The Dragon's Mate, page 9
“Thankfully it was the same for me, or she’d be a cougar.” Egypt’s mate Xian made a growling sound while raking his hands down like he was clawing.
“Stop worrying, Hirra. We all have long lives.” Jabari’s warm breath fanned over her neck.
She was very good at worrying. In fact, she excelled at it. There were always so many things she’d had to worry about in the universe, first and foremost being her child’s safety.
‘You don’t have to worry so much now. At least not alone. I’m here and now she has a mate. Let us help you.’
Asia nodded, knowing it was true and replied, ‘I will try.’
“Asia, you only need to reach out to one of us, and we’ll flash you back to Fey.” Belle walked over to them, stopping in front of Asia.
After saying goodbye to the others, she stood with Jabari behind her, his arms holding her. Asia knew the longer they stayed there, the longer she was going to come up with reasons she wasn’t worthy. But she was done with the self-flagellations.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, the deep timbre of his voice reverberating down her spine.
Already knowing she was more than ready, she nodded. Hoping to calm herself, she turned within the circle of his embrace. “Can you blink us there or only fly?” The scope of his magic was unknown to her.
Jabari stared down at her and finally said, “I can do whatever it is you wish.”
“Flash us please.”
Jabari let out a sigh Asia was convinced he had been holding in fear she’d have asked for something else. Silly dragon.
“I’m glad you chose that option, Hirra,” Jabari announced.
She had a feeling her dragon mate wasn’t the arguing kind. Whether it was more for her benefit or his, she didn’t know, nor did she give two hoots. “Take me where you will, Jabari.”
JABARI WAS SURE HE’D never heard more magical words in all his years. He did as she’d asked, using his innate powers. He briefly wondered if it was wise to move so quickly, then reminded himself their destinies had been entwined long before they were born. Although they’d had an evil hiccup, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she was the only female for him. His dragon rumbled within him.
The cave he’d carved out for them was nothing like the space he’d been imprisoned in for hundreds of years. Her gasp of delight made all the sweeter as her heavenly scent became more pronounced.
So this was what it’s like to finally have his mate happy and with him. Jabari thought he’d lost everything, but he hadn’t. Not even when he’d been devoured by dozens of bloodsucking leeches without an ounce of humanity. Apparently, he had a guardian angel looking out for him. Although he was a dragon with a long memory, he didn’t remember the way he’d held the two panthers stares until he fell, his cheek cracking on the hard ground. His vision had blurred and then he was covered by the bastards wanting a bit of him.
Asia gasped, her hand going to his face. “What happened to you?”
He didn’t want to share his horrors with her, but she was his truemate. There was no way to hide anything from her. “Hirra, I need you to know that I love you. We are connected in all ways as is our way. You and I can see within one another. You know this, correct?”
His mate rolled her eyes. “I know you have an idea of what I went through, yes. I’m not worried about you seeing what happened to me, not anymore. Now show me, Jabari.”
They stared at one another as he opened his mind, sharing what he remembered. He could’ve sugarcoated it. Hell, he probably should’ve. She’d been through her own hell, but they were beings who would need to understand what made them who they were. He loved her because she was his, but also because she didn’t give up, she took abuse to save their daughter.
Tears tracked down her cheeks as she pulled out of his mind. “What happened to the panthers?”
He shrugged. “Did you recognize them?”
“No, but that’s not surprising. My Claw was very exclusive. The fact they’d brought me here as a... you know, to the Enclave, was telling. Maybe the two panthers were bargaining chips or were sold to them as well. I don’t know.”
And that was the bitch about the entire thing. Since he’d fallen and basically been devoured, he hadn’t been there to see where they’d gone or what role the panthers had played. Hell, he hadn’t been aware they’d been there until that fateful day. That day the Enclave had thought they’d killed him. Luckily, he wasn’t just a dragon, but one of royal blood. With a single drop having escaped the frenzy, he was able to rejuvenate, slowly, painfully.
“I don’t want to talk about them or that time anymore, Hirra.” He brushed his finger across her collarbone. The night he’d taken her, they hadn’t marked one another. There were many things he regretted, and that was one of them.
“Me either.” She leaned into him, sniffing his neck.
“Wha... what are you doing?” he asked, tipping his head to the side.
“Smelling you. You smell amazing. I don’t know how to explain it, but I had dreams of your scent. I even swore there was fires burning when there was none when I was awake.” She took several more sniffs and licked his throat.
He turned them so that they were moving further into the space he’d created, letting her sniff her fill. As her nose went up his neck to his ear, the feel of her teeth tugging on the lobe made him shiver.
Asia pulled away, finding his gaze with a frown. He locked his jaw, wondering if she had changed her mind and wanted to wait.
“Kiss me,” she said.
Goddess, he didn’t need to be told twice.
He leaned down, locking his gaze on hers and took her lips in a claiming kiss. Jabari framed her face with his hands, rubbing his mouth back and forth over hers, and then she opened. Fuck, he was dying, and it was amazing.
His tongue pushed past her lips, tangling with hers while he lifted her into his arms, taking her to the bed. This time, he’d made sure they had a huge bed fit for a queen, no bedding on the ground for his mate.
All shyness and doubt wiped from Asia’s beautiful clear brown eyes. Jabari could see she was thinking of only one thing, making love with him. Their minds linked, and he could see she loved the feel of his skin on hers. He wanted the same thing.
Asia’s hands went between them. He pushed back, watching her reach for the T-shirt she wore. He stopped her, gripping the fabric with his hands, and ripping it in half, revealing her toned abs and a chest that Jabari wanted to spend days exploring.
“I’m small,” she said, not sounding sleepy in the least.
“You’re fucking perfect.” She should’ve been freaked out by his obvious intensity as he leaned down and sniffed her chest. Hell, he was sure most females would’ve taken one look at him and run far and fast in the opposite direction.
But not his Asia. She didn’t flinch or show any sort of unease. No, she let him run his hands down her chest, slicing through the bra with one claw he’d shifted on his finger without a flinch, her eyes never leaving his.
His hands moved down her torso, mapping every curve, every faint line from where she’d carried their child, his fingertips circled her bellybutton, and she didn’t even care that he was rumbling with need.
Jabari tugged the leggings down her legs, taking the tiny scrap of lace she wore underneath at the same time. “Damn, Hirra. Not a single inch of you isn’t beautiful.”
He bent and kissed her when she opened her mouth to protest, their tongues sliding against each other. He noticed hers was a little rougher, like that of her cat. “I love it when you purr.”
Asia blinked up at him, her chest rising with each deep inhale. He lifted both breasts into his hands, loving the weight of them, testing their shape in his palm before he took one in his mouth. He pressed the hardened nipple against the roof of his mouth, sucking almost her entire breast inside before releasing it with a wet pop. Moving to the other side, he gave it the same treatment, enjoying the way she shivered and pressed her hips up against him.
Jabari licked his way down her stomach, kissing, tasting, marking every inch of her as he went. His little mate made the sexiest little noises each time he nipped her skin before he laved the little wound with his tongue.
His mate gasped when he pushed her thighs apart and settled between them, holding her open for him to look his fill. Goddess, he truly hadn’t lied when he’d said every inch of her was beautiful. With his thumbs, he spread her pussy lips so he could lick her clit. Damn, she was delicious. He could feast on her for days.
Her breath was harsh, her grip tight around him as he licked and sucked, needing to make her come before he lost control and pushed inside her.
Asia growled, her hands tunneling in his hair but not to push him away. Her cries getting louder as he pushed one and then two fingers inside her incredibly tight channel. “Come for me, Hirra. I’m so close to losing control I need to know I won’t hurt you.”
“Jabari, I... so close,” she moaned.
The muscles in her legs quivered as the first spasm took her. He latched onto her clit, lashing it with his tongue while moving his fingers in and out, in and out, letting Asia ride the orgasm out ‘til the end. She shuddered hard when he slipped his fingers out, licking them clean, he moved up her body, fitting his cock to her opening.
“I’ve never wanted another female, Asia. You and you alone are my one truemate.”
“My whole life has been about lies and deception. The only good thing I had was our daughter. Even though I didn’t remember you, my heart did. In my dreams, I dreamt about being the mate of a dragon. He was this fearsome beast who saved me and Asia from evil, but then I’d wake up.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
Jabari kissed her forehead, nose, and then her eyelids before settling on her lips, kissing her hard and deep. He pulled back and stared down into Asia’s face while he slid inside her, loving her more than he’d ever thought possible. He stopped, eased out, then in. With slow increments, he took his time before he was finally buried deep inside his mate. She said she’d dreamt of being the dragon’s mate. He was so damn elated that they no longer had to dream, because he was never letting her go.
“I’m never letting you go either,” she whispered.
He smiled, loving that she was inside his mind, reading his thoughts. They’d had so many missed years that he didn’t want to miss another moment with her. With their bodies joined, he felt like they were one, and he knew he’d never find anyone who was more perfect for him.
Jabari started moving, gliding in and out, letting both of them get used to the feel of each other’s bodies. She was so warm and sweet, loving, and yet as he stopped, her claws gripped his ass, letting him know she was demanding as well.
She was his female, and he was hers. He licked her neck, moving faster, his body and hers becoming more demanding. With his eyes locked on hers, he let his teeth grow so she could see his intentions. “I claim you as my mate, Asia. For all of eternity, you are mine, and I am yours.”
Her eyes watered, that beautiful smile he wanted to see for the rest of his life spread across her face as he bent and claimed her, his teeth sinking into her neck. The moment his teeth sunk into the delicate skin. Her pussy began to squeeze his cock. Her nails raked down his back. “I love you, Jabari,” she screamed.
He licked across the wound. “I love you, Asia.”
Jabari pushed the hair off her forehead, trying to keep from coming until she claimed him. Her rosy cheeks were so fucking adorable and sexy he knew he was going to remember this moment for the rest of his life.
“My turn,” she said.
His female. No matter what he thought, she would always surprise him. And just like that, she did.
He let her roll him over, her tiny hand running down his chest as she settled back onto him. When he put his hands on her hips, helping her move up and down, she shook her head. “I set the pace.”
So she began to make love to him slowly, taking her time, stroking his cock with her tight little pussy, up and down, up, and down. He loved watching the play of emotion on her face when she thought she was in charge, but then he had to thrust up into her. Shit, he couldn’t control himself.
“I need you, Hirra,” he said, leaning up so he could suck on one of her nipples that was too tempting.
She gasped, her entire body throbbing and shaking around him. Her pussy starting to squeeze him so damn hard he was sure he was going to shoot off like a rocket.
“I claim you as mine, Jabari. My mate forever and always and even longer than that. Promise you’ll never make me forget you ever again, even if you think it’s for the best,” she gasped. “Promise me.”
“Goddess... I... yes. I’ll... never ever leave you or do that again,” he finally got out before pulling her down to him, covering her lips with his.
She broke away, burying her lips in his neck. He felt her wet tongue, a little rougher than the human one and knew she’d partially shifted to her cat. Her fangs bit down on his flesh. The erotic pain sent him over the edge. His roar would’ve shattered windows or woken neighbors. Jabari didn’t know how long he came or how long he roared. He could barely remember his name when she licked the wound.
However, like a good dragon, he kept his hands firmly planted on her rear to hold her in place and pulled a blanket up to cover them with a thought. “Let’s get some rest and then we can see about making another baby.”
Her yip was adorable, but again, he was pretty sure there wasn’t anything about Asia he wouldn’t find adorable.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Asia woke up, her body relaxed, and yet she felt sore in parts that let her know last night wasn’t a dream. She leaned up on one elbow and looked down at Jabari’s sleeping face. When Belle unlocked her memories, she’d thought he was handsome, but he was even more so now.
She eased down the scant inches so that she could brush her lips over his, marveling at how full both his top and bottom ones were. Dear Goddess, it should be a sin for any male to be so dang handsome, and his lashes were longer than hers; they actually created a shadow while they rested against his cheekbones.
Using her tongue, she traced the upper curves of his lip and felt his breath hitch. Any doubt that he was still sleeping vanished when his hands gripped her hips and pulled her flush to his side. Especially when he growled, sending a shiver down her spine.
His tongue came out, wetting his lips, toying with hers, teasing. Asia’s body, already primed, responded with hard nipples. Just like that. One teasing glide of his tongue and she was wet and ready for him
“Hirra, I’m always going to be primed and ready for you too.” He slid his hand down her side, fingers slipping between her thighs.
“Hmm, is that so?” She wasn’t sure where this wanton woman was coming from, but she liked it.
Jabari pressed her backward, leaning over her, his handsome face serious. “Oh, yes. There’s never going to be a moment I won’t want to be with you. Not just because I want to make love to you, but I also want to be with you. Mates, truemates have a connection that’s deeper than just surface. I knew you were mine from the moment I scented you. I think the enclave King had some way of knowing as well, and that frightens me as nothing ever could. Now that we’ve solidified our bond, you and I will always be connected. All you have to do is think of me, and I am right here with you wherever you are.”
She couldn’t be any happier hearing him say those words. “The same goes for me, right?”
Her back arched when his fingers pressed inside her. Moving in and out, he found a place within her that sent a tingle from her toes to every nerve in her body.
Jabari slid his fingers out of her, frustrating her just as she began to move against his hand. He laughed. “Easy. I’ll take care of you. I’m yours, and you’re mine. For all time.” His fingers circled her clit, stroked it, then he pushed them back inside.
Her body was primed and ready, unable to do anything except take the pleasure he gave. Jabari took her lips in a heated kiss, his tongue mimicking the same motion as his fingers.
Asia pressed her chest up, the friction against her nipples was another layer of pleasure that was making her nuts. Her hips lifted into his hand, trying desperately to get him to go faster. Goddess, he was destroying her with his teasing.
“In me, Jabari. You. Now!” She didn’t care that she was being demanding.
Seconds later, he replaced his fingers with his cock. This time, he didn’t enter her slowly. No, her mate shoved inside her, taking her hard and fast. Lying on their sides, staring into her eyes, he held her leg up high on his hip while he hammered in and out. Asia tossed her head back, a mewl of pleasure falling from her at the exquisite pleasure. “Yes, yes, don’t stop,” she gasped.
“Never gonna stop,” he promised.
She screamed, loving the way he made her feel. Her heart turned over as his eyes watered when she opened her mind to his. ‘This isn’t our second chance because we didn’t do it right the first time. This is our second chance to prove we are better, stronger after our fall.’
JABARI DIDN’T CARE that his mate was seeing him cry. He was so much older than Asia, but she was wise beyond her years. “I don’t need a second chance to fall in love with you, Hirra. I never stopped, and I never will. But I’ll take this second chance at falling in love with you all over again. I’m going to fall in love with you every day for all our days and nights.
He moved back and forth, slowly gliding now instead of racing toward his own orgasm. She was so beautiful when she came, her muscles clenching on him so hard it wouldn’t take anything to make him come, yet he held off. He waited until she sighed, and then he slipped a hand down and began massaging her clit, grinning at the widening of her eyes. Yeah, he enjoyed making her come, ’cause she did it so damn wonderfully.
He held back, held onto his control, until her back arched into him. Her legs began to shake, and she cursed him for not going fast enough. And as she came again, and he watched her writhe and scream his name, desperately squeezing his cock, he finally let go, calling her name. He bent and bit his mark on her shoulder, making her come again.
