Unchained Beauty (The Deadly Beauties Live On 5)

“I hate her a little in this moment for ruining that for me,” I say on a vexed exhale.

“I can promise you it wasn’t ruined. You got yours.”

That causes me to smile, and—

The door opens, and Kya walks through, book in hand. “Sorry. Wrong one. Should have taught me to read.”

Then she…

“Did she dematerialize out of the back room?” Ella asks, glancing around to peer inside.

“I’m killing her,” I decide aloud.

Ella just smiles as she gets comfortable beside me again.

“The howls are pretty,” Ella says.

“Vicious beasts are out roaming and howling and ready to rip through everything because a particular cosmic moon maddens them, and you think it’s pretty,” I state flatly. “Then again, you’re sucking my dick on a red moon night, so I shouldn’t be surprised, Princess.”

She shoves at my chest, and I smirk as I turn more toward her, dragging her leg over my hip.

“What would you do with the dragon blood secret?” she asks me randomly.

My eyebrow quirks. “Considering I gave it to you so I could have you to myself tonight, I’d say there’s your answer.”

Some emotion flickers in her eyes, but I can’t be sure what before she scoots in closer. “I mean, what would you do if you were me?”

“I’d make a deal with Darius to get blood for the royals and your immediate circle only. You trust them, and they’ve kept bigger secrets. Then I’d spread the rumor that it was in your blood to be stronger than the moon. In a century or so, it’ll become a legend or a prophecy, depending on who helps spread the word and how they spread it. Regardless, it’ll make the family look even stronger, and strength is all that’s respected or feared in this world.”

She props up beside me, staring down at me.

“That’s actually a really good plan. But what happens when dragons start mixing things up with our immortals, and the secret gets uncovered.”

I bat a dismissive hand. “Clearly you’d point out that dragons mate for life. The vast majority of immortals don’t want to literally live forever tethered to just one person. It’ll thin the flock, because only the ones who have any real interest in them will risk it, and besides, dragonites consider it shameful to give blood to any of our immortals.”

“Why do they find it shameful?”

“Because once upon a bloodthirsty time, their people likely dealt with immortals hunting them for their blood. So instead of risking widespread hysteria, the prideful dragonites decided it was ‘shameful’ when they returned, to keep history from repeating itself, without causing them to grow restless with paranoia or fear, in case they ever had to return.”

“Because they might attack us just to keep it from happening,” Ella surmises. “But that would mean the kings know.”

“Of course they know,” I state dismissively. “Darius knew and gave me his blood, because he knew I already knew and hadn’t told anyone else.”

“It makes me wonder if it played a part in the war,” she goes on quietly, almost pensive.

“For all we know, that’s why the war truly started. Don’t believe something just because a reliable source says it’s true. Recorded history is simply someone’s retelling of events, usually with a biased view or a personal agenda. Fiction has influenced history in both the human and immortal world.”

Her eyes find mine and hold, almost like she wants to say something. She either decides against it, or she’s simply tired of the topic.

“The way you think is actually fascinating,” she says softly, her lips dragging up my shoulder.

A cynical snort escapes me. “Princess, I think the moon is still affecting you, considering I can recount a great number of times you’ve disagreed with me very vehemently.”

I feel the trickle of succubus power in the room once again, smirking as she starts climbing on top of me, her bare body before me and tangible. It’s impossible not to touch her.

Her hands smooth over my chest, sliding up some of the worst of the scars almost reverently as she lifts her hips and begins lowering herself onto me in the best possible way.

My hands immediately move to her hips, gripping her as I thrust up and slam her down to me at once, pushing myself all the way inside. A sound escapes her, and her head falls back as she starts riding me.