Obsession: Paranormal Romance : Dragon Shifters, lion shifters, immortals and wolf shifters (Dragon Protectors Book 2)

by Laxmi Hariharan

Vance had nailed his deepest fear.

  “I’ll take that risk.” Cain planted his feet apart.

  “You stubborn bastard.” Vance stepped back. His hand dropped to his side. “But if your lion has found his mate, then you must stay and pursue what is yours.”

  “What mate? It’s just my duty as a Guardian to make sure she’s safe, and—” Cain’s throat closed.

  Realization sank in. His nerves strummed. Was Vance speaking the truth?

  No, it couldn’t be true.

  He was going insane. That must be the explanation. Or the fact that so many on the Council had found their mates.

  It was why his lion was behaving in such an uncontrollable manner.

  This woman had raised his protective instincts.

  He was going to watch over her until she woke up, and then leave.

  3

  Eve

  Her sister’s voice called to her.

  Eve tried to move. Found she couldn’t. Panic filled her. She reached out to Hope on the psychic plane.

  That’s when she sensed a body on the bed. Watching from above herself, she swooped in for a closer look and realized it looked like herself.

  How was that possible?

  She peered at the woman on the mattress. Her dark hair was spread out on the pillow. Her eyes were closed, features drawn. She had legs that seemed too long for her body, a skinny waist, and curves that barely made a dent through the covers. Yeah, the female on the bed was definitely her.

  There was only one explanation. She was out of her body and looking down at her physical self.

  The world tilted, and she struggled to find her balance. Her limbs grew lighter.

  She watched as Hope leaned forward to kiss her forehead. Her sister rose, and Aaron led her away.

  Eve tried to reach out to Hope, to tell her to stop, that she was right there, but her sister couldn’t hear her.

  She was on her own.

  Hope had Aaron. Her siblings were all grown up and could take care of themselves. If Eve were to die, her clan may even miss her as a leader, but another would emerge to take her place.

  She was replaceable. She’d never felt more vulnerable as she did just then.

  Eve realized there was nothing keeping her on the physical plane. Sadness bled through her.

  She gave in to the pull that had been gnawing at her psychic self. Eve let herself be pulled upward, toward the ceiling. Darkness beckoned, seducing her.

  Eve angled toward the light that flickered on the other side of the murkiness when...her senses tingled with awareness. An overwhelming need to turn back yanked at her.

  She paused and looked down at the bed.

  A man stood by her inert body.

  He was tall with shoulders so broad they blocked out the light from the window. His very presence was big enough to draw in all the air in the room.

  On the psychic plane, his flame burned with an amber radiance that was irresistible.

  His scent was like the sun and heat, of the dusty plains of a desert far away. He vibrated an animal magnetism that was so free she could taste the untamed nature of his spirit.

  Dropping into the chair next to the bed, he took her hand.

  Awareness punched through her.

  He slid his thumb over her pulse. His touch was gentle, at odds with his strength.

  This man was different, he wasn’t a threat. He was...important.

  He was calling out to her.

  Who was he?

  The dark seduced her, ebbing, flowing, warning her that if she lingered any longer, she wouldn’t be able to leave.

  Eve didn’t want to live.

  She wanted to flee, to turn toward the nothingness within reach, but she couldn’t.

  His essence beckoned to her back on the psychic plane. His loneliness reeled her in.

  He raised her hand to his lips. His tongue brushed over her skin.

  A pulse of energy jolted her, yanking her to her body—to him. Her soul sank into her skin like a stone into water.

  It hurt.

  Her bones ached. Her muscles screamed. Her right shoulder moaned.

  Silver light flashed past her closed eyelids.

  Her pale lavender aura swooped down and linked to the vivid amber of the man’s. Golden energy gushed into her, cutting through the darkness.

  Images burst in her mind, memories that were not hers.

  Running through the desert, burning sand underfoot. A young girl chasing him. Boys whooping.

  A woman who felt like ‘Mom’ with an unfamiliar face she could not stop loving smiling down at her. Then all of it was taken.

  She was…alone yet not at the same time.

  The comfort of those memories, of that love, stayed with her. And that pit of loneliness that dragged at her soul…wasn’t as deep as it once had been?

  Had she imagined that?

  Her physical heart beat faster. Gravity dragged her down, pinning her to this plane. Her arms and legs tingled. Her chest felt heavy.

  On the psychic plane, the pale lavender of her dragon flickered to life.

  Heat radiated off him, yanking her into the living.

  Don’t let go, his voice cajoled.

  Did she want to?

  4

  Cain

  Sitting on the bed next to Eve, Cain reached for the comb that Hope had given him.

  He ran it from her scalp, down the long dark strands, making sure to separate out any knots.

  Red highlights glinted among the black. Putting the comb aside, he curled his palm around the heavy length.

  He placed his nose at the base of her neck and sniffed. The scent of lilies and wildfire tugged at his groin.

  He wanted her in his home, in his bed. To slide his fingers over her curves, feel her heart throb against his, to feel those lips on his skin... He wanted to see her fly.

  “Get up.” He buried his face in her hair.

  There was no response.

  The frustration of staying with her, not being able to tear himself from her side, wanting his life back, yet not wanting to let go of her, all of it twisted his insides. “Open your eyes.” His chest ached.

  “Stop yelling, you’re giving me a headache.”

  Cain froze. Had he misheard?

  There were only two of them in the room. He hadn’t said those words.

  “Who’re you?” The voice was rough at the edges. It held a hint of anger.

  Cain tasted the acerbic tinge of something like...dominance from her.

  Cain’s lion tossed his mane, sniffing the air. At last, here was an opponent worthy of a chase.

  He raised his head.

  Eyes of shattered violet met his.

  A shudder wracked her shoulders. She swallowed, then her tongue flicked out to touch her lips.

  Picking up a bottle of water, he held it to her mouth.

  She drank from the straw.

  When some of it dribbled down her lips, he used the back of his hand to wipe it from her chin.

  She angled her head so his hand dropped away.

  Of course, she didn’t know who he was. His throat closed. His lion paced, pushed against his skin, wanting to get closer to her.

  She was awake, she was going to make it. He placed the bottle back on the side table. His hands shook. Relief made him lightheaded.

  What was her dragon going to make of him? His stomach churned as he straightened. He should leave now that she had regained consciousness.

  Her gaze traced the black ink that ran over his biceps to disappear beneath the sleeve of his shirt. There was no change in expression.

  What was she thinking? She must be confused at waking up in a strange place, seeing an unfamiliar face.

  He depressed the switch at the side of the bed. “I just called the doc. He’ll ask Hope to come.”

  She tried to sit up and bit her lip.

  He felt the pain radiate off her.

  “Stay still. Don’t hurt yourself.” He cursed himself as soon as the
words were out. He’d meant to be gentle and ease her into her surroundings.

  Instead, he was acting all possessive. His lion quivered with anticipation. He wanted to take her home, hide her away from the world where no Elysian, no shifter, no one else could hurt her.

  Another shiver rocked her shoulders. She tightened her fingers, which were wrapped around his.

  Her gaze slid to where her hand grasped his.

  She let go.

  It was as if a part of him had been cut off. He felt unmoored.

  His lion growled. What was he waiting for? Why was he not claiming her, telling her how he’d taken care of her all these weeks? He was going to protect her for as long as he lived.

  Right. She didn’t know any of this. She had to familiarize herself with who he was.

  “You still haven’t answered me.” She pushed at the hair that had fallen over her forehead, tucking it behind her ear.

  He folded his arms over his chest. Her attention dropped to the breadth of his shoulders. Her gaze slipped to the hard planes of his stomach. And stayed there.

  Heat flared, hot and sweet. Liquid desire hardened him. He made no attempt to hide it.

  She may not know who he was, but she was attracted to him.

  “I’m Cain, a Guardian of Bombay. You’re in the infirmary run by the mayor of the city.” He scratched his jaw.

  She moved her back, sinking into the pillow. Raising her knee, she rubbed her thighs together.

  The scent of wildfire, and below that, a deeper, heady musk filled the air. She was aroused.

  The dragoness wanted him, she just didn’t know it yet.

  “You, a cat?” She rubbed her nose.

  His lips peeled back. “You didn’t disapprove of my smell the past two weeks.”

  Her forehead furrowed, and she pushed her shoulders back. “A lion shifter?”

  He canted his head, answering her question without words.

  She tried to rise from her bed, only to fall back. The skin over her knuckles stretched white as she clutched at the sheets.

  “Easy, kitten, you’ve been out for a while.”

  She narrowed her eyes at the endearment but didn’t protest.

  That gave him hope.

  “How long have I been unconscious?”

  “Two weeks.” He watched her, wiping all expression from his face.

  She wrapped her arms around her stomach. “Two—?” Her color slid away from her skin, leaving her even paler than before.

  It tugged the part of him that wanted to take care of her. “You need to rest.” He gripped the arms of his chair to get up.

  Eve thrust out her chest.

  Those sensuous curves of her breasts rose and fell under the rough cloth of the hospital gown. “Not until you tell me what you’re doing here.” The command in her voice rang through the space between them.

  He wanted to protect her. Didn’t mean he was going to let her walk all over him.

  As a dominant, he knew how important it was to hold his own against another, whose will was as strong as his own.

  “Oh?” He clasped his hands behind his neck.

  Her gaze slid to where his shirt had ridden up to reveal the strip of skin above his jeans.

  He bit the inside of his cheek, shoving down the chuckle that threated to ripple out. His lion stretched in anticipation of the hunt. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  5

  Eve

  She was the alpha of the dragon shifters. She was used to others following her every order.

  This man didn’t care.

  Perhaps he didn’t know who she was?

  Or maybe it was her weakened state that had made her say it. “Please,” she forced out.

  “There, Your Royal Kittenness, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?”

  He was laughing at her. The annoying man.

  “All I remember is being hit by the Elysian’s telekinetic energy, crashing into the platform of the oil rig, and blacking out.” She swallowed. “Hope and Aaron…I remember they helped me, then...nothing.”

  He placed his fingertips together in front of him. “You were in a bad state when they brought you here. Your body healed fast thanks to your shifter healing powers.” He rubbed the back of his neck, his movements fitful. “It took you a little longer to wake up from the coma.”

  He’d been afraid for her?

  Who was this man? He had none of the rough beauty of the dragon shifter males or the lithe grace of wolf shifters.

  No, this shifter was more, much more. He was big and so sexy. Charisma clung to his every pore. The whiff of his dominance weighed heavy on her chest. It surrounded her, poured over her, and sunk into her skin. She wanted to rip off her clothes and roll around in his scent.

  What the—?

  The thought sent a shudder of liquid heat to her core. Eve was shocked to find she was wet.

  She’d just woken up from a coma. Thanks to her shifter healing, she was regaining her strength by the second. It didn’t explain why her skin was tingling. There was a fluttering in her stomach. She dug her heels into the mattress.

  She wanted this shifter. To throw her arms around him, bury her face in his chest, and burrow into him.

  He’d keep her safe.

  Where had that thought come from? She was the alpha. She protected people. She didn’t look to anyone else to take care of her.

  Eve hugged her arms around her waist. “Hope. How is she?”

  The shifters lips widened in a genuine smile. His eyes sparkled. “Last I saw, she’s very much mated to Aaron. You saved her life.”

  For a second she was envious of the affection she sensed he felt for her sister. “Aaron’s fine?”

  Those gorgeous lips folded into a smirk. “I hear no complaints from him, not unless you count that smug look that comes from—”

  “—being recently mated,” she finished his words.

  “Not big on mating bonds?” He angled his head.

  “When you’re alpha of the dragon shifters and are meant to bond only with another dragon, it makes the idea of a mating bond irrelevant.” She hadn’t meant to reveal that.

  But the way she was reacting to this man...it made her want to warn him off.

  “So, what if you wanted someone who was not a dragon for a mate?” He watched unblinking...waiting for her answer?

  “The psychic impact of mating with a dragon can only be borne by another dragon.” She cut the air with her hand. “If I were to mate with anyone else it would mean their eventual death.”

  His jaw firmed. “Hope and Aaron—”

  “—got lucky. Aaron’s an Ascendant, an immortal warrior. The rules don’t apply to them.” She didn’t need to spell out that Cain was a lion shifter.

  “Is that a challenge?” His nostrils flared; his body went still.

  There was no mistaking he was a cat. He’d stalk and wait and jump when his victim least suspected it.

  The thought sent a flush of liquid desire shimmering over her skin.

  Had she revealed more than she’d intended to?

  She’d faced off challenges to become alpha of her clan, been in complex inter-species negotiations, yet a few minutes with this man had thrown her off-kilter.

  She rubbed her forehead, even as a trembling shook her body.

  “You’re cold?” His eyebrows furrowed.

  “I’m n-never cold.” She forced the words through chattering teeth. “Not as long as my dragon is alive.”

  She stopped, her body going still. Dropping into herself, she reached for that violet flame that was her dragon.

  Where her dragon’s fire had burned bright, there was a pale lavender stain. “My dragon...she... I can’t find or feel my dragon.” She gripped the front of his shirt. “It’s as if my dragon’s asleep, she’s...”

  “Still in a coma?”

  A man glided into the room. He had a smooth gait that made it seem like his joints had been well-oiled. A white coat marked him out as a doctor.


  She scented a whisper of dry ice, not unpleasant. Just different. So the Council had vampires on their staff, too.

  “Dr. Vance Rainer at your service.” He dropped into the only other chair in the room. “How are you feeling?” His eyes crinkled at the corners.

  “Like all my bones were broken and knitted back together.” She swallowed down the cold feeling that had taken ahold of her chest.

  Her dragon had never gone quiet on her, not like this.

  Vance chuckled.

  “Thank you for saving my life, Doc.” She pulled the sleeve of her hospital gown over her wrists.

  Cain shot a glance at her.

  Yeah, she could be charming. She had to keep the relations good between the dragon shifters and the Council. She’d never forget the responsibility she had toward her people.

  Having checked her vitals, Vance drummed his fingers on his knees. “You’re almost fully recovered.”

  “I can’t feel my dragon…” Her voice tapered off.

  “You’ve been through a lot. You need a little more rest.” Vance tapped his heel on the floor.

  Right. Eve gnawed at her lower lip.

  Cain balanced his elbows on the arms of his chair. “Perhaps your dragon doesn’t want to show herself?”

  She thrust out her chin. “You suggesting my dragon is hiding on purpose?” Her left eyebrow throbbed as it always did when she was close to losing her temper.

  “The physical and the emotional are more connected than you think.” Cain stretched out, his stance relaxed. He crossed an ankle over the other knee, twirling his foot around in circles.

  “Oh, yeah? Is that your professional opinion?” Violet clashed with amber.

  The tension in the room ratcheted up.

  “Ah, I’d tend to agree.”

  Neither acknowledged Vance.

  The vampire rose to his feet. “Don’t mind me, then. I’ll leave you two to figure this out.” He headed for the door.

  It wasn’t like her to be this impolite. She should have asked the doc to weigh in. But the lion shifter was really beginning to get under her skin.

  “The Elysian hurt my body, he didn’t mess with my emotions.” Her voice came out in a snarl. “Besides, you heard the doc. I’m fully recovered.”