Chapter 16 #2
Tae knew the instant her fear stopped and curiosity took over.
Her heartbeat steadied, and her breathing slowed.
Braver now, he left the city behind. His destination was to be the fulfillment of yet another promise.
Over the waterfalls, where the droplets gave Eveline peace and on into the darker parts of Talonia he flew.
As Eveline relaxed, he lost all sense of their separate bodies.
He knew she would not fall. They were one.
He had achieved the same soul deep mating as Kelan shared with Michelle.
It was intoxicating. When Eveline's hands released their grip and her arms reached for the clouds, he knew she felt it too.
The air warmed as they drew near his destination, the largest volcano on Talonia.
Its colorful flames heated the area but did not burn them.
Tae, because as a weredragon he was born from the depths of this world and Eveline, because she had shed blood in the pool, adding her life force to this alien planet.
Tae landed on the rim, allowing Eveline to slide from his back before transforming into a man.
He sucked in the air, and she saw the fire behind his eyes glow.
Ashes circled them, releasing strength they had never dreamed possible.
Eveline felt it as clearly as Tae. She would never be a weredragon, but she claimed their planet as her birthplace.
Earth was a distant memory. She had only begun to truly live once she reached Talonia.
Tae spun her into his arms. His kiss held the fire he could not control.
Eveline received it with a passion beyond reason.
Their clothes were shredded and tossed into the volcano.
Finally, they were free to give and take without restraint.
Together, they tumbled to the crusty, volcanic ground.
Tae held her hands over her head while he lavished her heated skin with kisses.
The future was a shadow that did not matter.
This moment in time was encapsulated for their pleasure.
Eveline writhed in ecstasy as Tae suckled greedily at her tender breasts.
She bit down on her bottom lip to stifle a demand that he join their bodies.
She wanted to become one with him, yet she found she enjoyed the slow and avid attention he was giving to her just as much.
Since she couldn't use her hands to touch his sleek, sweat-soaked muscles, she decided to use her feet.
Their soles slid over his thighs and up to his rounded backside, where her toes dug in.
His hard muscles clenched in response and she discovered how much he liked it as his member grew and pulsed.
"Let me touch you," she begged.
"You are," he answered, his breath blowing gently across her taut nipples.
"My hands, please," she clarified.
He let go, and she quickly took advantage.
Rising slightly, she flipped him over, taking control.
Her tongue flicked over his small, darkened nipples sending shivers through him.
She laughed with the power surge it gave her.
She kissed the small scar leftover from the bullet wound.
She moved lower, and he began to shake. Her lips met the tip of his hardness.
An earthquake went through him, and the volcano rumbled its approval.
She licked off the droplet that had formed, before opening her mouth and pulling him into its warmth.
Tae tensed and the cords in his neck strained.
He was holding on to his sanity by a thread.
What sorcery was this? He growled, and dragon fire shot into the air.
Wrapping her tightly in his powerful arms, he traded places with her, impaling her at the same time with the member she had taken to its breaking point .
Eveline didn't shy away from his rough treatment.
She reveled in it. She knew it meant he no longer saw her as the helpless, injured woman from Savra.
He saw her as strong and equal to himself.
She rose to meet his thrusts, and as they climaxed together, embers rained down from the volcano, and she felt a stirring inside her.
Another gift had been bestowed on their union: actually, two gifts.
They would remain Eveline's secret for a short time.
Tae and Eveline got on their knees and thanked Talonia for the second chance it had given them. Their foreheads touched the scorched ground as they repeated the funeral chant, with a different conclusion.
"Energy and peace from the waterfalls are taken.
Strength from the volcanoes must not be forsaken.
Lifeforce to our world we choose to return.
For its graces and gifts, we could never earn."
Tae became a dragon once more. Eveline climbed on without fear this time.
They soared over the land as one. Gifts of great value had been bestowed by Talonia, but none so great as the deep abiding love they had discovered on their own.
Whatever the future demanded of them, they would see it through together.
What had been joined would never be parted: beware anyone who tried.
*** Hesher ***
H esher watched them go from the edge of the celebration.
Kelan had Michelle on his arm, whispering something that made her laugh.
Tae was carrying Eveline toward the outskirts of the city; her head tucked against his chest. Even Daer and Shara had slipped away to begin their new life together.
One by one, his friends had found the thing they swore they never wanted, and every last one of them had fallen hard.
He was happy for them. Truly. But the silence that followed their departure settled over him like a weight he could not name.
He did not want a mate. He had said so a hundred times and meant it every single one.
A soldier gave his life to the fight. There was no room for softness, no space for the kind of vulnerability he saw in Daer’s eyes when Shara walked into a room.
That was weakness, and weakness got people killed.
He had buried too many soldiers who left behind mates and children. He refused to become one of them.
Daer’s words nagged at him, though. I will find such a woman and hold you to your word. Hesher almost laughed. Daer could search the entire universe and never find a female stubborn enough to put up with him or brave enough to challenge him. The woman did not exist.
He turned his back on the celebration and walked toward the barracks. The stars were bright overhead, and the sky was clear. Quiet. Peaceful. He told himself the emptiness in his chest was nothing more than a long day catching up with him, and he almost believed it.
***
I hope you enjoyed the book!
A new warrior. A forbidden attraction. And a love that could cost him everything…
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