Fated - Book 1 (Completed)

Chapter 8

My body shivered under his warm fingers. I wanted to cave in and beg, but I wasn't going to give in to him so easily. My nails dug into the hard wooden table under me. His fingers slowly warmed up. Riders had the natural ability to use fire magic, and he was using it to be sadistic.I rolled my hips slightly into his hand in a silent way of begging him; he only let out a low chuckle that was heavy in my ear, making me want him more."Please."A weak, unplanned whisper left my lips as the heat and arousal between my thighs grew as he raised his temperature."Please, what, Princess?"His lips were trailing down my neck as my head lazily fell back, allowing his warm, soft lips to trail over my throat as I let out a croaked moan. He pressed a kiss against the little dip where my collarbones met. Another vibrating groan rolled through me, and he simply responded with a throaty chuckle."Please."Despite the sensations washing over me, I felt sick with myself for even allowing that one word to slip past my swollen bottom lip."Please, what, Princess?"This time he growled his words, his free hand darted to my hair, and taking a handful of my stands between his fingers, he pulled hard to force another broken moan out of my lips. I was not going to give in as he used the fingers locked in my hair and his weight to push me back, forcing me to lay on the wooden table.My eyes fluttered open as he started to suck on the base of my neck, his fingers pulling harder on my hair. As his heated hand still kept its teasing rotations, never allowing me my release, I tried my best to focus on the empty seats."Beg me to fuck you, princess."Another growl rolled from his chest; this time he sounded flustered, almost desperate to have his way with me. Then I felt it—his erection rubbing against my thigh; it wanted to be released from his tight riding pants, but I wasn't going to give in that easily."Do what you want; I will never beg you to fuck me."The words were bitter on my tongue as they rolled out. I was lying, and my body was giving me away. My hips rolled against his teasing fingers, and my legs ran up his body as I tried to wrap myself around his hips but failed.Then the most painful sensation washed over my body; it made me choke on a sudden sob. My toes curled, but not in a good way. My body tensed as he started to pull away. The sound of his heels hitting the stone floor echoed through the empty hall.I was lying there flat on the table, my hair an utter mess under me, and my legs slowly fell as his unnatural heat pulled away from me completely. He let out a heavy sigh. My body suddenly jerked up, and my heels hit the stone floor as I rolled off the table.He stood there with an obvious bulge in his pants; he was running his hands through his hair, drawing in sharp, deep breaths and letting them out with even heavier sighs."Why did you stop?"I snapped at him; those bright blue eyes grew cold as he looked down at me. The cold look in his eyes made my knees buckle slightly, and I had to squeeze my thighs shut as the wet sensation between them grew.He suddenly rushed me and wrapped a hand around my neck, forcing me to look up at him as he crashed his lips hard against mine, forgetting his rule. I grabbed at his red and golden coat to pull on him, to pull him in for a deeper kiss, but all I got was a slightly tighter grip on my neck.As quick as the kiss started, it ended suddenly. His breathing was heavy as he towered over me."I have tasks to complete, and fucking you right now isn't one of them."There it was: the demon of the south, a cold, ruthless man. The kiss we shared was just as heated as our first kiss when we were alone for the first time. I wanted more."Your duty is to me, and you have not followed through with it once today."I tried my utter best to hold the growl in my chest, but it wavered as his eyes locked with mine and his grip tightened around my throat, making me whimper. Our eyes were locked, but I could see his jaw tighten as I pushed against his traditions.The dragons had a set law where the man's duty to his king came first, even above and beyond his family—the complete opposite of the way that I was raised. Back home, my father's first law was that a man's first duty was to his wife and then his king.Cold, bright blue eyes somehow darkened as he kept them locked on me; the grip around my neck slowly loosened; and the darkness in his face slowly faded as he licked his bottom lip and pulled it under his teeth, making me weaker in my clamped legs."My duty is to my king first, then to myself, then to you."He was starting to pull away, but my fingers were locked around his coat, and I pulled him back. He looked down at me with shock in his eyes. The woman in the north had strength that could match the men, something he was not used to."I don't care about your duties; I am your first priority. Now be a man and bend me over the ta-"Warm lips pressed against mine; his tongue slipped past my lips and fought for dominance in my mouth. I allowed him to take over and trace the tip of his tongue around my mouth.I whimpered as he pulled his tongue out. He slowed down our kiss and then hovered his warm lips just inches above mine, teasing me yet again."Okay, go and get ready for a ride, then get your ass down to the dragon's keep."A quick peck on my lips, and with that, he suddenly vanished. I stood there frozen, his heels echoing as he darted out of the hall, making my body suddenly run cold. I was lost and confused at his words; my legs eased, but I was still aching to have him.It took me over an hour to wobble back to our room and slip into my riding gear; it was identical to Artemis' riding uniform. The only difference was the red and gold blazer. I grabbed my black horse-riding coat before Liana could slip me into a tighter one that looked like it would suck the breath out of me.My heels hit the stone floor, sending out a hollow echo through the passage that I was sent towards. A sudden cool breeze washed over me as I finally found the opening to the dragon's keep.The castle was built around this specific cave; it was nestled at the edge of a high cliff that looked over the Red Sea. It was also the cave where the first rider found his dragon's egg. My father tried to tell me the stories when I was a child, but nothing sunk in at that time.I slowly walked down the cave. My eyes wandered over the cave's interior sigils that decorated its black stone walls and fire lanterns that hugged the walls, roughly highlighting the leather saddles that hung from the cave's ceiling.My eyes locked onto a saddle made from black leather; the horn, fork, and cantle were made from pale white wood, and the wood had gold carvings etched over its surface, pulling more of my attention.I leaned in closer to get a better look at the markings. My fingers traced the symbols carefully as I tried to make out what they were, but nothing came to mind as I traced the dim gold lines."It's Celtiberian."My body jerked forward at his heavy voice in my ear. Scared, I spun around to glare up at a smiling Artemis."I've always loved the language, so as a child, I asked the saddler to engrave my favourite literature into the wood."His eyes danced over the object I was marvelling over just a few seconds ago."Funny."He muttered the word before his eyes fell on me; the corners of his lips were turned up slightly, making my heart flutter at the sight."It's funny how you went for my saddle, princess."His sweet smile twisted into a sadistic grin as he leaned in to whisper into my ear with a growl."Your fingers were on the wrong horn, my princess."With that, he pulled away, bright blue eyes locked on my face. Before I could retort, he leaned in and pressed his lips gently against mine as a rouse to grab the hand I had on the saddle and tug me towards the mouth of the cave.Natural light was flooding in through the entrance, but something was dancing lazily in the light, flickering in random movements. It was a tail that was attached to a large mount that seemed to curve in a half-moon shape across the cave's floor.My feet dug into the ground as every instinct in me kicked in. I needed to run away; I needed to escape from the cave; I had to get away, but the warm fingers locked with mine pulled on me and dragged me effortlessly towards the heavy-breathing monster."This is Neim, my second dragon, and, obviously, the largest."He sounded proud as he introduced the black serpent. I just felt utter fear wash over me. I tried to fight against his grip, but he wasn't releasing me.The black mount was sleeping; its breathing was heavy and calm; my eyes finally adjusted to the cave's light; and only now was I able to focus on the beast's full size; its body took up most of the visible space.Artemis was right; the beast was huge; the mount that I was staring at was just its torso; it rose and dropped heavily with its deep, lazy breaths; its neck vanished deeper into the cave. We stopped where its body curved slightly, exposing our backs to its hidden head.Its tail was thick and long, but somehow the tip danced elegantly and effortlessly, bouncing up and down. I was too focused on the elegant movements to even focus on the sluggish movements behind us, as it dragged its head behind us with heavy sloshing.A foul stench washed over me as a heavy breath waived over our bodies; the heavy gush pushed me forward; my body grew cold as my fear washed over me again; my whole body clenched as I wrapped myself around Artemis' arm."Don't move."His voice was a chuckling whisper in my ear. He slipped his free arm around me, allowing me to wiggle in closer to his chest to try and escape whatever was behind me. He held me tight and close to his warm body."If he doesn't eat you, I just might."My head jerked back at his sudden words; his grip around me suddenly loosed, sending me back into something smooth and warm. His lips slipped from a grin to a wide smile as his eyes danced from me and over my head."Neim, be a good boy and say hello."The hard surface behind me slivered up my body. Somehow, the creature's heavy breath hit me harder than before; it was more rancid as it was closer to me now. Despite the warmth radiating around me from Artemis and Neim, my body was cold as the blood rushed away from my fingers and toes.My eyes were locked on his bright blue eyes as he looked down at me. A gentle thumb traced my bottom lip as a smile crossed over his lips."Breath, my princess; you are the last thing he will ever harm."His reassuring words didn't wash my fear away, but they gave me some strength to slip back into his arms and turn to face the monster that was behind me. Once my eyes landed on the beast's barn-sized head, I finally released the breath I was holding in my chest.Neim twirled his head in towards his body; the sound of his scaled skin rubbing against the stone ground filled the stale air with a sloshing sound, but he stopped as his one eye shot open and focused down on me.The eye locked onto me, pulling me into a deep trance as I looked back at his large, sea-green eye. His pupils were three long slits; they reminded me of a bear's claw marks that were etched into a tree's trunk as a claim to its territory.Thick, long black lines bounced quickly back and forth as the creature studied the two of us. I could see our reflection in the massive eye as it looked back at us. Artemis held a wide smile on his lips, one I haven't seen during the time we have been together. I, on the other hand, was cowardly tucked away in my husband's arms.Neim let out a heavy growl and a strong wave of his heated breath. The sound he made was hollow and crackled; it sent a chilling vibration through my body, making me turn into a scared child who cowered away from a fight.I stood there trying to catch my hitched breath, and as panic flushed over me, my chest pulled tight, suddenly catching in my throat as I tried my utter best to calm myself down, but the raw growl was still vibrating through me."Take a deep breath in."His voice was like honey in my ear as he hummed the order. I did as I was told and drew a weak, deep breath."Good girl."My head spun as he whispered into my ear again."Now, slowly release."I nodded and did that. I puckered my dry lips and slowly released the air from my lungs. I blew the cool out, and my body deflated but didn't ease, so I tried it again, and slowly my muscles relaxed under his tight grip around me, but my fear never left my body."Oh, Gods he's going to eat us."I curled up back into his arms as the dragon lazily started to lift his heavy head off the cave's floor. Artemis simply let out a deep belly laugh at my sudden reaction. He squeezed me before placing a light kiss on the crown of my head."The only one who plans on eating you is me, my sweet princess."He growled the words into my ear before snaking around me and making his way towards the saddles I was mesmerised by earlier. With some distance, I could see the seat's full design; it followed the basics of a horse's saddle, but it was much larger.I stood there frozen and watched as Artemis stood by his saddle, his fingers gracefully tugging on the thick leather straps. A stable boy appeared from the shadows and started to assist the prince with unstrapping the large object.My breath was shaky as I slowly looked up at the head floating above me. The dragon's scales matched its master's hair; it was a solid pitch black, and like all reptiles, it had a slight shimmer to it. This was his second dragon, the one who gave him the right to the name Demon of the South.I was suddenly mesmerised by the shimmering scales of Neim's neck; they weren't a deep black; instead, he seemed to have slivers of purple under the light of the cave's mouth; it was almost hypnotising.My feet shuffled on their own as I took small steps towards the creature. My fingers were still cold as I reached up to trace a visible scar running down, which I could only assume was his shoulder.A heavy breath washed over me suddenly. My fear made my knees wobble slightly, and my eyes darted up immediately to land on a sea-green eye that was watching me carefully, but that was it; he was just watching me.My shaky hand slowly went back to the scar, and my eyes never pulled away from the large orb watching me. A lower growl left the beast's long mouth, and then slowly he turned his attention back to his master, who was hidden from my view now."You're one lucky princess; he doesn't allow just anyone to touch him."A familiar, heavily accented voice rolled through my ears. Aziel appeared from where I last saw Artemis; he snaked around Neim, avoiding any contact with the creature."Last time I tried to touch him, well, let's just say if it wasn't for my drunk feet, I wouldn't have a head."I chuckled at the man's words and immediately jerked my hand back and hugged it to my chest. This caused the beast to roll its head back to lock its eye on us. I flashed it a weak smile as it let out a rattled growl.Neim's attention was all on Aziel as his thick lips slightly parted to expose thick, yellowed teeth."No, you can't eat him, Aziel. You know that you need to keep a good distance away from him."The taller man let out a chuckle and raised his hands into the air to show defeat as Artemis made his way towards us. A wide smile sat on his lips as a heavy hand fell to Neim's neck so that he could pat the beast as if it were a pet."I was just surprised that he didn't try to eat the princess."Blue eyes landed on me; they seemed to glow slightly as he smiled at me."That's my job."My cheeks flushed under his teasing words."I wanted to let you know that each rider has been assigned at least two horsemen, and I have sent four scouts to the other sites that don't have riders visiting them. I adjusted the radius and sent the riders to the furthest sights."Aziel ignored the prince's remark and went on with his words. As he spoke, he handed Artemis a piece of paper. Blue eyes left me so that he could scan the sheet. He nodded silently in agreement with his general, and he took the changes without fuss or argument."I have sent you to the latest site, and it just happens to be between two other sites, so you will have someone close by to save your ass if you need it, my lord."He bowed to the prince and then spun to face me. He wore a rider's outfit, but without the jacket, and as usual, he wore a loose shirt that barely clung to his body."I'll see you soon, princess, so don't take any of his bullshit until then."With a short bow towards me and a quick wink, the grinning man spun around and skipped away happily. The warmth of his smile made me feel more at ease; my fingers and toes slowly started to warm up as my body slowly relaxed."I hope that smile is for me."A thumb traced my lips again; this time I grazed my teeth over the soft pad, making his smile melt from his face. His glowing eyes darkened as I kissed his thumb."No, it's for Neim."The colour washed out of his face as my eyes darted up and landed on a sea-green orb. The beast seemed to laugh as his growl was low and hitched. I couldn't help but smile at the orb watching us."He won't be able to make you moan like I do."His voice was a whisper in my ear, but it was heavy."My lord, Neim is ready."A soft voice pulled the warm body away from me, making me rock slightly and making my longing for him grow. Artemis vanished and returned just as quickly. He was tugging on a pair of fingerless gloves; his fingers were wiggling as he made the leather wrap comfortably around his hand."Alright, I'm going to boost you up; once you are up and over, I need you to scoot your ass right back into the seat, and then once I'm in, you can wiggle in and wrap your arms around me, but your grubby little paws hold onto the horn of the saddle, nothing else."I looked up at him with a heavy frown."I can ride a horse by myself; I've been able to since I was five."His lips curled into a bright smile as his eyes glowed with utter amusement."Oh, my silly princess, you're not riding a horse."He leaned in slightly, then pointed up towards Neim. I followed the trail and swallowed my breath. There I saw the black, white, and golden saddle hugging the crook of the dragon's neck. My body froze over once again."I'm not riding the dragon."Somehow, he found my words amusing. As a heavy chuckle left his lips, the man straightened up and let out a heavy sigh."My silly girl, you've ridden me a few times already; straddling the dragon's saddle is easier than bouncing up and down on me."A twisted smile crossed his lips as I puffed up my cheeks at his words. My body reacted, and I punched the side of his arm."I'm not getting the actual dragon."My husband simply stood there and smiled at me as I pouted at him."Alright, then you can stay here and go have tea with the queen."His words made me freeze and ponder over my options: get on the beast or have tea with the queen.