Bonds of a Dragon (Book 3 of the Northern Territories Series)

Chapter 8

Bonds of a Dragon

Chapter 8

Ilayda’s POV

We fly low over the houses and find the one the lycan bear had told us of. Apep circles the house and we see a woman on the back porch watering plants. That’s her! Even if I hadn’t seen her picture, it would be obvious. Anavrin looks just like her.

Apep lands, “Let me talk to her.”, he tells me after he shifts back. I don’t respond, I just hop off his back. He removes his concealment and she locks eyes with him.

“I felt you, dragon. Why are you here?”, she asks somewhat shakily.

“Liliaina, I have spent the last 5 years searching for you. You may call me Apep, this is my mate, Ilayda.” I smile politely and wave. Apep pulls a ring off the chain he wears, but keeps it closed in his palm. “Your daughter, Anavrin, sent me.”

Her eyes widen, “Anavrin? Where is she?”, Liliaina asks as she rushes down the stairs to Apep.

He offers her the ring, “She lives in Black Hearthstone with her mate. She wishes for me to bring you to her.”

Liliaina takes the ring and stares at it for a moment before crying. Apep waits patiently for her to speak. “Geoffrey won’t let me go. I’m not allowed to leave the house. He moved us here so he could keep and eye on me. Guards roam this area.”, she replies as she cries.

“I don’t need Geoffrey’s permission. I will take you to her now.”, Apep assures her.

She shakes her head, “He’ll be very angry. He will kill you if he finds you. He’ll know I went to find Anavrin and he might hurt her.”

Apep chuckles, “I’m not even slightly worried about Geoffrey, Liliaina. Your daughter is mated to a dragonian friend of mine, Geoffrey is no threat to them either. Do you wish to see your daughter or not?”

She studies Apep before nodding. “I need to leave a note.”

Apep conjures a notepad and pen for her. She scribbles a note.

Geoffrey,

A dragonian has agreed to help me find Anavrin. I will contact you after I’ve had time with her.

Liliaina

She rushes back up the stairs and places the note on the patio table, pinned under the centerpiece and runs back down to us.

Apep shifts and gives her a second to adjust to his appearance, he is magnificent but terrifying. She holds the ring close to her lips and kisses it before slipping it on and stepping up to Apep. He picks her up and waits for me to hop on his back before he takes off into the sky and conceals us.

We land once for lunch and eat at a small diner in neutral territory. I’m annoyed when the waitress shamelessly flirts with Apep, all but offering him s****l favors right here on the table. He pays little attention to her and continues eating.

Liliaina speaks much like Anavrin. Very soft and low, like the wind. “My daughter… how is she?”

Apep looks over, passing the question to me. I still feel the irritation in him from this morning. I turn to answer Liliaina, but feel Apep’s gaze on me. “She is well. I’m very excited for you both, being reunited.”

“Does she know I’m coming?”, she asks.

I smile, “No. Apep has searched for you for 5 years. She follows his progress, but this wouldn’t have been the first bad lead. He wasn’t sure you would be in the falls or what he would find here.”

She nods slowly, staring down at her plate. “I can’t wait to see her. Is she happy?”

“She is very happy; will be even more so when she sees you.”

Liliaina smiles and wipes her watery eyes. “I owe you a great deal, Apep.”

He bows his head slightly to her, “You owe me nothing. Anavrin will relieve me of my debt upon our return.”

The waitress comes back by, resting her hand on the back of Apep’s chair. “Can I get you anything?”, she asks, eyeing him.

“We’re fine.”, I reply irritably. She gives me her fake customer service smile. “Perfect, and you”, she asks, looking down at Apep.

“I’m fine.”, he replies before continuing to eat. He never even looks up at her. I turn to the window as she does her whole ‘if you need anything’ played out line. Apep grabs my thigh and I turn to find he furrows his brows at me, while she is still speaking. He studies my face. Then turns to look at her, “You seem very nice, but you’re upsetting my mate. We will let you know if we need anything.”

Her eyes widen slightly, she didn’t know he was mated. She looks at me, “I apologize, miss.” And moves to her next table.

Apep speaks softly to me, “We are not fully bonded. I cannot tell that you’re upset about something else when you’re already upset with me. I would’ve sent her away if I had realized she bothered you.”

I study his face and he turns to look at me. I believe him, I don’t think he would try to make me jealous. It isn’t his fault; I don’t even have the right to be angry. I’m with Donovan. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Apep.”

We finish our meal and he pays for it, then we are on our way to Black Hearthstone once more.

It is midafternoon when we land at Anavrin and Ormr’s cabin. Ormr comes out first with Anavrin right behind him. Liliaina gasps when she sees her daughter. Apep drops the concealment and sets her on the ground before shifting.

Anavrin flies down the stairs and across the yard to her mother. Her mother runs to her. Apep slowly makes his way toward them, meeting Ormr off to the side while they cry and cling to each other.

Ormr smiles happily and pats Apep’ shoulder, speaking in Draconic. Anavrin suddenly turns and grabs Apep, hugging him tightly. He flinches at first, locking eyes with Ormr. Ormr looks annoyed but he nods to Apep. Apep slowly pats her back, clearly uncomfortable with this physical contact, but trying to be kind. Anavrin releases him and wipes her eyes before pulling a medallion out of her shirt and giving it to Apep. He smiles and accepts it before waving it away.

He conjures another, offering it back to her. “I will come for you. For any reason, an unlimited number of times. You will carry it the rest of your life. Summon me if you need me.”

She smiles and nods, wiping her teary eyes and attaching the medallion to her chain. Anavrin introduces her mother to Ormr and she shakes his hand. Anavrin hugs me and kisses my cheek, “I appreciate you helping find her.”, she says. I nod and hug her back. I didn’t really do anything, so it feels awkward to accept.

“We are going to go for now and let you catch up with your mom. We will see you tomorrow.”, I tell her.

She nods and wipes her eyes again. Apep and I leave and return to my cabin. I message Donovan and let him know I am home. He replies that he is on his way here. Apep hasn’t spoken to me since we landed in Lilliana’s backyard. He holds the cabin door open for me and I pass him to enter. Apep grabs waters from the kitchen. “Ormr is coming here to train. He wants to give Anavrin some time with her mother.”, he tells me as he sets them on the counter. “Do you wish to train?”

He is offering, but I think he is wanting to burn off some of his frustration with me. “Maybe later. I’ll let you wear each other down some.”

He smiles slightly, as Ormr enters my cabin. Ormr grins mischievously at me as he opens the wicker box on my counter. He is looking for the waffle cookies he loves. I chuckle at him and go to the living room with my laptop, knowing he will leave nothing behind.

I scroll through magical news, searching missing women reports. Looking for any pattern in missing elementals. They head outside to spar.

“Your boyfriend is here.”, Apep startles me out of my thoughts with his annoyed tone as he enters the kitchen. I get up and go to the front door, pulling it open to find Donovan coming up the stairs. Ormr must have left already. I step outside and close the door, knowing it would further annoy Apep, but needing to talk to Donovan without him.

“Hey, my queen. How was your trip? Did you find her?”, he asks.

“Yes, Apep found her.”, I answer, unsure of how much information Donovan should have.

“What’s wrong?”, he asks softly.

“Donovan… What do you do?”, I ask him, studying his reaction. He looks confused.

“I’m a Sociocultural Anthropologist, Ilayda. You know this.”, he replies.

“Yes, I know your degree. What do you do though?”, I ask again.

“I’m a professor for the Royal Guard, my queen.”, he answers easily. Apep wasn’t lying. How had I not known this? Is he right about Donovan not knowing me?

Apep’s POV

I hear them on the porch, as I start dinner. He confirms for her exactly what I told her. I wonder if she has considered why she thinks he is safe.

“What do you teach?”, she asks.

“I teach Elites about the cultures of other creatures, how their minds work, what their weaknesses are.”

“Donovan, where am I from?”, she asks him.

His voice is hesitant and unsure when he replies, “Somewhere near Azreras?”

I shake my head. Ilayda grew up outside Clarence Peak, 750 miles North of Azreras. I recognized the area in her memory of Vritra. I pull my steak off, only seared. She likes hers more medium. I plate her steak and vegetables, and set in on the counter. I eat, listening to her put together a truth she has run from long enough.

“What is this about, my queen?”, he asks her. She sighs heavily.

“Donovan, without physical contact, what do we have? I don’t think we really know each other as well as we thought.”, Ilayda says reluctantly.

“I don’t want you to make decisions for me, babe. I’ll walk away if that is what you want, but that isn’t what I want. I do need you to answer something for me though. Do you ever see yourself cheating on me with him?”, Donovan asks her. Anyone near her can sense my scent lingering on her.

She is silent for a minute, “I want to tell you no… but I… I have, Donovan. I slept with him, back in the Falls. I’m so sorry. It just happened and…”, she replies slowly.

“I love you, Ilayda. I don’t need the explanations, I appreciate your honesty. Do you think that was a single incident or that it may repeat?”, Donovan answers sincerely and asks.

She pauses for several seconds, “I don’t know, Donovan. I don’t know what I want, what this is, or how I feel right now. It’s probably best if you leave. I don’t want to ruin the friendship we have when I can’t fully commit to any decision.”, she answers sadly.

“I’m not angry with you, Ilayda. I’m angry about the situation. He won’t give you his name so you can reject him. He won’t let me touch you or be with you, but he’ll carry you off and take advantage of you. I feel like I’m leaving you in a bad situation when you’re telling me to go. How can you expect that of me?”

She sighs heavily, “He didn’t take advantage of me, Donovan. He told me no and stepped away the first time I came onto him because I was drinking. I pursued him again, sober, and he asked me if I was sure before we did anything. I was in control of my decisions. I’m not proud of myself, but I won’t let him take the blame for my choices. You don’t need to feel bad. I’m stuck with him, but he has never pressured me for any physical contact at all. I do love you. I just feel that with our current circumstances, being friends is what is best.”

I feel her power suddenly and it startles me. “Ohh… sorry… I appreciate that.”, Donovan stammers. “My car is over at the main house. I’ll see you around.”, he continues and I hear him moving down the stairs. “I love you, Ilayda. If friendship is all you can offer, I will accept that. I’m here if you ever need me.”

“Goodnight, Donovan.”, she replies simply.

He tried to touch her and she stopped him. She comes in and I continue eating. She goes into the kitchen and starts her tea. “I know you heard us.”, she tells me before turning to get the tea out of the cabinet. I remain silent and she offers a cup to me.

“No, I appreciate it.”, I reply. I can feel her unease, so I remain still. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, Aziza.”, I tell her, I don’t want her to feel like she has to explain it to me.

“I don’t know what I want right now, stalker.”, she frowns playfully at me, but I feel the honesty in her words.

“Let me know when you figure it out, I have all the time in the world.”, I reply. She smiles and pours the water from the kettle to her cup over the bag. She sits one stool over from me and props her feet on the one between us. I turn to face her. She picks at her food for a minute before taking a bite. She seems lost in thought.

“I want to kill Vritra, Apep.”, she says suddenly.

I tilt my head and study her. She seems serious, it felt true. What does she mean?

“Aziza, I will agree to capture him for you and let you kill him. Is that what you mean?”, I ask.

She shakes her head, “No, I want to do it.”, she insists.

How the hell do I talk her out of this one? “Ilayda, you are very powerful and you fight well, but your power means nothing against Vritra and he is three times your size. If you aren’t marked, your hits won’t hurt very much and he can drain you. I will capture him and keep him alive. You can do whatever the hell you want to do with him. I’ll teach you how to skin him alive. We will do it again each time he heals until you feel better. We will blood eagle him fifty times, then set him on fire, feed him his mate and fledgling, chop off body parts and make him eat them, skewer him over coals and roll him like a pig, whatever you want. I cannot let you fight him.”, I try to convince her.

She furrows her brows at me, “You’re disturbed, sir. You should talk to someone about that. We ARE NOT feeding his mate or baby to him.”, she says disgusted.

I smirk, “I have a million ideas, little one. I promise you, we will come up with something that satisfies your need for vengeance.”, I assure her.

She studies me a moment before nodding, “Okay.”, she agrees slowly. I smile and she eats her dinner. When she finishes her tea, I take her cup and plate, emptying the bag into the trash and washing them out, placing them on the rack along with my own.

I feel her eyes on me the entire time. “What’s on your mind, little one?”, I ask her.

“Nothing.”, she lies. “I’m going to bed, goodnight Apep.”

I watch her turn and leave the room, “Goodnight, Aziza.”, I reply softly. I have no idea where this leaves us or what any of it means. I love my mate and I’d never take back having her, but I can’t help but feel that I’m trapped now. She’s my mate, I can’t live without her, but she doesn’t want me. I can’t bring myself to reject her and if I leave without rejecting her, I’ll grow weaker as my ability to regenerate slowly decreases and eventually will enter sleep.

I go to my room for a hot shower and when I step out, Ilayda is standing in my doorway. I study her, but don’t speak. I don’t want to say the wrong thing and fight with her.

She smirks, “I want to run.”, she says.

I tilt my head, “Right now?”, I ask.

She nods, “Yes, you can chase me, but you have to give me a 5-minute head start and you can’t shift.”, she says.

I chuckle, “You want to play hide and seek with me in the dark, little one? You know you’re at a disadvantage, even with your head start?”, I ask her.

She shrugs, “So. That’s what I want to do.”

I study her for a moment. This excites her, she wants to be chased. “Run, Aziza.” I tell her, conjuring a timer with 5 minutes.

She grins and takes off out the front door. She is fast, she could get to the river or further in 5 minutes. I wait like we agreed and when her time runs out, I take off out the door after her, following her scent through the woods. I conceal myself before I reach the river. I know she can feel me, but she won’t know where I am. She is hiding nearby. I walk quietly out and follow her scent, scanning the area. I see her ducked behind a kayak rack. I quietly move over to her and squat in front of her before dropping the concealment.

She squeals then laughs and pushes me, knocking herself back on her butt. I stand up and offer her my hand. She takes it and stands. She stares into my eyes, the green and blue in her eyes swirl. She smiles, “Kiss me, Apep.”, she tells me softly.

I lean down and claim her mouth, wrapping my arms around her waist and lifting her to my level. She runs her fingers through my hair and holds my jaw with her other hand, wrapping her legs around my waist. She tastes so sweet and the sparks from our mate bond explode through me, leaving me aching to have her. She pushes for dominance in the kiss and I let her take control. She keeps me so off balance with this “hot and cold” treatment, but I would let her do whatever she wanted to me.

She pulls back from me and cups my jaw in her hand, searching my eyes as she catches her breath. The scent of her arousal is thick and consuming. “Conceal us, Apep.”, she says as she drops her legs from me. I immediately enclose us, lowering her back down. She takes off her shirt and my breath catches as my eyes travel over her bare breasts. I run my hands up her ribs and over them, squeezing the small globes in my hand before rolling her taut n*****s between my fingers.

Ilayda’s POV

I needed a distraction and wanted the excitement I feel when I know he is somewhere nearby, but I’m unsure where. That’s why I invited Apep to chase me. I kissed him and as the tingles from our mate bond consume me and I stare into his glowing flame eyes, it occurs to me that he is mine to do whatever I please with. No judgements, no regrets, no complications, and he is infertile, he hasn’t marked me. He can make the turmoil disappear for a little while and not a single person would ever shame me for doing this because he is mate.

SEXUAL CONTENT, SCROLL TO *** TO SKIP

I moan and arch into him as he rolls my n*****s between his fingers. I unbutton my shorts and start to slide them over my hips when he reaches down and rips them from me before picking me up and wrapping my legs around his now naked body. I kiss him deeply, sucking his tongue and tasting the cool mint of his mouth. I was all in for having a quickie against the kayak stand, but having a dragonian mate has its perks. I realize he has conjured a bed when I feel him pressing me into the mattress. He kisses down my jaw before sucking my breast into his mouth and flicking his tongue over my n****e, while he squeezes the other. He slides his hand down my stomach and runs his fingers between my soaked lips, pressing lightly against my core before moving up to circle my c**t. His hands send pleasure through me as he kneels between my thighs. He continues circling my c**t while he slides his other hand up my thighs, pushing my legs further apart and staring down at my naked body with such heated lust, my walls ache for him.

He lowers himself between my legs and looks into my eyes as he runs his tongue between my folds, thrusting into me before moving up to my c**t, sucking it into his mouth and flicking his tongue over the bud. I moan his name and spread my legs further for him, fisting his long dark hair as I grind into his mouth. The low growl that he releases vibrates over my c**t and I arch, begging him not to stop. He slips his fingers into my core, finding my g-spot and pressing firmly against it as he thrusts his fingers into me, biting down on my c**t, sending me over the edge as the pleasure explodes through me. My walls tighten and pulse around his fingers as he sucks my c**t into his mouth before moving his fingers back up to circle my c**t while he drinks all my spilled juices, thrusting his tongue back inside me. I want more, I pull him up my body to kneel between my thighs.

I kiss him sucking his bottom lip into my mouth and biting gently. He growls when I wrap my hand around his thick long shaft. I stop kissing him to look down at it. My fingers barely wrap around it and it is longer than I’ve ever seen, I want to feel him again. I run my thumb over the head, collecting the precum escaping his tip and bring it to my lips, sucking my thumb into my mouth. His c**k twitches against my core and he consumes my mouth, kissing me possessively. He rubs his tip over my core, before sinking slowly into me, inch by inch. I moan and arch, he sits up taking my hips into his hands and watching himself stretch me as he continues pushing deeper. I’m at my limit, my walls stretched to the max and he is not fully sheathed. He rubs my c**t and pulls back, thrusting as deeply as my body will allow with each pump into me. It hurts, but it feels so good, his fingers tighten on my hips and he groans, thrusting faster into me and I scream as the pleasure consumes me. He thrusts hard into me, forcing in every inch of his length as I c*m.

He f***s me hard, taking his frustration out on my body and groaning my name. It feels so good I don’t know if I want him to hold on or never stop. I cast my power into him when I can’t take any more, he thrusts deeply into me and I feel his hot seed spilling deep within my walls when I c*m again. He collapses down over me, supporting his weight on his forearms and I cling to his shoulders, rolling my hips to take more as he rocks into my walls, milking him for every drop.

*********************************************

“f**k, I will chase you whenever and wherever the hell you want if that’s what I get when I catch you, Aziza.”, he says breathlessly.

I giggle and he groans when my walls tighten. He looks down at me and kisses me deeply. I hear something from the trees. He laughs when I pull back to look that way.

“It’s patrol, 2 halfling wizards and a bear, but they can’t see us. They're just attracted to my scent lingering outside the concealment and they’re looking around.”

I smile at him, “Swim with me.”, I tell him.

He tilts his head, “Very well, that water will be very cold this time of year. You’re sure?”, he asks. I push him up and he kneels before me, pulling from me and cleaning me with the flat sheet before cleaning himself.

“Don’t let them see me, stalker.” I tell him as I slide from the bed and run up the dock. He follows me and I can see the iridescent bubble he has kept me enclosed in as he follows, naked, unconcealed, and unashamed.