ENCHANTED WORLD SERIES BOOK 3: THE DRAGON'S KEEPER
Chapter Twelve

Maya tried to go around the man but every time she took a step whether it was to the left or the right, he mimicked her movements, preventing her from passing. They were caught in an awkward dance that left the maids giggling and watching them. Maya glowered up at the stupid smirk that appeared on his face. She tucked her hair behind her ear and sighed. If he was trying to be funny, she too could act funny. She grabbed his arms watching in satisfaction as his eyebrows suddenly snapped up in surprise and swirled around taking him with her. By the time she let him go, he was standing where she was once did and vice versa. Now, it was her turn to smirk.

He scratched his chin. “Clever…what are you?”

Maya refused to let the question offend her because she realized that was how everyone found out about the other’s race. It was almost like asking which country she came from....oh but who was she kidding? It was offensive! “Human.”

“You are?” He looked genuinely surprised, no longer the teasing type. “With scales? How is that even possible?”

“It just is.” She assured him and turned to leave when suddenly he appeared in front of her. Maya’s heart almost lurched out and run for cover. No matter how many times she told herself that she wasn’t going to get surprised anymore, something like that happened!

“How did he found you? Drake is not the male to go around looking for his mate.” The male towered over her.

Maya rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Actually I am the one who found him.”

“Did you go through the gateway?”

Maya arched her eyebrow. “I am here, aren’t I?”

“Then you are here illegally. Does the Lord Mage know about you?” He said.

“He does, okay!” Maya hummed in exasperation. “Can I go now?”

“Wait, the Lord Mage knows about you and we don’t?”

“Who the hell are you?” Maya finally couldn’t take it anymore. She knew he must have been close to Drake because of the questions he asked.

“Zach, commander in the royal Army.” He answered and straightening up.

“Just how many commanders are in the Royal army? I thought Drake was the commander?” Maya frowned in confusion.

“There are five commander’s in Lord Mage’s army; Me, Drake, Ruvin, Jax and Storm. Drake is the second in command after the king.” Zach corrected her.

“Oh.” She answered then sighed. “Can I go now?”

“Name?”

“Maya.” She answered quickly and was about to leave when Zach stepped in front of once again. She turned around and wanted to walk the other way when suddenly two more men had appeared out of nowhere. One had the prettiest face she had ever seen while the other had the most piercing eyes she had ever seen.

“Who is this little thing?” The pretty blond came forward and touched Maya’s chin. His eyes scared the hell out of her that she found herself wincing from him as if he had slapped her.

“Drake’s mate, Maya. She’s human.”

“Oh why don’t you add my hobbies, my talents and my favorite color to that list, would you?” Maya turned to Zach in annoyance.

“Oh?” The larger man with the piercing eyes frowned at her in confusion. “Is that even possible?”

“Just because fate doesn’t come dressed up like a whore, it doesn’t mean it won’t fuck you up like one.” The pretty blond said and Maya’s mouth fell open.

How could he say that with such a straight face? It was as if he were talking about the weather. He returned his pale and soft finger under her chin as he studied her.

“Pretty....” He drawled softly.

Zach and the other man chuckled before the larger man placed his hand on the pretty blonde’s shoulder. “Come on, Constantine. We have a lot to do and I have a mate to get back to.”

Constantine....Maya was still mesmerized by his fragile and flawless look, his pale complexion and his deathly frightening eyes. Every time she looked deep into them, she felt her very soul quiver in fear.

Constantine hummed and his pink lips spread into a lopsided smile. “See you around, pretty little one.” He rubbed the fleshy part of her earlobe like the way you would rub a child’s.

A shudder of panic ran down her spine as the two men walked away. Zach winked at her and turned to follow them. Seriously what sort of people were populating the enchanted world? She wondered and suddenly she felt a hand snake around her waist. She stiffened until she heard the familiar purr and felt the memorized imprint of Drake’s body against her back. She sighed in relief and turned around to face him. Drake placed his forehead on her shoulder and sighed tiredly.

“I thought I told you to go and wait for me upstairs.” He muttered.

“I--I--was--” She pointed towards the three men who had ambushed her earlier but they were long gone. She sighed in defeat. “I was waiting for you. You look exhausted.”

Drake lifted his head and caressed the locks from her face. “It has been a long morning and I just need--” He stopped and looked at her for the longest time before his eyes began to churn with that storm that made Maya’s whole body clench in anticipation. “I just need to be with you.”

Maya felt a smile play on her lips. Drake missed her. “Promise?” She held up her pinky finger like the last time in the forest. She just wanted to make sure that he would not leave her hanging like last night.

Drake hooked his pinky finger over hers and drew down to kiss her long and soundly. “Promise.” He whispered.

Mischief shrouded her eyes. “You better because Red told me everything about you last night when you fell asleep.”

Red was wicked and because Drake was tired, when he slowly drifted to sleep during their sessions of talking and making out, the dragon took over. One moment Maya was being kissed softly and tentatively and the next moment Drake had become more touchy, his kisses brutal, demanding and thorough. Even his skin had become warmer than usual.

When she drew back and eyed him, she discovered that it was Red. Drake’s eyes had changed and the dragon was grinning mischievously at her. She remembered pushing him on his stomach and demanding that he brought Drake back but Red wouldn’t have it, especially knowing fully well that his keeper was exhausted. Though the dragon acted rotten at times, he really did care for Drake.

“Red emerged while I was sleeping?” Drake asked, his expression wary. “I hope he didn’t try acting like me and being a smartass.”

Maya chuckled and shook her head. “He didn’t….but he is a very interesting dragon.”

“He’s wicked.” Drake said and suddenly cringed as he gripped his head.

“He’s not. He is quite charming in his own uncanny kind of way. We talked for a long time and he had a lot to say about you mistreating him.”

Drake rolled his eyes and had Maya giggle. “The only one who gets mistreated is me. Now, before I change my mind and let you get cozy with him instead...” He hefted her into his arms and started towards the stairs.

Maya wrung her arms around Drake’s neck and placed a kiss on his lips.

Drake took his mate upstairs to his room. Her slight weight in his hands comforted him after everything had had happened that day. He didn’t even want to think about anything else other than the female in his arms. Though he was still plagued by the fear of hurting her again, he learned first hand just how strong Maya was. Though she had been in and out of the infirmary, she managed to survive each ordeal she was subjected to.

Drake didn’t even wait until he got to the bed, he was already assaulting Maya’s lips with his. A soft moan escaped her sweet lips as she slipped from his arms and flushed her small body against his. Drake trembled with wanting her. Abstinence didn’t work under that context. He had planned to stay away from her until he consulted with an elder Historian back in the Realm of Fire but it proved senseless when all he could think of was her and how good she felt in his arms.

At that moment, her small fingers clasped tightly on his t-shirt, getting him as close as possible to her. Her skin was warm and cozy. She smelled divine and it were small things like those that had him wild with want.

Their tongues twisted around each other, braising and tasting each other. Though Maya looked as though she had opened up more and accepted him, he knew there was still an obstacle they had to cross. She still thought of going home, back to the human realm. If that ever happened, did Drake think to stop her or go with her? One of them had to sacrifice for the other.

Maya’s fingers threaded themselves in his hair as she kissed with more fervor and took charge. Red hummed softly in Drake’s mind. He, too, felt everything Maya was doing to him. The Dragon was getting love-drunk with Maya and so was the male. They were both spellbound by her sorcery and were eating on the palm of her hand.

Drake felt Maya’s fingers fidgeting with the buttons of his t-shirt and he groaned as he nudged her until they reached the edge of the bed. He settled her down on the edge of the bed and stood in front of her. This time he had planned to take her properly. He wanted to take his time, lavishing her body like the way she deserved, not like the way he urgently took her on a tree bark in the woods.

He looked down at her and her face was flushed, her lower lip between her pearly white teeth and her hair disheveled. His body stirred like never before. He pulled his tshirt over his head and felt the usually quiet spikes down his spine arch up in anticipation. Drake kicked out his boots and pushed his pants down before he crawled over Maya in his boxers.

“Those are cute.” Maya chuckled lightly when she saw his black boxers with fireballs.

Drake smirked then drew down and kissed her as he tugged the neck of her button-up top. One by one, the buttons gave way and exposed more of her caramel skin to her. Maya sighed in content as Drake’s lips kissed a trail down her neck down to one of the tightly budded nipples. He wanted explore her body, know where each piece of puzzle fitted.

“It’s things like not wearing a bra underneath your top that drive me crazy.” He growled at her.

Maya chuckled throatily.

He wanted to engrave each line, each mark and each alcove deep in his mind so that even if he woke up at night and blindingly touched her, he would know identify her. Her skin felt feverish under his lips and tongue. The little moans and whimpers that escaped her lips drove him to the brink of his control.

Drake got rid of her top and began tugging the waistband of her pants. Maya arched her body from the body to give him more access to it. With quick fingers, Drake pulled down the garment as his lips made their way down to her flat stomach. He dipped his tongue into her cute navel and discovered that the tattoo she received from Red when he marked her was pulsing like a heart beating. Iridescent fiery red rippled over it as if it were alive. Drake carefully traced the outlines and Maya hissed softly. It was very sensitive to touch. Drake planted a kiss on it and Maya groaned loudly. A wicked thought entered his mind, one he knew was not his own but rather, Red’s. His forked tongue slithered out and traced the tattoo once more.

“Oh God, Drake!” Maya exclaimed, her fingers biting hard in his hair. He felt her entire body clench deliciously against him. The mark was giving her a measure of pleasure.

“More?” He asked her.

“Yes!” she whimpered softly with her body arching from the bed.

Red’s forked tongue passed over the mark and Maya’s body trembled against Drake. Suddenly Drake got off her and slipped to the floor. He was on his knees as he teased her thong from her hips, down her long and sexy legs before letting it join the pants around her ankles. Maya sat up on her elbows and looked down at him. “Come back up.” she purred.

" One moment.” He assured her as he lifted one of Maya’s leg up and when knowledge skittered in her face, she instinctively wanted to clasped her legs together but Drake was already diving in for dessert!

A cry escaped her lips as she flopped back on the bed with the abrupt assault. “God, Drake! I might die from this!”

It was only a cold day in hell that would have kept him from his favorite place. No one ever died from pleasure so she was safe. Drake indulged in her sweet nectar. It was like sipping from the finest of wines. She was intoxicating and addictive and he wondered if there would ever come a day when he would not lust after his mate.

His body was zinging with energy by the time he had had his fill. Maya was panting, her skin glowing like gold in the light. A light sheen glistened on it. Wet hair was stuck around her face and neck. When she turned her eyes on him as he stood up, the lust and desire that churned there made him swell even more inside his boxers. In slow, suggestive movements, Drake hooked his thumbs on the waistband and pulled the boxers down.

Molten chocolate oozed from Maya’s eyes as she stared at him. She was as hungry for him as he was for her. What he liked about her was the fact that she was honest with her emotions. Though there was a time when she feared him but she never denied wanting him. Even after Red carried her off into the forest, Drake expected her to run for her life...but Maya held her ground because she truly wanted to be with him.

Now, she didn’t shy away from him. She stared at him not hiding her unadulterated desire for him.

Drake crawled up Maya again and her body trembled with pleasure. The myriad sensations he made her feel at the same time were almost too much. She feared of them overloading and splintering her into pieces without having the ability to bring herself together again. She had never experienced what she felt for Drake for anyone else. Though she had never been in a serious relationship before, she had seen how her friends acted with their partners but she doubted any of it mounted to what she felt for this man she had only known for a short while. The mysteries of the Enchanted World were baffling but Maya didn’t care provided Drake was there with her.

His body stretched beside hers, hot, moist, throbbing and quite comforting. His large hands scaled every part of her body bringing it to a feverish pitch. She wanted to stay in his arms forever.

“What happens now?” she asked as her eyes fluttered close and she sighed in content feeling Drake’s teeth nipping lightly again her neck. She felt it all the way to her toes!

Without another word, Drake pulled her over him. Maya yelped in surprise when she found herself straddled on him.

A cheeky grin appeared on his face, a large contrast between Drake the lover and Drake the commander and soldier. His hands gripped her hips and lifted her up.

Maya’s eyes widened and her mouth felt open when she felt him push his way inside her. She felt herself stretch to accommodate him until he managed to fit in snuggly to the hilt. Veins of pleasure snaked to every part of her body. She threw her head back and groaned at how incredibly wonderful he felt in her.

Her core clenched around him and she felt him throbbing inside her. He tightened his hold around her, keeping her from moving as he rolled his hips underneath her. He was very aware of what that did to her because she saw the knowledge in his eyes. Every time he did that, he touched that one spot inside of her that made her delirious with pleasure. Her core clenched, guiding him to the source of her pleasure.

“I wish I could stay with you like this forever.” He growled.

Maya could not grasp a solid thought from her cotton-candy filled head. She followed Drake’s guidance as he began a slow grind. She held on to him, not getting enough of the feel of his damp skin against her fingertips.

The pace began to increase and Maya’s breath burst out in short gasps. Her body arched forward and her head fell back as she greedily tightened her grip on the incoming climax. Her small palms flew to her nipples and she pinched them. The effect was felt shooting in every part of her body. That affected Drake too because he growled in approval, feeling him swell further inside her. He loved it when she touched herself in front of him.

“That’s it, baby....” He rasped as his tempo increased.

A cry escaped Maya’s lips as Drake pistoned into her. She grabbed her breasts and massaged them, increasing her points of pleasure. Suddenly she felt her bundle of throbbing nerves get rubbed and that was the trigger to her orgasm. Her entire body went rigid for a second before it splintered into a thousand pieces. Drake was right behind her and a fiery red haze engulfed the both of them, temperatures soring to the sky.

Maya held onto Drake tightly because she felt she would perish if she didn’t. She was surprised that though they were both engulfed in the fiery haze, they were not burning alive. It was like a protective cocoon.

“Red...” Maya smiled knowingly looking down at Drake. His eyes flashed for a moment showing that the Dragon was close by.

Maya caressed Drake’s dark and wet locks back from his face and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

His hands automatically went around her waist as the haze died down and Drake fell back on the bed with her in his arms.

But the peace was short-lived when Maya abruptly say up. “Oh God! Drake what have we done? No protection!” Her eyes bulged as she scrambled from his arms. “I don’t want a baby right now, Drake--can you even make me pregnant? And what about my baby? Will it be a Dragon?” Maya rubbed her arms as a shiver passed through her when she imagined her baby being born with scales, a forked tongue and a tail. ” Oh God! Will it be human? Or both?” she raked her hair back but her fingers snagged in the tangles. ” Oh! Why were we so careless?” she was getting hysterical and Drake’s stupid grin was not helping.

He got up from the bed and towered over her. “Listen--”

“Drake?” Tears danced in her eyes. She was not on any contraceptive methods because she had not started having a sexual relationship with anyone. She didn’t even know when her danger days were or when her monthly period was now that she was in a different world and environment all together! How was ever going to go back and explain to her friends about a pregnancy?

“Hush.” He placed a finger against her lips. ” You will not fall pregnant and neither will you get any sexually transmitted infections.” the last words came out in distaste.

" How do you know? We need to talk to Akira--”

“Because I am infertile.” He announced then sighed and scratched his head. “At least for now--and STIs are as rare as Mystorium in the mines.”

Maya was speechless and just ended up looking at him like was mad.

Drake rubbed a hand over his face when he realised he was talking to someone who had no clue what he was saying. “Dragons are infertile for most of their lives...unless they come in close proximity with an unmated female in heat. Female dragons are infertile too until they go into heat. If the Dragon male is mated then he is fertile and will sought out his mate.”

Maya found herself sitting back on the bed. ” But I am human. We are always fertile until we reach menopause in the late forties! How do I go in heat?”

Drake frowned pensively. ” That is one question I need to ask the Dragon Historians.”

“You don’t know!” Maya exclaimed. ” Then how could you possibly know if you are fertile or not now?”

“We can feel it when we are fertile.” He explained. “We become grumpy, possessive, quite violent--”

“Like Dragon PMSing?” Maya asked.

Drake’s face brightened and suddenly he burst out laughing.

Maya pouted though she too felt a laugh bubbling deep inside her.

“You could say that.” He chuckled.

“What happens if I somehow go in heat?”

Suddenly Drake’s tempered down and he became serious. “I go into a mating frenzy to try and get you pregnant until the heat period is over.”

Maya’s ran dry. ” How long is the heat period?”

Drake shrugged. “For newly transformed females it takes five to seven days but for older females it is usually three to four days. It happens once every ten years for female dragons.

“Wow.” Maya breathed. “So if a dragon impregnates his mate this time around, he will have to wait for ten years to try for another baby? That’s a long time.”

“The heavens made sure each race was maintained in the enchanted world. Just imagine if us dragons were able to procreate whenever we needed, I think we would have taken over the Enchanted World by now. We live long, we are very powerful--the most powerful beast race here, we are resilient and adaptive, we are also violent, territorial and possessive.”

Maya swallowed hard. “So, how many male dragons can try to impregnate a woman? I mean if I were to go in heat now, will the other males feel the effect?”

“No other Dragon will dare to touch you!” Drake’s eyes flashed. Maya winced. He stepped away from her and ran his hands through his hair. One side of Maya’s mouth quirked up when she was given the uninterrupted view of his tight ass. “When an unmated female goes in heat she affects every Dragon male in close proximity mated and unmated. The unmated males will go on a mating frenzy, challenging each other to see who is strong enough to impregnate her. Challenges are violent and sometimes fatal which is why newly transformed females are kept away from any males until they undergo their first heat period. For mated males, they become fertile and will sought out their mates at every chance they get but they can’t impregnate their mates because they are not in heat.”

“Did Serensa go through that too?” Maya asked quietly.

“Not yet.” Drake answered. The room went through an awkward silence that had a lingering question and as if Drake read Maya’s mind, he replied. ” She will be moved away from this place when she gains consciousness and when she is strong enough she will be escorted back to her home. She is a danger to everyone here and I will not chance it and expose my dragon warriors to her.”

“She is a danger? How? And what happened to her? Why was she returned back to the infirmary?”

“Someone very evil is using her to attack my warriors. Until I replace out who it is, she will remain secluded. She is back in the infirmary because she lost consciousness right after being hypnotized by a rogue Dragon.”

Maya felt confused but sorry for the woman. She turned to Drake suddenly. “Rogue Dragon?”

“Dragons that have fallen from the Queen dragon’s rule. Rebels.” He explained walking over to her. ” You shouldn’t worry about any of that. You are safe.”

Maya sighed and cuddled in his arms feeling him place a kiss on her hair. “I am afraid, Drake, because I don’t even know where the danger will come from.” She touched her chest and remembered. “I need to replace my grandmother’s pendant. I used to feel that somehow it kept me safe and protected.”

“I’ll help you replace it.” He got up and scooped her into his arms before taking her to the adjoining bathroom.

The late afternoon sun shyly shone from behind the scattered rain clouds. Though the clouds hung low, the rains had stopped for the day. Once Drake and Maya made their way down again, they found Tegan and his crew preparing to leave. Apparently Leanor had gotten sick and she had to be taken back home as soon as possible. Maya didn’t understand why they couldn’t use Magnus or Akira but Sophia explained the complex process of what she was going through. She had been away from her mate for a long time and so the mating pull was forcing her to get back to him.

That made Maya think a lot! Was she also going to be affected the same way if Drake was far? During their goodbyes, Maya caught Feror sneaking off from the group. He looked as if he were in a foul mood as he walked away. Maya was not used to seeing the man not in his usual teasing attitude but she didn’t want to bother him so she didn’t follow him.

Tegan and his family were soon packed into their cars before they started moving out. Drake turned down the house and instead of going back into the house like everyone else, he started walking away.

Maya followed. He, too, looked like he was in a foul mood suddenly. His eyes were fixed to the ground and his hands tightly tucked in his pockets. He looked like he was in deep thought and when Maya opened her mouth to ask him what the problem was, he looked up at her.

“Where would you like to start looking for your grandmother’s pendant?”

Maya clamped her mouth shut and swallowed her question then touched the base of her neck longingly. My Ruby Red Teardrop on the Fiery Terrain. ” I am positive I had it on when I was on that plane. It burnt my skin as I was falling. I didn’t see it again after that.”

" Then it could be at the place where I found you.” Drake turned to the right and started walking again.

Maya frowned at him wondering why he was taking her the opposite direction instead of towards the forest but followed.

A few seconds, they arrived to what looked like an underground garage. He pushed a button that was embedded on one of the stone walls and the large heavily wooded and bolted garage door made the agonizingly slow process of opening. Maya rolled her eyes and sighed. “Or we could just walk.”

Drake smirked as the garage door revealed a world of cars and gadgets Maya didn’t even know existed. Assorted cars were parked in the quite large space inside. She swore she saw a Bugatti and a Ferrari among them! Right in front were several four-wheelers and bikes.

Drake made his way to the Ducati and Maya swallowed hard. ” I thought you guys didn’t need stuff like this if you could wing or puff your way around!” She muttered.

Drake chuckled as he handed her a helmet. ” We also like travelling in classy cars and bikes.

Maya accepted the helmet and placed it on. “No doubt there. How do you get such cars from the human world? Do you like drive them through?”

Drake swung his leg over the bike and shook his head looking at her like she was the most hopeless human being alive. “Human cars can’t function here because they use fuel. Cellphones, radios, computers, you name it. Every gadget here uses the Enchanted energies. Most of the brand-names you see in the human world are from here but we, too, sometimes borrow brand names from the human world make our own here....much better than yours.”

“That’s brand plagiarism!” Maya exclaimed.

“So sue us! Get on.” He flashed a smile at her.

If he didn’t look so cute, Maya wouldn’t have gotten on. She jumped behind him and held on tightly muttering. “Wait until I get back home and tell them all about this.”

Drake stiffened in front of her. He gave her a side glance but Maya couldn’t see his face because he had already put on his black helmet. “Hold on tightly.” He said stiffly.

Maya could tell that his mood had suddenly changed again. Was it because she talked of going back home. She couldn’t help it. She missed her home and she hoped that he could let her at least see her friends now that she remembered them. She tightened her hold around his waist and rested her head against his shoulder. The bike roared underneath them. Drake maneuvered the bike out and started towards the forest.