STORY EXCERPT

“I won’t hurt you,” Magnus promised. He held out his hand, desperate for this young male to take it.

The human pressed his lips together. He looked back at his friends, who again insisted that he not go, that he not endanger himself with this dragon no one knew.

This dragon who had broken the rules of the fight so Drake could win and keep his mate.

“If you don’t want to be near Victor again, you can come with me. You will not be forced to stay with me, and I will not expect any compensation of any sort,” he added, figuring one of the worries this human had was that Magnus might want him for his body, since a red-haired human was a battery for dragons.

No one knew how exactly it worked, but the redheads weren’t just fiery in the stories, they were what every dragon craved. Especially with the energy they provided in a fight with other dragons.

Some dragons, the ones with the wealth and the power, found it easy to get a red-haired human, or even the orange-haired ones, onto their arms for the power source it provided them. In turn, those dragons went into their fights, whether professional or amateur, it didn’t matter. The dragons who won always walked away with the cash prize, and they fought again and again, until their wealth was built up and they either ditched their lovers or married them.

Even darker than that, some dragons, very few of them, kidnapped red-haired humans, wanting them for the value of selling them.

Magnus was beginning to suspect that’s what this was. That Victor didn’t simply have a group of red-haired humans he’d coaxed into being his lovers with his wealth.

But humans he’d purchased illegally.

The auctions were one thing, at least the humans had a say in those. This made the hairs on the back of his neck stand right up.

“If he is forcing you to be here, I can take you away from here. I will take you home.”

“I… I can’t go home,” said the human, finally speaking. His voice was soft, and that sweet sound was enough to make Magnus’s blood run hot, as though he was back in the ring with Victor, puffing and panting for breath while he danced out of the way of those flying fists.

He was back in the fight, only this time, he was fighting for something more important that his own friendship with Drake. He was fighting for something that belonged to him and him alone.

“What’s your name?” Magnus had to know. He had to get that much from him.

“Dylan.”

Magnus nodded, loving the name. “I’m Magnus.”

“I know who you are.” Dylan looked back at the other red-haired humans with him. They continued to shake their heads. Their emotions on this were clear. They would not be going with anyone. They were staying here. “If I go with you, can I stay with you? At least until I find a place of my own. I don’t want to sleep with you.”

That was disappointing to hear, but if it was what he wanted, and if it would get Dylan away from this place and with him, then so be it.

“You do not have to do anything you do not wish to do. Not with me or anyone else.” Magnus continued to hold out his hand, wishing for Dylan to take it.

Please let him take it.

Another hesitation, but then the group of red-haired humans gasped, some called out Dylan’s name as he stepped away from their group.

As though he were a guppy about to swim willingly into the mouth of a shark.

Dylan took Magnus’s hand. The instant their flesh made contact, stars erupted behind Magnus’s eyes. All of his senses were overloaded, and all of his desired came up and flooded towards the surface as he felt the inner beast inside of him roar with delight.

This belonged to him. This human was his.

This was his mate.

ADULT EXCERPT

He leaned up, kissing Dylan once more, gently pushing him down onto the he couch, still listening to the heavy sound of his heart.

Hard to believe the brave man who’d stepped forward and asked to be taken away, who had hidden the fact that he knew there was a mating from Magnus, could be this vulnerable and frightened.

It brought out a protective instinct in Magnus.

Well, it was already there. This was his mate after all, but now it was intensified the likes of which he didn’t think was possible.

“I’ll make you feel so good,” Magnus promised, pushing up Dylan’s shirt, revealing a toned stomach beneath the material. He had abs. Wow. Magnus wasn’t sure why he wasn’t expecting that, but there it was. Made sense. Of course Victor would want to keep his toys in good shape.

Magnus idly wondered if Dylan would want to keep this form now that he was with Magnus, or if he would want to relax his exercise regime and let his body mold into something he thought to be more comfortable.

He could lose this muscle and still be beautiful.

Still, it was nice to be able to kiss his way down Dylan’s stomach, to the V of his waist, and to gently hook his fingers into his pants.

Magnus glanced up with a smile, noting the flush in Dylan’s cheeks.

Yes. He knew what was coming. Good. All the better for Magnus.

They didn’t say a word to each other after that. Magnus held eye contact as he undid Dylan’s fly, pulling apart the teeth of his zipper.

Dylan opened his mouth, revealing straight, white teeth as he panted for breath.

“Keep your eyes on me,” Magnus said, and that was the last thing he said to the other man for a little while as he put his lips to better use.

Dylan did not do as he was told.

At least for a little while.

Magnus decided he would give the man a bit of a break. The sudden heat and tight clench of lips around his cock would be enough to make anyone squeeze their eyes shut and moan for breath.

Dylan’s spine arched. He pressed the back of his head into the arm of the couch while thrusting his cock up, trying to push deeper into Magnus’s mouth.

Magnus allowed it.

It had been a while since he’d taken someone’s cock into his mouth. He didn’t always like the position. There was something a little too vulnerable about it, as far as he was concerned.

But for Dylan? Anything. The moon and the sun was what he could give if it were in his power.

So with that logic, a blow job was nothing.

Dylan reached his fingers down. They gently traced over his skull before those fingers pulled back sharply. As if Dylan wasn’t so sure he had permission to be touching him at all.

Of course he did. So much to learn about each other, but one of the things Magnus was going to teach his mate was that he could touch whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it.

He brought Dylan’s hands back to his head, wanting the other man to touch him, to stroke his skin. Dylan did. He took the hint quickly and let his fingers stay resting against the back of Magnus’s head.

“Ah, God,” he sighed, gently thrusting up and into Magnus’s mouth as Magnus let his tongue swirl around the base of his cock.

Very soon, Dylan found more of his courage as he began to carefully pull Magnus’s mouth and head downward, still trying to make Magnus take more of his prick into his mouth. Magnus wanted to. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, but he just didn’t have that kind of skill.

Fuck. All those years of not practicing and now he needed this skill more than ever. He would learn. He would practice lots on Dylan as the years went by.

They had so much time together. It was hard to believe it, but it was there.

“Oh my God, that’s… that feels so good. Oh God, don’t stop. Please, don’t stop,” Dylan begged. His heart rate had changed. It still pounded, hot and heavy against his ribs. In fact, it sounded louder now than it had before. But it wasn’t fearful this time. There was nothing but lust in that wonderful sound. Nothing but desire and desperation and want.

Want for Magnus.