“You’ve been thinking about this for a while.”
“Yes, but none of my BBC producers wanted to commit to such a long series and I didn’t want to stop after only three or six episodes. I want to create something that makes the listener or watcher feel a part of the clan. And, most importantly, I wanted everyone involved to feel like they were making a difference, too.”
“I would have to approve your footage.”
“Of course. The last thing I want to do is endanger Stonefire, especially since it might soon be my clan.”
Kai remained quiet for a second and she worried she’d assumed too much too soon. Kai had asked her to stay, but nothing formal had been arranged. Were there some sort of protocols she had to go through first?
Before she could think too much more on the subject, Kai finally answered, “Both my dragon and I like that you think of Stonefire’s safety. But putting that aside, I’m not sure why you went after the dragon hunters. Your ‘Better Know a Dragon-shifter Clan’ idea is far better.”
She noted him brushing aside her statement about Stonefire becoming her clan and decided she would bring it up later. “Are you just saying that because you want to get into my pants?”
Amusement danced in Kai’s eyes. “I don’t think I need to butter you up to get into your pants.” He lowered his voice. “All I need to do is kiss you and you’d start rubbing against me, Janey.”
Remembering the last time she’d kissed Kai sent a rush of heat through her body. In the next second, the corner of Kai’s mouth ticked up and approval flashed in his eyes.
She poked his side. “Behave or I’ll tell Dr. Sid that you haven’t been following orders. Then you’ll have to spend all of your time with Ginny.”
He growled. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Tilting her head, Jane smiled. “Wouldn’t I? As I recall, you mentioned a war. I’m just trying to win.”
Kai moved behind her before she could do more than blink and wrapped his muscled arm around her waist. The heat of his chest on her back, combined with his masculine scent, made her heart beat double-time.
Kai whispered, “I want you under me more than my next breath, Jane Hartley. And I will do whatever it takes to win if it means I can feel your tight, wet pussy around my dick.”
Jane’s breath hitched. She wanted the same thing, not that she’d let him know that just yet.
She swallowed before she replied, “Taking me before you’re cleared will definitely bring down the wrath of Dr. Sid. Keep your dick in your pants for a little while longer, Kai Sutherland. Then we’ll see.”
Kai nuzzled her neck and nipped it lightly. “We’re a little early for my appointment and I have ideas of how we can spend our extra time.”
She turned her head. “So do I. You can feed me something. I’m starving.”
Kai’s pupils flashed to slits and back. “Bloody fantastic. You just had to mention you were hungry. For a human, you sure know how to get my damn dragon on your side.”
Grinning, Jane patted Kai’s cheek. “I need to keep my strength so I can keep up with you. If I need to get your dragon on my side to do it, then I will. Speaking of which, once you’re better, I want to see you shift.”
Kai grunted. “You’ve seen me in dragon form before.”
“Only from a distance. I want to scratch behind your ears and pet your snout.”
“It’s not like I have a choice. My dragon is all but bursting to come out.”
Jane turned and Kai loosened his hold so that she could face him. “Good. I’ve seen my fair share of the human half of you. I need to see what the dragon half is like.”
“Does that mean you’re tired of me already?”
After placing a gentle kiss on his lips, she murmured, “Not even close, dragonman.”
He brushed her cheek. “Right, then let’s get you a cup of tea and some food. You can tell me more about your Dragon Knight idea over breakfast.”
Kai dropped his arm and Jane nearly reached out to take his hand. But before she could, he took her hand in his and tugged. “Follow me.”
She tried to make her face stern, but amusement danced in Kai’s eyes.
She’d master his neutral expression eventually, even if it killed her. “Since I have no bloody idea where we’re going, I don’t have a choice.”
Kai tugged once more. “Then stop fighting me and let’s go. If you waste much more time, you won’t get to eat for a while.”
“Fine.”
Kai guided her toward one of the family restaurants on Stonefire and she followed. She needed to be careful or Kai might start assuming she’d follow his lead all of the time. As soon as she could, Jane was going to ask Bram, Evie, or one of the other people she knew on Stonefire to give her a guided tour.
Kai tugged her hand again and Jane picked up her pace. “For a supposed invalid, you’re walking quite fast.”
He flashed a smile over his shoulder. “You’re nearly as tall as me and should be able to keep up. Stop dawdling.”
Jane stuck out her tongue and Kai chuckled.
Damn the dragonman and his laughs. It was almost as if he knew they helped erase her irritation.
Determined not to let him win, Jane picked up her pace. She soon had Kai trying to keep up with her.
As they kept trying to outdo each other all the way to the restaurant, Jane forgot about the dragon hunters, the Dragon Knights, and her overprotective brother. In the moment, she was just a woman trying to best a dragonman.
And she was in it to win.
Chapter Five
Kai tapped his fingers against his thigh and glanced at the clock for the tenth time. He’d been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes in the examination room and Sid had yet to check in with him.
Normally, he was a patient man. Hell, he’d been willing to wait two years for a bloody female.
But Kai didn’t like Jane being in the waiting room without someone to watch over her. After all, Stonefire did have a traitor the year before. Kai didn’t think there were any in the clan presently, but with the threat of Dragon Knights looming over Jane’s head, he wanted to be extra careful.
His beast spoke up. She is safe in the waiting room. Leo at reception will watch over her.
My fifteen-year-old sister could probably take out Leo.
Don’t be ridiculous. All of the clan members go through at least some basic training. He could handle your sister.
As if that’s a comfort.
His beast sighed. There’s also an alarm button at reception. Aaron will come if it’s pressed.
Kai grunted. He couldn’t think of a single reason why Aaron wasn’t good enough. Since when are you the reasonable one?
Because I want to shift and have Jane pet me. Only Sid can tell us when we can do that again.
You keep banging on about Jane petting you. Next thing you know, you’ll want to take her for a flight.
Of course. But that can wait until after we’ve fucked her.
So, the order of things are: have Jane pet you, shift back to human to fuck her, and then back to dragon to take her for a flight.
It’s a grand plan, if I do say so myself.
Kai sighed. He was going to have to talk to Jane about not feeding his dragon’s ego.
His beast grunted, but the door opened before his dragon could say anything. Sid walked in and shut the door behind her. She studied him a second and then spoke up. “I don’t know why you look so irritated. You know we’re understaffed.”
“I know.”
Sid walked up to him. “Your human is safe and sound in the waiting room. Fifteen or twenty minutes apart won’t kill you.”
“It might.”
Sid searched his eyes. “Is she your new true mate?”
“No.”
“But you obviously care for her, and it’s more than just being protective.”
He frowned. “Since when are you a bloody psychologist? Just check my injury and let me know when I can shift again.”
Sid tsked. “Order me around again and I’ll make you wait a day.”
Kai grunted. “My dragon is impatient and wants the human. He’s driving me crazy.” The second he said it, Kai regretted it. “Sid—”
She put up a hand. “Don’t you dare coddle me, Kai. I’m doing a job I love and helping my clan. That’s enough for me. If I couldn’t stand hearing people talk about their inner dragons, I wouldn’t be here. End of story.”
Kai didn’t even know what to say to that. As much as his beast annoyed him, he couldn’t imagine living without his dragon’s constant chatter inside his head.
He’d never had a problem before, of not referring to his dragon in Sid’s presence unless she asked a direct question about his beast. Jane was causing all sorts of changes to his life. Kai only hoped the good would outweigh the bad.
His dragon chimed in. She is good for us, full stop.
Sid removed his sling and not-so-gently took off his bandages. Her poking and prodding helped Kai to shove his beast into the back of his mind and focus on the situation at hand. “Well?”
Leaning back to meet his eye, Sid answered, “It’s healing well. I’ll take the stitches out, but you’ll need to perform a set of physical therapy exercises for a few days before you can shift, let alone fly.”
She fell silent and Kai growled. “Are you really going to make me ask you?”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Sid shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Bloody female. “I want to have sex.”
“With me? Sorry, Kai, but you’re not my type.”
“Cassidy Jackson, now is not the time to play games with me.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You’re using my full name. If that’s supposed to scare me, it’s not working.”
Sid turned, put on some gloves, and carried a tray over to him. Then the bloody female went to work at taking his stitches out.
After a few seconds, he finally decided Jane was worth Sid winning this round. “When can I have sex with my human?”
Sid peered up. “Your human, huh? That was fast.”
“Cassidy.”
Sid went back to his injury. “Fine. You won’t be able to have the wild sex fest you’re dreaming of until at least tomorrow.” She paused, and then added, “But if you’re lying on your back, I don’t see the harm. Just be careful of your arm.”
Kai’s dragon broke out of his mental cage. How many more minutes? After this, we’re taking our human home and stripping her.
You heard what the doctor said.
That doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun before Jane rides us.
Keep quiet until Sid’s done and I might take some of your suggestions.
I could take control if I wanted to.
Don’t start this again. In all our years together, you’ve yet to take control of me and keep it. Not even when Maggie rejected us did you take full control for more than a few minutes at a time.
Yes, but this time is different. Our human wants us as much as we want her.
Not wanting to argue any longer, Kai shoved his beast back again and watched the second hand as it ticked around the clock. Five or ten minutes was going to seem like an eternity, especially when he could have Jane naked and screaming his name in twenty.
~~~
On the flight to Stonefire, Jane had lost her mobile phone somehow, so she couldn’t check her email or go on the web. The magazine collection on the table was sparse and mostly about cooking or flying techniques. Since Jane couldn’t fly, nor did she like cooking, she studied her surroundings.
Apart from the young dragon-shifter male at the reception desk, Jane was alone. The furnishings were old, but sturdy. Unlike the plastic chairs of human hospitals, Stonefire had wooden ones. Given the muscles and size of the dragon-shifters, Jane couldn’t blame them.
Even something as mundane as a waiting room gave her ideas for her podcast series. She wondered what dragon-shifter medicine actually entailed. Maybe Sid would be open to an interview.
One of the doors to the side of the reception desk opened and out walked Hudson Wells, one of the dragon-shifters she’d interviewed her first time on Stonefire. In his arms was his son, Elliott.
The dragonman smiled at something his son said and it was infectious. Considering the last time Jane had interviewed him, Hudson had been grieving hard about losing his mate, Charlie. Jane was happy to see the change.
Standing up, she waved and called out, “Hudson.”
Hudson looked up and smiled. “Ms. Hartley.”
Jane walked over to the dragonman. “I told you before to call me Jane.”
“Jane then. Are you here to interview Dr. Sid?”
She wondered how much she should divulge, but decided since Kai had been open about his claim on her, she wouldn’t hold back. “No, I’m waiting for Kai.”
Hudson’s pupils flashed to slits and then back. “Ah, I understand now.”
“I wish you all would stop it with the super-senses. It’s a bit unfair.”
Hudson smiled. “Hey, we need every advantage we can take.”
Hudson’s son interjected, “I’m hungry, Daddy. You promised.”
“Right, right, you want pancakes.”
The little boy nodded enthusiastically. “I got my shot and didn’t cry. You said dragons always keep their promises.”
“So I did.” Hudson gave Jane an apologetic look. “Sorry, Jane. This one is just starting to talk with his dragon and if I don’t feed him, his little beastie will cause all sorts of trouble.”
“No worries. I’ll be around, so if you need to talk to someone, I’m here.”
Elliott’s pupils flashed to slits and stayed that way. “I’m hungry. Give me food.”
Hudson peered into his little boy’s eyes. “Even dragons need manners. What do you say?”
The boy grunted. “Please feed me.”
“Better.” Hudson shifted the boy in his arms. “Bye, Jane.”
Jane waved. “See you around, Hudson.” She tickled the little boy’s side. “And behave for your father.”
All Elliott said was, “Food.”
Jane laughed as Hudson and his son left. Human and dragon-shifters boys might not be all that different after all.
She turned to go back to her seat when Kai came out the same door. Before she could say anything, Kai asked, “Why were you talking with Hudson Wells?”
She shrugged. “He’s had a rough time. I just wanted to say hello.”
Kai grunted. “But he’s unattached.”
Jane sighed. “Please tell me you’re not going to order me not to talk to unattached men.”
His pupils were slitted. “I’m thinking about it.”
“Don’t be daft. How about you tell me what Sid said instead? I see the sling is gone. That’s a good sign.”
Kai reached out his good arm and drew Jane against his body. “I can’t have wild sex until tomorrow.”
Jane raised an eyebrow. “I sense a ‘but.’”
He leaned down and whispered into her ear. “But it’s fine if I lay on my back and you ride me.”
Despite her heart hammering in her chest, Jane couldn’t help but say, “I’ve always wanted to ride a dragon-shifter.”
Kai nipped her ear. “I am the only one you’ll be riding, Janey.” He nuzzled her cheek. “But first I’m going to strip you and make you come with my tongue.”
Considering what Kai had done with his fingers, his words shot straight between her legs and her clit throbbed in anticipation. “Unless you’re going to do that in full view of that bloke at reception, I think we should go.”
“So my rather tall human is impatient. I’d say you’re as much dragon-shifter as me.”
Jane took his chin and turned his head until she could look into Kai’s blue eyes. “Who wouldn’t want to sleep with a clever, sexy man?”
Kai growled. “We have about five minutes before my dragon throws a fit and pushes to take you, no matter if
we’re in public or not. Start walking, human.”
“Again with the ordering?”
His looked turned heated. “Oh, I think when you’re naked and at my mercy, you won’t mind it so much.”
The thought of what Kai might do to her when she was naked sent a little thrill through her body. “You’d better live up to the hype, dragonman.”
Kai gripped her backside possessively. “We can argue later.” He slapped her arse. “Start walking.”
He spun her around and kept a grip on her waist.
As her dragonman picked up his pace, Jane tried her best to keep up. Knowing Kai, he might toss her over his shoulder and not care about his injury.
And while she rather liked the idea of Kai whisking her off to some secret location and fucking her senseless, she didn’t want to hurt him.
Half-running, Jane followed Kai’s lead. Each step only made her heart beat faster and her skin grow warmer. Rumors said sex with a dragonman would change a woman’s life forever.
Jane was ready to find out if it was merely a rumor or the truth.
*~*~*~*
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Part Four of Reawakening the Dragon will be out on September 10, 2015. You can pre-order it on Amazon (click here for Amazon UK). Or, you can sign up for my newsletter to receive an alert on release day.
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If you liked this story then you may enjoy the other books in my Stonefire Dragons series. Turn the page for a reading list and information about the first book in the series, Sacrificed to the Dragon. I’m also going to include a little about my cougar-shifter series (with wolves and bears, too!) called Cascade Shifters.
Reawakening the Dragon: Part Three (Stonefire Dragons Book 16) Page 6
