The Dragon Kings' Forbidden Witch

The question hung in the air between them.

They both knew what he was offering. It was not information. It was not an answer to her unasked questions about the white-haired girl.

It was him.

***

Morgana understood that this was the moment.

She could step back. She could ask her questions. She could maintain the careful distance that propriety and caution demanded.

Or she could surrender.

"What kind of reward?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Kaelen’s smile broadened, and his pale eyes burned brighter.

"That depends on you," he said softly. "You asked me earlier how to get answers from me, remember? How to make me tell you what you want to know?"

Morgana nodded slowly, remembering the moment in the throne room, what felt like a lifetime ago.

"I told you," Kaelen continued, "that you would have to kiss me."

He stepped closer, and now there was barely any space between them. She could feel the heat radiating from his body. She could smell him...something woodsy and smoky and intoxicating.

"So kiss me, Morgana," he said, his voice carrying the tone of a command wrapped in a request. "Kiss me, and maybe I’ll give you the answers you’re seeking. Or maybe I’ll give you something far better."

The hunger in his eyes was so evident, so overwhelming, that Morgana understood completely....kissing him would not be just kissing him. The kiss would be the beginning of something that neither of them would be able to stop.

She took a breath.

And then she stepped forward.

She stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his cheek.

It was awkward, tentative, the kind of kiss a girl gives when she is uncertain and nervous and trying to be brave.

Kaelen pulled back slightly, looking down at her with an expression of amused exasperation.

"That’s it?" he asked, his voice carrying both amusement and something darker. "That’s all I get?"

"I... I thought..." Morgana started, her face already burning with embarrassment.

"That was a beginning," Kaelen said, his finger lifting her chin so her eyes met his directly. "But if you really want to get anything out of me this night, Morgana, you need to try harder."

His mischievous smile was back, and it made her understand that he was enjoying this, the slow seduction, the teasing, the way she was responding to him.

Morgana stepped forward again.

This time, she angled her face and pressed her mouth directly to his.

She intended it to be tentative, respectful, testing the waters.

But the moment her mouth touched his, Kaelen took over.

His hands came up to cup her face, and he kissed her like a man who had been dying of thirst and had finally found water. It was not the kiss of a gentleman. It was not controlled or restrained or measured.

It was all-consuming.

He kissed her like she was his next source of breath, like she was the only thing in the world that mattered, like he would spend eternity learning every inch of her mouth if she allowed him.

Morgana moaned against his lips...a small, involuntary sound of pleasure and surrender.

Kaelen seized that moment. His tongue invaded her mouth, tasting her, claiming her, exploring her in ways that made her knees go weak.

She gripped his shoulders for balance, her fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt.

But even that was not enough to keep her standing.

Her legs were trembling, and within moments, they gave out completely. She would have fallen if Kaelen had not caught her.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her effortlessly, and wrapped her legs around his body. The movement was fluid and controlled, and Morgana instinct made her hold on. She wrapped her legs around him, her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him as if she could meld into his body.

Kaelen continued to kiss her as he walked backward toward the bed.

He never broke the kiss. He never paused. He simply moved with her wrapped around him, kissing her with an intensity that suggested he would never get enough of her.

When the back of his legs hit the mattress, he sat down carefully, still holding her, still kissing her.

Morgana found herself sitting in his lap, straddling him, her body pressed against his. She could feel the hardness of his arousal beneath her, and the realization of what was happening sent a shock of excitement through her entire system.

Kaelen broke the kiss only long enough to breathe.

He looked at her, his pale eyes burning with an intensity that made her feel like she was being consumed by fire.

"Are you scared?" he asked, his breathing ragged.

Morgana shook her head.

"Say it," Kaelen commanded, his voice carrying the absolute certainty of someone accustomed to obedience. "Tell me you’re not afraid."

"I’m not afraid," Morgana whispered.

"Good," Kaelen said, and then he kissed her again.

But this time, instead of kissing just her mouth, he broke away and began kissing a path down her neck.

His lips found the sensitive skin just below her ear, and Morgana gasped at the sensation. He kissed her throat, his mouth warm and demanding. He kissed the hollow at the base of her throat, and she felt goosebumps rise across her entire body.

He kissed her collarbone, his lips leaving a trail of warmth across her skin.

And then he buried his face in the space between her neck and shoulder, breathing in deeply. Morgana could feel his entire body shaking against hers, a physical manifestation of his need, his hunger, his dragon pushing at the constraints of human skin.

"You smell like honeysuckle and magic," Kaelen said against her skin, his voice rough with desire. "You smell like mine."

He raised his head and looked at her again, his pale eyes scanning her face as if trying to commit every detail to memory.

Then he bent forward and kissed her again.

But this time, his hands were not idle.

His fingers moved to the laces of her bodice, and with practiced ease, he began unfastening them. Morgana could feel her breathing quicken as each lace came undone, as the fabric loosened around her.