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CHAPTER TWENTY

CJ

The markings on my arms burn like acid, a reaction to Isolde’s power that’s getting harder to control with each passing hour. I stare at my reflection in her bathroom mirror, watching the intricate patterns shift beneath my skin. They’re more visible now, darker, richer.

Fuck.

I splash cold water on my face, but it does nothing to soothe the burning. This isn’t supposed to happen. Not here. Not now.

The connection between me and Isolde intensifies, pulling at something ancient in my blood that was passed down through my mother’s side.

I grip the edges of the sink, closing my eyes as another wave of heat washes over me. The dragon stirs, responding to Isolde’s power. My father’s warning echoes in my head.

The Hunters are circling.

Of course they are. They’ve been hunting my family, all vampires in my realm, for decades, maybe longer, desperate to exterminate us.

A soft knock at the door interrupts my thoughts.

“CJ? Are you okay?”

I take a deep breath. "Yeah, of course.”

Naked, she pushes the door open, her blue eyes shadowed with exhaustion from William’s relentless training. Even drained, she’s breathtaking.

“You’re lying,” she says simply, pushing past me into the bathroom. “You’re exhausted. You haven’t slept.”

“How do you know?” I ask and then sigh. “Sorry, it is a force of habit to be petulant.”

“Forgiven. If you come to bed.”

“Where are William and Cass?”

“William went to get blood, he will be back soon. Cass is in his new favourite spot.”

“Bell Tower roof?”

She nods. “You need to stop worrying.”

“I’m not. I’m being cautious. William’s methods are dangerous. Someone needs to keep a clear head.”

She moves closer and places her hands on my chest. It ignites the fire burning inside me for her. A fire that will never die out and only gets more intense.

“Your markings react when I use my power. Why?”

“It’s complicated,” I say, retreating a step.

“Everything about you is complicated.” She follows, not letting me escape. “I’m trying to be patient and understanding, but it’s wearing thin.”

“I understand, but?—”

“No more lies, CJ. No more half-truths. What are you?”

The dragon ripples inside me, responding to her challenge. The markings swirl in a dizzying pattern. I fight for control, locking down the power that wants to burst free. I know without a doubt, if I let it, I would shift now, and that can’t happen. Not here in this realm.

“Something that doesn’t exist here,” I say finally. She’s right. No more lies.

She reaches for me, her fingers brushing my cheek. The contact sends electricity racing through my veins. “ Here . Your choice of word is telling.”

I hesitate, torn between desire and self-preservation. Then I grab her hand and place it over the markings on my chest. “Birthmarks,” I say. “Sort of. They show my lineage, or half of it from my mother’s side.”

“Which is?”

I take a deep breath. “Dragon.”

Her fingers pause on my chest. “Dragon,” she repeats. “As in...?”

“What you would call myth,” I confirm.

“You’re a dragon,” she says, testing the word.

“Part dragon,” I correct. “My mother is their Queen. My oldest sister is their Empress.”

“What?” she gawps, eyes wide. “Dragons exist?”

“Not here,” I say, shaking my head slowly, searching her eyes.

“So, you are not from this realm.”

“Nope.”

“Why is this a secret?” Her fingers continue their exploration, tracing the patterns that swirl across my abdomen.

Each touch sends sparks through my system, the dragon responding to her in ways I can’t control.

The markings glow brighter, heat radiating from them.

“They’re beautiful,” she murmurs, pressing her palm flat against my chest.

I draw in a deep breath. “Several reasons. The main one being I’m a mythical creature where you come from, and secondly, I’m being hunted. Back home. My parents sent me here to protect me.”

“Back home is where?” she asks. She doesn’t seem pissed off or worried or afraid. Simply curious.

I couldn’t love her more if I tried.

“A realm somewhere in this network of realms where the sun shines, where we live among humans, hidden, of course, but still.”

“Sun,” she murmurs. “I’ve heard about that. Longed to step into the warmth?—”

“It would kill you.”

“Oh?” She raises an eyebrow.

I nod and pull a ring out of my pocket. It’s silver, intricate, and enchanted. I slip it onto my thumb. “This protects me there. I don’t need it here.”

Her fingers touch it, and she hisses, twirling it.

I close my eyes, fighting for control. “Isolde, you don’t understand what you’re doing to me. This thing between us is growing every second.”

“I feel it too.”

The dragon roars inside me, demanding I claim her. I grip her waist and pull her against me. Our lips crash together in a kiss that’s all hunger and heat, no gentleness, no restraint.

She responds instantly, her fingers tangling in my hair, her body arching into mine. I walk her backwards until she hits the wall, pinning her there with my weight. The markings burn hot now, visible patterns of fire beneath my skin.

My fangs extend, grazing her lower lip just enough to draw blood. The taste of her explodes on my tongue, power and life.

I lift her, her legs wrapping around my waist as I carry her from the bathroom to the bed. We fall onto it together, my weight pressing her into the mattress.

“Beautiful,” she whispers, tracing the markings with reverent fingers. “Like fire under your skin.”

“For you,” I growl, the dragon’s voice bleeding into mine, deeper, rougher. “Only for you.”

Her hand moves lower, flicking open my pants and wrapping around my cock. I groan, burying my face in her neck as pleasure shoots through me.

“Inside me,” she demands, guiding me between her thighs. “Now.”

I push into her slowly, feeling her body stretch to accommodate me. She’s slick and ready, her pussy gripping me tightly. I pause when I’m fully seated, overwhelmed by the sensation, by the way her power calls to mine.

“Move,” she commands, her hips bucking up to meet mine.

Chuckling at her impatience, I obey, setting a rhythm that’s hard and fast, driven by a hunger that’s more dragon than vampire. The markings burn like brands now. Isolde watches them, fascinated, her fingers tracing their shifting patterns as I thrust into her.

“More,” she gasps, her back arching as I hit a particularly sensitive spot. “Harder.”

The dragon responds to her commands before my conscious mind can, my body moving faster, driving deeper. I grip her thigh and raise her leg, letting it rest on my shoulder, changing the angle to thrust deeper still. Her cries grow louder, her pussy clenching around me as she approaches her climax.

I feel my release building, the pressure mounting with each thrust. I’m losing control. The dragon is pushing against the boundaries that have held it back all these years.

“CJ,” Isolde moans, her fingers digging into my shoulders. “I’m close.”

“Together,” I growl.

Her eyes lock with mine as she comes hard, silver light exploding beneath her skin as her pussy clenches rhythmically around my cock. The sight of her undoing pushes me over the edge. My climax hits with force. I empty myself inside her, my cock jerking wildly, needing so much more.

For one terrifying, exhilarating moment, she tastes my true nature and accepts it without hesitation, her power entwining with mine in a bond that feels unbreakable.

I collapse beside her, spent and vulnerable in a way I’ve never allowed myself to be before.

“Dragon,” she says softly, rolling onto her side to face me. “That explains so much.”

I laugh weakly. “Does it?”

“The heat. The possessiveness. The way you move when you fight. These Hunters,” she says. “They’re after you specifically?”

I nod. “Yes and no. They kill anything supernatural. But my parents have history with them. My father wiped them out of existence after they abducted and tortured my mother around twenty-five years ago. It has taken them this long to regroup, and now they are after vengeance.”

Her eyebrows rise. “I see why you were sent here. Your parents must be terrified.” She falls silent, and I wonder if she is thinking the same of her parents. The parents we are still unsure about. It must be killing her.

“You said you had an older sister. What other siblings do you have?”

“Another older sister. She is my true blood. Her dad is my dad, a younger brother and sister, twins, are also my dad’s.”

“You say that like it’s not a given.”

“My mother has three husbands and a complicated sire.”

“Three husbands?” Isolde’s eyes widen, her lips parting in surprise. “That’s interesting.”

I laugh, a genuine sound that feels good after all the tension. “My mother is many things. Conventional isn’t one of them.”

“And they all get along?”

“Most of the time. My father is possessive, territorial. The others are more accommodating. It’s not that different from what’s happening here with you.”

Her expression grows thoughtful. “A court, bound through blood and desire.”

“Exactly.” I pull her closer, pressing my lips to her forehead. “Three… lovers,” I smirk, and she giggles.

“I want to see you as a dragon.”

I narrow my eyes. “That’s still theoretical. I haven’t shifted yet.”

“Ever?”

I shake my head.

“Do you think you will?”

I cup her face. “If it means protecting you, I will do whatever it takes.”

She nods and settles against my chest, content and sleepy.

She accepts who I am without question, and that in itself is something worth fighting for.