"Fly," Aaron whispered.
His voice was soft, but it was obvious she'd heard it.
With a sigh like that of leaves rustling in a hurricane, her wings beat the air. Wind and dust swept up from the street danced over him.
The scent of vanilla and sunshine was laced with burning embers as she raised her head to the sky. With a harsh cry, the dragon took off.
It should have been impossible for someone of her size to take off in a vertical ascent, yet she'd done it.
Beating the air with those gorgeous wings, she kept flying, until she was level with the clouds. The sun caught the scarlet and blue on her wings, and for a second it was as if they were on fire.
She dipped her wings, and her shadow fell over Aaron. It felt like a caress.
Flapping her wings, the dragoness propelled herself forward, away from him.
As the sight of her receded, Aaron turned, walking back into the bar.
Catching up with him, Cain asked, "You let her go?"
"You saw what she is. A dragon shifter. Not like I could have stopped her even if I wanted to."
"A dragon shifter." Cain huffed. "I heard they existed, but it’s the first time I’ve seen one in this city. And that teleporter…"
"A very dangerous one." Aaron ran his fingers through his hair, his mind racing, the buzz of the alcohol gone. "While the mayor actively encourages shifters, humans, and vampires to live together in the city, the reality is that the species still don't get along. Alex's bar is the one place where all hang out together."
"A perfect target to hit and spread discontent among all species in one go." Cain tipped his head in agreement.
Aaron's forehead furrowed. "Let's help the wounded and report this straight to the Council."
A woman ran out of the bar. She gripped his arm. "You're not hurt, are you?"
Aaron tried to pull away, attempting to not seem impolite. "I'm fine, Charm."
She'd had her sights on him since he'd moved to the barracks. He'd managed to evade her attentions so far.
Charm's lower lip trembled as she turned her face up to him. She was a beautiful, sensuous woman, but she'd never had any effect on him.
Unlike Hope, whom he'd just seen shift into a dragon and fly off.
He took another step back and tugged at Charm’s grasp until her hand dropped away.
"Go home. Go to bed. You'll be fine tomorrow."
"Why don't you come with me? I'm so scared, Aaron." She wrung her hands.
"The Council will ramp up security measures and take precautions. We won't let anything happen to the citizens of Bombay." He’d said that with more confidence that he felt. He turned to a passing soldier. "Brian, see Ms. Charmaine back to her home."
Brian's Adam's apple bobbed as he took in Charm's figure. "After you, ma'am."
He followed her, and the two walked away.
Cain chuckled. "You handed a wolf cub to a tigress?"
"Even wolf cubs must grow up." All Aaron could think about was a woman with gorgeous green eyes.
7
Hope
Hope soared over the waves, heading toward her island. She was halfway home before she realized what she'd done.
She'd revealed her dragon.
The realization tore through her. The shock of it almost had her changing back into human form. Pushing back the transformation, she clung to her dragon form and kept going.
The woman inside her knew she'd have to tell her alpha what had happened.
Her dragon didn't care.
All the animal knew was that it had done the right thing. It had saved the one who had spoken to its soul. So what if Aaron wasn't another dragon shifter?
The woman in her worried about the consequences of her actions.
Coming in for a landing on the sand near the waves, she shifted, the air around her shimmering.
Her body shrunk, nails drew in and cells in her body changed shape. The agony of the transformation cut through to the bone.
Fire and heat sizzled through her veins.
The dragon in her was still not fully banked. The last tendrils of fire curled around her female form.
The wind hit her bare skin.
She walked up the sand. Reaching her emergency stash of clothes secured to the low wall at the edge of the beach, she shrugged into them.
Wearing the clothes brought the woman back to the fore. With it came the dull inevitability of what was to come.
There was no other way out. She had to tell Eve what had happened.
This time the responsible human in her won.
Dragon 1. Woman 1.
Shoulders slumped, she walked toward the official residence of the alpha of the dragons to face Eve.
"Hope."
She jerked her head around.
Jason jogged toward her from the beach.
She'd known him since they were dragonlings. Their mothers had been close friends, and Jason had spent most of his school holidays with Hope and her sisters.
Jason was also the most suitable dragon shifter for her to mate with. They were compatible in every way, as Eve had reminded her so often.
He drew up next to her, chest heaving from his run.
He was quite good-looking, Hope had to admit.
His T-shirt was splotched with sweat and outlined the sculpted planes of his chest.
Coming to a stop, he pulled it off and rubbed the material over his skin to soak up the moisture.
A couple of female joggers slowed as they passed him, both checking him out with unabashed interest.
"Ladies." He tilted his head at them.
One of them stumbled and would have fallen if her giggling friend hadn't held her up.
"Showing off the merchandise, Jase?" Hope’s tone was amused.
"You interested?" A smile crinkled the edges of those beautiful gray eyes.
Reaching up, she patted his cheek. "Not a chance."
Before she could withdraw her hand, he captured it and held it there. "So you're not envious?"
"Jase…" She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to choose her words carefully. "I don't think of you in that way."
"In what way?" His tone was easy, but his eyes narrowed.
"Oh, no!" She tugged at her hand, and he let go. "I am not walking into that one." She waggled her eyebrows at him.
"What one?" He waggled his eyebrows back.
A reluctant chuckle had her lips widening in a smile.
"Much better." He nodded, falling into step with her.
She resumed walking.
"You heading to see Eve?"
She lowered her gaze to the ground. "Yes."
"You broke another rule and you have to tell her about it?" His voice was casual.
She slowed her steps until she was barely moving. "Yes."
"You going to bond with me?" He sounded almost bored.
"Yes."
It took her a full second to realize what he'd done there.
"No!" She smacked his arm. "So clever."
He flung an arm around her shoulders. "Not clever at all. If I was, I'd have figured out the best way to woo you by now."
"I know you too well, silly." She elbowed him in his side. "You don't have to woo me."
"Then just say yes." Coming to a halt, he turned to her and yanked her to him with so much force that the breath rushed out of her.
Those gray eyes she'd known for so long burned with an intensity she'd never seen before.
"Say, yes." He leaned in, close enough for his breath to whistle across her cheek.
Her breasts were flattened against his bare chest. Only it didn’t do anything for her.
Her mind was too full of thoughts of the man she'd met earlier, the immortal warrior who'd staked his claim on her with just a glance. The one who'd wanted her, even though she'd sensed him withdraw from her, as if he was not quite sure about what to make of the connection between them.
She raised her shoulders and let them drop in a gesture of helpless
ness. She couldn’t figure out what to say without hurting Jason’s feelings. Best to stay quiet.
Jason's jaw hardened. "At least think about it."
"I will." She rubbed noses with him in a gesture of affection.
His eyes gleamed.
Oh! No. He was going to try to kiss her.
With a lithe move, she slipped out of his grasp and took off running, a laugh bubbling out of her. "Last one is a wolfie."
They'd invented the insult to tease Caleb, a wolf shifter friend who was Eve's bodyguard.
It did the job.
Jason chuckled.
The tension that'd been simmering between them dissolved.
Putting on speed, Jason caught up with her.
Hope let him overtake her. She was not in a hurry to see Eve.
8
Aaron
Cain and Aaron made sure all the wounded were transported to the infirmary. It was dawn before they headed back.
Four hours of sleep later, Aaron walked toward the conference room in the mayor's palace. It was one of the few government buildings to have survived the tsunami of 2014.
It was not even midday, but the sun rays already heated the air. The sound of kids playing on the beach drifted over to him.
As he crossed the courtyard, his shirt was already damp with perspiration. He couldn't stop himself from scanning the skies.
He was looking for a slash of vibrant color, the jeweled hues of a dragon shifter. What greeted him was the blue expanse of the morning skies.
When he entered the room, Logan, his fellow Ascendant, was already there.
Hearing Aaron come in, Logan turned, his shoulders broad enough to block the light from the open window. "You did well by getting the wounded to the hospital." Logan's clipped British accent had softened during his time in Bombay, but it still marked his origins.
His piercing blue gaze followed Aaron's progress across the room.
Aaron stopped next to him. "It's the least I could do as a Guardian of the City."
"It's good to have you back, bro." Logan gripped his shoulder. "Zayn's death affected all of us."
Aaron swallowed the thick ball of emotion that clogged his throat. "I've been hell to be around the last few months, but I’m here." Thanks to a pair of emerald-green eyes.
He was going to find that dragon shifter and explore this potent attraction that drew him to her. "Have you heard from Kris?"
Kris was the oldest of the Ascendants. He was on his honeymoon with his mate, Tara.
"He's extended his trip to visit McLeod town in the Himalayas before returning." Logan looked to the door at the new arrival.
Aaron followed his gaze to see Leana enter, the mayor of the city.
Her thick dark hair hung to below her shoulders. The soft cotton of her flowing shirt outlined her advanced state of pregnancy. Her skin glowed.
Mikhail, their fellow Ascendant and her mate, guided her to the head of the table.
"Should you even be here?" Aaron scolded her.
Leana's face lit up. "Aaron."
Walking over, Aaron took Leana's hand and kissed her fingertips.
This wolf shifter was the alpha of all the species in Bombay. She was also the first to mate with one of the Ascendants. It made Aaron very protective of her.
Her hand slid over the mound of her belly. "Oh!"
Mikhail dropped to his knees next to her. "You okay?" His jaw hardened with concern.
Taking Mikhail's hand, Leana clasped it to her stomach.
He held it there for a second, his eyes widening, before his gaze locked with hers. "Thank you." Mikhail brushed his lips over Leana's forehead.
The depth of emotion in those two words twisted Aaron's heart.
Seeing the bond between Leana and Mikhail, Aaron realized that even when he’d had Zayn, he'd been alone.
The emptiness had stayed inside, buried under his promise to protect their fellow species. But he'd never be lonely again. Not when a green-eyed dragoness was out there.
Leana rapped the table, calling the meeting to order.
Cain swaggered through the door and dropped into the closest chair.
As everyone took their seats, Leana got straight to the point. "Aaron and Cain were at the site of a very serious attack on one of the most popular night spots of this city, a space off-limits in the fights between the species…until today. The evidence points to attacks by an outsider." She looked around the table, making sure she had everyone's attention.
Logan folded his arms over his chest. Mikhail's gaze was on Leana's face.
"It also reveals the existence of not one but two unknown forces, each more powerful than the combined powers of all of us put together."
Aaron leaned forward, elbows on the table in front of him.
She turned to Aaron, inviting him to speak with a nod.
Aaron rubbed the back of his neck, not quite sure what to tell them. He didn’t want them to think that Hope was a threat. "A telekinetic appeared out of nowhere," he finally said. "The man's psychic control extended to the humans, vampires, and shifters in the bar."
"Impossible." Mikhail drummed his fingers on the table. "No race can be that powerful."
"No known race," Aaron corrected, maintaining eye contact with Mikhail.
"The telekinetic was a complete surprise." Cain tipped his chair back until it teetered on its hind legs. "Aaron has not addressed the other real issue…the dragon."
Aaron hunched his shoulders, knowing he'd been caught. He'd have to tell them about what Hope had done. But she'd protected the people at the bar, hadn't she? He'd just have to make sure he convinced them that Hope was on their side.
"Brahma's prediction was true." A nerve throbbed above Logan's temple.
"Tell us what you know." Leana leaned forward, chin balanced on her hand.
Logan's eyes shone with an inner ability that hinted at just how powerful he was. He was the only one of the Ascendants with a secondary seer ability. "Brahma said there would come a time when we'd see dragons fly."
Logan stayed motionless, eyes unfocussed as he looked into the distance. "Only a force formed of the union of the wings and the will can stop this new threat to the city." It was a future no one else could see.
A shudder ran down Aaron's spine. He knew his future was intertwined with this prediction. The certainty of it had Aaron shuffling his feet. The sense of foreboding grew by the second, until it felt like a heavy weight was crushing his chest.
Logan’s eyes cleared. His gaze swept over the team. Everyone's attention was on him. "That's all I sense. Sometimes, these visions are but pulses of feeling that I must interpret."
The ring of truth to his words was ominous.
Cain brought his chair down with a crash.
The hairs stood up on Aaron’s arms. Something was wrong. He was already on his feet when the air behind Leana shimmered.
Aaron threw himself over the table. The jump took him clear over the heads of Mikhail and Leana.
He wasn’t going to lose another person he loved.
9
Aaron
After rolling to break his fall, Aaron bounced back on his feet, knees bent in a defensive stance. He was ready for the figure that appeared next to Leana.
Chairs were flung aside.
Cain and Logan ran to them from each side.
Mikhail slid in front of Leana.
Between them, Leana was shielded from the teleporter.
The stranger was as tall as Aaron. Dark hair framed a face so symmetrical in proportion that he could’ve been carved out of ice. Wide jaw, high cheekbones, and above that, gray eyes blazed with a power so potent it was clear he was immortal.
The teleporter held up his hand. Aaron's muscles tensed. He made to move, only to feel a brush of psychic energy on the psychic plane.
I mean no harm. He knew it was the stranger's voice.
The man had hacked into the Ascendants web, the network used to communicate with each other during an
emergency.
Next to him, Mikhail's quick inhale of breath was sharp.
Leana tugged at Mikhail's arm, forcing him to move aside. "Who are you?" Voice imperious, she made it clear she was not afraid of the man who had already shown that no psychic barriers could hold him back.
That gray-green gaze dropped to her face. "I am the leader of the Elysians." His tone was polite but cold enough to raise the hair on Aaron's forearms.
"Tell me more about your race." Leana set her jaw.
"We are immortal beings just like your Ascendant mate." He raised his chin in Mikhail's direction. "A psychic collective who are plugged in to the Sian Web—a network we depend on to replenish our emotions."
Mikhail folded his arms over his chest. "Is the Sian Web like the psychic network shared by the Ascendants?"
"Unlike you Ascendants, the Elysians must be linked to the Sian Web to survive." The stranger's gaze flicked from Mikhail to Aaron before returning to Leana.
Aaron didn't take his focus off the stranger. He was ready to jump the man at the first sign of threat.
"We are driven by our rational side. The Empaths among us shared their emotions with the Sian Web and kept the psychic network well supplied." The Elysian male leaned forward, hands by his side. His fingers twitched as if he wanted to clench them into fists. "We've preferred to stay away from humans and shifters for generations."
"What’s changed?" Cain growled, nostrils flaring.
The lion shifter was an intimidating sight when angry, but there was no change in expression on the Elysian's face.
"Over the past year, we've lost many Empaths. Without them, we began to bleed emotions, began to lose touch with our feelings. We became unbalanced."
Aaron shifted his weight, his attention caught by a flicker of something. Was that pain he heard in the man's voice?
"Some went insane. Others killed themselves." The man's lips thinned.
This man cared for his people. Aaron empathized with him. "Why are you telling us this?"
"I need your help." His chest rose and fell as the breath whistled out of him. It was the first sign of weakness he'd portrayed.
Fated Mates: Paranormal Romance Series Starters Boxset Page 22
