Page 17 of Dragon Unleashed

His eyes flash wickedly, and he grips my high ponytail, giving it a tug. My lower belly clenches.

“Clothes off, now. On your hands and knees in the middle of the bed.”

I scramble to do what he says. His controlling tone shouldn’t be a turn-on. He’s never been so dominant before but dammit if it doesn’t make my panties wet.

I perch in the middle of his bed, arching my back and peering back over my shoulder at him. Slowly he pulls off his sweats, then his T-shirt. He reaches out, his big rough hand caressing my buttocks, squeezing. Then he smacks me again.

“Eyes front,” he commands.

I squirm at the sting but do what he says, biting my lip. His hand comes down hard on my other cheek and I yelp in protest. The bed dips under his weight as he moves behind me, his hand massaging away the sting. My core aches with need.

His hands move farther up, stroking my breasts, tweaking my nipples. They pebble under his touch, and my breaths come in little pants. Chano positions himself behind me, one hand gripping my hip, the other tapping my clit. Just when I think I can’t take it anymore, he presses his cock against me, sliding in with one smooth thrust. I let out a gasp, and he holds himself still. It’s only been weeks, but somehow I forgot how big he is. How much he stretches me. Rocking my hips against him, I moan.More.He relaxes and moves with me, driving deeper. His hand tangles in my hair, yanking my head back as he drives into me.

“You want me, little vamp?” he whispers in my ear, and I pant in reply.

He pulls out, infuriatingly slowly, and flips me around, his weight holding me in place. He pins my arms above my head and drives into me again. I shouldn’t like it, feeling this helpless, but it ignites something inside me. Chano holds my gaze for a long beat before he exposes his neck to me. I can’t hold back; my canines descend further and, as I bite down, I come. It’s feral, wild, and intense. Like no orgasm I’ve had. Even with Chano.

The moment my teeth pierce Chano’s skin he follows me over the edge. Our orgasms roll over us, drawn out, wave after wave, only finally jerking to a stop once I pull my teeth from his skin. Chano leans his forehead on mine, and we share a look, our breaths mingling, my limbs still trembling.

Why the hell didn’t we do that before?

Chapter Eight: Lorelei

I crack our dorm room door open and peer in. Thank the goddesses. Wherever Naeve is, she’s not here. Stepping over the threshold, something crunches under my feet, and I glance down. A dirty white envelope stares back at me, my name in bold cursive on the front.

My stomach drops.

It can’t be. Las Ratas are dealt with. Aren’t they? I ended up as the Virrey’s ward purely because I was so desperate to get away from their claim on me.

The presents Las Ratas sent me last year, each note more threatening than the last until…Dog. My breath catches remembering his poor tangled fur, matted with blood.

They killed Dog.

I chew my lip. My hunger is sated; everything else should be easy. Not every note is from Las Ratas. I turn the envelope over and over in my hands, weighing it.I’ve got this.I rip it open, upending it over my desk. A single piece of paper floats out, landing face down on the dark oak.

My fingers shake as I flip it over, screwing my eyes up quickly before I see what’s written.

Clenching my teeth, I peek through my eyelashes. It’s not a letter… I open my eyes and pick it up. It’s a photocopy of a photo. Magically enhanced so I can see the figure from all angles, but it’s a copy of a photo nonetheless.

The woman who stares back at me is hauntingly familiar. Her big eyes, almost too big for her head, her high cheekbones, and that white, white hair. Only the chin is wrong. If I cover the chin, it could be me staring back. Excepting the magnificent and dated robes.

And the crown.

I flop into my chair and place the photo carefully on the desk, absently tracing the woman’s outline. There’s no room for doubt. We’re related. My own brown eyes stare out from the photo. The only thing they’re missing are purple demon rings around the irises. She wears an intricately engraved black and gold crown over her white hair. I peer closer. That pattern, that insignia.

No. It can’t be.

Pushing away from the desk, I swing so far back that for a moment I balance precariously on the back legs of my chair.

Standing quickly, I ignore the thud as the chair crashes to the floor. In a few swift strides I’m on Naeve’s side of the room. Somewhere on her bookshelf… I run my fingers over the pristine titles and glance at the door. We’re maybe not on speaking terms but she wouldn’t mind…would she? There! After wiping my sweaty hands down my skirt, I pull out a thin volume from the top shelf of Naeve’s most precious books. There’s no dust jacket, and the cover is a pale gray.

If I mark this, she willkillme.

Gently I place the book on the desk next to the photo.Of Royals and Regency.Why she has this, beats me. I leaf through the pages, carefully turning each one until I see it. The crest. Ihold the photo beside the crest. It’s definitely the same. This lady in the photo, this person who’s so clearly related to me, was part of the Mael dynasty. A royal.

Holy hags.

I puff out my cheeks and nearly choke on my own spit when there’s a knock at the door. My head rushes a thousand miles an hour. The knocking becomes more rapid, louder.

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