Chapter Twelve
Ember
Taking Dela by the arm, I pulled her gently deeper into the system of caves. The light faded as we went farther until it was little more than a gloom. My eyes could see just fine, but I knew she had to be in near-total darkness. Humans had weak eyesight.
Fighting down the distinct urge to do more than just touch her, I stayed as close to Dela as I dared.
She would need to rely on touch, so I had to give her a constant reminder of my presence.
So far, she hadn’t freaked out, and if my skin charring at her touch was what it took to keep her calm, I would do it.
I had to. The voices were getting closer. I hoped they would move away, but I didn’t give it high odds.
Leaning in, I whispered into Dela’s ear. “If things go badly, if it comes to it, I’ll lead them off while you move deeper into the caves. When it’s done, I’ll come back for you. I promise.”
She stiffened, her head turning to look up at me. I yanked my face away. We didn’t need to have our lips inches apart. Not there, in those confines. I doubted my self-control when around her. It was best just not to have the temptation at all.
“Lead them away?” she hissed. “What’s going on? You can’t just leave me down here, Ember. I … I’m scared.”
“I know,” I said, squeezing her shoulder, trying to reassure her. “It shouldn’t have to be this way, but it is. When they’re gone, I’ll get you home as fast as I can. We’ll forget this ever happened.”
The sound of distant voices talking at full volume started to bounce off the walls.
Albright’s men had reached the opening of the cave.
So far, they hadn’t given up. I didn’t want it to come to violence.
Hostilities between Albright’s faction and those loyal to the Throne had been little more than heated words and a verbal split.
If I drew first blood, it would look very bad indeed. I would have to decide. Was the life of one human worth such stress on the Fire Realm as a whole? Was I truly willing to risk open warfare for one person?
“Who are they?” Dela asked. “Why are they hunting us?”
“Not us,” I replied. “Me. They don’t know you’re here.”
I hope.
“Why? Who sent them?”
“Albright.” I frowned. Why was I telling her all this? She was a human. She didn’t need to know the internal workings of a dragon clan. Humans weren’t supposed to know anything, including that we existed. Yet there I was, eager to spill it all and reveal the truth to her.
Why? Why did she have me acting this way?
I clenched my teeth, listening closely to the voices.
“I don’t see anything,” said the first speaker, his voice a clear tenor, strong and confident.
“Listen, I’m not lying to you. I saw something. I swear it came from around here.”
Shit. They’d seen me before I’d gotten into the cave. Still, knowing they had no idea it was me—or that I had a human with me—was a relief. Perhaps there was a diplomatic solution to everything after all.
Something skittered deep in the cave, its tiny claws scraping on the rock. Whatever it was, it wasn’t big, but the sound was close enough that Dela panicked. She all but threw herself into me, pressing tight, like that would provide her more protection.
My body ignited with endless urges. I clamped down hard as scales formed across my back against my will, born from the raging furnace inside me, begging to be let out.
My flames wanted to envelop her, pull her into me so I could burn her clothes, leaving her naked and at my mercy.
Fresh blood rushed to my cock at the idea of taking her in the dark cave, spreading those tight cheeks pressed into me and filling what I could imagine was a perfectly tight pink cunt.
She would let me, too. I could smell her arousal, her desire.
Just like me, she was somehow driven into a lustful fury.
The knowledge that she wanted me, that she probably wanted to be bred by me, was almost too much to handle.
I nearly lost control. My hands slid down her shoulders, and only the strongest, most desperate act of mental willpower stopped me from cupping her breasts.
If I’d done that, it would have been over.
“Is there something else in here?” she asked with a shiver.
“Nothing of size,” I assured her. “Tiny things. Just as scared of you as you are of them.”
“I’m pretty scared.”
“You don’t need to be. I will protect you,” I vowed. “You will be safe.”
“Even from these men? Men you say are evil. Sent by whom? Albright, you mentioned?”
“Yes,” I said, straining to hear their conversation. “Now, be quiet. No more questions.”
It was the wrong thing to say. Whatever trust I’d been building with Dela evaporated at that moment. Unlike other dragons, who were beholden to me and did as I obeyed, the human woman had no idea who I was. Which meant she refused to submit.
“That’s kind of hard,” she said, pulling away. “When I’ve apparently been kidnapped and brought somewhere I don’t even know against my will.”
“Shh,” I said, waving a hand at her.
“Don’t you hush me,” she said, stepping out of my reach entirely and folding her arms across her stomach before giving me her best glare.
I hesitated, torn between my instinct, which was to do what I normally did with unruly dragons and show her why she would obey me, and explaining things to her so that she would understand and approve.
Holy fuck. I wanted her approval. No, not wanted it. I needed it. That wasn’t me. I owed her nothing. She was but a human. Frail, short-lived, and with only one form. They were nothing compared to the majesty of dragons.
And that didn’t change a thing about how I felt.
“Who’s Albright?” she asked.
“My uncle,” I snapped into her ear, on the edge of losing my temper with her. “Now shut up, or else you’re going to bring them down on us.”
“Maybe I should,” she said, though she mercifully kept her voice down.
“I would prefer it if you didn’t,” I growled.
“How do I know they aren’t the good guys, Ember? How do I know you aren’t the bad guy who kidnapped me and is now hiding in the tunnel like a coward?”
I surged forward, forcing her back until she was against the wall, her hands at her sides and flat against the wall. “I am no coward.”
“Really? You kidnapped me, brought me here, then drugged me, and you won’t even tell me who we’re hiding from or why. Not to mention that I remember us flying, which is impossible!”
Dela’s voice rose throughout her tirade, and by the end, it reached a new level, one that I was certain could be heard at the cave’s entrance.
“Quiet!” I hissed as sharply as I dared, lifting a hand toward her mouth, desperate to get her to shut up already.
She had her hand up and in the way, deflecting me with her arm. My fingertips scraped along her soft, smooth skin like I was caressing it. Our fingers locked as she struggled to keep me from covering her lips, and I burned with a mixture of fury and lust at her touch. She needed to shut up already!
“Stop it,” she said, dodging my hand.
“Then don’t draw them to us.”
“And what if I want to?”
There was no more time for this back-and-forth bullshit. I hadn’t yet heard a shout of discovery from the mouth of the cave, which meant I still had a chance to keep us hidden. But that meant making Dela quiet and doing so now.
At that moment, her body within inches of mine, her back arched upward while she pushed my hand away, her mouth exposed, I saw one option that would work.
Abruptly overpowering her, I pushed her hands above her head, pinning them to the cave wall, desperately hoping that I would be able to maintain control. The rush of blood to my cock didn’t give me hope. As it swelled, filling my pants, I knew there was no way she couldn’t feel it.
Visions of her reacting to my action swarmed my mind, my favorite entailed her leaping up, wrapping her legs around my waist, and squeezing me tight.
“Ember, what are you doing?” she gasped as I pressed harder against her.
“Hopefully not making an even bigger mistake,” I growled, then smothered her lips with my mouth, quieting her completely.