Page 26 of Wild Fire

He nodded. “We are the only shifters who retain our ability to speak and while many have a bonding link where they can feel one another, dragons can actually send messages down the link. We are, in all ways, the superior species.”

“And not the least bit arrogant,” she teased.

“Perhaps, just a bit,” he said, wrapping his neck around her and bringing her to where she could feel the heated chamber within his chest that produced fire. “But with ample reason. For one thing, our skill as warriors has never been rivaled, nor has our ability to pleasure our mates. Drakaina can be quite fractious and are more easily soothed when their libidinous natures are kept satisfied.”

Dani began to laugh in earnest. “If all your brothers are as convinced as you are that there is nothing better in bed… Wait; hold it. That part might be true. You do know I’m more than a little bit sore from all your amorous attentions last night.”

“I do, which is why I did not keep you in our bed this morning. I thought to let you rest. Enjoy it. I will not always be so generous. I want nothing more than to get to our destination and take you in my arms and make you scream so loud with your pleasure that you will wake the gods.”

She shook her head, pulled her hair back, secured it with some kind of band and then crawled up onto his back. There was something almost erotic about the way she gripped his neck with her thighs, just the same as she did when she wrapped her legs around his body as he drove into her over and over again.

“Hold tight,” he said over his back as he took several galloping strides, spread his wings and soared up into the heavens.

“This is amazing,” she said, leaning forward to stroke his neck while holding tight with the other hand.

If she thought this was amazing, he couldn’t wait for her to be drakaina and fly amongst the clouds and the stars at his side. They would find their way. Of that, he was sure. But first they would deal with the slavers and those who pulled their strings. Those who had given Dani her nightmares would pay with their lives.

CHAPTER 12

DANICA

She had to admit flying free among the clouds straddling Warrick beat the hell out of flying commercial. She wasn’t the world’s greatest flyer; nor was she overly fond of heights, but something about being on top of Warrick made all her fears go away. She knew as well as she knew her own name that he would never let her fall. Even if she tumbled from his back, she was sure he would catch her in his powerful talons.

Dani hadn’t been lying when she said even as a dragon, he was beautiful. But more than his physical features as dragon or man was the beauty of his heart. He was most definitely a warrior of the old school. As much as she talked about law and justice, she had no doubt that those who had given her nightmares were not long for this world. She tried to find something wrong with that, but she couldn’t.

She was beginning to wonder what it might be like to commit to this man. She had given up everything for her career and where had it gotten her? Sure, she was successful with a new promotion and most likely her choice of assignments, but at the end of the day she went home alone. So many dates ended up in lackluster sex, not the kind of incendiary lovemaking that she’d experienced with Warrick. Already he’d proven he could take her to sexual heights she hadn’t even known existed.

He was the first man in a very long time—no scratch that, in forever—who had moved her. She’d been so afraid he would be distant this morning, but he had been anything but. He’d shared secrets with her she was sure would be frowned upon by his brethren. She realized she’d been so lonely for so long, she’d forgotten what it was like not to feel that way. Warrick had given that to her, showing her a different path.

She’d never allowed a man to dominate her, and yet with Warrick, there was no doubt about who was in command and control, and she liked it. Oh, she was sure they’d argue and probably fight, but only because he wanted the best for her and wanted to ensure her safety and happiness. That didn’t make him a bad guy.

It made no sense to her. Normally she was reticent when it came to sex. She wasn’t easy by any means, but from the first, sexual longing for this man had filled her waking and dreaming hours. Whenever he looked at her, it was as if his eyes left a tingling trail all along her skin. Her nipples peaked and her entire body came alive at the sound of his voice. Yeah, she was kind of gonzo over him. As she tried to convince herself it was just sex, she remembered the way he’d talked about having an eternal flame and his belief that she was it.

Was she? Was it even possible?

He began to fly higher and take dizzying dives in and out of the clouds, beating his strong wings to pick up speed or altitude and then gliding along the air currents as they made their way eastward. Warrick must have sensed her growing ease with his ability to fly with her on his back. She began to let go of him with her hands—stretching her arms open wide as he soared through the sky. There were times she could hear a jet engine in the distance, but they were never close enough to see a plane or be seen.

Warrick dropped down out of the sky and flew along one of the rivers she thought to be a tributary of the Columbia River. As they traveled along, he turned southward and picked up what she believed to be the Snake River further east. Dani recognized if she was going to fly with Warrick, she’d need to brush up on her geography as she was completely lost at this point.

As dusk began to fall, Warrick made a big sweeping circle so that they were flying toward the sunset. As beautiful as he was, Dani doubted she’d ever forget the feeling of flying to and being a part of the sun setting on the western horizon. Far too soon, he banked and came around, once more heading to a destination only he seemed to know.

As the moon began to rise, Warrick flew into a range of mountains. She didn’t think they were the Cascades but wasn’t sure if they belonged to the Continental Divide. He dropped down following a river that flowed through a pristine wilderness that even in the fading light took her breath away. Dropping down to fly through an arch, he soared over what looked to be a large encampment. How had she missed that from the air? Warrick spiraled down until he landed in a large opening at the center of the camp.

Dani slid off his back and grabbed his jeans. As he shifted, she looked around—yurts were everywhere, including a large one in the very center. This had to be Dragonwyk. Warrick had brought her to his home. Before she could protest or ask him his intentions, he fisted her hair, hauled her close, and slammed his mouth down on hers. Arousal bloomed in an instant and flooded her system. Warrick didn’t seem to care that they had attracted attention.

His lips moved over hers: hungry, dominating. This wasn’t a kiss. This was possession. He was making a bold statement in front of his brethren. Damn, the man knew how to kiss. His tongue traced the seam of her lips and demanding she open to him. Dani sagged into him, telling herself it was just because she was tired, but that wasn’t true. She submitted because he commanded it. Oh, he didn’t say it, but the feeling was there, nonetheless.

Warrick’s tongue slid inside, stroking hers and invoking her response. He was strong and powerful in more ways than one. Her body went on a high alert of anticipation. It knew what this man was capable of, and she could feel her body softening, her pussy getting wet, ripe, and ready to be plundered by the hard cock that throbbed between them.

He tugged on her hair, the slightest pain lighting up her scalp as she moaned, and her nipples peaked into diamond shards. His tongue coaxed and seduced her as he demanded more. Dani was powerless to resist him. She burrowed closer to him, pressing herself to his warmth.

His other hand trailed down her spine until he was cupping one of the globes of her ass and dragging her even closer. His cock was hard, and she could hear the deep rumbling of her lover as he rubbed himself against her.

“I see you have returned,” came a deep voice, belonging to a man almost as tall and muscular as Warrick but not nearly as gorgeous. “Ridley Monroe sends his thanks, but that was three months ago. Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you.”

The man eyed her up and down, speculatively, and not with an open and friendly face.

“In order to free Monroe’s drakaina, I was forced to stand and fight and was unable to withstand the forces the slavers brought against me. It has taken this long to secure my freedom.”

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