“Shit. Is that a thing?” Layla blinked, astounded. It brought back the sensations she had experienced with Fury that morning, and Layla quickly buried them – hoping Rhennic wouldn’t feel the intensity of eros that had happened between her and Reginald’s twin.
“Sometimes.” Rhennic answered, though he gave her a shrewder look now as if he’d felt her thoughts. “Fight-fucks happen when a drake and drakaina have a powerfully contentious reaction to each other. It’s acall of the wildthing. Many drakainas become highly aroused when a drake shows he can conquer them – and a drake gets highly aroused battling a strong drakaina onto her back. Usually, women who want to be a mate-Queen have meet and greets in human form first to assess compatibility with the King. Celina and I had never met, but she got right down to business during our fight, and I wasn’t down with that. I had to bite her throat, sending lightning into her to knock her out. It wasn’t pretty. Her clan was pissed that I rejected her – their most powerful Royal drakaina. But they didn’t understand that the only woman I want is you.”
“My hero.” Layla spoke softly. But a deep part of her unwound in relief that Rhennic understood what had happened between her and Fury. The way he described the fight-fuck was exactly like at the ice island. Interestingly, it was the same way Layla generally felt with Reginald, and what she’d felt after Dusk’s first true shift. It was also what she had felt when she’d first shifted at Riad Rhakvir and Adrian had subdued her as his drake. It was only by Adrian’s immense ability to stay in his right mind that things hadn’t gotten crazy with Dragon battle-sex that night.
Though Layla – and her drakaina – had wanted them to.
“I do want to be your hero,” Rhennic eyed her, taking up the conversation again, “if you’ll let me. But I don’t know if you can.”
“What do you mean?” Layla frowned as she returned to the moment, not understanding.
“I mean,” Rhennic eyeballed her, as a flicker of storms passed through his eyes now. “You’re a ball-busting drakaina, Layla, and you like to take the world by storm, and I enjoy that about you – but sometimes it scares the bejeezus out of me. I want to protect you but I can’t, because you rush off into adventures without rallying your cavalry. You can’t imagine what I was feeling when you wound up at the Crystal King’s palace by yourself, Layla. Or Reginald. We talked about it at length afterwards, while he was at the Château.”
Layla wanted to protest, but she suddenly felt in their Bind what Rhennic was feeling for her. Worry, love, pain, helplessness. Layla felt his anger that he’d been detained at the Czech Crystal Dragon border when she was in trouble in February, not to mention not being there this morning when shit had gone down with Fury.
Slowly, Layla set her cognac down upon the driftwood table. “You were terrified I was going to die in Prague. Or worse.”
“Call me, Layla.” Rhennic spoke quietly. Reaching across the table, he took up her hand, cradling it in his. “Call all your men when you need to go somewhere. We’ll rally, at once. Just wait for us. Anytime you want to travel someplace, just pick up the phone before you go. Place yourself in our talons – four strong Royal Dragons who could protect you if you just gave us the chance. That’s all I’m asking.”
“What happened to us just courting each other?” Layla spoke wryly, though she didn’t take her hand from his. She liked Rhennic’s warm, solid touch, her hand so small in his.
“You know our Bind goes deeper than that.” He spoke quietly, his eyes so dark a violet that Layla could drown in them. With a deep inhalation, Layla suddenly realized their conversation was about committed relationships – a topic she had to face with each of her Bound men now. Yet even as shit got real, Layla smiled, warmed as Rhennic held her hand. She could feel how strong his concern was for her, and the heart behind it. Though something in her still balked at being tailed by one of her men, Layla saw how things would have gone differently this morning if she’d just woken Reginald before meeting Fury.
With a glimmer of heat in his dark purple eyes, Rhennic wiped his lips with his napkin and rose from the table. Rounding it, he took Layla’s hand, helping her rise. Winding her close in his strong arms, he gave a deep smile, a flicker of lightning-storms flashing through his arresting eyes. With a slow grin, he nuzzled her nose, keeping his lips from hers in a deep, sexy tease.
“I like that look, Layla, the look you have right now.” He murmured. “It lets me know you take me seriously. My care for you. My concern for you.”
“I do.” She spoke back, feeling warmth rush between them again like summer sunlight as Rhennic held her in his strong arms. “I care about you too, Rhennic. And I want you to be happy in the Bind as much as anyone else. I’ll try harder to think about my safety before I act. I promise.”
“That’s all I ask.” He spoke quietly, a deep, loving energy moving between them now as their Dragons braided into each other in a strong golden coil.
Before Layla could say anything more, Rhennic bent down.
Pressing a kiss to her lips and stopping all her thoughts.
CHAPTER 23 – TIDES
Layla and Rhennic’s kiss went on a long while up on the balcony. His lips were decadent, and Layla enjoyed the strong, soft way he kissed as he wound his impressively tall body around her. Nothing Rhennic did was rushed; licking and touching gently, his kiss poured golden light all through her, like the sun breaking through storm-clouds. Shadows and light flowed over them as they kissed, as if Rhennic’s winds were driving the clouds, or perhaps Layla’s desert zephyrs. His big hands gripped her waist as he pulled her in, decadent. As he slowly pulled away, he held onto her lower lip, biting it gently as he released her. The heat between them careened; Layla was suddenly entirely wet below as he marked his mate subtly.
And promised so much more.
“I have an idea.” Rhennic growled sexily at her lips as they parted.
“What’s your idea?” Layla breathed, wanting nothing more than to just throw him down on the bed and fuck him wantonly.
“If we stay here in your rooms, we’re just going to have sex…” He spoke with a dark pleasure, his eyes flickering with storms. “So let’s go for a walk. There are some great tide pools near here, to the northeast just past the landing strip. You wanna?”
“What I wanna is to take you to bed.” Layla murmured, her whole body flushed with need. “But if we’re determined to court each other, we should probably take ourselves away from temptation.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I like temptation.” Rhennic growled as he slid his hand out to take hers, stepping back and leading her towards a set of waterfall stairs that wound down from the balcony. “But I also like this frank talk we’re having. It’s long past due.”
“I like it that you’re frank with me, too.” Layla answered, realizing it was true. “And I like being frank with you.”
“I’m glad.” Leading her to the stairs, Rhennic touched a watery barrier Layla hadn’t even seen with his hand that wore the pearl and platinum ring, tapping the barrier in a complex pattern like a combination. Parting, the shield shimmered away into the waterfall rails of the stairs, and Rhennic led Layla down. Tucking her wool shawl closer against the wind, Layla was impressed as they got to a coral overlook and Rhennic tapped a combination at another watery barrier.
“Is that ring an all-access pass to the island or something?” Layla spoke as Rhennic escorted her down a red coral staircase that twisted across the northeast cliffs towards the shore.
“More or less.” Rhennic glanced at her with a smile. “It gives me access to a lot of places on the island reserved for royalty and guarded by those barriers you saw. Though I don’t have access to the King’s chambers.”
