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“No,” I growled, pushing against Luken’s chest. “We can’t.”

“I can’t keep risking you.” Luken’s voice rumbled in his chest.

I tried to push against him again, but I felt so weak. His touch was so soothing. His arms were strong, his concern palpable through the bond. It’d been a long time since anyone cared about what happened to me. My head fell to his shoulder as I stopped struggling. The night was too cold, and I was in too much pain to keep fighting him.

“Don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t take away my chance to save them. Please, Luken. Please.”

He said something, but I was too far gone to hear him. Darkness closed in around me, and my consciousness slipped away.

***

I woke to weak light filtering through heavy curtains. At first, I thought we were back at the sketchy room rental at the creepy general store. But as I breathed in, the distinctive scent of shifters and smoke curled around my nostrils. I lifted my head; I lay in a narrow bed, thick blankets over me. Luken’s arms were tight around me, firm and solid.

My chest didn’t hurt anymore. He must have healed me. I hoped he used magic, rather than feeding me more blood. We were in what seemed to be a one-room hut. The walls were single planks with no sign of insulation, which made sense, as shifters tended to be more nomadic. These were probably only their summer dwellings, so they didn’t need to be insulated.

He’d brought me back to the shifter village, rather than heading back to the palace. I closed my eyes, letting my relief and gratitude sit in my chest for a moment. Then, I carefully started to twist myself free of his grasp.

“No, you don’t,” Luken grunted behind me. His arms tightened, pulling me flat against him. My back against his chest, my hips square into his. I gasped. He was hard, his erection pressing into my ass.

“How long have you been awake?” I asked, wrapping my hands around his forearms.

“I haven’t slept.”

What dirty thoughts must he be having for him to be hard like this? I felt myself grow damp as I tried to think of them myself. The images. It was all so heightened by the feeling of him against me. Maybe it was relief that we were still here, instead of him dragging me back to the palace. Perhaps it was because, at that moment, I just wanted to feel connected, wanted to have his strength. Maybe it was sheer lust.

I reached behind myself, finding him. I massaged him through his pants, feeling the length of him. He shuddered, his hold tightening on me. His breath was hot against my neck, and he pressed his forehead into the nape of my neck.

“Elara,” he moaned.

He trembled. Actually trembled. My mouth went dry, as though all the moisture in my body had pooled between my legs. I inhaled shakily. Just how far was I willing to go? I found Luken’s waistband and slid it down, tugging his underwear with him. He released me only long enough to help me undress him to the knee.

His breathing was more ragged as his cock pressed along my back, hot through my clothes. When Luken hooked his fingers into the waist of my pants, though, I caught his wrist.

“No,” I said firmly.

He stilled. When he started to pull away from me, though, I tugged his arm closer. I guided his hand, cupping it in the juncture of my thighs, over my clothes.

“Don’t move,” I told him, excitement coursing through me. “If you move, then I’m going to stop. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, but his obvious desire marred his sarcasm.

I took a deep breath, surprised at the sense of power that filled me as I wrapped my hand around his naked cock. His lips pressed against the nape of my neck, and I bit my lips together, enjoying the electric thrill that went through me. It wasn’t really keeping with the ‘stay still’ command but I liked it too much to stop. I slowly stroked my hand up his shaft, feeling the texture of his skin against my palm. The friction made it difficult to move smoothly, so I released him and licked my hand, the way I’d read about in books.

Luken grunted when I grasped him again. He kissed me, the fingers cupping me, playing against the soft flesh there. His other hand moved to my breast.

I pulled my hand away. “No moving, remember?”

Luken grunted in frustration. “I want you to feel good, too.”

“Then do what I tell you,” I said boldly. “You did this for me at the hot springs, remember? Your fingers found my clit and circled it, stroking and touching in ways I’d never been touched before. Right now, this is what I want. I want to touch you, to feel you respond to me.”

As I spoke, his breathing became heavier. He shifted slightly, pressing tighter against me. “Fuck, Elara. Do you have any idea what you do to me when you talk like that?”

“Apparently not enough,” I answered sarcastically as he kneaded his fingers into my breast. “Because you’re not listening.”

“How am I not listening?” Luken complained.

I released him and reached for the hand on my breast, moving it down to my waist. “I told you not to move. If you want me to touch you, you have to do exactly what I tell you.”

He growled, a low sound that reverberated through me and seemed to take up residence between my legs. What would it be like for him to growl with his face buried deep inside of me?

“I’m not used to taking orders,” he breathed in my ear. “I’m the one who gives them. Maybe you’ll be the one who does what I say. Hmmm? Do you like the sound of that?”

By the Gods, I did. My skin felt too tight for my body, and I wanted to rip off all my clothes. I wanted him to do everything his three-hundred-and-fifty years of experience had taught him. I wanted to experience ways to have sex that I never even dreamed of. I wanted him everywhere he could go. The need burned through me so hotly that I nearly came right then, begging him to ravish me thoroughly.

I fought down my own arousal, pinching the webbing between my thumb and forefinger to remind my body I wasn’t allowed to be turned on like this. The pain only made me want him more, wishing that his fangs would nip at my skin. I thought about other things, other methods of pain and pleasure, and wondered if he’d show me that, too.

“I think you do,” Luken purred into my neck. He flicked open the top button on my jeans. “I can do such things to you, Elara. Things that will make you forget everything but how good I make you feel.”

“What happened to begging you for it?” I breathed, unable to keep the huskiness from my voice.

“Your body is begging already,” he answered, as smooth as you please.

I snorted, even though he was right. “Just admit that you’re too weak for me. You can’t stand that I’m making you wait. You can’t give up control, even though I already told you exactly what I want.”

Luken laughed and rolled slightly back, putting more distance between us. “You drive a hard bargain, wife.”

Wife. The word did something to me; I wasn’t sure what that was. All my life—except the last four years—I’d wanted someone to call me wife. I wanted to marry, to have that stability and love I saw between my parents. And when I first saw Luken, I wanted that from him.

If I kept letting myself think, I was going to start thinking of the reasons I shouldn’t do this. I didn’t want to doubt myself. I wanted to touch him, to be close to him.

“No more talking,” I ordered. “Stay still or sleep on the floor.”

He stilled once more, laughing again. His laughter did things to my insides that I greatly enjoyed. “Alright. I won’t move.”

Licking my hand again, I took him once more. He twitched beneath my touch. As I explored him, I found which movements elicited more of a response. I closed my eyes to hear him better, etching the pleasured sounds he made into my memory. His cock grew harder, if that was possible, and seemed to grow bigger beneath my touch. Or maybe I was just more sensitive to it. I traced my fingers around his head, followed a vein down his length, and closed my hand around him again.

He moaned, his head shifting forward slightly. He started to lift his leg over mine, but caught himself and went still again. He really was doing it, obeying my word. The thrill of it pooled heat in my core. He was the most powerful man in the world, yet here he was, following my command.

I felt the tension in his body everywhere it pressed into mine. It was a heady rush, knowing I’d commanded him to be still, and he fought to obey me. His breathing was rapid, his grunts and groans shooting straight through me. The hand cupping me tightened and loosened, but in such a way that I was sure it was involuntary.

No wonder he’d been so pleased when he’d touched me at the hot springs. Giving another person pleasure was just as powerful as getting that pleasure.

“Elara,” he grunted as my motions became swifter. “Elara, I’m not going to last long. I’m going to—”

He groaned, throaty and deep. I turned, rolling in his arms. With one hand, I gripped the top of him and pumped him with the other. His eyes widened, his pupils wide, as his face went slack. His back bent, a soft cry escaped him. Hot liquid filled my hand. I kept touching him, stroking him, until he collapsed back into the bed, his eyes at half-mast and a look of satisfaction on his face.

I looked at the sticky mess in my hand. I remembered I wasn’t supposed to be doing this. He might have been inside of me, but I’d given in to my lust. Or was it his lust? The bond was open between us. I could feel his pleasure at what I had done. His… hope .

I shut down the bond, and his eyes snapped open.

“I should clean up,” I muttered, not looking at him.

Luken grunted, pushing himself to his elbow. “There’s a bathroom through that door.”

I slipped out of bed and hurried to the bathroom. After I cleaned up my hand, I grabbed a washcloth and brought it out for him. Silently, I handed the cloth to him and sat on the edge of the bed. Desire still ran strong through my body. I’d brought him to orgasm with just my hands. And I loved that I had that effect on him, that despite my inexperience, I could do that.

“Do you regret it already?” The sound of Luken cleaning himself came to a stop.

When I glanced at him, he’d pulled his pants back into place. He folded the cloth, not looking at me, and rolled out of bed.

“Regret isn’t the right word,” I said slowly. “I… don’t know what I’m feeling. It’s just… complicated.”

Luken went to the bathroom. I watched him from the sliver, and I could see him. He rested his hands against the sink and lowered his head, his massive shoulders slumping. I wished I could go over there, wrap my arms around him, and tell him it would all be okay. But that would be a lie.

“Take the bed,” Luken finally said. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“What about your beauty rest?” I asked weakly.

He didn’t answer. I waited, but the silence became too much. I lay back down, missing the warmth of his body against mine, and struggled to fall back to sleep.

***

In the morning, Bain came to the hut. He brought with him a hearty oatmeal that his sister had made, in thanks for rescuing her and their mother. Apparently, the orcs had come looking directly for them. They were dragon shifters, and dragons were in high demand in the fighting rings.

“I can’t thank you enough for helping us,” Bain said meekly. Dark circles smudged under his eyes, and his brows knit together. “I still can’t understand why a vampire would… not that you have to tell me,” he said quickly, lifting his hands. His frown deepened. “I just… You both look really familiar.”

I was at the small table, eating quickly. We had lost time and needed to get to the high-speed rail quickly. By this point, Draven would have gotten Thessa halfway to the temples at least. More, if they had vehicles to switch out, rather than having to stop to fill up with gas.

Luken, eating at a more leisurely pace, quirked one dark eyebrow. “You must not pay attention to the news, then, if you can’t recognize the King and Queen of Taimarah.”

Bain laughed, then stopped. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He backed up a step as his face paled.

“Don’t tell anyone,” I said quickly, jumping to my feet. “We’re… on a secret mission, of sorts.”

“A secret mission? In shifter territory?” Bain yelped.

Luken sighed. “We will be on our way shortly. We only need a ride to the city, to get onto the train.”

Bain hesitated. “Look, I’m sure that this glamor magic thing you talked about last night works most times, but it won’t fool the other shifters. The moment they smell you, they’ll know you’re a vampire. Glamours don’t hide that scent.”

“In my experience, that isn’t often the case,” Luken answered coolly.

“I owe you,” Bain continued, turning to me now instead. “If you’re discovered by other shifters, they might attack first and ask questions later. Especially if they know you’re the king and queen. I don’t want a war to start between Taimarah. So, how about I give you a ride out to the border? I won’t go into the elves' kingdom, but I can take you that far, at least.”

“We’re in a hurry. The train will take us to where we need—” I started.

Bain smirked. “I’m faster than the train. And there’s a station right near the border, too. So you’ll be able to board there.”

Luken considered him.

“My family aren’t the only dragons in the area,” he continued. “And vampires are not well-liked.”

Luken’s amber gaze darted to me. His expression hardened as he nodded. “We will gladly accept, then. Thank you, Bain.”

Bain nodded. “I’ll be outside when you’re ready to go.”

“No need to wait. Elara?” Luken turned to me fully. I couldn’t read his expression.

I shoveled the last of the oatmeal into my mouth. “I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

Luken nodded. “Wait outside for us, then. I’ll have to put the glamor back on.”

Bain inclined his head and stepped outside. Luken cast the glamor while I made sure my things were packed. We didn’t speak. I expected to find a dragon waiting for us when we stepped outside. To my surprise, when Bain shifted, it wasn’t into a dragon, exactly.

He was a huge wolf, twice as large as a horse. His body was covered in scales except for his head, ruff, and down his back, which had a strip of dark fur. Massive wings spread on either side of him. He nodded his head as he crouched.

“Ahh,” Luken murmured. “That’s how he smelled through the glamor. Half-dragon. Half-wolf.”

He grinned at me as he tugged me toward the shifter. I shouldered my pack, nerves churning in my stomach. I’d been expecting saddles, or at least spikes to hold onto. Now that I was climbing onto his furry, slippery back, though, only one thought crossed my mind—it would be very easy for Bain to throw us off and send us plummeting to our deaths.