Page 77 of Progeny of the Cursed Egg
“My Mina...” he whispers against my lips, his breath hot and sweet, as his hands move to the buttons on my jacket. The metal fasteners click softly as he works them open one by one. Slowly, he slides the jacket off my shoulders, the material whispering against my skin. He tosses it onto the floor, where it lands with a soft thud.
“Are you sure?” I ask when I can catch my breath, my chest rising and falling rapidly. Gently, I rest both of my hands on his cheeks, feeling the slight stubble beneath my palms, making him look me in my eyes. His skin is warm, almost feverish, and I can feel his pulse racing beneath my fingertips.
“Yes, I’ve missed you. With everything that’s about to happen...” He shakes his head slightly before turning and kissing my palm, his lips soft against my callused skin. “Let me love you how you deserve.” Dragon slits rise, eclipsing his eyes, turning the warm amber to reptilian gold that glows in the dim light of the office. I smile, my lips curving upward at the sight. He needs this. The skies may have been stolen from him, but I refuse to be.
Reaching out, I unbuckle and unzip his fighting leathers, the sound of the zipper cutting through the silence, and slide them off of him. The material is stiff under my fingers, worn from battle. He reaches up and rips the tee shirt off his body, the fabric tearing with a satisfying sound, and tosses the tattered remains over his shoulder.
My hands rest on his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart and the smooth scars that pepper his skin, iridescent in the slanting afternoon light. He pulls the pins from the ace wrap that binds my chest down; the metal clinking as they fall to the desk, letting the fabric pool around my waist. He stopped questioning why I still did it over a year ago. But now, I think it’s more a habit than needed at this point.
He arches a brow at me, a silent question in his transformed eyes. I reach down for my leather pants to get out of them; the material clinging to my skin before finally relenting. It feels like forever since the last time he was this spontaneous, this hungry for me. The second we’re both bare, he pulls me to the end of the desk and sinks into me with a groan that reverberates through his chest. He curls over me, his body a protective cage, and I feel every inch of him as he moves, filling me completely. My body feels electric, nerves singing with pleasure as I focus on the warmth flooding me through the bond, a connection that pulses with renewed strength.
Abraxis’s wings stretch wide. The membrane is taut and veined, and the claws at the apex dig into the wood of the desk with a splintering crack as he rolls his hips, thrusting into me with a rhythm that matches the pounding of my heart. The scent of arousal hangs heavy in the air, mingling with the musk of leather and the faint tang of the scales that line my spine.
Soft moans escape my lips, the sounds torn from my throat against my will. I feel like he’s everywhere, inside me, around me, his scent filling my lungs and his taste lingering on my tongue. I’ve missed this version of Abraxis, the uninhibited version. The man I first fell in love with is back and holding me tight, his fingers leaving marks on my skin that I’ll wear proudly. My fingers thread up into his hair, silky strands wrapping around my digits. I pull his mouth to my throat, the skin there sensitive and tingling in anticipation. I want him to bite me. I need to feel our bond burn bright like it used to, a supernova of connection rather than the dim star it’s become.
His lips caress my throat, hot and wet, before I feel his teeth sink in, sharp points breaking the skin with a delicious sting that sends lightning racing down my spine. My orgasm crashes over me like a tidal wave, stealing my breath from me as I cling to him. My nails digging crescents into his shoulders as I ride the waves of pleasure that pulse through me in time with his movements.
When he removes his teeth and licks my wounds, the gentle rasp of his tongue soothing the ache, he lowers his throat to my mouth. I take the hint and sink my teeth back into his original mate mark, tasting the salt of his skin and the copper tang of blood. He growls his release into my hair; the vibration traveling through my body as he shudders above me, his muscles tensing and releasing. His hips buck wildly, chasing his own pleasure, the rhythm erratic and desperate. Eventually he slows, then stops moving and just holds me.
We lie on the desk, him on his forearms over me, our bodies slick with sweat and still joined. A soft laugh escapes his lips as he pulls his wings back. The movement causing the desk to creak in protest, and the sound makes me smile, my lips curving against his shoulder.
“Why are you laughing?” I can’t help but smile, watching him push the hair away from his face, the strands clinging to his damp forehead.
“I ruined my desk.” He motions above my head and I look at the deep gouges in his desk, splinters of wood jutting from the claw marks that now mar the once-polished surface.
“Yeah, you did. It was worth it.” I rise up and kiss his chin playfully until he tilts his head down towards me and captures my lips, his mouth moving against mine with lingering passion.
When he pulls back, a sigh escapes his lips, warm breath fanning across my face. “Let’s get you ready.” He pulls back and his length falls free, leaving me feeling suddenly empty.
I sit up and slide off the desk, the wood now warm from our bodies, and get dressed again, my fingers fumbling with the fastenings of my clothes. “I so don’t want to go. I’m tired of being attacked all the time because of what I am.” My voice sounds small, even to my own ears. The vulnerability I try so hard to hide seeping through.
Abraxis hugs me to him, his arms encircling me completely, and I melt into his embrace, breathing in the comforting scent of him mixed with the musk of our lovemaking. “It’s almost all over,” Abraxis whispers, his lips brushing my temple, sending a shiver down my spine, before leading me out of his office and back to the others to get this whole debacle over with. The warmth of our renewed bond is a small comfort against the coming storm.
CHAPTER 43
Mina
With less than an hour left,I sit curled up with Leander, Callan, and Ziggy on the worn leather couch in Callan’s office. The scent of old books and sandalwood permeates the air, mingling with the unique musk of my mates. Word came back from Blackhaven—Idris was hired by my father to command that outpost. The report trembles slightly in my hands, the crisp paper crackling under my tight grip. It was more that my father wanted to eliminate Callan than Abraxis. A dragon mate before all others. His poisonous words fill my mind as I stare at the report, the ink stark and damning against the cream-colored page, my pulse quickening with every sentence I read.
“Why try to kill me?” Callan says. The confusion is evident in his voice, the usually confident tone now wavering. The afternoon sun slants through the dusty windows, highlighting the sharp angles of his face, the worry lines etched around his amber eyes.
“That’s easy. You’re not a dragon. My father believed in only taking dragon mates, not other species. In a sense, he’s a species purist.” I stare down at Ziggy, who has his head in my lap, his weight warmand comforting against my thighs. I love staring into those malevolent green eyes of his, like polished emeralds that somehow convey both danger and devotion. My fingers thread through his hair, soft as silk against my skin.
“What I don’t understand is why risk killing Abraxis?” Balor says from the other side of the room. His deep voice resonates in the confined space, sending vibrations through the floorboards. He has Abraxis’s wing in his hands, helping him stretch it. The leathery membrane catches the light, revealing a network of half-healed scars that makes my heart clench painfully.
“All the truly dangerous attacks happened after I had Klauth’s egg.” I tilt my head and stare into Klauth’s crimson-flecked amber eyes, which gleam like fire opals in the dim light. The air between us feels charged, electrified with unspoken understanding.
“He saw the possibility of stronger progeny with me, so he was trying to eliminate the in-theory weaker male.” After the words leave his lips, Klauth pauses, his jaw tightening visibly. “Sorry, I was speaking tactically from an insane male position.” Klauth watches Abraxis’s reaction, his body tense as if ready to retract his words.
“We’re good,” Abraxis says, then winces as Balor puts his wing through the motions. The sound of stretching leather fills the momentary silence. “It makes sense. Why keep your powerful daughter bound to a regular mixed-breed black dragon? When she could be bred by a great wyrm red dragon with titanium in his bloodline.” Abraxis looks down for a moment, his lashes casting shadows on his cheeks, then back up again. “He went so far as to steal your pregnant mother from another male to have you. I wouldn’t put anything past that warped mind of his,” Abraxis says clinically. The coldness in his tone doesn’t match the pain I see flashing in his eyes. I’m glad he’s not taking any of this personally, though the slight tremor in his hands betrays his true feelings.
Leander stands and offers me his hand as Ziggy rises from my lap, the sudden absence of his warmth leaving me chilled. “It’s time,” Leander says softly as he pulls me into his arms and kisses me. His pillow-soft lips caress mine, and I purr so deeply for him that the vibration travels from my chest to his. His shift calls to mine, a primal recognition that raises goosebumps along my arms, and I smile against his mouth. I pour every ounce of my love for him through the bond we share, feeling it pulse between us like a tangible force, warm and golden.
Lee releases me, his hands lingering on my shoulders for just a moment longer. Ziggy scoops me up, making me laugh as he spins us in a circle before kissing me. The room blurs around us, a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. We purr together; the sound harmonizing in the quiet room, and smile into our kiss. We rub our faces against each other, and I close my eyes, savoring the feeling of being in his arms. The scrape of his stubble against my cheek is a delicious contrast to the softness of his lips. Ziggy is like a golden retriever, so happy and full of love and light. He reminds me of everything good in the world, his scent a mixture of sunshine and fresh pine.
Callan gently takes me from Ziggy, his hands firm yet tender on my waist, and he cants his head at that angle that irritates the living hell out of me, his neck cracking slightly with the movement. He bursts out laughing, not able to hold that haughty look with me, the sound rich and warm in the tension-filled room. We press our cheeks together as his gryphon whistles and calls for me, a high, melodic sound that resonates in my bones, while I purr in response. The sweet sound of his shift makes my heart swell with joy, a feeling of belonging washing over me like a warm tide.
“It still amazes me how their shifts calling to yours makes you smile so brightly,” Klauth says as he walks closer to me and offers me his hand, his palm up and inviting. His footsteps are nearly silent on the carpeted floor, a predator’s approach.
