24
Kieran
Mine
Like a queen, she spared the idiot’s life.
But I was no king.
The only thing stopping me from swallowing the human sheriff whole was the newness of the growing mate bond. I wasn’t sure how long it would be for her to forgive me if I took matters into my own hands on her behalf.
Breaking his nose and knocking him out cold was the least I could do to soothe my beast.
I unhooked his chains because Ember wanted me to, but I’d sworn vengeance if he so much as ever looked her way again before he’d crumbled under the pressure of my fist.
Only time would tell if he’d heed my warning—time we were quickly running out of.
My heart beat wildly as I followed Ember’s steps through the cave. The silence and stillness of the earth mocked me, reminding me of the grave Ember would one day be buried in.
With any luck, I’d be right beside her.
That thought gave me a measure of peace .
This situation was a reminder of her fragility. If she’d been a dragon, she’d have eaten her gift without remorse. Her strength was tempered by her heart.
I didn’t know how I was supposed to do this—to live with such a delicate part of me outside my protective scales.
But I vowed to figure it out.
I followed her scent deeper into the caves. She was surefooted here in the dark. It hit me then why I’d so easily uprooted my flock, intending to spend our final days here.
When the humans had requested my presence to examine the runes, I’d felt a calling to this place. I realized now that it was Ember all along.
These were her caves, on her land. Her memories and lifeforce had seeped into the soil and were etched upon the walls.
No wonder it felt like home.
She was written here.
I was only reading her story.
Ice stalagmites glistened along the path deeper into the caves and volcanic sand muted the sound of my steps. I hadn’t lit this way with lanterns, but up ahead, Ember’s flashlight shone as a beacon in the dark. She knew where to go.
Then she turned off the light.
Obsidian deposits marbled the basalt shelves, glittering under the bioluminescent ceiling where the heat from the natural hot spring pool fed the organisms above.
An ethereal bluish-green glow lit the small cavern as steam misted above the clear water and melted ice dripped down the shimmering, layered walls that reflected the soft lights .
“I used to sneak down here,” Ember said. Her back was turned to me.
My breath caught when she lifted the hem of her shirt, exposing her smooth skin as she dragged it over her head.
“My dad would’ve beat my ass if he knew I was coming here alone.” She chuckled sadly. There was a haunting melody to her voice that drew on the protective nature of my beast. “I forgot how magical this cavern is. I’d almost convinced myself that it wasn’t real. Just a figment of a child’s imagination.”
Ember sighed as she stepped out of her shorts, unhooking her bra without looking at me. “Mule would wait outside and I told myself that if anything happened, he’d go find help.”
“Mule is a horse?” My mouth dried as Ember slowly dragged her underwear down her legs.
“Yes, he was.” Her laughter was lighter now. “An old mustang who ran cattle in his heyday, but spent his retirement playing with me. Addie was too valuable to go on our escapades. But she was the best barrel racer I ever met.”
“Why did you stop riding?”
“Money? Time? Life? Responsibilities? Take your pick.” Ember shrugged as she dipped her toe in the heated water of the natural hot spring pool. “It was time to grow up. I had a husband who was going to be a professional football player. There wasn’t enough room in our dreams for two spotlights. I couldn’t afford both an apartment for college and a stable in the city. Sacrifices had to be made for… him.”
We should’ve killed him.
I know .
And I also knew what it meant to live a life of sacrifice. Malachy suffered as guardian, but Lucan and I gave what we could to make sure he wasn’t alone. Hundreds of years we’d remained by his side, until we were no longer needed.
Speaking this way dredged up my own memories—ones I’d intended to let stay in the past.
But meeting Ember changed things. This tempest of a woman had blown into my life and tilted the axis of my world, making me question if I was doing anything the right way.
“It’s still warm,” she laughed as she walked deeper into the pool. The silky water lapped along her ankles, calves, and knees until she got to the ledge.
I leaned against the cool cave wall, watching as she dove into the depths of the darkened water. It was safe down there, smoothed over without jagged rock, and the natural minerals aided in buoyancy.
She emerged a moment later with her wet hair clinging to her back and water droplets rolling down her neck.
There was a playful spark in her eyes as she pushed a wave toward me, causing the water to slosh over the edge of the pool and wet my boots.
“Aren’t you coming in?” She treaded water, waiting.
I smiled as I unbuttoned my shirt. “I was busy enjoying the show.”
Ember swam forward and rested her arms on the ledge, watching me. “My turn.”
I took my time undressing, leaving my jeans for last. By the time I reached for the button on my waistband, her pupils were blown and the scent of her desire clung to the steam in the air .
I hesitated with my pants around my hips.
Ember licked her lips, forcing her gaze up to my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I grinned, loving the effect I was having on this woman. “Just wanted to make sure you were ready.”
“Oh, my...” Her little gasp of surprise as my cock sprang free had me fisting the base and giving it a few languid strokes to relieve some tension.
I stepped into the pool as Ember swam away from the ledge, floating on her back in the crystalline water to give me room to sit. I lowered myself into the warm water, feeling its healing minerals slip over my skin.
“It’s… Um…” Ember bit down on her lip as she returned to treading water.
I thought about dragging this out, but couldn’t hold back any longer. “Do you want to feel it?”
“Yes, please.” A smile lit up her face as she swam closer.
I rested my arms back on the ledge, giving her free range of my body. My pulse quickened with anticipation and blood pounded in my ears.
Her slender fingers wrapped around the girth of my cock. The silky water helped glide her hand along my skin as she traced, adding to the sensation of being wrapped in her touch.
Heat flushed her cheeks as she stroked over the head and back down again, pausing on each notch.
“It’s ribbed,” she said, awe in her tone. “That’s different.”
“I can assure you there are many things not human about me,” I teased .
She continued to stroke, making my hips buck involuntarily as I tried to contain my longing to pull her closer and take.
Mate. Fuck. Claim.
My beast was riding me hard, but I forced myself to stay steady. To let Ember explore at her own pace.
“Why is it ribbed?” Her round eyes looked up at me as she loosened her grip.
I slid into the water and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, needing to keep her next to me and feel her body pressed against mine. “Because my kind doesn’t like to slip away after mating.”
Instinctually, I put my teeth to her neck.
I managed to keep my fangs from descending as I bit soft little nips to her shoulder.
The scent of her, the warm vanilla and oat milk, heated with the steam of the hot springs and seeped into my veins.
“How would that…” Her voice trailed off in a moan as I cupped her perfect ass, lifting her from the water so I could draw one of her dusty-pink nipples into my mouth.
“The ridges thicken the lower they go and the closer I get to release,” I kissed my way across her chest.
Ember arched her back, offering me her other breast, which I nipped and sucked, giving it the same attention as the other.
“Does it hurt?” she asked, breathless.
I pulled back so I could look into her eyes. The depths of them were almost black, blown with desire. “Do you like a little pain with your pleasure? ”
“A little.” Ember nodded, trembling as she wrapped her legs around my waist and rocked her core against me.
Mine , my dragon roared as I gripped her ass tighter, digging my fingers in so she could feel the pressure increase.
“You’ll like this,” I promised.
“I know,” she whispered, burying her face against my shoulder. “Are you going to make me wait?”
I thought about teasing her more, but I didn’t know if I could hold out longer. The need to claim her was all-consuming. It was primal and deep and—
“Fuck me, Kieran.”
Hearing her demand was the final straw.
I lifted her onto the ledge and pushed her back against the smooth rock floor, scooting her a few feet to get her out of the depth of the pool.
Water rolled from her thighs in rivulets as I spread them to either side, making room for me to taste my mate.
My dragon rumbled his approval as I licked up her honeyed flavor, sucking on her clit and curling a finger inside.
Ember cried out incoherently as her hands tried to grasp something other than the slick stones, before she latched onto my shoulders instead.
“What’s that, my love? I didn’t hear you.” I smiled as I flicked her clit with my tongue and slipped another finger inside.
“I need more,” she whined, bucking her hips against my face. I chuckled, blowing hot breath against her rapidly cooling skin, and curling two fingers along her upper wall.
“Please. ”
“As you wish.” I rose to my knees.
Ember lay naked before me like an offering on the stone floor under the glow of the ceiling.
Her skin pebbled from the cool air of the cave with the lukewarm water beneath her back, but the ache of her desire burned hot between us.
I trailed my fingers up her skin, mesmerized by the soft texture of her human flesh and the warmth of her blood.
Her red hair was darkened by the water, flowing around her on the stone, and her pouty lips spread open, caught in a silent plea.
I’d never known something this beautiful.
And it was meant for me.
“I’ve been waiting centuries to find you.” It wasn’t a line. The truth of it slipped from my heart, needing to be known.
Because at some point I’d given up the hope that this would be possible—that I’d ever have this miracle to protect.
“What took you so long to find me?” Ember smiled, taunting. And my beast soared at the look of love in her eyes.
Mine to claim.
Mine to mate.
Mine to worship.
“I don’t know.” I lowered my lips to hers, brushing them in a reverent whisper of a kiss. “But I’m never letting you go.”
I made her a dragon’s promise as I notched my cock at her entrance, waiting for my mate to accept me.