ANDI

We lie in the courtyard in front of the bank building all glorious afternoon and fuck like bunnies. By the time the sun starts to set, my skin is sticky enough that leaves are sticking to my ass and I’m pretty sure I’ve picked up an inch of dirt and dust from all the rolling around on the brick cobblestones that we’ve done. Liam—my sexy, sexy Atalim—looks just as delicious as ever, of course. His hair’s wild and crazy, sticking up in every direction, but it somehow just makes him look more dashing.

Me, I probably look like I fought with a possum and lost.

You’re beautiful, he tells me, nuzzling the inside of my thigh as if he’s ready to go down on me again for the fourth—fifth? sixth?—time in the last few hours. I could drink in your scent and the sight of you like this forever.

His words just make me thirsty, though, and I realize how parched my throat is. “I need to hydrate if we’re going to keep going,” I point out, and glance over at my bag. It’s about twenty feet away, near the base of the flagpole, and it might as well be twenty miles. I can’t muster the energy to cross the short distance to get it.

You’re thirsty? I can feel his thoughts change, his protectiveness sweeping aside his lust. You should have said something earlier. I don’t want you making yourself sick. And he jumps to his feet, his hard erection stabbing the air instead of my pussy as he gets up and walks away.

Hmph.

“Okay, I guess we should take a break,” I tell him, eyeing my naked body as I sit up. It’s pink and flushed all over and I wonder if I should have stopped to apply sunblock before the Dragon-Fuck-A-Thon. Oh well. I glance up at the skies, and even though the sun is setting, it looks like a thick wall of clouds is rolling in. As if to punctuate that point, thunder rumbles. “I think that’s a sign. That and the leaves I’m going to be picking out of my buttcrack.”

He crouches next to me, touching my jaw and then running a hand down my arm. I can feel his craving in my head, his incessant need to touch me, to remind himself that I’m there. I don’t mind that at all, honestly. It’s nice to feel so utterly wanted. It’s a little intense to feel his thoughts in mine, but I trust him. We should get you someplace safe.

“Safe sounds good.”

I’ll take you to my tower. My nest.

“Your nest?” For some reason, it surprises me to hear that. When I hear “nest” I think “home” and I never thought of this place as his actual…home. Just as a place he was hiding out. In my mind, his home is with me, and my home is still Fort Shreveport.

My nest, he agrees, his eyes whirling gold with pleasure as he helps me to my feet. He dusts leaves and twigs off of my skin with gentle fingers, looking over me protectively. Drakoni instinct tells me that I must have a nest to protect my mate. Even madness can’t drive out all instinct, and protecting that which is mine? That always comes first. He brushes a sweaty lock of hair off my brow and smiles at me. I think, somehow, I knew I was waiting for you. I wasn’t surprised when I smelled you on the wind. It was more of a relief. Like you’d finally found me. So perhaps I’ve been waiting for you to come all this time.

“Whatever it was, I’m here now.” I beam up at him, feeling so happy and light that I feel like a human rainbow. “Show me your nest, then.”

He grins, all flashing sharp teeth, and in the next moment, Atalim’s “human” face is gone and in its place is the monstrously huge golden form. Dragon wings unfurl, and massive legs stretch, his tail flicking on the street as he uncurls his enormous body.

I freeze, instinct warning me to run and hide. Dragons are danger, my lizard brain reminds me. Dragons kill. And for a moment, I feel his brain stab through with violence, his sudden surging lack of control piercing my thoughts. I can feel, just for a brief second, everything that pushes against his mind. It’s like a television station where there’s nothing but static dots, and each of those thoughts is a violent, bloodthirsty image.

It’s gone just as quick as it arrives, though, and then Liam lowers his enormous head, his eyes level with mine.

Are you afraid?

“No, just not used to it,” I admit. I reach out a hand to touch his snout. “It’ll take me a little time to get used to the idea of you supersized like this.”

Take all the time you need. He gives his head a little side-to-side movement, as if indicating I should scratch his nose. Or rub more of your scent on me, he teases. I liked that.

I tap a finger against one scale in a chiding manner. “I was trying to get your attention.”

Oh, you got it all right. He rumbles, and it feels like amusement.

I run my hand along the very end of his snout, a little awed by how big he is. The scales here are practically palm-sized, and his eyes are the size of hubcaps. They’re as gold as his scales, though, which makes me incredibly happy. “Look at how gorgeous you are,” I murmur, studying the long, elegant wings tucked against his body and his serpentine tail. “You look amazing as a dragon, Atalim. Not that you’re not sexy as a human, too.”

The dragon snorts, and his head nudges me. Never human. You take that back. That is just a two-legged form.

I give his nose another teasing thump. “But you don’t mind that I’m human?”

Not at all. I love everything about you. The big nose rubs up and down my belly, and then lower, to my thighs. Especially your scent.

I push his nose away, blushing. I can feel the arousal starting to flood through his thoughts, and I know if we get distracted, I’m going to be on the cobblestones all night long. And while the idea is a pretty delicious one, it’ll be hard on my hands and knees. “Concentrate, Atalim. Nest, remember? I hope you’ve got someplace comfy for a bed, because I have a feeling we’re going to be in there for a while.”

Hours and hours and days and days, he agrees, and reaches for me.

My heart skitters in my throat as the claws enclose me, but a moment later, he’s rubbing his muzzle against my hair and my mind is filled with loving, affectionate thoughts, and I remember there’s absolutely nothing to be scared of when it comes to this dragon.

He’s my dragon.

Entirely yours, he agrees.

Thunder booms overhead, making me jump.

A rumble of laughter echoes in my mind, and then Liam's blunted claws gently close around me. He lifts me and pulls me against his chest, tucking me close, and then hands me my bag, the heavy thing dwarfed in his massive golden foreleg. Hold on, he tells me, and then his big body surges and we're in the air.

I jolt in his grip, feeling weightless and slightly seasick as he lunges into the air and I'm pulled back and forth as he flaps his wings, surging upward. I knew dragons were powerful, but it's like I can feel every muscle of his moving and it makes for a very rocky ride. My stomach does not approve, and I press a hand over my mouth to try and stop the inevitable vomit that rises. I was never good on rollercoasters, either.

It is not far, he promises. Do you need to be let down?

No, I'm cool, I tell him, even as my mouth waters and fills with saliva. Totally cool.

He makes a sound in his throat and then tilts his claws until I'm lying on my side, prone, and in the next moment, I vomit on the cobblestones below.

Cool must mean something different than what I thought.

Motion sickness, I tell him. I just need to get used to the rough ride.

It'll be better if we get you a saddle like Amy has, he promises me as his wings flap harder and we rise higher. You won't move around as much. As if to help out, he clasps his other claws around me, doubling his grip, and I'm less jostled as he tucks me even closer against him.

Not sure that's wise, I tell him, feeling faint and nauseated as I press my forehead to his scaly chest. I can feel his muscles move, flexing as he flies.

You can puke on me, my fires. It won't change how I feel. He sends a wave of sympathy and affection through his thoughts. Isn't that one of your human vows? Through sickness and health?

I think we've had enough sickness to last us a lifetime. Let's just be done with that part. I try to burrow closer to him, even though it feels a bit like snuggling up to a furnace. He's giving off all kinds of crazy heat in dragon form, but being closer to him helps, oddly enough—as does the fact that he's gliding in the air instead of muscling upward to gain height.

Liam's right, though, the flight's a short one. We're not airborne for very long before he lands with a thump and a muted apology in his thoughts, and then he's gently setting me on the ground. My eyes are closed, so I feel in his thoughts that we've arrived before my feet touch the ground, and when I open them, I see his “nest.”

It's a hoarder's paradise.

The building must have been an office at some point—most of the tallest buildings are—but it's clear that this was the big guy's private chambers, because it's a massive, open room with a massive, warped wooden desk that snakes around the missing windows. There's a gigantic hole in one side of the building, which is how we got in, but on the wall there's a water-damaged painting that's bigger than my old bedroom and a cluster of office chairs.

That's not all, though. There's just…stuff. So much stuff.

I have no idea how he got so much crap up here so quickly, but it's obvious he's been working hard. I step forward, stunned past my nausea as I gaze at the couches clustered together against a wall. On the opposite side of the couches are a few chairs, and I'm pretty sure I see a bed in the distance. There are also bicycles, empty planters, dishes, a claw footed tub, shopping carts, and boxes and boxes of random stuff. One wall is full of rusty, oversized cans of food and I'm pretty sure there's a children's jungle gym tossed over something in the back.

"What is all this stuff, Atalim?"

It's for you, he tells me. I think…if I smelled something that was for humans, or if it pinged a memory, I took it. He lumbers into the room and then nudges a pile of oversized, tasseled pillows and they go tumbling to the ground. Sit. Get comfortable.

"This is just so weird."

Is it? I was making a nest for my mate. Even in my madness, I was trying to think of things that would appeal to you. Is it that bad?

My gaze falls on a shopping cart full of toys, and a little giggle escapes me. "Just a bit random, I think."

I'll blame the insanity then. He nudges me with his big nose. Sit. Relax. You don't feel well.

"I'm okay," I promise him, but I do as he says. I step over the weird piles of pillows and sit down on an oversized, striped sofa. It's slightly faded and musty, but comfortable. I tuck my legs under me, pull out my canteen, and take a few sips. "How long did it take you to gather all this shit?"

The dragon cranes his long neck, looking around at the office. I have no idea. I might have stolen some from another dragon's nest. There's a faint scent of another here.

I freeze, canteen halfway to my lips. "There's another dragon nearby?"

Long gone. His scent is old. Maybe he's the one that collected a lot of this stuff.

Oh. "Do you recognize who it is?"

No. Just that the scent is that of a male dragon. His thoughts grow possessive and his eyes flare just a little darker. I'm not sharing you.

"I'm not interested in being shared," I admit. "So calm down."

He looms over me, hunkering down directly across from my sofa and flicking the pillows out of the way like an enormous cat. I will be territorial of you for a while, fair warning. You're mine finally and I'm not going to let you get away.

"I am totally and completely okay with that." I look over at one of the shopping carts, see a sex toy in a box, and choke on my water just a little. "Ah, so what's the plan?" I ask between coughing fits.

For now? Your stomach gets better, and then I feed you and claim your body over and over again until you wear my scent like a robe. His eyes gleam, as golden as his scales.

I squirm a little to hear that, pleasure shooting through my body. "Sounds like a pretty good evening to me. And tomorrow?"

Tomorrow? Mm. He considers for a moment and then focuses that intense draconic gaze on me again. Tomorrow, I think…I will feed you and then claim your body over and over again until you wear my scent like a robe. Again.

"Well, they do say consistency is key." I keep my voice light even as I squeeze my thighs tightly together. "So the game plan is lots of sex and food." His eyes seem to gleam even brighter, and my mind flickers with a lot of sexy mental images that slide in from his thoughts. "But I meant…what about the future? Do you want to go back to Fort Shreveport ever? Or is this your home now? You mentioned territory…does that mean you'll never want to leave it?"

Benny is there.

"He is," I agree, sipping more water. My stomach is churning nervously again for some reason. "But I've learned that Benny doesn't need me nearly as much as I think he does."

But he is your family, Liam continues. Fort Shreveport is your home. I want you to be able to go to your home, but…my instincts might fight me on that. A drakoni with a mate stakes out territory for himself and their young. It might be difficult for me to be in Rast's territory with you and not view his presence as a challenge. I feel stable right now, and in my right mind, but that could change. He leans in, nuzzling at my hand as if he can fit his enormous head into my lap somehow. I would hate to tear his throat out if he looked at you.

"Whoa, whoa," I murmur, putting the cap on my canteen and tossing it aside. I put my hands on his scaly snout, trying to focus his attention. "Rast would look at me at some point. He can't just avoid gazing in my direction because it'll bother you."

Why not? I avoid looking at his mate as much as possible.

Huh. I can tell he's not lying. Even in his thoughts, Amy's face is clouded as if he doesn't want to think about her, and her presence is less individual and more “Rast's mate” in his head than “Amy.”

"I don't think Rast is looking at anyone sexually other than Amy," I tell him, stroking his nose. "But I get what you're saying. I would like to go back, but we'll figure it out. If we can't stay, then we can't stay. It's as simple as that."

Liam goes still against me. In the next moment, the dragon disappears and I'm holding onto empty air instead of his muzzle. Liam walks across the crowded floor of his “nest,” kicking aside pillows, and then slides next to me on the couch, his arms going around me. "You would leave everything behind for me?" he murmurs, the thought echoing in his mental speech. I can feel his shock—and pleasure—at my response.

Silly man. "Why do you think I'm here?" I tell him gently, my thoughts so full of love for him that I feel like bursting. "You're everything to me, Atalim. Everything in the world. I'm not whole without you by my side." I cup his jaw in my hand, admiring his gorgeous face. "How can you possibly think I'd go back to Fort Shreveport without you? There's nothing for me there if you're here."

"Your brother…"

"Can survive on the occasional visit," I tell him, letting my fingers trace his gorgeous mouth. "He'd probably prefer that to his sister hovering over him. And me, I have to realize that he's his own person and I'm allowed to be mine." I smile up at him.

"I'd rather you be mine," he tells me, his eyes heating.

Oh, I'd rather be his, too. I slide my arms around his neck, but when he leans in to kiss me, I avert my face. "You probably don't want to kiss me right now," I tell him with a little shake of my head. "Not until I rinse my mouth out a few more times."

"As if I care about that?" But he lightly brushes his lips over my cheek instead. "I love you, Andrea. My sweet fires. I still can't believe you came after me."

"I'll always come after you," I promise him. "No matter where you go, I'm going to follow. I won't leave you. You were there for me in my darkest moments, and I plan on doing the same for you."

Liam's eyes go dark. "I left you when you needed me. I abandoned you when you were sick."

"No," I correct gently. "You risked everything to try and save me. You gave up everything you had to try—no one could ever ask for more."

"You are everything to me, my mate," Liam murmurs thickly, tracing a finger down my cheek. And I feel it in my head, and in my heart, and I let him know that I feel exactly the same way.

He's perfect.