Dragon in Distress Read online

  The desire to reach out and stroke him entered her head so she allowed her fingers to stroke him gently. A drop of dew formed at the small slit on top of the ruddy head then dripped off the end. He looked at her with eyes glowing red, his passion barely under control. His breath was heavy and sweat formed on his brow.

  Sophie was no virgin, but she wasn’t experienced either. The two times she’d had sex were nothing to brag about, but she knew this would be different. Knossos picked her up placing her in the bed near the center before he joined her.

  “It will be good for you, my sweet. I’ll prepare you properly so there’s no need to look so fearful.” Knossos smiled sweetly at her.

  She tried to calm herself and her channel clenched both needy and worried about pain. Sophie forced herself to relax and let the desire take over. He began with another kiss so she concentrated on how it felt. It amazed her how soft his lips were and how gentle his touch. Her lips tingled from the contact and she wanted more so she leaned in further to kiss him deeper. Knossos tasted salty and spicy, sexy even. A flutter of desire unfurled inside her that confused her. In her slight experience, she had never felt this way about any man. It reinforced the fact that he was her fated mate. His hand moved over her stroking her hair as his other hand held the back of her neck almost as if he feared she would try to escape.

  His scent and taste was a heady combination making she want so much more. Her tongue licked his lower lip before she sucked it in after nibbling on it. Desire simmered but it would take little to fan the flames into a roaring fire. Control was slipping and she wanted him, now.

  “Gods, you are incredible!” Knossos admitted.

  “You are too.” Why couldn’t she think of something sexier to say?

  Now they were pressed up against each other as their tongues dueled. Her breath was coming in pants and she felt hot as fire. Something about him had called to her since she’d seen him even in his dragon form. He’d been frightening, but awesome. Once she’d seen him in human form, she’d wanted him too. She’d admitted it to herself, but he’d just been too stubborn to admit they belonged together. This step would show if they were compatible. So far it was green lights all the way.

  He continued to kiss her as he worked his way to her breasts. She could hardly think straight. Something about him brought out the need in her and it was out of control as he sucked in one of her already hard and sensitive nipples. Her hands stroked him and grabbed at his hair as he gently bit her. Anyone had to admit he was something else. Sophie thought he could be a cover model and have his pick of women, but he had finally decided to see if fate knew what it was doing.

  He moved to the other nipple repeating the attention he’d given the first as he worked back and forth drawing whimpers and moans from her. It felt good, but it made her want and need more.

  Knossos’ lips worked lower skating across her abs and down to her navel. Her mate kissed and licked until she whimpered before he moved down. When he was finally at her center, she heard him breathe in deeply. “You smell so tasty.” He groaned. “I want to taste you!”

  When his tongue slid out, she felt the wet end of it. It made her groan before she spread her legs to give him easier access. Her whole sex was bared to him with him taking his time sniffing and staring at her. Then he was touching, as his tongue thrust into her, sliding in and out speedily as one hand moved to her clit pinching lightly and sliding in a circle. It showed her he was knowledgeable about females.

  His tongue and hand switched places as he finger fucked her with his tongue his while lips worried her little nubbin. Sophie when his fingers thrust inside her hitting a hot spot almost making her come unglued. Knossos seemed to instinctively know more about what pleased her than she did. Her release was just out of reach, but it was so close. It was when he sucked on her clit hard that sent her over the edge. Knossos didn’t hesitate as he slid up her body thrust his huge erection into her. Even as caught up as she was in her climax, there was a pinch and a burn as he stretched her entrance.

  He stilled for a moment so she could adjust, he immediately began to thrust into her slowly but steadily. Her legs came up grasping his hips as she pressed her toes into his ass cheeks so she could get leverage and allow his length to push in just a bit further. Sophie whimpered as she heard him growl with delight. She’d never experienced anything in her life that had felt this good.

  Once he was sure she was fully adjusted, then he moved faster until he was slamming hard into her. The slapping sounds of their bellies coming together echoed throughout the room. His body slid over hers until they were both slicked with sweat. Sophie just wanted more and she was certain she would never get enough. Friction built the tension that was curling inside her that Knossos was building fast. Just a little bit more.

  “Knossos!” She yelled out as her climax pushed through her making her channel squeeze him even harder.

  “Sophie!” he yelled back and she felt the heat of his juice filling her. That was something she’d never felt before. It heated her up from the inside out. He bucked and jerked against her until he finally slowed and stilled.

  “Dear gods!” He said.

  “Exactly.” She agreed as she stared at the amazing male above her. He slid off to the side lying next to her and he took her hand. She’d had sex before and she assumed he had as well, but never had it affected her so profoundly.

  “You take my breath away.” Knossos admitted and then he laughed. She understood because she felt joyous herself.

  This was everything it should be and so much more than she had hoped for. It was obvious that in bed, they had no problems. That didn’t mean they didn’t have a bag of them to overcome otherwise. The biggest problem was Knossos accepting her as she was instead of wishing for someone more like Annie. The thought made Sophie listless.

  “What’s wrong?” Knossos asked.

  “I just wish our whole relationship was more like this.”

  “Tell me what’s troubling you.” Knossos demanded.

  “I just know you’re not happy with me and my abilities or lack in that regard.”

  “That’s not true. I just didn’t know you. I’ve gotten to know you better in the couple of weeks. I see you, Sophie. There’s strength and other qualities I didn’t see right away. Some things are obvious, others take a while to make themselves known. We’re becoming friends, aren’t we?” He asked as he pulled her close kissing her softly.

  “Yes.” She said as she heated up from the kiss. “I suppose I should go home. I need to get up to go to work in the morning.”

  “I’m sure Ram has a day’s work planned for us to. Dae mentioned a mission and Herk and Julio will be along for the fun.”

  “I wish I could go, but there’s no one to fill in for me at the store.”

  “Believe me, this mission won’t be any fun. Herk and Julio are more beast than man. They’ve been in their animals form for centuries. I feel sorry for Pru if Herk is her mate.”

  “You noticed that too? There was something magical between them from the moment their eyes met. Do you think things will go smoother for them?” Sophie asked.

  “How does Pru do with horses?”

  “I’m not sure. They have a stable next to their house. I think Annie is the animal lover of the family, though. It’s funny that Annie got the well-mannered one and Pru didn’t.” Sophie giggled. “Looks like it’s easier to laugh at someone else’s problems.”

  “So they say. But we’ll all have to work together closely so their problems may affect all of us.” Knossos advised. “What does Pru do, by the way?”

  “She has a dessert shop called Sweet as Pie. Her time is divided between that and the family business. Pru works hard, but the store is her passion, the family business requires her loyalty. I imagine she struggles to manage both.”

  “If Herk finds out about her store, he and Julio will eat her out of business. They both have a gigantic sweet tooth.” Knossos confided.

  “Most horses d
o. They love sugar cubes and apples. “

  “You’re right. I never thought about it that way. Maybe you should warn her?”

  “I doubt she’ll care if he’s her fated mate. They seemed to get along well enough last night.”

  “Yes, but we’ll see how well they get along if he makes it to her store.” Knossos chuckled. “You’re right, it easier to laugh at someone else’s troubles.”

  “I’d best go now.” Sophie insisted. Knossos pulled her into his arms giving her one hell of a kiss.

  “Think of me until I see you again.” He demanded.

  “As if I could help myself. Good night, Knossos.” Sophie said as she hurried out the door.

  She went down the stairs happy that no one saw her. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed so much as that she didn’t want to answer any questions. Things were changing so fast she couldn’t keep up herself much less explain it to anyone else. Her thoughts were muddled as she drove home.

  Once she arrived, she hurried to shower and get ready for bed. Once in bed, all the physical activity seemed to have worn her out and she was asleep quickly. Her alarm went off after what seemed like moments. It was time to face a long day at the store. Dressing with haste, she hurried down to get a fortifying breakfast before heading out.

  As soon as she arrived she saw people lined up for her services, some she knew as old customers but some were new. The company must have done some advertising. She saw that was a fact when the first customer came in.

  “I have a discount code for half off a love spell. Do I give it to you?” The guy asked.

  Sophie thought he didn’t need a love spell so much as he needed a hot bath and some clean clothes. He looked as if he’d spent the night in a dumpster in the alley and he smelled like it too. “No, you give it to the girl at the cash register when you pay. Tell me a bit about what you want the spell to do so I can customize it.”

  “There’s a girl I work with that won’t even talk to me. I understand the spell won’t overcome dislike, but I think if she gave me a chance, she’d like me.”

  “Okay. I think I know what to do.” Sophie didn’t think he needed to be a clean freak, but she wove a need to keep clean into the spell where he was concerned. The girl would notice him, and from there, it was his job to close the deal.

  The day continued with a parade of minor spells until she was able to take off for lunch. Sophie decided to go to Pru’s store and have dessert for lunch. If Pru was there, that would be even better. The store was busy which told her dessert for lunch was popular. There was Pru so she waved at her. Once she was through with the customer, she came over and sat with Sophie.

  “You rarely make it here for lunch. What’s up?”

  “Can’t I just come see my favorite dessert maker?”

  “No, what do you want to order?”

  “I’d kill for two cinnamon rolls.” Sophie admitted.

  “Just wait here and I’ll be right back.”

  As Pru went to get her order filled personally, women in line shot her disgruntled looks. Pru brought her order and had a plate of her own with two cups of flavored coffee. She sat down across from her. “Spill it.” She demanded.

  “Maybe I should be the one asking what’s going on.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Could it be everyone but you noticed you met your fated mate? Naw! You would know too.”

  “Okay, So what? We’re going to date to see if we’re really a match. Now you give it up.”

  Sophie was eating her delicious cinnamon roll. She swallowed and took a drink of her vanilla coffee. “Mm, that’s good. Okay. Things are going better between Knossos and I. I have some hope we might develop a decent relationship. I’m still confused, but isn’t that usual for love?”

  “Seems like it, Kiddo.”

  “I guess we both have our hand full, huh?”

  “You can say that again.” They both paused the conversation to wipe out their cinnamon rolls.

  “Best dessert in town.”

  “Thanks. Don’t be a stranger.” Pru said because Sophie rarely saw her unless she came into the store or there was a family commitment like the ball.

  “I’ll try to get back soon.” She said as she waved over her shoulder. Being part of the family that ran the store didn’t help her if she was late. It was almost time to be back. A thirty minute lunch wasn’t long enough to get anything but indigestion.

  There was a line again just long enough to irritate her. What was new? She let the first customer in. It was an older lady that had the look of a granny. She even wore the shoes with the pointed toes. A lot of the older witches wore them, but because they didn’t age much, they still looked young.

  “How may I help you, Ma’am?” Sophie asked.

  “I hate frogs.”

  “I’m sorry about that?”

  “Every morning they’re out on my porch and I have to dodge them. I want them gone, every stinking one of them.”

  While the lady talked, Sophie pulled a charm out of the desk and spelled it. “I believe I can help you. Put this on the porch and it should keep them away from it.”

  “Thank you. I have a coupon.”

  “Show it to the girl at the cash register.”

  The next customer was a middle aged man. “I’ve lost my pizazz. I want it back.”

  “You understand we can get them to look at you, but you have to use your own brand of charm to keep their interest?” She asked as usual with these types of spells.

  “I gotcha. Just lay it on me.”

  Sophie pulled out a charm, spelled it and gave it to him. “There you go. It will work about a month.”

  “I’m so excited I almost forgot, I have a coupon.”

  “At the register.”

  Once he left, the next one came in. It was a steady stream of coupon users until the end of the day. She hated it when the company advertised because a lot of the new customers wanted the magic to fail. They were just looking for a reason to complain. Sophie tidied up and left the office after she switched the open sign on her door to closed. The store remained open a couple more hours, but without her. Personal witch services were only offered part of the time because so many of the young witches weren’t able to do much magic.

  She went home to shower and change her clothes. Something nicer than what she was wearing currently was called for. A peasant blouse and a matching skirt, the blouse was red with purple trim, the skirt purple with red trim, made an eye catching outfit that she rarely wore. Annie had bought it for her one year as a gift for her birthday. The attention she got when she wore it was generally unwanted. Today she wanted attention if only from Knossos.

  Time was running out so she brushed her hair then headed out. The trip to Ram’s place wasn’t long, only around half an hour. Everyone was there when she arrived and the atmosphere was like a celebration. “Successful trip?” She asked Annie.

  “Yes, they took out a group that was nestled in only thirty miles away.” Annie whispered.

  “That would worry me. How many more groups are nearby? Aren’t terrorists like them called cells?”

  “Ram hesitates to call them that. He’s afraid it will instill panic in people.”

  “Maybe we need some panic? It might help us get more help.” Sophie suggested.

  ”It’s hard to control panic. It could cause more harm than good. We might have rioting and people fighting with their neighbors. Paranormals might be outed. The risk is too great. We need to continue as we are. Knossos seems to know where several of the groups we want to reach are. If he can contact them, Ram will talk to them.”

  “How did Herk and Julio handle things?”

  “Like professional soldiers. They seemed to enjoy the fighting. Knossos said their kind can be vicious in battle. I think we saw signs of that. If Ram hadn’t stopped him, Herk would have bitten an arm off the group’s leader.” Annie mentioned.

  “Holy moly!

  “He got one good bite in.”r />
  “That’s just gross. I’m glad I wasn’t there.”

  “Apparently supernatural horses enjoy eating flesh of all kinds.”

  “Poor Pru will have to kiss him after he does shit like that.”

  “I won’t tell her.” Annie admitted.

  “Me neither.” Sophie saw no point in sharing something so horrendous.

  “How are you and Knossos doing?”

  “Better. I have some hope we might make things work.”

  “I’m happy for you. Pru will be the next challenge.”

  “I saw her today. I went by Sweet as Pie at lunch. The place was hopping, but Pru took a few minutes to sit with me.”

  “She always takes time for family. I’ve not been there since Ram and I got together. I really need to go. I used to go once a week.”

  “You really do need to go. She said her and Herk would be dating just to be sure they were a match.”

  “I think she meant sleeping together. I hope she knows what she’s doing.”

  “She didn’t seem worried.” Sophie admitted.

  “That just worries me. The guy is experienced.”

  “Yeah, and I heard he was hung like a horse.” Sophie giggled.

  “I think she can handle it. She dated a dwarf before and we’ve all heard what they are like.”

  “We’ve all heard, but have you ever talked to someone that knew for sure? Did Pru ever confide in you about what he was like?”

  “Now that you mention it, no. And she didn’t date him long either.” Annie admitted.

  Silence fell over them for a few minutes. “What now?”

  “Now we eat supper.” Annie said as she led Sophie to the table. The males were already amassed there with Nite holding her own. Julio who’d been obsessed with Gertie before was now try to make headway with Nite. She was having none of it.

  Food was served on the table family style. There was a lot of it to fill the large supernatural appetites. Sophie had always thought witches had huge appetites when they worked magic regularly, but they had nothing on Knossos, the two shifters, Pegasus and unicorn, and whatever Ram was. A person could lose their hands reaching for the last of something one of them was reaching for. She pulled her hand back quickly rethinking her desire to have that last roll.