Mated to the Earth Dragon Read online

  Wetness was already dripping from her; she could feel the slickness of her arousal between her thighs.

  And there, she could also feel him, hot and hard, his body as eager for this as hers.

  She ran her fingers down his back, admiring the bunching muscles as he ripped open the tiny package. His tongue kept teasing her aching nipple as he slipped the condom on.

  Everything inside her was aching for him. He’d made her feel so good the last time—better than anyone else ever had.

  It had been perfect—but she hadn’t been able to feel him where she’d wanted him the most.

  And now, that need flared up again, her body throbbing with desire. She wanted him to claim her. And she wanted to hold him in her arms when he came, to feel that impossibly sexy body tighten with ecstasy as they came together.

  He slid between her thighs. His lips left her nipple, his tongue tracing a wet line to her other breast. Then her other nipple was sucked into his mouth. His tongue rasped against the taut bud just as he pushed against her, his hard shaft sliding against her wet folds.

  A soft cry escaped her, her hips arching against him in offering—and then he was inside her.

  The feeling of him drove the breath from her lungs. For a moment, all she could feel was the sensation of him stretching her. Despite his size, it was not painful at all—just an incredible feeling of fullness and heat.

  She trembled around him, moaning as her inner walls clenched around his erection.

  Then his hips came forward. As he kept caressing her nipple with his tongue, he thrust into her, again and again. Every time he filled her, she clenched around him, wanting more of him. Her fingers slid over his sweaty skin as she panted for breath. The sensation was incredible.

  And then he slipped a hand between their bodies, his fingers aiming straight for her clit.

  At the first touch, her entire body shuddered, a wave of heat rolling through her. The orgasm was sharp and abrupt, pulse after pulse making her clench around him as she moaned his name.

  And he didn’t stop touching her.

  He was still driving himself inside her, claiming her with every stroke that filled her to the core of her being. Before she’d even stopped coming, he gently circled her clit again, the touch gentler this time, but no less insistent.

  She moaned almost desperately, her body following his command, pleasure building and building inside her as he kept claiming her.

  Digging her nails into his skin, she moaned his name again. Her thighs clenched around his hips as she trembled, held right there at the summit—and then he drove himself into her again, his thumb flicking her clit, and the wave of pleasure broke over her.

  The sizzling electricity of it carried her away even as she could feel him reach his own climax. As he throbbed inside her, he muffled his groan against her skin. Damon’s powerful body tensed, his muscles hard as rock against her skin, and she kept clutching at him as her body pulsed around him, echoing his pleasure.

  At last, he gently moved off her. He kept his arm around her shoulder to pull her against him, and she released a deep sigh.

  She was utterly exhausted, and filled with sudden, overwhelming joy. She’d never felt so good before—so alive, as if his touch had filled every cell in her body with an energy that was even now glowing inside her.

  Contentedly, she nuzzled against his cheek, her eyes sliding close as she breathed in the scent of his hair. It had mixed with the scent of crushed grass and flowers that filled the glade.

  And there, in front of her closed eyes, she could see the connection between them again, a string of sparkling gold that bound them tightly together. Where the bond had been fragile before, it seemed to have doubled in size now, like a chain of light that wrapped around them.

  When she opened her eyes again, he was smiling.

  Slowly, she reached out to trail his lips with a fingertip, until he leaned forward and kissed her.

  His finger stroked gently down her spine, then up again. Somewhere in the distance, birds were still singing. Here in the sunlight, it was so warm she didn’t even want to think about getting up and dressing.

  And what’s the use of falling in love with a dragon shifter with his very own mansion if you can’t be irresponsible for once?

  His lips quirked against her mouth, as if he knew what she was thinking about.

  His hand came up again to cup her breast, his thumb tenderly circling her nipple. With a soft, overwhelmed moan, she let her head sink back into the grass and flowers, joyfully abandoning herself to her dragon’s touch.

  Chapter Fourteen: Damon

  Damon had hoped for a long, lazy morning spent in bed with his mate, but they’d only just finished their coffee when he felt the familiar sensation of another powerful shifter coming closer to his land.

  With a regretful look at where Autumn’s luscious curves were only half covered by the sheet, he slipped from the bed.

  “You might want to shower and get dressed,” he said, not bothering to hide his disappointment. “We’re about to have a visitor. And if I’m right, he’ll bring a summons from the master of the council.”

  Damon didn’t join Autumn in the shower, even though he desperately wanted to. But if he did, they’d never make it out in time—and that wasn’t the way he wanted his mate to meet the griffin shifter.

  Instead, once he had showered and dressed as well, he climbed the circular stairs to the top of the tower together with Autumn. They were just in time to watch the large form of a griffin descend from the clouds, his eagle’s wings spreading as he soared towards them in the light of the morning sun.

  “That’s not a dragon,” Autumn breathed. “What is that?”

  “That’s the griffin I told you about,” Damon explained. “Just like dragons and werewolves, humans had legends about them. These days, they’re even rarer than dragons. He’s called Jared, and he works for the council.”

  The majestic wings slowing his approach, the griffin landed right in front of them. As soon as the lion’s paws had touched the ground, he shifted back into his human form.

  “Welcome, Jared,” Damon said, unable to keep from smiling. “I was expecting he’d send you. This is my mate, Autumn.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Autumn said, her voice firm even though Damon could feel her awe through the bond.

  “A mate,” the griffin shifter said, eyes gleaming with amusement as looked Autumn up and down. “Well, well. Now I understand why the chimera said he wants to see both of you. I was worried he’d finally gone completely insane.”

  “Chimera?” Autumn murmured.

  Damon sent a wave of reassurance towards her. “Another mythological shifter. He’s the master of the council. He can be very intimidating—but there’s no need to be afraid of him.”

  “Oh, good,” Autumn muttered. “With all these dragons and griffins and crocodiles, it’s hard to keep track of what I should be afraid of.”

  “He’s all bark and no bit,” Damon said firmly.

  Jared gave an amused laugh, although he didn’t protest.

  “Anyway, if he sent you I expect he wants to see us right away?”

  Jared nodded. “The storm dragon contacted us from Iceland and filled us in about what happened, but the chimera wants all the details from you. Fire dragons striking right in the open and attacking dragon territory—that’s pretty bad.”

  “Oh, they’re definitely up to something,” Damon said darkly. “I just have no idea what yet.”

  Ten minutes later, they were in the air. It usually took Damon about an hour to reach Sky Home, where the council of elements met, and where the chimera lived. This time, it took a little longer, as the griffin wasn’t as fast as a dragon, and Damon didn’t want to leave Jared behind.

  After a minute or two, Autumn had relaxed on his back again, her fingers no longer gripping the ridge of his neck quite as tightly. By the time they reached the tower of clouds that surrounded the mountain peak where the council of elements res
ided, she’d let go of him, fully trusting that Damon would never let her fall.

  Her fingers quickly reached out to latch on to him once more when he dove straight into the center of the clouds.

  Damon’s wings parted them with powerful beats. Even though he could see nothing but white as well, his dragon senses knew where the rock and stone of the mountain was waiting.

  Another beat of his wings—and then he spread them again, soaring out of the clouds and into brilliant sunlight.

  Autumn gasped in delight, then surprise when the rough side of the mountain loomed immediately before them. Her fingers clenched tightly around his scales.

  Damon simply folded his wings, and a heartbeat later, instead of smashing into the rock, he landed on the outcropping, the cave opening up before him.

  “We’re here,” he said when he’d shifted back. “Welcome to Sky Home.”

  Autumn was pale, but she gave him a smile when he reached out for her hand.

  “Don’t let the chimera scare you. You’re my mate, remember?” he said softly. “He’s got no power over you.”

  “Should I be worried?” she asked a little nervously.

  Damon thought about how the chimera had tested the storm dragon’s mate. But that had been different. They’d been afraid that Gregory had found his mate too late, and that his unbound power had already driven him mad.

  Damon, on the other hand, had found his mate before that would become a problem. There was absolutely no reason for the chimera to be distrustful of either him or his mate.

  “It’ll be fine,” he said. “The chimera is cursed, and, if he lets you see him, he might look like a monster to you. But remember that he’s on our side.”

  “Oh, good,” she said faintly. “And what side would that be? Shifters? Or humans?”

  “Both.” Damon could hear the roar of the griffin’s wings behind them. Any moment, Jared would land next to them.

  Quickly, he cupped Autumn’s face in his hand, kissing her until she relaxed against him. “Both. They’re one and the same. Never doubt that. That’s what the council is for. For peace for all of us.”

  Autumn took a deep breath when he drew back, and then she nodded. He could still feel her anxiety through the bond, but all the same, there was a layer of determination beneath it.

  She’d trusted him enough to follow him when the fire dragons had first attacked. She might think that she hadn’t seen enough of the world, but that decision had been the action of a born adventurer.

  Surely the chimera would see the brilliance and strength of her heart as well.

  Chapter Fifteen: Autumn

  Their steps echoed eerily when they entered the large cave. It was much bigger than Autumn had expected—not that she had much experience with caves. Still, she’d always assumed she’d hate caves. That it would feel like getting crushed, unable to breathe in a narrow space with heavy stone on top of her.

  Instead, the feeling wasn’t quite unlike walking into an old cathedral. It was very quiet, and something about the echoing sound made her feel like she was walking into a huge, open space, even though it was completely dark.

  Then, little by little, the darkness began to lift.

  Before them, torches were lit at the side of the walls of the cave. She still couldn’t make out anything else. And perhaps there was nothing to see. Perhaps the cave was empty, and this chimera she was supposed to meet had flown out.

  She couldn’t say that she’d be disappointed by that. Despite the brave mask she’d put on, a shifter who’d been cursed sounded even scarier than fire dragons out to kill her.

  Then, in front of her, she began being able to make out shapes.

  When they kept walking on into the cave, she soon saw that the shapes were giant plinths of stone. A weird gleam surrounded them. It wasn’t the light coming from the torches. Instead of the warm shine of fire, there was something off about the illumination.

  They’d nearly reached the plinths when she finally realized why. There were no torches here. Instead, there were strange symbols engraved into the plinths.

  One looked a little like the jagged tops of mountains, the other like waves. The third held curved lines which could be anything.

  Then the symbols began to gleam, and in the eerie illumination, she finally realized what they were for.

  Three giant plinths of stone. Three dragons on the council.

  Her Damon, the dragon of earth. The dragon of water, who kept annoying him.

  And the third one had to be the dragon of storm. The one who’d found a mate and apparently hadn’t gone insane.

  She’d never even known that that was a problem dragons could have. And now that she’d seen the sort of destruction the fire dragons could cause, she was suddenly very glad that Damon was in no danger of that anymore.

  “Approach, dragon of the earth,” a deep voice came booming out of the darkness.

  Autumn flinched, looking around in sudden shock.

  The cave was still empty. The voice had come from somewhere in front of them, echoing through the darkness. But there was no shape she could see.

  What did a chimera even look like? Was it a more powerful dragon? Was it something completely different, like the griffin?

  Damon took hold of her hand. His fingers tightening around hers as they kept walking forward.

  The plinths were empty—which made sense, because the other two council dragons were still in Iceland.

  There was no plinth for the griffin, and she didn’t dare to turn around to see if he was still following them.

  Her heart was beating in her throat. There was nothing but darkness before them. Step after step led them deeper into the blackness beyond the plinth—and suddenly, a dim light seemed to illuminate the gloom. The darkness in front of them pulled back a little—but there was nothing to see. The cave ended here. A rocky wall stretched in front of them, shadows playing over the furrowed surface.

  “You’ve brought a human before me, Damon Drago,” the disembodied voice boomed again.

  Autumn’s heart skipped a beat when she suddenly realized that the shadows in front of her had moved, even though the light wasn’t shifting at all.

  For a moment, she thought she could make out the shape of a dragon, then the shadows blurred again.

  “I have brought my mate before you,” Damon said next to her, his voice firm.

  The shadows flickered again. This time, she thought that she saw the tail of a great snake—and was that the head of a goat?

  Then the shadows fell apart once more, as if a gust of wind had moved through the cave, even though Autumn hadn’t felt the air stir.

  Everything was silent. The air felt thick and heavy. All of a sudden, Autumn began to regret booking that trip to Iceland.

  It had been the dream of a lifetime to travel and explore, to have the adventures she’d always had to postpone. With the money she’d spent on the trip, she could have saved up for retirement, or started to save up for a tiny house of her own. She could’ve bought a large TV for the nature documentaries she loved to watch. Iceland on the screen would’ve been just as beautiful, and no dragons would have escaped her new flat screen to breathe fire at her.

  She could see herself now, standing in a small house in the suburbs. If Mark hadn’t cheated on her they day of the engagement party, perhaps that’s where she’d be now...

  The house she saw was cute. The furniture was a little worn, but everything had been selected with obvious care. The pillows on the couch matched the curtains. There was an orchid with giant, pink blossoms on the window sill, and above the small fireplace, there were pictures of three children.

  There was a wedding picture next to them as well. Autumn was wearing the dress she’d eyed in the wedding magazines all those years ago—the one that had been so expensive, but fit all her curves and made her look like a princess.

  There were no pictures of exotic travel locations. No honeymoon in Paris or Venice or the Caribbean—but the house br
eathed contentment. Just standing there, surrounded by the many tiny signs of a happy, fulfilled life made something inside her ache with regret again.

  You could still have it, a seductive voice whispered inside her head. It’s your choice. It’s always been your choice. One word, and this world of dragons and fire will vanish. You’ll be back where you know you’ve always belonged. Only this time, it will work out. He’ll love you like he should. He won’t cheat on you. Isn’t this the life you’ve always wanted? The life you know you should have? There’s no danger in that world. No dragons. It’s a perfectly normal life, and perfectly happy.

  Her mouth dry, Autumn turned towards the pictures above the fireplace. Two girls and a boy, all with her hair and Mark’s eyes.

  That was what she’d dreamed of, years ago. She’d dreamed of it even on the day when he’d cheated on her and destroyed all of her dreams.

  But hadn’t she been happy with him before? If she could have him without that betrayal, if he could be the man she’d always thought he was—wouldn’t she be crazy to say no to that?

  She’d nearly died so many times since she’d met Damon. She’d never be able to tell her friends and coworkers about how they’d met.

  If they had kids, they’d be dragon shifters, too. They’d always belong to Damon’s world and never to hers. None of them would ever know childhood as she'd known it.

  And how would those children feel about a mother who was only human, an outsider in the shifter town where everyone knew everyone else, and where all of her children’s friends could turn into foxes or hawks while she’d be forever alone in Damon’s large mansion?

  Something inside her chest was hurting. It was a ball of old pain, as heavy as a stone, stuck somewhere in her throat.

  She’d already picked names for the children they were going to have. Mark had laughed and playfully argued about naming the first after his grandmother Mildred, but in the end, Autumn had prevailed.

  It had been silly—but at the time, it had felt so right. It had felt as if she could see the road of her life stretching out before her. She knew every town and every landmark that road would lead past. A house, a car, then kids. Friends, retirement, grandchildren.