Serpent's Kiss: A Dragonfire Novel (31 page)

To her thinking, they could sort it out once Thorolf’s firestorm was resolved.

To her relief, Sloane took the job of contacting Erik, just as Niall came in the door with chicken curry and rice. Rafferty was falling asleep, but she’d feed him herself to get some sustenance into him.

Because she just didn’t trust him to leave the retrieval of the sword to the others.

She knew her
Pyr
too well to guess that he would feel compelled to aid the firestorm.

Chapter Twelve

Thorolf awakened in a familiar state. He felt like crap. He had a headache, which could have been the result of over-indulgence of one kind or another. He was sore all over, as if he’d lost more than one fight he didn’t particularly remember.

He hoped, as usual, that he didn’t have any new tattoos.

His skin burned though, burned with the fury of that new and extensive ink. That had been one upside of being Rox’s “project”: he’d had a guardian angel with a tattoo gun, one who never over-indulged and who fiercely protected the art on his body.

Thorolf sighed, wishing for the old days when he’d hung out with the
Pyr
. His one glimpse of Rox had been of her chewing him out for this tattoo, but even that had been welcome.

The good news was that there was a woman lying on top of him, a woman whose long hair touched his face and whose breasts were crushed against his chest. Even better, the spark of the firestorm heated him right through when she touched her lips tentatively to his.

Chandra.

Seemed like she was coming around to the idea of fulfilling the firestorm.

Bonus.

He opened his eyes to see Chandra in her ebony-haired huntress form, almost nose-to-nose with him. She was gorgeous enough to steal his breath away, and smart enough that she should have worried him. She was studying him, her expression one of uncharacteristic uncertainty. She looked almost as if she’d just kissed him. He liked when her lips were swollen a little and he could get used to her watching him so closely.

“Hey.” Thorolf ran his hands over Chandra and smiled slowly, making sure she could read his amorous thoughts. He liked how she caught her breath and blushed a little. It was fun to disconcert a goddess. “I’m hoping it’s not an accident that you’re on top of me like this.”

“I was afraid you would die,” she admitted quickly and sounded as if she thought that was a bad thing. She averted her gaze and caught her breath as he cupped his hands around her butt and squeezed slightly.

He wasn’t nearly dead yet.

He liked how her eyes widened with the reminder of his vitality.

She didn’t pull away, though, much less thump him.

Something good was going down.

Finally.

“I thought you’d be relieved to be rid of me,” he countered, sliding his hands up her back, then pushing his fingers into her long hair. It was thick and soft, luxuriantly wavy and incredibly feminine. The firestorm shimmered and shone with silver light, heating him to his core and making him
want
. “We’re back in Myth, then?”

Chandra nodded and eased a little closer, brushing her lips across his with aching sweetness. That light caress stole Thorolf’s breath away. The heat surged through him, making him feel a little more alive than just moments before.

He sighed. “So, I guess you’ll want me to pick a skull.”

“Not just yet.” To his surprise, her fingers framed his face, her touch both cool and electrifying. She looked into his eyes, then her mouth locked over his, her kiss more demanding than it had been yet.

Thorolf decided it would be rude not to show enthusiasm for the change.

He could count on her calling a halt to this sooner than he’d like. He might as well make the most of her moment of weakness. He pulled her closer and deepened their kiss, astonished on some level that she met him touch for touch.

But not ready to complain about it. The firestorm’s heat slid through him like molten lava. He felt it push back some toxin in his body, and purge his mind of doubt. He knew exactly what he had to do and why. When Chandra’s tongue touched his, he nearly exploded with desire. When she slid her hands into his hair, holding him captive to her ravenous kiss, he was sure he had died and gone to heaven. When she straddled him, her thighs tight around his waist and that sweet softness of her pressed against his erection, he didn’t care how many layers of cloth were between them.

Except that he wanted to get rid of them all.

He rolled over, pinning Chandra beneath him and settling himself between her thighs. He halfway thought she’d smite him, but she locked her legs even tighter around his waist and pulled him down for a very satisfying kiss. She smelled sweet and hot, and felt even better. He wanted to take it slow, but wasn’t sure he could.

“No skulls,” she whispered moments later. “Not this time.”

He opened the front of her shirt with one hand, bracing his weight over her as he bared her skin to his view. “What else is there to do in this place?” he murmured, then eased the cloth aside. Of course, she wore no bra. She was a goddess. She was muscled and lean, her breast ripe enough to fill his hand. Her nipple was tightly beaded, inviting his touch, and Thorolf wasn’t inclined to refuse. He bent and suckled her gently, smiling against her skin when she gasped and gripped his hair tightly.

She didn’t pull away, though, and didn’t stop him.

It was finally his lucky day.

She ran her hands over his bare skin, her light caress making his skin feel so much better. It was better even than Rox’s aloe gel. When her fingers dove beneath the waistband of his jeans and she squeezed his butt, Thorolf raised his head to look at her.

“Who are you and what have you done with my mate?” he asked, not having to work that hard to feign astonishment.

Chandra laughed. “Get naked already. I might regret this, and you don’t want to give me time to change my mind.”

Thorolf didn’t need to be invited twice.

He had to make sure Chandra didn’t regret her decision.

“Just for the sake of interest,” he said as he peeled off his boots and flung them aside. “Why?” His jeans were next, his Jockeys gone in record time. He turned back to Chandra to find that she’d chucked her own clothes just as quickly and was nude beside him.

“I like dragons,” she said.

“All dragons,” he teased and she blushed.

She tapped a finger on his chest. “This dragon.” She rose to her knees before him and he caught his breath at her beauty. “Besides, it might be my last chance to find out.”

“No pressure then,” he said with a grin.

She laughed. “Intimidated?”

“Not a chance.” Thorolf smiled down at her, then spared a quick glance around. They were on a bed of dense vegetation in the jungle. It could have been moss for all he knew, but it was as soft as a bed and dry enough. A stream ran near them, but he couldn’t sense any predators, and a night sky arched high over them.

There could be snakes, though. He shuddered despite himself.

“I guess we don’t have to worry about privacy here,” he said and she laughed at him.

“Don’t tell me you’re shy,” she teased, her eyes dancing.

“Surprised,” he said, taking her in his arms and pulling her into his lap. He kissed her on the mouth. “Amazed, even.” He kissed her again and took his time about it. “Lucky,” he murmured, then kissed beneath her ear. She tipped her head back and sighed contentment. “But not shy. I missed the line where they were giving that out.”

Chandra laughed and pushed him down to his back. “You were too busy in the other lines,” she said before she kissed him slowly. Her hair fell around them, curtaining them from the world.

If there were snakes, he wouldn’t see them coming.

He was surprisingly good with that. This was worth it.

“What other lines?” he asked when she lifted her head.

“The one for loyalty.” She kissed his jaw, then the hollow of his throat. Thorolf sighed as the firestorm surged through him. “You had to be right at the front of that one.” She kissed his shoulder, then ran a line of kisses toward his nipple. Silver sparks danced over his flesh, burning too much to tickle.

This firestorm just might kill Thorolf, but it would be so worth it.

“The one for valor,” she murmured, then suckled his nipple the same way he’d kissed hers. Thorolf caught his breath at the sensation and wanted to roar with pleasure.

“You like that?” she whispered against his skin.

“Oh, yeah.”

“So that’s why you taught me to do it,” she replied, then closed her mouth over his other nipple. She used her tongue and her teeth, teasing him so he thought he’d lose his mind. Her other hand worked his other nipple, her fingers as distracting as her mouth.

“The one for a strong moral code,” Chandra whispered, then dragged the tip of her tongue down toward his navel. Thorolf had forgotten what the heck she was talking about. “You were early in that line, too.”

Right.

Lines.

A strong moral code?

He felt obliged to argue with her. “You’ve got me confused with someone else,” he protested. “But don’t let me mess with your illusions.”

She laughed and he looked down at her, his heart aching at the glow in her blue eyes. “No,” she said with a quiet confidence that made his heart thump. “You pretend to be a party animal who takes nothing seriously, but you’re the most valiant, loyal and moral man I’ve ever known. You stick with your friends through thick and thin, you never forget your alliances, and you give everything you’ve got when you fight.” Her hands were on his thighs, her feather-light touch making it impossible for Thorolf to think straight. As he watched, she closed one hand around his erection. The heat of the firestorm raced through him from that point and he thought he might lose it completely.

Chandra was smiling at him, all mischief and sparkling eyes.

“I’m guessing that works for you,” he managed to say.

“
You
work for me,” she replied, her conviction making his heart nearly burst with pride. She then kissed the tip of his erection, flicking her tongue across him in a way that nearly made the rest of him burst.

The spark that erupted at that point could have stopped Thorolf’s heart, but that was nothing compared to the power of Chandra’s touch when her mouth closed over him. He felt the silvery light of the firestorm flood through him, banishing the shadows and darkness like the light of the full moon. Quicksilver might have been running through his veins, filling him with light and power and strength. His heart thundered with new vigor, as the firestorm healed him from his marrow out.

He felt celebratory, as only dragons could. He hadn’t eliminated Chen, but that would come. For the moment, there was this magnificent moment with his mate. He wanted to make love to Chandra for the rest of his life, every day and every night. He was hard and hot and ready for her, his blood pumping and his body filled with demand.

But not like this.

Not the first time.

Her pleasure had to be first.

He pulled her into his embrace, lifting her mouth to his. He was surprised when he opened his eyes to find that the firestorm had brightened to a sphere of brilliant white light. He rolled Chandra to her back, smiling at her surprise.

“That wasn’t right?” she asked with an uncertainty that charmed him.

“It was awesome,” he admitted, then kissed her sweetly. “But the firestorm is about mutual pleasure.” He looked her in the eye. “And the mate should be pleased first.”

“Gallant,” she whispered. “I should have figured you’d hit that line, too.”

Thorolf held her gaze, waiting until she blushed with understanding of what he intended to do. Her lips parted in a little gasp of surprise, which was just about the most delicious thing he’d ever seen.

He kissed her with satisfaction, then slid down the length of her. He ran his hands over her, smiling at the sparks that lit beneath his hands and his mouth, illuminating every point he touched her. He kissed her nipples again, teasing them to tight peaks, loving how she moaned with delight. He eased lower, taking his time, savoring the scent of her arousal and smiled when she parted her thighs in anticipation.

He kissed her there slowly and thoroughly, letting her become accustomed to the intimate embrace, loving when she began to squirm with pleasure. His mouth was filled with the fiery heat of the firestorm and the sweet taste of Chandra, and he knew he’d never get enough of her. She would be just as enticing without the firestorm’s spark—and he was determined to ensure that she felt the same way about him.

Once again, he felt his heart match its pace to hers. He knew his breathing had synchronized with hers as well, when he felt that wonderful sense of union.

This was the gift of the firestorm.

This was the future he would claim.

Thorolf pleasured Chandra deliberately, ensuring that he was slow about it, that he prolonged her arousal as long as possible. He used his lips and his tongue, loving how she responded to his touch, feeling the rise of her passion. She was breathing quickly and flushed scarlet, her hands knotted in his hair. He loved the sound of her moans and the way she writhed beneath his touch, and he savored when she began to beg for release.