ROMANCE: SHAPESHIFTER ROMANCE: Dragon Baller's Bride (Dragon Shifter Alpha Male Romance) (Paranormal Romantic Suspense)

by Summer Cooper

  Chapter Four

  A month passed. She’d called her parents to let them know she was safe, but that she could not come home yet and that she was going to be staying in Germany a while longer. She spent her nights with Luther and Nathan, trying to work out a plan and cried as her 28th birthday passed without a hitch. When they weren’t planning they were making love and she would be happy if she knew that she hadn’t completely screwed the world up.

  In the weeks that had passed they’d learned that the men were still cursed, the tattoos having appeared on their skin when the curse was placed, still present. She and her family line, the fate of the world were the only things that had changed. They couldn’t do anything for a year, they had to wait because the men could only travel back in time once a year; the spell wouldn’t work more than that for some reason.

  Hannah would have been despondent without Luther and Nathan there to pick her spirits up, to keep her going. She’d learned something today, however, that could change it all. The plan had originally been to go back, to stop past Hannah from going to the men, thus stopping the German Army from winning World War II, for that is what had happened. The Germans had won and were still destroying the world, one country at a time. This was not something any of them could live with and each wanted desperately to get back in time, to fix what they had broken.

  Now, though, the men might not want to do anything with her, they might want to change the plan and she didn’t know what to do about it. Walking into the bar she got their attention and they followed her back into the office. Sitting on the couch she allowed Luther to pull her close as Nathan took his usual spot at her feet. He loved her feet.

  “You’re pregnant darling. You know that now, right?” Nathan asked her.

  “Yes, but how did you know? I only found out for sure today!” she exclaimed.

  “We’re dragonkin, we know these things.” Luther assured her.

  “Do you know whose it is? Past or present?” Hannah asked.

  “No, and it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change anything. We have to change the past. If it’s one of us, the future us that is, then the child will be conceived anyway. If not, we’ll figure something out. Because the one thing we know is that we love you, but we can’t let the world end up like this. We would both love this child, but we can’t allow it to survive in this world, it’s not fair to that poor baby. We just can’t do it.” Luther sounded as though he grieved the loss already, as though he knew the child already.

  Hannah wanted to scream, to cry, to hold her hands over her child and protect it but she knew she could not. The world had to go back to how it was and she had to sacrifice this child if that’s what it took. That meant she’d give birth, have the baby, and get to know it before she had to go back and erase it. The urge to scream increased until she burst out crying, her tears breaking the hearts of the men who now loved her more than anything.

  “Dry your eyes, Hannah. We will fix this, I promise. It’s a nightmare world we’re living in at the moment; we created it with our meddling. But we have each other and that will never change. We have one more chance and one other option. An option we haven’t explored yet but Nathan’s been working on it. So dry your eyes, my love, it may take some time but this will be sorted.” Luther wiped the tears away, kissing her despite her messy face.

  “The one thing I’m going to cherish the most out of all of this, Hannah,” Nathan spoke, “is that you became a part of our lives. The wonder of gaining memories as you made them, remembering you in two different times with two different lives is a miracle I will never want to give up. Loving you is one of the rocks of my life now and I would not trade it. But if it will dry your eyes, I’ll give my own life. I have a meeting in a couple of weeks and I believe we can fix everything then. I didn’t want to give you false hope but every day I believe I learn more and I’ve come to realize that I caused this. I have to fix it. I’m leaving tonight to start my journey, it will take a while, but when I return things will either be fixed or it will be even better than it was to begin with. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Hannah reached to him, loving him just as much as she did Luther. How could she love them so quickly, so completely? She knew why, the experiences they shared built their love, built their trust in each other. These were her men, nothing could change that. Running her fingers over the dragon tattoo spreading over Nathan’s chest, she pulled on his nipple rings. He hadn’t had them in the 16th century but she’d learned how much having the rings tugged on blew his mind since her return.

  Reaching for him she kissed him deeply, letting him pull her into his lap at the other end of the couch. Luther moved to one of the chairs in the room, wanting them to have this moment to themselves. Nathan removed her clothing slowly, with care and practiced ease. Having her beneath him was one of his favourite things in the world. He loved her intensely, his every movement and touch a declaration of his love. From her head to the soles of her feet he kissed her, caressed her, and memorized the taste, feel, and smell of her. His fingers knew every ridge of her skin when he was done; his tongue knew its taste.

  Nathan went so far as to turn her over, loving the backside as much as the front. From her dark rose nipples to her pert ass cheeks, he knew her. He knew the mole below her right shoulder blade, the birth mark in the shape of an angel on the right side of her tummy, the scar on the sole of her right foot from a broken piece of glass. She was imprinted on his mind, his soul now and he could go to his future knowing that she would be a part of him always.

  As he thrust into her, as her pulsing body pleasured his nerve endings, he knew that he loved this woman more than any other person on earth, even more than Luther and he would give his very life for her. His shout when he came was not only a shout of pleasure; it was triumph, understanding, and resignation. Beneath him, panting out her own enjoyment, Hannah opened her eyes as she came down from her own high.

  “Nathan!” she screamed. Touching his chest, she was amazed at what she saw. His tattoo had shrunk down, only covering his shoulder and arm now. His chest was completely bare! He looked down, confused at what he saw.

  “Luther?” Turning to look at his friend, his brother, his compatriot, he saw that Luther’s tattoo had shrunk as well.

  “What does this mean?” Hannah asked the men.

  “I could tell you.” A female voice intruded on their shock and they all looked to the office desk where the purple headed vixen sat, looking at all of them with a pleased smile.

  “Erin? How did you get in here? What do you know about any of this?” Luther asked his barmaid.

  “Oh, for such old souls, you two can still make the common male mistake of seeing only what you want to see. I am Eir, the goddess of peace and mercy. I have been watching you for a while now; to see what changes you’ve gone through, to see what you have learned. Finally, finally you have learned the error of your ways Nathan; you have learned love and remorse. That is all we deities have ever wanted. For you to learn and finally you have. You destroyed two kingdoms out of your immaturity and uncaring ways. You destroyed lives. We decided to take one from you; that of your woman and your child. Yes, your child. That one belongs to you. Others in the future may not, but that one will be yours. Now, look outside and watch.”

  They all went to the window in the office, gasping and covering their eyes as a bright flash enveloped everything they could see, travelling out as though it were a tidal wave. In amazement they watched as the light surged away from them, the world changing around them as they gazed. The light somehow changed, the air cleared, lights came on in houses that had previously been dark, and houses appeared where none had existed.

  “We’ve eliminated the curse, we’ve repaired the damage your little escapade caused and we’ve turned you back to mortal dragonkin. But you will be the last of your kind. There will be no more dragonkin on this earth after you. Hannah and her line are no longer cursed and the world can be a much better place than the future you cre
ated. Just make no more mistakes or we will come back!” With that Eir popped out of the room. She just disappeared. Then she came back. “And keep an eye out for Loki, he’s been at it again with his mischief. I’ll be back to work on Monday.” With that she popped out for the last time.

  Luther, Nathan, and Hannah screamed their delight and joy, jumping up and down, hugging each other close. Hannah turned on the telly and it was normal again, not a state-sponsored program meant for indoctrination. Her parents had a Facebook account and were alive and well. She was still pregnant. Smiling at her men, at these two men she loved entirely, she knew that this was their final chance. They would, and could, make the most of it.

  Epilogue

  Eight Months Later

  Little Aidan slept in his bed, his green eyes closed peacefully in his sleep. He didn’t know anyone else was in the room with him or that it was a minor god there with him. Loki stared down at the child, mischief and mayhem in his mind. Waving his hand over the child’s head, whispering a few ancient words and gazing intently, Loki watched as a birthmark appeared faintly on the child’s left shoulder in the shape of a dragon. Loki laughed loudly, pleased with himself as the child burped and a stream of smoke exited form his tiny mouth. Aidan’s mother, thinking she’d heard someone in the room, came in to check on her baby, but not seeing anyone she picked up her child and carried him out to his fathers, content with her world.

  THE END

  Taken by 2 Tigers

  Shifter Romance

  About the Book

  Liza Matthews is dedicated to her job as a rare books cataloger at a local university. When her most recent client, an eccentric wealthy philanthropist donates his collection to the college, Liza is given the chance of a lifetime to work with him. There’s a catch though and that catch is in the form of a surprise visit from the philanthropist’s son, Maximus. Unlike his father, Maximus is the epitome of masculinity and with cocky self-assuredness, he definitely knows it. Immediately upon meeting, Liza is drawn to Maximus despite his arrogance. He’s the quintessential rich, sexy alpha and Liza knows that she wants him and he wants her, there’s just one complication: Dominic.

  Liza meets Dominic in a most unconventional way. She literally falls into his arms and once there she realizes that’s where she could possibly belong. Dominic, a warm, handsome veteran also wants Liza to himself and Liza finds herself drawn to both men, unable to choose between them. Then a crisis occurs that jeopardizes Liza’s safety and she soon finds out that both men harbor a unbelievable secret that maybe she would have been better off not knowing.

  Prologue

  Is it possible to love more than one man? I didn’t know, but as Dominic wrapped his arms around my waist and entered me gently from behind, not only did my body welcome him, but also my heart. And as I moaned his name, he kissed my neck, all while trailing a path of pleasure down my spine with his warm, calloused hands. I didn’t know about love, but I knew about lust. And I was in lust with Dominic. At least I thought I was.

  My mind tried to ponder this, but then all thoughts ceased as the pleasure of Dominic reaching down between my legs and playing with my clit rendered me useless and then a deep masculine voice that wasn’t Dominic said from the shadows, “You’ve had your fun, Dominic, now it’s my turn.”

  Chapter One

  I remember it like it was yesterday. I walked excitedly into Mr. Cornwell’s office where the university was temporarily housing his private collection. I wanted to continue cataloging my finds and instead of seeing Mr. Cornwell’s short stature and weathered features, I saw a powerfully built man with his back turned to me wearing a trench coat, peering pensively at the Cornwell Rare Books Collection that lined the wall directly to my right.

  Even though he was turned away from me I could tell that he was larger than most men that I had encountered anywhere. I was an avid traveler so had been most places in the world. I didn’t say this to be boastful. It was just a fact. My parents were anthropologists and hadn’t left my little brother or me to be raised by other family members or, as was popular in the neighborhoods I remembered as a child, nannies. Hence, my brother and I traveled with them across the world, learning different languages, immersing ourselves in diverse cultures.

  My brother and I ultimately chose different paths. He was a shiftless, unemployed gambler constantly in trouble. I didn’t follow in our parents footsteps either; I became a librarian focused on preserving the rare collections and special discoveries of the local university where I was employed. This was also the reason I was currently in Mr. Cornwell’s office staring at a stranger. Mr. Cornwell, a good friend of the Chancellor, had made a generous gift to the university. The university gave me the exciting task of cataloging his sizeable donation.

  I cleared my throat and said, “Excuse me, sir, but I’m looking for Mr. Cornwell. Have you seen him?”

  The man didn’t turn around; he continued staring at the hard covers. His long graceful fingers traced across their fragile spines reverently, almost as if caressing a lover. A shiver moved up my back and immediately I looked around to see if there were a draft in the room or if watching this man caress these books affected me in an intimate way.

  He didn’t turn around to speak; he just continued his perusal of what I now considered my books. “Dad’s around somewhere. If you see him, tell him that his son is waiting for him. Would you?” I was surprised. This giant was Mr. Cornwell’s son?

  “I’m Liza Matthews, the rare books cataloger from the university in charge of every aspect of the transfer of the material from your father’s possession to our----.”

  “I know who you are; the attractive young librarian.” He said this part matter-of-factly and I was thankful that my olive complexion tanned well. With the summer heat, my skin was a light brown and so I was sure this man couldn’t see the blush that had crept up my cheeks.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t think we’ve met.”

  “There was no reason to meet,” he said finally turning around to face me.

  What first caught my attention were his eyes. They were the color of rich, dark molasses and then strangely enough my eyes fell to his lips. They were as full as my own and showed no hint of a smile. The guy might have been handsome, but he was clearly not the friendliest person, as he kept his expression aloof and impassive.

  “Are you done looking at my mouth?” He said and his lips curled up in a sardonic smile. I decided right then that I would have rather he maintain his unfriendly expression than that mocking smile that made me immediately uncomfortable.

  “Please tell your father that I stopped by,” I found his boldness obnoxious and I turned on my heel to leave, but the stranger stopped me.

  “Forgive me. I was rude. Can we start again?” He walked towards me. Something about the way he move captured my attention. He was graceful in almost a predatory way. It seemed as if he were a predator stalking his prey as he came to stop only inches from me.

  “I’m Maximus Cornwell. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person. You have a reputation of being one of the best in your field.”

  He didn’t extend his hand. He only looked down at me with a curious expression in his dark eyes. I nervously licked my lips, very much aware of the heat that seemed to emanate from Maximus’ body to overwhelm my own. His compliment flattered me. I was one of the best, but I was too modest to admit it aloud.

  I raised my hand and extended it to him, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Maximus,” and he surprised me by bringing my hand to his lips and kissing the back of it. He held my eyes as he did so; the aloof expression replaced by a hint of desire that triggered an instant physical response from me. I felt heat rush from the flesh that he kissed and race up my arm. Goosebumps appeared on my skin and he slowly brought my hand down but didn’t let it go.

  I hesitated and then pulled away from him. I immediately missed his warmth and wondered if perhaps I had been in a sexual drought too long since I reacted rather embarrassingly to this strange
r’s touch. I studied him again. He was so tall, I thought to myself for the second time and his shoulders were massive as well. Under the trench coat, he had on a three-piece suit, which apparently, was tailored to accommodate him since he was built like a professional athlete. I imagined he could walk out on a field any day and start playing football with no practice needed; yet, he had the grace and sophistication of a man born into money. That was no surprise given that his father was a very wealthy man, if not on the eccentric side. Very interesting rumors surrounded Mr. Cornwell, but surprisingly none had mentioned a son.

  Maximus took that moment to shrug out of his trench coat and placed it over his father’s chair. He brought his hand up to push his jet-black locks away from his face and I noticed how long his hair was. It seemed to reach down to just above his shoulders.

  He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me appraisingly. I wasn’t sure what he saw when he looked at me, but I know what I saw this morning when I looked in the mirror: A petite curvy, brunette, a little heavy-chested with no interest in fashion. I pretty much wore sheath dresses and kitten heels every day because it was easy and I didn’t have to think much. Pants were too much work. They had to be ironed or dry-cleaned and I never knew what top to wear with which pants. I simplified my life by just wearing dresses and low-heeled shoes. It worked for me. I always looked professional, and admittedly boring, since a black dress and black shoes were my standard go-tos.

  So I stood there, fresh-faced, without make-up, and probably blushing as Maximus studied me.