Dragon Heart

by Susan Arden

  “He’s Dark Fae and masquerades as a werewolf. And his glamour is good. Seamless, even obscuring his scent. That Fae doesn’t show his hand.”

  “Makes perfect sense. Get me the proof and we’ll move on him and Necrodemas. As you know, he’s working the justice council members along with his kids. Wining and dining … elaborate parties. Deep pocket spending. The whole nine yards to affect his influence. Probably has more than a few officials all over the world on his payroll. He flew several board members down to Vegas a few days ago. No news. But what is news is that the members like me who want to effect real change aren’t happy about Necrodemas’s agenda or with the direction he and his clan are headed. We have convened an investigation team, looking for proof that he’s dirty. If you’ve got the goods on him, we’ll take care of the rest in filing a lawsuit within the human judicial system. Hell, Quinn has connections in the District Attorney’s office. But you know shifters are held to a higher standard, unless we all want to be brought in on questioning.”

  “No, I thought we agreed to being restrained. Not to storm forward,” Shay said, her voice rising.

  “We won’t.” He squeezed her hand, forcing his face to appear like a brick wall of no affect, not a clue to the thundering anger rocking through him except that the muscles along his eyes had tightened, making his eyes appear flatter. But maybe she wouldn’t notice. “Your brother isn’t going haywire.”

  “So far we don’t have enough to even get warrants issued. Any backdoor inquiries would have to be legit or the evidence will get tossed out,” Shawn said.

  Christ! Figures that fucker operated as slippery as an eel. “Let me work my channels. We know he’s dirty. I’ll get the proof you need but it’ll take time since it has to be above board.”

  “Well above or the authorities will haul you and me in,” Shawn asserted. They don’t like their systems disturbed by outsiders.”

  “Oh is that what we’re being called nowadays?” he retorted. “The human race has forgotten that a millennia ago, it was a far different world.”

  Shay added, “Things have a way of swinging back around. History repeats itself kinda of thing.”

  “Well, not soon enough,” Shawn replied. “Guess I should be going. So, we’ll see you tonight and for now, you should stay here. I’ll work on tightening the security at our parents’, but there’s still lots of open space around the house. Don’t ever forget the Unruled are on the loose. They’re not a bunch of guys running helter-skelter. So far they’re pretty political if you follow their pattern of what they do and who they borrow.”

  “What do you mean borrow?” Shay asked.

  Shawn leaned forward in his chair. “The group has gone from outright random bombing and acts of violence to being highly structured. They only kidnap high-profile victims who have the means to bring about one of their goals and they’re ruthless if they’re thwarted. Doesn’t matter if it’s human or preternatural forces.”

  “Jesus, sucks to be someone in their way,” Shay muttered.

  “Exactly,” he agreed with her.

  “Hard to believe they were roughnecks running all over Europe with cans of spray paint a few months ago. What’s their mission up here? Anything?” she asked her brother, the color over her cheeks deepening.

  Shawn and Drake exchanged a look but it was Drake who spoke, “They want rights. Total civil rights and they’re garnering attention all over.”

  “Well they’re going at it in a backassward manner,” she scoffed. “I ought to know.”

  “Baby, they’re willing to cut off their own legs if they thought it would further their cause. If they weren’t so savage, they’d have a huge following. But they’re doomed. And unfortunately, their militant brutality makes everyone seek an eye-for-an-eye.”

  “Until when … we’re all blind?”

  Shawn got to his feet and stretched. “Not if we can get the evidence to put away Necrodemas and cut off their funding.”

  “Ready?” he asked Shay.

  “I need your help.”

  “On three.” He rose, encircling her with his arm, holding her possessively. Finally he could bring her soft body into contact with his. She canted against him and he wrapped his arm around her, and noticed that Shawn’s gaze fell to his sister’s waist. For a second it looked as if the leopard shifter’s expression softened, then Shay moaned, and both he and Shawn reacted in alpha male uselessness around a pregnant woman. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Tell me.”

  “Yeah. What was that all about?” Shawn asked.

  “Oh my.” She patted her stomach and chuckled. “Two very energetic pairs of feet kicking against my ribcage. Nothing to get worked up about. We still have at least another month and lots more kicks.”

  “Okay. Got the message to calm the hell down. Fine,” Shawn said, leaning over and kissing Shay on her check. “See you both later. I’ll send a car for you around six? Unmarked but you’ll appreciate the driver.”

  “Sounds good,” she replied.

  “Fin?” Drake asked.

  “None other,” Shawn answered and squeezed Shay’s arm.

  CHAPTER 16

  “I’d better put the wheels in motion.” Drake had his cell phone in hand and sat on the edge of the sofa cushion. “Better alert my family that I’m headed their way.”

  “Definitely. Arriving unannounced would be kinda awkward. I have a few things to do before we leave.” Shay set the cups and carafe on the tray and lifted it.

  “Hold on. Let me,” he said, rising and trying to take the tray out of her hands.

  “Just stop,” she said, not letting go of the tray. “I can handle this. Stop avoiding the inevitable or do you want me to phone your folks?”

  He acquiesced, tapped on the screen of his cell and held the phone to his ear. “This should be short.”

  She forced a smile and turned on her heel, her breath twisting in her lungs as she walked toward the kitchenette. What would his family say to this surprise of surprises? She imagined him letting loose a cavalier announcement. Hey, guys—guess what? Me and this chick shacked up and she’s pregnant with my kids. But that wasn’t his way. Everything in the hotel suite went still as Drake spoke in clipped sentences for several long minutes.

  Without warning, his voice went from measured and controlled to rolling laughter but she couldn’t actually hear what he said. He mentioned something about being up and ready for a dragon challenge, but dammit, eavesdropping was so unproductive and uncool … wasn’t it? After setting the cups in the dishwasher and rinsing out the coffee carafe, she leaned closer to the doorway, but seriously, the man spoke in guttural half-words. Some form of dragon slang she didn’t understand. Figures.

  “Okay, it’s set,” he announced from the doorway and she jumped, grabbing hold of the counter, a guilty blush suffusing her cheeks.

  “When were you thinking of leaving?” she asked, pretending as if she hadn’t been dying to listen in on his conversation.

  “Tomorrow.” He came up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “You mean the day after today? What about my doctor’s appointment?”

  “Don’t be silly. I’m going with you to the doctor. Come with me to Oregon. I told my father and mother all about you. We wouldn’t be gone long.”

  “You know I can’t. Why does it have to be so soon?” She shook her head, and crossed her arms over her chest. That move got her a growl of dissatisfaction from Drake and he immediately unwound her arms off her body, lifting them above her head.

  “Don’t force me to convince you this is the right decision. We need a place to live. Pronto. I need the funds to build a fortress. You decide where. There’s no wiggle room on security—sophisticated high tech. We don’t have a choice. It could take months for you to access whatever funds you might have in a trust account.”

  “I hear what you’re saying … I just don’t like that you’re leaving.” She didn’t like that the Unruled were targeting high profile victims. Even
though Drake wasn’t directly involved in his family’s high tech company, they’d pay plenty if he were kidnapped.

  “I’ll only be gone for a few days at most,” Drake said as he rewrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Should I take it personally that you won’t accompany me and meet my family?”

  She tightened her grip, pressing herself fully into his warm body. So very warm. “Don’t, because it’s not. You know that I can’t disappear when my father is coming home and needs my help.”

  He backed her up to the counter. “Only a hard-ass would argue that point.” Then he nudged the proof of his arousal against her mound and ground his hardness into her until they both groaned loudly.

  She dug her fingers into the muscular ridges along his shoulders as he sucked on a sensitive point on her neck. God, this was the proverbial moment of being torn down the middle. The chance to finally meet Drake’s family was right before her, but she couldn’t leave Denver. Not with Dad returning tonight and in what state? Her brother forwarded a copy of the doctor’s report, confirming her father had come out of the coma, but there might be trauma thanks to either the Unruled or Necrodemas, and here Drake was headed out the door. On one hand, what he said made sense. With his hard pecs pressed against her, Drake felt so all-encompassing, like he could protect her from whatever might seek to do her or their children harm. But what of him? For all his Navy SEAL training, he’d need backup. Dammit, this was so messed up.

  Drake scraped his cheek against hers as he wound her hair between his fingers. “Baby, trust me.”

  There was a tender note in his voice that pricked her ears and unleashed the stinging that hit her eyes. She scrunched her eyes closed rather than risk him seeing her come undone. What was happening to her? In about three seconds her body threatened to dissolve into a crying mess. This had to be another hormone storm.

  “Go easy on me,” she whispered, licking the ridge of his jaw before she murmured, “unless you’re willing to play the hard-ass to make a point.”

  “Don’t tease me.” He used his feet to separate her legs so he could press the crown of his cock along the seam of her pussy. “Ah, that’s it. Sweet Jesus, you feel so good.”

  He rubbed his cock harder with more friction, making her clit start to pulse and her panties dampen. Seriously sexy stuff going on and she would have moaned if she wasn’t on the verge of losing it. She sniffed and opened her eyes, snarling, “Don’t tease, said the black pot! In the category of tormenting, you are the master, Mr. O’Connor.”

  “Then give it up to me. Let me have you squeezing around me. Baby, Shawn already called and gave you a heads up that Richard’s arrival might be delayed by another day.”

  Each time he stroked his cock across her slit, he set off a slew of electrical charges that sparked her core. Her whole body felt ready to be dominated by one commanding dragon, but first she needed to set the ground rules on this trip. She couldn’t bail on her parents, regardless of what they’d done. “I need to spend time with Mom and see for myself her condition. Maybe I can help. I want to try.”

  “I need you.” He grunted in greater dissatisfaction and buried his face at the juncture of where her neck met her shoulder. Talk about being a guru of getting his way.

  “Look at me.” She watched Drake lift his head and take a deep breath, feeling the tingling effect of his chest expanding against her boobs and making her nipples harden. “Besides, this is the first time you’ve been back home. It might be a good thing if you go solo.”

  “Solo? But I won’t. I’ll have you.” He took her hand and spread wide her fingers, then placed her palm over his heart.

  “Err … ” she started to formulate a comeback and blinked. “You go put out fires with your dragon rage and I’ll rebuild a bridge with my parents. We’ll tag our clans so to speak. And then when the babies are born, we’ll be one big family. Hopefully happy.”

  “I’ll be back before you know it,” he said. “I’m only going home to lay claim to my inheritance. It’s not exactly the most orthodox of activities.” His body tensed and she locked her gaze to his. Under her fingertips, the muscles along his arms went rock solid.

  “Lay claim? You’ve said that a couple of times. Sounds more than serious.”

  “I walked away. Cut all ties. I’m willing to go back for the sake of my children.”

  For the sake of his children. Was that a Freudian slip or semantics? From what she knew, dragons weren’t known to be the easiest creatures to get along with. What if his draconian family said one thing, and did another? Wouldn’t be the first time an overzealous dragon came calling on her doorstep. Next time it might be an O’Connor unconcerned about her opinion.

  She wanted to break her rule about mind linking, but held off. “Tell me right this second what the heck you’re talking about.” She craned her neck, waiting and watching him. Did this have something to do with the dragon challenge he mentioned?

  Under her palm, his heartbeat ramped up and she slipped into his mind without looking for answers. Trust me. Then she slipped out again.

  I do.

  His brow creased in concern, or was it worry? He linked with her mind, and the feeling was exquisite, but he didn’t enter her thoughts. There were no words to describe what he did.

  “I’ll take the final step in becoming a dragon lord. There won’t be any going back.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Aren’t there similar rituals for male leopards?”

  “Yes. For all shifters. But dragons aren’t the run of the mill shifters.”

  “Sorry to disappoint but other shifters aren’t completely different than my race. Until now, I had no reason without a pregnant mate. I’ll return home and meet with the family and it entails some male bonding bullshit. But enough talk of that. Let me inside you. On all levels. You are mine. I’ll be open to you as well,” he said, giving her a look that struck deep inside her core.

  His words echoed across her thoughts. ‘No reason without a pregnant mate.’ “Can your family force you to remain there? You won’t be a fully mated dragon.”

  “Put that thought out of your mind. My family isn’t going to hold me prisoner.”

  “But they could … ”

  “Shay, I wouldn’t let them or anyone get in the way of coming back to you.”

  Now answer me.

  Yes. I want you inside me…all the way. Eventually.

  “Eventually?” he repeated aloud.

  “I need time. You do understand the concept of not rushing headfirst. Isn’t that what you preached?” She was using his very own argument. Her body—most of it—clenched in excitement, ready to strip naked there and then, eager to join with him on the intimate level he proposed. But dammit, her brain got into the act, and reminded her, tapping a cerebral foot in exasperation, once that dragon doorway was breached there was no going back. In between her head, heart, and her nether regions, her stomach knotted with anxiety.

  “Can’t believe, the tables have turned. Time,” he groaned.

  “Please, can’t we take baby steps? Just know, I’m not into sharing you. Ever,” she said. Her chest felt cordoned off. This was as upfront as she could be about what lay between them without shutting down.

  He stared back at her, his mesmerizing eyes glowing. “Happy to hear since I have no intention of sharing you. What’s mine is mine and I fully intend keeping my promise to you. Forever. We’re eternals and I won’t be put off. Eventually you’re going to be all mine on all levels.”

  Now it was her turn to be confused. Or more confused. “Leopard shifters mate for life.”

  “Ah, a life that’s measured in years. This is beyond the visceral.” He searched her eyes, and she was aware he was trying to find answers without climbing into her mind.

  “What do you mean, Drake?”

  “Dragons are as old as the fire in the first star in the first galaxy. It’s where we were created and where we return when we’re through here. You’ll exist with me long afte
r this planetary system burns out.”

  “Okay, if that doesn’t make me nervous, nothing will.” She shuddered and simultaneously shivered, feeling the shadow of a chill.

  His piercing eyes snapped to hers and he nodded. “You’re more than just leopard now. What went through you?”

  “It felt like a premonition mixed with déjà vu but different. Not from the past, but I don’t know. It sounds ridiculous to describe.”

  “Try me.”

  “Like a cold wind blowing through me followed by fire. A billowing wave of heat. Are you responsible for that?”

  “I’ll never hurt you. Do you believe me?” He brushed his fingers over her shoulders. “Your skin is on fire.

  “I do. Always … I’ve felt this connection with you.”

  “Then it’s time to decide. I’m not pressuring you, but reminding you that time marches forward as it expands all around us. That’s all I’m saying. Let me give you a sample of what being mine is like in the realm beyond this world. A taste and then you can decide. But decide you must, Shay. I can’t go on like this—in a perpetual state of insanity. You’re my mate and I have to claim you.” He led her out of the kitchenette and toward the sofa. “Bend over,” he said, positioning her at the sofa.

  She hiked up her dress over her hips as the sound of his zipper filled the room. He brushed up behind her, his body an inferno. Drake hoisted her hips, kicking his foot gingerly between her feet and separating her legs. He wiped his cock across the seam of her now swollen pussy, swiping his crown against her clit and then in one semi forceful thrust, he slid inside her, rocking her gently along his length.

  “Oh … so good,” she moaned the words. “You feel amazing. Are you sure you can take me like this?”

  He buried himself inside her, cupping her breasts in his palms, and biting her earlobe between his teeth. Drake groaned, “Fuck my cock, little leopardess.”

  She clawed the cushions on the couch. A low rumbling roar that sounded more dragon than leopard crept up her throat and spilled from her mouth. She arched and roared, unable to hold back, “Like this? Or harder?”