11. Aries

11

ARIES

T he next morning, I wake to find Paige snuggled in close beside me in our massive bed. The tunic I gave her to sleep in that first night has been replaced by a sheer gown one of her maids must have provided. The material is ivory in color and leaves little to the imagination. My cock hardens at the sight of her bared thigh draped over my own.

Back at the library, a wakeup like this one would have prompted me to use this moment to its full advantage. But now, my desire for her is at odds with the pressing need to fight.

According to my advisors in yesterday's meeting, the village has been re-opened, and the castle walls are now emptied of the townspeople who sought refuge here during the orc's attack.

What they had thought was a full-scale invasion ended up being only a single legion of orcs—most of them scouts who saw an opportunity and took it. Our soldiers weren't expecting the war to come here. Not when the majority of the horde's army was still camped in the north.

It's not a mistake we'll make again. Not with me in command.

Still, our scouts have returned with the news that the orcs are marching ever closer to our largest villages.

I can't remain safe behind these walls much longer. I might have left already if it weren't for the beautiful woman lying beside me. Paige will not be convinced to remain behind when I go. So, I've delayed as much as possible, hoping she'd discover her magic's true power at least enough to defend herself when we march to the front.

I cannot lose her.

And I cannot bear to separate myself from her either.

Yesterday, in the garden with that birdhouse, I saw a glimpse of what she can really do.

It was fucking amazing.

My thoughts wander back to her body, and I run my hand up her thigh, cupping her ass. She stirs, her leg lifting higher, and I stifle a groan as all thoughts of war slide away.

All that exists is my mate. Her body and mine.

My hand on her ass tightens.

"Mmm," she says lazily, her lashes fluttering.

"Morning, beautiful," I say, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she opens them and smiles at me.

I waste no time turning her onto her back and sliding down to position my face between her thighs.

"Oh, is that how we're starting the morning off?" she asks, sultry surprise giving way to anticipation.

"I'm starving," I say. "I was thinking I'd eat you for breakfast."

Her slow smile is sexy as hell.

I lower my head, ready to lose myself between her legs when there's a knock at the door.

Paige huffs out a breath.

I grin, ready to tell whoever it is to fuck off, but the knock comes again—louder this time. Paige yanks me back up, pulling the covers up too as she calls primly, "Yes?"

"Breakfast, Your Highness," the maid calls out from the other side.

Paige pulls the blankets up to her chin and calls out, "Come in."

"Good morning," the maid says as she enters and sets our breakfast on the table at the foot of the bed. She darts glances toward us without ever actually looking our way.

"Morning, Lucinda," Paige says.

The maid lifts her gaze and flashes Paige a tentative smile then ducks her head again as she heads for the door. "Will there be anything else?" the maid asks, hovering with her hand on the latch.

"No, thanks," Paige tells her.

"I have your dress for the day already laid out," the maid says. "I can bring it in as soon as you're finished eating."

"Thanks," Paige says.

The maid smiles again and then leaves us.

My brows lift at the friendly exchange. "Are you two best friends then?"

"Lucinda's been really welcoming," Paige says, tossing back the covers and kicking her legs over the side of the bed.

I grab her waist, pulling her back before she can fully escape. "Whoa, where do you think you're going?"

"You heard her," Paige says, not bothering to fight me as I pull her onto her back and into my arms. "She's returning soon, which means we're going to continue to be interrupted." She grins. "Unless you can start and finish in the next five minutes."

"Five minutes? You think I'll have had enough of you by then?"

She laughs, and for a moment, I lose myself in the sound of it. The sight of her smile after the last few days—or weeks—is a drug, and I'm determined to have more.

I kiss her loudly then grab her hand, hauling us both up. "Come on," I say.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere we won't be disturbed."

"This is where you change forms?" Paige asks an hour later as she gazes at a stall. "It's massive!"

"Dragons take up a lot of space," I say smugly.

She tosses me a smirk before turning back to the empty stalls.

"One, two… Six. There are six dragons in your family?"

"There were. A few generations back. But not since then."

"So many," she murmurs.

"Now, only two." I can't stop myself from wincing. "And if we don't win my crown back from the council, we may be the last."

She places a hand on my arm. "You will. We will," she corrects. "Together."

I wait for her to mention the library, but she doesn't, and I exhale. It's a problem that isn't going to fix itself, but I don't want to think about it today. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

I wink. "A ride."

I watch as the innuendo sinks in. Her cheeks flush, and she glances around, her voice hushed as she says, "This isn't any better than our bedroom. Not when anyone could walk in and see us."

"Which is why I was thinking I'd shift and you could fly with me for a bit."

"Oh!" She winces, and her cheeks are as red as tomatoes. "Ah, can you forget I just said all that?"

"Not a chance," I say smugly. "Besides, you're on the right track. That's still the end goal."

She groans and then looks around again, but we're completely alone here—for the moment. I step into the stall before I can change my mind and hike her dress up against one of these walls. When I begin stripping out of my clothes, Paige's expression pinches.

"Um, is there a saddle? Or a harness or something?"

"Nope."

"How am I supposed to hang on?"

"I won't let you fall."

"And if I happen to, you'll catch me with your claws and not impale me." She gulps.

"If you're too scared to, I understand," I say in the same tone I would use with Leo when I want to goad him into doing a dare.

"I'm not a child," she protests, eyes narrowing. "And I'm not falling for that tone either."

"So you don't want to see the kingdom you're going to rule someday?"

"No, I want to." She bites her lip. "Will we only fly near the castle?"

"We will not go near the orcs," I assure her.

"What if I want us to?" she asks.

I shake my head, ready to argue if necessary. "You aren't ready to fight them yet."

"I'm not asking to fight. I just… I want to see their camp—and their weapons—for myself. If I'm going to damage them, I need to know how to prepare. How to hit them and where."

I remember what she did to the birdhouse and nod slowly. "All right. I'll take us as close as I can without being spotted."

"Thank you."

I bring her hand to my mouth and brush a kiss over her knuckles. "I'm not sure I could refuse you anything. Now, do you trust me to take you for a ride?"

She lifts her brows. "In which way?"

With a laugh, I gesture for her to step back into the hallway that runs down the middle of the stalls, and I finish stripping down.

Paige lets out a low whistle. "That sight never gets old."

I growl, impatience driving me to shift quickly now.

Bones pop and creak as the change takes me over. Scales coat my skin. Followed by claw and tooth and a fire burning like a furnace in my very soul. Within moments, I am a winged beast ready for the skies.

"Um, you never told me how to climb up," Paige squeaks up at me.

I extend my wing down, and she gapes at me.

"You want me to step on your wing? Won't that hurt you?" she asks.

I snort, air gusting from my large nostrils. Silly woman. Her tiny form won't hurt me.

She scrambles up and then sits high up on my neck. "Where do I… Oh."

Paige's hands grab for my scales, and I beat my wings against the stall air until I begin to rise into the sky above.

We leave behind the dragon-changing building, and Paige lets out a shriek as we head toward the castle. I'm careful not to dip right or left as I gain altitude, wanting her to enjoy this experience as much as I do. With the wind singing along my scales, I feel Paige relax. Her fear becomes pleasure through the bond, and it makes me braver.

Just ahead is the castle, and Paige urges me toward it.

I soar around turrets, and a banner brushes against my belly as we speed by. Her grip with her thighs and hands is tight at first, but once I slowly turn away from the castle toward our destination, she eventually loosens her hold—trusting me to keep her upright. To keep her safe.

I do a few dips and rises to give her a thrill, but finally, I level out and fly onward for the orc camp. The clouds provide cover that I gratefully use the closer we get to their camp. Just like before, with Leo, I'm careful to keep a safe distance from their scouts. And still, I'm tense as the camp comes into view far below.

The clouds offer a wispy film between us and the camp, but it's still visible enough far below us now. Tents and campfires litter the valley. And there, along the outskirts of the camp, their guns sit quietly. Beside them is a convoy of carts full of various ammunition.

Paige's grip on me tightens, and I know she's seen them too.

I do one full wide arc around the camp and then head away from it as fast as my wings will carry us. The moment we're in safer skies, I let out a relieved exhale. On my back, Paige remains tense, and I can sense her thoughts darkening as we fly. No doubt, she's thinking about those weapons we're up against–and what she might do to them with her magic.

I'm determined to take her mind off such worries even if only for a while.

When we reach the forest that signals the royal grounds, I turn away from the castle and head for a different destination farther north. The cliffs rise high on the far side of the trees—their sheer face a myriad of reds and oranges lit by the sun at our backs.

The sight of it sends a pang of familiarity through me after being gone so long. With a final swoop, I take us down, landing at the mouth of the cave I secretly call my own.

Paige slides down my offered wing and looks around as I return to my human form.

"Holy shit, that was amazing," she says. "The wind was incredible! And the view. Speaking of which, I must look like a mess. My hair…" She tries to pat it down, but I don't care about that. Doesn't she realize that she's perfect as she is? She doesn't have to change a thing. She has my entire heart.

"My love," I murmur. "You look perfect."

Her smile is slow but stretches wide and full. "My mate," she says, her hand coming up to rest on the side of my face. "Thank you for letting me fly with you."

In answer, I crush her lips with mine, my arm snaking around her waist as I yank her so close against me that there's hardly any space between us.

Just her infernal clothes.

"You look beautiful in this dress," I murmur.

"You like me in the clothes of your people?" she asks breathlessly.

"I like you in everything, but I prefer when you aren't wearing anything at all."

I press her against the cave wall until I know she can feel the erection that's almost painful now that we're finally alone.

"Here?" she asks.

"Why not?" I nuzzle her neck before trailing a line of kisses along her collarbone.

She breaks off the kiss. Worse, she takes a step back—but then she lifts her dress over her head and drops it beside her.

My hunger for her burns inside me.

"You're not wearing any undergarments," I manage.

She smirks. "I don't like how they constrict."

"We wouldn't want that," I say, reaching for her wrist and yanking until she's inside the circle of my arms again.

I kiss her deeply, plunging my tongue into her mouth, claiming her as if it's the first time all over again. My hands grip her hips, pulling our bodies flush as I back her against the cave wall. Breaking our kiss, I dip lower to her neck, her collarbone, her breasts, leading the way with my roaming hands. Her bared breasts fill my palms, their weight perfect, her skin smooth and velvety.

Taking her nipple into my mouth, I suck hard, enjoying the tiny gasp she lets out as well as the arch in her back.

Her hand finds my cock and wraps around it. I groan, all coherent thought flying out of my mind as she grips me. She uses a foot to move her dress in front of me and kneels on top of it. I suck in a sharp breath as she parts her lips, her gaze fixed on my face as she licks the tip of my cock.

"Paige…"

My hands fall to her head, and I grip her hair as she takes my cock into her mouth and sucks me.

"If you keep doing that…" I rasp.

"Mmm," she says around my cock, the vibration alone enough to make my cock jerk again.

"Come here," I growl after only a few moments.

I pull my cock out of her mouth and guide her to her feet. My lips touch hers briefly before I bend down and fumble with her dress, stretching it out so it can serve as a blanket.

I need her—now.

Paige melts against me as I lay her down on top of the soft material. My hands glide over her skin, drawing sounds of pleasure from her as I flick my thumb over her hardened nipples. Then lower to her wet heat where I push a finger inside her.

She tenses, her fingernails scraping over my shoulder as she rocks her hips to meet me. Slowly, I draw my hand back and lick her taste off my finger.

Paige's eyes track the movement. "Aries…"

"Fucking delicious." I wink. "Time to return the favor."

I bury my face between her legs, running my tongue over her clit before lapping up her sweet juices. Paige gasps, her hand grabbing my hair as she squirms beneath me.

Possessiveness rises inside me, my dragon reveling in the way this woman has given herself to me. In this moment, every inch of her belongs to me, including this sweet nectar.

Paige's legs start to tremble, and she cries out as she comes for me. I don't stop licking and sucking until her sounds stop and her breath exhales in a whoosh. Then I lift my head and cover her body with mine. I pause there, looking down at her uncertainly.

"Have you had enough?" I tease.

But she reaches for my hips and pulls me down, grabbing my cock and guiding it to her entrance.

"Never," she whispers.

I enter her with one thrust, and Paige gasps, her hands wrapping around my neck as our bodies begin to move together. Her core is a delicious heat, and I'm very nearly ready to lose myself to it. Our pace is slow at first, our mouths meeting in lazy, languid kisses. But the pleasure inside me–and through the bond–builds to a crescendo, and I move my hips faster, my thrusts harder and more urgent as we both give ourselves over to this moment.

Now, Paige is the one who owns me, her every move both demanding and coaxing more and more of what I willingly and hungrily offer. Her body trembles beneath me, her muscles tensing until she's coiled tight.

We both are.

Still, I don't stop, my pace relentless now. Sweat coats my skin and hers.

She clings to me, her nails raking down my back as she holds on, her hips moving in rhythm to match me.

Then she whimpers my name, and I feel her entire body go slack as she comes for me. It's all I need to send me over the edge along with her.

"Mine," I snarl as I empty myself deep inside her.