Dragons of Preor: Taulan Read online

  He ignored the warrior and returned to his hurried path, his determined stride eating up the space. Every male they came across jumped out of the way, their gazes averted yet they showed her respect by saluting as they passed. Once more, several whispered healing wishes and prayers to the stars for his mate. Already, they loved her. Loved her for the way she’d defended herself, suffered injuries and yet accepted his touch.

  He made the last turn and did not slow until they were secured in the suite. No others would be granted entrance until his mate had been cared for. None.

  Taulan carefully lowered her to the couch and he was once more thankful for its presence. He shifted his hold, pulling his arm from beneath her legs, and moved to release her further only to have her cling to him.

  “Wait.” She snatched his hand and inhaled with a long hiss. He bet she’d harmed herself with that quick action. Her hold didn’t lessen, but she did slowly rest her back on the plush cushions. She whispered her plea once more. “Wait.”

  He knelt at her side, one arm cradling her shoulders and head while she clutched his free hand. “What is it? What do you require? I can—“

  “Hush.” Her voice was soft and thin and he wondered if it was that way due to fatigue or disuse. Deciding to listen to her request, he remained silent and waited for her to speak further. “What’s happened since…?”

  Taulan settled on the ground, content to bask in his mate’s presence. He did not care if he sounded like a young, swooning dragonlet. His mate was alive, awake, and with him.

  He just would not tell others of his behavior.

  “The Healing Master sedated you so they could heal your injuries,” he murmured, keeping his volume low. “They said you would be sore?” She nodded and he mentally cursed, wishing he could bring those two back from the stars and kill them himself. “Once you were firmly in their care, I went to confront the two males who had attacked.”

  He shook his head and dropped it forward, resting his forehead on his mate’s chest. Her ample chest. Soft and sweet and… He could not imagine his mate nude while he finished the story. A small part of him assured Taulan he could.

  His mind replayed those few anxiety and rage-fueled moments. His handful of steps away from Lana, the pain that lined her features, and finally the soft sigh that’d left her when she slept. “I left instructions for the males to be taken to holding while I cared for you.” He released a low chuckle. It was funny and yet not. “At least they made it to holding.”

  Delicate fingers stroked his hair, sliding through the strands in a soft caress. “What happened then?”

  He closed his eyes, vision filling with swaths of red. “They were dead.”

  Lana gasped. “I… You…”

  He quickly lifted his gaze and met her stare. He shook his head. “No, shaa kouva. It was not you nor me.” He remembered the heavy stench of fresh blood that’d crowded the small area, the burgundy coating the walls and flooring. Great swaths of liquid peppered the metal. Someone had dipped their hands in the fluid and left macabre handprints all over the surface. “Between when I left them in the aerie and when I returned, another gained access to them and ended their lives.”

  “What…?” she swallowed hard and licked her lips.

  Taulan cursed his body’s response to her, cursed his hard cock and throbbing need. It pulsed, riding his veins and spreading that desperate desire to consume every inch of his body. His kouva was injured. He should not lust after her like a dragonlet. Yet… yet he wished for nothing more than another taste of her lips, another caress, the feel of her unclothed body against his.

  “What happened? I mean, who was it?”

  Taulan chuckled. “The obvious suspect is me.” He shook his head, remembering his vow to the Healing Master. “But it was not me.” He sighed and stroked his mate, fingers toying with her long strands. “And the data feeds were destroyed.”

  “Destroyed?” She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. It was an emotion he shared with her. Preor systems were designed with various failsafes and backups. For the data to be completely gone… It was beyond Taulan’s comprehension.

  “Destroyed. Gone as if it had never existed.”

  “Taulan, did you…?”

  “No, shaa kouva.” He turned his hand and captured her fingers. He brought her hand to his mouth and brushed a soft kiss over the delicate skin. “No. I swear it. I would have had I found them there, but they did not die at my hand. Nor at those I call friends.”

  Though he also knew Jarek would have been in line to end the males’ lives if Taulan did not.

  “But the two men on the screens said—“

  Those two males he would gladly end as well. Gladly.

  “They are Droze and Luuvak’s fathers. They are looking to lay blame. I regret their deaths—“ Or rather, the fact that they did not happen at his claw. “—But I am not at fault. An investigation has commenced.” He stroked her cheek, ghosting his fingertips over the hollows beneath her eyes. “And now you are tired, shaa kouva. You are meant to be in bed. Resting. Recovering.”

  “I feel,” she yawned and stretched, wincing when she pushed herself too far. “Fine.”

  “You are telling a falsehood.” He trusted himself enough to give her a kiss on the cheek. Except, once he pressed his lips to her flesh, he realized he should not have. Not when her mouth was so deliciously close to her cheek. His mouth watered and a craving for her punched him in the stomach. He wanted to taste her, caress her, give and take everything he possibly could.

  Her small nails dug into his flesh, carving small lines into him where she gripped. And that hint of pain was the last nudge he required.

  Taulan tossed aside all misgivings and captured her lips with his own. He’d mauled her on the command deck and he’d resolved not to do it again. Resolutions were made to be broken. He slipped his tongue past her lips, caressing her with a delicate touch. A teasing wave that tormented her and then he followed it with a determined stroke. Delicate flutters followed by a deep tasting. Over and over, he repeated those motions, drawing moans from his mate and groans from him.

  He was rock hard once more, body demanding relief, and his back itched and twitched. Had he retained his wings, they would flutter with his arousal, signaling his desire better than words ever could. But he didn’t have wings. He was a wingless—

  Lana sucked on his tongue, taking control of the kiss and stealing all rational thought from his mind. He craved his mate like a drug, his body burning for her, and it only got worse the longer they touched. He should move away from her, put space between them. She was still suffering from her injuries and did not—

  Her small nails scraped his flesh and squeezed his shoulder. Then that touch traveled over his chest, scoring his pecs and further south. As they kissed, his mate moved even more. She, she, she…

  She sat up and wrapped her legs around him, cradling him close. He tilted his head back, allowing her to take control and set the pace of their connection. He could easily rise above her, take her, claim her, make her—

  No, he would not do that. Not yet. He must first—

  She cupped his hardness, fingers dancing over his length and she squeezed him gently. He must first what?

  Taulan wasn’t sure. He couldn’t think. Not when Lana caressed him in such a way. Not when she stroked him, tugged on his clothing and made love to him with her mouth.

  “Shaa kouva,” he mumbled and eased the kiss only to be dragged back in. “Lana,” he tried again, but not very hard. He enjoyed her touch too much to protest her actions. She flicked the closure of his pants and he realized he had to put a stop to their loving now. “Lana.”

  She pulled away, separating their mouths. “Taulan,” she whined.

  “What are you doing?” He would not—could not—give in to her. She was injured. If she would not care for herself, he would do the job. Besides, the challenges would soon commence. He could not claim her in good conscience when…

  Still holding his c
ock and clinging to his shoulder, she eased back until their stares clashed. “I’m making you mine.”

  16

  And she’d claim him as long as he didn’t deny her. She’d touched him, tasted him, during their night of passion but it hadn’t been enough. Not nearly. Now she wanted to feel him—his cock—deep within her pussy. She wanted to scream his name while he fucked her hard over and over again. She wanted to explore his body and learn his every secret.

  “You’re mine.” Something dangerous and feral rumbled inside her, as if a part of her human body recognized her bestial mate.

  “Lana,” regret and need warred their way across his features. He wanted her, but that didn’t mean he wanted to want her.

  She wanted this enough for the both of them.

  She squeezed the hardness beneath her palm, rubbing him from root to tip in a firm stroke. A damp spot formed at the head of his cock, further proof of his desire for her. Pre-cum leaked from his dick and she wanted to lap up those hints of his arousal.

  She’d tasted him before, but never as a prelude to lovemaking. It was something they’d done because she wasn’t quite ready for that step.

  For this step.

  But now she was.

  “Take me, Taulan. Fuck me. Fill me.” She nipped his lower lip. “Claim me, my Preor warrior.”

  A growl was her only warning, only hint that she’d broken his fierce resolve. The rumble vibrated his chest and transferred to her, shaking her whole body in time with that noise.

  Claw-tipped fingers gripped her hard, nails digging into her flesh and sending a jolt of pain down her spine. And what followed it was pure pleasure. His lips were everywhere, hands alternating between painful scrapes and delicious caresses. She balanced on the edge of agony and ecstasy, and she ached for him to consume her.

  The pain from the fight was nothing compared to the unfulfilled ache of need. Her pussy was hot and wet, heavy and aching with desire—for him, for his cock. When he yanked on her pants, she didn’t object. She didn’t say a word as sharp nails sliced through her clothing. She didn’t take off her pants. They were torn from her body in fluttering strips until she was bare from the waist down. Taulan’s gaze remained locked on the juncture of her thighs and he licked his lips.

  As if he wanted another taste of her. She trembled with the thought. She loved his mouth between her legs, feasting on her cunt and making her scream his name to the skies.

  “Shaa kouva,” the words were guttural and deep, more beast than man. “You are mine.”

  “Yes.” She was.

  She pulled her focus from his delicious touch and reached for his clothing, tugging and pulling until he was bare chested. Her mouth watered with the need to lick and nibble each one of his muscles, trace his abs with her tongue and then rip off his pants so she could nuzzle his hard cock. He was so muscular, his scent smoky and sweet with a hint of musk that made her ache for him.

  His next action bared her breasts to the room, yet another outfit lost to her mate’s deadly claws.

  “I am always stripping you, shaa kouva. I am always taking when I should be giving.” He growled the words but didn’t stop his movements. No, he continued dragging cloth from her body, continued stroking and caressing her, continued following his hands with his mouth. He sucked on her nipple and nibbled the hard nub. He flicked it gently and then bit down just hard enough to give her a jolt of pain.

  The man knew how to stoke the fires of her arousal.

  Taulan cupped her mound, his fingers curling and sliding into her sopping wet pussy with ease. He pumped his fingers in and out of her sheath, sending tremors of arousal through her body.

  “Taking,” he added a third finger to her pussy and she gasped with the intrusion. “Taking is giving, shaa kouvi.” Taulan hummed as if he didn’t believe her. “I love it when you take me. When you make me feel, make me experience.” She rolled her hips, savoring the heat of their joining. “You take my pleasure and give me more at the same time.”

  He grunted, his expression one of disbelief, but he lowered his head and sucked on her left nipple hard. He released her with a soft pop and then… Then…

  “I will take your pussy, Lana joi Taulan, and I will give you my cock.”

  “Yes,” she moaned the word and then whimpered when he withdrew. But he only withdrew for a moment. Just long enough to strip his clothing from his body and leave himself bared to her gaze.

  So beautiful, so much sculpted steel and stone.

  Scarred and abused stone. A hint of his scarring curved around his ribs, the rivulets of twisted skin traveling the length of his abdomen to slink across his ribs. She knew there was more evidence of his injuries, more proof of the loss of his wings.

  But he hadn’t let her see anything yet.

  Which needed to change.

  Before he could join her, she pushed to her feet and didn’t stop moving until their bodies were practically aligned. His hard cock nudged her hip, his dick ready to find home within her pussy, but she had other plans first.

  “Shaa kouva, I need—“

  Taulan sucked in a harsh breath and she didn’t stop. Her fingers encountered smooth skin along his carved abdomen, but then she shifted her path to his ribs. That was where she found the twisted mass of flesh.

  “Lana,” he ground out her name and grabbed her wrist. “No.”

  Fierce, blazing eyes bored into hers, but this was too important. “Yes.”

  She would not be denied.

  “No.”

  She didn’t stop her exploration and he didn’t force her to halt. “You have seen all of me, Taulan. You know everything. It’s time to share yourself.”

  He pressed his lips together and turned his stare to the ground, no longer looking at her at all. “You do not understand.”

  His voice was no more than a harsh rasp and hardly audible.

  “I never will if you don’t tell me—show me.”

  He breathed deeply and let it out with a slow rasp. She knew he didn’t want to do this, but would because she’d asked. “Fine,” he snapped. “But we shall do this in a bed. If you leave me, I will not have far to move before I let the skies take me.” He quirked his lips. “I always wished to die in bed with a beautiful female.”

  A jolt of sadness raced through her and she glared at her mate even if he wasn’t giving her his attention. “No one is dying, jerk.”

  His rueful grin became teasing. “Perhaps you will love me to death.”

  She was tempted to try it.

  Taulan bent at the waist and scooped her into his arms. Long strides ate up the distance between the living room and bedroom, and he didn’t release her until they stood beside the bed.

  Then it all changed, it all shifted from anxious and rapid movements to a slow, gradual walk. Lana stayed close to him, giving him what comfort she could, and he took it for one minute and then two, before finally stepping away.

  “It is not pretty, my Lana.”

  “Life isn’t pretty.”

  “That is a strong truth.”

  She stroked his side once more, the skin angry and red, twisted from the damage he’d suffered. “Life isn’t about the pretty parts. It’s about everything. Happy and sad. It’s easier to shoulder the sad when you have a partner.” She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the center of his chest. “Share it with me.”

  Taulan pulled his attention from her and she recognized the unease in his position. He was nervous, wary, and everything she’d experienced when she revealed the truth about Steven.

  “Share it.” Another gentle kiss. “Please.”

  The please broke him. It had him stepping away and reaching for the bedcovers. It had him yanking at the blankets and finally flopping onto the mattress on his stomach.

  She couldn’t have suppressed the surprise had she tried. Knowing his wings had been removed with acid was different than knowing his wings had been removed with acid. His entire back was a twisting and twining mass of red and tanned
stripes. His skin was nothing more than a hilly battlefield where a fight for his life had occurred.

  Lana’s arousal lessened with the sight before her, with evidence of his suffering, heartache, and soul-deep agony. So many things were tied to a Preor’s wings. So many emotions, so many aspects of their lives depended on flight.

  Flight forever out of her mate’s reach.

  He lifted to his elbows and glanced over his shoulder, his face a mask of pain and daring. Yes, he dared her to pity him, to feel sorry for the poor Preor who couldn’t fly.

  But Lana wasn’t like every other person he’d come into contact with. She didn’t care if he ever flew again. She didn’t care about his position, his wealth, or what he could do for her.

  She cared that he still lived and that was that.

  “Lie down,” she whispered the words as she climbed over him. She moved and straddled his back, her ass resting on his.

  Taulan tensed and a tremor slunk through him. “Lana…”

  She didn’t say a word, didn’t attempt to soothe him. Her world centered around exploring her mate, on assuring him she craved him as he was and without reservation. Scars didn’t matter. Nothing but him mattered.

  “Shhh…” She traced his shoulders, fingers light as they drifted over his skin. She avoided the larger scars and instead focused on the least marred areas. But that didn’t satisfy her for long. No, she wanted more—all of him. He twitched and she quieted him once more. “Shhh…”

  She gradually increased her pressure, petting his back and discovering every hidden part of Taulan. She carefully made her way to the darkest, largest scars. They were truly like a mountain range of flesh that marred his back.

  Others saw it as proof of weakness. She saw them as proof of strength.

  She carefully stroked the reddest flesh between where his wings would have rested. Melissa and Nalan called it his wing base. Taulan’s hadn’t been destroyed, his wings were simply gone. He still had all of the sensation, the nerve bundles that gave a mate Preor so much pleasure. She would prove that to her mate now.