Cole
We all knew Cassarah was struggling today—it was written all over her face.
It hadn’t taken me long to learn to read her subtle expressions, helping me get a feel for her mood, but she wasn’t hiding anything right now.
Other than when we met with King Thomas and Queen Catharine, all her worries had been fully displayed for everyone to see.
I’m sure she feels like we are being harsh on her, but she refused to admit that almost dying last night was a major event. After all she’s been through, I knew she would reach a breaking point, and it seems today would be that day.
She’s been able to roll with the hits every time something got thrown her way, but even the strongest of people have that one event that pushes you too far.
While I supported May’s plan of just getting her through the day and letting her fall apart once it was over, I didn’t think we had that much time.
The rest of them might be upset that I was stealing her away without a word, but I was her guardian and, above all, her friend.
Hell, she was my best friend. We had a connection to each other I didn’t understand, and when I first met her, she scared me. I’d been an asshole, pushing her away solely because I knew if I let her too close, I would fall head over heels with no chance of turning back.
That first month, as we fought and snarled at each other, created a kinship where we could be honest with each other.
I’d gotten her so angry during a training session that she called me a bastard.
The woman who hardly ever uses curse words flat-out told me I was being a right bastard, and she was right—I was.
How she could think that who she’d been would ever be forgotten is ridiculous.
The timid woman standing up to me in her nightgown was forever etched into my brain.
Lady Cassarah was just the foundation to create Queen Cassarah, ruler of the mercenaries.
It was now my job to remind her of that after I’d given her a safe place to fight it out with her feelings.
She’d been trapped away in a room without an outlet for far too long, so I was going to give her one.
Jovid and I found this place while we’d been scouting, and I’d known right away I wanted to bring her here.
Having never seen the sea before made me feel so small in the world with how it stretched farther than my eyes could see.
One of these days, after the battle was over, I’d love to fly out there and see if more land existed or if this was the end of the world.
Then, a little farther down the coastline, I spotted this inlet with a small beach and a cave for shelter, almost as if a dragon had created it at one point for its home.
I could hear her gasp as we crested the mountain range and caught the first glimpse of the Caleden Sea.
Jovid took his time and even skimmed the water’s surface, dragging his claw and creating a spray of water around us.
The sound of Cassarah’s laugh told me I’d done the right thing bringing her here.
When we reached the beach and landed, the first thing she did was run to the water’s edge. “Have you ever seen anything like it before? It goes on forever.”
“I was hoping you might know with all the studying you did with your father,” I commented. “We didn’t know about Sheca, but Creisal butts up to the same body of water, so I wasn’t sure if it had come up.”
She shook her head, her curls wild from the flight.
“No, Creisal, as a whole, has kept to themselves since the last Battle of the Kingdoms. They built up their army to ensure they would never be a weaker power, and with the sea at their back, it was easy to do. I only know that no one who left to sail out into the Caleden Sea has ever returned. All are believed to be dead.”
“What if they found someplace new and decided to stay?” I questioned as I came to stand next to her. “It seems rather small-minded to think we are the only kingdoms that exist.”
Turning her eyes to look at me, I could see the excitement shining in them.
“I’d like to think you’re right and that more people are out there living their lives, wondering the same thing about us.
What if we went? Think of the things we could discover being able to fly dragonback instead of on a ship. ”
“If you really want to go, I would go with you in a heartbeat, but we need to settle things here first. Leaving would be the same as handing everything over to the Lost King and giving up. You, little mouse, are no quitter. I’ve seen your determination with my own eyes more than once.”
Her eyes fell as she stepped away from me, walking toward the cave.
“Of course, it would be after I’ve dealt with the Lost King.
I might need a moment of peace, but I would never turn my back on these people or my own kingdom.
What kind of person would I be if I just disappeared without a word?
Becoming queen and leading a kingdom into battle might never have been my first choice, but I will see this through. ”
“Mouse, are you trying to pick a fight with me?” I asked, surprised by her overreaction to my words.
“What I said wasn’t an attack on you but me simply stating facts about our situation.
It’s perfectly normal for you to have doubts or want to run away from this fight.
You got tossed into the middle of it and were told to fix it, with no say in the matter.
I’m trying to show you that having a moment of weakness isn’t bad, as long as you understand that’s all it is… a moment.”
Whirling to face me, she took a step forward and shoved me back with both hands.
“Damn right, I was tossed into this. It was your grandfather who showed up in my life and dragged me smack dab in the middle of this shit. Yes, I’m now the Dragon Queen and rule over all the mercenaries, uniting the clans after hundreds of years apart.
What little girl wouldn’t want to grow up and have that happen to them? ”
She paused, hands shaking as her anger and voice grew louder.
“You know what they forget to tell you? Once you wear that crown, you’re in charge of every life you rule over.
Will my people still want me to rule over them when I do whatever it takes to ensure their survival?
The Lost King isn’t going to hold back, and I can’t either, or we’ll lose everything we worked to build.
That man is willing to bring his dragon back, twisted and broken from the brink of death, as a child.
None of us truly know what he’s capable of, Cole, but that’s where I have to go in my mind to outsmart him.
That bastard of a king will die by my hands because I won’t allow anyone else to carry that burden for the rest of their lives, just like it should have been me to behead the clan leaders, not their sons. ”
Finally, my sweet, timid mouse felt cornered by the evil lion who’d been playing with her up until now. Yeah, she’d had her moments of anger at the clan leaders and others around her, including us.
The difference this time was the woman believed to be a mouse was never truly a mouse but a dragon.
Cassarah’s will and determination were ironclad, like the scales of a dragon, and right before my eyes, the ember of her heart for justice was being stoked.
Soon, her flames would be felt across our world, destroying all those who stood in her way while protecting those she’d claimed.
“You know none of them hold that against you and never will. They made that choice on their own, which is one of the reasons they never told you they were planning to do it. While you might be the queen, what power do you have that hasn’t been given to you by others?
As your guardians, we are placed to protect you but also to ensure your rule is never questioned,” I challenged.
“A queen and her guardians working together in harmony to protect their people make us a force to be reckoned with. Don’t ever doubt that, Cassarah. ”
Her anger was cooled until it was simmering just under the surface, right where it should stay until we needed it.
It would keep her strong and sharp as we worked to end the Lost King.
The glow of danger lurking deep within her eyes drew me to her, and I couldn’t resist the call.
Wrapping my hand in her hair, I pulled her to me until we were chest to chest, noses brushing each other, but I didn’t close that last bit of space between us.
Right now, I wanted to know if she wanted me as much as I wanted her.
I didn’t have to wait long as she surged up, her full lips meeting mine as her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me down to her. Our tongues danced as we fought for control, refusing to surrender to the other until I pulled back, cupping her face to keep her from chasing after me.
“Cassarah, no matter how deep into the darkness you go, none of us will leave your side. I promise you, I’ll make sure you come back from it all, and the girl I met on the balcony is never lost or forgotten.
She’s the one who stole my heart and refused to give it back, and I will always be grateful to have fallen in love with my best friend,” I said, letting my thumbs caress her cheeks as I spoke.
“Is there a reason you’re still this close to me?” she asked, using the same words she’d spoken when we first met.
“Does a man need a reason to be this close to a pretty lady?” I responded with a grin.
“Clearly, the man addressing this lady isn’t a gentleman.”
“I’m no gentleman, only a man who’s madly in love with his queen,” I said before fusing my lips to hers once more.
We tumbled to the ground, the need to be close driving us into a frenzy.
I ripped open her laces, peeling off her bodice, giving me access to her breasts, to which I gave the affection they were owed.
It wasn’t enough, though. I needed to be inside her.
The last time we were together, I took the higher road, but I couldn’t find the strength this time.
Grabbing her hips, I flipped her over so she was on her stomach and pulled down her pants, exposing her pert ass.
If I hadn’t already been hard as stone, the sight alone would have done it for me.
Tugging at my pants, I got them down far enough to free myself and crawled up her body.
“Little mouse,” I whispered along the back of her neck as I situated myself at her opening. “I’m going to show you just how ungentlemanly I can be because no gentleman would have the balls to take his woman the way I want to take you now.”
Cassarah moaned under me, wiggling her hips until she managed to get the tip of my cock inside her. “Do your worst. Prove to me how badly you want me.”
Nipping at her ear, I thrust in until my balls smacked her clit with the force of my thrust. I wrapped an arm around her chest and pulled her up enough so I could kiss her as I pounded into her.
Everything about this moment was primal and desperate.
The tension between us had been building until we reached our breaking point here on this beach.
We’d all learned from whatever happened with Abbott last night that Cassarah wasn’t a quiet woman when she was being fucked, and this moment was no different.
Her moans and cries filled the air as I rutted into her.
I thought I might be too aggressive and eased up a bit for a moment, only to have her look at me over her shoulder.
“Is that all you’ve got? Is your love and desire for me so short-winded?” she taunted.
I laughed and pulled back only to shift her to her knees to get a better angle on her entrance. “It’s dangerous to mock someone, little mouse. You never know what might happen when you antagonize the scoundrel you let into your bed.”
“Well, we’re not in a bed right now, are we?” she pointed out.
The crack of my slap on her ass echoed off the cliffside as I thrust back into her. “Since when did you become so mouthy? The Cassarah I remember could barely stand up for herself, and now here you are purposefully riling me up. It’s almost like you want to see how far you can push me?”
As if to answer me, she thrust back against me as I plunged into her, causing me to bottom out inside her.
We both cried out at the feeling catching us both by surprise, but it didn’t slow us down.
I knew I was on limited time, the tightness of my balls telling me I was close.
If my little mouse wanted to play with the big dogs, then I’d give her something to remember.
I spread her ass cheeks and spit right on her back entrance, then swirled it around before pressing my fingertip in.
“What are you doing?” Cassarah demanded.
Ignoring her question, I worked her ass gently with short little thrusts that had her moaning and arching her back.
Seeing that she truly enjoyed what I was doing, I added a little more spit and worked my finger deeper, feeling her loosening up for me.
As I worked both her holes and picked up my speed, the walls of her core started to clamp down on me, and I struggled to keep a steady rhythm as my climax threatened to spill from me.
“Come for me, little mouse. Show me how much you’re enjoying me fuck you here on this beach for the world to see,” I growled out, making two more thrusts before she came, squeezing tight enough that I exploded with a grunt.
Unwilling to pull out, I let everything I had spill into her, and visions of her belly growing with my child had me thrusting deeper. One day, when the world was safe again, I would put a baby in this woman I loved. Nothing could mean more to me than having a family with her and the others.
Spent, I collapsed on her back and rolled us to the side, our clothes in shambles covered in sand, damp from the spray of the water, and the happiest I’d ever been. We both laid there catching our breath, watching the clouds across the sky, enjoying the afterglow of finally being together.
“We probably need to head back,” Cassarah whispered, kissing my arm as she sat up. “Thank you for giving me some space to get my head on right.”
“Is that what we’re calling it? I’ve always heard it called an afternoon delight, but things are always changing,” I mused as I tucked myself back into my pants and righted my shirt.
Cassarah just glowered at me and turned, giving me her back to help her with her bodice.
I’d torn parts of it, but there were enough holes for me to use that we got it on her well enough it would make the trip back.
Good thing she was going back to get cleaned up and changed, or the whole clan would know what we’d done out here.