Burning Secrets (The Snake River Prison Camp Series Book 1)

by Jules Tyler

  “Of course they took the bait. They believe I’m here because I refused some orders,” Cole muttered into the phone, trying to keep his voice low. “Yes, I’m sure we’ve found her. The one we’ve been looking for. She’s running the place, just as the old man said she would be.”

  McKinzy? Why were they looking for McKinzy? And who was this old man he was talking about?

  “I’ll call you when I’m ready for you to come get her. I’m gonna have a little fun with her first, if you catch my drift.” Adrian was growing sick the more he listened to Cole. Of course he knew what Cole thought he was going to do. Cole was going to overpower a vulnerable human woman before sending her off to whatever sick place he worked for.

  Cole walked past the rock Adrian was hiding behind and Adrian’s lion burst forth. A booming snarl ripped from his throat as he lunged for Cole’s back. His lion would stop at nothing to protect his mate, including taking on a dragon.

  And with that thought, Cole’s charcoal gray and crimson dragon took over Cole’s human form. Giant clawed feet hit the ground, making the earth shake as he bellowed a warning to Adrian’s lion. Lunging towards Cole’s soft scales on his stomach, Adrian allowed his claws to do the work. Slashing and snarling, he fought the best he could. Must protect mate.

  Cole blew out a stream of fire before using his clawed hand to grab Adrian and pulling him up to eye level. Even in this form, Adrian could tell he was mocking him. Gasping for air, Adrian tried to wriggle free from Cole’s grasp. His vision was blurring, losing oxygen and blood flowed by the second from the tight grip Cole had on him. Cole lifted a lip as though he was sneering at Adrian and flung him as his eyes cast upward.

  Skidding to a stop before hitting the side of a huge boulder, everything started to fade from his vision. Before everything went black, he swore he could make out a blue and silver dragon fighting Cole’s dragon.

  Chapter Fourteen

  McKinzy swore she could hear a dragon’s roar as Desmond’s voice came over the radio, “Hey, McKinzy… We have an issue. There’s a dragon in our woods.”

  She dropped the radio to the counter before scooping it back up, “I’m on my way. Get the inmates to safety. I’ll find you when it’s over.”

  Taking off at a run from her front step, she focused her hearing. It was coming from the watchtower’s direction. There was no way that she was going to be able to stop Cole in time if she stayed human though. This was her home now. It had her dragon singing deep in her bones and she would stop at nothing to protect it, even if that meant exposure.

  “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon,” McKinzy closed her eyes, trying to call her dragon to the surface. With the amount of energy each shift took, she didn’t have to call on her dragon often, but when she did, it was typically a slow process. One thought came to mind as she felt her dragon stir, what if Adrian is out there? That was all the encouragement her dragon needed. McKinzy let out a battle cry as her dragon came forth. Scales and talons replaced her human appearance from her. Stretching her wings out wide, she could see Cole now. Pushing with all her might with her legs, she took flight.

  Flapping her wings, she climbed higher and higher. She needed to gain enough height to dive into Cole hard enough to do some damage. As she started to gain altitude, she noticed something in Cole’s grasp. Something with dark, fuzzy fur around its face. Adrian. No! She shrieked, diving down towards the ground. She watched Cole toss Adrian aside and give her a sickening grin. He had planned this!

  McKinzy tucked her wings and dove, gaining speed faster and faster until she finally caught his wings with her talons and yanked him upwards. She pulled him higher and higher until she finally dropped him towards the ground again. As she released, she felt his talons from his front claws sink into her back feet and they tumbled towards the ground together. They rolled through the trees in a ball of scales and claws until she had him pinned against mountains. She slashed and bit at him as she tried to hold him against the mountain side. He was strong, but not strong enough to beat her fury.

  Her dragon was in charge now. Protecting her mate was all that mattered at this point. Cole struggled against her, trying to force him off of her. There was no escaping her blind rage at this point though. She slashed her talons through his neck and felt him beginning to shift back into his human form. Waiting until he was completely back in his human form, she followed his lead. She deserved some answers.

  Standing naked in front of him, she folded her arms and scowled at him as he lie bleeding on the forest floor, “Why?”

  His lips curled into a sickening grin, “To find you.”

  “To find me?”

  “Yes we’ve been trying to hunt you down for three years. Tricky little female, hiding in plain sight all this time.”

  “Who is “we”?” She demanded.

  “You’ll find out soon enough.” He choked out as blood clogged his throat and the last bit of life left his eyes.

  Well that was just great. Now she was pissed. She had been hiding, he was right, but how had they found her? She had been extremely careful. Until you accepted this position from Michaelson...Michaelson! That old bastard must’ve set her up! She felt her dragon raging within her before she heard a weak whimper. Adrian!

  McKinzy turned and rushed in the direction that Cole had tossed him. She found him lying in a heap of dirt and branches. His beautiful coat was matted with blood and dirt. He looked weak.

  She felt tears blurring her eyes as she stroked his mane, “Don’t you dare die on me, Adrian. I need to talk to you. I need you. We’ve only just begun. Please live for me.”

  McKinzy’s head snapped up as she heard footsteps approaching. Narrowing her eyes towards the trail, she realized it was the crew.

  “Duke! We have to move him! He’s hurt and I can’t tell how bad it is underneath all of this debris,” she choked out a sob.

  He dipped down and gave Adrian a once over, “Jasper and Desmond, you two help me carry him back to my cabin. I have stuff to treat him there. Elijah, you run ahead and fill the sink with warm soapy water and grab my duffel bag out of the hall closet. Make sure to lay out a sheet on the living room floor. This is gonna get worse before it gets better.”

  McKinzy watched in horror as the men carefully scooped Adrian up and started walking away with him. He looked like a squished beer can. Cole had hurt him and it was all her fault!

  “McKinzy, don’t you dare shut down on us. He needs you! Go get some clothes and meet us at my place,” Duke barked at her.

  “Right. Clothes,” she nodded. She needed a lot more than just clothes, but that would have to do until she could make certain that Adrian was for sure okay.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Adrian. Adrian, wake up,” Jasper’s voice was breaking through the fog, calling him back to light. “Adrian, we need you to shift back so we can assess your damage.”

  Adrian could feel his bones popping and cracking back into human form as he slowly opened his eyes, “Why do I feel like I got hit by a bus?”

  “You don’t remember trying to take on a dragon?” Elijah called from the kitchen.

  Flashes of red and gray with talons ran through his head like a movie as he remembered the events that led up to this moment. No wonder he felt like he’d broken every bone in his body. In fact, with the way he had been in Cole’s clutches before he threw him, he probably did break every bone in his body.

  He leaned his head back trying to ignore the fire in his abdomen, “What’s the damage, Duke?”

  “Looks like you’ve already started healing, but you’ve got a few broken ribs, even more bruised ribs, and a couple of deep lacerations. But since we got the bleeding stopped, as long as you take it easy for a couple of days, you should be fine.”

  “That was a quick assessment,” Adrian huffed a laugh, then regretted it as pain seared up his sides.

  “Well, we had to get the bleeding stopped before we could try to have you shift back, but the way you shifted back told me everything I
needed to know about your ribs…” Duke trailed off as there was a knock at the door.

  Desmond was closest to the door, most likely standing guard after what had just happened, and peeked through a crack in the door before opening it all the way, “It’s the boss lady.”

  McKinzy slipped through the doorway and was right next to him, grabbing his hand, “How is he, Duke?”

  “Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Duke gave her a somber smile.

  She glanced over at Adrian and he watched as the relief washed over her face as she realized he was conscious, “You’re alive!”

  He smiled, “Yeah, beautiful, I’m alive.”

  “Next time you decide to take on a dragon, would you mind warning me first?” She tried to joke.

  “Why would I warn you? I was trying to protect you from him. You’re human and highly flammable.”

  She raised an eyebrow and there was a beat before she responded quietly, “I’m not human, Adrian.”

  Adrian tried to sit up and look into her eyes to see if she was bluffing. “You’re not?”

  “No…”

  “Then what are you?”

  “You don’t remember?”

  Adrian thought back to everything, trying to sift between what felt real and what felt like it was probably a dream, “I remember a blue and silver dragon coming to knock Cole on his ass… But I blacked out shortly after that.”

  “Well at least we know your short term memory isn’t shot,” she smiled.

  There was a beat of silence before his eyes widened at the realization, “You were the other dragon!”

  “She sure was! She dove into Cole like a badass and ripped him to shreds!” Elijah exclaimed from the kitchen.

  “Elijah, shut up!” Everyone shouted at the same time.

  “Okay, okay!” Elijah threw his hands up and pretended to zip his lips.

  “Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Adrian asked, trying to shift his weight to face her.

  McKinzy chewed her lip for a minute, trying to decide whether or not she was ready to reveal her deepest secrets.

  “You can tell us, boss. We’re all in this with you now,” Duke urged her on.

  Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for the story she was about to tell. “I was in hiding for the last seven years. When I was nineteen, someone had been sent to come after my family. This was after the first wave of attacks from the government trying to wipe the dragon shifters out. My family had been smart and had been playing it safe and hiding in plain sight. When I was offered a position with the prison, I had been sent away for training and while I was gone they had managed to figure out where my family was hiding out and came after them. They didn’t do a headcount though, so I thought I had gotten lucky with my survival. I had to seal my heart off from everyone around me, couldn’t trust anyone, had to keep my head low to make sure I didn’t end up like them. I was convinced I was the last one left up until Cole made an appearance yesterday, but now I’m concerned that there’s a piece of the puzzle I’m missing.”

  Adrian whispered, “We need to find his phone.”

  “What makes you say that?” McKinzy’s eyes jerked to his.

  “Because the only reason he attacked was because I caught him on the phone with someone saying that he for sure found you. Someone has been looking for you and we need to figure out who.”

  Her eyes widened as she looked around the room, “This needs to stay quiet. Obviously the men have probably put two and two together that I’m the other dragon and that’s okay, but I don’t want them knowing or finding out there’s something else going on here. Too much excitement can cause issues with running this place. Are we all on the same page?”

  Looking around the room everyone nodded in affirmation, “Good. Elijah?”

  “Yes, ma’am?”

  “Put your wolfy senses to use and go find me that phone. We’re going to figure out who’s looking for me and why.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Elijah said, pushing off the counter and heading out the door.

  McKinzy looked back to Adrian, “Do you feel up to walking back to your place so we can get you into bed? Or should I have Duke carry you?”

  “I can walk, thanks,” Adrian smiled.

  “Good, then let’s get you to bed. Duke, you’re in charge of making sure everything runs smoothly until I touch base with you later. If there’s anything urgent, call me on the radio.”

  “Got it boss.”

  McKinzy helped Adrian to his feet and walked towards his cabin.

  “Now what?” Adrian asked.

  “Now we need to hatch a plan.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  McKinzy tried her hardest to ignore the feeling of her world spinning off its axis as she settled Adrian into bed. Her stomach was churning with self doubt and anxiety. What was she going to do? She couldn’t just up and run when there was obviously someone coming after her. The men here would die and it would be all her fault, especially when she was the only one powerful enough to stand against whoever came after her.

  “How are you feeling?” Adrian murmured, brushing a hand against her cheek as she settled next to him on the edge of the bed.

  “Fine, I guess,” she chewed her lip in thought.

  “You’ve got a look that says otherwise, darlin.”

  McKinzy tried to look everywhere but at Adrian. She felt so much guilt about what had happened to him. We have to find out who sent Cole. We must avenge mate.

  “I’ll be okay. I just want to find out who did this and why,” she pressed her cheek further into his palm.

  “We’ll figure it out. You’ve already stayed way more strong than you needed to for so long. I think it’s time to share some of the baggage.”

  McKinzy’s voice caught in her throat, “I don’t know if I can.”

  “We don’t have to talk about this today, or even a month from now. But I think it would be good to get it off your chest.”

  “Says the man who hid his late wife from me,” McKinzy said defensively, pushing his hand away from her face.

  Awkward silence filled the room before Adrian spoke again, “You’re right. I should tell you about Abby before I start telling you to share the most intimate parts of yourself with me.”

  “I already know. I was talking with Duke about it when the call came in about you and Cole.”

  Adrian shook his head, “Never could count on Duke to keep a secret.”

  “No, I suppose not.”

  “What else do you want to know about my relationship with Abby? I’m an open book now.”

  “I know enough for now.”

  “Forgive me?”

  “That depends,” she said as she slid her hand over his heart.

  “On what?”

  “Can you forgive me for lying to you about being a human?”

  “Of course I can. You saved my sorry ass,” he huffed a pained laugh.

  “Easy there, turbo. Don’t try to do too much too fast.”

  “Well, this makes things difficult.”

  “For?”

  “I had plans to take you to bed tonight, but here I am, in bed, unable to perform,” he winked.

  “Oh I’m sure you could perform just fine, but I think Duke would discourage any amorous activities until you’re better.” McKinzy slid her hand down to the slow growing bulge in his pants, “I, however, am feeling quite naughty.”

  “What did you have in mind?” Adrian asked, raising an eyebrow.

  McKinzy unzipped his pants and as Adrian lifted his pelvis upward, she shoved them to the floor, “You’ll just had to wait and see.”

  Sliding her tongue over his hardening shaft, she felt her inner dragon practically singing with excitement. Taking him in her mouth she sucked, running her tongue up and down the nerve underneath. Rolling her head up and down in a grinding motion, she let out a moan.

  “I need to touch you.”

  She shook her head and continued sucking and licking. Sometimes it felt good ju
st to take care of someone else’s needs, instead of her own.

  “If you keep doing that, I’m going to cum,” Adrian groaned, wrapping his fingers in her hair.

  Taking the challenge, she slipped a hand down the front of her own pants to ease the ache between her legs. Rubbing the sensitive nub, she bobbed her head up and down faster to meet the rhythm her hand was making. Before she knew what was happening, she felt Adrian’s strong arms flipping her onto her back.

  Pulling both hands above her head on the bed, he growled, “I’m going to make you cum. That’s mine to do.”

  “Oh is it now?” She challenged.

  Driving two fingers inside of her and rubbing her clit with his thumb, he kissed her hard, “Yes. It is.”

  A moan ripped from her throat and he coaxed her higher and higher to ecstasy, “God yes.”

  In the same moment he slipped his fingers out of her, she was flipped onto her stomach, “I need you on your hands and knees. I’m not going to be able to be gentle this time, not with how close I came to losing you today.”

  McKinzy complied, arching her back as he slid his rock solid cock inside of her. She rocked her hips against him a few times as he found his rhythm. Driving harder and harder against her, he slipped a hand around her front and rubbed in small circles against that deliciously sensitive nub. She could feel him getting closer and closer with every stroke until they were screaming their release to the world.

  Falling forward against her back, Adrian sighed, “Fuck, that was amazing.”

  McKinzy was practically purring as she crawled to the top of the bed and fell onto her stomach, “Yeah it was.”

  Adrian crawled into bed next to her, “I could use a nap.”

  “Yeah me too, then I’ll scrounge up some food for us before the guys get back for tonight’s meeting.”

  “Deal.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Wake up, love birds. The guys will be back down here in five minutes, and I can promise you don’t want them finding you both naked,” Elijah shouted from the doorway.