Page 22 of Cursed

Thank Goddess, I was holding on.

But Branden has to reach back and direct his magic to seal the portal closed so no one can follow us. Fortunately, his vampiric strength allows him to hold on and accomplish this. With a chant, the portal is closed.

Rourke levels out and quickly finds a place to land. Branden and I dismount.

I spin and stagger with dizziness and adrenaline.

The dragon nuzzles me.

I hug his snout in my need to know he’s okay and stabilize my nerves. Strange how he can settle me so easily.

His purr, slightly different from before, has me centered in a few moments.

Branden scans the area, then races off with his super speed and returns before I can think to ask him where he’s going. “All clear, and we’re where I hoped we would end up. Small blessings.”

“Are the others close?” I ask, worrying my lip from anxiousness.

“I didn’t want to go directly to them. We have to portal again.” Branden glances around and picks a spot.

But I can feel him losing his strength. From everything I’ve heard, portal-creation magic is extremely draining. Most mages don’t even have the magical strength to make one from scratch like this. “Branden? You need to drink from me.”

“No.” He shakes his head, but I know he needs it. Somehow, I know exactly how much energy it took and how much he has left.

“Youwilldrink,” I order him. “This isn’t a request.”

Branden curses. “What if I…”

“You won’t take too much.” I thumb toward the giant dragon behind me. “And if you get carried away, he’ll knock you off me.”

Rourke grunts his assent.

“Fine.” Branden creates a small nick on my throat and sips.

As fast as a kick to the crotch, I orgasm, just standing there. I rub my sex over his thigh through multiple waves of bliss. When I recover from dry humping his leg, I say, “Yeah, that’s not embarrassing or anything.”

Rourke projects a thought into my mind that he liked the show we put on.

“Don’t be a naughty dragon!” I say as I lean against his side, recovering from the orgasmic onslaught.

Before he begins with the portal, Branden gives me a sad look. “They’re going to be pissed at me for claiming you.”

I don’t say anything. Because he’s not wrong.

9

FAE LINES

SHAYLA

As we step through Branden’s new portal, I’m a bit lightheaded, but it isn’t from the blood loss. It’s from the orgasms that shook my body as he drank from me to replenish his magic.

Branden holds my hand, maybe to assure himself that I’m not going to die from his bite… again.

But weirdly, I don’t even feel the depletion of magic in my body. Perhaps I’m getting stronger. Or I’m able to access more power as I strengthen my magic muscles.

Branden seals the portal as I look ahead of us. The land there resonates at a different wavelength. It’s brighter—as if it’s a light source on its own. It… sparkles. Faintly, but I see it.

“That’s the place. I feel it,” Branden says.

---