Page 54

Chapter Six

T he exhaustion Racha felt in the aftermath was a welcome respite from the intense pressure of the power she had finally released.

She still wanted more of Corey, but knew it might not be possible.

He had only done what he had to save her life.

She was grateful, and would find some way to reward him, but it wouldn’t be in the manner she had always dreamed.

She clenched her eyes shut, struggling to hold back more tears. She’d already cried enough in his presence and refused to now, even though the departure of his thick, hard length from inside her had left her feeling every bit as empty as the absence of power.

But she was alive, at least. The elated murmur of hundreds of dragon voices reached out to her in diffident gratitude. That was reward enough. It would have to be.

Dimly she became aware of gentle tugging at her wrists, then her ankles. She opened her eyes when Corey was at her feet and watched in open admiration at the flex of his broad shoulders while he untied her, then tossed the bindings across the room in disgust.

Shakily, he ran his fingers through his tousled brown hair. He looked as beaten down and exhausted as she felt, but seemed to gather himself together with a deep breath. She braced herself for what he would say when he turned to her.

He said nothing at first. He just turned and knelt between her ankles, raised one foot to his thigh, and rubbed her skin where the rope had dug into it. It was tender, but unbroken, and his touch felt nice. It felt even nicer when his palm slid higher, skimming up her smooth calf.

Racha tried to pull away from his grip and rise, but he held her ankle tight.

“Hey, pretty dragon lady,” he said with a smile. “You just stay put a little while, all right?”

“You don’t have to. You did what I needed you to do. You can go now.”

Corey frowned and picked up her other foot, beginning the slow, delicious massaging again.

“No, I can’t. You see, I’m the kind of guy who sticks around. I’m also the kind who pays attention, and I’ve been watching the rest of this crew all night—well, most of them, anyway. One thing I noticed is that at the end of each little phase , all of my friends were given a sort of … well … gift.”

“I won’t mark you if you don’t want me to.” She knew what she offered was against Dragon Law, but there were always extenuating circumstances during awakenings. Concessions would be made.

Corey shook his head and narrowed his eyes at her. His hands continued their tender caresses, now along the skin above her left knee. His touch sent pleasant tingles straight between her legs. He shifted his hands and dragged both his palms down her inner thighs.

“If you want me to trust you, Racha, you need to start spilling your secrets. I’m pretty sure those little tattoos the rest of my team got are damn important to you all, or the other dragons wouldn’t have wasted so little time doling them out.

Tell me what they mean to you and why you didn’t give me one. ”

Racha closed her eyes. Her mind churned over how to tell him. She didn’t want to bind a man to her who didn’t want her, but she feared he would accept her mark out of some sense of obligation. Just like he’d finally given in and helped her release the power.

She’d survived the awakening. Perhaps the Council would understand if she failed to mark him. They could let Corey find another female more to his liking and send Racha a mate who was willing.

She gasped when his fingertips reached her core and teased along her lips, still wet from their combined juices.

He sank his fingers into her slowly, then drew them back out again and teased around her clit in slow, tortuous circles.

Even though he’d untied her, she was too mesmerized by his touch to move away.

When he pulled his hand away after a second, her hips raised up on their own, seeking contact.

“Please,” she whispered. “I need more of you.”

In truth, she was depleted of all but the barest wisp of power now. If he would only bury himself in her again and give her more, perhaps she could think of the right answers.

“More of this?” He leaned down beside her and flicked his tongue over her nipple while his fingers moved back between her thighs, caressing just enough to make her crave more, but not giving it to her.

“Yes, more!”

“Answer my question first. Why didn’t you mark me?”

Just when her throbbing need had subsided and she thought she could regain her senses, he began again. He thrust his fingers deeper and teased her clit so expertly she thought she might just lose control. Except he stopped again.

She nearly cried out in frustration until she felt a hot, hard pressure pulse against her hip. Her eyes flew open and she looked at him.

He gazed down at her, a fevered expression on his face. He looked almost haggard with longing.

Experimentally, she shifted her hips slightly so that she rubbed against him.

Corey’s eyelids fluttered and fell shut. His hand came to rest on her mound again, fingers gently stroking as before.

“You still want me?” she whispered.

His voice came out in a rough growl. “Like nothing I’ve wanted in my life.” His eyes opened again and he met her gaze.

In those umber depths she saw the truth of his words, and it shattered her. The tears began again, only this time they weren’t from sorrow or regret.

She sat up abruptly and captured his mouth with hers.

Corey tried to push her back, a mumbled objection making it to her ears, but she surged harder against him, forcing him back against her pillows. He went, pulling her with him.

She kept kissing him, peppering his face, his neck, his chest with more kisses, elated at finally understanding. Once she let him have his breath and had moved down his torso, he let out a low, frustrated grumble.

“You gonna answer my question?”

She only nodded and smiled up at him from between his legs. She would answer all his questions, but first, she needed more of him.

His hard shaft was coated with the flavor of them both. She savored every inch when she slipped her mouth over his tip and down, licking and sucking as she went.

“Oh, fuck, baby. You’re driving me crazy. Do you …” He seemed intent on saying more, but the rest only came out as a strangled groan when his hips rose up off the bed in a violent jerk.

She worked him eagerly, only slowing down long enough to savor the texture of his smooth, hot skin against her tongue.

Within moments, his orgasm flooded her tongue as sweetly as the power it carried into her with his abating pleasure.

The sweet rush of his Nirvana invigorated her, cleared her mind and conscience, and left nothing behind but the exultation of being with him and knowing he was not unwilling as she had believed a few moments earlier.

She crawled back up his body and lay fully atop his panting chest.

He gazed up at her, a perplexed and slightly irritated smile on his face that disappeared as he let out a hearty laugh.

“That was nice. More than nice. But I’m not letting you off the hook that easily,” he said.

“I am an open book,” she said with a grin.

Then she explained everything.

He held her tightly and buried his face against her neck when she stopped talking.

“Are you angry?” she asked.

“God, no. I just … Racha, you could have died before I ever got a chance to learn how good this feels. That thought terrifies me.”

He flipped her over and kissed her roughly. His resurging erection pressed hot and hard against her belly.

She laughed. “What are you doing?”

“Forgive me. I just need to make love to you again. Gotta make extra sure you won’t self-destruct.”

Racha pushed back against him and sat up when he leaned back on his heels.

“What is it?” he asked.

“There is just one thing I need to do first, if you’re willing. Are you?”