Dragon's Mercy
4.

As soon as Ryker's lips touch hers, euphoria as she's never known floods her body. The kiss is hard and meant to possess. There's no tenderness as Ryker claims her lips for the entire bar to see. His hands tighten on her hair, pulling her closer as she straddles his lap. The electricity between them is undeniable. She parts her mouth, letting out a low, involuntary moan when his velvety tongue touches hers. His lips are like fire, burning themselves into her memory forever. Then he pulls back. He looks calm when he stares back at the hunters, but she can feel the racing of his heart against her chest. "I don't share. Move along."

A woman slithers up and rubs herself on the drunk man. "Come on, sexy. I'll give you what you need. This stiff stranger looks like she'd be as cold as a fish in bed."

Just as Maria's about to give a snarky reply, they walk off. She doesn't miss Ryker's sly smile.

"Don't smile like that. Black Sun dragons are known for our passion."

"No, you're known for your backstabbing. And you do look stiff. You haven't taken a full breath since you've walked in here."

"That's because I'm nervous about being around so many dragon hunters." When she starts to lift off him to move back to her seat, he stops her.

"Don't move yet, it'll look suspicious. We need to look like the other couples." She looks around and sees the other couples heavily making out. A few women are even giving blow jobs at the tables. "You know, we can kiss and still be enemies."

The danger in Ryker's eyes sends heat to her core. "Oh, yeah? How does that work?"

"It's for survival. We're both adults. If you think you can handle it." The air between them crackles as if there's an invisible force pulling them toward each other. Ryker's hand tightens on her hip, careful to keep the chain on her wrists hidden. Then he moves his hand from the back of her head to run across her lips. She opens her mouth and slowly wraps it around his thumb. Then she moves down its length and sucks hard when she comes back up, releasing his thumb with a flirty smile. "You shouldn't have done that, Maria." His hand clasps her neck as his tongue plunges into her mouth. This kiss is different from the first. This kiss is urgent and carnal and makes her forget every thought in her brain. She sinks into his embrace and kisses him back with just as much fervor. It's as if a spark has been lit between them. Keeping her right wrist on her hip with Ryker's to hide her chain, she moves her other hand to the back of his head, before lifting her body higher onto his, rubbing her budding nipples against his chest as her hips lift into his. "Christ, Maria." Ryker's teeth drag down her neck, sending shivers of pleasure throughout her entire body. "You taste fucking good."

Keeping his chained hand on her hip, Ryker lifts his other hand to massage her right tit. A hiss leaves her lips when he twists her budding nipple. "Oh, God....."

"Hmm, you like that."

Feeling overwhelmed with sensations she's never experienced, she starts to pull back, but Ryker's lips claim hers once again. With every shared breath, their bodies become more and more entangled. Her tongue duels with his as she rubs her hand over his chest. He moans and moves his left hand to her upper right thigh. His thumb rests on the inside of her thigh, right above her pussy, before moving it in slow, deliberate circles. She breaks the kiss and stares into his lust-filled eyes. "Ryker, you're trying to tease me."

"I don't need to try. I can already smell your arousal." Her eyes widen with shock, unaware he could smell how turned on she is. With a low moan, she widens her legs and sinks deeper onto Ryker's lap. She rolls her body, grinding her hips into his. "Maria....." it comes out as a warning as his hand tightens on her thigh.

"What? I'm just playing the good wife." She leans in and presses a hot, open-mouthed kiss on Ryker's neck. When she grinds into him again, he lifts his hips to meet hers, pressing his hard cock against her pussy. White hot heat burns low in her core.

"You should know better than to tease me, given my ruthless reputation for winning." Holding his gaze as she presses into his thick erection again, he lifts into her harder. Since being a virgin was part of her marriage contract, no man has ever made her come before. When she slowly pulls back, the tingling lust still lingers in the air. Ryker immediately regains his composure. He grips her hair and pulls her head back to look at him. His low growl makes her pussy quiver. "I may want your body, but that's it. You're my enemy and otherwise mean nothing."

"My body will never belong to you. But if you try to kiss me again, I'll kill you."

Just as Ryker's about to respond, the drunk from earlier boasts again from across the bar about her father being killed. "I heard the Black Sun dragon lord was killed in a hunt this morning. And his daughter, who was supposed to take over the Black Sun flight, ran away in disgrace on her wedding day."

Ryker covers his mouth as he calls out a question so he remains anonymous. "Does this mean they have no leader and the merger with the other dragon flight is off?"

"It's rumored the widow will marry the daughter's old fiance to keep the flight merger."

Maria's mouth drops in shock as she lowers her voice so only Ryker can hear her. "With my father and I out of the way, my stepmother will stay in power and rule over both flights with Nestor. I need to get to my flight and stop this marriage."

"I heard there's a jail not too far from here. It's our best bet to find a key and remove these chains."

When they get outside the inn, there are a few women standing by the door. The woman from the bar earlier runs up to Ryker and caresses his cheek. "Are you looking for another wife?"

An unexpected wave of jealousy sweeps over Maria when the girl touches Ryker.

"I'm not looking for another wife. One is enough for me." He removes the woman's hand from his chest.

"Well, are you looking for a better wife? I can already tell this one doesn't know how to satisfy you." She puts her hand back on Ryker's chest.

Maria reaches out and grabs the girl's wrist, yanking her hand off Ryker's chest. "He already told you to leave him alone."

A few men gather, enjoying the entertainment. One even calls for a naked mudwrestling fight.

"I'll mudwrestle naked, kill this bitch and take her man."

Ryker looks at her, speaking loud enough for the group to hear. "You have my permission to deal with this scum."

"I'm not scum, you are! No one even knows you or where you guys are from. For all we know, you could be dragons."

"How dare you insult us by saying such a thing! And you also insult every hunter in this town by suggesting they don't know who their enemy is. You may want to take your statement back before you piss off more than just my husband and I."

"Okay, maybe you aren't dragons, but you definitely don't belong here."

"Says, who? You aren't in charge of this town. You don't decide who stays and goes." Ryker gets involved, growling under his breath.

"She's just mad because she can't get her own man and looked stupid trying to steal mine." Maria says.

"That's not-"

"Don't speak, bitch. You've talked enough stupid to last a lifetime."

"This isn't over." The woman runs off, embarrassed that she was bested in front of the group.

"That was good, Maria. It would've looked odd if you didn't step in for me." He takes her hand and they sneak to the jail.

"It's swarming with guards. We'll never be able to steal a set of keys."

"We'll sneak here early tomorrow morning before we head out of town. They're having an execution tomorrow, so the jail should be empty."

"Ryker, how do you know so much about dragon hunters?"

"I heard someone mention it as we were walking."

"That's not the only reason."

"I've been having my dragon flight spy on them for months."

"How come?" She raises her brows in surprise.

"I just had a feeling that something was brewing. I didn't know what, just something."

"You're talking about something beyond you being kidnapped."

"Yes, I think the hunters are gearing up for war. I'm just not sure with whom."

When they get back to their room at the inn, Ryker leads her into the bathroom. "I haven't slept or showered in two days." He turns on the water and steam fills the tiny room. The curtain has a patter, but it's still basically see-through. "What, you're not going to argue with me?"

"No. You need a shower because you stink."

A small smile breaks on his face. Just as she thinks he's going to laugh, it goes away. "You may be smelling yourself."

"No, it's definitely you."

Ryker undresses, not at all concerned about being naked around her. Her eyes can't help but track over his perfectly sculpted body as he steps into the shower. She stands next to the curtain, her chained wrist moving up and down as he washes his hair and body. The curtain moves, giving her a peak of his toned ass and wide, sculpted back. With a devious smile, she flushes the toilet. "Ah, that's freezing!" Ryker peeks his head out from the shower curtain. "You did that on purpose."

"I heard a cold shower is good for the brain."

"Yeah, well, not pissing me off is good for your health."

"I'll keep that in mind."

He grunts at her sweet smile, then puts his head back in the shower and closes the curtain. Her eyes widen when his hand moves lower and begins to soap his cock. Swallowing a gasp, her connected wrist rubs up against his rock-hard thigh as he thoroughly cleans himself. A few minutes later, Ryker gets out of the shower and wraps himself in a towel. She tries not to notice the water droplets dripping down his defined abs. "Your turn, Maria. I promise I won't peek."

"Oh, I don't mind if you look. I have nothing to hide."

Ryker raises his brows, clearly not expecting that statement from her. "Then maybe I'll let my eyes see what you have to offer."

Without warning, she begins to undress. Ryker stands frozen for a moment, unsure if that's really what she's doing. His brows raise when she slowly unhooks her bra and slides it, along with her panties, to the floor. "You're right, Ryker. A shower sounds like heaven right now."

"I'm glad I could be of assistance." He gets a good glance at her bare ass when she enters the shower. She can sense him watching her through the curtain. She bends over, purposely giving Ryker a view of her ass, then sensually lathers her legs. His right hand moves with her left. She gasps when his right hand grazes the side of her left tit. "I would advise you against waking a beast that you're unfamiliar with."

The softly spoken threat hangs in the air, but she refuses to back down. "I'm not sure what you mean, Ryker. Showering was your idea. You started this whole thing." A moment later, she steps out of the shower and holds out her hand, indicating for Ryker to hand her a towel.

His dark gaze locks on her hard nipples before traveling to her pussy. "So you want to wake my beast." It's a statement, not a question, as if he already knows the answer.

"Oh, maybe I do." Before she can take another breath, Ryker pushes her against the wall, pinning both hands above her head. He leans toward her and she remembers her promise to kill him if he ever kissed her again. Just as his lips are about to touch hers, there's a guttural dragon roar outside their window. "It's a dragon!" They both quickly get dressed, then run to their window as a dragon shoots fire at the inn. "Oh fuck no! Those dragons are from my ex-fiance's flight."

"The one who fucked your stepmother?"

"Yes! What is Nestor even doing here? He can't imagine I'd marry him now."

"He may be back to make sure you're dead." Ryker suggests.

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