The Dragon's Reluctant Sacrifice: a Dragon Shifter Romance (The Last Dragons Book 1)

by Ines Johnson

  “How did you get a new sacrifice?” Leona demanded. “Did you sneak past the Veil?”

  “No.” That was sure death. The Valkyrie did not countenance breaking of their rules. “Morrigan brought her.”

  “Why?”

  Good question. Why had the Valkyrie broken the rules?

  “My boys need brides. Why won’t they bring some for them? At least lions don’t murder their women.”

  Corun cut her with his gaze.

  Leona shrugged unapologetically. “It’s true. A dragon sacrifice either dies, becomes a vegetable, or escapes back through the Veil.”

  “Escape? No woman has ever escaped.”

  Leona ignored him. “Was this one at least of breeding age?”

  Corun reached for his refill instead of answering. Chryssie was not only of able body and mind, she was also willing. Eager even.

  Cardi had been a child when she'd been tossed on their doorstep. Not tossed exactly. Morrigan had brought her in a body bag, too. The Valkyrie had knocked on the door, asked for payment, and sat Cardi at Kimber’s feet.

  Kimber wasn't a brute. None of them were. So Cardi hadn't been claimed.

  Yet.

  Cardi had had time to live, to grow, and become a little dragon slayer—besting them at all manner of games from her world, twisting them around her little finger, bending each of their dragons to her will. Because, though a female was a sacrifice, while she lived, the dragons were devoted to her. No one was eager for Kimber to claim their little Cardinal Sin. None of them wanted to watch her belly enlarge with whelps, for her to give birth, and then die.

  “Now I see why you and your brother turned me down.” Leona slid a glance at his pants and the slid off the barstool and sauntered away.

  Corun returned to his cup. If only there was something amiss with his manhood. He pounded the counter for yet another drink. No matter how much he tried to drown himself, his dragon still came up for air and what it wanted was her.

  Perhaps he could slack his lust with a fairy? But looking around at the willowy creatures, he couldn't even stomach the thought.

  At one corner of the club, a couple of fae and wolf shifters played Senet, moving pieces around on a carved board as they fought for dominance. In another corner, two lion shifters sparred in a circle drawn on the floor as a crowd cheered them on. Here Corun was, one of the fiercest predators in the realm, and he was running from a ninety-pound human woman.

  A hand struck out and swiped his drink. Corun growled, fumes coming from his nose. He'd like nothing more than a fight. It was better than the alternative of going home and succumbing to his base needs by bedding his sacrifice.

  "You're pathetic, brother." Beryl downed Corun’s drink. Then promptly spit it back out. "What is this fruity monstrosity?”

  "It's pomegranate hellfire," said Corun.

  "Pomegranate? What are you, a fairy?" He signaled the bartender. "No wonder your balls are shriveled up, and you run from girls."

  "I didn't run."

  Beryl snorted. "Then go home and claim your sacrifice."

  Corun grit his teeth.

  "Fine. Then take back your mark and let me have at her.”

  Corun's dragon reared. Beryl was twice his size, but Corun had his brother bent over the bar in one second flat. His incisors dripped with menace. His claws were out. Red washed out his vision, but he could still see Beryl’s smug grin. For all his muscles, Beryl did have a few neurons firing in his brain.

  "You can't have it both ways,” said Beryl. “You want to keep her but not claim her.”

  "To die?"

  "To help our race to live on. There will always be another human woman. But we are the last dragons. Her sacrifice is a glorious thing. And from what I heard, she was willing."

  "It's not that simple." Corun let his brother up. Then he headed for the door, unwilling to discuss his personal life before the most social of the realm.

  "It actually is,” said Beryl.

  "You're telling me to give that poor woman over to the monster inside of me."

  Beryl looked at him with eyes wise beyond his age. After Rhoyl, Beryl was the least in control of his beast. Corun saw the dragon now, peering at him from within Beryl’s gaze. "That's your problem. The dragon isn't in you; the dragon is you."

  That very thought terrified Corun. He needed to control the monster inside. It was not him. But Beryl was right on one account.

  He now had a mate to care for. He couldn't leave her alone unprotected in this world. If he turned one way, Chryssie could get pregnant and die. If he turned another way, he could lose her to another beast in this realm. She was a Rubik’s cube come to life. This time he had no choice but to sit down and solve the puzzle. Until all sides were solid.

  Chapter Ten

  "Yes, yes, yes.” Chryssie threw her hands over her head. “I got the next level."

  She fist-pumped the air with the controller as Luigi disappeared down a green tunnel. It had been years since she’d played a video game, let alone the original Super Mario Brothers on an actual Nintendo NES system with the rectangular box controller and all.

  “Good job,” said Ilia. His eyes glowed black. His smile looked forced. She could see his incisors poking out. The skin on the backs of his hands shimmered, going from scales to flesh and back again.

  “Are you okay, Ilia?” Chryssie asked.

  “I’m great. I’m an evolved dragon. I have no problem getting beat by a girl.”

  Chryssie wasn’t sure whether to take him seriously or not. Both he and Corun had such odd mannerisms and turns of phrase. But she wanted Ilia to like her. This was going to be her home. Those men—dragon shifters—were going to be her family.

  For a while.

  She was well-practiced in the routine of blending into a new foster family. She’d done it more than ten times in her life. First trick; don’t stand out.

  Too late. She was the only girl in a castle of male dragon shifters.

  Second rule; be subservient. Don’t rile the dominant kid. But she’d messed up that one as Luigi surpassed Mario in the game. Maybe she should let Ilia win to get him to like her?

  Pfft. That Chryssie, the one who let people walk all over her, was dead. Instead of throwing up the white flag, she shot past the reptilian obstacles to launch her avatar to the next level.

  She'd waited for Corun for hours in the room, eagerly anticipating her debauching. When he hadn't returned, she went in search of him. At first, she'd jumped at every turn. The castle was something out of a medieval epic fantasy with touches of modernity that made no sense. There were lit torches in some places, electricity in others. Ancient furniture made from the husk of trees sat next to a courting bench and a bean bag chair with psychedelic seventies colors.

  When something smelling good caught her nose, she followed the aroma. Or rather, her stomach did. She came upon a man cooking in an open fire in what could be described as a kitchen. There was a fire pit in the floor, a fireplace with pots and pans, and a microwave with Orville Redenbacher popcorn and Hot Pockets stacked on top.

  This place made no sense. But she recognized the face of the man at the stove. He had been the one telling her to run earlier. He'd eyed her impassively as she stood in the kitchen doorway before turning his back to tend to the meat.

  When he turned back, he handed her a plate of some form of meat, gravy, and flower blossoms.

  Chryssie had never been picky about food. Mainly because she had no choice in the homes where she was fostered. Also, because she was thankful for anything she could keep down. The disease had given her a weak stomach.

  The meat fairly fell off the bone. The gravy was savory. The blossom had a meaty, mushroom texture. She gobbled it all down, and it stayed. Hoping for scraps, she looked up to find the man had set a second plate before her without asking.

  He hadn't spoken a word. He made no attempts at conversation. That's when Ilia had found her. His brother, Elek she learned his name was, didn't respond when Ilia
asked him to play with him.

  Ilia turned in a humph, and his gaze landed on Chryssie. That's how she wound up playing the original version of Super Mario Brothers in the place he called the man cave. Which was an actual cave.

  A leather sectional took up most of the room. A large screen television hung on the cave wall, but no wires were in sight. There was a VHS player with a shelf of cassettes; mostly WWE episodes and old movies in Blockbuster video cases. A stack of games like Operation, Don’t Break the Ice, and Connect Four were in neat piles in the corner shelf, along with many Nintendo and Sega game cartridges.

  "I haven't played this game since I was a kid." It had been fun. It had taken her mind off her missing dragon.

  Ilia had said Corun had gone into town. More like ran away. Corun, the big scary dragon, had flashed fear in his eyes when she'd agreed to his claiming. Chryssie was often shocking people with her words. But that's what the threat of dying young did to a girl. She didn't have many fucks to give.

  The Mario victory music played again for Luigi. Next to her, Ilia’s lip curled as he looked at the screen.

  Chryssie scooted to the corner of the couch. “So, are you a sore loser? Is your dragon gonna come out and eat me?"

  Ilia turned to her, his eyes immediately cooling back to brown. “I would never hurt a woman. At least not on purpose."

  Death by a dragon was still a cool way to go, but Chryssie wanted to be consumed by another dragon first. And she wanted that particular dragon to consume her lady bits first.

  “You are family now,” said Ilia. “And we do not eat our family. Any longer."

  "Good. That's good to know." Even though they looked civilized, she had to remember that monsters were living inside these men. She'd seen the beasts with her own eyes. In fact, one was leaning into the window.

  "Hello," said Chryssie.

  “That's Rhoyl,” said Ilia. "His beast has devoured him."

  "Devoured?"

  "Yes, it will happen to us all if we don't get female sacrifices. We weren't born to be alone."

  She turned back to the dragon. It stared at her with such human eyes. "Can he hear me?"

  "Yes. There's nothing wrong with his ears."

  Chryssie approached the dragon tentatively. It bowed its head over the windowsill. Feeling brave, she reached out and ran her fingers down its long snout. Its scales were soft to the touch.

  A low grumble like a purr came from its throat. She wondered if Corun was this soft. Would he let her see his dragon? Would he purr at her touch?

  The green dragon's brows rose.

  “Careful,” called Ilia. “A dragon can read your mind when you touch him.”

  Chryssie yanked her hand back.

  The dragon spread its long lips in a toothsome grin. It bowed its head. Its eyes looking up at her from beneath its lashes.

  “Was she thinking about Corun?” asked Ilia as he pressed the buttons on the joystick. The death tune played as Mario got snipped by a piranha plant. “He’s a lucky bastard. I fought hard for you, you know. But I lost. I never win anything. Still, I’m glad you’re ours now.”

  “Ours?” parroted Chryssie.

  “You’re our brother’s mate, which makes you family. You might lose to someone in your family.” He tossed the controller as the game ended. “But family always fights for each other.”

  Chryssie leaned back against the open window. Her arm brushed against Rhoyl’s soft scales. It was a nice thought. If only these dragons had been in her life earlier today when she’d faced Doctor Death.

  Ilia perked up, like a dog sensing a sound beyond human hearing. "Someone hurt you?"

  Fire came from Rhoyl’s nose. Elek materialized from the shadows. Before she knew it, Chryssie had three pissed-off dragon shifters surrounding her.

  “The man the Valkyrie saved you from?” asked Elek. His voice wasn’t deep like the others. It was soft and soothing, but somehow still filled with menace.

  "Would you like us to go to Valhalla and kill him again?" said Ilia.

  "I ..." No one had ever threatened to kill someone for her. Did she want revenge?

  "You're under our protection now. No one touches any of our treasure."

  Treasure? She was their treasure. She'd never been considered valuable by anyone except her own family. Her real family. These men weren't her real family. They were just acting out over a turf war. It wasn't really about her. And she no longer needed revenge. She'd already done that. Standing there with the gun pointed at the doctor had been satisfaction enough.

  "No, now I just want to live my life to the fullest. For the time that I have left."

  "What would you like to do first?" said Ilia. "Play Mortal Kombat? Sonic the Hedgehog?"

  Chryssie knew exactly what she wanted to do first. But since the man she wanted to do it with wasn't around, she wondered if she might take one of his brothers for a ride.

  Chapter Eleven

  The wind against his wings helped cool him down. Though he was in dragon form, Corun kept a tight leash on his beast. He'd only given over to the dragon now because it was the fastest way back home. But he knew the beast was eager to get back to Chrysanthemum.

  He didn't want her to see him like this; out of control. The beast was likely to maul her at first sight, and that was not his plan. It had taken him one cup of ground and fermented beans to sober up and formulate a plan of action that would appease man, woman, and beast. Now all the man had to do was win the beast and the woman over.

  Though Corun had a mate to contend with, he still needed to keep his focus on a potion to help his brothers control their inner beasts. Otherwise, he and Kimber would be the only dragon shifters of his family left.

  The castle came into view. He saw Rhoyl, Ilia, and Elek flying in the night's sky against the moon. Corun landed and forced the beast to give him back his body. The shift was painful, as always. With each shift, a knot of control slipped in the dragon's favor.

  Walking through the back, he snagged one of the robes they left for easy access. None of his brothers minded nudity except when Cardi was nearby. Corun made a mental note to double the garments hanging around the castle now that Chryssie had come to stay.

  Up in the night’s sky, Rhoyl did barrel rolls. The beast was getting more and more reckless. But he wasn't harming anyone, so Corun let it go. For a second, he wished his sacrifice had come for the middle triplet. Maybe she could’ve brought back Rhoyl the man. As of now, there was no hope that the man would ever wrangle his beast and reclaim his body.

  He was at the door when he heard her scream. He reached for the handle. But the next time the scream sounded, his sensitive ears told him it was coming from close by.

  Was she outside in the gardens? Had she gotten lost? No one and nothing would dare touch her with his claiming scent on her.

  But his scent wasn't on her. He hadn't claimed her. Only marked her for his own. If a bear or lion or wolf happened by, they wouldn't respect that mark. They could sweep her off her feet and take her to their lair, to their den, to their cave, and claim her properly, completely.

  A low growl began in his throat. Corun fought his dragon for control. He couldn't go beast. He had to think, he had to concentrate.

  He knew her scent. It had imprinted on him the moment the Valkyrie uncovered her beautiful face.

  Corun inhaled deep. She was close. So close, but so far.

  Where was she?

  She screamed again. Though the sound didn't hold any fear. It ended on a giggle.

  "I'm gonna fall."

  Corun looked up. Rhoyl’s wings flapped in the night. On his back was his mate.

  Her head was thrown back as she laughed and screamed and urged his brother on. She was high above the ground. With no harness. With his brother between her thighs.

  Corun saw red. The earth shook. The air heated as man and dragon roared.

  Rhoyl pulled up in mid-air. He spread his wings wide to protect his mate. His gaze looked down for the threat. The on
ly threat on the ground was his brother, who was quickly losing control of his dragon.

  Corun didn't see his little brother any longer. No, he only saw a threat. A threat with his mate on its back.

  Rhoyl slowly sank to the earth. He landed with his neck low in a position of supplication.

  "Get off,” Corun shouted.

  Chrysanthemum’s gaze found his.

  "Oh,” she sniffed. “You're back."

  Corun plucked her off Rhoyl's back. Her feet didn’t touch the ground. He slung her over his shoulder and marched into the castle. He didn't stop despite her protests. He didn't stop until she was in his lair. He kicked the door closed behind them and tossed her onto his bed.

  "What is wrong with you?" She demanded as she pushed her made-of-fire red hair back from her head.

  "I told you, I'm a beast. Do not taunt the beast."

  "How was I taunting you? I wasn't even thinking about you."

  That rankled.

  "You left after I offered myself to you,” she said. “So, I was entertaining myself."

  "By riding my brother."

  “Well, when you put it like that …”

  "If you're going to ride anyone, it's going to be me."

  She came up on her knees. Her nostrils flared, and her lips parted. "Yes, please."

  Corun gulped. Were women supposed to be so sexual? Fairies, sure. But human women. They were supposed to be scared, cowering, docile. Cardi was different, but she'd been with the dragons since she was a child, so she had long ago lost any fear. If she'd ever had any.

  Chrysanthemum showed no fear. She looked wanton. Her breasts rose and fell with each deep breath.

  He approached, his incisors dripping with want. He caught the gleam of them in her gaze. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.

  "What are you doing?" she asked.

  "Claiming you." Corun took another step forward. She took another bobbing gulp.

  "How—how does that work?"