Chapter One

Lyrandir, the voice called to me. I need you.

Shut up, I replied inside my head.

It had been almost two months since I'd first heard that voice. It slipped into my thoughts during an audience with a handsome Hulfrin sea captain who told me of a treasure he'd been offered. A Dragon treasure. The jewel was called Ensarena's Eye, and I immediately informed him that he was either dealing with a liar or a fool. The Eye was a myth—a stone said to possess the Fire of our Goddess. Divine magic. If it was real, then it was supposed to be in the possession of the Sea Dragons. And the Sea Dragons were awake again. There was no way they'd let a treasure like Ensarena's Eye escape them.

But then the Eye spoke to me. At least, that's who this voice claims to be—a consciousness manifested by the stone's divinity. The Eye told me it had been freed from a watery prison and taken to a distant kingdom. It offered me power if only I would procure it. When I asked why the Eye had chosen me, it said it needed a Dragon to wield it. No other could unleash its vast power. And I happened to be a Dragon, a king, and the man who'd been given a chance to purchase it.

Not the best compliment, granted. But that made it feel more genuine and less like I was going insane. So, I accepted the Captain's offers—of the stone and his body. He had been a phenomenal fuck, and the memory of the way he had moved inside me haunted me nearly as much as that damn voice. But not as annoyingly. At least the memory of the Captain made me smile. The Eye was more like a nagging mother than a lover, mentally pecking at me daily, urging me to claim it.

I'm on my way to you right now, I added. For fuck's sake. You'd think it would cease its prattling now that it was in my castle.

No, you're not, it said.

My footsteps faltered, and I demanded, What do you mean?

The Hulfrin doesn't have me. I've been stolen by pirates. The scourge of the seas. A bunch of no-good Neraky. The lowest of—

“Pirates?!” I roared aloud as I entered the sitting room.

I winced when I saw Captain Aras jump to his feet, his stunning, ice-blue eyes going wide.

Fuck. I was losing my mind. That fucking voice was making me insane, always talking in my head, sounding as if it were a woman who stood right beside me. It was difficult to remember that I was the only one who could hear her. There were times when I forgot to reply with my thoughts and instead spoke aloud. To do so in front of the man I wanted to take as my lover was unfortunate. And annoying. I slammed the door before my guards could enter the room. I didn't trust those fuckers.

“Your Majesty!” Captain Aras bowed. “How did you know about the pirates? I swear, I came to tell you as soon as we docked.”

Instead of answering, I went on the attack. Let him think I had spies watching him. Better that than he think me mad. “So, it's true? Pirates have stolen Ensarena's Eye?”

The Hulfrin man rubbed a large over his face, the back of it sleekly furred while the palm was dark and leathery. His features were distant kin to a tiger, with black and white stripes adorning his orange fur. The lines emphasized his eyes and cheekbones, slashing in arches that vanished into his thick, black hair, pointing toward his impressive horns and perked ears. Aras had worn his hair loose, the way I liked it, and it hung down to brush his shoulders, the broad expanse slabbed with muscles earned on the sea.

Under his wide, man-nose, white whisker pads puffed with black, splotchy lines where his whiskers emerged. The pads hid his top lip, but the bottom one pouted below it, and his chin was covered in white fur like a beard. Hulfrin weren't animals, but they greatly resembled tigers. So much so, that I found bedding one exhilarating. It wasn't just the erotic adventure of a primal man covered in fur and crowned by horns. It was also the fact that my kingdom's symbol was a tiger. Fucking Aras felt like destiny.

Not that I believed in fate. And the Captain of the Tiger's Claw had more to offer than his exotic body. Even if Aras didn't have such bestial features, he would still have exuded raw masculinity and power. Sex. Every inch of his muscular body screamed that it could give me the best orgasm of my life. It promised erotic delights that couldn't be found elsewhere. And Aras had delivered on his body's promises.

After all this time apart, I still craved the sea captain. I hadn't taken another man to my bed since he left. I told myself it was because of the Eye. That voice could ruin any sexual encounter, and the last thing I wanted was a rumor circling the castle about my faltering sanity. But if I was honest with myself, I'd admit that it wasn't the Eye's fault. Aras had sunk his claws into me.

My stare wandered to the V of Aras's shirt. I could only see the top of his chest, but it was enough to remind me of how perfect it was. My memory of him was sharp despite the months it had been since we were last together. Underneath his clothes, those sculpted pectorals were enhanced by a thin coating of fur. Black stripes drew the eye to dusky nipples protruding from the fur, and then down to a tight belly. He had no pubic hair, just that sleek fur giving way to his man's flesh. And a Hulfrin's cock wasn't like a Dragon's. It was more pointed at the tip—all the better for penetration.

Oh, how he had penetrated. Smooth and deep. Hulfrin cocks produce their own lubricant when aroused, making spontaneity easier. I do love to be spontaneous.

And let's not forget the powerful flanks that had propelled Aras forward, driving his spear-cock deep. Slamming it into my channel. Filling me as I'd never been filled before. He had pulled out to come—at my command—but I had regretted it ever since. I wanted to feel him release inside me. The mere thought made my sacs twitch.

“Your Majesty?” Aras was frowning.

Shit. Had he said something? As if a voice in my head wasn't bad enough, now I was getting distracted by the man himself. To cover, I said gruffly, “I asked you a question, Captain.”

“Yes, and I answered it.” He frowned deeper. “The Eye was indeed taken, but I captured one of the pirates and brought him here for further questioning. He's a tough one, but I'll get the truth out of him. I'll find his ship, Your Majesty, and I'll get the jewel back for you.”

“Yes, you will,” I said as I stepped closer. “And you'll compensate me for the delay.”

Heat swam into Aras's cold eyes. Beneath a pair of black eyebrows that joined with the slashing stripes on his face, Aras's upper eyelids were dark orange, but the lower lids were black, flicking up and out at the corners to become part of that hypnotic fur pattern. His lashes were thick, making it appear as if the whole of his eyes were lined, and with the limbal ring of indigo around his irises, all of that made the pale blue of his eyes appear to glow. That glow became a burn.

The tip of Aras's pink tongue flicked out to wet his pouting lower lip. “Surely there's something I can do to make this up to you.”

I grinned. “Do you think you're so delectable, so special, that I'd accept sex as atonement for your failure?”

Aras's lips twitched, his pride unaffected. “If I was going to whore myself to you, it would mean I didn't want to fuck you, and we both know that's not true. What I'm offering is something to appease your anger. An apology between lovers.” He pressed in against me, his head nearly at the level of mine. “And I'll gladly do as Your Majesty commands to prove my regret.”

Lyrandir , the voice called.

Shut the fuck up! I hissed in my head.

But the damage was done. My cock went limp. Never one to waste an opportunity, I used it.

“We are not lovers, and your submission won't appease me.” I cracked my neck and stepped back. “Get me the name of the ship and its captain, Aras.” I grabbed the front of his red velvet coat and twisted it. “I will have Ensarena's Eye or I will have your cock. And not in the way you want to give it to me.” I shoved him away and strode out of the room.

As I left, I heard Aras's breath catch. I had scared him. Good. And yet, I ached for him. I didn't want to frighten Captain Aras. I wanted to see him brave, strong, and in my bed. But a king couldn't let such longings rule him. I had to make it clear to Aras that he would pay dearly if he failed to bring me the prize he promised. Now, he would stop at nothing to get Ensarena's Eye.

And I would stop at nothing to make him mine.