Page 19 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
She angled her head to look up at him with a question in her deep brown eyes.
They’d become intimate once more soon, but he recognized his mate had something she wanted to speak about with him. He traced his finger down her arm and along her side, unwilling to stop touching her. Aidan still couldn’t believe she belonged to him—body and soul. He kept expecting to wake up and find it was all a dream. Would that ever end?
“Ask me your question,” he said, admiring the curve of her hips. They’d widened since she’d left years ago, likely from carrying their son in her womb. It enhanced her form, making her more beautiful than ever.
She shivered as his finger continued along her stomach and around her belly button. “Where are you sending Ozara?”
Aidan paused. “How did you hear about that?”
“I saw her today, and she mentioned a trip but wouldn’t say anything more.”
He supposed it was unavoidable that his mate would find out the spy would be gone for a while, but it still aggravated him. “That is a secret, slayer. One I cannot reveal—even to you. Especially not here.”
She gave him a coy look. “We could go to your office so you can tell me.”
“No. The less who know, the better. I will not risk Ozara’s safety any more than necessary, and you don’t have a legitimate reason to learn such information.”
He pressed kisses to her neck and shoulders to soften the sternness of his words.
“I…know you…trust me.” Her voice came out between pants. “There’s no reason…not to tell me.”
He nibbled at her skin. “Even as my mate, there are some things I must keep from you for safety reasons. It is a duty I take seriously.”
She cupped his cheek and stared into his eyes, seeing his resolve. “Fine. I’ll let you keep your secrets this time, but only because I trust you.”
“And I will allow you to keep using Freya for your investigation in Norman,” Aidan said, pulling her body against his chest so that he could feel more of her. “I had intended to give her a different mission, but I see you need her more now. I also appreciate that she can help keep you safe when you’re away from the fortress.”
While he recognized Bailey did a reasonable job protecting herself, he didn’t like her out alone with the Kandoran plotting against them while aware of her existence. Aidan could have easily lost her six weeks ago when she attempted to retrieve her father. Ruari’s mate was the perfect shifter to work alongside the slayer and a skillful warrior.
With luck, they would resolve this newest trouble quickly, and then he could assign them other tasks for war preparations. New pressing jobs revealed themselves almost every day, yet he fell short of finding the right people to handle them. Attempting to organize them all gave him a headache, even with assistance from Falcon and Ruari.
Aidan needed to let those troubles go for now, or he’d waste his precious free time worrying instead of takingadvantage of his mate while he had her alone. He captured her lips, melding their mouths together. They both needed these moments.
She groaned as his hands began roaming over her once more and broke their kiss to smile at him. “I think I’m ready to change the subject now.”
“Hmmm, are you certain?” he asked, giving her a knowing look.
Some nights, he liked to drag their intimacy out until she was mindless with need. No other dragon in the world could imagine the experience of having a slayer begging for them to take them. It made him feel like a conqueror. For all those years apart, he’d lived on the memories of having her in his bed. It had driven him to survive despite his despair and motivated him to find a way for them to be together again without persecution.
Bailey was worth every sacrifice. He couldn’t even begin to describe what he felt about her giving him a son. He had everything a male shifter could ever want in life, but he’d have to fight with all his being to keep it.
She gripped his shoulders, nails digging into his skin.
“Fire,” she said, panting. “Give me fire.”
Aidan knew what she meant because she asked for it whenever she truly wanted to lose herself and forget everything. He leaned down and blew his red-orange flames across the most sensitive parts of her body. The heat was so strong it would have turned a human into ash in an instant, but for those who couldn’t burn, it sent shock waves of bliss when applied just right.
She screamed in pleasure, and her body shook. The first time he’d done it years ago, she’d passed out from the intensity of it. Only mates performed such intimate gestures for each other, and he doubted any other slayer had ever known they were missing out on such enjoyment.
When Aidan ran out of breath, he stopped and rose to study her face. Bailey’s dark hair fanned across her cheeks, sticky with sweat, and her eyes had a languid look to them. He’d have given her the world if he could have.
“Are you ready for more?” he asked.
She swallowed, completely at his mercy in that moment. “Yes, please.”
Aidan drew away, allowing cool air between them.
“Dammit, Aidan. No more games!” she said, attempting to wiggle beneath him.
