by Jenna Payne
Jack got to the baby first, lifting him from the crib and cradling him in his arms. He even began to hum a lullaby as he rocked the baby gently.
Jen watched them speechlessly, her heart torn and her mind in chaos. You’ve got a wonderful husband-to-be, Jen, a voice insider her whispered. Why are you even thinking about leaving him?
She had no answer to that question, except for the fact that he was not completely human. But did she still honestly still think that he could harm her and their baby one of these days or cause her trouble, after all this time, after all his love and kindness? So far he’d shown greater control around her, and had avoided transforming into his dragon self.
Soon the baby was asleep again, looking very much at peace in his daddy’s arms. Brennan hadn’t shown any signs of being a dragon shifter yet. According to Jack, most of them started out that way. Physical manifestations began at puberty, but of course they had been prepared as children by their parents.
In a subtle way, he was also telling Jen that they needed to do the same with Brennan. But first, Jen had to accept the reality first and embrace her new family and life.
As soon as Jack put the baby back down, the door burst open. Jessie came in looking excited, a beautiful black dress in her hands. Her dark hair was braided neatly while her sparkling brown eyes shone with excitement, brightening up her pretty face.
“Oops, sorry,” she immediately said as soon as she saw Brennan in his crib. “I didn’t realize my adorable nephew was sleeping…” She tiptoed to the baby and gave him a peck on the cheek.
Then turning to Jen, she laid out the dress she was carrying on the bed. “Look, I had the perfect dress made for you for tonight’s party!”
Jen looked at her in surprise. “You didn’t have to do that, Jessie. I mean, you’re the celebrant, after all.”
“Yes, but you’ve been so busy being a mom lately. I want you to have the time of your life tonight. Besides, our dear friend Ginny made dresses for me and all of our other close friends. It’s her passion!”
Jen gazed at the lovely long black dress with silky drapes and beaded top. “It’s really beautiful,” she said in awe. “Thanks so much.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Jessie answered with a wave of her hand. “Anything for my sister.”
Jen felt horrible deep inside. Here she was plotting to escape and expose the whole community of dragon shifters, while Jessie considered her as family.
“Anyway, I’ll give you two some private lovey-dovey time now,” Jessie said with a wink. “See you later!”
“Jessie really loves you,” Jack said after his sister left the room.
“Oh, she’s like that with everybody,” Jen said.
“No, she really does,” Jack told her. “She likes you a lot more than any of the other women I ever dated. And to think you’re the only full human I’ve been with.”
“I appreciate it,” Jen said, smiling at the awkward compliment. “She’s a great person.”
Jack quickly approached her and literally swept her off her feet in seconds. “It’s been a long time since we had alone time together, Jen,” he murmured into her ear, his lips grazing the outer lobe and sending a tingle down her spine.
With her heart beating fast, Jen pulled out of his embrace and slid back on her feet. “I’m kind of tired,” she whispered. She tried to ignore the disappointed look on his face.
“Okay,” he nodded. “I’ll let you rest. We can catch up tonight during the party.”
Jen tried to avoid his eyes as she slinked backward. He simply bowed and walked out of the room.
*****
The spacious garden was decorated with sparkling lights that seemed to reflect the twinkling stars in the evening sky. The colorful flowers, along with the multicolored fabrics draped around the trees and bushes, added to the already festive mood.
As Jen consciously made her way toward one of the garden tables in her new black dress, a strong gust of wind rushed past her. She slightly turned, expecting to see a dragon flying by. She was right. It was actually one of the younger, more playful ones who loved experimenting with their newfound dragon skills.
By this time, she wasn’t shocked anymore. These dragons had become a regular part of her daily life.
“Jen, there you are!” she heard Jessie’s cheery voice greet her. The strong-willed, vivacious female dragon shifter bounded to her with an excited look on her face. “Oh, my gosh! I knew you’d look fabulous in that dress!”
“Thanks,” Jen said shyly.
“I’ve actually seen a lot of men giving you meaningful glances,” Jessie teased. “If my brother catches them…” She paused dramatically, shaking her head. “I don’t know what he’d do to them. He’s crazy about you!”
Jen laughed, although her insides were churning in mayhem. In her mind, she could picture the backpack she’d filled up with her things and some of her baby’s belongings. She was actually feeling guilty already. But she was determined to escape that night.
“Did Jack see you already?”
“Not yet.”
“Oh, my! His eyes are going to pop out of their sockets for sure!”
Jen couldn’t help giggling. At that moment, Jack appeared by her side. She caught a whiff of his favorite musky scent even before he spoke.
She felt his hands slinking around her waist, his lips brushing against her neck. “Were you girls just talking about me?” he asked in a joking tone.
“Don’t be assuming!” Jessie said in haughty tone, although her eyes were twinkling with laughter.
“Yeah,” Jen agreed. “Why would we talk about you?”
“I don’t know,” Jack said, embracing her even closer. “Maybe because you’re crazy about me?”
Jessie laughed. “Gosh, let me just leave you two lovebirds alone! See you around!”
Jack, laughing, then turned Jen around to face her. His eyes swept over her body and then focused on her face. “You are indeed beautiful, my love,” he whispered. “I will definitely get used to waking up beside you every single day…”
Jen laughed uneasily, knowing where the conversation was headed once again. “You know, I’m really getting hungry now,” she said, trying to veer the topic away. “Can we get something to eat, please?”
“Of course,” Jack answered, taking her by the hand and leading her to the buffet table.
After a while, Jen actually almost forgot about her plans as she found herself enjoying the company of Jack and his family and friends. When he had to entertain some other people, she excused herself to check up on little Brennan in the bedroom.
Alone in the room, she watched her baby sleeping soundly, her heart pounding wildly as she pondered on what to do next.
There was no time to think anymore. She had to do it now while everyone else was preoccupied, or she wouldn’t have another chance.
Quickly she rushed to change into a comfortable black shirt, dark jeans, and sneakers. Then she took her backpack before bundling up her baby in a comfy blanket and carrying him close to her chest. He whimpered a bit but she cradled him closely and gently rocked him back to sleep.
It wasn’t long before she’d sneaked out of the front door of the house and onto the dirt path leading to the woods far away from the garden. She just kept on pushing forward, knowing very well that the path would soon open up to another main road where she could, she hoped, hitch a ride with an ordinary human passerby.
The moon was shining brightly, illuminating the pathway before her. Along the way, though, she was stopped by a sudden rumbling sound behind her.
“Who’s there?” she whispered in fear. She already knew it was a dragon, but she couldn’t be sure who it was.
From the shadows, a handsome young man came out. She recognized him as Billy, whom a lot of the women had been drooling over.
“Hey, Billy,” Jen greeted nervously. “What are you doing here?”
He snarled and smirked. “I should ask you that question. Does Jack know you’r
e here?”
Jen didn’t answer. She knew she was trapped. With a baby in her hands, she would never be able to run away from this troublemaking dragon shifter.
Billy crept forward, a devilish smile forming on his lips. “You know, I’ve been watching you a lot from afar… I can see why Jack’s so crazy about you…”
Jen froze, her heartbeat racing in panic.
“If you go with me tonight, I won’t tell on you,” he whispered as he approached her.
Jen was deathly scared. This man had a reputation for seducing various women, full human women included. What was more, he was also known to hurt them when he was out of control—which often happened.
“Please don’t hurt us…” Jen pleaded, hugging her baby tighter.
“I won’t,” Billy said, parting her hair with his hands to reveal her bare neck. He leaned forward and began kissing her.
She moved away. “Maybe we should just go back to the party…”
He laughed mischievously. “I don’t think so.”
Without another word, he put an arm around her shoulders and led her down another path. Her mind was whirring, her eyes darting from left to right, as they walked quietly. She could scream or run, but she was afraid for Brennan. He might get harmed in the process. She would rather just endure what was to come if it meant saving her baby’s life.
She felt tears coming to her eyes. Maybe this is my punishment, she thought in anguish and bitterness. This is what I get for planning to expose the community that had welcomed me with open arms, for turning my back on the man who loved me with all his heart!
Soon they came to the other side of the lake.
“Stand there behind the tree,” Billy commanded.
She gulped hard and tried to keep more tears from welling up in her eyes as she followed him, with little Brennan still in her arms.
As Billy was about to take the baby from Jen, an angry voice came from not far away. “Leave her alone,” the deep male voice said.
When Jen saw the familiar well-built body, the dark hair, and intense gray eyes, she couldn’t help crying out of relief.
“Leave her alone,” Jack repeated menacingly, stepping forward.
Billy faced him squarely. “She doesn’t even want to be with you, King!”
At that moment, Jack suddenly let out a wild roar and transformed into his powerful dragon self. He lunged at Billy who immediately turned to his dragon version too.
Jen ducked and ran behind a tree as the two dragons attacked one another, their bodies entangling in a bloody brawl. The battle became fiercer, moving them toward the lake. Jen could see them breathing fire onto each other, orange balls of inferno lighting up the shimmering waters and surrounding area.
“I’m so sorry, Jack,” she whispered as she watched the combat from afar. “Please, please be okay.”
From the back of her mind, she heard a voice urging her to escape. It was her chance to go ahead with her plan. But somehow she couldn’t make herself move. She needed to be sure that Jack would be okay.
Suddenly she remembered that she had her phone in the pocket of her bag. She hurriedly fished it out and dialed Jessie’s number.
“What’s going on, Jen? Please calm down. Tell me where you are,” Jessie said in an alarmed voice.
Jen related what was going on. Apparently, the other dragon shapeshifters had seen the balls of fire from the garden and were wondering what was happening.
Within just a minute, Jen saw several flying dragons in the sky, soaring toward Jack and Billy. They all breathed fire toward Billy, who slumped to the lake helplessly. He was already badly hurt by Jack, who had slashed Billy with his claws. Now Billy tumbled over the surface of the waters until he reached the shallow part where he stopped moving altogether. He was hardly breathing.
Before the others could fire again at him, Jack stopped them. Two dragons came forward and tied up Billy, who’d transformed back to his human form, greatly wounded and covered in blood.
Everybody left after Jack gave them instructions in a language that Jen did not comprehend. He looked weak, but still in control. One of his wings had been badly hurt too.
A dragon threw a blanket in his direction right before it flew away. Jack slumped to the ground beside the lake, back in his human form, partially covered with the blanket.
Jen rushed to his side as she carried a now awake Brennan. Surprisingly, though, the baby wasn’t crying.
“Oh, Jack, I’m so glad you’re okay…” she murmured, tears freely flowing down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…”
“Ssshhh…” Jack whispered, placing a finger on her lips. “You didn’t do anything wrong. That Billy should have been put in dragon jail a long time ago.”
“No, it’s my fault… I…” Jen began.
Jack shook his head, not allowing her to continue. Instead, he forced himself to sit up and give her a peck on the cheek. Then he leaned over to kiss baby Brennan too.
The sweet gesture broke Jen’s heart. She couldn’t say anything anymore, but just continued to weep.
*****
Jessie had volunteered to take care of Brennan, leaving Jen and Jack to talk. The party was over, and everyone had gone back to their homes.
Jack had a small injury on his side, but could move just fine. He’d already cleaned the wound, which surprisingly was healing very fast.
“Are you… okay…?” Jen asked him worriedly.
“I’m fine, don’t worry,” he insisted with a smile. “I actually heal faster than most dragon shifters.”
With wide eyes, Jen nodded in relief. “That’s good,” she whispered. Perhaps that was one of the special abilities of dragon kings.
He was now dressed in a casual shirt and a new pair of jeans. Despite the fact that he’d just come from a fight, he looked quite relaxed and happy.
For a short while, both of them stayed silent as they walked hand in hand across the garden. Jack tugged her around a huge wall of grass and flowers. She had never strolled toward that area before and therefore did not notice that there was actually a pathway behind the wall.
Jen was taken aback by the sight that greeted her. Behind the wall was an old, tiny cottage painted in white and surrounded by lush beds of flowers. It was dimly lit, but still looked homey and pretty.
“What a lovely cottage,” Jen breathed.
“This was my very first home, the one that my parents built…” Jack explained. “It’s got sentimental value so I kept it preserved. Sometimes when I want to just think and relax, I come here…”
In front of the house, he faced Jen and took her hands to his lips. Gazing into her hazelnut eyes, he whispered, “You are the one I want to build a new home with, Jen.”
Jen simply smiled, not knowing how to answer. She knew that he was going to lead the conversation toward the subject of their wedding again.
This time, though, he didn’t pursue it. He intertwined her fingers with his and led her into the well-kept cozy home.
Inside there was just a simple sofa and a carpet on the floor of the living room. But what made Jen’s heart ache was the framed photo that had been put up on the wall. It showed the two of them with little Brennan right after he’d been born. She never realized how beautiful a family she already had. It seemed as if love emanated from the picture. She’d been too blinded to see how blessed she actually was.
Slowly she went closer to the picture and touched it gently with her fingers. Then she faced Jack again and smiled through her tears. “Thank you, Jack,” she said in a cracked voice. “I’ve never thanked you enough… so thank you, thank you, thank you…”
He smiled back and leaned forward to kiss her, his arms circling her waist and bringing her closer. Immediately she felt her body temperature rise, warming her entire body and making her heart race.
She closed her eyes as she savored his gentle lips on hers. His soft kiss soon turned into a passionate one, and she responded eagerly. Their lips caressed one another, their
tongues eventually pushing forward to meet and dance together in an erotic fashion.
Their breathing became raspy as their bodies pressed against each other. She wrapped her hands around his neck, bringing his face much closer while they kissed torridly. His hands began to stroke her back, moving downward to her buttocks.
As her fingers twisted in the strands of his hair, he undid the button of her jeans and tugged her pants down. They stopped kissing long enough for him to undress her and himself. She watched him almost breathlessly, admiring his muscular build and the hardness of his thick, long shaft which she yearned to feel again inside her.
He grabbed her in a forceful manner, which was both sexy and hot, before taking in each of her breasts in his mouth and sucking on her nipples. She moaned in pleasure as he continued. Then she felt his fingers moving onto her wetness and stroking the slit beneath the mass of hair. Eventually he reached inside with his fingers, giving her a pleasurable start.
She felt her wetness growing and the erotic sensations increasing. She was sweltering with amazing pleasure that was fast building up. She moaned louder, repeatedly, as he kept on alternating between stroking her inside and caressing the outer lips.
Quickly the sensations overtook her body, making her tremble all over. She groaned, breathing heavily, and embracing the sexual bliss that enveloped her.
Tugging at her hands, he sat on the couch and positioned her on top of him. She willingly straddled him and pushed herself downward, feeling his cock sliding into her and rubbing against her inner walls in a sensual manner.
Enfolded in intense desire, she moved herself up and down as he continued to kiss her neck and breasts. She screamed in delight as he even lifted his hips to thrust into her deeper every time she went downward.
She felt herself almost peaking again. But then, he paused for a while. With a burst of energy, he stood up carrying both of her legs around his hips and pushing her against the nearest wall. She let out a groan as he thrust into her deeply, pushing harder every time.
She held on tightly around his shoulders, her nails digging onto his skin as the intensified sensations filled her. He kept on going and going, breathing faster and moaning harder. Finally, he reached his climax, his mouth opening in an expression of immeasurable pleasure.
