The Accidental Dragon

by Dakota Cassidy

  And she just wanted to luxuriate in the moment, savor the texture, the sounds, the smells of their lovemaking, but her need, this crazy desperate itch that needed scratching, wouldn’t let her hold still.

  Falling back on her palms, she placed them on Mick’s thighs and let her spine arch her body forward. The stretch of her body opened her wider, letting her take in all of Mick’s length, and when he drove upward, she was now the one hissing.

  His thumb went to her clit, caressing it as she rolled her hips in time with his thrusts and moaned when heat assaulted her and her nipples beaded tight and hard.

  Tessa’s fingers dug into Mick’s thighs, and she rode the white-hot wave he’d stirred in her, letting everything go but the sweet rise to release.

  His hands went to her breasts, cupping them, rolling her nipples into stiff points, and then she was falling forward against the shelter of his chest, burying her face in his neck as he blended their bodies together.

  She felt his orgasm as easily as she felt her own—the tension in his bulk, the flex of muscle, the tightening of his cock. Mick’s hands went to her back, crushing her against him when he came, and the feel of his possessive embrace made her come, too.

  It was brilliant in sound and clarity, so sharp it created a sweet pain that made Tessa’s toes curl.

  Mick tightened his embrace, keeping her near as their breathing slowed and their muscles relaxed.

  Neither of them spoke, but she sensed that he knew they needed to. She needed to. She needed to understand his earlier words. She needed to know what he meant when he said he’d always wanted this, and why he hadn’t said it sooner.

  But for now, she just wanted to lie here with Mick, her head to his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

  “What do you think happens next?” Mick asked, pulling his jeans on while she admired his rapidly disappearing nakedness.

  Tessa reached down for a boot, pulling it on. “You mean with the egg?”

  “Did that do it, ya think?”

  “I don’t know. Archibald didn’t say if we had to fertilize it more than once.” Did they? After tonight, she couldn’t imagine making love with anyone else ever—mercy fertilization or not.

  Mick scooped her up until her feet were off the ground and they were eye to eye. “Would you mind if I said I wouldn’t mind if we did?”

  She grinned. “What a load off. I was worried we were going to go right back to awkward.”

  “Awkward sucks.”

  “We do it so well.”

  “Let’s not do it anymore, okay?”

  “Why did we do it in the first place, Mick?” Damn. She’d promised herself to just let it be, like he’d asked.

  “We have to talk, Tessa. Really talk. But not right now. We have too much going on. And with the threat of this demon thing, we need to focus on eliminating that before we think about anything else.”

  She folded her hands together behind his neck. “Okay. But no more taking whatever you’re grudging about out on me. It’s part of the reason our arguments have gotten so ugly since Noah died.”

  Mick stiffened against her, but that wasn’t going to fly with her anymore. Not after tonight. “Don’t do it, Mick. Noah was my brother. He was your best friend for a million years. We should be able to talk about him. I should be able to talk about him without you shutting down. We both loved him. So sure, we can leave this for now, but once we figure this out—how to live with wings I can’t even stand up with, how to keep from setting things on fire, how we’re going to deal with a baby and what that baby is going to be—we talk.”

  “Sorry. Knee-jerk reaction. It’s a deal.” He planted a kiss on the corner of her mouth to seal it.

  Tessa shivered suddenly and then there was warmth. So much warmth, her heart actually twisted inside her chest. It overwhelmed her, gripping her, stealing her breath until tears stung her eyes. And without question, she knew it had to do with the baby.

  Mick cocked his head. “Did you feel that?”

  She looked up at him in wonder. “You felt it, too?”

  “I did.”

  “Sort of all-overwhelming and all-consuming warmth and . . . love.” So much love, she had to gasp for breath.

  Mick looked at her, his eyes full of the same wonder she was experiencing. “The baby? I don’t know why, but that was my first thought. That it was the baby. Do you think that was whatever working its magic?”

  She knew without a shadow of a doubt. “I don’t know why, but yeah. I think we did it,” she said on a happy grin.

  Her phone buzzed in her jeans pocket, signaling a text, making Mick slip his hands inside her pocket and pull out her phone. His face grew grim as he read the text.

  “We need to get back to the house. Darnell’s there and he has some information.”

  Her chest instantly went tight and she gripped Mick’s sweater. “I’m afraid.”

  “Me, too, but it’ll be a cold day in Hell before I let anything happen to you or our egg.”

  Her heart fluttered. He’d said our egg. “So you’ve grown used to the idea that we’ll have a child to raise?” Had she?

  Mick’s eyes were confused. “I think so. I’m still trying to figure out what’s going to come out of the egg. I guess it’ll be half human, half dragon like us, right? And here’s something else to think about: We’d better be careful where we point our fire-breathing. If that’s what got you knocked up, we’ll have more kids than we know what to do with, considering our lack of skill.”

  Tessa’s head fell back when she laughed. “Do you really think that’s what knocked me up? And as a PS, if it is, you’d better move to the next state—because wow, it was like giving birth to a Ford Fairlane.”

  Now Mick laughed, too, setting her back on the ground, but keeping her in his arms. “I’m sorry it hurt. I don’t get how it happened, either. But I promise to watch where I spew my fireballs.”

  Tessa looked up at him, this man she’d loved since kindergarten, when he’d ambushed her Barbie with his stupid G.I. Joe tanker. “Can you even believe the conversations we have lately?” She leaned back in his embrace and made her best Nina face. “I’ll suck your soul right out of your scrawny body, kiddo. So shut the fuck up.”

  Mick batted his eyelashes the way Marty did. “Oh, Mistress of the Dark, you hush or I’ll were-out on you and eat your ugly black heart.”

  Tessa pulled her jacket over her head, imitating Nina’s hoodie, and stomped around in a circle. “Yeah. He’s my zombie. And he’s a fucking vegetarian. You got some shit to say about it?”

  Mick rolled his eyes just like Wanda. “Nina! Must you be so crass?” He put his hands on his hips just like Wanda. “Honestly, will you never learn?”

  They both laughed until tears came to Tessa’s eyes, before reaching for each other’s hands as if they’d always done it, then turning off the lanterns and heading back to her cottage.

  * * *

  TESSA pulled her scarf off and braced herself when they entered the cottage, her eyes immediately straying to the incubator, where Archibald held vigil and Carl stroked the egg with a clumsy finger duct-taped into place. “What’s wrong?” She rushed to Nina’s side. If Nina was worried, Tessa knew it was for good reason.

  Mick came up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders, instantly warming her. “Nina?”

  “They know about the egg.”

  Fear slithered up her spine. “Who knows?”

  “Hell. All of it, actually,” Wanda offered, her lips thinning.

  Tessa reached for Mick’s hand. “Wait. Hell-Hell? Like seven levels and Satan?”

  “I think there’s more than seven levels, and yeah, Hell-Hell,” Nina replied.

  Tessa’s mouth went dry. “How do they know?”

  Nina held up a slip of paper, shaking it in front of them before looking at Archibald. “Cover mini-dragon’s ears. That fucking weasel Frank. Who the fuck else? He left us a note.”

  Tessa’s fingers trembled when she took the line
d paper from Nina—paper he’d gotten from her own kitchen, no less—and scanned it. Her stomach turned and her pulse throbbed in her ears. “If we don’t give Frank the egg . . .” She couldn’t finish. This couldn’t be real.

  Mick grabbed the note and read it in silence. “If we don’t give Frank the egg, the world’s going to end? Is this for real?”

  Nina nodded, her eyes angry. “Maybe not the world, but it sure as shit will cause some damage. Darnell says it’s true.”

  Tessa snatched the letter from Mick and ripped it up, throwing it into the fireplace, incinerating it as surely as she’d like to incinerate Frank. “Well, that’s not going to happen. So Hell and everyone in it can go fuck themselves!”

  Nina gripped her shoulder. “Look, Frank said you two have to meet him with the egg. I’ll meet him, minus the egg, and kick his weenie ass from here to Mars. End of. No way that skanky mutha is gettin’ hold of my baby dragon.”

  Wanda shook her head hard, her eyes flashing. “No, Nina. If we don’t give him the egg, he’ll report back to whoever’s in charge of this disaster, and then we’ll really be ruined. We need to contain this, localize the source.”

  Tessa had to sit, her legs were wobbling so hard. Carl made room for her on the couch, thumping her shoulder and handing her a blanket he tucked around her legs. “Why is the egg important to Hell?”

  Marty perched on the arm of the couch, rolling her sleeves up with a sigh. “I don’t think it’s important to Hell. I think it’s important to someone trapped in Hell. Darnell tells us brimstone and dragon scales mixed together can open the gates of Hell, unleashing whatever’s trapped unwillingly inside.”

  Panic seized Tessa, and her fingers grew icy. “This is insane. I can’t seem to say that word enough lately.” She took a deep, ragged breath. “So what do we do? There’s no way anyone’s getting their hands on the egg.” Wait. If all they needed was dragon scales, why not take hers? “Hold on. Why not just take mine? They can have my dragon scales, right? Isn’t that the same thing?”

  Nina’s head swung back and forth. “Because you’ll die, Tessa. They’ll skin you alive. Not fucking gonna happen on my watch.”

  She didn’t care. She realized she didn’t care. Nothing was more important than keeping this egg safe. “I don’t care! Take me to meet Frank. I’ll do whatever he wants. It’s simple.”

  “No!” Mick roared, scaring even Nina. He took a step back, running his hand through his hair before he said, “Mine. You take my scales. Take me to meet with Frank. I’ll go willingly.”

  Wanda placed a hand on Mick’s arm. “That won’t work, Mick. The baby’s scales are far more powerful, meaning yours become of no interest with that notion in the mix. They’ll do whatever it takes to get the egg.”

  “Then I’ll do whatever it takes to stop them,” Mick spat.

  “No. We’ll help you do whatever it takes to stop them,” Marty said with a fierce growl. “So let’s give this some thought before we jump the gun. We need a plan. Nina, have you heard back from Jeannie? Because Wanda and I texted her with an idea.”

  Nina held up her phone with a grin. “She’ll be here in three, two, one . . .”

  A petite woman with blond hair and sapphire blue eyes appeared in a purple mist sprinkled with glitter, throwing herself at Nina and planting a kiss on her cheek. “MWA! I’ve missed your pretty face. How are you?”

  Nina batted her away, but it was clear that she was very fond of this woman—whatever Nina’s version of fond was. “Get off, genie. Jesus, with the hugging and shit.” She set the small woman away from her as though she was moving a chair, and grinned. “How’s your ass-sniffer?”

  Jeannie rolled her eyes, dropping her arms to her sides, and grinned as she gave both Marty and Wanda hugs, too. “Will you and Sloan ever get over that game of touch football?”

  “Only when he quits cheating because he can’t take being beaten by a GD chick.”

  Jeannie giggled, light and tinkling, before she looked at Tessa and Mick. “And you both must be the proud parents! Congratulations all ’round! MWA told me all about you.”

  “MWA?” Tessa couldn’t stop herself from asking.

  In the midst of all this fear, Tessa couldn’t help but laugh. There was something about this group as a whole, something about how they all worked together toward a common goal, even when they bickered, that made her warm inside. Her family had been just like that before death had taken them all away from her, leaving her here to fend for herself. She missed the kind of comfort that safety had once brought her.

  Jeannie pinched Nina’s lean cheek. “That’s short for Meanest Woman Alive. That’s what I call her. Do you deny she holds the world title?”

  Tessa held up her hands. “No denial here. I’m just surprised she let you live after you gave her the crown.”

  Jeannie planted her hands on her slim hips. “Did she tell you she’d suck your soul out of your body if you gave her trouble?”

  “I think I remember something to that effect.”

  Jeannie flapped a hand. “Don’t let Miss Marshmallow kid you. Her center is soft and gooey. It’s the hard chocolate shell you have to crack.”

  Nina rolled her eyes and flicked Jeannie’s shoulder. “Listen, I Dream of, get to the business at hand. We have to meet this fuckknuckle in an hour, and I wanna be ready.”

  Jeannie bent at the waist, running her hand over Carl’s face. He used his stiff fingers to cup her hand to his cheek and grunted his pleasure. “How are you, Carl? I’m so happy to see you.”

  Carl nodded, his lopsided grin beaming. “Goo . . .”

  “Look at you talking! All those speech lessons with Arch and Sloan are paying off. I’m so proud of you, Carl. And, Arch, when’s the next paranormal potluck? I’ve been dying for your recipe for that crème brûlée.” Her eyes twinkling, she gave his hand a squeeze.

  Arch gripped it back, dropping a kiss on the back of it. “Oh, Miss Jeannie, it’s ever so good to see you. Soon, we shall all gather—once this bother has passed. This much I promise—with Mick and Tessa and our newest addition.”

  Jeannie wisped a finger in the direction of the incubator. “So this is the little one? Ohhh, how perfect,” she cooed, slipping her hand inside under the heat lamp to caress the golden egg. The egg responded by rolling inward ever so slightly, making Jeannie smile. “What a wonderful, fabulous, miraculous event,” she whispered. “You’re both so blessed.”

  Tessa sat still, marveling at the acceptance these people offered. Zombies and genies and halfsies and even baby dragons were all instantly welcomed. The world could learn a thing or two from this group. Their tolerance was so pure, so unhindered by any kind of bias, it left Tessa breathless.

  Jeannie stood up and smiled at both Tessa and Mick. “So, I’m Jeannie Flaherty. Full-time djinn, evil overlord of a realm of out-of-control genies, and part-time caterer. I’m here to help in any way I can. I wish I could do more, but if I mess with the balance of good and evil, we might have more trouble than we bargained for. I want you both to know, if I could cast a spell and make this all go away, it’d be done.”

  Ah. This must be the woman who’d given Nina her baby. “So what are we going to do if we can’t stop Frank?”

  Jeannie’s eyes sparkled. “We’re going to trick them until we can find a way to nab the person who wants to open those gates to Hell. We’re essentially buying time, but let’s hope it’s enough to identify the culprit and nip this in the bud—because trust me when I tell you, there are plenty of the damned who want out.”

  “I don’t understand,” Mick said. “I know I’ve said that a thousand times since this all began, but how can we keep that from happening?”

  “If they want an egg, we’re going to give them an egg,” Jeannie said. “We want to keep them as far away from the two of you as we can until we can find a safe place for both of you and the baby until this is over.”

  “We’re going to make an egg? How?” Mick asked, a frown forming.

&
nbsp; Nina draped her arm around Jeannie’s shoulders and grinned. “Watch and learn, Gigantor.”

  * * *

  TESSA shivered in the cold night air, hunkering down against Mick. Nina hadn’t liked it, but in order for the plan to work, Marty and Wanda insisted she let them go with her. Frank was more likely to fall for this if it was Nina who had the egg and she and Mick pretended they were trying to stop her from handing it over.

  Nina glanced over at them, her eyes glittering in the dark shell of Tessa’s store. “Okay, so you know the plan, right? I have the egg. I play like I’m giving it up because Frank will probably fall for the idea that I’m a totally evil bitch. You two rush in like you’re gonna fight me for the egg. Put up a big fuss, call me crappy names yadda, yadda, yadda. I toss him the egg. We let him think he’s won. The weasel takes the egg—we out. Clear? No questions, no bullshit. We need time to figure out who’s fucking behind this. I need time to gear up for killin’ the motherfucker who wants your kid—because I want it to damn well hurt. Do not vary from the script. Got that?”

  Both Mick and Tessa nodded. “Got it, MWA. No heroic efforts. No questions. Nothing.”

  Mick held the egg Jeannie had created, a perfect replica of the real one.

  And she’d done it with the snap of her fingers. It even moved like their egg, cooed like it, snuggled into your hand just the way theirs did.

  Mick cradled it against his chest and wrapped it in one of Tessa’s throws. It was almost comical to see, if this wasn’t so dangerous. Tessa wasn’t so much afraid of Frank anymore. She’d gotten past the idea that he was a minion from Hell. She was afraid this wouldn’t work, or they’d be found out and Frank would catch them in this ridiculous lie they were about to turn into a stage show.

  The crunch of feet on the packed snow had them all alert. Nina gave them the thumbs-up—which meant go time.

  They’d practiced exactly how this was to go down.

  Nina grabbed the egg from Mick, tucking it under her arm, strolling to the center of the store. “Get the fuck out here, Frank, and let’s get this shit done before I get caught.”

  Wow. Nina was really good. Like give-Meryl-Streep-a-run-for-her-money good.