Pavo Page 7

  Odin barked out a laugh. "She wasn't given all the facts. And if my sources are true, Zoe didn't even volunteer for your program; she was taken by mistake."

  Cane scoffed, "Who told you such lies?"

  A woman emerged from the crowd. Jo had somehow escaped prison and was standing there boldly before him as if she hadn't a care in the world.

  "This woman is a convicted criminal, awaiting her death sentence," Cane said smoothly. "One cannot trust the words of a beast such as herself."

  Odin appeared to be amused. "Says the one who steals innocent women from earth."

  Cane felt his irritation rise, but Zoe placed a hand on his arm.

  "I did come here of my own free will. I chose Cane and he is my mate. You will cease spreading your lies."

  Odin's eyes sparkled. "You are much like your mother. She, too, had a fire in her that was damn near irresistible."

  "How do you know my mother?" Zoe spat. "I have never seen you before."

  Odin stepped forward. "I am your father, Odin, and ruler of Valhalla. You, Zoe, are my daughter and will rule the underworld someday. Your destiny doesn't lie with the dragons. You were meant for much more."

  Zoe stared at the man. "You are mad to think I would ever leave my mate. Now, be gone. You never once sought me out in all of the years I was alone. Do you honestly think I would come with you now?"

  Odin smiled; it was sinister and dark. "My child, you don't have a choice."

  In a flash, Odin and Zoe had disappeared. Jo stood there in shock that she had been left behind.

  Cane was so angry that he roasted Jo right on the spot, rendering her to nothing but ash. It was then that he realized the true depths of his loss.

  His dragon raged and wanted to go after her. And they would. Odin could not get away with taking the most important thing in his life.

  If Odin wanted war, well, he would get it.

  Chapter 16

  News of the stolen Dragon Queen swept through the countryside and found its way up to the north where Titus ruled. He had half a mind to join his brothers in the fight to get Cane's mate returned to him.

  But Titus had also been burdened with the half-breed who seemed intent on driving him to distraction. The journey would be a harrowing one. Titus would be required to travel back to the eastern seas where his younger brother, Cane, ruled. He would then have to enter the portal to travel to the realm of the Norse gods.

  Valhalla wasn't a place that one entered lightly. There was always a concern that once you entered, your soul would latch onto the place and you wouldn't be able to leave. To compound that, a dragon's soul was strong and likely could take the challenge. But a half-breed?

  Titus shook his head; that would mean certain death for Ava, and if he was supposed to train and curb her flighty ways, he could hardly do so on a recovery mission. To make matters worse, the half-breed had cried the entire time he'd had her in his custody.

  It seemed everything he said sent her off into a new round of tears. How he managed to pull the short straw, he would never know. But in his heart, he wondered if there had been more to his appointment than just Cane's explanation that Titus was the oldest and, therefore, should shoulder the responsibility.

  He glanced over at the puny half-breed who was huddled up in her furs trying to keep warm. It was obvious that she wasn't used to the harsher climates of the north.

  He honestly had no need for a servant. His horde was well disciplined and his kingdom ruled like clockwork. Titus had never brought a human to the north, not even for the lower ranks. It was harsh country, and one needed a strong internal fire to survive.

  "Come." He motioned with his hand to wave her over to him.

  Ava's eyes were red-rimmed, and he instantly knew she had been crying again. Titus hated when the woman cried. It made him feel like he was doing something wrong somehow.

  "Why are you sad, Ava?"

  Ava looked up at the dragon she had lusted over for as long as she could remember. He didn't even recognize her from when they were children. Of course, she had a glamour over her to protect who she truly was.

  "I am not sad, my king," she said bravely.

  Titus' hand curled into a fist. "I do not tolerate lying, half-breed, you will answer me honestly, or you will feel my hand tanning your bare ass."

  Ava's face flushed as she imagined his large hand caressing her round bottom. She was nothing like the stick-thin models who had chosen to be a part of the claiming project. Ava looked a lot more like Zoe with her rounded curves and ample thighs.

  With her dark red hair and spattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, Ava often wore her hair in a tight bun and had glasses perched on the end of the nose. She knew how imperative it was that her secret never be revealed.

  Her entire family had been slaughtered, and she alone escaped with the help of a goddess named Freya. Later, when Freya had chosen to become a human to protect her daughter, Ava had been there for her.

  But in her promise to hide Zoe from her father, she had inadvertently led Zoe to the dragons, and now Ava was sure that Zoe was in danger.

  "I will ask you again," his tone brooked no argument.

  "I am worried about the new Dragon Queen." She kept her answer vague but with enough truth that he would not be able to sense the lie.

  Ava was a master at hiding things. She had been forced to learn this at an early age, and it was now second nature to her.

  Titus looked in the half-breed's eyes. There was something that flashed there every so often that he couldn't seem to get a grasp on. It was rare to find a half-breed, but there were some around the countryside. Because they could not change into a dragon, they were often relegated to menial tasks.

  He wondered how Ava had managed to have been raised by the humans. She was taller than his brother's mate, Zoe, but still seemed tiny compared to him.

  Her curves were hidden by the thick furs that she clutched to her body. This made him frown. Titus wanted to see her, to touch her. And this alone was why he knew he shouldn't. Never before had he felt such a strong desire to take a woman.

  Titus needed sex just as much as the other dragons to cultivate his fire. But he had more than his fair share of female dragons to choose from. None had ever turned him away. And for this reason alone, he knew that lusting after the half-breed was insanity.

  Hell, he would likely break her in half. She was far too weak for his sexual desires, far too small to take all that he wished to do to her.

  And still, every once in a while, he would catch a sliver of something undefinable in her eyes. She was hiding something; that much was clear. Titus vowed to himself that he would uncover whatever she was hiding and make her come to kneel at his feet.

  "What work do you wish to do during your servitude?"

  Titus thought it only fair that she have a say in her punishment. After all, a thousand years is a very long time to a human.

  "Whatever you have need of me to do?" she responded, avoiding his eyes.

  Titus' jaw tightened and he yanked her to him. Ava was startled and dropped the furs that she had clutched around her.

  When she landed, Titus put her over his knee. Taking his large hand, he smoothed her bare skin and then spanked her hard.

  She yelped but didn't try to get away.

  "You will answer honestly when I ask you a question!"

  His voice had grown low and deep, and his hand smoothed the area where one red handprint painted her skin.

  "Where would you like to serve?"

  She whimpered and unconsciously moved her bottom higher, wanting his touch.

  "The kitchens?"

  They both knew it wasn't what she wanted.

  Was she trying to toy with him? The Black Dragon King of the North?

  His hand came down again, smacking her other cheek, and she cried out, only this time, it sounded much closer to a moan of pleasure.

  Dear goddess, what had he gotten himself into?

  Chapter 17
<
br />   She parted her sweet thighs a little, wanting him to continue to spank her. Never before had Ava felt so alive, so good. Her pussy was throbbing, and she desperately wanted him to touch her there, to lick and finger fuck her until she was compliant.

  She wanted to be a good girl; she really did. Only that wasn't the life that Ava had been given. She had always had to be a secret. And many secrets had she held within her. Not only did she know of Zoe's true parentage, but there were more paranormal creatures hiding in the earthly realm. When it became apparent that they weren't ageing as they ought, they would be forced to move on. It was nothing that Ava hadn't done a dozen times or more.

  Besides this, there was her desire to be mastered. Ava wanted to give all of the stress and pressure that she constantly carried with her to someone else for a time. She had visited a few BDSM clubs, and it had helped a little. But human men weren't enough to satiate her need.

  She liked to be fucked and sometimes by more than one man. They'd called her a slut the one time she had asked for it. And in shame, Ava had never returned. Was it so wrong to want a man penetrating her ass at the same moment one pounded into her pussy?

  Another smack on her tender flesh reminded her that a very virile dragon was likely smelling her desire.

  "What do you want?" he asked through clenched teeth.

  "I want to be your servant," she gasped and was rewarded when his fingers moved between her thighs and stroked her softly.

  "Go on," came his guttural reply.

  "I wish to suck your cock and take your passion in any way you will give it to me. I wish to feel your dick inside of my ass, stretching me impossibly wide. I wish to have your cock rammed so high inside of me—"

  "Enough!" he roared, flipping her over to see her face. "Do you have a death wish? Are you that stupid?"

  Ava swallowed a fresh set of tears, and although they shone in her eyes, she refused to let one fall. Of course, he wouldn't believe her. She had spent much of her life being shoved away, and one would think that it would be easier this time around. But she felt like her heart was being ripped from its cage.

  "I am not lying," she said tremulously. "I wish to call you Master and serve every sexual fantasy you could possibly have. You asked for the truth, and I gave it to you!"

  Titus could hardly believe it. There was nothing but truth shining in her eyes. He could not smell so much as a hint of falsehood. There was also the way that her nipples had tightened into stiff peaks and were begging for his mouth, the way her pussy had become soft and swollen. Her folds were slick with her desire and did want him. But he wasn't like a normal Master. He would hurt her, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

  "You are too small," he replied stonily.

  Ava snorted, "That is something I have never been accused of. If you are afraid, that is one thing. But know that I, too, can sense when you are lying."

  It was as close to a challenge as anyone had given him. He was a fucking king, the oldest of the Dragon Kings and the most feared creature in the realm. How dare this little slip of a woman challenge him?

  "Tread carefully, half-breed," he said, his warning clear.

  But Ava was sick of treading carefully. She had done that for far too long. The only time she had ever branched out was when she'd suggested this program, and it was all so that she could be closer to him.

  And he didn't even remember her, not even a little bit. It hurt and spurred her anger onward.

  "Or what? You will roast me? Go ahead, I am not afraid."

  Titus could sense something roiling and growing inside of her. It was a power that he wasn't familiar with, and again, he thought he saw something flash in her eyes. But his reasoning was shot to hell. This beautiful woman was nothing like he expected and his dick was hard as a rock from spanking her sassy bottom.

  He did the one thing that he shouldn't have. Titus yanked her to him and sealed their lips together. She didn't sit there passively but gave as good as she got. Her hands curled into his black hair, and she moaned when his tongue invaded her mouth.

  It shouldn't be this damn good. She shouldn't feel so fucking amazing against him. Something was wrong, but he would be damned if he would stop to figure out what.

  Her legs spread and landed on the outside of his thighs. Her body was plastered against his as she kissed him with every pent-up emotion that had been caged inside of her since she had been forced into hiding.

  Ava knew that this might be her only chance to be with Titus. And if it was only to be one kiss, it would be one that he could never possibly forget.

  She ground herself against his breeches, the soft leather doing little to hide his massive erection. His hands had come up to cup her ass and he thrust up against her wet pussy in the rhythm that she had started. Her breasts rubbed against the soft black hair on his chest and she sucked his tongue in her mouth, mimicking what she wanted to do with his cock.

  Titus couldn't think, couldn't begin to reason how things had gotten so out of control. He was a Dragon King and yet when he was with her, he felt like a man. A man who desperately wanted the woman undulating in his arms.

  His hands moved up and cupped her large breasts. He pinched and pulled on her nipples until she was gasping and riding him harder. There was a frantic rush that she exuded that wrapped him up and carried him along with her.

  Titus wasn't one who hurried while with a woman. He took his time getting to know what she liked, always in control. But control was the last thing on his mind while she dry fucked his pants in the middle of the throne room.

  Her cried echoed off the cave walls and her nails dug into his shoulders as his body began to shake. He smelled the sweet fragrance of her release and was seconds away from ripping his cock out of his pants and taking her. The only thing that stopped him was the pounding on the door.

  Ava was sated and panting in his lap. He resisted the urge to cuddle her against his chest. This wasn't a claiming and certainly not a mating. She wanted to serve his sexual desires, well then, he would let her.

  He only hoped to the goddess they both survived.

  Chapter 18

  "Come in," he barked.

  Ava was half aware of her nakedness and the men entering the cavern. But she was too tired to care. She snuggled up in his lap and closed her eyes.

  Titus moved a hand around her reflexively so that she didn't fall. The intense desire to protect her made him skittish, but he chose to ignore it. Certainly, he would feel that way about any woman who would give herself so freely to him.

  "What is it?" he barked to his men.

  "The Dragon Queen has been taken by Odin, the Norse God of the Underworld."

  "I know who Odin is." Titus' mind was reeling. They didn't interfere with each other's worlds, not since the great battle that killed all of the fae.

  His heart thudded against his chest at the memory of his friend, the Fae Princess. They had been visiting the dragons when the attack on her world commenced. She was whisked away and he never saw his little friend again.

  News later came that the princess had escaped, but after years of searching, Titus knew that she was dead, just like the rest. The paranormal worlds had stopped interacting with each other after that. It was easier to close down the walls of their realms than to discover who had been behind such treachery.

  A hand reflexively cupped Ava closer to him, and she sighed in contentment. His heart was heavy. Titus shouldn't have allowed such liberties to happen between him and the half-breed. There was nothing that could come of it.

  He pushed those thoughts aside. "Odin is Zoe's father, so I suppose that Cane should have been expecting this. What does he want me to do?"

  His servant nodded. "King Cane wishes that you will ride with him to speak with Boreas."

  Titus wasn't overly surprised at the request. Boreas was the God of the North Wind and bringer of winter. Titus and Boreas essentially had the same job in the different realms. But the difference was that Boreas was something o
f a brute, having forcibly taken a young Athenian princess and marrying her against her will. Their daughter, Khione, was not only the goddess of snow, but it was said that she, too, was a consort of Boreas.

  Whether that be legend or truth, it was hard to say. The Norse gods tended to feel that they could live by their own set of rules and regulations. It was also rumored that she had a child with Poiseden, the God of the Sea.

  Titus gritted his teeth. This wasn't going to be pretty. He had a feeling that many would die before his new sister-in-law was returned to them. But family came first; he learned that long ago.

  "We will fly at first dawn."

  The servant nodded and withdrew from the throne room. Titus rose and carried his little half-breed down the winding corridor that led to his chambers. He hated to have to leave her. But she was much too small and frail to survive the trip that he would be undertaking.

  And besides all of that, Titus needed some time and space in order to get his passions under control. There was something so primal about the way he wanted her, and that had to be stopped. Perhaps if he slaked his lust with another dragon?

  That, too, seemed to make him feel uncomfortable. Almost as if he were betraying Ava, which was ridiculous even to consider. She was his servant, nothing more.

  He moved to prepare for the trip. He would take a bag with clothing that he could easily carry in his dragon form.

  Titus decided to go back to the kitchens and have a hearty meal and some ale. For all he knew, it would be some time before he was able to do the same.

  The moment he was gone, Ava shot out of her sleeping position. She knew that Titus intended to leave her behind, and she wasn't about to let that happen. She went to the satchel that he had prepared and removed his changes of clothing.

  It was a good thing dragons were so large, because she was barely able to climb into it and stretch the zipper closed. Hours later, when her legs were cramping, she heard Titus re-enter the room. He seemed to be stumbling about.