Loved by a Dragon: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Exiled Dragons Book 2)

by Stone, Sarah J.

  “I never needed you to give me anything,” she replied.

  “I know you didn’t, but I wanted to. I still want to. Except now, there’s this. I have to take care of this so that we can have a chance to live normal lives, all of us.”

  “What are you saying, Aaron?”

  “I’m saying that I have feelings for you. Feelings I want desperately to pursue when this is over.”

  “I have feelings for you, too, Aaron, but I’m not going to allow myself to get too close when you have a death wish of some sort.”

  “I don’t have a death wish. I have a desire to make things better.”

  “Aren’t they the same thing in this circumstance?”

  “Not if I win,” Aaron said with an awkward smile.

  “He’s a monster, Aaron. At the very least, you could suffer serious injury.”

  “Have a bit of faith, Kate. I can take him down. I know I can. I just have to go about it the right way.”

  “Please don’t go back there, Aaron. I’m begging you. Perhaps you can get the better of him, but I don’t want you to risk it. I rather stay here and be poor and sell my Mum’s baked goods at the market to make ends meet. We can learn to be happy here.”

  “Perhaps you can, but I can’t. I can’t ever be happy here knowing I’m in hiding, and I won’t watch my mother wither away in a place she can’t call home.”

  “Then, I guess that’s all there is to be said.”

  “No, not all. Wait for me here, Kate. Let me sort this out, and I will come back for you. I will come back for everyone. We can be together in a way we’ve both held back from.”

  “I want that, Aaron. If you really care for me, you will let this thing go and find a way to exist here – for all of us to exist here. We can make this our home.”

  “We can try all we want, but it will never be our home. We have a home, and I’m going to make sure that anyone who wants to go back there can do just that, without fear of harm.”

  “I don’t want you to go, Aaron. Please.”

  Aaron stepped towards her. It ripped out his heart to know he was causing her such pain, but he felt strongly that what he was doing was right, no matter what the personal cost. Cupping her chin in his right hand, he pulled her face upward to look at her. She was beautiful, something he had noticed from the moment he first laid eyes on her again after so many years of being apart.

  “Kate, you have no idea how sad I was when you and your mother left the village. I didn’t know where you had gone. One day, you and I were playing barefoot in the stream behind my house and the next, you were gone. My mother told me that you had moved away, and I wondered why you didn’t say goodbye. I was so hurt by that.”

  “I wasn’t allowed to say goodbye,” she said, a little breathlessly.

  “I know you weren’t. I mean, I know that now. I didn’t then though. The day we arrived here and I saw you, I knew the truth, and I remembered something, a feeling I had long ago.”

  “What feeling was that?”

  “Affection. Devotion. Even when we were just children, I knew you were the one I wanted to be with. I waited for you to come home, but you never did. I was so happy to find you here. I realized just how much I’d missed you.”

  “Why are you just now telling me this? Why would you wait until you are about to leave – perhaps die – to tell me you had wanted to be with me? That’s not fair, Aaron,” she replied, pulling away from him.

  “I’m sorry. I know my timing is horrible. I’ve been too upset about things in my life – the circumstances brought about by my father and then his death. I know I should just keep it to myself at this point, but I couldn’t bear to think that you might never know how I feel.”

  Kate looked up at him, tears falling down her face. It broke his heart to see how much he was hurting her. Perhaps he should have kept his thoughts and feelings to himself. What made him think he had any right to tell her how he felt the night before he was leaving? Who was he to ask her to wait for him? Whatever the answer, it was too late now. Pulling her close to him, he brushed away her tears and kissed her softly on the cheek.

  Her eyes met his, and he felt himself melt inside. Unable to hold back any longer, he kissed her softly on the lips. His simple peck quickly became more involved as they found themselves entangled in a heated kiss. Their tongues urgently searched for one another as they forgot about everything but each other.

  “No. Stop!” Kate suddenly said as she broke free of him. “If you’re going to go, then just go. Don’t start something with me that you can’t finish. It’s not fair!”

  “Kate…” he began, but she was already shaking her head at him and crying again.

  “Get out, Aaron. Just go do what it is you feel you have to do,” she said, turning away from him.

  He started to reach for her again. Her sobs filled the room around them, and it was more than he could bear, but he knew she was right. He was being selfish in attempting to have one night with her when he might not be around for any more than that. Instead, he turned and walked out the door.

  CHAPTER 4

  In the darkness just before dawn, Aaron took flight toward the Mournes. He landed quietly in a remote field just beyond the cabin where he would be staying and walked quietly toward it. Arriving at the front door, he was shocked at how far into disrepair it had gotten without his family there to care for it, and it made him angry all over again.

  “Ugh,” he uttered aloud as he stepped inside the door and saw the mess inside. A thick layer of dust covered everything, and there was evidence that some birds had somehow worked their way inside. They most likely came through the fireplace, he figured. He let out a loud sigh and began the job of getting the place cleaned up with some soap and water - all he could find in the empty place. He’d go into town a bit later and pick up some supplies and food once he got the place a bit more inhabitable.

  It was almost lunchtime by the time he had things clean enough to be tolerable, and he was beginning to feel hungry. He began making his way toward the small town center a little over a mile away. Flying there would have been much quicker, but he couldn’t afford to do that in the broad, open daylight. After darkness, around the cabin, he could go unnoticed as long as he headed out over the water, but daylight was a different matter. He would have to do things the old-fashioned way like a human to not draw attention.

  “I don’t believe we’ve met before,” the shop keeper commented as he rang up an assortment of cleaning supplies and food.

  “No. I’m just in from the north coast for a short stay.”

  “I see. Well, I’m Harvey. Me and the Missus run this wee shop. If you need anything at all, just pop right in.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it,” Aaron replied, knowing that the shop owner would behave much differently if he knew what he was.

  The people here were hopelessly superstitious and wary of strangers. It was only the fact that this man owned a shop that made him a bit more receptive than others would be to someone they were unfamiliar with. He would have to be careful, remain scarce around town, and try to be as invisible to them as possible so that they didn’t ask questions. He wasn’t so far from his village. The last thing he needed was for Aiden to have any warning that he was on his way.

  Back at the cabin, he began finishing the cleaning he’d begun earlier. Though he had managed to knock off the top layer of dust and grime with just soap and water, it had still been a bit stale smelling until he employed a bit of chemical magic. Now that he didn’t feel he might die of some sort of mold infestation from the dilapidated cabin, he made himself a sandwich and set about a plan to take down Aiden.

  First, he had to get in the habit of flying daily and for longer distances. From what his father had told him, it was Aiden’s strongest tactic. He liked to wear down his opponent by heading out over the water, taking them to unfamiliar terrain, and bouncing them around the skies until they were nearly exhausted before going in for the kill. When he had killed the McCor
ds’ father, he had hedged his bets by first poisoning him as he knew he was outmatched.

  “You won’t have that chance with me,” Aaron commented to the empty cabin.

  It was getting late, and he needed to get some sleep as his daily routine now put him up at three a.m. to fly when the only people out at that hour to see were drunken Irishmen stumbling out of pubs. Their focus was always on their footing rather than the skies, and even if they looked up, they wouldn’t be able to recall what they saw by morning. Sleep was slow to come to him as his thoughts were filled with what was to come. When he finally dozed off, his dreams were filled with Kate. They seemed so real he could almost feel her near him.

  The alarm roused him from the few hours of sleep he had managed. He felt exhausted and knew he was going to have to do better if he was going to take on Aiden. The shower could wait. He would be in need of one by the time he returned from his flight, so he might as well wait. Clothes were a waste of time as well, as they would shred as he shifted. Making his way out into the backyard where he was secluded from view of anyone that might happen to pass by at this ridiculous hour, he started to shift.

  “Oh, my God!” Kate shrieked from just outside his back door.

  “Kate! Jesus! What are you doing here?” he exclaimed, trying to cover himself with his hands as he darted back toward the door. “Come in. Let me get my clothes.”

  His heart was racing incredibly fast as he darted into his bedroom, closing the door behind him while he slipped into some jeans and a t-shirt. He called out for her to make herself at home, his brain trying to wrap itself around where she had suddenly appeared from and why she was here. His face was still flushed with embarrassment as he stepped back into the main room where she stood looking at the supplements he had laid out on the kitchen table.

  “I see you are getting ready for what you intend to do,” she said, the tone of her voice so even he couldn’t quite discern her mood.

  “Kate, what are you doing here? How did you find me?”

  “I went for an early morning flight. Your mother told me where this place was, and I figured it must be where you were.”

  “So, you just decided to fly out and see me?” he asked doubtfully.

  “Something like that,” she replied with a smile as she turned to face him.

  “I’m not quite sure what that means,” he replied.

  “It means that I’ve come to help you.”

  “No. Nope. No way,” he said, forgetting his embarrassment for a moment.

  “It’s not up to you, Aaron. I’ve decided that if you’re going to do this, then I’m going to help you.”

  “There’s nothing you can do. What is it that you think I need from you, Kate?”

  “Support, if nothing else.”

  “What I need is for you and everyone else to stay where they are, far away from this place. I can’t risk Aiden finding out about my plan or seeing anyone that he might decide to use against me. As much as I appreciate your willingness to come here and be with me during this, it will only be a distraction.”

  “I certainly hope so,” she replied.

  “Is that it then? You hope to dissuade me from what I want to do?”

  “Of course not, Aaron. I know you much better than that. There’s no changing your mind when you’ve determined that you will do something. I know that. What I don’t want is you being completely consumed by this hatred for Aiden. You need balance. I intend to make sure you don’t lose yourself in this.”

  Aaron felt his shoulders slump a little as she walked toward him and pulled him close to her, resting her head on his shoulder. His face nuzzled against the nape of her neck for a moment before pulling away. She was right. He did need some balance, and she was the only one that could give him any sense of contentment during this. Leaning forward, he kissed her softly on the lips before pulling away to look at her.

  “Okay. You can stay, but you are on probation,” he teased.

  “Oh, good. Do I have a curfew and chores as well?”

  “Yes, but we’ll talk about that later. Right now, I need to get myself in the air for a while. I can’t afford to slack,” he told her.

  “I’ll get settled in while you do that. I brought a bag with me that also has some things from Mom, so maybe I can scrape up something for breakfast.”

  “I’d like that,” he replied, walking toward the back door. “Oh, and Kate?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Me too,” she replied with a smile as she looked around at the rundown state of the cabin. “At least I think I am,” she added with a chuckle.

  Aaron went out the back door, quickly stripping down and shifting as he took flight out toward the sea. Since arriving here, he had been able to fly in the early hours of the morning without incident, and it had felt amazing to have that freedom again. When he was up here, soaring among the clouds and looking down upon the lands below, he felt as free any creature possibly could. It was short lived, however. Once his flight was over and he returned to the cabin, his lack of freedom seemed to wrap itself around him and remind him of his situation.

  Not today though. Today, he would return to find Kate there waiting for him, and they would share an early morning breakfast together. The thought of spending time with her now made his heart leap for joy, but it also concerned him. He would never forgive himself if she somehow managed to find herself in harm’s way, and making sure that didn’t happen would be a distraction. He put his thoughts aside as time slipped away. Daylight would soon kiss the horizon, and he needed to be safely back out of sight before then. He made a hasty return back to the cabin, looking forward to the company that awaited him.

  CHAPTER 5

  Climbing into bed with the still sleeping Kate, he pulled her toward him, planting kisses on her bare shoulders until she stirred and moaned pleasurably. She turned to face him, and he brought his head down toward her own, kissing her deeply as they lingered there in one another’s arms. Aaron was sure that there was nothing he loved more than kissing Kate. Her mouth was so warm and eager against his own. His hands roamed down her body, touching her softly, almost delicately with his big, rough hands. She was like an angel in his arms, having a power over him like no one he had ever met before. He felt like he might actually be floating slightly above the bed rather than being planted firmly in it.

  “You are so beautiful. I was thinking of you during my entire flight this morning. I’ve had no one on my mind since I found you again. I hope you know how much you mean to me,” he told her, pulling away to look into her eyes.

  “I know. I missed you so much while we were apart. Despite all the things that happened to me, somewhere beneath it all, I longed for you in a way I couldn’t understand when I was younger, but understand completely now,” she said, her breathing growing more shallow with desire.

  “I was. As much as things were awful for both of us, they gave me another chance with you that I might not have otherwise had, so not all bad came from it,” he said with a slow smile.

  “I definitely can’t say that I’m glad it happened, but I do appreciate the time I now have with you,” she told him, reaching up to touch his face.

  “I’m glad. This never has to end. We can figure it out,” he replied, pulling her hand from his face and softly kissing the palm.

  Then his lips were on hers again, drinking her in as if they were connected in much more than just the physical sense. It was amazing how in tune to her he felt since having found her again only six months ago. He had tried to caution himself to keep his distance, to just stick with being her friend until all of this was past, but it was hopeless. He was already too far gone.

  “You talk too much,” she told him, pulling him closer to her.

  She offered her hand to him, to guide him to where she wanted him to touch her, and he was more than happy to do whatever she wanted. Pulling her closer to him again, his lips lingered on hers for a few more minutes before he let
her have what she wanted from him. His hands found their way to the buttons on her pajamas, slowly opening them one by one and peeling them away from her delicate skin. She lay there in the see-through lace bra and matching boy shorts she had been wearing underneath.

  “You’ve got an amazing body. Curves in all the perfect places,” he told her, kissing his way down her neck.

  “Thank you. You aren’t so bad yourself,” she replied.

  “I’m not very curvy. All hard angles,” he said playfully.

  “Sounds just right to me,” she told him.

  His lips fell on hers again, kissing her slowly and softly until her head began to spin. Pulling away, he took her hand and moved it down to touch him, to see how hard she had already made him. He could see her eyes widen as she felt his sizeable cock beneath the covers. A sultry smile crossed her lips as she began to stroke him, falling into perfect rhythm with the way he softly stroked her clit with his other hand. She licked her lips seductively as they lay together, teasing one another in a slow, sensual motion.

  “Find something you like then?” he asked.

  “I certainly did,” she told him, leaning forward and slipping her tongue along the bulbous head. It jumped against her tongue as she made contact, and he moaned a little, the only encouragement she seemed to need to continue.

  Kate took her time, always seeming to enjoy the way his cock felt against her tongue and the way he tasted. Wrapping a single hand around his shaft, she began pumping up and down, meeting her lips as she slowly toured his hardness. His hands tangled in her hair, watching as the head of his dick disappeared in and out of her mouth. Moving her hand down toward the base, she began taking more of him in her mouth until he could feel himself hitting the back of her throat, tickling her tonsils.

  “Oh, God, that feels so good. You have an incredible mouth,” he moaned.

  Kate responded by picking up the pace, bobbing up and down the length of his cock as he whimpered with pleasure above her. She was hungry for his cum, and he was more than willing to give her all she wanted, but not right now. Her greed was circumvented as he pulled free of her, pushing her back on the bed and slipping her panties off.