Page 25 of Court of Dragons and Ashes

Blossom is smiling at us both, joy shining in her eyes. I wonder how long she has waited to see her brother happy. Grayson was never happy when we first met, and he has changed so much since we have been together. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it.” Blossom goes to the bed, and soft green vines spread out of the ground around the bed, wrapping around it and bursting with flowers. “I have to practice my magic for my tutor. Have fun and see you both soon.”

“I’m leaving you in charge tomorrow when we go to the Air Court, with the nobles’ guidance,” Grayson tells her, leading me to the door. “Behave for them, please.”

Blossom’s eyes are the picture of innocence. “I’m quite happy looking after the court, brother. I’ll see you in the morning.”

We leave his sister’s room, and Grayson leads me to a balcony. “Blossom isn’t a fan of some of the nobles’ sons. She dared them to race, in dragon form, around the court and whenshe won, she proudly made them eat enchanted sweets that turned them all gold from head to toe for a week. Their fathers were furious. I’m not sure who taught her pranks were a good idea, especially in a court full of old nobles who are serious about near enough everything, but I find it hard not to laugh when I hear what she has done.”

I laugh, unable to stop myself. “I like your sister more and more. Tell me more.” He does, so many stories that range from when she was just a toddler to the girl she is now, until we get to a massive balcony made out of branches of a tree. There is nothing but mountains for as far as I can see. Grayson kisses the top of my head before he jumps off a gap in the balcony edge, shifting into his beautiful green, grey-tipped dragon. His dragon waits, watching me with his blazing silver eyes. I climb onto his back, and he swoops straight off into the sky, arching over the brilliantly tall green mountains. There is nothing but mountains here, so many of them covered in moss that shine like emeralds. They all look the same, and I guess if he didn’t know better, we would be lost. I wouldn’t have a clue where anything is.

Grayson dives, effortlessly flying between the mountains, his beautiful wings spread out far, and they shimmer in the moonlight. He flies over a crystal-clear lake between the mountains, with glowing gold fish swimming under the water. He runs his claws through the water, making the fish swim faster, some of them jumping out of the lake and diving back like dolphins. I laugh as cold water splashes at me before he dives high in the sky again, through the clouds, around a mountain, taking my breath away with how fast he is. Grayson’s dragon moves like he is part of the mountains, of the ground and rock, and he blends so well with his surroundings that I can’t imagine I’d ever see him coming.

The moonlight shines against his scales as he lands on the side of a massive mountain, leaning down to let me stand on aledge in front of an archway before he shifts back. “I thought we were seeing the city?”

“Come, I’ll show you the city. It’s my favourite view from up here,” he explains, taking my hand and leading me inside. It’s warm inside the mountain, and I relax as fire lanterns light the way down.

“Is it one big city like it is in the Fire Court?” I question.

“No, there are five cities that make up the Earth Court. We actually have the most land in comparison to the others but not the most people. We are a court of few,” he explains to me as we keep walking down the spiralling steps. The damp air grows warmer as we go down, and bright lights shine from below. “This is the capital city, Mesist,” he explains to me as I blink through my adjustment to the light. “This is where it all began for the Earth Court. My great-grandfather built the first city in the mountains with just his power, clawing it out from nothing but dirt and rock. The other cities, their expansions, all connected through to this one. The very walls hold our ancestors’ bones, all of them, and then the dust of the burnt bodies as time went on.”

We finally get to the bottom of the steps where it’s an entire crystal floor, and the crystal is completely see-through, displaying a massive city below us. The city looks like a hundred, if not more, pyramids made of dirt and rocks. There are spiralling crystals at the top of each one of the pyramids across the massive cavern floor, each a different colour and glowing like stars. Some of the pyramids are taller than others, and there are dragons wrapped round the tips, leaping on the sides, others flying through the air. “Magnificent,” I gasp, but the word isn’t enough to explain how amazing this city is. There are thousands of trees, pathways, and roads leading around the pyramids. There is even a river with a sand beach on the right, and I can see dots of people playing. “Is it safe in here?” I ask, looking at the crystal floor.

Grayson wraps his arms around me from behind, his mouth close to my ear. “I’ll catch you if you fall, my queen.” I lean into him, enjoying his touch. “No one else knows of this place. This is a sacred place for me. When I was young, after I came out of the maze, I needed somewhere safe to go to be alone. The court was always watching me for any signs of madness, always trying to fix me and talk to me, and I couldn’t do it. This place appeared to me. I never thought I’d bring anyone here. I knew I’d marry, but I had no intention of actually taking a wife in every way that matters. I didn’t want anyone in my life to share the secrets of my past with. But then when I met you, all I could think about was bringing you here, of sharing everything with you.” He turns me around, running his hands up my back, cupping the back of my neck. “Love, it seems a fragile word for what I feel for you, Ellelin. My love for you is limitless of any words, of any one feeling that can be described. When there is nothing more than the earth left, it will be marked with the love I feel for you. We are endless, Ellelin, because you are my every dream come true.”

My heart feels like it’s bursting. “I love you, Gray. When we first met, I thought you were infuriating and cocky, but there was something that made me keep looking for you. The more we trained, the more I saw another side of you. You’re kind, in spite of everything that happened to you, and that is so brave. You let me touch you, even when you had been taught touch could mean pain as a child. You were brave, you are brave, and I will love you forever, even if you never want me to touch you again. I’d wait, forever, Grayson.”

He takes a step towards me until our bodies are flush and there isn’t a gap between us. We have come such a long way since we met, when he wouldn’t even let me hold his hand. Now he touches me like we are one person, linked forever, and I love it. Fear can threaten everything good in your life, but defeating fear? That lets love in. He sinks his hand into my hair. I loveevery moment he holds me like this, where I can breathe in his scent and claim anything I can get from him. “I’ve never been with a woman, but I’ve watched, I’ve learnt, and I want you.”

My cheeks burn as he looks at me so intensely, waiting for my answer. “I’m yours, Gray. I’ve always wanted you.” Gray groans, kissing me deeply, pulling me to him. I clutch his shirt as he deepens the kiss, his tongue exploring my mouth, coaxing me with every brush of his soft lips. His body is hard against mine, and all I want to do is be closer. I wonder if he can sense how wet I am from one kiss, how badly I want him. He suddenly pulls away and I frown. “Are you okay?”

“Do you trust me?” he questions, undoing the top button of his shirt, and he unclips the top of his cloak until it falls to the floor. I nod. Trusting Grayson has never been an issue for me. I used to think it was a weakness of mine, to trust the dragon kings so easily, but now I know it’s more than that. I suspect Grayson and Emrys are also my destined mates, and one day the bond will kick in for us, too. I believe the only thing holding us back now is trust.

Grayson softly begins to glow green, the vibrant shade smothering the darkness in this crystal cave. Dark emerald-coloured vines break out of the walls and come to me, wrapping around my body, and I realise he is making a seat for me. The vines tug at my clothes, pulling the cloak away first and then digging into my clothes. I gasp as they rip away my leggings like they’re nothing, and then my top next until I’m in nothing but my bra and panties, sitting on a chair made of vines.

The vines pull me up, almost making a bed now, and the entire time, Grayson watches me with fire burning in his eyes. He removes all of his clothes slowly, watching me as my heart races. I have to remember to trust Gray as the vines wrap around my wrists and ankles, and part my legs for his view. “One wordfrom you, and the vines drop. You’re in control as much as I am, Elle.”

“Are you just going to watch?” I tease, wiggling on the vines. They tightly hold me down but not enough to hurt me, and Grayson’s low chuckle sends shivers down my spine. He slowly approaches me. The green light shining off the vines lets me see all of him. His impressive cock is hard, bigger than any I’ve seen before, and the only part of him that isn’t scarred. His scars almost seem like rays of light across his tanned skin, and they only make him more stunning. The muscles in his arms clench as he steps between my legs, running his hands up my bare thighs. I’m hyperaware we are right above a city, but I know he wouldn’t let anyone see us.

He hooks his fingers in my underwear, pulling them off with one snap. Grayson looks up at me, running his hands up my flat stomach and to my bra. In one smooth pull, he snaps the bra off, and his eyes fix on my rock-hard nipples. It isn’t cold in here, or I don’t notice as he looks at me. I feel like I’m on fire, like my blood is lava. He runs his hands over my breasts, his scarred hands only adding to the sensations as he finds my nipples and begins to roll them both between his fingers. I moan, arching against the vines, and he growls low, sinking to his knees.

He makes the seat just the right angle and height for him to still play with my nipples and kiss my core. I cry out in pleasure as his hot tongue swirls around my clit, once, twice, before he licks me up and down. “I wish I tasted you sooner, Elle. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you now.” He speaks against my core, his voice full of amazement, and I can’t take it for much longer. For someone who hasn’t had sex before, he knows exactly what he is doing with my body. Grayson sucks, nibbles, and swirls his tongue around my clit at the same time as rubbing my nipples until I can’t see through the pleasure. My cry echoes around the cave as my orgasm crests, slamming throughmy body in wave after wave until my limbs feel like jelly. Hazily, he leans over me, lining himself up and looking down at me.

“Gray,” I whisper, pleading. There is hesitation in his eyes, and I know it’s nothing to do with me, but to do with whatever is going on in his mind. Oh, Gray. He lets the vines go, and I wrap myself around him as he picks us up. I sit on his lap, moving myself around until I’m hovering above him. “Talk to me.”

He leans his head against mine, closing his eyes. “You’re a goddess to me, and I will never be sure I’m enough for you when I look like this. How could you want me when you have mates who look perfect? How can I compare?”

“Grayson.” I cup his face, lifting him up to look at me. “First of all, it’s not about comparing. Second…” I take his hand, placing it between my legs. “Do I feel like I don’t want you?” I gasp as I push one of his fingers inside me. “I want you more than I want to breathe, Gray. I love you, and you are beautiful. I will tell you a thousand times if you need to hear it, but you’re mine. You’re mine and I want you.” His eyes darken and he lines his cock up one more time, any hesitation gone. The tip of him brushes against my folds, feeling how soaked I am.

“I love you too and I will never deserve you, but I won’t let you go,” he vows against my lips, just as I sink down onto him, taking him inch by inch, watching as he groans in pleasure. It stings, how big he is, but I push through the stab of pain that is overwhelmed by the pure pleasure that courses through me as I finally take all of him. He is so still, his eyes flaring with pleasure as he pulls me to him and kisses me. “I-I can’t control?—”

“Don’t,” I whisper, and he snaps. Grayson throws me back on the bed of vines and pulls out of me, slamming right back in. I moan into his mouth as his tongue devours me, and he thrusts uncontrollably into me. My moans echo with his as I feel myself getting close again. With each thrust, he sends me closer, and he is completely lost in pleasure.

Grayson ploughs into me like a man lost, and I enjoy every second of him, every thrust, every kiss until we are completely one. His hands dig into my hips, and he bites my lip, the stab of pain sending me over the edge. I tighten around him, screaming his name in pleasure as waves of bliss run through my body. He stills inside me with a roar that shakes the cave, filling me with his cum. Breathlessly, I stare at him as he kisses me softer this time, still hard inside me, despite coming. “Again?”

I nod, a soft chuckle escaping my lips. He pulls out of me, sinking back to his knees with a devilish grin. “I’m addicted to you, Elle.”

With one swipe of his tongue, I know I am, too.

CHAPTER 13

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