Page 26 of Dragon’s Revenge (Irresistible Dragons #7)

Chapter Twenty-Five

R hene awoke slowly, slumbering for a while before fully waking and letting the morning settle over him. He lay still as he simply breathed, watching the sun inch across the ceiling, throwing beams of light like golden ropes across the room. Each exhale was a silent whisper of gratitude for his safe return, for the mate who lay beside him, for the pack that had thrived without him. There was a profound satisfaction in knowing his pack had fared so well without him. The vulnerability that had threatened them had transformed into a strength unimagined.

Erwan was all dark lashes and tousled hair next to him, still deeply asleep, his lips parting ever so slightly with each breath. It felt like a lifetime since they had woken beside one another in this way, both whole and healed. Together. Thank the gods, they were together again.

With every rise and fall of Erwan’s chest, Rhene counted his blessings. Two weeks after his return, they had both returned to their full health, nothing remaining of the ordeal they’d been through. Their skin was glowing again, their appetites ferocious, and they’d gained back most of the weight they’d lost.

And Rhene had been reunited with his son. The thought of Ainle’s gurgling laughter swelled his heart, a reminder of the family he had fought so hard to protect. Life was fragile. Gods, it was fragile. Not that he’d needed the reminder, but he’d take it to heart anyway.

He could still feel the sharp sting of separation, but now it served as a foil to his joy, a reminder of what they’d endured to reach this peace. A sigh escaped him, holding both relief and an unyielding determination. He would not let this happiness slip through his fingers. The moon had favored him once, and he begged for its favor again as he staked his hope on Duff, a gamble that whispered of potential ruin and redemption.

Had he done the right thing, bringing Duff Bás to his home? He’d followed his gut on that one. Only time would tell if he’d made a mistake, but he’d had no choice. Knowing something was wrong at home, it had been the only way to get out of Sweden, to persuade Duff to release him. Now, all he could do was trust himself and the pack that it would work out.

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown , Shakespeare had famously written, referring to King Henry IV, and he wasn’t wrong. Rarely had Rhene felt the burden of leadership more than he did now. If he’d misjudged Duff, if he’d miscalculated, the entire pack could be at risk.

Erwan shifted slightly, murmuring in his sleep, and Rhene’s eyes lingered on the strong lines of his face. He was so damn beautiful, so gorgeous. Every time he looked at his mate, his heart filled to the brim with love all over again. How blessed he was to have Erwan by his side.

Erwan’s eyes fluttered open, soft and warm, pulling Rhene back from the future’s uncertain paths to the only certainty he needed.

“You’re awake,” Erwan murmured, his voice a low, drowsy rumble.

“I love watching you sleep.”

Erwan smiled, reaching to touch Rhene’s face. “It’s such a nice sight to wake up to.”

Their lips met, a tender exchange that spoke of all the words they couldn’t fit between their hearts. Each touch was an affirmation, a declaration that they were here, they were alive, and the world had not succeeded in pulling them apart. Rhene kissed him deeper, whispering an “I love you” into the softness of Erwan’s mouth.

He rolled on top of him, and Erwan made room for him, spreading his legs to let Rhene in as they kissed and kissed and kissed. Their tongues danced, chased, and slid against each other in a sensual duel that knew no losers. Their bare chests rubbed against each other, nipples hardening and heat pooling in his belly. Their cocks leaked, meeting each other as Rhene deliberately pressed down.

It was perfection. It was everything he’d dreamed of all those weeks he’d been gone, everything he’d fought to return to, everything he wanted for the rest of his life.

“Rhene…” Erwan whispered.

“I know, darling. I feel it too.”

Without even looking, he reached for the lube he’d left on the nightstand the night before. They’d made love every day, more than once a day, as if their bodies needed to make up for the lost time.

“I’m still slick,” Erwan said.

Maybe, but Rhene would make sure. The last thing he wanted was to hurt his mate. But when he sank two fingers inside Erwan’s ass—his mate helpfully spreading his legs wide for Rhene and canting his hips in an eager invitation—he found Erwan was right. Still, he slicked a third finger to make sure Erwan was prepared, marveling at the tight heat that gripped him. Erwan’s body welcomed his touch, sucking his fingers deeper as if hungry for more.

“Please, Rhene,” Erwan begged breathlessly between kisses. “Need you inside me.”

Rhene groaned at the plea, his cock throbbing with desire. Fuck, he loved it when Erwan got so needy for him. “Shh, I’ve got you, my love.”

He withdrew his fingers and positioned himself, the blunt head of his cock pressing against Erwan’s slick entrance. With excruciating slowness, he pushed forward, sinking into that perfect hole inch by delicious inch.

Erwan’s back arched as Rhene filled him, a gasp of pleasure escaping his lips. “Yes, oh gods, yes…”

Fully seated, Rhene paused, reveling in the sensation of being one with his mate again. This never got old, this overwhelming feeling of rightness, of completion. He could fuck him every day and still never get used to this.

Erwan’s channel fluttered around him, urging him to move. And move he did, establishing a languid pace, pulling out almost all the way before gliding back in to the hilt.

Rhene began to move, establishing a deep, sensual rhythm. Each thrust was a declaration, a promise, an oath of devotion. He poured every ounce of his love into each roll of his hips, determined to worship Erwan with his body the same way he cherished him with his heart.

Erwan met him thrust for thrust, his strong legs wrapping around Rhene’s waist to pull him in deeper.

Their eyes locked, communicating everything words couldn’t express—the desperate longing, the profound gratitude, the unbreakable bond between them. Rhene’s hands roamed over Erwan’s muscular frame, caressing every dip and curve, memorizing anew the body he knew better than his own. He lavished attention on Erwan’s sensitive nipples, rolling the hardened nubs between his fingers and relishing the shudder that rippled through his mate.

“Rhene, please…” Erwan’s plea was breathy, wanton.

“I’ve got you, darling. I’ll always take care of you.” Rhene sealed the promise with a searing kiss.

Rhene lost himself in the intoxicating sensations—the slick glide of their sweat-slicked skin, the searing heat of Erwan’s body, the symphony of gasps and moans filling the room.

He shifted the angle of his thrusts, knowing exactly how to hit that sweet spot inside Erwan that would drive him wild. The effect was instantaneous. Erwan cried out, his nails digging into Rhene’s back as pleasure surged through him. “Right there, gods, don’t stop!”

Rhene had no intention of stopping. He pistoned his hips, driving into Erwan’s ass, targeting his prostate with unerring accuracy.

Erwan cried out, his fingers digging into Rhene’s back as he arched into the pleasure. “That’s it, love,” Rhene panted. “Let me hear you.”

And Erwan did, his cries growing louder, more desperate, as Rhene drove into him again and again. The pressure built inside Rhene, coiling tighter with each plunge into Erwan’s welcoming body, but he wanted Erwan to come first. He wanted to feel his mate’s body shuddering beneath him in ecstasy, wanted to see the bliss on his face as he surrendered to the pleasure Rhene gave him.

He reached between their straining bodies, wrapping his hand around Erwan’s weeping cock. Erwan gasped at the contact, hips bucking into Rhene’s fist. Rhene stroked him in time with his thrusts, the double stimulation quickly pushing Erwan to the brink.

Erwan’s hands scrabbled for purchase on Rhene’s sweat-slicked back, his blunt nails digging into the flexing muscles. Rhene could feel his own release barreling down on him like an unstoppable freight train.

“I’m close,” Erwan panted, his voice strained with impending release. “So close…”

“Come for me, darling,” Rhene growled, determined to bring Erwan over the edge first. “I want to feel you come undone.”

A few more strokes, a few more thrusts directly against that bundle of nerves deep inside, and Erwan unraveled. His body went rigid, then convulsed as his orgasm crashed over him. He cried out Rhene’s name like a prayer as ropes of almost translucent cum painted his chest and stomach. His inner muscles clamped down on Rhene’s shaft, squeezing him in rhythmic pulses.

The sight of his mate coming undone, combined with the rhythmic spasming around his cock, catapulted Rhene into his own climax. With a guttural moan, he buried himself to the hilt one last time, his hips stuttering as he emptied himself deep inside Erwan. Sparks danced behind his eyelids as pleasure consumed him, whiting out the world until all that existed was the blissful union of their bodies.

They clung to each other as the aftershocks gradually subsided, trading soft kisses and whispered words of love.

Rhene carefully withdrew and gathered Erwan into his arms, holding him close as their racing hearts slowed. “I love you so much,” Erwan murmured, nuzzling into the crook of Rhene’s neck. “I don’t ever want to be apart from you again.”

“I don’t either.” Rhene pressed a lingering kiss to Erwan’s forehead. “We belong together, always.” He traced lazy patterns on Erwan’s back, savoring the feel of his mate in his arms. “You and Ainle are my entire world. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep our family safe.”

Another slow, deep kiss. When Rhene let go, Erwan clung to him for a few seconds longer before he released him.

With a contented sigh, Rhene shifted to prop himself on one elbow. “We should probably get up. The day awaits.”

Erwan traced a finger along the line of Rhene’s jaw. “I suppose so…”

Something stirred inside Rhene. The deep connection with his mate told him something was off. Erwan wasn’t done yet. He needed him.

On impulse, Rhene slid back inside him, even though his cock was only half-hard.

Erwan blinked. “Rhene?”

“You need me,” Rhene said softly. “You’re not ready to let go yet.”

Erwan turned down his eyes. “I’m s?—”

“The next word out of your mouth had better not be ‘sorry.’” Rhene tilted his mate’s chin up. “You never, ever have to apologize for needing me. Ever.”

Erwan swallowed. “It feels…needy.”

“I like you needy.” Rhene’s cock grew hard again. “In fact, I like it very, very much. Pushes all those alpha buttons inside me and makes me feel all protective of you, like I’m the only one who can take care of you.”

“You are the only one who can take care of me,” Erwan whispered.

Rhene’s heart swelled with love and protectiveness. He kissed Erwan deeply, pouring all his devotion into the gesture. “And I always will, my darling. In every way imaginable.”

He began to move again, slowly, gently, his strokes more about connection than passion. Erwan sighed into the kiss, melting into Rhene’s embrace as they rocked together. It wasn’t about chasing another orgasm but about affirming their bond, about Rhene giving Erwan what he needed.

Erwan’s body welcomed him, drawing him in deeper as if trying to merge their very souls. Rhene peppered soft kisses over Erwan’s face, neck, and shoulders, worshipping every inch of his mate’s skin. He whispered words of adoration against Erwan’s flesh, a litany of love and devotion. “You’re everything to me. My beautiful mate. My heart. My whole world.”

Erwan clung to him, his fingers tangled in Rhene’s hair, holding him close as if he never wanted to let go. They stayed like that for a long time, trading soft kisses and gentle caresses as Rhene moved inside Erwan with tender reverence.

Eventually, Rhene felt Erwan fully relax beneath him, the last vestiges of tension draining away. He pressed one last kiss to Erwan’s lips before carefully withdrawing, gathering his mate close. “Thank you,” Erwan whispered, tucking his head under Rhene’s chin.

And Rhene thanked the moon and the earth again, for he was truly blessed.