To Be Fated, page 28
She swallows thickly and nearly asks me something, but she swallows it instead.
“Submit…how?”
“I want you to submit to me and trust that I will do what’s best for us. That’s what a submissive would do.” I add on for good measure, “It’s important that they see this relationship that way. But you’ll need practice first before I can let you out of my bedchambers.” Once her heat has waned. I won’t risk them scenting her. But once the heat has passed, I want her to meet them. “You won’t have a problem obeying me, will you?” The very thought nearly brings me to my knees. Never have I wanted anything more than her submission.
“When I’m in front of your brothers, I’ll keep my mouth closed and bide my time...” Her voice lowers as she agrees, “I’ll do what you ask.” My heart sinks at her intentions. I don’t want her to bide her time. I want her to get to know me and see a side of me that few get to enjoy. I’d love for my little treasure to submit to me, to trust me, to want to please me. And fuck do I want to punish her and reward her, trust her and please her. I lick my lips, wondering what she tastes like.
“Being submissive is something that’s learned.” And she fucking needs lessons, that’s for sure.
Her eyes narrow. “So I’ll always be your submissive.”
The rough pad of my thumb rounds the side of my fingers as I contemplate a deal that she won’t refuse.
“When I call you my ‘little treasure’ that means we’re playing. We can turn this off and on.”
“So what do I call you if I want to stop playing?” she questions and a nervousness riddles its way through me.
“Nothing. A sub is always available for her Dom.” Her eyes go wide with indignation.
“That’s not fair,” she tells me, her gaze striking through me, as if attempting to read my intention.
“I don’t play fair.” I move into her space, and with a hesitant step backward, she finds herself with her back against the wall. “I promise you that I’d never do anything to hurt you.” She looks at me with disbelief. “Not physically or emotionally.”
“Then how would you punish me? When I disobey?” I grin at her wording. When she disobeys, not if.
“Lack of reward my little treasure. I will ensure you are satisfied in every way imaginable, but if you displease me, you will be punished.” I watch her shift her weight as a heat travels up her chest. My words turn her on. I scent the air and smell her arousal even heavier than a moment ago. The lingering steam from the hot bath carries the sweet aroma and begs me to satisfy her. A low grumble is buried inside of my chest and the dragon inside of me stirs. I fucking need this. I need her.
“What kind of things would you want me, no,”—she bravely stares back at me as she corrects herself—“tell me to do?” Her voice is on edge, and I know she’s wondering if I plan on fucking her. And I do. I desperately need to fuck her and feel her come on my dick.
I sidestep her question, knowing I could so easily break this woman. She is fragile, vulnerable, and my needs will come last. “Whatever I do, or ask you to do, will only ensure your safety and I promise you we will both enjoy it.”
“So, if I don’t like it...”
“There are plenty of wishes you may not like and you can tell me so, but that may not change what I ask of you. You may not understand at first. You need to trust me.”
“But what if I’m not good at what you want? What if I’m bad at listening?”
“Something tells me you’ll be a fast learner.” I take a step back, giving her distance and watching her body language. She wants this; she’s just nervous. As she should be. “But I won’t push when it’s not necessary. Your feelings and needs will always be the first things I consider.”
“What kinds of things will you have me do?” As she takes a step closer to me, she parts her lips. I’m all too aware beneath that towel is her bare skin. Her body is no longer tense. She’s far more relaxed. That makes my dragon at ease.
“Whatever I desire,” I answer honestly.
She hesitantly answers with a gentle nod and then she swallows thickly. She’s hot and cold, exhausted from fighting but too on edge to simply be taken care of. I can feel it in the core of my soul. She wants to give in. She maybe even needs to give in.
“Now tell me a word, something that means I’m pushing a little too much.”
“Pushing a little too much?” she questions.
“Yes.” I rise and lean close to her as I kiss the crook of her neck. Testing her. As I expected, she stills. “Say I wanted to kiss down your body or fuck you on the floor. Not now, but once we’ve gotten to know one another.” To my surprise, she clenches her thighs and arches her back slightly, ever so subtly.
“If I wanted to do that, Kara, at some point you may want to stop me. Or you may want me to be a little less rough with you.” At the word “rough” she bites her lip and the smell of her arousal hits me immediately; I have to suppress my groan. Fuck yes. If she already wants me physically, this is going to be much easier than I anticipated. “If you wanted me to stop or to slow down, what would you say?”
My question breaks her lustful gaze. “I’d tell you to slow down or stop if that’s what I wanted.” I chuckle at her response. At least she’s honest. I like that.
“My little treasure. I’m going to give you pleasure that will have you begging for me to stop. Not because you actually want it to end, but because you’re afraid of how paralyzing the sensation will be. I will overwhelm your senses and take over every thought you have. And it will frighten you. Your initial reaction will be to make it stop. But trust me, you’re going to want more.”
“I’m not going to lie. That scares me.” She shifts, unease rolling off her, so I decide to answer for her.
“You’ll learn to trust me. And I won’t ever push you too far. If you want me to slow down though, say yellow. If you want everything to stop, just say red. I’ll immediately stop everything.”
She cautiously stares back at me. I know I need to do something to prove to her that this is worthwhile. That she’ll enjoy this. I run my thumb and finger down the sides of the cut on her back. “Like this.” I stop my movements and wait for her beautiful hazel eyes to find mine. “I can make this pain go away. I want to.”
“You can make it go away?” she whispers, and it’s then I realize how much pain I can ease for her. She will find worth in me then.
“Yes. I can take it all away.”
“How?” She’s still weary, but at least she’s willing.
“Come,” I command her and move her how I wish. Her grip is white knuckled on the towel and her heart batters in her chest so loud I can hear it. When I tug the towel down enough to show the marks, she allows it. I pull her hips and position her body between my legs, with her back a few inches from my front. “Be still,” I whisper at the shell of her ear, and I watch the goosebumps travel down her gorgeous skin. I let the fire burn in my chest and breathe it in and out. “When we’re injured, dragons use the magic in their heat and fire to heal our cuts. You’ll have to be very still.” Her hips sway toward me as I breathe on her neck. My tongue flicks out along the gash, and I gently lick it. Healing it with my heated touch. I pull back slightly and kiss next to the wound. She leans in slightly to my touch, but then seems to realize her desire for more. She stiffens and I let her right herself, wondering more and more if she feels the attraction and need that I feel. If the heat affects her as it would a dragon mate.
My fingers hover over the small mark on her neck; it’s looking better, but it’ll take more than a single touch to heal her. “Did that feel good?”
She nods her head.
“I want to hear you, my little treasure.”
“Yes,” she answers nearly breathlessly. I love her obedience.
“Good.” My eyes travel from her neck downward. I know she’ll love my tongue on her pussy too. Not yet, but soon, I’ll have her writhing under me. Daringly, I push her. “I want you to lay naked in my bed.”
Her lips move to protest as she pulls away from me. I can see the hesitation, but she doesn’t disappoint me. Instead, she squares her shoulders and nods slightly.
“Good girl. On your belly, so I can take care of your wounds.” Her shoulders sag slightly with relief as she moves to the bed, clinging to that towel although it hangs more loosely than before. I smirk at her back as she walks out of the bathroom, not waiting for me. Soon she’ll be on her back with her legs around me as I pound into her. But she’s going to have to earn it. And before that, I’ll have to earn her trust.
KARA
My heart beats out of my chest as I lie down on the bed, keeping my gaze on Drago. I do so ever so slowly and carefully. My gaze staying on his. Although my heart races and I can barely breathe, there’s a calmness to everything that threatens the truth of what I know.
I’m surprised by how gentle Drago’s touch has been. More so by how at peace I seem to be in his presence. I barely tense when he approaches, and it’s been a long while since the sight of a man hasn’t given me shivers.
This isn’t what I expected. I don’t understand any of it, not his treatment of me nor my response to him. Except for the fact that I am so very tired of fighting, and he’s the opposite of what I’ve been told of dragons and what I know of shifters and supernaturals.
I’ve grown up watching those with powers torment humans for fun and take them as slaves or worse. Witches are especially horrid. Truth be told, I never thought I’d live very long. I can’t even say I was surprised when I was taken. I was almost relieved that it would end sooner rather than later. Like my time had come and I no longer had to wait around watching over my shoulder and not trusting a soul.
I hadn’t anticipated living through it. I never thought I’d be at the mercy of someone who says they want to help me.
That cold shiver travels down my spine and my shoulders shudder at the thought. I don’t trust him. I don’t trust that he really wants to help me. My forehead pinches, and I rub the line trying to ease the small headache radiating and growing at my temples. If he had wanted to hurt me, he would’ve done it by now. I bite the inside of my cheek. I just don’t know how much to believe.
My reaction to him, the desire that overwhelms me, and the serenity that promises I can rest…it’s proof enough he must’ve drugged me or cast a spell, or he’s done something that has clouded my mind and judgment.
He is no hero. No one is ever coming to save me. That’s a fact I’ve known for as long as I can remember. I do not believe a word he says and yet, I have to remind myself of that because my body begs to bow to his.
Drago doesn’t give me a knight in shining armor vibe. Instead, he’s a dark knight. The thought makes me close my eyes and try to repress a moan. Him ripping my dress off heats my blood in a way I’ve never experienced.
He’s quiet as he heads back to the bathroom, his footsteps foreboding, and I steady my breath as I do what he said and simply lay here, in the comfort of luxury like I’ve never known. My eyes threaten to close and instantly the vision of his carved muscle in leather pants flashes before me. My eyes whip open and my heart races.
And oddly enough, there’s disappointment when he’s not here. The sound of him cleaning up in the bathroom tells me all I need to know, and I turn slightly and bury my head into the soft welcoming pillow.
It smells like him and I breathe it in deeply. Once again envisioning him.
It’s like they’re designed to seduce. Dominance and power exude from his dark, intense features. Yet his touch is soothing, and I find myself craving more.
I swallow thickly, reminding myself that they all lie. I need to be strong and keep my guard up. If he’s working with Victor, then I need to get the hell out the first chance I get. Just the thought of Victor turns that heat of desire into ice. Anger simmers once again and that feels normal; it feels right. I’m disgusted that I feel the least bit attracted to someone who’s willing to work with that vile prick.
“On your stomach.” His low baritone voice rumbles with approval and I peer up to see his sharp silver gaze. It’s nearly mesmerizing and the concoction of emotion is a drug that seeps into my blood. As I start to turn, his hand moves toward me but he stops himself and adds “No towel. I need to see you.” My gaze shifts to a bottle in his hand and I imagine it’s something for the wounds.
I slowly pull back the towel and expose myself to him, embarrassment and fear return but I do as I’m told. My fingers graze my ribs and I instantly feel self-conscious. I haven’t eaten in days—maybe two or three? I dare a glance up at him and his silver irises flash, it’s enough to make me move as quickly as I can.
My body trembles slightly and I have to force myself to stop.
“It’s all right my pet,” he murmurs, and I brace myself for what’s to come.
The fear and desire, the hope and the exhaustion, all combine as I close my eyes and wait.
“Once I’ve taken care of these, I’ll go get you something to eat.” He speaks evenly and lowly, just above his breath, as he hovers over my naked body. I moan into the bed just thinking about food and then stiffen as I feel his hands on my back. His palm presses lightly at the small of my back while the other moves my hair off my shoulders. My nipples pebble and my thighs clench slightly, adding to my embarrassment. My throat goes dry, and I can’t close my eyes any longer as his heated touch slips down my spine.
He touches me as if he’s exploring and my heart races all the while. A dragon. A real-life dragon. He lowers his head to the crook of my neck and whispers at the shell of my ear, “I’m going to take care of you.”
I’ve never been so filled with want. His hot breath and the bite from the flames have a hint of pain as he licks down my back, but more than that it heats a low flame in my core. I bury my head and deny the feeling.
A deep rumble stirs in his chest and it’s the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever heard. Desire surges deep in my core.
As I contemplate what degrading things he must be planning for me, my body betrays me and arousal pools between my thighs. My cheeks flame with embarrassment, but he makes no acknowledgment of my body’s reaction.
His hand travels lower as he takes long languid licks. His fingers move across the curve of my backside and down my inner thigh. The tips of his fingers are so close to my entrance. I almost curve my back, offering myself, and I have no idea who I’ve become. It takes everything in me to be still. To resist this man. To hell with my treacherous body.
Much to my disappointment, his hand travels farther down my leg as he pulls away from me. I immediately miss the heat. I’ve never been touched like this and the thought of him using me, I’m ashamed to say, it turns me on.
It’s then when he pulls away that I realize these feelings I have at the moment are very much one-sided. His fingers travel down my back and along my spine. I know he’s feeling how frail I am. I’m far too thin and weak.
“Who did this to you?”
I swallow thickly. “I did.” His hand stills and then leaves me. A chill runs along my back.
“Why?”
It’s difficult to speak as the memories come back to me, but I push words out. “It’s a long story.”
As the mattress dips with his weight, he huffs a humorless laugh. I half expect him to scold me, push for more, or to tell me how disappointed he is that I’ve ruined myself. Instead, he lays next to me and continues to kiss and lick my back, leaving trails of goosebumps as his heat leaves my sensitized skin. His touch is as if I’m lying in the sun. He is nothing but warmth and sunshine on the most beautiful of days. That’s what it’s like to be touched by him, and I find myself craving it until I realize it is only the magic that makes it feel so. It’s not real.
My eyes open wider as I wish he could heal me without the need to be so physical. I turn my head to look at him, but his large hand comes down on my back and pushes me back down. “Stay. I’m not done.” I do as I’m told, facing away from him and closing my mouth. Fine. I don’t need to look at him anyway. It’s probably better this way. “Now tell me why.”
I should have known he would press. He doesn’t strike me as a man who will allow privacy, even in the most vulnerable of ways. I swallow and breathe in deeply. “Because they wanted to drain me like they did the others.”
His ministrations pause as he states more forcefully, “I don’t understand. Start at the beginning.”
The memories flash before me, and I hardly flinch this time. “The vampires took me. A few days ago, maybe a week.” I lick my lips trying to remember, but the days blended while being locked in that dungeon. “I was with my friend, searching for our neighbors that’d gone missing.”
I remember telling her it was a fool’s errand, and she told me so was staying and waiting. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes. We both knew we were going to die either way. “It was just a matter of finding them. And we did.”
“You must know that was a foolish thing to do.” If I could laugh at the situation I would, but knowing what happened, any sense of humor evades me.
“Well it was that or wait around to be the next victim.” There’s a moment of tense silence before he kisses my neck, and I wonder for a moment if that was to heal a mark or simply to heal the unseen pain.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” I whisper and push down the lump growing in my throat. “They killed her and took me.” His movements stop and he pulls my back into his hard chest.
“I’m sorry. I really am.” He kisses my neck and his compassion nearly has me in tears. But there’s no point in crying. I’ll survive.
“It’s not the first time someone’s been taken from me by a vampire.” He lays me back down on my belly and his hand runs soothing circles on my upper back where the whip landed only hours ago, yet I don’t feel any pain. He leans lower and continues to heal my body. It’s then I realize just how at ease my body feels. The pain slips away with his touch, and I’m filled with gratitude. “Thank you.”
