To Mate A Dragon (Venys Needs Men) Read online

  Aida reassures with her words.

  She does not know me! A tendril of anger returns. She will pay for what she has done!

  As her hands caress my neck and clean my wounds, my instinct to enjoy her touch tries to overpower the fury in me. I like her touch. I like being touched. It is so rare for me to touch another; I have forgotten what the sensation feels like. I bask in it, wanting more, wanting her to press upon me and have her everywhere at once.

  She has no idea what confusion feels like, I groan inwardly.

  I know I still retain scales, but even they are far more sensitive than ever before. And the places where my flesh is exposed, a terrible and hungry stirring blooms. I could become addicted. A short while ago, I was in the most pain in my life, and now… Now, I am enjoying pleasure unlike ever before.

  My need for revenge grows—to shove her to the ground and finish what I started, to make her pay for her crimes, to kill her and destroy this perverse bond she has forced upon me.

  To subdue her, bite her, mount her. A growl tears from my throat as I consider touching her intimately, of her hands returning the favor… the thought takes over the death plans.

  She is sorry! She asks for forgiveness!

  The longer I wait and listen and learn from her, the more I am coming to understand death is not what she deserves.

  She deserves punishment. She says she will accept it! My brow furrows slightly.

  If the human bond is what my ancestors have warned me of… Her death will result in my death too. And I can sense the bond, the tying heat that already connects us. It is in my growing need for her presence.

  The thought of her death should give me pleasure—like it had for an instant on the beach—but it does not. Only vengeance does now, vengeance and having her by my side. Inconveniently incompatible ideas.

  I do not want this human to die.

  Mating, mounting, taking this blasted ache in my loins will be her punishment. And when the mating frenzy is gone, I will deny her my protection and a nest of my making—as she has denied me my hope. She will never be rid of me, and she will suffer it for as long as we both live.

  I force myself to calm down and relax before I give myself away.

  But I stiffen when the human female pulls my hair out from under my head. I have hair! She runs her fingers over and through it, avoiding my new horns, upending my thoughts again.

  I want her to touch them, for her to feel their power. But her fingers twist in my strands instead and my scalp prickles deliciously, sending shockwaves of pleasure straight through this new body of mine.

  Every moment in her presence makes it harder for me to pretend I am unconscious.

  Sensing her lean over me, I tense further. If she is under me, she cannot escape me or her punishment.

  I am ready to mate. Human or otherwise, my body is primed, and will not find relief until the act is complete.

  Her soft breath warms my brow. I inhale and take her scent into me.

  She smells of warm sands and sweet jungle spices, of fresh rain and ferns. So unlike the smell of any dragon that I have ever encountered, fem or otherwise. And it has been so long, so long since I smelled anything.

  Aida’s scent eclipses all others, even the femdragon’s.

  “I don’t want them to take you away from me,” she whispers, pulling my thoughts back to the here and now.

  Take me away from you?

  Them? These elders the other humans spoke of?

  My anger returns, slicing through me like talons. The petulant words of one of the human female’s return. ‘A chosen female,’ she said. ‘The elders decide.’

  No one, especially humans, will decide anything for me. They would not dare.

  My eyes snap open when Aida’s head settles on my belly. I try to keep my body from going rigid, but my cock spikes upward. Lifting my head, I look down at her, pulling my lips back into a snarl. But as time passes, she eases upon me, and I know she has fallen asleep.

  My chest swells, watching her. I ache to take advantage of her slumber and familiarize myself with her body. My bonded human’s body. The thought makes my shaft twitch—finding the deep place between her legs where it will soon invade. Filling it at my leisure while she is so subdued, I imagine how soft and accepting it would be… while she is weak with sleep.

  A plume of wispy smoke leaks from my mouth.

  Femdragon’s remain open for their chosen male until their seed has taken root. Would it be the same for humans? But as the night lengthens, I keep my thoughts in my head; the distant chatter stops, and I suspect I’m the only one left awake.

  Aida sighs, shifts onto her side, and nuzzles my stomach. The sensation makes me growl, and her body stiffens against me.

  The female human snaps upright, her dark gaze widening as she finds mine. The blue glow of my irises reflects in the sheen of her tired eyes.

  Her chest rises and falls. “You’re awake.”

  “Yes.”

  She scoots back when I sit up. I grab her, pulling her arms before she scurries any farther away from me. Her whole body strains under my grip, her mouth hanging open.

  “Do not scream,” I warn, my voice darkening.

  Her mouth slams closed.

  My fingers tighten around her arms with warning as I draw her to me. To my surprise, she does not struggle.

  When I have her where I want her—locked against my chest, facing me, her legs pressed to mine—I round one arm over her back and lift my other hand to grasp her neck. My aching shaft rests between us, and with a final shift, I pull her close.

  The pressure of her body, so near yet caged behind these wretched hides and armor layers between us, makes me want to roar and rage.

  No femdragon hides her sex.

  If this human submits so easily, her sex should be open and ready for me. But as I think this, her eyes harden. Not fully submitted, I see.

  Interesting.

  My fingers shift, settling on her throat. It moves and quivers.

  “You say you are sorry,” I begin.

  “You were awake! I knew it.”

  Snarling, she goes quiet. “You ask me to spare your people, but not spare you, why?”

  She licks her lips and the hardness of her gaze softens—a little. “If the stories are true and a touch from a human turns a dragon into a man, then I stole your life from you.”

  “It is true,” I say, unable to keep the relentless anger from my voice.

  She flinches. “I know that now…”

  Silence falls between us as I stare hard at her face, enjoying this slight body of hers, so powerless in my arms. There is a dagger on her hip but it does not bother me, in fact, I would like to see her fight with it. It would make her punishment all the more enjoyable.

  But tendrils of wet hair fall from the thick knot of hair on her head, framing her face, teasing her skin. With my hand resting on her neck, I notice it is shades darker than my own. Like the inner tones of conch shells, I muse, petting her throat with my fingers now. Or the coral reef sands right after sunset.

  I see her better now than I did on the beach, back when she defied the terror my large form should have given her and brandished her spear instead. I see her bright, honeyed eyes in the torchlight—near gold and amber in flickers—gaze into my own, framed by lashes so thick and curved, all I can think of is one word: sublime.

  Pulling her further toward me until her chest is pressed hard to mine, I wonder at human breasts as I look down at the cushiony orbs squeezed between us. My fingers strain where they rest on her waist, wanting to feel them. They are soft, I note, her butt is soft on my thighs where she sits on me. Parts of her are so soft while the rest of her is toned. I caress her waist with my fingers. Her muscles shake beneath them.

  “Are you going to hurt me?” she asks, a barely-there whisper. When I glimpse her face, her lids have lowered and the skin of her cheeks has taken a deeper hue.

  My lips twist and stop my caressing. “Does it hurt for a h
uman to be mounted, subdued, taking the mating heat of her mate that she so unwittingly touched?” My shaft jerks between us. I admire its size a moment, pleased how similar it is to the appendage I had before. It is heavy and tight, and I can feel my potent seed enlarge my balls. Seed that she will take! My prick was heavy when I was a dragon, but it is heavier now.

  Aida quivers against me, rubbing my cock with her movements, driving me closer to madness.

  My voice lowers. “Does it hurt being pumped with seed, bitten, and rutted, not only to answer for your crime but to take the punishment you offered so sweetly to accept? Does it hurt knowing that the only forgiveness I will accept from a human wretch like you is relief? Relief from this ache in my loins, relief from this new body, satisfaction from your submission to all my whims, and a brood of my own that I have wanted for more lifetimes than you have lived or will ever live?”

  Her nails dig into the scales of my arms, her hold on me tightens. Her lips part. A rush of her pheromones floods my nostrils, burning the heat I’m barely keeping at bay. The need to sheath my cock inside her sex and spend my seed builds.

  “I—I,” she stutters, jerking back, rubbing me while she does so, forcing the dangerous tension inside me toward the brink.

  Releasing her neck in a flash, I grasp her hips to throw her on the floor so I can mount her from behind.

  The next second, I am on top of her, throwing the hides aside and ramming my hips against hers, trying to find her deep. It’s hidden among the tussle of her weak armor. “You will take me again and again, human! That is your punishment!” I hiss.

  Pulling her hair to the side, I force her to look back at me.

  “Aida!” a voice calls out, interrupting as our eyes meet. I snarl loudly in warning. Death will come to those who intervene! I thrust my hips forward, my cock tip finally hitting—finding—the soft, wet heat between her thighs. It slips before it fully penetrates her.

  “Mother,” Aida gasps loudly, throwing herself away from me.

  My hands drop. Mother?

  Aida scrambles away and rises.

  9

  The Elders

  Before dawn, I’m led deeper into the cave, following a path of torches to where the elders are. Mother leads the way, huffing, upset.

  She’s horrified that the male was awake, shocked that he was on top of me naked—I’m reeling from that too—and concerned for my safety along with his. She didn’t want me alone with him, and now she’s made the sentiments known, loudly, for all the nearby tribemates to awaken and hear.

  I’m upset too, but for so many reasons. My body is doing strange things, and my thoughts are a mess. My core hasn’t stopped fluttering for hours, and my arousal gathers to trickle down my legs.

  He was nearly in me. For a moment. The shock of that has yet to leave my body. Truer aim, and my innocence would have been taken. Snatched. And claimed.

  My mind and my body have yet to decide how I feel about that.

  I keep rubbing my thighs together, trying to make my arousal go away, but it just gets worse. I’ve never been this aroused before, not even while thinking of my darkest fantasies late at night…

  And it’s worse because he’s behind me, not a stride away, often daring to come closer and breathe down my neck. I can see his shadow eclipse mine now and again as we walk, and the dark sharpness of his horns pierce every gloomy corner. Even with a pelt tied around his waist, I feel his cock poke my backside every time he bumps into me.

  I brace for his brutal penetration constantly.

  He bumps into me a lot. To the point that if we had nothing shielding us right now, I’m sure he would have no problem rutting me while we walked, in front of everyone… slipping his shaft between my buttocks with each stride.

  My core gushes a little. More uncertainty knots my belly. I imagine it. Then there’s a twinge of shame and embarrassment.

  Milaye’s sisters are following behind, weapons at the ready, I remind myself. Stop thinking about sex.

  And if that wasn’t bad enough, my stomach is grumbling, my limbs are tight from abuse, and the restful, amazing sleep I got lying against the male—whose panting in my ear is making my spine ramrod straight, my whole body aware of his—wasn’t nearly enough.

  Around us, people waking for the day, and the first wafts of cooking fish fill the air.

  My face falls. I don’t want to face the elders.

  Not now. Not like this. My dewy thighs slip against each other with each step.

  Mother stops before a large tent and turns to me. “They have questions, Aida, for you alone,” she adds, glancing at him behind me.

  He growls, steps up right behind me so that we touch, and I pivot to face him. “It’s the law of the tribe,” I urge, peering up at him. Every time I do so, my gaze goes to his glittering horns.

  “I do not care for human law,” he utters.

  Mother tugs me back, brow furrowed and flashing him a look of annoyance. “My daughter saved your life, tended your wounds, and has given you shelter. Soon you will be fed. You will obey our laws while you are a guest here, male. Unless you forgo our shelter and choose to leave?” She sounds hopeful.

  His gaze mutes when he looks at her. “Leave? No, I will not leave, not yet,” he says. “But make no mistake, human, your daughter owes me a great debt. One night of shelter does not begin to cover what she has stolen from me.”

  Mother’s mouth purses. “Go, Aida. Talk to them. They’re waiting. Your father is waiting. I will stay here with—what do you call yourself, male?” she asks.

  The light briefly returns to his eyes. “Zaeyr,” he announces, straightening.

  “Zaeyr,” I whisper. He turns to face me, flashing me a look of ferocious desire. Zaeyr. I like it. I like it so much more than any other male name I’ve ever heard. “Wait here,” I say quickly. “I’ll be right back.”

  I’m forced to bear the weight of his heavy stare before I turn and duck through the tent entrance. A sliver of coldness runs through me as I walk to the central fire and face the two men and two old females before me.

  Nata and Drea are the last of the grandmothers. Nata is a great-aunt to me, my oldest living relative since my grandmother passed away years ago. Stagie and Tabach are the last of the old men.

  Though Tabach is my father, he is twice the age of my mother. His first mate could not conceive children, and after many years of failure, Tabach mated my mother, Shyn, when she came of age, producing me and my sister, who she raised with the tribe’s help. They do not live together, but they are amicable. Mother takes care of him in the elder huts where he now resides.

  There are two other males in the tribe, but while they are far from young, they are not considered elders. Milaye’s father and another, each produced only female children. Oled, Nata’s son (and one of the very few males born here in the last generations) was sent to Shell Rock many, many years ago to keep the bloodlines pure. Shell Rock is where Leith was born and his elder sister, my best friend Issa, will one day become matriarch.

  “Sit, Aida,” Nata tells me. I drop to my knees with a winded sigh. I’m too tired to care about anything except what they say and getting back to Zaeyr. Nata’s brow furrows, and she hands me a loaf of bread and cheese. I bite into it with gusto. “You know why you’re here,” she asks.

  I swallow. “Yes.”

  “You brought a strange male into our caves,” Tabach says. “A male with substantial life-threatening wounds we’ve been told.”

  I set the bread down. “He’s healing. His wounds are almost gone now. He’s awake.”

  The elders glance at each other. “How?”

  But before I can answer, they argue.

  “Is it true he’s a dragon transformed? Are the rumors true? Awake you say?”

  Nata quips. “Dragons haven’t been seen in these lands since before I was born!”

  “If he’s a dragon, will he harm us?” Drea’s croaky voice stops the others.

  Holding up my hand, I try to answer,
but Tabach levels me with a look. My father and I don’t speak often; in fact, he’s only a father to me in name. But when we do talk, I’m intimidated.

  He may be old, but he’s still strong, and his voice still holds that strength.

  “Daughter, did you encounter a dragon in the storm and touch him?” he asks.

  “Yes, I did.”

  Silence descends as their gazes fall on me with wonder.

  “What happened?” Nata inquires.

  Inhaling, I tell my father and the others what happened, starting from the bridge to the dragons clashing on the beach… But after that, I keep some of the details to myself. They don’t need to know about the overwhelming sensations I get whenever Zaeyr and I touch. Or my obsession with him that only grows and grows…

  Even now, with thick hides and yards between us, I feel him as if he’s sitting beside me. I know he’s not, but I’m colder now sitting next to a fire then when my body was warm next to his.

  The elders glance between each other again.

  Father faces me. “The messenger that came from the north mentioned a bond… Have you… are you bonded?” he trails off.

  Flushing, my chest tightens. “I-I don’t know.” I don’t want to tell them. I can’t lie, though. If I mate Zaeyr—which almost already happened—they’ll all know that there is something between us. “There’s something, something that happens when I’m near him.” I gulp.

  Nata squints. “Which is?”

  “My body grows very warm and comforted in his presence.” It’s not the entire truth but it’s enough. That I’m wet and achy between my legs and half my thoughts are about finding relief—that I keep to myself.

  “Do you think he feels the same?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure I’m comfortable asking…”

  “He speaks our language?”

  I nod.

  “Hmm,” Drea grumbles, rubbing her chin. “If he is unmated, I wonder if he would accept a female from our tribe and join with us.”

  My chest squeezes painfully.

  Tabach interjects. “We would like to meet him. You say his wounds are healing and he’s awake. Do you think he is strong enough to face us?”