Dragon Joined (6 page)

Princess had never sent her on that kind of run. But Amanda
had watched Princess send others to handle external tasks. Most never returned.

She crossed the courtyard and headed to the barn, running hard,
stopping only when she got inside. Pitch-blackness assaulted her senses. When
was the last time she’d used her eyes at night? She blinked rapidly, trying to
see something inside the hangar.

“Who’s there? I have a knife and I’ll slice your throat
right open.”

She swallowed. The same voice she’d fantasized about minutes
earlier. “Dean.”

“Amanda.” A light illuminated the room. “Hell. I could have
killed you.”

The matchstick he held showed her that he hadn’t lied. He
did have a knife in his hand. If he’d wanted to, Dean Andrews could have slit
her throat. Probably would have too.

“How did you get the light?”

“One of the servants. They’re happy to help us.” He walked
toward her. “We’re all getting out of here.”

“I told you. I want you to get yourself out. The kids need
you. I’m lost.”

He touched the side of her face, stroking downward until he
caressed her neck. “How are you free? None of the other joined humans are
walking around.”

Her face heated up and she was grateful for the dimness of
the room. The shadows would hide her blush. “I managed to free myself.”

He waited a beat to speak. Dean looked so rugged in the
shadows, his features hardened so that he even appeared fiercer than before.

“I don’t understand. You’d never freed yourself before. How
did you do it now without sex?”

He thought sex made her get herself out of containment.
Fucking just anyone didn’t bring about the effect. Doing it with just anyone
wouldn’t make a difference. She’d seen enough in her years with the dragons to
know that.

“I thought about us.” They had little time together. Being
coy or untruthful would do nothing for her.

“About our time in the shower?” He leaned down, kissing her
by the side of her eye.

“No, I imagined something else. You and I making love. In my
dream. I got off and it woke me.”

His breathing got louder. “Hells. I want to hear about your
fantasies. So much. But there isn’t time now.”

“I know.” She preferred not to tell him anyway. He’d never
want to touch her again if he knew she’d gotten off thinking about making a
baby with him. Truth was, she’d rather not dwell on it at all.

“I’m looking for the equipment.”

Amanda pointed up to the loft. “There.”

He nodded. “Thanks. I hadn’t gotten up there yet.”

She followed him up the ladder to the storage container that
held the climbing equipment. He handed her the matchstick so he could dig
through the box.

“Don’t drop that. I don’t want a fire.”

“Would be something. Just burn the whole place down.”

Dean shook his head, not looking up. “Not with one human
left inside.”

“You are determined.”

He glanced her way, winking at her. “I tend to get my way.
I’m a stubborn ass.”

Her memory of her dream came around, with him ordering her
around, and she looked away. Where Dean was concerned, it turned out she was a
goner.

A wave of exhaustion shook her and she went down to her
knees. “Dean, I think you’d better take this match. I’m going to go back under.
I don’t know how I’m going to get back to her room.”

Dean took the flame and blew it out. Total darkness struck
her again.

“I’m not ready for you to leave again, Amanda.” He pulled
her into his arms. “There isn’t the time for this and there isn’t the time not
to do it. I want you. Hell, I always desire you. I’m keeping you with me.”

“You don’t have to.” The last thing she wanted was
obligation.

“It’s not ‘have to’. I crave you, Amanda. I think about you
and I’m as hard as a teenager before his first time. You’re staying with me
now. You’re coming home with me later. We’ll work the rest out. For now, I’m
getting us both off. You’ll stay conscious and I’ll finally be able to think
again.” He sucked in his breath. “You’re like a drug to me.”

She met his mouth with her own. There were worse fates than
having to have sex with the man she couldn’t get enough of.

Dean had made love with Amanda once in the showers and now
in a pitch-black loft. Someday, the universe would be kind to them and he’d get
to show her pleasure somewhere that would leave them neither wet nor dirty.

“Dean. Hurry.”

He pushed his mouth against hers and she opened it, letting
him stroke her with tongue as he wanted to do to her down below. She ran her
hands up and down his back, causing his cock to harden even further.

“Feeling more alert?”

She grinned. “Drastically.”

He grabbed her shirt and pulled it over her head. They
didn’t have time for niceties or seduction. The clothes had to be abandoned. Fast.
She caught his drift and yanked her pants off too. He stood up, removing his
own clothes at what had to be a world-record speed. Finally, he lay back down
on top of her. Both of them naked. He couldn’t speak for her, but he’d love to
keep her like that. Permanently.

“Good. I wouldn’t want to put you to sleep.”

Amanda shook her head, her brown hair falling onto her
shoulders. Even in the lightless barn, he could see the stark contrast between
her hair and her pale skin. Her years of living outdoors on the run had
freckled her but he would guess that Princess had all but kept her indoors for six
years. She didn’t have anywhere near the beginnings of a tan.

His porcelain goddess.

“Dean, could I…”

Her voice faded off and he kissed her pert nose. “Could you
what, sweetheart?”

The endearment fell from his mouth before he could stop it. He
clenched his teeth. Too mushy and she’d want nothing to do with him once they
got out of here. She didn’t flinch—instead her eyes continued to bore into his
own.

“Could I get on top? Earlier when I pictured us, that was
how I did it and I’ve been thinking about us…”

He interrupted her by flipping her on top of him. “Go for
it, lady. I’ll like watching you up there. Enjoy.”

She grinned and bit down on her fingertip. “Thanks.”

“Don’t ever thank me. Not when it comes to this. Believe me,
it’s as much my pleasure as it is yours.”

Amanda took his cock in hand. She squeezed gently and his
balls tightened. A few moments later, she slipped him inside her. Her welcoming
warmth took him inside as if he belonged there. He leaned back on the straw,
not caring if it felt soft or crunchy. On top of him, Amanda felt just right.

She moved above him at a slow pace at first. He grabbed the
straw and wood beneath him. It took everything in his power not to flip her
over and demand that she ride him at a faster pace. He needed to have her. The
sensation made him raw, obsessive and crazy for her body. Years of practicing
self-control went a long way toward keeping him from doing anything but raising
his hips to meet her pace.

“Damn it.” He tried not to swear worse than that. Pleasure
mixed with pain shot down his spine. His hands tingled. Hells, he wanted to
spill himself. But he wouldn’t. He’d wait. Somehow.

Amanda moved a little faster.
Yes.
He thrust into her,
wanting to make sure she got enough stimulation on her clit to really enjoy the
experience.

She threw her head back, her hands roaming up and down her
body as she did. He wanted better leverage. Still, he reached out to capture
her breasts in his hands. They were more than a handful.

Amanda rode him hard, her pace rapid, and he lost hold of
her breasts. “Someday I’m going to have you tied up and under me. I’ll be able
to have you for as long as I want. It’ll be sweet torture for you.”

“I would never consider anything you wanted to do anything
close to torturous.”

“That’s good but you’re tormenting me, baby.”

She laughed, a beautiful lower-register sound. He could get
used to this. When had sex ever been so fun? The whole world could implode on
them and still Amanda could giggle, looking so beautiful as the streaming
moonlight illuminated her soft features.

Amanda closed her eyes. Her muscles quickened their movements
as she pumped against his cock, driving him to completion. She gasped one
second before her liquid drenched him.

He might have called out her name. Or maybe he only yelled
it in his head. Either way, he saw stars before he drove into her one more time,
finding his own completion deep inside her where he always wanted to stay.

Breathing hard, he lifted his head. Amanda lay on top of
him, sprawled like a woman whose muscles had stopped supporting her. Reality
proved to be a cold master, driving him forward.

“Amanda. I love lying here. But we have to move while we
still have you alert.”

“You’re right.” She sat up, her focus sharp. Life had been
rough on her and he would bet her level of no-nonsense attitude came directly from
that. “Let’s get the equipment moved. Then you can vanish.”

He shook his head as he stood. His knees felt like jelly.
Hopefully that would stop, or it would be a real haul to get the equipment
where he needed it.

“I’m not going to be vanishing. Not without you and every
human here. I can keep repeating myself if you want, sweetheart.” He grinned at
her. “Is having that dragon in your head doing something to your memory?”

“Has leading the men of New Strauss from war to war damaged
your mental faculties? You need to leave before they join you to a dragon and
you never get to go home.”

He lifted the climbing equipment and slung it over his
shoulder. There seemed little point in engaging her in a constant argument over
this. She wouldn’t relent. The teenager who had kept two small children alive
all by herself had grown to be a woman surviving dragon hell. Amanda hadn’t
done all that by giving up easily.

“You belong to me. Do you understand?” He couldn’t touch
her, his hands occupied holding the stuff he would need to get them all out of
there. One by one. “And all of these trapped souls belong to me now too. I
don’t go until all of you do. So buck up and accept the truth of that. Besides,
darling, no one is getting in my head. It’s not a happy place in there, except
for those moments when I’m buried inside you.”

She took one of the ropes from him and swung it over her
arm. “I’ll help.” She ran a fingertip over his hand. “Touching you seems to keep
this going for longer.”

“Then touch me all you want.” They moved down the ladder to
the barn below. “You’re going to ignore everything I just said?”

“Yep.”

He laughed. “That’s what I thought.”

“When we go out there, we need to be silent. I don’t think
anyone is wandering around looking for us but just in case.”

“Right.” He nodded. Balancing most of the hooks over his
left shoulder, he managed to pull a piece of straw out of her hair. “You need
to shower at the barracks before we get you back to your room. Otherwise
Princess might notice something different about you.”

Not that the dragon’s powers of observation extended very
far when it came to the humans. Probably too damn sure of her own superiority.

He followed her out into the clearing. Looking left and
right, he let the instincts that had saved his ass more than one time take in
the night around them. The small hole in the ceiling of the fortress let him
see the sky. From the angle of the big, round ball, he guessed it to be
somewhere between midnight and two in the morning. He’d bet gold no one was
watching.

Still, they remained silent as they walked back to the human
quarters. If only all the humans knew that to beat the dragons they simply needed
to show up at night. He shook his head. When he got home, things would be
different. They wouldn’t be victims anymore.

She opened the door and he walked inside. The smell of
cooking caught his attention and he nodded to the servant, Verve, who manned
the area. The other man stood at five foot five inches tall, with a thin build.
His face, narrow and gaunt, showed how long it had been since he’d been properly
nourished. The dragons didn’t starve their help but perhaps Verve saw this as
it way out. His brown hair had a spattering of gray in it.

“It worked.”

Verve smiled. “I’ve been so nervous. I’m so excited. When do
we go?”

Dean grinned, looking down at the bowl of beans. “Tomorrow
night.”

“Great.” Verve noticed Amanda right at the moment. He backed
up a few steps, tripping over a chair. “Her. She’s going to kill us all.”

“Shh.” Dean pressed down on Verve’s shoulder. “It’s Amanda.
Not Princess. The dragon is off right now. This is Amanda Sugar. I’ve known her
for her entire life. She’s mine. Okay?”

Verve shook beneath his hand. What the hell did the cold-blooded
bastards do their servants?

“You’re sure? They can’t separate themselves from the dragons.
Not ever. She could be tricking you.”

Dean forced eye contact on Verve. It helped to calm his
nervous shudders. “I’m positive.”

“Okay.” Verve swallowed.

Amanda moved forward. “I promise you. I’ll never hurt you.”

“Okay, Princess.”

“No.” Her voice struck out in the quiet of the room. “I’m
Amanda. I’m not her.”

Verve let out a breath. “This is going to take a little
getting used to.”

“Don’t get too used to it just yet. When next you see her
she’s likely to be Princess again.”

“How will I know?” Poor Verve. He might have an aneurysm. If
Dean had more time he’d have comforted the poor guy. For now, however, Verve
would have to deal with the situation however he handled it.

“Just assume it’s Princess until you hear otherwise.” He
walked down the hall to drop off the gear, Amanda close on his heels. Keeping
silent so as not to awaken the others in the room, he pointed to the bed. She
nodded and they stashed their equipment where it wouldn’t be seen by prying
eyes. The servants knew what he’d planned.

When it had been bedtime—and he hadn’t been ordered to bed
since he’d been six years old—they’d sat around the room and discussed what he
meant to do. The non-joined humans, all eight of them, including Verve, who had
been much steadier then, had been so excited that someone had showed up who
could finally help them. Their life expectancy didn’t pass five years once they
were brought to work. Unlike the humans who were dragon bound, the dragons
didn’t care very much about their non-joined slaves.

Dean’s heart clenched thinking of their long hours and their
broken backs. But for his purposes, it suited him that they were so unhappy. They’d
helped him earlier and they would again.

Dean gestured with his chin at the door and Amanda followed
him out into the hallway.

“You doing okay?” He took her hand.

“It helps when you touch me. Earlier today, I needed the
intensity of the sexual feelings. I’d still really like that but now it’s also
like the connection is enough.” He loved the way her lips moved when she spoke.
Maybe it had to do with the particular shade of pink her lips were naturally
colored.

Maybe he’d just lost his mind.

“Come on. Into the shower. We’ll clean you up. Get you back
to the room. Just try to think all day about how this is almost over.” He
stroked the side of her face as they walked back into the room where he’d first
gotten inside her.

“Right. I guess it wouldn’t do for Princess to leave her toy
one way only to find it an entirely different way later. It might be scary to
think that the inanimate objects can move around on their own once in a while.”

“I like your analogy.” He put on the water, then pulled off her
clothes. Once he’d gotten her totally nude, he went up behind her to kiss the
top of her hair. She smelled like cinnamon when she should be reeking of hay. “The
good news? Bad little children get their toys taken away.”

Her body relaxed in the water as he massaged the soap into
her hair. It dripped down her body. He kept moving the soap all the way down
her skin until he reached her pussy. When he got there, he dropped the soap. She
leaned back against him.

“Today,” he whispered in her ear, “all day when you’re stuck
with her, I want you to think about this.”

“About the shower?” Her voice barely rose above a whisper.

“About how I’m going to pleasure you right now. You can know
while you’re stuck in there that I’m out here wishing I could do it again.
Thinking about it. Addicted to the thought. Craving your body, your presence,
your soul next to mine.”

He found her clit. She sucked in her breath. Using his
pointer finger and his thumb, he squeezed it gently before swirling around it. Unable
to stop himself, he bit down on her shoulder. Amanda moaned, leaning her head
back on his shoulder.

With two fingers, he parted her folds, slipping his fingers
inside her while with his other hand he continued to play with her clit. She
sucked in her breath.

His name came out like a sigh. “Dean.” She shook her head
back and forth. “Please don’t stop.”

“You can count on that.” He licked her ear, wanting to
caress her anywhere he could get hold of. “You are going to come hard. And
you’re going to do it for me any second now.”

She whimpered. Her muscles clenched and released against his
fingers, clenched and released again. Finally, she called out his name and at
the same time her knees buckled.

He caught her, hauling her up against him while she shook in
his arms. A thousand dragons could have burst through the door and they
wouldn’t have managed to move him. All he wanted was to stand there and hold
her tight.

She turned around, pressing a long, hard kiss on top of his
heart. “Let me repay the favor.”

Amanda reached for him and he stepped back. “No. We don’t
have time. As much as I would like this to be the house of sexual favors, it’s
not a great time for it. I have to get you back before she returns. Otherwise,
we’re nowhere. I can’t have her finding out about your ability to get away from
her.”