by Milly Taiden
His chuckle warmed her insides. “There’s a good reason to get dirty. I just thought of something for our date.”
She sat up in her seat, wondering what he might say. “Oh?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll have fun.”
Great. She giggled and gave him the address to the shelter, wondering what he had in mind for their date.
“I have one thing to handle and I’ll meet you at the shelter soon.”
“Okay, when you get there, ask for Riley. She’s the manager and will give you directions on where to find me.”
When she got to the shelter, she was greeted with her usual packed lunch and Titan ready to roll. Titan was a French Mastiff with a beautiful golden coat and sad gold eyes. She knew they took excellent care of him at the shelter, but Titan had been through some serious abuse in his life. It was the reason she was pulled in by him. She’d come to love that dog like she loved Morgan. They were her best friends.
“Hey, Riley,” she said to the shelter’s manager as she walked in the door. “I have a friend coming to join me in a little while.”
Riley was in her forties with a mop of blazing red curls and a dimple that welcomed everyone every time she smiled. “Oooh, is this someone special?”
Lexi grinned and got down to hug Titan and let him lick her hand. “I think so. He’s really nice and I’ve never had a man offer to come here with me. Not even those I was in a relationship with.”
Riley rolled her eyes. “You’ve dated so many losers, honey. All because you keep wanting to help them. A man has to want to help himself before he can be a good partner.”
Yeah. She’d known that. Her past few boyfriends had been total losers she’d wanted badly to help. No, they weren’t bad guys, just not interested in getting their shit together. It was her hope that she could help them change and get their lives in order, but at the end of the day, she’d end up breaking things off because they weren’t going to change. And in some cases, wanted to take her down with them.
“Anyway,” she sighed, “I’m glad Clacher wants to find out more about the shelter. He’s a business man and who knows? Maybe one day he can be a sponsor to some of our adoption drives.”
Riley gasped. “Oh my! That would be so awesome. I will be sure to send him your way when he gets here.”
Lexi guided Titan out the door and walked with him by her side down their usual path. He wasn’t leashed and with the shelter owning so much of the surrounding land, it was unnecessary to keep him tethered. Titan was old and didn’t tend to run off on his own.
The area surrounding the shelter had been gifted to them by a major donor family. A woman who’d owned it had a great love for animals and helped the shelter build new facilities to house more animals as well as have more space to exercise and walk the dogs.
The trail she and Titan walked was easy to find and follow. She kept to the trail so it would be easy for Clacher to find them when he arrived.
She heard the water rushing over rocks ahead and knew they weren’t far from the pond. She took off her backpack, pulled out the picnic blanket, her water bottle, and sandwich. Today, the shelter had put cookies and a fruit bar in her brown bag.
With the blanket over the grassiest spot she could find, she sat and Titan followed next to her.
She glanced down at his old eyes as he stared up at her. “How are you doing, boy?”
He didn’t reply, not with words. He pushed his head onto her palm. It was clear what he wanted, for her to pet him. She scratched behind his ear and even went as far as rubbing her cheek over his fur. She’d pay for that later. Her skin would burn and turn red and she’d need to take those super strong pills for allergies but she loved petting Titan.
He was the dog she wished she could take home. If she weren’t allergic, she’d have adopted him in a heartbeat. As it was, Riley made a point of sending Lexi photos of him every other day. She called to ask about him all the time.
She wondered if Clacher had any pets. Did dragons get along with other animals? She frowned. There were so many things she’d wanted to ask him but hadn’t had a chance. Now all the questions gathered in her mind, eager for a response.
Titan lifted his head off her lap and his ears perked up. She glanced around, looking for whatever got his attention.
There was a quick slash of wind against the trees. Her hair whipped around her head, covering her eyes. She pushed the strands back, trying to see what was going on.
Titan got up on all four and started barking loudly at the sky. She got off the blanket and glanced around, darkness took over the trees right above her.
A giant black figure flew past. Titan barked harder and faster, running circles around her. Then ran off.
6
“Titan!” she screamed, following the dog that never ran as he took off to the water’s edge.
The trees broke and she saw the figure clearly from the spot she was at. It was a massive black dragon, and he was coming for her. She clipped a leash on Titan and tried to yank him with her toward the safety of the trees.
He wouldn’t budge. She wasn’t sure what to do. The dragon was closing the distance and her senses told her this was no friendly dragon. Titan’s fear for her hit her in the chest. She tried to pull him away, now more worried about him than what the dragon could do to her. No fucking way she’d leave him out there to face that thing.
“Come on, Titan! Please!” she yelled, pulling at the leash.
The dog took a few steps her way, but rooted himself to the spot by the water. Suddenly a flash zipped in front of them. The movement was so fast, she was once again shaken by the force of the wind.
A massive green dragon had plunged like a missile at the black dragon, pushing him off course from coming toward Lexi. The black flew up, shooting fire balls at him. She watched the green dragon’s scales turn a metallic blue coloring. He then gave a loud roar and sent fire clouds toward the black dragon. She watched in shock as the black tried to outrun the massive clouds but they followed as if on a GPS and hit him hard.
His speed decreased, but he continued flying his way toward her. She gripped the leash, trying to keep Titan from flinging himself into the pond where the creatures fought. She knew he wanted to protect her, but keeping him away from the fire breathers was her way of making sure her old friend stayed alive.
She knew the metallic blue dragon was Clacher. Her heart had given a big flip the minute he came on the scene. The hairs on her arms stood on end. She sensed his anger over the attempted attack.
Clacher shoved the black back, pushing him farther from her.
In a crazy last minute move, the black went at the blue dragon. Moments before he was close enough for Clacher to hit him with fire balls, the black dropped low just above the water, straight toward her. She managed to get Titan moving at that point and ran for the trees.
The black sent big puffs of fire along her trail, hitting the trunk of the tree she was hiding behind. Luckily, the tree didn’t go up in flames. She hurtled herself further into the trees, landing on her ass and taking Titan with her.
The sounds of roaring got her rushing to her feet to see what happened. Clacher shot more giants clouds of fire at the black. It was a targeted attack and no matter what the other dragon did, the fire followed him until it hit the mark.
She watched the final assault send the dragon spiraling from the sky. He splashed hard into the water but never resurfaced.
A knot formed in her throat. Where was he? A moment ago, Clacher had been shooting down the enemy dragon and then he was gone. She glanced around, worried he’d been hurt.
“Clacher!”
Titan stopped barking the moment the black dragon went down. There was no sign of Clacher. She debated packing and going to search for him. He knew where she was. She’d give him a few minutes for him to find her.
The thought had just crossed her mind when she saw him coming down the trail with another of the older dogs by his side. Oreo was a black and white spott
ed pit bull that had been rescued from a fighting ring. He was really old and could only walk at this point. No more running for him.
It was then she realized Clacher was taking his time so Oreo wouldn’t be rushed, but he was looking at her up and down, searching for injuries.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I can’t believe you got here when you did.”
He walked up to her and she didn’t know what possessed her, but she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He squeezed her tightly to him. Her world felt perfect at that moment. Being in his arms had stopped the nerves that black dragon had brought to life inside her.
“Thank you so much for coming to my rescue.” She sighed. “I was trying to get Titan to go into the trees with me but he was set on getting the black dragon.”
She pulled back from their hug and met his gaze. There was genuine fear there. “Do you have a mark?”
She frowned. “A what?”
“A mate mark,” he replied. “The same as Morgan has on her back.”
“Oh. No. I don’t have any marks.” She bit her bottom lip and then pulled further away from him. “Is that why he was here? He thinks I am like Morgan? A Drachen mate?”
He shook his head. “He doesn’t think it. He knows it.”
Her lungs constricted and it became harder to breathe. “What do you mean?”
Clacher unleashed Oreo and let him walk around. He motioned for Lexi to sit on the blanket. She looked ready to pass out. He wasn’t sure what to think. The Noir, an evil breed of dragons, enemies of the Drachen family, did not attack unless they knew a female was a mate.
Sylvana, the witch consort to Sayeh, the Noir leader, was dead according to his brother Tor. So their ability to know when a mate was going to get her mark and be there to kill her should have been stopped. But judging from the fact Lexi had no mate mark and had been targeted, it could only mean that Sylvana was alive and still able to know a Drachen mate before the Drachen found out themselves.
“What did Morgan tell you about being a Drachen mate?” he asked as he sat next to her. The sweet scent of her kind heart made him scoot closer. She wasn’t just beautiful on the outside. He could see the beauty from her honesty, her kindness, and loyalty.
“She said there was a mark and that the bad dragons, the Noir, wanted to kill the mates to destroy your kind.” Sadness floated over her skin. “I’m so sorry.”
He nodded. “That’s all right. If you are a mate, this is only the beginning.”
“There’s no marks on me, Clacher.” She repeated her earlier answer. “Maybe they were after you.”
He raised a brow and gazed at her beautiful face. “Do you really believe that?”
Her shoulders slumped. “No. That thing was coming for me.”
“It will be fine,” he said in a pathetic attempt to soothe her. He sucked at this shit. What he wanted to know was if she was his mate. His dragon made no attempt at wanting to claim her. Sure, he liked her scent well enough, but the animal wasn’t crazy in lust or begging him to mate her right here, right now. Still, Clacher more than liked Lexi. He’d never met a woman as kind hearted, other than Morgan. Lexi’s openness and honesty allowed him to look deeply inside her and know she was a good soul.
7
“I’m not so sure it will be fine,” Lexi said. “How many of you aren’t mated yet?”
“Three.” He wanted to tell her she was his, but that was the biggest fucking lie he’d tell, so he stayed quiet.
She gave him a strange look. “Do you want a mate?”
He’d wanted a mate since he could remember. Going through life knowing somewhere out there was a female meant for him but being unable to find her had torn him apart for years. He’d thrown himself into his work and put the mate out of his mind. “I want a family. My own family.”
Her eyes widened. “You want children?”
“Yes. You?”
She nodded and smiled softly. “I’ve always wanted a bunch of kids. Being an only child is really hard. At least I had Morgan, who’s been like a sister to me. Still, I always wanted a big family. To go to each other’s houses for the holidays. To babysit nieces and nephews.” She chuckled. “To have someone to call when I need an ear.”
“Morgan has been a good friend, no?”
She blinked and sat up. “Oh, yes! She’s been the best friend I could have ever asked for, but I still longed for a big family. My own kids. You know. A husband. Someone to love me.”
He sensed her loneliness. “We all want our own families.”
“If…if I’m a Drachen mate, does mean I’m your mate?” The hope in her eyes made his gut clench. He wished that so fucking badly. He wanted to keep Lexi. She was kind and sweet and he’d been dying to get her naked since he first laid eyes on her.
“Not necessarily. It could be any of ours. I’ll make myself your guardian until we know for sure.”
She frowned. “What? Why?”
“You’ll need protection, twenty-four hours a day. They’ll keep attempting to kill you.”
She opened her mouth but he stopped her with a shake of his head.
“This isn’t a joke, Lexi. Your life is at stake and so is whoever your mate is. We need you to survive so your mark shows up and you can be mated.” He tried to keep his personal desires out of his words, but he had a hard time thinking of her mated to anyone else. At one time, he’d started to get feelings for Laila, but now things were different. Lexi made him feel more than anyone ever hard.
“So what do we do?”
“You can stay at the castle or I can stay with you. Your choice.”
She swiped her upper lip over her bottom one, and his eyes were once again drawn to the pink plumpness of her mouth. He wanted to kiss her. Fuck it, he wanted to get her naked under the stars and watch her moan and writhe as he made her his next meal.
“I have to work at the shelter. The castle is out of the way. It’s easier if you stay with me. I have two guest rooms now that Morgan’s gone.” She stared at his mouth, the scent of her arousal tickling his nostrils.
“Morgan said something about a boyfriend,” he said, knowing Morgan had specifically said Blake was only her friend.
“I don’t have a boyfriend!” Lexi frowned. “I wouldn’t be here with you if I did.”
“Why not?”
“Because,” she sputtered, “it’s wrong to cheat.”
A slow grin worked his lips. “Did you know that your cheeks get this beautiful shade of pink when you’re outraged?”
“Um…”
“But even sexier,” he leaned closer, taking a deep breath, “is the scent of how much you want me.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
He raised a hand to her face, needing to know if her skin was as soft as he imagined. She was softer. Grazing his fingertips over her cheek, he brought his hand down to her jaw. “I’m going to kiss you now, Lexi. Because I didn’t sleep last night wondering if you’d taste as sweet as the honey I smell wetting your panties.”
She gasped and he took the moment to meld their lips together. She tasted of coffee and something sweet. A raging hunger opened inside him. He pulled her closer, taking her on his lap and feeling her ass press at his erection. His cock hardened with her over it. Her hands curled around his neck, nails grazing at the back of his head and digging into his skull. She moaned into their kiss, her tongue tangling with his. She rubbed and curled it over his, luring him deeper into the fiery pit of lust he couldn’t control.
He slipped his hands under her shirt, caressing her large breasts and squeezing them in the silk holding of her bra. He grunted. She wiggled on his cock, making it harder for him to control his need for more.
He ran his hands up and down her spine. Her baby fine skin was warm and ultra-soft to the touch. She pulled away from their kiss and placed kisses over his beard and jaw. Her nails ran over his shoulders, her hands squeezing at his arms.
“Clacher, this is crazy,” she said breathlessly, not stopping.
“We barely know each other.”
He knew what she meant. Still, he couldn’t say why, but he felt like he did know her. Like she was the one woman he had finally grown feelings for in the space of one day. How was that possible? His dragon barely knew she existed, but he knew that there was something else, something special about her. She was meant to be his.
“Let’s get to know each other then, beautiful,” he whispered by her ear, running his pierced tongue over her lobe. He sucked on her jaw and loved the sharp intake of air she took.
“Now?” She moaned as he moved her to straddle his hips, the heat of her pussy hitting him straight in the crotch.
Her stretchy jeans were no match for him. He kissed her neck and undid the fly, pulling down her zipper and sliding his hand past her panties, straight into her slick heat.
“Oh god!” she groaned.
“You wanted to get to know each other better. Ask me anything,” he rumbled, his lips licking her harsh pulse along her neck.
She gasped, pressed into his teasing fingers and scooted closer to his hard cock. “Who, um, who is the most famous person in history you ever met?”
He rubbed his fingers up and down her clit, doing slow counter-clockwise circles. Her hips wiggled, looking for him to penetrate with his other fingers as he pressed at her pleasure center.
“I met a lot of important historical figures. Leonardo Da Vinci was one.”
8
Lexi thought she heard Clacher say Leonardo Da Vinci, but her mind was so focused on his fingers she couldn’t be sure. “Da Vinci?”
“Yes,” he growled, his fingers making her already aching pussy desperate for him to make her come.
She moaned, kissing his jaw and neck and gripping his hair tightly. “Oh, fuck!”
Her body tensed. His fingers didn’t increase the speed. He continued taunting her in slow motions that made her feel as if she were about to break in half. “How was it, meeting him?”
