by Zoe Chant
Most importantly, she'd be free.
Braeden was panting as she helped him cross the parking lot. She bit her lip again as she looked at him.
They looked suspicious as hell. And if she dragged him in like this, there was a good chance they'd immediately call the cops on them.
“Right,” she said, helping Braeden lean against a wall. “You wait here. Don't move. Try to look like you didn't just get out of a fight. I'll get us a room—back in a minute.”
He gave her a small nod to show that he'd understood, then breathed in deeply, his shoulders relaxing a little now that he could take his weight off his leg.
He wouldn't fool anyone—but then, if they were lucky, no one would care what they'd been up to, as long as they could pay.
Alyx took in a deep breath, then straightened and breezed into the tiny lobby. It smelled like stale cigarette smoke and old sweat. There was no one there but a bored-looking woman in her fifties, who seemed more interested in the rerun of Law & Order on a small TV behind the counter.
“Didn't hear your car out there,” she said, narrowing her eyes at Alyx.
Alyx shrugged. “Car broke down a few miles back. I'm tired and exhausted and not dealing with that shit tonight. All I need is a room and a shower.”
She shoved Braeden's credit card and ID at the woman, who gave the window a bored glance.
“That your man out there? You got no ID of your own?”
Alyx rolled her eyes. “Look, he's got a jealous wife and I'm not putting my name where she can see it if she decides to snoop around. That a problem?”
The woman shrugged. “Not my problem, is it?” she said tranquilly, but took the card without further questions.
Alyx bit back a sigh of relief. Everything about the motel was grubby; even the counter she was leaning against felt sticky.
But when she walked out two minutes later with a key, she couldn't have cared less. So what if the place was run-down and sleazy. They hadn't asked any questions. Right now, that was all they needed.
Chapter Eight: Braeden
“Hey. Don't faint on me, okay? We've almost made it.”
Braeden bit back a groan when Alyx took hold of his shoulder. He'd closed his eyes for a moment, slumping against the wall.
His leg still ached fiercely. Shifter healing would take care of the worst of it overnight, but right now it took all of his remaining strength to keep from slipping into the beckoning darkness.
His vision was fuzzy. There was blackness intruding at the edges, and Alyx was little more than a blur.
But she was with him. His mate was with him, and even though he'd been wounded, she was safe.
That was all that mattered.
“Easy, big guy,” she murmured, supporting him with her shoulder. “Our room's over there. Then you can lie down and I'll get a good look at your leg. Just a few more steps.”
Braeden clenched his teeth. With every step, new pain shot up his leg, but he didn't let a single sound escape. Alyx had been through enough. He wasn't going to scare her now.
Anyway, he'd be as good as new tomorrow.
“Here we are,” she said brightly.
He could hear the key turning in the lock, and a moment later, she helped him shuffle through the doorway.
A few more steps, each of them making him pant against the pain that seared through his leg like fire—but finally, they'd reached the bed.
He groaned when she had to move his leg to help him lie down, but then, at last, it was done.
Her face swam before him. He blinked, trying to focus.
“Not to make this weird,” she said sheepishly, “but, uh, they thought we were lovers. So there's only one bed in here. And I'm going to have to strip you to get a look at those wounds and clean them. So bear with me, okay?”
Despite the pain, Braeden found himself smiling. Was his mate apologizing for making them share a bed?
“'S okay,” he murmured tiredly. “I'll try not to steal the covers.”
“Ha,” she said, grinning at him. “I'm not worried you're going to try anything weird. I'm worried you're going to die in my bed. And I might be up for weird things, but I'm not into that.”
Braeden chuckled softly, even though he only understood half of what she was saying. The pain and exhaustion was threatening to drag him under, but he resisted as well as he could.
Alyx vanished from his view. He heard water flowing. A minute later, she returned. She placed something on the nightstand next to him.
And then she began to strip him.
“Oh, my,” she murmured once she'd drawn off his singed shirt. “You're quite something, aren't you? Don't tell me you're one of those protein-shakes-only guys. I can deal with a lot in exchange for abs like that, but not with constant gym talk.”
“What's a protein shake?” Braeden asked sleepily.
She dipped her towel into water, and a moment later, he felt the damp cloth carefully wipe the ash and sweat from his chest.
“Oh,” she said, snickering, “I forgot. You're a dragon. So no gym for you, I take it?”
“'M not stupid,” he murmured blearily. “I've watched human TV, you know.”
“Oh?” Gently, she wiped the cloth along his arm.
He sighed at the sensation. Despite his pain and exhaustion, it felt good. And it felt even better because it was his mate who was taking care of him.
No wonder the ocean dragon became so much more bearable once he met his mate. This is nice...
“What shows do you like? Action, I bet, with lots of explosions and fire?”
“I like MasterChef,” he said proudly, beaming up at her, although it was still difficult to focus on her for long.
But it was so nice to be close to her that he didn't want to fall asleep.
She laughed, moving on to the other arm. “Really! MasterChef?”
“Mm-mm. My human friends made the other dragons give me Netflix. You humans are very smart,” he murmured, still beaming up at her. “So smart. And so pretty...”
She was the most gorgeous being he'd ever laid eyes upon.
Her black hair still had a grayish tinge from all the ash, but it looked soft, falling straight down onto her shoulders like a waterfall of black silk. One strand might once have been dyed a brilliant turquoise, but was now a faded, light blue. The dirty, ripped clothes she was wearing clung to her generous curves, rips in the fabric revealing pale skin that seemed to glow despite the layer of grime. Her honey-brown eyes were bright, watching him with obvious amusement.
“Oh, really.” She grinned again. “You sound pretty out of it, my fire dragon friend. We didn't even get you any of the good pain killers.”
“Not your friend,” he sighed as he watched her, barely able to keep his eyes open. “Mate.”
In the artificial light of the motel room, her hair was gleaming. Her hands were still touching his arm, careful and strong, despite what she'd been through.
She was the most fascinating human Braeden had ever encountered.
As he looked up at her, smiling despite the constant, throbbing ache in his leg, he finally allowed himself to sink into sleep.
She was his mate. She’d still be here when he woke up. And once he’d regained his strength, he’d do his best to show her that he wasn’t like the dragons who’d kidnapped her.
***
He woke several hours later. It was fully dark outside. Everything was quiet.
And against his side, he felt a delicious warmth.
During the night, they'd accidentally ended up pressed together. Alyx's head was resting on his shoulder, her hair still slightly damp. It smelled sharply herbal, like cheap motel shampoo, but beneath it was the clean, warm scent that said Alyx.
Braeden took a deep breath. Gently, so as not to wake her, he tightened his arm around her waist.
There were other scents he could now make out.
Fries and burgers and cold pizza.
Slowly, his eyes grew used to the gloom. On t
he table near the wall, several cardboard boxes rested. Alyx must’ve had food delivered after he'd finally succumbed to sleep.
Suddenly, he realized that he was starving as well. The thought of cold pizza or a cheap, soggy burger with greasy bacon made his mouth water.
It had been ages since he'd had food, and the fast shifter healing used up a lot of energy.
Still, right now, with Alyx resting so trustingly in his arms, he wouldn't have moved for the world.
My mate, he thought, jubilant and awed as he looked at her relaxed features in the sparse moonlight.
Now, for the first time since he'd met her, she seemed utterly at peace. She no longer gave off the aura of a prisoner, of someone who was fighting for survival every single second.
She'd showered before she joined him in bed. There were no more smudges of dirt or ash on her face. The lines of worry were gone.
Her face was smooth, and Braeden found himself entranced by the long lashes that touched the vulnerable skin beneath her eyes. Her mouth was pink, the curve of her lips begging to be explored by his own lips.
But she was asleep, and as much as Braeden wanted to kiss his mate and prove to her that he'd give his life to make her happy from now on, he knew this wasn't the right moment.
Especially not after what she'd been through. He wasn't like Steele. He never, ever wanted her to look at him with that expression of utter terror again as she had when they'd first met.
His leg was still aching. He'd begun to heal during the night, but the pain was still a steady throb.
He gritted his teeth as he shifted a little, biting back any sound that might wake her.
In response to his movement, Alyx sighed. For a moment, her eyelashes fluttered, and Braeden worried that she was going to wake.
Then she relaxed again, snuggling against him with a murmured sound of contentment, her arm wrapping right around his chest as she pressed herself close.
Braeden swallowed. Alyx was wearing only her shirt. He could feel the heat of her bare legs pressed against his good leg.
More, with the way she'd snuggled up to him, he could feel her luscious curves pressed to his body, her breasts soft and warm against his chest, even with the thin layer of fabric between them.
Mortified, Braeden realized that he'd begun to harden.
No one had told him that finding his mate would be like this. Human TV had told him a lot about what human women liked: roses, champagne, movie dates, chocolate-covered strawberries, and kittens.
But none of the many hours he'd spent binging on Netflix when he'd still been a prisoner of the council of elements had prepared him for what to do when he was sharing a bed with his human mate.
His human mate, who was temptation incarnate. Who had hair as soft as silk, courage as strong as steel, the generous curves of a goddess that made his body burn with sudden desire—and who was also asleep right now.
She trusted him to behave himself. And he would behave himself. He wanted to woo her the way TV had taught him human women were wooed.
But no episode had ever told him how hard it would be.
In the truest sense of the word.
He grimaced again as he carefully shifted, just so she wouldn't come into contact with his unfortunate erection.
That was definitely not the way to woo her.
He took a deep breath, trying to concentrate on the ache of his slowly healing body. It wasn't just his leg that hurt. There was still a feeling of soreness deep inside his chest, as if the ash he'd breathed in had irritated his lungs.
No wonder, that's probably exactly what happened. Even shifter healing needs a little more time to fix this.
The seductive smell of the greasy, salty, delicious food Alyx had ordered in was still very tempting. But he wouldn't dislodge Alyx for anything in the world.
The pizza wouldn't run away. And maybe, the next time he woke up, he'd be able to get up and walk without help.
Until then, he had his mate in his arms. And one day soon, he'd get to tell her how he felt...
***
Bright sunlight woke him. Blearily, he glared at it. It took long moments until he remembered where he was and what had happened.
The volcano. Steele. The motel...
Alyx was still asleep by his side. During the night, she'd moved again. She'd turned, now facing away from him, but still close enough that he'd instinctively come to spoon her in his sleep.
For a long moment, he hesitated. Her body was warm, and the scent of her hair filled his senses. He could have rested like this for hours, enjoying the warm glow of joy that filled his body at the sensation of holding his mate in his arms.
But he was ravenous now. And he wanted a shower. She'd done a good job last night wiping the dirt and ash from his body, but there was nothing like a hot shower to get rid of the last memories of their flight.
Tentatively, he moved.
In response, Alyx muttered something into her pillow that sounded suspiciously like bacon. But she didn't wake, and Braeden rose with a grin.
He'd leave her to her dreams of bacon for a while longer. It would give him time to make himself presentable and check on the state of his leg.
He could move easily now, although his leg still felt sore. Alyx had cleaned and bandaged it while he'd been unconscious.
When he carefully pulled the bandage off in the bathroom, he saw that the skin beneath was still pink and raw, like a freshly healed wound. Perhaps it would take another day to completely recover. But what mattered was that he could walk again. He'd be able to shift and fly.
And if worst came to worst, he'd be able to fight.
Not that Steele should be able to find him here. Or at least, Steele shouldn't be able to come after them so quickly.
Braeden knew that the erupting volcano wouldn't have destroyed the fire dragon lair. They were fire dragons, for one thing.
They lacked Braeden’s complete mastery over the element of fire—but they were still naturally attuned to it. They'd be able to shield their home from the erupting magma. But it would take all of their strength and all of them working together.
Which would give him and Alyx a day or two to leave the area far behind.
He relaxed when he turned the shower on and hot water began to fall down onto his shoulders.
The bathroom was small, and the shower curtain might have once been white, but was now a ratty gray. Still, after having been pursued by Steele, and after racing through the tunnels inside an erupting volcano, he couldn't be happier to find himself back in the human world.
There was something comforting about the knowledge that the only enemy he'd have to protect his mate from was a roach or two.
After he'd scrubbed the remaining grime from his body and the particles of ash out of his hair, Braeden sighed in tired satisfaction. He already felt a lot better.
He grabbed a towel when he stepped out of the shower, drying himself. Then he grimaced, realizing that the only clothes he owned were the dirty, ripped clothes he'd worn when he'd arrived here.
Gingerly, he grabbed hold of his shirt. The bitter smell of ash still clung to it.
Maybe the first thing they'd have to do was to find a place to buy new clothes. There was no way he was going to impress his mate if he looked exactly like one of the fire dragon villains who'd imprisoned her.
Then, from out of nowhere, there was a sudden surge of terror.
It wasn't his own. He knew it even as his heart began to pound in response to the sudden threat, his body flooded with adrenaline.
It was Alyx's fear that had come rushing through the fragile bond between them.
And in the bedroom beyond the bathroom, he heard her cry out.
Without a second thought, he stormed into the bedroom. His element blazed within him, fire crackling along his fingers as he prepared to blast Steele to ash with the full force of the living flame inside him.
It took him a long moment to realize that there was no one there. The bedroom was emp
ty apart from Alyx, who was sitting up in bed and was now staring at him with wide eyes.
“What happened?” he asked, his heart still racing, every nerve in his body prepared for a fight.
“Um. You're on fire,” Alyx pointed out after a moment.
Confused, he looked at his hand, then realized that fire was still dancing along his fingers in bright hues of orange and red.
He took a deep breath to calm himself. The flames vanished as quickly as they'd appeared.
“Uh. Also. You're naked.” Alyx grinned at him, unabashedly staring. “Not that I don't appreciate the view.”
A heartbeat later, Braeden flushed and hastily retreated into the bathroom. Quickly, he slung the abandoned towel around his hips before he returned.
I'm the worst at wooing my mate. The ocean dragon can never know.
Timothy would never let him live it down.
“Aww,” Alyx said, still grinning. “Pity. I was enjoying the view. It's not just your abs that are impressive.”
It took Braeden a moment to realize that she was doing what the humans called flirting.
His dragon preened inside him, curling around himself in smug pride.
Braeden, meanwhile, wasn't quite sure how to react. Netflix had taught him many things—but not what to do when his mate was right in front of him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes lingering on him with blatant approval.
Not that that wasn't nice.
But life in the secret underground fire dragon lairs hadn't exactly prepared him for this. He'd always imagined that he'd woo his mate by bringing her a rare surface sheep, feasting on the succulent meat grilled to perfection with dragon fire.
He'd never imagined that one day, he’d stand in front of his mate in a cheap motel room, clad in nothing but a towel, without even a simple chain of gold to lay at her feet.
On the other hand, Liana had made certain that he didn't start on his quest without a credit card. From what he understood about human treasures, it was almost the same as gold.
Still, presenting his mate with a tiny plastic card seemed hardly appropriate.
“Sorry, by the way,” Alyx said, still smiling at him. “I had a nightmare and woke myself up by screaming. I hope I didn't scare you. Although I have to say, you know how to make me forget my nightmares.”
