Aris: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Stratham Dragons Book 1) Read online

  ‘Fuck her.’

  ‘Mark her.’

  ‘She’s ours.’

  The dragons were relentless in his head. He couldn’t fight them both. And they were right. He needed to mate with her. The bond needed to be completed. He wanted to roar when he finally let go and stripped his pants from his body.

  He would do this right. He wouldn’t hurt her.

  Control. Deep breath in and out. Repeat.

  When Aris felt a semblance of control, when the dragons were satisfied he wasn’t going to leave their mate aching in pain, they settled and waited for their turn to come out and love Sophie. Now they showed patience for the first time since they collided.

  He lowered himself next to her, and she rolled against him. Her body was on fire and slick with sweat. His cock hardened more by her touch.

  “Make me yours, Aris.” Then. “Unless you don’t want me.”

  There was a hint of insecurity in her voice. He gripped her chin and kissed her. “I’ll always want you, love. I just don’t want you to regret this.”

  That was his biggest fear. Now that he knew the mating heat was a real thing – and apparently with humans it was just as affective – he didn’t want to take her and then her hate him the next day.

  She kissed him softly with light brushes on the lips then his cheek and along his jaw. She lifted herself up, bringing her bare breast against his chest. He let out a low moan as she kissed his eyelids and then brought her mouth back to his, licking his lips. He pulled her on his body, and she straddled his waist. Her wet heat lay against him, and the scent of her arousal coated his senses. She did want him.

  He rolled her under him and took over. Each kiss longer and harder. Her tongue dueled with his, and for the first time, he let her win. She had his heart and soul.

  She pulled back and panted. “Now.”

  He wasn’t going to second guess himself. He spread her legs and slid his throbbing cock inside her. When he reached deep, she tightened, and he wanted to pull out.

  “No, please don’t stop. I want you to have me.”

  His dragons preened in glory, but the human part of him wondered if she was ready.

  She cried out in pain, and he stopped his movements. “I’m so sorry, love.”

  When she squirmed beneath him, he looked at her. A tear slid from the corner of her eye, but she was smiling. “Shh, Aris. Make love to me.” Then. “We can talk about the other stuff later, okay?”

  He kissed her lips and her hair. He felt her love for him even though she didn’t say those words. His dragons seemed frozen as well. No one had loved them before. His eyes changed once again as he thrust into his mate. The bonding had begun. The strands of magic connecting them for the rest of their lives twinkled above them.

  She moved with him in perfect unison despite how small she was. Her moans echoed into the darkness, and he felt powerful.

  ‘Yes, she is ours.’

  When she cried out, he knew it was time. He picked up his pace, thrusting into her hard. She gasped but didn’t seem to mind as he took her the way nature intended before he sunk his teeth into her neck.

  She screamed, and her pussy convulsed around him, holding his cock hostage. He couldn’t move as she milked every bit of cum from him. When he tried to pull out, she squeezed tighter, so tight that he whimpered. He came again, sending his life into hers. The two of them were now one. He collapsed against her, breathing heavily.

  CHAPTER 16

  She’d done it. She lay next to Aris, panting. Her breath was gone, but her body was alive. There was something different about her now. She didn’t know what.

  Maybe this is what it always feels like to lose your virginity.

  Sophie smiled. Because now, if Ron did find her, he wouldn’t ever be able to take that from her. She wanted to slap herself. This wasn’t the time to be thinking of him, but she couldn’t help it. She had been free for a week, but she dreaded each day, knowing there was no way he was going to let her go.

  Now, she’d finally found her place. She found her home, and best of all, she found love. She wanted to bask in it for a while. There had to be a way she could keep this freedom forever.

  “Am I dreaming right now?”

  It pulled her out of her thoughts. She turned to her side, ignoring how the cool grass tickled her bare skin. She blushed when she thought of how he treated her body and how he hadn’t reacted to the scars. “No, you’re not dreaming, Aris.”

  He smiled down at her and slung his big arm over her. “Good, because I love you—”

  He froze as soon as he said the words. She couldn’t hold him to them. Men said those things. She knew enough to know better.

  “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that—”

  Sophie rolled out from under his arm and sat up feeling self-conscious. She looked around, trying to find her clothes. When she went to get them, Aris pulled her onto his lap, where he hardened against her.

  “I just meant I shouldn’t have said it so soon.” He ran his fingers through her hair, holding her against him. “I didn’t want to freak you out.”

  Sophie relaxed. “It won’t freak me out. I just don’t want you to say things like that unless you mean it. Not just because we had sex.”

  He adjusted her body so she had to look at him. “I would never – and I mean never – say anything I didn’t mean.”

  Her heart thudded. She felt the truth of his words as if they were her own. She wanted so badly to be able to say them back, but she couldn’t. Not when she didn’t know how much longer she had with him.

  ***

  He felt a bubble of strange emotions, and more than anything he felt like he didn’t have so much on his shoulders. When Sophie sat on his lap, he felt okay, like he wasn’t missing anything at all. She was very emotional, but he didn’t know exactly why.

  They sat on the grass in the dark for a while longer in silence.

  “Ready to go home, love?

  She stood and stretched her limbs. He could tell she ached. “Maybe a bath will help?”

  He felt bad. He should have gone easier on her.

  “Stop. I’m okay. I think this is normal for a woman after her first time.”

  He nodded and got dressed, and by the time he was finished, she was pulling up her shorts.

  She held out her hand, and he took it. A surge of power shot through her hand to his, and he gasped before falling to his knees. She fell with him and braced herself with her hands on his shoulders.

  “What’s happening?”

  “I don’t know,” he replied. Something ripped from his body. He screamed, and her scream followed his own.

  ***

  Ilias

  They all heard the scream, but Ilias was the fastest. He dropped the book, bolted outside, and jumped to the ground, ignoring the stairs all together. The screaming went on, and he raced to the sound of the one who saved him. Sophie was screaming, too, and he felt the others catching up. He broke through the trees and saw something that brought him to a halt. Aris and Sophie were surrounded by a blinding, golden light. Above their heads there was the outline of a dragon, and Ilias watched as it pulled from Aris and dove inside of Sophie. Her back arched, and she screamed, but the scream didn’t last long as it faded into a moan, and when she opened her eyes, staring at him, they were white.

  Max barely stopped behind him in time when Blane fell to the ground screaming, too. When he looked behind him, Blane was holding his hands to his head and rocking.

  “Make it stop,” he whispered over and over.

  Max was frozen, staring at Sophie’s white dragon eyes, but Ilias elbowed him. “Help Blane.”

  Ilias rushed to Sophie, and when he reached out to touch her, he was brought into…whatever it was. It didn’t hurt him, but the warmth rushed through his body, sending a wave of fiery heat throughout. He gasped and tried to pull his hand from Sophie. “What. The. Fuck.”

  Aris seemed to try to chuckle, but he only managed to cough. “She’s tak
ing him from me.”

  The dragon whipped out from Sophie and circled around Ilias as if he were getting ready to attach, as if Ilias were a threat. Cold fear rushed through his body, wondering if this would be the day he would die.

  Ilias wanted to ask, but then he heard something that made him freeze.

  ‘Please, don’t let him take me from them. Please, don’t take me away.’

  Sophie was crying inside his head.

  “It’s okay Sophie. We won’t let anyone hurt you again.”

  She cried out, then she pulled back. Her eyes were green and filled with tears. “Really?”

  “Of course. You’re family.”

  She nodded and closed her eyes. Ilias watched as the golden dragon seemed satisfied he wasn’t a threat and sank back into Sophie. Like he had found his new home.

  “Holy hell,” Ilias said.

  The dragon slid between Sophie and Aris’ bodies like a game of ping pong, and in the end Ilias wasn’t sure where it rested.

  CHAPTER 17

  They were back in the den, though Aris could admit it had taken him a lot longer to trek back to the house after whatever the hell that was that just happened. He felt lighter than he had in years.

  Now everyone was awake. Ilias sat on the arm of the chair that Sophie had planted herself in as soon as they made it inside. Zarin was still couch-ridden, and Max and Blane sat by the fire.

  “So, what the hell was that?” Max asked.

  Aris folded his hands and watched Sophie shrink into herself. She was pale, and her eyes were brighter and ringed with darkness.

  “I’m not sure. But Sophie and I completed the bond.”

  Zarin chuckled. “Yeah, well, we all know that.”

  Aris shrugged to Sophie when her cheeks reddened. “Anyway, what happened after, I don’t know for sure. I felt the connection between her and both the dragons—”

  “Your golden dragon is an asshole. It almost attacked me. It was freakin’ crazy. But Sophie somehow made it stop. It’s like she controlled it.” Ilias spoke up, surprising Aris since he didn’t like talking

  He looked at Sophie to hear what she had to say. During that moment, he couldn’t hear anything else going on around him. The heat had been too much. The black dragon was fighting tooth and nail – for what he wasn’t sure, but now maybe…

  “I don’t know, but it’s possible. I just thought for it to calm down, and then it did.” She slid to the edge of the chair and leaned forward. Her eyes seemed to be a silvery-green, like a mid-shift. “I think it’s inside of me,” she whispered.

  Aris knew then why he needed a mate so badly. He needed his female counterpart to keep him balanced. That meant carrying his second dragon, and the golden one chose her while the black one fought to keep his place. That’s what happened. But when he closed his eyes, parts of the golden dragon still lived inside of him, as if part of it was still anchored in him. He was still its master.

  He reached out for her, and Sophie jumped up from the chair and fell into his lap. As soon as they touched, it was a complete circle. He inhaled her scent and noticed a wild smell to it now. She was no longer fully human, yet she wasn’t dragon, either. It was a strange mix of the two. He needed guidance, and he hoped a vision would come to him soon. She cuddled into his chest and the others watched.

  “Things are different now,” Blane said, and there was something different in his voice. He went to his knees and then tipped his head to the side. “Our king and queen.”

  Almost as if it were by compulsion, the others followed suit. Even Zarin had gone to the floor. The full circle – they were truly a tribe now, and he and Sophie were their leaders. It was why the others bonded with her so quickly. Their dragons knew she was dominant to them all, even though she was a human. Although, right now, he wasn’t sure what she was.

  ***

  The next morning

  Waking up next to a man was the strangest feeling. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it, quite honestly. His large arm lay over her stomach as if he was worried she might run. She’d spent most of her years alone with no real contact except for Ron, and that wasn’t the kind of human contact anyone would crave.

  Sophie felt different. She felt strong and powerful, but not quite like she was in the right skin any longer. She felt the dragon inside of her almost as if it had been searching for her forever. It felt at peace, yet bounced off the walls in excitement to be in its new home. She smiled and closed her eyes when it rubbed along her as if it was a happy kitten, and it purred in delight.

  She didn’t understand how it happened. She was a human – or maybe not so much anymore. She lifted Aris’ arm and slid out from under the blanket. She was grateful to realize she’d slept with clothes on. She padded out of the room and tiptoed down the hall to her own room. Hers was the only room in the house that had a bathroom attached, and for that she was grateful. She felt agile and walked on the balls of her feet. Her body swayed seductively. When she shut the door and looked down, she noticed two things.

  Her breasts were larger, fuller and suppler, and her nipples pressed against the thin fabric of her shirt. She tugged the shirt off and tossed it to the floor. She cupped her breast and moaned. Her body was full of sexuality now, something she’d never felt. Just one touch and her core clenched. She slid the shorts down her hips, and she kicked them across the room.

  The second thing she noticed was that her body, though still quite small, wasn’t achingly thin, and she confirmed it when she saw her reflection. Normally, Sophie ignored mirrors. She had one in the basement, but after so long of being told how unappealing she was to look at, she stopped looking. But now her eyes focused for a second, and she saw that she had curves. Her body was plump. She was a new woman. Her long hair shining, the length teasing her lower back. Her eyes were brighter and her vision sharper. She closed them and ran her hands over her skin – soft skin, no longer dry from the hard water in the basement. When she slid her hand between her legs, her heart raced, and she spread them apart. She was aroused again. She didn’t quite get it. She should be sore and uncomfortable after the night before, but when she slid her finger over her clit and between her swollen lips, her body bowed. Her finger dipped in to the wet heat on its own accord. Sophie gasped and yanked her fingers away from her body. But she was too tempted to ignore her body’s needs.

  She sauntered to her bed, every moment her thighs rubbed against each other shot another tingle of lust through her limbs. She lay on the bed and nibbled her lip. She’d never done anything like this before, but it was as if she had no choice.

  She closed her eyes and ran her fingers over her nipples, just enough to make her gasp. Her hips lifted, begging for her attention. She cupped one breast, rubbing her thumb over the nipple while her other hand slid down her body into unknown territory. She spread her legs and felt them tremble the closer she came to her core. One finger grazed the wet curls, and she bit her lip. She slid her finger inside, and her eyes rolled back.

  She mimicked thrusting as Aris had done the night before, and thinking of him made her moan. The way his penis had filled her so full, yet so right. She whined and strummed her thumb over her clit. Her back arched and all her muscles tightened as she felt a rush of liquid heat cover her fingers. She trembled as pleasure wracked through her body, and when she finally came down from the rush, she opened her eyes to find Aris staring at her.

  His mouth was parted, and his eyes were golden. Her eyes shifted then. Her vision was even sharper. She could see every tiny hair on his bare chest. It was as white as the hair on his head. She licked her lips as her gaze trailed down his body to see his hand wrapped around his cock. He stroked himself and rubbed his thumb over the tip. Her mouth watered when she scented his arousal. Everything was so clear now. He was hers just as much as she was his. She lifted her lower body up to him in offering.

  “Please,” she whispered, and that was all if took for him to spring. He entered her body with no thought to how rough he was, bu
t she didn’t care. This wasn’t about being gentle for their human halves; this was about pure dragon mating – gold and black. This would complete it all, and Aris would no longer have to worrying about dying. She knew this for certain as he pounded into her over and over again. For the first time in her life, she relished being handled roughly. He wouldn’t hurt her – not for real – and as her body warmed and tensed, she screamed out an orgasm that rocked her into oblivion.

  CHAPTER 18

  He hadn’t meant to be so rough, but it wasn’t him or her. It was the dragons. They mated as well which could only mean one thing: they carried both a male and female inside of them until they met their own mate. It all started to make sense now. It was why there was a constant battle. Why they went from feeling sick to being okay, and why it was so important for them to find their mates. They needed their female half to take on the female dragon. Inside of the male body, she wasn’t happy. It wasn’t her home inside of him. She craved being inside of a female, and she wanted to be dominated by the other, but not in his territory.

  He lay next to Sophie who was curled up in a ball sleeping. She shivered, and he pulled the sheet to cover her up. He hadn’t expected her to be pleasuring herself when he walked into her room, and he couldn’t help but be in awe of her beauty. He watched her touch herself, learn herself, and his dragon panted like a dog in heat, and maybe he was. His dragon, that is.

  He noticed the changes in her body. As if the dragon she took from him healed her in some way. She went from girl to woman overnight. He shook his head. It was all so magical. That was the only way he could explain it. Nothing else made sense. He slid out of her bed and tiptoed out of her room. She needed to sleep. Her body went through a change – a large one at that – and he wasn’t sure how it was going to affect her. He didn’t want to weaken her, and if he didn’t leave, he would wake her up and take her all over again.