Touch of Flame

Nazneen found her face close to Ares's, and his emerald eyes pierced into hers. His bruised face was stern, and his jaw clenched as he towered over her, asking her to repeat what she said. She knew she had upset him, but she didn't care.

"Say that again!" he threatened, and she felt her blood boil with rage. She had a sudden urge to push him away and just yell at him to go. Just leave! She didn't want him here, nor did she  need him.

"I said.." she began between clenched teeth. "I don't need fragile humans around. It is distracting."

He yanked her even closer, his breath and scent now a distraction. "Fragile?"

"What else should I call you?" She spat, angry at herself for being distracted and wanting to take back her words. But she had already gone too far. She couldn't back down now. "You might not be fragile for a human, but you are among dragons now, and I can't be busy saving you."

"Then don't!" He bit out.

She realized this wouldn't make him leave, so she decided to rub some more salt in his wounds. "I can't while you are here. You are my breedmate so I naturally act on instinct. It will be easier if you leave. I have realized I don't need a human after all."

She was pained just speaking those words. Ares glared at her, and she could feel his fingers tightening around her arm.

"I already told you, I need a man. Not a boy. That is what you are, compared to dragon males."

"Really?"

"Yes. I am a Katharos. I need a dragon beside me. A strong male who..."

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Before she could finish her sentence, he grabbed the back of her head and kissed her. His abrupt reaction caught Nazneen off guard, but the meaning behind the kiss became clear the minute their lips met. She shivered just thinking of it, but her mind was soon overwhelmed like the rest of her senses.

She was kissing her breedmate! He kissed her, and it was nothing like she imagined. Her imagination paled in comparison to this, and she was so overwhelmed that all she could do was be still as he began kissing her with a ferocity that made her shudder.

His teeth nipped at her lower lip, demanding submission, while his tongue invaded her mouth, leaving no place for resistance. Nazneen's body reacted automatically to his silent assertion of dominance, as he made it clear that he was in control by holding her head and stopping her from pulling away.

She had no intention of doing so, even when her lungs needed air from the intensity of his kiss. Careful not to touch his wounds, she grabbed his pants instead to pull him closer, but not close enough. She was weakened by his kiss, by the taste of his lips. He tasted like the sea and drowned her like its waves. He also tasted like apples--sour and sweet all at once.

Ares's hand came to rest between her shoulder and neck, pushing her back until she hit the wall behind her. His thumb found her throat, grazing along her thundering pulse as he trapped her between his body and the wall. His arousal was not only evident by his scent but also by the hardness that unashamedly pressed against her belly and caused heat to surge to her core.

A delicious ache was building within her, and from how it started, she could only imagine how it would end.

No! Not end!

She didn't want it to end. Her hands grasped his neck as she felt his lips pull away. She wasn't ready for it to end yet. How was she supposed to calm the dragon in her that now had a taste of her breedmate?

"Ah..res...." she pleaded with a voice she could barely recognize.

She trembled with self-restraint when she realized he had pulled away because he was in pain, or she would have just yanked him to her and kissed him.

As Ares looked into her eyes, his expression changed, as if he had seen something that surprised him. She knew he was seeing the change in her eyes. She was barely holding onto her sanity. Everything around her screamed mating and breeding, and she wasn't one with good self-control.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I... don't want to hurt you, but I need you." She breathed.

His eyes searched hers with an expression that became tender, and then his hands went to her waist, slowly sliding to the small of her back and drawing her closer while his gaze dipped to her lips. He leaned in, and she met him gently halfway, still cautious of his wounds.

This time, his kiss was gentle. slow and delicate but didn't lack depth. His lips nuzzled her in a fiery dance, and his arms encircled her, hugging her to his body as he kissed her. A warm embrace that made her heart flutter.

Ares swirled them around, now leading her back to bed. Once the bed hit the back of her legs, he lifted her up with an arm and held her to his body. He crawled up onto the bed and laid her down gently, with his body following along and their lips never parting.

When he lowered his body onto hers, she moaned softly against his lips.

Ares gave Nazneen one last, lingering kiss before starting a slow, deliberate descent down her body with the intent of exploring every inch of her. His lips left a trail of heat as he moved down the graceful column of her throat and stopped briefly to nuzzle the tender hollow at the nape of her neck. He could feel her pulse racing beneath his lips, awakening a different kind of hunger. a hunger for her blood. His gums ached at the feel of her burning skin against his lips.

Continuing his descent, Ares traced the contours of her collarbone with his mouth, savoring the silky skin beneath them. His tongue snuck out, and he tasted her, taking in the intoxicating aroma and flavor that were uniquely hers. Once he reached her shoulder, he gently nipped at her flesh, eliciting a soft gasp of pleasure from her lips.

Ares could feel how she was holding back, afraid to hurt him. Her hands were softly resting on his shoulders, and her fingers only held on tightly when he found a good spot. Now, she was holding on to him as he made his way to the fullness of her breasts, stopping to caress them under her clothes, teasing her nipples through the fabric with his lips and tongue until they were taut and aching for him to touch them. Nazneen's breath came in ragged gasps, and another sigh left her lips.

Her hands came to impatiently unfasten her top when he took her wrists and pinned them down to stop her. And here he thought she was oddly patient today. He was wrong.

"Do you still want me to leave?" He asked her, nipping gently at her jaw.

"No," she breathed.

"Then I need you to be patient for me," he hid his smile in the crook of her neck, knowing she would be annoyed.

"I am a dragon. That is not our strong side."

He pulled back to lock eyes with her. "You are a Katharos," he teased, reminding her of her own words.

She gazed into his eyes in silence for a moment. "Is this... some kind of punishment for what I said?"

"No. I am not playing this time, Nazneen." He released one of her wrists and touched her face, gently sweeping a finger across her cheek. "But it is more dangerous when I don't play."