Book Read Free

Paranormal Dating Agency: Her Wounded Dragon (Viking Ancestors' Kin, Book 4.5) (Kindle Worlds Novella)

Page 8

by Sky Purington


  “For breakfast?” She grinned. “Sounds great. Need help?”

  He loved her smile. The way it lit up her eyes and made them shimmer. “Naw, make yourself at home. This won’t take long.”

  “Okay.” She started to walk around, clearly in awe of the place. His eyes rarely left her as she explored. As their long lost memories continued to culminate and he recalled so much.

  It was odd going from keeping women at arm’s length to suddenly becoming so intensely merged with one. He knew he’d been reincarnated just like his sisters. That he was Norse before. Viking. But he never imagined that he might have had a mate in another life. Who knows why? Maybe because he was pretty much a lone soldier in this one. He might be surrounded by women a lot, but they were just props.

  “You never had sex with most of those women, though,” Viv murmured, following his thoughts as she stared out at the waves. “You brought them home, used dragon magic on them to ensure they thought they had the best night of their life, then sent them on their way untouched.” Her eyes met his. “Why?”

  “Key word, most. I had some sex.” He shrugged. “In the meantime, I had to keep up appearances. Simple as that.”

  “Uh huh, appearances. Strange disguise, though,” she said. “Navy pilot by day and rogue biker womanizing dragon shifter by night.”

  “That about sums it up.”

  She cocked her head. “Why bother being a pilot?”

  “Why not? Hallstein likes it because he thinks it keeps him more connected to this land. Like he’s got a one up on our country,” he said. “And I like it because it puts me in the air at a high rate of speed.”

  “Because you don’t shift and fly here, do you?”

  “Hell, no. Too risky.” He gestured at the cave. “I only shift down here.”

  “So you’re only in the military so you can fly?”

  “Mostly,” he said. “But I’m also in it because I love my country.” He shot her a crooked smile. “Born and raised here, darlin’. At least in this life.”

  Viv eyed him with a strange look. She was disconcerted by the changes in him, but at the same time, seemed to like them.

  “What will you do when and if you travel back in time?” she said. “Go AWOL?”

  “Shit no.” He shook his head. “If I end up traveling back in time, I’ll make sure they never knew I existed.”

  “At least you’ve thought everything through.” Viv kept eying him before she refocused on their earlier conversation. “I know you’re not telling me the entire truth about why you kept women at a distance.”

  This would take some getting used to. Sharing his mind with another. Letting her see all his hidden truths. But as their eyes held, he realized he was looking forward to it. To having someone…

  “Damn,” he muttered under his breath. What was he doing cozying up to the idea that they might make it through all of this alive? That they might actually have some sort of future together?

  He supposed his one uttered curse was telling because when she joined him, her eyes were soft and her words even softer. “It makes sense that you were waiting for the right girl, Kage. Kind of romantic, actually.”

  “Romance isn’t my thing,” he mumbled. “No room for it in my life.”

  “Right, because it’s too dangerous considering who you hang out with,” she murmured, coming so close his inner dragon came to full attention right along with his cock. “Yet here we are. Together. Reunited across time.”

  When she was near, self-control got slippery.

  “Here we are,” he agreed, walking her backward until her ass hit the small island. Nachos were all but forgotten when faced with the desire building between them. What he said next worked against the whole anti-romance thing, but he meant it. “Hell, I missed you. I can feel it from the inside out now, Viv. How’d I ever forget this…”

  He never finished his sentence, but kissed her hard. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that being in his lair, his dragon’s place, changed the whole dynamic between them. Intensified it in a way there was no turning back from. But he didn’t care. Because what roared up between them was far too strong.

  “Kage,” she groaned between kisses, feeling it just as much as him. “I need more. Please…more.”

  He knew exactly what she wanted.

  What they both needed.

  And it wasn’t foreplay this time around.

  On fire, seeing red, he spun Viv and urged her to lie belly down across the counter. “I’ve wanted to bend you over something, anything, since we met,” he rasped as he shoved her skirt up, ripped her panties off, freed his cock and thrust deep inside her.

  “Shit, you feel good,” he groaned as her tight heat clamped around him.

  “Odin above,” she panted, as she gripped the opposite edge of the counter. “Don’t stop…keep moving…”

  That’s all she got out before he gripped her hips and starting thrusting. Not easy and gentle, and certainly not romantic, but hard and fast. Aggressive. Like dragons. He had never taken a woman like this because he’d been afraid he would break her. Scare her.

  But Vivienne wasn’t scared in the least.

  She was eager and egging him on. She shuddered and groaned and cried out in pleasure as he moved. He clenched his jaw, close to climax way too fast, as he enjoyed her full ass and the indentation of her waist. He loved the way she squirmed and panted and drove him on.

  Suddenly a beautiful black dragon filled his mind. With sinful dark cat-like eyes, she looked right at him. Wanted him to come to her. Be with her.

  Vivienne.

  He had never experienced anything so hot.

  He’d never wanted anyone so much.

  “I’m not gonna last long, Viv,” he choked out, shocked that he was losing control so quickly. If there’s one thing he’d never had an issue with, it was endurance. But her dragon was a seductress, and her human looked so damn gorgeous all sprawled out that he couldn’t stop the instinct to claim her.

  Fill her.

  Mark his territory.

  Make her his.

  The way he felt was primal, all dragon, and there was no stopping it. Fire shot up his spine, and his balls got tight. No more time. He bent over, clasped his hands over hers and breathed against her ear, “Mine,” before he pressed deep, groaned with pleasure and let go.

  “Oh, hell,” she gasped before her body started shaking, she seized up and climaxed as well.

  Nothing could have prepared him for the rush he felt as she clenched around him and kept trembling. It was submissive in a way his dragon liked. But it was also human, emotional, a mutual, well-matched joining of the mind and flesh.

  A connection that had forged so quickly he knew it would only put her more in harm’s way.

  “I put myself in harm’s way the minute I agreed to come to the future,” Viv murmured into his mind because she was incapable of speech. “My choice. My decision. So don’t put my level of danger on you.”

  “Everything that happens to you from this point forward is on me.” Kage kissed the corner of her lips then trailed his mouth down the side of her neck before he nipped her shoulder and gently pulled her back against him. He tilted her head until their eyes met. “There’s no changing that. You’re my mate. And I just got a better taste of exactly what that means.”

  “Because you saw my dragon,” she whispered.

  “Yeah,” he whispered back. “And I saw something else too.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  VIV’S LEGS CONTINUED trembling as Kage turned her and cupped her cheeks. He knew everything now because her dragon had shown him.

  “You tried to come back for me the day of the massacre,” he murmured. “You found a way around the spell cast on you and betrayed your kin.”

  “I did,” she ground out, biting back emotion. “I have no idea how I did it, but there were others. Those mated with Bjark’s dragons…with your kin, that went back too.” Viv narrowed her eyes as she remembered. “I think
it was because we were mates.” She shook her head. “But it didn’t matter because we were too late. The damage had already been done.”

  “Still, many of you ended up dead because you went back,” he said softly.

  “All but a few of us.” It had been years ago, but the feeling of helplessness she experienced roared to the surface as though she’d felt it minutes ago. “I hate whatever it was that pulled the Sigdirs away from the battle, what made us seem like cowards, but at the same time I’m grateful.” Her throat thickened. “Had they stayed and fought, they would have gone down with Bjark’s tribe. Every last dragon. There’s no doubt. Hallstein…I mean Bard’s clan was that powerful. That destructive.”

  Kage nodded, pulled her into his arms and simply held her. He didn’t say anything at first. When he finally did his voice was still soft. Gentle. “That’s why you were willing to put yourself in harm’s way. Why you reached out to Gerri Wilder…”

  He didn’t need to finish his thought because they both knew her main reason now.

  Guilt.

  Not only did she feel like she let his clan down when she flew back to that massacre but betrayed her own in the process. Because they were under a spell and could have very well been flying toward their own demise.

  So she wanted to make it up to them.

  Forfeiting her family and life in ancient Scandinavia wasn’t enough. She was ready to pay with her life. If that meant using the man of her dreams to get close to Hallstein, so be it. The only problem? He turned out to be a man she never thought she’d find again.

  Her dragon mate.

  In human terms…her soul mate.

  Yet it was his modern-day dragon that kept flashing in her mind since she walked into this lair. Huge, nearly double her dragon’s size, he was well-muscled and black with those same gorgeous blue eyes. But it was his inner beast’s disposition that overshadowed everything.

  Anger. Sadness. Loneliness.

  He didn’t belong here.

  He belonged somewhere he could spread his wings and fly. Where he could be around others like him. Revel in it. Be part of a family rather than spend his life protecting one without them even knowing he existed.

  “Yes, it’s safe to say I’ve experienced some guilt over betraying my clan,” she replied in response to his statement. “A lot actually.” She adjusted her skirt and eyed him. “So maybe I’ve taken chances I shouldn’t have.”

  “Ya think?” he drawled as he scowled and zipped his fly. “Hell, if Hallstein had sensed any of this about you, do you know where you’d be right now? Because dead would be the best case scenario.”

  “Yeah, I got that.” She sighed as he resumed putting together nachos as though they hadn’t just rocked each other’s world. But that was his safety zone when he cared too much.

  Detached.

  “So now that we’ve got all that out of the way,” she said, fine with being detached too if that’s what he needed. “What’s our next move? How are we gonna get Erica away from Hallstein?”

  “Based on what I’ve heard from her, we’re not gonna get Erica away from Hallstein.” He placed a platter of nachos between them, two plates and a side of sour cream and hot sauce. “She is.”

  So they were keeping in touch without Viv knowing. He was blocking her. She kept hurt from her face and thoughts. All he had was Erica so if they had a private connection, so be it. He deserved that at the very least.

  “And how does she intend to do that?” Viv thanked him for the bottled water he handed her then scooped some food onto her plate. She might be willing to give him privacy, but she wouldn’t abide him being so vague when it came to Erica’s well-being. “Better yet, is she all right?” She arched her brows, working hard to keep her irritation at a low simmer. “Or abused and bleeding somewhere while we have crazy sex followed by nachos?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m not used to sharing.” His voice was rough. “Erica’s only been in my world for a few months. A sister I never expected to find me, let alone contact me.” His eyes were turbulent. “She’s important to me, Viv. The connection we’ve formed is important.”

  Well, of course it was. And that was a good thing.

  “It should be,” she agreed, suddenly feeling like a douche. She rested her hand, palm up on the counter, and hoped he’d take it. “Sorry if I—”

  “It’s fine,” he assured and rested his hand on hers. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”

  Perhaps not but it was obvious he ran a little sensitive when it came to his sister, and she didn’t blame him. “I’m glad Erica’s okay and that you share a strong connection.”

  “We do,” he said. “Almost as strong as the one I share with you.” He urged her to eat. “My connection with Erica is an unusual sort, though. She’s not like us.”

  “How so?”

  “It’s hard to explain.”

  “Give it your best shot.”

  The corner of his mouth inched up. “Why not read my mind?”

  “Because I’d rather hear your take on it.”

  “Fair enough.” He shrugged. “Well, like all of us, she’s reincarnated. But her case is different. She’s different.” He shook his head. “She’s got unexplainable powers, and knows things nobody else does.”

  “And because of that you believe her when she says Hallstein didn’t hurt her?” she asked. “That he wouldn’t.”

  “She’s my kin,” he said. “If she were hurt, I would know it.”

  Viv knew he was speaking from the heart because she was inside his mind. Still, what if he was wrong? “But how can you be so sure? What if—”

  “I’m fine,” came a firm voice before Erica appeared at the bottom of the stairs. “Just in need of rest.”

  Both stood as Erica joined them and plunked down on a barstool.

  “Damn, I never even felt you coming,” Kage muttered, clearly relieved to see her unharmed despite his assurances to Viv moments before.

  “Good.” Erica commenced to eating Kage’s nachos. “If you didn’t sense me coming then Hallstein definitely didn’t sense me going.”

  “You look like your dragon’s flown around the planet a few hundred times.” He frowned. “What happened? Where’s Hallstein now? Should we be on the run?”

  “Shnegative,” Erica said around a mouthful of nachos. “I shust got shback from the shast and shit’s shnot shood.”

  Say what?

  Evidently, Kage understood. “So you just got back from the past, and it’s not good.” His brows knit in concern. “Go on. Maybe with less nachos in your mouth this time.”

  “I was never supposed to travel back,” Erica said after she swallowed and headed for the liquor cabinet. “I was pulled back by Kodran Sigdir….sort of.” They waited as she took a few hearty swigs of whiskey, be damned the early hour. It was noon somewhere. “It doesn’t matter now. I’m back and Hallstein’s none-the-wiser. Not yet anyway.” Her eyes met Kage’s. “But the clock’s ticking down and shit’s officially about to hit the fan, Bro.”

  “Yeah, I’m getting that.”

  “So how are you two doing?” Erica grinned and glanced between them as though they all weren’t having such a dire conversation. “I’ll bet you’re feeling pretty damn good, eh? More powerful than ever?”

  “Yeah,” Viv said, worried. “But eager to hear more about what happened to you.” She frowned. “How did you get away from Hallstein?” Even talking about him left a sour taste in her mouth. “He seemed pretty intent on spending time with you, and it didn’t sound promising.”

  “Oh, I’ve got him tricked into thinking we’re really dragon mates.” Erica snorted. “Which means he thinks he’s tracking my every move. That gives a dragon the likes of him a certain sense of confidence and arrogance.”

  “How is that even possible with someone as powerful as Hallstein?” Kage said.

  “Mostly because everything that’s been happening lately in ancient Scandinavia points toward me being his long lost love, Maeva.” Erica
shrugged. “That and tapping into a special kind of magic.”

  “You’re making him think you’re still with him right now,” Kage murmured as he picked at the nachos his sister had swiped from him. “That’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  “You got it.” Erica poured more hot sauce on her nachos and kept eating.

  “So, what?” Viv said, aware of everything thanks to Julie but interested in Erica’s take on it. “Hallstein was searching out the spirit of Maeva, and now he’s convinced she’s you?”

  “Uh huh,” Erica concurred and shrugged as if it were no big thing. “Unfortunately, however, it turns out he’s right.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  KAGE DIDN’T LIKE this. Not one damn bit. “I hope to hell you know what you’re doing, Sis.”

  “Me too,” Erica muttered but didn’t seem all that concerned. “I’ve got to get back. I suggest you two get some rest. You’ll need your strength.” Her eyes met his. “Big changes are coming soon. Just remember, I’ve always got your back.”

  “What’s going on?” He narrowed his eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “A lot. But it’s for your own good,” she said. “What I can tell you is that your days of hanging with Hallstein and his crew are over. If your paths cross again, beware.”

  Kage nodded. “I take it he knows I headed this way then?”

  He had pretty much figured things would go down like this.

  “Yes.” Erica glanced at Viv. “Worse than that, you took his newest prized possession with you.” She embraced him. “I love you, Brother. Take care of yourself.”

  “Shit, Erica,” he muttered. “You’re leaving me in the dark here.”

  “No.” She tossed Viv a smile. “Now that you’ve reunited with your mate, you’re more enlightened than ever. You two have a path to follow. One that should bring us all back together eventually. Her kin. Ours.” Her eyes met Kage’s. “You’ll know what to do. Just trust your gut. And your dragon.”

 

‹ Prev