Page 35 of The Heart of the Dragon

“You don’t know what you’re asking. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m okay. More than okay. Trust that I will tell you if there’s a problem.” Although I imagined nothing but more decadence.

Magnus claimed my mouth in another soul-stealing kiss, dominating my thoughts. His hands roamed my body, mapping every curve, every inch of my skin that made him groan. And thepure, raw power of his touch consumed me. The roughness of his hands, and the velvety smoothness of his tongue as it clashed with mine.

The world beyond this room ceased to exist. There was only him and me, locked in this fiery encounter I instinctually knew would consume us both until we were satiated.

And yet, something deeper still burned inside me. A connection unlike anything I had ever experienced before?—

Something I couldn’t quite reach…

“Rose,” he growled, his voice hoarse as he withdrew and surged back into me with relentless force. “I’m close. Are you there?”

“Yes,” I panted, my body tightening around him as my back arched. I didn’t think I could stop it if I tried. “Oh Goddess, yes. I’m with you.”

I no sooner got the words out than I screamed his name as my body shattered into a million pieces, pleasure ripping through me in an unrelentless wave. Magnus roared, his body tensing as he thrust deep, filling me with his warmth.

His knot swelled inside me, pulsing with every beat of his heart. Stealing my breath. My rational mind.

We stayed like that for what could have been an eternity or a few minutes, as the waves of pleasure kept coming and I savored the feeling of being connected to him.

Eventually, the wild need ebbed, and we laid entwined, our breaths coming in heavy gasps. Our hearts pounded against each other, the beat seeming to sync as one. The silence that stretched between us spoke volumes—an unspoken acknowledgment that we had just shared something profound and intense.

He pulled away slightly, and I thought I saw a glimmer of something deeper in his eyes before he masked it. “That was...” he began but seemed at a loss for words.

I smiled, my fingers tracing patterns on his broad chest. “I know,” I whispered, feeling a connection to him that I couldn’t describe. “It was incredible.”

His darkened eyes met mine. “Aye, that it was,” he agreed, his voice gravelly. “But I hope you know this isn’t over, little wildflower. Not by a long shot.”

My heartrate quickened at the promise laced in his words, but I held his gaze, unwilling to back down. “Then I suppose we’ll just have to do it again,” I challenged, my voice almost steady despite the trepidation coursing through me.

After all, there were some pretty big issues I’d cast aside for this and I had no idea what the future held, but if I was honest, I wanted nothing more than to lose myself in him again and again.

Chapter

Fourteen

Rose

I startledawake to a truly frightening noise. It was so loud it shook the walls of my normally sturdy cottage. The entire structure seemed to tremble as if an unseen force had gripped it.

"What the hell?" I muttered, rubbing at my eyes and jumping from the bed, stumbling on uneasy legs. My heart pounded as I tried to make sense of the situation, but I was too disoriented to think straight.

I tried surveying my room to figure out what had happened, but my eyes were gritty and burning. How long had I been asleep? I rubbed at my face again as my walls and windows shook harder. I crouched to the ground, expecting the glass to explode or the roof to rip away over my head.

As if on cue, a crack formed in the plaster wall, and small pieces broke free and crashed to the ground next to me. My stomach jumped, and a startled scream tore from my lips.

My heart raced as my brain quickly came to life under whatever was happening. The roar of whatever was outside my door sounded again and I covered my ears under the onslaught.

Whatever this was I couldn't remain here and hope for the best. I had to figure out what it was and find a way to keep it from tearing my cottage to the ground.

A glance across the bed and its shredded sheets brought everything from the night before flooding back in an instant. Magnus! Oh God. We were together...

I wasn't one for regrets, but he wasn't— In the cold light of day I couldn't get my mind to admit it. But?—

My eyes shot around the still dim room. Where the hell was he?

"Magnus?" I shouted, fear spiking through me. "Are you okay?"

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