Demi could hear him behind her. Could smell him as well. It was a scent she’d come to associate with Brie. She still did, dammit. Demi turned on her heel. “I’d like to be alone.” Her voice was choked. Pain and anger clogging her throat. Tears stinging her eyes something fierce. “I want to run for a while. Clear my head”
“I thought you said you ran this morning?” Cody asked. Nope. He didn’t ask. It wasn’t a question but rather a statement.
She shrugged. So what if she had?
He lifted his brows. “It’s important to be in our furs regularly, but—”
“I know exactly what you are going to say.” She’d heard this before too. “Not too often though.”
He shook his head. “You are half human as well you know. Spend too much time in your fur and you risk losing your humanity. You would risk losing you.” He pointed at her.
“Is that so bad?” she mumbled.
“You’re going to be the Alpha female of two packs, Demi. Yes, it would be bad. You can’t give in to your wolf’s demands.”
“I can’t believe you’re not still fighting this, Cody. I can’t believe you would do this to Brie. It’s so wrong. You know that, don’t you?”
His jaw worked. His eyes blazed with both anger and pain. Then they softened. “Your sister meant everything to me. The fact of the matter is…” He pulled in a breath. “I hate to even say it.”
“Then don’t!” she practically yelled.
“I have to though. I have to say it because it’s the truth. Your sister…she’s gone. She isn’t coming back. We have to do this for the good of the people. For our families. For the Vale Creek pack’s future.” He cupped her cheek. “I’m beginning to think we could make this work.”
She was too flabbergasted to say anything. She didn’t even pull back. Her mouth would have dropped if it weren’t for his hand on her jaw.
“I can see her in you…or you in her. I don’t know which is more accurate.” He smiled. “You have her eyes, you know? And very similar mannerisms. Your smile is—”
“Don’t!” She pulled away, breaking the contact. “Don’t you dare.” She pointed a finger at him.
“Let’s give it a chance.” He was animated. “Let’s try. Kiss me.”
“No damned way.” She shook her head, feeling panic well inside her. “How can you say something like that? How can you say any of it? You don’t want me, Cody. You never did. You want Brie and I don’t blame you. I refuse to live in her shadow though. To have you see her every time you look at me.” It wasn’t about that though. “I see you as a brother…kiss you? Forget about it. We agreed that we would find a way out of this. You said once you were Alpha that you’d sort it out. Well, you’ve been Alpha for three weeks now. You’ve gone and done a one-eighty on me. What has changed?”
He made a groaning noise and ran his hand through his hair. “Nothing! Although that’s not entirely true. I guess I’ve come to realize that…” He pushed out a breath, locking eyes with her. “I have feelings for you.”
The ground fell out from under her. At least, that’s how it felt. Demi staggered backwards two steps. “What?” She felt her blood run cold. “No way. You’re trying to replace my sister with the next best thing.”
Hurt blossomed in his eyes. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?” If she was honest with herself, she’d seen it change…the way he looked at her. She’d caught desperation in his stare as well. Cody was trying to use her to replace her dead sister. She was sure of it. It made this whole thing infinitely worse.
“I do see her, but I see you too. We need to try.” He took a step towards her. “We have to make this work. Don’t you see that?”
“I can’t believe you’re saying this.” She shook her head. “No! There’s no point in trying. I can’t.” Did that make her selfish? The thought of letting Cody touch her, kiss her… Arghh! No! “I can’t do that to Brie.”
“Brie is gone.” He spoke softly and carefully, obviously sensing how spooked she was. “We are still here. Please.” All at once, she could hear that manic laughter from her dream. She realized it wasn’t real, and yet she could still hear it. Clear as a bell. She had to get away from Cody. Away from there.
She felt her fur sprout. Her snout extended and her jaw cracked. “Never!” she managed to growl as she completed her change. Her clothing falling off her in a tattered, shredded mess. Then she was running and running and running. Feeling freer by the second. All her worries floated away.
Chapter 3
The clearing was very busy. Noisy too. But he had promised his brother he would attend. That he would stick around and join in the celebrations, and so here he was.
He took a plate and headed for the table. The scents coming off the various dishes were amazing. They made his mouth water. So the whole afternoon wasn’t going to be a complete waste. He was going to grab himself a plate and then find a quiet spot to observe the activities. Hopefully, Mountain wouldn’t stay too long. His brother had to be keen to spend time with his new mate. He—
Obsidian was concentrating so much on the food, he only realized someone was next to him after he bashed into them. Hard. The plate the other person had been holding, landed on the floor, breaking, food scattered across the floor.
By fucking scale, it was a mess!
“Hey!” the male growled. “Careful where—” He stopped speaking as soon as their eyes locked.
Great! It was Clay. Obsidian grunted what he hoped sounded like an apology.
“You really should spend more time in your skin. More time with people in general. You’re becoming more and more socially inept.” Clay rolled his eyes. “You really do like living up to your name, Savage.” He smiled as he said it.
“Don’t!” Obsidian warned. He had said he was sorry. What more did the male want?
Then Clay took a step back and whistled low. “Wow, look at you.” Although to anyone watching it would seem he was giving Obsidian a positive appraisal, he knew better. “Wearing clothes for a change I see.” He looked down at Obsidian’s pants. “I have to say…” he rubbed his chin, “I’m not sure I like the look. Too civilized for a male like you. Nice try though, Savage.” He smirked.
Obsidian grit his teeth. He tried to ignore the male, concentrated on the table of food and on dishing up instead.
“So, you’re not going to clean up the mess you made?” Clay went on. “Fucking typical!”
Obsidian turned his head to the male who was still smirking. Normally Clay wasn’t quite so openly hostile towards him. He must have known that Obsidian wouldn’t want to cause a scene at his brother’s mating ceremony. That he was relatively safe. Right there and right then.
Obsidian held his own plate out to Clay who took it. The smirk quickly turned to a frown. Obsidian could see that Clay was preparing to say something. Obsidian abruptly turned and walked out, before he did something he would regret, like ruin his brother’s celebration. He’d also hate to get blood all over the pants he was wearing and prove yet again, that he was indeed savage. That the nickname he had been given many years ago during one of the training sessions was apt.
Fuck that!
He was learning to control his strength. To control his beast. No, that wasn’t entirely true. He had learned how to embrace his dragon side. To revel in his scales. Not something a male like Clay would understand. The male was a wet, simpering idiot, a sap.
Obsidian pulled his pants from his body, dropping the garment on the dusty earth, before stepping over them. He shifted in less than a second and took to the skies. Freedom. Quiet. Calm. Clarity of thought. He spread his wings and flapped harder, finding himself returning to the valley. Hoping to catch a glimpse of her.
Why though? He couldn’t say.
Why he felt excitement when he caught sight of her, he couldn’t say either, since this had nothing to do with attraction. Maybe it was recognizing another being fully exhilarated in their animal form that had him so intrigued. A flash of
fur caught his eye and he realized she was there. She disappeared behind a rocky outcrop. Must be in that thicket of trees.
Obsidian beat his wings faster. Where was she? His eyes strained, trying to catch sight of her. She moved fast but she couldn’t have gotten far. Where was she?
Hunt.
The forest was thick in these parts, sometimes giving way to open sections and the odd field. There! He caught sight of her body as she moved between the trees. He liked to watch her. Loved to watch her muscles move beneath her fur. How her body stretched out as she ran. Lithe and streamlined, yet powerful. He felt another tug inside him. The urge to hunt being brought straight to the fore. It wasn’t quite the same feeling he normally got when on the chase. This was slightly different somehow. He couldn’t put his claw on it. He usually felt this way when an animal was fleeing, yet she wasn’t running from anything. She didn’t even know he was there. The scent of fear also incensed him, and she didn’t smell fearful at all. He caught her musky wolf scent; there were also smells of female mixed in there. Sweet and delicate. His mouth watered even though he wasn’t hungry.
Hunt.
The desire to chase her brought him in closer. There was this voice inside him that told him to leave. It was his voice of reason. The rational side of him. His human side. He ignored it.
Hunt.
Obsidian glided in closer still. Moving silently. He could see her better now. Her coat was inky black. It glinted in the sun as she moved, her paws digging into the ground. Her breath came in short pants. Her eyes were big and dark and very beautiful.
Hunt.
Hunt.
The need grew in him. Only, he didn’t want to tear at her flesh and to taste her hot blood as it pumped from her body. If he had been in his skin, he would have frowned right then. Why this compulsion to hunt if he wasn’t going to kill? The question left him as soon as it entered his mind.
Hunt.
The wolf stopped so suddenly, he had to silently backtrack, using small flaps of his wings. What was she doing? She just seemed to be standing there in the clearing. Her chest heaved. Her breathing still shallow and fast. She stood like that for what felt like a long time. Her breathing slowly easing.
Then she was shifting, folding in on herself. All that inky fur gave way to skin. Smooth, soft, sun-kissed. Her hair was long and black as night. It looked thick and lush.
Obsidian had always preferred the she-dragons in their scales. He preferred fangs to teeth and scales to skin. He loved their long, delicate wings and barbed tails.
The female stood up, drawing his attention back to her. Her body was lithe and toned, only, there was a softness there that hadn’t been present in her animal form. Like how her hips flared slightly. Her breasts were rounded and plump too. Not overly so, just big enough that they would feel good in his hands and bounce during a good rut. He held back a growl as his dick began to harden.
Hunt!
Now!
He ignored his reaction to her. Noting how her rump was nicely rounded as well. His cock twitched. The female was a perfect mix of strength and grace. Her hair looked silky soft…her lips were plump and— He realized too late how close he had gotten to her. He’d been so utterly enthralled by the creature before him, he’d allowed himself to drift closer and closer, until—
She sucked in a breath and turned, those dark eyes wide. They widened further as they landed on him, a stunned gasp leaving her mouth. Then she turned on her heel and ran. The wrong thing to do. His instincts took hold.
Hunt!
Hunt!
Hunt!
Although Obsidian gave chase, he didn’t try as hard as his impulse was pushing him. He could have had her in his gasp already if he’d given in to his baser needs. She was fast in her human form, slowing down as she began to shift. What would he do with her if he caught her? He didn’t understand his reaction to her. He’d never become aroused by another species before. Not even by the unmated, sweet-scenting humans who were on their territory from time to time. Yet, here he was hunting a wolf. Not just that, he was fully aroused and ready to rut. It made no sense. Maybe it was confusion after going without fucking for so long. Maybe that had sparked this raging need. He didn’t actually plan on rutting her though. Even his animal side cringed at the thought. What, then?
Eat her? His mouth watered some more and yet the need for blood was still absent.
Talk to her? Laughable. Obsidian had less and less to say of late. This creature was not even his species. She turned back to him as she ran. Her eyes even wider…terror flared in their depths when she realized how close he was. It only succeeded in further incensing him. Obsidian surged forward, stretching out a claw, wanting to…what? Touch her? Grab her?
The female tripped over a root, mid-shift. He tried to reach for her. To stop her from falling, but he wasn’t quite close enough. His claw caught the side of her arm as she fell.
With a yelp that sounded more animal than human, she face-planted in the dirt. She fell hard. He heard a muffled noise…sounding like a sob and then she was quiet. Her limbs had lengthened slightly and there was a light fur on her back and arms. It receded before his eyes. A sure sign that she was unconscious. Her legs returned to human length. Back to beautiful olive skin encasing toned muscle. Since when did he find skin so beautiful? He always preferred scales.
Obsidian sniffed at the female, scenting blood. His dick throbbed even more. He looked down at her plump rear. Could scent her pussy nestled between her legs. The need to rut hit him hard. It didn’t matter that the female was injured. That she was even unconscious. He wanted her and he wanted her right then. His arms shook with the need to lift her ass up and to bury himself inside her.
He growled loudly, recoiling back, only then realizing that he was still in his dragon form. He could kill her if he rutted her in this state. Obsidian tried to breathe through his mouth. He tried to…calm the fuck down. He couldn’t do this. It would be wrong. He wasn’t an animal. Not entirely. He needed to…
Take!
Rut!
He moved a step towards her, clenching his jaw. He needed to do something to bring himself back to his senses but couldn’t think of what that thing was. He could only scent her. He could only think of the tight pink folds he would find if he parted her thighs. He squeezed his eyes shut and roared, feeling angry. He couldn’t have her.
Want!
Need!
Take!
His beast rode him hard. His cock throbbed. He grit his teeth, snarling in frustration. No! No! He would hurt her. Obsidian forced himself to smell her blood instead of her sex. To think of how fragile she was. Soft and delicate. Easily broken. Must protect! Must…rut!
Take!
Have!
Need!
He snarled so loudly that the earth shook.
Chapter 4
She tried to open her eyes but couldn’t. Her head pounded.
What had—?
Her mouth hurt. Her…she groaned as she lifted her head, feeling blood gush from her nose, which felt like it might just be broken. It throbbed like mad. Great!
That’s when she heard him snarl. He was right behind her. The beast. The one who had been stalking her. Holy hell but she’d never seen eyes like that. So focused on her. She didn’t like what she read in them. Demi turned, slowly. Ever so slowly. He was a huge son of a bitch. Easily three or four times her size when in wolf form and she wasn’t in her animal form right then.
His lip curled from his teeth in a silent snarl. By fur but those teeth were long and sharp. There were plenty of them. His scales gleamed and his tail whipped from side to side in an agitated fashion. She was dead. He was going to kill her. His eyes were filled with rage. He—
That’s when she saw it…his…his…dragon-cock. It was massive. Almost like a fifth limb. It jutted from between his hind legs. It seemed to be pointed at her. Why was it hard like that? Only one answer came to mind. By all the gods, if he tried anything, he would tear her in half. It w
ould be the end of her. That was for sure.
Demi narrowed her eyes. If she just lay there, one way or the other, she would be dead. She pulled in a deep breath. Here goes nothing. Demi shifted. It took two seconds and for that precious moment, she was vulnerable. She half expected him to pounce right then but he didn’t. It was puzzling. Not shifting hadn’t been an option since she needed to fight him. Maybe she’d get lucky and find a weakness.
He snarled, his muscles bunching, making him seem even bigger. Weakness? Like hell! This dragon didn’t have any weaknesses that she could see. Demi had to try though. There was no other option.
She crouched, her fur bristling. Should she attempt to outrun him? She’d bet anything she was faster, just by looking at his sheer bulk. The problem were those blasted wings. Running wasn’t an option. He’d catch her in half a second flat. She snarled as she attacked him, raking her claws across his chest before darting away.
The dragon snarled in anger, smoke billowed from his nose. Shit! He could burn her to a crisp. She hadn’t thought about that. Demi glanced back between his legs, that massive cock twitched. Burning would be better than being rammed to death with that thing. If rutting her was even his intention. She wasn’t sure. So far, he hadn’t made a move. Maybe looking aroused like that was normal for a dragon. It didn’t seem right though. Why was he just standing there? The look in his eyes scared the shit out of her. Demi circled a little to the right and sprang back at him, expecting him to make a grab for her. Or to hit her away, something. He didn’t though. Was he that slow? Big, cumbersome and sluggish? It didn’t seem right, but she’d take it. Anything to get the edge. This time she went for his right shoulder and took her time, digging her claws in as far as they would go. He snarled as she pulled back. By then he had several cuts on his chest. The fresh one on his right shoulder dripped blood.
Good!
Savage Dragon: Earth Dragons Series: Book 2 Page 2
