“What is it?” she asked, breathless. “Why are you stopping?”
“What if Jett tries something?” I asked, torn between protecting her and satisfying the longing in her eyes, the longing that was making me so hard it hurt.
“I think two dragons can take a panther in a fight, don’t you?” she asked, smiling up at me.
“A girl after my own heart,” I said, scooping her up and striding into the room.
“It’s not your heart I’m after,” she said, laughing as I tossed her onto the bed. She lay back, smiling up at me as she unbuttoned her shirt one button at a time. Reaching her foot out, she ran her toe up the inside of my thigh.
“You’re asking for it,” I said, plucking her foot away when she nudged the bulge in my pants with her toes.
“So give it to me.”
You don’t have to tell me twice, I thought with a wicked grin.
I threw her legs over my shoulders and dropped my pants, making Ari gasp when she saw my cock standing straight and ready for her. Gripping her ankles in one hand, I held her legs up as I traced my finger over her slit. A growl rumbled in my throat, and my dragon strained against me as we realized our mate was already wet.
Ari moaned softly as I slipped a finger inside of her. Her fingers gripped the bedsheet and her back arched, pulling me eyes to her hard nipples. I licked my lips as I slipped another finger in, then another.
“You’re a tease,” she gasped. “I want you now.”
I chuckled softly and removed my fingers from her heat. I gripped one ankle in each hand and finally I drove into her, burying myself to the hilt in her tight pussy. She cried out, arching up as I drew back and thrust into her again and again.
Though it hadn’t been very long since I’d taken her virginity, it seemed like I’d been waiting years to claim her a second time. I braced my knee on the edge of the bed, pumping into her until I felt her walls tightening around me.
“Come with me, sweetheart,” I said, moving faster and faster until I couldn’t hold back. I drove into her hard, spilling my seed deep inside her.
Ari let out little cries of pleasure as her orgasm pulsed through her. I lowered myself onto her, rolling my pelvis against hers until her breathing slowed.
“Stay in here,” she said, wrapping her arms around me. “I’m not ready for you to leave yet.”
I rolled off her, pulling the sheet up over both of us. “What about Jett?”
“We’ll hear him coming,” she said. “You need rest, too.”
“Says the girl who’s spent the last week being poisoned.”
“Says the guy who got seriously injured by a vampire queen today.”
“I’m completely healed,” I said. “You probably noticed.” I said it with a smirk, but my chest was full. Anyone else would have been worried about herself, but not Ari. She’d come out into the hall to make sure I was okay, had wanted me to get sleep even though she needed it far more than I did. I really was healed. My injuries were all external. I didn’t know how long it would take Ari to get all the poison out of her system, not to mention the psychological effects of what Jett and the mad scientist lady had done to her.
“It takes a lot to really hurt a dragon, doesn’t it?” she said, rolling over to face me and toying with the fabric of my t-shirt.
“Yes,” I said, taking her hand. “It wouldn’t be impossible for someone to kill you in dragon form, but it would be extremely difficult.” My thoughts returned to the recent losses in the dragon clan, and sadness overtook me. “I’m going to have to think about appointing a new head of the Dragon Council soon.”
“Oh, Cash,” Ari said, her expression pained. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring that up.”
“It’s okay,” I said, squeezing her hand. “It hasn’t been far from my mind since it happened.”
She leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Max is outside the door,” she whispered.
“Great,” I said, throwing off the sheet and sitting up. “I better go see what he wants.”
I pulled on my pants and ducked out into the hall. Maximus stood where I had, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. “There you are.”
“Did we wake you?” I asked, buttoning my pants.
“No,” he said. “I was already awake.”
“Cool,” I said. “Glad we didn’t make too much noise.”
“I was awake because I knew you’d need me to do your job for you,” he said through gritted teeth. “I was just waiting for this to happen. You just can’t keep it in your pants, can you, Cash?”
“With this one? Not even trying,” I said, flashing a cheeky smile. “Why would I want to deny myself my mate? I’ve never been the martyr type, Maximus. That’s your job.”
Maximus’ scowl deepened. “I’m no martyr.”
“As much fun as I have arguing with you, there’s a naked woman in bed waiting for me,” I said, hooking my thumb back toward Ari’s room.
Maximus’ jaw clenched, and his eyes flashed. “I knew we couldn’t trust you to guard her all night.”
“It was her idea,” I said. “And as long as you’re out here, I guess you don’t need me.”
If Maximus were a dragon, he probably would’ve had smoke coming out his nostrils. But he made no move to leave the guard post, so I shot him a grin and ducked back into Ari’s room, where I found my mate waiting for round two.
4
Ariana
Morning light roused me the next day, peaking through the curtains I hadn’t thought to close last night amidst all the love making. A smile quirked the corner of my lips as I recalled my encounters with Cash. Damn I loved that man.
I rolled over, reaching for my mate as a yawn escaped my lips. My fingers wrapped around cold, mussed sheets. I opened one eye to find my bed absent a fire-breathing dragon.
A pang of anxiety had me sitting up and searching the pack bond for trouble. After a week of being imprisoned by an evil scientist, I couldn’t help the fear that morning brought. Though I hadn’t been dosed with silver in a few days now, I could still feel the burning ghost of the coloidal spray in the back of my throat.
I shivered and quickly pushed the thought away. The pack bond showed only a regular amount of nervousness about the recent attack, but nothing else out of the ordinary.
With a sigh of relief, I swung my legs over the side of the bed. It was time to get going. There was no need to hang around in bed all day if I didn’t have a mate to cuddle with. I paused by the dresser, a shirt in hand. I could crawl back into bed and call up Maximus for some morning snuggles. He’d be more than willing, especially after standing guard outside my room yesterday while I had some alone time with Cash.
The thought was so tempting that I almost crawled right back into bed. No matter how much I wanted to stay in bed and hide from my duties, though, I had a job only the Silver Shifter could accomplish. With a sigh, I got dressed and left my bedroom without letting my more basic urges could get the best of me.
I was lost in thought when I descended the stairs into the living room and caught a flash of a monster on the television.
My entire body chilled, and my eyes widened as I stared at a video clip of a creature like Jade screeching as it flew at an unsuspecting civilian. The news roll on the bottom of the screen read: “Second death in sudden string of masked attacks.”
I couldn’t look away even as the grainy cell phone footage wavered like the person holding it was shaking. I barely registered the screams of a young man over the screech of the monster. Suddenly, the footage cut off, and I was left staring at a brunette newscasters with a deep scowl.
“This footage—shot by Mister Nick Grayson—was taken earlier today during an attack by a masked assailant. This is the second death in a recent string of assaults by persons wearing what appear to be monster masks,” the newscaster said. In the corner of the screen, a grainy image of one of the monsters was shown, its lips pulled back to reveal rows of pointed teeth. “Late
r today, the police commissioner will make a statement in regards to these attacks, but for now, the NYPD urges caution. They suggest traveling in groups, and only when necessary, until these criminals are apprehended. While there is no need to panic, the police urge you to call the tip line if you have any information.”
The screen blurred before my eyes. People were getting hurt by these creatures. Innocent people. So it wasn’t just Jade anymore. She must have bitten others. Instead of her toxic bite turning humans into vampires, it must be making them into these… things. What the hell could we do against monsters? We were shifters, not gods. There were only so many of us to go around.
The public would soon find out about the supernatural world. It was all falling apart. Any day now there would be mass hysteria and rioting in the streets. More innocents would be hurt in the process. Where did it end?
“Ariana?” Maximus said.
I slowly blinked out of my stupor to find warm hazel eyes staring at me in concern. Maximus laid a hand on my elbow and guided me to the sofa. He sat me between himself and Owen before taking my hand.
“Ana?” Owen said. He took my other hand and kissed my knuckles.
“It’s going to be okay,” Cash assured me. There was fiery certainty in his eyes as he held my gaze. “We’ll figure out a way to stop them.”
I shook my head. “The supernatural world is going to be found out.”
Jett scoffed. “As if we’d let that happen.”
Maximus shot the panther a scathing look before he turned his gaze back to me. “Ariana, we’ll figure something out. We’ll call the supernatural council and get some back up.”
“Even if we get help, Jade is out there turning people into these creatures,” I said. “Can those she turns change others? We might be looking at an epidemic.”
Maximus exchanged a grim look with Owen, one so quick I nearly missed it. They were as worried as I was.
“You should eat,” Owen said. He pulled me to my feet, and Maximus released my hand. My bear mate led me from the living room and into the kitchen.
The others followed, taking seats around me at the island in the middle of the large room. Maximus joined Owen at the counter, grabbing eggs and bacon from the fridge and bread from the cupboard.
Cash laid a hand on my back, his thumb tracing circles on my spine.
“We have to do something,” I said. My fingers tightened into fists. “I have to do something. This is my job, isn’t it?”
Cash chuckled. “You’re the uniter of clans. This certainly isn’t your job.”
I knew he was right, but somehow it felt like it was. It felt like everything was my fault. It was my blood that had done this to her. If I could have freed Jade and Petra, none of this would have happened. I could have stopped a war if I was just strong enough. I had never felt so weak in my life. For decades, I’d been raised a fighter. I’d been the best, and now... I couldn’t even defend myself when the doctor came at me with needles and sprays to render my beasties docile.
“Ari, take a breath,” Cash warned.
Heat swirled through me, and smoke wafted from my nostrils. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. When my skin finally cooled, I opened my eyes. “If I can unite the clans, maybe we can still save New York.”
My mates all exchanged glances.
“It isn’t as simple as just uniting the clans, Quick Silver,” Jett said. His eyes flashed as his fists tightened on the countertop. “We still have the vampire problem to deal with.”
I narrowed my eyes at the panther. “Well, I’m prepared to deal with it.”
As I looked around at my mates, determination settled in my soul. If you had told me a few months ago that I was supposed to be some mythical savior meant to unite four warring clans, I would have laughed in your face. But now? There was no other choice.
Cash took my hand and squeezed. “I know we can do it.”
Maximus and Owen gave me smiles of encouragement. Though Jett glowered in our direction, I could see the spark in his eyes. He wanted me to be right, but his doubt was deeply rooted inside of him. Though I understood it, I knew he was wrong. And I was going to prove it.
A charred smell had my rose wrinkling. “I think something’s burning.”
Owen’s eyes went wide as Maximus swung around to face the stove. He let out a string of curses that would make a sailor blush as he quickly pulled the pan of sizzling bacon away from the burner.
I shook my head as Maximus and Owen salvaged what they could of breakfast. By the time they were done, we all took turns carrying plates and cutlery to the dining room where we sat for our first breakfast as a team. Though I knew we were more than a team—more like a family—it didn’t feel quite right yet. Especially with Jett keeping his distance from the rest of us.
“We should shore up defenses today,” Owen commented between mouthfuls of eggs.
“I’ll call in the Dragon Guard after we eat,” Cash said.
“We’ll increase patrols on the property,” Maximus said with a definitive nod.
Jett looked up from his plate, his gaze meeting mine. He hadn’t touched his food. Despite having watched Owen and Maximus cook it, I had a feeling he thought it might be poisoned.
I smiled at the thought as I nibbled on my piece of jam slathered toast. I stared at the panther, letting him know I wasn’t intimidated by him despite the things he’d done. Though I hadn’t forgiven him, and I sure as hell didn’t trust him, I knew we’d need his help too in the coming days. Jett was so much different than my other mates. He had so many secrets.
Jett raised an eyebrow at me as I continued to watch him. After a few minutes, irritation furrowed his brows. “What?” he snapped.
“I was just thinking,” I said. “You have a network of contacts within the vampire clan, and I’m sure you know an awful lot about them.”
Surprise flashed across Jett’s face, but he quickly squashed it with a scowl. “So?”
“If I’m going to unite the clans against the vampires, I should know more about them and how this war will affect us all, don’t you think?”
Jett gave me a suspicious look, but slowly he nodded in agreement. “That makes sense.”
My mates darted glances between Jett and me as if we were playing tennis. Despite the tense set of Maximus’ shoulders, and the baleful glare of Cash, no one interfered. I had a feeling they wanted to know where I was going with this.
“So? What can you tell me?” I asked. I folded my hands on the table in front of me, leaning forward in anticipation.
Jett looked both flabbergasted and impressed. “What do you want to know?”
I stared at the ceiling for a moment. “How about… How does their hierarchy work?”
Jett’s business face fell into place, all confusion wiped from the crease of his eyebrows. “The vampires are all governed by the Lamia Queen, Helena Beaupart, but they also have rulers by city. Large clusters within the city are called covens, which also have leaders. Though vampires are bound by the laws of the Society of Supernaturals just as we are, they often disobey those laws and get away with it because of Helena, who runs the Supernatural Council that governs us.”
My eyes widened. “That doesn’t seem fair.”
“It’s not,” Maximus ground out.
“Hm,” I mused. “They’re more organized than I thought they were.”
Jett’s lips pressed into a firm line. “They’re fairly organized, but they’re also unruly and much more likely to break laws, unlike shifters.”
“Why is that?” Owen asked. He leaned his face against his palm, staring with interest at the panther.
Jett shifted uncomfortably with so many eyes on him. He cleared his throat before continuing. “As shifters, we’re clan based. Each clan has an Alpha, and because of our animal instincts, it’s much easier to keep us in line.”
“But that’s also why clan conflicts are more frequent than coven conflicts,” Maximus said. “Our animal instincts guide us to fight
over territory, mates, and numbers.” He sighed. “I hate to say it, but vampires do have more logical approach to these things.”
Cash snorted. “Because it’s somehow logical to tear out human throats?”
Maximus shook his head. “They have an animal instinct, too. Only theirs is more focused on feeding, while ours are focused elsewhere.”
“Interesting,” I said, looking back and forth at them all. I knew this information would come in handy when it came time to unite us all. I had to play to our strengths, while keeping in mind our weaknesses. It didn’t hurt to keep in mind those of our enemies, either. “I’m sure we can use this against the vampires.”
Again, Jett looked doubtful. “Maybe.”
My mates exchanged glances. They didn’t have the same doubt as Jett. Somehow, they knew I could do this. That we could do this. They believed in me. If Jett ever wanted us to reconcile, he’d have to learn to accept me, too, and believe in us all.
But whether he did or not, it was enough to have them all beside me right now, helping me through this. I knew deep in my bones that together, we could do anything. And that included uniting the clans and winning the war between vampire and shifter kind.
5
Ariana
While Maximus and Owen cleared dishes from the table after breakfast, Cash slipped outside to make a call. Left at the table with Jett, despite the nearness of my other mates, unease twisted my stomach.
Jett watched me with dark, predatory eyes. He’d been quiet ever since our morning discussion turned to lighter topics. I wanted to know what he was thinking—or planning. I couldn’t trust him. He and I both knew that. But that didn’t stop his next words from tumbling out of his mouth.
“Can I speak with you in private?” he asked.
I blinked stupidly for a second. I couldn’t believe he’d just asked me that. Did he think I was an idiot? The guy had me kidnapped and had me imprisoned for a week inside of a laboratory where I was subdued, poisoned, and probably would have eventually been experimented on knowing Doctor Siegfried.
Her Panther: An Urban Fantasy Romance (Silver Shifter Book 4) Page 3
