Ascend
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Ophelia Bell
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8
Chapter One
Corey stood in the center of the corridor, staring at the massive green jade double doors. He felt like a fool for deciding to go through with thisādateāor whatever it was. As much sexual eye candy as heād witnessed over the last few hours, and as frustrated as he was as a result, heād always considered himself the kind of guy who cared about more substance in his partners.
It had been Kris, finally, who had changed Coreyās mind about going through with this. Kris who had made him understand the unique nature of these people their team had awakened. He had a hard time thinking of them as anything other than people, in spite of the fantastic shapes heād seen them take. Heād drawn a few of his own conclusions too. Very unscientific conclusions, probably, but he had a feeling Erika or the others might agree with him.
In spite of the very sexual nature of their new friends, each one of them ultimately had seemed human to him in one very particular way. They werenāt mindless sex fiends. That realization had come, ironically, in the middle of watching the only orgy Corey thought he could ever stomach. Heād stayed to man the camera for as long as he could endure, but in that span of time, heād seen how attentive and caring each of the dragons had been to their lovers.
Corey had been with his share of lovers, all women, but only with one of them had he ever come close to feeling what heād seen in all the dragonsā eyes during the course of that night. It made him ache in a much deeper place than his balls to think he could have that again with a woman. He just hoped this particular woman wouldnāt end up finding him wanting after a few months and leave him for a richer man.
Hell, she might hate him from the beginning, but heād been on plenty bad dates and the world hadnāt ended as a result. Shit, he hoped the world didnāt end if this went badly. Heād seen some of the magic the dragons could do and wondered how much more they were capable of when full-up. Like Kris shooting fireworks from his fingertips, Corey thought. If only a normal orgasm could feel that good. Just being in the room at that point wouldāve been enough to make Coreyās cock hard as a rock, if it hadnāt been already.
He wiped his damp palms on his pants and took a tentative step forward. Should he knock? Or should he just go in? All it had taken from Dimitri was touching the doors of that chamber and theyād opened up, like heād done it with the power of a thought.
āFuck it,ā Corey muttered and rapped the knuckles of one hand lightly on the carved jade figure that graced the front of the door. He only had a second to regret which part of the womanās image heād managed to choose to touch before the doors both swung inward. He hurriedly raked shaky fingers through his hair and wished heād had more time to prepareāto bring her flowers or something. As it was, all he was showing up with was a raging hard-on that hadnāt subsided in hours. Heād finally just written it off as something heād have to live with for the time being.
He stood on the threshold, gazing around at the interior of a massive chamber easily the size of the throne room. It was completely lit, and at the far end was a huge bed with four columns of carved jade rising from the corners.
He almost didnāt see her, as small as she was relative to the scope of the room and the bed. When he finally realized she was there, seated serenely in the center of the mattress, he raised a hand and gave her a tentative wave.
āAh ā¦ Sorry Iām late.ā
She only nodded and raised a hand to gesture for him to come forward. Once he was a few paces in, she made another slight gesture and the doors swept closed behind him.
Coreyās heart pounded as he looked over his shoulder at his only means of escape. But escape from what, exactly? He swallowed his anxiety and turned forward again to take a good look at this dragon queen he was so irrationally afraid of.
He stepped a few more paces into the room, keeping his eyes on her. She seemed so placid sitting there, just watching him come to her. Halfway into the room he stopped, deciding that was far enough. If she wanted him, sheād have to meet him the rest of the way.
Now that he was closer, he could see her very clearly. His uncertainty replaced by cautious interest in the lovely figure. She was a petite young woman with skin so fair it glowed and thick, black curls that fell past her breasts. She had the same Asian features as Kris, though much more lovely and feminine compared to the guideās. Of course, Corey reminded himself, she was Krisās sister.
Her bright green eyes watched him take her in. He only made a cursory glance of her body, quickly shifting his eyes back up when he realized she was stark naked.
Of course sheās naked, dummy. This is like the dragon nudist colony. Though he supposed dragons might not normally wear clothes when they were being ā¦ well ā¦ dragons.
She frowned and finally spoke. āDo you not find me pleasing to look upon, human?ā Her voice was light and smooth, and carried easily across the expanse of the room to his ears.
Corey cleared his throat. āOh, trust me, I find you spectacular.ā
āThen why wonāt you come to me?ā
Corey blinked at her. She sounded genuinely confused by his hesitation, but not in the way heād have expected someone with the title of āQueenā to sound. She cocked her head in an endearing way, waiting for him to respond.
āIām not sure what you expect, so Iām just being cautious, if thatās all right. Iām not in the habit of just jumping into bed with a pretty girl the first time we meet. I donāt care how kinky you normally get with your lovers.ā
āWhat can I do to appease your reservations?ā
Corey took a deep, calming breath through his nose and rubbed the back of his neck. Eyebrows raised, he said, āWell, you could start by telling me your name. Then maybe we just talk a little?ā
āMy name is Racha. And you are Corey. My brother told me of you before you arrived at my door.ā
āOh? What did good old Kris have to say?ā
āThat you are not like the other humans, but I think you are.ā
āAnd what makes you think that?ā
āYouāre here, and you want me.ā
Now there was the Queen heād expected. Her assertiveness irritated him, which he hated because she wasnāt lying. Except it was a hollow want he felt, not the deep, abiding need heād seen in the othersā eyes, particularly Krisās just before heād made love to Issa for the first time.
āMaybe I just donāt want you enough,ā he said.
Racha grew thoughtful. Her gaze slid over his body and paused at his hips before moving back to his eyes.
āProve you donāt. Take off your clothes.ā
Heat rushed to Coreyās face at the command. The hell heād strip naked. Well, he might have just to prove the point, except being naked in front of her would only prove the opposite.
āI have a better idea. Why donāt you put something on and we can talk about this like two sane people who ā¦ I dunno ā¦ actually get to know each other before fucking.ā
