Chapter Sixteen
The first thing Constance noticed when she woke was the lack of pain. It had chased her like a monster into sleep. Now there was…nothing. That wasn’t quite true. She was energized. Whatever drugs Nic had given her, they’d certainly worked.
She frowned as a memory surfaced. Not drugs. He’d give her dragon blood. His blood. Or at least that’s what she’d thought he’d said. She rubbed her forehead, trying to remember. There’d been pain and then an intense heat, like her internal organs had been roasting over an open flame. Then nothing.
She wiggled her toes and fingers. Everything seemed to work fine. She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a very large, very naked male chest. The tanned flesh, the ripped muscles, and the intricate tattoo could belong to only one man.
“How are you doing?” His rough voice made her toes curl.
She rested her hand on his chest. “I’m great.” But that wasn’t right. She’d been shot. She sat up in bed, and the sheet fell to her waist. She ignored the fact she was naked from the waist up. At this point, it didn’t seem worth quibbling over. Nic must have undressed her.
She rotated her shoulder. There was no pain. When she turned her head and looked at her upper back, she could only see the faintest of scars. “Exactly how long have I been asleep?” It didn’t feel like very long, but if she was this far along in healing, it had to be for quite some time. Maybe she’d fallen into a coma.
“Two hours.”
“Two hours,” she parroted. “Impossible.” But it wasn’t if everything he’d told her was true. “You gave me dragon blood.”
He tilted his head to one side. A lock of hair fell across his forehead. She reached out to brush it aside, but he pulled away, and she dropped her hand back to the mattress.
“I gave you drakon blood.”
She heard the distinction this time. “Okay, what’s the difference?”
He scowled. “I am a drakon. I have a human form and a dragon form.”
She’d fallen into the twilight zone, but since she’d seen Nic shift with her own two eyes, she knew dragons were real. “Where did you come from? How are you even”—she waved her hand in front of her—“you?”
Nic sat up and leaned against the heavy wooden headboard. The sheet pooled in his lap. There was no mistaking the fact he was naked beneath it. A heavy pulsing began between her legs, and her nipples puckered into tight nubs.
He glanced at them and gave a low growl before turning his attention to the view outside the window. The sun was streaming in. She had no idea what time it was.
It was strangely sensual to sit here on Nic’s bed with him naked and her almost so. She was wearing only her panties, and they seemed more a tease than anything, the thin fabric brushing against her sex every time she shifted position.
“A little over four thousand years ago, full-blooded dragons came here from another dimension.”
“How is that possible?” This was like something from a fantasy novel.
“It just is. They opened a portal. They’re magical beings. They were able to shift their form into that of a human for short periods of time. They slept with as many human women as they could.”
If the dragons were as hot as Nic, she really couldn’t blame any woman for falling under their seductive spell. “They became pregnant.” It was a reminder that they hadn’t used protection when they’d had sex.
“A dragon, and a drakon, controls when a woman gets pregnant. With two dragons, it’s no problem. If the female doesn’t want to get pregnant, she doesn’t.”
She scooted closer, fascinated by the story. “But a human woman doesn’t have that luxury.”
“No. They spawned many sons, always sons. They stayed until the oldest of us hit puberty. It quickly became obvious that their dragon DNA could not overpower that of the humans as they’d hoped.” He swiveled his head and stared at her, his eyes as dark as midnight. “Dragons are cunning and strong and brutal, living by their instincts. Humans are intelligent and emotional. A dragon’s base form is that of a dragon. The base form of a drakon is human, but we can also shift and hold our dragon form for as long as we choose.”
“But the Knights. You said they’re the Knights of the Dragon.”
Nic snorted. “They don’t want to humanize us in any way. To them we are dragons, monsters to be destroyed or used for our blood.”
Through all of this, he hadn’t mentioned his parents specifically. “What happened to the dragons?”
The smile he gave her made him appear cruel in the harsh light. “My sire and all the rest left when they realized their experiment had failed. They conjured their portal again and returned to wherever they’d come from.”
Her heart was racing, and she knew her mouth was hanging out. “They… They just left you.”
“We were defective in their eyes. More human than dragon. To our human mothers, we were monsters, more creature than human. We were driven from our homes because of the fear of those around us.” He took a deep breath. “Enough about the past.”
It obviously still hurt him to talk about his childhood. Her chest tightened, and her heart ached. Then a thought hit her. “You said four thousand years ago.”
He nodded.
“You’re four thousand years old?” She was a little light-headed. This was a lot to take in. “And I drank your blood, and it healed me.”
He nodded again.
“Okay.” She held up her hand. “Give me a second.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and then another. It wasn’t easy to suck air into her lungs.
Nic cursed and pushed her head down toward her lap. “Slow down.”
She was breathing rather quickly. She took his advice and sucked in a big gulp of air and held it before slowly releasing it. Then she did it again. When she was finally able to take a normal breath, she raised her head. “Sorry about that.” How mortifying. The guy tells her his life story, and she loses it.
He leaned back against the headboard and studied her. “The question is, what am I going to do with you now?”
Several highly sexual and inappropriate suggestions popped into her head. Maybe it was because she’d come so close to dying, but Constance wanted to celebrate life in the most basic way. And she wanted to do it with Nic.
She wanted to make love with him when there were no more secrets between them.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he told her.
“Like what?” Was that her voice all low and sultry?
“Like you want to eat me up.”
That summed it up well. She scooted closer and placed her hand on his flat stomach. The muscles of his abs rippled beneath her fingers. “That’s not a bad place to start.” She was actually flirting in a way she never had before. But this was Nic. He was special, and she’d thought that long before she’d known just how special.
“Constance.” He placed his hand over hers to keep it from wandering up or down.
What if he didn’t want her? And she was coming on to him. Before she could get too embarrassed, she noticed the bulge beneath the sheet. So he wanted her. Maybe he didn’t want to want her. That killed some of her ardor.
They stared into each other’s eyes for the longest time. “You betrayed me.”
She had. She blew out a breath and nodded. “I had to rescue Abigail, but I’d always planned to come back and rescue you. And I did,” she pointed out. He needed to understand that.
“I wouldn’t have been in that position if your sister hadn’t been taken.”
What went unsaid was that if she hadn’t bought those statues, none of this would have happened. But there was an upside. “At least you have three of those statues instead of the Knights.”
“There is that.” He loosened his hold on her hand and began to run his fingers over the back of it. She wasn’t sure he realized what he was doing.
“I can’t trust you.”
Okay, that hurt. She closed her eyes against the tears that threatened. She understood, she truly did, but that didn’t make it any easier to bear. He had her heart, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever truly have his. Not after what had happened.
“You betrayed me.”
There was something in his voice that told her this went much deeper than just her actions. She opened her eyes. “Who else betrayed you?”
There was a flash of pain, and then his expression went blank. “It’s not important.”
Obviously, it was, but there was no point in pushing it if he wasn’t going to talk. “Okay.” She shoved the sheet aside and straddled his lap, capturing his erection between their bodies. It pulsed heavily against her stomach.
She half expected him to push her aside and get out of bed. But he rested his hands on her hips.
“I should hate you for what you did.” His pupils dilated, and his nostrils flared. The muscles in his chest and shoulders were like stone beneath her hands.
“Hate me later.” She leaned forward and brushed her lips over his. “Love me now.”
He gave a deep groan and then sealed their mouths together. Overwhelming relief flashed over her. She hadn’t lost him. Not totally. His lips were soft, but the kiss was anything but. He took her as if he hadn’t kissed her in months—no, years. He kissed her as if she was vital to him. Necessary.
She clung to his shoulders, lost in the sensual storm. But he wasn’t done. He plunged his tongue into her mouth. He tasted hot and electric, like a lightning strike in a storm. She couldn’t get enough of him.
Their tongues battled, and their breath mingled. There was no end. It was one continuous kiss.
Then he moved his hands, and Constance was lost.
…
Nic knew this was crazy. The woman had betrayed him, but he still wanted her to the point of madness. He’d managed to keep it together, holding on to his control while they’d talked. He’d been proud of his restraint.
Then she’d shoved aside the sheet. It had been bad enough trying not to look at her rounded breasts. The tips had grown taut, and their color had changed from pale pink to a darker hue as she’d become aroused.
He could smell her arousal.
The hint of honey and spice had his cock standing upright, seeking her warmth. He’d resisted. Then she’d straddled him, and he’d lost all sense of self-preservation. He had to have her one last time.
His dragon roared inside him. That half of him wasn’t ready to let her go. He ignored the conflict inside him and kissed her. When their lips were melded together, everything seemed right in the world.
There was no past, no future, only now.
Constance was warm and willingly in his arms, her mouth on his, her stomach pressed against his cock. He ran his hands up her delicate spine and pressed until her breasts were pillowed against his chest. They both groaned at the contact. He loved the way her tight nipples poked into his skin.
He let go of the restraints he’d put on himself and explored the treasure before him. He ran his hands up and down her back and over her arms. He captured all her little cries of pleasure in his mouth, learning what she liked best. He swept his hands down her sides and over her hips, not stopping until he cupped the plump mounds of her bottom.
She sucked in a breath and moaned.
Then it was his turn to moan when she trailed her hands from his shoulders and down his chest. She found his flat nipples and played with them with her fingertips. When he finally broke their kiss, they were both breathless. She stared at him with those guileless blue eyes. The ends of her hair brushed her shoulders. He loved the red color. It was the same as fire, his element. It was as though she’d been marked for him.
“This probably isn’t a good idea,” he told her. His fingers reflexively held on in case she made a move to leave him.
“Probably not, but I’m not stopping. Are you?”
There was a distinct challenge in her voice. He didn’t bother to answer. There was no way he was stopping, wasn’t sure he even could. Constance had become everything to him in such a short time. He bent his head and captured one pert nipple between his lips and sucked.
“I’ll take that as a no.” Her voice was strained. She cried out when he flicked his tongue over the pebbled tip.
She was so sensitive to his every touch. She was made for me. He wanted to deny the truth, but it was there. Constance was the only woman he would ever lov— He cut off the thought before he could finish it. He wanted her. He was keeping her. It was decided.
He was smart enough to overcome any objections she might have and rich enough to make sure her sister was safe, something that would be a big consideration for her. He didn’t have to let her go. He’d keep her in his life and keep her close so she could never betray him again.
He ignored the mocking voice in the back of his head, taunting him that he needed her and would use any excuse to have her.
It didn’t matter the reason. She was his.
A sense of rightness settled over him. The inner conflict that had been eating at him vanished between one moment and the next. He didn’t have to let Constance go. In fact, it made more sense to keep her near.
He could sleep with her, eat with her, care for her, and have her whenever he wanted. Nic didn’t know why he’d fought it so much in the first place. He was no longer a needy boy. He was a man, a drakon. He was powerful and rich. He could protect them from the Knights and himself from falling too deeply under her spell.
“Nic.” She threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer.
The beast inside him roared with pleasure. Nic wanted to do the same. It wasn’t always easy to balance the two halves of himself. The creature worked solely on instinct and could be ruthless if not kept in check. His human side could be too sentimental and weak. But when the two sides worked in tandem, it was a thing of beauty. It felt right.
He released the sweet nub and kissed a path over to her other breast. She rocked forward, pressing her lower belly against his shaft. The fires of need rushed through him, burning out of control.
He yanked his head back, his breathing heavy. Smoke plumed from his nostrils as the natural fire within him stirred.
“I need you.” He slid his hand between them and pushed aside her underwear. She was wet and ready, but the panties were in his way. He tore them easily and tossed aside the scraps.
Constance didn’t object. No, she went up on her knees and wrapped her fingers around his shaft. He feared he might come right then and there. But she didn’t tease him. She seemed to be in just as much a hurry as he. She fit the flared head of his shaft to her opening and lowered herself.
Her channel was slick but tight. It gripped his cock and squeezed each inch as it was sucked into her wet warmth. Nothing had ever felt this good, not even the first time they’d made love.
This time, she knew what he was and wanted him anyway.
“Nic.” Her eyes were closed and her head tilted back, exposing the long line of her neck. Her hair fell around her like a curtain with the tips aflame. Her cheeks were flushed. Her skin was damp. With the sunlight coming through the window spotlighting her, she was everything he’d ever wanted and more. Never had he imagined a woman quite as perfect for him.
But she wasn’t perfect. She’d betrayed him.
He shut out that voice, unwilling to listen. Not now with her core rippling around his cock. Not when he was bathed in her moist heat. This was honest. This was real.
Her chest was moving up and down with every breath she took. Her nipples were reddish and wet where he’d licked and sucked them.
He committed it all to memory, not wanting to forget one single moment.
She slowly opened her eyes and captured him in their blue depths. He was chained as securely as he’d been among those accursed statues. Except this time, he was a willing prisoner. He didn’t want to ever escape her silken depths. He’d love to stay locked inside her forever.
But the need to move would not be denied.
He cursed under his breath and began to lift her up and down, sliding her up his shaft before lowering her again. She got into the rhythm and went with it.
“Nic.” He loved the way she said his name when she was breathless.
“Nicodemus,” he prompted.
She licked her lips, and his cock jerked. “Nicodemus.”
Pleasure gripped his balls and squeezed. He growled and reached between them, finding her clit. He brushed his finger against the tiny nub of nerves, and she cried out. He did it again, and her inner muscles gripped his cock in a stranglehold.
“Now. Come for me now.” He needed her to come first. He had to make sure she found her own pleasure before he did. It was important to him.
She rode his cock, her movements jerky and primal and real. This was no seduction, just raw need. “Yes. Yes. Yes,” she chanted.
He pressed hard against her clit, and she cried out, clenching as she climaxed. That was all he needed. The pressure in his balls exploded upward and out his shaft. He loved filling her with his essence, marking her as his. He leaned forward and nipped the flesh at the curve of her neck. She jolted and cried out again, her channel clutching around him. He hadn’t stopped coming yet, and it just kept on going.
He ran his tongue over the small red mark he’d put on her shoulder, feeling a smug satisfaction at marking her as his own. There was something primal about it that appealed to him.
She gave a final cry and fell against his chest. He cradled her, wrapping his strong arms around her. Things had irrevocably changed between them. Now that he’d had her like this, with nothing between them, no secrets, no lies, he knew he’d never be able to let her go. He needed her as much as he needed his next breath.
She nestled trustingly against him. Anguish welled up inside him, and he had to bite his lip to keep from crying out. He’d lost his ability to trust all but his brothers centuries ago. It had been stripped from him as a child. He’d lost something precious then. He’d never really had it with Constance.
He’d have to learn to live without it. But what he couldn’t live without was Constance.
When she finally raised her head, she had a sated, sleepy quality that made him smile. “Are you hungry?” He was starving.
She paused for a second and then looked away. He sensed he’d disappointed her somehow. Before he could question her, she turned back and smiled. “I could eat.”
He chose not to pursue it for now. They needed to get cleaned up, dressed, and eat. Then they needed to plan their next move. The Knights were still out there, and Nic knew they were searching for them. Abigail was still in Vegas, which made her a liability, a tool to be used against them. Until Dent and his men were dead, they’d never be safe.