Pounding Earth Read online

  Pounding Earth

  Starcrossed Dragons Book 4

  Erin Bedford

  J. A. Cipriano

  Copyright © 2018 by Erin Bedford & J.A. Cipriano

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Want to get this FREE?

  Also by Erin Bedford

  Also by J.A. Cipriano

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Thank You for reading!

  Author’s Note

  Want to get this FREE?

  Sign up here. If you do, I'll send you my short story, Alone in the Dark, for free.

  Visit J.A. on Facebook or on the web at JACipriano.com or visit Erin on Facebook or on the web at ErinBedford.com.

  Also by Erin Bedford

  The Underground

  Chasing Rabbits

  Chasing Cats

  Chasing Princes

  Chasing Shadows

  Chasing Hearts

  Fairy Tale Bad Boys

  Hunter

  Pirate

  Thief

  Mirror

  Stepbrother

  The Celestial War Chronicles

  Song of Blood and Fire

  Visions of War and Water

  The Mary Wiles Chronicles

  Marked By Hell

  Bound By Hell

  Deceived By Hell

  Tempted By Hell

  The Crimson Fold

  Until Midnight

  Vampire CEO

  Granting Her Wish

  Also by J.A. Cipriano

  The Pen is Mightier

  The Pen is Mightier: Company Ink

  Super Human

  King of the Gods

  World of Ruul

  Soulstone: Awakening

  Soulstone: The Skeleton King

  Soulstone: Oblivion

  Bug Wars

  Doomed Infinity Marine

  Doomed Infinity Marine 2

  The Legendary Builder

  The Builder’s Sword

  The Builder’s Greed

  The Builder’s Pride

  The Builder’s Wrath

  The Builder’s Throne

  The Builder’s Conquest

  Starcrossed Dragons

  Riding Lightning

  Grinding Frost

  Swallowing Fire

  Pounding Earth

  The Goddess Harem

  The Tiger’s Offer

  The Wolf’s Hunt

  Justice Squad

  Miracle’s Touch

  Her Angels

  Heaven’s Embrace

  Heaven’s A Beach

  The FBI Dragon Chronicles

  A Ritual of Fire

  A Ritual of Death

  Elements of Wrath Online

  Ring of Promise

  The Vale of Three Wolves

  Crystalfire Keep

  Kingdom of Heaven

  The Skull Throne

  Escape From Hell

  The Thrice Cursed Mage

  Cursed

  Marked

  Burned

  Seized

  Claimed

  Hellbound

  The Half-Demon Warlock

  Pound of Flesh

  Flesh and Blood

  Blood and Treasure

  The Lillim Callina Chronicles

  Wardbreaker

  Kill it with Magic

  The Hatter is Mad

  Fairy Tale

  Pursuit

  Hardboiled

  Mind Games

  Fatal Ties

  Clans of Shadow

  Heart of Gold

  Feet of Clay

  Fists of Iron

  The Spellslinger Chronicles

  Throne to the Wolves

  Prince of Blood and Thunder

  Found Magic

  May Contain Magic

  The Magic Within

  Magic for Hire

  Witching on a Starship

  Maverick

  Planet Breaker

  The Shaman Queen's Harem

  Ghosts and Grudges

  1

  “Oooh, right there,” I moaned, leaning into Raiden’s touch. His fingers dug into my shoulders, hitting just the right spot to make me squirm. I’d been waiting all day for this moment. The moment I would get to finally relax and sink my aching body into the bath tub. Raiden joining me had been a bonus.

  “Like that, do you?” Raiden chuckled in my ear, making the water slosh around us. We’d taken refuge in my bathroom after spending all day in the training field. The North might be a frozen icy land, but they did have some killer training grounds.

  “You have no idea.” I groaned again and shifted closer to him. “I’m happy you guys are helping me get stronger, but it’s killer on my muscles.”

  “You shouldn’t overwork yourself.” Raiden turned me slightly to look at him. “You’re still pregnant.”

  “So?” I arched a brow. “I’m pregnant, not weak.” I stroked my hand along my swelling belly. My second trimester had begun, and our daughter had done her best to make herself known. One day, I was staring down at a flat stomach, and the next thing I know, my belly button was several inches further out than it had been before.

  It didn’t bother me, really. I wasn’t vain. Living with my father had taught me to have a tough skin and to accept myself the way I was born. In fact, the more my daughter grew, the less I cared about what I looked like, and the more I worried about getting stronger.

  I couldn’t rely on the guys to keep me safe every minute of every day. There were too many enemies, and more being added by the day. The only people not trying to kill us were Firestar’s family. Though that might change if they ever figured out that we had lied about Firestar being my only mate.

  “What’s wrong?” Raiden asked, dropping his hands from my shoulders.

  I shrugged but didn’t answer.

  Not accepting my silence, Raiden turned me in his arms so that I sat curled up on his muscular front. He brushed his thumb against the side of my face, pushing a stray wet hair away.

  “Is it the baby?” The concern in his eyes made my heart warm more than I could handle. The guys had been so loving toward me, and that love had grown the farther along I got in my pregnancy. I partly suspected it was my unbalanced hormones that made them act so caring, but since I’d started to level out a bit more, they hadn’t let up.

  “No, she’s fine.” I smiled, placing my hand on my stomach. “Getting hungry but fine.”

  “Then what is it.”

  “Aren’t you worried?” I finally asked, shifting so that I could sit more comfortably in his lap.

  “About the baby?” Raiden raised a brow, and I shook my head.

  I chewed on my bottom lip as I tried to find a delicate way to bring up his mother and father. Raiden hadn’t gotten better at hearing about the mother that betrayed him and his family, so I didn’t want to poke at him more than needed.

  “Come now.” Raiden gave me his trademark grin. “There’s nothing you can’t tell me, Maya. I
love you. Nothing you could say would change that.”

  Tell that to his mother.

  Lady Nariko had all but obliterated her family with her lust for power. The moment she found out that I could give powers to my lovers, she had turned into a power-hungry monster. It wasn’t enough that her youngest son was benefiting from my powers, she needed all her sons to be the strongest.

  Her sons and husband didn’t share the same opinion, and sadly, that led to Lady Nariko to stage a coup. She had thrown Lord Shen, Raiden’s father, into the dungeon and had tried to do the same to her sons. Fortunately, Raiden’s twin brothers were safe here with us in the North, but we didn’t know if Lord Shen was still alive.

  Unable to hesitate any longer, I asked, “Do you think your father is okay?”

  Raiden’s grin wilted on the edges, and then it came back in full force. “Oh, I’m sure of it. We Easterners are survivors. How else do you think I would have lived through my brothers growing up?” He laughed, but it was forced.

  I couldn’t imagine how Raiden was feeling, what he had pent up inside of him. My relationship with my family had always been shaky, so I’d never had the close-knit, loving kind of bonds Raiden had with his. And for his mother to betray them all like that? Unbelievable. I would expect it from my father. He only had his own well-being in mind. But the heartbreaking way Raiden and his brothers looked when they found out their mother was not the person they knew? My own heart ached for them.

  Now, all I could do was be there for him and help him save his father and his kingdom. For him and for our daughter.

  “Do you think we’ll make a move soon?” I asked, running a hand through his black and white hair. He leaned into my touch, his eyes closing briefly. When they opened, they were hard.

  “If we don’t soon, we are going to lose the few warriors we have.”

  Things were getting tense around the Northern kingdom. The warriors we had procured for Raiden’s father’s rescue wanted to know when we would get started, something I wanted to know as well.

  “Do you think we have a chance with the men we have?” I asked though I knew the answer.

  Raiden sighed. “If we attack now, we’d be committing suicide.” He shook his head, making me drop my hand. “We are better off waiting for more supporters, but where we’ll get them, I have no idea.”

  I slid closer to him, pressing myself against him as much as my belly would let me. “We’ll save him, Raiden,” I assured him, hoping my eyes showed the confidence I was faking. “We won’t let your mother win.”

  “I know.” Raiden gave me a small smile, his arms wrapping around my waist. He drew me down for a soft kiss which ended sooner than I would have liked. “You just take care of yourself and our daughter and leave the worrying to us. After all, why else would you need three men?”

  I smirked. “Oh, I know a few reasons.”

  “Is that right?” Raiden leered at me, his hands moving up against my back. I could feel him growing beneath me, and it made me wiggle slightly. Raiden groaned and cupped my butt, grinding his erection against me.

  Placing my hands on his shoulders, I rubbed myself against his length. Hot sparks of need shot through me, making my insides clench. One benefit of this pregnancy had been the increasing awareness of every nerve ending in my body. Just one slight vibration could have me orgasming on the spot. Helpful in the bedroom, not so much when in the middle of training.

  Slick and hungry for more friction, I lifted myself up. Reaching between us, Raiden aligned himself with my wet folds. Even without any foreplay, I was still more than ready for him, but each inch I sank onto him stretched and rubbed me until I sighed in pleasure.

  Swallowing hard, I enjoyed the feel of him inside of me for just a moment. Raiden didn’t move, his eyes trained on my face. I licked my lips and nodded when I’d had my fill.

  Hands on my hips, he lifted me gently. My head fell back at the sensation and a low gurgling groan released from my throat. Every nerve jolted as if they had downed five cans of Red Bull. I chuckled slightly at the thought. My best friend Ryan from Earth would be appalled to know I had used his favorite drink as a sex reference.

  “Laughter is not usually the reaction I’m going for when I’m inside of you,” Raiden reminded me, and I smiled down at him.

  “Sorry, just had a funny thought.”

  He quirked a brow. “Well, do tell,” I opened my mouth to do so, but he tweaked my nipple, making me yip. “Later. Tell me later. After I’ve thoroughly fucked you into oblivion.”

  “So sure of yourself, are you?” I quipped and then groaned as he moved me along his length again. My fingernails dug into his shoulders, and I gasped.

  Raiden grinned. “Yes, I am.”

  Panting, I said, “Less talking, more moving.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Raiden thrust up into me, hitting the back of me with a sharp sting. I’d once worried our aggressive lovemaking might hurt the baby, but Trina had assured us that as long as we weren’t doing anything too extreme, she’d be fine. She was a dragon after all. Aggression was kind of our calling card.

  Letting me control our movements for a while, Raiden cupped my breasts in his hands. They felt heavy even with Raiden holding them. He rolled the sensitive peaks in between his fingers, sending electric pangs of pleasure through me. I rotated my hips against him, clenching my walls around his length. Raiden paused in his ministrations to let out a heavy groan.

  “You don’t play fair,” he accused, thrusting up into me with more force. Gripping his hair in my hands, I buried my face into his neck. I sought out the pulsing vein along the junction of his throat and skimmed my teeth against it.

  The reaction was instant. Suddenly, I was lifted out of his lap and turned to face the edge of the tub. I gripped the side of the tub, my breasts now fully out of the water causing my nipples to harden tightly. I propped my knees up on the small ledge beneath the water’s surface, putting my ass up in the air.

  “You’re going to pay for that,” Raiden growled, his fingers tangling in my dark tresses. He tugged on them slightly, arching my head back. His other hand moved slowly over the swell of my hip, teasing and taunting me.

  “Please,” I gasped as his fingers dipped in between my thighs. As if he hadn’t heard me, Raiden kept moving in his own way, barely caressing my bundle of nerves before dipping inside of my entrance, none of the actions giving me much relief.

  “I’m not sure you really want it.” Raiden’s length bumped against my butt. “You seem more interested playing around.”

  “No,” I gasped just as he moved his fingers back to my clit. “I promise to behave.”

  “Oh?” Raiden cooed. “So, you didn’t bite me? I thought you were aware of who held the control in this relationship.”

  God damn him and his need for control. I had bitten him but not as a show of dominance. I just wanted him to get a move on. When you are constantly on the brink of orgasm, a girl could only take so much. If I had done the same thing to Jack or Firestar, they would have taken the hint and pounded into me until I was a pile of goo.

  Not Raiden.

  I wasn’t sure if it was because he was the youngest of three boys or if that was just the way he was wired, but Raiden always needed to prove something to me. It was funny, really. Out of the bedroom, I could boss him around, and he didn’t say anything. But behind closed doors, he needed me begging and pleading for my release.

  Not that I was complaining. He made me work for it sure, but it was worth it. Every knee shaking, teeth clenching moment of it.

  So, I gave him what he wanted, and he gave me what I needed. A good fucking and a mind-blowing orgasm. Win-win.

  “You’re in charge,” I bit out and pushed my ass into him. “Please, Raiden. I need …”

  “What do you need?” he asked, a demanding tone in his voice that made me gush down low.

  “You.”

  “Be more specific, pet.” Raiden removed his fingers from me, and I let out a keening moan.
“You know what I want to hear, Maya.”

  The way he said my name did it for me. Like a delectable dessert, he wanted to gobble me up if only I would give him permission. Cause that’s what this was all really about. My permission. My surrender. I had to surrender myself to him, and he would take care of me. In all ways.

  “I want you to fuck me.” I snapped, my patience growing thin at the play. I could blame my pregnancy, but really, I only wanted to be teased so much before I got grumpy.

  “Ah,” Raiden purred. “That’s what I wanted to hear.” Releasing my hair, he spread my nether lips before positioning himself back at my entrance. Before I could take a breath, he sheathed himself inside of me.

  He didn’t give me any warning as he thrust into me at a rapid pace. My breath came out in pants, and my fingers gripped the side of the tub so hard, I worried I might break it. I didn’t bother to hold back my cries of pleasure, I knew he’d want to hear them.

  “That’s it, pet,” Raiden encouraged me as I moaned loudly. “Tell me just what you want.”

  I closed my eyes tightly as my orgasm approached. It was almost there when a noise made my eyes shoot open. Firestar stood in the doorway of the bathroom, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes hot. Raiden didn’t stop moving, nor did shy away from Firestar’s gaze.

  With my eyes locked with his, I was just this shy of orgasming when Raiden pulled me away from the side of the tub. My hands instantly went behind me to hold on to him as he arranged me in his lap. My legs straddled his, my back to his front giving Firestar a full view of my body and Raiden’s length moving inside of me.