Dragon Avenged: Immortal Dragons Epilogue Read online

  “Dragon skin is like that,” Llyr said. “Especially the erogenous zones. A dragon’s horns and his cock absorb power even more easily than his hands.”

  “How do you know so much about all the other races?”

  “Thiasoi training when I was young. We were forbidden from mating between the races before, but not from enjoying sex with each other. We had to understand where the limits were so we could avoid crossing the line.”

  “So you also know that you can’t impregnate a dragon unless she’s marked you and wants to bear your child.” She had also been educated in all the races’ various differences, but only in an effort to become better acquainted with her own nature.

  He gave her a quizzical look. “True . . . What are you suggesting?”

  “Nothing at all. Just making sure we understand each other.” She gave him a sweet smile and leaned in to kiss him, enjoying the warmth of his body now that there was no barrier between them, save the waterlogged sarong around his hips.

  Llyr’s hands slid up her back and he eagerly returned the kiss, his enthusiasm still at odds with his cautious language earlier. But one thing she had learned about the nymphaea was that they were by nature a hedonistic race, so it should come as no surprise that he would happily indulge in the pleasure of a simple, harmless kiss. As long as she kept things in perspective.

  When they broke away, she had the urge to sing again, but stifled it and sighed instead.

  “What is it?” he asked, so acutely attuned to her moods through their blood meld. She had liked that quality at first, but regretted it now. She didn’t want to give him another reason to dismiss her growing affection for him.

  “This feels nice,” she said, slipping her arms around his shoulders and laying her cheek against his chest. Her legs hooked over a big, smooth root that created a ledge past which the Source’s waters cascaded to another pool below. The water rushed over the tangled roots in a constant current, the sound of it inspiring another verse of her song for Llyr. Between them, his erection throbbed in time with the pulse in her naked core and the beat of her composition clarified in her mind.

  Even though she knew the arousal could be nurtured and teased into something more pleasurable, she enjoyed the steady warmth that flickered between them. His aura was brighter now, his arousal a magnet for even more magic that as yet remained bound up in his restraint. Even though she couldn’t easily see her own aura, she was certain if she looked there would be evidence of the same. Though she knew her task today relied on absorbing as much of that power as possible, she savored the slow burn that lingered between them and how it kept her musical muse primed.

  He was her protector for today, but what about tomorrow? Perhaps after this task was completed and they were away from the overbearing scrutiny of her parents, she could convince him of the sincerity of her song. Yes, she still loved Ozzie, but she felt like she had barely scratched the surface of her capacity for love and wanted to explore every possibility there was. Besides, Ozzie wasn’t here.

  “It feels incredible,” Llyr said, dipping his head to press a gentle kiss to her shoulder. “Are you ready for the next phase? They are waiting, and I believe you said you were only halfway to having enough power.”

  She sighed and reluctantly pulled away from his embrace. “I’m ready. Hold me like before,” she said.

  He nodded and splayed his fingers at her back, leaning forward as she arched until her torso slipped beneath the water again. This time he pushed his hips into hers and his cock pressed tighter to her core, the texture of the gauzy fabric between them a rough reminder of the promise he’d made her father. She inhaled sharply at the rush of sensation, but said nothing, only smiling up at him.

  Llyr smiled back, though this time it seemed forced. His eyes swirled with both desire and the same uncertainty she felt tangled up inside her.

  Deva sang again, but she kept the song light and unfocused. When she closed her eyes, however, she saw a pair of faces juxtaposed, and two songs merged. Ozzie’s stormy gaze had haunted her dreams for the past year, reinforcing her certainty that they were bound together somehow. With her body lit up at Llyr’s touch, a fresh, new desire took hold. The desire to have them both bound to her this way, both their hands and mouths on her, her body awakening under their ministrations. With the two of them, she could almost fool herself into believing that finding a soul mate was possible even if she didn’t have a soul.

  Chapter 14

  Aurum’s skin tingled with the cool sprinkle of mist from the waterfall at the back of Calder’s bungalow. She kept her face upturned, concentrating on the song that filtered through the air from the center of the Haven. The new version was different than Deva’s first song. More restrained, less filled with joy and hope and love. The first song had been as lovely as the mating call her sister Belah had sung for her almost two years earlier, just before they’d embarked on the search for their mates. If Deva was finding love for the first time, she should embrace it. Sing louder, not hold back. Aurum would have to talk to her after the ritual was done and make sure she understood it was all right to seek what truly gave her joy.

  A pair of warm bodies moved in on either side of her, every cell in her body shifting focus to the two men who gave her joy. Without opening her eyes, she could identify who was who. Calder’s gentle touch at her back, his other hand threading his fingers through hers against the railing she leaned on. Nicholas’s lips pressing against her bare shoulder, his dark hair falling in a silken cascade across her upper arm.

  “It’s time,” Calder said. “Llyr says Deva is ready for more power.”

  “You are melded with Llyr, aren’t you?” she asked, opening her eyes to look at her satyr mate. He stood in his full primal glory, horns glistening with the wetness of the mist, his features more angular and intense than his softer, human face. His cock was an immense, thick column jutting up between them that practically mocked her interest in anything but fucking.

  Calder nodded. “The male Thiasoi are not blood melded, but yes, we are linked to facilitate swift communication.”

  “Does he know why Deva’s song changed? She was singing of love before, but now the song is more reserved. I don’t like what that might signify. Did you hear the same?”

  Nicholas met her gaze then lifted an eyebrow as he and Calder shared a look. “Unrequited love, if I had to make a wild guess. I have been acquainted with that emotion.”

  With a worried frown, she looked at Calder. “Well? Does Llyr know anything about it?”

  Calder inhaled slowly and closed his eyes. She observed him, avoiding using their meld to eavesdrop on his communication with his fellow Thiasoi satyr, though she got a sense of irritation that bled through despite not knowing what her mate heard.

  A moment later he pursed his lips and opened his eyes. “My uncle’s edict forbids Llyr from acting on any desire for carnal knowledge of Deva. He’s in turmoil over it, but has camouflaged his deeper desire from her as well as he can for now. I can’t believe my uncle did this. After hearing that song, Llyr is beside himself.”

  “He wants to make love to her?” Aurum asked.

  A flash of pain crossed Calder’s face. “He wants even more. I don’t think Neph realizes how deep a connection all the Thiasoi satyrs have to Deva. I was only linked to her for a short time, but the other satyrs shared their blood with her for months. His bond to her is as deep as mine is to you. If I hadn’t already had a stronger bond, I would be in the same state he is in. It’s killing him not to follow through.”

  Aurum’s heart swelled with empathy. She leaned back against Nicholas’s solid frame when he slipped his arms around her.

  “You’re plotting something, aren’t you?” he murmured into her ear.

  “So what if I am?” she asked, tilting her head to look at him.

  He gave her a devious smile. “Just wanted to say I’m one hundred percent on board.”

  “Do you mind sharing your link to Llyr for a moment? I’d like
to speak to him.”

  Calder’s eyes narrowed. “It is deeper than a simple mental link, so don’t abuse it, all right?”

  “How deep?” she asked.

  “You’ll see. Close your eyes.”

  She did as he asked, and a split-second later her mind was awash with the most intense emotional battle she’d witnessed in ages. The satyr Neph had chosen as Deva’s bodyguard was holding on by a thread, his resistance crumbling with every second.

  “Help me restrain myself, please,” he begged. “You dragons have the power to strengthen someone’s will, don’t you?”

  “Yes. I can remove your desire or enhance it, but I don’t think that is the answer. Tell me the truth of how you feel first. Let me decide what must be done.”

  “Look at her . . . she is radiant. Until she sang that song, I believed I could fulfill Neph’s request. Guard her, keep her safe while she learned to embrace her own powers and sought out her place in the world. Now . . . simply being near her is not enough. Will never be enough. I must have her.”

  Aurum’s focus shifted and she looked through Llyr’s eyes at the young woman whose naked breasts arched up above the surface of the water. The rest of Deva’s torso floated just beneath, her arms moving in graceful arcs, up and down as though she swam in place. Through Llyr’s other senses, Aurum was aware of Deva’s legs wrapped around his hips and the uncomfortable intensity of his arousal.

  Deva opened her eyes and smiled up at him, the variegated rainbow of her irises flickering with a golden light that flared to orange-red when her gaze met Llyr’s. Joy, desire, and love were all reflected there, but so too was a shadow of uncertainty threatening to rise to the surface.

  Aurum recognized Deva’s dragon nature instantly in that look—her contentment to let the longing persist and linger, to intensify with each passing moment. There was satisfaction to be found in the low lick of those small flames, nurturing them without letting them consume you entirely. It was a uniquely draconic trait to bask in that simmering heat for as long as possible.

  “What do I do?” Llyr pleaded.

  “Give her joy, but take your time about it. She is embracing her dragon nature right now, as she should. Encourage her by stoking her pleasure a little at a time. As her guardian, you are also tasked with teaching her, are you not? This will teach her more than you know.”

  “Neph insists that she’s too young. I don’t see an innocent when I look at her. I see a woman. My link to her tells me she is a woman. Yet my master’s orders suggest I should not want her the way I do.”

  “Neph’s an old fool who is too far removed from the complexities of youthful desire. Deva is more than ready both physically and emotionally, or else she would have never sang that song. Take your time, but don’t hide your desire from her. Let her guide you.”

  “You’re telling me to willfully disobey the Dionarch. Is Calder on board with this? You will back me up?”

  Calder’s voice pushed forward, and Aurum receded into the shadows of her lover’s mind as he answered. “We will do whatever we can to make him see reason. Don’t disappoint the girl. That song isn’t one to be denied. No turul mating call is.”

  “Thank you,” Llyr said, voice flooded with relief, and the joy returned with a vengeance. A moment later, the lovely song echoing through the Haven changed again, unfettered ecstasy rising over the crashing of the myriad waterfalls surrounding them.

  Aurum relaxed and shook her head. “I hope we didn’t lie to him.”

  “We’ll do what we can,” Calder said.

  “I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. What are you two worried about?” Nicholas asked.

  Aurum turned and cupped his cheek. “She has six other fathers we need to convince besides Neph. My brother will see reason if I lay it out for him. I think Iszak and Lukas will understand. Zorion and Zil desire nothing but her happiness. But Nikhil . . . He might be a bigger problem.”

  Nicholas grimaced. “He’s going to be difficult to convince, but perhaps he’s mellowed since Layla came along.”

  “Oh, good point,” Aurum said, brightening. “We can divert his focus to our new niece and away from Deva. Perhaps that tactic will work on Neph too.”

  “My uncle is very protective of her,” Calder said. “I think he fears the uncertainty surrounding her nature. Meri’s intentions for Deva were never made completely clear in her grimoire. Neph would rather keep her close and sending her into the world with a guardian who is loyal to him first is a big compromise. Hopefully it won’t be too difficult to convince him that Llyr’s loyalty to Deva is just as crucial, but we won’t know until we’re faced with that task.”

  “She deserves her freedom, however we have to secure it,” Nicholas said, a hard edge to his voice that made both Aurum and Calder regard him in silence for a moment. He shook his head at them. “She shouldn’t have to live with not knowing any longer than necessary. Calder was there for me when I needed him. He didn’t try to protect me from my own nature—he helped me embrace it. I’m glad Llyr is there for Deva. I think we should do whatever is necessary to help.”

  Aurum wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. Behind her, Calder rumbled, “Good, because the first thing we need to do is send her our magic.”

  Aurum’s body heated with the deep vibration in his gruff tone, and a moment later, her conjured gown dissolved as Calder took advantage of his tie to her magic and dismissed it. Nicholas chuffed his approval as he slipped his hands down her naked back and pressed his lips to hers.

  She sank against him, humming into his mouth as he reached between them to unfasten the tie to his trousers. He let them fall and stepped backward, pulling her farther beneath the spray of the nearby waterfall. The deck of Calder’s bungalow possessed several low, cushioned chaises situated near the falls, the occupants of the Haven preferring the abundant moisture for relaxation over the blaze of pure sunlight a dragon typically enjoyed. But Aurum loved the way her body felt sandwiched between her two lovers with the water coating her skin a slick film.

  Nicholas fell back against the cushions of one chaise, pulling Aurum down with him. She released a joyous laugh at his earnest, eager look that transformed into pure hunger when she straddled his hips and remained poised there, looking down at him through wet lashes.

  “Sweet Mother, how I adore you,” she said, raking her fingers through his black hair and gazing into his brilliant green eyes. She looked over her shoulder to meet the ravenous gaze of the horny satyr behind her. “Both of you.”

  Calder made a low, gruff noise that was the closest she would get to acknowledgment. He fisted his immense cock as he rested a knee on the chaise behind her and dropped his other hand to her ass.

  Nicholas reached behind himself to unlatch the back of the chaise and let it fall in a wooden clatter. Then he reclined, pulling her with him. Cool droplets from the waterfall trickled down her ass and between her cleft, mixing with the heated wetness between her thighs. Calder slid probing fingers along the center of her ass and lower, taking his time to explore.

  With an urgent grip, Nicholas pulled her face to his and captured her mouth in a ravenous kiss. He released her head and grazed his hands down her sides until he gripped her ass, spreading her wide.

  The cushion behind Aurum shifted with Calder’s weight as he cupped her ass, replacing Nicholas’s grip. His breath gusted along the apex of her cleft before he darted out his tongue, trailing a long, slow lick from the top of her ass all the way to her aching channel. He buried his face between her thighs, pushing his tongue inside of her.

  She let out an involuntary gasp into Nicholas’s mouth when Calder swiped his tongue around her clit at the same time as he pushed one finger into her ass and twisted it.

  Lifting up on both arms, she pushed back, chasing the pleasure of the penetration, aching for him to fill her more. Nicholas took the opportunity to cup her breasts and dip his head to suck her nipples one by one until Aurum found it impossible to make sense of up from down
.

  “Please, I need you both.”

  “How do you want us?” Nicholas asked.

  “I don’t care!”

  She was only dimly aware of some wordless communication between her mates before Nicholas slid up the chaise and straddled it, leaning back on one arm while he cupped his cock and balls in one hand. He bent close once more and kissed her tenderly, pulling back just far enough to run his tongue along her lower lip like a promise or some silent signal. Then he leaned back again and tilted his hips up. It was all the signal Aurum needed. She grabbed his hips and bent down, kissed the dew-covered head of his cock, then swiped her tongue around the tip, tasting the combination of his salty flavor mixed with the crisp, clean water coating his skin.

  With a stretch of her long tongue, she bent lower and took his entire length deep into her mouth, rejoicing at the guttural groan he emitted when she began to suck.

  Calder’s tongue slowed on her pussy and the finger in her ass disappeared. He shifted positions, the silken fur of his legs tickling the backs of her thighs.

  Her core ached for him and she moaned around Nicholas’s cock as Calder rubbed the entire length of his shaft up along the cleft of her ass, through the moisture and then down between her thighs, grazing along her spread folds and throbbing clit.

  Then he proceeded to torture her by pressing his tip to her opening and moving it in tiny circles, just shy of breaching the barrier.

  “Man, you’ve got to fuck her. She’s driving me crazy here,” Nicholas said, and she realized she’d gone still with her lips wrapped around the head of his cock, waiting for Calder to give her what she needed.

  Calder let out a low chuckle and pressed his thumb against her puckered rear opening again. “You’re desperate for this cock, aren’t you? It’s been a while since you’ve had me in my primal form. Are you sure you’re ready?”

  “Please,” she moaned, pushing back into his touch and quivering as he pressed his thumb deep into her ass. “More, please!”