Fearless.
I stiffened, taking in the beauty of her face before walking over. “Be careful what you ask for, Maze. I might look this way, but I’m more beast than man.”
Her heated glare was a direct challenge. “I don’t have any idea what you mean,” she lied.
“Sure you don’t.” My lips twitched, seconds from smirking. “Oh, and don’t think I’ve forgotten that you haven’t answered my question. These distractive methods might work on most, but I see right through them.”
I tossed off my shirt but opted to keep my pants on…for reasons. Her eyes followed me as I laid out next to her, the muscles in my torso flexing and reshaping. As much as I wanted to deny it, I was desperate to be close to her and too tired to fight it.
Maze’s greedy gaze took a pointed path down my chest before the scent of her arousal nearly overtook the citrus. “Desert Roseland.”
And whatever arousal I felt was killed with those two words.
Desert Roseland—the wasteland of human gangs Iris begged me to intervene on. The vilest of the humans we oversaw, their cruelty the thing of gossip and scorn with the dragons against enslavement. A gift to those who revered the old ways and wanted their humanscompliant.
It wasn’t a secret Desert Roseland’s methods could rival past dragon leadership in regards to human treatment. What Iris told me they did to their females and children would’ve given even battle-worn dragons like myself nightmares, and now it all made sense. Because every female who came out of their sector was in pieces. Broken. A slave before they even reached our gates.
And my little Moon Beast was one of them.
I startled out of my head when her hand glided across my stomach, fingers tracing the strong outline of my abdominals. When I looked down, her sweet pink mouth was already close to mine. “Why do you always smell like oranges? Is it a demon’s trick, or are you as fond of them as I am?”
I narrowed my eyes on her in shock, but my body had already rebelled. One hand cradled the back of her neck, careful of the gorgeous braids woven around a thin crown of gold, and the other gripped her waist to drag her body into mine. This close, her delicious, all-consuming scent floated into my nose without hindrance. It dulled my thoughts. It made lust more important than reason.
Without thinking, I bent down to capture her mouth in a kiss that was likely to be the first of many mistakes.
Chapter 9
Iwas trying to distract him from his anger and questions. Iris’s safety was at risk if I couldn’t. He’d punish her for what happened earlier, for taking me out of his room again. The demon had been gone, so I likely had no power to convince him, but I’d do anything to keep her safe.
Instead, it was me who was caught.
Our lips met, and I swallowed fire and exhaled bliss. My skin was sensitive to every caress of his hands, one huge hand gripping my neck and the other possessively holding my waistto his. His touch was strong but gentle, as if I were a precious treasure and not a well-used woman who’d warmed plenty of beds. It confused me more than the sudden kiss had. Worse, I’d never felt so overwhelmed by heat and ecstasy.
Kissing wasn’t anything new to me. I’d done it with too many men to count. I was well versed in utilizing my sexuality. It was a means to an end; my duty for information gathering. I’d been taught pain and minimal pleasure when it came to touching and sex. It was a tool to get vital information from the gangs in our sector.
Pain grounded me.
Not this. Not this unfamiliar, explosive heat that coiled in my belly. Not this pulse between my legs. Not this heat that worked its way over my skin and set every nerve on fire. And certainly not this euphoric, out-of-body sensation that transcended sense.
The firm yet soft friction of his mouth moving against mine was foreign to me. The yearning for more was unexpected. I wanted to claw my way into his skin and make my home in his powerful body. I wanted to taste every part of him and have him taste every part of me. I never wanted him to stop touching me. Even spent blissful seconds contriving ways to encourage more.
Was kissing always meant to be this…addicting?
I hadn’t realized I’d been waiting for this. I didn’t know I needed it until his mouth was on mine. But now that it was, I hoped it never stopped. His kiss satisfied a deeply rooted need. Now that I had it, I didn’t want to let it go.
Hesitating, I reached up and tangled my hand in his long black hair, testing the silky feel of it sliding between my fingers. I shed caution and swept my tongue into his mouth.
Onyx tasted like he smelled, sweet and tart. I gave myself over to the sensation of our kiss. I was taught to be calculating, but tonight I leaned into instinct. His heady groan suggested it was the right way to go.
As if he couldn’t help himself, Onyx’s mouth moved faster over mine, his fangs nearly puncturing my lower lip in his haste before he changed angles. With another low growl, his front pushed into mine.
The erection lodged between us was absolutely massive. Bigger than anyone in my sector. Bigger than even Jona. Not that I didn’t expect him to be. With how huge they were in this form, it only made sense his cock would be as well. But I was suddenly worried it’d never fit, and if he chose to take me tonight, it’d be painful. Torturous, even.
But maybe that was for the best.
He thrust his hips several times before a growl of frustration ended the movement altogether. His hands teased down my back and lifted my skirt. But he didn’t do more as if he was hesitating, as if he was fighting himself, and I wasn’t sure why. The men I was normally with never did.
Why wouldn’t this beast take what was already his? Why did he stop himself every time?
