Page 16 of The Dragon King's Awakening

Ilie awake watching my sleeping mates, tracking the steady rise and fall of their breathing.Rachel curls against my chest while Zahraxis spoons her from behind, his arm draped possessively across her waist.The moonlight streaming through the windows turns his dark skin to burnished bronze, while Rachel's pale flesh seems to glow.

My tongue forks involuntarily, aching to draw the ancient sigils that will bind them to me forever.The marks of a true mating bond are sacred, permanent—not something to be rushed even when every instinct screams to claim them now.Rachel needs to understand what she's agreeing to first.

Still, there are other options.My fingertip traces the delicate curve of Rachel's shoulder, drawing the ancient sigil of claiming.The proto-mark shimmers crimson for a moment before fading into her skin.She sighs in her sleep, pressing closer as I reach across her to draw the same mark on Zahraxis.

The temporary bonds settle into place, and suddenly I can feel them both more clearly: Rachel's magic thrumming strong and steady, while Zahraxis' power ebbs and flows like a tide, still unstable from centuries of captivity.Even without seeing their auras, I know exactly how much energy each holds, and how their magic twines with mine through these ephemeral marks.

Through this new connection, I sense the exact moment Zahraxis' control begins to slip.His magic surges chaotically, ancient memories threatening to overwhelm his tenuous grip on the present.The humanity drains from him like water through sand.I recognize the pattern, and know we have mere seconds before his body surrenders to its true form.

"Brother," I whisper, but he's already too far gone.His eyes snap open, pure gold with slitted pupils, no trace of humanity left in them.

I move fast, extracting myself from Rachel's embrace and rolling away from the bed just as Zahraxis lunges.We crash into the far wall, his partially shifted claws raking my shoulders as I spin us around, pinning him face-first against the cool plaster.

"Easy now," I murmur, keeping my voice steady despite the way he thrashes against my hold."I've got you.Let it go."

He snarls, his skin rippling with more scales.I kick his legs wider apart, using my body weight to keep him immobile.Through our proto-mark, I feel his confusion, his fear, the way pleasure wars with pride as I establish dominance.

I bring my fingers to my mouth, coating them thoroughly with saliva before reaching between us to work him open.He fights harder, golden scales flickering across his skin as he tries to shift fully.My cock hardens against his ass, responding to his challenge even as I maintain control.

"That's it.Submit to me and the darkness will fade."

A soft gasp from the bed draws both our attention.Rachel watches us with wide eyes, her hand already between her legs.The sight of her touching herself while watching us makes my cock throb, and I feel an answering surge of need from Zahraxis through our proto-bond.

I spit into my palm, slicking myself before driving into him hard.The pleasure hits like lightning, amplified by the bond until I can barely tell where my sensations end and his begin.I sink my teeth into his neck, tasting blood as he finally submits.He goes limp in my grip, his chaotic magic beginning to steady as my dominance overtakes him.I set a brutal pace, each thrust sending sparks of shared pleasure through our temporary bond.

Rachel's soft moans join the sound of flesh meeting flesh.Zahraxis reaches toward her with one trembling hand, and she doesn't hesitate to take it.The moment she joins our circuit, everything intensifies.I feel the surge of her magic flowing through all three of us as she works herself faster, her pleasure feeding into our shared connection.

"Good girl," I say, my voice rough but steady."Feed him your magic.Help me bring him back."

Her climax triggers a cascade of power that flows through all three of us.Zahraxis shudders beneath me, accepting both my dominance and her magic.I drive into him harder, letting my own pleasure build as his energy finally stabilizes.The feedback loop through our proto-marks is almost overwhelming—his pleasure, her arousal, my need all spinning together into something transcendent.

When we come, it's almost simultaneous, my release flooding him as his cock pulses untouched.Rachel's second small orgasm completes the circuit of power between us, anchoring Zahraxis completely.Golden scales ripple across his skin one final time before settling.The amount of energy we've managed to give him this time far surpasses our earlier couplings, thanks to the proto-marks, though I couldn't have foreseen they'd be so useful so soon.I only wanted to feel closer to them both in case the Court objects to a formal mating.

I withdraw carefully, guiding both my mates back to bed.Rachel turns to face Zahraxis, her fingers tracing the fresh bite mark on his neck.I settle behind her, pressed close against her back.

"Are you okay?"she asks him softly."That looked...intense."

Zahraxis chuckles, the sound warm and steady now."You worry for me?"

"Well, yeah.I mean, that's twice now I've seen him basically force you, and you're both...rather well-endowed."Her cheeks flush adorably."I just want to be sure you're actually okay with it."

He shifts closer, his lips brushing teasingly against her neck."You wish to know how it feels?"His teeth graze her skin, making her gasp."When dragon goes feral, only primal acts can reach them.The pleasure..."Another gentle bite."It anchors us.Returns control."

"So you're not hurt?"

His laugh tickles her skin."No, little mate.Not hurt."

She twists to look back at me."Is this something you have to do often as a bounty hunter?"

"It's part of the job," I say, trailing my fingers along her shoulder, feeling the echo of the proto-mark beneath her skin."Feral dragons need a stronger dragon to subdue them, to remind them who they are."

"And it's always...like this?Between you and the dragons you hunt?"

I pause, feeling the weight of our growing bond."No."Through our connection, I let them both feel the truth of it."This is different."

Zahraxis rumbles agreement, and I feel our shared energy resonating perfectly between us.Rachel drifts off to sleep again, but this time I let myself relax.The proto-marks pulse gently, a promise of the permanent bond to come.

Chapter11

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