Dragon Claiming (Year of the Dragon) Read online

  “Well, I guess you're damned because you're stuck with me.” She didn't hesitate, but lifted her head and walked toward the castle encrusted with ornate jewels where he made his home. Even that didn't surprise him as much as what she did next. With every step she took, she shed her clothing. One piece at a time, until she walked away from him, hair brushing her ass with every sway of her hips. Not once did she look back at him.

  Uryn swallowed, his cock throbbing like mad with every beat of his heart. There was no way he was going to be able to resist her. Her body was too tempting, too beautiful. Everything male inside him cried out for her. His mate. He found himself following her as she made her way unerringly to his bedroom. All the while, she didn't seem aware he followed her. She took her time, familiarizing herself with her new home while her generous hips swayed in a slow, hypnotizing rhythm. His hands curled and uncurled at his sides as he watched her, falling deeper into her trap with every second. Women had always been that for dragons, a trap. It was the reason the curse had befallen their world in the first place.

  There was no way out for Uryen now, and he knew it. He wanted her, had to have her. Would have her. What little rational sense he had left might warn him away, caution him to be careful, but he knew Fate would have her way. All of him belonged to this tiny woman with courage and heart that put natural-born dragons to shame.

  At the top of the carved staircase, Sippora turned and looked at him over her shoulder. Uryen shuddered at the vision she made: part innocent maiden, part siren, all goddess.

  “Are you going to claim me, or will I have to take you?”

  She couldn’t know that was a challenge, a dare. She couldn't know how well it would work. But she was about to find out.

  Dragon Claiming

  Chapter Four

  Instinctively, Sippora knew this was the most important moment of her life. She'd always envisioned a wedding with all the finery. But that was when she’d planned on being mated to a human. Now it all seemed trivial; her mating today would be unlike any she could have ever foreseen. The only thing that mattered was seducing her dragon protector into giving himself to her. His reluctance was palpable, but she was determined to push through. He wanted her—she could feel it down to her soul. Yet for some reason he was holding back. In her mind, she'd made the same commitment to him the second she'd climbed onto his back. Once she started down a path, Sippora always finished it.

  Looking around the room, she realized he had exotic tastes. There were things in the room that were obviously sexual in nature, but she had no idea what they were used for. She’d never known of anyone who had ever been taken by a dragon protector; she’d never even heard of such a thing. For reasons that were known only to Fate, Sippora accepted it, though, accepted that she was his. As soon as he’d swept down into her village in full, ferocious dragon form, she had known.

  Her dragon may have brought her to his lair, but he seemed upset by her presence. Something told her she was going to have to push the issue, because the mighty Uryen seemed reluctant to claim her. Mustering all the courage she could find deep inside her, she made her way to the massive bed in the center of the room covered in black silk. Drapes of sheer white woven with sparkling gold threads hung from a canopy that seemed to shroud the bed in mist. Coiled on the small table beside the bed were two golden ropes with the finest diamond thread swirling around and through the golden strands.

  Sippora fingered the fine material, knowing what she was about to do would require an immense amount of trust on her part. If she could prove to him she truly wasn't afraid of him, that she trusted him with her body as well as her heart, maybe he'd begin to trust himself.

  Heart in her throat, she picked up the rope, letting it slide through her fingers to unravel. “I take it this has a particular significance?” She watched him swallow convulsively. If it was possible, he looked more frightened than she was nervous.

  “You have no idea what you're playing at.” His voice was rough, husky. Sexy as sin. Sippora was certain normal maidens shouldn't find him sexy—they would be terrified. No doubt he was used to scaring humans into submission. Instead of being frightened—well, besides the delicious sliver of sensual fear that tingled her spine—she found herself willing to submit to him just because she knew he needed it.

  “I think I have an idea. I'm just wondering if you do.” Perhaps pushing him that hard wasn’t the wisest move.

  They stared at each other for a long moment before Uyren snatched the rope from her fingers and pulled her to him. His eyes never left hers as he secured her wrists together in front of her, then scooped her up and took her to the bed. Her heart pounded as he stretched her arms above her head and secured the silken rope to the head of the bed.

  “You asked for this.” His voice was a deep rasp, making goose bumps break out all over her skin. After securing her hands to the posts at the head of the bed, he spread her legs wide, using the golden, diamond-weaved rope around her ankles so that she was tethered wide, knees bent while her thighs were spread.

  Once done, he took a step back, his eyes gleaming blue-green fire as he looked down on her. HIs eyes swept her body as if he were trying to memorize her curves. It was a deeply erotic look, one that made her yearn to feel the intent behind it. The cock bobbed, pearly drops of moisture appearing on the reddened mushroom head. Sippora had seen men’s weapons before—her village was not one of modesty. However, she’d never seen a male appendage quite like that. Oddly it made her quim moist, throbbing in anticipation. It looked as if it just might not fit, but she felt a keen interest in finding out.

  “I would have taken you slowly, tenderly,” Uryen said so quietly, Sippora wondered if maybe he was talking to himself.

  “No, you wouldn’t.” Whether he was talking directly to her or not, she felt a need to answer such absurdity. “It is not your way, not who you are.”

  The retort drew his gaze back up to her face. There was a strange light in his eyes now; not anger, but something wild and intense. Her clit thumped even harder at how he looked at her now. It was far more erotic than when his gaze had swept her body in obvious approval.

  “You are about to find out exactly who it is you have so willingly tied yourself to.”

  ***

  Going slowly was going to kill him. Uryen wasn’t really sure he could do it. Reaching out a tentative hand, he touched her skin lightly with the tips of her fingers. So soft. The contrast of her dark skin and his much lighter hand incensed him. Tentatively, he cupped the breast closest, rolling the long, dark berry nipple between his fingers. When Sippora groaned in response, he added more pressure, just to test the waters. Sippora gasped, her hips bucking ever so slightly.

  Perhaps Fate was not quite the bitch he believed.

  “Are you sure you are ready for this, little Sippora?”

  “Yes.” Her answer was so immediate, so emphatic it took him aback. While her voice was breathy, so sensual the sound wrapped itself around his dick and stroked, there had been steel behind her words. She meant it.

  “Ummmm, we shall see.” Moving away from the temptation of her breasts, he moved to the end of the bed, climbing between her spread thighs. In his hands he held a feather. “Close your eyes, Sippora.” His shaft jumped as she did immediately as she asked. A challenge, yet compliant all the same. What a heady contradiction his little human mate was. Settling between her thighs, he lightly brushed her pussy lips with the feather, blowing against the soft instrument of torment a little.

  “Uryen!” Sippora gasped, her legs straining against the ropes that held her.

  Uryen wanted to groan seeing the wetness gather along her slit. The pink of her cunt peeking out of the darker folds looked positively delectable. He was going to have to taste, but not yet. Watching to make sure her eyes were closed, he lifted his hand and brought the flat of his palm down across her cunt, making sure to place emphasis on her clit.

  Sippora’s eyes flew open, her mouth opening to form a perfect “o.”
That too made his cock protest at not being allowed to partake in all her wondrous delights. He could see his cock filling her mouth, perhaps while she lay atop him as he pleasured her quim with his tongue. To her credit, she didn't protest, didn't plead for him to stop. After the initial shock wore off, she seemed to remember his earlier instruction and relaxed her head against the pillows once more and closed her eyes. While her chest heaved with labored breaths, she didn’t say anything.

  Uryen returned to using the feather, lightly teasing the outside of her pussy until she was moaning and squirming in a desperate but futile attempt for deeper contact. Just when he suspected she had forgotten about the smack earlier, he did it again.

  This time, she cried out. It wasn't a scream, but it was enough of a response that Uryen paused before touching her again. He absolutely would not hurt her under any circumstances. Her eyes were tightly closed and her hands curled into fists. When he didn't touch her, she arched her hips upward as if seeking his touch. To ease at least some of the intense hunger centered at his shaft, he allowed himself the minimal pleasure of mashing his hips down on the bed, rubbing his own needy organ as best he could without touching himself. His hips thrust, anxious to receive any kind of gratification. His hands were busy exploring the delights of his newly gifted prize—he wouldn’t deprive himself the pleasure of touching her by bothering to relieve his own ache. That would be taken care of soon enough.

  Again, he traced her cunt with the feather, using his fingers to open her nether lips. Sweat dotted her skin, giving her body a shimmer that made his cock throb harder and his balls tighten almost unbearably. Patience, he had to have patience. Nothing, however, could keep him from leaning forward to swipe his tongue against the bright pink temptation of such a beautiful cunt. This time it was Uryen who groaned as the honeyed essence made his mouth sing. Shifting only his tongue, he curled it around the little nubbin of her clit while inserting two thick fingers deep inside her warmth. She was so tight! Soon it would be his cock buried there in her sheath. The thought made him buck harder against the bed, trying to control the urge to slam himself deep inside her.

  “Uryen! Oh Fate be kind, what is happening to me?” A woman’s pleasure had never sounded so good.

  He wanted to roar in victory as her little body trembled underneath him, her hips moving to the relentless stroking of his tongue wrapped around her clit, yet still long enough to lick her pussy where his fingers were buried. So delightfully untouched, so wonderfully responsive; Sippora called to the most possessive, the most base of dragon urges. He had to keep her, wrap her forever in his undying love and protection—

  Love?

  As soon as his mind fully formed the sentiment, he jumped up, away from where she lay on the bed. Love? He’d expected sooner or later he would have to mate, yes, because Fate dictated it to be so. But that other emotion, one that had never been a part of his world—ever—he was unprepared for. What was the new, bright and hot feeling centering in his chest that burned hotter than dragon fire? It would weaken him surely. It was not supposed to be part of this bargain struck without his consent or desire.

  “Uryen? Please, you have to help me,” Sippora cried, straining against the restraints he had placed her in. “I need...something more. Do something!"

  Looking back at the bed was a mistake. She looked like a decadent dark treat trussed in diamonds and gold, spread out for his pleasure. Not even the specter of the one thing that felled man and dragon alike could keep his feet in one spot. He was walking back to her, answering her call because he was helpless to do anything else.

  Climbing back between her legs, he didn’t hesitate or pause, but placed his cock at the entrance of her quim, only pausing long enough to swirl the head of his shaft around against the lips of her pussy and her clit, gathering as much of her moisture as he could. Only when the tip of his dick glistened with their combined moisture did he begin to push inside her. She was even tighter around his shaft than she’d been around his fingers. Sweat dripped from his brow as he tried—Fate how he tried—not to lunge inside her. She was a maiden, he was trying to remember that.

  However, Sippora was having none of his newfound gentle side. “Uryen, if you will not take me, loosen my binds and I will take you.”

  She had to know that was a challenge. The deep brown of her eyes burned just as bright as the desire she kindled inside him. There was no holding back the hard drive of his hips into her. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to take what was his, to dominate. Surprisingly, her body opened for him. Not exactly with ease, but she was not screaming in pain. Because her legs were tied up, there was only so much she could move, but she was indeed moving, meeting every thrust as best she could.

  “You are mine, Sippora. Wholly mine, only mine.” It wasn’t as if she had denied it, but he felt the need to declare it nonetheless.

  So beautiful his mate was. So perfect in every way. Where he was hard, she was soft. Her soul was pure light where he had dwelt in the dark for far too long. And how she felt—he would gladly spent an eternity on the planet Hel for this.

  “Let me touch you, Uryen. I need to feel my mate with all of me.”

  It took nothing more than a thought for the binds that held her to fall away. His magic had grown in the short time he had been with her. Already he could feel the ancient power that had been stripped from him with the curse returning. Soon, waters would flow once again in this arid desert place as her womanhood flowed for him now. The mysterious power of a true mating had the power to transform all around them. He hadn’t understood that until now.

  He thought he could keep her tied, that he would scare her into submission. On some level, he wanted her to fear him. If she did, she couldn't melt the ice around his heart and he'd be safe. But the longing and need in her eyes now...

  Sippora pulled him to her, her dark chocolate arms slipping around his neck easily. Uryen fell into her embrace, unable to resist the offering she'd so willingly laid before him. She was offering him herself. All of her, holding nothing back from him. He could see it in the innocent look in her eyes. This woman wanted nothing but to please him.

  Uryen settled himself in the cradle of her body, looking her over carefully for signs of discomfort. Once he'd assured himself she was comfortable, he began a slow, rolling rhythm. Sippora's fingers dug into the flesh of his shoulders, flexing almost convulsively. She wrapped those slender thighs around him, using her heels digging into his buttocks as leverage to lift herself to meet each thrust of his hips.

  Her lips parted, her breath catching ever so slightly with each movement. Being inside her body was as torturous as it was pleasurable. Uryen wanted to ride her hard, taking his pleasure until he was completely satisfied. The torture came from knowing she didn't have his experience. If he took her the way he needed to, he'd surely hurt her, which he wasn't willing to do.

  Sweat shimmered over his skin, making his every movement glide over her like they were covered in the finest silk. Their mingled scents wafted around him, gathering inside him so that he knew he'd forever remember this moment. His scent clung to her just as her body clung to him. Her breathy whimpers were loud in the stillness of his bedchamber, washing over her like a cleansing spring rain. What he was experiencing in the haven of her body was nothing short of a rebirthing. He'd never known love, at least not in more centuries than he could count. But those sounds she made, the scents he knew he would forever associate with her, were filled with love.

  His little mate had more courage than good sense. Instead of trying to protect herself, she gave herself to him. Completely. Wholly. She decided right there in her village that she belonged with him, and she didn't look back. Even now, when she should be railing at him for not being the gentle lover she deserved, she threw herself into their lovemaking. He could almost believe she enjoyed it instead of her first time being a painful experience.

  With a little cry, Sippora's body stiffened and she bucked beneath him, throwing her hips at him as b
est she could beneath the weight of his much larger body. She screamed, throwing her head back, not even trying to stifle her reaction. Her cunt spasmed around his dick, threatening his control. As it was, Uryen had to slow his pace, holding as still as Sippora would allow to keep from coming.

  It didn't work. Relentlessly, ruthlessly, Sippora's orgasm gripped him by the balls and squeezed until he knew there was no way to contain the explosion. The tingling started at the base of his spine and punched through his gut with the force of an exploding sun. He roared his release, grinding his cock as deeply inside her as he could.

  In one timeless moment, Uryen's world narrowed to this one woman. His whole being was centered on her and the pleasure he received from her body. Nothing would ever be the same for him. He'd forever crave her body, her generosity. Sippora.

  As his body relaxed, he eased himself off her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him. He needed to think, to figure out what this weight crushing his chest meant. All he knew for certain was that if she rejected him now, he would shatter and the pieces could never be reconstructed by anyone but her.