by Zoe Chant
“Your sister? That’s your sister?” Chase’s black eyes widened. “Bloody hell, is she heading for Hugh?”
She wasn’t. Jane pushed straight past the startled paramedic. In all the crowd, she only had eyes for…
John abruptly felt as if he’d just been sucked down by an undertow.
“Him?” he spluttered. “My sister’s mate is, is…him?”
A little distance away, Reiner Ljonsson was walking towards Jane with a stunned, wide-eyed expression.
“No,” John said, as the pair joined hands. His own fist clenched. “No. No. No. Absolutely not. This is-”
“None of your business,” Neridia said firmly.
“But-“
“This is your Empress speaking, John.” She poked him in the side. “What’s wrong with him, anyway?”
“Oh boy.” Chase let out a low whistle, shaking his head. “Now there’s a long story. Ask Griff about it sometime.”
“Well, given that he was at Griff’s wedding, it must have worked out all right in the end.” Neridia folded her arms, glaring up at John. “You will not interfere with your sister’s happiness. Understand?”
John stared morosely at his sister. Even from this distance, it was obvious that she was practically radiant with joy. Reiner was gazing at her as if she was a priceless diamond. His usual scowl had been wiped away, replaced by pure wonder.
John sighed. “They are true mates,” he said reluctantly. “And whatever Reiner did in the past, it is true that my oath-brother trusts him now. It is not my place to stand in their way.”
Chase glanced at him, eyebrows rising. “You have changed.”
“And if he is not worthy of her,” John added, “I shall personally skin him and wear his mane as a hat.”
“Though not that much,” Chase concluded. He brightened. “I just thought of something. She’s a sea dragon, right? And he’s a lion shifter.”
“Oh, is that what he is?” Neridia narrowed her eyes at Chase. “Why are you smirking like that?”
“Think about it,” Chase urged, his evil grin spreading wider. “Sea dragon. Lion. So their kids will be…?”
They both looked at him blankly.
“Sea lions!” Chase yelled, and collapsed into helpless laughter.
There was such a thing, Neridia decided as she poked through her dressing-room for something to wear, as having too many pearls.
No there isn’t, her inner dragon said promptly. One either has all the pearls, or one does not. And we do not have all the pearls.
Neridia grinned to herself at her dragon’s reproachful tone. It was still miffed at her for having sold a few of the smaller pieces from the royal hoard to finance the purchase of this house. The sea dragons in her entourage had been even more shocked.
“No one needs a literal mountain of treasure,” she said to her inner dragon now, as she’d told the other dragons then. “And it’s not like we don’t have plenty left over.”
She pointedly looked around her dressing room, which would perhaps be more accurately described as a treasure room. Her human clothes were vastly outnumbered by ornate caskets, each one overflowing with gold and jewels. And this wasn’t even a hundredth of her personal hoard.
That is a good point, her inner dragon conceded. It settled down again in the depths of her mind. Tomorrow, we must send word back to Atlantis. The Voice of the Empress can send us more of our treasures.
Neridia chuckled under her breath, shaking her head at her dragon’s unabashed avarice. “The Master Shark is quite busy enough without distracting him with your whims, greedy beast.”
The Sea Council had not taken well to her appointment of the Master Shark as her Voice while she was away on land. Nonetheless, Neridia had great confidence in the megalodon shifter’s ability to bring the fractious sea nobles to heel. He could, after all, make them all fall silent merely by looking slightly hungry.
“You’ll have to be content with what we brought,” Neridia said to her dragon, smiling. “And our greatest treasure is already here, you know.”
Her dragon blinked its luminous eyes in contentment. Yes. He is.
John ducked through the doorway. Despite his caution, he still managed to catch his broad shoulders on the frame. Grimacing, he straightened—only to bash his head against the light fitting.
“This I have not missed about life on land,” he grumbled, catching hold of the swinging shade. “How small everything is.”
Neridia was somewhat regretting encouraging her knights to swap their helmets and armor for human clothes. Quite a few of her entourage already sported bruises across their foreheads, and it was still only their first day on land.
Though, she thought as she looked at her mate, there is definitely something to be said for human clothes.
John was already dressed for the evening’s formal dinner. The fine white fabric of his dress shirt clung to the powerful curves of his shoulders. She’d grown so accustomed to seeing him bare-chested in Atlantis, there was something erotic about his torso being covered.
Neridia found her gaze drifting lower, past the black cummerbund emphasizing the flatness of his abdomen. She regretfully tore her eyes away before she got too distracted. She still had to get ready, after all.
“Did you find out what all that shouting was about?” she asked John, as she went back to searching through her jewelry caskets.
“Ah.” He tilted his head, making the charms in his hair catch the light. “I fear that I have good news, and bad news.”
“What’s the good news?”
“The good news is that Fifth Knight of the Third Water has successfully defeated the unnatural creature lurking in our utility room.”
“What?” Neridia turned to stare at him.
His mouth quirked. “The bad news is that we need a new washing machine. Ideally one that does not make quite such an alarming growling noise when it starts.”
Neridia let out her breath in amusement. “Oh dear.”
“She was so proud at having saved her Empress from such a dire threat, I have not yet had the heart to explain the truth of the matter.” John sighed. “I have left her trying to work out how to dismember her kill. I think she plans to offer you its head as a trophy.”
“I’ll have a word with her later.” Neridia held a twisted rope of multi-colored pearls up to her neck, examining the effect in her mirror. “Any other casualties?”
“Seventh Artist of the Coalescing Tide has twisted his ankle. He absent-mindedly tried to swim off the deck. I have taken the opportunity to remind everyone about the concept of gravity.” John frowned, his tone shading darker with disapproval. “And it seems that Chase has introduced several of my knights to the concept of beer.”
“Don’t be too hard on them. It was their first human party, after all.”
“I shall not dispense any formal punishments.” John’s blue eyes glinted wickedly. “But I believe that I shall hold a full sword-drill tomorrow. At five in the morning.”
“A dead washing machine, a twisted ankle, and some hangovers. Our first day on land is going better than I expected.” Neridia tried on a simple circlet of gold, set with a pearl the size of a walnut. “Hmm. Is this too much?”
Even without looking at him, Neridia could feel John’s appreciative gaze sweeping down her silk-clad body. “Too much for what?”
“For the dinner tonight.” Neridia straightened the circlet, frowning at herself in the mirror. “It’s just local dignitaries, like the mayor and the regional representatives for the Parliament of Shifters. I don’t want to overdress for the occasion.”
Gently but firmly, John took the circlet from her head. “You are the Pearl Empress. It is impossible for you to be overdressed. You are the occasion.”
“John!” Neridia protested as he picked up one of her most elaborate crowns, a golden confection that blazed with diamonds and black pearls. “I can’t wear that!”
“But it is the one that becomes you the most.” He settled the
crown on her head. “And besides, it is my favorite.”
“Well…” Neridia met his eyes in the mirror, smiling. “In that case, of course I’ll wear it.”
“You should wear this, too.” He reclaimed the necklace she’d tried and discarded earlier. “There will be dragon shifters there. They measure status by the value of hoards. They must be left in no doubt as to your rank.”
His calloused fingertips trailed over the curve of her neck, lightly, sending delicious shivers through her. “All right,” she said, a little breathlessly. “If you think it’s a good idea.”
“I do.” He sank to one knee, capturing her wrists in his huge hands. “And you need bracelets too. Sapphires, I think.”
“John, I really don’t-“ Neridia caught her breath, her protest dying away half-formed as he swept his thumb over her inner wrist.
“Sapphires,” he breathed, pressing a kiss to the sensitive skin. “Many sapphires.”
Neridia could only submit as he fastened wide golden bracelets around her forearms. The gleaming sapphires caught in the fine filigree nets precisely matched the deep indigo of his intent, hungry eyes.
His hand ran over the intricate metalwork, and then, more slowly, up over the soft curves of her upper arms. Neridia’s lips parted as he leaned in close…but rather than claim her mouth, he tilted his head to place a light, teasing kiss just behind her ear.
“Earrings,” he whispered, his breath warm against her skin.
Neridia gasped as he gently nipped at her lobe. Withdrawing again, John selected a pair of pearl and diamond drops from a casket. With infinite care, he fastened them to her ears.
“There,” he said, his voice husky. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he gently turned her to face the mirror. “See.”
Neridia looked at herself. Her eyes were as large and dark as the black pearls of her crown. The gleaming jewels around her neck emphasized the heightened color of her skin. Diamonds dripped from her ears like falling drops of rain.
“Okay,” she said, laughter mingling with desire. “Now that really is too much, John.”
He made a deep, thoughtful rumble, low in his throat, as he drew her up to her feet. “Perhaps you are right.”
His hand ran up her spine. Before she’d realized his intent, he’d undone the fastenings of her ball gown.
“John!” she protested, as he slipped the indigo silk over her shoulders, leaving her only in her panties.
He stifled her objection with his mouth. His hard body pressed her back against the wall of the dressing-room. The crisp linen of his shirt rubbed against her bared breasts, sending jolts of pleasure through her hardening nipples.
His fingers slipped under the waistband of her panties. “Still too much,” he murmured against her mouth.
Stepping back, he drew her panties down, slowly. Neridia trembled, a wash of heat pulsing between her thighs as his hands caressed the soft curves of her legs from hips to ankles.
“There,” he said, rising again. He took a step back, gazing at her as if she were some priceless work of art. “Now that is just right.”
She shook her head at him, pursing her lips in a mock-pout. “Wrong. Now this is not enough.”
He started to turn to the treasure-hoard, but she caught his hand. Lacing her fingers through his, she pulled him out of the dressing-room and into the bedroom.
He let her guide him so that he was sitting on the bed. Straddling his lap, Neridia kissed him deeply, unfastening the tiny buttons of his shirt as she did so. Never breaking the kiss, she ran her hands over the planes of his chest.
Her fingers found the pale, smooth scar over his heart. The feel of it made her kiss him even more fervently, winding her other hand into his braided hair. She had come so close to losing him…
He kissed her back with equal hunger. His hands tightened on her back. His hot mouth, the press of his bare skin against hers, the solid strength of his arms around her…they were all a silent, unspoken promise.
A promise that he would always be there. That nothing would ever part them again.
His hard length pressed against her wet sex, demanding even through the layers of fabric separating them. She moaned into his mouth as he flexed his hips, rubbing against her in just the right way.
“Still not enough,” she gasped.
He answered with a hungry growl, biting at her lip. His hands jerked impatiently at his belt. Raising herself up on her knees, she helped him free his eager cock.
He seized her hips, stopping her from lowering herself down again. She squirmed, her core clenching in anticipation at the tantalizing feel of his thick head just parting her folds.
“Enough?” he murmured into her ear.
“No!” No matter how she writhed, his strength kept her in place. “Please, John, please!”
Slowly, teasingly, he slid her down a few inches. “Enough?”
Desperate with desire, she tightened around him in answer. He gasped, and the surge of his need swept her over the edge. Abandoning his teasing at last, he drove into the pulsing waves of her ecstasy.
She dug her fingernails into the rock-hard muscles of his back, locking her legs around his waist. Her climax surged higher and higher, drawn out by every thrust of his body, until she couldn’t tell the difference between her pleasure and his.
His sweat-slick torso pressed against hers as he arced up. Body to body, soul to soul, they came together, and were one.
Breathing hard, Neridia collapsed against John’s chest. He held her tight, rolling back himself so that they spooned together on the bed. She closed her eyes, wrapped in his arms, drifting in perfect contentment.
Only for a moment, though.
With a sigh, she opened her eyes again. “We’re going to be late.”
“Mmm.” John pressed his face into the back of her neck, inhaling deeply. “It appears so.”
“John.” She pushed at his arm, which had no effect whatsoever. “John. We have to get up.”
“It occurs to me,” he said, his voice a deep, lazy rumble, “that if one is going to be late, one might as well be very late.”
She let out her breath, half-amused, half-exasperated—and then caught it again, as he started kissing the side of her neck.
We are the Pearl Empress, her inner dragon pointed out. Others can wait on our pleasure.
With a laugh, Neridia surrendered to temptation. Rolling onto her back, she wrapped her arms around her mate.
“This isn’t setting a very good example, you know,” she teased, drawing him down for another kiss. “You’re the Imperial Champion. Aren’t you supposed to put duty before everything else?”
“Probably.” He smiled down at her, his blue eyes shining like sunlight on the sea. “But I’m only human.”
A note from Zoe Chant
Thank you for buying my book! I hope you enjoyed it. Please consider leaving a review on Amazon - I love hearing what my readers think!
The next book in the series will be Hugh’s (have you guessed what he is yet…?), and then finally Ash. If you’d like me to email you when I release new books, click here to join my mailing list.
The previous books in the Fire & Rescue Shifters series are:
Firefighter Dragon
Firefighter Pegasus
Firefighter Griffin
You can also buy all three books together (at a discount!) in the Fire & Rescue Shifters Collection 1 box set.
Keep reading for a special preview of Firefighter Dragon…
The cover of Firefighter Sea Dragon was designed by Augusta Scarlett.
More Paranormal Romance by Zoe Chant
Firefighter Dragon (Fire & Rescue Shifters # 1) A curvy archaeologist with the find of a lifetime + a firefighter dragon shifter battling his instincts + a priceless artifact coveted by a ruthless rival = one blazing hot adventure!
Firefighter Pegasus (Fire & Rescue Shifters # 2) A curvy pilot wary of flighty men + a firefighter pegasus shifter determined to win her heart + a high spe
ed air race with even higher stakes = one explosive romance!
Firefighter Griffin (Fire & Rescue Shifters # 3) A curvy single mom burned by love + a unique half-eagle, half-lion shifter firefighter with a wounded soul + the little boy who brings them together = one heart-warming romance!
Firefighter Sea Dragon (Fire & Rescue Shifters # 4) A lonely woman who feels like a fish out of water + a firefighter sea dragon baffled by human ways + a forbidden love that will shake the whole sea = one magical romance!
Protection, Inc. Box Set 1. Three thrilling shifter romances from Zoe Chant’s bestselling Protection, Inc. series! Hot shifter bodyguards fall for their courageous curvy mates while protecting them from deadly danger.
Gray's Hollow Dragon Shifters Collection #1. Four sizzling paranormal romances from Zoe Chant's bestselling Gray's Hollow Dragon Shifter series! Wealthy dragon shifters fall for their courageous curvy mates in a very special small town.
The Griffin’s Mate. A curvy businesswoman who’s new in town + a lonely griffin shifter searching for someone to share his nest + a small town with a big secret = a hot and heartwarming story of love and family.
And many more!
Special Preview: Firefighter Dragon
The first thing Virginia Jones had learned in her very first lecture as a college student was that real archaeology was nothing like archaeology in the movies. “We do not,” her professor had declared as he swept the rows of eager young faces with a withering stare, “break into foreign locations with crowbars and dodge deadly traps in order to find lost golden treasures.”
If he could see me now, Virginia thought with black humor as she levered the crowbar, the old man would have an aneurysm.
Admittedly, the foreign location was a construction site in the south of England, and the deadly traps were a couple of CCTV cameras, but Virginia was pretty sure her old professor would still have disapproved. Particularly as she was technically—OK, very definitely—breaking the law. Along with the site's side gate. If she could manage to get the stupid thing open.
