Shifters in the Shadows: Seventeen Paranormal Romances of Sexy Shifters, Dangerous Vamps, & Things That Go Bump in the Night

by J. K Harper

  The last emotion dismayed me, but what could I expect? Not only had I finally connected with my powers, I’d put them out there on display. No easing people into it. Nope—bam—look at me the all-seeing-Seer-gal!

  Fear was to be expected.

  And that was why I found myself avoiding looking at Trent; it would kill me to see the same fear reflected in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry, the party’s over. Thank you for coming everyone. If you’d like to make your way home, I’ll be in touch soon…” Bastian’s polite platitudes faded as he herded the guests outside, closing the door behind him.

  Then there was just Trent.

  “Astrid?”

  I had to look at him. But I couldn’t. Not yet.

  A hand nudged my chin, lifting it up.

  “Open your eyes.” His voice was a low rumble.

  “I don’t want to.”

  “Okay.”

  The hand disappeared.

  Disappointment welled up inside me. I was right, he was—

  I shrieked as hands grabbed me, hoisting me up and over a very broad shoulder. My eyes blinked open to see stairs flashing by, my head bouncing as it dangled down his back. His hand rested possessively on my ass, securing me as he sprinted up the stairs.

  In a matter of minutes, we were in my bedroom and I was sprawled on the bed, exactly where he had dumped me unceremoniously just seconds ago.

  Shrugging out of his jacket, he hung it over a chair, his hands working on his tie with barely concealed relish. “So, you’re looking at me now?”

  Oh, yes. Was I ever. The shirt rapidly followed the tie, landing in a crumpled heap on the floor. Next came the shoes. Or at least I thought they did, I was too distracted by the large expanse of man hunk stripping in front of me.

  “What—what are you doing?” I croaked out as he unbuckled his belt, sliding the leather out through the loops in a sinuous glide.

  “Getting comfortable.”

  “Okay…”

  “You’re next.”

  “I am?”

  He paused, the belt dangling from his hands. Uncertainty flashed into his eyes. “Have I got it wrong? Don’t you want me; want us?” Not waiting for an answer, he dragged a hand through his hair, turning his back on me. “I’m an idiot! Why would you want me? You’re so much more, so much better than—”

  I vaulted off the bed, nearly tripping over my skirt in the rush to get to him. “Stop right there. I thought you might be scared of me.”

  He spun around, his eyebrows arched. “Why?”

  “Because I’m supposedly this powerful, all seeing Seer thing.”

  “You’re Astrid.”

  His words carved a path through my uncertainty, hitting me square in the heart.

  “And to me, you’re Trent. Not some super macho dragon. Just Trent.”

  His arm came around me, dragging me to him. “Then we’re okay?”

  “Not yet,” I whispered, as he bent his head toward me.

  He cocked his head, question in his eyes.

  “We’ll be fine once you ask me.”

  Understanding dawned, his smile widening into a cocky grin.

  It was a good look on him, I decided, holding my breath despite knowing what he was going to say.

  “Astrid, will you do me the honor of being my mate, my one and only, my true love?” he murmured.

  I paused, until I couldn’t bear it any longer. “Yes,” I replied with a wicked grin.

  “Little minx,” he growled, seizing my lips with his in a kiss so long and delicious, I was pretty sure my toes curled.

  Then I was sprawled on the bed, back where I’d started. Except this time, he wasn’t the only one with a predatory gleam in his eyes.

  With a flick of his finger he unfastened his slacks and shoved them down, kicking them off without fanfare. He stood naked and proud before me, his body a chiseled work of art, ropes of muscle bulging and flexing as he stalked toward me. Stopping at the edge of the bed, he stared at me with a mischievous glint in his eye.

  Or at least, I think he did, I was too busy staring at the thick length of his cock, marveling at how it jutted out from his body as if with a mind of its own. It was so big. And wide. And—

  He cleared his throat, demanding my attention. “Up here,” he growled.

  Dragging my eyes away, I met his gaze.

  “I think I’m at a disadvantage.” He pointed at my clothes while quirking an eyebrow.

  Well, it’s only fair. Kneeling up, I reached up and hooked my thumbs under the straps of my dress, sliding them down my arms. The bodice clung to my breasts, hanging on for dear life. Okay, it was going to take a little shimmying. I wriggled, shoving at the clinging fabric, but despite my best efforts, it refused to budge. Blowing the hair out of my face, I admitted defeat. I had poured myself into this dress and it wasn’t giving up anytime soon.

  Amusement tugged at his lips as he watched me. “How much do you like that dress?”

  “Not very much at the moment,” I huffed out, letting go, the fabric twanging back and sucking even more of me inside than I’d started with.

  “Good.”

  It was the only warning I got before a talon slashed a path down the front, ever so carefully following the contours of my body. The now named evil stretchy fabric fell away with a flutter. I was free!

  And naked.

  He’d slashed my underwear clean off too.

  “Hey! I liked that bra!”

  “I’ll buy you a new one,” he murmured in a distracted voice. His eyes burned into me, the banked heat dialing up into blazing roar as he devoured every naked inch. To my disbelief his cock lifted even higher, tapping his stomach as it thickened before my eyes.

  Pleasure shot though me at the naked appreciation in his eyes, the way he was looking at me … like I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Through his eyes, I believed. And damn it felt good.

  “Lie back down,” he instructed, coming down to kneel at the edge of the bed.

  I had an inkling of what was going to happen, after all, you didn’t get to be my age without figuring it out, but knowing and knowing were two different things. Feeling a little self conscious, I draped myself over the bed, twisting my knees to put a nice curve in my waist.

  He grabbed my ankles and tugged them apart, spreading me on the bed.

  Heat—both the nice kind and the oh-my-God mortified kind—flooded me.

  Before I could decide what to do, let alone feel, his head was between my legs. “I don’t think that’s—” My weak protest died on a scream as his tongue licked a wet path through my core, circling and going back for more. My arms flailed at my sides, my back lifting off the bed as his tongue speared deep inside me, the heat of his dragon stirring a liquid heat. He lapped and swirled and probed relentlessly, exploring every inch of my core with his tongue. A strange pressure built, a swirling in my stomach that had me clenching my teeth while my hips writhed beneath him.

  Hands steadied me, holding me down.

  Two can play at that game… My hands landed on his head, fingers digging into his scalp.

  He growled, the sound vibrating through me as he lashed out with his tongue, sucking and licking and thrusting and—

  “Ooooh!” I screamed, clamping his head between my legs as the strange heat poured out of me, my muscles clenching and liquefying.

  So that’s what all the fuss is about. Much better than flying solo.

  I peeled an eyelid open.

  He sat between my legs, a satisfied expression on his face. Then it darkened, concern with a touch of horror peeking through. “Is this your—? Are you a—?”

  I caught his meaning loud and clear. “Yes.”

  He nodded, his jaw set in a grim line. “Being a dragon shifter helps with this … situation, or so I’ve heard.” He still didn’t look happy at the thought of possibly causing me pain though. “Maybe I should…” he dipped his head, his intent clear.

  I glanced down at his cock, bobbing o
ut of sight as he returned to crouch between my legs. The primal urge to mate roared through me. I wanted him inside of me, wanted to feel him thrusting deep and hard, joining us together. Grabbing his hair, I tugged him back up, my lips sliding into a suggestive smile. “Maybe later, but now I want you … inside me.” I added the last bit so there was no chance of confusion. Okay, it came out on a mumble, but I was working on my dirty talk. This was my first time, after all.

  Time froze as he wavered, his concern fighting a battle with his need to mate and claim.

  Okay… I let my legs fall further apart.

  He fell on me like a man starved, his tongue thrusting inside my mouth as his cock slid between my legs. Arms gathered me to him, lifting me up off the bed and onto his lap. “Easier this way,” he grunted. “You can control it.” Lifting me up he held me so I was braced over the head of his cock, his biceps bunching and chest straining.

  I slid down an inch, taking his thickness inside. He stretched me, a sharp sting that faded as soon as it had come. Sliding down another inch, my knees hit the bed. Wriggling, I managed another inch, holding my breath and waiting for the pain to hit me. Nothing so far, except for an overwhelming feeling of fullness. Another inch, then another. Still no pain. Here goes nothing. I pushed down, until he was fully hilted and I could barely breath around the feel of him inside me.

  “Huh. I guess there really is something to that whole thing about being a dragon shifter,” I mumbled, then I caught the strained look on his face.

  Chapter 20

  Trent

  I didn’t dare breath, or move an inch, the need to thrust riding me so hard I was on the verge of turning into an animal.

  And then she rocked forward, rising up onto her knees, sliding up and down my cock and my torture multiplied. The slow drag of her pussy on my shaft was like both heaven and hell. Locking my hips in place, I cupped her breast, rolling her pert nipple between my fingers and giving it a gentle tug.

  Her pussy rippled around me, her back arching and thrusting her chest forward for more. Pinching a little harder, I ached to take her breast in my mouth. Urging her up, onto her knees, I contorted my neck, latching on to the sweet little nub and rolling it between my teeth, flicking the tip with my tongue.

  My hips jerked, driving my cock up into her welcoming heat. Fuck … slow down.

  She slammed back onto me, fire heating her eyes, her fingers winding through my hair as she mashed her lips against mine. “Harder,” she whispered against my mouth.

  Taking her at her word, I thrust up into her again and again, my hands clamping down on her hips and steadying her in place. Her low moan filled the air, her hair whipping back and forth as she writhed above me, hands dancing over my skin, tracing first my chest, then down my stomach, until her fingers hovered above where we were joined.

  Out of barely slitted eyes, she watched me, her lips parted as she panted, but still her fingers didn’t touch, didn’t go where I knew she wanted them.

  Releasing one of her hips, I covered her hand with mine, thrusting her finger through the short curls and into the sweet, sticky heat. Together we circled her clit, our skin sliding together, my deep groans echoing her high cries.

  Then I felt it, the first ripple of her pussy clenching around me, the first tremor of the peak.

  “Astrid, I claim you as my true mate. We will fly together and love together. I love you, now and always. Your life for mine.” I bent my head as I uttered the vow that would bind us together, soul to soul, my fangs sliding carefully into the base of her throat. The soul bond hit me, her emotions and feelings flooding me in a cascade of colors as the indestructible link formed between us. Licking the small wound, I pressed a kiss to her throat.

  Love shone in her eyes as she blinked away what suspiciously looked like tears. “Trent, I’ve waited a long time for you, so don’t you ever try to pull anything like that again! I love your strength, your honor, and your gentle heart. It’s not your life for mine, it’s our life together.” Her tiny fangs pierced my throat, her tongue smoothing away the sting.

  Her back bowed as the bond hit her. In my mind’s eye I watched as the gossamer strands of light wove together in a display of breathtaking beauty. We were one now, together for always.

  A wave of heat traveled down the bond, and headed straight to my cock. My balls tightened, my cock twitching deep inside her. I blinked my eyes open to find her grinning at me. “Fast learner?”

  “My dragon told me to do it.”

  I sent a wave of heat rolling back to her, until her back arched and her head rolled back. “Two can play—”

  “Less talk, more…” she gasped out, her voice squeaking into a groan as I tipped her onto her back, thrusting deep inside her.

  “Fucking?”

  “Yes. That.” She bit out between moans, her legs twining around my waist to lock above my ass.

  Bracing myself up on my elbows, I rolled my hips, determined to drag out every moan and soft cry that she had. We were teetering on the edge, the bond only pushing us faster toward oblivion. Every thrust of my cock and plunge of my hips pushing us higher, until she gasped, her body trembling beneath me, muscles locking as she came.

  On a roar, I slammed into her with short, sharp digs, my sweet release barreling up through my cock and exploding out in a torrent of heat that went on and on.

  Collapsing in a breathless heap, she snuggled into my side with a contented sigh. Hugging her close, I stroking a finger up her arm, twirling it in a lock of hair, basking in the moment.

  “Do you want to know?”

  “Know what?” I asked. As long as it didn’t involve us moving from this bed anytime soon…

  “What I have on Colin.”

  Even the mention of that bastard’s name couldn’t spoil my mood right now. “I figured you’d tell me, or you wouldn’t. Either way, it doesn’t matter.”

  “I won’t keep secrets from you.” She sounded a little put out, so I rolled onto my side to face her.

  “You’re the Seer, there’ll be times when you learn things that you can’t, or shouldn’t, tell me. I’m okay with that.”

  “Well, I’m not. You’re a guardian of the green dragons, you—”

  “Wait, I’m a what?”

  “There are three guardian clans; the Greentree clan, the Greensky Clan, and the Greenwing clan. All the clans were formed to guard the Seers.”

  Things started to click into place; why I was stronger and more powerful than others of my kind. “I was born to protect you.”

  She poked me in the chest, a scowl on her face. “No. You were born to be my true mate. Protecting me is a side benefit.”

  “With my super macho powers?” I quoted her earlier words back to her, loving the way her lips slid up in a cheerful smile.

  “Yeah, and your super freaky fire. Can you really burn other dragons?” Her eyes rounded at my short nod.

  It wasn’t something I liked having, the little quirk meaning that I always had to have a firm hold on my temper. “Back to Colin,” I prompted, steering the conversation back on track.

  “Patricide.”

  It should have shocked me, but sadly it didn’t. “You should report him.”

  “Why? His father was just as much an evil ass as he is, and he’s going to have to behave himself from now on. What good can come from reporting him? I don’t have any proof.”

  “The shifter council would believe you, you’re the Seer.”

  She snorted. “Something they haven’t heard of in, what, seven hundred years? Colin’s fear of me will keep him in line. He’ll have to be good, something that’s a punishment in itself. His clan would suffer more if he was disgraced.”

  For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t flinch at the word. My clan had its honor restored; the past had been laid to rest. I considered her words; she spoke the truth. “So, you can see the past too?”

  She scrunched her face up, looking a little sheepish. “Yeah, about that … not really. Bu
t he didn’t know I was fibbing,” she finished on a rush.

  I was confused. “How did you—”

  “The watch. When you passed it back to me I had it in my hand when I came into my full powers. I was so angry watching you being dragged away, having to stand by and let our future be destroyed. I—I think the anger allowed me to tap into my power.”

  “But, the watch?”

  She shrugged, and I couldn’t resist laying a kiss on her smooth skin. “I’ve always had it … for some reason I knew it would be important, but I didn’t know why. At first, I thought you’d recognize it, that it was somehow linked to you.”

  I waited for the punchline.

  “It was Colin’s father’s watch. Somehow, I managed to read its energy, see the last thing that the owner had witnessed.”

  “His own son killing him.”

  “Yeah. Sucks, hey?”

  I kissed her forehead, wishing I could wipe all the worry away. “We’ll figure it all out together, what it means and what you can do. After all, I’m a guardian of green dragons, and to my knowledge there’s only one hanging around here.”

  “You bet your gorgeous, delectable ass there’s only one green dragon,” she grumbled into my chest, her arms snaking around me to pull me close.

  “And she’s mine,” I whispered.

  Epilogue

  Astrid

  I was giddy with excitement, the queasy feeling in my stomach a constant reminder of the happiness I had been blessed with.

  We were back in London. And this time, it was for good.

  After long talks with the Shifter Council, Bastian, and Trent’s clan, it had been agreed that we could live over in England for the time being. I was pretty sure that their ready acceptance had been in part due to not knowing what the hell to do with me, along with a healthy dose of too-scared-to-say-no-to-the-freaky-Seer.

  Which was fine by me. Not to mention, from what my friend Grace and her handsome British mate, Vin, had told me, the British Shifter Council could do with our help. They were messed up four ways to Sunday, or something along those lines.