Page 14 of Draco

After another five steps, she took another breather, then seemed to realize how far we had to go to get back.

“It’s going to take forever like this, isn’t it?” she asked softly.

I turned my head her direction, blinked, and gave a slight nod. She stopped and turned, pressing her body to my ribs with both hands on my back, her whole body frozen as she internally struggled with what to do next.

She didn’t want to ride me because of her own fears of falling, but she trusted that I wouldn’t let her fall. Her trust kindled a new warmth in me, and my chest swelled. Baby steps, but still, steps in the right direction. She was slowly beginning to trust me.

But would that trust be shattered when she learned I’d been in her mind the whole time? Or almost the whole time?

It didn’t matter. My loyalty was to her father, her family, the people paying the organization to keep her safe. Not with her. I needed to remember that.

“You promise you won’t let me fall?” she sounded unsure.

I nodded again.

“Has anyone ever done this?” In her mind, she wondered if she’d be my first… something. Anything. And it made sense. She was trying to win me to her side. But more than that, she wanted to matter to me. More than just as her father’s daughter.

She was right. Her whole story was a bit sad. Her need for love and affection should be warning me to keep as far from her—emotionally—as I could be and keep her at length physically too. It wouldn’t be smart to sleep with her. It would be damn stupid. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to.

“Well, you’re my first then.” She giggled, her nerves showing in the sound and words as well as in the apprehension radiating off of her.

I lowered as much as I could to help her climb up. Her heat circled me as she lifted a leg over my back and clung to me with both thighs like a lover. While I’d had other people do this, it never seemed as intimate as it did now. I’d never noticed their heat, their scent, their muscles, and softness, as I did hers.

As I stood up, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around my neck, clinging to me for dear life. And I let her. Never mind the fact that I could feel her breasts pressing to my neck, never mind the heat between her legs, never mind the odd eroticism and intimacy of the moment.

I stepped forward, reminding myself that I needed to put all thought of desire and want out of my mind.

I needed to keep her safe, andthat was all.

9

Luna

With my arm around his neck, I held on like I’d die if I even tried to sit up. He moved carefully, yet swiftly, over the forest floor. His silent footsteps surprised me. For such a large beast, he didn’t make a whisper of a sound as he raced along. And his motions were so smooth there wasn’t even a noticeable bounce in his run. It reminded me of the time I’d kayaked on a glass-smooth lake. Not a single hitch in motion, just that silken forward motion.

Still, I clung to him, terrified of falling. I squeezed my eyes closed and held on for dear life, my ankle aching, but not nearly as much as it had while I stood, or when I tried to walk on it.

When we finally slid to a halt, I opened my eyes and stared at the cavern house. He hunkered down, and I slipped from his back, holding onto him and struggling not to put any weight on my ankle. He shifted and scooped me up in his arms like I weighed nothing, and carried me inside.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, still afraid he’d drop me even though logic told me he wouldn’t.

He carried me through the entryway of the beautiful home, and I stared in awe. The ceiling, like in the room I’d woken up in, was natural stone with beautiful ribbons running through it. The colors shifted from cool stone gray with bands of red, orange, and even a really pretty white. I didn’t know stones well enough to name any of the layers, but they were absolutely striking.

With me in his arms, he continued walking and brought me into the living room. The space opened up and overlooked the sparkling pool below as well as the meadow across the way. The tranquility of it brought my blood pressure down ten points instantly, I was certain.

With careful motions, he lowered me onto a rich microfiber couch in a soft fawn color. I stretched out as he walked out of the room without a word. I wondered if I’d insulted him, or if he just didn’t like me. I wouldn’t blame him if he hated me. I doubted anyone had given him nearly a fraction of the trouble I had given him.

I’m sure most people fell at his feet and thanked him. I bet women gave it up to him for being so damn sexy and showed their gratitude with oral and whatever else he wanted.

In my head, I imagined some beautiful movie star on her knees before him, whispering her thanks for saving her life. In mind’s eye, I became the one on my knees before him, accepting the tip of him into my mouth while his fingers gripped a fistful of hair at the back of my head and shoved the length of his glorious cock down my throat.

Something clattered to the floor in another room, and I sat up on the couch, searching for the source of the noise. I couldn’t see anything, so I called out instead.

“Hey, dragon guy? Is that you?”

Without responding, he walked into the room, a bottle of water in one hand and an ice pack in the other. He offered me the water, then two pills.

“Ibuprofen, water, ice pack.” His cool eyes studied me, then skipped away.

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