Page 29 of So I Dared a Dragon (The Mating Game #6)

twenty-nine

. . .

Calista

“What a day.” I stood with my back against the door of our hotel room at the Alta Vista. “I thought our biggest challenge would be finding Darcy. Time will tell if there is still a Montana pack.”

We didn’t have the luxury of sticking around after Aarix’s firestorm to see if anyone survived, because we needed to get Bibi out of there. She’d survived lifetimes of Montana’s nonsense, and we weren’t losing her now.

“They’ll never bother you again.” Aarix put a hand on either side of me, rattling the door as he caged me in. He still looked so dragon, even though he’d shifted. His breath was warm against my skin, and his lips skimmed my jawbone before he found my mouth.

I wrapped my hands around his waist, pulling him into me. So many emotions flowed through me. I had shifted into a freaking dragon. And if that wasn’t enough, I might have saved Bibi’s life by flying her to Vegas.

She had internal injuries. Shifting back to her fabulous human form had helped her heal, but the doctor had urged our glittery goddess to get some rest so she could return to her absolute best. We decided to stay here for a few days, and the camera crew was en route to film our third and final date.

“You were absolutely magnificent out there,” Aarix said softly. “I’m so proud of you.”

His lips moved down my neck. The sensation felt so different against my newly formed scales, sending rocket fuel through my veins. If my neck was this sensitive after a shift, I couldn’t wait to find out how the rest of my body would react. But he stopped.

“You were wearing the Guardian Stone when you sent me the picture this morning from bed,” he said. “Did you take it off?”

“No.” My hand flew to my bare neck and I gasped. “I must have lost it when I shifted. I’m so sorry, Aarix. It’s my most treasured possession. The nicest thing anyone’s given me.”

Just like that, I went from feeling like a powerful dragon to good old Calista who fucked up everything she touched.

“I won’t let you blame yourself for that. You shifted to help your friends fight a lifelong enemy. We can go back and find the stone.”

“How? It’s a tiny necklace in the middle of a giant desert.”

“The same way it led me to you.”

I nodded, but I wasn’t ready to stop beating myself up over this.

Aarix drew away from me. Cool fire burned in his gaze, and he took my hand and led me into the room. A bellhop already brought our luggage up for us. The Alta Vista was owned by a rock star vampire, and his signature was at every turn. Our room was rich purples, grays, and metallic silvers, and gave us a breathtaking view of the Strip.

“Do I need to remind you of everything you did right today?” he asked.

“It wouldn’t hurt.”

“You looked like the first time I saw you,” he continued, nodding as my mouth dropped. “But even more beautiful.”

“You’ve seen me like this before?” I had yet to process the story that Declan had shared with us. The Night God had tasked my pack with protecting me? Bibi and I had been reincarnated? It was a sharp, almost unbelievable contrast from what my life had been with them. In Montana, I felt anything but special.

“I have.” He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, like he couldn’t stop touching me. “I’d had a feeling I’d seen you in dreams, but I didn’t know for sure until today when we landed in the desert. I remembered seeing you in your little village, surrounded by the Rocky Mountain thunder. I was there to tell them about the Night God’s proposition. To tell them that it would be a smart alliance, and that we could trust him. I didn’t have long, and I told myself the next time I saw you, I would make you mine. You were the dragon who’d caught my eye.”

My heart fluttered in my chest. That didn’t feel any different.

“I wish I could remember anything about that life.” It was hard to turn away from the gorgeous view, but I had an even better one behind me. Aarix’s body was strong and warm and every part of him was hard and ready. “Or any other but this one. Bibi and I grew up together. And he said they’d tried to make me less of a dragon.” I sighed. “Being a wolf isn’t anything to be ashamed of, but a dragon is so much more powerful.”

A rumble went through Aarix’s body. “You are. They didn’t know how to honor you. They were intimidated.” He kissed my forehead. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

“I’m not.” Emotion stung my eyes, and I swallowed hard to keep it at bay. Someone would make a lot of money off my anger later on, but tonight, we had a lot to celebrate. “They tried to make me weak, but they made me stronger.”

Aarix’s lips curled into a smile. “Yes, they did, sunshine. And you still found your way to me.”

“It was fate. Now I’m ready for you to claim me.”

“I thought we had to go on stage and tell the world before I had the chance to do that.” He was practically purring.

“Why don’t we consider tonight your test run?” It took everything I had to pull away from him. I sauntered over to the edge of the bed and crossed my legs as I sat. If I’d known I’d be seducing a dragon in a fancy hotel suite tonight, I would’ve worn something more exciting than a hoodie and leggings.

But it didn’t matter. Aarix stalked over to me like he couldn’t stay away. He put his knee on the edge of the bed, and I expected him to push me down on the mattress and ravish me.

But he didn’t.

“I hear they call this place Sin City,” he said.

I nodded. “Everything goes here. Your wildest desire. And at a swanky hotel like this, you can call the front desk and they will bring you anything you ask for.”

“No need to do that. I don’t need any help making my desires a reality. There’s no counting how many nights I dreamed of this.” His voice was deep and husky. “The promise of claiming my mate was the only thing that got me through the darkest nights in that cavern.”

The muscles between my legs pulsed in anticipation. That felt the same too.

“Show me, dragon.”

He nodded. “How do you feel after flying?”

“Sore, but in a good way. Like I went on a run. And you probably can guess I’m not much of a runner.” I laughed. “And everything feels more sensitive.”

“You’re perfect. You always have been, and you always will be.” He hooked a talon in the waistband of my sweatshirt. “Tell me about this sensitivity.”

“These new scales, maybe it’s because they haven’t settled into my body yet, but when you touch them, everything feels electrified. Like you’re bringing me to another dimension.”

“Or your accepting who you really are and letting go of the limitations of what everyone wanted you to believe.” His lips were close to my neck, and something as simple as a breath could make me ignite.

“Will my scales stay this sensitive?”

The sweatshirt came up over my head. My bra had gotten lost somewhere in the shift. I slowly rose from the bed, locking gazes with him as I shimmied out of my leggings. My wings and tail hadn’t totally shifted back, so it was a relief to be free of them.

“I hope so, because you deserve for that kind of pleasure to be part of your everyday life.” He stood and motioned for me to turn. “Let me play with your tail.”

I looked over my shoulder, mouth agape, and the dragon simply nodded. It took everything I had not to cry out as he ran his hand down my tail. It was hot and had so many nerve endings that seemed infinitely more sensitive than my clit. He moved slowly, exploring every inch, every scale, going down on his knees to make sure he gave it his full attention.

My breath became increasingly more ragged, my muscles pulsed, and I had to steady myself on his shoulder before I melted. My vision blurred. “Aarix.”

“How does that feel?”

“Like I might accidently set this entire hotel on fire.”

“Thought you might like it.” His lips curled into a wicked grin before he rose from his knees. I gnashed my teeth to bite back my frustration. “Shall we do something about those sore muscles?”

Aarix hummed with satisfaction as he went over to the hot tub in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. Steam rose from the stream as it filled. There was a little caddy full of bath accessories, and he picked up a purple and blue bath bomb, bringing it to his nose. It was so adorable to watch him do things I took for granted for the first time.

The bath bomb bounced into the tub, and lavender bubbles formed on contact. Aarix unbuttoned his shirt.

“I teased Bibi that she’d totally overpacked, but she knew exactly what to do.” There was that emotion again. “I hope she’s okay. She might not be my mate, but I don’t want to know what my life is like without her.”

“She’s a tough wolf. And she’s lucky to have such a loyal friend. And a mate who will do anything for her. Just like you do.” He dragged his hand through the bubbles. “Bath’s ready, sunshine.”

Standing naked in front of the window felt scandalous, even when we were twenty floors up. The warm water tingled against the scales on my calves. I sank in, letting the bubbles cover me. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, trying to figure out how to keep it out of the way without a clip.

Aarix moved my hands away from my head. “I don’t want any part of you restrained. The first time I saw you, you were just like this. Your hair was flowing and free, like it was its own stream of sunlight. You wore a little white dress. But your arms and legs were uncovered, your scales sparkling in the light. I fell for you the moment I saw you. I can’t tell you what it means to have that memory back.”

He’d settled behind me, and his strong hands massaged the tired muscles in my shoulders, the pad of his thumbs working up my neck to my head. Gently, he moved my head to one side and then the other. The movements were slow and firm, hypnotic. Between my dragon and the steam, I’d melt faster than the bath bomb.

He slid his hands down my chest, and I let my head fall back. Our lips caught in a messy kiss as he circled my nipples. They pebbled on contact. I moaned into his mouth when he pinched one of them.

“Do you like that?” he asked as he did it to the other one.

“So much more sensitive.”

“I liked it too. Because your breath sped up and your words are labored.” He gave me another quick kiss. “So beautiful. But I think it’s time to see what else is more sensitive now too.”

Gently he moved me forward and slid into the water, sending water cascading over the side of the tub. My body had turned to putty and it took everything I had to turn and rise on my knees.

I took his shaft into my hand. Even his scales felt more sensitive against my skin.

“You want my cock already?” He quirked a brow.

“I never don’t want it.” My muscles throbbed with need.

“Good. I was gonna try to drag this out, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. I can’t. Ever since you shifted, it’s taken every ounce of self-control I have to keep myself from having you. I thought I’d never get you alone.”

“Now you can have me any way you want me.”

His big hands palmed my ass, talons threatening to break the skin. He lifted me easily, positioning me to slide down on his cock.

Flames exploded in my vision and I was so thankful that we were in water. The inferno that burned inside me threatened to explode.

He picked me up, sliding me up and down his shaft, hard and fast. I grasped his horns, steadying myself, and the hotel room, the Vegas strip, faded away. We were in a place I’d never been before, but it was so familiar. With the Red Rocks of the mountains rising around us, I would bet every dollar on the blackjack tables we were in Sunset Springs. Or the place that would become the town I would call home. I was wearing that little white dress, sitting with my sisters—one of them might have been Darcy, but I could’ve been hallucinating, high on my dragon—when I saw him. A dragon I’d never seen before.

It was his coloring that had stood out to me then, just like it had now. I’d never seen an oil slick before, but the way the purples and greens melted into each other was exquisite. Or gazes caught, and he was whisked away from me.

I’d vowed I’d find him, even when I was told he was from a faraway thunder.

“Aarix,” I cried out as his thrusts brought me over the edge. “I remember that day too.”

“You do?” He grunted, and his balls swelled against me. I cried out.

He lifted me off him and my hand trembled as I brought him to his climax. We were both breathless, boneless, but somehow, he managed to lift me from the tub, swaddle me in a fluffy towel, and bring me to the bed.

“And I remember being taken away from my thunder.” I rested my head against his chest. His heart beat just as wildly as mine. “There are dragons I love trapped in that mountain.”

“I know, sunshine.” He kissed right between my horns. “And we’re going to make sure they’re free.”