Page 12 of The Diamond Dragon Prince
I breathed in Leo’s scent as the first hints of morning sun dappled down through the leafy canopy above us. He felt so perfect in my arms, his warm, naked body pressed against mine. He belonged there, and I would move heaven and earth in this world, the magical world, and every other world to keep him there for as long as possible.
I breathed him in again and stroked a hand down the lean line of his side. It was a shame he wasn’t in heat, although I could feel it whispering in the background, ready to break out in flames at any moment. I wanted to take my omega again, claim him with a bite and burst the bond that was latent between us wide open. Leo mightfight me over that claiming, but nothing thrilled me more than the idea of vanquishing a more than worthy opponent.
Not even vanquishing, really. I might have been an arrogant, aggressive dragon, but I relished the idea of a mate who could challenge and master me. Deep within, I had wanted someone who would see more in me than a pleasant dance partner or a good lover. I had always wanted that.
Now there he was, in my arms, snoring gently and adorably as sleep lightened over him. I would tease him about the snoring bit. As soon as he woke fully, I would poke him in the ribs and tell him he was so noisy he woke half the forest. Then I would flip him to his back, lift his ankles up around his ears, and plow him like?—
The sound of shouting jolted me from my heated thoughts and sent my already hard cock softening. Leo snorted and sucked in a breath as if he’d heard it, too, even though he was just waking up.
I pushed myself up on one arm and turned my head to listen as the shouting sounded again.
“What is it?” Leo asked drowsily.
A moment later, he burst into a smile as memories of our frantic lovemaking from the night before returned to him.
“My dragon,” he murmured, reaching for me.
I couldn’t resist the urge to roll on top of him and to kiss him until we were both breathless. But when more shouts sounded, Leo heard them and tensed.
“The soldiers,” he said, sitting as I rolled to the side. “They’ve discovered our tricks.”
“They must have,” I agreed with a nod, reaching for the tunic I’d tossed aside the night before.
I’d never fully removed my trousers, so it was easier for me to dress and push myself to my feet. I used a bit of magic to clean myself and Leo from our activities of the night before, then helped Leo back into his rumpled clothing.
We made our way to the edge of the trees, crouching to observe the camp.
“It looks like our efforts have borne fruit,” I said, humor in my voice.
I was right. The camp was in disarray. Many of the soldiers were just waking up to find their boots or trousers gone. I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of some of them dashing around in just their drawers, or with nothing on the bottom at all. Someone had discovered a pile of destroyed boots in the ashes of a burned-out fire. Someone else had found some in the stream. No one had located the weapons yet.
“What is the meaning of this?” Rottum shouted above the confusion. “Where is my horse?”
No one had an answer for him. The horses were long gone.
Better even than the confusion and distress of the soldiers, I noticed that the number of villagers sitting in the center of the camp was greatly diminished. In fact, as far as I could tell, there were only a handful of them, all of them alphas.
“The rest of the villagers must have escaped in the night,” Leo whispered beside me. “And it looks like the ones who remain are there to fight.”
“Good,” I said, reaching across the grass for Leo’s hand.
I was so proud of my omega, so proud of his bravery and cleverness. I was proud of myself for taking a stand against evil as well. It was a new feeling, as new as my communion with Leo. Leo took my hand and squeezed it asif the feeling were mutual. We made the perfect partnership.
“This is outrageous!” Rottum continued to shout and stomp around the camp. “What is the meaning of this chaos? I knew I should have chosen better men from among you.”
My and Leo’s grins dropped and we both turned back to the camp.
“You asked for volunteers from the main army,” one of the soldiers, who had found his singed trousers and hopped around as he stepped into them, said. “We volunteered for this.”
“Volunteered to avoid the main battle, I assume,” Rottum’s deputy said.
I frowned. It made perfect sense that this motley band of fools wasn’t the only force King Freslik had working for him. I didn’t like the implication that there were more mercenaries out there, though.
“Resolve this mess as swiftly as you can,” Rottum shouted. “We need to rejoin the rest of the army before their attack on Berk.”
Leo sucked in a breath. I glanced at him in question.
“It’s one of the larger villages in the west,” he told me, scowling as if Rottum had offended him personally. “They are good people, prosperous people. The village is strong enough to stand up against Father, but not if they’re overrun with mercenaries.”
