Touched by Flame (Dragonborn Daughters Book 2)

by Kimber White

  I tasted her blood. I felt her shock of pain. Just an instant. Then it blossomed into pleasure. A new orgasm spread through her, making her go rigid. I came again.

  I filled her. I felt myself grow. Stretching her. Making her mine for good. Claiming her. And she claimed me right back.

  When I released her neck, Mia’s thoughts flooded my brain.

  “My turn.”

  I grabbed hold of her hips and flipped her over so she straddled me. Her hair fell forward. Fire still filled her eyes. I thrust upward, impaling her even deeper. Mia arched her back. I reached for her nipples, squeezing them gently.

  Then Mia’s head fell forward. Her fangs came out. She sank them into my chest, just above my heart. I felt that same shock of pain that blossomed into pleasure. She marked me. Branded me with a bite of fire.

  I flipped her again, putting her on her back. She spread her legs wide in submission.

  Oh, yes. She would submit. She was born for it. But she was born to command as well.

  Later, I took Mia by the hand. It was time to go.

  “What do you think they’ll do when they find this place?” she asked.

  “There won’t be anyone left to tell the tale,” I said. “You made sure of that, my love.”

  “Clairmont,” I said. “You promised Luka and the others they’d find sanctuary there.”

  I smiled. My heart ached a little for the promises I wouldn’t be able to keep. But I knew I would keep others.

  “We’ll find somewhere else to go,” I said.

  She smiled up at me. “I have an idea about that. If you’ll trust me, that is.”

  I swept her up in my arms. “My love, I’ll follow you anywhere. You already know that.”

  I set her down. “But you’re right. I owe a debt to Luka and the rest of the Vadim pack. It’s going to be hard for your family to hear.”

  Her eyes darkened, but the love she felt for me never left them. “I love you. And we belong to each other. Even my grandfather knows not to question fate.”

  I took a deep breath. “Your grandfather. To him, I suppose I have a lot to answer for.”

  Mia laughed. “I suppose you do.”

  “And you’re going to enjoy it way too damn much!”

  I nipped her ear and swatted her ass. Mia gave out a little shriek of pleasure that stirred my blood.

  “Focus,” she said. “We’ve got a long way to go. And you shouldn’t worry so much about Grandpa. Because first you’ll have to get through my dad.”

  “Great,” I said as we made our way down the hill, heading north. “Any advice?”

  She smiled. “Just mind your manners. He runs a little hot.”

  Laughing, I swatted her ass again. Mia shifted. Her wolf rose, strong and glorious. She howled a challenge. One I would look forward to meeting again and again. I let my wolf out and gave chase.

  Chapter 25

  Mia

  “Can you fly?” Viktor asked. I loved the feel of his arms wrapped around me as I settled against him. We hurtled west toward Chicago by train. We’d rented a sleeper car, but hadn’t done much sleeping.

  “I don’t think so,” I giggled. “Until two days ago, I didn’t even know I could breathe fire.”

  He slipped his hands between my legs. “In more ways than one, baby.”

  I moaned. “Stop. We’re almost there.”

  I felt Viktor’s heart skip when I said it. It felt both strange and natural to be connected to him so closely now. We were still getting used to the idea that we didn’t have to talk out loud to each other if we didn’t want to. His thoughts were just there, inside me, unspoken. And mine were there with him. We had no secrets anymore. But still, we had so much to discover about each other.

  I knew his pain. I saw his Uncle Pavel through his eyes and memories now. He’d been a cold, distant but powerful presence. Viktor had been told to hate the Kalenkovs, but deep in his heart, even as a little boy, I could read his doubts. Like me, it’s as if he always knew there was something more to the stories.

  I could sense his fierce love for those who remained from the Vadim pack. His horror when he found out a few of his cousins most loyal to Pavel had taken part in the attacks that started this war almost sixteen years ago now.

  They were dead. Viktor was the last of the Vadim Alphas. The Ring had been right about one thing. A union between the Kalenkovs and Vadims would make us both stronger. But we would fight in opposition to the Ring, not for it.

  The train lurched to a stop. We’d reached Union Station. Viktor stiffened. His protective fear bubbled through me.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I said. “You’re on my turf now. The hard part’s over.”

  Yesterday, I’d arranged a forgery for Viktor’s paperwork. We’d had a few tense moments when we boarded the train bound for the Illinois Oasis Territory. But he’d passed. As far as the Ring border agents knew, he was Viktor Call now. Besides, we knew their leadership was in total disarray in these parts. I’d laid waste to them. We might have been able to board without paperwork at all.

  We rose from our seats. I took Viktor’s hand. We were just a quick cab ride from my father’s house. Now it was my turn to feel a flare of trepidation. I hadn’t been back home in almost three years. It hadn’t been safe.

  Viktor was quiet on the car ride over. We were content to simply enjoy each other’s company. I had no idea how much solitude we’d find in the days to come. My father would have questions. They would send for my grandfather. He was probably already on his way.

  The midday sun shone brightly as we went up the winding drive to my father’s estate. I felt Viktor bristle and knew what he thought. A little of his old attitude came to the surface. He saw wealth, privilege. But he settled as my truth washed over him.

  This was all for show. My family had spent the last thousand years hiding who we were. We’d spent the last fifteen fighting to save as many shifters as we could. We didn’t always win. And now Viktor knew the pain I’d suffered, never being able to stay in one place from the moment I came of age.

  The house reminded him of Clairmont. As we stepped out of the car and made our way up to the porch, it hit me. It hit us both at once.

  “You’ve seen it,” I whispered. “In your dreams. You thought it was Clairmont you were looking for. But it wasn’t. It was here.”

  Viktor smiled. “I’ll be damned. Yes. Mia, I’ve been looking for you my whole life.”

  The door flew open. My mother stood in the foyer, teary-eyed. She rushed forward and threw her arms around me. Her anguished cry cut through me.

  “Mama,” I whispered. “Oh, Mama.”

  Grace Brandhart was a formidable woman. Just human, her latent shifter DNA made her taller than most. She matched my height. She wore her dark hair long. A new streak of white began at the crown. I knew I was the source of it.

  “Mama,” I said. “This is Viktor. Viktor Vadim.”

  She took a step back but kept her arm around me. Viktor stood tall and strong. My father appeared in the foyer behind my mother. God. I’d almost forgotten how big he was. He stood eye to eye with Viktor. Dragon versus wolf. I had my father’s blood, but Viktor owned my heart.

  “He’s yours?” my father said, his voice deep and booming.

  “I’m his,” I answered.

  “Vadim,” Gideon Brandhart said, his tone resigned.

  Viktor stepped forward. “Yes. Vadim. I have a lot to answer for with you. This, I know. But you need to know that I’ve pledged myself to Mia. We’re fated. And I’m in love with her. I’ll die for her if that’s what it takes.”

  My father’s jaw twitched. His eyes went stone cold. He folded my mother against him. A moment passed. Two. Then my father raised a brow. “Not today, Vadim. Not today.”

  Smiling, I went into Viktor’s arms.

  “Come inside,” my mother said. “It’s time for you to meet the family.”

  “The family?” I said, shock turning my blood cold. “The whole family?”
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  We followed my parents down the hall and through the kitchen. She opened the French doors out into the yard. They were all there. Her brother Milo and his wife. My father’s brothers and their mates. The crowd parted a bit, and I saw my grandfather’s white hair as his back was turned.

  Viktor stiffened beside me. His wolf senses told him the truth before I even could.

  “Kalenkov,” he whispered. He understood he was in the presence of a pack rival. For generations, Kalenkovs had warred with Vadims. So much anger. So much death. So much sorrow. So much waste.

  My grandfather was very old. Most Alphas didn’t live as long as he had. A testament to his strength. Soon, he would step down and let one of my uncles lead if they wanted it. He took halting steps as he turned. Deep lines creased his face. I saw a generation of suffering in his eyes as he looked Viktor up and down.

  Viktor let go of my hand. He approached my grandfather. Viktor stood several inches taller. He was broader. Stronger. And yet, my grandfather looked formidable enough to give him a run for his money.

  “You said you have much to answer for,” my grandfather said in clear, abrupt Russian.

  Viktor raised his chin. “I do indeed,” he answered back in the same tongue.

  My grandfather looked at me, then back at Viktor. “You’ve taken,” he said.

  Viktor swallowed hard. “She has given,” he said.

  “Papa,” I started. My grandfather raised a hand, stopping me. My mother came to my side. She slipped her hand in mine. I drew strength from her.

  My grandfather took a single step backward. “He’s your mate?” he asked me.

  “Yes, Deda,” I said. “I love him with my whole heart.”

  “You’ve offered your life for hers?” he said to Viktor.

  “She’s proven more than able at taking care of herself,” Viktor said. “But yes. I have offered my life for hers against the Ring. And I will do it again and again.”

  My father rubbed a hand over his chin. He slowly blinked. Finally, he held his hand out to Viktor’s. “Then you have answered well enough.”

  Viktor’s eyes glistened as he took my grandfather’s hand. When they let go, each of them shifted. My grandfather’s gray wolf howled. Viktor’s black wolf howled back.

  “Mama,” I said, trying to step forward. She held me back.

  “It’s all right,” she said, smiling. “Let them be. It’s time for them to hunt side by side.”

  Tears flooded down my face as my grandfather and my mate, Kalenkov and Vadim, took to the woods together.

  Chapter 26

  Mia

  Two Months Later

  “You know this is pointless,” I said. Viktor had his hands over my eyes. But I could sense my surroundings through his eyes. We were in the deep woods, a few miles north of my father’s house.

  Viktor nipped my ear, sending a wave of pleasure through me. We could barely keep our hands off of each other. I knew what it meant. Any day now...any hour, I’d come into a full heat. My lust nearly overpowered me as it was. We were barely fit to be around other people these days.

  “All right,” he said, licking a trail up my neck. “Open your eyes.”

  He pulled his hands away. I leaned against his strong chest as his hands enveloped me. He’d brought me to a clearing. High on a hill, I followed his eyes to the valley below.

  “My God,” I whispered. I saw Viktor’s vision clearly. Construction had already begun on the new house. It was a huge log cabin style with a wraparound porch and giant floor to ceiling windows facing a small, private lake.

  “We have sixty acres,” he said. “And permission to hunt all the lands to the northwest,” he said.

  “Paradise Valley,” I said.

  “What?”

  “Paradise Valley?” I answered. “My grandfather scouted this place out about a decade ago. He thought it would make a good hideout for any members of the Russian pack that wanted to come over.”

  “They didn’t though,” Viktor said.

  “They haven’t needed to,” I said. “My grandfather and his allies have managed to keep them all safe enough. But he knew this place was special. He knew it should belong to a pack.”

  Viktor’s heart seemed to grow. It was then I sensed the other wolves. Luka. Nico. A few more. My father was working with Viktor to secure safe passage to about a dozen other Vadim refugees. They would all come here. They would all pledge their loyalty to their new Alpha. Viktor. And me.

  “Oh, Viktor,” I said. “It’s incredible. It’s…”

  I could see it all. We would start anew. We would reestablish the Vadim/Kalenkov alliance here. We would grow stronger under Viktor’s leadership. There would be more battles to fight. But we would come at them from a position of strength.

  “We’ve retaken lands to the southeast as well,” Viktor said. “The entire area around Shawnee and through Mammoth Forest. The Ring is in retreat in that region. Your grandfather thinks we might even be able to secure a new treaty with the government to legally expand the Oasis Territories through all of Illinois, parts of Indiana and Kentucky.”

  I turned, stepping into Viktor’s embrace. “We’ll be able to help so many more shifters, Viktor. Those who have been hiding in the shadows for far too long. Women. Children. Maybe we can even get a few more Alphas out.”

  “Maybe,” he agreed.

  I looked up at him. A shadow crossed his face and wrapped around my heart. “For now,” I said. “The Ring will regroup. When they do, they’ll come after you.”

  He smiled. “And I’ll be ready. We all will. I’ve faced them down and won before, Mia. With you at my side, I’m not afraid of anything.”

  “I love you,” I said.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go down to the water. I know you want to.”

  He knew what else I wanted too. It burned through me. We shed our clothes as we made our way down the hill. The shadow of the new house loomed above us. Soon, we’d watch the sunrise over the hill from our bedroom window.

  I stuck a toe in the water. The chill exhilarated me. Viktor got a running start. He dove with the grace of an Olympian, arcing high and slicing into the water with barely a splash.

  When he emerged, the water beaded his muscled chest. I sat on the beach. My lust made me glow as he came to me. He gently spread my thighs and buried himself between them.

  “Oh, God,” I whispered. Desire flooded me. Viktor tasted me with his skilled tongue. He spread me open. He devoured me.

  Then it was my turn. I took him in my mouth, loving how he grew hard and twitched. When he couldn’t take another second, he flipped me over, pulling my ankles wide apart.

  He slipped inside me, stretching me, filling me, completing me. Over and over again I came. When I began to crest down, Viktor stroked me and sparked the flame anew.

  We explored each other. Worked each other. Claimed each other. We made love until the moon came out. I gasped when I saw it rise above the hill as I turned and Viktor entered me from behind.

  “Oh, God,” I whispered. I knew. A new flush of desire spread through me. I felt as if I were about to soar.

  My heat.

  It was time.

  Viktor felt it too. He let out a howl that filled the air.

  The rising moon reflected back perfectly in the water before us. Twin moons. Twin hearts. Only now, they had become one. Viktor and me. The pack we would lead together.

  And I knew there was something more. Something even bigger than both of us. It hadn’t happened in generations. Maybe in hundreds of years. Not like this.

  Viktor was a legacy Alpha. So was I. Our union had been dictated by fate and pack law. Meant to be. United.

  Viktor turned me, laying me on my back. I spread my legs wide as he came to me. I gasped as he entered me. Something had changed.

  I felt Viktor grow inside of me. Locking in place. I’d heard stories about it. The old way. Two full-blooded shifters mating at the apex of the heat under a full moon…

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bsp; I spread my legs even wider, feeling the stretch. We would stay like this. Joined. Locked as one until the sun rose again as I took his seed.

  Pleasure exploded through me. Viktor’s eyes glowed gold. I saw the fire in mine reflected back.

  As Viktor let out another howl, I felt his seed take root. I saw the future in his eyes.

  He would be beautiful. Our son. Strong. The most powerful Alpha in a generation. He would face challenges. Fight impossible battles. But we would back him as my family had for me.

  My love. My mate. Viktor and me. We were one. Unbreakable. Undeniable. Destined.

  I howled along with Viktor and joined my strength and heart with his.

  Up Next for the Dragonborn Daughters

  CLICK COVER FOR MORE INFO

  With a dragon for a father and a powerful fire witch for a mother, Phaedra Brandhart burns hot. Caught behind enemy lines, she comes face to face with the one Alpha wolf who might be able to handle her.

  Don’t miss, Cursed by Flame the next smoldering book in the Dragonborn Daughters series. https://kimberwhite.com/dragonborn-daughters/cursed-by-flame/

  Books by Kimber White

  Dragonborn Daughters Series Page

  Bitten by Flame

  Touched by Flame

  Cursed by Flame

  Called by Flame

  Loved by Flame

  Dragonkeepers Series Page

  Kissed by Fire

  Tempted by Fire

  Marked by Fire

  Claimed by Fire

  Freed by Fire

  Wolfguard Protectors

  Shift of Fate

  Echo of Magic

  Kiss of Midnight

  Heart of the Wolf

  Secret of the Fae

  Mammoth Forest Wolves Series Page

  Liam

  Mac

  Gunnar