Page 54 of Drawn by Dragonblood (Blood Born #1)

Dakota

I still felt like a limp noodle, but Jon insisted he couldn’t wait another minute to see Elijah in his true form.

His childlike excitement tickled me, filling my heart with joy similar to the kind etched on his face and what I could sense rolling off him in waves through the intensified bond between our emotions.

Weak-kneed and barefoot, I followed both him and Elijah outside onto the veranda, the cool air licking at my still-heated skin.

Elijah had cleaned Jon’s cum from between my thighs with his tongue, the salty musk of both my husband and I thick in my nose.

He’d worked my clit to a second climax before greedily lapping up yet another orgasm from my slit.

Only then had he agreed to Jon’s insistence that our alpha show us his other half.

Naked, Elijah clutched my hand, strolling steadily after Jon who’d tugged back on his jeans and T-shirt. The late afternoon air didn’t seem to bother either men as they stopped near the edge Dolyn had tossed himself off of what felt days earlier but had only been hours.

Elijah lifted my hand to ghost his lips over my knuckles, his contentment flooding through me and brightening my smile that hadn’t dissipated since our full bonding.

My facial muscles ached, but I didn’t complain.

He tucked blonde strands of my hair flying in the breeze behind my ear.

His eyes darkened as though he saw the explicit images from my dreams flashing in my head.

“Next time, mon coeur ,” he murmured and winked, sending an eruption of butterflies through my belly. Turning, he glanced over Jon’s body, appreciation in his gaze. “I believe I’m going to fashion a saddle of sorts so I can strap you both to my back—tied down tight.”

“Fuuuuck,” Jon groaned and shuddered even though Elijah hadn’t suggested anything sexual in nature.

Arousal, thick and sweet, seeped between my thighs. I heaved a sigh, thrilled by the promise of all my fantasies that my men, my mates , would one day make come true.

“You’re wet as fuck,” Jon stated, his blue eyes bright in the sunlight falling on his face.

“At the thought of riding you while riding our alpha?” I almost giggled with glee. “Damned right I am.”

A low growl slipped from Elijah’s lips, silencing both of us.

The black of his pupils swirled. “Stand back, my loves,” he murmured.

Jon and I clasped hands, stepping away as we’d done when Elijah had climbed into his helicopter. But this time, there was no whine and roar of an engine, no slow whirling of blades whipping up wind.

Elijah stood on the veranda, eyes on us, the cliff at his back.

Silence settled except for the rustling of fallen leaves scattered over the stones separating us.

“Be careful,” I whispered as sudden fear flooded through me.

Jon clutched my hand tighter, concern matching mine radiating in our bond.

Warm assurance flooded through us from Elijah, even though we weren’t physically touching. It was going to take a while to get used to all the emotions that weren’t my own filling my chest. Regardless of their newness, a lack of discomfort in their appearance gave me hope for the days ahead.

“Don’t blink,” Elijah whispered.

He tipped backward, and a gasp ripped from my lungs as he disappeared from view over the cliff’s edge.

“Jesus—” Jon’s curse hissed away in the wind as a black scaled head appeared then shot higher as a flap of wings lifted Elijah’s true form directly into our sight.

He hovered as our breath caught. Inky black scales rippled with shimmering color as though a rainbow imprinted over his bulk.

Spikes lined his back, clear to the tip of his tail.

Even the edges of his long, nearly translucent wings ended in sharp tips.

Another flap kept him from gravity’s pull and blasted us with air nearly as strong as his helicopter’s blades.

He was terror and beauty incarnate. A perfect blend of danger, deliciousness, and all ours.

Mate .

The whisper purred through my mind but wasn’t the voice I’d heard when confronting Dolyn.

“It’s really you,” Jon choked in disbelief, but I couldn’t tear my gaze off Elijah’s pale eyes and the elongated pupils, the filmlike eyelids that blinked shut from the sides rather than vertically.

Yessss .

It was our alpha beast speaking, I had zero doubt.

A smile seemed to stretch the dragon’s gaping jaw, and he shot upward with a harsh flap that rushed even harsher wind into our faces and blew my hair back.

A shriek then laughter burst from both Jon and I as we stepped away from the force, our heads shifting toward the sky to keep Elijah in sight as long as we could.

He disappeared in a bend of light as he’d told us he must do, lest anyone hiking the mountains catch sight of him. It had been days and days since he’d stretched in his true form, and both Jon and I had insisted he take a few minutes of complete freedom when we’d felt his inner pull to do so.

A shiver slid down my spine as the day’s coolness made itself known fully on my skin.

“Pinch me, baby.”

I did so on Jon’s forearm, harshly enough he hissed. “Guess we aren’t dreaming, huh?”

“Nope.” He shook his head, scanning the sky. “Definitely not. This is weird as fuck.”

“But are you happy?”

“Fuck yes.” He didn’t hesitate to answer even though the bond wouldn’t allow for lies.

“Is it scary to you that we won’t have any thoughts that are fully our own? Emotions we might wish to hide?” I asked, wrapping my free arm around my core to stay warm.

Jon’s head whipped toward me. “What do you have to hide?”

“Absolutely nothing,” I quickly assured him even though he would heart the truth in my heart. “I initially thought it might suck when PMS strikes—you both will feel my bitchy side?—”

“Ah, fuck.” Jon rubbed his hand over his face.

“—but then I realized that you’ll both be aware of my grumpiness long before I lose the ability to hold it back.”

“So that underlying…whatever it is I feel coming off you,” Jon stated slowly, finally turning my way to study my face. “Is that…”

“Yeah.” I grimaced. “My breasts are sore, and I’m a little bloated too. But look on the bright side.” Jon’s brow rose at my smirk. “You’ll have something more than my hand or mouth to take care of your animalistic needs for those five to seven days.”

Heat flashed in Jon’s eyes along with a rush of warmth between my thighs that wasn’t purely my own.

“Oh.” I blinked. “This bond thing is seriously kinky?—”

Awareness of Elijah’s return to close proximity pulled both of our gazes off each other. We searched the sky, and my nostrils flared as the scent of him filled my lungs.

But where was?—

Black scales flickered back to life, taloned feet settling directly in front of us. His entire body shimmered into existence atop the veranda. Elijah in his true form barely fit on the stone outcropping, crowding us against our home’s front door.

I bit the inside of my lip to keep hysterical laughter from bubbling out of me.

A massive dragon stood feet in front of me, warmth along with the scent of brimstone and that cinnamon-like spice scent filling the air.

Jon reached out first, his fingertips trailing over what appeared to be impenetrable scales, same as the armor Elijah had crafted for his robots.

A low rumble huffed over my face as Elijah turned his long neck toward us.

I placed my palm against Elijah’s face, completely at ease with the wide mouth and sharp teeth displayed, regardless of how they appeared more than capable of ripping a human head completely off with one chomp.

“You’re deliciously warm.” Humming, I ran my hand along his jaw and down over smooth scales.

Pale eyes blinked at us, and I stepped in closer, releasing my hold on Jon’s hand to wrap my arms around Elijah’s neck. Eyes closed, I breathed him deep into my lungs, no longer chilled by the late summer breeze.

Mine .

I chuckled over the possessive, deep voice tumbling through my mind and the whimper those words brought to Jon’s lips.

Breed .

A shot of need rushed through me. Mine, my husband’s, or our alpha’s, I couldn’t tell. Probably all three, considering how insatiable we were for each other.

Breed…

Longing far beyond being filled by my lovers and finding release beneath their touch flooded through me as the meaning of the word clarified in my mind.

I wanted a family. A child— children —of my own to nurture and love unconditionally.

It takes three dragonblood to create life.

I blinked at the full sentence whispered in my mind, something Elijah had warned us his beast rarely used to communicate.

“Well, fuck.” Sweet relief rolled through our bond from Jon, and tears smarted my eyes at the truth he’d kept from me for years.

He’d blamed himself for our inability to have a baby when all along it’d been fate that had been biding her time.

I reached for my husband, and he took my hand, moving close to wrap his arms around Elijah’s neck alongside mine. “Love you, Jon.”

“Love you more.”

A blasted hot exhale snorted from Elijah’s nostrils.

Love you both forever.