STORY EXCERPT

Releasing Magda’s reins, I jumped forward, lunging toward the bush. I had no clue what I’d expected. A bandit, perhaps. Instead, an animal leapt out of the shrubbery, dodging my blow with a startled yelp and pushing me back with its hind legs as it did so. No, not an animal. A dragon.

“Oh, Gods!” Magda exclaimed. “It’s a dragon.”

Under different circumstances, I’d have teased her for pointing out the obvious. A magical horse should have said something a little wiser, in my opinion. But I had no time for sarcastic comments or remarks. Here was my prey, conveniently delivered to me by the Rainbow Brick Road.

I swept my sword in an arc, and I’d have hit the thing had a small white blur not landed straight on my arm, deflecting me. I groaned as sharp teeth embedded themselves in my flesh, a remarkable feat indeed, given that I was wearing my hunting armor. Granted, it was only reinforced leather, as a long journey in chainmail or anything of the like would have been a fool’s errand. However, it still should have kept most creatures at bay, more so one the size of my attacker.

Cursing, I tried to shake the animal of me, only to find myself even more confused when my world grew white as a peculiar substance clouded my vision.

“What the fuck…?” Now furious, I blindly reached for the source of my pain, releasing a sound of victory when my fingers found fur. Before I could get a good grip on the thing, it released me and plopped down to my side, apparently intending to attack my legs instead.

However, Magda rode to my side, snorting angrily and chasing it away. The air began to clear, and I was able to see again. I reached for the crossbow bound to Magda’s saddle, already knowing that the sword would probably be useless in this fight. The dragon could escape me by flying away, but I could reach it with a well-placed projectile.

As I loaded a bolt, though, I finally took in my unlikely foes. A small white rabbit sat in the center of the path, glaring daggers at me. Next to it, a tiny flying creature hovered, its wing fluttering rapidly. A pixie?

“He’s after you, Dini. Run,” one of them cried. I thought it might have been the rabbit, but I couldn’t be sure. “We’ll hold him back.”

The dragon was actually in flight now, its wings keeping it aloft over the path. It could have flown off during my odd and embarrassing fight with the small beings, but even now, it seemed reluctant. “I can’t just leave you.”

I already had my hand on my crossbow, aiming straight for the dragon, but I faltered when I heard its voice. It was soft, softer than anything I’d heard in my life. I wasn’t necessarily surprised that it spoke. After all, Magda did, and she originated from Morganna. Likely, most Merlinian beasts had similar abilities. But that voice…It reached out to a part of me that I hadn’t known existed.

For the first time, I realized my target seemed quite small. Was it a baby dragon? If so, it would be cruel to slay it. The dragon’s scales glittered in a strange purplish color, as if a million shades of it danced over its reptilian skin. Even its eyes were a deep shade of violet, and as our gazes met, I had a strange thought that it was truly a beautiful creature.

Before I knew it, I lowered my weapon, hesitating. Both the rabbit and the pixie noticed. “Go!” the pixie shouted. “He’s not paying attention. We can make a break for it.”

They leapt at the dragon, and it landed, managing to somehow catch them. It stashed them into something that looked like a pouch. As it launched itself into the air, though, my body moved instinctually. Pointing my crossbow at it once again, I attacked.

The bolt hit true. The dragon let out an agonizing cry and fell out of the sky into the bushes. Immediately, a feeling of horror invaded me, and I rushed in that direction, my brain focused on one single idea.

“Oh, Gods, please, please, please…Please, let it be alive.”

I didn’t know why it was so important to me. After all, the whole purpose of this journey had been to slay a dragon. Still, that brief moment when I’d heard its voice and met its gaze had touched me somehow.

Fortunately, when I reached it, I noticed it was still moving around. The pixie and the rabbit had jumped out of its pouch, trying to help it, but failing. The dragon whimpered as it lifted its right wing, where my bolt had struck.

When they saw me coming, all three creatures froze. “Go,” the dragon whispered to its friends.

“No, Dini,” the pixie refused adamantly, much like its—his?—reptilian friend had done earlier. “We’re not letting the human kill you.”

“It is the road,” the dragon insisted. “This is my fate. I won’t have you sharing it. Go!”

In the end, they were arguing about who was going to sacrifice himself for who, and I got tired of it. “Would you mind?” I asked. “I’m still here, you know.”

As I spoke, the dragon looked at me, and suddenly, his form blurred into a human-like shape. “Are you going to kill me?” he asked, purple eyes wide with fright.

His voice swept over me like a caress, and I couldn’t have held on to my weapon if I wanted to. The crossbow fell from my hand, unwanted, as I gaped at the lovely sight in front of me. “No,” I replied in a daze. “I think I won’t.”

ADULT EXCERPT

He released a growl, almost sounding like one of my kind. When he kissed me again, I forgot all about my earlier misgivings. His lips were so soft, but his blond stubble a little rough, the two different sensations complementing each other perfectly. How could we possibly fight against something that was so true and real?

His hands traveled all over my body, leaving behind trails of fire. The beast inside me awoke, and I allowed myself to do some exploring of my own. Unlike me, he was wearing clothes, and my whine of discontent was swallowed into his kiss. Why in the world did humans insist on such ridiculous things? Okay, so pixies wore their little suits, too, but they were by far easier to discard than these stubborn, clingy things.

Frustrated, I didn’t even realize that I’d summoned my claws until his light leather armor ripped under my touch. Whatever tunic he was wearing underneath didn’t have much of a chance, either. It was quite astounding, since I rarely used my claws in human form. He didn’t seem to mind my actions, though, groaning when I touched him for the first time.

Fortunately, in spite of my eagerness, I managed to retract the sharp tips before I shredded his back like I had his armor. And what a lovely back it was, muscular and strong, clearly revealing his life as a warrior. I wanted to see and feel the rest of him, but the angle made it uncomfortable or even impossible for me to reach most of his clothes.

He must have guessed my predicament, as he briefly pulled away. In frantic motions, he took off the remnants of his armor and tunic, then progressed toward the boots. Dazed, I watched him strip, for some reason finding the swift efficiency sexy. But then, I found most of the things about my mate sexy. How could I not?

Soon, he had discarded his clunky footwear and worked on the laces of his pants. As he undid them, my gaze was drawn to his more than generous package. Unable to help myself, I reached for him, tentatively tracing the line of his hard dick. His fingers fumbled, tangling in the laces. “Baby, if you’re going to keep doing that, I’ll never get naked,” he said huskily.

That was quite a threat, except a determined dragon would not allow a little thing like pants to get between him and his mate’s erect penis. Meeting his gaze, I gave him a hand—a claw—and helped him undo the stubborn bindings. Kirril wiggled out of his pants, and at last, he was blissfully naked.

As soon as he abandoned the last of his Goddess-damned clothing, I struck. Pushing him back against the mattress, I lowered my mouth over his dick and took it all the way into my throat. I’d never done such a thing before, but I’d heard stories from the others in my tribe. I’d also discussed it with my friends, and Larue had been particularly pissed that, due to my reptilian nature, I had no gag reflex. In his opinion, it was an unfair advantage dragons had been given. Either way, right now I was more than happy to use it for my mate’s pleasure.

Indeed, Kirril seemed more than appreciative with regard to my untrained efforts. I’d never been with anyone before, but I followed my instincts and bobbed my head up and down his shaft, sucking for all I was worth. His hands threaded through my hair, guiding me down. At first, he obviously attempted not to push me or force me into anything I couldn’t handle. While I appreciated that, it truly wasn’t necessary. I might have been small, but I wasn’t frail. And Goddess have mercy, his passion enflamed me more than I’d have imagined. The taste of his pre-cum on my tongue drugged me, making me crave more. I loved his gentleness, but I ached for his unleashed lust.

Fortunately, Kirril had his limits, too. When I squeezed his hip in sign that it was all right to let go, he snapped. He started to fuck my mouth in earnest, shoving his prick all the way into my throat. More than ever thankful for my dragon nature, I accepted it all and demanded more, moaning around his thick cock. My own pleasure seemed to echo his, and just hearing him lost in his desire for me awoke every nerve in my body.

At last, Kirril surrendered the battle to my enthusiastic ministrations. Thrusting one last time into my mouth, he roared and came. When his ejaculate filled my mouth, a sense of complete ecstasy flowed over me. An unexpected orgasm exploded through my body, more powerful than anything I’d ever experienced before. It was shocking, especially since I hadn’t even touched myself. All right, so I had been grinding against Kirril’s thigh, but that didn’t count.

I trembled through the waves of my climax, drinking down my mate’s sperm without missing a drop. It was with a great deal of reluctance that I finally released him. He pulled me up with a strength that surprised me. Given how drained I was, I’d have thought him to be in the same situation. When he kissed me, though, I couldn’t bring myself to complain.

In fact, one touch from him, and my libido reawakened. My beast was more eager than ever to claim him, and nothing would sate me before it happened.

He didn’t seem grossed out by the fact that he was essentially tasting his own spunk. When we broke apart again, he licked his lips and grinned. “That was nice. Do all dragons give amazing blow jobs, or is it just you?”

“Most are probably better at it,” I replied. “No gag reflex. I’m glad you liked it.”

“Mmmm…I did enjoy it tremendously. But I think you wanted more, isn’t that right, baby?”