Chapter 156: Young Love

Vaelira POV

Behind us....

“AWWW,” Arielle stage-whispered loudly. “You two are disgustingly cute.”

I groaned softly. “Were you listening?”

“Against my will,” she said cheerfully. “I miss my men.”

Nimira nodded once, already reaching for her own gown. “Same. I’m going to find Tarek.”

Arielle grinned, grabbing her chosen dress and accessories. “Mine are both waiting for me.”

She flitted toward the door with her tail flicking, humming happily.

Nimira followed, blowing me a kiss. “Meet here tomorrow around noon to get glammed?”

I nodded. “Be safe.”

She smirked. “Always.”

The door closed, leaving just the two of us again.

Aethren exhaled slowly, still holding me, the flowers crushed between us.

I took the flowers from Aethren carefully, like they were something living.

“I need a vase,” I murmured.

With a flick of my fingers, I summoned one from the veil. A crystal grown from moonlight and spellwork, etched with subtle sigils that shimmered as it settled onto my desk. I arranged the blooms slowly, instinct guiding me, blues, purples, and silver threaded together until they looked less like a bouquet and more like a piece of my soul made visible.

Perfect. I leaned in and inhaled deeply.

Stars and frost and something warm beneath it all.

“They smell incredible,” I said softly. “Thank you, Aethren.”

His golden eyes sparkled, light catching in them as he brushed his dark hair back from his face. The motion was absentminded. Effortless.

Dangerous. I bit my lip without thinking. Just a little.

His breath hitched. “Vaelira,” he groaned quietly, his voice rough, “you test me when you bite that… luscious lip of yours.”

I grinned and did it again, slower this time, more deliberate. He made a low sound in his chest and stepped closer, cupping my face as he leaned in. The kiss he pressed to my mouth was soft and reverent, and his lips barely brushed mine before he nipped gently at my bottom lip.

My breath caught.

“It’s okay, you know” I whispered, resting my forehead against his. “I was intimate with someone in high school. We all experiment.” I smiled faintly. “What matters is that you waited. And I waited.”

His eyes softened.

“And once you present your display and we court,” I continued quietly, “we can share that gift with each other.”

Then I frowned slightly. “I’m sorry I can’t just immediately claim and bond you like my sister did.”

He laughed softly, warm and unbothered. “Vaelira… dragons are patient.”

That eased something in me.

“I’ve studied dragons my whole life,” I said, curious now, and lighter. “But I’ve always wondered so many things.”

He smiled, gentle and open. “You can ask me anything. We don’t usually share like that… but you’re half dragon. And you’re my true mate. You’re different.”

I laughed, and so did he, the sound easing the tension just enough before it settled again, thicker now, humming between us. Silence fell. Not awkward. Charged.

Aethren lifted a hand and brushed one finger down my cheek, slow, and intentional. My breath stuttered as he traced the line of my jaw, down my neck, and along my arm, until his hands settled at my hips.

Heat bloomed low and sudden. His nostrils flared. He groaned, deep and reverent. “That is the most delicious scent in the world, Vaelira.”

My heart thundered.

“Knowing you desire me,” he murmured, holding me like something precious, “gods… it makes me feel complete.”

~

Aethren POV

Every instinct in me was screaming.

Claim. Bite. Seal.

My dragon surged beneath my skin, ancient and possessive, demanding I mark what was already ours. My teeth ached. My pulse thundered. The bond tugged so hard it made my hands shake where they rested at her hips.

I forced myself to breathe. Slow, and controlled.

She deserved choice, not instinct running her over. I leaned down, my lips brushing the shell of her ear, and my voice dropping to a reverent whisper. “Vaelira, my sweet… may I have permission to make you feel good?”

She turned her head just enough to look at me. Gods.

Her eyes were luminous, silver-violet and trusting, her lip caught between her teeth like she had no idea how dangerous she was being to a dragon already at war with himself.

She nodded. And bit that damn lip again.

My groan tore out of me before I could stop it, low and rough, my body reacting instantly, and painfully. Desire hit hard and unrelenting, heat flooding my veins as my dragon purred approval.

She smiled, slow and curious. “What do you mean… make me feel good?”

I dipped my forehead to hers, a wicked glint slipping into my eyes. “I want to taste you, my sweet. I want to pleasure you. I deeply desire it.”

Her breath caught. Then she giggled. Actually giggled.

“I’ve never done that,” she said softly.

Something warm and fierce bloomed in my chest. Not hunger. Not possession. Honor.

“Then we go slowly,” I murmured. “Always.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but the words never made it out.

I lifted her effortlessly, laying her back against the bed with a care that bordered on worship, following her down as if gravity itself bent around her. I kissed her again, slow and unhurried, pouring everything I was holding back into that one simple act.

No rush. No taking. Just promise.

I could not wait another heartbeat.

My dragon roared beneath my skin, my patience burned away by the sight of her, flushed and trusting, her lips parted on that soft giggle that undid me completely. My hands found her thighs, spreading them wide as I settled between them. Moonlight poured over her body, turning her skin to pearl and those delicate violet curls between her legs into something almost ethereal.

I groaned, low and rough, the sound rumbling straight from my dragon’s chest.

“Vaelira,” I rasped, my voice barely human anymore. “Look at you. This pretty little pussy, so pink and perfect, framed in my favorite color.”

She flushed deeper, her thighs trembling under my palms, but she didn’t close them. She opened wider instead, trusting me completely, and that trust nearly broke me.

I leaned down and dragged my tongue through her folds in one long, slow lick.

Her taste exploded across my senses. It was sweet, warm, and utterly addictive. I growled against her, unable to help it, and did it again, harder this time, flattening my tongue to gather every drop of her arousal. She cried out, her hips bucking up toward my mouth, and her fingers clutching the sheets.

“Aethren!”

The way she said my name, that soft lilt in her accent, curled around the syllables like smoke, it drove me wild. I wanted to hear it again and again, broken and pleading.

I circled her clit with the tip of my tongue, teasing, then closed my lips around it and sucked gently. Her back arched clean off the bed.

“Oh gods...please don’t stop...Aethren, it feels so good....I didn’t know it could feel like this...”

Her words spilled out in a rush, breathless and desperate, each one stroking my dragon’s ego and my own hunger. I slid one finger inside her slowly, groaning at how tight and hot she was, her velvet gripping me like she never wanted to let go. I curled it, searching, until I found that spot that made her entire body jolt.

She bucked hard, and a sharp cry tore from her throat.

“Right there...please...don’t stop!”

I added a second finger, stretching her carefully, thrusting in slow, deep strokes while my mouth stayed on her clit, licking, sucking, and relentless. Her thighs shook around my head, and her hands flew to my hair, gripping tight.

“You have the most beautiful pussy I’ve ever seen, Vaelira,” I growled against her, my voice rough with reverence. “So wet for me, so responsive. I love how you taste, how you move under my tongue. You’re perfect.”

She whimpered, high and needy, her accent thickening as she lost control. “Aethren..I’m going to...oh gods, I’m going to break apart..”

“Come for me, my sweet,” I urged, curling my fingers harder against that spot, sucking her clit in firm pulses. “Let me feel it. Let me taste it.”

Her body went rigid for a heartbeat, then shattered.

She came with a broken cry of my name, her hips lifting clear off the bed as her walls clamped down on my fingers in fierce, rhythmic waves. A rush of wetness coated my hand, and my tongue. I lapped at her through every pulse, drawing it out until she collapsed, trembling and gasping.

I eased my fingers free and crawled up her body, pulling her into my arms. She curled into me instantly, and buried her face against my neck, as small aftershocks still rippled through her.

I pressed kisses to her damp temple, her cheek, and the corner of her mouth.

“You are incredible,” I whispered, my voice thick. “So beautiful when you come undone for me.”

~

Vaelira POV

I lay curled against Aethren’s chest, my body still humming from the waves of pleasure he had drawn from me. His heartbeat thundered steadily beneath my ear, strong and reassuring, while his fingers traced lazy patterns along my spine.

Then I felt it.

A slow, unmistakable hardening against my thigh. He shifted slightly, trying to angle away, but the movement only pressed him more firmly against me. Heat flooded my cheeks, but curiosity and a sudden, fierce want overrode any shyness.

I lifted my head, meeting his golden eyes. They widened in surprise as I trailed my hand downward, brushing over the rigid length straining against his jeans.

“Vaelira,” he said, his voice rough and careful, “you do not have to..”

“I want to,” I interrupted softly, the words surprising even me with their certainty.

He searched my face, his jaw tight with restraint. “Are you sure?”

I answered by sliding down his body, my fingers already working at the zipper of his pants. He lifted his hips to help, and when the fabric fell away, I froze.

Gods.

He was far larger than I had imagined, thick, long, and flushed with arousal. A shiver of nerves mingled with excitement, but I reached out, tracing the velvet heat with tentative fingertips.

“So beautiful,” I whispered, admiring the way it twitched under my touch. I ran my nails slowly down the shaft, feeling the veins pulse beneath smooth skin. He shuddered, a low groan escaping him. Emboldened, I cupped his balls gently, rolling them in my palm before wrapping my hand around his length and squeezing lightly. Another shudder, deeper this time.

A bead of pre-cum welled at the tip. I leaned in and licked it away slowly, savoring the salty taste. Aethren’s hips jerked, and a strangled sound tore from his throat.

I licked again, exploring, around the head, and down the underside, tracing every ridge until his breathing grew ragged and his hips began to move in small, encouraging thrusts.

I hollowed my cheeks and took him deeper, inch by inch, until he filled my mouth completely. A brief moment of smug triumph flashed through me. I totally knew I could do it, even as my eyes watered and I gagged softly. He gathered my hair gently at first, then tighter, guiding my rhythm as he began to fuck my mouth with careful restraint that quickly unraveled into need.

His groans grew louder, and more desperate. When he came, it was with a hoarse cry of my name, ad hot pulses spilled across my tongue. I swallowed every drop, my throat working around him until he stilled, trembling.

Fucking hell, I thought, my heart pounding. That was incredible. He pulled me up into his arms, pressing reverent kisses to my swollen lips, my cheeks, and my forehead.

“You undo me, Vaelira,” he whispered, his voice raw.

I smiled against his neck, utterly content.