Page 30 of Breaking Briar

That one word. That’s all it took for him to understand what was happening. Out of everything she could have said, it was that one, and I plan to reward her once we are united.

Sliding up her body, I ignore the pain of the thorns as they pierce my flesh. It’s a small price to pay to keep Briar here with me. The moment the physical pain stops, her mind will start to splinter again.

I ease our talons from her skin and lap at the blood sliding down in crimson rivulets. Once my fingers are human again, I brush them over her ass and smile. Already the wounds are closed up. She is pristine once more, the perfect canvas for my destruction.

Sliding my lips over hers, I breathe in her air, stealing it as I press our bodies together. Pain slices through me as the brambles score my skin, but based on what the dragon tells me, those wounds will heal come tomorrow.

I ease my hand behind her head and lift her up so she can look at me. With my free hand, I grip my cock and angle the tip toward her entrance. My gaze locks with her as I slowly ease myself in.

Briar gasps as the sensation washes over her, causing her body to writhe under mine. She feels so small, so helpless underneath me as I push forward, invading her body with my thick cock. This time, the shaft is all mine.

The only part of the dragon I allow during our coupling is the knot at the base. Briar seems to like that part a lot. Smiling against the curve of her neck, I hold her to me as I rock my hips back and forth. Hopefully with the thorns piercing her skin, giving her that agonizing pleasure she needs, I can be gentle with her in this way.

I take my time with her, fucking her slowly as a husband, a mate. Our mate. Easing my fingers between us, I play with her clit, my cock pulsing as her whimpered cries fill the room. A beautiful flush pinkens her cheeks as she strains toward her release.

Her arousal coats my fingers as I tease her, bringing her back to that edge. I’ve tormented her long enough. Easing back, I grip her hip with one hand as the other thrums her clit. I pound into her, slamming my hips into her with such force that she slides back and forth on the bed.

Fuck slow. Fuck gentle. As much as I wanted to take my time with her, the dragon craves a violent fuck. But more than that, our bride, our wife, our mate would want nothing less than wild abandon. She deserves nothing less than the brutal ferocity she craves.

Her inner walls clench around my shaft, fluttering about with each hard thrust. She’s so close. So fucking close. My knot swells, tingling as I piston in and out. With a roar, I slam into her one last time as the knot grows, locking us in place.

My cum shoots into her, bathing her inner walls with my seed. Without stopping, I continue to stroke her a few more times before pinching her clit, sending her hurtling over the edge into her release. Her musical cries flood the room, but I can’t hear them.

All I can hear is the roar of the dragon. Mate. Bond. Seal her to us for eternity.

Bending low, I lap at the juncture where her neck meets her shoulder. As she writhes beneath me, I set my teeth to her skin. A buzz fills my brain, eroding all rational thought. The dragon craves her blood, demands the sacrifice of her life force upon its tongue.

My teeth turn razor-sharp as I bite into her, feeling the skin give way to muscle. Still, I bite. Even as she thrashes about, pressing the thorns deeper into my skin until they’re embedded. Blood pours into my mouth, and the dragon swallows.

Sensations run up and down my body as my mind merges with hers. Silken strands wrap around us, tethering us together, making us one. This goes far beyond sex, lust, or even desire. We are two flesh becoming one soul. Until this moment, I didn’t realize something like this was even possible.

Closing my eyes, I pull away and lick the wound, watching as her body knits together before my very eyes. Only this time, instead of pristine flesh, a mark stains her skin. Squinting, I watch as it takes the shape of a dragon.

The body rests facing down, flowing across her shoulder and collarbone down to the swell of her breast. The tail curls up around her neck and connects around the front like a tattooed collar. Mine. Ours. The human and the dragon.

I brush my lips against hers, smiling as her heart beats in time with mine. But she doesn’t move. She lies still beneath me as if fast asleep.

No.

No. No. No. No.

Pulling back, I yank the thorns off her body and cast them aside. Blood dries on her skin as the wounds close, leaving no sign of any injury. That part is still the same, at least.

I pull Briar into my arms, but she lies there, limp, as if no life is left in her. It’s as if she’s back asleep, but nothing will wake her. Slanting my lips over hers, I kiss her and pull back.

Nothing.

I kiss her again, this time putting all my feeling into it.

But still nothing.

My heart cracks in two as I hold my bride in my arms and howl my anguish and rage to the skies. It floods the forest like a wave, covering every inch in my rage. Birds flutter away in fear. Animals scamper about.

But it means nothing.

Until this moment, I never thought I’d lose her. Once I knew she could not shatter, I had no fear of breaking my new mate. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She was supposed to be mine. Ours. How can she slip away again where I cannot reach her?

Deep in my mind, a ragged chuckle scrapes across my synapses. The witch. I feel her slithering about like the snake she was. But where is it coming from? Holding Briar even closer, I snarl and extend my talons.