off.” Jaxx tugged on her hand to get her to turn around.
She smiled, moving to face him. A soft light covered his face, and she glanced at his hand. “What did she give you?”
Jaxx held up a glowing crystal between two fingers. “Proof of what we already knew.”
“Is that…?” Fiora reached for it, curious to see the mythical stone she’d heard so much about. The crystal felt like it hummed with energy in her hand, she peered into its depths, mesmerized. “It’s beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you,” Jaxx said.
“So this means we’re married?” She grinned up at him.
“We will be as soon as you break it,” he answered.
Fiora frowned and held it against her chest. “But it’s pretty. I was hoping I could keep it.”
“Doesn’t work like that.” He stroked her cheek. “When you break my crystal, it’s a symbol that we’re joined forever. You accept me, and I accept you. Our fates and our souls become intertwined. My life becomes yours.”
“And my life will also become yours?” She smiled, liking the romantic notion.
“Yes, but literally my life becomes yours. When a dragon finds a mate, we share our long years with them. We will live for a very long time. Together. We’ll be able to speak without words, share our emotions. You’ll be able to tell what I’m thinking. I’ll hear you call for me over a distance, and you’ll hear me. We’ll be joined.”
Fiora looked down at the crystal. “All that power is in here?”
Jaxx nodded. “What do you say, Fiora? Marry me. Make me your forever.”
The beauty of the stone paled compared to the life and love he offered. She lifted her arm and threw it as hard as she could against the tower wall. It shattered on impact. She felt a lightness to her chest the second the glowing stopped.
“I feel you,” she whispered. “Inside me.”
Jaxx drew her toward him and grinned. “Not yet, but you will soon, wife.”
The promise in his golden eyes caused a shiver to run through her. She felt him as sure as she felt herself—his love, his desire, his need to be with her. It was intoxicating.
Jaxx slid his hand along her hip to dip under the loose shirt. He skated his fingers beneath the material to cup a naked breast. She gasped in pleasure.
Their lips met in a passionate kiss. He pressed her against the wall. She lifted her leg, rubbing it against him while wishing there were no clothes between them.
Fiora tugged at his shirt, wanting to feel more of him. Jaxx leaned away and peeled the shirt from his chest. She kicked off her boots and pushed her pants from her legs.
Jaxx tugged his pants down his hips to reveal his aroused cock. He came back to her and lifted her off the floor. His hands settled on her hips, and Fiora held onto his shoulders for support.
Her body tightened in anticipation. She wanted him inside her. Every nerve in her body focused on his touch, his smell, his heat. He was everything to her. Every moment in her life had built to this, to him.
He brought his body to her sex. With a desperate plunge he entered her, sliding deep. She cried out in pleasure. Tears fell down her cheeks, the emotional release more than she could handle.
Jaxx kissed her moist cheek, his lips moving against her skin. The heat of his breath contrasted the cold from the window. His hands tightened on her ass. He thrust inside her, as eager as she to find release. She rocked against him, not caring that the tunic provided little padding against the stone wall.
Pure need took over their frantic movements. A small noise escaped her mouth each time he pushed forward. Release came hard and sure.
“Jaxx,” she cried out, trembling into her climax.
“I love you,” he whispered against her ear.
Jaxx stiffened. He held himself deep as he met his release. They stayed pressed together for a long moment.
“I never want to let go,” she said with a smile. “I love you, too.”
Jaxx slowly lowered her to her feet. He rubbed his hand along her upper thigh. “It’s too cold up here for you.”
“I don’t notice when you hold me.” She caressed his face.
“I notice.” Jaxx leaned over to pick up her pants from the floor. “I want to take you home.”
“To your parents?” she asked.
Jaxx laughed. “No. Our home. Do you think I live with my parents?”
Fiora shrugged and laughed. “I don’t know.”
“We have a house,” he assured her. “In the woods. Close to my parents. I have been on my own for many, many years. But I want you to know that because of the visions we can live anywhere you want, away from people, in the mountains, however far you need to go to be free.”
Fiora looked at her hands, turning them as if she felt him against her skin. Suddenly she realized he didn’t touch her. She gasped and turned to the window and looked out at the city. Everything stayed in the present like when he held her. Only now they weren’t making contact.
She thought of the first person that came to mind—the woman Justina who had tried to rescue her from Jaxx. She focused on finding the woman’s timeline. The images came forward, flowing as one vision when it should have been a cascade of many. She saw Justina walking through a street, standing on a crate and yelling, tugging her cloak around her as she walked quickly through an alleyway that made her uneasy.
“What is it?” Jaxx joined her. He laced his pants at his hip.
“I can control which timelines I see, and it doesn’t hurt like before.” Fiora stopped Justina’s timeline. “Or if I want to see them.”
“How is that possible?” He started to reach for her only to hold back.
Fiora looked toward where she threw the crystal. “It had to have happened when we mated. Whatever effect your touch has on me must have intensified. You balance me somehow.”
Jaxx smiled. She felt his love radiating off him. It was more than an expression. She could feel what he felt.
“You are the most amazing person I have ever met.” He leaned in to kiss her softly. “I am truly blessed.”
Fiora leaned against him and gazed at the city. Jaxx wrapped his arm around her, stroking her arms to keep her warm. She thought of the toothless woman in the market and was able to see bits of her future. The impressions weren’t strong, not like when she was close to the person, but they were controllable.
Fiora started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“I should have mated to you the second I saw you standing naked in front of this tower.” She turned to face him and place her hand on his chest. “Stopping the apocalypse would have been so much easier.”
The End
About Michelle M. Pillow
New York Times & USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Michelle loves to travel and try new things, whether it's a paranormal investigation of an old Vaudeville Theatre or climbing Mayan temples in Belize. She believes life is an adventure fueled by copious amounts of coffee.
Newly relocated to the American South, Michelle is involved in various film projects with her talented director husband. She is mom to a fantastic artist. And she's managed by a dog and cat who make sure she's meeting her deadlines.
For the most part she can be found wearing pajama pants and working in her office. There may or may not be dancing. It’s all part of the creative process.
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