Before Aras could respond, I kissed him, my tongue hitting his fangs before delving deeper. He tasted like rum and chocolate, two things I adored, especially together. I growled and kissed him deeper.
Then Aras grabbed my ass and pulled me down on him as he lifted his hips. I jerked away from his lips and pushed his hands away so quickly that he nicked my hip with a claw. I hissed, the pain adding to my pleasure. But my eyes widened when Aras growled and swiped at the blood with a fingertip. The scratch healed by the time he sucked my blood off his finger.
“Bloodthirsty, are we, Captain?” I drawled.
“You're delicious.” He lifted his hips again to meet me on the drop.
I set a hand on his belly and sped up, slamming onto his cock hard enough to pin him down. Aras grinned, knowing exactly what I was doing, and probably why. He went still, letting me take control.
“That's a good boy,” I said and ground on him. “I ride you, and then, if I'm pleased with your behavior, I may allow you to ride me.”
Aras made a happy sound. “I'm dying to slam into your tight channel.”
“I'm sure you'll survive the wait.”
Aras chuckled, the sexy sound making my cock twitch. And then pleasure rolled up my spine, arching my back. With my hands clenched around Aras's waist, I came violently, my seed gleaming like jewels on his furred chest.
“My turn,” he growled and upended me, tossing me onto my back while staying lodged inside me.
I was still coming, body bucking through my release and eyes closed to enjoy it. It felt better than usual, the effervescent ecstasy building even as it exploded through me. So good that I didn't realize what Aras was doing at first. I would have protested if I had. After all, I'd made it clear that he was only to do this under my order.
But then Aras had my legs up, draped over his thick arms. Any other man, and I would have bucked him off. But this felt right. It felt . . . fucking amazing. I opened my eyes and met Aras's bright stare. His eyes were wide and his lips were parted. Maybe he was surprised that I was allowing this. Whatever the case, his expression softened as he bent to kiss me.
I never realized how intimate sex could get in this position. Aras moved my legs around his hips so he could press even closer. Instead of pushing him away, I found myself tightening my thighs to hold him there. And that sleek cock of his kept moving deeper and deeper, awakening new sensations. My hands slid over his back, kneading and gripping. Pulling him closer. The taste of him was wild and sharp on my tongue—rum overpowering the chocolate. I couldn't get enough.
Suddenly, Aras broke free of our kiss and lifted his head to roar. The muscles in his neck stood out, even beneath the fur, the arch putting them on display. His fangs caught the light, and I had the strangest urge to feel them in my flesh. Not breaking skin, just holding on like a mating animal does. The thought sent a fresh surge of excitement through my cock. Combined with the feel of his cum filling me, it sent me over again.
But this time, something was different.
I heard Aras roar but there was an echo of it inside me. My dragon. We were one, but I could still feel him as a unique piece of me, as one might feel a hand or foot. Or maybe lungs. The beast condensed in my pelvis and as I went rigid with another phenomenal release, I felt the magic leave me. It took a piece of my soul with it.
Mating essence burst free of my cock, coating Aras in thick ribbons. But it wasn't enough, especially with the way his fur prevented most of it from touching his skin. As Aras's shaft went flaccid and slipped free of my body, I reared up and knocked him backward. His eyes popped open, but then he smiled.
“You'll need to give me a few minutes, Your Majesty,” he said. “I don't recover as quickly as you.”
“Open your mouth,” I growled as I straddled him and rose onto my knees.
I was still coming, my body jerking with a rapture that went soul-deep. Just looking upon Aras was ecstasy—his savage face had become precious to me in just a few heartbeats. More than precious. Integral. And not just his face. I needed all of him from this moment forward. His face, his hands, his cock. All of it. Aras was the key to my happiness. To my survival. Everything made sense suddenly—why I had pined for him, the way I felt when I looked at him, those fucking dreams. I had started the bonding process with our first interlude. Now, I was completing it.
Aras was my mate!
I had never been a loving man. Never much for the gentler emotions. But I felt them now. Iunderstoodthem now. All those touches and looks that my parents exchanged. They were necessary to satisfy the magic. I wanted to protect Aras. To see him happy. I craved his smile. His lust. His laughter. I wanted it all. Even his tears, should he shed them. And then I would destroy whoever or whatever made him cry.
You cannot tell him!the Eye shouted in my mind.
I ignored her. This was my mate. I was mating Aras! It was a glorious day, and I wouldn't let anything ruin it.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Aras said.
I was so wrapped up in the mating and the Eye's rejection of it that it took me a second to realize what Aras was responding to. The opening of his mouth helped. His eyes widened further when I got to my feet on the bed and aimed my cock at his mouth. My mating essence kept flowing out of me, hitting mymate on his chest, chin, face, and, at last, inside his mouth. Seeing Aras lick his lips and swallow nearly undid me, especially when his sexy, deep, happy rumble followed.
Oh, fuck, and now he's rubbing it in,I thought as I watched Aras's hands—claws retracted—rub my essence past his fur and into his skin where it would be absorbed.It's as if he knows what he needs to do.
Lyrandir, if you tell him that he's your mate, he will think of himself as immune to your threats,the Eye pestered me.He will stop trying to find me. You must not tell him who he is to you.
He's my mate!I roared inside my head joyously as I came across his arms—one, then the other. I stepped back, instincts guiding me to cover Aras completely. I couldn't have stopped myself if I tried. My sacs tightened again as I stroked my shaft, pumping that precious bonding liquid out of me to coat my mate so that all would know he belonged to me. He was taking my soul into him where it would merge with his and make him stronger. If he hadn't been an immortal, my soul would have made him so. Such was the power of the mating magic.
The blessing of the Goddess was upon us.
