A Dragon's World 2 (DragonWorld) Read online

  When his lips finally left my own, I was breathless, but he seemed just fine, nipping his way down my neck and the collar of my dress. I could tell he was breaking the skin, but I didn’t care. I was drowning in pleasure and it was a sweet, sweet demise.

  Myrik’s strong hands gripped my hips, pinning them to the mattress, as he continued to move down my body, kissing through the layers of cloth between me and him.

  Every cell in my body tensed, waiting for what he would do to me with wanton anticipation.

  And then he finished his journey downward, biting at my hip and sending me the most devilish look up the curves of my body. Then he was yanking my skirts upward, letting them pool around my middle in a puddle of fabric. But I didn’t care. All of my mind focused as he found my center, and kissed me tenderly there.

  “Oh god!” I cried, my soul trying to leave my body on a cloud of euphoria.

  “My name is Myrik,” he growled, grazing his dragon-sharp fangs against my thigh and essentially turning me to Mercedes-flavored jelly. “I would prefer you use it.”

  “Yes,” I gasped. “Whatever you say.”

  “Better.” And then he returned to the task at hand.

  The pleasure, the overwhelming ecstasy was in such sharp contrast to all the terrible that had happened to me that it was almost impossible to comprehend. My hips tried to leave the mattress, but his capable hands kept me pinned while he worked me over. I was shaking, I was sweating, and I loved every single second of it.

  It didn’t take long for me to feel that elusive wave rolling through my body, promising an escalating heaven in the harsh pants escaping my lungs. My hand gripped at Myrik’s dark hair, twisting in the thick strands, but even my death grip on that did not seem like enough to chain me to the earth.

  When that wave hit, an indescribable moan escaped my throat, and my body arched in my climax. Everything that was bad, and stressful in the world faded, and the only thing that mattered was what I felt in that moment.

  I rode the feeling out, then collapsed in a panting mess on the mattress. I had the vague feeling of being disconnected from all of my joints, but it was blissful in its incongruence.

  Myrik moved up my body once more, his eyes dark and hooded. “I want you,” he hissed, hovering just above my face.

  “Then what are you waiting for?” I shot back, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

  “Do you remember what I said on that first night you entered my home?”

  “That you only sleep with women who are incredibly enthusiastic to have you in their bed.” He raised an eyebrow so I took his hand and pressed it to me. “I literally do not know how much more enthusiastic I can get.”

  “Point taken.”

  Despite the pause for clarification, it didn’t dim the mood at all. If anything, it made me that much hotter for the man posted over me. Knowing that he wanted me was one thing, but also knowing that he needed me to want him as well finally made us equals in this dance we had been doing for far too long.

  He struggled with his robes for several moments, before finally freeing himself from the confines of his trousers. His body was obviously crying out for me, and I spread myself for him.

  He nudged at my entrance, and I took in a gasping breath. With only that sound for encouragement, he slid forward and we joined as one.

  It was almost painful, but I loved the stretch of it. He waited several moments for me to adjust, and I lifted my hips against him when I was ready.

  His own pelvis rolled against me, eliciting more of that utterly sinful perfection. Together we moved in and with each other, in a dance that was as old as time itself. His hands gripped me, securing me no matter where they landed. My hips, my ribs, my breasts. His limbs were bands of steel, power incarnate that I didn’t want to break out from, but rather revel and get lost in.

  I had earned this. God, I had earned this.

  His breath was hot against my neck, and his fangs buried themselves into my shoulder possessively. It was a hickey, but leveled to the highest tier, and I loved it. The pinpricks of pain followed by his warm tongue laving at the error. He was eating me alive, in the most perfect way. It was everything I needed and more.

  I could hear him nearing his end, his thrusts losing their rhythm and turning into powerful jabs that drove me into the mattress. The bed was slamming into the wall, and I was sure that we were making an insane racket, but I couldn’t care less. We were both lost in the madness, the heated, burning pleasure that we found in each other.

  I had never been able to let go so thoroughly with a partner. It was catharsis and euphoria all wrapped in and about each other.

  “God, you’re so perfect,” he hissed. “I’m not going to last much longer.”

  I myself was feeling another intoxicating climax hovering at the edge of my senses, and let myself revel in the animalistic nature of it all.

  And then it happened. Myrik drove into me with wild vigor, before I felt him spasm within me. He let out a bone-shaking cry, and I could feel myself fill with a very specific type of heat.

  That in and of itself was enough to drive me over my own edge, and I cried out with him.

  I don’t know how long we flew in that high together, finding paradise in each other’s bodies, until we slowly sank back to reality. He rolled off of me, lest I be crushed yet again, and I curled to his side. We were both slick with sweat and mostly dressed, which was an interesting conflict on sensations that I was used to.

  I pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, and he squeezed me gently. Neither of us said anything, but there really wasn’t a need to. Like Gael, I wasn’t in love with this dragon that had gone so far to save me, but I did know that he was incredibly important to me and I would never regret what we had done.

  A cold trickle made its way down my neck, and I felt at the slight disturbance. When my hand came away, there was blood on my fingers.

  “Oh, you really marked me,” I murmured.

  “You didn’t seem to mind.”

  I smiled a bit sheepishly to myself. “I don’t. I just realized that this might be hard to explain in the moment.”

  “Only Dwyllverys and Jayne will see you, and they will be utterly unsurprised at this development.”

  “True enough.” I snuggled further into his side and let out a contented sigh. Everything about this felt right. From our skin on skin contact, to our ragged breathing slowly settling down, to the faint soreness between my legs.

  I wasn’t stupid. I knew that this was just the calm in the eye of the storm, but I would enjoy every second of respite they gave me. If there was anything that I had learned, it’s that I needed to cherish the havens that I had, because the hells wouldn’t be too far behind.

  I just hoped we all made it out of the other side.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Mercedes! Wake up, Mercedes! I want to talk with you.”

  My brow furrowed, but I didn’t open my eyes. I had been reading Abuela’s journal when a headache had started to pull at the back of my mind. I had decided to meditate, something that Dwyllverys had been encouraging ever since I could sit up for long periods of time.

  “Hello! Mercedes, I know you can hear me!”

  Slowly, I cracked open a lid and I saw the same familiar, twitching, unidentifiable visage of my nemesis.

  “What do you want?” I hissed.

  I wasn’t dreaming, I knew that much, which meant that the faceless man was visiting me in reality. Something he had only done once before, in that hot spring bath so long ago.

  “Oh no, no, no. I want your full attention. Come one, both eyes open. It’s not like you’re anywhere interesting, unfortunately.”

  I sighed and complied. The man was dressed differently than before, in lush, royal colors and fabric that looked far too expensive to be anything but noble.

  “You’re with the Prince,” I surmised with a weary sigh.

  “Hah! Yes. Very good. But that’s not what I wanted to share with you!” He was about as hap
py as I had ever seen him, almost giddy in his excitement. “On a side note, I don’t suppose you could have been somewhere with at least a modicum of useful information in it.”

  “Nope. I guess I’m just inconsiderate that way.”

  “No matter! It doesn’t really effect this either way.” He held out a hand to me. “Come. I want you to see my side of things.”

  I stared at the offered hand, suspicion practically shouting at me with a megaphone. But at the same time, I was intrigued. We had never touched except in violence. What would happen if we willingly made contact?

  So, I did it.

  My fingers slid into his hand, and surprisingly his skin was warm. I don’t know why, but I had almost expected it to be cold and slimy to the touch, much like his personality. One moment, we were in the healing room, the next, the world recolored itself and shifted, until I was standing in one place I had never wanted to return to.

  I stumbled back, although I didn’t know when I had even stood, and I could feel my heart rate skyrocket.

  “What are you doing? Why are we—” I stopped short, the sound of my voice surprising me. Instead of my usual tone, my voice was lilting, almost like a sigh. I sounded like… like…him.

  “It’s startling, isn’t it?” My eyes jerked back to the faceless man, and the difference was almost shocking. I still couldn’t define his features, but unlike every other time, he sounded as if he was actually there. Unlike me. “Meeting outside of the dream state is always a bit tricky. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish what’s real and what isn’t. But I want you to know that everything you’re about to see is real.” He tugged on my hand gently. “This way.”

  Strangely, I followed him. I knew the most plausible reaction would be to rip away and run, run, run until I was back in my own body, but I felt anchored by our connected palms. Besides, I shouldn’t pass up an opportunity to know what the faceless man was up to—even if he was willfully showing me this, it didn’t mean that I couldn’t spy a detail that he hadn’t planned on.

  We walked past empty cell after empty cell, and I was sure that this was somehow a trap, until we reached the same one that I had just escaped from.

  It had a new occupant, and a cry punched its way out of my throat as I recognized the blond hair of the Dragon Prince.

  “Gael!” I cried, rushing forward. But the faceless man yanked me back. Tears sprung into my eyes and rage pooled in my belly. The golden warrior was stripped of all his finery, save for the blood-soaked pants that clung to his frame. He was strung up a dozen ways from Sunday, with chains about his wrists, ankles, middle and neck. Worst of all, was the open, gaping wound in his side, blood still lazily trickling from it to drip onto the ground.

  “See! What did I tell you?” He was as gleeful as a kid at Christmas. “Something that you would want to see, right?” Suddenly he whirled me to him. “So, do you understand, little Mercedes? We have your precious little Prince. If you want him to make it back to his pretty little palace with all of his pretty little limbs intact, you come turn yourself in to the royals—alone, of course.”

  My mind was spiraling with fear and shock, but one tiny voice of reason rose above the clamor. “How do I know you won’t kill him the moment I’m in your clutches?”

  “Good question! You’re learning so much, aren’t you?” He finally let go of my hand, and I knew there was a smirk under that jumping, blurred veneer of his. “We’ll meet in a neutral area, right by the water so your precious little dragons can fly away at the first sign of trouble.” He laughed, and the sickly sound made my stomach churn. “So, the ball is in your court, dearie. You for the golden boy. Give yourself up, and he lives. Or, you can just not tell them at all. I mean, of course they’re going to place the life of their beloved little princeling above yours. Maybe he’s not worth what you know is waiting for you.”

  Terror licked at my belly, clawing at my throat and threatening to turn me to stone. But I persisted. I had to. If I wanted to do right by this realm, I had to tramp down my emotions and look at this objectively. “But why?” I asked with a gulp.

  That slowed the faceless man’s jubilation, and he cleared his throat. “Why what?”

  “Why would you want me? I mean, I know why you might want to get your hands on me, but why would the human Prince, who is definitely not you, agree to letting possibly the most valuable asset he could have go? The only way that makes sense is if both of you think that I will somehow be worth more to you than Gael.”

  “Clever, clever.” He clicked his tongue. “I suppose I could answer that question. It seems that the idea of you being a seer was more than enough to convince the Prince of your value. Perhaps getting you involves a little bit of sacrifice, but we’re both certain it will pay off in the end.

  “We’ll give you seven days to send a raven, or the pretty boy will have a full royal welcome with all the bells and whistles.”

  “I understand.”

  “Good!” He spun me away, and gave me a condescending pat on the behind. “Now, back to your body with you.”

  “How…how do I get back?”

  He laughed again, and I discretely imagined punching him in a dozen different ways. “Look at me, still forgetting that you are comically unknowledgeable about even the most basic parts of herding. Take a deep breath, and reach out. You should feel the tug of your body, and can follow it right back into your shell.”

  I closed my eyes once more, and did as he said. True enough, I did feel a faint sort of, I don’t know, hum? It wasn’t quite solid enough to be an actual sound, but it was definitely there.

  Then, just as I wrapped my mind around the string, a door opened and I heard footsteps come down the hall.

  “Ah, Perin! What are you doing down here with our guest?”

  My eyes shot open and I saw none other than the human Prince standing before me, smiling amiably at the faceless man. For a moment, I was sure this was where the very drawn out trap was going to be sprung, but then I realized that he couldn’t see me. To him, I wasn’t even there.

  I turned my head back to the faceless man—no, Perin, apparently—and didn’t even bother to hide my smirk. “What an interesting development,” I murmured. He roared something nasty at me, but I just laughed and reached out for that tie once more. Wrapping my hand around it, I yanked myself back into my body.

  I crashed into myself, and unlike every other time, it physically hurt. The air was knocked from my lungs in a gasp, and my pain radiated from the back of my head.

  My vision cleared, and I realized I was looking up at the ceiling, and not the wall as I had been previously. That didn’t quite make sense…

  I tried to sit up, only to realize that my legs were in the way. Wait, what was going on?

  I rolled onto my side, and that’s when it all clicked into place. I had fallen over the edge of the bed, and had landed back first, legs up on the hard floor.

  At least no one was around to see it.

  But the slapstick of the moment faded quickly as everything that had happened in the past few moments flooded me once more. I jumped to my feet, my body only protesting at a dull roar, and threw the door open.

  I knew my enemy’s name now, which meant I could find out exactly who he was. And, I didn’t know if he realized it or not, that little detail was all I needed to have the very first hints of a plan.

  Sure, I would take his little deal and go to the palace. But what he didn’t know is that I would be arriving a little early.

  *

  “Absolutely not,” Myrik snapped, his face grim.

  “Come on!” I argued. “This is a golden opportunity, pardon the pun.” I looked to the Queen, Dwyllverys and Jayne. “Back me up here!”

  The albino dragon shrugged, her finger tapping her colorless lips. “I don’t know. I get the basic premise, but I feel like the middle part has too many assumptions. Mostly around how you’re actually going to get into the dungeons.”

  “Okay, that I get.” I nodded though
tfully and looked over the crudely drawn map I made of the castle. It was quite rough, considering it was all from memory and I hadn’t come close to seeing even half of the castle. “What do you suggest.”

  “Any plan that doesn’t involve using you as bait,” Myrik countered. “If you’re so valuable to these people, why would we actually deliver you into their hands?”

  “Because they have Gael! I would have thought that would have been obvious.”

  “Gael is a centuries-old man who has escaped from worse situations.”

  “Is that so?” the Queen murmured. “Please, enlighten me. What situation was that?”

  Myrik opened his mouth, clearly surprised for the Queen’s input, before realizing he probably didn’t have any comparison to make. “Is it my job to remember his own history? He’s your Champion.”

  “Yes. He is. And if Lady Mercedes thinks she knows a way to save us, I would think we would help her refine her plan, not dismiss it entirely. Perhaps you are letting another issue cloud your feelings on this matter.”

  Myrik stood ramrod straight, his eyes flicking from me to his ruler. We hadn’t touched since our night spent devouring each other, but I could still feel the raw attraction between us. It seemed instead of quenching that flame, our roll together had just made it burn that much more alluringly.

  “Are you accusing me of being emotional?”

  “Perhaps. I do not believe I have seen you so envigored in many decades. I hope it is something pleasant that has you distracted?”

  He grumbled something out and Dwyllverys unsuccessfully tried to swallow her snorted laughter.

  “You know,” Jayne murmured, “all of this plan is focused around being caught sneaking into the castle trying to free Prince Gael, getting caught, then breaking him out when their guards are down. But, as Dwyllverys said, I feel this has too many assumptions of how they might react.

  “But, what if we were to actually deliver you in chains? As if you were unwilling in this exchange. I feel like that would put them at ease more than anything else, and they would assume you were going to be broken from our betrayal.”