She bit her lip to keep in the screams of pain she wanted to unleash as Bercelak’s tongue wound its way across her exposed body. And where his tongue couldn’t reach, he let out a lash of Magick-imbued flame to do the job for him. But even as the pain grew worse and worse, so did the feeling that was growing steadily along her spine and in her pussy.
As she fought to keep her cries of pain in, she also fought to keep in her screams of lust. By the time his tongue slid across her belly, she arched her back and screamed out her climax. But he didn’t stop. Not her Bercelak. He kept going, his tongue moving up her body, across her ribs, and around one breast to lash across a nipple. That’s when another climax racked her. Still, he wasn’t done. His tongue slid across her upper chest and collar bone, then across her neck, finally stopping as he stroked her jaw.
For a moment she thought he’d splash it across her face, but he’d hate to give her any more scars than he already had.
“Does it hurt?” he whispered in her ear.
“Aye.”
“Do you care?”
“Nay.”
“Do you want me to fuck you now, Princess?”
It should insult her that he still called her by that title, but she wanted him to call her that until they were gray Elders. She wanted to always be his princess because she had thousands who would see her as their queen.
“Get on with it, Low Born,” she snarled.
And she saw her Bercelak smile just before his mouth slammed down on hers. He kissed her hard, snatching the breath from her lungs and her ability to think or reason. Then he was on top of her. His flesh pressing against hers. She cried out from the pain of his skin rubbing against her fresh burns, but the sound was lost inside his mouth. Then he was inside her and she immediately climaxed before he finished the first stroke.
He slammed into her, forcing his hard cock into her body again and again, as words tumbled from his mouth and it took her a moment to understand what he kept chanting over and over against her ear.
“I love you, Rhiannon. I’ll always love you. I’ll always love you.”
Bercelak came with a roar, pouring his seed into her hot, tight body as she came yet again, this time screaming his name.
Collapsing on top of her, Bercelak wrapped his arms around her and held Rhiannon tight. She was his now and every dragon would know it.
She gasped for air beside him and he realized he couldn’t keep lying on top of her like this. As dragon they were now of equal size. But as human, she was still smaller than him . . . although taller than most human males.
Using his arms to push himself off her body, he rolled over and lay beside her, his head cradled in the curve of her still bound arm.
“I love you, Rhiannon,” he whispered as if others could hear.
She whispered back, “I love you, Bercelak.” He’d waited so long to hear that . . . and it felt even better than he used to imagine it would.
He reached up and unshackled her. He glanced down at her feet, temporary exhaustion weighing him down. “Think you can take care of those?”
“Aye.”
Her hand waved tiredly in the air and the shackles unlocked and dropped from her feet.
“You know, love, your new skills could get in the way of our mutual enjoyment of your being bound.”
She smiled, her white hair plastered to her sweat-covered forehead. “Only if we let it.”
He grinned and turned over, lying on his stomach. “All right, then, Princess. Your turn.”
She stared at him in confusion. “My turn what?”
“To Claim me. I’d like you to avoid the face, though. I think I have enough scars there, don’t you?”
She stared at him in surprise. It wasn’t that females didn’t mark their mates, but it rarely happened in the beginning. Most males needed to show their dominance and did it with the Claiming. Years later, after all had settled down, did the females finally mark them.
“Are . . . are you sure?” She couldn’t seem to get that look of shock off her face. It made him smile. She usually hid her surprise so well.
“Am I sure that I want everyone to know I belong to you as you belong to me? Oh, yes, love. I’m very sure. Now,” he settled down, his head resting on his crossed arms, “what was it you said to me? Oh, yes . . . No more words, Princess. Don’t waste my time. Just do what you intend or let me go.”
Before he could say another word, Rhiannon straddled his ass and he just
“My Lord.”
Bercelak forced his eyes open to find the centaur standing beside him. She leaned in and whispered. “I’m sorry to awaken you, my lord. But your kin have asked to speak with you.”
He glanced around, his eyes still trying to focus. “Is it morning?”
The centaur smiled, most likely remembering her promise from the night before. “Yes, my lord.
“Tell them I’ll be right there.”
Without another word, she bowed and left.
Rhiannon, still human as was he, was pushed up tight against his side, her head nearly buried in his armpit. She slept deep and looked beautiful doing it.
He smiled as he remembered their Claiming from the night before. With all that screaming and roaring and snarling, the whole court must have thought they were killing each other. He kissed her forehead and dragged himself out of bed.
Without even thinking about it, as human he went to the Queen’s Hall. He had every intention of getting right back into bed and enjoying Rhiannon—
Several of his brothers and Ghleanna, all those who went to track down Rhiannon’s kin, waited for him.
One of his younger brothers whistled. “Gods, Bercelak. What did that female do to you?”
“What is it?” he barked, his arms crossed over his chest and his feet braced apart. He was in no mood for his siblings’ antics when he had the woman of his dreams waiting for him back in their bedchamber.
Ghleanna answered, “By the time we arrived, her three brothers and that viper sister of hers were long gone. Word is that two of her brothers went into the Northlands.”
“Northlands?” he scoffed. “The lightning dragons will eat them alive. What else?”
“While the sister and the other brother went to the desert lands of Alsandair. Those dragons might help them.”
Addolgar stepped forward. “There’s no guarantee the lightning dragons won’t help them either. They may be barbarians, but they are greedy ones. They’d love to have this territory.”
“And they’ll never get it.”
At the sound of Rhiannon’s voice, they all turned except Bercelak. When around others he would never turn away from those who may harm her. Now that she was queen, even with her mother dead, Rhiannon was in more danger than she had been before. So, instead, he gave a quick glance at her over his shoulder. She stood before them as human, completely naked, the marks of her Claiming pitch black against her skin and the collar and chain still around her neck.
Bercelak had never loved her more.
“Gods, Bercelak!” his sister exclaimed. “What the hell did you do?”
He knew what she meant. He’d branded a dragon the entire length of Rhiannon’s body, the tail starting at the very tip of her foot and reaching up one leg, across her stomach, around her back and across her ass, then back around and up her ribcage, across her breast, then upper chest and collarbone, until it rested across her neck and stopped at the right side of her jaw.
But even though he knew what his sister meant, he didn’t answer her. Their Claiming was their Claiming and no one, even his nosy kin, had any say in it whatsoever.
