She could be, but Cole knew she would go back to her clan in Colorado. There wasn’t much he could do to convince her to stay. Not when her family was so large and absolutely loaded. Who would leave that life behind?
Cole let his head fall back. It slammed against the chair, sending a brief pain rippling through his skull. It should have cleared his mind, but thoughts of Jude still buzzed there. He couldn’t escape her. He could do nothing without looking to her cabin anymore.
“No one is going to be the next leader. She’d going to go home soon and then it will just be you and me, waiting for our own personal apocalypse.”
Asher shivered. He tried to hide his fear behind a half-smile. “Our own personal apocalypse? That’s some poetic shit.”
“It only sounds poetic because your braincells have been knocked together so many times that you probably see stars all the time.”
“I only see stars in your eyes,” Asher crooned.
Cole groaned. This was the young shifter he remembered, full of quick comebacks and a complete disregard for his own masculinity. Asher probably made every other MMA fighter very uncomfortable. Which probably worked in his favor.
“I’m going to be serious, though. If you like that gold dragon, then go tell her. Don’t punish yourself anymore Cole. We all know that’s what you’ve been doing. This isn’t for us. This is your prison and you know it.”
Cole grumbled something incoherent. Something about shoving Asher’s head up his own ass. Had he said it any louder, Asher probably would have invited him to try. Cole wasn’t in the mood. All he wanted was time alone to get his mind together, to cast out thoughts of the dragon woman next door who wouldn’t stay long enough for Cole to figure out how he felt about her.
15
“You…bought the cabin?” Cole was stunned. He looked between a grinning Jude and the cabin that was absolutely leaning behind her. “I don’t know if that was a sound financial investment. It’s probably going to fall down within the next week or two. Why would you…?”
He paused.
A lightbulb went off in his mind. If his beast had eyes at that moment, it would have rolled them at Cole’s obliviousness.
“You’re staying?”
Jude’s confident smile faltered. “I mean, if I’m not welcome here, I can fix up the cabin and sell it for a profit. I just thought…I don’t know what I thought. I did it in the spur of a moment.”
Cole couldn’t decipher the feeling in his chest. He wanted to sit and stare at the ground until his head was done spinning. The tightness that restricted his breath was brought on by a feeling of lightness. The light banished every shadow that had ever lurked in Cole’s heart. Every scar he’d held onto over the years was now nothing more than a distant memory.
But he didn’t know why.
This gold dragon woman turned him inside out all the time. Now, the feeling would never end because she’d be next door all the time. The thought didn’t strike him with dread or terror. If anything, it made him smile. He was elated.
“Is it okay that I stay?” Jude’s voice wavered.
Cole’s head snapped up. “What? Yeah. Yes!”
The way the sun caught her eyes made her more brilliant than any star he’d ever laid eyes on. Her brows furrowed in challenge, a devilish smirk taking over her lips. Cole was afraid to ask. Instead, he let her carry him along in the wake of her energy.
“Good. Because I was thinking about expanding the cabin. It could use some renovations. I don’t have much money left in savings, but it should be enough to fix the windows and the foundation.”
“Wait. You should be loaded. Aren’t you one of the heirs to Aurum Bank?”
Her expression faltered, but only for a second. Shrugging it off, she said, “I’m not part of the court or a successor to the crown. The bank funds the clan and the clan only. As of yesterday, I am no longer a part of the Colorado clan.”
Her gaze became distant. He could already tell she was worrying about the future. There were a lot of unknowns ahead of her. Cole should have promised her that they would tackle them together, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to say it. He should have been alone. No one other than him should have been on this shore.
Sybil let Jude buy the cabin from her. He needed to figure out why. What part did Jude play in all of this? If the gold dragon woman stayed much longer, Alistair would claim her and use her to break the spell. Jude would become the forgotten mate, at best. At worst…
His beast growled and slashed at him. Jude would not die on his watch. He would not let anything happen to her.
“How about we stretch our wings? How does that sound?”
Cole needed a distraction. He tore his shirt over his head and kicked off his shoes. When he caught Jude watching him, his cock immediately rose to attention. She took in the tattoos he’d had inked over his shoulder and chest. When she approached, he held his breath like he might frighten her away with any small movement.
Jude reached and grazed a black line, one that had become a raised scar. Her breath hitched when she found a scar hidden beneath the ink. There were many like that one, a scar that hadn’t been made by that tattoo machine. They were Alistair’s work. They were proof that he fought the hardest.
Cole would always fight for those he loved. That was the kind of guy he was, even if loneliness had made him forget.
“You’re about to see a whole lot more of those,” he breathed.
Jude turned questioning eyes upon him, a hint of horror in them. Cole didn’t offer a verbal answer. Instead, he let his beast ripple out of him. The creature tore free. While it relished being released, this time it seemed to take a particular pleasure. It preened in front of Jude.
The scars were only the beast’s history. It was not a reflection of his soul.
Jude looked up, mouth agape. He thought she might say something. Apologies never quite felt right, and he hated them every time. Jude didn’t bother. In a flash, her clothes were gone, and her beast came forward.
Jude’s dragon was massive. She was a lithe creature, winding in on herself. He thought it was a trick of the sun, at first. Then, Cole realized her scales weren’t pure gold. They didn’t catch the light the way he thought they would. Instead, the gold of her scales was darkened. They were burnt, making them appear singed and blackened.
Cole’s own body was marked by his years, too. While he’d covered his human scars with tattoos, his dragon bore them like badges of pride. Even so, this was the first time anyone had seen them up close. White lines of scar tissue covered his belly, a reminder of how his own leader had tried to eviscerate him.
Jude’s gold beast took in the lines, stark against his black scales. He waited for her to do something. To show surprise or shame or disappointment. Instead, she opened her wings and used her legs to launch herself into the sky, as if his scars were nothing more than a fact of life.
His beast liked her. It leapt after her, feeling the rush of the air as it tried to push him back toward the ground. Gravity hated the ways dragons defied it. They were heavy and cumbersome creatures, but just like bumblebees, they managed to take flight against all odds. Cole reveled in the way his body shook, fighting against the air.
Turbulence was what they called it on planes. It was much less terrifying as a dragon. He wasn’t trapped in a steel cage, for one thing. He flexed his claws and lashed his tail, just to remind himself that he was capable of movement should he begin to fall.
Ahead of him, Jude wound her way through the air almost effortlessly. Her outstretched wings caught the light and glimmered like a handful of gold coins. Here and there, the sun found the small bits of scales that weren’t burnished.
They twirled and twisted through the sky together. Cole dashed after Jude, trying to catch up to her. She was always just out of reach. He could see her, but he couldn’t touch her. It was all he wanted to do. Grasp her, bring her to the ground, and have his way with her.
The sudden need struck him. He coul
d have waved it off as loneliness, but he was starting to think that Jude was something different. Something about her called to him. Like a soldier in desperate need of a leader.
No, that wasn’t quite right. He knew he was deflecting again. There was a truth in his mind, but he wasn’t ready to see it. He wasn’t ready for the change that it would bring. Cole secretly wanted everything to go back to the way it’d been a week ago. Before Jude appeared. Before Asher returned.
He wanted the spell to hold and for everyone to go on with their lives.
That wasn’t going to happen, though. He wasn’t so lucky. The nightmare he’d already endured once would happen again. No one could stop Alistair from escaping the lake. Cole could stop Alistair from claiming Jude, though.
The female dragon was one key to opening the prison early. If Cole could claim her, then Alistair wouldn’t be able to touch her. Yet, what right did Cole have to mark such a strong beast? She was fierce and free and didn’t feel like his.
Jude was her own creature. She was a ruler, a leader. Cole was nothing more than a soldier. He was a follower, taking commands and seeing them through. Jude deserved a king. The only dragon he knew strong enough to match her was the one he didn’t want to see back in this world.
Ahead, Jude swooped low. She twisted and careened over the water’s surface, the tip of her wing dragging in the water. It created a wave that arched through the air. A rainbow formed in the spray that gently drifted back down. She tossed her head and made a sound that was close to a laugh.
Her beast took to the air again. She circled back into the sky, coasting over the cabins and the lakeshore. Her beast had claimed this land, he realized. It wanted to be here and nowhere else. Was that because of the possible mate that awaited it beneath the water? Or was it because of Cole? And Sybil and Asher?
How would he know?
Cole realized he’d been too far away from other people and had forgotten how to read them. He remembered Asher’s ways and knew Sybil well, but other people were a mystery to him. He should have been happy to uncover Jude’s secrets, but he had to admit that he was afraid.
He was afraid of losing her to the beast locked in the lake. He was afraid of driving her away when he desperately wanted her to stay. Both were contradictory. Jude would only be safe if she left, but he knew she would take a part of him with her. That part was one he still couldn’t figure out. He wasn’t ready for her to leave until he understood the part of him that couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Eventually, Jude turned back toward the ground. With a roar on her lips that turned to a scream of excitement, she shifted before touching down. Human feet slapped the earth. She stumbled forward. Cole lurched toward her. He swung around and landed between Jude and the cabin.
She fumbled into him. It wasn’t the softest landing. Dragons were dense creatures. Yet, she pushed off him with a laugh. It was almost as if he was seeing a new Jude. This version of her smiled as if her heart was glowing behind it. Her grin wasn’t just to intimidate those around her. It was true.
Jude wouldn’t leave. This was her dragon’s home.
The truth sank inside him, like a stone in the lake.
“What are you thinking about, Tall, Dark, and Worried?” Jude reached for his head. She grabbed him by the little horns that ran along his jaw and pulled him down to her eye level.
“Are you worried about me?” she asked.
Cole reined in his beast. He stood before her, utterly naked and with his face in her hands. He couldn’t look at her. Not while his mind still reeled. A thousand thoughts fluttered through it, but he couldn’t hold onto any of them.
Before he could find the right thing to say, she pulled him toward her. Her lips crashed into his. They opened and she nipped his lower lip. Every thought vanished. He grabbed her and pulled her hips into his. Skin on skin, he growled with primal delight.
His hand slid up her waist to cup one breast. She shuddered in his grasp but didn’t slow down. He devoured her groan of delight like it was the only sustenance in the world. His need manifested, drawing his blood south. She had to have felt it. There was no ignoring the way his cock prodded her lower stomach.
Jude was still running on the high of shifting, of acknowledging her beast’s claim on this land. When she kissed Cole, she hadn’t been thinking. Even now, she was barely thinking at all. She was running on the desire she’d been pushing back. It had built and built until it burst out of her all at once.
Her nails dragged along the back of his neck. His head tipped back. She watched his eyelids flutter. To see what she could do to him made her core tighten in anticipation. His reactions made her feel like she was special. She wasn’t just some shifter he was using to sate a need brought on by loneliness.
Jude could bring this man to his knees. She could make him scream her name. She meant something more than a passing fling.
“So, is it alright if I stay?” she whispered into his ear.
His grip on her tightened. He said nothing, but when his teeth clamped over the skin of her neck, she nearly moaned. Exhilaration exploded through her core. The ripples made her fingers tremble and her toes curl.
This wasn’t just sexual. Cole was close to marking her. It was a sign of courting, and Jude realized just how badly she wanted it only when he pulled back. Disappointment brought her crashing back down to earth until Cole turned her around and gripped her hips.
His cock slid between her legs. It found the wet warmth he’d brought on. When the head of his cock slipped over the sensitive bead in her folds, she cried out. She should have shoved her fist into her mouth or grabbed her shirt to muffle the sounds, but she didn’t have any sense left to do much more than let him have his way with her.
He thrust again and again without entering her. Her core throbbed with anticipation. The only thing that would make this better was if he marked her. She wanted it, wanted to know that she was welcome in his life. That she could become a part of his life.
No one else had allowed her in. She’d lived on the fringes, making friends for a short while at the boarding schools. She’d forgotten their names and faces by now. Not even her own family had let her in. All she wanted was to know that she was home.
Finally home.
The head of Cole’s cock found her opening. With one hand on her shoulder, he slowly entered her. It sent ripples through her body that she couldn’t withstand. She felt like she would shatter into a million pieces. Only his grip on her was holding her together. When he was finally inside her all the way, he paused. Her core tightened around him.
At first, his thrusting was slow. It was measured, drawing out her pleasure. She bit her lip and fought to swallow the sounds trying to break free of her. They were outside, between their two cabins. Anyone could hear.
Hell, Asher could be inside. She had no idea.
And a large part of her didn’t care. Cole was inside her and that was all that mattered. He stroked every pleasure point inside her, even reaching around to find the one in her folds. She didn’t know if she would keep it together. The sensation was mind blowing. It was more than she’d ever known.
Behind her, Cole growled. It was a deep, possessive growl that warned her his beast was near the surface. She didn’t mind. She wasn’t easily broken. When his grip on her became almost unbearably tight, she summoned her own dragon. The creature happily agreed, and when it granted her its magic, she suddenly felt everything sharper.
Jude cried out, a sound that sent waves over the water. With one flick of his fingers, Cole sent an orgasm crashing through her. It made her knees weak and stole her voice. She rode the tremors of pleasure, savoring the icy feeling that gathered at her fingertips. Her breath became shallow, making her pant.
Cole laughed, a satisfied sound. His hand left her groin to wrap around her throat. He pulled her back into him. Her beast growled, but it wasn’t an angry sound. It was a greeting. He tickled the back of her neck with his nose while making small thrusts. Her throat
closed, anticipation making it tight.
She wanted it. She wanted it more than anything else.
He nipped her shoulder, a light bite that would never break skin. Pleasure rippled off her shoulder. She reached back for him. Her nails dug into his skin. If she had her voice, she would have begged and pleaded without shame. For him, she bore no shame.
His grip on her throat tightened. He slammed home inside her and sent a huge wave through her body. She bucked, almost unable to bear it. The sensation was so sharp, so overwhelming. Twice more he thrust.
Then, she felt it. His teeth on her neck. He hesitated. She couldn’t tell what was going through his mind. Was he afraid? Did he not want it? She couldn’t imagine that they could come together like this without some sort of bond. It seemed impossible.
Just when she was starting to doubt her own thoughts, his teeth sank into her skin. She felt the warmth of his mouth, the warmth of her blood. More importantly, she felt another orgasm claim her. Just from the bite.
Cole had claimed her. She’d worried that it would never happen. Her beast was delighted. It was eagerly looking forward to their future. To her beast, everything was right in the world. Jude had claimed a territory and a lover had claimed her.
As the ripples of her orgasm faded, Cole climaxed. He bucked behind her. She felt the warmth of his seed spill inside her. He didn’t move, only breathing heavily behind her. She wanted to lean into him and thank him for what he’d given her, but she didn’t know if that was appropriate.
With Cole buried deep inside her, she suddenly realized she didn’t know much about him. While he might be the one for her beast, Jude didn’t know Cole at all. Was he a cuddler? She had gotten him to cuddle a few times, but it felt like if she leaned into him now, he might get annoyed.
She was second guessing herself. Cole pulled out. She heard the small gasp on his lips, his skin likely oversensitive from what they’d done. The warmth of his cum was already starting to slide out of her. She clenched her legs together to keep it from sliding down her skin.
Cole Page 9
