Dragonborn: Mated to the Dragon king

Rhysann approached her to examine the markings, but Aria rebuffed him and moved away, still reeling from the searing pain she had endured. She staggered back, her breaths uneven as her mind struggled to process everything that just happened.

Before either of them could say a word, a sharp knock resounded through the door.

"Rhysann. Open up," a loud male voice called from the other side.

Rhysann froze as he recognized the voice instantly. It was his cousin, Raiken.

Quickly, Rhysann grabbed Aria's arm and pulled her close. He pressed her against the wall and his broad frame shielded her entirely. Aria was startled and confused, then she recalled his warning about the other dragons and with no other choice, decided to play along.

"Go away. I am busy at the moment." Rhysann responded smoothly, trying to mask the anxiety in his voice.

A pause followed.

"C'mon, cousin. What're you hiding? Let me see..." Raiken's voice returned with a teasing undertone.

"... Just leave!" Rhysann's voice sharpened with a low growl lacing his words.

The silence that followed was short-lived. Suddenly, there was a thunderous bang and the door burst open, swinging wide as Raiken, adjusting his tunic, sauntered in. He had a smug smile on his face as he scanned the chamber. He had kicked the door open with his dragon's might.

Rhysann quickly held Aria tightly to himself, shielding her from Raiken's predatory gaze.

He stared at Rhysann's half-exposed broad back for a moment and broke into a peal of mocking laughter.

"Busy having fun, dear cousin?" he uttered with a mocking tone and laughed aloud again. Rhysann turned slightly, his piercing blue eyes glaring daggers.

Raiken's nose flared as he caught a faint scent in the air. His smirk was quickly replaced by a look of surprise.

"Hmm...wait a moment... that scent... she's human, isn't she?" He laughed again, though this time with disbelief. "You've finally taken a human sex slave? Really, Rhysann?"

Aria was enraged by his words and clenched her fists which rested on Rhysann's hard and chiseled chest, but did nothing. His intoxicating scent wafted into her nostrils and it muddled with her senses.

"You're overstepping my boundaries, Raiken," Rhysann growled. "This is my chamber, and you're trespassing. Leave now, or I'll remind you who holds the power here!"

Raiken stood still for a moment, stunned at Rhysann's sudden behavior. Of course, he had always been an aloof man but that moment, he so sounded different, unusually defensive too. He could feel the anger of his powerful dragon radiating from within.

Raiken raised his hands in mock surrender, chuckling as he took a step back.

"Relax, cousin. I was only teasing. But I'd love to see this human who's got you so... protective."

"I said leave!" Rhysann's voice thundered. The authority in it was palpable.

Raiken hesitated but eventually backed off, his sly grin lingering.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

He left with a casual wave, closing the door behind him.

Rhysann waited, listening intently until Raiken's footsteps had faded before he loosened his hold around Aria.

"You're safe now," he said softly, his voice lower, almost tender. His eyes softened as they met hers.

"Are you alright?"

Aria was speechless. Their bodies were dangerously close, that they could feel the warmth radiating from each other. The strange markings on her right arm pulsed faintly as his fingers slowly, tenderly, almost reverently, glided down her skin. A slight shiver coursed through her body.

Being this close to him, Aria could fully take in his breathtaking features. His visage was striking in more ways than one; carved with regal precision, high cheekbones, a strong jawline, and alluring lips that tickled her deepest fantasies as they moved.

His broad, powerful torso was sculpted with thick, defined muscles, his sun-kissed skin highlighting every contour of his body. Her fingers were tangled in his tresses which were dark and glossy as a raven's wing. It cascaded down his back and shoulders in thick, untamed waves. A few loose strands fell across his brow, lending a touch of softness to his commanding presence.

His oversized black tunic had shifted, revealing his captivating chest when he urgently pulled her into his embrace. In his haste, he had torn her dress slightly, leaving

her bosom just a bit more exposed

than before.

Rhysann's large hand slowly moved upward again, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its path until it rested on her shoulder. Gently, he slipped his fingers beneath her chin, tilting her face upward to meet his intense, penetrating gaze. His thumb lightly brushed against her cheek… then grazed over her lower lip… lingering for a moment that felt endless… and then…

Aria gasped and pulled away from him. Rhysann stepped back and watched as she tried to shield herself. Something intense was happening, but what?

Rhysann turned his back to her as his thoughts raced. His dragon had marked Aria. This meant that she was his mate; his first, true mate!

But how could this happen? There had never been any record of a dragonborn mating with a human, and such a possibility was deemed nothing more than a myth. Yet now, for the first time in the history of dragons, it had become a reality.

Many possibilities haunted him. Perhaps this was fate, which had a way of doing the most unexpected things, but could fate truly break the laws of nature?!

This was dangerous. Rhysann had brought Aria here at the insistence of his people. After Ares was attacked by Samuel, he became consumed with the desire for revenge, and his focus fell on Aria.

Ares despised her from the moment he learned of her involvement, and was determined to make her pay for the pain she had caused him that day. The bow and arrow had been hers, after all.

As always, Rhysann had ordered her capture on the day of the Morveth to punish her for crossing the border and daring to "attack" a Dragonborn. But everything changed the moment he laid eyes on her. Instead of proceeding with her punishment, an unexplainable need to protect her possessed him. Now, he understood the reason why; it was because Aria was his fated mate.

He glanced over his shoulder at her. She looked so young and undeserving of all the trouble, and her face was shadowed with worry. Her gaze remained fixed on the markings mysteriously etched onto her arm.

"Undo whatever you just did to me..." she turned to him, her eyes red with anger. Aria wanted to leave so desperately now.

"I can't," he admitted, his voice heavy with regret.

"You can't?" she repeated, her frustration rising. "You burned me and now what? You can't fix it?"

Rhysann sighed deeply.

"I didn't do that on purpose, Aria. And it's not a burn...."

"Then what is it?!" she uttered aloud, her tone laced with frustration.

"It's a mating mark."

Aria's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

'A mating mark?'

"I... I don't understand."

Rhysann exhaled and stood in silence. He couldn't bring himself to tell her the reality of their situation, but he had to.

"You are my fated mate, Aria. The moment we touched... My dragon marked you."

Aria's eyes widened in realization.