With me or away from me?
She had been overjoyed to see the recognition in his eyes and feel his soul rushing toward hers, like a river burst free of its banks. For a few moments when his lips had been on hers, she had thought everything was now finished. Maybe now they could finally get on with enjoying each other.
Now Renay was full of pain, and most of it wasn’t even for herself. She couldn’t bear the way his face was twisted in confusion, the thoughts that were obviously flashing through his mind. It was clear he was fighting the Knowing, and she still couldn’t understand why.
“Tyff,” she whispered. He glanced at her face and their eyes met. He looked pained, like he had a mortal wound. He stood up straight and wrapped his arms around her even tighter, cradling her head against his chest. She could feel him shivering as he drew in long, deep breaths.
“I—I don’t know,” he muttered. She didn’t ask him any more questions. She just held him, pressing her cheek to his chest.
The Knowing ran through her veins, making her grip him even tighter around the waist. Goosebumps flew across his skin and he moaned, bending his head to her hair.
Of course. That might be the only way I can reach him. The Knowing joins our hearts, minds, and souls. Perhaps the best way to break down his walls is to use touch.
She looked up at him, pressing her breasts against him. She kept staring at his face until he looked down on her, his aqua eyes meeting her blue ones. The moment of connection was so intense she could feel tingles running down her spine. Her hands tightened on the small of his back and she willed him to kiss her again.
He gasped, leaning down toward her. He couldn’t help himself. She knew Preor could only join with their mate and no other, and they were long lived. His body may be able to sway him where nothing else could.
His lips touched hers, softly, gently. She reached up, getting on the tips of her toes trying to reach him. He bent down further, and his hands started to roam, almost as if they had minds of their own. As a loud moan burst from Renay’s chest, she noticed Dawn leaving the room out of the corner of her eye.
Even though she had almost forgotten Dawn’s existence, she was happy they were now alone. She wanted to take him deep into the forest, find a soft bed of green grass and lay him down… Caress every inch of his skin slowly, inch by inch, brushing with her fingertips as she undressed him. She wanted to spoil him with her tongue and love him slowly, letting her body get to know his.
She had never been a sensual creature, not really. Even when her friends ran hot in high school and the entire teenage population was bursting with hormones, Renay could be found quietly reading a book. She enjoyed books with good sex scenes, but her biggest reaction was usually only a modest blush.
She was a virgin only because she had never felt a strong enough urge to go all the way. She had no reservations about sharing her body, but up until now, the effort of getting her clothes off and doing the deed wasn’t worth the reward.
Now, she couldn’t believe she had ever been so naive. All the things her friends had ever said made perfect sense and more. She was literally struck dumb by the carnal images suddenly running through her mind. Most of the positions she was currently fantasizing about she had never dreamed were even physically possible.
Tyff held back, pulling his mouth away. Her body screamed, desperate to continue. She saw the struggle in him, and her heart twisted in her chest.
“Don’t lock me out, Tyff,” she whispered. “Not now, when we are so close! Talk to me, please. I understand how you feel. I really do.”
He shook his head, minutely. His skin ran with scales and her fingertips followed them, trying to talk to the dragon within.
“Please, Tyff,” she murmured, reaching up for his lips. “Just kiss me.”
The confusion in his eyes was quickly rewritten by desire. Again, she saw amber lights flicker in his eyes and sky blue scales running on his skin.
Come to me, dragon. Show the man the way.
She stretched up and brushed his mouth with hers. She wrapped one arm around his neck and pulled him gently down until she could easily reach his lips and kissed him long and deep.
She let go of her own doubt and fear. The Knowing should obliterate all of that from the start, but she had found herself holding back because of his reaction to her. Now she cast it away and opened her heart to him.
I have to give it all. There is no other way. I have to take the leap of faith and let my lover catch me. He will not let me fall!
His hands had started stroking her again, gently at first but then more insistently. When he squeezed her breast she gasped, writhing in his arms. He growled and took a firmer hold on her, both hands sliding around her body to squeeze her ass.
Renay let herself go to the sweet sensations he created. She couldn’t wait to explore his naked body in full and watch him discover hers in return. She could only hope his lust could bring them together when her heart was not enough.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Tyff felt like fireworks were going off inside his head. They bombarded his temples with resounding booms and sent bright flashes through his eyes. He was filled with images from human history along with things that made up Renay and her genetic line. He was filled with empathy and thirst, a driving need to absorb everything the Knowing could show him.
Meanwhile, the craving in his body sent all of his senses into hyperdrive. He had never been so aware of his body or anyone else’s, even when he was in the thick of battle and constantly monitoring himself and his opponent.
He could smell Renay with far more clarity than before, and the scent was getting into his nose and affecting his mind. Touching her was so intense it was almost painful, but he couldn’t stop. His eyes hurt with the light in the room, and his dragon growled as it flashed through his blood, desperate to be free.
Everything had narrowed down to his awareness of Renay. Nothing was in his mind except her. All thoughts of duty had been banished. There was only her.
Renay’s lips were sweet and burning hot. He couldn’t get enough of them. When she squirmed against him a rattling growl erupted from his throat, and he almost threw her on the floor and ravished her right there. The fact that she clearly wanted him too only made the situation more maddening.
He understood. Suddenly everything was made clear to him. His mind and heart were literally being rewritten. The Knowing was seeing to that. His priority now was his mate and the dragonlets that would seed in her womb. He could almost smell them and feel them in his hands. With that, he remembered Lorra and Shanas quite keenly and felt jealousy roaring inside him.
He gripped her upper arms, staggering as he tried to absorb the shock of the Knowing. He blinked hard and shook his head, refusing to have control wrestled from his hands for any reason. He ran thoughts through his mind of drills and exercises, the routines that made the army the unstoppable machine it was. Even with the Knowing literally wrestling him down, he fought it with his heart and soul.
The dragon resisted. He had always kept his beast under complete control, and this had been a mark of pride for him. He never let it get away from him in training or in disagreements, and for the first time he realized he had done the wrong thing. By never letting it have freedom, it raged twice as hard against him now that it had found its one true purpose.
The urge to wrap Renay in his arms and immediately fly away to the nearest high point to make relentless love to her was almost overpowering. He had never experienced the full might of his dragon, and he saw that he had been fighting with one hand behind his back his entire career.