I'm Not A Dragon's Mate!

by Sandra R Neeley

  “What the hell, Kaid? I told you I’m not yours!” she yelled back at him.

  Amos chimed in from his porch, “You know that Dragon’s Mate ain't yours, boy!”

  And both Kaid and Avaleigh turned as one to yell back at Amos, “I’m not a Dragon’s Mate!” “She’s not a Dragon’s Mate!” Followed by Avaleigh shouting loud enough to drown them all out,“Once and for all, people — I am not your Mate, Kaid! I am not a fucking Dragon’s Mate, Amos! I’m tired of hearing it from both of you, and I will kick the next man’s ass who dares to say otherwise!”

  Goldy gave a big ole belly laugh standing with his hands planted on his hips, announcing to the world in the booming voice that was only Goldy, “I like her, she’s got fire.” The others broke out into wide grins, and Bam who was standing right beside her smiled down at her and asked Kaid, “Do we get to keep her? She’s nice, and she likes my truck.”

  Mav slapped Kaid on the back and said, “At least you got us a good one,” then to Avaleigh, “Sorry, darlin’, we’re keeping you. For backup, ya know? In case we need a bodyguard.” She snorted at the thought of them needing her to protect them, but she knew in her heart that she would if needed, not that they needed her at all, but she had the distinct feeling that she needed them. And in the few minutes since they’d arrived, she’d noticed something else. She had settled, her emotions weren't all over the place anymore, she felt safe, she felt “home”. As she turned to go back to the porch to get the food that Amos had made for them, Bane stepped in her path. She looked up at him waiting to see what he would say. He looked at her for a few seconds before he reached out a hand to smooth a stray piece of her hair behind her ear. Then, just the edge of his mouth turned up in an almost smile as he told her, “Welcome home, Avaleigh.”

  The ride home was for the most part uneventful. She rode in the middle of the truck between Bam and Kaid. The others rode in front of them on their bikes. She rested with her eyes closed as she listened to Kaid patiently try to answer Bam’s questions. “Is she your Ever, Kaid?”

  A deep sigh came from her right as Kaid settled in for the ride and apparently unavoidable questions that Bam had for him. “No, Bam, she is not my Ever.”

  “Then why did you claim her, Kaid?”

  “Cause she needed claiming, Bam. Bear wanted to protect her, she freed me from the Dragon, and I couldn't leave her behind. They hurt her, they were mean to her, and she needed to be free, too. So I claimed her, so I could protect her. Now she’s mine, and that’s a good thing,” Kaid patiently explained for about the third time.

  Bam was silent for a minute or two, then,“So she’s staying with us, now? We get to help you protect her, right?”

  “Yep, that’s right. She’s one of us now, family.”

  “She’s ours…” Bam grinned to himself. “Okay. I like that Avaleigh is ours.”

  A little while later just before she drifted off, she heard Bam again, “What are you going to do if she finds her Ever, Kaid?”

  Kaid answered him almost hesitantly, “I don’t know, Bam. I haven't thought that far ahead.”

  Bam thought about it for a minute and then said, “You could always make him one of us, too, then we could keep her for always.”

  Kaid swung his head around to look at Bam, that heavy oppressive feeling permeating the truck now. But Bam just kept driving and smiling to himself, like he had just solved the problems of the world.

  Chapter 7

  Daniel GreyStorm sat at the bar in the hole-in-the-wall, broke-dick pool hall he’d found himself in for the last three days, nursing his 4th beer of the afternoon. He surveyed the other patrons around him and still couldn't figure out why the hell he couldn't make himself move on from this damn place. The place was truly a dive. In the middle of nowhere no less. A little one-horse town on the back roads of South Louisiana filled with some local good ole boys. The pool tables were scratched and worn, the juke box in the corner sounded tinny, and the dance floor, if you could call it that, consisted of about 10 feet of dark sticky, old, stained wood in the center of the room with a slightly raised stage just behind it that was even smaller. There was a hand written sign taped on the wall that proclaimed Thursday Karaoke Night. He had a hard time imagining any of these guys singing Karaoke, but whatever floats their boat, you know. The bartender stopped in front of him again and asked if he wanted something to eat. He was a Lion shifter. Daniel could smell it on him. He had been surprised at first — Lions didn't normally seek out jobs that required them to service another, any other. But then he had struck up a conversation with Daniel and over the last few days had even managed to make him feel a little like he belonged. Which freaked him the fuck out. He belonged nowhere. He wasn't even sure why he was here, just that he woke up one day with the urge to go and to keep going. So he had. He was a construction worker by trade. A carpenter to be exact, and he was damn good with his hands, so he never had any trouble finding work wherever he landed. Someone was always building something. But he had ridden past this little place a few days ago and felt the urge to turn back around and check it out. So he had, and here he still sat, wondering what the fuck. Why couldn't he make himself leave?

  Vince approached the man sitting at his bar again to offer him something to eat. He seemed a decent enough guy, but one thing was for sure — he could be a dangerous motherfucker if you pissed him off. He’d seen several women approach him during the last few nights, but he had turned them all down. Men weren't his thing, but he guessed the guy was attractive enough, the actions of every damn female in his bar for the last few nights indicated so anyway. His own damn sister had fluttered her eyes at him and stood staring with her mouth hanging open when he sauntered in that first day. He was obviously Native American, long, thick, black hair fell down his back in a heavy curtain well past the middle of his back. He had that dark tawny skin that you would associate with someone who worked outdoors. He was a big bastard, at least 6’5”. Wide as a damn house and just as muscular as Vince was himself, but he wasn't a Lion. Nope, not at all. Vince knew what he was, but it seemed nobody else did. Even Valerie didn't know, and his little sister thought she knew every damned thing. Since he got there, the guy didn't seem to want to talk too much. He acknowledged Vince with an incline of his head and a knowing eye. When Vince acknowledged him likewise and motioned toward a barstool, the guy had rumbled a thank you to him, introduced himself as Daniel and took the offered seat. Vince had a mix in his bar; he had humans, he had shifters, he had mixes of humans and shifters. But he had never had one of Daniel’s kind in his bar before. They were rare, and nobody knew too much about them. Just that they were dangerous as fuck when you pissed them off. But he hadn't even made to stay until Vince invited him to, so he took that to mean that this guy didn't want trouble, and so far he seemed to be right. The only time he’d been even slightly irritated was when that little scruffy guy had fluttered around him, almost like a damn fan girl. Daniel had seemed patient enough as the little guy had claimed the stool next to him and incessantly tittered away about pointless bullshit. No matter how many times Daniel had obviously dismissed the guy, he had just continued on. The situation had almost taken a turn for the worse when the scruffy little guy had actually had the nerve to repeatedly scoot his stool closer to Daniel and try to lean in closer as though he had a secret to share. Daniel had turned to him so quickly that Vince almost missed it. Daniel had rumbled low in his chest, and a whisper of smoke had escaped his left nostril. His eyes had flashed an eerie orangeish color, and his lips had peeled back in a snarl that had made the little man jump back so quickly that he actually fell off his stool. Daniel just eyed the guy as he rushed out of the door as quickly as his pronounced limp would allow, muttering to himself, leaving a stink trail of fear in his wake. Vince caught his eyes as Daniel turned back to his beer, and Vince just raised his eyebrow in question. “Damn Beavers,” Daniel said, “Always too fucking pushy.” That was the only time there had been any type of unease surrounding Daniel, and in V
ince’s opinion the Beaver had asked for it. Other than that Daniel just came back in each day for lunch, then came back later in the evening, ordered a few beers, nursed them for a few hours and then paid his tab and left. He was waiting for something, but it seemed neither he nor Vince knew what it was.

  Avaleigh came awake as Bam turned off the main road and drove them up the unmarked dirt road in the seemingly endless woods. She couldn't see anything beyond the headlights of the truck, and then it was all tree trunks, red mud, and woods, and she for the hundredth time wondered what the hell she’d gotten herself into. As they pulled into the clearing, she could see the other guys. They had all gotten off their bikes and were stretching and working the kinks out of tired muscles as they made their way toward the house. Bam stopped the truck, and she and Kaid got out of his side, and they went up the front stairs and stepped up onto the porch of an old house that from the outside looked like it had seen much better days. It was two story, A-frame with faded white clapboard siding, some of which was curling up at the edges. As a matter of fact, it looked so questionable she made sure not to step in the places that Kaid had, sure that the next steps after the heavy Bear man on the dried out wood would find her crashing through the porch. When Kaid stepped through the door and held the screen door opened for her, she found herself in darkness ‘til he went to the middle of the room and tugged on the light pull on the ceiling fan. The sudden bright light blinded her for a minute. As her vision adjusted, she looked around. It wasn't as bad on the inside as it was on the outside. It was old obviously, but not that bad. It had hardwood floors, old pale wooden looking paneling on the walls. There were bare light bulbs in the ceiling fan and in the light sockets in the kitchen where she could see from the living room she stood in. There was a throw rug in the middle of the living room and some really comfy looking overstuffed chairs and a cushy looking couch. Naturally there was a huge flat screen TV taking up most of the wall — that sucker had to be at least a 60”. Kaid walked past her and with a sweep of his hand said, “Make yourself at home, Ave. There ain't no place in this house you can’t go. My bedroom is to the left of the kitchen. Goldy sleeps up stairs in the attic loft. Bam and Bane have the room across from mine, and Mav’s is off the back of the kitchen, the back door leads into his room on the other side. He doesn't sleep much and is rarely in it, but he keeps his stuff there. This is the main house. Everybody is welcome here and sleeps here from time to time. We cook most of our meals here, and everybody is welcome whenever they feel they want company. Bam has his own place on the other side of the clearing a ways. For the most part Bane stays with him or nearby him. This is the catch all. Home base if you will.”

  “Okay, where am I supposed to sleep?”

  “You’ll sleep with me.”

  “I am not sleeping with you, Kaid. We’ve been through this.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, obviously tired, “I didn't say we’d be fucking, Ave. I said you’d be sleeping. Bear needs you close to feel settled. So, you’ll be bunking with me. Besides it’s the only space available right now.” As he said this, she realized that the other guys had been moving toward their respective rooms. “Looks like they all plan to stay close tonight, too,” he told her with a tilt of his head toward the room that Bane and Bam were currently dropping their duffles in. She had already seen Goldy take the stairs up to his loft. Mav smacked her on the ass as he went by and said, “Night, darlin’,” as he headed to his room. Kaid snarled at him, “Do not touch my woman’s ass!” There was that heavy feeling again, but it just as quickly disappeared. She looked to Maverick ducking his head and leaving the room. She just shook her head at his antics, but she was smiling. It seemed that Mav did that to you; he would do something totally unacceptable, but manage to make you smile at the same time. She turned to Kaid, “Fine, I’ll sleep with you, but that is all that’s happening.” She really had no reason to question him. He had been true to his word so far, and she did trust him — he’d proven himself more than once. She was just tired and grouchy and still a little out of sorts from purging — she knew this. So she added a “Thank you, Kaid. You’re very good to me.” He just smiled at her and showed her the way to his room. “Just be patient, baby. Give me a few days to get everything sorted out from being gone. Everybody will get back in line and then things will relax around here.” She looked at him, beginning to realize what hadn't been said. “You’re their leader.” It was more a statement than question.

  “Yes, I am” he looked at her, not understanding where this was going. “Is that a problem?”

  “No, it’s just,” she was trying to find the words to explain, “there’s this feeling that I’ve felt a few times. You’re gonna think I’m crazy, but…”

  “A heavy feeling? Like something is weighing you down?” he asked.

  “Yes! Exactly! What the hell is that? It seems to happen each time you’ve been aggravated. Even when we were coming down the mountain, I thought I felt it.”

  “It’s hard to explain, Ave. It’s the Alpha in me. It’s a power or a dominant trait that Alphas have. Their clan responds to it automatically. It lets them know when they’ve gone too far, when they are pushing the line. Or even just when their Alpha is concerned. It’s not something that I do intentionally; it just seeps out of me, I guess.”

  “I understand. I’m just glad I figured it out. I thought I was losing it, imagining I was feeling weighed down. I need some sleep, I’ve just had it. Too much information, too much really strange crap, and being sick, too… I just need to sleep. A shower and then some sleep.” Kaid showed her where the shower was and the towels and everything she’d need. She jumped in while he changed the sheets on his bed and got everything ready for the night. When she got out, she found a t shirt that she assumed he’d put out for her and slipped it on. He got her settled in bed, “You hungry, baby?”

  “Nope, just so tired.”

  “Alright, I’m gonna grab a quick shower, you go on to sleep. You’re safe here, baby. We will all protect you.”

  Avaleigh just smiled at him sleepily as he tucked her into his bed. He leaned over and kissed her forehead as she closed her eyes and snuggled into his pillow.

  A few minutes later Kaid was climbing back into bed and snuggling up to her back. She moaned softly and turned into him so that her arms and legs were wrapped around him and tangled with his. He smiled as he rested his chin on the top of her head, her head tucked into his chest, drifting off to sleep peacefully, for the first time in a long time. This felt good — Bear was happy.

  A few days later Kaid was standing outside on the porch waiting for the guys to get their shit together, so they could head out. Work waited and they had a lot to catch up on. Kaid, Goldy and Bane were construction workers by trade. Something needed building, they built it. Something needed to be taken down and hauled away, they tore it down. Maverick was the electrician of the group. Bam was their AC guy. Together they were Flux Construction. They’d decided that Bam would stay on the property with Avaleigh today. They didn't want to leave her alone, so each day somebody would stay with her for protection. They'd all agreed that they’d take turns based on where they were in the process of building and who could be spared, that’s who’d stay with her. He smiled as he heard them all ribbing each other inside as she handed out their lunches. It hadn't missed his notice that they had all spent these nights together in the house since she’d been there, rather than spread out into their own spaces on the property. Mav still did his nightly wanderings around the property, but when he did rest, it was in his room or on the couch. Bam spent almost every night in the room that he shared with Bane, though he did go work in his shop until the wee hours a night or two, and Bane ghosted Bam for the most part, keeping watch over his brother at night as he always did. It amazed him how easily she had fit in. She’d brought them all closer. Just another reason he was glad he had claimed her and brought her into their little clan. She’d wanted to get a job and kept insisting that she needed to contr
ibute, too, and he really didn't have a problem with a woman working, but they couldn't protect her if she was in one place, especially one where other people had access to her, and they were all in another. He felt sure that the escape from Lurin had been way too easy. He fully expected him to turn up at some point, and he didn't want Avaleigh alone when that happened. So he convinced her that for now, it would really help them all out if she would agree to stay home for a little while, just for safety’s sake and that she could help them get their business in order. Answer their phones and get them all caught up and things entered in the computer. It was the perfect solution to her wanting to work and them wanting to keep her at home. And since she’d agreed, she’d taken it on herself to take care of them as well. She cooked for them, cleaned up behind them, and was getting them organized, believe it or not. She had become a mother hen. She was even making him put screens on the windows and light fixtures over the bare bulbs sticking out of the ceilings and on the ceiling fans. She did their laundry and bitched at them when they came through the house with mud on their boots. And each and every one of them loved it. They loved her. She completed their clan.

  He heard the footsteps of his clan on the raised floors of the house as they headed toward him, so he headed to the truck. As they all came out and piled into the truck after him, Avaleigh came out still in her sleep shirt, his t-shirt, and didn't he just love that, with his lunch in her hands. She came out to the truck and handed it through the window to him. She smiled at him and told him to have a good day before she headed back around the back of the old white work truck, toward the house. She called over her shoulder, “Spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight, guys.” He could practically hear the salivating as they all made appreciative groaning and smacking sounds. He watched her go back inside the house and close the door before he pressed on the accelerator and drove away. He had a silly smile on his face as he thought about the last few nights with her in his bed. All they’d done was sleep, truly. He’d slept. He hadn't slept like that in years. Each night he’d wrap himself around her, and they’d both be almost instantly asleep. Sure he woke when she had a nightmare, and that was each night, but it never took him more than a few moments to soothe her back to sleep. He’d murmur to her quietly that he had her and she was safe now; she’d settle back into his arms and most times didn't even remember waking. He liked that he could do that for her, make her feel safe enough to fall back into sleep, and he’d follow her shortly after. Life had gotten a lot sweeter, a lot easier since they’d brought her home. He still hadn't completed his claim, but that would come in time. He wasn't as anxious to get it completed as he had been, just having her near them was enough for now. Mav broke his easy reverie, “You gonna make it official or not?”