Deception_Paranormal Romance_Dragon Shifters and Immortals

by Laxmi Hariharan

When her tongue danced over his, a shiver rippled over his skin. That ball of anger that was his beast, leaped against his skin, wanting to flow out and surround her. Let her soothe him.

  The touch of her poured through him, sizzling straight through to that twisted creature inside him. His dragon stretched and rolled in her essence.

  Her scent twined around him, sending tendrils of fire to his groin.

  He wound her braid around his hand and pulled her close, not caring that he was hurt, or about the twinge of pain that sliced through his broken ribs.

  He slanted his lips over hers and thrust his tongue inside her mouth.

  She moaned, her fingers fluttering over his shoulders. He nipped at her lower lip, and a shudder ran through her. It only turned him on even more.

  The taste of her was sweet and spicy, tinged with a zing to it that shivered down his spine. He tugged back her head, exposing the long line of her throat, and trailed his mouth down her neck to where her breasts thrust out. Gliding a hand over one mound, he squeezed.

  She gasped, and her nipples pebbled.

  Dragging his mouth up, he placed his lips over hers

  Her body jumped under his touch. He slid his other hand over her curves and cupped her core with his palm.

  The scent of musk filled the air. She was throbbing and hot and ready for him.

  A low moan boiled up from her, and he absorbed it.

  Her fingers grasped his biceps, nails digging in, sending slivers of pain shooting over his skin.

  She wasn’t what she seemed.

  There was a bite to her she liked to keep hidden. Once more it crossed his mind that she was hiding something from him.

  She made his soul ask those questions he’d avoided for so long.

  Tearing his mouth from hers with such haste that a thread of spittle stretched from his lips to hers, he flicked his tongue out and licked it off, breaking even that connection.

  He trailed his palm up her stomach, over her breast to her throat, circling the slender column. She looked fragile, but he’d seen her take on those far more dangerous than herself. She was courageous and strong and impulsive. She made his blood throb with desire.

  He peered into those silver-green eyes, needing to see into her soul, into that empathetic part of her that called out to him so much.

  He wanted to find out all her secrets and protect her from those who had hurt her. He wanted…her

  A shudder shook his shoulders. The fire inside him surged. Sweat broke out on his forehead. His throat went dry.

  “When you are near me, my dragon reacts. He’s never been this restless, this alive.” The words were torn out of him.

  Since he’d first seen her, his beast had yearned to claim her. The force of his needs would only hurt her.

  “Rage.” Her voice flowed over his skin.

  His beast lunged toward her, ramming into the secondary shield that she’d helped slam into place.

  It sent a shudder of longing through him.

  His dragon shoved against his skin, the force of it making him gasp. Something inside him loosened and flowed out; it felt like his skin was on fire.

  He saw the flames reflected in her eyes and looked down to find

  tendrils of fire curling out from his skin. The dark red flares seeped out through his pores to twine over her braid, binding them together.

  He raised a finger, the tip sparking out dots of fire, and touched it to her cheek.

  Her face glowed in the light. The green of her eyes sparkled, the silver in it bleeding out until her irises were clear mirrors of glass.

  She was so beautiful.

  He’d been searching for her his entire life.

  A surge of energy swept through his blood, shaking his body. His insides churned. The dragon swirled and burst to life after a long time in stasis.

  The heat swept through his blood, burning everything in sight, until it felt like his very insides were combusting.

  The amorphous, confusing mass of anger he’d lived with for so long resolved then took shape. Its contours formed into a dark crimson sun that glowed inside him.

  His dragon was waking up.

  Like a homing device, his beast knew they were headed to where he’d been born. Any doubts he had about Mauritania being the place of his origin slipped away.

  The energy of fellow dragons from his home was calling out to his beast.

  His dragon surged against the shield of their joined energy. A spasm contracted his stomach. Pain twisted his back, and his body rose off the floor. His eyes rolled back.

  Her braid slipped from his hold as a tongue of fire ripped through him. His dragon broke through the psychic barrier.

  13

  Pandora

  “Rage.” He couldn’t hear her, but that didn’t stop her from calling out to him.

  His big body shook as the fire bled out of him, red fire with streaks of blue that streamed over her skin. The flames carried his psychic scent of woodsmoke and pine. It held the essence of his dragon.

  It was his beast coming to life.

  The flames bloomed out of him, then drew right back and into his chest.

  His body sagged against the floor, and his hand fell to his side.

  Swearing, she touched his skin. Heat from his body slammed into her chest, making her gasp. Sweat broke out on her brow.

  His skin was too hot. He was made of fire, but this heat was different. It seemed to be consuming him from inside. He was burning up.

  Fear twisted her guts.

  Looking around, she found a bottle of water and poured it over his head. It dripped down his neck, over the bandages, over the planes of his chest.

  He shivered, his hands clenching as he gripped her shoulder. A groan rolled up his chest. The cords of his throat bunched, and he gritted his teeth.

  She searched in the medical kit but couldn’t find anything else that could help.

  Another shudder ran through his body, his head rising off the floor. His shoulder muscles tensed as he tried to breathe. His eyes were unseeing. Sweat beaded his forehead and ran down his neck, pooling on the floor.

  She pushed down on his shoulders, trying to hold him still, but she wasn’t strong enough.

  She had to stop him before he hurt himself.

  She reached into herself for the psychic wall that she’d help put in place. It surged and flamed with the energy of his dragon. Pain leaped off him and thrummed against her nerves.

  The fledgling bond she’d formed with him was growing stronger. She’d initiated the connection to save her brother, and it already meant so much more to her.

  It had become a part of her so quickly. She hadn’t expected that. She had to find a way to defeat Tibor and Vesta and free her brother. There was no way she was going to hand Rage over to them, not now.

  She had shaped the fledgling bond with Rage to save his life. Because it had felt so right. Because as soon as she’d met him, she knew he was it for her.

  The bond was new, yet once Rage accepted it, they would be fully mated. It would make him vulnerable to the Elysians and endanger his life.

  The only way out was to leave before his dragon woke up fully and accept the bond.

  Running down to the cabin, she pulled out the towel and sheet she found in the wardrobe. Back on deck, she used the towel to wipe off the sweat that beaded his upper lip.

  He groaned and thrashed around.

  It sent another pulse of worry through her. Covering him with the sheet, she rose to her feet and leaned over the steering wheel.

  Switching it out of autopilot, she pushed the throttle, speeding up. It would take another day at least to get to Mauritania.

  He had to live until then. She was going to make sure he survived. It didn’t matter what the future held for them, or whether they could be together or not.

  Reaching to the fledgling bond that connected them, she poured her energy into it.

  The silver-green of her essence headed for their joined shield, then
through it, rushing toward where the red of his energy throbbed with heat. The flaming ball ebbed and flowed, wanting to push against the shield and shatter it. She couldn’t afford for the dragon to be free. As long as it was contained, the mating was not complete, and she still had a chance to set things right with Rage.

  Her energy undulated over the fire, through it, calming the dragon and reassuring it.

  All the while, she focused on keeping the boat on track, racing it as fast as she could. They traveled for another few hours, until dawn broke over the horizon, until the fuel ran out.

  She let the vessel float, tiredness clawing at her limbs, and her eyes went heavy.

  Dropping next to his shivering body, she wrapped her arms around him, pulled him close. She could at least keep him warm, feed him her energy. She could make sure he lived. It was the least she could do to keep that amazing beast inside him alive.

  Their fledgling bond was helping, but the sooner she broke this connection with him, the safer his life would be. The thought made her stomach churn. She swallowed down the sickness that rose in her throat.

  Gripping his hand, she traced the features of his face with her gaze and committed them to memory.

  She must have drifted off to sleep, and when the scent of burning wood reached her, her eyes flew open.

  A screech rent the air.

  The hackles on her nape rose. She sprang to her feet and ran out on the deck.

  A dragon flew toward her. The beast’s neck lowered as it snapped out its wings and gathered speed. Its scales shimmered silver against the red that bled into the sky from the rising sun.

  With another shrill cry, the beast opened its jaws. Fire billowed from its throat. The dragon hurtled toward her.

  Part II

  14

  Rage

  Rage knew he was dreaming. But it felt so real that he didn’t want to shake himself out of it.

  He snapped out his wings and rode the air currents above the lush trees that lined the shore of Mauritania.

  Behind him, his sister dove down to the surface, gliding close to the water, sending up a spray that caught the sun.

  Above him his younger brother, Neo, circled the sky.

  Birds burst out from the trees that lined the shore, heading inland and toward him.

  The space was filled with the sound of their wings. He arched his neck to follow their path.

  His older sister, Eve, screeched at him to follow her down to the beach. Turning her head, she called out to Neo, and together the three siblings came in to land.

  Rage dropped into himself and allowed the transformation to take over. His cells shrunk. His dragon’s energy coiled into itself until it was a throbbing red ball of fire that pulsed with the crimson of his essence. He shifted into his human self.

  Eve stopped a little farther away from her brothers, near the change of clothes she kept stored in a corner of the beach. After slipping into them, she walked over to Neo and Rage, who was just pulling on his T-shirt.

  “Something’s wrong.” She placed her hands on her hips, her stance already that of the alpha of the dragons she would be one day.

  “Look.” Neo, who’d run up to them, pointed out to the sea.

  The waters gleamed a silver gray and began to retreat, showing the sands on the beach. As Rage watched, the waves drew back to expose the deeper sea bed.

  In the distance, a white line raced toward them.

  “Tsunami.” Eve swore.

  His heart beat fast, and adrenaline poured into his blood. “Run.” He grabbed Neo’s hand. “We must get back and warn the city.” He sprinted away, pulling his younger brother along.

  “Eve,” he screamed over his shoulder.

  He found his sister facing the shore. Hands still on her hips, her slim figure was silhouetted against a rising wall of green and white. “Get out of there.”

  Eve turned, her lips pulled in a smile. “It’s magnificent.” Her features dissolved then reformed into Pandora’s face.

  The silver-green of her eyes resembled the sea behind her. The blonde hair she normally wore in a braid was loose and flew around her face.

  She was a warrior who could sense the energy of the tsunami, who was drunk on the power that crackled in the air. “The tsunami takes and wipes everything clear, allowing new life to spring in its wake.” She flung her hair back, her cheeks flushed.

  “Dora?” He frowned and looked around her. The beach was empty.

  Behind Pandora, the waves grew higher, casting their shadow over her.

  “What’s wrong, Rage?” Her eyes narrowed, specks of silver in her irises reflecting the white of the oncoming monster wave.

  Rage?

  Her voice slashed through the noise in his head.

  His eyes flew open to lock on Dora’s gaze. Her forehead was furrowed.

  The images from his dream fell away. His head felt heavy. He glanced around the room, realizing they were on land. Remnants from the dream clung to his conscious mind. “You’re safe?” He coughed as his throat closed in.

  She took the glass of water from the side table and, turning the straw around, offered it to him.

  He drank from it, his gaze never leaving her face.

  There were dark circles under her eyes that made her cheekbones look even more prominent.

  When he’d finished drinking, she placed the glass back on the table.

  “Your hair.” He took in golden-brown locks flowing in a cloud over her shoulders. “You forgot to braid it.”

  “Oh!” Her hands flew to her hair. “I was a little preoccupied, trying to get us to shore.” Her lips twisted in the semblance of a smile that did not quite meet her eyes.

  “You saved my life again?” He reached out and twined his fingers through hers. “How many lives will I owe you?”

  “As many as it takes to keep you safe.” She gnawed on her lower lip. A bunch of emotions streaked over her face. Fear, anxiety, helplessness…and resolve.

  “What’s going through that mind of yours?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know right then. But something in the way she was staring at him urged him to find out what she was thinking.

  Her gaze skittered away. Her cheeks flushed.

  She looked…guilty.

  It intrigued him.

  When she tugged her hand from his grasp, he let go.

  She scraped back her hair and proceeded to braid it. Her movements were quick with the ease of practice.

  The gesture sent a rush of affection through him.

  He’d never grow tired of seeing the pattern of her braid emerge as she completed the task, looping a strand of hair at the end to hold the thick rope in place. He wanted to see her weave her hair every day for the rest of his life.

  His back stiffened. Where had that thought come from?

  “You were hurt when we brought you in, but the doctor says your shifter healing powers are returning fast and you’ll be recovered in no time.” Her gaze swept over his shoulders.

  He glanced down at his bare chest.

  “You refused to let them put a hospital gown on you.” Her voice held an edge of nervousness.

  “Oh?”

  She tossed the braid forward so it hung down her chest, rising over the thrust of her breasts.

  “You were unconscious, but every time the nurse tried to get the hospital clothes over you, you resisted.”

  He rubbed his palm over his face. “Old memories…” He swallowed, flicking his gaze around the room. “Too much pain associated with my wounds being tended to.”

  It would have been a lot easier if his shifter healing powers had been functioning well enough that he could heal himself when he had been a gladiator.

  Closing his eyes, he dropped into himself. His dragon pulsed with life.

  The shield around it was still in place, helping to keep his dragon in control. For the first time he could feel the energy of his dragon instead of the formless beast that had churned inside.

  He wanted to drop th
e shield and let the dragon fly, and yet a part of him hesitated. If he let his beast out, would he be able to control it?

  The shield around the dragon glowed amber, and twined with it was Pandora’s silver-green.

  The energies flowed around each other, a live breathing barrier that would ebb and flow to adapt with whatever challenge came his way.

  The shield was like her: fluid, adaptable, resilient. She was already a part of him.

  His eyes snapped open.

  She’d crept into him and joined her energy with his.

  Now that his dragon was awakening, his beast would want much more from her than the human part of him ever had. She needed someone who could show her tenderness.

  He couldn’t allow his dragon to hurt her.

  I won’t allow anyone else to take care of her.

  She was his.

  Inside him, the crimson energy of his dragon throbbed, sending a pulse of energy through his blood. It filled him with a strange restlessness.

  He wanted to reach out and feel her skin sliding over his. Bury his nose in her neck and inhale that scent of hers which was all around him.

  Raking his fingers through his hair, he glanced around the space, trying to get his bearings.

  The room was bare except for his bed, the chair she was sitting on, another chair, and a side table. A door at the end opened into a bathroom.

  In between was a window.

  Beyond that, he heard the rustle of the sand as someone ran across the beach. The light scent trail identified him as human. He was followed by a shifter’s heavier smell.

  All his senses were coming alive, immersing him in sensations he had long forgotten. Everything crowded in on him, pouring into him, filling him with a need to be one with nature. He could lose himself in the world outside, forget who he was.

  He fixed his gaze on her. She was his anchor. He wouldn’t let anything ever happen to her.

  A breeze blew in, bringing with it the scent of salt underlapped with the sweet scent of sugarcane. “Are we in Mauritania?” Reaching out, he tugged the end of her now completed braid. “How did we get here?”