Page 83 of Smoke and Moon

She sighed and seemed to take in his words.Kai lifted her hand, placed it along his face, and caressed his jawline.“I will see her again, right?”

“I promise you,” he confirmed without a moment of hesitation.“After an appropriate amount of time, I will arrange it personally.”

Kai leaned into him, pressing her large breasts into his chest as she kissed him lightly.

Aodh slid his hands up her back and buried his fingers in her lustrous coils but restrained himself from deepening the kiss.Or from gliding his other hand up her waist to cup her breasts and fondle her until her nipple hardened and begged for his mouth.

“How about you take me to bed, mate?”Her full lips curled into a beguiling smile.“Or the couch...the floor before a fire...”

He didn’t need to read his mate’s mind to know what she wanted.Needed.With her pregnancy, knowing that his seed was growing inside of her was doing things to him.There was never a question if he desired his mate, but it had become stronger.He’d heard discussions about how the connection between mates during pregnancy was intense but never having experienced it before.He’d mistakenly believed it would be like times in the past when he was incredibly aroused and wanted sex from a partner.It was not.

His need for her became his very blood and air.

And his damn beast wasn’t any help because he egged him on.Urging him earlier to take Kai to his desk or his dragon flying like black-winged demons were on its tail as he rushed to get back to her.

He could easily spend hours thrusting deep inside of her and still not be satisfied.

“Not yet, little flame.”He stood and set Kai on her feet before him.

“Why not?”Her pout was fucking sexy as hell.

And if he didn’t stop staring at her mouth, he’d have his mate on her knees and sliding his cock into it.He groaned and stepped back from her.“Have you forgotten there’s something I want to show you?”

She tipped her head to the side.“Show me?”

Yes.

Wait.Your hoard.

Right.He grabbed Kai’s hand and started toward the bedroom.“Come with me.”

“Wait.I thought you said we weren’t having sex.”

“Yet.”He growled.“Yet.But we still need to go this way.”

Mindful of his mate’s shorter gait, he took the stairs slowly up to the room as he pulled Kai behind him.

“What?”Confusion laced her voice.

He stopped in the center of the room and inhaled deeply, taking the sweetness of her scent as he met her gaze.After a slow exhale, he said, “As I explained, each dragon has a hearth-stone, gem, or precious metals like gold or platinum.”

“Yours is black obsidian like those on your sword.”She gestured toward the front room where his two broad swords hung over the mantle.

“Yes.”He squeezed Kai’s hand as his dragon writhed inside him just at the mention of the volcanic glass.Aodh paused.He wanted to ensure his following words impressed upon his mate the moment’s significance.“As Drahks, we have been aware of each dragon’s hearth-stone from the time we discovered it as younglings.”

“Do you all travel the world searching for the gem that connects to you?”

He lifted his hand and caressed along her neck, needing to touch her more.“We used to centuries ago.However, once humans began to populate and explore every corner of the Earth, it became harder for a dragon to fly freely around the world.So, a while ago, a Wise One who happened to be a geologist began to collect every possible stone and mineral on Earth.We maintain them in a vault.Once a Drakh shifts for the first time, their parents and the leaders escort the dragon inside to discover their infinite hearth-stone.”

Attempting to drive home his point, he took a small step back and pulled one side of his vest away from his body.Next, he ran a hand along the bottom seam until he could pinch the material between his thumb and index finger, causing a sliver of black obsidian to pop out.A Drahk always has a piece of their hearth-stone with them.”

Her brown gaze held his.“Have two dragons ever connected with the same piece?”

“Never.Because—”

“Dragon link.”

Aodh smiled at her.“Yes.But once a Drahk passes away, that stone cycles through and becomes available for another.”

---