by Kim Fox
“I want this,” he said with a hint of pain in his voice. “I just wish…”
“Yeah?” she whispered, tilting her chin up to his. Their eyes were locked on each other’s. So many unsaid words swirling between them.
“I want…”
His lips finished the thought, landing on hers with a beautiful kiss. His big arms wrapped around her, pulling her close against his warm body. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her stomach filled with butterflies as she kissed the father of her child.
She let go of all her worries and preconceived notions and just fell into the perfect moment, enjoying his warm tongue sliding against hers as the stars shone brightly overhead.
He kissed her until she was breathless. Until she was warm between the legs and wanting more.
“Axel,” she gasped as she slid her hand around his neck, pulling his mouth to hers in case he dared leave. It felt too good to stop. It felt too good to not go farther.
Their hands began exploring each other’s bodies for the second time, finding the familiar curves and nooks that were already starting to feel like home.
Axel took off her shirt and moved on top of her as she laid down on the roof of the fire truck. His brown eyes were piercing as he looked down at her with love and Hadley couldn’t help but hope that their child would get its father’s eyes.
She let out a low moan as she felt his hard erection press against her outer thigh. The sex had been incredible the last time and that was when they were strangers. It would be even better now that they shared an intimate connection that could only come from creating a life together.
It was all so perfect.
Until it wasn’t.
The blaring siren scared the crap out of her and she jerked up, smacking her forehead into Axel’s.
“Are you okay?” he shouted over the siren as stars clouded her vision.
“Ow,” she muttered as she touched her pounding head with her palm. That fucking hurt.
The siren was coming from inside the firehouse, making her ears hurt. What the hell is going on?
Axel was still hovering over her, making sure she was okay as Jax and Zane came sprinting out of the firehouse and jumped into the truck that Hadley was half naked on.
“AXEL!” Zane screamed at the top of his lungs as he closed the door.
“Up here!” Axel yelled back as he placed a protective arm over her.
“Hold on!” Zane shouted back to him.
“Oh no,” Hadley muttered as the engine roared and the truck began to shake. Before she could find her shirt, the fire truck was racing down the street and heading into the middle of the town.
Chapter 9
Axel
“Where’s my shirt?!?” Hadley screamed as the fire truck whipped around the corner, slamming both her and Axel into the ladder running across the roof.
Axel grabbed onto her arm to make sure she didn’t go flying off the truck as it barreled down the street. The sirens were howling as Hadley’s frightened face was lit up by the rotating red and white lights.
It was a beautiful summer night and the town was full of people—people who were all staring at Hadley in her bra as she desperately looked for her shirt.
“Oh my God!” she shouted in a panic as she frantically searched. “This is so embarrassing.”
Axel spotted her shirt and grabbed it from between the rungs of the ladder as the laughing and cheering townspeople pointed and took pictures from the sidewalk. He yanked it down over her head and waved back to the crowd like he was on some kind of perverted parade float as Hadley struggled to pop her head out of the armhole.
“Geez,” she shouted as her head finally emerged through the right hole. Her hair was plastered to her head and she looked so adorable that Axel couldn’t help but laugh.
“What are you laughing at?” she shouted as she slapped his shoulder. “This is your fault!”
Thankfully, the truck was past the busiest part of town, and they didn’t have much of an audience anymore.
“Is there a fire?” she asked, looking at Axel with wide eyes.
“Not sure,” he said, glancing back over his shoulder. “Let me go check.”
He made sure that Hadley was safely secured between the rungs of the ladder and climbed along the roof to the front of the truck.
Figures. Just as I was getting somewhere with her… This better not be Tom Hopkins’ stupid goat again.
The boys had been to Tom Hopkins’ farm at least a dozen times this year alone. He had a goat who was always climbing up on the roof and getting stuck.
Axel grabbed onto the lights with one hand and dropped his head over the edge, scaring Jax as he popped out of nowhere.
“What the hell?!?” Jax screamed, clutching his chest as he looked at him in shock. “You trying to give me a heart attack or something?”
“You need a heart to have a heart attack,” Axel said with a chuckle.
“Get in here,” Zane snapped. “Quit fucking around. It’s go time.”
“It’s what time?” Axel said as a feeling of dread sunk into his stomach. I hope it’s not…
“It’s Valerius,” Zane said, squeezing the steering wheel as he swerved around a car. Axel lifted himself up and glanced back at Hadley to make sure she was still hanging on. She was okay. Terrified but okay.
“What do you mean it’s Valerius?” Axel asked, dipping his head back down. He was sure that the blue ice dragon had moved on from Colwood. Axel always had an optimistic lookout on life, but sometimes that meant ignoring any negative possibilities.
“The Vega Brothers called,” Zane said in a tight voice. “He’s on their ranch.”
No.
All of a sudden, Axel had a hard time breathing as it felt like a tremendous weight was sitting on his chest. They were well past the town and heading down the secluded mountain road that led to the Vega Ranch. Which was worse? Leaving Hadley on the side of the road in the middle of the night where any wandering bear, mountain lion or crazy ax-murdering cannibal could make a meal out of her, or bringing her to a potential battle zone between a dozen shifters and a mated dragon?
It was a lose-lose choice, so Axel decided to stick with the option that kept her close by.
She looked so small and vulnerable as she held onto the ladder as the wind whipped through her blonde hair sending it spiraling all around her.
This better be okay.
He didn’t know what he would do if she was hurt under his watch, although he knew that he would die before he let anything happen to her. And it wasn’t just him who would be protecting her. He had a vicious polar bear inside who would maul anything that tried to hurt her.
Still. He hoped it would be enough.
“What’s going on?” she asked with wide terrified eyes as he hurried back to her. “Is there a fire?”
“Something like that,” he said, swallowing hard. “Do you remember how to drive this thing?”
Her jaw was tight but she nodded.
“Good. When we get there I want you to climb down from here, get behind the wheel and drive out of there as fast as you can. Understand?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Don’t you need the truck to put out the fire?”
He grabbed onto her arms and squeezed them. “Hadley. You have to trust me. You might see some weird things where we’re going, but I need you to ignore all of that, okay?”
She was looking more fearful than ever. “What kind of weird things?”
“Just keep your eyes in front of you, get in the truck, and drive back to the firehouse,” Axel said in a desperate tone.
She closed her eyes and shook her head as the truck turned a corner. “I don’t even know where we are,” she said in a panic. “What’s going on? What’s happening?”
But it was too late to explain. They had already arrived.
Axel had never been so happy to see The Clawed Squad. In fact, he had never been happy to see The Clawed Squad—the six shifters who lived n
ext door to the Vega Brothers.
But there they were in the field with the Vega Brothers, nine shifters, and one skin shifter, watching nervously as a lone stranger sat by the fire, roasting a marshmallow.
Cold chills snaked down Axel’s back as he looked the dragon shifter over. He had a supreme confidence about him as he blew out the flaming marshmallow at the end of his stick, sitting there like he owned the place. Although from what Draven had told them, Axel knew that Valerius felt like he not only owned the land he was sitting on, he felt like he owned the entire planet.
Valerius casually looked up at the fire truck with his icy blue eyes as it rolled to a stop beside the crowd of anxious-looking shifters. He didn’t look too imposing—shorter and smaller than his brother Draven—but Axel wasn’t fooled by that. He knew that his size had nothing to do with how powerful he was.
“Who are those guys?” Hadley said in a shaky voice. “What is this place?”
“Those are friends,” Axel said, motioning to the group of shifters who were hurrying over.
“What about him?” she asked, looking past them to Valerius. He popped the marshmallow into his mouth and licked his fingers like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“That guy… well…”
“Tell me my brother is in there,” Valerius said in a deep booming voice as he stood up from the chair. His eyes were locked on the truck as Zane and Jax climbed out. “I’ve had enough of this dragon and mouse game. Where is Dravenous?”
“Hide for now,” Axel whispered to Hadley as he gently pushed her head down. He knew now that he had made the wrong decision. He should have left her on the side of the road. Anywhere was safer than here.
She nodded, looking like a scared kitten as she ducked her head down.
“Whatever happens, I’ll make sure you’re okay,” Axel promised her. He really hoped he could keep his promise.
“Where the hell is Draven?” Thorn the alpha of the Clawed Squad asked as Axel climbed down from the roof of the fire truck. “This is twice now that a dragon shows up and he’s missing. Where the hell is he?”
Axel swallowed hard as he looked at the anxious faces in front of him. The twins, Karl and Slate who never stopped joking around, Royal the disgraced prince of Malderanian, Stetson the huge polar bear shifter who was mated to the sheriff, the one-legged skin shifter Tyler, and their alpha Thorn. The four Vega brothers were there as well: Julius the smart ass brother, Khan the mean one, Hannibal the smart one, and Alexander the even meaner one. Axel was happy to be surrounded by so much muscle, but he was worried that it wouldn’t mean much if Valerius decided to let his dragon come out to play.
“He’s at our house this time,” Hannibal said in an impatient tone. “Where is Draven?”
Zane’s jaw was tight as he took a deep breath. “We don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Alexander said, squeezing his meaty hands into fists as he stepped forward. The huge polar bear shifter looked furious. “He came to our house. Our mates and kids were sleeping inside.”
“Are they still inside?” Zane asked, looking past him to the huge sprawling house in the background. The Vega brother’s house was located on a secluded ranch away from any curious eyes.
“We got them out,” Hannibal said as he placed a hand on Alexander’s huge arm. “They’re driving away now.”
“Same with us,” Thorn said as he glanced over his shoulder. The Clawed Ranch was next door separated by a large field and some forest.
At least they got their mates and children to safety. Axel’s stomach dropped when he looked back at the fire truck where Hadley was hiding on the roof, wishing for the first time that she was back in Philly.
“Come join the party,” Valerius shouted from the fire. The thirteen shifters turned and looked at the smiling dragon shifter who was motioning to the empty chairs. “And explain to me where my brother has gone.”
He sat back down in the chair, grabbed another marshmallow from the bag and shoved it onto his stick. “I’m waiting,” he said impatiently as he lowered the marshmallow over the fire, cooking it in the flames.
“Zane,” Thorn said with a tight voice. “You’re telling me Draven has fled from Colwood?”
“He didn’t flee,” Jax snapped back. His muscles flexed as he took a threatening step forward. “You don’t know anything about it.”
Axel grabbed onto the angry lion shifter and pulled him back. He didn’t like anyone talking shit about his alpha either, but these shifters weren’t the enemy. They had to work together if they were to survive the night. If Hadley and his unborn child were to survive the night…
“They’re not our enemies,” Axel whispered to Jax as he pulled him back. “We have to focus.”
Jax pushed away from Axel and shook out his arms as he glared at Thorn. He was in control. For now.
Zane took a deep breath as he looked at Valerius. “I’ll go talk to him,” he said, swallowing hard. Axel’s temporary alpha began walking over and Axel and Jax caught up with him, flanking his sides.
“Hey!” Valerius said, smiling in amusement as they walked toward the fire. “Didn’t I freeze you two in blocks of ice?”
“We got out,” Jax hissed.
“I can see that,” Valerius said as he pulled the marshmallow from the fire. He stared at the flames as they arrived, stopping behind the chairs.
“Please, sit,” Valerius said, motioning to the empty Adirondack chairs in front of them.
Zane and Axel exchanged a quick glance before the three of them sat down. As much as they didn’t want to admit it, they were overpowered by the mated dragon shifter and it was best to keep things peaceful. At least until Draven came back with the prophesied weapon that he was searching for.
“I suppose that my brother is not hiding in the back of that truck,” he said, looking annoyed as he blew out the flaming marshmallow.
“He went home to find you,” Axel said. “He’s in Europe.”
The ice dragon jerked his head back in surprise. “Really?” he said, sounding amused. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
Zane flashed Axel a look of disapproval. Draven had the advantage of surprise on his hands, but now that was all gone.
“And my brother Jarin?” Valerius said as he popped the marshmallow into his mouth. “I don’t suppose you know where he went to?”
Axel glanced up at the dark mountain where the gray dragon’s dead body was buried. “Nope.”
Zane shrugged. “So, unfortunately we can’t help you out. I guess you’ll be leaving now?”
Axel held his breath and leaned in, hoping he would, but the ice dragon didn’t move. He just sat there smiling at Zane. “Now what fun would that be?”
Axel’s hopeful feeling was replaced with dread as Valerius reached into the bag for another marshmallow, looking more comfortable than ever.
He heard some movement behind him, and when he turned around, the Clawed Squad and the Vega Brothers were all standing behind them like a muscular wall of pissed-off looking shifters.
“Perhaps you misunderstood my friend Zane,” Stetson, the massive polar bear shifter said. “That wasn’t a request. Get the fuck out of here before we start to get angry. You’re trespassing on our property.”
Valerius smiled. “That’s where you’re wrong.” He opened his arms and looked around. “The dragon throne is mine. All of this is mine. My kingdom. My birthright.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Stetson said, stepping forward with murder in his eyes. “You ain’t the king of shit around here. We killed your brother Jarin and we’ll kill you too.”
Axel dropped his head. Shit.
“What?” Valerius whispered. His body was still except for his trembling hands. “You killed my brother?”
His chest was heaving up and down as his lips pulled back, baring his teeth. He looked so terrifying that Stetson stepped back with an anxious look on his face. “Actually it was them who killed him,” the polar bear shifter s
aid, pointing to Axel, Jax, and Zane.
Axel gulped as Valerius’ horrible blue eyes fell back on them. They were glowing a cold icy blue that was brimming with hate. He gripped the armrests on the wooden chair so hard that they snapped under his fingertips.
“Oh shit,” Zane said as he leaped out of his chair. Axel and Jax jumped up as well and took a step back as the dragon shifter began to shake. His tight skin turned blue then scaly as large wings ripped out of his back.
Axel’s stomach dropped as he glanced back at the fire truck where Hadley was hiding, hoping that she was getting into the truck and fleeing.
She wasn’t.
When he was forced to turn back to the ice dragon, all hell broke loose.
Chapter 10
Hadley
Hadley couldn’t believe her eyes. The men all around her were exploding into animals. Her jaw dropped when she saw a full-grown lion with a long golden mane explode out of Jax. Identical brown bears burst out of the twins, and a vicious Kodiak bear ripped free from Zane.
What the hell?
Her eyes darted to Axel just in time to see an enormous polar bear emerging from his skin. She would have stared in shock if something even stranger hadn’t caught her eye.
The strange man who had put all of the men on edge had transformed into a huge blue dragon. Hadley’s heart was racing so hard that it felt like it was going to explode. She froze—fighting back a scream—as the massive dragon stood up on its hind legs and spread it’s shiny blue wings.
She cradled her stomach, trying to protect her baby in the only way she could as the army of bears surrounded the dragon.
Am I hallucinating?
It didn’t make sense. None of this was making sense, but somehow Hadley knew that it was reality and not a hallucination. Hadn’t her friend Sarah said something about Colwood? Shifters… the video!
Last year there had been a video of a bunch of shifters phasing into their animals in the middle of town, but it had been debunked as a hoax. She could see now that it wasn’t. It was as real as the blue dragon in front of her.
