Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
KIARA
It took time for things to settle. After Cal told me what happened before I got there, we spent a long time just holding each other. He fully blamed himself for what happened to Andrew, and it took a few days before he was willing to go see the man. Aiden hovered, and letting anyone near Andrew was difficult for him, but when I explained what happened and what Cal thought, he allowed me to bring Cal to the door. Not fully in the room, but close enough for Cal to apologize. Andrew reassured him that it wasn’t his fault, but I wasn’t sure Cal fully believed it. It’d take time to get past that.
It took a week for Runa to wake up. She was lethargic and struggled to move on her own, but the only thing she’d say to anyone was that she wanted to go back to her home. In the end, I brought her back so she could recover in peace. She gave me a charm that would allow me in and out of the wards safely, and I passed it off to Talia when it was time for me to go.
Aiden still wanted me to find the other dragons. We needed to know who was alive. There weren’t many dragons in the first place, and with Jasper’s killing spree, Aiden was worried those dragons who lost their mates would fade from this world and the numbers would dwindle into the single digits. Jasper’s goal to make more dragon babies may have led to the extinction of their species in the near future.
“So how much of you letting me go with you is pity?” Cal queried. We were stopping at home for him to pack some clothes, but I wasn’t willing to let him wander off on his own anymore. Not until I trained him not to make stupid decisions in intense situations.
“Zero. I don’t pity you. I am convinced if I let you out of my sight, you’ll get hurt somehow. I don’t know how you survived so long without me,” I replied dryly.
He didn’t look the least bit offended, a shit-eating grin on his face. “So are you gonna let me do bounty hunter shit?”
“Again, zero chance of that. You’re my shadow until this thing is done, then we’ll figure out what to do.”
“Oh, come on! I could be a bounty hunter!”
Straightening from where I was packing a bag for the trip, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Alright. Run around the compound without running out of breath or getting a stitch.”
His face fell, and he scowled at me. “Low blow, gorgeous. I’m not a runner.”
“A huge part of my job is running after people. It’s why I took it. I like the chase.” Dropping my stance, I put my hands on his shoulders. “Look, you aren’t bounty hunter material. That’s not a bad thing. I actually prefer you all nerdy and goofy. It’s like a breath of fresh air after the shit I have to deal with all day. I don’t need you doing the same job as me.”
His shoulders slumped, and he stepped forward, putting his arms around my waist. “Okay, yeah. I kinda feel like I’ve had enough run-ins with criminals for one lifetime. But I still don’t know what the hell I’m going to do for work. I worked at Arjun’s place for years. I liked working there. That's all I really know.”
“So open your own nerd shop,” I suggested offhandedly. “You said you basically ran the place yourself when Dev was in charge anyway. It can’t be that hard to pull off.”
He straightened, his brows drawn together tightly. “You think I can pull that off? I mean, I don’t have a ton in savings, I’d have to start small, but–”
“Or you can get a loan. That’s what most new businesses do. I happen to know a dragon shifter who owes me a favor. Pretty sure he can afford to front you some cash.”
He looked uneasy about that, but he was going to need to get past the guilt eventually. Talia asked me to stay close, and I wanted to watch over Runa too. After this job was done, I’d be coming back here, and I wasn’t moving here without Cal. Aiden already offered me a job as a tracker through his company. He was going after the Dragon Council and intended to disband them. He wanted me around to track any threats to his people. It wasn’t bounty hunting, but it was a lot more stable than my usual work and I could spend more time with my family and my mate.
“Pretty sure hobby shops are a dime a dozen in Phoenix,” Cal argued. “He’s not going to want to give me a loan for that.”
“True, but I’ve been all over Ridgeview. There isn’t a hobby shop anywhere in town. You’ve gotta drive to the next town over to find anything fun to do. I’m not saying you have to do it, it’s just an idea. This isn’t going to be a short mission. We’ve got time to figure things out.”
He raised an eyebrow, that slow smug grin coming back. “Ridgeview, huh? Finally willing to admit I’m your mate and you want me to stick around?”
I rolled my eyes, but there wasn’t any actual irritation to it. Before Jasper showed up on the compound, I refused to admit what Cal was to me. And after it was all over, we didn't have time to discuss it. But after seeing him staring down a dragon and feeling the pain of almost losing him, I wasn’t going to play around pretending he didn’t mean something to me anymore. I sifted my fingers through his hair, tugging lightly to bring his lips to mine. He groaned into the kiss, his fingers digging into my hips to drag me closer. When I pulled away, he looked all heavy lidded and dreamy eyed. I fought back a laugh, whispering against his lips.
“You sure you want to tie yourself to me? I’m never going to be that romantic, lovey-dovey kind of person.”
“Oh, my amazing goddess, I’d tie myself to you right now if I could. I’d let you bite me, so we were stuck together forever. Or head straight to the courthouse. Whichever you prefer.”
“You’re such a nerd,” I snickered, tipping his head to expose his neck. He sucked in a breath, shivering at the small nip I gave him. “I’m not going to bite you. Lions are still assholes. But I am willing to admit you’re my mate. Guess you’re stuck with me.”
It was his turn to roll his eyes, pulling back enough to shoot me a cocky look. “There is no stuck. I will happily worship you for the rest of my life.” He cupped my neck, drawing me closer for a kiss. “And you didn’t say no to the courthouse.”
“Oh my god. Cal!”
At least life with him would never be dull.
Cal
“Holy fucking shit!”
Kiara failed to mention that lioness shifters went into heat every six months. For an entire week, she was sex starved and possessive as hell. We had to actually stock up food, and we couldn’t order delivery because she’d claw the eyes out of anyone who came close to us. It was hot, and I wasn’t going to complain about a week-long sexathon, but if she kept waking me up with her mouth on my dick, I might actually drag her to the courthouse.
My eyes crossed when she purred with my dick still in her mouth, the vibrations making my back arch off the bed. I spent the last five months finding every spot on Kiara’s body that makes her come, but in that entire time, she never told me she could purr while sucking me off. That was a fun new discovery a few days after her heat started.
“Baby, gorgeous, goddess, if you keep going, I’m gonna–”
She released me, a smug smirk on her face. “Calling mercy already?”
I huffed out a laugh, taking deep breaths to pull myself away from the edge. “No way. But you’re playing dirty, using your lioness goddess powers against me. I can’t purr like that.”
“That’s what vibrators are for.”
My dick twitched, and I turned to look at the open drawer of the nightstand. She usually faced her heat alone with a team of vibrators to keep her company. I may have started using them as reinforcements to give my dick a little rest before rounds. There were a few I hadn’t tried on her yet.
She swallowed me down again before I could decide which one, and I let out a hoarse shout in surprise. Since the first few days had been focused on her and getting through the worst of her heat, she was determined to make it up to me now. I might not survive the next two days.
“K-Kee, I’m gonna–”
My orgasm slammed into me before I could finish my sentence. I saw stars, tugging helplessly at the handcuffs around my wrists. Yeah, that had been a fun surprise when I woke up. I didn't know my goddess had a thing for bondage, but if she got the opportunity to tie me up, she was going to take it. It was a little insane how into her I was.
“Fuck, I love you. Holy shit. You’re perfect. I, ah– Oh god, Kiara, you’re killing me!”
She didn’t stop when I came, sucking lazily to keep my dick from fully getting soft. It bordered between pleasure and pain because I was so sensitive, and I twisted helplessly in my restraints. I couldn’t decide if I wanted more, or if I wanted her to stop. When she released me, I whimpered at the loss of suction, even while my body finally relaxed. She was muddling my brain. I wasn’t going to come out of this with all my faculties. I’d forever be her sex slave. And I was totally okay with that.
“Are you calling mercy?” she purred, crawling up the bed to loom over me.
It took a few seconds to be able to speak through my gasping breaths, but eventually, I shook my head.
“Nah. I’m all in. Forever.”
She gave me an affectionate smile and dipped down to kiss me before whispering in my ear.
“I’m not stopping until you call mercy.”
“Glory, glory, what a hell of a way to die,” I quoted. Because when it came to Kiara, there was no calling mercy. She was it for me. My goddess. She stood by me when I set up my shop in Ridgeview and went with me to see a therapist after the nightmares from the night Jasper attacked wouldn’t go away. She had my back, and I had hers. I wasn’t stupid enough to let that go. Going after her was the smartest decision I ever made.