by Ashlee Sinn
“I want to have a baby. I want to be a mother someday. And I want that child to be yours. Not a genetically modified human-dragon hybrid. I want your grizzly.”
Zane’s shocked face slowly turned into a grin. “You want me to put a baby inside of you?” He laughed and pulled me to him so fast I fell backward on his chest. “Is that what you’re asking me to do?”
“I guess I am. I don’t know if it will work but—”
“Hell, yes, woman! Let’s make a baby!” Zane crushed his lips to mine, holding my head close with the fingers he wrapped through my hair. Then he pulled back suddenly. “Wait, maybe there is already a baby in there.” He looked down as though he could see through my skin. “Oh, who am I kidding? We’re gonna keep trying, and trying, and trying…”
His kisses muffled my giggles. And unlike all of the other times we’d had sex, this time was different. Not only was there a purpose, but there was a sense of love. We didn’t need to rush. We weren’t desperately smothered in lust. We were a couple trying to make a family. And while our motives may have been a little skewed, that was the reason behind this coupling.
Zane rolled me underneath him and held up his body over my own. When he lowered his head to kiss me, I grabbed onto his lip and sucked. He closed his eyes and groaned, obviously loving that little tease. But his hands gently caressed my skin this time, instead of clawing ferociously like I might disappear. They cupped my breasts while he raked his teeth over my neck. They slid underneath my hips and in between my legs, stroking just enough to tease but not enough to make me come.
And when he pushed inside of my pulsing sex, he swallowed my mouth in his. I grabbed his ass, pushing him deeper and deeper but keeping the pace slow and meaningful. He ran his fingers through my hair, kissing my face, and never stopping his movements. I wrapped both of my legs over his hips and squeezed him tight. A rumble of content vibrated between us, not sure which animal had let it out.
“I want to marry you,” Zane whispered into my ear just before he nipped.
“Okay,” I breathed into the air, my smile so wide my cheeks hurt.
Zane picked up the pace, slapping our hips together while I helped. He pounded me hard, over and over. A man on a mission and a woman who wanted the same. We were one now. We would always be one.
The heat built slowly in my core, but by the time Zane bit my hardened nipple, it exploded from my body in surprise. I screamed out his name as we fucked in the valley and I pleaded with whatever dragon magic I had that tonight I would keep his seed now shooting into me. That I could have a shifter baby and that I could give Zane everything he wanted.
Zane collapsed on top of me in exhaustion. We’d had a rather eventful evening that I believe ended in a marriage proposal. With a laugh, I needed to confirm. “Did you just ask me to marry you?”
“Umm hmm,” he murmured against my neck.
“Well, then…this is the end.”
Zane sat up quickly and smiled down into my face. “Holy shit. Did you just quote the best song ever by The Doors?”
“I did.”
“Woman,” he growled, flipping me back on top of him, “I love you so much I think I’m going to explode.”
“Please don’t.”
“I might.”
“Gross.”
He laughed and nipped my nose. “Hey, why don’t we go back to the cabin and eat.”
“Is that part of your plan for the day?” I teased.
“Let’s see,” he said with mock concentration and ticking them off on his finger, “Fuck, eat, shift, fuck, eat, and fuck until the sun comes up. Yep, I believe that is next on the list.”
I laughed. I’ve been laughing a lot lately and I absolutely loved it. “You are a handful Zane Miller.”
“Just wait until there are some baby Zane’s running around.”
“Babies?” I asked, surprised at his use of plural.
“Sure, grizzlies usually have twins. So…fingers crossed.”
And as we walked back to the cabin hand in hand and so desperately in love, I imagined how amazing it would be to have a house full of babies with Zane. I kept visualizing that, even as he rambled on about baby names and all of the different ways his “boys”, because they would mostly be boys, would be pro-athletes or the next president.
I didn’t think my heart could swell any more. I loved this man. I loved him more than I thought I was ever capable of loving someone. It has all seemed too perfect. I had a man who adored me and a man who agreed with my crazy plan to deter my father. I could only hope that I’d live up to his expectations of me.
Still on a high from our night together, I found my stomach dropping the moment I saw the Jeep in our driveway. “Who is that?” I asked, quickly pulling on my sweatshirt and yoga pants I’d found in the cabin.
Zane stepped ahead of me. “That’s Derrick’s Jeep but…” he sniffed the air. “He’s not here.”
“It’s Seth and Julia,” I said, recognizing their scent. “And something’s wrong.”
We jogged to the front porch and threw open the door. It startled our guests who were sitting on the two couches and staring into the empty fireplace. “What happened?” I asked, knowing it had something to do with my father.
Seth gave Zane a quick man nod, approving of what he thought we’d just been doing. But Julia stepped forward to greet us. “Anton has threatened the clan and the pack if we don’t tell him where you are.”
“Son of a bitch,” Zane spat.
I grabbed his bicep and squeezed. “That’s typical.”
“He also threatened to wipe out Marcus’ coyotes and all of the human mates if we don’t cooperate.” Seth looked down at his feet when I let a twinge of the dragon free.
“He can’t do this! He can’t keep bullying everyone into giving him what he wants.”
“Zane,” I said quietly, but his rampage wasn’t over yet.
“No, Danika. He doesn’t control Alaska and sure as hell doesn’t control your uterus.” He placed a protective hand on my stomach and rested his forehead against mine. “I won’t let him.”
I didn’t miss the wide-eyed stares we were getting from our guests, and I definitely didn’t miss the heat I felt underneath Zane’s hand. Was that inside or outside? Had I just felt something stir in my stomach? No. No, it couldn’t be.
“He’s challenged us to produce you by noon tomorrow,” Julia said. “Outside of Fritz Creek.”
“Or what?” Zane asked.
“Or he’ll burn our lands to the ground,” Seth added solemnly.
“He can’t—”
“He can,” I cut Zane off. “He can and he will.” I sighed and let the plan take form inside my head. “Okay, we will leave at first light. We all need to get some sleep and mentally prepare for this. My father is a ruthless man and his dragon is even worse.” What I was really telling them was that I needed to prepare. I was the only one in this state who could have a fair fight against him. But Zane, Julia, and Seth didn’t need to know that.
“What can we do?” Seth asked.
I stepped forward and rested my hand on his shoulder. “I will let you know. I need to think but I’ll have a plan in the morning.”
He nodded and rubbed his hand over his shaggy hair. “Well, okay then. I’m going to tell Scarlett we arrived.”
“And I should call Derrick,” Julia said. Then turning to me, she added, “I’m sorry, Danika.”
I gave her a small smile, trying to be strong. But deep down, my heart raced and my dragon feared the worst. These people…my friends, relied on me to handle this situation. And I wouldn’t let them down. Not after everything we’d been through together and not after I could truly say that I belonged with them.
So, as we prepared for the night and I climbed into bed, I kissed the top of Zane’s head and rubbed my hand along my belly. My father’s reign had to end. For the sake of all shifters.
And for the sake of my child.
The drive took five hours but we’d left e
arly enough to get to Fritz Creek well before the deadline. Danika had said very little during the ride and that hadn’t sat well with me or my bear. She wasn’t being truthful about something. Either that, or she had a plan she didn’t want me to know about.
By the time we reached Fritz Creek, my nerves were shot and my bear was clawing at my skin. We’d followed Julia and Seth, and as I pulled Seth’s truck in behind them, I noticed all the other vehicles lining the edge of an open field. Brandt, Brennan, and Bo stood silently with Scarlett and Marcus, studying the landscape. A handful of Marcus’ coyotes clumped together on the right where Scarlett’s wolves claimed a patch of ground on the left side. Derrick helped Julia out of his Jeep and picked her up in an embrace. I noticed Seth watching them briefly, but then he walked over to his alpha and the other grizzlies.
“My father is an idiot,” Danika finally spoke. “There is nowhere to hide from the public here.” Her chest rumbled with her dragon and her hand instinctively grasped her stomach.
“Danika?” I asked, watching her glare through the windshield and sensing something different about her. “What are you thinking?”
She swallowed and squeezed her eyes shut. “You were right. We have to stop him.”
I didn’t like the way her voice had hardened or the way heat emanated directly from her skin. This was the Danika everyone feared. The Danika even a grizzly alpha wouldn’t challenge. Her dominance filled the cab of the truck and I had to get out just so I could breath.
As I walked around the front to the passenger door, I noticed what everyone had been watching. On the far side of the field, Anton had gathered an army. At least a hundred bodies lined the edge of the tree line and they all stood there, like silent soldiers, waiting for the command to fight. “Jesus,” I mumbled to myself.
“Those are his experiments,” Danika said beside me.
I tried not to flinch, hating that I hadn’t heard her approach. “Experiments?”
“Human’s manipulated with shifter DNA,” she mumbled. “They will be stronger than most.”
I watched her glower across the field, her eyes scanning back and forth through the crowd. I suspected she was looking for Anton, but before I could ask, she grabbed my hand and marched us over to the others.
Bo stepped forward and clapped me on the shoulder. “Good to see you, man.” He looked at Danika and nodded, but stepped back behind Brandt without speaking to her.
“This isn’t ideal,” Brandt said.
Danika let go of my hand and crossed her arms. “I am sorry he’s brought you all into this. This is not your problem and I am going to ask him to talk to me so we can figure it out before everything escalates.”
“No!” I shouted. “Is that what you were plotting the whole time in the car?”
Danika looked at me and tried to smile. “He won’t hurt me.”
“But he might take you again.” My bear screamed on the inside, pissed at her for wanting to leave us. “I can’t let that happen.”
“And neither will we,” Major said. He was walking toward us with a still-limping Calvin following behind. Sutton was dressed in her state trooper uniform, holding Calvin’s hand and looking braver than she smelled.
“Major,” Danika snapped, “this is not your business.”
“It is now,” Brandt added. “I do not take kindly to anyone threatening my clan.”
“Or my pack,” Scarlett added.
I wrapped my hand around Danika’s waist and pulled her close. “See, babe. We’re all in this together.”
She almost smiled, but then her focus was ripped away to a spot of movement across the field. We all turned at the same time to see that Anton had arrived. He stood in the center of his little army and watched us closely. A thick, invisible fog of shifter domination wafted around us, as the most powerful group of shifters in Alaska glared at the man who threatened to ruin them all.
In my opinion, he didn’t stand a chance.
“I need to talk to him,” Danika said. She stepped away from me and smoothed her thick sweatshirt that barely covered her tight ass hidden beneath the yoga pants. This wasn’t her usual attire, but I certainly didn’t care. “I might be able to stop this.”
“Do you want us to come with you?” Major asked.
Danika smiled at him. “No, thank you.”
“Well, I’m coming,” I growled.
“Zane, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she whispered.
“Fuck good ideas, woman. There is no way I’m letting you get more than a foot away from me.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I know. But I’m still coming with you.”
I didn’t miss all of the eyes on us. Some, like Bo, were amused. Some, like Major and Calvin, looked at me like I was crazy. No one spoke to Danika like this. But I didn’t care. She was my mate and I wouldn’t be able to stop my bear from doing his best to protect her.
After watching those around us, Danika finally reached out her hand. “Fine, but let me do the talking.”
I grabbed her fingers and noticed the warmth. She was fired up and that got me all excited for a fight. “It’s your show, baby.”
As we started to walk toward the center of the field, I heard Seth tell the others that Danika and I had mated. And then I heard the gasps and small chuckles I knew I would have to deal with later. Whatever. None of them could change how amazing this all felt right now. I mean, sure, we were on the cusp of a major battle. But my grizzly had returned and he had finally gotten the dragon he’d wanted for so long. All was good.
Well, all was mostly good, as the moment Anton saw the two of us walking toward him, he started to move his army forward. My skin itched with the bear and as I squeezed Danika’s hand, I asked, “Should I change?”
She hesitated—something Danika Drakov never did. “Maybe?”
“Will it set him off?”
“Maybe.”
“So perhaps I should wait.”
“That’s probably a good plan.” Danika looked behind us and when she turned back around, she wrapped her hand on her belly again.
“Are you sick?” I asked.
She looked over at me in surprise but immediately shook her head. “No. I’m fine.”
Glancing down at her stomach, I wondered. Could we have children together once we got through with today? Could a dragon carry a grizzly? I certainly hadn’t minded the suggestion that we try, but I also hoped that one day we would get what we wanted. Sure, I was content just having Danika by my side forever, but it really would be nice to have a family of my own.
My thoughts were cut off by the approaching dragon. His damn dominance pressed against me, making it harder to walk the closer we got. Danika didn’t seem to be fazed, a ferociousness exploding from her like I’d never seen before. There was something different about her today, and if we didn’t have to face an epic battle right now, I would have forced it out of her. But she was focused and I needed to be too, because the dragon shifter standing across from us smelled nothing but pissed.
“You have returned,” Anton growled at his daughter while staring at me.
“You cannot threaten the lives of the shifters in Alaska whenever you feel like it, father.” Danika stood tall, glaring at her dad as she delivered her message. “I am a grown woman. I make my own choices. I work for the ISC and have been charged with protecting these shifters. I will not go with you and I’m asking you to leave now.”
“Or what?” he cooed. “What will happen to me if I don’t listen to you?”
I really didn’t like the condescending tone Anton used, and I took a step forward. His eyes flashed over to me, pupils long and the rest glowing red. Heat radiated from him as he asserted his dragon. “I suggest you learn your place, grizzly.”
Danika grabbed my hand and squeezed once. Her father watched the exchange and just when I thought he would bite our heads off, he started to laugh instead. The sound echoed over the brown weeds and through the crisp, cool afternoon. I
sensed the other shifters moving a little closer but hoped they would only intervene if necessary.
“Stop it, father,” Danika snapped.
“Stop what?” he laughed. “I just find it so amusing that your grizzly thinks he can protect you from me.”
His chiding tone offended my bear, and while I let him show through my eyes, I kept him deep in my skin.
“I do not want to fight you, father.” Danika dropped my hand and stepped closer to Anton. “But I will if you threaten my mate again.” Her words reverberated in her chest and I felt her dragon climbing to the surface.
Anton snorted and stepped backward. “Your mate?” When Danika nodded, he shook his head. “No daughter of mine will ever mate with something other than a dragon.”
“Too late,” she said.
“Stop acting like a child!” Anton screamed at her and grabbed her shoulders. Shaking her a few times, he added, “You are the last of the female dragons and you will not waste your life on him!”
I couldn’t watch any more. My bear gave me the strength I needed and I jumped forward and knocked Anton to the side. He stumbled a few steps, too focused on his daughter to even notice me. But once he did, his face began to elongate with the dragon form. I quickly stepped back and wrapped my arm around Danika who returned the gesture. She held out her hand toward her father and said, “Stop!”
A look of surprised shock washed over Anton’s face as he got his change under control. He sniffed the air before glaring at Danika and then at me. “What have you done?” he growled.
Danika nudged my shoulder and then stepped away. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to push her back behind me. “You’re too late.”
Too late? I didn’t understand.
Danika reached out toward her father and grabbed his hands. He allowed this touch even though his shoulders had stiffened and his pupils stretched again. She rested his palms on her stomach and whispered, “Can you feel it?”
Her father’s face wrinkled in disgust a moment before his eyes widened. “No,” he breathed.
Danika stepped away and wrapped herself under my arm again. “You see father, you’re too late. You will not put a genetic mutant inside of me. I’m already pregnant.”
