"Delicious," I agreed, my voice emerging in a breathless rasp. I arched against him, craving that electrifying contact, only to have him withdraw his hand, leaving me bereft.
Undeterred, Keldor selected another fruit and brought it to my lips with maddeningly slow precision. "Then you'll want to save room for more, sweetling. We've only just sampled the finest delicacies my world offers."
I huffed out a petulant breath, but obediently opened for the next treat. And the next. And the one after that. With every bite Keldor fed me from his own hand, the sultry heat simmering between us ratcheted higher, our breaths mingling in scorching exhalations until I thought I might spontaneously combust from the sheer, intoxicating tension.
"Keldor," I rasped out a plea, my slick tongue darting out to chase a stray droplet of nectar from the corner of my lips. "I really think I can feed myself now."
His only response was a low, rumbling growl of disapproval as he snagged another fruit and traced the plump curve along my lips with excruciating leisure, leaving behind a shimmering trail of sweet juices in its wake. "And rob me of such sweet torment?" he husked, the words a heated caress against the throbbing pulse at my throat. "I think not, my daring little minx."
Then, with no further preamble, he sealed his mouth over mine in a searing, all-consuming kiss that stole the very breath from my lungs.
The insistent demand of Keldor's questing tongue against my lips proved too heady a temptation to resist. With a ravenous moan, I parted for him, our mouths clashing in a carnal duel of slick heat and unbridled hunger. His talons scored delicious trails along my sensitized flesh as he angled me more fully into his lap, the thick ridge of his arousal grinding exquisitely against my aching core through the thin barrier of our clothes.
"Keldor," I whimpered breathlessly against the scorching assault of his kiss, my nails raking over the flexing muscles of his back. "Please..."
A low, guttural snarl rumbled up from the depths of his chest as he wrenched his mouth from mine, panting harshly. His eyes had gone molten, the amber irises virtually swallowed by rings of smoldering black. Desire painted his chiseled features in stark lines, the feral angles and planes holding an almost feral intensity that should have terrified me. Instead, it only stoked the raging inferno burning through my veins.
"You test me, sweetling," he rasped in a gravelly rasp. "You are temptation itself with those wanton sounds and scorching caresses."
"Then don't resist," I dared him brazenly as I ground my weeping center against the throbbing length confined beneath those soft, supple leathers. "Take what you want from me, Keldor. Make me yours."
A muscle ticked rapidly in his taut jaw as he visibly wrestled for control, the tendons in his neck standing out in taut cords. When at last he spoke, his tone was rough, almost pained. "As enticing as that invitation is, I fear I must refuse. At least for now."
I blinked at him, dazed and incredulous. "What? Why?"
Keldor cupped my face in his calloused palm, his thumb tracing the swollen curve of my lips with exquisite tenderness. "You are not yourself, little one. Your mind is addled, your memories lost. I will not take advantage of your vulnerable state, no matter how tempting the prize."
Frustration and a hint of anger lanced through me at his gentle refusal. I opened my mouth to protest, to insist that I knew exactly what I wanted - what I craved with every fiber of my being. Keldor hushed me with a lingering brush of his lips, leaving me trembling and bereft all over again.
"Please, try to understand," he murmured, his gaze holding mine in a searing caress. "You have awakened desires in me I had firmly locked away long ago, deemed too dangerous toindulge. To surrender to them now, when you are not fully cognizant of the consequences, would make me no better than those vile slave traders who stole you from your world."
My breath caught at the unexpected vulnerability shining through the cracks in his usually stoic facade. Reaching up, I traced the firm line of his jaw with trembling fingertips. "I want this, Keldor. I want you. Surely you must feel how right this is, how much my body yearns for your touch?"
He caught my hand and pressed a fervent kiss to my palm before holding it against the thrumming cadence of his heart. "You do not know how badly I crave to make you mine, sweetling. To stake my claim and never allow you to leave my side again. But not like this, not when there are so many shadows clouding your mind."
Withdrawing from the intimate embrace, Keldor rose fluidly to his feet, his towering presence utterly commanding the space around him. He took care that I stood on my own before shifting away from me. "Perhaps...perhaps it would be best if we took some time apart. A brief respite to allow our turbulent emotions a chance to settle, and for you to regain your full faculties before we discuss the undeniable connection blossoming between us."
He turned on his heel and strode from the chamber with those powerful strides, leaving me gaping after him in a swirl of confusion, desire, and a surprising flicker of hurt at his abrupt departure. As the heavy door thudded shut behind him, sealing me inside, a wave of frustration crashed over me.
"Damn you and your insufferable honor, dragon," I growled, slamming my fist against the unforgiving surface of the table, rattling the dishes that remained. "I don't need time or space to know what I want. I want you, Keldor Blazeclaw, scars and shadows and all."
Sagging back against the table, I dragged a shaky hand through my disheveled tresses and blew out a harsh breath.Whether or not the fierce warrior accepted it, my heart and body had made their choice. I belonged to the dragon, wholly and completely.
All that remained was to make him see the truth.
Chapter 5
Keldor
I sagged backagainst the unyielding stone of the chamber door, harsh pants tearing from my lungs as I struggled for control. My heart thundered with a deafening cadence, my blood scorching through my veins like molten fire from the forges of the ancients. Every nerve ending blazed with lingering sparks from the female's electrifying touch, her intoxicating scent still clouding my senses.
Clenching my fists until the scales lining my knuckles groaned in protest, I fought to steady my ragged breaths. What in the seven sacred rings was happening to me? Never in all my long centuries had I experienced such a visceral, all-consuming reaction to a female's presence. The primal need to claim, to ravage, to bury myself to the hilt in her welcoming heat until she screamed my name to the heavens - it was like nothing I'd ever known.
And that terrified me more than I cared to admit.
As the Prince of Dragoria, I had been well-schooled in the ancient laws and traditions governing my kind since birth. Foremost among them was the sacred covenant regarding mates and the intrinsic bonds we formed. A Dragorian's mate was their literal other half, the missing piece that completed their soulsand allowed them to achieve their full potential as warriors, leaders, and the guardians of our celestial realm.
To find one's mate, one's 'anislah', was the greatest honor that could befall a Dragorian. An event so rare and precious, it was celebrated across all the kingdoms with reverent awe. Those fortunate enough to be blessed with the divine gift of a mate were bound together for all eternity, their essences intertwined, their destinies made whole.
