Montana Dragons Collection: A BBW Dragon Shifter Series

by Chloe Cole

  “I’m sorry you were frightened last night. If I thought they would’ve come back for you, or had known where you lived…” He trailed off and pursed his lips, his brows caving in on a frown.

  “That’s not your fault. You had no way of knowing.”

  And in truth, he had saved her yet again. Lord, if she hadn’t gotten so bold as to invite him in, she would’ve been alone during the break in. She didn’t know exactly what would’ve happened to her, but her gut told her that blood would’ve been spilled. Lots and lots of blood, all of it hers.

  A shiver stole over her and she wrapped her arms around her shoulders, taking a moment to look around now in earnest.

  The room was massive. The ceilings were so high, she marveled at them. A sweeping staircase sat grandly to her left, and a huge hearth-fire crackled to her right. Thick, stone walls surrounded them and, at the back of the room, three steps led to what looked to be a massive throne cloaked in some sort of purple material that looked to be haphazardly thrown over it. All in all, the place looked like the interior of an Arthurian castle.

  A perfect fit for the sur-reality of her life over the past forty-eight hours. A sizzle of nerves ran through her as it dawned on her that the two people she’d heard talking had melted from the room at some point, leaving her alone with Etienne. She wasn’t afraid. Not of him, at least. But she felt so fragile…so close to shattering after the barrage of emotional blows she’d taken in quick succession, that she couldn’t help but wish that she’d remained in blissful unconsciousness for a little longer.

  She took a steadying breath and met Etienne’s gaze. “Where are we?”

  “At a friend’s house. You met him yesterday.” He lowered himself into a large armchair across from her. “Detective Drake Blackbourne? And his wife, Willa.”

  She nodded and wet her lips. “And they aren’t cops?”

  She tried to keep her tone even, but it wasn’t easy. Although she had only known him a couple days, his deception felt like a betrayal and she was oddly hurt by it.

  He shook his head slowly. “No, they’re not.”

  She waited to see if he would say more, but he stayed quiet, his gaze trained on her. Apparently, he hadn’t decided what to tell her and what to hold back yet, so if she wanted information, she was going to have to fish for it. She thought back to Drake’s words from a few minutes before about denial.

  Did she really want answers? Or was the truth going to be too much to bear?

  Especially when she was so close to the edge already.

  Especially when she knew, down to the marrow of her bones, that the truth was as dark as any horror movie she’d ever seen.

  Etienne must have read the confusion on her face, because he leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees, his eyes blazing with sincerity.

  “Look, Taya. I know this has all been a shock for you, but I’m in uncharted water here as well, so I’m treading very lightly. The thing you need to know…the thing I need you to believe is that I would never, ever hurt you. Not intentionally. Do you still believe that?”

  She gazed at his solemn, fallen angel face. She thought back to the night before, and the one before that, where he’d single-handedly taken down the men who’d wanted to harm her. And then she thought back to the way he’d held her in his arms when he’d carried her home. Gently. Carefully. Almost reverently.

  “Yes. I believe that.”

  He closed his eyes and some of the tension seemed to drain out of his body before he met her gaze again.

  “Then I need you to listen to me carefully, and think before you respond. Right now, we’re at a crossroads, you and I. And which way we go is entirely up to you. I can’t tell you which way is better. Only you can answer that question.”

  He reached out and took her limp, trembling hand in his. The warmth of it grounded her right when she felt as if she was going to blow away like a puff of smoke.

  “Option one. I can tell you everything I know. Who those men were. Why we think they came after you. I can tell you who Drake and Willa are.” His jaw flexed and he looked away for a long moment before locking eyes with her again. “I can tell you who I am. But if I do, that very knowledge could put you in mortal danger and will undoubtedly change your life forever.”

  He squeezed her hand more tightly, but she couldn’t suppress the shudder that ran through her as her mind reeled.

  She knew what he meant. She knew what she’d seen, but before she could put a name to it, her brain shut it down again and she focused on Etienne’s face. Only Etienne’s face, as he continued.

  “Option Two. You can resign yourself to the not knowing. Accept that some monsters are better left hiding in the back of the closet. And if you decide to do that, I vow to you here and now, I will protect you from the men that attacked you, and you will never have to fear from them again.”

  There was no question as she looked into his eyes that he meant those words, but they didn’t dispel the deep chill spreading through her at the mention of her assailants.

  She didn’t blame Etienne—hell, he’d saved her both times—but he hadn’t thought the men would come back for her, and they had. How could he be sure it wouldn’t happen again?

  He must have read the doubt on her face, because his eyes went fierce with a fiery sureness.

  “I swear it, Taya. And I don’t make a vow lightly. One of the men is already in my custody and I’m waiting for the right time to question him. When I do, he will lead me to his cohort. Of that I have no doubt. This should all be taken care of in the next few days. In the meantime, I would only ask that you either stay put here so Willa and Drake can keep you safe, or agree to twenty-four hour surveillance with them in your home until this is dealt with.”

  She swallowed past the lump in her throat as a dozen conflicting emotions crowded in at once. “And then? Once it’s d-dealt with?” She stumbled over the words, because who even knew what that meant to this man…this stranger?

  “It’s over.” His mouth was a grim line and the words had a bleak edge. “You go back to your life with the knowledge that you will be safe. You go back to work and friends and, eventually, forget this ever happened.”

  Forget this happened? The concept was so absurd, she had to swallow the laughter threatening to bubble up. One night had changed everything. Had shaken her whole belief system and her view of the world around her. Had altered her reality forever. Did he truly think that was just going to disappear if she buried her head?

  Just as she was about to tell him that, an image flashed through her mind. Large incisors, incandescent eyes, her own, abject terror, and she bit her lip hard to keep it from trembling.

  Etienne tugged gently on her hand, snapping her back to reality.

  “I understand the magnitude of this decision, Taya, but I need an answer now. There’s much to be done to ensure your safety and the safety of other women in town and I need to put certain precautions into place before nightfall.”

  She lifted her chin and sucked in a steadying breath, gaze pinned to Etienne’s face.

  “What would you tell someone you love to do? Your sister, or your mother? Knowing what you know, what road would you tell them to choose?”

  He drew back and seemed to compose himself before meeting her gaze again. “I would tell them to run. To take the offered protection, walk out the door and never look back.”

  The admission cost him. She could see it in his expression. For whatever reason, he seemed almost as torn as she was and she couldn’t help but wonder why. But suddenly, it dawned on her with a sickening clarity.

  “We would never see each other again.” It wasn’t a question, because she knew the answer already, deep in her soul. “Never. Not even a phone call or—” She broke off as he shook his head slowly.

  “I don’t want to lie to you, Taya.”

  Perversely, she found herself almost wishing he would have this time. Before she could untangle her jumbled emotions, a low cough sounded from the othe
r side of the room.

  “I hate to be that guy, but we’ve got to move one way or another. Do we have a decision?” Drake asked softly from the doorway.

  Etienne tore his gaze away from hers and shot a quick glance at his watch.

  “I’m sorry, Taya, but lives are at stake...”

  Two minutes.

  She’d been given two minutes to decide the course of the rest of her life. The unfairness of it all and the past couple days sent a fresh wash of tears to her eyes, but she blinked them back.

  Etienne had saved her life, but that didn’t mean being around him was good for her. He’d lied to her when it mattered most. Could she ever truly trust him again about anything? Being around him would only be temptation.

  And just maybe Drake was right. Just maybe, if she buried her head deep enough in the sand, she would be able to get past this and go back. Go back to a life where monsters only existed on film. A life where she was safe from the darkness out there that threatened to envelop her if she didn’t walk away now.

  She carefully averted her gaze from Etienne’s, so he wouldn’t see how much this was killing her.

  “I choose to go.”

  Chapter Nine

  Taya’s words crashed over him in a stormy mix of relief and despair.

  Rationally, he knew this was for the best. The sooner she got away from him and his kind, the safer she would be. And for some reason, the safety of this soft, sweet human female meant a lot to him.

  Which explained why his dragon immediately railed against the injustice of it all.

  He had saved her. He had watched over her. She belonged to him, and dragons kept what was theirs. Logical or not, he wasn’t ready to give her up. But her decision was made, and it was a sound one.

  He forced his face into an inscrutable mask and tipped his head in a clipped nod.

  “Drake and Willa can escort you back home.”

  Willa came into the room as if on cue, and offered Taya a gentle smile as Drake let Etienne know with a reassuring clap on the shoulder that he would treat this job with the seriousness that it deserved.

  Etienne released Taya’s ice-cold hand and rolled to his feet.

  “Please don’t give them any trouble about staying with you.” He framed it gently, like a request, knowing that pushing the issue too hard would backfire. “It will only put them in an uncomfortable position. Listen to what they tell you so they can keep you safe. As soon as the men who hurt you have been dealt with, I will contact Drake and give him the all-clear.”

  “What about you? Will you be okay? I don’t want them to hurt you, Etienne…” Her haunted, confused eyes went shiny with tears, and he had to look away.

  “They can’t hurt me. Especially now that they’ve been separated. One on one, they stand no chance against me. I promise, it will be fine. Now go.” Willa helped Taya to her feet. Even with her hair a tangled mess, wearing last night’s clothes, she still looked so beautiful that his heart stuttered.

  He gave Drake and Willa a silent nod of thanks as they led Taya toward the massive, stone door, ignoring every instinct blaring at him.

  Chase her.

  Don’t let her go.

  He didn’t stay to watch the door close behind them or to see if she looked back. Instead, he silenced his enraged dragon and turned toward the staircase that led to the wine cellar below.

  The man in his custody was going to pay for hurting Taya. For scaring her and for putting her in this position in the first place, but also for making Etienne’s dragon want something he could never have. A debt of vengeance was owed, and he was going to make sure the bastard paid in full.

  He cracked his knuckles and his neck and strode across the room, hot blood pumping through his veins. He yanked the door open and took the steps leading down two at a time. When he reached the bottom, he peered around in the total blackness to hone in on the eyes that glowed like two hot coals in a pit of tar.

  “All right, you twisted motherfucker. Time to play twenty questions.”

  He flicked on the light and stepped closer to the chair that held his captive, noting with satisfaction that the thick chains had held, as Drake had promised.

  The man looked a whole lot worse for wear, but not because of his injuries. Like all shifters, he’d healed fast, and the cuts and bruises he’d sustained from the fight with Etienne at Taya’s house the night before were nearly invisible now. But his gaze was fevered, his skin slick with sweat and pale. Etienne made a mental note to ask Willa if wolf-shifters were susceptible to some sort of disease that he’d never heard of. Dragons didn’t get sick, but that didn’t mean that weaker animals could say the same.

  “You can’t keep me here,” the man said softly, his hot gaze tracking Etienne as he moved. His voice was low and hoarse, and his words were garbled, like his tongue was too thick for his mouth. “I’m the son of an alpha. This will start something that neither of us will be able to stop. Is that what you want?” His thin lips curved into a ghoulish facsimile of a smile. “To drag our people into a civil war over a slab of meat? A two-legged steak dinner?”

  Etienne fisted his hands at his side and let the words wash over him and incinerate the last of his sadness, replacing it with cleansing, white-hot fury.

  He took a slow, deliberate step toward his captive and then another, before finally stopping a few feet in front of him, and squatting low to meet his gaze. “Do you know what I am?”

  The man’s smile wavered but then went steady again as he nodded his head, sending his long, greasy locks fluttering.

  “You’re a dragon-shifter. I’d never seen one before the other night, but what they say is true. You smell like a fucking campfire.”

  “And you smell like a pile of hot garbage wrapped in dog shit, so suffice to say, I know what you are too. Here’s the thing. Even knowing what you are, I’m not afraid of you. Can you guess why?”

  The smile faded for good now and the man’s chin went mulishly stiff as he looked away.

  “I’ll help you out on that. It’s because I’m a dragon and you’re a dog. I’m the king of the sky. You are a court jester. If I choose to bring the pain, there is nothing in the world you or any one of your kind could hope to do to stop me.”

  Even now, the urge to do exactly that was so strong, his whole body quaked with it. Then he thought of Taya, and steadied himself.

  “So now that we’ve established rank, here’s what you need to know. If you refer to Taya as food again, I’m going to rip your arm off. Then, I’m going to rip your other arm off. I’m going to tear you into little pieces and then I’m going to roast you like a Boston Market chicken dinner. Nod if you understand what I’m saying to you.”

  The man looked like he wanted to argue. He even opened his mouth for a second, but something in Etienne’s expression must have made him change his mind, because a few seconds later, he nodded.

  “I’m going to ask you questions, and you’re going to answer them. If you answer them honestly, I will let you live.”

  That part wasn’t entirely true. He had no immediate plans to kill the man, at least, not until he was sure he’d given him enough information and Etienne had managed to capture his cohort. But he couldn’t imagine a world where he could allow him to walk away from this. Not after what he’d done to Taya.

  The memory of her scream that night in the forest cut through his brain like a knife, and he closed his eyes to fight back his bloodthirsty dragon. When he finally opened them again, his captive was eyeing him warily, and the smell of fear, sharp and metallic, filled the air.

  “Question one: How do you know Taya?” he bit out through gritted teeth. The other man stayed mute, and Etienne stepped closer.

  The move made the wolf-shifter jumpy, and he drew away, plastering himself against the back of the chair. “I don’t. Is that her name?”

  Etienne forced down his rage at the casual response. This POS had planned to snuff out the amazing, bright light that was Taya without cause or even a second
thought. “If this wasn’t about her personally, then why did you go through the trouble of tracking her and trying again? Why didn’t you just go find someone else instead or forget the whole thing?”

  “Mik—” He broke off and cleared his throat before starting again. “My partner was concerned she saw something she shouldn’t have. He was worried she was going to make waves.”

  This guy might not be the sharpest pup at the kennel, but his friend was clearly a little smarter. He was right. Taya had seen something she shouldn’t have. It just hadn’t been enough to make her one hundred percent sure she’d seen something out of the norm. Going back for her had been the larger mistake, and in truth, a lucky break for Etienne. He hadn’t needed to hunt them down. They’d come to him.

  “So why did you attack her in the first place? What were you after?”

  The man stared at Etienne through his glassy eyes and shrugged. “Food. Fun. We were on a hunt in that little patch of woods. She was there. Why not?”

  More than anything so far—more than the meat comment, more than the threat of civil war, more than even that stupid smirk—that was the thing that made him lose it.

  He let out a roar, straightened, and snapped out a punch so quick, the cocksucker never saw it coming. It upended him on his chair and cracked one of the wooden legs and, if the other man’s howl was any indication, several ribs.

  Etienne rolled his shoulders and stepped toward the pile of chair and man, setting them both upright again, albeit slightly askew, before stepping back.

  His captive’s face was bloodied, and his chest heaved with outrage and fear. “Jesus, man. Look, I told you, I don’t even know the b— ” his throat worked as he swallowed hard, “her. She was walking home, we were hungry and horny. That’s it. That’s the whole story. You chased us off and I would’ve been done with it but Mikhail wanted to make sure she didn’t talk.”

  Etienne kept his expression neutral, but inside, he wanted to howl with satisfaction.