Page 77 of Bride of the Black Dragon
I lie sprawled across Xaren’s chest, still trembling faintly with aftershocks, my body humming from the intensity of what we just shared. His arms are wrapped around me like steel bands, protective and warm, and his scent surrounds me—smoke and spice and male musk.
The collar still rings his throat, the glowing sigil inscribed on it pulsing faintly… but?—
His Drake’s eye is lit again.
Not dull or dim like it was before. Alive. It’s a vibrant gold, burning with something wild and possessive.
Hope flickers in my chest as I watch it watching me.
“I’m so glad,” I whisper, reaching up to touch his scarred cheek. “Your eye… your Drake. He’s still with you.”
“Because of you,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my temple. “You brought him back to life, little dove.”
I curl closer, wrapping a leg around his hips, reluctant to let him go. But guilt stirs in my belly.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” I say, my voice low. “I tried to get the key to your collar. I thought I could steal it from the Queen’s chamber.”
Xaren stiffens beneath me, then strokes my back gently.
“And?”
“I got caught. She must have known I’d come—it was a trap.”
He exhales through his nose, frustrated but unsurprised.
“She’s always ten steps ahead,” he growls. “Even if you had gotten the key, Elaina, you wouldn’t have made it past the dungeon doors. The guards wouldn’t have let you through.”
“I had to try,” I whisper fiercely. “We have to get you out. Your Drake’s in danger—if he fades again…”
“I know.” His jaw tightens beneath my hand. “This fucking collar needs to come off. But I don’t know how. Not yet.”
We fall into silence again as he softens and slips out of me. I can feel his heart pounding under my ear—slow and steady. Comforting.
But the comfort doesn’t last.
Because something else is rising inside me. A warmth that spreads like honey and fire through my limbs…a prickling tension building between my thighs, deeper and hotter than before.
My nipples harden again, brushing his chest with each breath. My pussy clenches emptily, wet heat already gathering between my legs.
No, I think. Not again…
I squeeze my thighs together, embarrassed by the intensity of the need returning so soon. But it’s stronger this time—deeper. And even more urgent.
It’s as though the act of mating with Xaren once has only made my body hungrier.
I try to ignore it, but Xaren lifts his head, sniffing the air.
“Elaina.” His voice goes low and rough. “Your scent… it’s changed again.”
I duck my head, cheeks burning.
“Tell me what’s happening,” he urges gently. “If you can’t tell me… show me.”
I swallow hard… and push myself up.
Then I roll onto my hands and knees on the cot, offering myself to him, spreading my legs wide.
My breasts hang down, heavy and swollen, nipples flushed and aching. My pussy is wet and open—already dripping with arousal as I tilt my hips back toward him, desperate and shameless.
