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he jetted his pleasure into the mess Ryuu
had already made. Ryuu didn’t care. He hadn’t climaxed in the presence of
another person in years and he wasn’t about to protest anything right now. He
let out a long sigh and slumped down. Drakon let his legs fall open as he
loosened his hand carefully and slid it out from between them. Ryuu couldn’t
move. Didn’t want to. He licked Drakon’s shoulder
absently, tasting something new. Something sweet and electric
at the same time. He frowned, but he was too sated to chase the mystery
of Drakon’s skin. “Can you sleep now?” he murmured instead.
    Drakon nodded. “Yes.”
    Ryuu sighed and rolled over, using his robe to wipe
them clean. He turned off the light when he tossed the garment to the floor.
“Sleep, then, Drakon,” he murmured, pulling the silk blanket over them both. He
settled against his lover’s body and let the night claim him.
    ****
    Drakon waited until he felt Ryuu slip back into sleep.
Then he let the tears come. He’d found his mate, the dream of every dragon
shifter. The moment Ryuu’s teeth touched his skin, he’d known. He’d felt the
change deep within his body as his instincts recognized the possibility of the
bond. His scent mutated slightly. He knew Ryuu noticed that part of it, but the
prince obviously did not understand why Drakon suddenly smelled so sweet. If
Drakon bit Ryuu, it would initiate the rest of the bond.
    And he is my mortal enemy. He’s not of the dragon-kin, Drakon reminded himself, shuddering silently with the
pain of his knowledge. They could never truly be one, because the soul bond
that linked mates together happened only between the kin, between dragons of
equal strength and fortitude. Since dragons were so rare that less than one
usually appeared in each generation, and only in certain bloodlines, those who
were lucky enough to find mates were the rarest of them all. Though
the reality that I am his slave is even worse than enduring a half-bond with a
human.
    Ryuu moved, sighing in his sleep. Drakon closed his
eyes. It doesn’t matter. I knew I would die here, and likely sooner rather
than later, he thought fatalistically. He’d hoped he could locate the rebel
who had been feeding his people information from within the citadel, the
self-named “Desert Dragon,” but now that he was here, he realized that would be
next to impossible. He would have liked to thank the man for everything he’d
done so far to stop the emperor’s mad invasions, but locating him would be
tantamount to suicide for the rebel. The citadel was a military fortress. The
punishment for treason was surely swift and fatal.
    It doesn’t matter, he told himself as Ryuu shifted again, throwing an arm around Drakon. I
will do what I can. He stroked a palm down the prince’s arm, quieting him.
He would sabotage Emperor Midian’s plans to conquer his people, hopefully kill
the sadistic bastard. Then maybe Drakon could die with dignity. All he wanted
to do was save his people and have them understand that even black dragons have
honor. And before I die, I will have had
the succor of a lover’s body. That is a gift I didn’t anticipate. I can’t ask for
more . He huddled into
Ryuu’s warmth, hating that he needed the comfort as exhaustion dragged him into
sleep.
    ****
    Doors banged open, jerking Drakon awake.
    “Sire! Your father is coming,” a woman’s voice hissed.
    Metal chains fell across Drakon’s legs, and his eyes
snapped open. He blinked, surprised to see morning sunlight streaming down from
the crystals in the ceiling.
    A woman wearing polished leather armor stood over him. Her
light brown hair was shorn close to her skull and she had a scar that ran from
her right temple to her jaw. When their eyes met, she scowled and shifted her
gaze to the other man in the bed. “Sire! You must wake
up.”
    “Svana?” The sleep-clogged voice of the prince shivered like
silk over Drakon’s skin. “What are you doing here? I thought I locked