21. Lyra

21

LYRA

T he morning of the mating ceremony arrives, and I can't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. I've grown to care for Zoldryn, despite his rough exterior and the fact that he initially kept me as his slave. He's shown me kindness and protection, and I've come to see him as more than just a dragon shifter.

As I get ready for the ceremony, I can't help but notice that I still wear the amulet pendant that Brin gave me when I escaped slavery. Zoldryn seems unbothered by it, and I'm grateful for that. I've grown attached to the necklace, and it holds a special place in my heart.

The ceremony proceeds perfectly, with no problems or objections as Zoldryn and I exchange vows of eternal devotion. I can feel the power of the mating bond taking hold, and I know that I'm making the right decision.

After the ceremony, Zoldryn scoops me up in his arms and takes flight. We soar through the sky, higher and higher, until we reach the island's highest point. The view is breathtaking, and I can feel the presence of the goddess nearby.

Zoldryn sets me down on a ledge, and I briefly wonder if he's going to fuck me in his dragon form. I realize with that thought that… I wouldn't be entirely opposed to trying it. Despite Zoldryn's succession into leadership, he has spent an absurd amount of time in bed with me—and I bear the marks to show it.

"Come to me, my human."

I turn around, realizing that he has shifted back into his dark elf form. I embrace him naturally.

His fingers trace the contours of my body, setting my skin ablaze with each caress. Our lips meet in a fervent dance, tongues entwined, breaths mingling. Zoldryn's hands work deftly, peeling away the layers of my clothing, each piece falling away to reveal more of me to the cool air and his scorching gaze.

"You may have started out as a means to an end," he murmurs against my mouth, his voice a low rumble that sends shivers down my spine, "but now you are so much more than that. You will rule by my side, Lyra."

His words resonate within me, stirring a whirlwind of emotions. I am wanted, needed, cherished—a far cry from the life I had known. As he lowers me onto edge of the volcano, his hands continue their exploration, igniting a trail of desire that pools deep within my core.

Zoldryn's lips leave a scorching path down my body, each kiss a brand, a claim. When he reaches the apex of my thighs, my breath hitches, anticipation building with each passing second. He buries his face between my legs, his tongue darting out to taste me, to draw out my juices with long, languid licks.

"And that isn't because of the amulet?" I ask, my voice trembling with a mix of desire and doubt.

He lifts his head, his obsidian eyes meeting mine with an intensity that steals my breath. "Where before you were an excuse to keep the amulet close," he confesses, his voice raw with honesty, "the amulet is now an excuse to keep you by my side."

His words wrap around my heart, squeezing tight. It's not the amulet he desires, but me—Lyra, the human who had once been a slave. Now, I am to be a queen.

With a swift motion, Zoldryn forces my legs apart, my body yielding to his dominant touch. I feel the blunt head of him pressing against my entrance, and I brace myself for the impending intrusion. He pushes inside of me, filling me completely, the sensation a mix of pain and pleasure that leaves me gasping for air.

The coarse words that spill from Zoldryn's lips send a shiver down my spine, a twisted reminder of his dominion over my body. "Ah, fuck," he groans, the sound a low rumble that resonates through me. "Always so fucking wet for me." His words are crude, yet they hold a raw truth that I can't deny.

With each powerful stroke, he stakes his claim, driving me inexorably toward the brink. The tension within me mounts, a relentless pressure that threatens to shatter my very being. I rake my nails down his back, scoring his obsidian scales, wordlessly begging for more. He responds with a feral growl, his possession of me complete and undeniable.

"Mine," he asserts, the claim vibrating through every fiber of my being. His voice, distorted by the ferocity of his need, barely resembles the Zoldryn I've come to know. "You are mine, Lyra."

The mate bond, that mystical tether I've only just begun to understand, pulses with newfound intensity. It's as if an unbreakable cord is being spun from the essence of our souls, weaving us together in an intricate dance of fate.

I admit it, my voice ragged with the intensity of my submission, "Yours." The words feel wrenched from the very core of my being. "Fuck me harder," I beg, the demand a raw whisper that betrays the fervor of my desire.

His gaze, already darkened by the storm of our passion, turns almost predatory above me. He obeys my plea, driving deeper, each powerful motion stoking the fire that rages within me. My cry echoes off the walls, a sound laced with both agony and ecstasy. I revel in every punishing inch of him, my body writhing beneath his with mindless need, craving the exquisite mingling of pain and pleasure that only he can deliver.

"Yes!" I plead, feeling him twitch uncontrollably. "Breed me, Zoldryn!"

"Oh, Gods…"

With a final, powerful roll of his hips, Zoldryn reaches his climax. I feel the brand burning into my upper thigh, searing my flesh with a white-hot pain that is quickly replaced by a wave of pleasure. The mate bond is sealed, and I know that I am truly his.

As we lay there, panting and spent, Zoldryn leans down and kisses the brand, the first initial of his name surrounded by beautiful vines.

"Mine."

"Yours," I agree before lowering my hand to caress my stomach. "As is he."

His gaze drops toward my belly and understanding flashes through him. "You… you're sure?"

I nod, grinning. "I'm with child, my love. Your child."

He grins, pulling me on top of him and kissing me passionately. "Then you both shall rule by my side, little human mate."

I sigh in content but can't resist speaking up again. "Zoldryn…"

"Yes?"

With a mischievous grin of my own, I meet his gaze. "I want you."

A deep. guttural growl erupts from deep in his chest. "I want to impregnate you with as many children as possible."

I straddle him confidently, looking my mated dragon shifter in the eye, only just beginning to understand the extent of my power over him. "Then take me, Zoldryn."

He grins devilishly, and I know I have him exactly where I want him. Between my legs for the rest of our immortal lives.