Dragon Passion

by Amelia Jade

  Charles echoed the look of amusement. “Is your boyfriend always that philosophical?” he asked Shay.

  She giggled. “No, he usually has trouble with three-syllable words, actually. But we’re working on it.”

  Justin felt his jaw drop at the jab. “First I’m called shifter boy, now she’s arguing that I talk like a child. She must feel confident in my feelings of affection toward her.”

  “Then prove me wrong,” she joked as Justin came up alongside her, leaving her sandwiched between him and her father.

  He paused. “No.”

  “No?” she said skeptically.

  He sighed theatrically. “Let me put it to you in a way you might understand. I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request.”

  After a moment of shocked surprise Shay burst out into laughter, leaning her head on his shoulder as she shook. Her father chuckled politely.

  “I don’t even know what we’re talking about anymore,” she said, pulling him tight against her.

  “Me neither,” he replied.

  “So, what are you going to do now?” she asked her father as Justin steered them toward the command room.

  Charles hesitated for a moment, then plunged ahead. “I think, if Madison will let me, that I’m going to join the Underground.”

  Shay nodded firmly. “Good.”

  “Good?” both Justin and Charles echoed the question at the same time.

  “Yes,” she said, looking at both of them. “It means we’ll get to see more of each other, which I think is sorely needed.”

  “We will?”

  “You will?”

  Justin and Charles looked at each other, then at her.

  “Yes. I’m going to be joining too,” she stated firmly, then stopped and looked at Justin, pointing at him to ensure he didn’t speak. “You guys need a good driver, and that’s going to be me.”

  He felt his jaw drop at the strength in her voice. She had a point. Shay was a damn good driver. Better than any of the other Sentinels, that was for sure. But she wasn’t a shifter, or even a half-breed that could accept the Extremis serum.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I won’t argue that your skills behind the wheel would help us. That would be a lie. But you would be extremely vulnerable in a fight, and you have to admit that,” he said. “We can’t guarantee that you would be able to avoid one.”

  Shay frowned. “You have other humans on your team, Justin. They go into danger willingly. If they’re willing to stick up for what’s right, who are you to deny me doing the same?”

  “I agree,” a new voice said as they walked inside.

  Justin glared at Madison, but she just shrugged it aside. “You know I’m right,” the leader of the Underground said. “She will be a big help to us, and it is her decision.”

  “I know,” he grumped.

  “But you don’t want to see me in harm’s way, right?” Shay said, letting go of her father for the moment to hold him tighter.

  Justin nodded.

  “You can’t protect me from everything,” she told him.

  “I can try,” he said immediately, but he knew that was a flimsy argument, and so did she.

  “I know you can, and I love you for it,” she said, kissing his arm as she pressed her forehead to him briefly. “But this is my choice. You have to let me make it.”

  He frowned, having realized as soon as she spoke that this was coming. “Fine, but you’re going to be armed with a tranq gun at all times, and you will practice every day until you’re an ace marksmen with it. No argument.”

  Shay grinned. “I can do that. Only if you know a good teacher though. One who can, ah, teach me proper posture and, umm, positioning. One who can maybe help me earn top marks through after-class lessons?” she said with a wink.

  Justin glanced around the room as the others chuckled or cat-called him. He felt his cheeks heat a little, and knew he was probably blushing.

  He was saved by Charles clearing his throat. The reminder that she had just said all that in front of her father made Shay burst into bright shades of red.

  “Okay,” Madison said, gesturing at the seats surrounding the table.

  Justin noticed Charles hesitated, looking up at her. The leader of the Underground just returned his stare and nodded, gesturing once more at the seats, giving him her approval to stay.

  “I hope everyone has had a productive few days off,” she said, pausing when Connor conveniently cleared his throat. She arched an eyebrow as chuckles ran around the table, then continued as if her mate hadn’t done anything.

  Justin leaned back, one arm draped over Shay’s shoulder as they began to recap everything that had happened.

  Finally he felt at ease; with himself, who he was, and what he was being called upon to do in this chapter of his life. He still didn’t enjoy killing others, but he was no longer tormented by nightmares about it either. What little sleep Shay had allowed him to get over the past two days had been peaceful and enjoyable.

  Of course, the time spent awake had been just as pleasurable he thought, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

  ********

  ********

  Silver Bullet Bear

  Chapter One

  Josh

  The cobblestone pathway stretched out ahead of him. He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten there, or even where he was. It always started that way. He just was.

  The red and orange earthen tones of the stones under his feet swept forward in a twisting, winding swirl of colors that seemed to stretch on forever, never reaching an end. Columns of marble rose up at regular intervals on either side of him, lining the way. At the top they arched out and over the top of him. Light seemed to emanate from within the marble itself, providing a soft, soothing glow that overpowered the darkness beyond, keeping it at bay.

  He frowned, looking behind him, but all he could see was more path. There was nothing back there, he knew that. He was still compelled to check, to ensure that there was nothing he had missed, that might provide him with guidance as to where he was to go. After all, the pathway in front of him was always just as empty.

  No. That isn’t right.

  There, in the distance, he could see the pathway rise, climbing a hill.

  And at the top, a figure.

  It was her.

  Again, he didn’t know how he knew, but he did. She was there, and his bear knew it. The beast roared and fought against his control, trying to go to her.

  Hair a dirty-blonde draped down her back, pulled into a low ponytail, just enough to keep it from falling back across her shoulders. He couldn’t make out much more at that distance, though with her back turned to him as it always was, he knew there wasn’t anything more to see.

  He could run, like he was now, without realizing it. His feet pounded across the stones, propelling him forward in a dead sprint as he tried to close with her. Although the columns to either side flew by, she never seemed to get any closer.

  Movement to his left caused him to slow, as the shadow resolved itself into the shape of an animal he knew, despite never having seen one before.

  Werewolf.

  His bear surged forward, overwhelming his mind as it recognized its mortal enemy. The strength of its anger caught him off guard, surprising him so much he didn’t react in time. The huge beast ripped forth from his skin with a bestial bellow that echoed in the strange world he was in.

  Now he was in the backseat, taken along for the ride as the power of his animal closed with the lithe creature in front of him. The wolf, no more than a lighter shade of black against the backdrop outside of his cobblestone world, didn’t move.

  As his bear charged between two columns, leaving the lit pathway behind, it screeched to a halt. It realized its mistake as more forms resolved themselves from the darkness in numbers too vast to count.

  The colossal titan—nearly two tons of muscle and lethal fury—skidded to a halt, emitting a completely undignified high-pitched noise, and beat a hasty retreat
to the pathway. At the same time, the entity that was his bear relinquished its hold on his body, allowing his human mind to regain control.

  Wuss.

  The wolves, for whatever reason, couldn’t come into the light. They stayed outside, beyond his columns, his protection.

  Or my prison.

  Now that was a weird thought. He didn’t feel like he was in a cell, held against his will. Did he? The more he thought about it though, the more it seemed that way. His world was so confined, well-defined and laid out for him. He appreciated the fact that his world existed, while the world outside his protective columns seemed blank.

  But the truth was, there was so much more out there than there was inside.

  Except her. She’s in here.

  His eyes snapped around to look down the pathway, the stones blending into each other as he sought her, far off in the distance.

  There.

  With a frown at the shapes still dancing around in the darkness, he resumed his jog forward. He tried to come closer to the woman, the one he knew to be his.

  His mate.

  His bear growled and pushed him forward faster and faster, urging him to get there. Time was running out! He didn’t know why that thought came to him, but a glance over his shoulder told him that was the truth. The columns were crumbling away, and as they did the light emitting from them faded.

  And on came the wolves, howling and snapping at each other as they chased after him. The darkness grew closer, gaining on him much faster than he was approaching the hill where she stood. Determined not to fail this time, he found another gear within himself and ran faster than he had ever run before. Finally the hill began to come closer, and the darkness fell further behind.

  “Shit!” he shouted aloud, skidding to a halt as the pathway ended abruptly.

  In front of him, there was a gap easily thirty or forty feet across. It was too much for him to clear in a jump.

  Behind him the darkness closed in. The wolves rippled, and suddenly they flowed together, their shadows merging. They rose up and over him, blotting out all remaining light. Yet somehow he was able to see as the giant wolf maw opened. Teeth as black as night came at him, each easily twice his size.

  He shouted his defiance until they snapped closed over him.

  ***

  Josh bolted upright, sheets falling away from him as he gasped for air. Sweat poured off of him, soaking the bed.

  Looking to his sides, he slowly relaxed the death grip he had on the bedsheet, the dark-purple material unwinding slightly as tension was released from it, but there were still marks in them.

  “Dammit,” he muttered as his heart rate began to slow at last, a mild sense of euphoria overcoming him as it did.

  This is the fifth time in the past two weeks. The same dream. What is going on with me?

  It was entirely the same. But this was the first time his bear had gone beyond the columns. Before it had always stopped at the edge of the light, as if unwilling to go beyond.

  What did that mean, he wondered?

  “Fuck,” he said, his mind still overwhelmed with the fog of sleep, despite being woken up so roughly.

  With a sigh he threw himself back onto the bed, hoping to fall asleep. But as his sweat absorbed into the sheets and they began to cling to him, he knew it was never going to be.

  Angrily he threw the sheets off, rising to his feet and heading for the shower, not bothering to check the clock. He didn’t want to know the time. Whatever it was, it was too fucking early.

  Hopefully today will be uneventful.

  ***

  By the time breakfast came around, Josh was starting to feel awake and relaxed. The sound of thick-cut bacon sizzling on the stove, mixed with the delectable aroma of fresh eggs would have been enough to put anyone in a good mood. Add pancakes and a plethora of fresh-cut fruit—now a staple with the influx of women into their midst—to the list, and the rumbling of his stomach threatened to outdo any lingering emotions from his thwarted sleep.

  “Damn that smells good,” he said as he headed for the piles of food.

  “Too bad there won’t be any left for you,” Connor, one of the other members of his team, teased as he slipped in front of him and began to pile food high on his plate.

  Josh rolled his eyes, but a smile crossed his lips.

  It died as the rest of his crew lovingly pushed their way by him as well.

  “Thanks guys,” he said, shaking his head and snagging one of the remaining plates.

  “Ngh praghlmb,” Justin said, his mouth already full of food as he passed by on his way to grabbing a seat.

  “Wow. That’s so attractive,” a female voice said.

  Josh laughed and reached out to take a pile of bacon from Justin’s plate as he tried to stutter a reply to Shay, his mate, as she stood at the door with her arms crossed, shaking her head at him.

  Justin yelped at the blatant bacon thievery, but he was too slow. Josh escaped with his plunder.

  “Much better,” he said, just loud enough for the others to hear, and an audible chuckle ran round the room.

  Madison, Connor’s mate, entered the room a moment later, and the two women proceeded to grab food as well, joining the shifter team at the long table in the middle of the room. These days the breakfasts and mornings were much more informal and relaxed than they had been in the past.

  “Any news?” he asked as they sat back, munching on the food, his stomach happy with him at last.

  Madison shook her head. “Nothing new yet today. Just the same old, same old with the Agency.”

  Josh nodded thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair for a moment. Almost a month earlier, they had fought a pitched battle with their nemesis, the mysterious Agency. The cost had been great, and several times he thought they were going to lose. In the end though, they had defeated one of the senior members of the Agency and reduced the numbers of their foe by a large amount.

  The weeks between had been a series of stalemates. With the destruction of two of their bases, the Agency had pulled back, consolidating themselves in their remaining pair of installations. The swath of destruction the Underground had cut through their numbers left them too weak to control the city, giving Josh and his Sentinels time to recover and begin organizing the mass evacuation of all remaining shifters within the area.

  Unfortunately it meant that the Agency was too strong in either spot for the Underground to stage an attack. An uneasy cease-fire was in place while both sides frantically worked to secure the resources necessary to rid themselves of the other for good. Josh could only hope that his side would emerge victorious. They had sent pleas home to Genesis Valley for a second team of Sentinels, but so far, nothing had arrived.

  His mind wandered back to the present just in time to see Madison get off her phone, with a strange look on her face. As he watched, her eyes tracked across the room until they settled on him.

  “I didn’t do it,” he said immediately, trying to look as innocent as possible.

  “Bullshit,” Jared, the team leader, said from his spot several seats down.

  Madison arched an eyebrow curiously. “Didn’t do what, exactly?”

  He shrugged. “Whatever it is that made you look at me like that. I’ve been good…lately,” he amended after someone cleared their throat.

  “You know, for once, I actually believe you,” she said. Josh started to relax just as she added, “Which probably means you did do it.”

  The others laughed, and a smile even spread across her face for a moment before she sobered.

  Josh sat upright at that, realizing she meant business.

  “No, that was Valen,” she said, naming one of the twin gryphon shifters who ran Lionshead Mining.

  His boss.

  “What did he want?” Josh asked suspiciously. It was never a good thing when your boss called about you.

  “You’re going off on assignment, apparently,” she said.

  Josh felt his eyebrows rocket upward. “I’m wha
t?” he asked in disbelief. Sentinels didn’t just “go off on assignment” on their own. They went as a team, like when his team had been sent to King City. That was an assignment. “On my own?” he said, trying to get more information.

  Madison nodded. “Indeed. So don’t fuck it up,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.

  He acknowledged her efforts with a smile. “I’ll try,” he said with over-the-top seriousness. “Though it might be easier if I knew what I shouldn’t, ah, fuck up, as you so delicately put it.”

  Madison snorted. She wasn’t known for being delicate. Ever since injecting herself with two experimental serums that had transformed her from a human born of a shifter-human coupling into a full-blown bear shifter, she had become as rough and hard as one of the boys. Except she was a woman. The fact that she was stronger than her mate provided the other Sentinels no shortage of jokes if Connor screwed up.

  “You’re being assigned as a bodyguard to a woman coming to King City with her brother. He’s here to make some speeches, apparently. I wasn’t given more details than that.”

  “Fuck off,” he said, angrily slamming his plate onto the table. “Valen wants me to go play babysitter to some political child? You can’t be serious,” he said. “This is a joke, right?”

  Madison leveled a look at him.

  “Right?” he repeated, his voice weaker this time.

  Madison shook her head.

  “Fuck me,” he said under his breath. “Why me? Why not Jared? He’s the leader. Send him to do babysitting duty.”

  “You want to argue with Valen? You go right ahead,” Madison said, holding out her phone to him.

  Josh crossed his arms. She knew he wouldn’t do it. Hell, neither would she. Nobody argued with Valen, not if they knew what was good for them. Valen was a good man, but if he ordered his employees to do something, he expected it carried out without hesitation or argument. That was made easier because he never gave out bad orders.

  Even now, Josh knew there had to be some reason Valen would assign one of the Sentinels to the job. What that reason was, he didn’t know, but Valen and his brother Marcus didn’t do things like this on a whim. No, this would be a well thought-out mission. Unfortunately he wasn’t privy to all those thoughts.