11. A Tale of a Stalking Dragon
Chapter eleven
A Tale of a Stalking Dragon
Lei
The wind carried the scent of salt.
Once we approached the estate and got right in front of the massive structure, we found ourselves enveloped in the ocean's reflection. The walls seemed to disappear, replaced by the endless horizon of the ocean.
I checked Moni’s reaction.
She parted her lips and took in the visual. For her, the sensation must have been both surreal and awe-inspiring, making her feel as though she was standing at the edge of the world, where the land and ocean became one.
“Oh my God.” She scanned the space. “I can’t believe you all just called this a beach house when it’s. . .art. . .and pure elegance.”
I grinned.
We continued forward and Moni’s amazement became more infectious, lifting my sadness.
“So. . .captivating.” She got closer to me as we walked along as if the estate could swallow her up.
Against my will, a chuckle left me.
God, I love being with her.
With Moni next to me, the sprawling mansion, the pristine beach, the lush gardens—all of it felt different, more vibrant.
In my daily life, I had taken these things for granted.
But with Moni here, everything seemed more beautiful, more significant. Her presence brought out the true essence of the properties, revealing the splendor I had grown accustomed to overlooking.
I intertwined my fingers with hers and guided her further toward the front.
There, a grand fountain dominated the entrance, its waters dancing around this huge, sculpted dragon, carved from white marble.
I pointed at the dragon. “That is Jiaolong.”
“And who is he?”
“This legendary hornless dragon who was believed to love relaxing in any aquatic environments.”
Water poured out of the dragon’s opened mouth and cascaded over its scales, creating a symphony of splashes and ripples that caught the sunlight.
“He is from one of my father’s favorite stories.”
She gazed at me. “What’s the story?”
I stopped her in front of the fountain. “Jiaolong was swimming in the ocean one day when he saw this beautiful human woman picking flowers by the beach. She was the daughter of a fisherman and loved to give her father flowers when he came ashore at sunset.”
“That was nice of her.”
“Perhaps, Jiaolong thought that was nice too, but most of all, he was taken aback by her beauty. And until that moment, he had never even regarded humans as anything more than tiny creatures that roamed the Earth.”
“Did he say something to her?”
“No, but for days Jialong would come back to that same spot in the ocean and watch her from afar, yearning.”
“Yearning for what?”
“Jiaolong didn’t know. All he understood was that he had to have her.” I lifted my view to his huge jaw as it roared out sparkling water. “For months he silently did this, until one day he could not remain in that ocean anymore. The hunger for her love and attention took over him.”
“Oh shit. What did he do?”
“Jiaolong rose from the surface. Water spilled down his massive body, causing so much noise that it startled her. That was when she turned around.”
“And what did she do?”
“Screamed.”
Moni smiled. “I would have screamed too.”
“Then, she dropped those flowers for her father and raced away.”
“Did he go after her?”
“Sure did. Unfortunately.”
Moni’s smile left her face. “Unfortunately?”
“A human cannot outrun a dragon. In mere seconds, he soared over her, but she continued racing away and then began screaming for help. It was in that moment he realized that their tale would not be a love story. She was too terrified of him and well. . .”
“What?”
“It broke his heart.”
“So then what did he do?”
“What else could Jiaolong do?” I shrugged. “He swooped down and ate her.”
Moni frowned. “Lei, what kind of story is that?”
I laughed.
“He ate her?” She leaned her head to the side. “For real?”
“Jiaolong had to have her and so he decided that at least if he could consume her, their souls would still merge together.”
“That’s fucking crazy.”
“It is.” I chuckled. “But. . .the tale is about the depths of emotion and the lengths that passion can drive a person.”
Her eyes met mine with a mix of amusement and warning in their depth. “That's all well and good, Lei, but just make sure you're not planning on devouring me.”
I couldn't resist the temptation to let my gaze wander down her body, lingering on the curve of her hips and the swell of her breasts before settling on the place between her legs that already held too much damn power over me.
You have no idea how much I want you. . .need you. . .
So many times, my father had told me that tale and I had thought nothing of it.
But now for the first time ever in my life, I couldn't help but see myself as Jiaolong—the dragon from my father's tale.
And wasn’t Moni—with her innocent charm and captivating beauty—the woman picking flowers by the beach?
Just as Jiaolong had been taken aback by the fisherman's daughter, I was utterly spellbound with her, so much so that I still wasn’t sure I would not kill Marcelo over her.
Yes.
I understood the dragon's yearning all too well, that frantic need to possess something so breathtaking.
The desire to have her.
To merge our souls.
It was a constant, burning ache within me.
Moni put her view back on the fountain, drinking the dragon in and I just lovingly watched her every movement, the way she parted her lips in awe, the soft curve of her neck as she tilted her head.
Mmmm.
My hunger for her grew with each passing second. It was a hunger that gnawed at me, clawing from within, demanding to be satiated.
Like that damn dragon, I wanted to consume her, to make her a part of me so completely that we would become one.
She’s lucky I can’t fucking devour her because. . .damn. . .I want to.
But unlike Jiaolong, I knew the cost of such an addicting desire.
I couldn't let my passion drive me to devour her fully.
I had to temper the flames, to control my instincts, to savor her presence without destroying the very essence of what made her so special.
I tightened my grip on our intertwined fingers, relishing in the warmth of her skin against mine.
The connection between us was electrifying.
I glanced back at Jiaolong in this sculpted form. The dragon's marble eyes bore into mine, as if recognizing a kindred spirit.
Now I get it, my friend.
I thought back to what she had just said.
“That's all well and good, Lei, but just make sure you're not planning on devouring me.”
I smirked. “Well. . .”
She snapped her attention to me. “Well?”
“Unfortunately for you, I do plan on eating you before the cookout.”
She chuckled. “Oh yeah?”
“Definitely. This tour is just a gentlemanly formality, but I am step by step guiding you up to my bedroom to feast on you.”
“Feast?”
“You heard me.”
“Well. . .no judgement. In fact. . .maybe eating me isn’t too bad of an idea after all.”
“No?”
“Not at all. You want to eat me, then who am I to stop you? In fact, it would be wrong to deny you.”
“Very wrong.”
“Just understand this.”
I quirked my brows. “And what is that?”
“After last night and your fucking me by the tree, I’ve been so horny thinking about that all morning. I couldn’t get it all out of my head. I almost messed up picking the tea blend.”
The tip of my cock hummed. “Is that right?”
“Yes.” She licked her lips. “So. . .as soon as we get somewhere more private, I’m probably going to be sitting on your face for hours.”
A dark groan left me as I pictured her smooth thick thighs around my head, her sweet erotic taste on my tongue, that clit glistening with her arousal.
“But Lei, that may cause a big problem.”
“That won’t cause any problem.”
“It might.”
“It won’t.”
“I’m trying to tell you something.”
I knew she was fucking with me, but I decided to engage anyway. “What problem?”
“I’m sitting on your face regardless if you tell me to get off or not—”
“I would never tell you to get off.” My body vibrated with lust.
“So that means that the big problem will be. . .you going to the cookout with your mouth most definitely smelling like pussy.”
Unprepared for that statement, I laughed.
She shrugged. “I’m just letting you know what type of time I’m on right now. Like. . .I’m trying to saturate your tongue with my pussy today.”
Heat rose within me. “Bring it, Moni.”
Movement sounded further off, slightly interrupting our deliciously heated moment.
I dragged my attention away and to my surprise several of the Mirage’s staff came out of the front double doors, all wearing crips sky blue uniforms and showing off wide smiles.
What are they doing?
This wasn’t their usual behavior. Typically, only the butler greeted me and that would be with him opening the door. Never did all of them come out to say hello.
But today, I saw the chef, her assistants, all of the cleaning staff, the two beach keepers, and even the head of the estate’s security.
What the fuck?
And as they got closer, I saw that all of their gazes were locked on Moni.
Aww. I see now. They want to meet the Mountain Mistress.
That told me that the tea ceremony had indeed done its magic. Regardless of it not getting to full completion, the live presentation had made everyone highly intrigued with her.
I let out a long breath and Moni turned that way and watched them too.
“What’s going on, Lei?”
“Apparently, the staff must want to give you a big welcome to the Mirage.”
“Oh.”
Again, I could hear my father telling me that I would have to share Moni.
Just shut up. I’m not sharing her.
I stifled my groan in annoyance.
Then, one-by-one, the staff lined up in a neat row in front of the entrance and kept their eyes fixated on Moni.
In all my life, I’d seen them do this one other time and that was when my mother had come home from a hip surgery that had kept her in the hospital for several days. She’d wanted to recover at the Mirage, instead of around the prying eyes of the Palace. And they’d come out to greet my mother with a big welcome of relief as well as a show of their utmost respect for her.
Alright.
I pursed my lips.
Let’s see what they’re going to do?