Unquiet Slumber (46 page)

When Nathaniel finished his story, Raven remained deep in thought for some time. She then said, “Nathaniel, I think your mind is trying to remind you of things you already know. I’ve never heard of a successful mating between a Draak and any other creature. Tianna may not be human but she isn’t full Draak either. Remember, I was with you when you tried to bed that blonde haired human woman. Luckily, I was able to help you heal her wounds, although we almost lost her.”

Nathaniel cringed as the memories that flooded his mind. The human woman had lived, but she didn’t remember Nathaniel or Raven. He had influenced her mind to make her believe that, while in bed, she had been attacked by an animal. Except for Raven, Nathaniel hadn’t told anyone what he had done. She had kept his secret all these years and he knew she always would.

Raven continued, “If your oath hadn’t stopped you tonight, I hate to think what could have happened. It would be irresponsible and extremely dangerous to even attempt a mating again with Tianna. As you’ve been reminded tonight, her body is too frail to handle what Draak do naturally. I know it would be hard for you, but you need to break your relationship off with her now, before it goes any further. I see the love she has for you in her eyes. You must stop this to protect her. Given that you are still reacting to hurting the human woman, just think of how you would react if you killed Tianna on accident.”

He looked at Raven with pure sadness in his eyes. “But my dragon wants no other.”

She turned so her body brushed up against him, saying, “Your desires are out of control because your dragon has been away from female Draaks too long. I recall our times together back in Haven and miss the feel of your body on mine. I know what your dragon needs. Stay with me tonight and let me provide you and your dragon comfort the way only I can.” She moved her hand so she was rubbing his inner thigh. When he didn’t protest, she moved in and gave him a gentle kiss.

At first he remained motionless, however, when he caught her taste, his body involuntarily responded. Although he did not love Raven, she was familiar and safe. He didn’t have to hide anything from her. The thought made him kiss her back. While still locked in their embrace, she moved onto his lap, pressing her body against his. Their kissing grew more passionate.

She broke away and kissed a line over to his neck, nibbling and raking her teeth along his skin. When she reached his ear, she whispered, “Nathaniel, take me in my bed tonight. Use my body to ease your mind and ease your dragon’s desires.” She leaned further into him and growled just before she bit him.

While she tasted his blood, Nathaniel remembered Tianna’s bite. The thought caused him to moan. He breathed in deep, but instead of Tianna’s scent, he picked up Raven’s mating scent. His mind instantly flipped back to reality and his dragon snarled at him. He didn’t want to be with Raven; he wanted only Tianna.

He was about to throw Raven off of his lap when a voice entered the back of his mind. “
Raven is of your Sett and has handled your dragon. As many times before, you can use her body to fulfill your dragon’s every desire and just walk away. No one needs to know.
”

Nathaniel refused to give in.

The voice continued but with more force, “
It has been too long since your dragon has felt the pleasures of a female. Lying with Tianna in your arms each night, how much longer do you think your dragon can control himself? You almost lost control of him tonight. Next time, you might not be strong enough to hold him back.
” Even though an image of the screaming, bloody, blonde human female filled his mind, he continued to fight his urge.

The voice reasoned, “
If you love Tianna, you must submit. You must sate your dragon to keep her safe
.”

Nathaniel felt how strongly his dragon needed Tianna. He only wanted her and that desire grew stronger every day. Nathaniel knew he was getting close to losing control. To him, the danger was very real.

The image of Tianna’s shredded body with his own hands covered in her precious blood appeared in his mind. The voice commanded, “
You can prevent this. Save Tianna. Take Raven’s body now!
”

Nathaniel’s heart broke. He knew nothing else mattered but to keep Tianna safe, no matter the cost. His dragon listened to the voice and reluctantly agreed to submit. He must protect Tianna from himself.

Nathaniel released his dragon at the same time he release his anger. He roughly tucked his hands under Raven’s thighs and picked her up. He carried her to the bed and threw her down hard. He glared down at her with disgust in his eyes and let his dragon come forward with a deep growl.

Raven gazed up at him with a sexy smile, while her dragon snarled playfully.

*~*~*~*

Tianna didn’t have to stay as late as she thought. She tried some new potions and it seemed to do the trick, so she headed back to her hut and to the warm arms of her bedmate. She was anxious to continue what had been interrupted.

When she arrived finding Nathaniel gone, she decided to walk around and see if she could find him. The village was quiet and a breeze carried what sounded like Nathaniel’s voice. She followed the sound to a hut on the edge of the village. When she arrived, she was going to knock when she heard a sound that she didn’t want to hear—the sound of Raven in the heat of passion.

Tianna’s heart dropped. Even though she knew what was going on inside the hut, she had to know for sure. She walked quietly around the back and found an open door. Using her cat like qualities, she was able to slink in without making a sound. Since the structure was also used for storing supplies, she easily hid behind a stack of corn flour bags.

When she scanned the room and saw what was happening, she froze, unable to move or think. In the bed in front of her was a naked Nathaniel on top of a naked Raven. He was pumping in and out of her with such force that Tianna could feel the vibrations in the ground. They were both growling and moaning. Nathaniel was covered in scratches and bite marks. From the sides of his mouth, he had trails of blood, which seemed to have come from a bad bite wound on Raven’s shoulder. Raven was digging her fingernails into his back so hard that Tianna saw blood dripping down onto the bed. Nathaniel roared with the pain and begged for more. Raven was eager to comply.

There was nothing kind in their intimacy or in Nathaniel’s face. Tianna only felt anger, frustration, and desperation in the air. Tianna wanted to leave but she couldn’t get her legs to work. She was trapped.

Raven pulled hard on Nathaniel’s hair and demanded, “Take me as your dragon. NOW!”

In a flash of speed, Nathaniel roughly flipped Raven over and yanked up her hips. He thrust into her and she just screamed for more. Both he and Raven shifted into partial dragon form and their movements became even more intense as did the growling. He grabbed onto her hips to force her to remain in position while he continued to take her body. Moments later, Raven let out a loud cry as she orgasmed. He continued to thrust into her until he threw back his head, letting out his own roar as he also found his release. The sounds shook the walls.

Tianna tried to move her feet but her mind was disconnected from the rest of her body.

Nathaniel remained motionless, taking in panting breaths and trying to calm his body. His dragon was now sated, so he receded quickly into the back of his mind. He wanted as far away from Raven as he could get.

Just then, a gentle breeze blew through the hut. Nathaniel sniffed the air and caught a wonderful scent. He jerked his head quickly toward the aroma and his heart stopped when he saw a pale, white Tianna. She stared into eyes she didn’t recognize.

Tianna found her feet, turned, and ran as fast as she could until she reached the hut where Gabriel, Marcus, and Seth were asleep. She threw open the door and, when she saw Gabriel sit up quickly, she threw herself into his arms, sobbing. Before they even had a chance to ask what had happened, Nathaniel appeared in the doorway covered in bloody scratches and bite marks and nothing else. Marcus saw Raven with a blanket wrapped partially around her in the same condition as Nathaniel. It was obvious that she also had nothing else on.

Marcus knew exactly what had happened, glared at Nathaniel, and began to growl deep in his chest.

Nathaniel begged, “Tianna, I must talk to you. I need to explain.”

She refused and screamed, “Get out!”

Marcus pushed Nathaniel out the door and closed it behind him. He called Nathaniel every derogatory term he could think of and, when Nathaniel started to explain, Marcus interrupted him. “There is no excuse for your actions. I think it’s best if you get away from here.”

“But I need to speak to Tianna.”

Marcus’ fists were clenched. “No. We’ll take care of her. I’ll come speak to you in the morning after I’ve had a chance to calm down.” He sent him away.

Nathaniel hung his head and followed Raven back to her hut. Nausea was making him gag.

Tianna clung onto Gabriel and cried. He wanted to get up and go after Nathaniel but he refused to release his hold on her. She needed him and, if he had gone after Nathaniel, he would have killed him.

This was the first time any of them had seen Tianna fully cry since they met her. After all she had been through, it took Nathaniel’s betrayal to start the tears flowing. Gabriel feared it would take a long time before all of her pent up emotions were released and the tears would stop. As he feared, Tianna cried until her body finally went limp in his arms and she fell asleep out of pure exhaustion.

During her sleep, she heard a familiar male voice in her mind,
“I told you he would betray you. I’d never leave you. Please, come to me Kitten. I’m waiting for you with my arms opened wide
.” To her surprise, his voice calmed her and she fell into a quiet sleep.

Even once he could feel her in a deep sleep, Gabriel refused to put her down. He held her tight against his chest while watching tears continue to run down her cheeks. He imagined the things he was going to do to Nathaniel the next day.

In the morning, Tianna continued to refuse to provide any details on what happened. But, after seeing Nathaniel’s body, they already knew what had occurred.

When Tianna saw the fury in Gabriel’s eyes, she made him promise not to go find Nathaniel. There had already been enough pain. She hated to admit it, but she knew Nathaniel was behaving as a normal unmated Draak would. She also knew that if this was what it meant to be Draak, she was never going to be able live in their world.

Seth didn’t want Tianna to run into Nathaniel or Raven, so he went to get morning meal and brought it back. No matter how much they pleaded, Tianna refused to eat anything.

When they finally gave up, Tianna glanced over at Marcus and said in a very hoarse voice, “I’m going back to my hut and gather my things. I’ll be ready to leave within the hour.” Pushing back her independent nature, she asked, “Will someone please come with me?” She needed someone by her side in case she saw the happy couple.

Gabriel instantly stood, grabbed her hand, and they walked out the door. Seth ran to catch-up and grabbed Tianna’s other hand. Luckily they didn’t see Nathaniel or Raven.

While Gabriel and Seth helped Tianna pack, Marcus went to hunt down Nathaniel. He found him still in Raven’s hut. When Marcus entered, he glared at Raven, growled, and commanded, “Leave.”

She kissed Nathaniel on his cheek and walked out without saying a word.

Marcus was so angry he was having trouble getting words to come out of his mouth. “Would you like to explain yourself? You’re her protector. How could you do this to her? You knew that taking on a relationship with her meant putting your Draak instincts to the side.” His hands were clenched into tight fists. It was taking all of his energy not to punch him.

Nathaniel hung his head. “I know and I had every intention of being faithful to her, but we can’t be together. It’s because I’m her protector that I had to do this.” He told Marcus of the injuries he caused Tianna and the basic theme of his nightmare and resulting fears. He ended his story with, “I love her. I can’t risk killing her. We just can’t be together any more. It isn’t safe for her.” Tears formed in his eyes. “I didn’t plan on being with Raven and I don’t know how I’ll ever take away the hurt I caused Tianna when she saw us together.”

“If you had come to me, we could have found a way to try to address your fears. Now, the damage has been done and there are wounds that just can’t be fixed. She’s in love with you and you just ripped her heart out.” He tried to take a calming breath. His fists were now clenched so tight, blood was starting to appear. “I want nothing better to do right now than to beat you within an inch of your life.”