Page 31 of Fire’s Resonance (Hearts on Fire #1)

ELEVEN

RAAK

My last thread of control snaps the instant Spark’s tongue touches my thumb.

The provocative challenge in her amber eyes ignites something primal in my blood—not just lust, but recognition. Completion. My cock hardens painfully against my zipper.

The bond surges forward with unstoppable force.

My dragon half roars to life, no longer content to be restrained.

Mine. Finally. Take her. Claim the female.

Scales erupt across my skin, silver-gray with hints of crimson at the edges, covering my shoulders, chest, and arms in a wave of transformation. My fangs descend fully, pressing against my lower lip as I growl—a sound more dragon than human.

My pupils contract to vertical slits, vision sharpening until I can see the individual flecks of gold in her amber eyes, the subtle changes in her skin as blood rushes to the surface. Her scent intensifies—cinnamon, molten glass, and female arousal flooding my heightened senses.

“Mine,” I rumble, the word vibrating from my chest as I lift her against me with effortless strength.

Her smaller body fits perfectly against my larger frame, soft curves molding to hard muscle. The sweet scent of her arousal hits my nostrils, making my dragon half claw at my restraint.

“Finally mine.”

Her copper hair spills over my arm, catching the light from crystal formations overhead.

The Guardian Bond pulses between us, no longer just emotional connection but physical manifestation—copper-red and silver-gray flames dancing where our skin meets, mingling, merging, becoming something new and powerful.

My mouth claims hers in a kiss that’s pure possession.

Years of restraint and loneliness combust in a single moment of connection. Her lips are soft. Pliant. Yielding. Then suddenly not yielding at all as she pushes back against me, her tongue meeting mine in a battle for dominance that makes my dragon rumble with approval.

Strong female. Worthy mate. Perfect match for us.

The kiss deepens, her taste flooding my senses. Heat—impossible heat—pulses between us with each heartbeat. My hands slide down her back, memorizing every curve, every dip, every inch of her that now belongs to me.

To us.

“Raak,” she gasps against my mouth, the sound of my name on her lips sending another spike of need straight to my groin.

Her fingers trace the scales along my shoulders, exploring the texture with a reverence that coaxes a rumble of satisfaction from deep in my chest. The sensation of her fingertips against my scales sends jolts of pleasure down my spine, far more intense than any touch I’ve ever experienced.

Fuck. Too good. Too much.

My temperature rises another fifteen degrees, skin radiating heat that would burn a normal human. But she doesn’t flinch—she presses closer, her own temperature rising to match mine. My dragon half notes this with savage satisfaction.

Made for us. Can withstand our heat. Perfect female.

As our passion ignites, the ancient sanctuary responds.

The massive sentinel statues that line the forgotten tunnels begin to move—stone heads turning toward us, crystal eyes flaring to life with internal fire. The rumble of ancient machinery vibrates through the chamber floor as defensive systems activate for the first time in centuries.

The entire space comes alive around us, responding to the completed Guardian Bond.

“What’s happening?” Spark gasps against my mouth, her eyes wide as she watches the stone sentinels shift position.

“Guardian recognition,” I answer, voice rough with desire and wonder combined. “The sanctuary acknowledges us.”

The runes carved into the walls begin to glow—not just with reflected light but with internal power, patterns shifting and changing as new configurations form. Ancient scripts I’ve never been able to translate suddenly make perfect sense, knowledge flowing into my mind.

Protective spells.

Power enhancement.

Mating rituals older than recorded dragon history.

Spark’s fingers dig into my shoulders, her nails scraping against scales in a sensation that sends bolts of pleasure straight to my cock.

Her arousal scent spikes sharply, making my nostrils flare.

The scent is changing subtly, becoming more complex, notes of my own scent beginning to mingle with hers.

She’s beginning to smell like me.

“Bed,” she demands, the bold directive making my dragon half rumble with approval.

I carry her to the sleeping area we’ve established, never breaking contact. Physical separation feels increasingly uncomfortable, like a tether pulling painfully tight. My body burns with need, with the primal urge to claim, to mark, to possess.

The self-control that has defined my existence shatters beneath the weight of the bond’s demands.

This is more than lust—it’s completion, destiny, two halves becoming whole.

Mark her. Claim her. Now.

My dragon half paces restlessly beneath my skin, pushing for dominance, for immediate claiming. The civilized part of me fights for one last moment of restraint.

“She’s not full dragon,” I remind myself, the words barely audible. “Be careful with her.”

My dragon scoffs. She’s stronger than you think. Made for us. Already changing.

When I lower her to the bed, flame erupts around us both—a circle of silver-crimson fire that doesn’t burn the furs or blankets, but rises in a protective dome over our joined bodies.

My hands shake with restraint as I remove her clothing, revealing copper-red scales now permanently visible along her ribs, her spine, her hips.

Beautiful.

Perfect.

Made for me.

“Fuck,” I growl, the sight of her nearly undoing me completely.

My temperature rises again, my skin practically smoking with need. The scales along my shoulders and chest shimmer with heat as I struggle to maintain any semblance of control.

Her amber eyes glow in the firelight, pupils dilated with desire.

No—not just dilated. They’ve changed shape, becoming more oval than round.

Dragon eyes. Her copper hair spills across the furs, a stark contrast to the dark material.

The scent of her arousal thickens the air, making my mouth water, making my cock throb painfully.

“You’re sure?” I manage to ask, the words costing me greatly when every instinct screams to take, claim, possess.

Her answer is to pull me down, her mouth finding mine with heated certainty. “I’ve never been more sure of anything,” she whispers against my lips. “Make me yours, Raak. Complete the bond.”

The sound of my name on her lips breaks the last restraint.

My clothes join hers on the floor, leaving nothing between us but heat and need and destiny. Her eyes widen at the sight of me fully naked, of my arousal heavy and hard against my stomach, larger than a human male’s would be.

But I detect no fear from her—only anticipation, need, and a hunger that matches my own.

“Mine,” I growl again as I cover her smaller body with my larger one, the sensation of her soft skin against my scales almost unbearably perfect. “My flame. My guardian. My female.”

The moment our naked bodies touch, a jolt of pure electric pleasure courses through me. Spark’s back arches, pressing her breasts against my chest, the friction of soft skin against hardened scales drawing a hiss of pleasure from us both.

Her hands explore my chest, tracing the patterns of scales with fascination rather than fear. The acceptance in her touch undoes me further—every part of me revealed, exposed, vulnerable in this moment of joining.

And still she wants me. All of me.

I’ve spent my entire fucking life hiding my differences, concealing the “defect” of my gray flame, keeping others at a distance to avoid their judgment, their mockery. Now this female—this impossible, miraculous female—looks at every hidden part of me with wonder rather than disgust.

The realization nearly breaks me.

My mouth finds hers again, the kiss deeper, hungrier.

My tongue claims her mouth as my hands claim her body, exploring every inch of exposed skin, every patch of newly emerged scales.

When my fingers find the slick heat between her thighs, she gasps against my mouth, her back arching in silent demand.

“So wet for me,” I growl against her throat, the scent of her arousal driving my dragon half into a frenzy of need. “So ready for my claiming.”

Her hands clutch at my shoulders, nails digging into scales in a sharp, sweet pain that only heightens my arousal. “Please,” she gasps, the sound desperate and demanding at once. “Raak, please...”

The begging breaks the last thread of my restraint. I position myself between her thighs, the head of my cock pressing against her entrance. I feel her anticipation, her need matching my own, her body preparing for our joining despite the size difference between us.

“Look at me,” I command, needing to see her eyes as I claim her. “See me, female.”

Her amber eyes lock with mine, the glow of internal fire reflecting my own. In that moment of connection, something passes between us beyond physical desire—recognition, acceptance, belonging.

When I enter her, the Guardian Bond explodes into full manifestation.

Our joined flames surge upward, forming a dome of protective fire around the bed. Pleasure unlike anything I’ve ever known crashes through my system—not just physical satisfaction but soul-deep completion.

She gasps beneath me, her back arching, amber eyes glowing with internal fire as her own transformation accelerates in response to the claiming. The scales along her ribs and spine shimmer, spreading farther across her skin with each thrust.

“Raak,” she moans, the sound of my name on her lips the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. Her legs wrap around my waist, pulling me deeper, her body accepting me completely despite the size difference between us.

“Fuck, Spark,” I growl, the tight heat of her body gripping me like a fist of pleasure. “So perfect. So fucking perfect for me.”