Page 19 of Song of the Heart Scale (The Dragon’s Ballad #3)
I froze. “You will not die, Cat.”
She smiled up at me, her hand coming up to caress my face. “I know you’ll try your damnedest, but no one can predict the future.”
I grabbed her wrist and pinned it to the bed. “I can,” I growled. “You will survive this storm. And I will make sure you get back to your world. I promise you.”
She nodded but did not say a word.
I didn’t know if she believed me or not, and by the Immortals, I wasn’t all that confident myself after speaking with Malachar. If there were no more thunderstorms, she wouldn’t have a way home, but I’d find a way. By the Immortals, I’d get her back to her world safely and in one piece.
Her expression shifted and her eyes darkened with desire. “What about right now?” she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper as her free hand slid beneath my shirt. “What can you promise me tonight?”
I released her wrist only to capture both her hands and pin them above her head in one fluid motion. Her breath caught, pupils dilating as I hovered over her. “I can promise you won't forget it,” I murmured against her ear.
She arched against me, the friction sending sparks down my spine. I claimed her mouth again, swallowing her soft moan as my free hand traced the curve of her waist, careful of her injuries. She was all lean muscle and soft skin beneath my touch.
I released her hands to remove my shirt, and immediately her fingers explored the contours of my chest, tracing old scars with surprising gentleness. When she reached a scar that wrapped around my ribs, I caught her wrist, guiding her hand lower.
“Not tonight,” I whispered against her lips. “Tonight isn't about old wounds.”
She nodded, understanding without words. Her fingers traced the waistband of my trousers instead, hesitating only briefly before dipping below. I inhaled sharply at her touch, my thinly-held control threatening to snap.
“Cat,” I warned, my voice strained.
She smiled with a predatory gleam in her eyes. “Yes?”
In answer, I gently pushed her back against the pillows, my mouth finding the sensitive spot beneath her ear. She gasped and arched her body into mine. I traced a path down her throat and across her collarbone with my lips and tongue, taking my time despite the urgency building between us.
When I reached the thin fabric of her undergarments, I paused and met her gaze. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, cheeks flushed with desire. She nodded once and I slowly peeled the fabric away, revealing more of her skin to the silvery moonlight.
“Beautiful,” I breathed, taking in the sight of her.
I lowered my head and trailed kisses across her breasts, circling one nipple with my tongue while my thumb teased the other. She writhed beneath me and a soft curse escaped her lips. Her hands clutched at my shoulders, nails leaving crescent moons in my skin.
“More,” she demanded, her voice breaking.
I smiled against her skin. “So impatient.”
“Always.” She gasped when my hand dipped between her thighs.
She was already wet, her body trembling as I slowly stroked her.
I watched her face, memorizing every expression as pleasure overtook her.
When I slipped one finger inside her, then another, I watched in delight as her back arched and she gasped my name.
Her eyes fluttered closed, then opened again, fierce and demanding as she reached for the laces of my trousers.
“Now,” she commanded, her voice ragged. “I want all of you.”
I quickly shed the rest of my clothing and positioned myself between her thighs. The moonlight carved shadows across her body, highlighting every curve and inky tattoo. I paused, memorizing the sight of her beneath me.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she whispered.
“Like what?”
“Like you're trying to remember me.”
I leaned down and pressed my forehead to hers. “Maybe I am.”
She wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me closer until I was poised at her entrance. “Then give me something worth remembering, too.”
I slowly pushed into her, watching her face as her lips parted in a silent gasp. The tight heat of her body nearly undid me then and there. I stilled, giving her time to adjust, fighting for control.
“Don't you dare hold back,” she breathed against my ear as she dug her fingers into my shoulders.
Something primal broke loose inside me. I withdrew almost completely before driving back into her, setting a rhythm that had us both gasping. Her hips rose to meet each thrust, demanding more.
“Harder,” she commanded, her voice a ragged whisper.
I complied, pinning her wrists above her head with one hand while the other gripped her hip, angling her body to take me deeper. Her moans grew louder with each thrust, her body trembling beneath mine.
“Look at me,” I growled, needing to see her eyes.
She complied, her eyes meeting mine—defiant even now, challenging me as her body yielded. The vulnerability there, paired with her raw hunger, broke something open inside me. I released her wrists only to grip the headboard, giving myself leverage to drive into her with brutal intensity.
“This what you wanted?” I growled, sweat beading on my forehead as our bodies slammed together.
“Yes!” she hissed, her nails raking down my back, leaving trails of fire in their wake. “Don't stop.”
I buried my face in her neck and bit hard enough to mark her. She cried out, not in pain but pleasure, her inner walls clenching around me. I reached between us to find the sensitive bundle of nerves, circling it with my thumb as I maintained my relentless pace.
“Damien!” she gasped, her body beginning to tremble beneath me. I felt her teetering on the edge, so close to breaking.
“Let go,” I commanded, my voice rough with need. “Show me what you look like when you shatter.”
Her back arched like a drawn bow as the first wave hit her, a cry tearing from her throat as she convulsed around me. Without slowing, I drove into her with savage intensity through her release, prolonging it until her voice broke and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.
“I'm not done with you yet,” I warned, flipping her onto her stomach in one fluid motion. She gasped when I pulled her hips up and entered her again from behind with a force that made the bed frame creak in protest.
“Oh god, yes !” she gasped.
One hand tangled in her hair, pulling just enough to arch her neck back. The other gripped her hip, my thumb pressing into the dimple at the base of her spine. She moaned into the pillow, her body yielding and demanding all at once.
“Is this what you want?” I growled against her ear, my chest pressed to her back as I maintained a punishing rhythm.
“Yes,” she admitted, her voice muffled by the pillow. “This and more.”
I slowed momentarily, savoring the way she pushed back against me, seeking the friction I was denying her. “Tell me what more.”
She turned her head, one eye gleaming at me over her shoulder. “I want to see if the Shadow Prince everyone fears can make me feel human again.”
Something in her words cut through the haze of lust. I pulled her up against my chest and wrapped one arm around her waist while my other hand cupped her throat—not squeezing, just holding her body possessively against mine as I slowed my thrusts to something deeper, more deliberate.
“And?” I breathed against her ear. “What's your verdict?”
Cat reached back, her fingers threading through my hair as she turned her face toward mine. She grinned mischievously. “I'm still deciding.”
I captured her mouth in a searing kiss, our bodies still joined as I rolled my hips against hers.
When we broke apart, her eyes were half-lidded, lips swollen from my attention.
“Then I'm not doing this right,” I murmured, shifting us again until she straddled my lap, facing me.
The new position drove me deeper, eliciting a startled gasp from her throat.
I gripped her hips and guided her movements as she began to ride me. Her hands braced against my chest, her nails digging into my skin as she set a frenetic pace that had us both gasping. The moonlight caught the sheen of sweat on her body, transforming her into something otherworldly.
“Look at you,” I said, voice thick with awe despite myself. “Riding me like you were made for this.”
She smiled, fierce and wild, and rolled her hips in a way that made me see stars. “Maybe I was.”
Yes… she was.
I gripped her waist harder, helping her rise and fall on my length, and watched her face contort with pleasure. Her head fell back, exposing the elegant line of her throat, and I couldn't resist leaning forward to taste her skin there.
“Touch yourself,” I commanded, my voice rough. “I want to watch you come apart again.”
Her eyes locked with mine, defiant even as she slid her hand between our bodies. The sight of her fingers working in tight circles as she rode me sent a surge of heat spiraling through my core. With a growl of approval, I moved one hand to cup her breast, brushing my thumb over her nipple.
“That's it,” I murmured, my voice strained as I felt my own release building. “Show me what you need.”
Her movements grew more erratic, her breathing shallow as she chased her pleasure. I thrust up to meet her, matching her rhythm and watching her face as she drifted toward the precipice again. When she began to tighten around me, I pulled her close and crushed her body against mine.
“Let go,” I whispered against her ear. “I've got you.”
She shuddered in my arms and a broken cry escaped her lips as she came undone.
The feeling of her pulsing around me was too much—I followed her over the edge, my release crashing through me like a brutal tidal wave as I buried deep inside her.
My vision went white at the edges and every muscle tensed as I emptied myself into her warmth.