7. Jaiyana

CHAPTER SEVEN

JAIYANA

I hit the ground with a thud. Tyson, the red dragon shifter I'd assumed lost the fight, growled something about me belonging to him and hit Rehan again. The shifter I'd just been virtually dry-humping went limp. I forced myself not to scramble to his side like some tragic heroine. The man was a magical dragon shifter. A few hits to his head wouldn't kill him.

What the fuck are you doing, girl?

That was sexual assault.

You were pretty into it, though.

Dammit.

Before I could keep talking to myself, the air around Tyson rippled. Heat kissed my skin, and fire bloomed around him, distorting his form as his bones broke and grew. The sound made me flinch, my own breaking body still fresh in my memory. Suddenly, the air temperature dropped. Scaled fingers twice my size scooped me up.

I didn't struggle this time. The only hit I'd gotten on Rehan was by initial surprise. It felt like I broke my foot on his crotch. Even if I wasn't exhausted and confused, I couldn't do anything against a shifter without my magic.

Useless piece of shit.

A single tear ran down my cheek, and I scrubbed it away.

The dragon cradled me to his chest, his claws creating a cage around me with big enough gaps for me to see through. I squeaked, wrapping my hands around one of his smooth, rigid digits. With an ungainly lurch, he leap into the air. His massive wings struggled to lift off the ground. We rose and dipped before rising again. Finally, he found an air stream and smoothly shot into the sky.

I trembled, not liking being so high under someone else's control. The elements of the world shrank into the size of toys. Rehan's cut under my ear throbbed. I ran my fingers across the new bumpy scar about the size of my thumb. With my magic suppressed, I had no idea what the big shifter did, but I'd bet my fortune it involved magic. Heavy magic which lit up my sex like a fucking lightsaber.

Fortunately, the cold altitude stole my heat and calmed my libido.

The lights of two more cities flickered on the roundish Island below, bringing my total to four. I shivered, the view enlightening but not pretty enough to distract me from my predicament. Too soon, Tyson glided toward the glow of civilization on the nearby mountainside. It was still too dark to make out details, but I recognized a few pointed roofs in what appeared to be a city dug into the rocky mountainside. We flew to the topmost building, where Tyson gently landed on a platform.

His scales heated, and the airwaves around us flickered. Just as he got too hot to touch, he tossed me up, forcing one of those stupid squeaks from my lungs instead of a scream. I landed in his bare, powerful human arms like I weighed nothing.

I was not a size men usually tossed around.

But you fucking love it.

My heart fluttered.

LEDs, mimicking flickering fire, sprang to life as we entered a large bedroom, bathing the space of dark woods in romantic hues. Tyson shut the wide double glass door behind us, which locked with a click.

My heart thudded. I missed a chance to escape, and it hadn't even occurred to me to try. I was officially broken.

I wiggled, and the dragon gently set me down, his every move tender.

Of course, he's being sweet. This is a mating ritual–you knew that. The question is, now that you've done the hard part, will you reap your reward?

Will I have a choice?

A shiver of fear ran down my back. Standing on the balls of my feet, I studied my kidnapper. Or possibly my kidnapper, who'd kidnapped me from someone who'd abducted me in the first place.

Oh, shit, I've been kidnapped.

I blinked a few times as that sunk in. People didn't wind up on islands in dragon mating rituals by accident. Someone brought me here. Someone who either caused my car accident or took advantage of the situation… which meant they'd been watching me.

Everything took on a dark edge. Faces and names flew through my mind as I looked for patterns. Like most people, I was a creature of habit, but my exit from the gym had been the opposite. Ley Line magic, the source of all magic on Earth, had drawn me out. No one controlled it. I'd been a recluse for years. No one had any reason to stick me here.

What am I doing with my life?

Not dealing with the literal dragon in the room.

I took a deep breath and focused on the shifter patiently watching and waiting. Tyson's soft, molten gold human eyes contrasted with his spiky dark red hair, which tangled just above his ears. Mud, mostly from me, only slightly obscured his smooth, hairless chest. He looked like a painting. Too beautiful to be real.

His heated gaze scanned me up and down, already undressing, er, de-mudding me, as if I were a candy bar he couldn't wait to eat.

What am I doing?

Lovin' it.

A smile pulled at my mouth at the thought. Even after everything, even if he didn't know me, it was nice to be wanted. To be fought over. Excitement and fear made my heart pound in my ears.

He grinned at my smile, flashing pearly white teeth that matched his angular features. The half-erect beast between his legs sent my gaze back to his face—the romance of the moment broken by the expectations of a mating ritual.

‘Put some clothes on!' I tried to demand, heat uncurling in my core. But another squeak came out.

I wasn't even supposed to be here! Tyson had no idea who I was. This was definitely someone else's wet dream.

It could be your wet dream.

SHUT UP!

The dragon chuckled. "I'm hung, I know. But we'll take it slow." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I know your application process was tedious. And that Hunt." His gaze burned into mine. "I've never felt a thrill like it." His grin turned devilish. "My blood's racing for you. We have three days, just the two of us. I'll make all of it up to you. I promise I don't bite unless you want me to."

Pressure throbbed between my legs, and I squeezed my thighs together. The aches and pains of my desperate race were momentarily forgotten as one of the most handsome men I'd ever seen gazed at me like I was the only woman alive.

A flake of drying mud peeled off my face. I rubbed at my flaming cheeks, trying desperately to find my brain cells, which had scattered like the wind.

Tyson stepped forward, and I stepped back, holding out a hand. Pieces of his words came together.

Whoever abducted me was a genius. The dragons thought I was here on purpose, and The Hunt must have used magic to tie humans and shifters together. There was no other reason this man would look at my average ass like this. And no reason I'd respond.

I don't know, Jay. It's been a hot minute, and he looks like sin on a plate.

What about Rehan?

Out of sight, out of mind.

Stupid brain.

Fatigue finally cut through my hormones. My legs trembled on the verge of collapse. Tyson stepped forward again, and this time, I didn't step back.

"Let's get the mud off you," he wiped a stripe off my cheek while his other arm wrapped around me, taking my weight. "Seven hours I fought for you. You're something else, but still human. You must be exhausted." He grimaced. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but my dick can wait." A strangled laugh came out of his throat.

I let out a relieved breath and let him guide me toward the bathroom, half carrying me. He set me gently on the closed toilet. White tiles with red and gold accents surrounded me. A double sink rested on the same wall as a massive jet tub. Tyson turned on a separate shower. The textured glass around it filled with steam before the dragon shifter slid to the bathtub and turned on the water.

He returned, standing before me as if he'd given me the world, his dick right at eye level. I'd seen my fair share of penises; his was a step beyond drool-worthy, but I'd not asked to see it. I looked at him again, pointing at his snake and then a gold towel hanging behind him.

"Ah." He cocked his head to the side. "Right, human decency. I'll cure you of that." He grinned but wrapped the towel around his waist.

My libido calmed. With that success, I pointed to my mud-covered crotch and stood lifting the toilet.

His grin fell, and his eyebrows drew together. "Right, our shower can wait, too, I guess."

He exited the room. A glob of mud hit the floor, and I reached for my belt, sliding the material off my hips. The pants were so filthy and wet I was not getting them back on. I fought with the shoes, regretting not taking them off first, before kicking all of them into a corner and gratefully relieving myself.

Just sleep with him, girl. He earned it. You earned it!

I've been abducted. I'm not here by choice.

You were in Graeagleby choice, and that got you squat.

I rubbed my forehead, bits of drying mud raining onto my lap.

You need this. You can focus in the morning. He's hot as fuck. He even had an erection while you were covered in mud. When has that ever happened?

Rehan's deep blue dragon eyes burned into my memory. When he'd kissed me, a fire lit in my core I hadn't felt in…. My heart slowed….

A memory tried to fight to the surface. Someone's strong arms circled my waist….

In my next breath, the memory vanished like it had never been, and my conflict once again battered my brain.

This was not my first time being captured by someone. I spent a few years locked in a sorcerer's tower. A stint in some royal dungeons before I'd come into my power fully… this one time, I got trapped in a crystal. The physics on that one still blew my mind.

Not all of my time in captivity ended negatively. Slain the Great's lair had actually been quite lovely for the twelve hundreds. The old dragon taught me draconic, eventually becoming one of my best friends and letting me go. But it took years and did not include expected physical relations.

I sighed, my fingers poised to flush the toilet.

Whatever was going on, three facts remained. I had no magic. I still couldn't talk. And no matter my hormones, someone set me up to be here.

Fudge on a stick.

I dropped my arm, and the water washed away my waste.

Instantly, Tyson opened the door again. He lifted me off the seat like a child and carried me into the shower. I refused to admit how much I loved it. Maybe, just for tonight, I would let him take care of me. Live in a romance novel written for someone else.

Yes, get it on, Jay!

Tyson kept his towel firmly tied around his waist as he soaped me down. I was simultaneously grateful and disappointed. The hot water felt too good on my overworked muscles, and his hands were even better as they stripped my remaining garments and explored my skin.

His light fingers constantly moved over my body as he walked the line between caring and sexual. An extra circle around my breasts dove into a wide arch down my sides. His fingers brushed my hips while his soaped-up loofa kissed my junction. He paused at my lower back, pressing on the big muscles before kneading them like putty.

I groaned. The first sound to come out of me, which wasn't a squeak, and I leaned into his ministrations.

"You like that?" he purred.

I didn't answer, unwilling to encourage the dragon but not wanting him to stop. My legs trembled again. I was exhausted. He did a final rinse of my long hair before picking me up and setting me into the bathtub filled with bubbles.

A fucking bubble bath—what was I, twelve?

Yes, Jay, twelve. You fucking love this.

Ugh, I do.

The hot water covered my body, and I sank into it with a sigh.

He slipped out the door, returning with a plate of honest-to-god grapes. Shirtless, he sat on the edge of the bath and fed me like I was a Greek goddess, and I sunk further into the fantasy.

"I love a woman with an appetite," he murmured, setting down the empty plate.

A few grapes does not an appetite make. I tried to say, but only squeaks came out of my mouth.

He grinned and licked his lips before running his smooth hands down my back. When I leaned forward to give him better access, he stood and dropped the little towel from around his waist. His half-erect cock bobbed before he slid behind me, dragging every inch of his hardening length down my spine.

I wanted to protest, instead, I shivered with need, my core heating and my nipples hardening despite the hot bath.

"You're incredible," he whispered.

I stiffened. The empty compliment tore me out of my trance. I was a prisoner. This was not hot. I tried to push away from him, but there was only so much room in the tub, and the slippery bottom offered little traction.

Yes, not enough traction in the tub to move away from the super hot dragon shifter super into you. Exactly.

He settled behind me, his hard-on pressed into my backside, but he didn't rub it against me or search for friction. Instead, he rubbed my shoulders. A flush of heat traveled up my spine and tingled my core.

Maybe it's a little hot.

Maybe?

I sighed and dropped my head, letting him rub my sore shoulders. One night, just tonight, I'd let myself be everything I wasn't. I could figure everything out tomorrow.

Instead of washing my skin, he gathered my hair and lathered it with rose-scented oils. The feminine smell curled around me, drawing me into this other woman's fantasy

"Relax." He pressed my scalp with his fingers, banishing my inner chatter. I groaned and leaned into him, dick and all.

"I want you to trust me." He whispered. "I don't really understand this part. If we had it my way, we'd be rolling around on the floor, mud and all, but you don't seem to want that." He leaned down, his breath warm on my ear. "I won't touch you until you're comfortable, you know that, right?"

I did. It was written in his every motion. What little fight was left in me evaporated. I leaned all my weight against his chest and pressed into his magic fingers, rubbing my scalp.

He purred. "You like that."

I rolled my eyes, not that he could see it.

He doubled his efforts, kneading and pampering a part of me unused to being touched so intimately. By the time he finished, my bones had melted. I sighed, wiggling back into his erection.

He trailed his fingers across my shoulders. "You're incredible." He pulled my hair away from my neck and brushed his fingers across my collarbone. "You're everything I could ever ask for and more." He rested two fingers against the pulse point on my neck, and I shivered, my body lighting up at his touch. "You're my soul mate. I'll never hurt you," he whispered, his lips hovering over my neck.

My stomach flipped. I let out a squeaky giggle, clasping my hands together to avoid punching his leg.

Who says shit like that?

Stop talking to yourself and embrace the moment.

Men don't say that kind of shit to me.

This one just did.

Yeah, he's working too hard to get laid tonight.

Cynic.

He ran a hand down my side, gripped my waist and pulled me close. Despite my inner dialogue, my insides melted, and moisture pooled between my legs. He pressed his warm lips into the base of my neck. Tingles ran down my body. I moaned, giving in and rubbing my fingers across his toned quads. If he wanted me tonight, I could be his.

Instead of pulling me closer, Tyson jerked back and yelped, pushing me forward.

His erection softened against my butt. Disappointment flooded my system. I tried to turn, but he pushed my head to the side and pulled my hair away from my ear, exposing the spot Rehan nicked.

Tyson growled and ran his thumb across the already healed lumpy surface of the cut. "Son of a bitch!"

He pressed me even further forward, jamming my legs into the side of the tub, and launched himself up before disappearing into the main room. The walls shook with the force of his anger as the sound of flying furniture filled my ears.

Yes, men running from you, this is more familiar.

I took a disappointed breath and leaned back, bonking my head against the padded back of the tub with more force than necessary. A wave of exhaustion washed over me, drowning out the world. My eyelids drooped, and I let the peace of sleep take me into its embrace.