“How I wish I could read your mind.” Alex brushed the hair back from her shoulder, his thumb stroking her cheek. “I hope your parents aren’t watching.”
With that, he kissed her fiercely, his tongue probing her mouth, his hand on her waist as he pulled her close. His self-control slipped, and he slipped his free hand under her sweater, cupping her breast in his hand. Sapphi gasped against his mouth. She was so sweet and innocent. Alex was certain she was a virgin, and the need to take it slow made him pause and slip his hand back out.
“Don’t.” Sapphi grabbed his hand and slid it back under her sweater, guiding him toward her breast.
Alex slid his hand from her waist to the small of her back, and pulled her closer. He wanted her, so much it hurt. He longed to shift into his dragon and carry her off into the mountains, where he would ravish her until he’d branded her as his own.
His finger and thumb closed around her taut nipple, and he tweaked it, hard enough to make her gasp against his mouth and grind her hips forward. Alex stroked her thigh, moving lower until his hand reached the crook of her knee, and he drew her leg up, turning her around so her back was pinned against the car.
Nestling his body between her thighs, he eased himself up and down, rubbing his hardness against her mound. She groaned and threaded her hand between their bodies, to cup her palm over the head of his cock.
“Fuck,” he whispered against her mouth. If she kept that up, he was going to come in his pants. She might be innocent, but she was brave.
And she was his.
“What’s wrong, dragon, are you going to lose control?” Her warm breath caressed his neck.
“I am.” But two could play that game.
Alex touched her mound, rubbing his thumb against her throbbing clit, feeling the sensitive bundle of nerves as it pulsed to a beat of its own.
Sapphi whimpered, grinding her body forward, her mouth open as she gasped for air. “Do you have any idea how much I want to make love to you right now?” he asked.
“Yes.” She nipped his neck, her teeth sharp against his skin.
“I need to go.” He cleared his throat as he let her go, leaving her slumped forward, her breathing heavy. “Because if I don’t leave now, I never will.”
His voice was ragged, and he hated leaving her. But his control was worn so thin, one more touch, one more taste, and he would not be able to stop.
“Will I see you tomorrow?” Sapphi asked.
“Wild horses would not keep me away.” He kissed her once more and then opened the driver’s door and got in the car, doing up the seatbelt so it could pin him in place. “Sweet dreams.”
“And to you, dragon.” She walked away from him, her head held high, even though she wobbled on unsteady legs.
As he drove away, he looked in the rearview mirror. She was standing on the front porch, watching until he turned the corner. The loss made his soul ache. Tomorrow they would return, and soon he would claim her as his own.
Chapter Nine – Sapphi
Who needed dragon wings, when the love in your heart made you feel so light you could fly away?
Sapphi’s dragon spewed smoke from her mighty jaws as she laughed at Sapphi’s thoughts.
You are supposed to be on my side, Sapphi told her hotly.
I am, but that is a little…excessive. Her dragon stretched her wings and flapped them so hard, she almost blew every thought out of Sapphi’s head. That’s why you need dragon wings!
Sapphi laughed out loud as she sat down to eat her toast, which she planned to smother in jam.
“Is that what happens when you find your mate, you laugh like an imbecile?” Ruby asked as she plunged her spoon into her bowl of cereal.
“When you meet your mate, you’ll understand,” Sapphi told her sister graciously.
“No, thank you.” Ruby’s sullen face brought Sapphi back down to earth with a thump.
“What’s wrong, Ruby?” Sapphi asked, smoothing the homemade wild strawberry jam on her toast.
“Nothing.” Ruby hunched her shoulders, reminding Sapphi of the time their two dragons had argued over who should go first through a canyon. Neither would back down, and so they both surged forward, until their dragon bodies collided, hitting the hard rock faces and bouncing off, leaving them with bruised bones, but luckily no torn wings. They’d both sulked for an hour, before their sisterly bond made them both realize how stupid they were being. Who wanted to sulk when there was a whole sky to conquer?
“Aren’t you happy for me?” Sapphi asked, putting her knife down on her plate. Her appetite had gone, along with her happiness. She didn’t want to trade her sister for her mate.
“Of course, I’m happy for you,” Ruby said curtly.
“Then why are you in such a foul mood?” Sapphi reached out to hug her sister, who pulled away. “Ruby?”
“It won’t be the same. You’ll leave, just like mom and dad left.” Ruby flung her spoon into her cereal bowl and got up, about to storm out of the kitchen, but Sapphi was out of her seat and wrapping her arms around her younger sister, stopping her from leaving.
“That’s not true!” Sapphi said. “I’m not going anywhere. When Alex and I get married, we’ll live close by. You are my sister, you’ll always be my sister.”
“But you have Alex now,” Ruby replied in a derogatory way.
“He doesn’t know me like you know me.” Sapphi’s voice broke. “I need you now more than I’ve ever needed you. To remind me of who I am, and what I want.” She dashed her tears away with the back of her hand. “I’m scared, Ruby.”
“You don’t look scared.” But Ruby faced her sister, her face softening as she spoke. “You’ll make a great mate for Alex. You’re smart, and beautiful, even if you aren’t as fast as me.”
A smile cracked across Sapphi’s face. Her sister, the person she fought with, and laughed with, and flew to the craziest places with, was back. “I’m going to ignore that comment because I love you. But next time we’re on the mountain, I am going to beat you in a race.”
“Does that mean you’ll still fly with me? I mean now that you’ve got dreamy Alex in your life.” Ruby fluttered her eyelashes and pretended to swoon.
“So, you think I’m dreamy?” Alex stood in the doorway with Archie in his arms, and Harlan behind him.
Ruby grabbed hold of a dishcloth and hid her face, while the others laughed. “You’ll learn to love my sister,” Sapphi said. “Just as I do.”
“Coffee?” Harlan asked, bustling into the kitchen.
“Yes, please.” Alex grinned widely at Ruby. “I hope we can be friends. I don’t want you to think you’re losing a sister, as much as gaining a brother.”
“Cheesy,” Ruby replied, sitting back down and picking up her spoon.
“It’s true. As long as you know I’m faster than both of you.” He kept a straight face, until Archie giggled, and then they all joined in.
“You don’t want to take these two on, Alex. Believe me.” Harlan passed Alex a cup of coffee.
“I’ll take Archie,” Sapphi offered, patting her lap. “He can share my toast.”
Archie sat on her lap, and she broke off a piece of toast, which he gummed until it was a soggy mess. The jam smeared across his face, making him all sticky, but his happiness shone through as he babbled in his own baby language.
“Fiona has gone to work to see what she can find out about Archie’s parents. She’ll call me if she has any news,” Harlan told Alex. “Is there any other information we can go on?”
“I can call the owner of the apartments. He might have more information on the lease.” Alex sipped his coffee, his attention on Sapphi. Since the moment he’d walked through the door she’d been aware of his presence, it seeped into her bones, and deeper, at an atomic level. She could sense him as if they were linked, one body, one mind.
“Good idea. This mystery mate of hers might be paying the rent,” Harlan mused.
“Possibly. I think it’s a long shot. But I have
nothing else to go on.” Alex leaned back against the counter. “I wish I’d pressed her for more details, but she got upset.”
“Which is understandable,” Sapphi told him. “She’s not a shifter?”
Alex shook his head. “No. The whole shifter thing was new to her. Archie’s dad skimped on the details. The less she knew, the safer she would be, those were his words. All I know is he went undercover, and it was important enough for him to leave his mate.” Alex moved across the kitchen, coming to sit next to her.
“And you came to Bear Creek because Kim said there was someone here who could help?” Sapphi asked.
“Neil,” Ruby and Harlan said together.
“Who is Neil?” Alex asked.
“He owns Bear Creek Mountain Store. But before he moved here he used to be an undercover cop. There was an article about him in the newspapers and all over the internet when he arrested a couple of egg hunters on the mountain. He’s an eagle shifter.” Sapphi finished her toast and handed Archie back to Alex. “Come on, let’s get cleaned up and go and speak to him.”
“I’m coming, too,” Ruby said, gulping down the last of her cereal and putting the bowl in the sink.
“Hey, slow down,” Harlan told them, his hands up in the air. “I’m in charge while Fiona is at work. So why don’t you give me Archie, and he can play with Harlan Jr. while you go and speak to Neil.”
“Thank you,” Sapphi kissed Harlan’s cheek, and then wiped it with her hand. “Sticky lips.”
“Go on, I’ll wash my face and Archie’s.” Harlan took Archie from Alex. “Don’t worry, I’ll look after Archie as if he were my own.”
“Thank you, Harlan,” Alex said as they left the kitchen.
“Don’t mention it. I love kids, and it’s more important for you to track down Archie’s parents. I’ll call Sapphi’s cell as soon as I get news from Fiona.” Harlan lifted Archie’s sticky hand. “Say goodbye.”
“Bye, Archie,” they all chorused as the girls grabbed their purses and followed Alex out of the house.
Half an hour later, they were parked outside Bear Creek Mountain Store, trying to figure out a plan. “Just ask him,” Ruby said.
“Ask him what?” Sapphi asked. “We don’t know the name of Archie’s dad. And Archie’s dad didn’t know he had a son.”
“So, we ask him if knows Kim,” Alex said as he opened the car door and got out.
“What if Archie’s dad kept Kim a secret? If he was on an important case and thought he might be in danger, he may not have told anyone about her.” Sapphi held out her hands and shrugged.
“Let’s just go in and grill him,” Ruby said with all the confidence of an eighteen-year-old. Sapphi could remember when she felt that way, as if she could conquer the world. She hesitated; since meeting Alex, that feeling had returned, along with her confidence.
“Are you all right?” Alex asked her.
“Yes. Perfectly all right.” She skipped around the car and met him on the sidewalk. He completed her. She’d never considered that she would need a man in her life, but now that he was here, she could not imagine a day without him.
Ruby pushed the door of the store open and they all walked in. “Hi there, ladies.”
“Neil,” Ruby gave him a wave as Neil, the store owner, cast an appraising eye over Alex.
“Is there anything particular I can help you with?” Neil asked, leaving his laptop on the counter and coming around to stand before them.
“We have a question for you,” Sapphi said. “We’re trying to find someone.”
“Are you?” Neil asked, his tone even. “Someone in town?”
“Not exactly.” Alex looked around the store, as if to make sure no one else was here who might overhear. “Someone who works as an undercover cop.”
Neil took a step back and looked at each of them in turn. “I can’t give out any information about working undercover. It could put someone’s life in danger.”
“What if we knew someone’s life was already in danger?” Sapphi asked. She closed the space between her and Neil, keeping her voice low. “Alex came to town to meet a woman named Kim Goren, who is the mate of an undercover cop. He took on a job and she hasn’t heard from him for nearly a year. And now someone is after Kim.” Sapphi took a risk, playing to a weakness every shifter had. The need to protect young. “And her baby. Who she left in Alex’s care. But her mate doesn’t know about.”
Neil turned around and walked away from them. “I can’t pass on names. But I’ll make some inquiries.”
“Do you want to write the details down?” Ruby asked, following Neil to the counter.
“No.” Neil shook his head. “Anything written down can be seen by others.” He looked around the store as if expecting the boogeyman to jump out at them.
“Understood,” Alex said. “Thank you.”
Neil pressed his lips together. “I’m not promising I can help you. But I’ll try. I still have friends on the force. Handlers, who might have more information. But a girlfriend named Kim is hardly a good description.”
“We don’t know if he told anyone about Kim,” Alex told Neil. “And unfortunately, Kim didn’t give me a name. Hell, I don’t even know if Kim is her real name.”
Neil looked up. “We’d better hope if she trusted you enough to hand over her child to you, she trusted you enough to tell you her real name.”
“True,” Alex began. “She also knew I was a shifter. She trusted me completely.”
“And Sapphi and Ruby trust you?” Neil directed his question to the two sisters.
“He’s my mate,” Sapphi said proudly.
“A dragon shifter,” Ruby added.
A smile flickered across Neil’s face. “Just what we need, another fire-breathing beast to terrorize the mountain.”
“You’re just sore because I beat you in a race,” Sapphi said, then her tone turned serious. “We think both Kim and her mate are in some kind of trouble. She asked Alex to leave town with Archie. A mother doesn’t do that unless she’s in trouble.”
“I understand. But you have to understand that I have to protect anyone working undercover. Their life depends on secrecy.” Neil tapped on his computer keyboard.
“Tell me, Neil, one thing. Is it usual for a person to go undercover for a year, and not surface, not call his mate? Not once?” Alex asked seriously.
Neil looked up, locking eyes with him. “Only if they were deep undercover. So deep they lived, breathed, and believed who they were.”
“Enough to forget their mate?” Sapphi asked.
“Forget. Or protect. A shifter would give their life for their mate.” Neil’s words were true. Sapphi would not question giving her own life to save Alex’s. And when their eyes met, she knew he felt the same way.
Chapter Ten – Alex
“Where to now?” Ruby asked as they left the store.
“Back to your house,” Alex replied, walking around the car to the driver’s side. “I need to make some phone calls. Hopefully, Fiona will have some news, too.”
“Do you think Neil will help us?” Sapphi asked, looking back at the mountain store.
“He wants to. At least he wants to make sure the undercover cop is safe.” Alex looked across the roof of the car to Sapphi, with Neil’s words still fresh in his mind. Had Archie’s dad given his life to protect his mate? Had Kim given her life to protect her child?
He tore his eyes away from Sapphi and looked up and down the street. What if she were here and didn’t know how to find him?
“Everything all right?” Sapphi asked.
He sighed. “Maybe I should sit tight and wait for Kim. What if she’s here looking for me?”
“And what if she’s in danger?” Sapphi reached out her hand for him across the roof of the car, and the instant their fingers touched, a fire burned in his blood. He wanted this to be over, so he could focus on his mate. But he had to see it through, had to know they had done their best by Archie. Otherwise, he could never live with hims
elf, or forgive himself.
He broke contact with Sapphi and pulled open the car door. “I’ve left my cell phone number at the hotel. If Kim comes to town, she should look for me there. It’s the most obvious place. They’ll give her the number.”
“Good.” Sapphi cast a concerned glance his way. “You are doing your best.”
He got into the car and answered, “Why does it feel as if I’m letting them down? Give me something to shred with my talons, and I’m there. But this, the not knowing, it’s like fighting blindfolded.” He grinned, lightening the mood in the car. “Which I can do.”
“Fight blindfolded?” Ruby asked, inching forward in the back seat.
“Yes, my dad taught me to use my other senses when fighting. Both as a dragon, and as a human. We used to go to the monasteries in the mountains and train with the Shaolin.” He drove out of town, heading back toward the house.
“Can you teach us?” Sapphi asked.
“To fight?” His eyes widened.
“And why not?” Ruby asked hotly.
“No reason.” He was going to pay for his quick remark.
“Because we’re girls?” Sapphi asked, her tone curt.
“No. And yes.” He glanced at Sapphi, her face was set, he was in trouble. Alex reached out his hand and placed it on hers. “Because you are my mate. I don’t want you to fight. I’m supposed to protect you, and our children.”
Ruby snorted. “You were born in this century, weren’t you? Women are more than capable of fighting and protecting themselves.”
Alex shrugged. “I’m an old-fashioned kind of a guy.”
“If you want to keep us safe, teach us,” Sapphi told him gently. “Self-defense is the best defense.”
“All right,” Alex agreed. “But when this is over.”
“When this is over.” Sapphi leaned across the seats and kissed his cheek.
“We’ll have you house-trained in a week,” Ruby said as she settled back in her seat.
“Ruby!” Sapphi said, glaring at her sister.
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