The Dragon's Mate

by Emilia Hartley

  “Lucy,” he groaned, as her entire body tensed around him. “I – ”

  In one swift motion, Lucy pushed his hand away, before sliding onto him. It was so fast it made him groan with shock and pleasure, but she was moving already, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut so he could control himself. Her heat was pushing him closer to the brink already, and Dan wanted this to last.

  Finally getting a modicum of control, Dan let out a long breath, managing to open his eyes. Lucy was stunningly beautiful as she sat astride him, her hair flowing freely as she moved. He ran his hands down her arms, as she began to move faster, panting and moaning as she did so.

  She exploded around him soon after, and Dan wasn't able to hold on any longer. Her body tightened around him and Dan felt his own passion hit the brink. With a groan of pleasure, Dan felt his entire body go taut before a wave of heat rushed through him over and over again.

  Lucy quivered as she lay in his arms, still completely naked. Dan could hardly believe what had happened, and how quickly they had gone from simply enjoying the sunset to this. Lucy had made the first move, and Dan was surprised at how much he’d liked that. It felt right, for her to do that. It was another way she was taking control of her life.

  “Lucy,” he murmured in her ear, tugging the blanket over the top of them both so that she wouldn’t be cold.

  “Mmm?”

  He swallowed, pressing his lips together as he wondered whether or not he should say what was in his heart. “I – I think I love you.”

  There was silence for a few seconds, and Dan cringed inwardly, thinking he’d gone too far too fast.

  “That’s good,” came her eventual reply. “Because I think I love you too.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Three days later, and Lucy was still getting used to waking up in Dan's bed. Not that it wasn't wonderful to wake up next to him, but being in a real relationship was taking some getting used to. This was a relationship built on trust, respect, and love. It was different from everything she'd experienced before but Lucy knew it was right. How Dominic had treated her had been wrong, and she’d known that for years.

  “Good morning,” Dan mumbled, as he rolled over and kissed her gently. “How did you sleep?”

  Lucy grinned, nudging him playfully with her elbow. “I didn’t exactly get a lot of it, thanks to you.”

  “And here I thought you enjoyed it,” Dan replied, with a mischievous look on his face.

  “I did,” Lucy said softly. Leaning forward, she kissed him hard, as Dan’s hands slipped around her waist, pulling her closer. With a laugh, she pulled back, breaking the kiss. “If we don’t get up now, we’ll be late,” she warned, as Dan groaned loudly. “And you know we’ve already embarrassed ourselves once already by being late.”

  That had been pretty embarrassing if she was honest. They'd both crept out of the bedroom, fully aware that the others were already at work. It was one of the downsides of living at the office.

  With a mutter of complaint, Dan threw back the duvet and walked out of the bedroom towards the shower, making Lucy laugh.

  “I think I’m going to go for a quick run,” she called, as she pulled on her workout stuff. “I won’t be long.”

  “Come join me when you’re back,” Dan replied, making Lucy giggle. “I’ll wait for you.”

  Heat rushed through her body, making her question whether or not she really did want to go for a run or not – but, in the end, Lucy forced herself outside.

  Going for a run seemed to be the only thing that kept her bear quiet enough to manage. Lucy knew it was still restless, wanting her to let it push through her skin and tear through the woods on its own four paws, but she always managed to push it back down, even though it was a struggle. Beginning to jog, Lucy tried not to let the bear's need to be free force her to shift. She'd battled against it this long and she wasn't about to let it win now.

  Running into the woods, Lucy followed a familiar path, still concentrating on keeping her bear down. The wind in her face and the cool air in her lungs slowly began to help until the bear was soothed.

  Putting her hands on her knees, Lucy drew in a deep breath, closing her eyes as she got her breath back. There were a lot of questions about shifting that had begun to make their way to the surface, questions she was going to have to ask Dan about. Part of the reason she’d grown to love him was because he’d kept his word and not asked her about shifting, even when she knew he wanted to. He respected her decision, even if he didn’t agree with it.

  Lucy stood tall, pressing her hands into her lower back and bending until her face was tipped towards the sky. She was still afraid that shifting meant that, no matter what happened, one day she would turn into the kind of shifter her brother was, but Dan was slowly beginning to change that belief. Lucy couldn’t imagine Dan being anything like Dominic. Perhaps he’d been right all along, not all shifters were like Lucas and Dominic. Maybe she’d let him take her into the woods and they could shift together.

  “There you are!”

  Dominic’s hard voice caught her off guard, spinning around to face her brother.

  “Wh – what are you doing here?” she stammered, backing away. Dominic looked the same as ever, except with a much darker look on his face. “I’ve said all I need to say to you, Dominic.”

  “You don’t get to tell me when to leave you alone, little sister,” Dominic bit out, his eyes filled with fury. “You’re coming with me.”

  One hand reached out for her, but Lucy stepped even further out of reach. “No, I’m not. I thought I made it very clear that I wanted nothing to do with whatever it is you’re planning.”

  One of Dominic’s eyebrows rose. “Do you really think you can escape, Lucy? It doesn’t matter what you say or what you want, you’ll do as I tell you. That’s the way it’s always been. I made a mistake walking away from you before and giving you the opportunity to live your own life for a while, but it’s a mistake I plan to rectify.”

  Lucy tried not to be afraid, tried not to have any other expression except disdain or her face, as she stepped back again, out of Dominic’s reach. Her mind was working furiously as she tried to come up with a solution, one that would keep both her and Dan, as well as the other shifters, safe from Dominic. She just hoped someone might come looking for her. Lucy knew she couldn't take on Dominic alone.

  “Good morning Dan,” Nick called, as he stepped out of the truck. “Where’s Lucy?”

  Dan ran a hand through his still damp hair. "I don't actually know, -" he said, worriedly. “She went out for a run this morning, around an hour ago. I wasn’t expecting her to be this long away.”

  Nick opened his mouth to respond, only to freeze as Tom ran up to them both. “What’s the matter?”

  “Lucas,” Tom growled, his hands already clenched into fists. “Can’t you smell him?”

  Both Nick and Dan paused and sniffed the air. Alarm began to thread through Dan’s veins. “If Lucas is around, and Lucy’s not back….”

  "Then I think we should go look for her," Nick finished, frowning, as Tom ran in to get Savannah. "I can get another scent too. Something I don't recognize."

  Dan’s heart began to beat faster. “Maybe it’s Dominic,” he muttered, his bear already growling in warning. “If Lucas is nearby, and Dominic went to his pack then that would make sense.”

  “It would,” Nick replied, uneasily. “I’ll tell Jo to stay here and keep the place locked up, and then we’ll go together.”

  Pacing the grounds, Dan looked up as Savannah and Tom came out, their bodies tensed and ready to shift.

  “Don’t worry, Dan,” Savannah said, softly. “We’ll find her.”

  Dan nodded, giving her a tight smile. “We’d better,” he growled, itching to let his bear out. “She’s got no-one else.”

  Running out towards them, Nick shook his head tersely. “Jo’s going to take the truck.”

  “I thought you were asking her to stay here?” Tom growled. “It’s safer.
”

  Nick blew out a long breath. “Yes, but you know Jo. She’ll follow us. Let’s go.”

  Dan was ready. His bear was ready. Standing tall, he threw his head back and roared aloud, as the bear pushed itself through his skin, tearing his muscles and stretching his bones. Dan welcomed the pain, using it to fuel his anger. Dominic and Lucas had Lucy, he was sure of it, and his bear was going to find her.

  Around him, the other shifters changed, until the pack was ready. Dan heard the sound of the truck starting up, just as Nick growled and began to sniff the air.

  Dan sniffed hard, pressing his nose to the ground for any scent of Lucy. Would she have run into the woods? Moving slowly, he froze, sniffing over and over again. He'd found her. She'd gone this way, towards their part of the woods, where they'd spent last night.

  This way.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Within seconds, the pack was following him, following Lucy’s scent. The truck roared behind them, as they ran. Dan used every part of his instincts to keep a hold of Lucy’s trail, hoping desperately he wouldn’t lose her scent.

  Stop.

  Dan did as Nick asked, slowly coming to a standstill. Looking around him, he felt his body grow tense, wary of something that he couldn’t see.

  They’re here.

  Sniffing, Dan realized that Lucy's scent had become intermingled with another two at least. He'd been so intent on following hers that he hadn't stopped to think about what else might be there.

  The truck pulled up behind them, and, together, the pack stood as one, just waiting for either Lucas or Dominic to reveal themselves.

  “Well, well, well,” came a loud voice. “So this is the pack that Lucas has been telling me about.”

  “Yeah, that’s them,” growled Lucas, walking towards them. “I reckon we can take them.”

  Dan’s chest rumbled with a long growl, warning them off. His eyes were fixed on Lucy, who was being held firmly by Dominic. He'd even had the gall to tape her mouth so that she couldn't shout for help. A red mist descended as he lurched forward, only for Tom to step directly into his path, stopping him.

  Wait, Tom warned.

  Dan bared his teeth, wanting nothing more than to sink his teeth into Dominic’s arm and let Lucy go free, but Tom was right. Attacking now wasn’t a good idea. He didn’t know who else from the Northern Wind pack were waiting to join the fight.

  It was just as well he listened to Tom, because, right at that very moment, two other bears sprang from the shadows. Savannah took on one, while Tom slapped one large paw into the other. At exactly the same time, Dominic shoved Lucy hard, so hard that she fell backward and hit her head on the ground. Dan caught the smell of blood almost at once, and charged towards Dominic who was in the process of shifting.

  Dominic was a huge bear, there was no doubt about that. While not an alpha, he was bigger and stronger than Dan, batting him away fairly easily.

  Careful, Dan, Nick warned, before launching his attack on Lucas.

  Dan didn’t know what else to do other than go at Dominic again and again, no matter how often he was knocked back. All he could see was Lucy, lying there on the ground, with the scent of blood in the air. Anger fuelled him, pushing him to attack, but Dominic simply kept batting him away. His skin tore, his fur ripped, but still, Dan kept going.

  Staggering back as another clawed paw crashed into his face, Dan took a moment or two to regain his balance, his blood still pumping furiously through his veins.

  You’re weak, Dominic laughed, making Dan growl with fury. Lucy is weak too. You probably deserve each other.

  Dan growled, his paws clawing the ground. I won’t let you take her.

  Dominic snorted, blowing a short breath through his nose. Looks like you can’t stop me. He began to walk towards Lucy.

  Furious, Dan launched himself at Dominic again, this time throwing all of his weight behind his jump, managing to knock Dominic flat. Dan used his advantage to keep Dominic on his back, using every ounce of strength to fight with his teeth and claws. Dominic had to block his attack, unable to move.

  Eventually, his strength slowly wearing away, Dan threw himself towards Lucy, standing between her and Dominic. His chest was heaving, as he blew out breath after breath through his nose, while still keeping a strong stance. Pushing himself onto his hind legs, he stood as tall as he could, making his meaning absolutely clear. Dominic wasn’t going to get to Lucy. Dan would die trying to keep her safe.

  The world slowly became clear again, as Lucy pulled the tape from her mouth.

  “Dan?” She rubbed the back of her head, wincing as she pushed herself up with her other hand. All she could see was fur but her bear told her that it was Dan. She didn’t need to hide from him.

  Slowly getting up, Lucy took her hand away from her head, finding it sticky with blood. All she could remember was Dominic trying to force her towards Lucas' pack when she had been fighting with all her might to get away. She'd known that if he managed to get her there, she might never escape but Dominic had been too big and too strong for her.

  A bear - Dan’s bear, turned around to glance at her, and Lucy smothered a gasp. His mouth was ripped and torn, and one of his eyes looked swollen. He’d obviously been fighting.

  Scrambling to her feet, Lucy stood glanced around Dan's bulk and, with horror, saw Dominic's gigantic bear with a lot fewer wounds than Dan. It was all becoming clear. Dan had been fighting Dominic, in an attempt to keep her safe.

  Her eyes travelled around the rest of the pack, taking in the other fights going on, although she saw that there seemed to be a lot of domination going on. There were two bears fighting another two, but they were being easily held back, and the two bears fighting across from Dan looked exactly the same. Recognizing the alpha bears, Lucy realized with a sigh of relief that Tom and Nick were holding back Lucas' pack. She just had to get Dominic to go.

  “Dominic,” she shouted, stepping out from behind Dan. “Leave me alone. Go! I don’t want to go with you. I’m a part of the Alliance pack now.”

  Dominic’s bear growled at her, his lip curling back to reveal his teeth. Next to her, Dan stamped at the ground with his front paws, warning her to stay away.

  Lucy saw the way Dominic tensed and knew he was going to attack Dan again. Without even choosing to, her bear tore from her skin, for the first time in a long time. The pain was agonizing, almost forcing her to drop to the ground, but instead, Lucy roared aloud, letting the pain out through the sound.

  I said no, Dominic. She moved in front of Dan, despite his attempt to get next to her.

  Get out of the way.

  Lucy snorted, once. No.

  Standing tall, she stared at her brother, refusing to give in. If she had to, Lucy knew she would fight for Dan, fight for herself and her freedom. There wasn’t any way she would go back with him. Not now. When it came to the crunch, Lucy knew that even though Dominic was her brother, her allegiance was with Dan. He had her heart. He had welcomed her in and made her feel safe. He was her everything.

  After a long minute, Dominic dropped to the ground onto his four paws.

  You’re dead to me, he said, rage and anger poured out with every breath he took. You stupid, worthless bitch.

  Lucy stood still, refusing to move, refusing to speak. His words tore into her, but Lucy didn’t want to show him even the slightest weakness.

  If you come near my pack, I’ll fight you myself, Dominic warned, his eyes filled with a darkness she’d never seen before. I don’t have a sister any more.

  Turning his back on them, Dominic wandered back into the woods, and, to Lucy's great relief, the rest of the pack followed. The Alliance pack stood together, watching them leave. The scent of blood clung to the air, but still, they stood strong together.

  That’s not the last we’ve seen of them… Let’s go home, Nick said, once the danger had passed.

  Without a word, Lucy followed Nick back along the path towards the mechanics. She felt dazed. Her brother’s wor
ds and actions had just proven that he was exactly who she’d thought he was. He hadn’t changed. In fact, he’d just become more violent.

  Lucy couldn't quite believe she’d shifted so easily. What had happened to her vow? Why had she been unable to keep the bear down? It had pushed to the surface without even a hint of warning, determined to defend the shifter she loved. There was a strength to their bond that held them together, as shifters. Bear and human loved with such a deep strength that Lucy didn’t think it could ever be broken.

  The closer they got to the mechanics, the more Lucy wanted to shift back. This bear was unfamiliar, unwanted. She knew that Dan would probably be thrilled that she'd shifted, but it wasn't something Lucy wanted to do again. She had seen her brother in a darker, more violent form, seen the way the shifters had been battling with each other, and that wasn't something Lucy wanted to be a part of again. She had made her stance clear with her brother, and that had to be the end of it now. He wouldn't come near her again, not now. His words ripped at her soul. Lucy knew she was nothing to him now, believing that he meant every word that he’d said. If she went near him, as part of the Alliance pack, he could easily tear her apart. This wasn’t a life she wanted to be a part of.

  Guys in the workstation, Nick growled, as they approached the mechanic's shop.

  Heat tore through Lucy as she remembered she’d be completely naked once she shifted back. Beside her, Savannah let herself go back into her human skin, letting out a sigh of relief. Jo parked the truck next to her and handed Savannah a blanket before looking enquiringly at Lucy.

  Gritting her teeth against the pain she knew would come, Lucy forced the bear back. It struggled and fought, having only just been released, but, eventually, Lucy stood in her human skin, screaming in pain. Her breath came in gasps as Jo wrapped a soft blanket around her, putting an arm around her shoulders as Lucy finally managed to stand upright.