Chapter 21: Chapter 21

“Come back to me” I hear as I float inside the ether. I thought that the world was playing a trick on me. We have been traveling for so long with no destination. There is nothing here and I am lost. But the voice it echoes. It sounds like “Em-Emily” I say as my dragon chimes in calling for his mate. Something in my heart tugs. It’s the first feeling I have had since we got stuck here. Knowing that I need to follow it I tug. With that one tug we go flying through the ether.

It feels solid and warm. Oh my something taste amazing. The scent of our mate fills the air and I have never been happier to see someone. But my eyes are closed where is she? I move my lips against the taste and suddenly it disappears. I groan as I instantly miss the flavor. I open my eyes to see my mate so close to me. As she licks her lips I know that it was her I was tasting. God I need more.

Taste more. We can taste so much more.

Grabbing her behind the neck I bring her back to my mouth. Fuck she’s sweet. It’s like warm honey is trickling down my throat. Needing to taste more I stick the tip of my tongue in her mouth. Hell, I don’t know if this is okay or what people do during kissing. All I know is I want the taste on my tongue. When her lips wrap around it and suck I almost lose my mind.

I lift my hands to touch her as more of her taste fills my mouth and groan hard and low. She flicks her tongue against mine and I under neath her. She squirms above me, and the friction is out of this world. I move a hand to her waste to guide her to do it again. She moans into my mouth in response, and it makes me want to take a bite out of her.

Yes, our bite will bring her more pleasure. More heat.

Yes, more heat. We need more heat. As I grab onto her ass to anchor her too me. I hate the fabric in the way. My fingers tingle wanting to release my claws to remove the fabric. There is too much fabric in my way. Using the hand on the back of her neck I change the angle of the kiss so I can remove it. I drag my teeth along her lower lip in frustration because I can’t use my claws. I don’t want to hurt her.

We need her. We must take her now.

My hand reaches the tie on her clothing as she gives me more friction. I groan again needing the clothes gone so I can taste more of her. I’m going to taste all of her right now if it kills me. Suddenly it all leaves me. I lean up as she pulls away and is disconnected my eyes flying open. Her weight leaves me and so do her lips as I growl to have it back. I see her on the floor, and I automatically reach for her to see if she is okay.

Once I’m done checking on her I finally realize that there are others in the room. Seeing Magma standing over us I just know that she is the one that stopped us. I can’t even stop the glare that I give her for the interruption. As my gaze stays on Emily I barely even hear it as her and Igneous make jokes at the interruptions I caused them. Not liking the pay back I know that it will be something I will try not to do in the future.

I listen as they talk but my eyes stay on my mate. I can feel the warmth and tingles from her skin, yet I want more. I want to feel so much more from her. Before I can start to replay that kiss over and over in my mind I tune in as Magma speaks after Xander.

“So, looks like there are many things we need to talk about. You who has been hiding his beast all this time” she says gesturing to me.. “you who none of us seem to know about but you know about us” she says gesturing to my mate.. “And you who is hiding something so big that you are willing to sacrifice a life to see it solved” she concludes.

“Whose life” I growl thinking that I already know the answer.

He would hurt our mate. No one can hurt her. I will not let this stand.

“I did it for your own good. We needed you back to help the rest of our species. One of our own has gone missing and we know who is behind it.” he states as he holds his hands in the air. I growl at him as I prepare to rise from the bed.

“You tried to sacrifice my mate!!” His dragon yells as he surges forward.

“Calm down Beta. She is unharmed” Xander commands in his alpha tone. Having no choice because of our role as Beta our feet freeze where they stand. Before I can show this pompous fucker who is boss Magma’s yell fills the air. I look down in pure confusion as she stands in a pile of water. Suddenly Igneous is picking her up and leaving the room.

My feet hesitate to follow because I don’t want to leave Em. Grabbing her hand I leave the room as I pull her behind me. Standing in the doorway we watch as Magma smashes the window and then pushes Igneous. She yells something at him about the eggs and then jumps through it.

“What the fuck is going on?” I yell looking around in confusion as Igneous prepares to leave after her. He turns toward the door where we stand and tries to push through.

“She’s going to have the eggs. I have to find her” he says looking distraught. I have no idea how the fuck he feels. But I try to help knowing he needs to get to her.

“Where would she go?” Dr. Snow ask joining the conversation. “Her dragon would need to feel safe. Your biology is close to a reptiles so she might need a nest. She didn’t like the bed here” She says as we all look at the claw marks. She kept speaking as she ignored our growls about the reptile comment. I ignore my dragon as he continues to talk.

We do not need to follow. We need our mate.

“Home. She would go home” He says pushing through us.

“Hold on pretty boy, I can get us there faster” I say grabbing him. I keep a tight hold on Emily not wanting to let her go. “Do I have your permission?” I ask quickly. As soon as I hear the resounding yeses I take off through the ether and head in the direction of Magma’s house.

When we arrive, we all still immediately at what we find. Magma is here, but her dragon is at the forefront running the show. I take a step forward to approach her cautiously when she senses our presence and releases a low growl. She doesn’t even take her eyes off of whatever she is doing with the fabrics. It looks like in the brief time it took for us to get here she has shredded everything in reach. She place each piece delicately in piles after putting them in her mouth.

“Has she gone batshit again?” I can’t help but ask aloud.

I feel a pinch to my arm. For once the pressure overrides the pleasure of the tingles on my skin. Looking at my mate I realize that she is a little green. Shit. I keep forgetting that humans are not used to traveling like that. As I rub her back trying to soothe her from the effects of traveling like me I watch as Igneous steps forward.

“Caldera where is Magma?” he ask and yet she does nothing but keep playing with the fabric. “Come on baby, I feel like I need to help but don’t know what to do” he states as he steps closer. She releases a low warning growl once more and this has him stopping his tracks. We all hear his sigh of frustration and don’t know how to help.

Stay back. My instincts say that it would be dangerous to approach her.

“She’s building a nest” Emily says. All our heads turn to her in question. How does she know what Magma is doing. “By the feel of you I would say that you all run at a higher temperature. The doctor said earlier that your biology is much that from a lizard. So, she needs a nest before she can lay her eggs. When she feels as if the nest is perfect and the right fit for her young she will give birth.” She says confidently.

As I look at the circle Magma is building I can’t help but be amazed because I think she is right. “Okay so what do we do?” Xander ask looking extremely uncomfortable but still curious. He tries to hide it so well, but I can see right underneath is calm façade. His arms are tensed and folded across his chest but there is still a light of curiosity in his eyes. He is definitely taking notes.

You need to take note of it too. In time the need will worsen. It is growing harder to keep it at bay. I want our mate.

Ignoring my dragon I look back at my mate. “We wait to see if she needs anything, which by the looks of it she just found it. I think it’s time for us to go” she says turning her head. I look back to Magma wondering why she would turn her head when I see her approach Igneous. She licks her lips as she cradles her stomach and there is no denying that she looks hungry as she eyes her mate. She moves fast as she attacks him, and I take a step forward when I smell the humans blood.

I quickly reach back to cover Emily’s eyes as the human stands there naked and chuckling. “Cover yourself” I growl out. He quickly reaches to get the blanket off the couch and wraps it around his hips. Magma reaches out to him and tugs him into the nest. As he takes a seat she pats his chest, and he relaxes as she squats down giving us her back. “is she about to….” Before I can finish my statement I am dragging my mate out the door.

Hahaha. They are just eggs. Why are we running. We will have eggs soon too.

“Hey, that was cool. I would have liked to see how it ended” she huffs at my side. I tug her harder, so she falls into my chest wanting more of her touch. I look down into her face and can’t help it as I raise my hand and move the hair that has fallen out of her face. I rub my thumb across the small cluster of freckles that line her cheeks and think about how beautiful she is.

Beautiful is too tame. Let’s say gorgeous. Ooh no no, let’s say sexy. Yeah sexy works just fine.

I feel myself smile as I watch that blush cover her skin. I don’t think that I will ever get tired of the site. Leaning forward I eye her lushes lips wanting to taste them once more. I have craved to put my mouth back on hers since we parted. Her lips part the tiniest bit as she gasp and its all the courage I need to close the distance. I growl as I taste her lips. Her eyes flutter closed causing her eyelashes to cast small shadows on her cheeks and I tighten my hold wanting to catch all of her reactions.

More. Yes give me more.

I feel my body heat as my dragon growls his approval in my head. When her tongue enters my mouth I suck it in a frenzy. Suddenly we are moving as I push into her harder needing more. Fuck. She taste good. I just can’t seem to get enough of her, nor do I want to. She grinds her hips into mine and I almost lose my mind against the pressure. My skin tingles as my hands grab onto her ass. I kneed the flesh loving how my palms sink into it. Its fucking luscious and has my mouth watering to take a bite.

Yes, bite. We can bite and taste all of her. Feel her.

I break our kiss with a pop needing more. As her gaze meets mine her pupils are dilated, and her breathing is heavy. Her chest rises and falls against mine and I can feel the stiff peaks of her nipples through the fabric. I trail my gaze up to her graceful neck as I still kneed the flesh of her ass keeping her pressed tightly against me. I lick the column of her neck and she moans at the feel of my tongue on her flesh. Her taste is sweet and warm. Finding a spot that I like I suck the skin into my mouth.

Yes right there. We need her right there.

It brings me so much pleasure to taste this spot that I tease it once more and her breath hitches. Her hips move faster against me, and the pleasure is blinding. My lower back has started to tingle, and I feel my teeth in mouth. The feeling of them has me pausing for some reason. Something is trying to register in the back of my mind. Before I can focus it disappears and I am running my tongue along her neck once more. I need to prepare this spot. Then everything will be fine.

Before I can do anything else I am suddenly ripped away from her. Air rushes past me and in the blink of an eye I am crashing against a solid surface and then hitting the ground. I jump back up prepared to fight as I take my stance and roar at the man in my path. Xander stands in my path blocking me from my mate. This fucker has some nerves if he thinks he is going to keep me from her.

He has gotten in our way. We must remove him and continue to mark our mate. She is mine and I will have her.

Rushing forward I collide with him as I shove him away from Emily. Being the size he is he falls to the ground hard before rising back to his feet. His dragon is forward and bares is teeth at me in warning. I don’t give a fuck if he is pissed. I take a step toward him when tingles wrap around my waist. I stop my advance at her touch not wanting to hurt her. I shouldn’t have even been fighting this close to her. I curse as I grab her and smell her sweet scent with a touch of fear. I inhale her scent trying to calm myself.

“Maximus” Xander calls my name. I lift my head to glare at him to see what the hell he wants.

We must leave. He has caused enough damage. We should take our mate home.

“You need to get control. I wasn’t trying to get in your way or take your mate. When I saw you your dragon was at the front you were about to mark her. Do you understand what I am saying?” he ask. I know my confusion shows on my face. I can tell he is trying to give me some hidden message, but I can’t figure out what it is.

“Just spit it out Xander” I tell him wanting to take my mate home.

“You need to talk with her about the laws. You cannot mark her if she doesn’t know what it means. You have to do this right” he says and then it hits me.

We do not care about the laws. We must do what is right. She is our mate to mark.

I look back to her face and see her confusion also. If I want her to stay here she will have to bear my mark. If someone were to question her she had to have been willing. If she doesn’t bare my mark then I would have to marry her. Either way I have to tie myself to get her to stay. Wait…..

“Did you just try to mark her?” I ask Martell. My anger is growing at the thought of him trying to mark her by force. I calmly release my hold on Emily as I step away from her. I look at her in a new light as step away from her. Her hair is disheveled and no longer in a ponytail. Her cheeks are a bright pink. Her lips are no longer that plump shade of pink and in this shade look almost as if they are bruised. Her robe is twisted, and a slit has been torn in the side almost up to her waist. The fabric lies nearly in tatters. What truly causes me to falter is her neck. A giant bruise sits upon it turning her skin almost to an angry shade of purple. I stumble away from her frantic at what I have done as my anger turns to pain. When she reaches an arm out as if to settle me I truly lose it as my dragon finally answers.

She is my mate to mark. It is fated.