Page 19

The Gift

Ozyn

D eke’s bite wiped my brain of everything I wanted to say at this most special moment. Like him, I never thought I would have a fated mate. I truly felt like I would die alone in that dungeon. When I’d felt him for the first time, he became my lifeline. I survived it all for him.

The pleasure singing through his part of the bond pulled me back into the moment. Our bodies were pressed against each other, not a stitch of clothing between us. He felt amazing next to me, strong, warm, mine. Soon I would get to feel Deke inside me for the first time. My hole was slick just thinking about it.

Was I really ready for this step? If not, it was too late now. No, I wanted this like I needed the skies. Deke was my love, my soul, and being joined to him was an honor. Sharing my body with him wasn’t a duty as it had been when I was married, it was something I wanted to do just for how good he would make me feel.

Letting my teeth extend, I said the words needed for my half of the vow. “I, Ozyn Drakonvar, take you, Deke Sweetwater, as my bonded mate. Giving myself to you freely to love and protect, I vow to love and protect you in return. Once our bond is complete, I will give you children to carry on your legacy.”

Biting my mate, completing the bond with our magic, felt unlike anything I’d ever experienced. With my dragon magic, I’d already had a sense of him. With the pack link, I’d heard him, but it was like everything was distorted. Now I could feel his love for me, his awe at our bond. I could hear his unrestrained thoughts about how beautiful he found me, how lucky he was.

When our lips met once more, I could feel everything from his side as well as my own. It was almost overwhelming in its intensity.

My hands traced his wide shoulders and strong back. I opened my legs wider to bring him closer to where I needed him most. I ached with a need to be filled.

“Do you want my heat?” I whispered, clawing at his shoulders as he made his way down my body, licking and sucking as he went. As I’d suspected, I hadn’t been thrown into one. In this, I was given a choice, one I offered to him in return.

“Yes, it would be a gift to have your heat.”

I closed my eyes, looked deep within me to that integral part of what made me a dragon: my magic. There, I dropped my hold on the spells keeping my fertility locked down.

It’s okay, I soothed the altered magic. It had changed under the pressure of my imprisonment. We can trust him to take care of us.

The long forgotten prickle of heat washed down my body. More slick leaked from me. I would have been embarrassed at how wet I was, but Deke’s groan of approval when his fingers met my entrance caused shivers to run down my spine. My alpha loved how I reacted to his touch. He loved how well my body prepared itself to take him.

One finger circled my hole before slowly pushing inside. I felt so ready for him, yet Deke wasn’t in a rush to speed to the main event. He kissed down my body, then took my length into his mouth, tracing around the head with his tongue. He dipped into the slit before pulling back to tap my cockhead on his lips.

“Gonna make you come by sucking you and fucking you with my fingers. You’re going to soak the bed, you’ll be so wet for me. Only then will I give you my cock.”

I shuddered at his words. Desire for my mate, the heat in my veins had more slick soaking the sheets. I felt a surge of panic at how out of control my need to be filled felt like. After so many heats where my choices were taken or limited, I was lost, consumed with a need unlike anything I’d experienced before.

In response my magic flared, pushing much needed clarity into my mind.

My mate’s head rose since he had noticed the magic with his gift. “You okay?” He laid his hands on the mattress, watching me carefully.

“I… uh… the heat, it was too much.” My cheeks flushed with shame. I was ruining this special moment.

“Hey,” Deke stroked my legs in a soothing touch. “It’s fine. We can slow down.” I shook my head. He studied me. “Do you still want this?”

“Yes,” I answered honestly. “I just needed to feel clearer. Not be out of my mind with lust. That’s all my magic did.”

His eyes met mine. I let him feel everything inside me. My need to be filled by him, how present I was in the moment thanks to my magic, how I wanted to give him a chance at eggs.

“Okay, Ozzy. You use as much magic as you need to feel safe, okay?” I nodded. “We can stop at any time. Just tell me, alright?”

Deke was so precious to me. With him I was safer than I’d ever been in my long life. He was the perfect mate for such a damaged omega. I longed for him to fill me, give me his knot more than I wanted anything.

With a final look, he rose to kiss me. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

I sank into his kisses and touches, enjoying the feelings my mate’s caresses elicited. After some time, he worked his way down my body once more until he was grinning up at me, his lips brushing the tip of my cock.

Deke licked down my shaft, sucked each of my balls and teased my taint before moving back up once more to suck me deep. He opened his throat to me while he added another finger. He crooked them both, making me see stars as he hit my prostate.

This was going to be over embarrassingly soon. It had been so long since I had felt the true and honest gratification that came from being in a given heat. It made everything more pleasurable. Every nerve sang with joy even as my magic kept me coherent. I wanted to let him see me come, to show him how much I desired him.

His throat constricted against my length at the same time he pushed a third finger inside me.

I came. It was glorious. The dual sensation of Deke sucking and filling me took it to the next level. I feared I’d die on his knot from how good it felt.

My mate’s expression was smug as he eased his fingers free from my ass. He gave my cock another lick before working his way up my body.

“Love that sound you make when you come,” Deke muttered against my chest. He nipped at a nipple, making me yelp. He laughed and slumped back on the bed.

We had learned there were many positions which did not work for us. Once Deke had crawled up me to fuck my face while holding the headboard. I’d panicked so badly he had not touched me sexually for days after. When we talked about bonding, he suggested I was on top at least at first, so I was in control.

Once I recovered from my orgasm, a heat wave rising once more, I moved to straddle him.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to do this.” Deke held my hips with gentle hands. “I love how you’re using your magic,” he assured me. “This way I know it’s you, not heat hormones.”

I laughed. “It’s a bit of both. You are very sexy, Deke.” He grinned up at me. “I want this. No, I need it. Need you more than anything. I’m choosing this.”

Taking his cock in hand, I slowly sank down onto it until my ass met his thighs. Watching him, I set a slow and steady pace, rocking and rising a little over him.

“Take what you need,” Deke panted. He placed his hands on the bed, careful not to trigger me by holding too tightly.

Now and then he thrust up into me, making me moan as he hit me just right.

My wolf had a nice cock, the perfect size to fill me completely. He was made for me, after all.

Together we moved, both sweating and panting as the wave of heat broke over me. I became desperate for more of his touch as I let go of some of the magic.

I took his hands and settled them on my hips. “Guide me.” I was so out of practice.

Deke reached up to thumb a nipple as he planted his feet and thrust up into me. He held me in place while he pumped his hips, rolling and pinching at the raised bud. The contrast of pleasure and pain had me falling off that cliff, spurting over him untouched.

Another orgasm came when his knot expanded and I felt the first of his hot release inside me.

Breathing heavily, I slumped forward, my head tucked into his neck where his bite was. I licked it, enjoying his shudder..

“Can you try on top next time?”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

Deke looked me in the eyes while he made love to me. It was slow, gentle, perfect. Something about how his gaze was filled with his adoration healed a fractured part of me. If I’d ever believed Glorin actually loved me, he could have gotten what he wanted. His first betrayal was breaking my heart.

My mate, the one chosen for me by fate, The Luna or the Great Drakon himself, loved me, cherished every inch of me. Truly did. Right down to my bones. He knew my flaws and loved me in spite of them.

We rocked together, coming at the same time in a blissful tangle of limbs.

Over the course of a day, a short heat by shifter standards, we made love in every room of the house. We were never far apart from each other. When Deke needed to get us some food, he carried me on his back to the kitchen. He sat me on the counter and fed me like he’d heard Dakota did with Jasper. We weren’t knotted, though.

In the shower, under the spray, we came together once more, none of my magic keeping my heat from clouding my mind. I gave over complete control to my mate, trusting he would protect not only my body, but my heart. The water was long cold before Deke’s knot went down. I used my magic to keep us warm.

“Hmm,” Deke said, nuzzling my healed bite as we lay in bed. “I love being mated to you. Have I said that already? I love you, Ozyn. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“And I love you, Deke. You are the best gift. I’m honored to be your mate.”

My body was trembling so much, my words shook. I needed him to understand just how deeply I felt for him. Unable to voice it properly, I poured it into our bond. My mate had saved me, that was true. Not only my body by giving me the will to escape my prison, but my mind. My sanity was intact from knowing he existed. He had been worth waiting for. I loved him so dearly, I could not see an end to it.

Though my heat had broken, I still desired my mate. I would always want him. Coming together was a demonstration of our love. Unable to resist, I wriggled my ass against his hardening cock.

“Again? Aren’t you sore?”

“Not really.” I wasn’t. Deke had been more than attentive. He’d called for a salve to use on my entrance after we got particularly vigorous.

He teased around my hole, finding plenty of slick there. After an entire day of sex I didn’t need much in the way of preparation.

Deke slid inside me in a fluid movement. I stayed on my side, surrounded by him, yet not pinned down. We knew it didn’t work for me. He raised my leg to my chest to get a deeper angle, hitting my spot. I moaned loudly.

“That’s right. Let me hear you.”

It felt like it went on forever, but still not long enough. The morning light filtered over the bed, trapping us in a sunbeam as I climaxed and Deke followed after. His knot stretched me in a now familiar and soothing way. There were no ravages of heat making me desperate, just us expressing our love with our bodies.

“I don’t want to go to work today,” Deke complained later while running his fingers through my sex mussed curls.

“Then don’t. No one else knows my heat is done, do they?”

“No, they don’t.”

“Even if they did, they wouldn’t mind you taking the day, would they?”

“I guess not.” He was quiet for a while. “Why don’t we have a lazy breakfast then shift for a while? If we’d planned better we could have gone to see your sons.”

“Let’s go when we know if we’re pregnant.”

“Do you think that will be soon?”

“A few days, perhaps.”

“You know it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t happen this time. I’ll just enjoy having you to myself for a little longer. Babies can wait, not that I won’t be delighted—“

I kissed him to shut him up. “Deke, it’s fine. I understand what you mean. Truthfully, I am excited to be pregnant again. A second pregnancy is rare with dragons.”

“Why? Because you can’t get pregnant? Or don’t want to?”

“Well, because usually we’ve had our clutch and fulfilled our duty. I had my heir so there was no need to have another clutch with their father. We control our fertility, which allows us to have lovers when the mood strikes without the consequences of pregnancy.”

“But you want another clutch with me?”

“Yes. I want to see our love represented in our children.” A worry rose within me. “You understand they may all be dragons? It is very rare for a dragon not to birth a dragon.”

Deke smiled. “I really don’t care what they are because they will be ours. Your other sons are mine now too. We’ve not had the chance to properly bond, but one day I hope they’ll call me dad.”

Just thinking of them crowding around Deke brought a grin to my face. “I look forward to that.” I sobered and took his hand. “Are you going to be alright outliving your family? Now that you are mated to me, your lifespan will match mine. Dragons can live for thousands of years. I am a little over six hundred years old.” Deke gasped. “The boys are nearly three hundred.”

“Wow. That’s…”

“I understand it might be difficult for you. Perhaps we should have discussed this before.”

“No.” Deke was firm. “Wow, I knew we had an age gap.” He gave a nervous laugh. “I’m only thirty, and you’re much, much older, but look just as young as I do. Magic, I guess. I’m okay with it, honest.”

Deke’s birthday celebration had been subdued thanks to my arrival and convalescence. When things were easier, I wanted to do something special for him.

His laugh was slightly frantic this time, then he sobered. “We’ve got so much time to look forward to together. I like that.”

“Are you sure? Saying goodbye to your family…”

He clutched me to him. “I don’t regret bonding. Besides, I’ll have you, our children, and my memories. That will be enough.” He changed the subject. “Now, how about a bath before breakfast?”

We lounged together in the fragrant steaming water until our skin became pruned. He helped me out of the bath first, handing me a fluffy towel. Deke’s eyes filled with heat while I dried myself off. I dropped the towel, inviting him closer.

“Want something?”

“You.”

His kiss stole my breath, he clutched me to him, one hand in my hair, the other on my hip.

“Deke,” I panted when he released my mouth to suckle at my mating bite. “Need you.” I felt slick running down my thighs.

He had me bent over the bath in an instant, his tongue probing my ass. He lapped at my slick while I moaned his name loud enough for our neighbors to hear. On and on he licked and sucked until I was begging for his cock.

There on the cold tile of the bathroom, he fucked me until I couldn’t think. Then knotted, we showered off sweat, come, and slick with smiles on our faces.

I hoped I was pregnant, but if I wasn’t, I was happy to have another heat with my mate soon.