The wind was so fierce that she couldn’t look ahead. Instead, she had to turn her attention to the ground. The patchwork world unfurled below, familiar and yet different. She recognized places she’d been, but they looked more like toys than buildings from where she was. Perhaps it was the darkness and how small the lights looked. Perhaps it was the dizzy sensation making her head spin.
She dug her nails into Atticus’s scales. They cut through a low-hanging cloud. She didn’t realize how wet it would be until moisture dampened her hair and the collar of her shirt. She laughed and reached out to run her hand through the cloud.
If someone told her this was what she would be doing on Christmas this year, she would have scoffed. Her life had seemed too dark for something as wondrous as this. She never thought she would find Atticus or discover that her brother had been changed, too. Frankie’s loneliness had seemed infinite, a prison meant only for her.
All the doors had been thrown open.
In a rare moment of bliss, she threw her arms open and let her eyes drift shut. The wind and the weightlessness of flight brought laughter to her lips.
Flying in the hands of a dragon had been one of the most exhilarating and terrifying experiences of Frankie’s life, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything. Not when they landed near a gazebo in an empty state park and Atticus’s human form returned. He joined her under the cover of the gazebo, slowly approaching like he was suddenly afraid she might dart away.
She wasn’t a rabbit.
Frankie was a wolf.
She threw herself into his arms, finding his mouth as she wrapped around him. He didn’t miss a beat. He cradled her and drew her down to the gazebo floor. Two days with Atticus had turned him into so much more than a stranger. She wanted to crawl inside him and bring him the kind of security he had offered her. When she had struggled, he’d been there.
Now, she wanted to do her best to show him he could be loved.
She stopped him before he could lower himself over her. Confusion rippled over his features, but she pressed a hand to his chest and pushed him back until he was standing upright. His desire for her was evident more than ever. She leaned into him and kissed his stomach, letting her cheek graze his cock in doing so.
Atticus gasped. He grasped her hair in his hand and drew her to a stop. “You don’t have to…”
Frankie ran her hands up his powerful thighs and over his hips as she looked up at him. “I want to do it. I want to taste you and make you moan.”
It was Christmas, and she didn’t have a gift for him, but she could do this. She drew her tongue over the length of him and he shuddered. His knees trembled, but she gripped the backs of them to hold him still and closed her mouth around the tip of his cock.
The taste of salt covered her tongue, a sign that he was already excited. Pleased with herself, she pushed deeper and ran her tongue back and forth over him. Atticus groaned. His hand fell away from her hair. She heard the groan of wood as if he’d gripped the gazebo railing too tight.
“More,” he begged.
Frankie’s heart flipped. She liked the sound of his voice as he pleaded for more. Her wolf growled like a victorious hunter. Emboldened, she brought him deeper inside her mouth. The head of his cock hit the back of her throat, and Atticus made a small sound like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t form the words.
She knew what he was thinking and pressed further to surprise him. His reaction when her lips pressed his lower abdomen was more than worth it.
“I did not know you could do that,” he breathed. His words devolved into a moan when she pulled back. “I didn’t even know that was possible.”
Frankie sat back on her haunches and licked the tip of his cock to tease and tickle him. He shuddered once more. Frankie had discovered that the lack of a gag reflex could allow her to swallow a man’s cock whole, but she had never found a man deserving. Until now.
She brought him inside her mouth again, suckling until her mouth tasted of salt and pleasure. Atticus’s moans turned to growls. He pulled back, surprising her. She looked up, wondering if they’d been interrupted, but Atticus bent and tossed her onto her back.
“It’s not right to be the first to come,” he said, already wriggling her pants over her hips.
The cool, winter air licked at her skin and between her legs. She remembered how Atticus could make her feel with his fingers alone. She thought he would position his head at her opening, but instead he lowered himself over her abdomen. Her pulse raced as she watched him.
She learned that Atticus was far better with his tongue than he was with his fingers. The magic he had worked earlier seemed like a paltry party trick. He conjured true magic with his tongue, building pleasure between her legs. Ecstasy gathered in her core, heavy and demanding. She thought it would break with each swipe of his tongue.
When she finally came, it was in a crashing wave of pleasure. Atticus held her so that she wouldn’t get swept away in it. Frankie thought nothing could compare until he positioned himself over her. He slid his cock between her folds and brought aftershocks rocketing through her. He hadn’t even entered her, only grazed the soft bits between her legs.
Atticus took his time, gliding over her most sensitive part. She cried out and bucked into him as another orgasm washed over her. Once it was over and she collapsed onto the floor, panting, Atticus grinned.
“Are you ready for the real deal?”
She fought to catch her breath. “You’re telling me there’s more? I’m not sure if I can take it.”
He lowered himself over her so he could kiss her collarbone. Fire consumed her skin where his lips touched her.
“We were made for one another. I think you’ll find you can endure a lot more than you think.”
Made for each other? Frankie wasn’t quite sure she understood. Her wolf howled in agreement, but her mind spun.
The warm feeling in her chest slithered into her core as he slowly entered her. She gasped and held him tighter. She feared she might not be able to hold all of him, part of why she’d taken him in her mouth earlier, but Atticus filled her to the hilt. His groin grazed hers and left her utterly astonished.
Was that what he meant by made for each other? She couldn’t hold onto the thought when he started thrusting. Two orgasms should have been enough to last her for a long time, but she found herself craving the third. Pleasure built around his cock, starbursts sparking when he picked up his pace.
Two days and she felt like she knew him inside and out. There were secrets, things to learn about one another still, but she knew what kind of person Atticus was. He had patience and heart, enough of both to make sure she came twice before he even worried about his own pleasure.
Once more, he pressed his lips to her shoulder, where his teeth had pierced her skin earlier. She hadn’t expected him to bite her, but the sensation that overcame her in that moment had been unlike anything ever. She’d wondered, briefly, if it was a shifter thing. Pleasure and happiness kept her from collecting her thoughts long enough to ask.
Atticus bucked one last time, breaking the dam of sensation that had built inside her. She cried out as he pulled back. He spilled his seed on the floor of the gazebo, offering a sheepish smile once he was done. Frankie cherished that face, a moment of softness in her big dragon.
“Can I keep you?” she asked, breathless.
“I am yours forever,” he replied. “I have been since the moment you woke me.”
She swallowed, gathered her clothes, and turned back to him. “Alright, then tell me who you really are. The whole picture. Don’t hold anything back.”
Atticus froze. Frankie thought she’d pushed him too far. Now, he would run away and leave her alone in the gazebo because his secrets were more precious than her. But he didn’t run. Atticus drew himself to his full height and paused, as if gathering his thoughts.
Frankie waited for him to begin. She would wait forever, never leaving this spot,
if that was what it took. Thankfully, Atticus settled beside her and told her everything, sparing her from having to wait in the cold.
“I was leader of the local pack,” he began.
“Well, I figured that much out on my own. Try telling me something I don’t know.”
She thought he would cut her an annoyed look, but Atticus was too lost in his thoughts. She took his hand in hers and squeezed. He threaded his fingers with hers. It was somehow more intimate than anything they’d just done. In the touch was a promise of more.
“I have been a lonely dragon for a very long time. In the beginning, it was just Devin and me. We didn’t have much until I bought a quarry and turned it into a successful business. The hard labor and long days attracted shifters. Before we knew it, I was running a pack. They were all stragglers like myself.
“For a short while, I thought I belonged. Over time it became apparent that they didn’t think of me as one of them. The pack was afraid of what I was. They kept their lives separate from me, from the beast that I had become. All I wanted was in, but they kept me out. They reminded me that I was alone.”
Frankie bumped her shoulder against his. “They seemed relieved to have you back.”
He grunted. “I think that’s because Devin has been abusing his power, and the pack wants a dragon they can kind of trust. I don’t know if I can lead them and remain on the outside again. All my beast wants is a family.”
“I’m not ready for kids,”’ she said with a laugh, but his face fell. “Don’t tell me you thought we would start having children. I don’t even know what to call you. My boyfriend doesn’t sound right.”
“It’s time for another shifter lesson. We’re what is called mates. Every shifter has one. It’s like a balance from the universe; its way of saying sorry you have to deal with the beast, here’s a person made for you.” Atticus paused, brows furrowing. “No, that’s not right. What we are is more like one soul split into two. We’ve found each other, and in time we can make each other whole.”
Atticus wove a romantic vision before her, but Frankie was torn. She wasn’t sure if another person could make her whole. That was a job for her and her alone. She could do her best to make him happy, though, and in turn that would make her happier. She guessed that was part of the deal. A better life for both.
“Mate,” she repeated.
“I’m yours until the day you tell me to go. I understand if you’re not ready for the commitment, but know that if you don’t want me, you’ll end up with a dragon permanently fixed in your backyard.”
She scoffed. “You would make a horrid lawn ornament.”
“That’s why I’m warning you.”
Frankie stood. The sun had disappeared beneath the horizon hours ago. Her parents were probably wondering when she would come back. Her wolf wanted to drag her back down to Atticus’s side, but she needed to know if Colton was okay.
She would think Atticus’s offer over. It had changed, no longer a request to be her leader. Atticus wanted to be her lover. Not just for now, but forever. She thought she would rebel at the idea, but she settled into it like an old sweater. For the first time since her change, she realized it could bring along good things with it.
Not just Atticus, but his pack.
“You know, the pack loves you. Right? They aren’t just hoping you’ll punch Devin in the face. They missed you.”
Atticus didn’t look convinced. Frankie didn’t have the energy to press forward. She wanted to curl up and sleep the darkness away in Atticus’s warmth. After she found her brother, of course.
“Tell me you have another shift in you because I have no idea how to get home from here.” She looked around. The park was unidentifiable in the dark. She could have been four miles from home, or fifty miles from home.
Home.
It was a strange thought, but she welcomed it more and more. This wild place with open pastures and young woods, with her family and the pack. More than ever, Frankie wanted to relocate. Her wolf wanted to sink its claws into the earth and declare it her own.
She chewed her lip as worry settled in. Devin would be a problem. It was very clear that Devin didn’t want Atticus anywhere near the pack, possibly even the business. Frankie didn’t want to abandon the pack, especially not when her brother was a part of it. While it would be safer to leave and lay down roots elsewhere, she knew those they left behind would suffer.
Before she could ask Atticus what he had planned, he’d shifted back into the great white dragon. He lowered his head to the gazebo doorway and waited for her to step forward.
***
Atticus had nothing before he woke. Sure, he had money, but it hadn’t been enough to buy him what he needed. He flew Frankie back to her parent’s home, knowing that he held his future in his hands. She seemed delicate, the knowledge that if he dropped her from this height that the fall would end everything he was now looking forward to.
But the flight went without even a hint of turbulence. Atticus landed on her parents’ lawn, grateful that her father’s bonfire had died out. No one saw them in the dark as they raced toward the back door.
“What are your parents going to say if they see me naked?” Atticus asked, suddenly stricken with worry.
Frankie held her finger to her lips, as if to say that her parents wouldn’t see anything so long as Atticus could stay quiet. She led him by the hand, past the door and into her bedroom. Once the door closed behind them, she burst out laughing.
The bed behind her was narrow, made for only one person at a time, but she collapsed onto it and beckoned him toward her. Before he could join her, the come hither look vanished. She sighed and sat up.
“I need to find Colton,” she said. “I…the last time I saw him was right before Devin arrived. I’m worried about him. What if…What if Devin punished my brother for what I did? Colton might be a foot taller than me, but he’s my baby brother. I can’t sleep until I know he’s okay.”
He pulled the blanket up and over her. “Go to sleep. I’ll find your brother.”
She scowled, but sleep overpowered her and weighed on her eyelids. Atticus bent and placed a kiss on her forehead before slipping out of the room. He guessed that if this was Frankie’s room, then the next room down the hall would be Colton’s. If Colton wasn’t asleep, then Atticus would borrow some of his clothes and head out in search of the young man.
Atticus’s heart nearly stopped when he saw the blue glow of the television in the living room and her parents’ faces highlighted by the screen. Thankfully, both had passed out watching a Christmas movie. Atticus slowly crept into the nearest door and closed it behind him.
No one slept in this room, though it smelled strongly of Colton, proving Atticus’s hunch right. He grabbed enough clothing to look presentable once again and then rushed back to Frankie. She snored softly. He didn’t want to wake her, so he gently peeled back the blanket and slowly tugged his phone from her pocket.
The phone didn’t have many more minutes on it, but he knew who he needed to call. Atticus stepped out the back door and brought the phone to his ear.
Althea answered almost immediately. Atticus’s heart lurched, thinking the worst had happened.
But her voice was filled with cheer instead of tears. “Are you calling to tell us you’re coming back to the pack?”
Atticus had to catch his breath, stolen by his fumbling heart seconds ago. “Not right now. Colton Peters. Where is he?”
“Little Bear? Last I saw him was at the Christmas party. I don’t recall…” Her voice trailed off like she realized something. “I haven’t seen him since Devin arrived. Damn it.”
His cousin’s name drew a growl from the beast inside him. Atticus had always been so caught up in his own troubles that he hadn’t noticed just how horrible Devin was. Handing the pack and the business over to the greedy dragon had been a mistake, but Atticus couldn’t go back and change it. All he could do was make it right.
&
nbsp; Just as Atticus was about to shed his clothes and take to the skies again, a form appeared in the driveway. Someone staggered between the cars, heading for the door. Atticus hung up, jammed the phone into his pocket, and jumped down from the porch. Colton fell into his arms before Atticus could even ask what happened.
Colton’s skin was slick with blood, his clothes ripped as if torn by great claws. Atticus could smell the stink of Devin’s anger clinging to young Colton. The boy was barely a man and yet he’d withstood Devin’s assault and staggered home to heal. Atticus pulled the boy closer to the porch and sat him down.
The beast inside Colton was doing the work, healing his wounds. Atticus peered beneath the tattered shirt to find three claw marks marring the young man’s chest, but he couldn’t find any other wounds. Soon, Colton would run out of energy and fall asleep. Before that happened, Atticus needed to get more food into the bear shifter. Colton would need all the energy he could get.
Quietly, careful not to wake Harry and Norma, Atticus slipped into the kitchen and found the meager holiday leftovers. Colton was barely awake when Atticus returned, but the smell of food roused the young man enough to make him eat.
Atticus sat by and said nothing. He didn’t have to ask what happened. They both knew Devin made his intentions clear. If Atticus pushed, the pack would suffer. The dragon inside Atticus thrashed in a rage. The smell of blood on the air was enough to make it hungry for war. Colton might not belong to Atticus, but the bear shifter didn’t deserve to be a punching bag. Atticus wanted to stop Devin.
The beast wanted to kill Devin.
“Are you going to take my sister away from here?” Colton asked between bites.
“I’m done running,” Atticus said.
Colton’s head snapped up, his eyes gleaming with his bear. “No. Do the right thing for once and get Frankie away from that monster. If he ever sees her again, he’s going to kill her. Take her back to Baltimore. Move across the country for all I care. Don’t let Devin anywhere near her.”
A Shifter's Christmas Box Set Page 10
