“Reeeaaallly?” Kate slurred. “I thought you weren’t going to come.”
“Are you crazy?” Sybil exclaimed. “Hey, I know I’m always acting like a wet blanket when we go out, but tonight’s special.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah! It’s not every day that one of my best friends get engaged,” Sybil said. “This is your night.”
“You really do love me!” She looked at Sybil’s outfit. “Oh, nice! I love it!”
Sybil didn’t own a lot of sexy outfits, but she did find an old white lace dress she had worn to some summer party. It was long and flowy, but the sweetheart neckline showed off her cleavage. She told herself that maybe it was time to loosen up a bit.
“Wait!” Kate held up a hand, then grabbed something off the table. She placed a headband on Sybil’s head. “Now it’s perfect.”
Oh God, she knew what it was. “Kate,” she warned.
“Nuh-uh!” Kate wagged a finger at her. “It’s my night, remember? And if I say you have to wear a dick headband, then you wear a dick headband."
“She’s right you know.” Amelia was barely able to hide her smile.
“Fine.” She must have looked ridiculous, and a glance at the window behind her confirmed it. On the headband were two plastic penises, swinging back and forth happily on springs. She groaned. “All right, I’ll wear it. But someone give me a drink.”
“Sybil Lennox asking for a drink? Who are you and what have you done to my friend?” Amelia joked.
“Yeah, and tell us where she is and how can we make sure she stays there?” Kate added and handed her a glass of white wine.
She wanted to ask if they had anything stronger, but took a sip. “What? I’m just relaxing.” The cool liquid felt good as it went down her throat, then pooled into warmth in her belly. She really needed this right now—a good drink, the noise and being surrounded by friends. Aleksei had really done a number on her today. First, there was that almost-kiss in the restaurant, then there was the blowup after the visit to the Peterson’s. The emotional rollercoaster was too much, and she just wanted to get off this ride.
“Are you okay, Sybil?” Kate asked, her expression suddenly sobering.
“Me? Yeah, I’m fine!” She downed the glass. Oh my, that felt good. The numbing buzz spread through her body. It wouldn’t last long since her shifter metabolism burned alcohol off quickly, but she savored every second of it.
“Wow, you really do want to let loose.” Dutchy grabbed the bottle of wine. “Top you off?”
“Yes, ma’am.” She held out her glass and the fox shifter filled it. When Amelia and Kate flashed her concerned looks, she brushed them off. “I had a hard day at work. But this is Kate’s party. We should be celebrating.”
“We’ve been celebrating for three hours,” Amelia said wryly.
“And the fun’s not over yet!” Kate pumped a fist high in the air.
“We are not going to a strip club,” Sybil protested. “I have to draw the line there. I’m going to call Petros and Mason if I even get a hint that we’re seeing male strippers.”
“Spoilsport.” Kate stuck her tongue out. “You won’t be able to reach Petros anyway. He’s at that big important meeting with the alphas and council.”
Oh. Right. Sybil took another sip of her wine. Her father said they didn’t need everyone at that particular meeting, but he promised that he would update her on the proceedings.
It wasn’t that Hank didn’t want her there, he had explained, but he thought it might be best that she wasn’t there to distract the alphas. While Sybil certainly wanted to take part in protecting Blackstone, she had to grudgingly agree with her father. Besides, Kate was her best friend and they had been planning this for weeks. She and Amelia also planned it on a weekday to curb their friend’s enthusiasm and have work (and Cassie, in Amelia’s case) as an excuse to end the party at a reasonable time.
“Well, looks like the meeting is over.” Amelia turned her chin up toward the entrance.
“Why am I not surprised?” Kate said with a grin.
“What?” Sybil turned around. “Oh damn.” Of course, who else would it be? She took another sip of wine and braced herself.
Aleksei and Ian walked into The Den. Despite looking out of place in their outfits—Aleksei in the same pants and shirt he was wearing today and Ian in an immaculately tailored silvery gray suit and tie—they strode across the room like they owned the place. And they were headed straight toward their table.
Mine. Mate. Her dragon cried longingly. It had been a beast the whole day, getting all worked up over Charlie and then with her leaving Aleksei. As every pair of female eyes turned to stare at them, she felt her animal roar in jealousy.
Sybil groaned and took another sip of wine. “How did they know we were here?”
“Er …” Dutchy eyes shifted around nervously. “I may have told Ian.”
“You told him?” Sybil’s voice pitched higher.
“Wait, when?” Kate’s brow lifted at the fox shifter.
“We had coffee this afternoon,” Dutchy said. “What? Why are you looking at me like that? I bumped into him on Main Street and he asked me if I wanted to sit and chat. He’s single and cute.”
“And not your mate,” Amelia pointed out.
“What, I’m not allowed to get to know men that aren’t my mate?” Dutchy sipped at her wine delicately. “I’ve been dating since I was sixteen. Who knows if I even have a mate? Hey, it’s nice that you all have met your mates, but not everyone does.”
“Hello again, lovely lassies,” Ian greeted. “Congratulations,” he said to Kate. “Nice little hen party ye have here.”
“Apologies for, uh, interrupting your festivities?” Aleksei had a confused look on his face. “Ian did not explain that you were celebrating … something.”
Sybil sighed. “Is there anything we can do for you?”
“I wanted to … er … speak … uh.” Aleksei’s eyes wandered around as he spoke. It seemed he was determined to look anywhere but at her.
“Can you at least give me the respect of looking at me when you’re trying to talk to me?”
He grunted. “I cannot speak to you when you are wearing that.”
“Huh?” She followed his gaze above her head. Oh. Shoot. She was still wearing the headband and the two plastic dicks bobbed back and forth, nearly hitting Aleksei in the face.
Kate guffawed, while Amelia, Dutchy, and Ian looked like they were trying not to laugh. She felt her cheeks grow hot as she ripped the headband off. “Fine.”
Aleksei still looked confused, so Ian spoke up. “It’s a tradition for women to celebrate their friend’s last days of singlehood by giving them a party like this.”
“So, to celebrate your upcoming nuptials, you get drunk and adorn yourselves with phalluses?” Aleksei looked shock.
“Something like that,” Sybil mumbled.
“Perhaps we can talk in private?” he asked. “I will not take up too much your time.”
“He’ll be right back with her,” Ian promised. He picked up the headband and put it on his head. “There ye go, I’ll try not to be a poor substitute.”
Sybil supposed she could say no, but it was better to get this over with now. “All right. Let’s go outside.”
She didn’t wait for him as she headed to the door, though she could feel his looming presence behind her. Since it was a Monday night, there weren’t a lot of people around, but The Den did good business all week long seeing as it was the only bar that catered to shifters. She walked a couple of feet from the door then stopped. Crossing her arms over her chest, she pivoted to face him. “Well?”
“It seems I have offended you yet again,” he said. “Was I wrong to want to protect you or the child? Is there something I’m not understanding? I’m afraid my temper got the best of me, but I’m not used to seeing such things. Back in the Northern Isles, we would never treat women and children in such a manner.”
“It’s not what you said o
r did,” she huffed. “It’s what you implied.”
“Imply? What did I imply?”
“That … that I didn’t know how to do my job!” And she had to admit, that hurt. That he thought she was incompetent when she took so much pride in her work.
“I beg your pardon?” Aleksei tipped his head to the side.
“That I wasn’t doing enough to protect Charlie from his dad.”
“I did not say that.” He reached out to touch a finger to her cheek. “But I’m sorry my words have caused you hurt again.”
She closed her eyes as his finger traced down, all the way to her chin. He tipped her head up. “Sybil, please look at me.”
Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared up at his intense gaze. The sea-green of his eyes took her breath away.
“We cannot keep doing this. Me saying one thing, and you interpreting it as something else. Could you not think my intentions are good, even once?”
She saw the hurt in his eyes; real, genuine pain that made her stomach clench. It scared her, that she could see the depth of his feelings. They hardly knew each other, but all these emotions had grown so intense in the last twenty-four hours. Was this real? “Why is it so important to you that I become your mate? Is it because your family honor was hurt? What happened between our ancestors was in the past. Why can’t we just leave them behind?”
His eyes turned stormy and his hands dropped to his side. “Because actions in the past sometimes leave ripples that can affect the future.”
There was an undercurrent in his words that she didn’t miss. “Aleksei?” There was something not quite right. “What is it? Tell me, please?”
He hesitated, but then began to speak. “When Anastasia Lennox ran away and broke the engagement, it sent our kingdom into turmoil. Those who would challenge my family’s rule deemed it a weakness, a chink in our armor. Prince Haardrad’s father, King Haakon, had no choice but to ask the Dragon Council to strip the Mountain Dragons of their title and lands as a show of power and strength. But it was too late.” His mouth set into a grim line. “There was a civil war that lasted for a decade. Our family was able to hold back the usurpers, but not without much loss. And to this day, the broken engagement is a painful reminder of that time.”
She gasped. “Aleksei, I had no idea.” All her life, Sybil had thought the story of Anastasia and Silas a great big romance. It was devastating to hear that their actions had caused so much pain and that others paid a terrible price for it. “I’m sorry.”
“You are not Anastasia Lennox,” he said.
“I know,” she said. “But still … she shouldn’t have just run away like that.”
“Fated mates must fulfill their destinies,” he said. “Although I cannot forget the lessons of the past, we must look to the future.”
“Aleksei,” she began. “Mating with me won’t change what happened back then. Besides, don’t you want a choice in the matter? Don’t you want some say in who you spend the rest of your life with, instead of letting your dragon or fate decide?”
“I do.” His gaze turned intense again. “And I have made my choice.”
Sybil’s knees turned weak. “This is crazy. This couldn’t …” But he didn’t seem to hear her. He drew closer, tentatively placing his hands on her shoulders. When she didn’t protest and instead leaned forward, his palms tracing a path down her arms, then low to encircle them around her waist, pulling her close to him. She melted against him. “Aleksei.”
His name barely left her mouth when his lips pressed against hers. His mouth moved in a soft caress, teasing her lips in a way that made her feel limp. He angled his head slightly, and she sighed when his tongue licked against the seam of her mouth. Deepening the kiss, he pressed her even closer, and she could feel every firm plane of muscle in his body, including something very hard digging into her hip. Her body reacted, first freezing as the unfamiliar sensations of desire whorled inside her, but then settling in, wrapping around her and consuming her like wildfire.
A hand moved up her rib cage, and higher still until his palm cupped her breast. Even through the fabric of her dress she could feel the heat of his palms. She didn’t stop him when he tugged down the front, releasing one breast from the dress. She moaned as a thumb found her nipple, teasing it to hardness until she was writhing against him.
“You’re incredible,” he whispered against her mouth. “So damn beau—”
Sybil didn’t hear what he said next. In fact, she didn’t hear anything at all. One moment, a loud boom was exploding in her ear and then the next she found herself on her back. Something heavy fell on top of her and she lost all the air in her lungs.
She shut her eyes tight, but the ringing in her ears wouldn’t stop. The weight on top of her was gone and she felt hands all over her, checking for damage. A moan escaped her mouth as pain shot through her body when she tried to get up. Her eyes flew open. Aleksei was leaning over her, his lips moving, but all she could hear was the ringing sound. His face was full of concern. Slowly, her hearing started to come back.
“… lyubimaya, are you hurt? Answer me,” he pleaded.
“I’m … fine.” Her throat strained and when he flinched, she realized she must have been shouting. “It’s just …” The shock seemed to wear off and she could feel the scratches on her back and arms where she hit the pavement. She flinched as she moved to fix her dress. “It’s okay.” She tried to push Aleksei’s hands away. “Help me up, please.”
Strong arms snaked under her, surprisingly gentle as he lifted her to her feet. She winced when his palms pressed against the scratches on her back.
“You are hurt.”
“I’m already healing,” she said. And it was true. She could feel the skin knitting together on her back. It wasn’t painful, but it was a strange sensation. “Oh God, what happened?” She looked around Aleksei’s large body and when she saw it, she couldn’t stop the gasp from escaping her mouth.
There was a large fire in the parking lot. The flames licked skyward and even though it was dark, she could see the smoke billowing upwards was monstrous. The smell of burnt rubber and metal was acrid and she covered her nose. “What happened?”
“An explosion.” Aleksei’s voice was tight with tension.
People began to file out of The Den and as Aleksei turned to see the commotion, Sybil stared in horror at his back. The white shirt he was wearing was torn to shreds and the skin was bloody with deep gashes. “Oh no!” she cried. “You’re hurt! We have to get you to the hospital.” Her dragon roared, scratching to get out, trying to kill whoever dared to hurt what was theirs.
“It’s fine. I’m already healing, lyubimaya.” He grinned at her. “But I am flattered at your concern.”
Her cheeks grew hot, and then grew even hotter at the memory of what had happened moments before the explosion. His eyes blazed bright, as if reading her mind. Did they really— “Mmm …”
Aleksei brushed his lips against hers, quick enough that she didn’t have time to protest him, but, apparently, long enough that her friends saw it. Kate, Dutchy, and Amelia stood there, staring at them with varying expressions of shock and surprise.
“Wow,” Kate said in a droll tone. “No wonder there were sparks out here.”
“I didn’t cause this,” she said defensively.
“What happened?” Amelia looked around. “Was it an accident?”
“I don’t—oh no.” She remembered where she parked. “My car!” She made a dash toward the explosion, ignoring Aleksei and her friends’ calls. The temperature soared as she got closer, but it didn’t affect her. She was fireproof, after all.
As she got to her spot, it was just as she thought. Though her Prius wasn’t the vehicle that exploded, it was close enough that it turned her car into a pile of burned-out metal. “Crap.”
“Sybil.” She felt Aleksei’s comforting presence behind her. “I’m sorry about your vehicle.”
A chill ran down the backs of her legs as she continued to stare a
t the heap of burning smoldering steel. “I have insurance.” But it wasn’t the cost or inconvenience that made her spine tingle. What had set off her senses?
Sirens in the distance shook her out of her thoughts. “We should get back.” She nodded to the small crowd gathering around outside The Den. “And let the authorities handle this.”
The Blackstone emergency response team came out quickly. The fire department put out the flames and cordoned off the area of the explosion. Thank goodness no one was anywhere near the car that had exploded, but the EMTs were on standby, just in case. The police department, meanwhile, asked everyone to remain for interviews so they could find out what happened.
Sybil had insisted that Aleksei see the EMTs, which sounded silly now that she thought about it. He was already fully healed by the time they finished their examination, but she couldn’t help it. Seeing him hurt had made her and her dragon go crazy. To his credit, Aleksei never made her feel silly, and instead allowed the EMT to examine him.
As they walked back to the front of The Den, one of the police officers stopped them. Sybil recognized him as Charlie Andrews. Charlie was a wolf shifter and was in the same year as her in high school.
“Hey, Sybil,” he greeted. “Got a sec?”
“Yeah, sure, Charlie. You need to interview us, right?”
“Yeah, I heard from Kate that you were the only ones outside when it happened.” He took out a pad of paper, and a pen from the front pocket of his uniform. “So, you and your, er,” he glanced at Aleksei. “Friend?”
“Kind of.”
Aleksei’s nostrils flared. “I’m her—” Sybil elbowed him. Hard. He flinched and she sent him a glare. “We are not just friends.”
Charlie looked uncomfortable. “Ugh, that’s okay, I don’t need those kinds of details.” He pressed the pen to the pad. “So. Sybil Lennox. And I’ll need your complete name, sir.”
“Prince Aleksei of the Northern Isles, Jarl of Svalterheim, Dragon Protector of the Eight Seas, Admiral of the Great Dragon Navy, Lord of the Barents Islands, Chieftain of—”
The Blackstone She-Dragon: Blackstone Mountain Book 8 Page 9
