Page 6 of Dragons' Bride
"I… imagine so."
"You imagine right," says Hauck. "I can have any woman I choose. Not to keep perhaps, but to have for a time." There is a pang of pain in his voice that he covers quickly. "And you are, like you said, bought and paid for. Correct?"
I nod.
"Good. That means that everyone here knows that there is no reason for me to do this, except for one – because I desperately want to." With that, Hauck spins me to face him. With one hand on my back and the other on my head, he dips his head and seals his lips over mine.
The kiss starts gently, but as my body yields to Hauck’s, the strokes of his tongue grow deeper and more savoring. His hands roam. One hand is tangled in my hair, not hard enough to hurt, but just the perfect amount to be felt. His other palm spreads wide over the column of my spine. His purr vibrates through me, the intensity and passion of the kiss so palpable that it pulls me onto my toes.
My body ripples with sensation, more potent than anything I’ve felt before coming into the pack. Hauck is earth and life, he is magic and mischief, and the kind of intensity that makes my heart race so fast that I can’t remember where I am. My hands dig into his arms, holding on as I ride each wave of desire that pulses through me.
I’m vaguely aware of the ship shifting beneath me and Hauck’s hold growing tighter. Somewhere on deck, a small commotion starts to brew, then more measured footsteps tap against the wood. The seagulls call to each other. Someone announces Captain Dane’s presence. Feet scurry about. Something is happening with the ship, but it all pales in comparison to Hauck’s kiss.
"Kit," Hauck murmurs against my mouth as he pulls back to draw breath.The scales at his temples ruffle, as if responding to the growing wind. "You've no notion what you do to me. How badly I want you. How desperate I’ve been to see you wearing my colors and my scent. I wish I had Tavias’s mind-magic to make you know the depth of my truth, but since I don’t, I’ll resort to the more primal ways of showing it.”
Hauck’s tongue sweeps through my mouth again, its insistence brushing away all doubts in its path. The beats of Hauck's heart hammer against his chest so hard that I feel them against my own skin. Warmth fills my core and my soul, a slowly growing flame that makes me feel wanted in a way I’ve never experienced before.
Hauck pushes up my chin and licks my exposed throat with the tip of his tongue.
“The crew does have work to do, you know,” Cyril says behind us. “Keep this show going much longer, and Dane will end up flogging someone for dereliction of duty.”
Hauck growls in discontent, but stops, his rapid breathing matching mine as he stares down at me.
“Hell,” Cyril mutters. “It’s a good thing there is no shortage of cold water around.”
I turn in Hauck’s arms, though the male still holds me against him with a possessiveness that is meant to be seen. And is.
“Why aren’t you at dinner?” I ask Cyril.
“The wind changed, and Dane wanted to set sail. It is a sight worth seeing.” Cyril steps closer to Hauck and me, until he can put a hand on my shoulder. He points towards the sailors now rushing into the rigging. Dane’s commands roll through the ship, echoed in many voices.
“Hands to the capstan, hoist the anchor. Topmen, aloft! Sheet hands, prepare to set the courses and jibs!”
Each order is sharp and followed at once. A precise, deadly dance while the ship sways on the waves and the sailors high on the mastheads challenge gravity. My breath catches as a great sheet of canvas unfurls to the deck, making me forget all else but the now.
"Wait for it," Cyril says softly, his hand tightening on my shoulder while Hauck pulls me closer against him. "Wait for it."
"For what?" I ask.
"For this," says Cyril.
The sails fill with a sudden deafening pop and the massive ship lurches forward. The change is palpable. It’s an awakening. Like its namesake, the Phoenix bursts forward with new life as it leans over and cuts through the waves, taking up its mission to conquer the vast and unpredictable sea. The sound of the wind in the sails is a constant hum, like the beating of a great, invisible heart.
“Helm, three points west,” Captain Dane orders.
A male spins the spoked wheel under his charge.
“Steady as she goes,” says Dane.
With a quick dip of its nose, the Phoenix slips fully into the stream of wind that carries us into a different world. My chest tightens at the ship’s power and beauty, and then again as the land where I was born and expected to die disappears into the ever growing distance. The sound of lapping waves fills the air around us.
“YouareLady Kitterny now,” says Hauck against the backdrop of the ocean’s whisper. “And you are our bride.”
4. KIT
"Get up."
I open my eyes in response to a harsh voice – and a harsher knee – that jabs my shoulder. For a moment, Quinton's hard face seems a part of a surreal dream. I want to go back to sleep. The ship is rocking gently and the warmth from Tavias’s body cocoons me all around. Granted, I’d not have described Tavias’s company as anything comfortable last night, when he insisted on stretching me before sleep.
