Hidden Dragons (15 page)

No way would she be able to take him inside
her. Not with the residual pain that made her feel so raw inside.
She wanted to, though. She wanted so much to feel his possession as
she’d felt Bear’s last night. She wanted to know them both in the
most intimate way possible.

Robert worked his way down her body
and she nearly screamed when his tongue flicked over that little
nub between her thighs. Then he was kissing her
there
. It seemed impossible.
Unlikely, at best, but he was doing it. Teaching her all new things
about her body and what drove her wild.

He moved down on the bed, positioning himself
between her spread thighs. He worked at her clit until she came
hard against his face and while she was still reeling from the
unexpected orgasm, he sat up between her thighs and spread them
even wider, placing one of her knees over each of his.

He still wore his pants and he reached into the
pocket, removing the small jar Silla had given him. He opened it
and the pungent fragrance of rare herbs she recognized hit her. Oh,
yes. That would numb the pain and begin the healing nicely. But was
Robert really going to administer it? It certainly looked as if
that was his plan.

If she wasn’t still enjoying a magnificent buzz
from the intense pleasure he’d just given her, she might have
objected. As it was, she let him do as he willed. She watched, her
desire rising again—much to her surprise—as he dipped one long
finger into the jar, coating his digit with the salve.

“
Now just relax and let Doctor
Robert make you all better,” he teased, lowering his finger to her
core. “Be a good girl and later, I’ll give you a treat.”

She wanted to giggle at his words, but just
then he slipped his finger into her sore passage. Almost
immediately the soreness abated. Then other sensations began to
take over. The feel of his long finger exploring her recesses,
spreading relief and a bit of renewed excitement wherever he
touched.

His thumb rose to tease her clit as his finger
massaged her passage, spreading the lubrication of the salve and
her own juices liberally. She wanted…more. Desire riding her, she
wanted to feel him inside her, even if it wasn’t the wisest course
of action.

“
Robert… I want you…” she choked
out.

“
Well, you can’t have me. At least
not this way. I’m under strict orders,” he replied, making her want
to growl in frustration. But something he’d said caught her
attention.

“
What other way is there?” she
asked, curious and wanting.

Robert laughed and the sound held a promise of
sensual delight. “There are many ways, sweetheart. Many, many ways.
And if you are willing to try something new, I will show you one of
them. Do you trust me?”

There was no question in her mind. “Of course I
trust you. What sort of question is that?”

Robert laughed at her impatience. “Right,
then.” He removed his finger from her pussy and sat back. “Flip
over,” he ordered curtly.

She was confused. She looked at him and he made
a little turning motion with one finger, his gaze filled with both
encouragement and amusement. She complied, watching him over her
shoulder as she presented him with her back.

“
Tuck your knees under you and show
me that pretty ass of yours.” His tone was sinful, making her
hesitate, but the promise of pleasure and her trust in him made her
comply.

When she was propped up on her folded legs, her
butt in the air, his hands returned. The finger that was still
coated with salve residue rimmed her back hole, shocking her. And
then he pushed inward, making her squeak in surprise. Did he really
mean to take her there?

“
Relax, sweetheart. Calm down and
let me in. I won’t hurt you. It’ll feel good, I promise, and if
you’re scared or you don’t like it, I’ll stop. Just tell me, all
right?” His crooning words penetrated her shock and she nodded. She
trusted him. He wouldn’t hurt her.

She began to relax and then things started to
change. Shock turned to pleasure and as she calmed, she began to
realize the sensations coming from his actions were strange, but
kind of amazing too.

He let her get used to the sensations before
adding a finger and stretching her. And then, after she was about
ready to beg, he finally moved over her and began to claim her with
his body. It was much more intense and she caught her breath as he
paused only part-way inside.

“
All right, sweetheart?” he asked,
his own breathing ragged.

“
I’m good. Keep going,” she urged.
“Just go slow.”

He bent over her, placing a kiss on the side of
her head. “You’re amazing, Isabelle.”

She felt amazing as he moved deeper into her.
The feeling was so strange, yet oddly pleasurable. She knew she
wouldn’t like this with anyone other than Robert or maybe Bear, but
with the two men who held pieces of her heart, she was willing to
try almost anything.

And then Robert began to move. He went slow, as
she requested, and gradually built up speed. It was never fast, but
it was more than enough to push her over the peak into a hard, fast
climax, which took him with her. He pulled out and she felt the
splash of his climax pulse over her backside. He gripped her hips
with one hand and she looked back to see his other hand wrapped
tight around his cock, still spurting against her. She leaned back
a bit to rub against him, liking the way he groaned.

That was about all she was good for before
collapsing on the bed. Robert followed soon after. She must have
dozed for a while, but she woke when Robert placed her into her
second hot bath of the day.

Growloranth must have come back at some point
while she slept. She could just see him through the open door that
led to the wallow. She flushed realizing the dragon must have been
witness to Robert carrying her naked body across the length of the
suite.

“
Are you awake?” Robert asked, his
head above hers as he joined her in the bath that was big enough
for two—or three.

“
Barely, but yes, I’m awake. Thanks
for drawing the bath.”

“
It’s the least I could do since
I’m the one who made you dirty.” His words seemed to have more than
one meaning and she turned in his arms to look at his face. Sure
enough, he was smiling at her in that wicked way he had.

She leaned in to kiss him and was gratified
when he returned her kiss after a slight hesitation. Had she taken
him by surprise? Well, good. She needed to have the upper hand in
this relationship every once in a while. If they were going to have
a relationship.

More and more it seemed that they were. She was
beginning to believe that it might just possibly work. She had
bedded both men and enjoyed each occasion immensely. She still
wasn’t sure how the whole mating flight triple bonding would work,
but she might give it more serious consideration if things kept
going like this.

If Silla and other women in the Lair had such
relationships, then maybe Isabelle and her men could make it work
too. It was something to think about, at the very least.

For Robert, life couldn’t get much better than
it was at that very moment. He had the woman of his dreams lying
naked in his arms, in a tub full of steaming water. His dragon
partner lay nearby, in his own wallow, sleeping the sleep of the
righteous. They had put in a good night’s work and might just have
been able to report things back to their leaders that would save
many lives in the coming conflict.

All in all, it had been a good day.

The only thing that would be better is if
Isabelle was firmly committed to them. If she was already their
wife and he knew she would always be with them, waiting for them
when they flew home or working at their sides to make the world a
better place. She was such a special woman. He prayed to the Mother
of All that she would accept them—and everything that
entailed.

Robert yawned loudly, unable to hold it back.
It had been a good night, but a long one. He couldn’t really
remember the last uninterrupted sleep he’d had.

“
We should go to bed,” Isabelle
murmured. He tightened his arms around her.

“
I like the sound of that,” he
agreed, kissing her hair.

“
To sleep,” she said firmly, though
her tone held a hint of humor. “You were up all night and then
making reports all morning. I doubt you even had a single solid
hour of rest anywhere in there. You need to get some sleep.” She
gestured toward the doorway and the dragons’ wallow beyond. “Your
partner has the right idea.”

Caught, he had to agree. “Yes.” He sighed
heavily. “You’re right, of course.” He moved her forward in the
water and sat up, preparing to leave the cooling bath. She gasped
when he lifted her in his arms and walked up the steps of the
recessed tub, placing her on her feet in the doorway of the
chamber.

“
A little help, my friend?” Robert
spoke in the direction of the snoozing dragon. Growloranth didn’t
even stir. He simply breathed a little harder in their direction,
sending a warming, cinnamon-scented wind over them, drying their
bodies within moments.

Robert lifted her in his arms again and carried
her into the one chamber in their suite that had been empty since
they had moved in. It was the one chamber he had dreamed of having
filled—by the right woman. It had a massive bed in the center of
the chamber, but no one lived in it. Not yet, at least.

“
Where are we?” she asked as he put
her down on the bed.

“
This is the mates chamber of our
suite. It’s been empty until now, since we didn’t have a mate, but
as you can see, it is big enough for the three of us, when needed.”
He lay down next to her and pulled a thin blanket over both of
them.

He pulled her back against him so that they
were spooned together. He liked the feel of her in his arms. Within
a few moments, even though he had a great deal to think about, they
were both fast asleep.

Robert woke a few hours later when he heard the
massive door to their suite open and close. Coupled with the sounds
of a dragon wading into the sand pit and the slip of scales on
scales, and he figured that Bear and Tilly had returned. Finally.
The whole family was together in one place.

“
We’re in the mates chamber,
Bear,”
Robert sent silently to his
fighting partner.

“
That was fast work,”
came the dry reply. A moment later Robert heard
footsteps and then Bear walked through the open portal.
“Has she agreed to be our mate?”

“
Not quite yet, but I think she’s
warming to the idea.”

Bear sat on the side of the bed, next to
Isabelle. The movement of the mattress woke her.

“
Bear,” she said, still charmingly
groggy. “You’re back.”

Bear dropped down to place a lingering kiss on
her lips. “I’m back,” he whispered against her mouth, then drew
away. “Am I to understand you’ve been sleeping most of the
afternoon?”

“
Well, you kept her up most of the
night. It hasn’t been an easy couple of days for any of us,” Robert
replied for her, sitting up in the bed and leaning back against the
headboard.

“
Much as I would enjoy exploring
this giant bed with you, my dear…” Bear whispered near her ear as
she hid under the blanket, “…my first duty is to be certain you
have all that you need. In this case, I believe dinner is in
order.”

At that moment, her stomach growled delicately
and Robert realized Bear was right. They hadn’t eaten since lunch
and it was already past dinnertime. She had to be hungry. Robert
threw off the blanket and launched himself out of the bed, seeking
his clothing. Their woman was hungry. They had to fix that right
away.

With quite a few blushes, Isabelle was
persuaded to get out of bed and get dressed. Within a few minutes
more, they were on their way to the great hall. There they
collected three dinner trays and sat down at an empty table. The
prime dinner hour was already past, so there weren’t that many
people left in the hall and they had the place mostly to
themselves.

Still, the food was hot and filling. Robert saw
to it that Isabelle had all she wanted and a few things she had
never tried before. He liked showing her new things—even small
things like exotic fruits from afar.

“
I wonder where everyone is?”
Robert mused, looking around the deserted hall. “Even at this hour
it is usually more crowded here.”

Bear looked chagrinned. “Apologies, my friend.
I thought you knew, but then how could you if you’ve been asleep
all afternoon? The news from Halley’s Well is not good. We saw
troops massing and I believe the invasion is set for tomorrow
morning. I suspect they will herd the skiths across the pass at
first light. Everyone is preparing for battle.”

Isabelle gasped, but Robert wasn’t all that
surprised. He had been expecting action sooner rather than
later.

“
I assume the other dark dragons
will be watching over the village and the pass tonight, then, since
we haven’t been called,” Robert observed.