by Sophie Stern
“What do you need from me?” I ask Wilson. He’s the clan leader. It’s his job to hold down the fort and keep everything together. Whether it’s organizing a funeral or assisting with a ceremony or breaking up fights at the bar, Wilson has his hands full managing the clan.
He does a damn good job of it, too.
“You look like hell, brother,” he says. “No offense, but go home, Cameron. Get some fucking sleep. Come back in the morning. I’ll have come up with a plan by then.”
“Do you need me to go get anyone?” I ask, not quite ready to leave. Leaving means being alone to think about Ellie. It means being alone with my thoughts and sometimes, thoughts can be nightmares.
“Just go home, Cameron,” Wilson waves me off and turns to head back into the office. “Peggy, come on. We’ll find a place for you to stay. There are a couple of dragons who keep guest rooms available. I’m sure someone has something that will be fine for a human.”
“Wait,” she says. She darts up the steps to the front of his office and slides off her backpack. The kittens inside begin to mew loudly. Then she hands the backpack to him.
“What are you doing?” Wilson stares at the backpack like it’s grown two heads. Leave it to the clan leader not to know what to do with a couple of little baby kittens. Wilson might be an incredible leader and he’s unbeatable when it comes to organization, but dealing with small children and animals isn’t really his thing.
It’s okay.
We can’t all be perfect, right?
“Please give this to Cameron’s mother,” Peggy says. “Cameron doesn’t think she’ll mind watching them. Just for tonight. Their names are Mocha and Frappe. They’re hungry and fussy, but they’re tired, and if she just puts them in a little box, I’m sure they’ll go right to sleep.”
He stares at her.
“I’m going to go home with Cameron,” Peggy says, just in case her intentions weren’t perfectly obvious by this point. She looks over at me and she bites her bottom lip. “If that’s okay, I mean,” she adds.
“It’s fine,” I say quickly, trying to control my racing heart.
Peggy wants to come home with me.
She wants to stay with me.
Obviously, this isn’t a promise of love or a public declaration that we’re mates, but it means she actually wants to be around me. She’s not mad that I didn’t tell her before. She’s not upset I didn’t reveal my name. She wants to be with me tonight and even if that means we sleep in separate bedrooms in my house, it means the fucking world to me.
Right now, I could use a win.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Wilson asks her. “You don’t need to feel pressured to stay with an unmated male, Peggy.” He looks at me and I glare at him. Wilson shrugs again. “I mean, there are plenty of other places you could stay with our clan. If you’d be more comfortable staying with a female dragon, I don’t mind arranging it.”
“I want to stay with Cameron,” she says, looking at me. Then, under her breath, so quiet I almost can’t hear, she whispers, “I need to.”
“Well, then,” Wilson says, turning and opening the door to the office. “I guess my work here is done. See you at dawn, Cam.”
He goes inside and Peggy turns back to me.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes,” she whispers, taking a few steps toward me. “Wait,” she looks back at the office. “Do you need to say goodbye to your mother?”
“Loretta is her best friend,” I tell her. “They’re probably playing dress up with Daisy right now. Trust me. They’ll be here for hours and if we go in now, we’re never going to get some sleep. I’ll talk with her tomorrow and we’ll figure out what’s going on. For tonight, let’s go get some sleep.”
“Okay, Cameron.” Peggy places her hand in mine and she stays by my side as we walk away from the office and toward my home. With each step, my heart flutters more and more and I feel like it’s getting harder and harder to breathe.
Soon I’m going to be alone with Peggy, with the human I believe is my mate.
Soon we’re going to be together and anything could happen.
Soon everything is going to be fine.
I have to believe this story has a happy ending. I have to. She couldn’t have come this far, traveled so long, and fought so hard for us to not win. We have to win tomorrow. Ellie has been through too much for us not to win. David…David’s been to hell. We have to rescue him.
“Hey,” Peggy stops walking and turns to me. She places her hands on my chest. It’s a familiar gesture, but it’s not one I’m uncomfortable with. “Are you okay? You seem distressed.”
“I’m fine,” I tell her.
Be honest with her. She can handle it. She’s our mate.
She watches me for a second, and I take another deep breath.
“Actually, I’m feeling worried.”
There.
That wasn’t so hard, was it?
Being honest wasn’t so terrible.
Peggy hugs me.
“I’m worried, too,” she admits. “But I have a feeling that everything is going to be okay, Cameron. Everything’s going to be fine. We’re going to get through this together, okay? You and me, Cam. You and me.”
Chapter Eleven
Peggy
“You have a great house,” I murmur, carefully stepping into the living room. It’s nothing like the wolf’s lonely cabin in the woods. Dragons are much too fancy for something like that. No, Cameron’s place is quaint, but it’s homey and it’s well-decorated. If I had to guess, I’d say he has two or three bedrooms at least, and it’s all his.
“Thank you.”
“Have you always lived alone?”
“Are you asking if I’m married?” He seems amused, but I blush.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” I hurry to explain, but he chuckles and motions for me to calm down.
“I live alone. Always have. My sister and David offered to let me stay with them, but I would never impose in that way. Besides, I have plenty of money and building this place was fun.”
“You built it yourself?”
“With my own two hands.”
“Do most dragon shifters build their own homes?”
“The smart ones do,” he says with a chuckle.
“Why’s that?”
“Because dragons love treasure, love.”
“Oh.” Does he have a secret lair in his house? Is that why he built his home on his own? Maybe there are secret passageways, I realize. Maybe there are hidden places beneath the floorboards. Only, Cameron seems to notice the look on my face because his eyes narrow’.
“Don’t you think about exploring while you’re here.”
“Oh, no, of course not. I wouldn’t…you know…I wouldn’t be nosy or anything like that.”
Not on purpose, anyway. I don’t think I can really promise that I wouldn’t, you know, peek around if the opportunity presented itself. Who would really be able to resist an opportunity like that? I might be hard working and a little bit brave, but I’m no saint.
“Let’s get you to your room,” he says.
“Do you want to eat first?”I ask.
“Peggy, are you hungry?”
I hesitate, embarrassed. I am hungry. I’m fucking starving. I don’t want to be rude and presumptuous and assume that Cameron wants to take care of me, but I also don’t have any money or anything I can use to barter here in Dragon World. No, the only thing I have is myself and the hope that keeps pushing me forward that somehow, all of this is going to be okay.
“Peggy?”
“Yes,” I whisper. “I’m hungry.”
Cameron moves across the room to me and wraps his arms around me.
“Hey,” he tells me. “You don’t have to be embarrassed, okay?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not used to asking people for help.”
“I like you a lot, Peggy. I’m not a mind-reader, though. If you need something, no matter what it is, just ask. Then I’ll be
able to help you, okay?”
“Okay.”
Cameron takes my hand, leads me into his enormous, full-size, completely-stocked kitchen and somehow, in a matter of minutes, he whips up a couple of steaks, vegetables, and bread. He sets everything in front of me on a plate and sits across from me while I pick up my silverware.
“Are you going to watch me eat?” I ask nervously. He didn’t make anything for himself.
“I’m going to keep you company while you eat,” he clarifies. “But seeing you smile with pleasure while you enjoy your meal will also bring me joy,” he adds. His eyes twinkle a little bit when he says that, and I know Cameron is teasing me.
He’s a playful one, and I kind of like that. I’ve never really dated before, but the men I’ve known have all been quite serious all of the time. They rarely laugh or express themselves, so finding someone who isn’t afraid to joke around is really nice. I feel comfortable with myself and with Cameron as I start to eat.
He’s right, though.
It’s fucking amazing.
A moan escapes my lips before I can stop it. My eyes reach Cameron’s and I know what he’s thinking. Sex noises. It sounds like I’m making sex noises. I’m not, though. My noises are completely innocent. It’s this food that’s fucking dirty. It’s so damn delicious that eating it should be some sort of sin. Seriously.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, blushing.
“I’m not.”
“It’s just that this food is really…perfect.”
“Just like you.”
I look up at Cameron, waiting for the punch line to his joke, but he looks serious. He’s not joking. He’s not messing around.
“Why did you say that?”
“Because it’s true.”
He seems surprised that I would even question his words. Is this because he’s a dragon? I suppose I never really considered that if a dragon and human were lovers, they might have cultural differences they have to work through. To me, I’ve always thought that love could conquer anything. If you found it, anyway. I guess I didn’t really think about the fact that there would be little things you had to get used to.
You aren’t lovers.
We aren’t.
Cameron and I are not lovers.
We don’t have any cultural differences to work through because we are not a couple. We are not a pair. We are nothing.
So why is it that I push myself out from the table?
Why is it that I stand up and walk over to him?
Why is it that when he turns to me, I cup his face, and I bring my lips to his?
Why is it that kissing Cameron feels like my heart is filled with silver and gold?
Why is it that I feel like I’m on fire?
He lets me lead the kiss: sweet and passionate, but slow and tender. My hands are on his cheeks, and I feel the little bit of scruff that’s starting to come through. It’s rough against my skin, but I don’t care because I’m kissing Cameron.
I’m kissing the dragon.
“What are we doing, Peggy?” He asks gently, pulling away. “Are you kissing me because I said you’re pretty?” He places his hands on my sides and pulls me a little closer. I look down at him, to his position in the chair.
“No, it’s not that.”
“Because you’re very beautiful, Peggy, but I don’t expect anything in return for that observation. You don’t owe me anything. You don’t owe anyone anything.”
“I feel a connection to you,” I blurt out. Then I bite my bottom lip and look away because I can’t meet his eyes right now.
“Look at me,” he commands, and slowly, hesitantly, I turn back to him. His eyes search mine for a long time. “Tell me what you feel.”
“Like I’ve known you forever,” I say simply. “That’s the only way I can describe it. Cameron, we just met. I know this is insanity. It’s crazy for me to tell you that I feel this deep connection to you. Isn’t that the kind of thing that usually scares guys away?” I look away for a second, take a deep breath, and then turn back. “I don’t want you to think I’m clingy.”
“I’m not a human, Peggy.”
“I know.”
“You know in your head,” he taps my forehead. “But not in your heart.” He presses his hand to my chest. “I’m not human, and I don’t have the same expectations that human men do.”
“But…”
“No,” he shakes his head. “No ‘buts,’ honey. Come here.” He pushes his chair back and stands up. Then, before I can protest, he lifts me easily into his arms.
“What are you doing, Cameron?”
He doesn’t answer me. Instead, he carries me through the house and to the back porch. He walks down the steps and to the yard, and then he turns and points to the moon.
“What do you see?”
“The moon.”
“What else do you see?”
“The stars?”
“And?”
“Um…I don’t know. Darkness.”
“The sky is dark, but the moon shines bright, Peggy. You are my moon. My heart is dark, but you fill me with light, joy, and happiness. This is because dragons don’t fall in love the way humans do.”
“You don’t?”
“Dragons have soul mates, Peggy, and I believe that you’re mine.”
I should jump down and runaway.
I should flee.
I should escape while there’s still time because this has to be the wildest thing I’ve ever heard and this guy can’t be for real.
Only, he is.
He’s definitely for real.
The craziest thing?
I believe him.
“I know,” I whisper, and I kiss him, too.
Chapter Twelve
Cameron
Peggy tastes like sunshine.
Rainbows.
Strawberries.
Happiness.
She is everything I never thought I was meant to have and more.
Suddenly, I think I understand why the idea of mates is so important to the dragons. It’s because part of me was missing, and I had no idea until now. Half of my heart was broken off, lost to the world, and I didn’t even realize it until I found it.
Until I found Peggy.
She kisses me over and over, running her hands over my face and through my hair. I don’t mind her curious touching. It’s endearing, and it’s turning me on more than it should.
The truth is that I’ve never had a mate before, so I’m not exactly sure how this entire thing is supposed to work, but I’m filled with a deep sense of peace I’ve never felt before. I’m filled with the knowledge that somehow, everything is going to be just fine.
I’ve found my true mate.
Together, we’re going to be able to conquer the world.
Soon, we’re going to have to deal with Lucky and figuring out a battle plan and determining how we’re going to move forward. We’re going to have to fight for our lives, most likely, and we’re going to have to discover a way to work together and move forward once this is over. No matter what happens, it’s going to end, but I’m not scared anymore.
Because I have Peggy now.
With each kiss, a little bit of my pain and anxiety begins to fade away, replaced with comfort, with companionship, with love. She adores me, I realize, and I feel the same way about her. I don’t know very much about Peggy yet, but I know I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life taking care of her.
She wiggles out of my arms and looks up at me.
“Cameron?”
“Yes?”
“I need you,” she says.
“I need you, too,” I tell her honestly. “I didn’t know this was what the mating bond felt like. I didn’t know any of this until now.”
“No,” she shakes her head. “I need you.”
Then she pulls her shirt over her head and tosses it in the grass. My yard is surrounded with trees. There’s no chance of anyone seeing her, of sneaking up on us. While dragons aren’t usually shy o
r modest when it comes to things like sex, I kind of just want Peggy to myself right now.
I’m mesmerized as she undresses slowly, teasingly. She takes off everything except for her bra and panties, and then she turns around. Her hands find her bra clasp and she undoes it. Then slowly, slowly, slowly, she drops the garment on the ground. She wiggles out of her panties and kicks those aside, and then the waiting is done.
She turns around, and she smiles at me.
“You’re even prettier than I expected.”
“You flatter me.”
“I’m just sorry I’m not nicer for you to look at,” I tell her.
Peggy raises an eyebrow and saunters toward me. She moves slowly, seductively. I can’t look away until she’s directly in front of me. Then I close my eyes as she reaches for me. Every sense seems to be on full alert. My entire body is on fire, waiting for her. Ready for her.
We need her.
Peggy’s hands are on my chest.
“You seem pretty nice to me,” she whispers, sliding her hands up and down my chest. She takes her time, teasing me. I stand still as she explores each inch of my chest and sides. Then I hear her move around to my back. “Oh yes,” she says. “I can appreciate a great ass, Cameron, and yours is out of this world.”
I chuckle at the compliment, but I continue to hold still while the sexy little human explores me. It’s a unique feeling, but I think I could get used to this. I think I could get used to letting her have this control over me.
We’ve only just met, but already I feel powerless when it comes to Peggy. She could ask me to fly her to the moon and I’d do it. I’d do anything for her.
She keeps touching me, and my arousal grows. My cock is rock-hard and throbbing, and even though she hasn’t touched me there, I know there’s no way she’s missed how she makes me feel.
“Peggy,” I murmur, and she chuckles.
“Yes?”
“Kiss me.”
She stops laughing and moves in front of me. My eyes are still closed, but I can hear her standing in front of me. She steps forward, pressing her breasts against my chest, and she kisses me soft and sweet. The kiss quickly turns dark, though, and she grabs my hair, pulling me closer to her, and then instinct takes over.
