Dragon Kin Captive Heart Read online

  He saw the confusion on her face, the hesitation. He’d have to convince her that this was real. He’d deliberately let her think that there were no strings attached, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to let her go. Not now.

  He ran his hand down her side, letting it rest on the soft flesh of her belly. He loved that she wasn’t all skin and bony angles like so many of the women he’d bedded in the past. She had enough flesh on her bones that he didn’t have to worry about hurting her with his superior bulk. “What do you fantasize about?” He kept his voice deliberately neutral.

  “Fantasize?” Her brow furrowed. “You mean like sexual fantasies?”

  “Yeah.” He sure hoped she wasn’t going to come up with something he couldn’t produce, like another shifter. “Is there something you’ve always wanted to try?” He watched as her lashes came down to rest on soft mocha cheeks, hiding her eyes. She said something, her voice so low he couldn’t quite hear the words.

  “Pardon?”

  “Water.” Her lashes fluttered just enough for her to peek up at him.

  “Water?” He knew he sounded as baffled as he felt.

  “Water. I’ve always wanted to make love in the ocean.”

  Haydn felt a slow smile play across his face. “You are the most surprising female I’ve ever had the pleasure of falling for. One watery fantasy coming right up.” Calling his magic, he quickly shifted back to his dragon form. All aboard for the lagoon special.

  He turned his head and watched as Cassie scrambled to retrieve their clothing. Don’t bother putting it on. He held out a claw toward her. No one is going to see us, and it’ll just slow us down when we get to the lagoon.

  Cassie handed him the clothing, a mischievous grin on her sexy lips. “This feels so very decadent. I’m going to be flying over the island naked, on the back of one of the famous dragon shifters. Hell, if someone had told me I’d be flying over the island naked, mounted on the back of a dragon, I’d have had the bartender cut off their supply of booze. Now look at me!” She twirled in a graceful pirouette.

  His gaze wandered approvingly over her full figure. If it were up to him, she’d spend the rest of her days naked, hidden away in his lair. He had a feeling that wouldn’t go down so well with her, though. I’m looking and I like what I see. Hop on before I change my mind and decide to make love to you again right here.

  She stuck her tongue out at him, a peal of delighted laughter ringing from her lips. You promised to fulfill my fantasy. Don’t be trying to back out now.

  Wouldn’t dream of it. Haydn lowered himself to his knees to make it easier for her to mount. Cassie grasped the bony protrusions on his scales, and clambered onto his back. With a teasing little wriggle of her butt that sent a flare of lust through him, she settled into place. Ready? Haydn lurched to his feet.

  Cassie anchored her feet beneath the overlapping plates. Let’s fly, dragon mine! She gave a little kick with her heels as if she were riding a horse. So where is this lagoon you’re taking me to? The only one I’ve ever seen is the one beside Utopia Bay, and I’ve got to think that’s a little too public for making love, even for a player like you.

  Haydn winced. While he’d enjoyed playing the field these last few years, now that he’d found his fire companion, things were different. Right now Cassie felt safe cavorting with him, thinking he’d let her go her own way in the morning, as he’d done with all his other conquests over the years.

  That wasn’t happening. She was his souler, the keeper of his heart, and he would do whatever it took to convince her that he was different from the rogues.

  He launched himself skyward with a powerful lunge of his back legs, his wings sweeping lazily in the warm air currents. We’re going to a special place that I know of on the far side of the island. It’s very private, the only other living things there are the dolphins.

  Dolphins? She giggled, the sound like liquid sunshine to his ears. Sounds like fun!

  Haydn circled, angling into the current to gain altitude. It felt so right having her perched on his back while he flew. He’d always thought that his fire companion, when he found her, would be another dragon shifter. Humans made great fuck buddies, with their endless imaginations and high sex drives. He just hadn’t considered that he’d form a soul-bond with one. The gods must be laughing at him now.

  He couldn’t help showing off a bit, taking long swooping paths around the mountain peak before gliding down low above the water. He could feel the wonder in her mind as she took in the beauty of the ocean unfolding beneath them.

  He looked forward to many trips with his souler mounted safely on his back. But for now, the anticipation of her slick pussy gripping his cock made him cut short his display of aerial skills. Titling his head to the left, he made his way down to the dolphins’ playground.

  * * *

  “This is lovely! Why didn’t I know it was here?” Cassie flung her arms wide, dancing in the frothy surf curling up on the beach.

  “Probably because the only route in is by air or water and it’s not visible from any of the shipping routes. That’s why the dolphins like to come here. No one disturbs them.” Haydn nodded toward the pod of dolphins lazing out in the deeper water. “It’s safe.”

  Cassie turned to face him, droplets of water glistening on her naked body, and he felt hot flames of lust licking their way through his groin. Did she know how tempting she looked? Did she have any idea what she did to his control?

  A flicker of hesitation gleamed in her eyes. “No one will see us? You’re sure?”

  “Absolutely positive.” Hayden tossed their clothing higher up on the beach, out of reach of the waves and strode across the warm sand. “Even the dolphins are closing their eyes.”

  Cassie giggled, the sound pure sunshine and music. “I never asked you if dragons can swim.” Her gaze dropped to his cock, already engorged at the mere sight of her naked body. “Or if the cold water is going to put a damper on your… ability to please.” She turned and ran into the waves, the sound of her laughter floating back to taunt him.

  “It’s going to take more than a bit of water to put out this flame.” Hayden watched her ample buttocks disappear beneath the surface. Making his way into deeper water, he dove in after her. Nothing like a little chase to whet a dragon’s appetite.

  Haydn sliced through the water with the skill of someone born on the small island. He’d learned to swim almost before he could walk and felt just as comfortable in water as he did on the land or in the air.

  Cassie popped up to the surface in front of him, wiping the water from her face. Her eyes reflected his own desire, and he reached for her using his dragon’s natural buoyancy to keep them both afloat. “Oh, Haydn.” Cassie sighed softly, her dark lashes sweeping down to cover her eyes as he seared a kiss across her full lips. “If only I’d met you sooner.”

  “Shush. Don’t think. Just feel.” He pulled her in tight against him, wrapping one arm around her waist. He used the other to tilt her head back so he could reclaim her lips, forcing his tongue past them to explore the hot cavern of her mouth.

  Her tongue came out to challenge him, and heat sizzled through him as she engaged in an erotic duel, sliding her tongue down and around with quick, wet flicks.

  Teasing. Tempting. Leading him on.

  He nibbled his way down her neck, licking stray droplets of water off her smooth brown skin. He gloried in the feel of her warm, plump body against his, moving just enough to keep herself afloat. His cock pressed eagerly against the soft flesh of her belly and he cupped one full, round breast in his hand.

  Not one of those bony stick figures that graced the covers of popular magazines, his fire companion had the full figure of an ancient Greek goddess. Her womanly curves welcomed his attention, and he flicked his thumb over her nipple, watching it harden into a dusky peak. Unable to resist, he lowered his head to engulf the tip with his mouth. Swirling his tongue around the nipple, he settled in to feast on the tasty mounds.

  Cassie t
ilted her head, arching her back as she moaned with pleasure. Her sudden shift of position threw him off balance, and he spluttered as the water closed over his head. Regretfully, he let her go and kicked his way back to the surface. “Time for Plan B.”

  He watched Cassie flail her arms about, a dazed look in her eyes. “You have a Plan B? One that doesn’t involve getting us drowned?” She calmed down and started to tread water, her lovely breasts peeking out from beneath the surf.

  “I do now.” Haydn glanced over her shoulder, focusing on a cluster of boulders sticking up from the water. He let the waves carry him closer to his fire companion. “Take my hand.”

  Cassie looked doubtful, but grasped his outstretched hand and held on. Haydn dragged her with him to the rocks, circling until he found what he was looking for. On the far side, where the surf constantly broke against it, a wide ledge had been worn into the hard surface. Right now, with the tide at its highest point, the ledge was well under the surface of the water. Perfect! Turning slightly, he guided Cassie toward the rock, waiting for her to feel the ledge beneath her feet.

  A sexy smile played about the edge of her mouth, and she leaned back against the rock. “Pretty good plan for spur of the moment.”

  “Why, thank you.” He watched a droplet of water work its way down her cheek. “Just goes to prove that I’m not just another pretty face.”

  Cassie laughed, the sound sending shivers of delight down his spine. “I’d hardly call you pretty.” She cocked her head and studied him. “Interesting. Rugged. Maybe even handsome, but definitely not pretty. But that’s okay, because I don’t like my men pretty.”

  “Your men?” He lifted one brow. “I’m the only man you need to be concerned with. I don’t intend to share you.” He pulled himself onto the ledge, one foot on either side of hers. Lifting his arms, he caged her between them.

  She lifted her chin defiantly, opening her mouth. Haydn didn’t let her speak. He swooped his head down and took her lips in a hard kiss, letting her feel his hunger. Trapping her bottom lip between his teeth, he nipped lightly, feeling the shiver run through her at the sharp pain before he ran his tongue over the tiny hurt.

  Cassie wrapped her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through his hair. “Don’t I have any say about our future?”

  He buried his face in the tender hollow of her neck. “Of course you do. I let you decide where we’d make love, didn’t I?”

  She sighed softly as he ran his tongue over the tender skin. “That you did, and it’s gorgeous. The warm water sliding over my skin is incredibly erotic. I can’t wait to see what it feels like when you slide that enormous cock of yours into my pussy.” She stared at him, her eyes dancing with mischief. “I’ll wrap my legs around you and let the water hold me up while I slide up and down your shaft.”

  “Minx!” He slid a hand across her soft skin and over the ample mounds of her breasts. “But I do like your idea.” He leaned into her and let her feel the thick length of his cock as it pressed against her. “The movement of the water lends an interesting feel to things.”

  “Mmmm.” Cassie squirmed against him, her beautiful eyes closed. He marveled that this gorgeous woman belonged to him. Shifting his position, he reached down with one hand to part the soft folds of her labia. Cassie whimpered softly as his thumb brushed across the hard nub of her clit, and he felt a surge of satisfaction at her instinctive responsiveness. He would enjoy teaching her the many positions of lovemaking he’d learned over the years.

  Grasping her hips, he positioned the head of his cock at her entrance and leaned forward, sinking his cock into her delicious heat one slow inch at a time. Cassie arched her back, whimpering incoherently as his shaft stretched her, sinking ever deeper into her tight channel. The warm ocean waves continued to lap against them, like the soft caress of a lover who watched over them.

  He paused when he felt his balls brush against her thighs, closing his eyes to enjoy the sensation of having his cock completely sheathed within his fire companion. Cassie stirred against him, and he smiled to himself.

  He pulled his shaft back until just the tip rested within her molten channel, then thrust back through the slick folds until his balls slapped her ass. Capturing her mouth, he proceeded to kiss her thoroughly, telling her with tongue and lips what he felt in his heart.

  He buried his cock in her repeatedly. His hips moved with piston-like precision as he picked up the pace, his lust intensifying with every thrust of his shaft, every ripple of her tight inner muscles, every moan and whimper that escaped her luscious mouth.

  His balls drew up tight, readying their load while Cassie writhed against him, trapped between his hard body and the unyielding rock. He felt the first wave of her orgasm tremble through her. The walls of her pussy clamped down hard on his shaft, throwing him into his own orgasm. He held her tight, roaring out his claim to the sea and the sky.

  Mine. My fire companion. My souler.

  Thick spurts of seed jetted out of his cock, bathing her channel in heat, and still he held her close as wave after wave of pleasure washed over him. Cassie clung to him, and he let the gentle pressure of the waves hold them up on the ledge.

  Cassie’s eyelids swept up to reveal eyes clouded with passion. “You’re an incredible lover. I’m glad I didn’t let one bad experience with a dragon turn me away from your kind completely. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He tugged her free of the ledge, letting the gentle ocean current push them toward the shore. “We’ll have to make this one of our regular trysting spots.”

  He felt her stiffen in his arms, the passion in her eyes replaced with alarm. “What makes you think we’re going to do this again? You haven’t bound me, have you? I thought you said you were different from Maudred.” The waves deposited them on the warm sand, and she scrambled out of his arms. “I won’t do it again. I’ll let the surf take me before I submit to being bound again.”

  Haydn stared at his fire companion, a sick feeling churning in the pit of his stomach. After what they’d just experienced in each other’s arms, how could she think he would do such a thing?

  Chapter Four

  Cassie backed away from the dragon shifter. Haydn had been slick, she’d give him that. He’d had her so wound up in the lust blazing through her every nerve that she’d almost made a fatal mistake. She’d almost trusted a dragon.

  “You’re my souler, my soul mate. Love forms the connection between us. That’s not the same thing as being bound.” He took a step toward her.

  “No!” Cassie held up her hand and he stopped. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear that was hurt in his eyes. “Don’t come any closer.”

  The dragon shifter sank down onto his haunches, as if he knew that would make him appear smaller, less menacing. He lifted his chin to make eye contact. “We’ve made love twice…”

  Cassie interrupted him, shaking her head. “We fucked twice. That’s all it was, a mutual sating of needs.”

  His eyes glittered like shards of green ice, but his voice remained calm. “To seal the bond between fire companions, they need to make love three times. Each time, both of the participants can feel their souls starting to join, the two halves becoming one joyous whole. It is the most beautiful thing in the world, and the most precious. It is nothing like a bonding.”

  He curled his lips up as though the thought left a sour taste in his mouth. “Bonding is an act of selfishness, forcing a human to submit to the will of a dragon lord without any consideration for the human’s wants or needs. You insult me by implying I would stoop so low.”

  He looked sincere, and for some insane reason, she wanted to believe him, but she knew that she couldn’t risk it. And yet… Not once had he forced her to do his bidding. He’d fucked her, but she’d wanted it every bit as much as he did. At all times she’d felt in control.

  Her feelings mattered to him and he’d let her be the one calling the shots. Even when they’d flown, he’d taken care to let her know that she�
��d be safe. He’d communicated with her the whole time so that she knew exactly what he was doing and why. Hardly the actions of an unfeeling dragon lord, but could she risk trusting him?

  “You need proof.” He said it quietly, his eyes filled with acceptance. “After your unfortunate experiences, you’re afraid that I will hurt you as he did.” She nodded slowly. “You trust Egan, the dragon shifter who freed you?”

  She looked at him warily. “Yes. Why?”

  “I can take you to talk to him and his mate Mireya. She’s the woman who let us into the coffee shop earlier this evening. You can ask her whatever you want to know about fire companions. She’s a ferret shifter, so she had even more reason to mistrust a soul bond with a dragon than you do. Would that help?”

  Cassie gulped down the knot in her throat. “You’d do that? Let me talk to someone else about us?”

  “Of course. The next time we make love, the bond will become permanent. Dragon magic works in threes, like most other kinds. Once I’ve shared my seed with you three times, our soul bond will be complete -- we’ll be joined together forever. Forever and a day, legend has it. Before that happens, you need to be sure that you’re willing to make that kind of commitment.”

  “And if I’m not?”

  He smiled, but she could see the strain in his eyes and at the edge of his lips. “Then I’ll just have to keep courting you until you are. I’m not going to force you to accept me.”

  “Well.” She tried to look confident. “Let’s go see what Egan and Mireya have to say.”

  * * *

  Where do they live? Cassie looked around. For as far as she could see, the landscape looked deserted. They’d flown low, following the coastline for the last half hour without any sign of civilization.

  Egan is a water dragon. Haydn looked over his shoulder, and Cassie had to admire the way the morning sun shone on the smooth scales that covered his forehead. His lair is beneath the water, with an entrance built into a house on the cliffs above. Very clever really, you’ll see.