Resisting the Dragon (Dragon Shores Book 2)

by Rinelle Grey

  It stirred the Mesmer bond, desire and adrenaline mingling in his bloodstream, making him seethe with impatience. For her and for his mission. “I have to find them,” he said in frustration. “I have to find out what happened to them.”

  Rylee didn’t tell him that was a crazy idea. Didn’t try to say that there was a chance the rest of his clan was long gone, perhaps wiped out by the Trima clan. She considered him for a moment, then said, “Well, if there’s no one at your lair, what about the places your other brothers and sisters were sleeping? Maybe there are clues there?”

  That thought hadn’t even occurred to Calrian. But if his clan had been unable to wake him, it made sense that they might not have woken his brothers and sisters either. Maybe not everyone he’d known was gone.

  Calrian nodded. “That is an excellent plan, and what I intend to do as soon as I have regained my energy.”

  Rylee frowned. “Why wait? I could take you there now?”

  Despite her offering exactly what he wanted, Calrian’s heart sank. She wanted to get rid of him. That had to be why she was rushing him. And it was true that if he found his brothers and sisters, they could help him. Of course, even if they were there, they would be in the same predicament as himself—weak and with no way to quickly recover. Definitely in no position to take on a Trima dragon.

  He would have to wait. It was just too dangerous.

  “I can understand your urgency to help me find my clan. I know my presence here is awkward for you,” he said apologetically. “But it is too dangerous. A Trima dragon was guarding my Mesmer chamber. He was asleep and unaware that I left. But we might not be so lucky a second time. I can’t risk taking you into danger.”

  Rylee put a hand on his arm, the touch sending a shiver up his spine.

  “I’m not trying to get rid of you, Calrian.” Her voice was soft, and the way she said his name, slowly and deliberately, set his Mesmer charged blood racing. “I just want to help you find your family. It’s not good to be alone.”

  Calrian certainly couldn’t dispute that. But there was one thing he could dispute. “I don’t feel like I’m alone, Rylee. Thank you for helping me.”

  She blushed then, and Calrian could feel the strong pull between them. Stronger than anything he’d ever felt before.

  He couldn’t help wondering about her comments earlier. Would the mating bond be any different if you mated with someone you loved instead of someone you didn’t? Yes, the mating bond caused an attraction, but if the love was there first, would it be even stronger?

  Just like this Mesmer bond was.

  He stared at Rylee, wondering if she was thinking the same thing. But though he could tell from her scent that she was as aroused as he was, she didn’t show it in any other way.

  Instead she said, “If there was a Trima dragon at your Mesmer chamber, how did you and Rowan get out without it noticing?”

  It took Calrian a moment to convince his fuzzy brain to listen to what she was saying. When it sunk in, he frowned. “The Trima dragon was sleeping, so it didn’t see us. I suppose it was relying on sensing me if I woke and left, as dragons project a magical aura that is detectable to other dragons. But since I had virtually no magical energy, my presence wasn’t enough to wake him. Rowan, as a human, would be almost undetectable to him.”

  Rylee grinned triumphantly. “Then that’s your answer. Now is the best time for you to go find your brothers and sisters, when you can slip past this Trima dragon without them noticing.”

  Would it work? Calrian stared at her for a moment, trying to think. His energy was already higher than it had been when he’d left his own Mesmer chamber, but it was still so low he didn’t think he could even draw the water out of his own clothes to dry them. Surely it was too low to be noticeable to an enemy dragon, especially not if it was asleep like that one had been.

  Of course, the Trima dragons weren’t the only problem with waking his siblings, just the most dangerous. But even if the Trima dragon weren’t in the way, he still needed to be able to get the chamber door open without the key, which was… had been… in his clan’s possession. Even if he managed to get into the chamber, his brother or sister would be as weak as he was and no help against the enemy dragon.

  Still, it wasn’t like he had any other plans at this point.

  “That just might work,” he said slowly.

  That was when it hit him. If he did manage to find his clan, or even just his brothers and sisters, he would have no more need to remain near Rylee. The thought filled him with an unexpected sadness that even the Mesmer bond couldn’t explain.

  Chapter 4

  Rylee found herself caught in Calrian’s sorrowful gaze, and she couldn’t look away, even though she knew she should. He should have been happy. She’d helped him figure out a way to possibly find his clan, his family.

  So should she.

  And yet, what she was feeling from him and seeing in his eyes was a wave of sadness. One that her own heart echoed.

  Was it because he was afraid his brothers and sisters wouldn’t be there? It had been at least a hundred years, more likely two or three, since he was last awake. There was every chance they were all long gone. He had to be thinking that was a possibility.

  But his earlier words about not being alone stirred something in her.

  Something dangerous.

  The look he was giving her, as though he were drowning and she was his only lifeline, tugged at her heartstrings.

  She knew how it felt to be lonely and to want to be close to someone, anyone, just to dull that feeling. That was what Calrian was feeling right now. He was grateful for her help, afraid he might never find his family, and desperate not to be alone, and perhaps he was in danger of mistaking that for something more, as she had with Eric.

  She needed to keep her distance now, more than ever.

  And yet, she didn’t move.

  She had to admit, he was exciting. He stirred her blood in a way no man ever had. The stories he told, about wars fought over love, were fantastical. And yet, utterly believable.

  Love made people do strange things.

  And, if Calrian were to be believed, dragons could fall in love simply through mating each other. Could create some sort of magical bond, like the one she and Calrian were trapped in, only stronger.

  Did dragons believe in love? Or did they all mate for other reasons?

  It was a strange concept, and one that made her a little uncomfortable.

  What if humans had this sort of bond? What if she had mated Eric and then been trapped loving him forever?

  A shiver ran up her spine at the thought.

  What if Calrian’s sister had mated this other dragon, Ultrian, and been trapped with him? From what Calrian had said, he wasn’t a very nice dragon if he had tried to force himself on her. Being mated to someone like that didn’t sound like it would be pleasant.

  No, she didn’t like the sound of this dragon mating bond at all.

  Which meant it was just one more reason why she needed to keep her distance from Calrian, no matter what her body was tempting her with. Of course, who knew if the bond would work between a dragon and a human, but given how effective this Mesmer bond was working between them, she somehow suspected it would.

  She dragged her eyes away from his and forced herself to stand up. “Well, it’s too late to do anything about looking for them today. Rowan will be home in an hour or so, and I need to be here to meet him. Especially after Dad’s warning earlier.”

  “Actually,” Calrian said. “We might need Rowan’s help.”

  Rylee frowned. She wasn’t too keen on involving her son in this. It would be dangerous. Not that Rowan would care. One suggestion and he’d be all in. “What do you mean?” she asked cautiously.

  “It would be handy to know how he managed to get into my chamber. There’s a lock on the door, and I don’t have the key.”

  Rylee put her hands on her hips. “This is the first you’ve mentioned a lock. What sort
of a lock is it?”

  “I didn’t mention it because it is not the main barrier to entry. The Trima dragons can’t even get close enough to use it. It was designed only as a way of manipulating the door, like a door handle.” Calrian held out his hands, his fingers making a circle. “There’s a place for a medallion, about this big. When you put in the medallion and turn it, then it opens the door.”

  “A door handle that you take with you when you leave,” Rylee said dryly. She thought for a moment. “If it’s just a case of something fitting in the space to allow you to turn it, we just need something to jam into the space. I can bring some tools. Rowan must have done something similar. Probably he was poking it or something and managed to turn it. But I’d rather not ask him, as he’ll likely guess what we’re doing and want to come. I don’t want him hurt.”

  Calrian nodded immediately. “Of course not. That should work.”

  Rylee looked at him for a few more minutes, but he didn’t add anything more. So she made herself say, “I’d better get some cleaning up done. Make yourself at home.”

  Calrian nodded, his expression understanding. “Thank you for your help,” he said again.

  Rylee stared at him for a few more moments, half hoping he’d find some excuse for her to stay, some more stories to tell her or something. But he didn’t say anything.

  So she made herself walk through to the laundry and start putting a load of washing on.

  She could hear Calrian moving around in the next room, every part of her achingly aware of his presence. She had the urge to forget the washing, to rush back in to be with him, but she fought it. It wasn’t her. It was the bond. She needed to stay strong.

  She managed to keep herself busy for nearly an hour before the urge became too much for her. By then, memories of how they’d both nearly died from being apart last night would no longer be silenced, and she had to check that he was okay.

  That’s what she told herself anyway.

  She tried to deny the leap of desire her body gave when she saw him, how her eyes lingered on his naked torso. She really should do something about finding some clothes for him. That would probably make this whole thing easier.

  Tomorrow was her usual shopping day. If they weren’t out searching for his brothers and sisters, she’d grab something then.

  That gave her a whole day to enjoy his nakedness first.

  Rylee bit her lip. She really was losing it. She’d never been one to stare at men’s naked chests. Never had any interest in those firefighter calendars other women swooned over. But somehow, this was different.

  This man was sitting in her living room, large as life, staring at… was that her real estate catalogue?

  Rylee’s heart skipped a beat, then started hammering in her chest.

  Rylee felt exposed. She’d kept her dreams of owning a bed and breakfast to herself, sharing them only with Rowan, who was too young to realise how impossible they were. She certainly hadn’t told anyone else though. Her father would just laugh at her and tell her it was a pointless dream. How was she ever going to get enough money to start something like that?

  Calrian would probably think the same thing if she told him.

  And it would be the truth. It was a pointless dream, and indulging in it was as stupid as indulging in her feelings for the hot dragon shifter sitting on her couch.

  “What are you doing with that?” Without even thinking, Rylee strode across the room and snatched it out of his hands.

  He’d had it open at the page with the bed and breakfast she’d been sighing over just last night. Somehow, that just made it worse. He must think she was crazy.

  “I’m sorry.” Calrian’s voice was suitably contrite, but it didn’t make Rylee feel any better.

  “What are you doing going through my private belongings? You may have managed to trick me into this bond, but this is going too far.” Rylee’s hands were shaking, and she could feel hot tears pricking at the back of her eyes.

  This had all been a mistake. Letting Calrian stay had been a mistake.

  This was all happening because she was too scared to just sleep with him and get it over with. She was pretending she was being restrained and sensible, but really, it was all just going to backfire on her because she was too much of a coward to take a risk.

  “I wasn’t meaning to pry,” Calrian persisted. “I didn’t realise it was private. I was simply trying to learn more about the human world and what has happened while I was asleep.”

  His words penetrated the panic surrounding her and calmed her a little.

  She was overreacting. He probably didn’t even know what he was looking at. Could he even read? She had no idea.

  She took a few deep breaths until the trembling subsided, some of the adrenaline fading away. “Sorry. I just…”

  She had no excuse for her outburst.

  None she felt like sharing anyway.

  Now that her initial panic had calmed, she realised that Calrian probably didn’t know enough about the human world to realise how impossible her dream was. He had no idea of the value of money, or how little she had. How little it was possible for a single mother to make.

  “It’s all right,” Calrian said quickly. He paused for a moment, staring at the catalogue in her hand, and Rylee could see the curiosity in his eyes. But he didn’t say anything.

  He had done his best to respect her wishes, from not wanting to complete the ritual with him to not wanting to talk about a stupid real estate catalogue.

  She felt mean for snapping at him, but that didn’t mean she was even going to try to explain the situation to him. She stared around the room for a moment, then caught sight of the newspaper on the hall stand. She hadn’t even looked at it herself. She hated reading all the bad news, but her father dropped it off every day. He thought keeping up with what was going on in the world was important.

  Rylee picked it up and handed it to Calrian. “Here, if you want to learn more about the world, this is the newspaper. It’s full of… news. Stuff that’s happening in the world. You can learn a lot more in there.”

  “Thank you.” Calrian’s voice was serious and sounded genuinely thankful. “I’m sorry if I caused any distress.”

  “It’s fine,” Rylee said, the shortness in her voice caused more by guilt for her reaction than any annoyance at him.

  She was glad when she heard the hiss of the air brakes on the school bus as it pulled up outside. “That’s Rowan arriving home.”

  She turned away, not wanting to see the bewildered expression in Calrian’s eyes any longer.

  Chapter 5

  Calrian stayed in the living room while Rylee went to the door and waited for Rowan to come up the path.

  He had no idea what had upset her so much about the book he’d been holding. It seemed to hold pages of pictures of different buildings, all with numbers next to them. He wasn’t even sure what it meant let alone how it was private. It had just been sitting on a table in the hallway.

  There was so much about her world he didn’t understand.

  He stared at the paper she’d given him. A newspaper she’d called it. She’d said it would help him understand more about the human world. He wanted that. Needed that. He’d looked around her house while she was working and had seen many wonders. He simply wanted to know more.

  But right now, he had bigger concerns. Rylee had been worried about how Rowan was going to react to him staying, and since he was here, they were about to find out. But so as not to put pressure on her, or interfere in her reunion with her son, he opened the paper and stared at the pages, pretending to read.

  “How was your day?” Rylee asked Rowan, taking his bag from him. She put it on the table and unzipped it, removing a plastic box and a few pieces of paper.

  “Fine,” Rowan said distractedly. He’d caught sight of Calrian, and a smile split his face. “You’re back!”

  Calrian nodded, not sure what to say, or how much Rylee wanted to explain right now.

 
“Calrian will be staying with us for a few days,” Rylee said, but didn’t add any further details on why. “I’d rather you didn’t mention it to Grandad. I’m sure he won’t approve.”

  Rowan screwed up his face. “Grandad doesn’t approve of anything.” He hesitated, looking from his mother to Calrian, then back. “Are you really a dragon,” he blurted out, then looked back to his mother as though afraid she would chastise him.

  Calrian hesitated. That was one thing they hadn’t discussed, so he just looked to her and raised an eyebrow.

  She heaved a sigh and came across the room to put her hand on Rowan’s shoulder. “Yes, he is. And he needs our help, my help, for a few days. You know how he was very weak when you found him?”

  But Rowan wasn’t paying any attention to her words. He was staring at Calrian, his eyes bright with excitement. “Can you fly? Can you breathe fire? How come you look human?”

  Calrian looked at Rylee again for permission, and when she nodded, he tried to answer the rapid fire questions. “Yes, I can fly in dragon form. No, I can’t breathe fire, I’m a water dragon. And I look human because I can shift between dragon form and human form.”

  “Like a werewolf?” Rowan asked. “So if you’re a water dragon can you breathe water?”

  “Yes, kind of like a werewolf, although as far as I know, those don’t actually exist,” Calrian said. “I don’t breathe water exactly, but I can hold my breath underwater for long periods of time, and I can manipulate water with my magic. When I’m at full strength anyway.” He looked back to Rylee, hoping she would take the opening he’d just offered her.

  She did. “That’s why Calrian is staying for a few days. He’s formed a… kind of a magical bond… with me, when we touched that first time, and he needs to be close to me to regain his energy.”

  This time, Rowan seemed to take in what she was saying. “So you’re staying for a few days?”

  Rowan was only paying attention to what he wanted to hear. Calrian began to suspect that they weren’t in as much danger of being found out as Rylee had thought. “That’s the plan.”