“Did I lose track of time?” she asked, yawning.
“It doesn’t matter. We have a car to get down the mountain, so we won’t get stranded.”
She chuckled and sat beside him on the picnic blanket. He served them sandwiches, ice cold water from a thermos, salty potato chips, baby carrots, and sliced strawberries. She grinned, and her clear hazel eyes gleamed with happiness.
“I love listening to you play while I paint. It takes everything to a whole new level,” she said, popping a carrot into her mouth.
“I know what you mean. When I watch you paint, it makes my music more powerful.”
Their eyes met as the clouds blew away from the sun and beams of light shone down on them. The light played on the tips of her hair, bleaching the dark strands amber. It twinkled in her eyes. Winnie was everything to him. He would give anything to spend days like this together on the grass with the sun glowing down, warm on their skin. He would gladly spend a million years watching over her if it meant one more day like this.
“Aiden,” she said. “My heart is overflowing. I don’t know how to keep it from drowning me.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I’m so afraid of falling for you,” she said. “It’s all so wrong. Nothing makes any sense. It feels like I’m losing my mind. No matter how hard I resist, I can’t stop it.”
“I will love you till the end of time,” he said, reaching out to stroke her cheek.
“Aiden. I…I love you too.” Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
“Whatever you need, I will always be here for you.” He wiped her tears as they fell.
He leaned in and kissed her softly, cupping her face in his hand.
“I know I need love in my life. I’ve never needed anyone or anything. I’ve always taken care of myself, for as long as I can remember. Admitting I need someone is a big step for me.”
“I’m honored that you are letting me into your heart,” he whispered, kissing her forehead.
“Thank you for being so patient,” she whispered.
He chuckled softly. “If you only knew the workings of my dragon’s mind, you wouldn’t say that.”
“I know how hard you’ve been resisting your instincts. You can’t hide it.”
“I thought I was doing a good job with that.”
“Nope,” she said, shaking her head and laughing. “But you don’t have to try so hard anymore.”
Chapter 17
Aiden checked out of the resort, and they started back down the mountain to her new house. The night before had been hot and blissful, but at the same time, it had left her wanting more. She still didn’t know if she was ready to become his mate, but she did know that she loved him, and she wanted him. When they arrived at her house, he helped her carry everything inside and was turning to go when she caught his arm and stopped him.
“Stay with me,” she said. “You don’t have to sleep outside.”
“I would sleep in the rain every night to protect you.”
“But you don’t have to. Not anymore.”
He gathered her in his arms and kissed her cheek, letting out a long, hot breath that blew through her hair. She buried her head in his chest.
“Why don’t you contact your buyer and let him know we will be in the city tomorrow. We can stop at the mansion on the way.”
“I can’t wait to meet your family.”
After sending an email to her buyer, she went to the kitchen and fixed them a simple dinner of spaghetti. They shared it at her small kitchen table. The contrast with the resort made her dingy little house seem just that much worse. She didn’t want to feel like she was suddenly getting a big head or high standards, but it was impossible not to notice.
It made her wonder about Aiden’s life. He said his family lived in a mansion. She wouldn’t mind living in a mansion and spending her life with Aiden. It would all be so easy. She would be freed of the struggle and could spend her life painting, loving the man she couldn’t get enough of.
Could she really do it? Could she give up her freedom and become the bride of a dragon? She wanted to, deep in her bones. But love had never been good to Winnifred. She’d always depended on herself. The more time she spent with Aiden, though, the more she realized that maybe her stanch independence might be standing in her way of her happiness.
They finished dinner, and he helped her tidy up. Later, they sat on her bed and watched a movie on her laptop while drinking chilled wine from her fridge, with a bag of microwave popcorn and a box of brownie mix she’d quickly whipped up. They laughed at all the same spots in the movie, and Aiden kept pointing out instances in the film that he found informative.
“My crew and I have been studying human relationships through your art and media,” he said. “I have listened to thousands of love songs. But falling in love is much different than how it seems in songs and films, isn’t it?”
“But there’s always a core truth in it, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, turning to her with curiosity in his eyes.
“I think love is our highest truth. Love can drive us to the noblest of acts. It can compel us into becoming our best selves. It is at the beginning and the end of everything important and meaningful in the world.”
“Hmm, I’ve never thought of it that way. You are very wise,” he said, leaning in to kiss her lips. “I ache to make you mine, to be at one with a woman as sweet and intelligent and as strong as you. You make me better. And I feel it’s only the beginning.”
“I feel the same way,” she said cupping his stubbled cheek in her hand.
He kissed her, pulling her astride his lap. He rested his forehead against hers, breathing each other’s air as they began to unbutton each other’s shirts. He had hers off first, pulling the blue denim hiking shirt down her shoulders and off her arms. He undid her bra and kissed her chest, cupping her breasts and caressing her soft flesh.
She felt him hard as a stone underneath her. She threw back her head as he worshiped her body, running his tongue around her nipples as he kneaded her tender flesh. He ran his hands down over her hips and around her waist, cupping her ass as he pulled her against his stiff cock. He pushed up under her, rubbing her hungry core.
She pulled off his shirt and ran her hands over his chest, loving the feeling of her palms on his skin and hard muscles. Her fingers glided over the tattoos on his arms, over his shoulders, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her against him, grinding under her and making her groan with need.
He flipped her over on her back in one swift motion, causing her to shriek with delight. She reached down and slid her fingers to his belt buckle, pulling the belt loose. She unbuttoned his pants and reached inside. He kissed her neck and chest, groaning as he grazed her flesh with his sharp teeth. She stroked his hard length, awed by his throbbing manhood.
“I want you inside me.”
“Are you really ready for this?” he asked, sliding his sharp teeth over her jugular vein.
“How does claiming work?” she asked, stroking his dick.
“We make love, and I bite you. It will release a type of venom into your veins. And then we will be mated. Other males will stay away from you, the bond and desire we already feel for each other will be expanded exponentially, and you will gain some of my dragon strength.”
“Does it hurt?” she whispered, kissing his neck.
She didn’t care if it hurt or not. She wanted him, to be claimed by him. She wanted to give in to this deep, wild yearning. Winnie had never been so sure of anything. With Aiden, somehow the colors were brighter, the contrast deeper, the play of light more dazzling. She liked who she was with him, and she wanted more.
“Maybe a little. But I can numb the flesh, so it won’t hurt that much,” he said, kissing her forehead.
“I’m ready. I’m ready to be yours.”
“My sweet Winnifred.” He kissed her mouth, cheeks and ran kisses over her chest.
He p
ulled off the rest of their clothes, leaving them both naked as he sank between her legs. She gasped when she felt his cock slide over her damp need. She thought he would slide it in, but instead he ran a trail of kisses down her body. He gripped her thighs and lapped up her pussy with his soaking wet tongue.
She shuddered, taking a quivering breath. If he made love to her the way he kissed her sex, then it should be the best experience of her life. His tongue glided up the slit between her legs, pressing against the tight bud at the tip. She groaned when his tongue began to vibrate right on the little bundle of nerves that gave her so much pleasure.
“Oh yes,” she groaned, threading her hands through his dark wavy hair. “Don’t stop.”
He kept licking at her pussy with that unbelievable vibrating tongue. Her body turned liquid as he devoured her core. Moaning and mewling, she felt the pleasure building like a stoking fire that would soon be so hot it would consume her soul.
She screamed as the orgasm racked her body. She threw her arms out to the side and arched her back, pressing herself up with her forearms. Her head and back lifted off the mattress as she was suspended by the wave of deep, nearly unbearable pleasure.
“Come to me, Aiden,” she demanded. “Come to me now.”
He crawled up her body and stroked the tip of his cock against her sopping wet entrance. She pressed her hand against his chest, her head dizzy with desire. She stopped.
“Wait. I’m not ready for a baby,” she said.
“Then you won’t have one,” he said. “Cato ran the analysis and proved that mated Dragon Souls have extensive physiological control of their body processes. That includes reproduction.”
“Oh,” she breathed, laying back and surrendering to the yearning need that was about to consume her.
He slid the tip of his cock through her outer lips and teased her entrance before slipping deeper inside. She gasped and clung to him, feeling his thick cock stretch her. He glided in, splitting her open in one swift motion. She dug her nails into his back, her world tilting as a new awareness came into view. She moaned and bit his neck. He claimed her mouth and kissed her deeply, cradling her in his arms as he held his cock deep inside her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Better than okay,” she said in a quivering voice.
“Good,” he purred.
Aiden carefully tilted back his hips and pumped forward again, caressing the deepest pleasure inside her. She squealed and squeezed her eyes shut as tingling desire built at the base of her spine.
With each thrust of his hips, he pushed her higher, farther, and closer to the edge of climax. He looked into her eyes, cupping her face. He thrust into the growing coil of yearning sprang free and filled her with ecstasy.
Her pussy throbbed around his cock, milking his length with her quivering orgasm. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, her mind swirling with bliss. Her body had a mind of its own. He kissed her forehead and held her still as the waves of pleasure rolled over her.
“You are so beautiful when you come,” he said. “More beautiful than a field of flowers or the sea in a storm. You are everything.”
“It’s so good. I didn’t know it could be like this,” she whispered in his ear.
Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as the last pulses of her climax thrummed through her body. He kissed her lips, forehead, cheeks, kissing away the tears that escaped and streaked a wet trail across her skin.
“It will always be like this,” he whispered. “You and I are meant to be. Are you ready for my bite?”
“Oh yes, Aiden. I love you so much.”
He wrapped his arms around her body, holding her in his powerful embrace. She wailed when he pulled back and thrust insistently into her core. The well of pleasure quickly redoubled as he pumped his powerful hips again and again.
The rising tide took her off-guard, Aiden pushed her so swiftly toward the edge of release. At the verge of orgasm, she felt his body tense inside her, growing thicker.
His sharp teeth grazed the skin of her neck, two pinpricks sliding over her sensitive flesh. His razor-sharp fangs pressed against her jugular, just as her orgasm exploded in every direction. She sucked air as he bit down, cutting off the sound of her voice. His teeth sank deep into her neck, gripping her flesh like a vice.
She felt the venom pump into her veins as he flicked his tongue against her skin, tasting her blood. She lay motionless in his arms as her pussy pulsed frantically with the echoes of her release.
His hot seed propelled into her core, coating her inner walls with sticky liquid. She felt him all around her, inside and out, enveloping her from all sides. Time stood still as a violent cacophony blended into utter silence.
She had a vision of her and Aiden standing at the edge of the universe. Shallow water splashed beneath their feet and reflected the stars scattered about them.
They ran toward each other, panting and laughing. He picked her up in his arms and twirled her around until she was breathless. He set her on her feet as they gazed into each other’s eyes. The pools of his irises reflected the stars and the image of her face.
“We are together now, bound soul to soul. We will never be separated,” he whispered. The words echoed inside her as if he had spoken directly to her thoughts.
She broke from the vision as Aiden carefully slid his fangs from her neck. She sucked air into her lungs and he withdrew from her body, rolling over on his back, beside her on the bed. She caught her breath as he pulled her into his arms. Resting in the crook of his shoulder, she gazed up at his profile.
“Did you see what I saw?” she panted, still amazed.
“The vision of our souls?” he asked, kissing her forehead. “Of course I did.”
“What is that place?”
“That is the place where souls meet, removed from physical bodies and the restraints of time. That is where we will always be together. If you ever need me, I am always with you in that place.”
She sighed deeply as he held her close under the fluffy blankets. Her little house might not be as fancy as the resort suite, she was glad they were here for this moment. It made her feel safe and in control.
She felt Aiden inside her now. He had worked so hard to protect her, in every way. It made her love him even more. She held him tight as she drifted off to sleep. Finally, fully bonded to her lover and mate, she’d never been more fulfilled.
Chapter 18
Aiden carefully slipped out of bed the next morning, leaving Winnifred to sleep soundly in the rumpled sheets. He tiptoed into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee before preparing breakfast for them both. Aiden had spent enough time around Kian to have learned how to cook rudimentary human foods, and Winnifred had enough groceries in the refrigerator for a big hearty meal.
He prepared eggs, bacon, and toaster waffles. The coffee had finished brewing and breakfast was ready when Winnifred trudged into the kitchen in her lavender bathrobe. Her hair was a mess, but her eyes were bright with love, and it filled his heart with tenderness. He strode across the small kitchen and gathered her in his arms.
“Good morning, my sweet mate,” he said, kissing her cheek. “Duchess of the House of Flames.”
“I’m a duchess now, huh?” she asked.
“Technically, yes you are.”
“Oooh, fancy,” she said in an exaggerated accent. She kissed him sweetly on the mouth and then looked around the kitchen.
“I see you made coffee and breakfast. You’re my champion.”
“There is no limit to the lengths I would go for my lady,” he said, plopping the toaster waffles on a plate.
They both chuckled and sat down at the small kitchen table together. She slowly sipped her coffee and ate her breakfast. He could feel her contentment wrapping around her like a warm blanket. He felt the same. Yet there was still so much to attend to.
After breakfast, they prepared to leave her house for the day. He could feel her apprehension at meeting his family and clan. But he
knew that she would love them, and they would love her.
He put her painting in the trunk of the Mustang. With Winnifred beside him, he pulled out of the driveway and headed north toward the compound. Turning off the highway, he headed along the small country road to where the House of Flames had taken residency in this world. Winnifred’s jaw dropped as they pulled into the driveway and slid through the barrier shields that kept the vampires at bay.
“You weren’t kidding when you said it was a mansion,” she said, looking up at the large modern building that housed his crew.
“It’s a nice place to live,” he said. “We’re happy with it. And so are my crewmates’ ladies.”
He parked in front of the garage and they walked to the front door together. Before they made it to the porch, Kian and Everly, with Ember and her arms, came striding out into the front yard.
“Aiden!” Everly said. “You finally brought your mate for us to meet.”
“Everly,” Aiden said. “This is Winnifred. Winnie, Everly, my cousin Kian’s mate.”
“And this must be Ember,” Winnie said, reaching out to take the grasping baby’s hand.
Ember giggled and cooed at Winnifred and Winnifred giggled and cooed right back. Aiden loved seeing her with the baby, and hoped that someday soon, they would have one of their own.
“Come on in and meet the rest of the family,” Kian said.
Everly and Kian led them into the house. They made their way down the hall, past the formal living room and into the back of the house. In the family room, the found Cato, Dax, and Aria, sitting around on the big couches. They all stood upon seeing Aiden and Winnifred.
Dax was the first to approach, with a big goofy smile on his face. He reached out a thick hand to Winnifred in the formal sign of greeting among humans, offering it for her to shake.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m Dax. I’ve been looking forward to meeting the woman who’s stuck with Aiden.”
“Not now, Dax,” Aiden said.
“It’s nice to meet you, Dax,” Winnifred said taking his hand and shaking it. “Truth be told, I’m happy to be stuck with him.”