Cade (Alexander Shifter Brothers Book 2)

by Selina Coffey

  “Yes,” Dorel spit. “You would never have known anything. If you’d just stayed in Elfhame where you belonged, we could have been married when I returned. You would have been happy, would you not? Not having Savin, so cold, so perfect. But instead; me. You know you liked me better. You cannot deny it.”

  “I did not! I was glad of your kindness when I thought Savin despised me, nothing more.”

  “You’re just like him.” Dorel raised one eyebrow. “You don’t know when to shut up, either.”

  “This is between us.” Savin’s tail lashed.

  “Is it? I don’t think so. Her Highness must make a choice: to come home with me while I lie to our father on her behalf and tell him that she was abducted, that she is blameless… or to stay at your side, and die here— a terrible choice, really, my dear. You will have destroyed the alliance that kept your people safe. This is aiding and abetting my father’s enemies.”

  Fear gripped her. If Dorel won, if Savin was killed…

  She could see it now, the Elven mages wielding bolts of arcane energy, laying siege to human towns, turning the citizens into mindless slaves. She had heard the stories. And Dorel would do it, too— he would do it to spite her.

  Suddenly, she felt a rush of courage. He would not kill her, for then, whom would he lord over in his victory? He wanted a beaten down slave, a woman broken by his will. So desperate was he to have anything that Savin had touched, that he would keep Ellieth alive… under threat of death, if need be. And that gave her an idea.

  Her fingers, hidden by the black wings, patted gently against Savin’s side. Please trust me, she pleaded silently. He must trust her.

  “I’ll come back with you.” She walked around Savin’s side, holding her hands out in surrender.

  “You will?” His eyebrows raised.

  Careful. Don’t make it too easy.

  “I can’t…” Ellieth tried to feign tears, blinking and looking down. “I can’t let you hurt my family. Please, Dorel.”

  Behind her, the growl started again, low and vicious.

  Please trust me, Savin.

  “Why should I believe you?” Dorel asked her.

  Ellieth walked closer, hardly breathing in her terror. The crossbow was still trained at her heart. One false move…

  “You know I would do anything for my sister,” she whispered, in a flash of inspiration. Give him a bargaining chip. Let him think he can control you. And she saw the lust in his eyes, cruelty flaring at the thought of another beauty in his power. He knew, as Ellieth did, that Allina would say the same thing: I would do anything for my sister.

  “Anything?” He asked thickly, and she could feel his gaze on her; her throat, her shoulders, and her hair in its mesh caul.

  “Anything,” she whispered passionately.

  It was enough. As his eyes darkened with lust, Ellieth’s hand came up, weighted with a rock from the floor. Her hand met his temple with jarring force, and he fell to the floor with a thud. Ellieth snatched up his crossbow, pointing it at the warriors he had brought, and felt her stomach drop with terror. There were ten of them— and she had just killed their leader.

  The dragon queen’s roar deafened them all. The soldiers staggered, running for the magical portal, and Ellieth scrambled for the shelter of Savin’s wings. When the echoes died away, there was only a throaty laugh.

  “Ah, how they run.” The queen’s voice was low, amused. “And how fiercely you humans fight! You may be small, human, but I would not test my soldiers against yours. Princeling, tell your king that I will come myself to bargain with him, if he will treat with me in good faith. If he wishes it, he need only shine a beacon from the towers of Elfhame, and I will come.”

  “Your Majesty.” Savin nodded.

  “And you, I think, should return with one of my guards. Now that your brother is dead, the curse on you is beginning to lift.” The queen eyed Savin impassively. “And I think it would not do for the King’s second son to die in my court, and his first to fall from the mountaintop.”

  She laughed again, and Ellieth could only assume that this was what passed for a joke amongst dragonkin.

  “I shall see you soon, Elf. And you, Human.”

  Chapter Six

  “Ellieth?”

  “Over here.” Ellieth lifted her head from the rocks and gave a little sigh of contentment. The water of the hot springs had eased the ache in her muscles, and she had spent the past half hour watching steam curl into the frosty air of E’lessiell.

  A splash told her that Savin had joined her in the pool, and a moment later she made out his form. He waded over to her, the opaque water setting off his blue skin perfectly, and gave a groan as he settled down beside her.

  “Relaxing?”

  “Yes. This place is almost perfect you know. I’ve never been somewhere so peaceful. And the food…”

  “Yes. Since they stole our cook, if I want a decent meal, I must come here. I’ll make them sorry for that.” But she heard a laugh in his voice.

  “And how are you?” She asked him, opening her eyes to watch as the tension in his shoulders eased, and the water lapped at his skin.

  “The messages are sent,” he said, his head tipped back and his eyes closed. She could see grief in the set of his face. “And Dorel’s body,” he added quietly.

  “Savin…”

  “No.” He opened his eyes. “Do not apologize. He wanted to kill me. He wanted to make you a slave. There is no reason to be sad for what you did.”

  “And yet you are sad,” Ellieth whispered.

  “He was my brother.” Savin looked away. “I saw what he was becoming, and I… closed my eyes to it. Do you know how many chances I had to confront him? I knew it was him from the start, cursing me. He was always gifted at magic, and he could never resist showing his work. He made sure I knew who it was.”

  “Why did you not tell your father what was going on?”

  “I am not a child.” He sounded affronted. “I can fight my own battles.”

  Ellieth settled back, frowning, and heard a heavy sigh.

  “That wasn’t it,” he admitted. “I lied to myself. I told myself it would never get this far.” He turned his head to look out over the mountain peaks. The day was clear, sunlight sparkling on the sharp lines of snow and ice against the crisp blue sky.

  Unexpectedly, as Ellieth watched, he gave a chuckle, and his head turned back to her. “What would I have done if you weren’t there, Ellieth?”

  “Taken care of yourself,” Ellieth said promptly. She smiled over at him until his lips curved in a response.

  “You think so?”

  “You could breathe fire at the time,” she pointed out. “So yes, I think so.”

  “A good point.”

  Silence fell between them, and Ellieth trailed her fingers through the water.

  “It was very brave, what you did,” she said at last.

  “Oh?”

  “Yes. You knew it was a trap, and you knew what he would threaten to tell your father… but you went anyway, because you believed peace was so important.” She raised one eyebrow. “And maybe just a little bit to prove you could beat your brother.”

  “Am I that obvious?” He had closed his eyes again, and did not open them now. He sounded aggrieved.

  “Yes. You may be centuries old, but brothers will always be brothers. If Allina…” Her throat closed. If Allina had betrayed her so, what would she do?

  Savin saw her fear.

  “Allina is as likely to turn into a bowl of fruit as she is to betray you,” he assured Ellieth.

  “Thank you for that.” She gave a gasp when he took her hand and pulled her through the water to sit on his lap. “I…”

  “You’re blushing.”

  “It’s the heat of the water.”

  “I’m sure it is.” One arm came around her waist and the other rose, dripping, to bring her face close to his. “So, wife. It seems we must start over.”

  “Yes.” She could barely make
her voice work. She was drowning in his black eyes, lost in the sensation of his skin against her own and the comforting strength of the arm that held her easily in place.

  “As I recall, you said it was most important to charm me.” There was a laugh rising up in his voice.

  “Are you making fun of me?”

  “Not at all.” His voice was a purr now. “Tell me… do all human women go to such lengths to charm their husbands?”

  “I, er…” She blushed at the thought of the very extensive instructions she’d received from the ladies of the human court, then giggled. There had been a great deal of advice to lie back and stare at the ceiling, none of which seemed especially necessary when her husband was now trailing his fingers lightly over her throat, brushing along the line of her collarbone, his eyes bright with possibilities that made her breath come short. “No one said anything about flying up mountainsides with dragons. Or fighting off treasonous younger brothers.”

  “Are you sure? You seem very good at it.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I was going to recommend that every man in the Elven court find a human woman to marry.”

  Ellieth’s laugh rang out over the pools.

  “What about the Elven women?”

  “I hadn’t thought that far ahead. But I suppose they’ll have to marry the human men. I think it will be popular— they all seemed quite charmed by your kind.”

  “We are very charming.” Ellieth’s mouth was twitching.

  “You are, indeed.” And he pulled her close for a kiss, his lips moving against hers as his arm tightened around her waist.

  Ellieth heard herself gasp. Her arms were around his neck, and she was dizzy with the mix of steam and the cold air, the feel of the rocks and Savin’s skin beneath her fingers. Her lips parted for his tongue, and the kiss deepened until she swore she could not have told up from down, or said if it was night or day. She could see only one thing, feel only one thing.

  “Savin.” A prayer. A dream. None of this seemed real.

  “Ellieth…” His fingers trailed down her arm and dipped below the water to cup her hip, and slide along her legs.

  “Should we…” She lost her train of thought when his lips found the soft skin of her throat. She arched against him as his arm tightened, and his other hand crept up to her breast. “Savin, please, we should go inside—”

  “Oh, I don’t think anyone will bother us out here, do you?” His breath brushed against her skin. He was tracing his tongue along her collarbone, and he groaned when she tangled her fingers in his black hair. “After all, the court knows we came here for our honeymoon.”

  Her laughter rang out into the clear air, and she brought his face up to hers for a kiss.

  “Yes, of course. A very good point, husband.”

  “I thought so,” he said smugly. His fingers traced down, around a nipple, and then he lifted her, so she could straddle him, pressing the length of their bodies together. “My God, Ellieth… I have wanted this since the first moment I saw you.”

  “I have also—” Ellieth broke off with a cry. She could feel his fingers drifting lower, between her legs. When they slipped inside, she forgot how to breathe. “Savin, what are you…”

  “Shhh.” His mouth covered hers, the arm around her waist holding her in place effortlessly as his fingers worked their magic. “Yes. Move your hips.”

  “What are you doing?” Ellieth whispered. Her hips were moving, though she swore it was through no volition of her own. Pleasure was heating her blood and she only wanted more. She pressed against Savin’s fingers, whimpering, and bit her lip when they withdrew. But they were back in a moment, parting her, and she felt him press against her.

  He waited, only his absolute stillness giving away the strength of his desire. His fingers curled around her hips, and he waited until she nodded before pressing her down along his length.

  “Oh, my God.” Ellieth rocked her hips forward against him and gasped with the sensation. She had never felt such a thing. She felt herself clench, tight, around him and he groaned. He wanted more, and she flushed at the thought of it— wanting the same, and not knowing what that meant.

  He showed her the way, his hips rising to meet hers so that he drove deep inside her. Ellieth heard herself moaning as her hips moved with his. She could not form her lips to any word other than please, over and over, and from his low laugh, he was more than happy to oblige.

  She pressed the back of her hand against her mouth to stifle her cries. That the monks might hear, that other pilgrims might come into the gardens, should have turned her cold— but it was only a goad to her pleasure, making her greedy for more. When Savin’s fingers brushed between her legs once more, finding a place exquisitely sensitive, Ellieth had to bite down on her hand to keep herself from screaming. She was so slick inside, so wet, and as the pleasure built, she could hardly think beyond wanting more.

  Something was building inside her, and she did not know what, knew only that she was desperate for it. His pace increased, and she moved her hips with his.

  “Savin.”

  “Give into it,” he murmured in her ear, his voice sending pleasure down her spine. “Let the pleasure take you. Come for me, Ellieth.”

  The command was clear, and she did not even have time to ask what he meant before she tipped over the edge into oblivion, shuddering around him. Her nails scored down his back, and his arms tightened around her, and she felt the answering rush of his own pleasure. He poured into her, buried to the hilt, and she cried his name with her release as the pleasure spiraled out, and she lost herself in him.

  When she came back to herself, her head was lying on his shoulder, and his fingers were playing idly over her skin. She shifted her hips and felt pleasure ripple through her once more, and he gave a sound that was half-laugh, half-growl.

  “Mine,” he said softly.

  “Mine,” Ellieth agreed, laying her palm against his chest.

  She gave a startled gasp when his hips moved.

  “Ready for more?” He asked her.

  “Yes.” Ellieth raised her head and kissed him deeply, writhing her hips against his. “Show me everything.”

  The End

  Part III

  Taken by 2 Dragons

  Shifter Menage Romance

  About the Book

  “Stop haunting me in my sleep, mother! You’ve been gone three months now, and still you’re going on about this?!”

  “Nathan Luther, Nathan Luther, Nathan Luther…” the name she keeps repeating in my dreams and a place called ‘Furth im Wald’.

  The only problem is Furth im Wald is all the way over in Germany.

  So I finally decide to make the trip, only to discover that ‘Nathan Luther’ isn’t a person, it’s two people: die-on-the-spot sex gods, Nathan and Luther. And these two men just can’t stop sending me signals!

  Things are just so perfect...

  Until they tell me that they’re dragon shifters and they need me to travel back in time with them to break some kind of evil curse or I will die...

  Great! I knew this whole thing was just too good to be true!

  Chapter One

  “Hannah, you must go to Furth im Wald, you must find Nathan Luther. He is the only one that can save you.”

  As Hannah reached for her mother, she started to float away; always near but never close enough to touch. Why couldn’t she ever reach her mother? Straining to reach her, pushing against the incredible weight that seemed to hold her down, Hannah stretched her arm out until she was sure it would dislocate if she went any further.

  “Nathan Luther, Hannah. Nathan Luther.” As her mother finally floated away into the ether Hannah woke from the dream that had been plaguing her ever since her mother passed away. Pushing her black hair back from her face she looked around her dark room.

  “Seriously, Mum. This is how you haunt me? Why are you still haunting me, anyway? You’ve been dead for three months now! I have no idea who Nathan Luther is. The internet has no
idea who Nathan Luther is. If the internet says they don’t exist, well then, they must not exist!” She spoke out loud, knowing that if her mother had actually been present she’d have never spoken to her that way. Hannah wasn’t actually sure if her mother really was haunting her. Perhaps it was her own psyche, her own thoughts harassing her while she slept, leftover guilt for not being there when her mother slipped away in her sleep.

  She was starting to think the dream wasn’t going to leave her alone. Not until she went there. Going to her mobile phone, she flicked through screens until she found her banking application. Logging in she saw that her balance was finally in the positive. Her small inheritance from her mother wasn’t enough that she could term herself as rich, but at least she wasn’t going to starve for a while.

  Curious, she looked up flights to the nearest airport to Furth im Wald and saw that she could get a hotel and a flight for less than some of her friends spent on a weekend out to the city. Making a snap decision, she booked the flight and the hotel and suddenly realized she wasn’t even sure which date the flight was for. Looking at her mobile again she saw she had less than 24 hours to pack and get ready. She thought about her best friend, Annie, as she started going through her clothes.

  “She’s going to be so chuffed I’m going on an adventure on my own! Or in a mood. One of the two, but oh well, I’m going” she said as she giggled to herself.

  “You are going to Germany in a few hours? On your own? With all of those hot guys, the even hotter women and without me? You little cow!”

  “I take it that means you’re just a little shocked?” Hannah replied to Annie. They were sitting in a pub not far from Hannah’s apartment, having a pint before Hannah left for her trip to the airport. Hannah smiled at her blonde haired friend. Annie’s brown eyes had lit up when Hannah told her what was happening and she seemed really happy, adding to Hannah’s own sense of excitement.

  “Just a bit, love. Just a bit. What brought this on?” Annie asked, taking a sip of her drink.