Chapter 22

Istared at the space where Hades and Asshole had vanished, along with my sweet bathroom ghost. Now that she was gone, I was feeling a lot more nostalgic about her presence in my life—and my room.

"He'll be back. Everything's fine. No need to panic." My muttered mantras weren't doing a whole lot to keep me from a full-fledged spiral, so I had to alter course. If I didn't, I'd stand here waiting for him to come back until it was tomorrow, and nobody wanted that. "Hey! You did it. You finished the business and saved a life. Afterlife? Doesn't matter. Go you!"

With my praise kink activated by my own words, I straightened my shoulders and left Nellie's fresh grave, confident my dark lord would return soon. I was an absolute badass ghost whisperer, and according to Kat the spirit doll, I also had better tits than JLH. So basically, I was absolutely killing it.

"One down, a billion more to go," I said, pep in my step and a little extra sass in my ass. "So who's next on the Dahlia business managing express? Hmm, the Dahlia crossover cruise? Nope. That's terrible. The Dahlia Moore tour to the underworld. Eh, I'll let Kiki workshop it."

How do you think The Haunts got their name? If it had been up to me, they would have been ‘that one band with the British lead singer.' Or, even worse, Untrimmed Bush. Yeah. Naming things was not my specialty. No one was perfect. But in my defense, I pictured Gavin Rossdale from Bush every time I wrote about Ren.

"Talking to yourself again, gem? I hear it's only a problem if the voices talk back."

"Negative, ghost rider. It's only a problem if you're arguing with yourself and you lose."

"How can ye lose if you're arguing with yourself?"

"Exactly."

I looked around, trying to find my sexy dragon boy, but he wasn't behind me or in front of me. Was I hallucinating? Oh shit, was he one of the voices?

"Kai? Where are you?"

He chuckled. "Look up, lass."

I rolled my gaze skyward and found him hovering about fifteen feet above me, shirtless—ungh—and slowly keeping himself afloat with those fuck-hot wings. God, he was so sexy. Did he know what he was doing to me? By the smirk on his face, yes. Yes he did.

"How's the weather up there?"

"It'd be better if I had my mate in my arms."

"Well, get down here and do something about it then."

"I have a better idea. How about you join me up here?"

I stupidly pointed at myself in the chest. "Me?"

"Do I have another mate?"

I shook my head. "This ass isn't airborne, friend."

He landed in a crouch, his wings folding back and head bowed, and I swear, I orgasmed when he lifted his face and those purple eyes found mine.

New kink unlocked.

"You and your arse seemed willing enough when you asked if you could ride my dragon."

"Well, yeah. Cause he's big and won't drop me."

Kai's expression went stormy, and fuck it all, I shivered. But not with fear. Nope. I was a thirsty bitch, and he was my drink of choice.

"You think I'd drop you?" Affronted might be a really solid word to describe his tone if I wasn't so turned on.

"I mean... you're strong, but I'm not exactly petite. Do you even know if those are load-bearing wings? What's the weight limit?"

"You're fucking perfect. We've been over this. You're made for me, and I you. Now wrap your arms around me and don't let go, because we're going for a ride."

My next round of protests died on my lips when he pressed a finger to them.

"Do as I say, mate."

"I think you just graduated from dragon boy to dragon daddy."

He let out a low growl of approval and then brought his lips to my ear. "Not yet. You can make me a daddy any time you want, though."

A ripple of arousal hit my lady parts, and our conversation from Christmas morning returned to me. I hadn't given too much more thought to the idea of letting Kai breed me. Of what it might be like to create a family with my men. How different such a unit would be than the one I'd grown up in.

Just a month ago, the thought would have sent me running—and you know how I feel about running. But now? Now I didn't hate it at all.

I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck and he pressed a kiss to my temple before whispering, "Hold on tight, gem."

"Oh God," I squealed as he lifted off with one big flap of his wings.

"How many times do I have to tell ye? It's Malakai."

"Do not get me all horny when you're carting me through the air, Malakai. That feels dangerous and against FAA regulations."

"If I could, I'd fuck you while we flew over the Highlands. I'd let you ride my cock until you came all over me while my homeland was nothing but a blur beneath us."

Remember those fanny flutters? They were really coming into their own these days, and Kai was a wizard at bringing them front and center.

"Could you do that?" I asked as the wind whipped loose tendrils of hair in my face.

"I dinnae see why not? Shall we try?"

"Uh, maybe not for our inaugural flight," I finally managed when I was capable of forming words. The thought had rendered me stupid, and I got stuck picturing what it would look like if Kai had his way with me while we were flying across Scotland. My pasty ass for all the world to see. The Daily Mail would have a field day. Smut Writer Fucked by Dragon Man Over Inverness. Full Story on Page 5.

"Next time, then." Before I could agree, his hold on me changed. "Do you trust me, gem?"

"Enough to let you take me up here without a parachute."

"Good, then let go."

"I'm sorry. I think I just had a stroke. Did you tell me to let go of the only person keeping me from plummeting to my death?"

"Ye ken I willnae let that happen."

"I ken you will try not to let that happen."

He chuckled at my rough attempt at Scots. "I'm hardwired to protect ye, gem. I couldn't put you in harm"s way if I tried."

"Uh, yeah, you could. Case in point." I would have gestured to the beautiful sky around us, but that would have required loosening my death grip around his neck.

"Close your eyes and trust me, lass. Let me be your wings."

I bit back my Thumbelina joke because there was no way Kai would understand the obscure reference to a movie from my childhood. We had a grand total of five kids" movies on VHS when I was a child in the cult. I had them all memorized. Robin Hood, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Ferngully, Labyrinth, and Thumbelina. Hmm, that explains a lot about the type of men I was attracted to.

I squeezed my eyes shut and released a tense breath. "Okay. Fine. Just... please, I'm too young to go out this way."

Kai chuckled, his lips feathering over my temple again as I forced myself to drop my hold. For all of two seconds, I was in freefall, my heart lodging itself in my throat as he spun me around like some kind of Cirque du Soleil acrobat.

"I've got ye, my love. I won't let you fall. Open your eyes and fly."

God, the way he whispered in my ear had my fears vanishing, and I opened my eyes. The breath left my lungs in a shocked squeak as the world below us came into view. Green hills passed under us as white sheep and brown Highland cows grazed in fields. I'd never seen anything so beautiful, not even when I'd been on an airplane.

"I'm flying," I whispered, feeling every moment of my Titanic dreams being lived in real life.

"You are."

I giggled and held out my arms. "I'm the queen of the world!"

Kai tightened his hold on me and trailed kisses down the side of my neck. "You're certainly the queen of mine."

This man was born to be a fairy prince. Good lord. Just coming out with the swoony lines and walking around with that voice and that body. Oof. No wonder my ovaries were in overdrive. Honestly, I was pretty sure I had just ovulated.

I fought the urge to squirm because I didn't want to give him a chance to prove he'd keep me from falling to my death. But I needed him in the worst way.

"Kai, as much as I'm loving our impromptu tour of the Highlands, I'd really like to go back to your tower now."

"Oh? Are ye cold, gem?"

"Nope. Quite the opposite."

It only took him a second to catch my meaning.

"You might want to close your eyes for this part, then," he rumbled in my ear just before he nosedived at rapid speed.

I didn't close my eyes. I watched us close the distance between us and the grounds of Blackwood, his tower like a beacon calling us home.

Kai was plastered to my back, so there was no mistaking the insistent jut of his erection. My dragon was excited.

Me too, dragon daddy. Me fucking too.