Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

THE JOINING

Dreams were okay when there was nothing else on offer, but reality was so much better.

Dreaming about passion was nothing compared to being wanted like this. Big, hard, strong, and very obviously hungry, Torran excited and terrified her in equal measure. He could overwhelm her in a trice, but he sensed that part of her was still holding back.

Teasing her with almost-kisses, made her mad for him. Sharing the same breath, the same air was crazy arousing. She'd waited so long for this, the outcome was inevitable. Release was exquisite. It was such a relief to scream, to let go. Grabbing hold of Torran's biceps, she begged, "More! Harder! Faster!"

"I haven't touched you yet," he pointed out. "Kate, relax. I'm not going to hurt you. What, here?"

"Carpet burns frighten you?" As she drew him down to the ground, Torran laughed against her mouth. It was the best sound Kate had ever heard.

"Have you forgotten a dragon isn't afraid of anything?" he murmured, brushing his lips against her mouth.

"Even me?"

"I've got the measure of you, Kate."

"And I definitely have the measure of you," she countered, smiling into his eyes.

Torran's hands were big and warm. She groaned a complaint when he briefly stopped, but it was only so he could ease her thong over her hips and cast it aside.

"You are extremely aroused," he observed in a way that made her even hotter for him.

She was more than ready. And absolutely confident that Torran would take things at Kate's pace.

Arching her back displayed her in a manner distinctly unbecoming. Torran needed no encouragement. Drawing down pillows and throws, he made a soft bed for Kate to lie on. Slipping one plump pillow beneath her hips, he raised her to an angle where they could both see what he was doing, which was enough to send her over the edge again.

"I've never approved of abstinence," Torran murmured as she screamed and bucked in his arms.

When she'd quieted down, he moved in front of her and spread her legs wide. Delicately parting her inner lips, he found the tiny bud that craved his attention. Using the slightly roughened pad of one forefinger, he gently agitated this shameless, needy thing. Stroking lightly and rhythmically, he brought her off again.

After removing the rest of her clothes, Torran stripped off too. He was a magnificent sight. In human form, Torran was every bit as formidable as his dragon.

"You are a very greedy girl."

"I am," she admitted happily. "You made me so. Now, please don't make me wait."

"I haven't managed that so far."

Throwing her head back, she grabbed a breath as Torran yanked her into his arms. "I know exactly what you need, but I'm going to teach you the benefit of delay first."

"Good luck with that."

Cupping her buttocks in one big hand, Torran began. Thrusting her fingers through his hair as he moved down her body, dropping kisses along the way, she kept silent until he eased her legs apart to introduce her to a new pleasure.

"Yes! That! Touch me there," she instructed shamelessly.

Torran responded with a throaty growl of warning when she tried to take hold of him and pushed her hand away. "You can't have everything at once," he soothed.

"Why not?" she complained.

"Because this," he murmured, taking her hand to feel how big he was.

Dropping kisses on her neck, Torran gently abraded Kate's sensitive skin with his sharp black stubble while his hands worked magic on her senses. Wise to her greed, he made a point of denying her the pressure she craved, but that only made her fiercer.

"Don't tease me," she warned, attempting to guide his hand.

"I enjoy teasing you," Torran countered in a low growl.

He made her feel safe and yet in so much danger. Her senses were rioting, but her heart craved more. Where would this lead? Where could it lead? Nowhere? Somewhere?

Live for the moment, Kate's inner voice advised.

She'd never find anyone like Torran again. His scent, touch, everything about him was unique. Her Highland warrior knew everything there was to know about her needs, and even her thoughts when she was so aroused. But what did she know about him? There was no way to know Torran's long-term intentions.

He made her forget with wordless sounds of encouragement as he gradually increased the pressure of his hand. She tried and failed to hold back another release, and when the pleasure waves subsided, she rested content in Torran's arms, telling herself this was enough. But he still hadn't taken her fully. Torran hadn't possessed her as she had expected him to, and now he was teasing her again, making her hunger return with every steady breath he took.

When she bucked toward him, he pulled back with the warning, "No." But then his expression changed, mellowed. "I get it," he husked.

"No, you don't?—"

Ah…!

"Yes!" she called out in triumph, thrusting her hips forward in answer to his shallow dip.

He was huge.

And yes, there was discomfort briefly, a new feeling of stretching and joining, but it was quickly overtaken by pleasure and the exhilaration of finally being one with Torran. Catching more of him to increase the all-involving sensation was a shock, but a good shock that created intimacy beyond anything else.

It took a few moments before she could take in enough air, but once that was done, she refused to be a compliant partner. Closing her inner muscles tightly around Torran, she pleasured him. And had the satisfaction of hearing him gasp.

"Bad girl," he gritted out as she increased the pressure, but he made no move to pull away.

He'd often wondered if he'd ever meet his match. Firmly lodged in Kate's luscious body, it seemed he had. He'd never experienced a woman taking charge before, and he was loving every minute of it.

"More?" Kate inquired.

That word, that look, was enough. He almost lost control. "You are?—"

"Different—annoying, frustrating?" Kate suggested, writhing until his self-control threatened to break.

"All those things."

"But not as surprising as you," she murmured.

"That would be difficult," he allowed.

"Are you reading me now?" Kate asked, staring into his eyes.

"When your barriers are down, I feast on your thoughts," he admitted.

"What have you discovered?"

Kate cared about him. She wanted him. She wanted more than he could give. With fierce intent, like a tigress claiming her mate, she brought him pleasure so extreme, it could easily become addictive. And that was wrong. It had to stop. But not right away.

Kate was an incredible lover. He'd suspected passion, but not this. Inexperienced though she may be, but she was instinctive and learning fast. He'd never been so aroused before. Kate's breathing had quickened. Her eyes were almost black, with just a slim ring of emerald around her pupils. Pushing her knees back, he took control. Continuing with shallow strokes, he barely penetrated Kate, while she rocked her hips in a desperate attempt to capture more.

"Waiting is good for you," he soothed when she cried out incoherently. "Delay is the servant of pleasure?—"

"Fuck that!" she exploded. "Get on with it!"

She made him laugh. Sex could be fun? "Okay. I give in. I'm going to fuck you now."

"Yes!" Her fingers were like steel vises on his arms as a white-hot blaze of lust consumed both of them. Remembering how inexperienced she was, he still took care and should have anticipated her response. Kate writhed and worked her hips until he was firmly lodged to the hilt. From there, it took only the smallest rotation on his part for her to scream and gasp until finally, she fell back on the bed, laughing as she exclaimed, "Amazing! Dragons are so good at this."

"How many have you sampled?"

"None but you," she confessed, staring directly into his eyes. "Can't you tell? Might as well start at the top. The only thing I wonder now is why I waited so long for this. Oh, wait—" With a witchy smile, she reached for him again. "I hadn't met you."

Much, much later, he wondered if he'd ever talked so long into the night with a lover—had ever made love so many times. "There's something else you ought to know," he told Kate.

"Tell me," she whispered, snuggling into his chest.

"I'm afraid it's less than romantic, more of a practical guide."

She raised her head to listen.

"As well as the silver flare to deter vampires, there's a switch by the bed that turns on a UV light. They're installed all over the castle."

"You're right," she confessed. "That is not romantic in the least."

"But it might save your life," he pointed out. "There's an escape tunnel in the bathroom. Did you notice the ventilation grill is quite big?"

"Can't say I have, but I'll definitely check it out now." She stared at him with concern. "You're expecting trouble."

"The White Hordes are growing more confident every day. They won't stop until I destroy their leader. Without him, they're a feeble bunch."

"Do you know who the leader is?"

"I've got a good idea."

"Inclined to share?" Kate asked.

"Not until I'm sure." Torran's archenemy would not miss an opportunity to take him down, and he couldn't risk Kate being caught in the crossfire.

"With silver ingots in a bowl by the bed and garlic bulbs heaped on a platter. I'll be fine."

"Crude weapons, but effective," he confirmed. "And there's something more—a tunnel beneath the statue of my mother in the rose garden. Clasp the hand of the statue, and the panel opens. You'll find supplies and weapons there."

"Can I add some things of my own?"

"Of course. What did you have in mind?"

Kate smothered a laugh. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"Not now," she said, frowning. "I can be as secretive as you when I want to be."

"So long as it doesn't put you in danger."

"Says the man who fights vampires."

"Only bad ones."

"Are there any other kind?"

"I'm not sure yet," he admitted as he brought Kate close. "I'm just letting you know how to protect yourself if I'm not around—and you don't happen to have a wooden stake to hand."

"Don't make a joke of it," Kate exclaimed, delivering a mock punch to his chest to bring him into line.

"Why not? If we allow monsters to get into our heads, we've already lost the battle. If they come after you, which they almost certainly will now they know I'm your guardian?—"

"My guardian?" Kate exclaimed.

"Okay, your lover. You need to know how to defend yourself until I get here."

"I can defend myself," Kate said stoutly. "But let's hope it never comes to that."

"You think you can defend yourself," he argued. "But, just in case, I've got one more thing for you." He produced a small box.

"What is it?"

"A magic flare to let me know if you're in danger."

"If I'm in danger, then you are too," Kate said, frowning. "Where's the flare to alert me if you're in danger?"

"You think you're going to save me?" he asked with a grin.

"If it comes to it, of course I will."

"Just take the box and put it somewhere safe."

"A magic flare," Kate mused as she turned the box this way and that.

"You believe in dragons, don't you?"

She laughed as she reached up to cup his face. "I believe in you," she said softly.

"You're my special warrior," he told her.

"What?"

"You may not know it yet, but you have all the qualities I look for in a leader of my dragon forces. You are loyal, strong, and always doggedly determined to do what is right."

"Not always the latter," Kate purred with a siren look as she made her intentions clear.

"Just press the catch on the flare if you need me," he said, returning to sensible advice. But Kate had won this battle, making sure that the urge to kiss her overwhelmed him.

Kisses grew hotter, increasing until they were deeply joined again and working fiercely toward their mutual goal. Kate always exclaimed and tensed briefly before pleasure hit, while he held on to control with an iron grip. Falling back on the bed, at last replete, he answered Kate when she asked who she could trust if there was trouble. "I trust every member of my staff implicitly."

"How do I know they're not some supernatural being with the power to change its appearance?"

"Look into their eyes. You'll see the truth."

She hummed and frowned. "You make it sound so easy."

"Because it is," he insisted. "Only you manage to confound me."

"Me?" Turning onto her stomach so she could stare into his eyes, Kate slanted her mouth with concern. "Now you've got me worried."

"There's nothing to worry about. I've got you covered?—"

"Not at the moment," she complained.

Taking that as his cue, he moved over her. "How do I get you to take anything seriously?"

"I take this very seriously indeed," Kate assured him as he sank deep.

When they weren't having sex, they talked and used sex as punctuation. He'd never known pleasure like it. Judging by Kate's response, neither had she. Holding him close as they lay entwined on the bed, she admitted, "I've never felt like this before—and I'm best placed to know all about lightning strikes."

That comment was all the warning needed for him to know that he'd been right the first time. It wasn't safe for Kate here. He'd wait until she was asleep and then leave to check the portal, after which he'd make preparations for her safe return to London. If she didn't have enough material to compose her scoop, she had one hell of an imagination, and that should see her through. He was confident she could write a piece without betraying the dragons, and once that was done, it would be sayonara, Ms. Trent, for Kate's sake.

He'd also been struck by lightning, and the thought of letting Kate go was tough, but they couldn't have everything, and Kate's safety, as well as that of his kind, would always come first.

Kate slept in his arms as he watched over her. He hadn't experienced tenderness before, let alone felt so connected to another human being. Because he wasn't human—not entirely. Could Kate live with that?

Of course not. He wouldn't expect her to live with the knowledge of him being a dragon shifter. It would be too dangerous for Kate and too distracting for him. But it was hard not to imagine a future with a strong woman like Kate—until he recalled his mother's fears for his father's safety and how, when his father died in battle, it had broken his mother. That firmed up his decision about sending Kate home.

"Hey, beautiful," he whispered as he slipped out of bed. "I'll see you in the morning."

He'd see her in his mind, not in person. By dawn, his battle plans would be finalized, and Kate would be on her way home.