by Leela Ash
Max seemed to consider this and grew quiet, holding Andrea even closer than before. She let out a soft gasp as her body was overwhelmed with the surprising pleasure of his touch.
When the song finished, he pulled away suddenly and beamed.
“Was this a good date?” he asked, walking with Andrea to the door of the bar. Her eyes widened in surprise and she glanced around in confusion. Was it over now?
“Yes,” she stammered. “It was a very good date. I had a lot of fun with you. Did you think it was a good date?”
“It was a good date,” Max said. “We need to do it again. Will you have another date with me? It will be even better next time.”
Max led her to the curb, where he hailed her another taxi. He waited expectantly for her answer.
“I…” she glanced at the driver, then back at Max, whose handsome face looked radiant in the sunlight. She couldn’t help but stare for a moment before ducking into the back seat of the cab. “Yes. I will go on another date with you.”
“Good,” Max said. “I need your phone number.”
Andrea blinked, then dug quickly through her purse for scrap paper and a pen. She scrawled the number down and handed it to Max, then smiled weakly as he closed the door. The window was rolled down and he grinned.
“Bye.”
“Bye…,” Andrea replied. The driver sped off and she craned her neck to peer through the back window and watched Max’s broad form grow smaller and smaller.
7.
Max narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean you have a date with one of these humans? You know we would never be fated to a happy union with a human.”
TJ shifted under the weight of Max’s question.
“Look, I don’t have to explain myself to you. It is just something that kind of happened, that’s all. I don’t think it’s really that big a deal. Don’t make it into something it isn’t.”
“But TJ, you know that you aren’t going to find your fated mate among the humans. Why would you even bother?”
“Well, fuck the elders then! TJ growled. “They’re the ones who banished us in the first place. Maybe they don’t know what the hell they’re talking about!”
“It’s not their fault we were set up!” Max growled.
His anger had begun to reach new heights. TJ was really getting on his nerves at this point, especially with his careless attitude toward the people of Earth. He seemed like he didn’t care how he impacted the humans one way or another, and he couldn’t stand that sort of attitude.
It was irresponsible and ultimately could end up being cruel. The women of Earth were dazzled by their shifter physique, so, of course, they would have an easy time using it to their advantage. But they had a code of honor to abide by. Especially if they were going to try to make a name for themselves back home and reclaim their place of respect.
“But it is their fault we were banished!” TJ argued. “And all the others think the same, don’t you?”
TJ and Max turned to face the other men in the room, who were glowering down at the ground. They came from proud dragon stock, and their instinct was to back away from needless confrontation. The powers of the dragon shifters were strong, and if they were invoked needlessly it could spell disaster for any who got in the way.
“Cowards,” TJ spat. “You know it’s true. The elders don’t deserve our help! They should be coming down and bowing at our feet for the trouble they have put us through. We shouldn’t have to go and prove ourselves worthy to the likes of them.”
“The crime we were accused of was immense,” Max said evenly. “The punishment fit the crime. And there was enough evidence planted that everybody believed we were the culprits. It couldn’t be helped. If you were in the elder’s position, then you would have done the same thing.”
“Perhaps, but maybe I would have just sent us to Kaldernon, not Earth, of all places. At least then we would be with our own kind. This is cruel.”
“It was the intention to punish us in a way that would teach us more about our lives and purpose in the universe. So we would learn and grow and return as better men, should we ever return at all. Or do you not remember the code of honor our people must abide by?”
“Oh, I remember it just fine,” TJ spat. “I just think it’s futile. I would just as soon stay on Earth for the rest of my life as to return to the place that shunned me.”
“But TJ, don’t you miss home at all?” Carter asked, finally looking up from the place on the ground he had been staring at during the heated conversation.
“Of course, I do! Why do you think my bitterness is so extreme? I was in a good position at home. We all were! I was building a life for myself. I was preparing myself for a mate. You remember the Loni woman? I felt as if…”
TJ trailed off and it became painfully clear that he had met and lost his fated one. Everybody was silent for a few moments in respect for his loss before Max spoke again.
“We all lost everything when we were banished. But that doesn’t mean we should take it out on the elders or make choices that could harm our lives once we are able to regain our footing. The purpose of being here right now is to find the descendants and bring them back home. You can be with the Loni woman again, TJ. But you aren’t going to be able to keep her if she finds out you were being unfaithful.”
“Yeah,” TJ murmured, hanging his head, and sighing heavily.
“Please,” Max said. “Leave the Earth women alone. You already have a fated mate waiting for you. You are destined to return to her, I know it.”
“I wasn’t going to…” TJ trailed off and then took a deep breath. “What happened with you and the potential descendant, anyway? You have been doing nothing all week but watching dating movies.”
“Yeah, Max. What is she like? We’ve given you as much privacy about it as we can, but really, we kind of have a right to know. This affects all of us,” Carter said, raising his brow meaningfully.
“I know,” Max said. “And I fully intended to tell you everything. It’s just…”
“What?” Carter pushed. “Why don’t you want to talk to us about it?”
“I do…” Max sighed. “It just feels really…personal. I had the strangest sensation when I met her. As if…”
“Is she your fated one?” TJ asked, looking gloomily into Max’s eyes. “I have experienced that sensation. I know the look in your eyes. You have met your mate. I knew it when I saw the two of you meet.”
“I have,” Max agreed. He sighed heavily. “I just don’t quite know what that means yet. What I am supposed to do? How this is all going to play out…?”
“The blood of the descendant is powerful,” Carter interjected. “Maybe once we find enough of them we will be able to open a portal and make our way back home. The elders will see that we have worked hard to help our kind and restore our honor.”
“What if all the potential descendants are also fated mates? The children born of these unions would bear the mark of the Loni. Their energy would fight the entropy that is plaguing our world. Even if they never leave Earth. We could diversify the bloodline,” Max said, the truth dawning upon him with sudden force. “We could save Fiora.”
“We could clear our names,” TJ agreed. “They need descendants for the rituals. The planet is dying without their healing powers.”
“It is a shame that such valuable blood was lost to us, but they are returning gradually,” Max said, recalling all he had learned about the disappearance of the original descendants from Fiora. “We can bring honor back to our names if we can enlist the help of the descendants in restoring our planet to its natural glory.”
Everyone was silent as they listened to Max speak. They weren’t used to him delivering speeches of this nature. Not really. Although they listened to him when he spoke, he spoke his mind rarely unless he knew it was for the good of all. In fact, he was a bit of the silent type. Now, though, he knew his men needed a leader and he was going to give them one. There was no way in hell he was going to ru
in the chances of returning home with honor for everybody just because TJ couldn’t keep it in his pants just a little while longer. To cheat on a fated mate was unforgiveable.
Still, Max couldn’t be too upset about it. He understood the immense pressures of being alone and miserable and hurting. He had never lost his fated one, but he couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be never to see Andrea again, even though they had only just met. There was a part of her that was inside of him; they were destined to be together and tied together by the strong whims of fate.
“Yeah. You’re right, Max. I won’t go on that date with that girl. It’s just been really lonely, you know?”
TJ sighed deeply and turned to face the others with a sad shrug.
“We’ll figure it all out. And with the device, we’re going to be able to find more of the descendants.” Max said, and then nodded. “Actually, I think I am going to hand this over to you now, TJ. I have found my fated mate. I think the purpose of having it in my possession has come and gone. It seems to be a better idea to be able to use the device amongst us. It should be a group effort, and if I am going to be pursuing this potential descendant, whom I truly believe to be of noble blood, then I think it would be important for everyone to have access to the device in case I miss an opportunity to locate more.”
“Really? Are you sure, Max?”
TJ took the device Max offered and stared at him in disbelief. It had always been understood that the device belonged to Max and it was only to be used for the good of the group. That’s what the elders had said when they had allowed him to bring it to Earth. Now that it was being handed over, it was shocking to all of them.
“I think I can trust you with the responsibility. And besides, I don’t want to be responsible for holding back our mission. It is the most important thing, and I have a lot to learn about the humans and how I will convince my mate that she is, in fact, fated to be with me. That doesn’t even begin to cover our true identities either. I’m concerned, and I don’t want to be the reason we are making slow progress.”
“You can count on me,” TJ said, standing up a little straighter and eyeing Max seriously. The determination in his face was a relief to Max. It was clear that TJ was the right man to trust with the job. He was sad and lonely, and it was a good way to give him a sense of purpose. He would help the group of dragon shifters to seek out the lost descendants. People who were more important and powerful than they could ever know.
Max could feel the heavy gaze of the others upon him as he headed to his bedroom, where he was already considering what it might take to woo the descendant. There had been an energy that had spiked between them. One he was acutely aware of. The human had felt it too, though she probably wouldn’t quite be able to define it for what it was. He would do whatever needed to be done to awaken the dragon shifter-Loni blood that was within her. Then there would be no denying the fact they were fated mates.
Andrea would probably have a hard time understanding the urgency. The sooner they had the descendants rounded up and willing to help them obtain their goals, the sooner they would be able to return home and save their planet with the lost hybrid magic of the Loni/Sun Dragon hybrids.
It was more important than Andrea could even begin to fathom, and she would certainly choose to help once she did. By mating with the descendants, they would be sending much-needed energy back to Max’s home world. The children of the hybrids and the full-blooded sun dragons were the key to creating the future of Fiora. And Andrea would be the woman he mated with. He knew she would. She had to be.
8.
After Andrea got home from the date with Max, her entire body had been buzzing. It was as if he held some kind of deep charge that continued to captivate her.
All night long, the image of Max was seared into her mind. She simply couldn’t get enough of him. There was something very special about that man. Something that made her want to contact him immediately after he had left. It was strange. She had never reacted to somebody that way before.
She headed to her shower, her head still swimming with thoughts of Max. She had no idea why she was reacting this way to him. He wasn’t that special, was he?
And yet, as she showered, she couldn’t shake the overwhelming heat that was consuming her body. Something about that man had ignited a deep longing within her. She had never experienced anything so powerful. Not only his body but there was something unspoken that drew her closer and closer to him. Andrea had never done anything so impulsive before; going out on a date with a man she hardly knew. A man she had met only moments before he whisked her away.
That pull within him had her ensnared, and she didn’t know what to do to get herself out again. She didn’t even know for sure if she wanted to get out. Maybe what she really wanted was more.
The thought of Max’s piercing golden eyes electrified her, and Andrea’s heart tremored. She stepped quickly out of the shower and headed to her bedroom, laying down in her towel as she thought of Max. She hadn’t wanted the dance with him to end. The way he felt, close to her, touching her; it felt better than anything she had ever experienced before.
He felt good. Too good. Overwhelmingly good.
Andrea let out a soft moan and looked down at herself, slightly startled to find that her hands had begun roaming over her towel-clad body almost as if of their own free will.
Her hands lingered there as she considered the details of their date. He had come out of nowhere. And she had been okay with that. She had loved the way he had taken her out; it was so unconventional. He was a little bit strange, that much was certain, but if she looked past that, she could see a man who was handsome, caring, and strong…
Her mind wandered to the way her body had immediately come to life when they were dancing together. He was so graceful for such a broad, strong man. She was amazed by his strength.
Another wave of heat consumed her, and she felt a powerful need deep in her loins drive her hand closer to the most sensitive area of her body. The towel fell away as she closed her eyes and allowed her slender fingers to roam the curves of her middle, ultimately resting them over the button of her clit.
A deep thrill consumed her, and she gave it a small rub, her mind wandering to what it might feel like if she had given in to the deep stirrings that Max inspired within her. What would happen if they ever did get together? What would his beautiful hands feel like on her tense, wanting body?
She imagined suddenly his hands as her hands and her breath quickened. Everything about him felt so good. Of course, his physical attention would be the same. Another wave of heat rolled through her body and Andrea let out a soft gasp as tendrils of pleasure began to consume her.
What would it feel like to have Max inside of her? She couldn’t know. Not yet, anyway. But she fumbled in her end table and searched the drawer for her vibrator, blushing slightly when she switched it on.
The sensation of the toy against her skin sent another intense jolt of ecstasy through her and her mind turned once again to Max, who would certainly be bigger than her toy. Still, her breath rose and fell as she began to work it inside herself, confused as to why she had such a sudden and fierce longing for this man. What set him apart from anyone else? His ethereal beauty aside, of course…
Another low moan escaped Andrea’s lips. She could feel herself slowly building toward her peak as she considered the strength of Max’s body against her; the sinuous movements of his hips and the gentle curl of his confident smile. She had never encountered a man like this in her life. Even just after one day he felt so damn good.
Hot tendrils of pleasure began to surge through her body at the overwhelming images in her mind’s eye of Max. She couldn’t explain the connection between them. It was just there. It was something he seemed completely aware of, and completely comfortable with. in a way, his response to it made her more comfortable with it too.
Andrea’s hips arched slightly as she sighed softly, the tool within her carrying her swiftly toward her
climax. In her mind, Max was touching her, his gentle gaze never leaving her face. She wanted nothing more than to be one with him in that moment. But that was a childish wish. She was trying her best to hold back from the strange possessive feeling she had toward him.
Her orgasm thundered through her swiftly at her imaginings of Max’s body pleasuring her; her mind curious about what it looked like in detail. Still, her imagination filled in the blanks as she moaned deeply, her hands gripping the blanket tightly as she writhed in rapture on the bed, her body growing limp after the power of her climax.
The last thought she had before slipping into sleep was of Max; his face serious and brow stern, looking at her as if she already knew the answer to a question she didn’t even know she had been asking.
***
“Max! Jeez, you scared me! What are you doing here?”
Andrea’s heart was racing when Max intercepted her in the hallway of her apartment building. His eyes were bright, and a handsome smile was lighting his broad, masculine face. “I came here to take you on another date. You implied that was okay, right?”
“Well yeah, but…”
“But?”
“Well, most people would call first before just showing up for another date…”
Andrea didn’t know why she was bothering to explain something that seemed to be common knowledge, but there was something innocent about Max that made her feel like she should be patient. He didn’t mean anything by it, or so she assumed. He seemed genuinely oblivious to social customs. Most people would find him weird and probably be suspicious about his motives, but for some reason, Andrea didn’t feel that way. She just had this overwhelming feeling he would do anything to protect her, not harm her.
