Chapter Four

Xavier is certain that it must be mid-morning already and he knows he should let Everleigh be, as mating with a dragon can be an intensely draining experience for their human counterparts. He is mindful to give her the time she needs to recuperate in peace. Xavier is momentarily distracted by the sound of a soft, feminine moan and he realizes that she is no longer asleep. He watches as she slowly opens her eyes, blinking as they adjust in the flickering candle light. She tucks herself back under the covers and he feels a sense of relief from her, like she hadn’t expected him to still be there when she woke.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assures her gently, visibly relieved himself, that she feels the same need to be close to him. He leans down and presses a soft kiss to her forehead. "Did you have sweet dreams." He pulls away and starts to get up when she grabs his sleeve.

"Stay with me?" she pleads quietly, the sound of her voice close to breaking his heart, he wishes he could do something to make the adjustment easier for her. He nods in understanding before pulling back the covers again and climbing back into bed with her, he wraps his arm around her as securely and lovingly as he can without jostling her too much. She snuggles closer to him, resting her head on his warm chest in contentment. Bonding with a mate is intense and her emotions are bound to be all over the place, not to mention the discomfort he knows she must be feeling.

Everleigh winces in agony and gingerly strokes a sore patch on her hip. Xavier pulls back the heavy sheet and examines the area. There is a faint and glowing rune appearing on her pale skin. He is speechless when he sees it, the rune is an exact duplicate of the one on his own chest. He has never heard of a human being blessed with runes, he didn’t believe it possible.

"Xavier, You have these marks, I saw them in the forest too, carved onto the trees. What are they?” Everleigh asks with rising levels of panic and concern in her voice. She continues to rub at the burning patch of skin, the pressure helps to ease the searing pain a little.

“Don't be afraid, my princess. These runes are a blessing! They allow us to draw energy from the Earth and use it to heal our wounds, transform into mist and communicate telepathically with each other.” Xavier explains some of the ancient magic, that now adorns her body, in a soothing voice filled with passion and enthusiasm.

He proudly showcases the glyph on his left pec and Everleigh trembles as she runs her finger over its patterns. "This one is for communication," he says, gesturing to the symbol which is identical to the one on her hip. "This one is for protection." He points to the symbol next to the communication rune. The sensation of her fingers trailing over his skin reignites the fire within him.

His voice drops to a low, husky tone as he leans in closer and closer until their lips finally meet. Everleigh feels like she could be swept away by the intensity of their kiss and pulls away and inhales deeply, but Xavier doesn't want to let her go yet. His passionate embrace is filled with an undeniable hunger that threatens to consume them both.

He presses their lips back together again and Everleigh surrenders to her desire for him. When her lungs burn from lack of breath she pulls away and rests her cheek against his chest as she tries to catch her breath.

"I want you," Xavier whispers, his voice hoarse with desire. "I need to feel you, to taste you."

Everleigh's face lights up with a smile at how tender he sounds as he lovingly caresses her cheek. In a hushed whisper, she replies, "I want you too, but I'm still a bit sore from earlier," her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she buries her face in his chest.

An overwhelming sense of guilt and regret washes through Xavier as she confirms that he had been far too rough with her. Then, a realization suddenly strikes him, this had been Everleigh's first time, he knew it at the time but couldn’t believe it, how could someone as beautiful and pure as her remain untouched by any man?

"It's okay," she smiles, touching his arm reassuringly. "I'm okay, I’ve just never... been with a man, or dragon" Her words tug at his heart despite her attempt at lightening the mood. He holds her in a loose embrace and buries his face in her hair. She doesn't push him away, but instead keeps her head on his chest, closing her eyes and listening to the steady drumming of his heart. The sensation of the smooth silk of Everleigh's hair against his skin contrasts sharply with the roughness of their mating. He strokes her back, soothing her as much as himself in that moment. Taking a deep breath he detects an aromatic smell, lavender perhaps? He is filled with immense joy as he inhales his beloved mate's scent, it has strengthened since their mating, signifying to everyone that she is his and only his.

“I know what will make you feel better little mate.” Xavier rolls her onto her back and grins devilishly up at her as he slithers down the bed, unbuttoning her blouse and taking the covers with him. Everleigh protests, laughing with embarrassment as his lips plant soft kisses on her silky-smooth skin. she moves her hands to cover her tummy, conscious of the curves she has grown to hate. She has always loved food and hated exercise, then when her father passed away, she found comfort in baking, which didn’t help with her self-image when she and whoever she was staying with at the time would devour the fruits of her labour. Xavier couldn’t care less that she has a full figure, he loves how soft she feels beneath him.

“Don’t hide yourself Princess. Not from me. you were made for me, and I want to enjoy every. Single. Inch. Of you.” He punctuates his sentence with a trail of kisses from her navel to the apex of her thighs. Everleigh lets her arms fall to her sides and trusts the feeling of pure adoration that seeps from him into her. Xavier smiles to himself when he feels her body relax into the bed, his mouth travels lower until he reaches his intended destination.

Everleigh moans and pleads to a deity with an incoherent string of nonsense words as Xavier’s stubbled chin grazes the inside of her thigh. Her skin bursts to life with sparks as his hands explore her thighs, then her shapely calves, before making their way up to her generous, round behind. When he lifts her leg onto his shoulder and opens her up to him, she instinctively grabs a handful of his long hair, pulling it to the back of his head so she can see his ridiculously beautiful face. His eyes flick up to meet hers and their gazes lock just as he sucks her sensitive bundle of nerves into his warm waiting mouth. The sensation is unlike anything she has ever felt, like the full heavy feeling in her tummy is being pulled down towards his mouth with every flick of his tongue and pull of his lips. Her hips rock against his mouth, eager for more, her hand tugs at his hair as if she can’t take any more and he greedily laps and sucks at her like the starved, overcome beast he is.

“Let go Princess, I’ve got you.” His words fill her head, but she is certain he didn’t speak them out loud. She couldn’t hold back now even if she wanted to, his words break down the dam holding back her release and she whimpers a long low moan as he draws out every morsel of her sweet, addictive nectar. When he is satisfied that he has taken everything she has to give he climbs back up her shaking body, stopping to give her tight hard nipples a gentle nibble through the lacy fabric of her bra.