Chapter Sixteen
Killian still couldn't believe Brenna trusted him, but he wasn't going to keep questioning her. It was time to see how his dragons responded.
He quickly said to his beasts, Remember, Brenna is here.
Black growled. I don't like your insinuation.
Blue added, She will be fine. I won't let anyone or thing hurt her.
The two dragons’ heads glanced at each other and Killian swore they both nodded a fraction in reassurance.
Piece by piece he dismantled the mental prison. First, the bars across the top. Followed by the ones at the rear and front.
So far, both dragons remained in place and didn't make any sudden movements. The tricky part would come next.
Taking one more deep breath, Killian removed the pieces creating the divider and then the final pieces at the side and bottom.
His two-headed dragon stood in place. Black spoke first. Brenna is waiting.
After one last check, Killian looked at Brenna. She raised her brows. "Are you just going to stand there?"
Not wasting any time, Killian closed the distance between them and took Brenna's face in his hands.
Black spoke up. Kiss her. Then strip her and fuck her. We've waited long enough.
Killian kissed Brenna gently once, twice, three times before he pulled away. It took everything he had to not think about his hardening cock or to stare at Brenna's lips. "How do you want to proceed?"
Placing her hands on his chest, she ran them up to his shoulders, each glide of soft skin over his making him want to groan.
Black chimed in. What are you waiting for? Toss her on the bed and taste her. We've wondered long enough.
Blue mere shut his eyes. You can do that without me.
"Why are you frowning?" Brenna asked.
He wanted to answer her with his lips and tongue, but his blue and white dragon's head bowing down and against his belly helped him focus. "I want you so much that my cock hurts, but I'm not sure I can go through with this with a young dragon in my head. As much as Black and I are ready, Blue is still a child."
Her expression softened. "The fact you care so much about the little one has just raised my esteem for you." She paused a second, fear growing inside his heart at her silence.
While Killian was going to do everything he could to help his blue and white dragon’s head mature, he didn't know how long it would take. The wait might be too much for Brenna.
Taking his chin between her fingers, Brenna's dominance-filled voice carried to his ears. "Stop looking so worried. If you second-guess everything, this will never work, Killian. So the real question is—are you willing to trust me?"
He didn't miss a beat. "I do. But—"
"No 'buts' allowed." His blue dragon snickered as Brenna continued, "We'll find a solution, together."
At the conviction in her voice, a weight lifted off Killian's shoulders. "Do you have one, then?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure you're going to like it. I think you need to let your dragons take control so I can talk to them."
His first instinct was to outright deny her. However, he would honor his word about trusting her. "And what if I can't wrestle back control?"
She shrugged a shoulder. "I know how to distract Black. That should be enough until someone comes to check on us."
He spoke to his beasts. Can you behave and promise not to hurt her?
Black answered first, I want her to distract me, so I won't argue with you about not trusting me.
Not wanting to have another row, he focused on Blue. Will you be okay? The dragon bobbed his head and Killian added, You two need to share. She wants to talk to both of you. And if we want to keep her as our mate, we need to pass this test.
Says who? Black demanded.
Says me. Because if things spiral out of control, I will end it with her. That means never seeing her again. Remember that.
He focused back on Brenna. "Let's try this." He kissed her slowly, tasting every inch of her mouth before pulling away. "Good luck."
Retreating to the back of his mind, Killian allowed his dragons to take control.
Since his pupils would remain slitted as long as his beasts were at the front of his mind, Brenna knew when he'd finished ceding to the dragons. She tilted her head. "Who am I talking to first?"
Black and Blue each tried to answer, but ultimately it was Black who spoke. "I am Black, the more mature and handsome of the two dragon heads."
She smiled. "I'll hold off making any judgment until I see you shift."
Black growled. "I would do it now, if not for the reinforced steel in the walls and the chance that the baby won't be able to complete the shift, possibly killing all of us."
Blue finally pushed to the forefront. "I will be able to do it soon enough. Unlike Black, I have patience."
Stroking his bicep, she murmured, "We all need to work together, lads. Otherwise, everyone will lose out. I'll stay as long as you behave. If you give Killian trouble, then I may just leave."
Black won control again and grunted. "You sound just like Killian."
She grinned. "Then you have double incentive to get along." Her face sobered. "I know it isn't easy. I can't begin to understand how difficult it is to share a mind three ways. However, if we're to help anyone ever again, you lot need to work together, not against one another. Is there a way we can make that happen?"
Killian resisted shaking his head from his vantage point in the back of his mind. Surely it couldn't be as easy as asking them.
Black replied to Brenna's question. "If Blue will only listen to my advice about how to live as a dragon, it would help along the process."
Brenna raised her brows. "The question is whether you're genuine in wanting to help or are you just wanting to be in charge?"
"Both," Black said. "But I can help. If he allows me to coach him, he might mature faster. Then we'd all get along much better. Being literally one-half child and one-half adult will only continue to cause problems."
Brenna spoke again. "Right, then what does Blue have to say about it all?"
For a few beats, Black kept control. However, he finally allowed Blue to take over and the young dragon answered, "I'd like to learn, but I don't like being ordered around all the time. If Black makes suggestions and asks me, then it might work better."
Brenna nodded. "I think that sounds reasonable. Maybe we should have a trial run. What is something that you need help with, Blue?"
Killian sat slack-jawed as his dragons easily listened to Brenna. She must be a dragon-whisperer.
Black smirked at him. She can give me what you can't, after all.
He mentally rolled his eyes. We're going to have to work on that. Otherwise, she'll wrap you around her little finger in no time.
And that's a bad thing? Black queried.
Maybe, maybe not.
Blue chimed in. Besides, she asks and tries to compromise. I like that better than being ordered about.
Brenna's voice stymied his reply. "Blue? Are you still there?"
Blue turned his attention back to Brenna and said, "I am. It's hard to concentrate in here sometimes, because it's crowded."
Gently brushing his cheek, Brenna smiled. "I know, but it also means you have lots of company. I suspect one day you'll all be best mates." She removed her hand. "Now, what do you need help with, Blue?"
The young dragon thought a moment before answering, "I don't know much about shifting. That's a good place to start."
Tapping her hand against her thigh, Brenna said, "Provided I can get permission, how about this: we'll all work together to help Blue with shifting basics, but I want a few hours with Killian first, free of any fighting or seizures. If you two dragons can keep up that bargain, then it'll go a long way in showing you can be trusted outside this cell. So, what do you say? Can you do that?"
As Black and Blue studied each other, Killian couldn't take his eyes off Brenna. He had no idea why she'd only initiated the true mate pull with Blue, but in his mind, she was bloody perfect for him. How he'd ever thought he could always put duty above his own wants and resist her, Killian had no idea.
When his beasts finally spoke aloud, Killian swore they did it in unison. "We can do that."
"Good. Then let me have Killian to myself for an hour or two. Keep your promise, and I'll do everything within my power to get us out of here for at least a short while."
His dragons stepped back and Killian took their place. Hoping Blue could handle it, Killian closed the distance between him and Brenna. And then he kissed her.
~~~
Killian's lips on hers took Brenna by surprise, but she soon leaned against him and opened to allow him entry.
His taste was addictive, as was his hard, warm body against hers. However, when he broke the kiss and murmured, "That's about Blue's limit," Brenna fell a little bit in love with him.
She murmured, "Under this muscled, frowning exterior is a male with a heart of gold."
He grunted. "It's not entirely noble. After all, it's hard to kiss someone when part of your consciousness is trying its best to look away."
She smiled. "Yes, I imagine so."
Her dragon spoke up. I don't mind being patient to help Blue, but I won't lie—I'm glad to be the only dragon here. I like the extra attention.
As her dragon stood tall and spread her wings, turning this way and that, Brenna did her best not to laugh. I'm not sure I'm strong enough to handle two of you anyway.
Killian brushed her short hair off her forehead, garnering her attention. "Thank you. I know you're probably going to say it's nothing and brush it off as part of your mate duties, but the way you worked with my dragons was bloody brilliant."
Grunting, she lightly ran her hand up and down his back. "I helped train new recruits during my time in the army. That experience came in handy."
"You've never told me about your time with the army."
Brenna hesitated. She wanted to be honest, but she wasn't sure about wasting what precious time she had with Killian by reminiscing about one of the worst periods of her life.
He placed a rough finger under her chin and lifted until she met his gaze. "As you mentioned earlier, we've spent a lot of our mated life either apart or with me unconscious. I want to know you, Brenna. You can tell me anything."
Her dragon grunted. Just tell him. He won't dismiss you as weak-willed or silly, even though you think you were both. We were merely young and naive.
Staring into Killian's green eyes, she found the courage to say, "Well, me joining the army started off a bit shaky. My mum didn't want me to go, moaning about how she didn't want to lose her only child in some foreign war zone. My father was supportive, but it was after a talk given by Nikki Gray on what to expect when it came to living a Protector's life that cinched my decision. She laid out all the challenges, but also the rewards. My biggest concern was being female, but Nikki told us that while there will always be physical differences between male and female dragon-shifters—we're smaller in dragon form, for example—a person can find advantages in the differences and use them to make life on Stonefire a better place for all."
"And so you ran away to join the army," Killian murmured.
She nodded. "Yes. While my mother refused to speak to me until recently, I could've handled that. It's what happened after I finished basic training and went to my first official posting that I soon learned not all dragon-shifters are noble."
Killian growled. "Someone hurt you, didn't they? I sensed it back on Glenlough."
She blinked. "How did you know that?"
"Even without my memories, I still had most of my skills, which included reading people." He rubbed her bicep. "But let's get back to the story. What happened?"
After years of blocking out the memories, she let them flow. "I was stationed with the human 42 Brigade at the Fulwood Barracks in Lancashire. I had excelled in my training, so I was rewarded with extra responsibilities. I was given the task of selecting and forming a team from a pool of dragon-shifters staying in one section of Fulwood.
"I enjoyed setting tasks and facilitating team exercises. Unlike what I had heard during Nikki's lecture, there wasn't a lot of pushback from the mostly male candidates. One even fancied me, praising me until I eventually started dating and sleeping with him."
The early days with Cedric had been like a dream, what with him taking her orders without question when on duty, but teasing her when they were alone.
Too bad it'd all been a lie.
"He was the bastard who hurt you."
At the anger in Killian's voice, she met his gaze again. "Yes. After the initial lust phase, I started to notice a few things. Such as how he always mentioned how difficult it must be for a female to be in charge, or how the males had told him that if they ever were stationed overseas with me in charge, they would form their own plans and initiate them, not caring about my orders."
She barely heard Killian's growl as Cedric's voice replayed all the warnings. They're only listening to you now because the humans are watching. They won't take orders from a female in the heat of battle. Most clans don't have many female Protectors, after all.
Pushing the words aside, she continued, "I didn't know it at the time, but he was planting doubts into my head, taking every opportunity to nurture them to the point I clung to him harder. Without realizing it, I'd shifted my entire life and point of view for him, simply because I believed he loved me."
Her dragon huffed. I still want to find and castrate him.
Even if we could get away with it, he's in prison.
Killian's voice interrupted her thoughts. "What became of the bastard? Because I may need to find and teach him a lesson in supporting your female and not hurting her."
She shook her head. "Don't worry, someone else eventually recognized his character and he was caught illegally selling army gear. He's serving time in jail."
"He deserves a far worse punishment, but at least he's not harming anyone else. However, you still haven't finished your story."
She sighed. "It's not a happy ending. I eventually doubted myself after a while, to the point I handed more and more tasks over to Cedric. When he reported my actions to our superiors, they ruled that I had been neglecting my duties. I tried to fight it, but Cedric blackmailed me with naked pictures he'd taken without my consent. I had no choice but to accept the ruling and Cedric took over my position. They sent me to another location, to mostly endure grunt work for six months."
Her dragon sniffed. A dragon shouldn't be used as a crane for builders.
I agree, but at least it made us physically stronger, which came in handy later on.
Killian took her face between his hands. "We all do stupid things when we're young. And before you protest that you're not young, twenty-one isn't exactly pensioner age. You're mature, brilliant, and strong, but believe me, I have my own mistakes to account for from over the years. All we can do is learn from them."
She tilted her head. "When has the great Killian O'Shea made a mistake?"
"The day I was kidnapped and drugged is the latest one."
Studying his face, she asked, "What do you mean? You were scouting the surrounding area, just like the other Protectors."
"Aye, but I required everyone else to go in pairs. I went alone, thinking I didn't need any help. I was concerned about my sister. Rather than trust her, I followed her secretly during the trials. The attackers must've watched the leadership trial planners place all the clues and knew Glenveagh Castle would be one of the stops. When I followed Teagan there, someone surprised me and that's the last thing I remember before waking up strapped to a table and being pumped full of drugs."
Brenna frowned. "But why would you do that? You knew Teagan could take care of herself."
"Aye, rationally, I did. But she's my sister and I didn't want a repeat of what had happened with my father. I wanted to ensure my mother didn't lose another person she loved."
"Killian," she said softly.
"So you see, we can only learn from the mistakes. I think part of the reason I was so angry when I woke up without a dragon and my memories is that deep down, I knew I'd fucked up."
"And now? Are you still angry?"
He smiled. "No, quite the opposite. Because from that mistake came something good." He leaned a fraction closer. "You, Brenna."
Her heart skipped a beat. "Don't be silly."
He growled. "I'm not. You've stayed by my side the entire time, fighting tooth and nail not only to protect me, but to also try and find a way to bring back my memories. Even when you knew it could result in me never wanting you again, you fought for me. I now have another person I'm going to try to protect with my life."
She searched his gaze. "But you barely know me."
He moved a hand into her hair. "I know enough about you to realize that anyone who doesn't fight for you is a fool."
Not giving her a chance to protest, Killian pressed his lips to hers.
At the contact, she forgot every reason and excuse as to why they wouldn't work and simply kissed him back. Each nibble, lick, and caress sent fire racing through her body. Attraction had never been an issue between them, but for the first time, Brenna was starting to think there was more than mere lust involved.
There might be feelings, too.
Not wanting to bog down the moment, she jumped and wrapped her legs around his body. Killian's hands instantly went to her bum, lightly slapping one cheek.
Her dragon hissed. I want to feel his hands on our skin.
As she wiggled against Killian's chest, the friction made her wetter.
With a groan, Killian moved his lips to her neck, making his way down to where her neck met her shoulder.
One of his hands moved to the hem of her shirt and slid it up to expose one cup of her bra. Her nipple ached at his gaze.
Killian's pupils flashed and he growled, "Black is going to distract Blue for a few minutes."
At the reminder of the young dragon, guilt filled her body. However, Killian pulled down the cup of her bra and took her hard nipple into his mouth, banishing everything but the feel of his warm, wet tongue as it licked and swirled around her tight bud.
Threading her fingers through his hair, she moaned and tugged lightly. As if reading her cues were second nature, he lightly bit her nipple, sending more wetness between her thighs.
What she wouldn't give to have his talented tongue move further south.
He released her and leaned back to stare at her jutting nipple and small breast. For a second, she held her breath. Maybe his dragon had had enough and they would have to stop. She understood needing to be patient.
However, as he lightly traced the sensitive skin on the underside of her breast, he murmured, "I would worship this breast for hours if I had the time." He met her gaze again. "But I don't. I want to taste you, Brenna. Will you let me?"
She didn't miss a beat. "Yes."
Killian gave an animalistic growl, and he maneuvered her to the bed and laid her down. His hands went instantly to her trousers. As he fumbled to undo them, she wished for the first time in her life she favored skirts over trousers.
But Killian was determined and soon the trousers were down around her ankles. Instead of ripping off her panties, he lightly caressed her slit through the thin material. She should restrain herself, but Brenna couldn't help but squirm, trying to get his finger to brush her clit.
Killian ran his finger up, to the hem of her underwear. He inched them down slowly. Once they joined her trousers, he ran his rough, warm hands up her legs to her inner thighs.
Just watching Killian touch her made her heart pound and her pussy pulse. Maybe it was because she wanted an orgasm, but she had a feeling it was more watching Killian take his time and truly treasure her body that made her hot.
His eyes met hers, and the desire there made her breath hitch. "This is going to be about you and not me, Brenna. It's time you learn what a real male is like."
Her dragon hummed. Yessssss. About time.
As Killian lightly teased her opening, all thoughts fled from her brain.
His voice was rough as he said, "I knew you'd be nice and wet for me."
He pushed his finger into her slowly, and retreated far too soon. He put the finger in his mouth and groaned. "So fucking sweet."
Before she could do more than blush, Killian leaned forward and licked her slit, stopping at her clit to lightly flick her sensitive bundle of nerves.
Her legs dropped open in invitation. She wanted, no needed, Killian's touch.
He gently spread her core open. He murmured, "So beautiful," before moving his face and plunging his tongue into her pussy.
Brenna arched her back at the sensation. Cedric had never bothered tasting her with his tongue.
No. She wouldn't let her time with Killian be tainted by that arsehole.
Gripping his hair with her fingers, she couldn't look away from the strong man as he licked, thrust, and twirled her most sensitive spots. She wondered if he would feel the same when she took his cock into her mouth.
Killian lightly bit her clit and murmured, "Stop thinking or you'll never come."
He zeroed in his attention to her clit, lightly nibbling and swirling the tight bud. Heat built in her body, but when he added a finger and then two to her pussy, her breath quickened.
She couldn't help but push his face closer. She knew she was close to something she'd only ever felt by her own hand. Maybe she would finally have her first orgasm from a male.
Killian increased the rhythm of his fingers, each thrust building the pressure inside her.
She might be breathing hard and moaning, but Brenna didn't care. Nothing had ever felt as good as Killian's strong fingers moving inside her in tandem with his tongue and teeth on her sensitive clit.
He finally sucked the little bud between his teeth and spots danced before Brenna's eyes before pleasure crashed through her body. The combination of Killian's fingers still moving and her inner spasms made her forget about everything but the sensations coursing through her body.
When she finally slumped to the bed, Killian removed his fingers and gently kissed each inner thigh before moving to her belly.
She must've closed her eyes, but she felt his rumbling voice against her abdomen. "Look at me, Brenna."
Unable to resist, she blinked open her eyes to find Killian's heated gaze. As she idly ran her fingers through his hair, he stated, "If there's ever anything you wish for me to do differently, say it. One of the foundations of a stable mating is open communication, no matter what it's about."
"Our mating isn't—"
"Don't say it." He crawled up her body until his face hovered over hers. "It's real to me." He nuzzled her cheek. "I want to give it a chance, Brenna. Tell me honestly you don't, and I'll back away. But I'm eager to know you, love. Will you give me the opportunity?"
This was it, the point in her relationship with Killian where she either committed or retreated.
He was a good male. However, her greatest fear was that she would slowly morph to fit his needs and would lose herself again.
Her dragon growled. Stop it. He just gave us carte blanche to make suggestions with sex. How many males would do that?
It's not him I'm worried about, but me.
Killian whispered into her ear, "Tell me why you're hesitating, Brenna."
A coward would make excuses and not answer. However, Brenna wasn't a coward. "I don't want the same thing to happen to me as it did with Cedric."
Killian met her gaze again, his expression fierce. "The last thing I want is a sycophant, following me around with big eyes. Mates make compromises, but you will always be your own person, Brenna. Even if I have to leave for a few weeks or months at your request for a break, I can do that. But I will always come back. If there's one thing you need to know about the O'Sheas, it's that we're a loyal lot."
Some males would say anything just to keep a female close. Yet, with Killian, she didn't think he was spouting rubbish to keep her in his bed.
Raising her arms, she wrapped them around his neck. "Let's give it a go, then."
Just as Killian lowered his head to kiss her, Dr. Sid's voice echoed in the room. "I'll give you a moment to right yourselves, but we need to talk."