Dragon Clans Bk. 01 Pt. 16

He tasted musky and masculine, as he always did. Millie loved the taste of him, almost, she thought, as much as he enjoyed the taste of her.

Her tongue played over the head of his cock, small slow circles, often dipping into his tip, teasing him, enticing more of his issue forth, which she savored.

He throbbed his need in her palm as her lips parted and she took half of him into her mouth, her wet tongue feeling the strong hardness of him, pulling it deeper into her. She moaned around him as a small stream of his precum was deposited right on her taste buds, sending shivers through her whole body.

Her hand gently massaged him, rolling him between her fingers as she started a slow deliberate cadence, taking him deep into her throat, pulling back slowly, encircling him with here lips as her tongue swirled and massaged around his constantly throbbing member.

He moaned softly as her hand gripped him firmly, her pace increasing as more and more of him slipped into her mouth, she could feel it building, the heat in his loins almost visible as he pulled within himself preparing for release.

She pulled everything but the tip of him from her mouth, her lips and tongue pulling at the head of him, her hand pumping his shaft, his fingers wound in her hair as his body tensed, going rigid beneath her as he came.

Millie greedily reveled in his spend, savoring the feeling of control and love and passion that this one simple act imparted...to both of them.

She kept him in her mouth and hands afterwards, as he slowly shrank under the loving attention of her tongue and fingers.

She rose and went into the bathroom, returning with a warm towel she gently wiped his glistening brow, and then his glistening manhood before snuggling in next to him, taking his head to her chest, wrapping one leg over his body as he whispered, "I love you," before slipping into a well-earned sleep.

She stayed with him, wrapped in that warm embrace, watching the fire dance across the room, thanking, as she often did, the universe or whomever may be listening to a woman's thoughts as she lies with her lover in her arms, for the opportunity and honor to be loved...and give it in return.

Grabbing on a long warm robe she quietly slipped out of the room. She knew that Nigel would still be in the castle and she had a few questions that needed answering before Ian awoke.

...............

Nigel sat at the low island in the kitchen. The only light in the room was that from the small spots above. They left small pools of light on the black granite top.

The room itself, cloaked in shadow, was part of the original kitchen from the castles earliest days. The original hearth anchored the room, its soot stained flagstones bore testament to its age and long use.

Copper pots and pans hung from racks on the ceiling, every once and awhile they would be caught by an errant breeze, many of which found their way through the castles walls, providing a brief chiming that took awhile to get use too.

Nigel was tracing the gray striations in the stone with his fingertip, drinking a glass of port, running through the events of the day and the report from Ian's team when Millie came in.

Walking over to the cabinet Millie retrieved a glass and sat down opposite Nigel. Reaching for the bottle she poured herself three fingers of the dark liquid, looking at the strained and tired features of one of her and Ian's oldest friends.

"How bad is it going to get," Millie asked before taking a long swallow of her drink, feeling its warmth spread through her.

"I honestly don't know," Nigel answered, finishing his own drink and reaching for the bottle.

"Ian lost control tonight, in a way that I have never seen him do in all the years I have known him. There have been reasons before Millie, many really outstanding reasons, hell we have seen so many atrocities, been witness to so much violence and depravity in our time," Ian sighed and took a long drink before continuing.

"But this, tonight, I never would have imagined Millie, never in a million years would I have thought Ian capable of such pure...rage. I don't know that he will be able to recover, and that scares me even more, because Nicholas is not one to turn the other cheek when so blatantly challenged," Nigel finished, staring towards the ancient hearth, hoping that his friend would, as he always had, be up to the coming challenges.

Millie finished her drink and rose, walking around the island to Nigel, placing her hand on his shoulder she said. "Don't worry Nigel, everything will work out, it always does, one way or the other, it always does."

Giving her friend a kiss on the cheek she walked slowly from the room, all of her thoughts focused on making sure that Ian was up to what lay ahead, and that Michael would be in a position to help, should their time...run out.

As she reached the top of the stairs she heard the distance burr of Nigel's cell phone from below.

...............

Tera and Valerie sat across from each other at Valerie's small dining room table.

Each had taken a long shower, letting the hot water sooth their aches, allowing the steam to envelope them, providing a space for each of them to simply...be. Trying to find a balance in what had become an imbalanced world.

Now, sitting there at the table, each of them holding a warm cup of tea, they were both aware of the tension that lay between them. Their energies and emotions bouncing off the other like flashing steel spheres in a pinball machine.

"We both love him," Valerie began "and he loves each of us. That was made pretty clear today, you don't risk your life the way he did, look at someone the way he does and not. The question is, what now, what do we do about it?" she finished, taking a big gulp of her tea, her eyes not looking up to meet Tera's.

Tera sat impassively, she felt the tension, knew that they had to do...something, but she had no idea what that something was.

"I don't want to make him choose," Tera said

"If it comes to that...I will step aside, I don't think any of us know exactly how to handle something like this, hell I wouldn't know how to handle Michael's feelings if you weren't involved," Tera said, the cup in her hand was rotating in small circles as her fingertips played with it, trying to release some of the nervous energy that continued to build within her.

"Have you been in love before Tera?" Valerie's question surprised her and she waited a long time before responding, watching the rain drops slide down Valerie's window from the light rain that had started a few minutes before.

"Valerie, I have never felt...anything, like I feel for Michael. It is such a strange sensation, I see him as an equal, a strong self assured person who can take care of himself, but at the same time he is so soft, so willing to give of himself. I have never been in love Valerie, what I feel for Michael is always what I hoped and dreamed it would be, and so much more that it scares me." Tera finished, her eyes closing to fight back the tears that threatened to spill forth.

Tera looked at the woman across from her, felt her words as she said them, remembered how strong she was at the hospital, how much of a comfort it was to have her there, near her.

She stood and moved around the table, bending down she took Tera's hands in hers, noticing the roughness of them, the calluses from many years of training and hardship, she also saw the softness in the woman's eyes.

"We will be there for him, in whatever way he wishes us to be, he loves us, there is little else at this point that I could hope for, we will simply be there for him...and each other," Valerie said as the woman in front of her broke, the tears sliding down over her smooth cheeks as she reached out and embraced her, feeling the simple connection with someone who understood, who felt what she did, who loved.

They stayed there like that for a long time, each drawing from the other, each feeling the others emotions, their embrace was broken by the sound of Tera's cell phone gently ringing in the other room.

Nigel's voice sounded tired when Tera answered her phone.

"Michael's missing," Nigel said.

Tera didn't hear any more, as she had already dropped the phone, yelling to Valerie to get dressed.

...............

Michael headed down the dimly lit street. It had been relatively easy getting out of the "hospital". It seems that the top 7 floors of the building held medical offices, the rest were standard commercial spaces.

He took an easy confident stride to the elevator on his floor, down to the lobby and threw a half interested nod at the security guard at the desk. Quick and easy.

At the corner he was able to hail a cab.

"Oxford," Michael said to the driver, pulling his wallet from his coat pocket.

"That's a fairly big fare mate," the driver said, looking over his shoulder at him.

"Will this cover it?" Michael asked, handing the driver three one hundred pound notes.

"Yep, will do," the driver said, flipping the switch on top of the cab and slowly pulling away from the curb.

Michael sat in the back of the cab, watching the city pass by.

He felt good, strong, the strangeness of that fact along with the rest of the things that had happened to him over the last few weeks rattled around in his head, none of them finding purchase.

He was lost in the swirl of emotions and memories, could he wrap himself around his reality, could he actually live a life filled with these kinds of days. Could any man.

He pulled the cell phone from his jacket; he stared at it for a long time. The passing lights reflecting off its glossy black face, he absently started scrolling through the names and numbers, not looking for anyone in particular, knowing that none of these names, the people he had lived and shared his life with in the past would be of any help.

He missed his parents and his grandfather, missed the easy conversations with Sasha about everything...and nothing at all.

For an instant he felt lost, felt as though he were totally alone in the world and then that instant passed.

Their faces drifted to him out of the light fog that shrouded the cab, Valerie's playful eyes and soft loving face, Tera's strong, set features, her wicked smile.

So very different, yet eliciting such similar feelings. He shook his head, wanting to call Tera, to have her strength give him a foundation to work from. Wanting to call Valerie, to get simply lost in her soft and easy laughter, find comfort in the warmth she seemed to radiate.

The duality of them had a calming effect, he shifted back and forth between them, running the moments shared with each through his head, the early morning run's with Tera, the sound of her unexpected laugh when he told her of the manatee in the canal all those years ago.

The subtle sensual rise and fall of Valerie's ass as she had walked away from him that afternoon two weeks ago.

"Fuck," he sighed, bringing a quick glance in the rearview from the driver.

"Sorry," Michael said, motioning his pack of cigarettes to the driver, getting a brief nod of the head in return.

Lighting up and taking a deep drag Michael laid his head back on the seat, hoping that the dawn would bring some new clarity to a life that seemed to be on an unknown road, whose destination held both the promises of love, and the fear of it...as well.

When Michael looked up again they were pulling into Nelson Street, sitting up, shaking the sleep from his head he looked at the meter, $225.00.

"Keep the change," he said as he stepped out of the cab, stretching, glad to be back home, ready for another shower, something to eat and his own damn clothes.

The brief nap in the cab had revitalized him, he was anxious for the dawn. He let the questions slip from his mind, the first day of school was today, no classes, but a few meetings then his first class on Wednesday, he found he was looking forward to it.

As his first lecture started playing through his mind and he reached into his coat for his keys he was surprised to hear someone speak from the shadows.

"What the hell...," Valerie started.

"...do you think you are doing."? Tera finished.

'Uh oh," Michael thought, hopping the darkness would hide his delighted smile as he watched Tera and Valerie step from the shadows and move towards him.

Each was hoping the same thing.... as he.