I Married A Dragon (Prime Mating Agency)(71)

As was my wont, I nipped at her round behind. I would never tire of those enticingly soft mounds, just like her breasts. As I reached her ankles, I finally forced Kaida to lie down. Her reaction to the warm, undulating waves on her bare back was immediate. A throaty moan escaped her. Lips parted, she closed her eyes with a blissful expression.

I couldn’t decide if pride or lust burned the brightest in my gut that my plan was giving so much pleasure to my mate. Working its magic—further enhanced by the oil—the membrane quickly had my Ejaya completely languid, the heat and undulating massage seeping deep within her. Simultaneously, I resumed applying oil on her front. This time, it was both so that the steamy heat of the room would react with it, giving Kaida a greater sense of well-being, and as an excuse to caress her delectable body.

On my way down to her legs, it took every bit of my willpower not to bury my face between her thighs and feast. Her taste, her scent, the feel of her on my tongue acted like the most potent aphrodisiacs on me. They were my new drug. But coupling would wait.

Kneeling at her feet, I sat on my haunches and placed her feet on my knees. After giving them a proper massage with my hands, I grabbed the hammer and gently started tapping the sensitive points at the bottom of her feet, according to the meridians—or Chinese pressure points. My mate turned into a complete puddle under my ministrations.

When I finally collected her in my arms and sat her in my lap, she appeared completely groggy.

“I’ve died and gone to heaven. I’m flying with the angels right now,” Kaida slurred.

I chuckled and kissed her lips. “Well, you need to come back down to Dramnac, my love. I have more plans for you… for us.”

Still seeming too languid to hold herself up in my embrace, she gave me a ‘are you crazy?’ look. “If you’re planning on dropping me in that boiling water, assuming I don’t get fully cooked, I’ll definitely drown.”

I burst out laughing. “I won’t let you drown, and the water isn’t boiling. It’s merely bubbling. This place is a semi-dormant volcano. That’s why this Chamber and the water are warm. The vrojian rocks this cave is made of are a primitive form of shadow obsidian. It has occasional power surges. All around the basin, there are small tunnels through which the water streams. The power surges create suction in some of those tunnels and pressure in others, which causes the water to bubble.”

An odd expression flitted over her features. All drowsiness apparently gone, Kaida gave me an intense look before asking her next question.

“Is it that pressure that causes the Spirits to dance?”

I hesitated. “How much do you know about the Dancing Waters?”

She shrugged and gave me an apologetic glance. “Not as much as I wish I did. I only read that Derakeens come here to exchange their wedding vows and ask the Spirits to bless their union. If they dance over the waters, then their union will be successful.”

“That is correct,” I said cautiously. “But the Spirits are really just a mix of steam and water that rise in spiraling columns because of power surges. If you breathe shadow flames at the river, the ‘Spirits’ will come forth. There is always at least a handful that appear. However, that number varies from one time to the next. The more of them dance for you, the happier your bonding will be.”

“Is this why you brought me here? For us to bond?” Kaida asked in a soft voice.

I stiffened, my mind going blank and my tongue turning to stone. For the first time, I almost wished my mate hadn’t grown so comfortable asking me whatever question crossed her mind, as I’d been encouraging her to. I’d been praying for exactly that kind of opening, and now that she had given it to me, I was going into panic mode.

I swallowed hard, then shook my head. “No. I brought you here so that you could experience the most romantic and sacred place for lovers on Dramnac. Do I wish tonight was our bonding night? Yes, absolutely. I love you with everything that I am and will never be whole without you. I can only keep hoping that, before our six months are up, you will deem me worthy of being the male you wish to spend the rest of your life with. Should that day come, you will have but a single word to say, and I’m yours.”

She studied my features with an unreadable—but incredibly soft—expression. “Careful, I just might.”

My hearts leapt in my chest. “By all means, do.”

For an insane second, I believed Kaida would ask me to bond with her. I barely managed to hide my crushing disappointment when she asked me a different question instead.

“What exactly does Derakeen bonding entail? I couldn’t find anything about your weddings,” Kaida said with a frown.

“We do not have formal weddings like humans,” I explained, my thumb absentmindedly caressing her upper arm while she looked up at me, her head resting on my shoulder. “Naturally, if we ever became mates, we could organize one for you, if you wished,” I added quickly.

She smiled and shook her head. “It’s really become more of a commercial con to get the newlyweds to start off their new lives either broke or with an unreasonable amount of debt. Granted, fancy weddings are truly beautiful, but it’s still a massive waste of credits. There are simpler ways to immortalize that moment.”

I nodded. “Agreed. For us, the bond is simply between the two partners. We exchange vows that can be as long or as short as we want. Usually, they are very short, only one or two sentences.”