by Aidy Award
The Troika’s had become almost a second family to her. Well, a first family, since she didn’t really have one. Zara, Galyna, and Heli hadn’t thought she was a complete weirdo like everyone else at her former jobs... or life.
She’d had more than a passing crush on at least two or three of the Troika boys when the girls had introduced her to them. But they were all paired off with her friends, mated.
The sex-on-a-stick standing in front of her was not mate material. What he was, was the hottest thing she’d ever seen and she tried her best to convince herself his flirting was the cause of her instant attraction to him.
She didn’t get a whole lot of action from most guys. They couldn’t see past her chubby cheeks and butt. It was fun to pretend he thought she was all that and a bag of salt and vinegar chips.
“A dragon, huh?” She shrugged like it was no big deal. In all her time in Rogue, New York, she’d never once known a dragon. There weren’t many in the States at all. Were all of them this charismatic and sexy? Maybe it was that delicious European accent of his.
He ran the back of his knuckles down her arm. “Yes, Daxton and I are both dragon shifters. But what are you, my treasure?”
While she was thoroughly enjoying all the attention this dominant, alpha shifter was showing her, she had other plans. Fleur poked him in the chest, giving herself a little static electricity shock, pushing him away. “Don’t go thinking you can eat me up. I’ve got a party to hostess and Jell-O shots to hand out.”
Plus, there was this year’s mating ritual, the biggest one ever, three packs from across the country were coming together. Selena Troika, the matriarch of the pack had invited her, and while the girls warned her about Selena’s matchmaking, Fleur was excited.
Steele didn’t budge an inch when she tried to push him away. He did get a lascivious glint to his eye. “I will do everything in my power to eat you up. And down, and sideways if you like.”
His tongue poked out and he licked his lips, then bit the lower one. The look on his face wasn’t a grin. No, it was unadulterated sizzling sin.
A flutter tickled her low in the belly. She couldn’t help the smile flirting with this dragon brought to her lips. He was a total perv, and she kinda liked that. Not a lot of men she’d known had found her perv-worthy.
She’d let him flirt and tease her with little kisses when she thought he was a stripper, thinking that zing she’d felt was part of the excitement of the night.
But if he was a shifter, then she needed to keep her distance. The mating ritual was tomorrow night. If she was lucky, she’d smell delicioso to one of the wolves and he’d choose her to be his mate.
She was destined to mate a wolf. Maybe. Hopefully.
Fleur had no idea what her destiny was, only that she had one. Her mother had told her so her entire life. Told her to prepare for it, save herself for it, while never even eluding to what she should prepare for. It made her feel stuck. Fleur had held herself back from doing so many things in her life, waiting for that destiny to show up.
Now it was here.
Probably.
Not like she could ask her mom anyway. Her mother was currently spending the summer as a red windflower at the burial site of Fleur’s father. Again.
Tonight, having fun with all the other women destined for the mating ritual out there living it up, she wanted to have fun, too.
Whatever was supposed to happen to her could wait for one more night. This might be the last time she could ever do something naughty.
She wanted so badly for her life to change, to stop waiting and get to the exciting part. Maybe that would happen tomorrow night, or maybe this was it, the beginning of a new adventurous life for her. Right here in her own kitchen.
Yeah. It was. She decided.
A tingling in her heart, directly behind the Tree of Hesperides pendant she wore told her to follow that instinct.
She usually ignored those kinds of feelings, because what if they were pulling her away from her destiny? For once, she was going to let loose. Some hot and heavy making out was exactly what the herbalist ordered.
His skin was oh, so touchable. She dragged her finger from the base of his neck to between his pecs. “You’re dirty, dragon.”
He chuckled. “You have no idea.”
“Show me.” Fleur grabbed him behind the neck and pulled him in for a kiss.
What a kiss it was. He practically inhaled her, spearing his hands into her hair to hold her close. Their tongues dueled, slashing at each other. Steele tasted like warm mint, fresh and bright. Not the toothpaste kind, but like the real fresh leaves. She couldn’t get enough.
He slid one hand all the way down her arm, over her hip, and to her butt. She’s always thought her rear end was too big, but the way he kneaded and squeezed, it was currently her favorite body part.
“Fuck, Fleur. I want to rip your clothes right off you.” He grabbed the back of her thigh and lifted it, wrapping her leg over his hip.
It took her a second to register what he said, with the way his hand was pushing up underneath the hem of her shirt. “No, no, don’t do that. There are a dozen people ten feet away in the other room.”
She wanted adventure, not exhibitionism.
He growled and lifted her other leg, spreading her open. He pushed his hips forward, thrusting against her, sending stars shooting through her vision.
Oh, gods and goddesses. She could see how he got his name. Whatever he was hiding behind those pants, rocking against her in all the right places was definitely made of steel, or kryptonite.
Because, she was feeling weaker by the second. Very much more of this and she’d be begging him to strip her clothes off. This was so delectably naughty, and so much hotter than any other sexy times she’d ever had. They weren’t even having sex. Yet.
Her legs acted of their own volition and pulled him in closer. She had no control over her body at the moment. It was doing whatever it wanted. Namely Steele.
She couldn’t think straight, not with the way his touch had her body in overdrive. Even in her naughtiest fantasies about mating a wolf-shifter, she hadn’t come close to losing her mind to lust like this.
“Your kiss is driving me crazy. I’ll never get enough of you.” Steele growled against her and licked his way across her bottom lip.
She was driving him crazy? She was the one whose body and mind were doing the opposite of everything she’d ever been taught.
Steele’s kisses went straight to her core and she wanted more, so much more. She didn’t even care that he was probably giving her a line. One tiny minute in his arms and already her panties were soaked.
She’d never reacted to any man, or wolf, this way. Even her vibrator didn’t make her this hot and needy. Where was a bed and a condom when she needed it?
Good Gods. This wasn’t meant to be more than a flirtatious make out session. First base, maybe second. Here they were rounding third and her body was chanting home, home, home.
It was too fast. She wanted a little fun, not a one-night stand. Fleur knew better than to let go like this. She’d been warned about allowing herself to play these kinds of games. Especially since this wasn’t her destined mate pushing against the wall and closer to orgasm. Enough. “Steele, we have to slow down.”
He nipped at the skin of her neck, sending an earthquake with shockwaves through her whole body.
Mmm, yes, his mouth on her neck felt amazing. “Never mind. No, we don’t, forget I said anything. Do that bitey thing again.”
He scraped his teeth across her skin, right above her collarbone, and she whimpered with the pleasure of it. She wanted him to bite her, mark her with his teeth.
Why would she want that? “Steele, please, I need...”
She didn’t know what she needed. Her mind was fritzing. Her body and her libido had totally taken control now.
“Yes, little flower, I need you, too. Where is your bedroom? We’ll lock the door, and I’ll make you come all night long.”
No. No, it wasn’t. Fleur wasn’t thinking straight, or at all. She’d met this guy less than an hour ago. She didn’t know what kind of person he was, where he was from, or anything. All she knew was how she’d been instantly attracted to him and was supposed to push those feelings down like she always did.
She wasn’t thinking. She was feeling, and it was freeing.
Too much so. She wasn’t free. She had a destiny.
There was no way a dragon she’d only met tonight was that destiny.
Cheering came from the living room and then a series of boos. The ruckus was enough to bring Fleur back to the present, remembering who and where she was, what and how she was meant to behave.
This wasn’t it.
“Steele, stop.” She pushed against his head, still glued to her neck.
The loss of his lips against her skin quite literally hurt.
“What’s wrong, babe?” He tilted his head to the side and rubbed her back. “Did I do something you don’t like? I’ll learn your body and what you need as fast as I can. I promise.”
His eyes twinkled with need and even in the heat of their make-out passion he was being sweet and sensitive to her needs. Fleur almost gave in. No one’s eyes had ever glowed for her, not like this.
Sigh. “We can’t do this.”
He nuzzled her neck and whispered into her ear. “Do what? Have sex on the countertop? I’ll carry you to your bed.”
Yeah, right.
“Don’t be ridiculous, you can’t carry me. And no, I mean this.” She waved her hand between the two of them.
He lifted her into his arms and took several steps across the room. “I can carry you, and I will. Where is your bedroom, my sweet?”
Fleur’s fear of breaking him and her ass when he dropped her spiked like a flowering cactus, poking her from the inside out.
“Holy basil. Put me down before you drop me.” She flailed until he set her feet back on the floor.
“I liked having you in my arms, but if you don’t, I’ll get over it, as long I can have you in my arms like this.” He pulled her to him and gently kissed her.
He’d gone from raging need to sweet and gentle in the blink of an eye, and she wanted him even more for that. Just one more kiss and then she’d be satisfied.
“Whoa, sorry. Covering my eyes. Sorry.” Zara’s voice broke through the thick need in Fleur’s brain. “But I’m not sure you should be macking on this guy. The two of them aren’t even strippers.”
Double sigh. “I know. They’re dragons, or at least this one is.”
Fleur stepped out of Steele’s arms and straightened her top. He moved beside her, and put a hand on her lower back, all possessive-like.
That felt entirely too good.
Zara threw her hands up in the air. “What? We all thought they were just strippers. Why didn’t you tell us? Did my mate put you up to this.”
She jerked her thumb in her dragon’s direction. Uh, no, she shook her head. The dragon, a dragon, not her dragon. “No, of course not. I just found out a minute ago Steele here was a dragon shifter.”
Heli popped into the kitchen giving Steele the stink-eye. “My stupid over protective man-child, oh, I mean mate, sent them. I’m sure he thought they’d be safer than strangers or something dumb like that.”
Galyna joined them and she did not look happy either. Although, when Selena came in she looked more humored than mad.
“Kosta put you up to this?” Galyna asked, glaring at Steele and folding her arms across her chest, tapping her foot. She tapped it any harder and there would be a hole in the linoleum floor before long.
“Uh, yeah.” Steele lifted an arm and rubbed behind his neck.
“You’re not strippers?” Galyna, who was the least violent of the bunch had daggers coming out of her eyes.
He addressed Fleur with the save-me-from-your-angry-friends look on his face. “I am a dragon, and I did tell you I was not a stripper.”
“Strippers or not, you two can get the hell out of our party,” Zara said.
Galyna poked Steele in the chest. “And tell Kosta he will have to find another way to rain on our parade.”
“Yeah.” A resounding chorus came from the rest of the ladies.
Fleur bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. Her friends were so damn serious, but she thought it was cute and hilarious that the men had tried to keep their women in check by sending these unsuspecting dragons to the pre-mating party. She wasn’t disappointed in the least at the choice Kosta had made.
“Those fools never liked the idea of this party in the first place. So, I say we make it a tradition,” Zara said.
Jules came into the kitchen leading Daxton by his ear. The dragon actually looked like he was having fun. “Hey, ladies. I swear, Kosta said this was a party with a bunch of horny women. That was it. Except the part where he said not to touch any of you five, and asked me to report back to him what went on here and to make sure the you didn’t get into any trouble.”
Heli rubbed her hands together. “Oh, he is getting his ass kicked when I get home. He is not allowed to spoil our fun.”
“Now girls, don’t be too hard on your mates.” Selena was barely keeping a chuckle out of her voice. “Kosta was simply doing as I told him to.”
“Selena. This whole bachelorette-style party was your idea in the first place. Why would you help our mates sabotage it?” Zara looked genuinely confused.
Fleur felt the same. Selena was the coolest mom-figure she knew, and she was a certified matchmaker, with a dash of trouble thrown in. It didn’t seem in line with her usual plans to do keep any potential mate from getting their flirt on.
“The dragons weren’t here for you four married girls, were they?” Selena winked at Fleur. “Besides, which one of you isn’t quite sure you’re getting ravished when you get home just so your mates can get the scent of these delicious young dragons off you?”
While Zara had a look of embarrassed shock on her face, the other girls’ expressions went from angry to downright dirty.
Fleur cleared her throat to keep from laughing out loud. She couldn’t wait to join in the shenanigans of having a wolf mate of her own. Then maybe she’d feel like a real part of the family and not so much the third-wheel single cousin.
She gave Steele a shove toward the hallway. He didn’t move even a centimeter. “You two better get on out of here. Send our regards to the Troika boys.”
“I’m not going anywhere, little flower.” He bent and whispered in her ear, “Unless it’s to your bedroom.”
Fleur was sure her face and neck had just gone the color of a whole damn field of poppies. She turned her back on Steele and gave the other dragon a shove instead.
A low growl came from behind her, but it stopped the second she took her hands off.
Daxton shrugged and went toward the door of his own accord. Of course, he was probably trying to avoid getting his ear torn off by Jules. “Come on, Steele. Our cover is blown. Gonna have to get lucky somewhere else.”
The women surrounded both men and shoved them toward the door. Right before Zara slammed it on them, Steele pointed at Fleur.
“I’ll be back for you, little flower.”
CHAPTER THREE
Protect Her or Die
“Dragon’s fire, I thought those she-wolves were going to eat my face off.” Daxton laughed and opened up the back of the rented SUV. He pulled out the pile of clothes they’d left back there.
Steele grabbed his shirt and jeans. The less time he had to spend in these ridiculous pants the better. “What the hell did you say to them to piss them off like that?”
“Only that I was damn grateful to Kosta for sending us over. That’s when they flipped their shit.”
Steele riffled through one of the pockets to find his soul shard. He’d felt uncomfortable leaving the most important thing he owned in the car. But it would have been even worse to allow it to be manhandled by all those women. “Then
I don’t know whether to blame you or Kosta for losing my shot with Fleur tonight.”
“That curvy chick you were practically fucking in the kitchen? She’s was a hot piece of ass. I wouldn’t mind getting some of that action.”
Steele grabbed Dax by the throat and threw him up against the side of the car. Both of their dragons rose to the surface, ready for a fight. Steele snarled. “Don’t even think about her in that way. She is mine.”
Dax glared at him, studying his face. Then he raised his hands, surrendering. “Holy shit. Fine, you’ve got dibs. I was way more into the redhead anyway.”
Steele released Dax, surprised at his own vehemence. It wasn’t like he couldn’t get any number of women he wanted. She was just another woman.
His gut clenched at the thought. Fuck that. She was a hell of a lot more. He didn’t know why, but she was.
He snatched at his shirt and pulled it over his head. The material felt rough against his skin. Nothing like Fleur’s soft lips. The stupid fireman pants went into a pile, and he pulled on his jeans.
Dax did the same, and slipped the cord with his red soul shard over his head. It glinted briefly, its internal fire shining for a brief moment when it settled against Dax’s skin.
Steele reached into his pocket and pulled his own soul shard out, anxious to reconnect with the gift from the White Witch that allowed him to shift from man to dragon. It blazed like a lighthouse beacon into the night, filling the darkness with its green light.
He and Dax stared at the green crystal-like talisman. “What the fuck, dude?”
What the fuck, indeed. Had something happened to his shard while they’d been dicking around? He’d never seen any dragon’s shard do anything but hang around their necks and occasionally glow with a bit of colored light.
Steele put the pendant on and tucked it under his shirt. The second it hit his skin a pleasure-pain shot through him, so great it brought him to his knees with its power.
He cried out and grabbed at the bumper of the SUV to steady himself. He crushed the metal in his fist, his claws extending from the ends of his fingers. His dragon shimmered across his skin, stretching, pushing its way out.
