AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The panic-inducing space no longer presses in on me. All I see is her. All I smell is her need. When my body breaks through into the open space of the common room, my wings unfurl with the desire to draw my Mate’s attention. But she only smirks at me, the expression fierce. Her head tilts up, and the next second she launches up, spearing through the vent in the ceiling. I eye the opening skeptically, unsure if I will fit. But I will follow my Mate anywhere.
I leap into the air, climbing hard and fast to build my momentum enough so I can tuck in my wings and shoot through the hole in the ceiling. A few scales on my back scrape the rim of the hole, and my heel catches on a rock before I’m able to spread my wings again and drive myself into the star-lit night, chasing the amethyst beauty that’s gliding into the light of the full moon.
8
TATHA
The satisfying snap of bone crunches between my teeth, the marrow coating my throat. But as the hot rush of blood floods through my mouth, and the coppery smell invades my nose, I find myself missing the spice and flavor and even the char of the cooked meat from breakfast. One taste fed to me from Kem’s fingers, and I’m hooked.
I glance at the impossibly large black dragon next me. Though, I’m pretty sure my addiction has everything to do with the sexy man, and less about the actual food.
Rolling the bones and flesh around in my mouth, I spit out a curled horn on the ground where I lay. The heat of my inner fire melted the snow when I landed, and my second kill waits for me off to the side.
You wouldn’t think it by looking at them, but the shaggy horned tretlac, with their wide-set eyes and soft hooves, are fast beasts. They scamper across the mountainside and leap between crags. I’ve watched their frantic fleeing all my life, and it still amazes me they don’t immediately fall to their deaths.
I glance at Kem again, a long tretlac leg disappearing down his throat as his blood-coated teeth snap and grind his meal. By the time I snatched my two tretlacs, he had killed five. He offered me one of his, but my two are more than enough, and as he finishes off his last one, I hide a small smile. The King is a large beast and just consumed five large tretlacs in one sitting.
Why does that turn me on? Will everything this male does affect me?
Kem’s long tongue licks his lips, cleaning the blood from his face, but his eyes pin to me as he dips his head and starts to lick his claws. I’m transfixed as his tongue carefully collects every stray morsel, every tuft of hair, every drop of blood.
Why hasn’t he tried to claim my dragon? I’ve scented his arousal. His eyes speak of his desire for me, but he’s done nothing more than brush gentle touches against my scales. Does he not want?—
Kem’s deep voice snaps me from my spiraling thoughts. “I thank you for the hunt, Tatha. It’s been a long time. I’d almost forgotten the rush of the chase. It was most enjoyable.”
The sudden thought of him chasing me down plays out in my mind, and my scales heat with my blush.
Kem’s giant head tilts to the side. “What delicious thoughts are running through that beautiful head of yours?”
With a shake of my head, I lift my flank, scratching my front claws into the ground as I arch my back in a stretch. I know what this position does to my body, and a swell of satisfaction lights up my body at Kem’s purr. “Wicked woman.”
I grin, flashing my fangs, then roll over into a fresh patch of snow. It sizzles and melts around me as I clean the blood and viscera from my scales. Kem growl-laughs at me.
I leap into the air. The snow puffs and curls out behind me in the draft of air, and in the next second, Kem is at my side. I brush against him as we fly at a lazy pace back toward my Mountain. A touch of wings, a caress of tails, I even trail my knuckles down his back, but no matter how I play and tease, he doesn’t pounce. He doesn’t claim my dragon.
The moonlight reflects and shimmers off my scales, and I realize Kem remains a dark blot in the sky. It’s as if his shadows consume the light before it touches him.
I wonder …
Floating to the right, I angle up into a current that takes me above Kem. I fly high, and when I look down, it takes me a full minute to find him. Even as large as he is, his body melts into the shadows of the landscape far below.
Amazing.
I take a gentle dive back down to his side, and he grins at me. “Find what you were looking for up there?”
“Yes, but it took me a while.” My tail flicks through his trailing shadows. “That is incredible.”
He looks over his shoulder, watching the trailing darkness swirl away from his body. “I suppose.”
There’s a hard line of resignation to his face, and I realize the mystery of his color and his shadows might be a source of insecurity for the seemingly unflappable King. My heart kicks with a little pang of pain for my Mate, but I shake it off with a smile as I pull close to him, our wings touching again. If he won’t claim me, I need something to work off this edge.
“It’s only twenty-three miles from here back to the Mountain. Ready?”
He looks at me, and I gasp as the moonlight catches in his eyes. He’s a vision of absolute power. I imagine if I could see him beyond my biased Mate bond, I might be a little afraid of him. But all I see is … my dragon.
I grin, tensing my muscles. “Go!”
With one quick flap of my wings, I take off. His heat is right on my flank, and I fight to find the currents that will give me an edge. Kem may be large and powerful, but I’m quick.
