“Yes, it’s just,” you touch his mouth, “your tongue has ridges.”

“Is that bad?” Dread slithers in his stomach.

“No,” you’re quick to reassure him. He admires how bright your eyes shine in the dark and thinks: Has he frightened you? Should he slow things down to make you more comfortable? Often, when he’s lonely in bed it soothes him to think about his day.

“How was your day?” In circles, he rubs your back with his thumb.

“Good,” you say. He stays quiet, staring softly. “I went to Balor’s cart for supplies, and it was nice to see him.” A prickle like an irritated sigh sweeps through him. Embers of jealousy flicker. An emotion so new to him, he doesn’t know what to make of it. “And Eiland stopped by and wanted to talk about the artifacts I donated to the museum.” The embers burn bright.

“But they are not your mate.” His tail slides across the sheets and winds itself around your calf, and in a fluid decisive jerk his tail drapes your leg over his hip.

“No, they aren’t.” You grin, amused. He doesn’t understand what his mate thinks is so funny, but his thoughts loosen and crumble when you stroke the top of his left horn. An incandescent shiver washes over him.

“I am your mate,” he emphasizes. The ache stiffening his cock punctuates his statement.

“You are.” You move your hand from his horn to the back of his neck and kiss him. Your bodies flush against each other, you feel his substantial length. You break the kiss with a small gasp. He watches surprise flash in your eyes.

“Don’t worry,” he says while cupping your chin, “I won’t hurt you.” His second dragon heart shifts its focus to sending blood to his cock. The rush of it makes his dick pulsate. He squeezes your thigh, cradling his hip, and kisses you again. Deeper.

His mouth moves to your neck. The small pining noises you make dissolve him like a sugar cube in water.

“Do you know what mates do?” he asks. Uncertain because he doesn’t know much about human customs. He only knows the flurry of mating season. Do humans have a heat? He wonders while recalling the tinge of pink creeping up your neck. Your shallow breath. But if you were in heat you would have already presented for him.

“I do,” you chuckle, “but would you like to show me?” His orange eyes burn like matches.

“I would, but you are wearing far too many clothes.”

“Do you want me to take them off?”

“I think you know that I would,” he says.

“Ok, you’ll have to let go of me then.” You wiggle your leg that’s entwined with his tail.

“Only if you no longer speak of other men in my bed.” His tail’s hold becomes firmer, but not tight. You arch your brows and he playfully mimics you.

“I didn’t realize you were so jealous,” you tease. Caldarus huffs, indignant.

“Jealous? I do not know what that is. If it means I do not wish to share you at all times, then yes, I am very jealous.”

“I only want you,” you reassure him softly, and he releases his hold on your leg.

Wriggling under the blankets, you take off your clothes. He’s not sure if lifting the covers to see your body will upset you, so he settles for seeking glimpses of your naked body while you undress. When you’re done you lie on your side, facing him. His eyes caress yours.

“I’m not familiar with human matings, and I don’t want to disappoint you,” he admits, blushing.

“How do dragons mate?” You touch a strand of hair framing his face and let it slip through your fingers. His shoulders relax in response to your touch.

“A female in heat would present by bending over and baring—“

“That’s not quite,” you stammer, flustered by his candidness. His shoulders tense.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No, it’s that,” you sigh, hoping you can give your dragon a solid sex education. “Humans usually kiss and touch before—you know how to, uh, connect our bodies, right?” He nods, still tense.

“You will present for me, and I will press my cock into your soft cunt.”

“Humans don’t present, but everything else,” you swallow thickly, “sounds about right.”

“How will I know when you want my cock?”

“I’ll tell you,” you explain. “But first, we kiss and touch.”

“I want to kiss you,” he murmurs. The two of you explore each other’s mouths at a languid pace. He squeezes your breast. Soft and squishy in his grasp. His thumb swipes your nipple. You moan. He has an idea: His mouth would feel better than his hand. He thinks of how clever he is, and if any human has thought of this before. You squeeze the back of his neck as his ridged tongue swirls around your peaked nipple. He sucks on your breasts like he’s licking his claws clean after a tantalizing dish. Your low howl penetrates the air between you; he hopes he will remember the sound for the rest of his life.

He breathes in a scent so distinguishably you. Determined to find where it’s coming from, he searches your body. Hovering over you, pulling the covers away, and kissing your skin as he seeks it out. Between your legs, he senses it the most. All he wants to be is drenched in the scent of his mate. He pulls your legs apart and opens his mouth to taste you. With heavy, loving intent he kisses your pussy.

His textured tongue slides across your clit and your legs shiver with ecstasy. Drawn out broken whimpers jump into existence and fall like mist fading.

Your legs shake when his tongue touches a bead of skin at the peak of your cunt. He notices, and is sure to keep doing it. The wriggle of your body and sounds you make send a flood of excitement coursing through his veins. He’s the hardest he’s ever been. You speak, but he can’t make out the words because he’s too absorbed in the task at hand.

“I’m ready,” you repeat. Louder. Breathing hard.

“Ready?” he questions as your meaning dawns on him. He looks at your pussy, the ribbons of skin like petals. It’s small, and he knows he’s big. To see how much you can take, he’d like to put a finger inside you. But he’s too afraid of hurting you with his claws. He thinks about what to do.

“I’m ready for you,” you say. From his perch between your thighs, molten heat glazes his eyes. He knows what to do. He’ll take you slowly, and if you can’t take all of him, he’ll appreciate giving you what he can.

He lies down on his side and pulls you close to him. Cupping your chin, he gives you a passionate kiss. To give him easier access to your body, he wraps his tail around your leg and props it up in the air. Tracing every soft curve with his eyes, he admires the valley of your body.

He pulls down his pants and holds his throbbing cock. Like he did with his tongue, he drags the tip of his dick across your petals of skin. He pets your clit with his tip and demure mewls drift from your throat like threads of smoke. His cock throbs, practically panting at the thought of you. A tiny part of him wishes he didn’t have to be so slow. So patient. But all of him wants you to enjoy every minute he’s inside you. He wants that more than anything else.

The glazed film of pleasure screening your face is all the encouragement he needs; he sinks the head of his cock in your wet cunt. The sound of your pleasure echoes throughout his body like a cymbal being struck. He sinks further into you, and your silken path yields to him. Molding itself around him. Adjusting. He’ll fit. The weight of his worries drop.

“Please, Caldarus,” you beg, “more.”

Your body shifts to receive the pleasure of his tight fit as he roots himself inside you. Each inch creates a chasm of rapture. Your mind flooded with a bliss so strong its ache is almost painful. Absentmindedly you strum your clit like a harp while he fucks you. Determined to savor every drop of this ethereal pleasure.

Fully inside you, he pauses. His dick throbs inside you, and he thinks if he thrusts he’ll cum. You rub your clit while he watches. His body is warm to the touch. Your legs shake like the warbled moans you make, and the smell of your excitement is so strong he can taste it on his tongue.

He’s mesmerized by your flushed chest rising and falling. Your moans becoming a roar. You scream his name over and over as your body flickers. And then, you’re still. His cock pants inside you, wanting more. Out of breath, you sink into the sheets. Not sure what’s happening, he worries.

“Are you ok?” he says. You lift your hand from your clit and stroke his cheek.

“I finished and you should too.” It takes him a moment to calculate your meaning. When he does, he gives you a determined nod.

He can’t imagine anything more pleasurable than seeing your beautiful face while fucking you, so he switches positions. The familiarity of your features an endless comfort to him.

He buries his face in your neck while he thrusts. Your hands explore his back, his hair, and his sensitive horns. Suddenly, you grab both his horns in your hands. A bolt of divine euphoria grips him mercilessly. Unable to think clearly, he bites down on your shoulder and marks you with his mate bite. The endorphins from his bite send you into the heady spiral of a second orgasm. An impossible lightness spreads in your chest as a bond forms. The glow of your dragon’s happiness shines through it. You’re not sure what’s happening. Everything feels like a dream.

He cums. Slowly, he releases you from his mouth’s grip. The newly formed bond thrums in his chest, and his markings will soon be yours too. Claiming you as his mate.

He smiles, knowing part of his mate will live inside him forever.