“Now, the seas,”I said in my vision.
“Ly, please,”Aras turned toward me, suddenly insecure. His eyes were sad. But then his clothing vanished, and he suddenly stood directly before me, gripping my arms. “Tell me what's wrong. Should I get a physician?”
“No,” I whispered as reality returned. Or maybe I should call it the present versus the future. “No, I'm fine.” Silently, I said,I won't tell him. Now leave me be!
Very well. But know that I only want your triumph, Lyrandir. And I know the best path to achieve success. Telling Aras he's your mate will take you off that path.
Yes, all right!
I will allow this disrespect once since you are in the middle of mating. But never speak to me like this again.And then she was gone, leaving shivers over my skin.
I'd heard the stories about our Goddess and her rage. She had incinerated a Dragon king and his knights for opposing her. Seconds. That's all it took for her to kill one of the most powerful Dragons on Serai. It was not wise to court her anger, even through an amulet. And then there was the power it could give me. If the Goddess could obliterate Dragons so easily, even the tiniest piece of her magic could indeed make me the King of Serai.
“What happened?” Aras demanded. “You were staring off at nothing and then you said something about the ocean.”
“I . . .” Oh, fuck. How could I explain this? I stalled by asking, “Did you call me 'Lie?'”
“Ly, short for Lyrandir. Is that all right?”
I pretended to consider it, using the opportunity to come up with an excuse for my crazy behavior. “I suppose it's charming.”
“Good. Now, answer my question. What the fuck just happened?”
“I haven't been getting much sleep lately. The Eye has consumed me.”
Well, wasn't that the truth?
Aras cocked his head and cupped my cheek with his leathery palm. “You do look tired. And for a Dragon that must mean you're exhausted. Come here.”
He drew me to the bathtub and stepped into the water. A pull on my hand urged me to climb in after him. I did, then sank into the hot water with a sigh.
Aras grabbed a cloth and soap, then sat down behind me. I looked down at his thick thighs, the muscles more clearly defined by wet fur. Under the water, his lower legs were the opposite, their fur sticking out to undulate. My gaze followed one calf down to his foot. As with his hands, the claws were retracted, but I knew they were there. And they were deadly. That hardly mattered to my beast. He still saw Aras as someone to protect. My mate was strong, and I was proud of that, but I was stronger. I had to push down the words that threatened to rise. Words promising safety and comfort. I wanted to make vows to care for him forever. I wanted Aras to know that no one would ever hurt him. Knowing my mate, he would either laugh or be offended. So maybe it was better that I hadn't told him of the mating.
“Your muscles are like rock,” Aras said as his hands kneaded soap into my back. “Fuck, Ly. I know you want this thing badly, but you need to relax a little. You'll have it.” His hands slid down, then around my waist to pull me back against his chest. “I won't stop until Ensarena's Eye is yours.”
I sighed and relaxed against him. His hands moved over my chest, washing me and idly playing with my nipples. My cock twitched.
“None of that now,” Aras teased. “At least let me finish bathing you.”
“Hurry,” I growled over my shoulder.
Aras bent his head and kissed me. He still tasted like rum and chocolate, even after all the hours we had spent in bed. Even after the meal we shared and the wine we drank. Was his natural flavor this sweet? I swept my tongue over his and turned to face him. Too late. I couldn't wait now. The magic was rising.
Thank the Goddess, my mate was rising too.
Using Water Magic, I parted the bathwater around Aras's lap.
Aras pulled back from our kiss and looked down in shock. “What the fuck?”
“I don't want the water to wash away your lubricant.” I grinned at him.
“I get that. That's not what I'm questioning.”
“It's Water Magic, Aras.” I took his hand and led it to his cock. “Would you like to see what else I can do?”
“Fuck, yes, I would.” He held his cock straight for me to mount. “Show me everything, Ly.”
I chuckled and said, “Maybe not everything. I'll want to save some tricks for later.”
