31. Alfie

Ever since I'd shifted, my dragon had been pushing at me to get closer to Blaze. The annoying thing was that I wanted to be closer to Blaze, too. And, since we both wanted it, I didn't see why we shouldn't.

That was why I'd shifted and flown around the outside of the castle, following our bond until I could tell what room he was in. Landing had been a bit awkward. I wasn't used to being so big and I had more than my usual number of feet. It wasn't my fault I couldn't control them all.

But once I was in the room and in my human form again, I could touch Blaze. I could hold him like I had before.

And the pressure inside me that had always driven me to be closer, closer, closer to Blaze, that grew until I thought I'd burst.

Now I could name that pressure – my dragon – it made sense.

Now I knew why it had been so strong inside me. It was because my dragon was strong. One of the strongest, if my family were right that being a golden dragon was something special.

And now I knew why I had never been able to shift before, even when my dragon was pressing against my skin, even when we were with my- my Blaze. My father had put spells like a cage on me to keep it inside. Madame Trevellian had loosened them. My dragon had broken them.

The thought of Blaze getting hurt had been too much and I'd broken those spells as if they were nothing.

Even though Blaze and I were sat in the way we had been countless times before, this time felt different. It felt more real. I felt as though all of me was there for the first time, and not part of me locked away inside. I hadn't even realised that was how I felt. I had only known that my stomach felt like it would tear itself in two when I had to walk away from Blaze, and it would rip itself apart when we kissed, too.

When Blaze turned in my arms and kissed me, his soft lips pressing against my own so sweetly, so demandingly, I felt the familiar surge inside me. Only this time I knew what it was. My dragon was pressing up inside me, wanting to get out.

Or… not out. It wasn't bursting out of me. It was just pressing me to do something.

Blaze's tongue slid into my mouth and I tasted him again. His favour was deeper and richer than ever, now that I could taste it with my dragon's senses. He was intoxicating.

My hands pulled him closer to me. I wanted to pull him against me, fuse myself to him, take him, mark him as mine.

I broke our kiss suddenly and leaned away from Blaze. My hands were on his hips, holding him close and pressing his little ass down on my erection, but at least we weren't kissing any longer.

"Alfie? What's the matter? Don't you like kissing me any more?"

I was panting like I'd run a mile. My head felt fuzzy. All I wanted was my Blaze. The only thing I could think about was him.

"Blaze, you're my mate," I said as it finally clicked into place.

He didn't say anything. I looked at him, swallowing down my panic.

"You don't want to be my mate?"

"Oh, my darling, I do want to be your mate. Is that what you want? You can say no. I know your family don't like me—"

I snarled, which was a totally new experience for me. "They will love you. I want you, Blaze. I only want you."

I was already kissing him as I said that last sentence, taking his mouth, exploring it with my tongue, holding his head in place and rocking my hips up to meet his.

Somehow, I ended up on my back, laying down on the bed with Blaze sprawled on top of me. I was naked, since I had stripped in order to shift, and I was wrestling Blaze's clothes off.

As soon as I flung the last of his clothes over the side of the bed, I rolled on top of him, pinning him beneath me. He looked so beautiful, his fiery red hair full of reds and browns and golds. His eyes captivated me. I wanted to stay there and just look at him, to study every inch of him, but I wanted to make love to him, too. I wanted it all.

"Alfie? Are you sure about this?"

"I love you, Blaze."

His smile made something in my chest flip. It was so sweet, so pure.

"I love you, too, my darling. Are you sure you're not going to be hurt? No more bursting?"

I checked in with my body. My dragon wasn't pushing at me, not now we had our mate underneath us, his body pressed the length of ours. Not now we had his taste on our tongue. Not now we were about to claim him.

I paused.

He hadn't said I could claim him.

Instantly, my dragon rose up again. It growled inside me, like it was telling me off. Blaze was our mate. It knew that. I knew that.

"Blaze? I want to claim you. You get to choose, though. We can just- we can just cuddle, if you like. Or do some kissing. Or, um, you know, other stuff."

He rolled his hips, which were pressed against mine, and I felt the burning heat of his skin, the hardness of his length. We were completely naked together for the first time and my dick was leaking a constant stream of pre-come from the sensations and the scent of him.

"I want you to claim me, Alfie."

"Are you sure? You can't take back a claiming, you know. It's forever."

He chuckled, and the soft breath of it tingled against my lips.

"I know, my darling. I want it."

"You're not surprised by this at all, are you?"

"I did wonder. Your dragon wanted to be close to me. I wanted to be close to you. I thought, maybe… we were fated mates."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wanted you to have a choice."

That was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to me. I had got so used to being told what to do, to feeling hemmed in, watched everywhere I went. Only Blaze wanted me to have freedom. Even if that was the freedom to not choose him.

As though I wouldn't choose him. As though I'd lose him now.

My dragon was twisting round inside me, and it was getting more and more insistent. I worried that, if I didn't do what it wanted soon, I'd end up shifting in the middle of the bed.

The second I touched my lips to Blaze's again, my dragon stilled. It went quiet. Everything in me was focused on my mate and the way our bodies moved together.

I ground my erection down against him, wanting to groan aloud at how good it felt. I'd only ever felt this good with Blaze.

Slowly, I let my hand move down his body. I'd felt his chest before, but it felt good to map him out beneath me, to run my hands over his body like it was mine to explore. He gasped when I ran my fingers over his nipples and I couldn't resist going back and doing it again to hear that pleasure in his voice for a second time.

When I dragged my hand lower and encircled his erection, it felt hot and familiar in my hand. I'd touched him before, felt him come before, but never like this. Never laid out on a bed, never about to claim him.

I was so excited that my dick throbbed. My hips thrust instinctively against my mate's, feeling his soft skin beneath me, sending sparks of sensation along my dick and making me- making me—

I gripped Blaze's dick tighter as I came.

My come spurted out and marked Blaze as mine, spilled the proof of my pleasure all over his groin.

And, as I came, he thrust his hips up into my fist quickly, rutting into me.

I'd barely realised what happened and come down from my high before Blaze groaned and orgasmed into my hand. I milked him, drawing out his pleasure and, as soon as he was sated, I lifted my hand to my mouth and licked off his semen.

There was no taste like Blaze's. I had always devoured his come like an addict.

We lay together, panting, and his taste in my mouth was rich and deep and smoky. His body beneath mine was hot and pliant.

"Sorry," I whispered.

His little hand stroked my cheek. "What are you sorry for, my darling?"

"I wanted to claim you but I came too soon."

Blaze grinned.

"So did I. And it was amazing. You don't think we're done, do you?"

I looked down at him and he was so beautiful…

"We're not?"

"Not even close. You promised to claim me tonight, Alfie. I want to be yours."

"Are you sure? You got worried earlier. When I was showing you round the castle. I could feel it."

Beneath me, Blaze took a deep breath. I did the same thing, hoping to calm my sudden jumping nerves. I inhaled the scent of ash and woodsmoke and come. The sexiest scent in the world.

"You're the golden dragon, Alfie."

"Yes. That's a surprise, isn't it? I didn't know golden dragons existed."

"I've heard of them. They're legends."

"Not really though, right? Because I exist. They're real."

"I mean you're a legend, my darling. Powerful. You'll have unlimited options of people to mate, people to choose from."

My nerves jumped again and my dragon twisted inside me. I buried my face in Blaze's neck and inhaled, breathing in his scent and holding his body close to mine. I needed to reassure myself – and my dragon – that he was right there with me.

I'd never understood the need to do that before but I did now. My dragon needed his physical presence to calm us. Maybe my dragon had known Blaze was my mate before I did but hadn't been able to tell me, trapped so deeply inside.

I spoke into his shoulder.

"I don't want anyone but you. We're mates, Blaze. I can't lose you. I can't. I- I feel so afraid when I think about it."

His arms wrapped around me and held me close. He was warm, a soft, bright flame, and we were as close as two people could be. Almost.

"Is that what made you sad earlier? You thought I'd choose someone else?"

He nodded.

I nuzzled his skin. "I don't want anyone else. I'm going to claim you and then you'll belong to me and I'll belong to you. You'll see. You're the one I choose."

He nodded again and, this time, he rocked his hips as well. His erection was growing again and he rubbed it against my skin. We couldn't get much friction because neither of us was willing to let go of the other enough to move properly, but we rocked and rubbed and held each other close.

I managed to roll us over so I was on my back. That gave me access to Blaze's ass as he lay on top of me, and he spread his legs either side of mine, granting me all the access I wanted.

Before, when we'd touched, it had been kissing and blow jobs and hand jobs. I'd never touched Blaze's hole before. I'd thought I'd burst apart at the seams if I did. It made me smile now. I'd been so worried about it but it had only been my dragon, excited to touch our mate, desperate to claim him and unable to because it couldn't get out.

As I thought it, my teeth lengthened. I ran my finger over Blaze's hole and pressed. He arched his back, asking for more.

I had to stop.

"Bother! I didn't bring any lube."

Blaze lifted his head from where he'd been kissing and sucking at my neck, making me feel all tingly and aroused. He smiled and I was so glad to see that smile back that I couldn't stop myself from kissing it. He smiled into our kiss until at last he laughed and pulled back, leaning away from me.

"We have to stop kissing for a moment. Just long enough to get my trousers."

"Why?"

"Because that's where I keep the lube you bought us."

We rolled and shuffled across the bed. It would have been easier if I'd let Blaze go and he could have reached over the side and grabbed his trousers, but I couldn't let him go. We had to wriggle over together and Blaze laughed the entire time. It sounded so sexy and happy.

When he'd finally snagged the little bottle, he opened it and squeezed some onto my fingers. I warmed it up before touching him, knowing he didn't like the cold.

"Oh Alfie, that feels so good. Yes, my darling, give me more."

My hand was shaking with concentration and need as I slowly fingered my mate open. His hot little hole swallowed one finger and I pumped it in and out, trying to make it feel as good for Blaze as it did for me.

He writhed around on top of me, putting constant pressure on my dick until I thought I'd come all over him again.

I rolled us over suddenly, desperate to make this last and not put an early end to it.

Kneeling over him, I pushed his legs back and slid my finger inside him again. I took my time, stretching him with one and then two and then three fingers. Beads of sweat broke out over Blaze's forehead and he moaned and bucked his hips and I got drunk off the scent of him, so hot and smoky and aroused.

"Yes, my darling, yes, deeper."

By the time I pressed my dick inside him, I was so turned on that I could barely last. Even deep breaths didn't help.

Blaze's channel swallowed my dick inch by inch, squeezing it and making my balls draw up.

Below me, Blaze was ethereal. He moved with the captivating grace of a flame, undulating and burning hot.

"Alfie, my darling, I'm going to come. Please come inside me. I want to feel you. Please, please."

Hearing Blaze beg tipped me over the edge. I thrust into him hard, driving myself deeper and deeper inside him. He panted and begged, "Please, please," and then I came.

My come pumped out of me and into my mate, filling him. His channel squeezed around me, impossibly tight. I groaned at the feeling, locked inside my mate in such a tight grip, and then I felt his come pulse out too. The hot, wet semen smeared between us and I scooped some up on my finger and brought it to my mouth. I never wanted to waste a drop of Blaze's essence.

With the taste of his come on my tongue, I leaned forward and brought my lips to his neck. He tilted his head to the side, giving me access, and I bit down, claiming Blaze as my own.

We gasped together, felt another hot rush of ecstasy and that feeling dragged on and on until I thought I'd die from pleasure. It burned me up, radiating out from my chest.

At last, I collapsed on top of my mate, exhausted and spent.

I mumbled into his neck, "Love you."

"I love you, my darling. Thank you for claiming me."

"You're mine to claim."

I felt his little chuff of laughter and our bond was so strong between us that I could feel it, even though I was pressed right against him and there wasn't a millimetre of space between us. That bond was unbreakable now. Nothing could take Blaze away from me. We were mates forever.