Chapter 4
Daniel
“Are you hungry?” Daniel asked her as pointed to the long formal tables where many people were eating and drinking. She shook her head and showed him the raw vegetables in her hands.
“Snack?” David said and she nodded. She made a gesture like she was picking something out of her hand and putting it into her mouth.
Daniel watched as his brother copied her movement. “This means snack.” David said. She smiled happily and he could see the excitement in her eyes.
“Is hungry different?” David asked. She nodded her head and made a duck beak shape with her hand and moved it to her mouth.
“Thirsty?” David asked while Daniel watched. She shaped her hand like she was holding a cup and tipped it to her mouth.
David couldn’t seem to help himself he reached out and hugged her to his body. “At least, I understand enough to keep you alive,” he said into her hair.
She chuckled at his comment and snuggled against his chest. She again ran her nose across the fabric of his shirt.It made him shiver happily.
Daniel could tell that David, who had always been the brainiac in the family, was loving the guessing game but Daniel found he had little patience for it. He had no real interest in trying to learn whatever she was trying to say by flapping like a bird at him. He didn’t understand why his little mate didn’t just talk to him. Clearly, she was capable as he had heard her verbally accepted their bond.
Daniel cleared his throat. He realized that there was an elephant in the room that no one had addressed. He wondered why his brother hadn’t mentioned it. He decided that maybe David just didn’t want to rock the boat.
“Sugar, I don’t mean to be rude, but I can’t figure out what kind of shifter you are. Can you tell me?” He asked as he searched her face for clues.
She frowned and her eyebrows came down to a “V” above her nose. She bit he lip and shrugged like she didn’t know. She made a fist and made a circle against her chest.
Daniel wasn’t sure if Stormy was purposely trying to hide her lineage, or if she really honestly didn't know. He was trying not to get frustrated. He wondered how long she would continue on with this silly little guessing game. It made it hard to bring up the next part of the conversation. But his teeth hurt so badly, he knew he couldn't wait much longer.
“How much do you know about dragon shifters?” he asked her sheepishly
She held up her finger with a small distance between them. “That means a little.” David confirmed and she nodded her head with a smile.
Daniel let out a small frustrated sigh which she immediately picked up on. Her hand went to her face and he saw her brows furrow. In all the time he was dreaming for her, he had imagined meeting her would be much different. She was supposed to jump wildly into his arms, her desire for him so strong she couldn’t contain her passion. He again looked at the ceiling and huffed.
“When dragons meet their fated mate, we are compelled to mark them almost immediately. If we wait, it becomes increasingly more uncomfortable.” He explained as he flinched slightly. “My teeth are killing me.”
She bit her bottom lip and made a fist at the temple. Her pointer finger popped up like an explanation mark. She pointed to herself and grimaced. She pointed to her own teeth and looked pained.
“Are you trying to say you understand, Sweetness?” David asked her.
She nodded weakly and shifted her feet uncomfortably. She began chewing her lip nervously.
“Don’t worry Sugar, we aren’t going to hurt you. Marking is very pleasurable, especially when I mate with you.” Daniel assured her.
David wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Daniel saw her whole body relax against him. She pulled back to look at him as her smile returned. She bent her hand to look like a mouth and clamped it against her neck. Her eyebrows let him know she was asking if the process was a bite.
“Yes, dragons bite their mates and are bitten in return.” David answered as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Can I mark you, Sweetness?” he asked.
Stormy nodded empathically and drew a small heart in his chest. She put her palm over it and rubbed her nose against the fabric of his shirt.
“How about we go somewhere more private? Marking for dragons is very intimate. I wouldn’t want to share our experience with anyone else but David.” Daniel suggested as he gestured towards the garden beyond the ballroom.
Daniel could hear the eagerness in his voice at the idea of getting her alone. The urge to mark her was getting was very strong and he'd rather not have a roomful of witnesses the first time. He couldn’t wait to have her coming apart in his arms. The ability to please a female was considered the prowess of a dragon.
Stormy smile and nodded. She slipped her hand around David’s waist while he kept his arm protectively around her shoulders. Daniel reached down and took her free hand. He led them out into the garden and away from the crowd.
They slipped silently into the night past several plots of formal gardens, until they were in a grove of flowering trees. There was a small white bench between two towering tree trunks. The evening around them was still and quiet. The light of the moon gave everything a soft grey hue and stood as the only witness as David stopped and pulled Stormy to his chest.
He traced along her cheek with his fingertips. She pressed her cheek into his hand. He cupped her face softly as he dropped his head down and pressed his lips to hers.
Daniel pressed his chest into her back and wrapped his arms around her waist as David kissed her. He felt her pulse jump as she slowly leaned into the kiss and parted her lips. Daniel began to let his hands slowly roam over her body as his brother kissed her deeply.
David broke off kissing her lips to let his mouth rove over her neck and bare shoulders. Daniel could smell her arousal as Stormy’s body responded to their touch. Daniel began to lick and kiss the opposite side of her neck as they sandwiched her between them.
Daniel kissed up her neck to her ear. He moved down her cheek and claimed her mouth from behind her. Daniel’s hand slid down the body and then up her bare thigh. He slipped his tongue into her mouth as he used his knee to encourage her to open her legs. Her arms tightened around David’s shoulders and she trembled slightly.
“Relax, Sweetness, I’ve got you, there’s nothing to fear.” David assured her. “If you are ready, I’m going to need you to hold on to me really tightly,” Daniel heard his brother whisper huskily into her ear.