Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Katla was flooded with desire. Everywhere Merrill touched left a trail of heat. He deepened the kiss, tangling their tongues in a wild, fervent kiss. Then she was against the wall, his hands holding her wrists by her head. He rocked his arousal against her, making her groan and her sex clench greedily.
Their hunger was too overwhelming, their need too great to take things slow. She arched her back to rub herself against him. He wrenched his mouth from hers with a moan. She was breathless and desperate to have him inside her.
Something possessive and ravenous flashed in the dark blue depths of his eyes. Her lips parted, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She trembled in excitement, the anticipation of the pleasure that awaited her reflected in his face. In his very touch.
He leaned forward, his lips finding her neck. She tilted her head to the side as his lips and tongue left a trail along the column of her throat. His fingers loosened on her wrists to slide along her arms and then down her sides. She sucked in a breath when his thumb grazed the underside of her breast. Her nipples tightened, eager for his touch, but he didn’t linger.
Then he dropped down to his knees. She flattened her hands against the damp wall, unable to look away from his piercing gaze as his fingers skimmed over her hips to her thighs. He took one leg and placed it over his shoulder. His lips curved in satisfaction before he leaned forward and licked her sex.
Pleasure pooled like warm honey and spread through her. Her head fell back against the wall, her eyes sliding shut as his tongue swirled around her clit. With every lick, her wanton desires grew and swelled, immersing her in rapturous euphoria. The leg holding her upright trembled as ecstasy built. He gripped her hips to hold her steady as he skillfully, mercilessly teased and aroused.
The orgasm struck without warning. It shot through her, sweeping her along a river of unimaginable bliss. Wave after wave of rhapsody rolled through her, one on top of the other. She was powerless to do more than ride the surge until the very end.
She drew in a ragged breath and moaned as Merrill gently lowered her leg. He placed a soft kiss on each thigh and another in her curls before he straightened. She sensed him towering over her. She felt his longing, his desire. Her hands moved to his waist and then upward to his chest. Only then was she able to open her eyes.
His nostrils flared. His body taut, needy. The fever of desire roared to life again within her.
“ Mine ,” he whispered before kissing her.
His arousal pressed against her stomach. She skated her hands around his back and pulled him close. His slipped between then and cupped a breast. A cry of pleasure ripped from her mouth when he thumbed her nipple. Desire shot straight to her swollen sex. She throbbed, ached. And she couldn’t wait another moment to have him inside her.
Katla skimmed her palm over the ridges of his flat stomach to wrap her fingers around his erection. A bead of moisture formed on the head of his cock. He groaned into her mouth as she swirled her thumb around it. Katla moved her hand up and down his length as he continued to tease her nipples.
Need thrummed through her, demanding release. Just when she couldn’t stand it anymore, Merrill gripped her hips and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and looked into his eyes as he pressed her against the wall. Then he slowly, sensuously slid his arousal against her clit. She cried out at the exquisite pleasure.
“ Forever ,” he stated.
The head of his cock brushed against her entrance. He paused for a moment before sliding inside her. She sighed as her body stretched to accommodate him. Then he moved. Long , slow thrusts that pushed her closer to climax.
She clung to him, holding on as he gradually quickened his tempo. Their bodies slid against each other in a dance as old as time. The scrape of his chest against her nipples, his rod sliding in and out, their bodies meeting. It all heightened her passion.
He drove into her hard and deep, each thrust building her desire tighter and tighter. This time, she felt the orgasm forming. She reached for it eagerly, fervently opening herself to it. Even when she teetered at the precipice, it only enhanced the pleasure she knew was just out of reach.
The climax didn’t slam into her like before. This time, it slowly rolled through her, gaining momentum and expanding as intense pleasure pulsed. The walls of her sex contracted around him. He didn’t stop, didn’t slow. He gave a final thrust, burying himself deep inside her, and she felt him touch her womb, felt his seed fill her as he orgasmed.
They remained locked together for long minutes, her body still tightening around his cock in the aftershocks of her climax. Finally , their breathing returned to normal. Merrill lifted his head. His crooked smile made her heart melt. He pulled out of her and lowered her to the floor, then positioned her beneath the spray of water.
He came up behind her, pressing against her. She leaned against him and smiled. She was deliriously happy. He took a bar of soap and began moving it over her, washing her. She never imagined she could enjoy someone bathing her, but she did. Merrill didn’t just wash her. He touched, teased. Aroused .
Her head lolled when his mouth found a sensitive spot on her neck. He soaped his hands and massaged her breasts, paying particular attention to her nipples. He spent just as long on her back and her legs. He was gentle as he washed her sex then rinsed her with the same attention.
Katla took the soap from him and lathered her hands as they shared a look. It was her turn to inspect his body with as much consideration and care as he had hers. He grinned, his eyes sparking with desire. She wanted him again. She couldn’t get enough of him, and she suspected it would always be that way.
She motioned him out from beneath the spray and put her hands on his chest, moving them in circles and spreading the soap across his pecs and muscular shoulders. His body was hard, each muscle honed to perfection. She moved lower over his chiseled abdomen to his narrow hips. She scrubbed back up his chest to wash each brawny arm from shoulder to fingers.
All the while, he watched her. She held his gaze as she dropped to her knees and skimmed her soapy hands down his front to clean one leg and then the other. His eyes heated when she slowly moved over his thigh and brushed his hard cock. He moaned the moment she wrapped her hands around him, then groaned her name when she used her thumb to twirl around the head, before stroking firmly down and then back up his length. She squeezed her legs together as she took great care in thoroughly washing his glorious arousal.
Katla rose and turned him around. Her eyes landed on the dragon. She had forgotten about it until that moment. Her hands lovingly caressed the design that took up his entire back.
The dragon was in mid-flight, its body curved as if turning. The wings were angled upward and extended to his neck and across both shoulders. The dragon’s claws were positioned as if it were reaching for something. Its tail curled to end at the base of his spine. It was both beautiful and mesmerizing.
“ It’s called a tattoo,” Merrill said as he turned his head to the side. “ Each of the Kings received one the moment we shifted for the first time.”
“ How is this tattoo done?” she asked.
“ It’s inked into the skin.”
She gazed at the color, unable to determine if it was black or red, finally settling on a mix of both. “ Does every King have the same one?”
“ We each have a different dragon placed on different areas of our body.”
“ Amazing .”
Merrill couldn’t take another moment of her hands on him. It had been the sweetest torture, but his body craved more. He turned to Katla and took the soap from her, rinsing her hands and then himself before shutting off the water. She shot him a knowing grin when he began to dry her off. He barely ran the towel over himself before he tossed it aside and lifted her in his arms.
She let out a squeak of surprise that turned into a laugh as he strode to the bed. He laid her on the mattress and followed to lay atop her. She rose almost immediately and turned him onto his back. Then she slid down his body to settle between his legs. He lifted his head, watching her hands skimming up his thighs. He held his breath, anxiously waiting for her to take hold of him. He couldn’t get enough of her. Would never get enough of her. His beautiful, remarkable mate.
A moan escaped when her fingers wrapped around him. Her hand pumped up and down his length in slow, sure strokes. His head dropped onto the bed as desire licked his skin. Then her lips were on him, kissing his shaft.
He fisted the comforter as she moved up his length. He watched as she hovered over the head. Her lips parted, and she wrapped them around him to take him into her mouth. Pleasure rocketed through him. He groaned loudly, his body stiffening with need as she took him deep. Her head bobbed up and down, her mouth softly pulling while her hands worked him.
It was too much. He was at the edge already. Merrill flipped her onto her hands and knees and moved up behind her. He touched her sex and found her already wet.
“ Please ,” she begged. “ I need you.”
He rubbed his cock along her labia before sliding into her from behind. She let out a soft cry of pleasure when he held her there, rocking gently. Then he gripped her hips and began to thrust hard and deep.
“ Merrill ,” she called out in a shaky voice.
He reached around and rubbed her swollen clit. She cried out, rocking back against him. She was close. So very close.
He had dreamed of the many ways he would bring her pleasure. He flattened his hand on her stomach and caressed upward to cup her breast. He rolled a nipple between his fingers, wringing another low moan from her.
“ Please ,” she pleaded.
He wanted the gratification as much as she did. Maybe even more. But it always felt better when it was earned. He fought against the rising desire and smoothed both hands down her back. She arched it, pressing her fine arse against him. His hands glided up her back, then he wound a hand into the long length of her wet hair. With the other, he skimmed his thumb down her spine and into the crease of her arse cheeks. Very gently, he pressed against the opening there.
She shattered instantly. The moment her body began to contract around him, he was lost to his orgasm. They were both out of breath when he finally pulled out of her. His body was sated as it had never been. They fell to the side together, and he flipped onto his back. Katla turned to face him, and he pulled her close. He loved the feel of her breath across his stomach and how she curled against him.
“ I love you.”
Merrill kissed her forehead. “ I know.”
“ I never thought I’d love again. Never dreamed I could have something like this. I didn’t know love could be like this.” She rose to look down at him. “ This may sound horrible, but I don’t think I can be angry at Villette anymore.”
He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “ Oh ?”
“ If she hadn’t interfered, I never would’ve met you. I wouldn’t have known what it’s like to be loved by or to love you. She did wrong. I’m not saying she didn’t, I just?—”
He put a finger over her mouth. “ You doona need to explain. I feel the same. As odd as it is to consider, much less say aloud.”
“ Really ?”
“ Really .”
She settled against his chest once more. “ We’re still going after her.”
“ Absolutely .” Merrill stared at the ceiling. “ Some precautions need to be put in place in case I can no’ control my rage again, though.”
“ If it will make you feel better, of course.”
“ It will. I doona know what will happen in the future, and I want to be sure everyone is prepared.”
She nodded. “ What happens next? With us, I mean.”
He sat up and rolled her onto her back to look into her gray eyes. “ I wasna going to bring it up yet to give you some time to settle in.”
“ I’d rather discuss it now.”
“ All right,” he murmured. “ What would you like?”
She smoothed a lock of hair out of his eyes. “ To stay with you.”
“ I want that, as well.” He paused. “ Eventually , I’d like more.”
“ Like ?”
He wanted to find the right words. She had been locked away in the valley for so long and had just now found freedom. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel as if she were tied down again.
“ Merrill ,” she nudged when he didn’t immediately answer.
“ I’d like us to do the mating ceremony.”
A smile broke over her face. “ I was hoping you’d say that.”
He grinned, feeling joy the likes of which he had never experienced before. “ Just let me know when.”
“ Is tomorrow too soon?”
He shook his head. “ It can be arranged. I’ll get things started right now.”
“ Wait ,” she said as she held him. “ Does it have to be right this moment? Can it wait an hour or two?”
“ Aye ,” he whispered before lowering his head.
She put a finger to his lips to stop him. “ What about you?”
“ What about me, lass?”
“ There are things you should probably know for certain about…yourself…before we do anything.”
Merrill put his forehead to hers. “ Aye . You’re probably right.”
“ It won’t matter to me if you’re still a King or not,” she said. “ I didn’t fall in love with you because you’re a dragon or could shift.” She put her hand over his heart. “ I fell in love with you because of the person you are.”
“ Thank you, lass. I needed to hear that.” Not that it would help if he couldn’t shift. He was in human form to be with Katla , and he had his magic. That should be enough. He told himself it was.
But it wasn’t.
He was a dragon. No matter how long he was in human form, he never stopped being a dragon. Not in his heart. If he couldn’t shift, if he couldn’t take to the skies… He lay on his back, pulling Katla to him. She wound her arms around him.
“ I want to ignore it, but that hasna done me much good.” Merrill snorted. “ Putting it off willna help me.”
She rose and touched his face. “ You can do this. I’ll be right beside you if you want.”
“ I do. And I’d like to find out sooner rather than later. Somewhere no one else can see.”
“ I know the perfect place,” she rose from the bed and held out her hand. “ Shall we?”
He took her hand and stood. “ Are you teleporting us?”
“ We’re going to find out,” she replied.
Merrill called to his magic and covered them with clothes. Katla winked at him. In his next breath, he found himself standing in her valley. He gasped at the blacked and burned vines. There hadn’t been time to ask what had happened to her after the attack.
“ It’s bad, but not all the vines were burned. Kora saw to that,” Katla told him.
He looked down at her. “ And you? Were you hurt?”
“ Con healed me.”
She wasn’t telling him everything. Probably because she didn’t want to talk about the details. He let it go for now, but he would ask Con later. “ I’m sorry the destruction came here.”
“ The vines will recover. I plan to make sure of it,” Katla replied.
Merrill stared out over the valley. The place had seen so much pain and death. It had been a prison for dragons in the past, but for him, it was a sanctuary. For whatever would happen.
Katla squeezed his hand. He flashed her a smile he didn’t feel, then released her and walked away. He was scared. Terrified , actually. What if he remained human forever? Would he even remain at Iron Hall ? It would be impossible to watch his brothers return to their true forms and not do the same. But he didn’t want to be without them, either.
He was filled with gratitude for what had been given to him. If he couldn’t shift, he would find a way to accept it. This time, he wouldn’t ignore and deny it. This time, he would turn to those he loved and who loved him for the tools he needed to address it and heal. Even if he was still a King , he planned to focus on healing the pain of the past.
Merrill stopped amid a tangle of vines that leaned to the side. He looked back at Katla . She smiled and nodded encouragingly. Then he took a deep breath and felt inside for the dragon.
It roared loudly as his skin shed to reveal his orange scales. Merrill spread his wings, reared up on his hind legs, and let out a triumphant roar.