Mate. By the gods, he was near. Very near.

Everything else in the world, my need to escape, the faint dread of my father’s anger, the battle ahead, it all faded away as I felt his essence wrap around me and I came awake. I had been trained not to give my change of consciousness away, not to give my enemy any advantage, but even that control was gone.

I sat up, my hands free of the burning chains, and looked for him. My eyes found him instantly, sitting across from me. We were on a bed of fur, in a dark cave, lit only by a lamp with a green tint. More work of that damnable fairy, I’d guess.

“Hello, Aska. You are safe.”

“You might not be.” I purred, my training kicking in at last, even if only a little. I felt odd, in a way I couldn’t explain.

I leaned towards him, not even realizing it at first, not until he put his hands on my shoulders and pushed me away.

“Maybe later, right now, you need to eat.” He plunked a bowl of soup in my hands, and turned away from me.

“Poison? Is that the best you have?” I put that bowl down on the ground beside me. I only had one hunger right now, and it wasn’t for food.

“I wouldn’t poison you if it meant I had to die myself, Aska. Please, it’s been a day since you ate last, eat this now.” He still hadn’t turned around.

I looked at the black hair that fell down the middle of his head, bare on the sides. Braids ran down the middle of the line of hair, braids that ran all the way down his back. Why was that so fucking sexy?

I wanted to curl my hands in those braids and pull his head around to me. Not to break his neck as I should do, but to plant his head between my thighs. The urge to mate was almost unbearable, it was overwhelming, but I’m not Airitech’s daughter for nothing.

“Aska, please eat your food and we’ll continue our travels.”

I tried to take control of my brain again at his patient tone. How could he control himself when all I wanted to do was climb all over him and howl his name to the moon? I wanted to lose my entire self in him, I wanted to be him, but, I am Airitech’s daughter. I had to remind myself again.

I shouldn’t have to. Maybe there was more to this mated business than I thought? I plastered a frown to my face and took the bowl. He didn’t move from the pallet of furs, but he didn’t turn to face me either. I observed him, still and soundless across from me, as I ate the hearty soup of vegetables.

I had to fight for my self-control; I had to remember the harshest beating my father had ever given me to bring myself back to my senses. I mulled over the memory and what had caused it as I ate resentment and anger nudging out, but not completely hiding, the urge to mate.

I’d found an old photograph of her. Abigail. His other daughter. The chosen one. I still have no idea how he got it, she’d been hidden from us since her mother had fled to Wruin for protection. He’d caught me with the picture, and I thought I’d die before he stopped kicking me. I thought I’d die from my injuries when he stopped, a chunk of my hair in his hand as he spat down at me to never go near his things again. Apparently, just my gaze on her picture had somehow soiled the chosen one. He threw the wad of my own hair at me and left me, bleeding and but unbroken on the cold floor.

I’d heard about my sister before, but it was always to compare me, to find me lacking somehow. I didn’t hate her, but I didn’t love her either. There was too much resentment wound up with memories of beatings when I thought of her. I was intelligent enough to know that was my father’s goal.

Abigail was my half-sister, my own mother a nameless woman my father had discarded long ago. Now, it all served to help me force down the soup, to resist touching the man across from me. Why didn’t he move, damn him? Maybe some distance would help me to concentrate.

“Could you bugger off somewhere, dragon?” I put as much venom into the words as I could muster. Admittedly, it wasn’t a lot. Even I was disappointed in myself now.

“I’m fine right where I’m at, Aska.” He still hadn’t turned around. Was something wrong with him? His voice sounded different, strangled rather than the smooth tone I’d heard only in scraps, but enough to know what he sounded like.

“Where are we?” I asked him, just to break the silence. I hated when others could hear me eating and it was so silent in this place that he definitely could.

“We haven’t left Endre’s kingdom yet. I’m waiting on Fern to return so that she may open a portal for our departure.”

“So is this some kind of cave then? Is that what this is?” I put the empty bowl to the side of the furs and looked around. It did look like an ice cave, cold and frozen with the green light of the lantern giving it all a radioactive look. Not romantic, but when had I ever needed romance?

My few matings were done by choice, but done roughly, quickly, and with little said afterwards. From Taka’s manner of speech and his actions with me, I knew he was a different kind of man. Not my kind, really.

“Yes, it’s a fissure in the ice, actually. We should be safe here, for a short time.” He still wasn’t moving.

My plan to ensnare him into betraying his kind wasn’t going to work if he wouldn’t even look at me.

“Taka, you know, it wasn’t worth setting me free if you can’t even face me.” I was goading him, I wanted to see his reaction.

I saw his broad back muscles tense but he didn’t turn around.

“Aska, you know this is a joke fate has played on us. We are not meant to be mates, it’s almost sacrilegious, but it seems we are. If you want to test the strength of our bonds, I can turn around, but I warn you, just carrying you in here had me on the verge of tearing your clothes off and taking you until you woke up and begged for more.”

“Ah, a man of honor are you, Taka?” I tried not to sneer over the word honor, but I saw him bristle anyway. The images his words evoked had me nearly trembling already.

“I happen to be yes, Aska. Normally, there is nothing on the face of this planet that could get me to do what I did tonight. By rights you should be sitting in that cell still. I can’t let you die, though.”

“I…oh.” Nobody had ever been kind to me before. I’d never felt the prick of tears at such a gesture, either. I felt it now, and read between the lines of Taka’s words.

He had saved himself by saving me, by making sure we were together, but he’d done that for me.

Airitech’s daughter or not, I couldn’t deny our bond, or that he was my mate now that he was so close. I didn’t like the things I was feeling, these emotions, but if I could just maintain a sliver of control, I might be able to make this work for me.

I felt a shiver of danger run down my spine as I sat up and moved towards him. This was a giant mistake, a huge mistake, yet I kept moving. I was breaking so many of my father’s rules, for myself and for my behavior. I couldn’t stand it anymore, and I no longer cared what my father might say, I had to know what his hair felt like, what he felt like. My hands shook with the knowledge of what I was about to do and I placed one on his head and one on his shoulder to brace myself against him.

He didn’t move, not a single muscle. I don’t think he even breathed as I threaded my fingers into the top of his hair and ran them down the length. There was so much of it, and it was so silky. That, of course, lead to other thoughts.

“Aska…” He started but soon stopped. He turned and caught my face with a large, rough fist. He drew my chin to his and then our lips touched. Our tongues tangled together as desire, strong and hot, raged in my veins. This desire stole my breath away and left me gasping. It burned hotter than anything I’ve ever known before.

I’ve kissed men in my time, hot passionate kisses, and a girl once, and that was hotter than kissing the men, but that was nothing in comparison to the heat that burned through me as Taka’s tongue found mine. No one had ever created this inferno of pleasurable need that burned between my thighs and I couldn’t stop the little sound that escaped my throat as I pressed my hips to his back. I knew it gave away how weak I was but I couldn’t do anything about that.

“Taka.” I’d pulled away, needing something, something that threatened to overwhelm me, yet I couldn’t pull away. Even though my head was clamoring at me to run far, far away.

“It’s alright, Aska, I won’t hurt you.” He said my name so sweetly, in a way nobody had ever said it before. As if my name wasn’t a warning, but a siren’s call.

His fingers pulled at the braids holding my hair near my scalp in a tight bun and the long length waved down my back. He inhaled the scent of my hair cleanser as he turned and leaned into me; he was tall, taller than me, and I was tall for a woman so he had to lean down intimately into my space. He moved again, as restless as I was, now.

Taka startled me when he pulled me up then, hooking his hands under my bottom to easily lift me, he turned and brought us down on the furs. My strong legs parted, wrapping around his waist, my eyes now locked to his.

“I told you not to tempt me, Aska.” He brought me down, our faces together as his lips danced on mine once more. His fingers removed the leather jacket that had kept out the cold and his fingers dived beneath the hem of my leather shirt.

I felt my breath shuddering in my chest, but I couldn’t stop his questing fingertips, not even if I’d wanted to.

His fingers seemed to flick away all of the warnings of my brain when the warm tips found my bare breasts and teased at the light rose nipples hard and ready for his touch. The shuddering in my chest turned to an all-out shiver when he squeezed the sensitive flesh tightly.

“Taka…” I whispered his name, not sure why I did so, but I needed to so I did. I’d given up to him completely. My body, and now my mind, were his and I couldn’t hold myself back.

Brushing the leather shirt aside he leaned up, pulling me into him so that he could take my nipple into his wet mouth and I moaned. Stars were already dancing behind my eyes.

I cried out again as his lips started to tug at the bud, a deep pulling sensation coursing down my abdomen and straight between my thighs. Fuck, he feels so good. I felt the first twinge of panic, I wasn’t supposed to feel this good, but he tugged again, harder, and the panic fled.

This is what I’d needed my whole life! I’d only needed Taka…

His other hand left the other nipple and opened my tight black pants, and slid into my panties with practiced ease. I could feel how ready I was for him, just through his touch.

I heard a hiss of inhaled breath as his fingers delved into my depths, and knew he was pleased at what he’d found. Oh, this dragon was in for the fuck of his life. My fingers were already wound in his hair again, holding his head to my breast with one hand while I pressed down on the hand that was in my pants, pressing him deeper into my body. It just felt too good!

His fingers, his magical dragon fingers, moved inside of me, and filled the aching depths of my empty core. I gasped as pleasure jolted through me, his palm pressing into the throbbing button hidden between my thighs.

I panted his name as my hips began to move, thrusting into his hand mindlessly, and my lips started a mantra I didn’t even know I was saying.

“Oh Taka. That is so fucking good. No, don’t stop, please, more.” I don’t really know what I was asking for but I knew I needed more of it.

“Mm, such passion for one usually so…collected, Aska.” His lips brushed at my nipple between his words, his fingers not missing a beat inside of me. “I didn’t know there was a woman in there that could beg so sweetly.”

I didn’t really hear his words, or I might have objected, I could only hear his voice as my body greedily took the pleasure he was giving me.

I’ve never experienced the warm, liquid pressure inside of me that his dancing fingers gave me. I’ve never felt anything that made me ache so beautifully, that made me want to writhe sensually until I gave up everything I was and gave in to my body’s demands.

“Please, Taka.” I murmured the words against his forehead, my lips pleased at his taste. Lemongrass and mint.

“What do you want, Aska?” The demon dragon tormenting me slowed the pace of his fingers and pulled his head away to look up into my stormy gray eyes. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want you, dragon. I want you, Taka.” I looked back at him, challenging him to take what we both wanted.

“What about me do you want, Aska?” His fingers drove deep inside of my walls as he ground his palm into me, using the need against me, to make me his.

“You, Taka, all of you, only you.” I couldn’t believe the words were ripped out of me so easily.

“Oh, that’s not good enough, Aska. I have to be sure of exactly what you want. Tell me quickly, before we’re interrupted. What you want and how you want it.” His words were a low rumble of tease, little more than a whisper but I shivered as he spoke them against my neck, his lips brushed softly against my pale skin. I sank down to rest my head against his, I would have to give up all of me for him, that’s what he was really demanding I do.

I was rabid with my need, my hips moving on his now quiet fingers, as I tried to take what he’d stopped giving me. I was so emotionally wrecked by then, I was almost afraid I was going to shift, an act that would see me flee rather than make him give me what I needed most so I clamped down on his fingers and forced myself not to shift.

“I need you, Taka, I need your cock. Deep inside of me, making me nothing but yours. Rough and hard, slow and wild, however you want to do it. I just need you to fuck me.” I’d become desperate, a savage little beast, and the words poured from me as I moved on his hand, needing more than his two slim fingers to fill me. I think I shocked him, but then, he shocked me back.

“Oh, my fingers aren’t enough for you then? Are you not full enough? I can slip a couple more of my fingers inside.” His words were a tease, surely?

“I don’t think…ahem…I don’t think that’s even possible?” I sat back, looking into his eyes unconvinced.

“Oh, my darling, anything is possible, we’re magicals aren’t we? Well, almost anything is possible.” He paused, a dark cloud passing over his face before he grinned straight white teeth at me. “But if you’d like, I can show you just how much you can take.”

“Maybe…oh shit, maybe some other time.” He’d flexed his fingers inside of me again, making me jerk in his arms. “I’m still, Taka please, just give in to me. That’s all I want. Just you and nothing else.” I didn’t want to spend the night being teased, or the promise of love and flowers, I just wanted to feel him inside of me, making me forget the world, and that we might die, and never have a chance to do this right. My father wouldn’t allow it, he’d kill me himself first.

“Get these off.” His words were soft, gentle, and I moved away to slip my pants off as he slipped out his.

I went back to him immediately, not caring that now as a good time to escape, even if he had managed to take all of his clothes off.

His body felt bigger, cleaner, different, so very different from the other men I’ve known. For some reason my mind was shocked that there were hard, smooth planes where I was used to soft fluff; there were ridges of muscles in his abdomen, and his chest, along his arms and back, even his buttocks were round hard globes of muscle. He was a perfect, masculine specimen.

I looked up into his eyes as he settled between my thighs, and watched as his now dark blue eyes explored me. I saw a flash of green in those eyes and knew it was satisfaction that I saw when he gave a hum of approval. I worked hard to be sure I was ready for battle, and though my body wasn’t as soft as some women’s my breasts were still shapely and my body was fit.

He leaned down to kiss me one more time, his hard length pressing into my heated folds. “Thank you, Aska.”

His words startled me, almost took me out of the moment, as he surged into me at last.

Taka held me by my hips, held me still as he surged into me, over and over, until I was screaming out his name, bliss the only thing I knew as he opened me to him.

“Please.” I begged him as I looked up at him once more.

“Let me in, Aska. Please.” I had no idea what he meant until my walls convulsed around him and the entire world changed. I knew him, I knew everything about him, I knew how he felt right now, what he was thinking, how he relished the sounds of my scream of pleasure, and my pleasure joined with his to create something that was white, and hot, and beyond anything I’ve ever known.

We flew together, entwined in each other, into some oblivion that I could not describe. Black, with flashes of colors, pleasure that all but stole my breath away, and something that terrified me the closer I drew to it. I hesitated, pulled back, afraid for the first time in a long time.

I soared back into my own body as I sensed that other thing waiting for me in the light. I was afraid, terrified, and ready to flee from Taka without looking back.

I did not want that, I would not have that. It wasn’t for me. No.

“Aska?” Taka pulled away as I pushed at him, the moment gone.

“Get off me, dragon!” I snarled, reaching for my clothes.

He raced up off the furs, his hands collecting his own clothes to throw them on.

“What’s wrong, Aska, what did I do wrong?”

“You took her out of her cell, brother, that’s what you did wrong. Guards, take them both.” Wruin’s voice came out of the darkness and drew us both up.

It was all over anyway. Fern hadn’t come back in time.

I sank down to my knees, almost thankful that Wruin was going to take me away from Taka. I did not know love and did not want to know it. I’d seen it there, in that light, and now, it was time to run, even if that meant giving myself up to Wruin.