Chapter 25
Galadon
Contentment filled me as Rayna walked by my side along a path in the woods. There hadn’t been many trees when I was on Kederrawien, but they quickly sprang up and took over the area after my territory relocated to Earth. I had no idea how it worked, but I’d heard the terrain changed in subtle and great ways all over the planet when the dimensions merged. It wasn’t often I walked my land since it was easier to fly. Every time I did, I noticed something new, though it might be as simple as a plant species I’d never seen before.
“Why is it this place feels so different than anywhere else I’ve ever been?” Rayna asked, tilting her head to look up at me.
I kept us moving along as I thought of my reply. “My mother didn’t choose this location by chance. It felt different to me as well when I arrived, but even more so over the centuries. She’s only begun to explain the reason that is, and says she doesn’t have all the answers. Supposedly, they will come when the time is right.”
Rayna frowned. “That’s not very helpful.”
After spending so much time hiding the secret area, I hesitated to mention it to Rayna. We still weren’t fully settled, which made it risky. I preferred to be certain she was fully committed to staying despite her tentative agreement, but that would require a true bond. It was on me to complete it. I knew that, but first, I needed to see how we’d handle it when her slayer urges returned. Until then, I held myself back from full commitment. I only knew I’d do everything in my power to keep her.
The idea of her hunting my kind still troubled me greatly, though. Targeting dragons who caused trouble was one thing, but what about the innocent ones who merely wished to live their lives? Could she be discerning when she was desperate for a kill? Would she consider taking the potion long-term so we could avoid the whole problem?
If I were wiser, I’d bring it up now while she was calm and under the influence of the magic containing her, but I enjoyed the peace between us so much that I hated to disrupt it. One look at her soft, loving gaze on me, and I would do anything to keep her like that. She accepted the bad before she even saw the good in me.
“There is another part of my land you haven’t seen—that few have—because it is…different. The magic there is alien, and certain elements of it can even be harmful and deadly if you’re not careful. If you’d like, I’ll take you there another day,” I offered. It was a huge leap of trust, but hadn’t she earned it after all she’d done? Perhaps this would help win her over no matter what happened next with us.
Rayna stopped walking and wrapped her arms around me. “Thank you.”
“What?” I asked, confused. Of course, I still hugged her back because I could hardly keep my hands off her.
She gazed at me affectionately. It still shocked me that this female, who was born to kill my kind, looked at me as if I were the most important being in the universe. She’d literally die for me, and Zorya knew I didn’t deserve it. Maybe that was my problem as well. I kept waiting for something to happen that would take it all away. Few good things had ever happened in my life, so I was always prepared for the bad more than the good.
“You trusted me enough to tell me about a secret on your land,” she said, reaching up to touch my cheek and jaw gently. “I could see by your expression that you protect that secret greatly.”
That was another thing about the two of us. Each day we spent together taught us more about each other, so we began to understand the things we didn’t say aloud as much as what we spoke. Such as at the bitkal, when I knew within moments that Rayna was helping Lorcan telepathically, though I couldn’t hear her doing it. There was a subtle expression on her face, and I somehow knew. Now, she’d picked up small nuances from me, understanding I’d imparted something I was reluctant to speak about to anyone else.
I lowered my head to breathe in her hair with its sweet, floral scent. My mother had made a special cleanser for Rayna, and I approved of it. Ujala was growing on me by the day as well, making it more and more difficult to remember why I’d been angry with her for so long.
She worked hard to make up for our lost years. I only wished I understood the whole truth, and maybe I needed to come to terms with fate interfering in my life. It had brought me Rayna, and I would endure much to keep her.
“You are fast becoming vital to me,” I said, pulling the slayer even closer. “There are secrets on this land, but if you are to stay, you need to know them and help me protect them.”
Her slim arms squeezed me tightly. “Whatever you need, Galadon.”
This woman was too perfect in many ways. If only I could overcome my one problem with her, I’d be free to let myself feel everything. Perhaps it was time I told her part of the problem, so she had a chance to understand.
I pulled away. “There is a large, flat stone up the path. Let’s go sit there so I can tell you a story from when I was a child.”
“Okay,” she said. The eagerness on her face told me she wanted to know more about my life, and I appreciated that.
It took about two minutes to reach the spot I wanted, and we had to step over a fallen tree before reaching the stone. It was six feet long, four feet wide, and about two feet high, making it an ideal seat for a serious conversation. I’d often come to this place throughout my life to think. It was nice-looking now, with spring in full bloom. The sun filtered through a break in the trees to make it almost ethereal, and daisies had sprung up across a thick blanket of grass to add a little color.
I gestured at Rayna to sit, thankful when she obliged. For me, I needed to stand and pace for this first part because it was a painful memory. Ujala knew the summarized version, but Rayna would get a somewhat longer one.
“You know my mother brought me to this land when I was eight years old?” I asked, glancing at her.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Many have wondered how I survived alone as a child and fought off all the dragons who tried to take my territory. Even though I was strong for my age and had magic, I lacked size and experience. It wouldn’t have been possible without help.”
She knitted her brows. “Who?”
“At first, no one knew I was here. I mostly hid in the den my mother dug for me, ate the food she’d gathered before leaving, and scrounged for the rest—never straying far. Eventually, though, I had to look beyond my safe zone, as I was beginning to starve.”
Sympathy filled her eyes. “I can’t imagine facing that at such a young age.”
“I can’t say I wasn’t bitter or lonely.” Her gaze followed me as I paced back and forth, continuing with my story. “Then two green dragons found me one day, and they weren’t fond of shifters, so though I was young, they attacked. I fought them as best I could and did some damage, but they were on the verge of killing me.”
I noted her fists clenching as she listened.
“Just as I thought I’d surely die, a female slayer arrived and attacked the dragons, drawing away their attention. She killed them in minutes as if they were nothing to her,” I said, shaking my head.
Rayna’s eyes widened. “And what did she do to you?”
“Amari patched up my wounds and took care of me. Though she looked even younger than you, she was over fifty years old by then and wise in many ways to have survived so long in Kederrawien. She took care of me as if I were her own son.”
“That’s…unexpected,” Rayna said, confusion lining her features. I understood since I’d never heard of it happening in any other case.
“Yes, she had a good heart, or I believed as much. Within weeks, I came to depend on her for everything.” I went on to describe all the things Amari did for me and what I learned from her.
“How long did she stay with you?” Rayna asked, leaning forward in interest.
“Until the winter I turned twelve.”
Surprise lit her gaze. “Wow, that’s a long time—almost four years.”
“It was, but we had grown close. Whenever I grew homesick, missed my parents, or just felt lonely, she was there to comfort me. Amari would hold me and dry my tears, telling me it would be okay in that soothing voice of hers. She even recited every story she knew from her childhood.” My chest tightened at the memories I tried so hard not to recall anymore. “She was everything I needed then.”
Rayna’s gaze turned fearful. “What happened? You mentioned before that a slayer betrayed you.”
“Yes, it was her. Up until I was twelve, enough dragons came around to keep her sated. It had become a challenge to try taking my land. She killed every one of them, though I helped often for practice. She taught me how to fight viciously, and I gladly absorbed all her knowledge. We even practiced my storm magic, using a sorcerer friend of hers as a guide, so I could use my abilities to scare intruders away. He was also the one who taught me how to build strong wards. I can’t say if I’d have ever figured out how to harness my powers without her facilitating it.”
I stopped pacing a moment and ran a hand over my short hair, preparing for the worst memory of all. It was the one that still gave me nightmares occasionally and kept me from committing fully to Rayna.
“But the winter I turned twelve was a rare harsh one, with snow falling so much that I could barely walk through it in human form. As a dragon, I couldn’t leave my den at all. The winds were bitter and cold, so pretty much all my kind went into hibernation to wait it out. There was no one for Amari to slay.”
Rayna covered her mouth. “You mean she…”
“Attacked me?” I asked, tone bitter. “Yes, after she waited as long as possible. It was while I lay asleep. She grabbed me and threw me into the wall. I think she held back at first, or else I might have never awoken before she killed me, but once her instincts fully took over, she couldn’t restrain herself. I recognized the madness in her eyes and knew there would be no reasoning with her. She’d warned me in the previous days it could happen. We fought for several minutes, with her breaking my leg, several ribs, and stabbing me a few times before I managed to shove a blade into her heart.”
Rayna looked away, her throat muscles working. “And that is what I’ve been working against.”
Her tone was low yet miserable. I wished I hadn’t had to tell her the story, but she’d never understand me if she didn’t hear it. Every move and choice I’d made regarding Rayna had been affected because of Amari. She deserved to know the truth.
“Yes,” I agreed, sighing. “It was why I was especially cruel with you from the beginning because I recognized I could develop deep feelings for you, and I never wanted to face that level of betrayal again. Bailey was easier to accept because she was already mated to Aidan. You, on the other hand, called to me from the beginning. I felt it in my soul. It was my way of protecting myself to push you away whenever we were near each other. No matter that I wanted you.”
Rayna’s hair fell in a waterfall where she held her head low, so I couldn’t see her face. “I can’t even blame you for it anymore. In your shoes, I would be the same way.”
There were tears in her voice, and it killed me that my story hurt her.
“I know you’re not Amari. You’ve proven yourself, which is why you’re here now, but forgetting such a deep betrayal is difficult for me. I want to give you my full trust. It’s just not…” I didn’t know how to explain it.
“Not easy,” she finished.
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s not. The logical part of me understands you’re not a threat, but centuries of trying to survive on my own and facing other slayers who haven’t hesitated to attack me is not easy to undo.”
Rayna wiped at her face and stood. “How can I help?”
“I have no idea, not when you’ve already done too much,” I said, wishing I had a better answer. She’d nearly killed herself to prove she’d never harm me.
The slayer took a deep breath, and then she began unlacing her top. I watched in confusion but said nothing as she removed it, revealing full, pert breasts that I could never get tired of admiring. Next, she removed her boots and pants, tossing her weapons into the pile far from her.
Finally, she was fully naked. She lay back on the stone and opened her legs so I could see every part of her in the glowing light of the sun. “I’m at your mercy, Galadon. Maybe you can’t fully trust me, but I trust you with my heart, body, and soul.”
I shuddered at her submission.
For Zorya’s sake, this woman knew how to shake me to my core. She was taking that ancient, ugly memory and giving me a newer one. It was up to me what I did with that. I sent my clothing to shiggara and stalked toward her, where she lay bare and totally vulnerable. A thousand possibilities lay there. I searched through them all, having a vivid imagination after spending much of my life alone, but there was one thing I recalled overhearing about once from a couple of shifters. It was a way to test her.
I moved to hover over her. “Open your thighs wider.”
She did as I ordered, moving them a few inches more, gaze turning curious even as she blushed. Perhaps this was also new territory for her, submitting to a male in such a way. I liked the idea of taking her out of her comfort zone.
“More,” I said, taking a step closer until my boots touched the stone. “I want your most intimate parts completely open and vulnerable to me.”
She dug her fingernails into the stone but spread her thighs as far as they could go. Her inner folds glistened from her desire. I kneeled and ran my finger through the wetness and then tasted it. It was like the sweetest nectar. I desperately wanted to lick her clean, but first, I planned to try something else.
“You trust me?” I asked.
“Yes.” Her voice came out faint.
I stared at her for a moment as she blushed even harder. The fact I could do that to such a brazen and experienced female made me feel powerful. “Have you ever had dragon flames blown directly here?”
To punctuate my point, I pressed my palm against her, and she moaned.
“No.” She shook her head. “Is that possible?”
“I’ve heard of other shifters doing it to each other, but I haven’t tried it.”
“Okay.” She let out a breath. “If you like.”
I had a feeling she wouldn’t fight me if I held a blade to her right now. She was so determined to prove she’d never hurt me that she’d let me do anything to her. How could she possibly give me trust like that?
“The question is whether you want it,” I said. It was a test of her trust, but I wouldn’t do anything without her full consent.
No hesitation. “Yes.”
“Good.” I removed my hand. “Now prove it by keeping your thighs wide apart. Close them even a little, and I will stop.”
Rayna trembled as I leaned forward until my mouth was six inches from the center of her wetness. “Are you scared, slayer?”
“Nervous. This is new,” she said, but there was trust in her gaze.
I blew cool air, and she jumped with her thighs closing a little.
“Stay still.”
She watched me with her head raised, taking slow and even breaths. “I’m trying.”
I had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to keep her legs apart once I really got started, so I placed a hand on each thigh, putting slight pressure. “This is only to help keep you still, but you can tell me to stop at any time.”
“Okay.”
I inhaled deeply, calling on my heated core, and began blowing flames directly at her center. She screamed and bucked. I stopped and checked to make certain I hadn’t done any damage, but her skin was fine.
“The fire hits every nerve, Galadon. Like all of them. The pain and pleasure are mixed and so intense I can’t help screaming, but please don’t stop. It’s…incredible. The most amazing thing I’ve ever felt. If I can’t take it anymore, I’ll be clear about it,” she said, breathing hard.
Hmm, I liked that it affected her that much, and she enjoyed it. “As you wish.”
I began again, blowing harder this time. She screamed once more, bucking and clawing at the stone beneath her. I had to put more pressure on her thighs to keep them still, but she kept pleading with me every time I paused for a breath, not to stop.
To test her further, I opened her entrance with my fingers, using my elbows to keep her thighs down, and blew flames inside her. Her neck and back arched as she keened loudly. I didn’t relent, broadening my flames to consume her inside and out. She called to her God at that. Finally, she lay utterly limp and covered in sweat, hair a tousled mess. I let go of her legs and rose above her.
“Tell me how you’re feeling, Rayna.”
She sucked in air a few times before answering, “You made me orgasm hard for five minutes straight. I don’t think I could move right now if my life depended on it.”
“Good thing it doesn’t,” I said and leaned down to kiss her.
It was slow and languid. More often than not, I went hot and heavy with her, but I wanted her relaxed and ready for what came next. Her body needed a minute to cool down. I kissed my way down her throat, paid homage to each of her breasts, and spent extra time worshiping every scar on her body. She’d earned them, and they were badges of honor. I’d never met anyone more willing to put her life on the line for others, and she’d made the greatest sacrifice for me.
Finally, my mouth found its way between her thighs, where she was even wetter than before. The flames hadn’t dried her, which was interesting. I ran my tongue down the middle, then lightly nibbled her. She cried out and gripped my head, signaling not to stop. So I licked and sucked, loving every sound she made in response until she was shaking as pleasure overtook her once more.
As she began to come down from it, I covered her body with mine and pressed my aching cock to her entrance. The look in her hazel eyes told me she was more than ready to be filled. I thrust forward in one smooth motion, and it was like coming home. That’s what her body was for me. The sigh of relief she let out let me know she felt the same. When our bodies were joined together, it was as if the rest of the world faded away.
“You’re mine,” I growled.
She wrapped her arms around my neck. “Absolutely.”
It amazed me how she didn’t hesitate to agree despite my own obstinacy to return the gesture. I took her slowly at first to build her passion up again, wanting to reward her for her patience with me in every way possible. Her moans fueled my desire, but I didn’t want to rush it. I needed to create a memory that we could share forever. So I dragged every moment out, each stroke achingly slow and even, until we were both on the edge.
Still, I didn’t let us go over. Only when I was certain we’d reached the point where we felt as one together did I let go. I shouted as I poured my hot seed into her and reveled in her pleasure-filled cries.
Afterward, I settled on the stone and pulled her on top of me. She rested her head on my chest, her hair fanning across my shoulder, and body completely relaxed. I trailed my fingers along her sweat-slickened back and couldn’t think of a more perfect moment in my life. Rayna owned my soul, whether I wanted to admit it aloud or not.