by Bonnie Vanak
A spark of her old defiance glittered in her eyes. “You are my master. I must do as you require.”
His muscles tensed. Damn it, he’d lost so much ground. Aurora had reverted to being his slave, not his equal. She’d ceased to view him as her mate, and treated him with icy politeness.
“Why can’t you tolerate the cold?” He was curious, but more so, needed to know her physical limitations. Robert promised himself he would take better care of her.
Aurora looked away. “It has to do with my Mage talents.”
He waited until she finished the meal and took the tray from her. Then he picked up the remote and turned off the television.
“I am sorry for hosing you down. It will not happen again.”
She stared at the dark television. “You must do what you must, sir.”
“What I must do is pay attention to your needs.”
Was that a slight derisive sound? He couldn’t blame her.
She looked down. “My needs are your needs.” She plucked at the coverlet with fingers that seemed too thin and fragile. “When would you like me to become your mate, sir?”
“The full moon in a few days. But I’m willing to wait to consummate our union. I want you to feel better.” He gathered her hands into his. “You come first.”
Aurora stared at him with dull eyes. She didn’t believe him. Gone was the spark of passion from the other night when she’d welcomed him into her arms and met his rising desire with her own. It was as if the slave had replaced the woman.
“Talk to me,” he urged.
“Talk to you?”
“Yes.”
“About what?”
“About…you. About why you’re being so formal.”
She made that slight derisive sound again.
“Please,” he said.
“All right. As you wish.” She took a deep breath. “You don’t know anything about me. You never asked if I like hot water or cold. Instead, you relied upon your pack member, someone who loathes me, to know my tastes. You didn’t give me a room or welcome me, but handed me over to your beta, who turned me over to Melanie, who obviously detests me and wanted me to be uncomfortable. You refuse to let me inside your little happy family. So let’s remain strangers. I’ll do what you want. I’ll lie beneath you. Bear your child. Whatever you wish. But all I ask in return is one thing.”
His chest tightened at the resignation on her face. “What, sweetheart?”
“Take me out back and beat the crap out of me.”
He recoiled. “What?”
“Beat the crap out of me.” Aurora hugged her knees, staring into the distance. “Because then at least I’ll know what to expect. I’ll have endured the worst you can dish out to me, and I’ll survive. But these games you play—being kind to me, then cruel or indifferent—it makes me wonder what you’ll do next. It’s torture of the worst kind. Just beat me, so I can know what to expect.”
His heart jerked hard. Robert felt her stiffen as he drew her into his arms. “No beatings. All you can expect from me is a warm place to sleep at night, good food, and security.”
Aurora looked away from him. “That’s what others have said. The witch told me she was my friend. She gave me bread and milk, and warm hugs, and then turned around and cackled as she slammed my hand with an iron bar. Or beat me with a leather belt. Once when she saw I was cold, she offered to build a fire, and then she doused me with ice water.”
Robert recoiled with revulsion. “That bitch—”
“Witch.”
“I could kill her.” His stomach knotted as he thought of Aurora, cowering in pain. “How dare she hurt you?”
“Why should I trust that you are different?”
“I’ll prove it.”
“Your pack comes first.”
He felt an aching regret at the truth of her words. Aurora had suffered greatly, and in silence. But at last she’d opened up to him. No longer docile and meek, she’d regained her old spirit.
“No. I promise.” He kissed her hands. “When you’re fully recovered, I’ll show you that you’re first. I’ll treat you like a queen. And you’ll be free to go wherever you wish.”
But she struggled to be released from his grip. He let her go. Aurora touched the collar ringing her throat.
“I’ll never truly be free,” she whispered. “No matter what you say. Now please, leave me alone.”
A day later, Aurora felt good enough to get out of bed. But she doubted Robert would hold to his promise. Pack meant everything to the alpha. No matter how many times he’d apologized for the hose incident, she did not trust him.
After showering and dressing, she went downstairs. Susan slid a big plate of eggs and bacon before her, but she had no appetite.
Robert came into the kitchen, stomping dirt off his boots. He saw her and a wide smile creased his face.
“Good. You’re feeling better.”
Aurora dumped hot sauce onto her eggs and shrugged.
He turned around a chair, then straddled it, his long arms resting over the top. “I thought we could make a day of it. Do whatever you wish.”
Whatever she wanted to do? Acid churned in her stomach at the thought of what the Shadow Wizard forced her to do. If only there was another way! I wish to find your dragon and take his living heart. Would that suffice?
She said nothing and sipped the hot coffee, relishing the warmth.
“What would you like to do?”
Setting down the cup, she looked at him. “I saw a motorcycle one day in your garage. I’ve never been on a bike before. Take me for a ride.”
He would never allow it, and risk her getting hurt. She knew this.
Robert pondered the question, drumming his long fingers on the table. Then he nodded. “Only if you wear a helmet.”
The answer stunned her. “You’re actually going to do it?”
“It’s what you wish,” he said simply.
The back door opened, and Guy entered. More interruptions. She’d expected as much.
“Rob, the delivery of seedlings is expected today, and the Silvern Development order has to go out.” Guy jammed his hands into his jeans.
“I understand,” she murmured. Always the pack and business before her.
But to her stunned amazement, Robert shook his head. “I’m off today.” He looked at Guy. “You handle it.”
At Guy’s stare, the alpha snapped, “You’re second-in-command.”
The grin touching Guy’s mouth made him look years younger. “Yes, sir.”
Leaving his beta to issue orders, Robert took Aurora’s hand. “Today is all about you. Let’s go.”
Today was about her, but what about the rest of her life? Would he give her one day and then after their mating, turn indifferent to her needs? She remembered the witch’s kindness, and then the hell that had ensued.
You’re not here to fall in love. You’re here to save Em.
But deep inside, she felt a wistful tug of wanting to have both.
At the garage, he wheeled the blue Yamaha outside and then handed her a helmet. She donned it as he put on a black helmet with a face shield.
Robert climbed on with a wolfish grin. “Hold on tight, sweetheart. I’m going to take you for the ride of your life.”
She spent the next hour screeching with delight as she rode on the back of Robert’s motorcycle as he tore down a deserted road. Fast, so fast, she felt as if they were flying. Perhaps this was what it was like to be a dragon, riding currents of air, forever free.
When they finally returned to the pack grounds, Robert locked the bike inside the garage. A sparkle in his eyes, he looked more handsome than ever, and slightly roguish. A wolf pirate, ready to ride the high seas and commit crimes.
“Now what?”
Her spirits sank. Already it was near noon. “I’m sure you have obligations.”
“I told you, you come first.”
It was so tempting to believe he’d stay like this, but she doubted he would.
Still, she longed to have a day filled with fun. She cast a longing look eastward. “I’ve never seen the ocean. I’ve always wanted to spend a day at the beach, just lounging and reading.”
Robert touched her cheek. “The beach it is. I know a perfect place. I’ll have Susan prepare us a picnic lunch. Choose some books you’d like to take with you. My library has a wide selection.”
Her spirits lifted, then sank. “I don’t have a bathing suit.”
“I’m sure I can find you one that will fit.”
She didn’t want to wear secondhand clothing. Her underwear would suit her fine. “I have something.”
“All right.” He nodded. “Gather your things and meet me out front by the truck.”
A few minutes later, she was riding shotgun in his red pickup. They drove to a quiet stretch of beach. Robert assured her that no one would intrude.
“It’s warded against Skins.”
He carted two chaise lounges to the sand, then popped up a striped umbrella to give her shade. He pulled his t-shirt over his head and her breath caught at the sight of his sculpted chest, and defined biceps. Clad only in modest black swim trunks, he looked sexy and so tempting. Dark hair dusted his long, sleek limbs.
At first she tensed, lying on the lounge, wondering if he’d get a call on his cell to race back to the nursery because a plant needed tending, or a child was sick, or he had to shift into wolf to hunt a steak or something.
But after a while she relaxed. They dozed in the sun. Then Robert began talking about the habitat, how it had been back in the days of his parents. She listened and asked questions, perhaps she’d glean a little knowledge of how the silver dragon had come into his pack.
After a while, she stopped thinking about the dragon and focused on the man.
Then when the sun grew too intense, he grabbed her hand and tugged her up. “The water isn’t very cold this time of year. Last one in is a rabbit!”
Fine, she was a rabbit. Better a rabbit to watch the taut globes of his fine bottom as he ran into the ocean. Desire bit her, hard and sharp. She’d rather watch him than suffer that cold water.
“I’ll stay here,” she told him.
He raced into the surf. As he swam, heat filled her. Robert was an athlete, and all those muscles…it made a woman think about how he’d move above her, smooth and powerful…
He emerged from the ocean like a silver-haired god, and ran up to her, shaking his head and flinging droplets. She laughed. “You’re getting me wet!”
“I plan to get you much, much wetter,” he murmured, a gleam in his eye. He held out his hand. “Come into the ocean. It’s not cold. I’ll keep you warm.”
Aurora tugged off her t-shirt. Beneath, she wore a plain white tank top. She stripped down to her panties.
Then he lifted her into his arms, carrying her down to the shoreline. “I’m going to set you down and if you think the water is too cold, don’t go in.”
When he did, she was surprised to feel the water warmer than she’d thought. Or maybe it was the sexy male at her side, generating a different kind of heat.
Aurora followed him into the surf. She’d taught herself to swim, long, painstaking hours late in the night after the witch had dumped her into a pond and left her there, begging for help. Her strokes were sure and strong.
Then she popped up alongside Robert. “Boo!”
He grabbed her, pulling her close and she giggled and pushed at him.
She did not push back when he smoothed back her wet hair, slid his hands around her waist and bent his head for a kiss.
So good. His mouth moved over hers, his tongue thrust gently past the seam of her lips. Aurora closed her eyes and pressed closer, thrown a little off balance by the pounding surf.
He reached down and cupped her bottom, squeezing lightly. His fingers trailed between her legs and she moaned, licking his collarbone and his salty skin. Aurora undulated as he stroked, lifting her hips to each delicious slide of his fingers.
“Mmmm,” he murmured, nuzzling her neck. “I want you to feel the pleasure, Aurora, the pleasure only I can give you.”
He slid his hands upward, cupping her breasts and lightly kneading her nipples. Aurora closed her eyes, moaning at the pressure, the sun beating upon her face, the tang of salt and the crisp breeze moving over their bodies. The ocean had been slightly chilled, but oh, she felt nothing but warmth now.
Then he kissed her mouth again, and drew back. She opened her eyes and saw the darkness in his eyes. “If I continue, you won’t be a virgin for long. This isn’t the time nor the place. Not until we’re properly mated.”
“Why?”
His expression turned guarded. “I made a promise to the earth.”
Again that odd phrase. “What kind of promise?”
“One I plan to keep, just as I plan on making love to you every night we are mated.”
Lifting her into his arms, he carried her out of the surf, her legs dangling over his arms. Robert settled her on the chaise. Aurora grabbed an oversized towel, the cold returning to her bones.
They nibbled on lunch and sipped iced tea from cans. Robert dug out a few books and looked at them with amusement.
“I enjoy reading. Get so little time to do so. But The Great Gatsby? This is what you call a beach read?”
Aurora lay on the chaise lounge, looking at him. “It’s a classic. American literature. I promised myself I’d read at least two books considered such.”
He hefted the book in his hands. “It’s a sad tale about two people who are caught up in the maelstrom of hypocrisy and false love. All they care about is themselves.”
She rolled over and sighed. “But the words are quite lovely, even if their intent isn’t. I adore lyrical poetry.”
Robert snapped the book shut. “I have a volume of love poems back in my house.”
She looked amused. “You? A wolf who reads love poetry?”
He put a hand over his heart. “You wound me with your assumptions. I assure you, I can be quite romantic.”
For the next hour, he read aloud, his deep, sonorous tones sending a tingle through her body. Even Robert’s voice was sexy. Then they began a spirited discussion about Daisy and Gatsby.
“Daisy is a self-absorbed little bitch.”
Robert laughed at her angry remark. “I daresay Gatsby would disagree.”
“He’s just as bad as her. But in a way, not really. He was only pretending to be someone he is not,” she argued. “He makes Nick believe he is an esteemed member of society, when he’s merely a common bootlegger. He didn’t want anyone to know his true self.”
“And what if Gatsby had good reason to hide his true self?”
The quiet question gave her pause. She had been hiding her true identity, much as Robert and the others in the grove had hidden theirs on the night of Guy and Helen’s wedding. But her reasons were not to climb the ladder of society.
They were to save her sister.
Not even herself, for she was a lost cause.
The afternoon sped by. After they’d finally packed up, showered off the salt at the private bathhouse, and were headed for the truck, he kissed her.
On the way home, he took her to a quiet barbecue restaurant where they sipped beer and ate ribs. It had been such a lovely day, the best in ages, that she didn’t want it to end.
If only all days could be like this.
Here was the male she’d dreamed of, all those long, lonely nights. He didn’t scoff at her, but listened, treating her with respect. He made her laugh, and when he focused his attention on her, she felt as if she were the only person in the room.
Aurora found herself craving more, like an addict desiring a fix. The realization alarmed her, it meant she was falling in love.
Still, it was nice to dream, if only for one day. Reality would intrude soon enough. Robert wouldn’t, couldn’t, continue to put her needs above his pack’s.
When they returned to the property, she gave a happy sigh as he held her hand
. Such a wonderful day. All of his undivided attention. She truly could believe, if only for a moment, that she mattered most.
But then Guy hurried out of the lodge, his expression grim. “Rob, come quick. It’s bad. Real bad.”
One glance at Aurora and the beta shut up.
Robert went still. Then he dropped Aurora’s hand. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I have to go. I’ll be back soon as I can.”
As he took off with Guy, warning chimes rang, sounding like a death knoll. Aurora’s heart leapt into her throat and she remained immobilized as dozens of pack members rushed past her without a word. Worry carved into their expressions, they raced forward, shifting into wolves as they ran. She heard one murmur, “dragon,” before shifting.
Such a crisis must mean only one thing. The dragon. Someone had compromised the sacred silver dragon.
Robert hurried to the back field. The silver dragon lay upon the ground, its chest heaving in and out.
The inner circle of his pack gathered around in a circle and began to solemnly chant the sacred words he had taught them long ago.
But Scales remained pale, his sides heaving.
“He’s been like this since you and Aurora left today,” Guy whispered.
The beta did not draw close to the dragon. No one dared but Robert. Only he could withstand the tremendous heat of the flames, should the dragon react.
They’d almost run out of time. It was essential he take Aurora as his mate, and plant his seed in her belly.
All the joy of the day faded as the sun sank into the sky. The dragon’s sides continued to heave as he labored to breathe. Robert found himself, too, struggling to draw in air. He rubbed the dragon’s head.
In Aurora, he’d found a woman who understood him and dared to speak up to him. Yet she demanded nothing. He could relax and lower his guard and be himself. No longer Robert the alpha of the Keynes pack, who strove to maintain the legacy of his father, and his father’s father, and many before that.
He was simply a man. Not even a wolf. Just a man, needing a woman, enjoying her company during the day. Bantering with her.
But now, his responsibilities rushed back like a tidal wave. The delights of the afternoon faded. He had a pack to lead and keep safe.
