness inside her soft core. He broke through her defenses, and she let out a soft gasp as he sank to the hilt.
Holding her hips tight, he pulled her down over him, growling. He took over the rhythm, thrusting his hips in a slow movement that made Circe’s toes curl. He bit her tight nipple and sucked, lapping his tongue over her sensitive rose-colored bud. Circe’s slim body was small and malleable to a massive man like Xavier who was imbued with the power of a dragon.
She moved her face down and caught his mouth in a passionate kiss, her tongue seeking his as if her life depended on sinking deeper into him. He thrust into her, and she moaned in his mouth. Her body tightened as he ran his hands over her slim body and small breasts. Every inch of her was full of fiery lust.
He pumped her on his erection, and her breaths came in short bursts in time with his thrusts. Her pleasure built with each movement of Xavier’s massive body. She could feel his desire, his lust, and his pleasure as if it were her own. She could feel his excitement at seeing her naked body, how he worshiped her lovely form. She saw herself through his mind, and it drove her excitement to new heights. She’d never imagined herself to be so supremely desirable. She reveled in her own beauty, desiring herself as Xavier did, compounding his desire for her.
She ran her fingers through his long blond hair and worked her hips over his shaft as he pounded into her. She felt the need growing like the wildfire that had ravaged the forest. It burned out of control. She moaned as the orgasm burst from her darkness and radiated through her entire body.
Xavier groaned in her ear as her core pulsated and clenched on his cock. She threw her head back as the pleasure surged through her. He caught her breasts in his mouth and hand as she was shocked with the electricity of her climax.
Xavier grunted and pulled her off his lap, pushing her down on all fours over the side of the tub. She could barely breathe from the excitement that filled her. He smacked her hot, wet ass and rubbed her flesh before sinking inside her.
“You are mine,” he growled as he took her. “Feel my power, my little one.”
She could feel him growing larger inside her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him in a half shift. His body was still human, but his wings had spread out from his back, and his tail lashed around his body like a whip. He’d grown several inches from his pure human form, and his eyes glowed with an inner fire she only saw in his dragon form.
Heat radiated from him as he looked down on her sensitive, prone body. Circe moaned, barely able to contain herself as another climax raked her. The sight of herself through his eyes gave her an overpowering sense of need. She felt exactly how much he wanted to consume her, control her, dominate her, and break her apart with his greater strength. She nearly fainted under the consuming force of his desire. Instead, her body responded by sending her into an orgasm that seemed to last for an eternity.
Xavier thrust into her from behind, his tail whipping around, teasing the bud between her legs. The water lapped around them as flesh smacked on flesh. Her breasts pressed against the cold marble of the bathtub. Xavier’s claws extended from his fingers and gripped the skin of her hips as his growing shaft pushed and expanded inside her.
She’d never been so full, and the pulsing, consuming orgasm opened her beyond anything she had ever experienced before. Pleasure surged around her, wrapping her in a cocoon.
Xavier’s claws retracted. His tender hands rubbed up her sides, pulling her back so that she rested against his chest. His tail wrapped between her legs, pinning her to him. He cupped her chin, tilting it back so he could plant a kiss on her lips.
Holding her face toward him, he kissed her passionately. His tail rubbed her swollen bud, and his hips worked in long, slow thrusts. Circe’s body rode wave after wave of ecstatic orgasm. The pleasure moving between them didn’t let her down; it held her in an oscillating climax that gave her just enough time to recover so she didn’t lose her mind.
Held in Xavier’s arms, his fingers squeezing and flicking at her sensitive body, Circe felt heaven descend and surround her. She was in a paradise that could never be taken away. Forever, she would hold this perfection inside her.
She gasped as his hips thrust into her. He held her more tightly, and she could feel his long-held-back release barreling toward her. Circe let out a whining moan as his body erupted inside her, hot and wet, sending her to new heights of pleasure. Xavier shook with the force of their shared desire, gripping Circe’s body hard against his chest.
Even after his body stopped pulsating, he held her tight, his head tucked into the crook of her neck, his hair tumbled down her chest.
“Oh, Xavier,” she whispered in his ear. She caressed his hard-muscled arm, running her hand up his shoulder to cup his cheek. The stubble pricked her shoulder and hand. The feeling of it sent a shiver of pleasure through her as he finally released her.
She turned to him, and they held each other as they knelt in the still-hot tub. Xavier kissed Circe’s face, her cheeks, her forehead, her lips, even her nose. He gazed into her eyes with the most penetrating look on his face.
The amiable, boyish smile was replaced by something Circe had not seen in him before. He looked like a man possessed. By what, she didn’t now.
“Circe,” he said earnestly. “If I live a million years, I will always remember this moment as the time when I first felt truly and completely fulfilled.”
“Xavier.”
He planted a kiss on her lips, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn’t know how to respond. She’d been growing more and more attached to him every hour. They’d been through so much together that the pleasure they found in each other’s bodies was beyond anything she could ever imagine.
She wanted to tell him her feelings. She wanted to tell him about the place in her heart that he inhabited. She wanted to tell him how that place in her heart was expanding to the point where her entire heart looked like him. She didn’t know how to tell him, but she knew he could read her feelings like a book. Words were unnecessary.
Chapter 24
They got out of the bathtub and dried off with towels long stored in the bathroom closet. They smelled slightly musty but served their purpose. Circe took a candle and rustled through the closets in the m
aster bedroom.
She found clothing that was a perfect match for her slender form. Xavier had to settle for the clothing the ravens and bears had given him. The previous owner of the beach house had been far shorter than Xavier.
They climbed into the bed and slept deeply until morning, not bothering with taking watch. Who could hurt a dragon? Circe woke to the pale light of dawn peeking through the big windows that looked out on the ocean. She sat up in bed and stretched, looking around.
Xavier wasn’t in bed next to her. Her heart leapt. She knew he could take care of himself, but his absence sent a shock of panic through her body nonetheless. Maybe she couldn’t take care of herself. What a horrifying thought. Circe had always been able to take care of herself.
She swung her legs around the side of the bed and slipped her feet into the running shoes she’d been wearing and laced them up. Once she was on her feet and through the bedroom door, she could smell the scent of coffee wafting up the stairs.
Circe’s eyes widened, and she skipped down the stairs two at a time to find Xavier sitting next to the fireplace, tending a teakettle and a French coffee press on the stone hearth. Circe put her fingers to her lips and smiled, stepping toward him.
He returned her smile and poured her a cup of freshly pressed coffee, dropping a few spoonfuls of sugar in before handing it to her.
Circe sat on the couch opposite the fireplace and rested her feet on the coffee table while she slowly sipped the hot, black liquid. Coffee was a rare treat in this world gone wrong.
“We should continue north along the coast,” Xavier started, poking the fire. “I’ve been thinking we should construct some kind of harness for you. You are far too close to falling every time you ride.”
“I agree, but there is the question of materials, fitting, and of course, we rarely have time to saddle you in the middle of an emergency.”
Xavier shot her an irritated microexpression at the word “saddled,” and Circe giggled into her coffee.