Legion: Alpha Dragon Shifter Romance (Dragon Rules Series Book 1)

by Tia Didmon

  Mara didn’t see him shift. He was simply there, picking her up, taking her back inside, then bounding up the stairs. He lay her on the bed, laying down beside her.

  His magic caressed hers, easing the errant waves into a gentle roll. She whispered against the pillow. Thankful for the strong arms around her. “What is causing the pain?”

  He nuzzled her hair. “Your magic is powerful for a dragon, let alone a druid. It is like a butterfly breaking from its cocoon. For those with moderate power, the sheath that contains it will rip silently with minimal pain. Housing a magic such as yours requires a strong barrier. Think of it as a human ripping through a wall with a steel lining.”

  She breathed deeply as the pain faded away. “Why do I feel better when you are holding me?”

  Legion whispered in her ear. “Steel melts under dragon’s fire.”

  She turned in his arms. While she had never felt comfortable with a man, everything about Legion made her feel safe. Maybe it was because he wasn’t entirely a man. What did that make her? “Is sex appeal part of the dragon gene?”

  Legion kissed her cheek. “My dragon thinks so, but he is only interested in one woman’s opinion.”

  His kiss was meant to be comforting. She sensed his need to alleviate her pain. It was the soft caress against her cheek that did her in. A featherlight touch of his finger, to move an errant lock from her face, and she was pulling his face to hers.

  Her lips touched his in a sense of urgency. A primal force looking for the connection it had waited eons for. She was unprepared for the taste of him. The combination of fire, power and lust. She whimpered under the force of the magical elixir.

  His arms were platinum bands around her body. An erotic prison she didn’t want to break free from. His hands caressed her curves slowly, tentatively, as if one wrong move could snap a thousand years of control. His voice was low, a sexy sorcerer that whispered of pleasures she couldn’t imagine. “Do you feel it, Mara? The dark magic. It spreads like an infection, consuming everything that it touches, till no joy, no beauty is left to us.”

  Mara kissed his neck. “You feel warm. I sense no darkness in you.”

  Legion’s eyes closed. “When I am with you, there is beauty and hope for a future I thought lost. You force the darkness away. You cannot fathom what a gift that is.”

  Mara warred with the sensations running through her body. Her blood was electrified. A lightning rod of passion and lust that ran straight to her pussy. She had never felt a mild attraction for a man, let alone this all-consuming force that invaded every cell of her body. “Is that why my body is on fire? I’m honestly not this much of a hussy.”

  Legion huffed. “What you are feeling is the rise of your magic. It struggles to merge with mine. I am holding it back, but it is difficult.”

  “We have lots of books about magic in the shop. They never said anything about sex addiction.”

  Legion’s eyebrow went up. “I like the idea of being your addiction, but magic in itself is not sexual. Your magic is rising and attempting to merge with its chosen. It also seeks to sate your needs.”

  Mara took a deep breath, barely able to focus on his words. “My needs?”

  Legion’s smile was wicked. Sensual. He kissed his way down her neck, opening her shirt as he slid down her body. His lips and the firestorm he created as dark and dangerous as he was. She thought about stopping him, but his soul reached for hers. Thick tendrils of power circled around her, waiting for her acceptance. He shared the images from his mind. His need to rip the offending clothing from her body, to thrust into her body and sate a primal instinct as old as time. Yet each touch was gentle, meant to bring her pleasure. Her body responded with a rush of warm liquid between her legs. Legion’s hand slid up her thigh, causing her to whimper. Her breath hitched with the slow glide of his fingers over her sensitive flesh.

  She arched toward him, trying to free her breasts from the confinement of her bra, while he kissed around the white lace, traveling lower. His tongue flicked around her belly button, sending jolts of fire straight to her core. Her fingers clenched the bedspread like an anchor in a tornado. Praying. Pleading as Legion slid her underwear down her thighs, while her skirt circled her waist.

  She should be embarrassed. There had to be a thousand reasons not to let him continue his seductive inspection of her body, but when his hot breath whispered against her thighs, her sanity evaporated like the wind. She moaned loudly when he took a cursory lick of her slick flesh. He was slow at first, allowing her to get used to his long tongue as it dipped into her sensitive channel. She felt the moment his control snapped. His face buried against her pussy, growling and licking her like she was his last meal.

  He was relentless. She lost count of how many times she came. His face was still buried between her legs when her mind shut down and exhaustion snatched her from the endless stream of orgasms. Before her consciousness evaporated, she heard the low growl. A whisper of retribution. “You are mine.”

  Chapter 9

  Mara stretched out in the warm bed, taking a deep breath. Her body hummed as her hands stretched out, bumping a small vase with a single red rose. She yawned, despite the power coursing through her blood, taking a second look at the clock beside the vase, before her eyes went wide.

  She sat up, pushing the thick blanket off her. “Oh god.” She grabbed her cell phone and hit Natalie’s contact number. Her friend picked up on the first ring.

  “Mara, where are you? I was worried sick. I have Jake calling everyone looking for you.”

  Mara squeezed her eyes shut. “I am so sorry. I have no excuse. We had... an unexpected evening and fell asleep at Legion’s house.”

  Static on the line emphasized the elongated pause. “Unexpected, huh? Are you saying that you had sex with him?”

  Mara bit her lip. “Not exactly.”

  Natalie took a deep breath. “Mara Krane, you tell me what is going on. You told me Legion was akin to a stalker. Now you’re in bed with him.”

  How did she explain what Legion was? What she was? How did you approach that conversation? “Legion is a dragon,” she blurted.

  “Is that a motorcycle gang?” Natalie asked.

  “It’s more a gold scales with wings sort of thing.”

  Natalie cleared her throat. “You had sex with a dragon?”

  “No! He was human at the time and I didn’t have sex with him, he just gave me like fifty orgasms.” She slapped her temple with her hand.

  Natalie sighed. “Uh, huh. I might have believed the dragon thing, but the fifty orgasms are a stretch. What did you eat for dinner?”

  Mara frowned. “Steak, pasta and mushrooms. Why?”

  Natalie snorted. “I don’t think those mushrooms were of the shitake variety.”

  “I’m not high! Legion is a dragon... hold on Natalie. I have to call you back. A wolf just came into the bedroom.” She hung up, kneeling down to pet the fur of the beautiful creature. “Where did you come from, buddy?”

  The memories of her youth bubbled up. The dreams that had comforted her as a child. She put her head against his neck, hoping the gentle creature could tame the turmoil that her life had become. “I used to dream of a wolf as a child. He had the same eyes as you.”

  Legion walked into the bedroom with a glass of orange juice. “His name is Thorn. He’s a dragon, but he was cursed years ago and has forgotten what he is.”

  Mara petted the soft gray fur, avoiding Legion’s gaze. “He’s gorgeous. He looks just like the wolf from my dreams as a child, only my wolf was white.”

  Thorn turned his head. The blue crystalline eyes pierced her soul, dredging up childhood memories. She watched in fascination as his coat turned snow white, making his blue eyes appear deeper.

  Legion knelt, touching Thorn. “We thought his magic was dormant. He has never used it since his transmutation.”

  Mara felt the sadness of the creature in front of her. His soul wounded. Proud. “He is in pain. I see...”

&nbs
p; Her eyes clouded over. Opaque. Oppressive. Images flashed like a movie. A setting from in another time. The past. The future. She wasn’t sure. The wolf before her shifted into a man. The same blue eyes hunted for his mate. His salvation. She clutched the wolf’s fur as the bedroom floor returned. “Shit.”

  Legion gripped her arm. “What did you see, Mara?”

  She sifted through the pictures in her mind, looking for clues. “I saw Thorn. He was searching for his mate.”

  His eyes flickered. “He was in dragon form?”

  “No, he was human.”

  Legion ran a hand over the wolf’s fur. “Someday, my friend.” The reverence in his voice made her heart ache.

  “How did he become a wolf?”

  “He went against a powerful Mage who was siphoning my magic. I was young... unaccustomed to the burden of leadership. He killed the mage and saved me, but was cursed by a powerful spell before the Mage died. Until a druid ascends to equivalent power or we discover the exact spell, he is stuck in his current form.”

  Mara pet the wolf who closed his eyes. His leg twitched, like he was about to ride a bike. “I wonder why he changed the color of his coat.”

  Legion focused on the wolf for a moment, then huffed as he stood. “The bastard wanted to impress you.”

  Mara laughed. Her smile mirrored by Legion’s. Her heart clicked. A combination lock, with one tumbler falling into place. The sound echoed in her soul.

  Mara tried not to let Legion’s smile affect her. It was a rare look into the dragon’s soul. One where sadness and responsibility were replaced with joy. The brief reprieve didn’t last. He glanced away, concentrating on something unseen. “Everything okay?”

  He nodded. “Yes, Ash and Robin are returning soon. I want you to meet her. She is a druid and like you she is learning about her power. I had planned a training session with her next week. Would you like to join us?”

  Mara blew out a breath as she continued to pet Thorn. “I have no idea where to start. I mean, this thing just comes and goes.”

  “Your magic is settling. Tonight, at midnight, it will integrate with your soul, for all time. You will need to control it.”

  Mara placed her hands in her lap as she sat on the floor. “How?”

  Legion knelt down. “I can try to teach you some things now, if you like. How to connect with it, hold it inside you, calm it when the world around you is turbulent and your first instinct is to lash out.”

  Mara frowned. “It sounds dangerous. Will I hurt anyone?”

  Legion shook his head. “Only if someone threatened you, but I would not allow that to happen. You are now and forever in my care.”

  “I haven’t agreed to anything, Legion,” she whispered.

  “That is irrelevant. You are the last seer and whether you accept me or not, I will protect you till the day we die.”

  She blinked back the surge that raced through her blood. “We die, not you or me?”

  “Our souls are bound, Mara. Most dragons and druids require the binding ceremony, that is not true for us.”

  “Why?”

  “A cataclysmic event connected me to the druid race. To you. I did not realize how intertwined we were until ten years ago.

  “What happened ten years ago?”

  “Adara revealed she was my mate. That the magic she used to guide me through the centuries was failing.”

  She nibbled her lip. “Why did it fail?”

  His eyes flickered. “Because you were maturing, the magic was leaking from the temple, being absorbed by its rightful owner. You.”

  Mara shook her head. “I didn’t have any...” She glanced at Thorn. His fur had returned to a soft gray. “That’s when I started having the dreams about my white wolf. He was my imaginary friend, when I was lonely or scared.”

  “While it wasn’t Thorn in the physical sense. You were getting glimpses of your future, and he is a part of that.” Legion winked. “I will try not to be jealous you were dreaming about Thorn, instead of me.”

  Mara coughed. “I have dreamed of you, but I’m not telling you about those.”

  Legion smirked. “I look forward to the day you do.” He stood, holding out his hand. “Come. Let’s see if we can work on some simple spells.”

  They walked to the window, overlooking the lush mountains. Whispers of clouds reached out, as if caressing the immense peaks. “It’s so beautiful here.”

  Legion looked down at her. “Yes, it is.”

  She smiled up at him. His tanned skin and dark hair with blond streaks made him incredibly sexy. It took her a moment to realize the thin strands weren’t blond. They were gold. So subtle that she had never noticed the difference.

  “You were looking with human eyes.”

  Her eyes snapped to his. “What?”

  Legion ran a hand through his hair. “While we appear to have a human form, our dragon makes his presence known in subtle ways. For me it is the gold streaks in my hair.”

  “How come I thought they were blond?”

  “A simple glamor, to shroud the vibrancy of the gold.”

  Mara put her finger to her lips. “You, know there are men that put gold glitter in their hair.”

  Legion looked across the mountains. “I suppose that is true of this century. However, I cast that glamor spell in another era. When a dragon, or a man, could get beheaded for an ounce of gold, let alone four tons of it.”

  Mara blinked. “You’re gold colored, I mean it’s not actual gold.”

  Legion winked at her. “I hope you weren’t planning of melting me down for a new necklace.”

  She folded her arms. “Ha ha.”

  “Insinuating I parade around as a dragon queen is not?”

  Mara put her hand to her mouth. “Okay, that was funny.”

  Legion’s eyebrow went up. “My dragon does not think so.”

  The laughter bubbled out of her soul and any sort of barrier she may have had on her magic with it. It formed like a visible wave of heat around them. She sucked in a breath, trying to stem the undulating power, but it refused to obey. It swirled around Legion, licking over his skin in a cascade of blue fire.

  He grimaced, clenching his fists. “Mara, you need to pull it back. It is too soon for the merge. You must hold on until tonight.”

  She took long breaths. “I’m not trying to hurt you, I swear.”

  Legion’s eyes bored into her. Flames burned behind his eyes. They were not the tiny fires of amusement or arousal she had seen before. This was a firestorm of lust. One held at bay with a shield made of rice paper. “You’re not hurting me. You are attempting to merge with my magic. If you are successful, I will take you in ways you are unprepared for.”

  Mara glanced down at the erection peeking out from his jeans. She was mortified, scared, and very turned on. She swallowed hard, pulling her eyes from his cock. “I know that was a warning, but my magic isn’t listening right now.”

  Legion scooped her up, carrying her to the bed. He lay down on top of her, as her magic swirled around him, caressing his tanned skin. Worshiping every thick muscle as if he were a god.

  She felt the barrier he had erected. It was his will alone that held her back. His dragon pushed toward her. Out of options, with her body on fire, she felt every inch of his skin. She kissed him. Her tongue dueled with his, warring with her body while praying for a reprieve.

  She felt the shift inside her. The surge of power dipped down, dispelling the surrounding power. Her forehead pressed against his, breaking their kiss. “I’m sorry.”

  “It is not your fault.”

  She huffed. “That was the magical version of sexual assault.”

  Legion’s lips arched. “Unlikely. My power is far greater than yours. My dragon could have removed your power with a simple thought.”

  She pulled back. “Why didn’t he then?”

  “He wants the merge. He craves it. You complete us, save us from becoming a nightmare that would ravage this world. In human terms though...
he is thinking with his dick.”

  Mara put her arms around him. “So, I’m the girl your dragon has a crush on.”

  Legion glanced at her lips. “My dragon isn’t the only one.”

  “I’m glad I’m not that powerful. It’s comforting to know you can disarm me if needed.”

  Legion frowned. “Mara, you are extremely powerful. Most druids do not exhibit their magic till well after their twenty-third birthday. You will be very strong when your magic matures.”

  “I was kinda happy with the ‘druids are wimps’ theory.”

  Legion’s eyes sparked. Black mixed with fire and amber. “Where did you get that idea?”

  “A book at the shop, why?”

  Legion rolled from the bed. “Dragons have a saying. It is quite opposite of the rhetoric you read in that book.”

  She sat up. “What is it?”

  “Never doubt a druid’s heart. Her love can kill you.”

  Chapter 10

  Mara’s heart stuttered. The way his eyes flared when he spoke those words conveyed more than the words themselves. “What does that mean? Did a druid betray a dragon, one she loved?”

  Legion walked to the window, gazing towards the clouds. His size eclipsed the light outside, casting shadows around the room. The tattoo on his back rippled as he rolled his shoulders, appearing to stretch out, reaching for her through the canvas of his skin. She grabbed her chest when her heart squeezed. It took a moment to realize the pain was not her own. It was Legion’s.

  His voice was low, causing her to lean forward. “I told you my father was a green dragon. We’re all predatory by nature. But he was more of a scholar than a hunter. He was wise and kind. My mother was a druid of mediocre power, but she could make any plant flourish around her. She was beautiful, so much so, my father tripped over his tail the first time he saw her.