Chapter 145 –Just a Taste – Ileana's POV
Just a reminder, we are still in Ileana's POV.

"Will you take us to him?" Felaern asked.

Tavian smirked. "I might be inclined to do so—for the right inducement."

"Of course, dragons never do anything for free," Felaern remarked dryly and then got right to the point. "What do you want, dragon?"

"My price is minimal," Tavian answered Felaern, but his penetrating gaze locked on me, cerulean and emerald glowing orbs with flecks of gold, his black pupil just a thin diamond slit—the  eyes of his dragon, the symbiont creature he shared flesh with.

I shuddered, frozen to the spot, powerless to look away.

His eyes gleamed with wicked intent. "All I require is a taste."

I inhaled sharply. What the hell did that mean?! Did he want to eat me?!  Surely not!

He licked his lips.

Oh fuck.

His grin widened, revealing pearly white teeth.

Felaern followed his line of sight, looking at me, and then turned back to Tavian, before demanding, "Define 'taste'."

Tavian purred, "Her succulent lips...just a kiss."

Adrenaline pounded through my body, making me quiver.

"I cannot answer for the female," Felaern replied with a hard edge.

All eyes turned on me, waiting for a response. Tavian closed the distance to me in three easy strides. His large frame loomed right in front of me with mere inches separating us. If he came any closer, I was going to feel his still-firm manhood pressed against my belly. His head came down, his nose skimming my ear, his breath hot on my neck. "What is your answer?"

I trembled. His closeness was making my brain foggy. Had he asked me something? Yes, his expectant expression seemed to indicate I was supposed to answer now. But for the life of me, I couldn't recall the question. I breathed, "What?"

He chuckled deep in his throat, and brought me back on track. "A kiss from you...in return, I will guide your group to the king as you requested."

Oh that's right, I remembered now. A kiss. Heat crept up my spine, making the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I swallowed hard, my lips suddenly parched. Did I want to kiss the naked, decadent specimen of a male in front of me? Well, that answer was easy—fuck yes, yes I did. I consented, "Okay."

He gave a low rumble of approval, his hands grasping my hips as he stepped closer.

And there went the last bit of space between my lower body and his.

I gasped, feeling his desire pressed hard against me. His ebony black wings unfurled from his back and wrapped around our bodies, blocking out our audience. The timbre of his voice dropped low for my ears only. A husky invitation, "Feel free to touch anything you desire."

Sparks shot up and down my spine, leaving my skin tingling. My fingers twitched, the temptation to satisfy my curiosity almost too much to contain. I was dying to know what he felt like. But still I hesitated.

"Go on," he purred. He pulled away just a little, still keeping us encased in the privacy of his wings, to give me full access to reach every part of him. I looked down. His cock twitched, the rounded head glistening with his desire.

I could resist no longer.  My hand came up slowly. I lightly touched the ridges that ran along the top of his shaft—firm, but pliable scales—meant to provide untold pleasure for a female. Instinctively, my thumb wrapped around the velvety, smooth underside, my hand closing into a fist.

He growled in return, his head moving away from my ear and his lips found mine. They were soft and gentle, but simmered with restrained power, an unmistakable silent promise that he was capable of much more.

I kissed him back eagerly, molding my mouth to his, with my hand still firmly wrapped around his manhood. As long as he was offering up his cock for my exploration, I had no intention of letting him go. My fingertips traced each scale, enjoying the feel of every ridge and valley.

A low sustained rumble could be heard in his chest. His intensity increased. Gone was the languid and relaxed rhythm of his kiss, in its place was aggression and control. He licked the seam of my lips, demanding his payment—a taste of me.  His lips were like heaven against mine. I had no problem accommodating his request and complied, opening my mouth.

His tongue flickered in and tangled against mine. I bit back a moan, refusing to stroke his already inflated ego. His taste was mouthwatering, juniper and pear, edged with a hint of smoke. His deep woodsy and sweet charred flavor made sense—he did have the ability to breathe fire.

The feeling of his tongue dancing with mine, and the knowledge that my fist was wrapped around the erection of such a powerful creature, was intoxicating. But I wanted more. I wanted to feel all of him. I let my free hand drop between his legs. The muscles in his thigh contracted and released as I trailed my fingertips up his flesh, creeping higher, until I reached his balls. I rolled them between my fingers to feel their texture.

He snarled and reached around, palming my ass in one of his large hands. Lost in the moment, I reflexively lowered my hand to the base of his cock, tightened my fist and stroked up his entire length.   His hips jerked forward. A rumble erupted from his throat, and he growled against my lips, "My dragon wants to fuck you."

"And what of the man?" I breathed, never one to back down from a challenge. My hand glided back down his shaft. "Does he want to fuck me too?"

"Fuck yes," he grunted, another twitch of his hips. His lusty gaze bore into mine, cerulean and emerald. "You have no idea all of the dirty things I want to do to you."

I let out of quiet giggle. "You might be surprised how much I know."

Tension rang through his thick chest and impossibly, his dick grew even more firm in my hand. On the next upstroke, I held my hand still and let my thumb smooth over his rounded head, spreading the drops of liquid gathered there. "But...our agreement was just a taste," I purred and released him, stepping away.

He let out a grunt of frustration. His eyes narrowed as he studied me. "You are a dangerous female."

I smirked and gave no reply. I lived with the bastards, Armand and Vladimir. I could hold my own with this dragon. But I had no intention of doing so. I was content with just satisfying my curiosity regarding his anatomy. The kiss had been amazing, but now we needed to move on.

His lips curled up, matching my smirk, and his wings unwrapped from around me. He took a step back and turned his attention once again to Felaern. "The only way in, is by air." He looked at Raine, who was lying on Loki's back with her head down and eyes closed. "Is she ill?"

Brialle replied, "Yes. It is her lost mate that we seek."

"And him?" Tavian gave a hard nod toward Talon, who was positioned protectively in front of Raine, his stance wide, chest out and eyes sharp.

Brialle's forehead creased, searching for the easiest way to explain Raine and Talon's unique relationship. "He is her...um, vassal,"

Tavian rubbed the back of his neck, deep in thought. "My dragon won't be thrilled, but I think I can convince him to carry the cat and not eat it. Can the vassal control the animal?"

Raine's head jerked up. Her eyes flashed a brilliant glowing blue. She snarled, "What do you mean 'and not eat it'?!"

Tavian's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he didn't remark on her unnatural feral expression. Instead, he soothed, "Take care, my lady. I will make sure no harm comes to the animal."

She continued to glare at him, but the glow softened in her eyes. Brialle interjected quickly, "Talon cannot control the creature, however Queen Raine can."

"Queen?" Tavian's attention went back to Raine with renewed interest. "Which kingdom do you rule?"

Raine ignored him, so Brialle continued the conversation, "She is a queen by birthright—a new bloodline vampire."Tavian inhaled sharply. It was clear he hadn't expected that answer. How much did he know about bloodline vampires?

"...however, she also governs the Tremidael Empire. Currently, Echo of the House of Tremidor of stands in as her proxy. "

"I see," Tavian murmured. "Is she strong enough to ride on my back without falling off?"

Brialle hesitated, her glance going to Felaern for input. Felaern answered, "Probably, but she would fare better with Talon by her side."

"All right. I will carry the creature in my claws. The queen and her vassal will ride on my back, to keep the tiger calm. I trust the rest of you can make arrangements."

Felaern gave a hard nod.

In the next instant, a flurry of activity surrounded Tavian. It seemed as if his entire body exploded into an enormous mass of muscle, wings and scales. The mighty dragon sat on his haunches. His nostrils flared, releasing puffs of smoke, and his tail flickered, beating the ground, causing dust and dirt to fly in every direction.

Raine slid off of Loki's back. The dragon lowered his head to the ground. Talon wrapped his arm around Raine and helped her climb up the dragon's leg, onto his back. He settled her between his legs, and wrapped his large frame almost completely around her.

Felaern gathered Brialle in his arms.

Killian stepped to my side. "May I, my lady?"

"Yes, thank you," I agreed quickly. He swept me into his arms as if I weighed nothing, and cradled me against his chest. He was stronger than I expected.

That just left Loki, who was eying Tavian's dragon with malice. Loki stood stiff-legged, shaking his big head. Deep rumbles in his chest, voiced his displeasure, a warning to stay away. Unfortunately for Loki, Tavian was about to get much closer.

The dragon lifted his front legs and moved beside the unruly cat.

Loki roared a warning. Raine tutted to him. The big cat snapped his head toward her. His expression was almost comical, like a child shocked and dismayed their parent would insist on them doing something.  When Raine didn't relent, Loki stood frozen while Tavian wrapped his powerful claws around Loki's midsection. Another loud growl erupted from Loki's mouth, and he squirmed in Tavian's grip.

Rained tutted again, this time with a growl of her own.

Immediately Loki stopped struggling. But the tension in his large frame remained, as Tavian heaved off the ground, into the sky. Killian and the three dark Fae joined him in air.

We flew silently for thirty minutes. The landscape was stunning, even masked by the night sky. Sparkling azure rivers and waterfalls crashed down from the plentiful mountains, cutting paths through the unforgiving rock and forest regions.

I grew more anxious as time went by. The sun would be up soon. My eyes scanned the horizon, settling on a massive mountain in the distance, towering at least a thousand feet in the air. That had to be our destination.

As we came closer, I was able to see the outline of a castle. It sat on the highest precipice and was carved right into the cliff's edge. Yes, it was most certainly our destination.

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Look, look, look...no cliffhanger! (well sorta.lol)

Sooo, do you think this Dragon King will be amiable to their wishes and grant them access to the Pools of Morenth? Dragon's never do anything for free...what might it cost them?

Any guesses as to why Raine is still feeling the full effect of the broken mate-bond even though she is much closer to Cage than before?