Chapter 66: Sarn

She truly sees me. Not just my pretty human face, but my dragon in all its glory. Her eyes shine and she doesn't back away or even tremble. Her gaze eats me up like I'm the finest dessert. Her tongue runs over her lips and I watch all of this from three stories above her. I want her so bad it hurts. I could love her as I've loved my brides. It would be so incredibly easy.
With a powerful flap of my wings, I rise into the sky. Dmitri assured me this morning that I could fly freely within his territory. Right now, I must get away from Sierra and contain my thoughts of having her as a bride. I am such a pathetic excuse for a dragon. My answer for everything is to run. Usually straight to a bottle. Right now I want a drink like nothing else. No, that's not true. I want Sierra as my bride more.
She shifts and follows me for an hour. I lose her in a mountain range where I land and hide behind a high group of rocks until I sense she's gone. What the hell is wrong with me? Maybe it's because I've been away from my realm too long. Drowned myself in enough alcohol to flood a small city then wallowed in self-pity for an entire year.
I woke up this morning without a fuzzy head. The slight ache was still there but not as overpowering as it had been the previous four days. It's my shifter blood that has the withdrawals fading so quickly. While I assessed myself, Dmitri entered the cabin without knocking. At least he didn't do his now you don't see me now you do magic routine. It throws me off balance every time he instantly appears in front of me. This morning he whistled cheerfully and walked straight to the coffeemaker and prepared a pot. It was the only reason I didn't kill him. He kept up the ridiculous whistling tune the entire time. When the coffee had finished brewing, he brought me a cup. I sat up in bed and cast a glare his way.
"Don't do it again, Dmitri. I understand you had little choice, but it goes against everything I am to feed a blood sucker."
Just a hint of amber flashed in his eyes even though he knew I partially jested. He shrugged. "Don't worry your pretty head about it. Dragon blood is the nastiest thing I ever tasted."
Yeah right. I know how powerful dragon blood is. "Well you didn't expire, so it couldn't be all bad."
He didn't give me the smartass comeback I expected. "How do you feel?"
Ashamed, sad, and homesick. "Better."
"How are the cravings for alcohol?"
At this question it was hard not to snap his head off. "I want a drink. No, actually a bottle."
He shrugged his shoulders. "That won't go away for a long time. Everything else will probably fade within the next few days."
The nausea, headaches, and trembling were almost gone, though I had no intention of telling the vampire that. Dmitri made me uncomfortable at times with his strong interest in dragons. His nightclub was a safe haven for beastkind and now dragons too. He kept his finger on the pulse of the shifter worlds. I have no doubt he does it to protect his own. If push ever comes to shove, Dmitri's clan comes first and I admire him for it. But there is no comparison in the magic of our worlds and he doesn't need to know everything. I owe him a debt and I always pay up. The time will come and he will be thankful he put up with me for as long as he has. My debt to him is overly large.
We drank coffee and spoke of things that had nothing to do with the main issue, which happened to be me and my future plans. I expected him to want me gone or at least know my intentions. He didn't seem at all interested in anything but making sure I was comfortable. I didn't tell him that guilt ate away at me or that I longed to go home and couldn't.
He left an hour later and now I'm here, hiding behind stone and escaping from guilt and internal pain that I can no longer bear. Lost in thought, I don't realize Sierra is near until her human hand rubs along the scales of my lower leg. I look down at the top of her head as she examines me.
"They're beautiful and soft. Not at all what I expected," she whispers.
Of course she's naked. I've had too many women to count, but I can't think of a single one who compares to Sierra's natural beauty. I could easily shift and mold my hands to her lovely breasts. I want to taste her nipples and nibble the soft skin of her throat. I want. I want. I want. Somehow, even though she's admitted to having sex, her innocence is what keeps me from doing what I want so badly to do. To take my mind off thoughts of sex with Sierra, I decide to let her in on one of my secrets. "Strike me with your fist," I say telepathically.
She jumps at least a foot, which is delightfully funny. Her head arches back as she looks up in astonishment and meets my eyes. "You spoke into my mind."
I grunt before continuing. "Can we keep that between the two of us? I already feel I'm under a microscope when Dmitri is around."
She laughs and places her hand on my scales and rubs them gently. It feels too damn good. My brides always preferred me in human form. My dragon was very intimidating to them even after they became accustomed to it. My very nature as a dragon was almost more than they could handle. Sierra is so different. She's a shifter too and understands and appreciates my natural form. And the dragon is more natural to me than breathing.
She brings me out of my thoughts with her sweet voice. "You don't know the half of it. Dmitri is all vampire and they always have nefarious plans in the works. We need them as much as they need us, and Dmitri is extremely loyal to the bears, so he doesn't bother me. Being raised by vamps helps too. I learned not to fear them in the slightest." Her eyes sweep over me again. "I can understand his fascination with you, though. Has he seen your dragon form?"
She stands naked and proud-nothing like a bride. The brides of the dragon realms are raised as virgin sacrifices and sheltered from men until they fulfill their destiny. One special bride becomes the property of a dragon and we covet them through their human lifespan. Once they're in our lair, they seldom remain virgins for long. Dragons are insatiable beasts and men. The sexual aspect of our relationship with brides lasts for years until the bride is too fragile.
In the beginning, a bride's modesty is quite difficult to overcome. For many of my brides, impossible. It took years before Calista would run naked through the castle as we played titillating games of hide and seek.
I scan Sierra's body and appreciate that she is so comfortable with her beautiful nakedness. I almost forget her question. "Not unless he saw me flying overhead this past hour," I finally answer.
Her nose is almost touching my scales as if she gets close enough she will discover some great secret. "You asked me to strike you. Why?"
She's such a curious little thing. "Just do it and you will find out."
There is nothing tentative about her fist when she punches my scales. "Ouch, damn," she complains as she shakes her hand.
I snort and flame rumbles up from my throat.
"That wasn't very nice." She's back to running her fingers over my scales trying to figure out how they work, I presume.
I hold back the flames by locking them tightly in my throat, and I try not to think about the horror my fire caused. No, not my fire... me. "The scales turn to armor when needed. It's easier to show someone than explain," I say in order to take my mind off what I did to Laryn's bride. I have no idea why I offer, but the words tumble out before I can stop them. "Would you like to ride?" Only brides have ever ridden me, and riding is considered sacred in the dragon realms.
"Truly?" Her eyes gleam with anticipation. I'm surprised she isn't jumping up and down.
I sigh. I'm going to have her in my bed and I made sure of it by offering her a ride. What is it about her that turns my tongue into a word vomit machine when she is near? I look over her delicate frame. "Without clothing or at least a saddle, I don't imagine it will be entirely comfortable, but a short ride shouldn't hurt too badly." A short ride is all I can possibly handle.
"I'm tougher than I look." Her gaze travels quickly over me. Without time for another breath, she steps back a few feet then launches herself up. Her feet bounce off one of my legs then my neck, and with a strong push against my side, she's on my back.
"I would have circled my tail around to help you," I say grumpily. Only because watching her in action is glorious and my cock is throbbing. And most of all because I need to possess her.
"I'm beastkind, silly dragon. I could climb up if you were double this height."
She's laughing at me and I don't care. The silly dragon comment bothers me not at all. I guess being away from home has turned me into a complete wimp. She settles down and I enjoy the feel of her thighs gripping my neck, though she keeps her bare pussy off of me. Having a naked woman on my back is a first for me and complete torture. I can't even imagine one of my brides riding me naked if we weren't in bed. "Hold on," I say as my wings expand and I lift into the sky. With a mighty flap, I shoot forward. Her shrill cry is pure joy and not the primal scream of a bride's first ride. Not that she's a bride, and I must remember that.
She continues laughing as we burst over the treetops. If she were only a true bride, I'd be in heaven right now.