Page 96 of The Dragon Warlord

River moans when the euphoria of being bitten hits him. My cock jumps and tries to convince me of how good it would feel to rut against him. I won’t let my cock win.

Pulling my teeth out elicits a squelch and I lick the blood that’s pooled against my bottom lip. Bon, my darling vampire child, would be jealous if he saw me bite River, but as much as I love my son, no one bites River but me—save an emergency of course.

River is transfixed, awaiting my next words.

“Put on a fucking shirt, Riv. It goes without saying that this body is mine. It’s not for others to look at unless I have permitted it. Am I understood?” I’m surprised this didn’t cause a commotion. Though, more likely, everyone is too terrified to draw my attention.

River shivers, his heart beats rapidly with the perfect mixture of fear and lust. “Y-Yes, Alpha. I understand.

“Good.” With a final smack to his arse, I release him, tempted as hell to kiss him.

Everyone is staring, which is what I wanted. It’s no secret how protective and possessive I am with my omega, but it’s good for them to see it once in a while. “Well? Get back to work, we have a long afternoon ahead of us.”

There is a murmured, “Yes, Warlord”, across the field and it’s clear that no one wants to earn my ire over something like this.

* * *

“Warlord, if you have no need of me tonight, Matrice has invited me over. You are welcome too, of course, but I know that you’re busy.”

He’s asking to have the night off? Since when?

I know what he’s doing, and I won’t be manipulated. “I’d love to join you. Tell her to set a place for two.”

“Of course, Warlord, but what will you tell the dragon lord when you don’t show up to your discipline appointment tonight?”

Gods dammit. I forgot about that for a second. I twist my lips, trying to figure this out. If I tell him he can’t go and that he has to come with me, he’ll be happy. If I tell him he can go, I doubt he’ll like it as much as he thinks he will and we’ll both be miserable, but I won’t be plagued with guilt of telling him he can’t go to his sister’s just because I’d rather that he was with me.

I’d be doing what’s right and not giving in to the …to the what? Is it the bond? Is it us? Does it fucking matter anymore? I don’t know, but I’ll be able to live with the peace that I’ve done the right thing, if miserably.

That’s got to count for something.

River going to his sister’s place is the best option. I’m comfortable with him going there. He’ll have a nice time even if he’ll ache some, and I might get a honeycake out of the deal.

“All right. You have my permission to go to your sister’s. Come here.” I don’t know what possesses me; I follow my instincts and attack the other side of his neck. This bite won’t have the bonding magic attached to it, so it’ll heal over and then maybe I’ll bite a new one later if I feel like it.

I make the mistake of licking the blood from his neck.

Whenever, wherever, however,he’d said. He’s given me permission to take him if I want. Nothing could stir sexual savagery in me more. Before I know what I’m doing, I’m sucking a nice bruise down his collarbone, and my inner dragon preens at all the marks my omega will have on him.

“P-Please,” he says, panting into my ear.

I pull away and admire my work. He smiles and places a hand over the area like it’s sacred. “Thank you, Alpha.”

Resting my forehead on his, I take a breath. “You like my markings?”

“Mhm.”

I rub my nose with his, which has become the family “I love you”, something we all picked up from my other adopted son Denny. I smack his arse hard enough to leave a handprint. “Go, before I change my mind.”

“I wouldn’t … wouldn’t mind if you—”

“Please, Riv.”

He nods and leaves quietly. I collapse on my bed and will my hard-on to go away. This is a bad start. So, fucking bad. What the hell am I doing?

* * *

Tonight, it was Brock who put me over his knee because he knows I’m missing my husbands, which was downright thoughtful. The spanking served to clear my head in one way, but in another, it’s perhaps muddier than it was earlier. I walk the long route to my quarters, hoping to clear my head, and am more surprised than I should be when the ice dragon struts out from the shadows.