Page 71 of Dragon Awakened

Storm reaches a hand around to drum at my clit, extending my high, and he lets go of any restraint. Over and over, he drills into my ass until his breathing goes ragged.

"Love you," he breathes into my hair.

My body pulses with a final, blinding wave of unutterable pleasure as he comes in my ass.

"Mates," I cry out, and they're all there. I'm surrounded by their flesh, their hands, their breath. A deep well of blackness opens up within me, and it's the solidity of stone, the heat of fire, the cool flow of unseen waters, and the bright clarity of a high desert wind.

The roar I let out this time isn't just pleasure, though. It's deeper, hotter.

Darker.

My dragon's wings soar past the boundaries of my ribcage as something unlocks within my very soul.

My eyes snap open, my vision clouding with deep violet clouds of Shadow Dragon magic. Fear prickles my skin.

I breathe out harshly.

I'm still human.

But the very air in my lungs tastes of dragonfire and ash.

Chapter

Eighteen

EMBER

By all rights, I shouldn't sleep a wink that night. Dark swirls of magic hover just at the edges of my vision. My dragon is high in my chest, rattling the cages of my ribs, demanding to be let out. Her power unnerves me, both exciting and terrifying me by turns. My "destiny" to unite dragonkind and bring light to shadow feels impossibly close--and yet still utterly, ridiculously impossible.

That said, it's been a hell of a day. We infiltrated a hostile foreign kingdom, kidnapped a prince, and narrowly escaped an attack by Air and Shadow Dragon soldiers. I bonded with my final mate, then got absolutely railed by all four of them.

I'm exhausted.

So I pass out in a naked, sweaty pile of delicious men, surrounded by the safety of their scents, filled to the brim with their essence. My blood scintillates with the intensified magic of our bonds, and I lose myself to a dreamless sleep.

I wake to bright morning light and to Storm lightly snoring in my ear. I lie utterly still, taking just a moment to revel in waking up naked beside him for the first time ever, despite years of being together in secret. Blinking open my eyes, I gaze at his face, relaxed in sleep. My heart pangs--regretting all the missed opportunities from our past. Remembering the way he hurt me. But also accepting of the fact that we get another chance. That we're bonded forever now, deep in our souls.

The bonds to all four of my mates glow, pulling at the inside of my chest. Rafe and Malik are passed out next to Storm. Other than the fact that Rafe is drooling a little, they both look perfectly sexy and gorgeous and relaxed. My heart clenches with gratitude. I wondered how our little group would handle adding a new member. So far at least, it seems to be going pretty well.

On my other side, Jianyu clears his throat.

The man has always been an early riser. He's sitting up in bed, dressed in boxer briefs, which is a shame, but probably practical. As I trail my gaze up his bare chest, I flex inside, delicious soreness reminding me about how hard my men took me the night before--as if I could forget. But I push my desire out of my mind, at least for now.

Jianyu holds up my phone and gives it a little waggle. Squinting at the screen, I crane my neck to read it.

Fifty-three unread messages.

"Amy wants you to meet her for breakfast," he whispers, deadpan. "Sorry, I didn't mean to look, but the twentieth time it buzzed, I put it on Do Not Disturb." A fond smile curls his lips, and he reaches out to brush his knuckles down my cheek. "You needed your rest."

Damn right I did.

I kiss his palm in thanks and relax back into my pillow. "Tell her to give us thirty minutes."

In the end, it takes us an hour, but can anybody blame me?

Amy gives me a knowing smirk as I saunter into the cafe next to her mother's magic shop, flanked by all four of my mates. "Looks like someone had a good night."

Is there any point denying it? I just got spit-roasted by two guys--twice. I tried my best to fix my hair, but I gave up and decided to embrace my freshly-mated glow.

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