Demand of the Dragon (3 page)

“Maybe I’ve become a spoiled brat and no one wants me.” She
paused, hands on her hips, the light from the bathroom illuminating the edges of
her hair in a halo of gold. “Or maybe I haven’t found a Draco on the isle who is
good enough for me.”

She was right on that count. No one would ever be good enough
for Lucy. Not even him, and he knew she was special from the first moment he
laid eyes on her. She’d been clumsily descending the Drakein Cliffs on her
sixteenth birthday, searching for an entrance to a legendary series of lava
tubes. She’d tripped. Tumbled headfirst into the sea. And when the waves rose,
crashing over her, Caleb had thought she was a goner. He’d dived in. Just as
Lucy emerged from the water, smiling deviously, and splashed him in the
face.

“You look more beautiful than the day I left,” Caleb said,
unable to bite back the words. “I didn’t think that’d be possible.”

“You can’t charm me, Caleb.” Her lips twisted, making Caleb’s
mouth water. “I’ll help find Tristan, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to step in
line behind the other Sindraco women who are falling at your feet.”

Sure, there’d been others. But didn’t Lucy know that they were
stand-ins who filled a void? A void that lingered, aching until he was numb,
because he couldn’t have her? Didn’t Lucy know she was the only one he’d ever
wanted? The stakes were simply too high where she was concerned. The loss would
be too great if they didn’t work out.

“You have to know...” His feet moved toward her of their own
accord. “I may’ve been gone for three years, but I thought about you all the
time.”

Caleb stood before Lucy, inches apart, closer than he thought
he’d ever be, yet there was still so much between them. Finding Tristan.
Revealing what really pulled him away from his post the night Tristan
disappeared. Not to mention the fact that the claiming ceremony would still take
place if they couldn’t bring Tristan back.

He’d be damned to stand idly by and watch Lucy marry
Geezer.

“You always did know just what to say to make a woman melt,”
Lucy whispered, her velvety-soft voice drawing him in. “I was a girl when you
left, Caleb. A girl who didn’t know how to tell a man what she wanted. But
things have changed.
I’ve
changed.”

Oh
God
.

She set Tristan’s medallion on the armoire and stood up on
tiptoe to meet Caleb eye to eye. “I dreamed of the day you’d return. I dreamed
that you’d come back, sweep me into your arms and make me forget about all the
lost moments we’ve had. I dreamed you’d say things to me that you used to say to
your other girlfriends, the ones that you took to bed after talking and laughing
with me.”

“Lucy...” Caleb didn’t know what to say. This was Lucy. His
friend. If they took their relationship to the next level, would they regret it
later? Getting physical always changed things.
Always
. Expectations grew heavy and stifling. Emotions ran high,
oftentimes deeper on the part of one person and not the other. Shit, could he go
there with Lucy? He didn’t know. How could he take the chance? “You’re not like
my other girlfriends. You never were.”

“I know that,” she said, softly rubbing the tip of her nose
against his. “But couldn’t you just pretend that I am? Just for tonight?”

Jesus
. “Lucy, I don’t want to
pretend that you’re anything but what you are.”

“Damn, you’re good.” Her breath coated his face in a sweet,
sugary rush. “Kiss me.”

Stomach clenching, cock swelling, Caleb’s primal instincts
kicked into overdrive as Lucy closed her eyes and waited for his lips to cover
hers. Unsure as hell what would come from this moment, Caleb did the
unthinkable. He took a leap and reached out, grazing his thumb across her lower
lip. Consequences be damned, Caleb’s control evaporated with a single, quivering
touch.

He caught Lucy around the waist and dragged his lips against
hers.

Chapter Three

Lucy felt as if her insides exploded at the contact.
Her entire world lit up firecracker bright, starbursting into blinding
brilliance the instant Caleb’s lips touched hers.

Nothing existed before this moment.

Heat flushed through her body. Caleb’s fingers tunneled through
her hair, grasping at the back of her neck with increasing urgency. She couldn’t
breathe. Couldn’t suck in a solid breath. Not when his mouth was possessing hers
and his tongue was exploring her cheek and—

It was all too much.

Maybe
she’d
been
rash
.

Lucy pulled back.

“No,” Caleb growled and pressed her against him once more,
claiming her lips, her tongue. They were hip to hip, chest to chest, the heat
between them fierce and tangible, sparking over her skin like rods of
lightning.

How many times had she dreamed he’d kiss her this way? Not like
a friend, but a woman. A woman with need and desire pulsing through her veins.
She couldn’t believe it was happening. All the anger she’d felt earlier...none
of it mattered. Not now. Not when his arms roped possessively around her waist,
gripping tighter still. The skill of his mouth overpowered her. Drugged her.

Caleb made her feel as if there’d never been another he held so
closely. Like he didn’t ever want to let her go.

Having been surrounded by loss and doubt for so long, his
embrace was all Lucy needed.

She threw her arms around his shoulders, giving herself over to
him, to his all-consuming kiss.

Caleb groaned in approval, splaying his palms over her back,
bending her into him. His mouth claimed hers, engulfing her in blazing white
heat that melted the skin over her bones. His hands skated up her back, then
down to her backside. And when her hips writhed against his—tiny movements she
couldn’t control—his hands kneaded the flesh of her rear, digging in.

By the time Caleb finally dragged his mouth away from hers,
Lucy was light-headed and gasping for air. Only he didn’t stop his assault. His
mouth smudged a fevered line of kisses down her neck, dipping into the severe V
of her gown.

Lucy had never seen Caleb like this before. Although she’d
dreamed of his hands caressing her body, she didn’t realize they’d be so rough
and commanding. His hands covered her body with primal intensity, blowing away
her greatest expectations. Lucy had imagined how skilled Caleb would be at
kissing—he’d had more girlfriends through the years than she could count—but
Lucy never expected him to be
this
good. His kiss
buzzed down to her toes, tingling every nerve on the way down her body.

When the hard shaft of Caleb’s arousal pressed against Lucy’s
stomach, she bit back a gasp. He wanted her. And from the long, hard feel of
him, he wanted her a whole lot. More than she could possibly take in. Warmth
pooled between Lucy’s legs, saturating her in desire, filling her with raging
need.

As Lucy opened her mouth wider, panting for air, Caleb came up
to meet her and plunged his tongue deep inside. Lucy couldn’t control the
whimpering sounds escaping her now. With each swirl of his tongue, she lost
herself a little more. Held captive, unable to move from the spell Caleb had
over her body, Lucy was sure she’d stand here on quivering legs forever if he
wanted her to.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she sighed.

As if he sensed her surrender, Caleb slid his hands beneath
Lucy’s rear and lifted her onto his hips. “Want to stop?”

She wrapped her thighs around his middle and squeezed tightly.
His erection pushed at Lucy’s center, creating a wave of anxious pressure that
built and compressed until she was soaked in molten heat.

“Don’t you dare,” she said.”

Caleb growled once more, though this time the possessive sound
came with a surge of movement.

Before Lucy knew what happened, Caleb had crossed the room and
tossed her onto the bed. She landed at the edge with her legs hanging over the
side. Caleb knelt on the ground, poised between her legs, his mouth inches away
from her center.

She shuddered, raking her hands through his dark hair. “What
are you—”

“Shh,” he said, and in one forceful move, jerked Lucy’s dress
over her stomach. With another jolt, Caleb yanked her underwear aside, tearing
it to shreds.

Lucy’s head snapped back onto the fur blanket covering the bed.
Cold chills of anticipation coated her body. Her knees shook.

This was really happening.

“I’ve waited so long to taste you.” Caleb spoke against her
sensitive flesh, his breath hot and moist, driving Lucy to the brink of madness.
She wanted pressure. She wanted his mouth covering her to take her over the
edge.

Breath hitching, Lucy looked down her body, catching Caleb’s
gaze. It was greedy. Hot and a bit frightening. No one had ever looked at her
that way before. As if she was something to be ravished. It thrilled her like no
adrenaline rush could.

As Caleb licked a long, dragging stroke up her center, Lucy’s
hips rose up and she cried out. The pleasure was sharp, near its peak. And it
hadn’t even begun.

He went to work on her core, teasing her clit, toying with her
nerves as if he knew exactly what it would take to unravel her completely. Slow
drags of his tongue switched to quick flicks on her pleasure spot. She quivered.
Shook. Struggled for air. She was completely at his mercy.

And he knew it.

Raising his head just enough for Lucy to see the hunger in his
eyes, Caleb said, “I want you to come for me.” Ever so slowly, he slipped his
finger inside her. “God, you’re so tight.”

On a throaty moan, Lucy’s eyes rolled back. Waves of early
release rolled through her. Between the intensity of his mouth and the pressure
of his finger inside her, Lucy felt the hot, jagged peak of ecstasy closing
in.

And as his finger slipped in and out of her, Lucy let out a
strangled cry. Her entire body convulsed, rocking against his mouth when the
full strength of the orgasm hit. Raising her hips, bringing her core closer to
his mouth, Caleb devoured every last part of her. As he gripped her backside,
Lucy clawed at his shoulders, feeling as though every ounce of energy from her
body had been wrung out.

When the last pulse of pleasure squeezed its way out of her,
Caleb removed his mouth from her core...and smiled.

Lucy sank into the fur blankets with melted muscles and a
blissfully blank mind.

“I didn’t peg you for a black lace kind of girl.” Caleb guided
her shredded panties down her leg, then dropped them beside her. “Especially on
the night of the claiming ceremony. Sacred means white to most girls.”

Lucy tilted her head, swishing around on the fur so that she
could see him clearly. His dark eyes burned bright with lingering need. “I
wanted to give my future partner a surprise.”

Caleb rested his chin on the flat span of her stomach. “Even
though you didn’t know if you’d like the bastard?”

“I aim to please.” She reached down and flicked his ear.

“Lucky for you I like black.”

Lucy stroked the bulging muscles of Caleb’s shoulders and down
his back as far as she could reach. His tanned skin was slick beneath her hand,
his muscles flexing as she raked her fingers over them.

She’d been so drunk on the lingering effects of her own
pleasure, she’d nearly forgotten about Caleb’s needs.

“What about you?” Lucy asked, dancing her fingers over a ridge
of muscle. Simply thinking about pleasuring Caleb the way he’d just pleasured
her thrilled her down to her toes. “Why don’t you come up here.”

It was more of a statement than a question.

But he didn’t respond.

Caleb’s coal-black eyes met hers as he let out a heavy sigh.
“That was great, but I think we should take it slow, one step at a time, don’t
you?”

“Slow? You think what we just did is taking it
slow
?” Her fingers stilled, matching the hush of her
heart. “Are you serious?”

“A lightning storm is supposed to hit the southern edge of the
isle by nightfall and I’ve got a lot of flying to do before we reach werewolf
territory.”

Lucy barely heard his words, but she understood the meaning all
right: he’d gone too far, but only because she’d pretty much begged for it. He
didn’t want to take it any farther.

She was an idiot.

He was pulling a classic Caleb move. Get in, get out, before
anyone gets too deeply involved. Lucy knew Caleb’s game; he’d played it on a
hundred hopeful hearts before. Only this time, he didn’t even want to get in
long enough to finish what he started.

That was the part that hurt the most.

Trying to keep her dignity intact, Lucy slid from beneath his
massive body and stood, jerking down her dress. Damn it, where was her bag? The
clothes she’d worn to Draco Cavern were inside along with an extra pair of
underwear.

“Fine,” she said, searching around the room. Had someone
brought her bag to the chamber? Or was it still in the dressing room? “Do you
have reason to believe Tristan could’ve come out of a portal in werewolf
territory?”

By the time she spun around, Caleb was standing in front of the
armoire, holding her bag. “Don’t be upset, Luce.”

“I’m not upset.” She tried to snatch the bag from him, but he
held tight. “And don’t call me Luce. I’m not a little girl anymore.”

“I can see that.” His gaze trailed to Lucy’s breasts and heat
hit her cheeks once more.

“Just give me my stuff. I need to change.”

His jaw clenched and with another tug, he released the bag.
Reeling from the brush-off, Lucy changed in the bathroom. She was stupid to
think there could’ve been something more between them. She must’ve misread their
chemistry—it wasn’t two-sided. He hadn’t wanted a relationship with her before,
and he clearly didn’t want one with her now.

But when Lucy stepped out of the bathroom, wearing jeans, a
white tank top and a pair of beat-up black boots, she could’ve sworn Caleb
sucked in a clipped breath.

He’d changed, too, tossing a charcoal gray T-shirt over his
black pants. It was amazing how effortlessly he could stop her heart. His short
hair was wild—thanks to her fingers raking through it—but the sexy-tousled-look
suited him. His eyes seemed darker than they’d been when she entered the
bathroom, but his Draco specks shined just as gold. The ache to see him in
dragon form struck Lucy hard, and she had to shake her head to ditch the memory
of Caleb in his golden glory.

He slung a backpack over his shoulder and opened the door
leading to the hall. They had a long path ahead of them—the journey to find
Tristan and bring him back safely.

“Ready?” Caleb waved for her to walk through.

Just the movement of his hand was a reminder of what just
happened. How was she going to ride him without thinking about how it’d feel to
ride him in a different way?

Storming to the bed, Lucy shoved her shredded lace panties into
her bag, then slung it over her shoulder. She snatched Tristan’s medallion from
the armoire and looped it around her neck.

“You never answered my question.” She pushed past him, swathed
in the wake of his naturally masculine scent. “Why are we going into werewolf
territory?”

“There are a few portals over there that are unmanned. Tristan
could’ve come through in Were territory and would need help getting back.” Caleb
increased his pace, past the Great Hall, down a narrow, stone-carved passageway
and through the final archway leading to the cavern exit. “It’s a long shot, but
the portals in Draco territory are either heavily guarded or sealed. The only
ones left are on other parts of the isle.”

“Wait,” Lucy said, catching up. “What about Tristan’s
medallion?”

“Did you forget it back there?”

“No, but I think you’re overlooking it.”

They reached the edge of the cavern and stopped as the entire,
amazing length of Timeless Gorge stretched out before them. The cavern was about
as wide as it was deep, large enough to easily fit the dragons swooping around
inside it. Far, far below, a sparkling blue ribbon of river snaked its way
around cliffs and out of sight.

“What are you talking about?” Caleb spun around.

Lucy held the medallion in her hand. “It’s more than a
medallion...it’s a key. It fits into a chest that’s been passed down in my
family from generation to generation. Tristan never took this medallion off. Not
ever.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Caleb knelt near the wall,
tugged off his shirt and shoved it into his bag. His body rippled with layers of
bulging muscle. His stomach flexed into a perfect set washboard abs, and his
legs were the size of tree trunks.

Greek
god
, Lucy thought, facing the wall with her arms
folded across her chest.
Caleb
had
turned
into
a
damn
Greek
god
! What was his godly strength? Turning her on
when she knew better?

“Whatever is in the chest that he—maybe we should figure out
what’s inside the, um―”
Don’t
think
about
his
abs
, she chastised herself “―in case it’s something
that we need?”

“You think there might be something in the chest that we could
use to find Tristan?”

“I don’t know, but it’s worth a look.” Lucy studied the
formation of the stone-faced cavern to keep her gaze off Caleb. “I just keep
thinking that the medallion was close to him and I’ve never seen what’s inside
the chest. Whatever he kept in there was valuable to him...stands to reason that
it might be valuable to us, too.”

“Where is it?” As Caleb shoved his pants down around his
ankles, Lucy turned away with a stifled gasp. Nothing could take away the image
of his backside. The sight was now burned into her memory.