Cornering Carmen Read online

  Chapter 12Creon ran an exhausted hand through his hair. They would be leaving in the morning. Mandra was taking Ariel with him to meet Adalard. Creon paused outside the door to his living quarters and looked at the group of men standing outside it. All of them were looking warily at him. It appeared his threat to personally gut any man who touched his mate had spread. Each one of them looked like they expected him to start carving away on them at any moment.

  “Did she try to escape today?” He asked the first guard brave enough to look at him.

  “No, my lord,” the guard replied hesitantly. “She spent most of the day with the other females. She did not try to attack any of us.”

  He would have released a sigh of relief if it hadn’t been for the hesitant pause in the guard’s voice. Something had happened. A feeling of dread ran through him. There was no way she could know about him giving her … he looked at the door as a feeling of tribulation ran through him.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” He asked as his jaw tightened in determination.

  The guard looked at a couple of the men standing near him but they just looked up at the ceiling and put their hands behind their backs. He scowled at the cowards. They were leaving him to face the wrath of the young royal known to show no mercy when dealing with those who displeased him.

  “It sounded like she was moving things around inside. We could not go in to make sure she was well. Every time we tried, she threatened to make sushi out of us,” the guard said. “We were not sure what sushi was but it sounded very dangerous. She said if she needed us she would ask for our help when hell froze over,” the guard added. “We were not sure what that meant either but decided she was well if she was yelling and threatening us.”

  Creon rubbed the back of his neck with a tired hand. She was not happy about something. He hoped she didn’t find out about her friend, Trisha. He tried to think if there was any way she could have. Her friend had knocked out one of the guards with her and disappeared. His brother, Kelan, was beside himself. Something had been said or something happened when they were with their friend Abby. He should never have let her go! Everything was too new and strange for her.

  Straightening his shoulders, he nodded to the guards dismissing them. He would handle whatever was wrong. The last thing he wanted, though, was the warriors hearing him battling it out with his mate.

  “You may all leave. I will handle this,” he said gruffly waiting until they had all left before he turned toward the doors of his living quarters.

  Might as well get it over with, he thought in despair.

  I can bite again, his dragon said hopefully.

  NO! No, I think you’ve done enough. Let me handle it this time, Creon replied sternly.

  You need bigger dragon’s balls, his dragon muttered.

  Fuck…

  I know. Fuck me. I no want you, I want my mate. She more my type, his dragon drawled sarcastically.

  Creon closed his eyes and counted to ten before he opened them and the door with determination. Ready or not, he was going to face his mate. He stepped into the darkened room and shut the door. He hadn’t taken more than three steps into the room when he felt something wrap around his ankles, lifting him up so rapidly he didn’t have time to react. Before he knew it, he was hanging upside down staring into a pair of glittering dark brown and gold eyes. A pair of very proud and very determined brown and gold eyes attached to an equally proud and determined female dragon that had white scales edged with reds, pinks, and purples. She twisted her neck and tilted her head until she was looking at him while he hung suspended in the air from her tail.

  “You discovered your dragon,” Creon said, fighting the grin trying to break free as his mate looked at him as if wondering if she wanted to drop him on his head or gobble him up.

  A puff of heated breath answered his observation. “I suspect you discovered more than your dragon,” he murmured as she lifted him up higher so she could look him in the eye easier.

  A low growl followed by a snort answered that observation as well. He eyed her warily as she turned her head to look around the room. His eyes followed hers. He saw that all the furniture had been pushed to one side giving her more room to maneuver in her dragon form. He started getting a little nervous when she began swinging him back and forth.

  “Carmen, I can explain,” he started to say just before he felt himself going airborne.

  He landed on his back on the plush couch with a soft thud. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment trying to still both his heart and his head. Sitting up, he opened his mouth to try to calm his mate when she went rushing by him. Before he could say a word, she was gripping the balcony and pushing herself off. A roar of rage burst from him as his dragon responded to his mate’s escape. He rolled off the couch landing on all fours, shifting. With the skill of centuries behind him, he rushed through the large, open doors jumping up onto the balcony and soaring after his mate.

  *.*.*

  Exhilaration flowed through Carmen as she soared through the warm, night air. She breathed in deeply picking up the scent of the ocean. She felt free, alive, and happy. She never thought she would ever feel this way again. She had spent the afternoon when she came back from visiting with Abby and the other girls trying to transform. She was too restless to rest even though she knew she should be exhausted from not enough sleep. Instead, she had been more energized than she had been in the past three years. She had moved all the furniture to one side wanting to give herself enough room to change. The guards had driven her nuts with their constant knocking wanting to know if she was okay, did she need anything, and wanting to know what was going behind the closed door. She had a sneaking suspicion that Creon had talked with them, or more like threatened them with bodily harm, if they so much as touched or upset her in any way.

  It had taken a couple of tries but before long she was able to transform. She had started out with just letting the scales run up and down her arms. It felt weird but her dragon assured her it wouldn't hurt. After she finally gave in to her dragon, it was amazingly simple. Her body tingled and a warm rush flooded her. The next thing she knew, everything looked clearer, sharper, and smaller! It was a good thing she had moved the furniture, otherwise it would have gone flying when she tried to get a good look at her new body. Her dragon had burst into low, husky coughs of laughter as she tried to grab her tail in her front claws. She ended up flipping herself until she was rolling on her back on the floor. Her wings were another source of amusement to her dragon as she kept holding them up so she could stare at them. She was beautiful!

  She had practiced transforming back and forth until she felt comfortable. Then, she had started planning. She wasn't angry with Creon for not telling her what was happening to her. Truthfully, it would have been the last thing on her mind and the least important. She would have agreed to anything once he touched her. A shaft of pleasure so intense it felt almost like pain moved through her as she remembered the incredible things he did to her. No, she had no regrets. She had finally learned life was too short to have them, much less dwell on them. She had been doing that for the past three years and all it had brought her was more heartache.

  Instead, she decided to focus on today. She opened her wings wide enjoying the feeling of freedom and the warm air circulating around her body. She was about to bank to the left when a shadow appeared out of the corner of her eye coming straight for her. She rolled trying to see more but it was too fast. Suddenly, something wrapped around her tail, twirling her upside down and holding her suspended so that it could grip her upper and lower legs.

  Now it is my turn to hold you, Creon said in a dark, husky voice.

  Only if you promise to never let me go, Carmen replied in a trembling voice.

  I not only promise, I swear on my life, he vowed as he pulled her even closer to his larger body.

  Carmen relaxed against him, letting her wings hang down like veils under her. She lifted her head until she could rub in against his long, mus
cular neck. Both she and her dragon responded to the smooth texture and scent of their mate. Her dragon moved closer, rubbing her belly against the larger male. Unable to resist, Carmen turned her head and ran a long, narrow tongue up Creon's throat and under his jaw. A low, deep rumbling sent waves of need through her.

  I... love you, Creon, she said quietly. I need you.

  Hold on to me, he said in a strained voice.

  Carmen gripped his massive forearms with her smaller claws. She gasped as he swooped down. She couldn't see where he was taking them. She could only blindly trust that he would take care of her. His powerful wings moved with strong downward strokes as he neared a clearing on the high cliffs along the coast. He released her back legs but kept her tail securely tethered to him with his longer one. He landed gently on a small grassy ledge, balancing on his back legs as he carefully laid Carmen's smaller body down under him. Once she was lying quietly under his larger frame he release her front legs. He stood over her looking down at her exposed belly. He could feel his dragon growing hard at the image of its mate's submissive pose. The folds that covered his gentiles parted, revealing his desire for his mate. His eyes blazed as he looked carefully around, scenting the air to make sure they were safe before he took her. He was a male in his prime and at his most dangerous now. Nothing would survive his fury if he or his mate were threatened. He raised his head and let out a long, loud roar warning any within hearing distance to stay away from the area. His eyes scanned the horizon and he listened carefully before lowering his head to his mate. The blazing fires held in his eyes warned her it would be a long, hard coupling. The huge male's lips pulled back to reveal his long sharp teeth. A low, snarl was the only warning the smaller female got before those teeth clamp down on her slender neck, piercing the smooth scales and holding her in place as he lowered his body down over hers.

  A series of husky coughs escaped the smaller female as the huge male above her slowly impaled her with his thick, long shaft. Her head tossed, trying to break the hold the male had on her as her body struggled to accept his hard shaft. The male, sensing his mate's attempt to break his hold and flee, surged forward with a low growl, biting down harder. Warm, fragrant blood spilled into his mouth, flowing over his tongue and down his throat. The taste was so rich and sweet Creon lost the little control he had over his dragon. The primitive need to mate and claim overcoming his deteriorating hold of civility. He was pure male at its most animalistic.

  Carmen’s smaller form writhed under the huge male. She stretched her neck giving him better access to her slender column. Fire burned through her and into him as he held her down, drinking from her as he rocked harder, deeper, and faster. He stretched his wings out, the claws in the center and at the ends locking with hers until she was spread out underneath his massive body unable to resist. He pulled his tail upward forcing her lower body to rise up. The position drove him even deeper, pulling a long, low cry from her as he continued to drive into her over and over. Even as he swelled, locking their bodies together he continued moving.

  Creon! Carmen cried out as she felt the power of her dragon’s climax all the way to her soul.

  Creon’s groan was the only sound he could get out as his own body, trapped deep inside his dragon responded to the male’s taking of his mate. His mind shattered as the powerful release wrapped itself around him, pulling at his own essence buried deep inside the male.

  The large male released his mate’s neck as his body tightened until pleasure and pain became one. He jerked once more before his hot seed filled the smaller female locked to him. His head swung up until he looked at the stars glittering overhead and he roared out his claim as his massive body shook over and over as he released his scent, his essence, his very soul into the delicate dragon trapped beneath him.

  His body strained, muscles tight and bulging as the last of his seed pour out of him leaving him truly sated for the first time in his long, lonely life. Only then did he lower his head to gently lick at the wounds he had inflicted. He released her wings, letting her draw them close against her shivering body even as he tenderly wrapped his own wings around her. He held his weight off of her smaller form waiting for the swelling in his cock to subside enough that he could pull out of her without harming her. His tail flickered back and forth rubbing hers in comfort as soft coughs escaped her as she came down from her orgasm.

  You are so beautiful, Creon repeated over and over as his dragon caressed her neck with his tongue. I love you so much, mi elila. You are the air I breathe, the light to my darkness. Now you know the fears I have. There are times when I cannot control my dragon. It is a constant battle. Can you forgive me? Can you forgive us? He pleaded over and over.

  The delicately shaped head of Carmen’s dragon turned to stare up at her mate. She tenderly ran her long, silky tongue over his cheek and along his lips. Nuzzling him with her snout, she showed him through her touch that there was nothing to forgive.

  I wouldn’t want you any other way, Carmen said sleepily. Hold me, she whispered even as she fell into a light sleep.

  Chapter 13

  Carmen nervously smoothed her hand down over her thighs again. She was more of an ‘on the ground’ type of girl. Give her a motorcycle and she could run circles around you. She wasn’t like her big sister who loved the idea of going up high or even into outer space. No, she liked it where the ground was close and the air around her was breathable.

  She forced a shaky smile to her lips to show Creon she was fine. He must have known it was just an act. He carefully threaded his fingers through her tightly fisted hand, rubbing his thumb over the back as he continued talking to several men on board the shuttle with them. Carmen closed her eyes and focused on the mediation exercises that Connie had taught her. Breathe in, hold it for four, breathe out for four, do it four times. Carmen decided she was going to do it at least forty times instead. Hopefully by then they would be on board the Horizon. It was the Curizan warship disguised as a long-haul freighter using some type of cloaking device that made the outside of the ship look different than it was.

  Creon had explained the Curizans were renowned for their technology and ingenuity. All she cared about was the damn thing didn’t spring a leak in the middle of nowhere. She left the gadgets and stuff like that to Cara and the space travel and fast flying to Trisha and Ariel. All she wanted was wide open spaces and a fast bike under her ass. If she was feeling really adventurous, she would do it sans helmet. That was her idea of living dangerously.

  “How much longer?” She choked out over the lump in her throat as a full-blown panic attack simmered inside her. “Maybe it would be better if I stayed behind. I could do some exploring and get more familiar with your world,” she said hoarsely.

  Creon turned with a dark scowl that dissipated when he saw the slight film of sweat beading her forehead, the pinch of her lips, and her almost translucent complexion. The shuttle bumped roughly as it exited the atmosphere of the planet. If possible, he would swear she turned even paler.

  He tried to pull his hand free of hers so he could touch her. She held it in a grip so tight he could feel it going numb from the blood restriction. When she wouldn’t release it, he used his other hand to tilt her chin so that she was forced to look into his eyes. He held her gaze until he could feel her beginning to relax slightly.

  “Breathe,” he murmured quietly.

  “I am,” she muttered on the verge of tears. “It’s not working! I really think I should stay here. I don’t want to go into outer space,” she forced out, frustrated.

  “We will be gone for many months. I cannot be away from you that long,” Creon said still maintaining eye contact with her. “Were you this frightened before? When you were aboard the V’ager?”

  Carmen quickly shook her head. “I was pretty much dead when they brought me aboard,” she whispered. “I really didn’t think about it after that because it was like being on a big ship on the ocean only with no windows for me to look out of, not to mention we were
surrounded by aliens.”

  Creon’s eyes narrowed at her mention of how close she had come to dying before he ever met her. He would have to remember to thank his brothers for their intervention. He could not imagine a life without her now. She was his world and it distressed him that she was suffering so much because of him.

  “I should have beamed us aboard,” he cursed out under his breath.

  “I wouldn’t let you, remember?” Carmen said, squeezing his hand tighter. “I was afraid it would hurt the babies even though you said it wouldn’t. I won’t take a chance of losing them,” she said pulling in a steady breath. “I’ll be okay. I’m just more of an on the ground type of girl, that’s all.”

  “We will be on board the Horizon shortly,” he reassured her. “The worst is behind us. It will be smooth now that we have broken through the atmosphere. Once on board, I will make sure I take you to our rooms so you may lay down for a little while. You have had a lot to deal with and little rest. You are also still too thin,” he added with a stubborn thrust of his jaw.

  She groaned and pressed a hand to her stomach. He had been trying to feed her continuously from the first day she arrived. A cart with food was always available in their living quarters and he tried to check up on how much she ate throughout the day. He had grown even more persistent the last two days.

  “Creon,” she said swaying in her seat. “I really, really don’t think it would be a good idea to try to make me eat right now. Not unless you want to be wearing it.”

  He bit back a chuckle. It he had known taking her up into space would weaken her to the point she was a defenseless kitten he would have done it sooner. He focused on the gold symbiots wrapped around his wrists. He asked it to help his mate’s motion sickness. A split second later, the gold around his wrists joined with hers and began moving. Tiny dots of gold appeared at her ears and around her neck, forming into a long chain that disappeared into the neckline of the silky black top she was wearing. He bit back a groan as the gold settled on the swell of her breasts, teasing him when she moved in her seat.