Mated to the Alien Dragon (Celestial Mates) Page 6

  I wanted to feel her more.

  But she was looking at me warily, her fingers curled around the back of her chair, a rictus smile on her face. I could see her gathering her courage, her internal strength, all of her determination, and she needed it just to sit with me. If this were some kind of power struggle I’d feel triumphant. Instead I wanted to frown.

  “Please, sit,” I gestured to the chair, softening my tone as if I were speaking to a scared dragonling after her first change. I did not want this woman to fear me, not when I wanted so much more from her.

  She visibly relaxed and let her hands drop from the chair before taking her seat. She played with a cloth napkin, curling it around her fingers before settling it on her lap. When I poured our wine she gratefully took her glass and sipped deeply. The red left an alluring stain on her lips, one I needed to taste.

  I was no stranger to attraction, but I’d never become fixated on a person like this, never needed to see to her every need, even if it meant shirking my other duties. But I hungered for Kristen Mora to the depths of my dragonflame, and even if I didn’t take her as my mate, I was determined to taste her before she left this place.

  “This is good!” she said with wide eyes, taking another sip. “Most of the wine back home is kind of terrible.” She offered a smile, her eyes meeting mine for a brief moment before dropping to the food in front of us.

  I should have set the table up differently. With all the food between us there was no way for me to lean over and offer her the choice bits, introduce her to our cuisine like she should have been introduced last night. Then again, the healers said she would have taken ill no matter what she ate, just from her exposure to the planet, so perhaps this delayed and private interlude was the better option. “Is it?” I asked. “I’ve never had wine from another planet.”

  “You haven’t?” She looked shocked and forgot she wasn’t supposed to be looking at me. I had no idea where she’d gotten that thought and hoped she forgot again. She had the most expressive face I’d ever seen, one of the most beautiful too, with dark eyes and golden skin, inviting pink lips stained dark with wine, and straight hair as dark as my dragon form.

  “The Oscavian Empire tries to import some of their goods, but wine has never been one of them. I’ve always loved what our vineyards could produce, why change something when it’s already everything you want?” I took a sip from my own glass and savored the full body and rich depth of the grapes. I was no expert in the subject and had no time to learn the finer points of wine, but I knew what I liked and my cellars were stocked with barrels of it.

  “Have you never been off planet?” I could tell that she was intrigued despite herself. She leaned in a little and started picking at her food, watching me with interest and a spark of dragonflame. That was nothing that we could control, but it was further proof that she needed to spend more time here, needed to see what kind of potential she had.

  “No, never. I think you’ve heard of our portal?” Given the direction she’d been heading it was hard to imagine why else she’d walked that way.

  She confirmed the suspicion with a careful nod and looked away again.

  Damn it. I didn’t want wariness from her, I wanted intrigue, attraction. “Legend says that our ancestors came through the portal many generations ago. I’m sure the scholars could pinpoint the exact date and tell you in excruciating detail the origins of those travelers. The portal is our main way off the planet. We have no space ports, no transport stations. I suppose if someone wanted, they could charter a ship from the Empire, but that has its own risks. But it’s also the only way to ensure that we can come home. No one who’s journeyed through the portal in the last one hundred years has returned. I don’t know if that is because the way is blocked once the journey is made or if the travelers found what they wanted far from home. Drakus has all I need, why would I risk being lost somewhere else? Somewhere that might trap my dragon under my skin and never let him see the light of day?”

  That was a fate I couldn’t envision and never wanted to risk. My dragon was as much a part of me as the man, but whispers around the planet held that only Drakus allowed us to take our second forms. Perhaps there was something in the atmosphere or some other reason, but those who’d been off planet on Oscavian trade ships, those who returned, spoke of the nightmare of their dragons screaming for release and being unable to do anything about it until they returned home.

  For weaker dragons, perhaps the struggle was bearable. I could not imagine being cut off from my wings.

  She offered a wry smile. “Well, my first trip off my home planet is definitely not what I expected. I can’t say I ever expected to wake up and have someone tell me my parents were aliens and I’m secretly a dragon.” She picked up a slice of cheese and nibbled on it.

  “You seem to be taking it well.” I couldn’t put myself in her place. I’d always known who I was, what I was, and if I were transported somewhere unknown and told my entire life was a lie there would be violence before order was restored.

  She put down her food and flattened her hands on the table, fingers tapping an unfamiliar beat. “There’s a very good chance that I start freaking out the second I get alone,” she said quietly. Then she looked up and speared me with a look, her gaze as strong and certain as any alpha’s. “Why did you stay with me?”

  “Do you not believe that I cared for your safety?” It was a deflection, but I didn’t have a sensible answer to her question, not one that wouldn’t send her screaming. She was already fragile from today’s revelations, she didn’t need to know that my dragon wanted to be near her. Not yet.

  “I believe that you’re a really busy man who seems to be dedicating his day to me. And you could have had the healers give you a report. This may be a different planet, but some things work the same no matter where you are.” She raised a brow at me, challenging me to contradict her. Whether it was the wine or the discussion that made her bolder, I wasn’t sure, but I liked what I was seeing.

  My cock twitched, blood rushing south, and I shifted in my chair to accommodate the sudden discomfort. “You were brought here for a reason, and I’d like to apologize for my reaction when you first came to the keep.”

  “A-apologize?” She blinked several times, as if she couldn’t believe the words could pass my lips.

  What kind of planet was she from where a man could not account for his poor behavior? “Is it so strange?” A smile tugged at the corner of my lips and I leaned in closer. I wanted to touch her, to see just how soft her skin could be under a sensual caress, but the table was large enough for a family and she hadn’t invited the contact. But I could be patient. A man didn’t reach my position by acting rashly.

  “I didn’t mean…” she rushed to say, but trailed off as if she couldn’t quite grasp what she didn’t mean.

  “I did not know that you were coming, and if I’d known I would have probably done something to prevent it.” Her face closed off at my words, those eyes full of expression and flame going dim as she schooled herself to give nothing away. She might not have been raised around dragons, but wherever she’d grown up she’d needed to learn control. I hated to wound her, even slightly, but I wouldn’t lie about this. I wanted to see what she was like at my side, but the mate of a dragon alpha had to be strong, had to know what the position entailed. “But having met you, I find myself curious. I want to get to know you, Kristen Mora, and see if those people at Celestial Mates are as talented as they claim.”

  “Is it because the healers say I’m a dragon?” It came out toneless.

  I had to tread carefully. I knew this moment was the one where I could push her away with one poorly thought out word. She was strong, taking all of the changes, all of the challenges and working with them. Perhaps she was unsteady, still unsure if what the healers said was true, but she hadn’t collapsed in terror yet. In sickness, yes, but that couldn’t be helped and already she seemed much better.

  “I should have looked at you before th
ey said that,” was my reply. “You bear no responsibility for all the times eligible dragonesses have been thrown in my path. And at the very least I should have offered you hospitality. I cannot claim that your heritage is not a factor, but there is so much more to you than that, things I want to learn, if you will give me the chance.” Potential was thick in the air, the possibility of a mating neither of us would have considered if not for the fact that we’d been meddled with. I didn’t know this woman from another planet, not beyond her appearance and what the healers said, but I wanted to know her, wanted to see if the possibility blooming between us could become something real, something more powerful than we could ever have expected.

  I wanted to touch her dragonflame and bathe her in my own. I wanted her to be my true mate even though I’d never dared dream of such a joining until I saw her.

  Maybe it was a sign she truly belonged with me. Maybe it was madness. Whatever it was, I needed to cling to it until she was mine.

  “What are you proposing?” Somehow we’d both managed to finish our plates in the course of our meal, but except for the wine I couldn’t have said what I’d consumed. Rich flavors were no match to the woman in front of me.

  “I would court you, if you would have me.” It was a serious step, something more involved than I’d ever considered before. But I could recognize the hand of fate when it pushed me along a certain path and only a fool ignored his destiny.

  “Court me?” She said the words as if they were foreign, as if she had to speak them to somehow make them real.

  “To see if we suit,” I clarified. “You came here for a purpose, and I do not want to send you away without trying.”

  “A purpose?” she echoed with a small shake of her hand. Her mouth opened and then closed as if she had to take back whatever she’d been about to say. Then she took a deep breath and recovered. “And how long would we give this a shot? What if it doesn’t work?”

  “If it doesn’t work I will take you to the portal myself and see you home with thanks. I should think two weeks would give us enough time to tell.” Two weeks of pleasure, of fire and flight and showing her everything my world had to offer. I could make a mate out of her in two weeks.

  Her eyes lit up once more and the dragonflame danced. “I’ve done worse for longer,” she said with a smile. “I could give you two weeks to see where this,” she gestured back and forth between us, “goes.”

  “Excellent.” I reached for the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head, tossing it aside and offering my most wicked grin. “Let’s get started.”

  Chapter Nine

  Kristen

  Wait.

  What.

  Abs!

  Huh.

  Oh god, abs and muscles and skin and what the hell was he doing? Drikal rose from his chair and stalked towards me, a predator’s glint in his eyes. When I’d agreed to two weeks of courtship I hadn’t expected to jump right into bed, but clearly courtship meant something way different here than it did on Earth.

  He leaned in towards me and I flashed a hand up to stop him, my fingers pressing against warm muscle and curling in to get a better feel. Damn, he felt good. This wasn’t some gym sculpted torso; I was pretty sure there weren’t any weight machines on this planet. No, he got this from training and dragoning and being an alpha, whatever that entailed. And he smelled so damn good that heat pooled low in me and I couldn’t decide whether to press my legs together to get more pressure or let them fall open so he could step inside.

  What had come over me? I wasn’t exactly the kind of girl who needed a ring and vows before I put out, but usually I made them buy me a drink.

  Well… I guess the wine counted. And he’d brought a meal too. Hell, that made this one of the nicest dates I’d ever been on. And the way he was looking at me was hotter than any guy back home. I’d be a fool to say no.

  “Step back, bud,” my stupid, not getting laid mouth said. “Time out.”

  And he froze, just like I’d zapped him with magical powers or something. I stared at my fingers for a moment to make sure I hadn’t developed magical powers in the last thirty seconds, but whatever other weirdness was going on, magic didn’t seem to be part of it. Okay, not zappy wizard magic. The healers said I’d turn into a freaking dragon, and if that wasn’t magic I didn’t know what was.

  “Is something wrong?” Drikal asked, concern mixed with sex in an all too alluring voice that I wanted to wrap myself up in and snuggle for days.

  Down, girl, I told my libido. I needed to stay focused. “I’m not sure that we’re thinking courtship is the same thing.” Why? Why did I suddenly develop the nerves of a frightened maiden from some period drama? The guy was hot, literally smoking hot, and he wanted to get down to business. There was no down side!

  Except he wanted to be my mate.

  Yeah, I didn’t do mates. Didn’t do permanent. It didn’t stick to me, and I couldn’t go painting castles in the sky just because this man-dragon thought things could go well for us.

  I took a shallow breath, trying not too breathe his scent in too deep. From how he was standing, still looming over me slightly, that was impossible. My body was tight, like something wanted to burst out of my skin, and for a second I worried that it was what the healer had warned me about. But I pressed my legs together and as I shifted, the material of my top dragged against my tightened nipples. Yeah, this had nothing to do with dragons and everything to do with lust.

  “You’re moving a little fast here,” I said, trying to cling to sanity. Though wasn’t it insane to kick a hot guy out of my bed? He had the kind of abs that dreams were made of and my fingers actually hurt not to reach out and touch. I wanted to lick.

  Something in his eyes shifted, like the color was swirling and lit with an inner flame. His face sharpened, the shadows shifting until he was all hard edges and predatory intent. Had I thought he was dangerous before? It had nothing on now.

  “You look at me like that…” he cut himself off, dragging in a deep breath, and after a labored moment stepped back, giving me the room I’d stupidly asked for.

  And it was amazing what kind of difference one step made. I could breathe again, was no longer consumed by the want that he engendered just by stepping near me. Don’t get me wrong, I was still slick with need and if I shut my eyes I could picture him looming over me and plunging that surely magnificent cock into me, but it wasn’t so… crazy anymore. “Are you doing something to me?” My voice came out too breathy, too vulnerable, and I shot out of my own seat and put more space between us. Of course, that put my back to the wall and it wouldn’t take much for Drikal to box me in.

  But he stayed where he was. “What do you think I’m doing?” he asked, the rakish grin he’d worn before now gone.

  I had to wet my suddenly dry lips. This guy had a presence and it was intimidating to stand there with the full weight of his gaze on me. But I was Kristen fucking Mora. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Was I cowering because he showed a bit of interest in me? What the fuck? I straightened my spine and breathed deep. A hint of his scent tickled my nostrils, but I let it sink in this time, let myself feel what I was feeling. There was no shame in attraction. The guy was hot as hell. It didn’t mean I was going to sleep with him right now, but there was nothing to be afraid of.

  “I think you’re testing me.” It was me who took the step forward. And this time I did touch him. His abs were right there and I was going to be obsessing until I knew that they felt as good as they looked. And, oh yeah, warm and hard and evidence of all the strength he kept coiled in that tight body of his.

  I didn’t lick. Barely.

  “I don’t play games,” Drikal responded. He leaned into my touch and the heat in his eyes simmered even hotter.

  I let my palm flatten, let my fingers dig in just a little. “Why not? Are you afraid of a little fun?” It would have been the perfect moment to lean in for a kiss, but I stepped back. I feared that if I tasted him I wouldn’t be able to stop and m
y reluctance to go to bed right now would be gone in a puff of smoke.

  “Come flying with me.”

  It took me a moment to understand just what he meant by flying. There weren’t exactly any planes on this planet. “Um… how?” They said I could turn into a dragon, but it hadn’t happened yet, and I didn’t exactly feel like I was about to sprout scales and a tail.

  “Trust me in this and I’ll give you something you’ll never forget.” His grin could make a holy woman sin, and I’d never been anywhere near holy. I put my hand in his and nodded. I was in the land of dragons, might as well get used to it.

  ***

  He took me to a large field outside of the keep, somewhere away from prying eyes. But eyes had pried a lot as we made our way outside, hand in hand, speaking quietly as Drikal told me more about his castle and the people he ruled. The people he protected. When Veyne had talked to me about it, I’d tuned out everything except for information about the portal. But Drikal held me rapt. I didn’t know if it was something about his supreme alphaness or just him, but I couldn’t tear my attention away.

  We’d walked just long enough for me to start to wonder if I’d misunderstood what he meant when he talked about flying when Drikal stopped. He lifted my hand to his lips and gave me a soft kiss before stepping away. I rubbed my thumb against the spot he’d kissed as if I could imprint the feel of his lips against my skin there forever.

  Lust had flared quick and hot for me before, I couldn’t pretend it was a stranger. But it had never been this intense or this focused. Maybe Drikal’s idea of fucking it out before going any further had been a good one. I eyed the grass under our feet and wondered if the ground would be soft enough. I’d never been an exhibitionist, but I was pretty sure we were far enough away from the keep that no one would spot us.