On occasion Jenna would help her; Erin called her a fool a thousand times over. William tried punishing her but eventually gave up--he was afraid he would kill her, he was hurting her so often. So for the last five years she’d been left on her own to take care of the creatures her father’s organization killed.
And each soul that passed through her hands only served to give her more strength, kept her going day after day, even if she only realized it now. Because now she knew why she’d paid this penance, why she’d borne this weight. In the end she was going to kill her father. The knowledge etched deeply in her mind and heart. She knew the name of everyone she helped; they were never far from her. This day she swore vengeance for every drop of their blood that had fallen.
Aidan had been wrong--she wasn’t a warrior. She was Death.
Her father had loved chaining her to the floor while he tortured someone. When he was really pissed he would deny her access to his victims, leaving her in the dark and bound. That was when she was weakest. Hearing the sorrow and agony, she’d cried and vomited and prayed that William would just kill her as well. But that was before. Now she drew strength in knowing she’d end the bastard with her own two hands, or die trying.
Finally all sound stopped and Rowan breathed a sigh. They were done for the night. The door to the room opened, and the overhead light flipped on. A pair of female feet stopped at her side.
“Rowan, why do insist of pissing Daddy off?” Erin, poor Erin. She was so brainwashed. She sat cross legged on the cold floor and looked at Rowan for a moment.
Rowan took the time to really study her sister. Now that she really looked, the similarities between her and Aidan were scary. They both had dark auburn hair; she was almost six feet tall and too thin for her height. William stressed to Erin the importance of staying thin. The camera loves thinner woman. You don’t want to be mocked in the press like your older sisters are for their weight.
William had done his best to keep Erin from the influence of Jenna and Rowan. Her rooms were on the opposite side of the house and she was never far from his side.
Erin’s cold hand touched Rowan’s forehead. “I’m going to let you out of these and the guards will take you back to your room and apparently your mate.” There was no mistaking the venom in her voice. “How can you have sex with it?”
The cuffs were removed and Rowan sat up. Rubbing her wrists, she regarded her sister with pity. “Aidan is not an it.”
“He’s Dragon scum out to exterminate the human race.”
“Erin, that’s father talking, not you.”
“You’re wrong. This is me. The fact that you would hurt Daddy like this is terrible.”
Rowan felt rage flame under her skin. She’d always been careful of what she said around Erin, trying to protect her. That ended today.
“Me hurt Daddy? Are you forgetting what he does to these people? The torture, the deaths. Erin, you can’t be this cold.”
Erin’s chin came up a fraction, her grey-blue eyes flashing with sadness for a moment before returning to the cold stare Rowan had become so accustomed to seeing. “These are not people. They’re murders and they killed our mother. You didn’t see it. The blood. So much blood. She was torn in two, twisted with her eyes still open. Can you imagine it, Rowan? The last thing she saw on this earth was the creature that killed her.” Erin turned her back on her sister and waited for the door to open.
Rowan joined her and before the guard escorted her out, Rowan grabbed her sister, wrapping her arms around her so security thought she was saying goodbye.
“Erin, I love you, but Daddy kept a big secret from us all. You’re one of them. The creatures you loathe so much. You are Dragon.”
Erin jumped away from Rowan and slapped her so hard blood trickled from her lip.
“You liar. How dare you say such a thing to me?”
Rowan formed a sad smile. “Save your soul, Erin. Research the archives. The truth is there for you to find.”
She turned to the guard and he led her away from her little sister. Closing her eyes, she prayed Erin would forgive her one day, and that she would find the strength to leave their father and find her true parents.
*
Erin walked quickly away from her sister, fleeing toward her rooms. She paced before deciding on a shower. Rowan’s words played over again in her mind. You are Dragon.
Rowan was out of her mind if she thought for one minute that she was one of them. Yes, she was adopted, but her real mother was a human who had a drug problem. She’d wanted to give her daughter a better life and Erin was thankful every single day that she had such a life.
The death of their mother had affected the youngest Stone harder than her sisters. She’d found her mother’s cold, lifeless body. She remembered crying as she tried to wake her mother, but it didn’t do any good. She was gone.
Her father had picked her up and washed the blood from her, then let her sit in his lap and cry until the tears were no more. He turned her in his lap, a weak smile wavering through his grief. “Erin, I want you to remember the sight of your mother. Don’t ever forget what the monsters who live among us did to her. You are going to be stronger than your sisters. You will lead my cause when I am gone. Promise me, Erin. Promise you’ll never forget.”
That was exactly what she’d done her entire life. She never forgotten the face of her sweet mother, the life gone from her brown eyes. Daddy kept her from the truly nasty things he was forced to do in the name of protecting his family and the human race in general.
There was no way in hell she was a Dragon. She’d find the answers in her father’s files. She had complete access to his office with the exception of one desk drawer. The one he told her to never open. He told her it was because the papers inside contained information that could potentially harm their cause and he didn’t want her to be witness in case there was ever an investigation. He’d said it was important she remained above reproach, so she’d honored her promise.
Rowans’ whispered secret was no more than a cruel way to make her turn her back on their father. The only way to shake off the sliver of doubt she had was to prove to her sister that she was human and only human. Then maybe Rowan would understand just how manipulative the night creatures really were and how far they’d go to get what they wanted. And what they wanted was to enslave the human race, to make people nothing more than their personal slaves.
It was time for Rowan to accept the truth of what their father spoke and Erin was going to find the proof and show her big sister how wrong she really was.
*
The door to the cell opened, and Aidan rushed through from the bedroom. He was met by five guards, guns drawn, ushering Rowan back into the room. He backed up with his hands in the air.
She came forward and threw herself into his arms. The doors slammed with a bang and locked them in together again.
He kissed her lips, hungry kisses as his hold on her tightened. She trembled in his arms and kissed him back. They ate at each other, drinking in their life force. Strengthening each other with every swipe of their tongues. Tasting blood on her lips, he gentled the kiss, licking her lips and cleaning the blood away.
Fuck! His body shook with fury and impotence. He hadn’t protected her. It was shameful, so he did the only thing left to him. Scooping her up into his arms, he carried her into the bedroom and gently laid her down.
As before, he covered the camera lens. Looking down at her, he removed his sweats and threw the t-shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor.
“Rowan, I need to feel you naked against me. I need to hold you, muirnin.” She turned toward him, her eyes open wide, welcoming him into her embrace.
He knelt on the bed, stripped her of her clothing and gathered her into a tight embrace.
“I’m so sorry.” He whispered into her hair, his Irish brogue thick with emotion. “Darlin’, I’m sorry.” He kissed her head and pulled her even closer to his side. Her warmth seeped into his cold skin, giving him s
olace, a measure of peace. She was safe and in his arms. The next time they tried to take her he would die in order to prevent it.
She never spoke a word, but he knew they’d hurt her somehow. Her swollen lip, the angry red and purple marks on her wrists and ankles were all reminders that his earlier outburst had cost his woman in a painful way.
Some fuckin’ protector he was turning out to be. His pain should have taken a back seat to her safety.
She rubbed her hand up and down his chest, slowly circling with her fingertips. His abdomen jumped when she increased the pressure of her stroke.
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with unshed tears. “Aidan, I need you. Inside, Aidan, please.”
He felt humbled by her quiet request. He linked his hand with hers and brought their joined hands to his mouth. Slowly, lazily, he kissed each knuckle. Rubbing his lips over them, he followed with his tongue. He kissed her wrist, the inside of her elbow, then turned on his side, maneuvering his way between her thighs. Resting his weight on his elbows, he cupped her beautiful face. His warrior woman, so fuckin’ strong. It stole his breath. He lowered his head and tasted her lips. A soft exploration, designed to learn the feel and texture of her supple mouth. He grazed her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, then returned along her jaw and chin.
He’d never kissed a woman so slowly, so thoroughly, as though he would somehow ever forget her taste. He needed this, she needed this. Not the hard, rough coupling of earlier. No she needed his touch to be firm but gentle, a slow burn that would eventually consume them.
She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off, placing a finger to her mouth, “No words, Rowan. Just let me love you.”
She closed her eyes and he continued his path down her neck, licking below her ear. “I missed you so much.”
She quivered as he slid his tongue along her neck, stroking from one side of her throat to the other.
His mouth grazed the bite mark and she whimpered. Dampness wet the thigh he pressed between her legs. He trapped her pussy with his leg, loving the way her slick juices coating him in such an intimate fashion.
His mouth traveled south and found one plump nipple. He took it carefully between his lips, laving it. He pulled the aching bud deeply between his lips while his other hand tip-toed down the curve of her belly. When her nipple grew rigid he let it go and started over with her other breast.
Her skin was so damn soft in front, a harsh contrast to her ravaged back. He adored both parts of her equally, the fighter and the woman, merged in a perfect package. For the first time in his life he understood his people, their traditions concerning mates and family. It was like a puzzle piece falling into place.
Dragons were born from myth and magic, something he’d refused to see as anything other than a cursed existence. One filled with death and destruction. He’d always thought the Dragon’s approach to life, the peace they sought, was a position of weakness. He’d been wrong, a fucking fool for turning his back on his family for his own selfish pursuits.
In the arms of this woman he finally understood that even within their prison he wanted to continue to wake up to her. Hold onto the tiny shreds of laughter and intimacy, the intimacy only mates shared.
His tongue swirled down her tummy, dipping into her navel, before continuing the journey to the honey between her thighs.
He opened her gently. She was glistening. He slid one finger along the pinkest part. Bringing his wet finger to his mouth, he closed his eyes and sucked it. She tasted like the best Dragon wine, sweet and intoxicating.
He bent his head, catching her gaze. “Watch me, Rowan. Watch me make love to your sweet pussy.”
*
His eyes darkened as his head descended between her thighs. At the first touch of his tongue Rowan arched off the bed. He softly kissed her inner lips, stroking over them like they were candy. His tongue was longer than any normal man’s and he reached further into her than she ever dreamed possible. Pulling her arousal from her, he greedily sucked it into his mouth.
His teeth scraped the sensitive nub of her clit. Sucking it between his teeth, he flicked it with his tongue before dipping back inside of her. He repeated this motion for what seemed like hours. The sensation of silky hair sliding across her thighs every time he moved his head was breathtaking. His tongue raked across her clit, then down her slit to the tight ring of muscles and rimmed her... The intimate kiss startled her, but she moved in time with his mouth.
One long finger hovered around her entrance, circling it and causing her pussy to clench with the need to feel him penetrate. His lips latched onto her clit as he pushed a finger into her. Sliding in and up, crooking his wicked finger in a come-hither motion. Cream slid out as his hand retreated and her cries echoed in the empty room. Her head flung back and forth as her hands found her own nipples. She pulled furiously at them as he continued to assault her with his mouth and hands.
Her thighs trembled as her pussy started to clench. She moaned deeply as her orgasm burst from her body. When he pulled out his finger he didn’t stop. His mouth went back in to clean up her sweet juices. Licking her lips dry, he played with her clit, making her jump because of the sensitivity. She was in heaven, his every touch another shock of delight. She could do this every day of her life and still not get enough of him. Down here in the cells of her father’s nightmarish compound, she’d discovered what it was to be cherished by a man.
He rose between her legs to gaze into her flushed face. Her heart burst as he looked at her with something akin to awe.
*
Rowan didn’t know him outside of this place. She’d never known him as bitter, angry and despising the world. With her he was fresh, he was clean. He didn’t wear his sins like a second skin.
He moved closer and guided his cock into her at an excruciatingly slow pace. He was determined to immortalize every inch of her flesh as he stretched her to accommodate his girth. Her sheath shivered around him, pulling him deeper. He kept his pace slow until he was fully seated in her. Reaching down, he took one of her hands, kissed her palm and placed it over his heart.
He massaged her clit as he thrust within her slowly, a fraction of an inch in, then back out. His thrusts were shallow, the friction rumbling throughout every bone in his body. Her wet flesh surrounded him; wrapping him in a safe, warm cocoon.
Her small hand tugged him down, and her legs wrapped around his waist. He placed his arms under her shoulders and sighed--they were merged from shoulder to hip.
“My beautiful wife,” he whispered. “I give myself to you if you will have me. I know I don’t deserve you, but I’m here to do your bidding for now and into eternity.” He placed his lips to hers and poured his feelings into the kiss. His wonder, his obsession, everything good that she brought out of him he gave back to her with his lips, his tongue, with his body.
Rowan’s hips rose to meet his. She was hungry, clawing at his back as she cried, “Aidan, please, I need to feel you hard. I need to know this isn’t a dream.”
Her words set fire licking along his balls. He pulled back and plunged deeply. Setting a furious pace, his placed his mouth on her shoulder, over the scar of his bite and held her pinned to the bed with the force of his cock and his mouth.
“God Aidan, I love you.” Her soft admission spurred him on. His hips flashed in and out as his teeth dug deeper into her flesh. She loved him, he felt her words, a tattoo on his battered heart. He opened his mouth but had no words. Nothing he said would give her the tribute she deserved.
When they were out of here, he would give her what she needed. He was free, for the first time in over twenty years. This brave human female freed him, from guilt, from the hatred he’d carried around like a thousand-pound weight between his shoulders. She gave him hope, she gave him dreams. She didn’t use manipulation, games or trickery. She was just being herself--his mate, the one woman born to be his.
Her body wrapped around his as she shuddered, her mouth finding the bite she’d given him earlier.
This time her teeth did break flesh and she clamped down as she rode her climax out.
The world spun for Aidan as came, he pushed into her channel, bumping her womb and sending his life-giving seed into her.
*
Rowan held tightly onto Aidan as he rode her hard and let himself go. His arms squeezed her to him, his head buried in her shoulder. She felt her skin become wet--he was crying silently. She said nothing. He was not the kind of man who would welcome an awkward kind of comfort. Instead she pulled him even tighter, licking the deep marks she’d left in his shoulder. She’d told him she loved him. For the first time since before the death of her mother she felt truly happy. Amidst the death and destruction surrounding her, she’d found love, real unselfish love. Soon her tears joined his as they held on to each other until sleep finally overtook them.
Chapter Eight
They were torn from sleep as three armed guards shouted for them to wake up. One of the men threw a pair of cuffs at Rowan.
“Cuff him now.”
Aidan silently put his hands behind his back and she clicked the cuffs into place as one of the guards tore the blanket down from the camera.
Another approached and pushed the barrel of his gun against Aidan’s throat. “I’d love to gut you right now. Fucking animal.”
She leapt before Aidan could call her off. She wrapped her arms around the man’s thick neck. He threw her off and she landed with a loud thud onto the floor. This time it was Aidan who began to move. The click of the gun next to his temple stopped him.
A throat cleared from somewhere near the door and another man walked in. He was slighter than the three guards and carried a medical bag. He walked to Rowan and helped her into a sitting position.
“Are you all right?” His voice was gentle as he ran his hands along her face and neck, then down her ribs. A deep rumble sounded in Aidan’s throat.