Page 32 of Breaking Briar

The further I go, the darker everything becomes. An icy chill slips down my spine, making me shiver despite the warmth of the hidden room. The dragon walks behind me, his glowing eyes the only thing lighting our path.

Eventually, we come to a still pond. It’s black, deep, fathomless, something which shouldn’t exist anywhere, but especially not in the recesses of a mind. Are we in Briar’s? Are we still in ours?

The threads wrap around me, entangling me until I cannot pull one apart from the other. Fighting through, I follow it until it stops at a wall. It’s thick, impenetrable. I slam my fist against it, but it doesn’t budge.

“Briar!” I cry out, hysteria lacing my tone.

“Philip!” Her voice is soft, as if muffled by the stone surface in front of us.

I push with all my might, slamming my shoulder into it as hard as I can. But nothing. Sweat drips down my body as fatigue threatens to set in, but nothing I do makes any impact.

Once I no longer have any energy, the dragon pushes his way through. His red scales ripple with every move he makes, sending shards of crimson over every available surface.

“Please,” I whisper to anyone who might hear. “Please bring our mate back to us.”

With a mighty roar, the dragon digs into the brick with his massive talons. It crumbles before him like hot metal through flesh. Elation and relief surge through me, but then I hear Briar screaming.

With every bit of destruction, my mate cries out in agony. Turning, the dragon spears me with a glare.

“I have this part under control,” his voice hissing and sputtering like a spent flame. “Surface and see to our mate.”

Without having to be told twice, I sprint back the way I came, following the thread until I reach my heart. As I open my eyes, all I can see is Briar convulsing on the cot. Her body twists and turns as agony flits across her face.

The only thing I know to do is inflict pain upon my bride. The dragon lends me his talons, allowing me to score Briar’s skin. Soon, her screams turn into desperate cries for release. My heart pounds as I continue to mark her, scratching her, only to have the visible evidence disappear.

Dragging her down to the floor, I wrench her legs apart and thrust in, not caring now if I take her rough and fierce. With one hard jut of my hips, I impale her in one stroke as my nails dig into her back.

Briar cries out, her eyes flitting open for just one moment before she slips away again. Through the bond, I feel the war my dragon rages as I fuck our mate into oblivion.

I cannot lose her.

I will not lose her.

Bending low, I capture her nipple in between my teeth and bite. It’s not hard enough to break the skin, but it’s enough to make Briar squeal and buck up against me. I suck the taut peak into my mouth as my fingers play with the other.

Her skin is satiny smooth against my lips as I lick and bite, teasing her into another explosive orgasm. As her release hovers near, I reach in between us and stroke her clit, urging her to come.

“Come for me, princess,” I rasp against her ear in case she can hear me.

As if she’s answering me, her inner walls clench around me, stealing my breath. My knot swells as I continue to coax her, and with a final roar, I slam myself deep inside.

Her orgasm hits just as hard, causing her to clamp down around my knot, squeezing it. My vision blurs as electricity races down my spine. For a moment, her eyes open again as the dragon roars in my brain.

Place her lips near your heart. She will know what to do.

Not bothering to question anything, I pull Briar’s head toward me, cradling her at my chest. Her lips move over my skin, kissing at first, but then licking. It’s eerily similar to what I did with her before giving her my mark.

Before I can think any further, her teeth bite down into my skin. Holding her close, I growl toward the heavens as more cum shoots out into her womb. As she bears down, biting even harder, my vision wavers.

The thin threads begin to grow. Doubling, tripling, growing and expanding until I can no longer tell where she begins and I end. Eventually, she pulls away and looks up at me, a smile on her lips.

“Philip!” she cries out, as if seeing me for the first time.

Based on what the dragon relays, it might as well be. Holding her close, I continue to rock back and forth, giving her bits of pleasure as our worlds merge. Briar is well and truly ours, and no one will ever wrench her away from us.

EPILOGUE

BRIAR