Dragon's Mercy
11.

"Ryker, my virginity isn't something to joke about."

"Do I look like I'm joking?" He removes his boxers, then takes her hand and brings it to his rock-hard erection.

"Before, you said you'd never sleep with me."

"That was then. Now you're my dragoness."

"Because I passed those tests, now all of a sudden, I'm worthy?"

Ryker's eyes turn stormy as his hands grip her hips. "No. The moment you agreed to come here as my wife is when I knew I would have you."

"Pretend wife...."

"Real dragoness."

"Temporary dragoness."

Ryker moves his hands to knead the curves of her ass as his lips nuzzle her neck. "I know you've thought about it, Maria. My cock sliding into you as you cry out for more."

"Oh, I've thought about you many times."

"I'll be better than you imagined." Ryker's eyes dance with desire as he leans down and kisses her neck. He chuckles when she moans.

"That's a lot of confidence, Ryker. Are you sure you can deliver?"

With a cruel laugh, he picks her up in his arms and carries her into a cabin just beyond the clearing. Once inside, he sets her down by the bed. She starts to walk away, but he pulls her against him. Playing hard to get, she turns so her back is to him. He grips her hips, pulling her bare ass against his hard cock. "By the time I'm done with you, you'll know who you belong to."

"I already know who I belong to, Lord Ryker."

With an animalistic roar, Ryker pushes her chest down on the bed while lifting her hips higher in the air. "Spread your legs." She immediately spreads her legs, her pussy dripping in anticipation. From behind her, Ryker slips two fingers inside and pushes deep. "Fuck, you're so tight." As Ryker's fingers push inside her, she reaches back and wraps her hands around his smooth, thick cock. "Fuck, Maria. I've never wanted anyone like I want you." The emotions she's feeling are overwhelming. It's as if Ryker owns every part of her body. As soon as his fingers leave her, she pushes back, desperate for more. His hands are rough and needy as they come up to cup her breasts. He swallows her moans when his fingers twist her budding nipple. "Damn. It's as if your body was made for me." She turns as his mouth finds hers. There's an urgency in his kiss she's never felt. She can barely keep up. Then he breaks away, kissing a path down her back. "I can't wait anymore, Maria. I need you now."

As his throbbing cock slowly probes her wet slit, an exhale escapes her lips. "Oh, you are so big." In one swoop, he pushes fully inside of her. A feeling of intense euphoria takes over and she looks back at him, unsure of what's happening. "Ryker...."

"I'm right here with you, Maria." Even though it's impossible, she knows without a doubt that Ryker is her true dragon mate. The intensity of the connection is almost overwhelming. The sensation feels foreign and wonderful at the same time. She rocks her hips against him, wanting to feel him deeper. Enjoying the feel of him, she wiggles her hips around in a circle and he groans. "Do that again." She wiggles again and tingles run through her pussy. He begins to slowly move in and out of her. His lips kiss the back of her neck as he increases his pressure and speed. "Damn. You feel perfect, Maria." She cries out brokenly, her breath coming in rapid gasps. Wanting to feel him deeper, she slams her hips harder into Ryker. "Yes, take me deeper. Let me feel all of you." He pounds into her. She arches her back and meets him, wanting to feel him as deeply as she can. He moves faster, pushing high inside her as his breath becomes winded.

"Oh, God. Oh, Ryker!"

"Not yet, Maria." Ryker slams into her over and over again, pushing deeper and deeper. Heat builds in her core as his thrusts become more uncontrolled.

"Ryker, come deep inside me. I want to feel you."

"I know what you want, Maria." He pushes so far inside, she can't tell where her body ends and his begins. She turns her head and captures Ryker's lips in a hot kiss. She breaks away with a groan as he pushes deeper into her. "Yes, Maria! Come now." Ryker thrusts his hips inside her as his orgasm pulses through him.

She feels his hot come spill deep inside her, prompting her to climax at the same time. "Ryker!" Tingles course through her entire body as her pleasure becomes Ryker's and his pleasure becomes hers.

He stays inside her as her trembling subsides and her breath returns to normal, then he presses the softest kisses to her back before he lies next to her and pulls Maria into his arms. "You were perfect."

She leans her head on Ryker's broad chest and looks up at him. "Is it always like that?"

"No. Now go to sleep. We'll discuss it in the morning." Ryker gives an exaggerated yawn as he tucks her deeper into the crook of his arm.

She leans up and presses her lips to his, sensually sliding her tongue inside. He deepens the kiss before she pulls back and rests her head on his chest. "Goodnight, Ryker." A few minutes later, she's fast asleep.

~W~

The following morning, there's a commotion as soon as Maria and Ryker arrive back at the flight house.

"Mason, what's going on?"

"Maria's ex-fiance is here."

"What, Nestor is here? What does he want?"

"I don't know. He just arrived and requested a meeting with the council. We're walking to the border gate to meet him now."

"I'll kill him." Ryker stomps to the front gates with Maria and Mason right behind him. The rest of his flight gathers around. Nestor looks to be without his dragon flight as he speaks to Aelon and Ryker's mother. "What the fuck is going on here?" Ryker aggressively approaches Nestor, but Aelon and Simone put a hand on him.

"Nestor comes in peace."

"Bullshit, Mom."

"It's true. I'm here alone without any guards."

"Nestor, you're a liar. No one believes a word you say." She growls.

"Really? Because you're the liar here." Nestor turns to Simone and Aelon. The rest of Ryker's flight gathers. "I'm here because you're harboring a fugitive. Maria is being charged with her father's murder."

"You asshole! You know it was you who killed my father!"

"If found guilty, she'll be executed."

"No one's touching Maria." Ryker steps in.

"If you hand Maria over now, I'll leave peacefully. Otherwise, I'll have to take her by force."

"Fucking try it. I'll tear every limb from your body."

Nestor ignores Ryker as he keeps his gaze on Aelon and Simone. "Maria means nothing to you. She's not worth the war that I will bring to your flight house."

Simone, Mason and Aelon pull Ryker aside as Nestor looks on with a smirk. She pushes herself next to Ryker, refusing to be left out of the conversation. "I'll go with him. I don't want anyone to die because of me."

"No." Ryker reaches out and protectively grabs her hand.

"Maybe we should let them take Maria."

Ryker grabs Mason by the shirt and lifts him an inch off the ground. "Are you hearing yourself? You're going to let Nestor walk up on our land and take my wife, my dragoness?" The possessive way Ryker hits his chest as he calls Maria his wife makes her heart skip a beat.

"We've only known her a day...."

"No brother of mine would ever talk like that. Our flight has never backed down from a fight."

"Come on, Ryker. You're going to war over a woman?"

Ryker turns and looks at her. Anger seethes from him. "I will not be bullied on my own damn land." Mason gives a reluctant nod before Ryker releases him. They both turn back to Nestor. "Fuck off. We're not giving you Maria."

"You're going to let your whole flight burn for a whore. I thought you were smarter than that, Ryker."

Ryker moves toward Nestor, but she quickly steps in front of him. Quick as fire, she grabs her knife and cuts Nestor across the mouth. He cries out in pain.

"Don't you ever speak about me again." Then she knees him in the ribs. She hears two ribs crack before he falls to the ground.

"Bitch! Wait till I get you alone. You're going to pay very dearly for that."

"You'll be dead before you lay a hand on her." Ryker steps close and kicks Nestor in the stomach.

He sneers at Ryker before spitting in his direction. "You're not always going to be around to protect her."

"Well, he's here now to protect me. So you can get the hell off our land before I slice more than just your lying mouth. I'm the dragoness here and I say you need to go."

"You should leave, Nestor. You've said what you need to say, but Maria isn't coming with you." The crowd cheers and looks at Maria with pride. Simone says Nestor's name with a familiarity that gives her pause. If Ryker picked up on it, doesn't give any indication.

Nestor gives a cruel laugh. "Now you're all going to die."

Suddenly, she looks into the sky as dozens of dragons fly toward Ryker's house. "You lying piece of shit." He lets out a battle roar, letting his dragons know there's an attack.

Mason, Simone and Aelon shift into their dragons and fly into the sky. Ryker attacks Nestor as dozens more dragons fly toward them. Nestor tries to shift, but Ryker's punches are too much for him.

"Ryker, this whole thing is a trap!"

Nestor kicks Ryker off him as the dragons from the sky shoot fire at them. He takes her hand and leads her into the forest for cover. "Maria, I need you to take the secret passage I showed you yesterday."

"No, I'm not leaving you or this flight."

"Maria, they came specifically to kill you. I can't let that happen."

"I'm your dragoness. I'm not running away."

Ryker stares down at her with a look filled with admiration, then gives her a hard kiss on her lips. "Promise me you won't die today."

"I promise, Ryker."

They shift into their dragons and fly into the sky. Ryker's dragons are putting up a good fight, but they all look relieved when the pair join in.

"Finally, Ryker! We need you on our left!"

Ryker takes the lead, flying in front of Mason and attacking one of Nestor's dragon guards. His dragon easily kills the guard. Another one of Nestor's guards flies at Ryker from under him. She expects Mason to protect him because he's closer, but he doesn't move. She quickly flies toward his attacker and snaps his neck. "Way to have my back, Maria."

"Always." Suddenly, she looks below and sees a group of Nestor's guards in human form trying to sneak into the flight house. "Ryker, I'm going back to protect the flight house." Without another thought, she dives down toward the house and shoots fire at them. Ryker flies next to her, ripping off one of the guard's heads. When they land on the ground, they both shift into their human forms and hide behind a tree.

"I'm sure they'll be sending more guards to get into the flight house."

"Well, Nestor's here to burn your flight house to the ground."

"You were just his excuse for war. He knew I'd never give you up to him. He just wanted to try to embarrass us in front of my flight." Ryker moves toward the flight house when she turns and sees Lexi hiding behind a tree with her gun pointed at Ryker. The girl cocks the gun.

Maria's blood runs cold at the murderous look in her eyes. Her fingers tingle as they slowly move toward the knife hidden behind her back. "Ryker, get down!"

Trusting her, he dodges to the ground without hesitation. Lexi fires her gun. The bullet just misses Ryker's head. At the same time, Maria takes out her knife and throws it at Lexi, hitting her square between the eyes. The girl falls to the ground, dead. Ryker stands with wide eyes. "You saved my life. I can't believe Lexi tried to kill me."

"I can. She was the most vocal about her hatred toward me."

He opens his mouth, then clamps it shut. Her breath catches when he slowly presses close and kisses her softly on the lips. "Thank you, Maria. You're the only person in this world I trust right now."

She looks up into the sky as Nestor's dragons fly off in retreat. "We ran them off!"

"They shouldn't have been here in the first place." Ryker's whole body is taut with tension.

"I agree. And Maria is to blame." Mason steps into the forest.

"What the fuck, Mason. You don't even seem mad we were attacked!"

"How do you know Maria isn't playing you? She could've led Nestor here and given him the excuse he needed to attack."

"Mason, it sounds like you're the one with something to hide. You've been pointing fingers, yet you didn't even notice that Lexi was the one betraying you."

Mason storms off at her comment. Ryker turns to the rest of his dragon flight. "I want double security at all our entrance points. And search the forest. We need to be sure Nestor didn't leave any dragons behind."

Aelon takes a cautious step toward Ryker. "Lord Ryker, at least five of our dragons died today. But we killed at least twice that many from Nestor's flight and they all entered from the east border."

"Lexi was supposed to be guarding that border. We need to get there and make sure there are no other entry points."

~W~

Hours later, Maria and Ryker walk into his bedroom.

"Well, at least the borders are secure."

"And Nestor got beat bad enough he won't be back." Ryker turns his back to her as he grabs clean clothes from the dresser.

"Does that mean it's time for me to go back to my flight?" He stills as he turns toward her. "We agreed when we found your traitor, you'd help me take back my flight."

"I'm not convinced Lexi was the only traitor."

"I can't stay here forever. I'm afraid I won't have a flight to go back to."

"You can't leave yet."

Her mouth parts with shock. She tries to read Ryker's expression, but his cold eyes tell her nothing. "I should've known you'd go back on your word to me."

Ryker's arm snakes out and grasps her right hip, pulling her toward him. "Don't be stubborn, Maria. You saw how brazen Nestor was tonight."

"Then help me save my flight." His jaw clenches as his hand tightens on her hip. "What? I'm just following your plan."

"My plan didn't involve you being my damn dragon mate." His voice is so gruff and angry it contradicts his words.

Her stomach floods with heat as her heart pounds with excitement. "Ryker, does that mean you want to keep me?"

He pulls her against his chest. Every nerve on her body dances as she inhales his intoxicating scent. "Of course, I'm keeping my true mate."

"How can we be dragon mates if they're extinct?"

"Because we're not extinct. Dragon mates are known for having superior strength. It's why we fought so well today, even though we were outnumbered. It's possible we were mated to bring order to the chaos that's unfolding." She takes a deep breath and walks toward the balcony, overwhelmed by the emotions running over her. Ryker walks next to her, staring down at her with a look of carnal possession. "I knew as soon as we made love last night that you were my true mate." He brings her head to his. As soon as their lips touch, it feels like electricity flows between them. He slowly explores her mouth with his velvety tongue, then breaks the kiss and moves his lips down her neck, gently nipping at her racing pulse. "You know we're mates. I can tell by the way your heart is pounding..... I can feel your nerves moving to my touch." Her inner dragon jumps with excitement and she leans in closer, her body wanting to feel as much of him as possible. "So tell me, Maria. Admit that I'm your mate."

"I'm not sure if it's the mate bond I feel, Ryker. I need more time."

"I won't give you much more. I can't deny my mate."

She leans in and gives him a soft kiss. "I understand."

~W~

That evening at dinner, the flight celebrates their victory.

Ryker sits at the head of the table with Maria on his right side. Simone, his mother, is on his left with Mason next to her.

"Maria, you fought well today."

"Thank you, Simone." She lifts her cup and takes a few drinks, then realizes she accidentally grabbed Ryker's cup. Suddenly, she doubles over as sharp pains stab her stomach. "Ah!"

"Maria!" Ryker catches her in his arms just as her legs give out. "Look at me, stay with me."

"Ryker..... it hurts."

Ryker stares at the cup she just drank out of. "You've been poisoned."

Her eyes drift shut as everything goes black.

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