For a split second, electricity raced through her body, ending between her thighs. Her pussy throbbed at his heat, and scent, and even taste.
But she barely gasped at the sensations crashing over her before her dragon roared inside her head.He's ours. Fuck him, and again, until we carry his child. Let me take control, and I'll claim him. He won't get away.
Lavinia bucked, trying to fight off Max. At the same time, she did her best to contain her dragon inside her head.
Shit, shit, shit.Why she hadn't thought about how kissing him could start a mate-claim frenzy, she didn't know.
Probably because she'd been too intent on winning.
Her dragon snarled, and Lavinia knew she was losing the battle. She gritted, "Use the needle on me and run, Max. Now. Or my dragon won't stop fucking you until I'm pregnant."
He swore, understanding dragon-shifters well enough to know she hinted at him being her true mate, but didn't move. "Why the bloody hell didn't you warn me about this?"
Her dragon tried to push forward and take control. Lavinia barely got out, "Because female dragons can't tell, you bloody idiot. Now stop talking and run."
But the human didn't. Instead, he tightened his grip on her wrists and put all his weight on her. His warm breath caressed her mouth as he murmured, "I can stay if you want."
A million excuses rushed through her head, not the least of which was that they'd conceive a child before the frenzy would end, making things fucking complicated.
However, her dragon shouted,Let me have him. He's ours. I need to fuck him, and again. He's our true mate.
Lavinia could feel her energy draining. She had to decide, and soon, or her dragon would take control.
Fucking Max and going through the frenzy would mean she kept her sanity. If she refused, she'd probably have to be lockedup for months until the need to claim him faded enough for her to remain in control of her beast.
Months and months of agony, fighting her dragon, and worst of all, being unable to work on the dig site of her dreams.
"Lavinia? Do you want me to help and endure the frenzy?"
His soft voice differed from anything she'd heard before, almost gentle and coaxing.
What was this new side to Max Holbrook?
But as she felt her control slipping, she blurted, "Yes. My dragon's about to take control."
And in the next second, Lavinia felt herself being pushed to the back of her mind, held in place with invisible bindings, as her dragon took possession of their human form. Whenever her dragon was in charge, their voice was a little deeper. She arched their body as she said, "I need you. Now. Fuck me, and again, or I'll pin you down and take what I want."
Even from her mental prison, Lavinia could feel everything that Max did to her body, including how his grip tightened on her wrists. He replied firmly, "I'm going to be the one to claim you first, dragon. Understand?"
She expected her beast to snarl, but instead, she raised their body and rubbed against Max. He sucked in a breath, and her beast said, "Then fuck me already, or you lose your chance."
Damn.It looked like this was really going to happen.
And as Max nuzzled his cheek against hers, Lavinia waited to see what happened next.
Chapter Four
Bloody hell, of all the things that could've happened, Max hadn't foreseen himself being Lavinia's true mate.
Although, as her dragon rubbed against him, the tightly leashed desire inside of him exploded. His cock turned to stone, and a possessive urge to claim Lavinia as his own surged through his body.
Before he could think too closely about that, he nuzzled her cheek and took her earlobe between his teeth. He worried her soft flesh, loving how her breath hitched, and a small moan escaped her throat.
For a second, he wished he could tease her slowly, caressing her body, bringing her to the edge, retreating, and doing it all over again until she squirmed.
But inner dragons and mate-claim frenzies were a special situation. Even if his entire career had focused on dragons of the past, his studies had also included as much as possible about them as a species. Which meant Max knew her beast would only be patient for a short time before he would find himself on his back and at her mercy.
Later he'd enjoy that—they'd be fucking for days until Lavinia conceived—but he wanted to be in control for the first time, not her dragon.