Page 27 of Breaking Briar

I scratch at it, begging it to come down.

What am I supposed to know?

What did the woman say?

How am I to answer Philip when I cannot even control my own mind?

“Briar,” he barks out, his eyes hooded as he leans over me.

Is that concern I see sparking in those reddish depths? As I watch him, I observe the struggle. Hazel wars with molten red as the man tries to tame the beast.

Dragon.

Abomination.

Salvation?

My breath comes in a gasp as he surges inside me, sliding his member deep inside. The weight of his body presses me further into the thorns, sending splintering shards of exquisite pleasure flowing through my body.

Everything tightens, coiling in my gut. Again, I stand at the edge of some precipice, some unknown place. But something holds me back. He holds me back. Philip gives me just enough pleasure to keep me on the razor edge but never lets me go.

How I long to tip over, to dive into the black pool in front of me. It looks so inviting, so calm and peaceful. Just one touch. One small touch. As if this monster knows my mind better than I do, I’m yanked back once more, pressed against this wretched wall in my brain.

I beat at it, claw at it, and slam my palms against the rough surface, but it never gives way. Tears stream down my face as futility makes my limbs leaden, wooden, and unable to move. All I can do is slump down and sob.

Darkness overtakes me. It’s as if my body is asleep once more, even as my mind knows everything going on around me. I don’t understand. True love woke me up. Was it all a farce? A dream?

Am I dreaming even now?

“Briar!” Philip screams my name, his voice hoarse as if he’s been shouting for days.

I’m right here.

“Briar!” His fingers scrabble over my body, twisting and turning me, delivering agonizing pleasure with each tug as he removes the thorns from my body.

Philip. Please! I beg, my body limp in his arms.

Nothing.

Everything is dark and cold.

What I would give to have Philip’s warmth wrap around me once more. This time, I won’t even fight him.

You must.

The wise woman! She followed me, even down into the realm of waking nightmares.

Help me! I scream in my mind.

Desperation coats my insides, filling my lungs with its acrid stench.

You must not lie with the dragon. Her voice is thick and muffled, as if far away from me.

I won’t! I scream back. I can’t. I would surely be crushed.

And that’s when I recall my dream. Philip pressed me into the thorns, and I did not die. Would mating with a dragon even kill me? What am I even saying? It was a dream. Vivid, but a dream, nonetheless.

“Briar. Briar, answer me.”