by Lisa Daniels
Shaking her head, the young woman threw her arms around his neck. “And I thought you were attractive in your human form. Ye Gods, how many people know there are dragon shifters out there? It can’t be very many.”
Calixto looked down at her with a half grin, “A few more people know about the existence of dragon shifters than the continued existence of a sorceress.”
Bree’s lips formed an oh before she chuckled, “It certainly explains how you understand power. I can’t even imagine what that kind of power feels like.” Her hand ran along his chest.
Placing his hand on hers, “And I cannot imagine what it is like to have so much power in such a small frame.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it.
Stepping forward, Bree pushed her body against his, and she was pleased to hear the sound of his laugh.
He pushed her away from him, “Now is not the time for that.”
“There is never a better time for love making than after a near death experience.”
He looked down at her, “Is that so?”
“Here let me show you.” She took his hand and pulled him away from the erupting volcano. It was all but forgotten. There was very little life around it, and they were too far away from it for it to be more than a pretty sight to watch.
The pair reached a large cabin. Bree turned the handle and entered it, pulling Calixto behind her. He pulled his hand out of hers, causing her to turn around. “We cannot be here.”
Bree looked at him confused, “Is this place dangerous for you?”
He frowned at her, “It isn’t our place. We can’t go making use of a human’s domicile at our leisure.”
Bree smiled at him and reached into her storage dimension, “Here, this should make you feel better.”
He read over a short missive. “You just happen to know the owner of this place?”
Bree nodded, “I have this kind of agreement in pretty much every province, state, city, country, prefecture, and domain in Letera. A lot of people owe me.” She wrapped his arms around her and pulled him toward one of the rooms. “Now let me show you the proper way to celebrate a near death experience.”
Calixto did not need any coaxing. He pulled her to him and swept her feet off of the ground. She laughed as he began kissing her neck, a laugh that soon turned into a moan. He slipped her dress off of her body before they had even reached the bed. Bree was tugging at his shirt as he tossed her onto the bed. She laughed as she flew through the air. Almost as soon as she hit the bed, Calixto was on top of her, one hand cupping her breast and the other pulling her leg around his hip. Shocked at how aggressive he was being, Bree murmured in his ear, “I don’t remember you being this eager before.”
Pulling back and looking down on her, the man replied, “Perhaps it was the lack of a near death experience.” He began kissing her as she laughed.
His hands were fast and efficient as they explored her body. Calixto had brought her to peaking less than a minute after getting her onto the bed. Bree was panting as she flipped over on top of him and worked his pants off with her hands and feet. Before she could do anything else, Calixto’s husky voice broke her concentration, “I don’t think so.”
The world spun and Bree found herself once again under him, “I am no one’s pet.”
Bree laughed as he kissed her forehead and down her face, “It had to sound believable,” she panted into his hair. “If they knew you were anything else, they would have killed you.”
Calixto stopped and looked at her, “With what? Magma?”
“Of course, they were-Oh,” she looked into his eyes as he smiled at her. She gave his arm a slap, “I didn’t know you were a dragon.”
The bed vibrated as he laughed and spread her legs apart with his hand. The laughter stopped as soon as he began to move into her. Bree wrapper her legs around his hips and arched into him. For the first time in a long time, she allowed someone else complete control over her body.
Several hours passed before either of them was ready to stop. Bree ran her hand through Calixto’s hair as she rested against his chest when a noise caught their attention. Both sets of eyes turned to looked at several wisps hovering over the ground a few feet from the bed.
“We are sorry to interrupt your procreation, but we have business with the witch.”
Bree sat up and stretched her hand out to her dress. A small, shiny object levitated over it. “It’s quite alright. I didn’t expect you so soon, but it would be best that you get this back into a secure location before something happens to it.”
The creatures moved in a way that suggested they agreed. “We thank you for your assistance. It was much quicker and far less risky than the other option.”
Bree nodded, “I know. I was glad to be of service.”
“Have you decided on your payment?”
Bree was aware of Calixto watching her as she shrugged, “I still haven’t thought of anything for myself. However, I hear that there is an expedition taking off from Berenice in about a month. I don’t really care one way or the other about the main objective, but there is a young researcher on board. She is quite intelligent and rather witty, so I would like to see just what she is capable of. If you would guide the course of her ship to a location that is suitable for her purposes, I would say that is payment enough.”
The wisps moved around as if in thought, “Directing the path of ships hardly seems like adequate payment.”
Bree smiled, “It may not be quite as simple as you may think. The Aeoleans are planning to destroy the ships before they reach their destination.”
“Ah,” there was a little sound of excitement in the response, “That sounds more like a game than a payment. And what path would be most beneficial for this researcher?”
Bree shrugged, “I have no idea.”
“You need us to figure that out?”
“And that is why it is adequate payment.”
The wisps moved in a way that was hypnotic and sounded like a breeze travelling around the room. “We look forward to repaying our debt to you. And we wish you health in your future dealings.”
Bree bowed her head. The wisps and the item disappeared.
Calixto moved too fast for Bree to resist. His hands pinned her wrists to the bed and his body lay on top of her. He looked down at her, “You said that you were bored, but based on what you said to the magma demons, you weren’t just working because of boredom. It sounded like they were trying to start something more serious.”
Bree shrugged, “Yes, and I interfered because I was bored. I’m sure that things would have worked out alright because the Sentii are incredibly intelligent, just a little too trusting. All I did was help avert open conflict.”
Calixto blinked at her, “And roughly how many lives do you think that you saved?”
She gave him a half grin, “It’s impossible to see the future, even more impossible to see all possible scenarios. Perhaps I save thousands, or perhaps I didn’t save anyone.”
“You received no payment for your work.” His voice was low and his eyes kept shifting to her breasts. She watched as he forced his lovely red eyes to look at her face.
“She really is a bright girl, and seeing her potential come to fruition is the best payment I can imagine.”
Calixto release her hands and looked away, “I am sincerely humbled by what you have done, and I apologize for the things I said to you. You are not selfish and foolish. The world has no idea how lucky it is to have you in it.” His eyes darted back to her, “Well, you are foolish, but not out of selfishness.”
Bree smiled up at him, “And you are almost the perfect man. The only thing wrong with you is that on the very rare occasion, you are wrong.” Her hand traced an elegant red dragon covering his shoulder. “So, you all literally wear your shape on your body.” Smiling up at him, Bree realized that she never wanted the touch of another man. Calixto complimented her in a way that no one else could. “Gods, I actually found a virtually perfect man. Unbelievable.”
Calixto smiled down on her, “Your words hurt.”
Bree sighed, “Next you will tell me that my smile is painful too.”
Slowly Calixto lowered his head and began to kiss her neck. Bree let him move her thighs apart and stroke them with his hand. “No,” he murmured, “your smile is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.” His movements were slow and deliberate as he gently pressed into her. Bree let out a satisfied groan as his mouth sought hers. His tongue parted her lips as he worked deeper into her.
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The Dragon Prisoner
Shifter Prisoners of Scythia
Book 4
By: Lisa Daniels
Prologue
A Terrible Morning
When I woke, I knew that things were going to go wrong. Mrs. Teasdon, the head cook of the palace, had taken time out of her busy schedule to find me herself—that alone boded very ill of what the day was going to be like. When she asked me to stop by the kitchens the next morning before starting my day, there was no question in my mind that nothing good could come of the request. Of course, there was no chance I would turn her down. And she knew it. She had once been instrumental in helping me find my path and overcoming what were impossible odds. In return, she had never asked for anything. Without her, I would never have become Captain of the Guards, yet my repeated attempts to repay her were always rebuffed with that friendly smile.
Now, it looked like she was finally going to make that request, and I imagined it was something big.
Not that she looked at it that way—she was not the kind of woman who would want to be paid back for doing what she thought was right. The thing was that Mrs. Teasdon knew that I would see it that way because that is who I am. She had once told me she would never ask me to pay her back for her help, yet here she was asking me for a favor. We both knew how I would react, and that was really all that mattered. That was also why I knew it had to be important.
I stared at the ceiling for a moment, asking why I couldn’t be sick for just this one day. If it were to go by and I didn’t see Mrs. Teasdon, she would begin to fret over me being sick and possibly forget about whatever she wanted to ask. Instead, I found myself in the same excellent health that I always had. It was the first time that I could remember cursing what had been one of my greatest assets. While I did want to help Mrs. Teasdon in any way possible, the kinds of requests I felt she would likely make… well, after what she did for me, I knew it very likely wasn’t going to be legal.
Swinging my legs over the bed, I quickly dressed in the familiar armor of my station and headed to the kitchen to see what could possibly make Mrs. Teasdon finally decide to ask me for help.
My mind began to wonder, and I almost immediately felt guilty for my apprehension. Mrs. Teasdon had a large family, and she worried about them incessantly. Always had. Not that many people knew about her family—she kept her personal life very personal. I was one of the few exceptions. If she was asking me for help, it was likely that someone in her family was in trouble and she was hoping I could find some way to help, whether by looking away from a crime or putting extra attention on one. Either would require my direct involvement because I would never ask one of my men to break the laws that I had beaten into them. Sometimes those beatings were quite literal. And if she wanted help looking for someone, well, I wasn’t about to put focus on her family by sending my men around her place to attract attention. There weren’t many of my guards whom I would trust to care for that kind of situation anyway. No, if she needed my help, then that meant she must be in dire straits. Or someone in her family was.
Trying to shuffle my schedule around in my head, I encountered Mrs. Teasdon, looking bleary-eyed and not quite ready to get to work. “Good morning, Mrs. Teasdon,” I said, a slight smile passing over my lips without me making the effort.
“Oh my, but I must have gotten up even later than expected. Please hold on. I’m not quite ready.”
“If you wish to tell me who in your family needs help, I can start making arrangements to—”
The older woman’s brow creased, “Member of my family? What do you mean?”
I stared at her for a moment, baffled by her lack of understanding. “You asked me to see you this morning in the kitchens. I assumed you needed my help with—”
She laughed and waved a hand, “Oh, my dear Falmen.” Giving my arm a pat, she shook her head. “You must have been so worried for me. Don’t you be concerned about that; my family is quite fine. As messy as their lives may be, none of them are in need of saving. No, no, it is nothing so dire.”
I felt myself relax a little. “Then how can I be of assistance?”
“I actually wanted to ask you to take on one of my staff for a little while. Just while I get a few things straightened out.”
This took me a couple of moments to process. This was hardly a favor that would warrant her hunting me down the day before. Certain there must be something more to it, I asked for clarification. “Are you saying you just need me to take one of the members of the kitchen for a while? Forgive me for being a little suspicious, but that hardly seems important enough for you to seek me out yourself when you could have just sent the person to me.”
“I can easily forgive you, Falmen,” she smiled big and batted her eyelashes at me. She got the smile she wanted from me before continuing, “I just wanted to do it with a little more privacy. You know, not make it seem like she had done anything wrong. I believe you shall find an ideal helper and very gracious assistant should you agree.”
Taking note of the fact that Mrs. Teasdon wanted me to help a woman, I responded, “If that is your estimate of the situation, I am not one to question your opinion.” It was certainly a strange request because women were not allowed to serve in the guard. They weren’t allowed to do much of anything in the city. Having a woman would definitely be tricky for me, but it hardly seemed like the kind of thing that needed such covert behavior. Still, it was a fairly sizable request. I reasoned that was likely why she had wanted to talk to me in private, to give me time to come up with a way to make use of a woman without putting her in danger.
She reached up and patted my cheek. “Always the same dear Falmen, no matter how important you become.” Taking a step back, the cook pulled her shawl over her round figure. “If you will, give me a little time to finish preparing for the day, and I will see you in the kitchens.”
“Take your time, Mrs. Teasdon. I had thought it would be far more serious and have built in a bit of extra buffer before my regular activities to accommodate your request.”
“Now you are just trying to make me feel guilty. It won’t work.” She wrinkled her nose at me.
With a smile, I gave her a slight bow and headed toward one of the offices nearby. It was still too early to go to the main guards’ room, but I could definitely drop by one of my most problematic groups for a very unwelcome visit. It wasn’t something I did as often as I should, but I took little pleasure in dealing with the worst of my men. Without an excuse to put it off any longer, I prepared myself to deal with a different problem.
After putting the guards on pins and needles with a bit of paranoia that I might just stop by unexpectedly again, I headed toward the kitchens feeling a little lighter. I may not have liked tormenting innocent people, but a lot of the men who joined the guard were far from innocent. Some joined because they thought it might bring them glory, and others joined because of the power they would wield. In my experience, neither of these kinds of men were right for the position. The men who looked at it just as a job were passable and usually kept out of trouble, though they certainly didn’t distinguish themselves. Passable was still better than many of the alternatives. The men who joined because it was a family occupation tended to be the easiest to work with. They knew how to take orders and could fill in the blanks if I didn’t spell something out for them. Men like my second-in-comm
and, Jacob, were the only ones whom I could trust to get things taken care of. Unfortunately, I could count on my hands how many of those kinds of guards I had. For most guards, the only way to make them perform was to instill them with a mix of reverence and fear. I knew first-hand how effective fear could be as a motivator to do things that I never wanted to do. Fear had been the motivation the first time I had killed. It had been more than 20 years since, but I still felt guilt when the memory floated through my mind. It had made me stronger, much like a broken bone that is healed. There was now gristle around the break, making it harder to do the same damage. But it had definitely changed me in ways that I did not like. Yet I did not regret the person I was because the city was improving, or at least most crimes were declining. Only time would tell exactly what my effect would be.
I stepped down the last few stairs to the kitchen and entered the brightly lit room.
“Where is she, Mrs. Teasdon? Where is this ideal helper you have thrust on me? Or do I have to wait for the lout to wake up first?” We were in Mrs. Teasdon’s domain, so I acted as I would with anyone else in the palace, in case someone was around to hear us talking.
A movement in the corner of the room caught my eye, but I stayed focused on Mrs. Teasdon. She strode over to the movement and said with her business voice, “She is right here and ready to go with you.”
That was when I noticed her. This ideal helper was anything but ideal. One look and I knew exactly why Mrs. Teasdon was asking for my help, and just what kind of time frame she was going to need it for. The woman was absolutely stunning, and there was no doubt that if Mrs. Teasdon liked her, the rest of the staff hated her. Mrs. Teasdon certainly like a pretty face, but she would not usually stick her neck out for just anyone. The woman in front of me must also be hardworking, and that was going to make my life that much harder. Mentally I sighed, but outwardly, I responded, “Surely this is a joke.”
