Page 133 of Saving the Last Heir
“What I know,” she said, glancing at Cassandra, “is that you haven’t looked this healthy in a long time. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I think you’ll do a great job back in the shop. I know how much you miss being there and helping out. Tell me you don’t miss it.”
Marquel shook his head and smiled sadly. “Idomiss it.” He glanced down at his legs and flexed his hands. “I suppose I have been feeling better. Cassie here said that the tea she brews is sort of anti-inflammatory. It really seems to be working.”
The dragon healer gave me a quick smile as she patted Marquel’s shoulder.
“I think you should do it, Mark. You were just telling me earlier how bored you get at home all the time,” Cassandra said.
The look that came over the older man’s face was one of relief, sadness,andjoy. It was the look of a man who was happy to have his old life back, but sad that he was losing his daughter.
Marquel gave me a stern look. “You’ll take care of her? Make sure she comes home safe?”
“I promise you, she’ll come home safe and sound. I give you my word.” I didn’t add that we’d be doing some pretty dangerousstuff, because I could see in his eyes that he’d already put two and two together—parental intuition. He knew whatever we were doing to be treacherous.
Marquel nodded, then returned his gaze to Shyanne. He cupped her cheeks.
“I am so proud of you, my girl.” His eyes grew misty, and he had to clear his throat several times before going on. “When your mother passed away, and I was standing there in that hospital room looking down at you, I knew we had no blood connecting us, but Iknewyou were mine. There was never a moment of hesitation. From that day, from that moment, you were my daughter, blood or not. Nothing in my life has ever made me more proud than the woman you’ve turned into. I don’t tell you that enough.”
Tears slipped down Shyanne’s cheeks, but she was smiling. Instead of responding, she simply lunged forward, pulling the man into a hug that probably would have made him scream in pain if Cassandra hadn’t been healing him subtly over the last two weeks. Instead of shouting in agony, he let out a heartfelt laugh that turned into a sob. They sat like that for a long time, just holding each other.
As I watched them, I realized that family wasn’t only your blood. All you needed was love.
After a while, they got themselves under control, and I said my goodbyes to my parents, then gave my baby sister a hug. Of all the things I was leaving, I was going to miss her the most. It gave me all the more motivation to finish what we’d started as fast as I could and get back home. I had a life to live. A life that now included Shyanne.
“Be careful, son,” Dad said, giving me one final hug. “I know I’ll see you soon.”
“Bet on it,” I said.
Reggie scrunched his face, obviously incredulous and confused by our secretiveness. He shook his head and moved off to the grill to grab food, muttering, “Rich people,” under his breath, and shaking his head with a rueful smile on his lips.
“Let me grab a coat, too,” Shyanne said as she rummaged in her closet an hour later.
Moving up behind her, I placed my hands on her hips and pressed against her.
“Excuse you,” she said, glancing back over her shoulder. “And what do you think you’re doing?”
“Well, we’ve got a long flight ahead, lots of danger in our future, and an empty house,” I said, running my fingers over her ass. “Why not relieve a little stress before we fly out?”
“Is this your way of flirting? Trying to bang me inside my closet? Kinda weird, if you ask me,” she said, though she turned and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“I was thinking about that bed over there,” I said, nodding backward. “But if you think this is best, we can take our chances.”
In answer, she kissed me. She tasted like life, home, and love. She was everything I’d ever wanted, and I’d managed to find her. A million things could have gone differently, a billion ways thatI might never have met this amazing woman, but she was here. Beyond all the odds, she was in my arms, and she was mine. I was hers, and nothing would ever change that. Ilovedher, and I would never stop showing her how much.
Growling deep in my chest, I pressed her against the wall beside the closet.
“That dragon growlreallyturns me on, by the way,” she said as I sucked at the soft flesh of her neck. “It makes me so fucking wet every time you do it.”
My dragon snarled and hissed in excitement and pride, urging me on. As I kissed her neck, I ran my hands down her side until I came to her pants. I quickly undid the button and zipper. With a few quick movements, I had them down and dragged them off her body and tossed them aside.
I sank down to my knees and lifted one of her legs over my shoulder. Then my mouth was on her, and I slipped my tongue into her pussy, grinding my upper lip against her clit.
“Oh my god,” Shyanne moaned, running her fingers through my hair.
Her heat washed across my lips and tongue. I couldsmell her arousal, my senses picking up every bit of her need and desire. I slipped a finger into her, moaning at how tight and wet she was, then wrapped my lips around her clit. As I sucked on her, I fucked her with my finger, basking in the sighs and moans she made.
All I wanted was to make her feel good. To take care of her in every way. She was mine, and I was hers. The very thought made my dragon roar with approval and happiness. As she cried out in passion again, I promised myself that I would never stopprotecting her. The rest of our lives would be spent like this, and nothing had ever made me happier.
Hungry for more, I lifted her other leg, placing it on my opposite shoulder. She now sat astride me, back pressed to the wall, legs on my shoulders while I devoured her, sucking, licking, and kissing the soft skin between her legs. My finger moved in and out faster, growing slicker with each thrust.
