Page 56 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
She tried one last time to buck him off, wincing in pain. “Yes, you big oaf.”
Her teeth were gritted tightly, so he barely heard her.
Aidan felt even more powerful in that moment, but he would take the sting of the loss from her. He leaned down and gave her a tender kiss. Since taking over his toriq, he rarely showed public affection aside from those nights on their balcony. This was one of the few times he could get away with it, considering he’d defeated his mate in a fierce battle. No one would question him.
Bailey hesitated at first, stiff underneath him and likely embarrassed by their audience. He slid her good arm higher over her head and grunted. It was a command from his beast for her to cooperate and submit. Then he thrust his tongue into her mouth.
She jolted, but he sensed the moment she forgot everything around them, and her passion rose as high as his. His dear slayer kissed him back with greed and lust. Aidan pressed his chest close to hers so that their rapidly beating hearts pounded against each other. He loved her in this position—helpless to his desire.
Only when she was completely relaxed in his arms and mindless did he let her go. He pulled back to see her eyes glazed with lust. His mate saw no one except him, making him feel athousand times more powerful. This washisslayer—now and forever.
“You fought well,” he said, pride in his voice.
She licked her lips, raw need in her features. “I could say the same about you.”
Aidan gave her one last kiss, unable to resist. “I assume you came to tell me we should prepare for dinner.”
It was their weekly family gathering that he demanded everyone attend, no matter their duties. He could hardly be late for it himself.
“Yes.” Her pulse thrummed at her throat. “We have less than an hour to get cleaned up…probably less now.”
“We can make do with such time,” he said with a crooked grin.
They carefully rose to their feet, finding all the warriors had shifted to human form, recognizing that training had ended. Many had amused expressions on their faces. Not one had left, even after the fight concluded.
Aidan couldn’t blame them, considering the more powerful the bond he had with his mate, the more it benefited his toriq as a whole. Every one of them felt stronger than before. There were mentions of such magic in ancient texts, but no one alive had ever seen how it could benefit shifters. They were beginning to learn.
And with each day, Bailey rose in their esteem. Her strength had grown, too.
***
His mate sat on his lap at the table while they ate dinner with the others. Neither of them felt any shame about it. They’d released some of their passions in the bathing chamber before their guests arrived, but it hadn’t been enough—not even close.
Most especially since they’d had to take care of the wounds they’d given each other and set her arm so it could begin healing. He had no desire to put any distance between them right now, so he’d insisted she sit with him and let him feed her. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to mind at all.
Candace and Paul sat at the other end of the table. Both were shy and quiet, with her in a pink and green floral dress and him in slacks and a button-up blue shirt. She’d put her shoulder-length brown hair in a bun, and he’d carefully groomed his black locks to the side. With this being the first meal they’d shared in the pendragon’s chambers, they’d dressed up for the occasion, but Aidan couldn’t miss the wafts of nervousness coming from them.
He hoped to put them at ease.
“How is progress in the village?” Aidan asked, lifting a brow.
Paul finished chewing his bite of chicken. “Surprisingly well, for them only arriving three days ago. We had enough space for everyone to fit comfortably, and we’ve already erected another pen to separate the cows from the pigs.”
They’d been prepared for horses, but the previous villagers didn’t have their own livestock. Aidan had ensured his toriq made supplies available for whatever the human refugees needed.
“Good.” He was glad they were taking advantage of it. “Have there been any issues you couldn’t resolve?”
Candace cleared her throat, barely able to meet his gaze. “Many of them could use more clothes and blankets. They couldn’t bring much with them, and the children don’t have many toys. Their parents are struggling to handle their restlessness.”
“I can share some of my toys,” Orion said, smiling. “I have lots of them.”
Aidan may have gone overboard when he collected things for his son, and others always brought more for him. He received gifts from shifters who made them or passed down items their children had outgrown, and Bailey’s friends gave the boy things when they saw him. His room had become quite crowded and difficult to navigate.
“That is very good of you, son.”
Bailey reached over to squeeze his hand. “You and Uncle Paul can sort through them tomorrow, alright?”
Orion nodded. “Okay.”
