Dragon's Mercy
17.

She sits there, wondering if she hear Ryker right. "Marry you?" She asks, studying him. "Why do you want to marry me?"

Ryker rears back, shocked that she didn't agree right away. "You're my true mate. Do I need another reason?"

She doesn't know why his answer bothers her. It seems so practical. "Are you in love with me, Ryker?"

He stills as he stares at her with hooded eyes. "You know I care about you. You're my damn mate! I'm......deeply attached to you."

"Being mated was chosen for us. Marrying you is a choice based on our relationship. But being in love is just as important as being mated to me."

"So you're saying you won't marry me?"

His conflicted look only bolsters her confidence. Dragon lords like Ryker rarely talk about their feelings. "I said that I don't want to be with anyone but you. I'm not saying I won't marry you. But I need to know every single reason why you want to marry me." She holds his gaze and he knows what she's asking him.

It's obvious he wants to say something, but the words are caught. "Fine. We'll wait until you've come to your senses to be married."

"Or wait until you come to your senses and are willing to talk about your feelings."

"I asked you to marry me. Doesn't that say how I feel?"

"No. Marriages without love happen all the time. I think your intentions with me are true, but I need more than just our dragon bond to officially marry you."

"Even though you're in love with me?"

She takes a deep breath before carefully answering. "You don't know my feelings. I won't open myself up to someone who isn't willing to open themselves up to me equally."

"Maybe I just express my openness in different ways."

"And kind of ways are those?"

Ryker pulls her into his arms and kisses her deeply. "I'm feeling dirty. We should go swimming." He leads her toward the back of the cave, where a beautiful, private waterfall sits. He removes his clothes. Even though she's seen him naked many times, butterflies still flood her stomach when she looks at his delicious, sculpted body. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I want to do very bad things to you."

Ryker jumps in the water. "Come, Maria. Swim with me."

She looks at the pristine water with longing, then removes her clothing and jumps in. "Oh, this feels so good." She swims in the warm water for a bit before Ryker takes her into his arms and kisses her.

Kissing him back with just as much passion, she wraps her legs around his waist, then lifts her hips higher and grinds her pussy against his cock, teasing it to life. "Fuck. My body craves you." He swims over to the edge of the water, gets out and spreads his clothes on the ground. Then he lifts her out of the water and lays her down atop them. She opens her arms, welcoming his embrace when he comes down on top of her. "You really are my true match." She reaches down and grabs Ryker's dick, feeling it harden in her touch. "I want your mouth on me as I eat your pussy at the same time. We can come together."

"Can we really do such a thing?"

"Oh, yeah. I promise you'll like it." His right hand massages her breast. She moans as she lifts into his palm. She moves her hands to his sculpted ass and lifts her hips into him, cradling his erection between her thighs. Pleasure tingles down her legs as she grinds harder into him. "I love how wet you are for me. And the smell of your arousal is making me even more excited." He flips her over so her back is against the stones, then turns her so her knees straddle his face and her hands are on his thighs. She leans over him, positioning her face just above his erection. His hot breath caresses her and she clenches with need. "Tell me you want this, Maria."

"I think I'd rather just sit on your face and focus on myself right now." She smirks.

"Whatever you want." He grips her hips and turns her to face him. "Put your knees around my face and sit right on top of my mouth." His hands guide her where he wants her. His velvet tongue licks her slick opening.

Every nerve in her body dances with pleasure. "Oh, my God...." his tongue runs slowly up her clit, circles it a few times and sucks hard. "Oh.....yes.....Ryker!"

"Yes, Maria. Let me how much you like this."

His tongue moves back to her opening and probes inside, pushing in and out. Her hips begin to move with his rhythm. Heat builds in her core. Each swipe of Ryker's tongue brings her closer to the edge. "Ryker, suck on my clit."

Ryker moves his mouth back up to her sweet knob and sucks hard. "I love how you taste."

Her legs begin to shake as her orgasm shatters her into a million pieces. "Ryker! Ryker!" He grips her thighs as he continues to lick every last ounce of her arousal out of her. She rolls off him and slowly catches her breath. "That was..... wonderful."

He looks over at her with a smug smile. "We're not done yet." He leans up and lazily kisses her. Soon, the kiss gets heated again and she feels his cock harden against her thigh. "I want you, Maria. I want to feel you come as I'm driving deep inside you."

"I'm actually pretty worn out. I think we should try to get some sleep."

"Yeah, it has been a long day." They get dressed, then walk back to the other part of the cave where she had built a fire. Ryker pulls her into his arms and kisses her. A few minutes later, they're both asleep.

~W~

The following morning, Maria and Ryker walk through the forest toward his territory. "You don't want to shift into our dragons and fly there?"

"No. I don't want Mason to know that I'm coming."

"Oh, great idea. We'll take them by surprise."

"And even though I'm sure he knows we escaped Nestor's dungeon, he won't know when we're coming. We won't use the secret passage because Mason will be watching for that. I'd like to see if I can speak to my mother and Aelon before I confront Mason. Who knows what lies he's told them by now?"

An hour later, they step onto the forefront of Ryker's territory. "This is our least guarded border and the easiest way to get in."

They only get a few steps before spotting a group of 15 dragon hunters in front of them. She grabs Ryker's arm and yanks him behind a large tree. His eyes narrow with anger when she points to the large group of hunters searching his land. "There aren't enough for an attack unless they're also attacking from another direction."

"They may just be trying to kill a few of us. With me gone, the dragon hunters think the flight is weak and able to be taken over."

She crouches lower and sees the hunters are heavily armed. "I say we take them out a few at a time. We'll need to be quiet, but it's better than alerting Mason to our presence."

"Let's take the two in the back out first."

Without making a sound, they sneak from tree to tree until they're right behind the group. Coming up behind the hunter on the right, Ryker puts his hand over his mouth and drags him into a bush, snapping his neck without alerting the rest of the hunters. "That was perfect, Ryker." She whispers.

"Let's see if we can get a few more before they notice."

She creeps behind the group and puts her hand over the hunter's mouth in the back as Ryker does the same with the hunter next to him. The guy struggles as she swiftly drags him into a bush. She kneels on the hunter's chest as she wraps one hand around his nose and the other around his mouth. He struggles, but she's too strong and silences him for good. Ryker quickly kills the other guard, but the other hunters hear them and turn to attack. "Kill them!"

"Fuck. We need to kill them before they alert Mason. I need you to shift, Maria. It's the only way to silence them."

They both shift into their dragons. The hunters shoot their guns and arrows at them, but the weapons don't penetrate their scales. "Go left, Maria!"

She runs to the left as three hunters chase her. "Kill the beast!" The hunters try to swarm her, but she swipes her claw at them and they dodge to the ground.

"Now, you die!" She shoots fire at the hunters, burning them instantly. Ryker also shoots fire at the hunters a few feet away.

They try to run, but he's too fast and kills them all. "Great fighting, Maria."

"It was our teamwork that won that fight. And it looks like we didn't alert anyone from your flight to our presence." She looks around, making sure all the hunters are dead. Then spots one remaining hunter who's still alive. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

"Please don't kill me." They shift back into their human forms and stand over the injured dragon hunter. The guy's leg is broken, but he's otherwise in good health. Ryker picks the hunter up and roughly shoves him up against a tree. "Ah, careful, man. My leg's broken!"

"Awe, what a whiny baby you are." She coos.

"You were coming here to kill. And now you dare to beg for your life?" Ryker grabs the hunter by the neck and holds him against the tree. "What is your mission?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I was just out for a little stroll."

"You will speak, or I'll remove your fingers one by one." She snarls.

"I can't speak if I don't have any answers."

Ryker punches the hunter in the chest so hard that the guy loses his breath. "I'm not fucking around. I want to know if there are other hunters attacking from another border."

"I'm not saying a word. You're going to have to kill me." Ryker reaches out and breaks his wrist. "Ah, you dick! Now I'm really never telling you."

He steps back and leans close so the hunter can't hear him. "I'm not getting through to him. I think we need to try a different tactic. Why don't you see if you can be more persuasive?"

"I swear I don't know anything."

She stares down at the hunter, contemplating the best way to get information out of him. Her eyes narrow on a few vials sticking out of his pocket. "Ryker, look! Those are the same vials they gave to the dragon when we were first kidnapped. They forced him to shift into his dragon and then cut off his scales."

"And Crispin told us they forced him to take a potion that removed his ability to shift."

"What's in these vials?"

"I.....don't remember."

"Fine, this will be enough. You can go."

The hunter gets up and limps away. Ryker turns to her with confusion. "Why did you let him go?"

"I already know there aren't other hunters because he would've called for backup once he saw us."

"I still say we should've killed him."

"There's been enough death."

They sneak through the backyard and she follows Ryker to the back door of his flight house. He peeks in the kitchen window. "It's clear." He sneaks her through the kitchen into his study, which is empty, thankfully. "Aelon should be down here soon. He usually has a meeting with my mother and other elders in the meeting hall."

A few moments later, Aelon walks down the hall. Not wanting to alert anyone to their presence, she waits until he's right by the study door, until reaching out and grabs his shirt with one hand while the other covers his mouth. His eyes widen as he relaxes against her and enters the study. "Maria, Ryker! Where have you been?"

"I rescued Maria from her ex-fiance. Mason is working with Nestor and the dragon hunters. He betrayed us."

"Mason told us the same thing about Maria. He claimed she tried to kill him, but he fought her and she tried to run off."

"That's a complete lie! Mason had me kidnapped. He was working with the dragon hunters and Nestor."

"That traitor. But he was always sneaky from the time he was a child."

Footsteps come down the hall toward the study and they get in a defensive position. Mason stomps in with Vanessa right behind him. "Ryker, I'm so glad you're back."

"I'm not." Vanessa throws in her two cents.

"Cut the bullshit, Mason. Maria told me you're responsible for her kidnapping."

"That's not how I remember it. I recall her trying to kill me and then running off."

Anger boils inside her at Mason's blatant lie. "Mason, Ryker's my true mate. He can feel my truth."

"You're done, Mason. I know you're the one who had me kidnapped. And I know you're the one who let the dragon hunter in here to kill me."

"No, I'm not done. It's you who's done. You've let your relationship with Maria cloud your judgement as dragon lord. Since you've brought her, we've had attack after attack. She's the reason. Maria is the traitor and you're too weak to see it."

"You're out, Ryker." Vanessa beams.

"Out? What the fuck do you mean?"

Simone enters and stands next to Mason. "It's for the best, Ryker."

"He's the dragon lord. You can't kick him out."

"It's too late, the council has already voted. Mason is our flight's new dragon lord."

"The council voted to remove you and Maria and have Mason and Vanessa step in." Aelon tells them.

"Fuck that. I challenge Mason."

"The council has already determined that Maria's presence is a danger. And your connection makes you vulnerable. She probably even manipulated you into turning against us."

Ryker looks at Aelon who shrugs apologetically. "I was out-voted. Sorry, Ryker."

"But Mason's working with the dragon hunters!" Maria shouts.

"Don't lie about your dragon lord like that."

"Oh, Mason will never be my dragon lord."

"Oh yes, he is. And if you don't like it, you'll be executed."

"No one is getting executed." Ryker stomps toward Mason, but Simone steps between them.

"Calm down, Ryker. Mason's your brother. He wants what's best for you."

"Mom, he was also behind your kidnapping."

"Now I know you're the traitor. How dare you lie about that! I would never hurt our mother."

"Mason was not behind my kidnapping! He wasn't even on our territory that night."

"He could've paid someone else to do it." Ryker fights.

"Just stop your whining, Ryker." Vanessa leans up and kisses Mason on the cheek. The rest of the flight hears the commotion and gathers in the hall. "You've already been the dragon lord for a few years, now it's Mason's turn."

"That's not how it works, Vanessa."

"It's how it's going to work for us. And now that Mason is the dragon lord, you need to kneel to him.... and me. And pledge your loyalty."

"You're out of your fucking mind. I'm not doing that."

"Then we'll have to cast you out." Mason announces.

"No. You're not getting rid of me."

"Maria, you must kneel now! You've betrayed our flight and need to prove your loyalty."

Not wanting to cause more issues, she goes down on her knees in front of Vanessa. "You are going to be a slave around here." Vanessa swings her arm back to slap Maria, but Ryker shoves her to the ground before she can hit. Then he punches Mason as Aelon handcuffs Vanessa.

"Yes, Ryker!"

"Let me go!"

"The only place you're going is to our dungeon, where you'll be locked away for the rest of your pathetic life." Maria beams.

"Wait, call my father!"

"Oh, are you crying for your daddy already? You'll never make it in our dungeon."

Vanessa starts to cry as she looks at Ryker. "You owe me! Now let me go! I promise I'll leave you and Maria alone."

"I owe you nothing. You're lucky I'm even letting you live."

"Mason, you promised your plan would work!"

Mason's still on the ground where Ryker holds him. "It's not over."

Vanessa turns her pleading eyes to Ryker's mother. "Simone, please." Simone looks away and shakes her head. "You were on our side! You knew-"

Simone roughly grabs Vanessa's chin. "Shut your mouth, Vanessa."

"What did Simone know, Vanessa?"

Before she can answer, Mason grabs her attention. "We need to go to our backup plan." Everyone in the room tenses, wondering what the hell the backup plan could be. "Now!"

The guard holding Vanessa releases her and jumps on Ryker, pulling him off Mason. Vanessa grabs a knife from her sheath and lunges at Maria. "You're finally going to die, bitch."

"Yes, Vanessa! Kill her!"

"Maria!"

Time seems to slow as Vanessa comes toward her. She lets the dragon get a few inches from her, then dodges to her left and pushes her to the ground. The girl jumps to her feet into a fighting stance.

"Come at me. Let's see what you've got."

"I'm going to gut you."

"You won't even scratch me."

Vanessa raises her knife high. At the same time, Maria extends her claws and swipes them across the girl's stomach. "Ah, damn!" She grabs her stomach. Maria turns and sees Ryker kill the guard, then slam Mason back to the ground. Vanessa lunges at her again, but gets punched in the ribs, two of them broken. She grabs the girl's forearm and breaks it, forcing her to drop the knife with a sob. "My arm!"

Maria picks up the knife and slices Vanessa across the throat. She falls to the ground, dead.

Ryker stands Mason up as he looks at her dead body. "Good job, Maria. She deserved what was coming for her."

Simone takes out a gun. Maria thinks she's going to point it at Mason, but she points it at Ryker, instead. "Ryker, it's okay."

"Mom? Oh, my God. You were the traitor all along."

"I'm not your mother."

"No, but I am. Put the gun down, Simone." Agnes steps forward as everyone's mouth drops.

She takes a step toward Agnes, wanting to show her support.

"I should've killed you years ago." Simone shoots Agnes in the stomach.

"No!" Ryker runs toward Agnes as she falls to the ground, but Simone fires the gun in his direction.

"Stop right there, Ryker."

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