Court of Flame Page 15

  But there were many that weren't there and never would be again. Igna. Joash. Countless others. People's fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends. Emberich had left us with holes and with loss, but Sven was right. We would be more united going forward. Perhaps we'd needed something this terrible to truly come together.

  After we'd addressed the crowd, many dispersed to get back to work. There was a lot to do. I hugged Siro and Ruth, spoke to Sven's advisers and many of the people who lingered to have a word.

  I'd just hit a break in the line of people when Amna came over to Sven and I with a box in her hands. I looked at her questioningly.

  "I made sure that Emberich's body was burned," she explained. "But I figured you might want to scatter the ashes yourselves."

  I looked over at Sven and he looked over at me. I could see we felt the same.

  "We trust you," I said, shaking my head. "Fly high and let them scatter in the wind."

  "Are you certain?" she prodded, looking down at the box.

  "Yes," Sven agreed. "But take some people with you for protection. Not that I think anyone will try to stop you."

  Everyone with that mindset was dead, or at least burying their loyalty to Emberich very deep, where it was likely never going to come to light again.

  Amna nodded soberly. "Okay. I'll do it immediately."

  "Thank you."

  Reelin and another guard I didn't know as well followed us into the palace itself. When we stepped in, I could see why the courtyard wasn't done yet. The inside of the palace was sparkling clean, from the entrance all the way to the private wing. I didn't know if they'd only focused on the places we'd see right now, but I was grateful for it all the same. The palace was mostly intact except for some repairs needed on the exterior, so it looked much the same as it had when we left it.

  I wasn't particularly looking forward to staying here again after everything, but I knew the longer we waited, the harder it would be. When we were closed up in our bedroom, I went over and sat down on the bed, trying not to think about Emberich sleeping here, lying in this bed, perhaps commanding helpless women servants from the palace to… It was difficult.

  As if he read my mind, Sven spoke up.

  "Emberich didn't stay here," he informed me, watching my face. "He was in the throne room the whole time. Apparently, he couldn't sleep, just paced at night and forced others to wait on him while he did."

  I relaxed a little at that, and then frowned.

  "Maybe it was because he'd been dead for so long," I speculated. "Maybe he actually didn't come all the way back."

  He'd definitely been worse than when he'd died. He'd become full-out psychotic, by any measure. Sadistic and bloodthirsty.

  "Maybe," Sven agreed, sitting down on the bed next to me. I was glad to see him moving so much easier now. He'd been really hurt, first from the beatings that hadn't fully healed and then from that last fight with Emberich. "Or maybe anyone who isn't from the Original Bloodline can't come back even with the blood, not fully."

  "Maybe," I agreed, taking his hand. "That should probably be the theory we float publicly."

  Any deterrent would be welcome. I liked my blood where it belonged, thank you very much.

  "Already on it," he said.

  Of course he was. He smirked. Sometimes I really did feel like he could read my mind.

  "Come on," he murmured, drawing me down onto the bed. "I don't want to think about all that right now. We'll have plenty of time to rehash, worry about how to rebuild the capital, and stress about all the work to be done soon enough. For now... I just want to be with you."

  I smiled at him, taking in his familiar face as I smoothed my hand down his hard chest.

  "I can get on board with that," I said, leaning in. But then I paused. "Are you sure you're up to it?" I asked, frowning.

  He had been severely injured. And three days wasn't a whole lot of recovery time...

  He took my hand.

  And placed it right where I would know just how up for it he was.

  His eyes went to half-mast as I squeezed his hard length.

  "But I don't want to accidentally hurt you," I said, as I continued touching him. I couldn't help myself.

  "Hmm." Grabbing me by the hips, he rolled us so I was on top of him, straddling his hips. "How about with you on top?" he suggested with a grin. "Then I won't be exerting myself as much."

  I laughed. "All right," I agreed, tucking my hands into the waistband of his pants. "But let me know if I'm hurting you, okay?"

  "Mmm."

  I had a feeling he wouldn't say anything, so I'd have to be gentle. I could do gentle. I tugged his pants down and off, and he helped me with his shirt. I sighed as I took in his body. The clean lines, the hard muscle, the roughness of his hair layered over that smooth skin. I took his length in my hand, enjoying the silky feel of the skin there.

  "Wait—take of your clothes first," he protested.

  I let go reluctantly and shucked my own clothes with a lot less care than I'd taken with his. Despite everything, I'd escaped relatively unscathed. Just bruises and some minor cuts, all of which I couldn't even remember getting.

  I straddled Sven's thighs again, this time fully naked, and took him in hand. I gave him a few gentle, teasing caresses. His hands gripped my hips and urged me higher.

  "We'll take our time later," he said, reaching between my legs with knowing fingers.

  I let out a huff of breath at his touch. It had been too long.

  "Okay," I murmured, rising up over him. If he wanted fast, I could do fast. I pushed down on him. He gasped and I sighed, working myself onto him slowly. I was wet, but there hadn't been any foreplay, so I was still very tight. It took some doing to get him inside me. And I enjoyed every second of it.

  His large hands smoothed up my rib cage to cup my breasts as I finally sat down fully on top of his hips, a sheen of sweat covering both of us. He felt so good inside me. Hard and alive.

  "You're so beautiful," Sven murmured, his hands skimming down my sides, down my legs, then back up to grip my waist. I couldn't doubt his words, not when he looked at me like that, touched me like that. I smiled.

  "You're not so bad yourself," I replied, leaning down to give him a clinging kiss.

  Not wanting to leave his mouth, I relaxed on top of him, with him buried deep inside me. His hands slid around to cup my butt, kneading me as I rocked against him. We stayed that way for a while until I couldn't take it anymore. It felt good, but it also felt like I was teasing us both.

  I finally sat up, groaning as he sank in all the way again. Sven's face was flushed, his lips swollen from my kisses as he watched me, his hands gripping my hips. I started with a slow, grinding rhythm. The eye contact was intense, but neither of us looked away as I pushed us both higher. And higher. Until I was pulling up and pushing down hard, our bodies wanting more. My rhythm wasn't so smooth anymore. But Sven didn't mind. We both needed the release. And it had been too long. Neither of us lasted, but that was fine. We had plenty of time for a repeat.

  Sven's hands spasmed against me, his jaw clenching. I felt the heat of his orgasm deep inside me. My hands clenched on his chest, and I leaned forward, pushing against him desperately as I let myself go too. It was what we needed. Something to wipe the ugliness away, all the bad memories that had been stirred up by coming back here. It felt almost like a reset button. Here was where we started again and left the past where it belonged. Behind us.

  I sighed, letting myself drop back down onto Sven's chest, settling my face against his hot neck. He hugged me to him, still buried inside me.

  "I love you, Adara," he said, kissing my temple. "I don't think I could do this without you."

  My hand clenched on his shoulder. "I couldn't either," I confessed. I rose so I could see his face and cupped the side of it. My eyes traced the contours I'd already memorized. They were forever imprinted on my brain. "I love you so much."

  He smiled, the expression warming his eyes before it mad
e it to his lips.

  "Do you want to hide out here for a few hours?" he suggested, tugging me back down on top of him, his smile turning into a grin.

  I laughed, snuggling in against him.

  "Sounds like a plan."

  I let my body go lax again, cuddling in close. I was in Sven's arms, and I didn't have anything to worry about for the next few hours. I closed my eyes and let myself believe we were safe, that we'd made it through to the other side.

  With Sven by my side, I knew we could make it through anything and everything.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  "Bring it up!"

  "Can you carry this out to—"

  "I need to head to the market, sweetie."

  I took a deep breath as I walked through the freshly cleaned streets of the capital, simply enjoying the hustle and bustle of activity around me. This was how this city was supposed to be. Alive. Full of energy.

  As I looked around at the progress we'd made in rebuilding what had been destroyed, I couldn't help but feel pride fill my chest. It had only been a few weeks, but we'd made leaps and bounds in terms of progress. And, even more important than the physical progress, I could practically feel the city's spirits lifting, and my own following suit. We'd be okay. In fact, we'd be great. I saw the evidence of our resilience all around us and it filled me with hope.

  "Hello, Adara!"

  I waved back at the greeting with a smile. The tragedy had broken down some more barriers. There was a sense of camaraderie among everyone, a sense of having weathered a great storm and lived to tell the tale. I greeted a few more people by the time I made it down to the bottom of the city, a spring in my step.

  At the bottom, Sven was giving out orders to patrol the area on foot as well.

  "I will have the schedule to you by tonight," Nigel told Sven as I came to a stop next to them. He was a tall man with dark brown skin and a serious face. "Consort," he said, giving me a slight bow.

  I nodded at him, a pang going through my heart again at the thought of Igna. His replacement was competent and much more respectful, but I missed Igna's cantankerous ways, his irritability. He'd be missed for a long time, and not just by Sven and me. His passing had left big shoes to fill.

  Sven wrapped an arm around me as Nigel walked away. Our guards fell into step together behind us as we turned around to walk back up to the palace.

  "Lunch?" Sven asked, holding a hand up in greeting as someone waved.

  I nodded, leaning my head against his shoulder, the thought of Igna adding a hint of sorrow to my mood. But as we walked back up to the palace, the ache in my heart slowly gave way to the growing sense of hope that had taken root among all of us.

  I didn't know exactly what the future held for us, or for the phoenixes as a whole. Yet I could a see a glimmer of it if I squinted just right. And I was looking forward to what I saw.

  Miranda Martin

  USA Today Bestselling Author

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  Red Hot Sneak Peek: Dragon’s Baby

  Red Planet Dragons of Tajss Book 1

  MIRANDA MARTIN

  Blurb

  Stolen by a Dragon.

  My kidnapper is tall, dark and alien….

  My dull, predictable life as a scientific researcher is ripped apart the day blood-thirsty pirates attack our space ship. In the confusion, the ship is thrown off course.

  We crash land on a planet that can barely support life.

  Yeah…things are going swell.

  I’ve escaped the pirates, at least. But I’ve got a new problem. The planet is home to a dragon-alien, and he has his eyes set on me. Ladon, a powerful Zmaj warrior rescues me from the scorching desert wasteland.

  Ladon takes me to his lair. I’m his treasure. His mate. He loves my curves and my soft, human form. He makes it clear that he intends to keep me and claim me in every way. The moment he touches my trembling body, he leaves no doubt.

  This fierce, protective dragon owns me.

  CALISTA

  “Who are you?” I ask.

  His head cocks to one side then he opens his mouth and makes a sound that contains a lot of s sounds and a bit of hissing. I shake my head, not understanding, but it’s clear he’s intelligent and has a language. He waits for me to respond then repeats the same sounds again. I shake my head, frustrated.

  “I don’t understand,” I say, motioning with my hands like that will help.

  On board the ship we all spoke Galactic Common. Everyone does, though some old holdouts keep their native language too. No one in the galaxy doesn’t speak Common. Where the hell have we crashed that he doesn’t know it? Vulcan, right, well if only I’d been geek enough to learn to speak Vulcan. He doesn’t look like Spock though and I sure as hell ain’t Captain Kirk.

  He slides closer and as he does my stomach tightens and my pussy grows wet again. He’d been… examining me and he really is quite attractive. It’s wrong though, what the hell am I thinking, getting off on an alien? He pauses as if waiting for me to stop him then he reaches out and touches my thigh. His hand is so cool, a thrill runs along my nerves at his touch. It’s exciting and enticing and so damn wrong. I can’t do this. I pull back but the delay in my action seems to encourage him. He touches both my legs with his hands and traces a path along my thighs down from my knees to the sides of my hips. Electric chills race along to my spine then up to my core as he moves closer to my erogenous zones and moisture slides down my thighs.

  I shudder and he stops, looking into my eyes. He says something but who the hell knows what. This is nuts, insane even, I can’t let this man, this alien do this to me. I can’t but I don’t want him to stop. Desire is a pulsing need in the tight ball of my lower stomach and I want nothing more than to be pleasured. No matter how wrong it is.

  He runs his hands up and down my legs then up across my arms. I’m breathing in short gasps, my heart is racing, I shake my head side to side.

  “No,” I whisper. “No.”

  He doesn’t stop. His strong hands grip my knees and push down. I want to resist, I try, but I can’t. My legs straighten out leaving me exposed. I cross my arms over my breasts holding on to some level of modesty. His intense eyes bore into mine then he shifts his attention to between my legs as his fingers trail along my skin. He speaks again, and it ends with a soft hiss. Strong fingers knead the muscles of my calves then up past my knees onto my thighs. My legs part as he moves, almost like they have a will of their own. He’s in control and I can’t stop him. I should, I should want to, but it feels so good as he works up closer and closer to my sex.

  “I can’t,” I protest. “This is wrong.”

  He looks up, pausing and cocking his head to the side. It’s a moment, I can stop this. We may not be able to communicate with words but he seems to get that I’m protesting, and he waits.

  I shake my head side to side but my clit is pulsing with a desperate need I can’t ignore. I don’t say anything else and he moves again. With one hand he uses thumb and forefinger to form an upside down V that pulls my silky folds apart. Slowly, so slowly it drives me mad I watch the index finger of his other massive hand approach. When it reaches my wet silk a shudder rips through me as he drags that finger up through the layers of my sex and then lightly grazes across my clitoris.

  I hear myself moaning and my hips buck forward wanting, needing more. I need to be penetrated. He presses against my clitoris and rubs in a circular motion that is perfect, like an expert playing my body to a symphony of his own creation.

  His hands stop and pull back then he’s stroking my hair, my face, my arms. His touch sends thrills throug
h me as he continues exploring my body. I drop all my defenses giving myself over to his gentle ministrations. I reach out and touch his face which makes him smile. His eyes light up as he runs his hands down my sides to my ass. He grips my waist and lifts me up easily as if I weigh nothing. He moves me to rest on his lap. One of his large hands cups the back of my head while the other roams down across my breasts. He touches my nipples and they both stand erect like small diamonds ready to cut glass.

  His fingers glide across my stomach and down between my legs. I’m wet and ready as he plows through my folds. When he slides across my clitoris, I cry out in surprise and joy unable to contain the thrill that pushes me over the edge then he buries the tip of his finger inside me while keeping pressure on my clit.

  He moves his finger back and forth creating a rubbing pressure on my sensitive nub while giving me the full sensation inside. It’s amazing and I move my hips in time letting him have his way with me. I need this, I need to get off, clear my head and then I’ll be able to think.

  “Yes!” I cry out rocking.

  He says something back. I bury my face into the glorious coolness of his neck and only then do I see the backside of him. The first thing I notice is he has wings. They’re folded against his back and don’t look like they’re big enough to let him fly but probably would allow him to glide. The second thing I see is his tail. Its standing stiffly out from his back shifting side to side almost like a rattlesnake. It vibrates in time with the motion of his hand inside me and for some reason seeing that drives me right over the edge. My body stiffens, stars explode in my vision, and I buck up against him hard, my hands gripping his shoulders tight.