Breath of Memory (3 page)

Rafe and Jill looked at each other and some silent message seemed to pass between them. Corey tried not to be irritated by the way the other man was looking at her. He could tell Rafe found Jill attractive, but the dragon still seemed somewhat resigned to the transaction, which puzzled Corey.

“Yes,” they said in unison.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Jill said, grabbing her purse and tossing a tip on the table.

~~~

Jill pressed her hand against Corey’s chest before he could get into the limo with them. “I need a few minutes alone with him if you don’t mind. I get what you’re trying to do, but if you’re in the middle of us the entire time, it will never work. Okay?”

She pushed back a little harder when his expression grew dark. He glanced behind her into the interior of the limo…his limo… that was ready to carry her to her salvation, and her demise, all at once. She may live, but what good was a life when the man she loved rejected her? She would willingly give herself to this other dragon, not only to save her own life, but to make Corey happy. He didn’t want her enough to keep her, but he loved her enough to save her. She had to accept that.

“Take a cab, Corey. We’ll meet you there, alright?”

Finally he nodded and stepped back.

The air conditioned interior of the limo made her skin prickle instantly into goosebumps. It felt good after the summer heat outside.

“He loves you too much,” Rafe said unexpectedly. She stared at him.

“He’s afraid of me now. I hurt him, so I deserve it.”

“I need you to know something before we do this.” Rafe glanced out the window, then back at her. The limo lurched slightly, pushing her closer to him. He caught her, his hands warm and soft on her skin. Their faces were millimeters apart. He could have kissed her, but he just shifted back in the seat.

“What is it?”

“I’m in love with a dragon. This… transaction is a way to keep the Council off my back. A formality. Marriage of convenience if you want to call it that. I suspect that’s what it would be for you, too.”

Jill sank back against the leather seat and sighed. “You’re right. Don’t get me wrong, you seem great. More than great, but no. I’m still in love with that bastard. Tell me about your dragon lover?”

She shifted in her seat to look at him. His brow clenched in dismay for a second. “She’s lost. I need to find her. It was part of my bargain with the Queen. If I do this… with you… she’ll help me find Rowan. She asked that I not tell her mate about it until it was over.”

“Rowan? That’s a beautiful name. Have you known each other long?”

Rafe shifted, looking embarrassed. “We were together for only a few days before she disappeared, but she’s like no other woman. No offense… you are beautiful. I understand why Aris loved you and circumstances being different I would not hesitate.”

“But you are hesitating…”

“She’s very young, and not accustomed to dragon conventions. If I’m mated to you, what will she think when I find her?”

“Listen, Rafe. Once this is done, let’s just agree to go our separate ways. You can find Rowan and I’ll… find someone.”

“That’s not good enough.” He startled her with his conviction.

“Why not?”

“You were mated to Aris. That ranks you just below a Queen. I’m not good enough for you, but you don’t seem to realize that. The only situation worthy of you would be exactly what you want. And I mean to make that happen.” He raised a hand up and she held completely still while he let one knuckle graze along the edge of her jaw and down the side of her neck.

The intensity of his gaze held her in thrall, the gentleness of his touch left her breathless. “How?” she asked, catching her breath when he placed an open palm against her chest, just above her breastbone. Her eyes fluttered closed at the feel of him. He shifted closer and let his hand slide back up until he cupped the back of her head, large fingers twining through her hair. His lips grazed her temple.

“You’ll see, but I mean to enjoy the process regardless. To enjoy you just enough to make Corey believe he’s succeeded. He has to be reminded how it feels to lose you.”

Chapter 4

C
orey beat them to the apartment he shared with Racha, which surprised him. He wondered what the two of them were talking about and felt a surge of jealousy. Jesus, he shouldn’t be feeling that way if he was giving her away. He hated the fact that she didn’t even have a choice in the matter, thanks to Aris. Jill’s life depended on being possessed. Being owned. The mark was a brand and at the moment it was a time bomb for her. If he didn’t go through with it she would die.

He wished like hell that Racha was here. Her calming breath could get him through the ordeal. He walked into their bedroom, made sure things were in order. It was ridiculous because he’d already gone through the motions earlier. He hadn’t expected the two of them to go off alone, though. They would arrive eventually. Jill’s life still depended on this.

Soon his cell phone buzzed. It was a message from the door man letting him know he had guests. He responded, then opened the door and went to pour drinks. He tried his best not to think about what might happen after.

The pair entered, Rafe’s large arm solidly draped around Jill’s waist. She looked a little flushed, too, like he’d already been all over her for the entire ride. The idea infuriated Corey enough to make him doubt his sanity. He slammed the bottle down a little too hard on the counter and shoved the drinks toward them.

Christ he needed to keep himself under control if he was going to go through with this.

“Thank you,” Jill said, smiling in that way that always made him want to fuck her. She took a sip and licked her lips.

Rafe walked up behind her and whispered something in her ear. Her eyelids lowered and she smiled and nodded.

“Corey, show me where we’re doing this. I’d like a moment alone, if that’s alright.”

Her plaintive tone settled his mood a little. She sounded almost as nervous as he felt.

“This way,” he said, leading her to the bedroom.

“A camera?” she asked, noting the live feed of the room displayed on the widescreen television that hung from the wall facing the bed.

“Racha insisted. She’ll be joining us remotely.” He was at least grateful for that fact. Racha had given him the option and he had accepted, somewhat relieved to have her be involved, even if she couldn’t participate directly. He left the room and closed the door behind him.

“Did I hear correctly?” Rafe asked when Corey rejoined him in the main room. “Will the Queen be with us via conference?”

“She considers it a business transaction, so yes.” Corey poured himself another drink, trying to ignore the slight smirk on the dragon’s lips.

“Giving up a treasure so valuable, I understand. She wants to make sure Jill is well cared for.”

“So do I,” Corey said.

“Good. It needs to be clear that we both have Jill’s interests at heart before we begin. I will do everything in my power to see that she’s happy with the results.”

“I want nothing less.”

“Of course,” Rafe said. His dark eyes narrowed, as though assessing the veracity of Corey’s remark. “Do you think Jill will like living in San Diego?”

Corey’s hackles rose at the suggestion of Rafe taking her away with him. “The way I understood it, you would be relocating here.”

Rafe shrugged. “Of course it is up to her. On the way over she suggested she might like some new scenery.”

Corey’s attention was drawn to the closed bedroom door when he heard Racha’s familiar voice bleeding through. A moment later the door opened and Jill stood there, looking apprehensive. She’d taken off her shoes and brushed her hair. Behind her, the large screen on the wall displayed the beautiful features of the woman he was really doing this for, yet he couldn’t take his eyes off Jill. Her skin was flushed and beautiful. Some unseen breeze caused a wisp of hair to trail across her cheek.

If this was a business transaction, why could he suddenly taste her on his lips again? It had only been a couple days since he’d had the pleasure of her flavor on his tongue, but he craved her again as strongly as he craved Racha. His face heated and he looked behind Jill at the screen on the wall.

“Corey, you know what needs to be done. It is all up to you now,” Racha said. She walked past the camera and it panned to follow her. She was wearing the same wispy gown she’d worn that first day they had met in the temple. The day he learned she would have died rather than coerce him into making love with her. With her back to him, she tugged at the clip in her hair, letting her shiny black curls fall down over her shoulders. Soon she wasn’t alone in the frame. Two men who looked vaguely familiar flanked her at the foot of a large bed. They were nude from the waist up, with heavily muscled torsos, deep tans, and shaved heads. They both had banded tattoos around their forearms that shimmered with colorless power. Their eyes were both unnatural shades—one silvery white, the other gold.

“Who are they?” he asked, his jaw clenching.

“I thought it might make it easier for you if we fulfilled two of your fantasies at once. These are my brother’s teachers from the Monastery. Darius and Zak. They will do anything you ask. You can watch while you handle our other business.”

Corey remembered the men now. Or dragons—because that’s what they were—only they were shackled by magic to prevent them from shifting. The two men were the bastard children of other dragons, born centuries earlier without the sanction of the Council and compelled into servitude to punish their parents for breaking dragon law. Oddly, they were referred to as “Unbound” even though they were clearly the opposite. But he supposed the term referred more to their state at birth than what they had become.

At the moment they both stood placidly by Racha’s side, but every so often the younger of the two—Zak—would steal a glance at the tiny video in the corner that showed their own room to him. Perhaps Zak enjoyed watching, too. The proposition itself was not something Corey had expected, but Racha knew him well. Perhaps it was the time he spent serving as cameraman during Erika’s expedition. Having to spend the entire ritual watching the other members of Erika’s team couple in various configurations had given him an appreciation for the cinematic and he’d discovered he enjoyed directing. The moment in the elevator with Jill had been the first time he’d been on the other end of the camera, expected to perform, however.

This time it went both ways.

He crossed his arms and walked into the room, pausing to stand so that his upper body filled the entire frame of video of their room that took up one corner of his screen. “Are you really doing this for me, Racha? Or is it to sate your own curiosity? You enjoyed watching me with Jill the other day, didn’t you?”

He had yet to share Racha with anyone. So far he’d been her sole lover and he’d sensed her need to experience more variety. He’d been oblivious to it for months until she’d caught him watching his secret stash of videos from the ritual. Her insatiable need had nearly overwhelmed him at the time, and it made him realize that while he may satisfy her emotionally, being the lover of a dragon woman was exhausting.

Racha’s cheeks flushed. “Yes. I didn’t want to miss this, but I also didn’t want to watch alone. I’ve spent much of my energy these last few days shifting so I can fly between the island and the city. But I realized I prefer not to replenish my magic without you present, even if we aren’t sharing each other. This was the only alternative.”

“Where are you now?” he asked. “That doesn’t look like the Monastery.”

“It’s a hotel in Singapore that belongs to Issa’s family. I can call her to join, if you’d like.”

“I believe three is enough.” Corey glanced behind him at Rafe and Jill who both stood watching with interest. When Racha’s attention fell on Rafe, the large man knelt and lowered his gaze.

“Greetings, Your Grace,” he said.

“Hello, Rafe. I haven’t forgotten our agreement, but it will take more time.” She looked back at Corey. “Before we begin, I need to let you know, the Council approved assembly of the Verdanith, but there is a problem.”

“What is it? Erika will want to know, and so will the others.”

“The final piece is missing. It was lost in the sixth century when it was entrusted to a line of nobles bonded to a dragon who died prematurely. The dragon herself bore no children, but the bond to her mate may have been passed down through subsequent generations. It wasn’t uncommon for human mates of previous generations to have children with their human lovers as well as the dragon they were bonded to. If he did, he would have passed on his bond to his human children.”

“If there’s any information on when and where it was last seen, Erika can find it. Send me everything.”

“I will. Shall we begin?” A hint of eager anticipation tinged her voice, reflecting Corey’s own emotions acutely.

Corey beckoned to Jill who walked slowly to him. “Are you alright with this?” he said softly, placing his hands against her shoulders.

“It may be the last time I’m with you. So, yes.”

“Even though I’m going to watch him fuck you?” He glanced at Rafe who had stood again and now leaned against the closed bedroom door, waiting and watching. His hands clenched involuntarily, squeezing her shoulders tightly.

“Maybe you’d better ask yourself the same question,” Jill said. “Are you alright with this? With watching him with me? It does feel a little like karma to me, you know. Getting to watch her lose her mind the way I did the other day. I’m just a little sad I don’t get to watch you do it to her.”

Corey suppressed a flinch and released her shoulders. “Come here and watch with me.” He gripped her hand in his and pulled her in front of him, so that they both faced the screen and his hands rested lightly on her hips. As an afterthought he glanced at Rafe. “You can take off your clothes and wait on the bed.” The larger man nodded and complied, but Corey’s attention was back on Jill and Racha. The two women watched each other silently, both seeming to anticipate what he might say next.

“You heard what she said, Racha. Let’s watch the two of them take their time with you until you lose your mind. I think you owe her that, don’t you?”

Racha’s eyes flashed green, betraying her excitement. With the barest glance, Zak was at her side, his mouth pressed against her throat. He tugged the strap of her dress off her shoulder and pushed it down her arm with a slow caress of his palm. The bodice of it clung briefly to her erect nipple before falling in a smooth sweep to drape below one pert breast.

Darius knelt in front of her, pulling the dress the rest of the way off. He leaned in and latched his mouth on one nipple while Zak cupped her other in his hand and squeezed its dark pink tip. Racha tilted her head back and moaned. She accepted Zak’s kiss hungrily and let the two men lower her to the bed.

Corey’s mouth watered when Racha’s shift in position gave him a perfect view of the slick, pink folds between her thighs. The sight was obscured by a head and a thick set of shoulders sinking down and pulling her across the bed until her ass reached the edge. Darius pressed his mouth against her.

“I want her on her knees,” Corey said. Without a response, the figures on the screen shifted positions. “It’s time for you to suck some dragon cock, baby.”

Zak settled in front of Racha and she worked his shaft with both her mouth and hands. Darius knelt behind her with his tongue buried between her legs, working her pussy with methodical precision.

Satisfied that Racha was being attended to, Corey looked down at Jill.

Jill’s breath came more quickly, the rise and fall of her chest beneath Corey’s line of sight capturing his attention. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled. Jesus, she felt so good pressed against him, her supple ass just brushing the straining front of his trousers. He wanted to make her cry out again like he had in the elevator. To make her lose herself to pleasure under his touch. He had to let her watch for just a little longer while Racha crumbled on the other side of the world.

Jill seemed to have other ideas, however, as evidenced by her grip on his hand, pulling it up her stomach to her breast.

“Are you ready for me to take care of you, baby?” he murmured in her ear. He slipped his other hand up and cupped both her breasts, brushing his thumbs across their tips. She arched into his touch with a sigh, still responsive to him, even after all this time.

She turned to face Corey and looked over his shoulder at Rafe where he lay on the bed. “I want him, too,” she said.

“The lady’s wish is my command,” the dragon said. He moved around them and stood behind Jill, obscuring a good portion of the scene unfolding on-screen until he knelt behind Jill, sliding both hands down her back as he went.

Jill’s attention seemed to falter. She glanced back at the screen, seemed briefly enthralled by the sight of Racha getting her sweet, pink pussy tongued from behind. Then in a blink her fingers were tangled in Corey’s hair, urging him down to her mouth. There was nothing slow and deliberate about her kiss. She devoured him with her urgency, her teeth grazing his lips and her tongue plunging insistently into his mouth.

Corey groaned against the crush of her, trying to follow the course of events with half his attention, but failing miserably. She was warm and soft and needy in his arms, rapidly undressing him, pushing his shirt off his shoulders and tugging at his belt until his hard length was gloriously sliding through her hand. The sweet friction of her touch brought back every second of their fevered lovemaking before he’d lost her. The wet heat of her kiss and the tight grip of her hand around his throbbing shaft made something in his mind snap.

He was only dimly aware of Rafe removing Jill’s clothes, and soon she was naked, her ass gripped in both his hands, her breasts soft against his chest. Another hand brushed his, reminding him of the other man in the room but Corey was too overwhelmed with need for Jill—for Racha—for them both to even care. Corey looked at the screen, his sanity shifting to pure erotic need when he saw Racha, front on with her thighs straddling Zak’s mouth, her hips undulating and her expression a glaze of pure ecstasy. He knew precisely how amazing it was to have her pussy poised above his lips just so. She tilted forward resting her palms against Zak’s ribs. She held Corey’s gaze with only a flutter of her dark lashes as Darius sank his cock into her from behind.