“In your fucking dreams, warrior,” the woman replied on a droll note, kicking Lor’gen’s shin, gaining her release from the horny male-twinned dragon. “It takes more than that to separate me from my panties, no matter how hot you are.” Shoving herself from the cradle of Ti’eron’s lieutenant’s lap, she poked a finger into his chest. “You have a lot to learn about women, WarDrag!”
“And you have a lot to learn about the warriors who will save your planet, little beauty.” Lor’gen rubbed at his chest as if to ease the ache of her blunt finger, but Ti’eron read the confusion in the depths of the male’s eyes. “You want to serve? Then you must play nice.”
She’d taken two steps away before Lor’gen’s words hit. Canting a rounded, overflowing hip that threatened to escape from beneath her pink shorts, she turned back over her shoulder, staring at the man who’d just mauled her. “You wanna be served, dragon?” A slow, snide smile lit her lips. “Then it’s up to you to figure out how to play nice.”
Fuck. If it had been a tennis match, Ti’eron would’ve had flagged game-set-and-match to the female although he knew he’d be advising Lor’gen against pursuing the flirtatious female later.
Dragons loved nothing more than a chase.
And that thought had Ti’eron, yet again, looking to the black-haired beauty behind the bar. There were chases of the physical and others which happened on the mental plane. Although she studiously kept her face away from him and towards the blonde at her side, his dragon knew what she was feeling. I don’t care if she is our Annie or not. I want her.
Ti’eron ignored his dragon again while he poured himself a glass from one of the pitchers the thin, red-haired man unloaded from his tray, trying to forget the connection both he and his dragon had sensed when his hand had met hers in the briefest of moments. “To dragons, their fire and those of us entrusted to control both,” he shouted to men in the chairs surrounding his.
He didn’t hear their reply as his gaze again sought out the woman behind the bar when he bent his cup to his lips.
*.*.*.*.*
I couldn’t think. Christ, could barely breathe as Vanessa took me through my paces, quizzing me on the bar’s menu.
All because of a guy who wouldn’t stop staring at me.
My panties were saturated, evidence that only his look could decimate me and I turned my back to him, determined to ignore his pull. I willed myself to succeed in my first meeting with one of the others who held the title of ‘Bar Manager’.
“Vodka, the pineapple infused simple syrup and a wedge of the fruit,” I answered slowly, nodding towards the huge bottle, resting on a wooden stand adorned with a spigot, resting in pride of place on a corner of the bar. “Shaken within an inch of its life before pouring into a martini glass. The pineapple martini.”
I’d been given preprinted sheets of the drinks they served at my interview and been told to memorize them. Lucky for me, I had. Because in any other circumstances, Vanessa’s pop-quiz would’ve been a dismal failure in the scrutiny of clear but swirling blue eyes calling to me from across the expansive space.
“They like the fruit drinks.” Vanessa, my co-manager, leaned towards me as she dropped her voice. “And beer. They like their beer, too. But don’t let them get to you, okay?”
Did she know, could she tell the effect the Bronze warrior had on me?
“All WarDrags are horny as hell.” Well, that was nice to know. In the vein of ‘you ain’t nothing but a possibly satisfying screw at the end of the night’ sort of way. And seemed to calm me a bit. “Share sex with them or not, that’s up to you. But don’t ever imagine anyone of them will want or even acknowledge your existence the next morning. That is, if he sticks around that long.” From the bleakness of her eyes as she offered her warning, I sensed Vanessa learned her lesson the hard way.
A rueful smile broke her lips. “But they’re hellacious tippers.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” was the only thing I could think to reply. Since Toxic was the only openly dragon-friendly bar in town, I kind of had no choice but to absorb her knowledge.
That was until I involuntarily glanced behind me to see a certain WarDrag staring holes into my back.
Shifting her gaze to where mine caught and held, Vanessa added more to her caution. “That one, Ti’eron?” Why did I hate the sound of his perfectly enunciated name on her lips? “He’s a loner. Some say he’s pining over a lost love, while others claim he’s searching for the impossible dream.”
Turning back to me, she gave it to me straight. “Whatever his past, it holds that dragon-pair in a hard grip. There are many ways to get your heart broken but with dragonkind? Honey, it doesn’t just hurt. It destroys.”
Her face turned to the group of men, softening when she zeroed in on a particular warrior seated at the end. The one clad in blue leather, with dark-blonde hair and shining brown eyes, laughing along with the man next to him. As he glanced our way, the smile slipped from his face and the air filled with a yearning so sharp, so thick I could almost touch it.
Oh yeah, Vanessa had first-hand experience all right.
Shaking her head, she grinned before jumping right into pour-counts, nightly reports and inventory, and by keeping all my attention on her I was able to follow along. She muted the music before picking up one of the six remote controls tethered to a shelf under the cash register. “All six TVs can be programmed separately or all show the same station by pushing this button here.”
The huge screens throughout the bar came to life on a news program showing amateur video of two flying dragons—a blue and a brown. As the announcer’s voice kept up a commentary, the dragons began a collision course towards a huge, black beetle-looking thing skittering across the sky. Just as it looked as if they intended to ram the humungous insect, both dragons opened their mouths and streaming jets of fire shot out, covering the creature in white-hot flames. But the weird looking thing wasn’t without its own weapons and the dragons ducked and turned to avoid blasts I could only name as lightening, each bolt reaching for the large beautiful beasts.
Luckily the dragons were quicker and with every pass they made near the alien object, their flames streaked out again and again until the creepy looking thing began to break apart, piece by piece, dripping with liquid fire and green slime.
“There you go, folks. The very first footage of the Warrior Dragons in action taking on the aliens who call themselves the Berstats. As you remember three years ago, we were the first to report their presence in our solar system—“
Loud clapping and whoops interrupted the announcer’s voice redirecting my focus to the group of WarDrags celebrating the success of their first mission. Especially to one in particular. He was gorgeous enough to begin with, but when he smiled it was as if the light of heaven made an appearance. I didn’t try to stop my smile in return, which earned me a panty-dropping wink.
Vanessa clanged the bell set into a high corner of the bar so loudly I jumped. “Next round is on the house, dragons!”
*.*.*.*.*
“How ‘bout that, huh?” Lor’gen bumped Ti’eron’s shoulder, bringing the commander’s eyes away from the black-haired beauty and back to the riotous dragonkind around the table. “Wonder how I can get my hands on a copy of that tape? I looked good, though, don’t you think?”
“That wasn’t you, shit for brains,” one of the blues teased. “You can’t tell which one of us it was from that piece of crap footage, but I sure as hell know it wasn’t you!”
Lor’gen rubbed his chin. “Maybe we should wear something when we fly, you know to, like, identify which dragon is which.”
“What? You mean armbands or something?”
“Tattoos look cooler than fucking jewelry, man.”
“Chicks love tats.”
“We definitely need something that shows which dragon is which if we’re gonna be filmed by our fans while we kick alien ass.”
All the jokes, ideas and put-downs came to an abrupt halt at the word ‘
fan’.
By and large, Dragon Warriors were not liked by the humans they were dedicated to protect. Tolerated by some and vilified by most, even the military didn’t know what to do with their kind. But then again, boys morphing into beasts only mentioned in legends on their sixteenth birthday weren’t a normal everyday occurrence.
Maybe if it happened to every teenage boy it wouldn’t have been such an issue, but each year in the last fourteen saw only fifty-five to sixty dragons emerge from their hibernation. And of those, five percent died, unable to survive their first change.
Re’nal, the commander of the Blue squad added his two cents from the other end of the now quiet tables. “At least we have the fucking Berstats to thank for our change in status.”
“Here, here!” one of the men called, while another one mumbled, “it’s about fucking time.”
Ti’eron didn’t give a shit what the humans thought of him—like dragons or not, it was still his ass and those of his brethren flying in the wind, keeping the planet safe from the goddamn bugs bent on taking over.
Ver’gren had laid it out, speaking plainly so his young charge could understand the importance of dragonkind. We are the protectors of humans and have been since time began. While we can’t interfere when man wars against other men, dragons will always rise when the Earth and its inhabitants are threatened by outside forces. That is how it was, is now and will be forevermore.
Shutting down his dismal thoughts, Ti’eron raised his glass again as his eyes slid back to the bar. Disappointed to find the object of his interest not there, he shrugged. Maybe it was best that she kept her distance, because sharing eye-fucks did nothing to ease the throbbing of his dick. And she didn’t look the type to be satisfied by a simple, no-strings-attached one night stand. No, Adri seemed to be the kind of woman a male would need to bed hard and repeatedly to—
Ver’gren roared, as did the other dragons around the table and Ti’eron jumped to his feet.
Already?
Those goddamn bugs were back so soon?
*.*.*.*.*
Vanessa gave me a tour of the stockrooms, the restrooms and we’d just entered the office with its bank of live camera feeds when she started yelling. “Oh shit, here we go again!” Grabbing my hand, she started running to the back door and up the long metal staircase.
I kept yelling, “What’s going on?” but she never paused or gave me an answer until we hit the door to the rooftop.
“The dragons are rising and we’ve got to help them.”
Help them? I’d seen the video and couldn’t think of anything I could do to assist the huge beasts in whatever it was they needed to do. But I took my cue from Vanessa as the warriors exploded through the doorway.
Although in my wildest imaginings of dragon and the males they were paired with, I never considered what happened to their clothes when they shifted.
At the sounds of boots being hastily removed and leather trousers being shed, I received a quick education. When I’d first seen their ‘uniform’ of leather pants and long vests reaching to mid-thigh, I found them similar to what a biker might wear. But as I quickly learned, they were also functional. Mirroring Vanessa, I picked up the pants and rolled them around the warrior’s boots trying to keep my eyes off all the virile muscle on display beneath their long vests.
However, I couldn’t prevent my gasp or restrain my gaze as a warrior ran at full speed to the edge of the roof and jumped, his thick arms spread in a parody of a swan dive. Just as his body was about to drop, his skin shimmered and a beautiful, but huge, blue dragon appeared, the color of the vest blending perfectly with the dragon’s amazing hide. As the first dragon flew up and away, another warrior and then another jumped off the edge, the sun temporarily blanketed by blue and bronze wings.
Holy shit! It was the most amazing sight I’d ever seen and I stood in slack-jawed wonder, all thoughts suspended as I watched the dragons cut through the air.
“Here,” a growly voice stated and I looked down at the wad of boots and leathers Ti’eron was shoving into my empty hands. I must have dropped the others I’d been holding before, shocked as I’d watched men jump off the roof and morph into dragon-form. I raised my gaze to his face and his blue irises were no longer softly swirling but positively spinning. There was uncertainty in his face and he glanced away for a second before turning back to me, as if he’d made some sort of decision.
Snagging the back of my neck, he yanked me forward, planting a firm but brief kiss on my lips before he, too, ran towards the edge of the roof. A thrill shot through me as Ti’eron the man was replaced by the largest, most gorgeous, bronze beast in the sky. Or at least, that’s how I saw it.
“Be safe and hurry back,” I murmured, not wanting to expose what I felt for the man I’d only just met. But the dragon must’ve somehow heard me even though I’d spoken softly. Because the very second the words were out of my mouth, the beast glanced back and winked.
I looked around to see if Vanessa had witnessed our play but she was engaged in her own lip-lock with the blue warrior she’d stared at earlier. Instead of a brief kiss, they were pressed body to body, straining against one another and he had a large palm on her ass. I turned away to give them some privacy so I missed both his leap and his transformation, but twisted back when she started laughing.
“Guess we’re not quite as done as you told me we were, Re’nal!” She stared at me with a huge grin and dancing eyes. “Dragons, huh? Can’t live with them, can’t shoot ‘em either.”
My gaze roamed around at all the piles of clothes and scattered boots surrounding us. Ti’eron had specifically handed me his so I figured he thought his stuff was safe with me, although what I was to do with them was a mystery.
“C’mon,” Vanessa said, looping an arm around my neck, turning me away from the skyline and back towards the building. “I’ll show you where we keep their gear. They’ll come and get them when they’re done saving the world.”
Denying myself another look at the sky, I allowed myself to be pulled the opposite direction my heart followed.
Chapter Three
Ti’eron stood on the edge of the roof, his eyes trained on the street below waiting and watching for Adri. She’d been long gone by the time he and the other warriors had returned to the bar stinking of sulfur and the ungodly aroma of burnt bug.
To admit he’d been disappointed she hadn’t waited for him to come back was an understatement. After a battle of twice the amount of the initial Berstat swarm and lasting long into the night, he’d flown back to Toxic with plans of a do-over of the kiss they’d shared earlier; of taking it deeper and adding his willing tongue to the heady mix.
Instead, he’d simply grabbed his pants and boots from the numbered locker Daryl provided before he’d flown back to his room at command central, where he’d spent the night tossing and turning. Ver’gren could carry the extra piece of clothing and the footwear on a forepaw if needed but his outerwear would never survive a fight, inevitably destroyed by the same flames used to obliterate their enemy.
It wasn’t his clothes or the residual adrenaline of battle that kept him awake though. It was the different looks her amazing eyes held as they’d shared stares across the expanse of the bar. The way her mouth puckered when forming certain words and the graceful way she moved.
Ti’eron scrubbed a hand over his face. Who was he kidding?
It was the way she tasted when he’d finally found the balls to do what he’d wished for from the moment their fingers first touched. Her plump lips under his had stolen all thought of the encroaching scourge, taking him back to a time when they were much younger. A time where they’d spent hours on hours perfecting their technique as they’d hungrily learned to feast from each other’s mouth.
I told you she was our Annie, Ver’gren sleepy voice grumbled.
Ti’eron didn’t bother to reply since his dragon spoke the truth.
Adri really was his Annie, the girl he’d been fostered with for one long,
hot summer before his sixteenth birthday.
His one and only true love.
The beast within him moved, Ti’eron’s muscles flexing and relaxing by turns as Ver’gren found a more comfortable position for his much needed nap. She comes.
A small silver sedan pulled into the parking lot and Ti’eron watched as Adri got out, pulling her purse strap over her shoulder. Christ! Just the sight of her, at the unconscious grace she used as she moved had him hardening.
She looked to either side, keys in hand before she raised her head to scan the roof, spotting him instantly. Ti’eron lifted a hand, his heartbeats increasing at the slow smile she offered in reply. His dragon-enhanced hearing picked up the sounds of the opening of the locks, the tiny hum as she turned on the lights and the drum of her heels on the floor as she immediately went to the door at the bottom of the stairs.
To where he impatiently waited.
As soon as she pushed the door open, he snagged her unused hand and pulled her against him, wrapping an arm around her waist to hold her tighter, closer as the door came to rest on his shoulder. His head lowered and he stared into her expressive eyes for a heartbeat before crashing his mouth down on hers.
She stilled, her hands pressed against the wall of his chest neither denying him nor participating. As seconds ticked by, Ti’eron began to panic. Didn’t she remember what they’d once meant to each other? Couldn’t she taste him, able to discern he was the same person she’d spent hours making out with so many years ago?
He opened his eyes only to see her staring back at him. “So are you gonna kiss me properly or just keep mashing my lips against my teeth?”
The little puckers of her mouth against his had him pulsing in his leathers.
“Kiss you properly.”
Her lips tilted up and he caught a twinkle in her eye. “Shut up and get to it, then.”
Aiming to please, he licked the seam of her lips asking for entry and was not disappointed when she canted her head allowing him deeper access as her tongue tangled with his. In seconds he was again taken back in time, back to the smells of cut grass and the honeysuckle on the side of the garage, the place farthest from the windows of the main house where they might be seen. Holding each other in much the same position as they were in now, their budding bodies rubbing together creating ripples of sensuous delight. In fact, if memory served, she would start making noises someti—
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