Her Elemental Dragons: The Complete Series
Her Elemental Dragons: Shake the Earth: Chapter 27

I pulled my fur cloak tighter around myself, wishing I’d brought even warmer clothes. Only the flame rising from my palm emitted any warmth—or light—inside the dark, frosty cave.

We’d been going uphill in the tunnel for what seemed like hours, although it was impossible to tell. The walls were unnaturally smooth, like in the Resistance base, but there were few other signs that anyone had been this way before and no way to tell if we were going in the right direction. Parin led us forward and claimed to know where he was going, and Slade pressed his hand to the rock and then nodded, but it was still eerie facing step after step of nothing but cold, dark stone.

“We’re almost there,” Parin said, an eternity later. “We should stop here until we get the signal.”

I sank against the wall, my body eager to take a break. There was nothing to do now but wait and pray our plan worked. I closed my eyes and reached for Jasin and Auric to reassure myself they were all right, but I found a wild mix of emotions that threatened to overwhelm me. They were still alive, and I had to accept that that was enough for now.

“How much farther to the temple?” Reven asked.

“Not far now.” Parin leaned against the side of the tunnel opposite me, his face grim. “I forgot to mention…we received a report that the Water Temple has been destroyed by the Dragons too. There’s nothing left. I’m sorry.”

I drew in a deep breath and nodded. The news made my heart sink, but I couldn’t focus on that now. I’d known getting to the Water Temple would be difficult and it had just become even more impossible, but we had to face one challenge at a time. Besides, I couldn’t even think about bonding with Reven at the moment. I was still too bruised after last night. “Thanks for letting me know.”

We sipped water and ate some of the food we’d brought with us while we waited. Slade paced back and forth, while Reven became so still I almost wondered if he was asleep. I tried not to fret over how the others were faring in their battle, but it was difficult.

Suddenly Auric’s presence filled my mind and I felt him urging me to move, to go, to hurry. I scrambled to my feet. “I got the signal!”

We jumped back into action, our bodies recovered after the break, and continued forward with Parin at the lead. The plan had worked, but we had to hurry since we didn’t know how long the Resistance could keep the Dragons away. Eventually they would realize this was a distraction and come back to stop us. We needed to be finished by then.

Parin stopped in front of a spot in the wall that looked like it had caved in at some point. Water flowed through the cracks in the rocks in a steady trickle, pooling around our feet. “The temple is through here, but I’ve never seen this water before.”

“I can move the rocks,” Slade said, stepping forward.

“Wait.” Reven crouched down, dipped his finger into the water, and stared at the cracks where it was coming from. When he straightened up, he said, “The room on the other side has been flooded. When you open it up, I’ll divert the water away.”

“The Azure Dragon must have done this to keep us out,” Parin mumbled.

“Most likely,” Slade said.

Reven instructed us to stand to the side with our backs against the stone, and then nodded at Slade. The rocks began to slide away from the wall, slowly at first, allowing larger bursts of water to break through. Soon they began to tumble down much faster, and a huge wall of water rushed out. Reven raised his hands and stopped the water from hitting us, then sent it flowing through the tunnel where we’d already been. It filled the entire passage, a great torrent racing down the mountain like it was desperate to escape. Slade formed the rocks into a small dam, helping Reven block the water from hitting us as it roared by.

Eventually the flood slowed to a mere trickle, and it was safe enough through the gap Slade had made. It opened to a large cavern with shining wet stone and rocks that dripped cold water in a steady pattern. I raised the flames I’d summoned and gaped as the light caught on hundreds of sparkling crystals built into the walls, which shimmered all around us in every color of the rainbow. A large jade green dragon statue had toppled over in the middle of the room, it’s head cracked and one of the wings shattered.

“This is the Earth Temple,” Parin said, bowing his head. “Or it was.”

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered, as I stepped forward and touched one of the glittering jewels. Even with evidence of the Dragons’ destruction here and the missing priests, I could feel the magic of the temple all around me.

“This is where they killed my mother, along with her priests.” Parin ran his hand along the wing of the dragon statue as we took it all in.

“Including your father?” I asked softly.

“No, he died a few years ago. Perhaps that is a blessing.”

“We’ll honor their sacrifice by completing our duty to the Earth God,” Slade said.

Parin nodded and led us forward. Our boots squished and splashed in the leftover puddles as we walked around the rubble and debris. He took us through another tunnel, leading to a splintered, soaked door. “The bonding chamber is through here. I’m sorry it’s not in better condition.”

I peered through the crack in the door at the room inside. “It’s not the most romantic place, but it’ll do.”

“We’ll wait outside and stand guard,” Reven said.

While they retreated back to the main part of the temple, Slade opened the broken door with a loud creak. My heart probably should have sank at the sight of the remains of the bed, which had been completely torn apart and turned to splinters, or the knowledge that we had to rush through this. But I was finally going to bond with Slade, and I couldn’t help the small smile on my lips as I turned toward him. “Are you ready?”

He reached out and took my hand. “I am.”

We stepped inside together and surveyed the destruction. It was hard to tell what furniture had once been in the room since all that remained was wreckage. The only thing that still stood was a gray marble table against one wall. Slade led me to it, while his magic slammed the door shut behind us.

Anticipation made my desire and excitement even stronger, and when he took me in his arms and kissed me, my heart leaped. He nudged me back until my behind hit the edge of the table, and then he eased me up onto the edge of the cool stone. The position lifted me up higher, allowing me to kiss him easier while my arms circled his neck. My knees spread wide and he moved between them, his hard, muscular length pressed against me.

“I wish we didn’t have to rush,” he said, as his hands slid down to my breasts, slowly rubbing my nipples through the fabric of my dress. “I wanted to go slow and take all night learning your body and what makes you sigh. This will be the first time I’ve made love to a woman in many years and I’d hoped to savor it, especially since it’s you.”

His words sent a rush of warmth to my core as I imagined all the things we would do together. “Next time we’ll take as long as you want, I promise.”

“Yes,” he said, with hunger in his eyes. “Next time.”

His mouth descended on mine again and I pressed against him, my body throbbing with desire. Soft lips trailed over my earlobe and down my neck to my collarbone, nuzzling and tasting, and I closed my eyes with a sigh. But then I felt Auric and Jasin reaching for each other’s magic through the bond, their emotions a mix of frenzy, fear, and determination, and I knew we had to hurry. Slade’s seductive touch made me want to take my time too, but we couldn’t forget that others were fighting and dying for us to have this moment.

I reached for Slade’s shirt and lifted it over his head, revealing his dark, muscular chest. I drank in the sight of the sculpted lines of his body, all the smooth planes and hard ridges just begging for my touch. When I reached out and lightly ran my hand along those muscles he let out a ragged breath, and then claimed my mouth again. While we kissed, his fingers caressed down my hips and gripped the fabric of my dress, then inched it up my legs. My breath hitched with excitement, but then he pulled back and met my eyes.

“There’s something I need to say first.” His hands slid along my bare thighs as he spoke, his deep, sensual voice wrapping around me like a blanket. “I gave away my heart once and had it broken. I never thought I would ever love again, and didn’t want to even try. And then I met you…” He drew in a breath, his fingers tightening on my skin. “I didn’t want to love you either. I tried to resist you for so long. But there was no use. I fell for you anyway.” His head bent, his brow pressing against mine. “I love you, Kira.”

I brushed my fingers against his jaw, while my heart felt like it would burst out of my chest. “I love you too, Slade.”

“You somehow mended my heart and showed me it was possible to love again. Even if the Gods didn’t demand I spend my life with you, I would do it anyway.” He dropped to his knees in front of me. “I’m yours.”

He was the biggest and strongest of my mates. He could crush me both with his magic or without it. And now he was kneeling in front of me. There was nothing sexier than seeing such a powerful man on his knees before me, and the space between my legs softly ached with need.

He coaxed my thighs to spread wider for him, his green eyes moving to gaze at the place that throbbed for his touch, and I knew what he planned to do.

Even as my body said oh please yes, I rested a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “We don’t have time.”

“I don’t care. I’m going to taste you, even if only for a moment. I’ve been thinking of little else for days.”

Stubborn man. I knew I should tell him no, that we needed to hurry, but I wanted his mouth on me, that lush, full mouth I’d been tempted by since we’d met. When his head dipped down and I felt the roughness of his beard against my inner thighs, all my protests were silenced. I forgot about everything except his mouth as it pressed against me and his tongue as it stroked me. I leaned back, my hands planted on the table, as he hooked my legs over his shoulders and began to feast upon me.

My eyes fluttered closed, my breathing grew rough, and every nerve in my body seemed to burst into song. With each firm stroke of his tongue and soft touch of his lips I lost myself even more. Slade loved me, he truly loved me, and he showed me over and over how devoted he was to me. Me, not his duty to the Earth God or as the next Jade Dragon, just me. And I could finally admit how much I loved him too.

I cried out, my legs trembling, as the orgasm shook through me like an earthquake. Slade held my hips in place as he wrung every last drop of pleasure out of me. Only then did he release me and straighten up again—and when our eyes met I knew it was time for him to truly claim me.