Dragon Warrior (4 page)

“Then let me lead,” she replied, unsure if she channeled his emotions, tapped into her own or a combination of the two. Never had she acted so brazen, felt such pumping need before. She held her breath and waited for what he might say.

No words came.

Instead, his mouth came down, hot and heavy and hungry, on hers.

Sparrow sighed as Kestrel's hot tongue slid between her lips. The tips of her nipples puckered, tightening to sensitive peaks. Every ounce of blood in her body heated and warmed, gushing through her veins in a blistering stream straight to her core. The ache between her legs intensified until it almost had her whimpering aloud.

Rising on tiptoe, she brought her hands to his face. The urgency of his kiss, his touch pulsed through her. Her heart quickened, fluttering like wings in her rib cage, mirroring the need in her desire to break free.

Hands palmed her ass, ripping a startled gasp from her lips. One slid to her leg, the width of his palm eating up her thigh as he hitched her knee to his hip. The fabric of her skirt peeled back, revealing more skin for him to peruse. However, he simply tugged her up, clasping her tight in his arms.

Sensitive and heavy, her breasts crushed against his hard chest, her legs wound around his waist. His thick shaft stood like a wall between them. Sliding her tongue against his, she ground herself against it.

Kestrel moaned in her mouth. Then he spun her, dropping her on her back atop his bed and collapsing above her. Propping himself up on an elbow, his long hair tumbling against her fevered skin, he smiled down at her with a sexy grin that melted her heart. Slowly his fingertips traced the line of her nose, around her eyes, her lips and neck before his lips followed the trail his hand made.

“I've wanted to do this since you healed me,” he murmured against her neck, his teeth playfully nipping and his lips lightly suckling.

Sparrow smiled. “I thought you said you didn't remember anything from that night?”

He lifted his head briefly, a wicked glint in his hooded eyes before he dipped back down. “I lied,” he breathed in her ear.

Hungry, his open mouth brushed along the column of her throat, tasting each new morsel of skin he uncovered until she lay beneath him naked, breathless and aching. The moment his lips touched hers again, Sparrow instantly rolled, flipping them so she sat astride him. Although part of her brain told her it was to avoid any problems with his new leg, deeper down, she liked being in control, feeling the power for once.

Flattening her palms, she glided them over his contoured shoulders, down his sides. His massive body shuddered, and a strained growl vibrated in his throat. When her fingertips brushed the top of his sex, he broke the kiss.

“Are you certain?” he panted. “We can still stop.”

Sparrow cocked a brow at him, feeling a playful smile tug her lips. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Gods, no,” he replied, kicking his head back when she palmed the hard length of him again. She was a healer, she knew the specifics, knew what to expect. However, Sparrow hadn't taken into account her own desire. Her own need. It vibrated from the inside out, demanding, hungry and seductive. The emotions overpowered her like a drug, shooting adrenaline and lust into her veins and casting any doubts or worries to the wind.

“Sparrow.” Kestrel uttered her name in a strained groan, rocking his hips into her hand, pressing himself against her. Driving need knotted her core, another flood of moisture pooling between her thighs, preparing herself for him.

And she was ready.

Positioning him upward toward her heat, Sparrow straddled his thighs and sank down a fraction of an inch. She gasped when the head of his shaft kissed her entrance. A blissful flutter quivered through her, setting liquid fire pooling in her core. Smiling in anticipation, she sank down farther, marveling in the feel of him filling her, stretching her. Large hands gripped her hips, stopping her descent.

“Go slowly,” he breathed.

Sparrow didn't listen. It felt too good. She pressed further and again his fingers bit into the flesh of her hips, trying to stop her.

“Slowly…” he ground out the word.

Instead, she gave into the pleasure and thrust down hard. The soft flesh of her buttocks pressed against the hair of his thighs. A burning sting ripped through the lower half of her body. She winced. Her body stiffened.

“Sparrow, Sparrow,” Kestrel repeated, sitting up to wrap his arms around her back. At the movement, she sucked in a breath, her small body shuddering in his arms.

Muttering a curse, Kestrel rolled her beneath him, lifting her legs to relieve as much pressure as he could.

“Don't move, Doc. Stay still. Breathe. Feel me.” He smoothed the hair from her face with one hand, bracing himself above her with the other.

“I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting…”

“It's all right.” He started to ease out of her heat. The hands on his shoulders tightened.

“Don't leave me.”

He stilled his hips, leaning over instead to kiss her temple, her closed eyelids, her cheek, behind her ear. “All right,” he whispered into one. “I won't move.”

Sparrow looked up at him and felt a frown tug her brow. Although he said it with a smile, the shakiness of his voice and sweat beading on his brow gave him away. She didn't need to be an empath to know the blissful torture he suffered. She herself felt caught between acute pleasure and acute pain, and just needed her body to decide, one way or another.

Closing her eyes, she guided her mind, all her thoughts to the pleasure she'd experienced before. Focused every bit of her body and soul on Kestrel, what he desired, what he felt right now. A jolt of heat shot through her, so quick and unexpected her breath caught. Languid and thick, a pool of warmth settled deep within her belly in its wake.

She gripped Kestrel's biceps, aroused to feel how much he loved the warm glove of her body wrapped tight around him. To fully understand how hard it was for him not to piston his hips in and out of her with the animalistic force he'd tried to warn her about. To feel exactly how bad he wanted, no needed, release and yet held back for her.

Drawing her lower lip between her teeth, she dug her heels into the bedding. Tentative and slow, she shifted her hips, rolling them into his. A zing of pleasure shot up her spine as she eased his length almost all the way out of her. She gasped at the sensation as Kestrel groaned in her ear. A shudder racked his powerful arms. Again Sparrow tipped her pelvis, taking him deeper inside her before sinking back down.

“Damnation.”

At Kestrel's low spoken words, Sparrow opened her eyes. His were pinched tight. Sweat rolled down his nose, dropping on her chest. His entire body shook, but still he did not move. Sparrow smiled, emotion tightening her throat. The ice that had frozen her body before melted. The fire he'd ignited deep in her core, in her very soul came flooding back.

“Kestrel?”

“Yeah,” he said on an exhale, his eyes still closed.

I love you.

“Can I get back on top now?”

She spoke and thought at the same time.

His eyes flew wide. “Are you sure?”

Sparrow twined her legs around his waist, rolling him on his side. “More sure than I've ever been of anything.”

Kestrel released a shaky laugh and fell to his back. His lips were still curved in a grin when he brought them up to hers, kissing her softly. “You. You are amazing.” A hand splayed on her cheek, caressing the softness of her skin. He felt the awe on his face, knowing it lay unmasked for her to see.

Everything in his dragon senses yearned to dominate her, roll her over and pound into her hard and fast. He wanted to lay an undeniable and earth-shattering claim to her body and soul. Yet fear of hurting her reigned in the beast. And another emotion he hadn't had the guts to name until now made him want to be the man he saw in her eyes. Made him want to believe he could be that man, if only for one night. However, when he looked up at the woman above him, all of that faded into oblivion. All he saw was her. All he felt was her. Her tight, warm walls hugged him, gloved him and fastened him to her.

“I love you, too.”

Slowly, gingerly he pivoted his hips, wedging himself deeper inside her heat. Her head tipped back, her body bowing into his. After he took the lead with a few tips and thrusts of his pelvis, she found her rhythm above him. The smooth glide of her skin on his, the friction burning between his thighs and the sweet scent of their lovemaking overwhelmed him. She gasped, the fingers on his chest curling into his pecs. Steady contractions began pulsing around his shaft. The feel of her, warm and tight, sent him reeling. But he checked his own desire and need. He knew she was close. He wanted to wring every drop of passion from her.

Tightening his abs, he curled up to sit, wrapping his arms around her. Fingers skated down the small of his back and up to his shoulders. Pulling her down, he rocked his hips forward, burying himself deeper inside her than he'd ever been.

“Kestrel,” she half sobbed, half screamed.

“Yes.” He urged her on. “Come with me, Sparrow,” he whispered in her ear before taking the shell in his mouth. A breathy sigh escaped her. When he drove into her again, thrusting deep and hard, a harsh cry flew from her lips and she melted around him. Her nails bit into his flesh, her teeth grazing the apple of his shoulder. Both too lightly to leave marks, which he realized he kind of regretted. He wanted a physical reminder of her climax. Wanted her to mark him, as he did her. Wanted to visually bear signs of her ownership like a brand for all to see.

A tremble shot up his back, his muscles tensing, and then all thought fled as he fell into the void with her.

 

The moment consciousness tickled her senses, a smile spread across Sparrow's lips. She flipped to her back, her limbs splayed on the bed as she pulled them in a long, taut stretch. A low burn twinged between her thighs and a few muscles groaned in protest at the move.

“Mmm,” she hummed, stretching her arm to the side. However, her smile faded when she encountered what seemed like mile after mile of cold sheets where Kestrel had lain.

Sparrow jackknifed upright. Her heart screaming the truth she didn't want to believe.

“Oh, no.” A blade twisted in her heart, rendering her nearly immobile.

Nearly.

Inky darkness closed around Kestrel fast and thick. Its ominous presence more evil than the vampires about to descend upon him. Kestrel put his back to the sheer cliff wall, ensuring at least one side of him would be guarded. He had no one else to do it for him. On impulse, he'd ordered the legion to move ahead with their rescue and recover mission, while he attempted to find the crystal Doc had mentioned.

That was two silver bullets to the gut ago.

Damnation!
He cursed, grimacing as another stab of white-hot pain lanced through him. The silver pumping through his bloodstream made flying out of here nearly impossible. Not that he was sure he could shift anyway. He'd yet to try.

Setting his jaw, he unsheathed his sword and readied for the impending fight. Although he couldn't see them, he sensed them. The constant ocean breeze carried their scent on the wind.

Horde. Surrounding him fast.

As if the thought fathered reality, a loud thud vibrated the earth behind him. Kestrel spun low, coming eye level with a pair of combat boots. Before he could react, the heel of one crashed against his jaw, launching him backward. Kestrel flipped, and his chin kicked the ground hard, catching his fall. His chest slammed against the earth, knocking the wind out of him.

Kestrel sucked in a breath, trying to find a sliver of stability in this total chaos. Instead, what he saw across the ravine sent his world into turmoil. More horde soldiers spilled over the nearest cliff a couple hundred feet away. From what he could see, each one of them was armed, from guns to deadly silver spears, and they looked prepared to use all of them.

An arm grasped his, pinching his forearm back and hauling him to his feet. In front of him, another vampire closed in fast. His fangs dropped over his lips, and there was a twisted smile on his face. The soldier raised a black-clawed hand and arced his arm out to strike.

Kestrel braced himself for the blow. Instead, something hit the vampire with the force of a freight train, sending him hurtling through the air and over the cliff. A piercing roar bit through the night.

A dragon.

The thought came seconds before an opal-hued dragon landed on the ledge in front of him. Her transparent, gossamer wings and tail fanned out behind her.

A shiver of awareness rolled down Kestrel's spine, unfurling a ribbon of worry in its wake.

“Doc,” he breathed in disbelief.

A low growl vibrated by his ear seconds before the hands on him loosened. As Kestrel's brain worked to piece together what was happening, the vampire on his right splintered off. Panic gripped his heart and he quickly set his eyes on Doc.

Snarling, Kestrel threw his chin back, head-butting the nose of the soldier behind him. The satisfying sound of crunching bone rang in his skull.

Blinding and warm, the light of
dragonfire
reflected off the cliff face around him seconds before a high-pitched scream warbled in the night. Kestrel smiled, knowing Doc had managed to take care of another vamp on her own.

Without waiting for a counterattack, Kestrel tugged his arm free, elbowing the vampire in the gut. The bloodsucker released him and stumbled back, his hand clutched about his middle. Bent over as he was, the soldier never saw Doc's mighty fist coming. It swooped from above, her talons digging into his skull. Rivers of blood cascaded down his face in thick red streams so dark they looked black against his pale skin and alabaster hair.

Kestrel watched Doc dispatch the soldier's body over the cliff. A beaming grin pulled back his lips. Warmth, pride and even a dash of happiness took the place of the pain and frustration he'd so recently been feeling.

The dragon looked down at him and he swore he saw her smile. Kestrel stepped forward, stopping when something snagged his vision out of the corner of his eye. Nothing more than a flash of glinting light cutting through the dark night. But at once his brain recalled the horde across the way, and his stomach dropped.

He screamed her name, but the warning came too late. Her body flew back as if struck by a rocket. A heart-splintering shriek filled his ears.

Kestrel hurried to her side, forcing his gaze from the metal spear protruding from her chest to her eyes. Her big, beautiful eyes. They blinked. Pearls of liquid squeezed out and agony was etched clear across her delicate dragon face.

“Doc,” he breathed. He couldn't help but notice his hands were nearly as shaky as his voice. Couldn't help the inept feeling shrouding him with every second that ticked by. Fearful his emotions might frighten her more, he swallowed them down.

“What should I do?”

She mewled, a sharp, guttural breath that twisted his heart. However, he heard her words whisper crisp and strong in his mind.

“Have to…pull it out.”

“How?” he replied, glad his voice sounded more confident, more sure than his fracturing soul.

“Just grab…and pull.”
Her voice panted in his mind.

He stepped closer. The tip of his boot sank into a puddle of dark blood pooling beneath her body. His footing faltered, his stomach rolling in a nauseous wave he wasn't sure he could stand to ride out. The realization she lay there in pain, perhaps dying because of him, sent an entirely new kind of agony jabbing through his gut.

Exhaling, he placed his hands on the silver weapon. At once the reaction began. The sizzle of flesh on a scorching-hot surface hit his ears, seconds before pain sensors fired in every direction, screaming for him to release his hold. Kestrel gripped the spear more tightly, fitting his gaze to hers one last time before he dared edge it out even an inch.

“I'm sorry if this hurts you,” he said with a forced smile, mimicking the words she'd used when she tended him. Then he roared out a scream and pulled back hard. A scream she echoed in his mind. At the sound of her agony, his chest tightened, his heart silently breaking.

Kestrel pivoted, putting his back to her. His hands screamed, blistering heat scorching him to the bone. But he wouldn't let go, couldn't let go, not until he was far enough away from her. He limped a step, and then another before pitching back his arms and letting the silver instrument fly over the cliff.

Kestrel allowed himself a moment to breathe before he spun around, trying to get a bead on Sparrow, to make sure she was safe.

His breath caught. “Doc,” he said on the exhale, shuffling toward her.

Small and bloody, she lay there in human form looking every bit like the broken bird she was. Trembling, fragile and so small. A single bead of crimson puckered from beneath the arm she held protectively over her middle, swelling to a dark maroon against her nearly translucent flesh.

Blood.

Kestrel sucked in a breath as his eyes truly took in the sight before him. The tacky substance seemed to be pouring out from everywhere and yet nowhere he could discern. It pooled beneath her slim body, the circle of slick liquid eating up the ground beneath her.

Where was it all coming from? How much was she losing? How much could she lose?

She murmured something unintelligible, her voice flat and hollow. It took him a moment to realize she'd answered his questions. That he'd spoken them aloud. He moved alongside her, tenderly sliding her arm away from her side. Her hand seized his, her blood-slicked fingers twining through his in a death grip. Swallowing, Kestrel gave her a reassuring squeeze before prying her fingers from his. “It's okay, Doc. I've got you.”

She blinked up at him. A second after she nodded, he glanced down at her wound.

Oh, Gods.

The gaping hole punctured her abdomen, just below the rib cage. The core of it raw, aching and streaming a constant gush of blood.

Kestrel didn't need to be an empath to feel her pain. It saturated his every breath. He leveled his gaze on hers and tried to mask the worry in his voice.

“You're going to have to talk me through this. I don't know what to do.”