by Lolita Lopez
“I don’t think you can,” Ignatius said bluntly. “Your life experience is so miniscule compared to his.”
Cora’s stomach pitched at his frank reminder. He must have seen her fallen face because he quickly added, “Don’t let that discourage you. The very fact that you care enough to want to understand him is what matters.” Ignatius’s gaze landed on Stig. “And he knows that.”
Ignatius stood and walked around the bed. “In six months, Stig will go through his heat phase again as a completion of this cycle. This time you’ll be with him through it all. You can have a proper mating ceremony. I suspect the binding magic will force your body to make the full change. Once you make your final transformation, your new life with Stig is all that really matters. Everything in the past is just that: the past.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“Your new life will have hardships, I’m sure. The Knights will always be out there lurking, waiting. But there will be love and laughter, children and grandchildren.”
Cora bubbled with happiness at the vision Ignatius painted. She laughed and playfully slapped Ignatius’s arm. “You had me convinced you were some mean hard-ass but listen to you! What a softie,” she teased. “You’re just a big old dragon-shaped marshmallow.”
His jaw twitched. “Hardly.”
Giggling, Cora sat back and watched Ignatius leave. He paused in the doorway. “He’s waking.”
“Oh.” Cora set aside the tray, leaned forward, and touched Stig’s hand as Ignatius disappeared. Energy sizzled between them, a tingling static arcing between her fingertips and the top of his hand. She caressed his jaw. The thick stubble covering his face pricked her fingertips. “Stig?”
His fingers flexed. It was the first positive sign she’d had from him in days. His eyelids flickered and parted briefly before closing again. Cora tried to temper her excitement. It might be too soon. He could still be too tired or in too much pain. The deep sleep of regeneration spared him from most of it, though.
If it came down to a choice between his comfort and feeding her need to hear him speak, she’d happily choose the former.
Stig’s breaths grew shallow and quick. His limbs twitched as a grimace contorted his face. Cora’s heart twinged at the obvious sign of his discomfort. She gently stroked his face and whispered encouragingly, softly.
Finally, Stig woke. He jerked wildly and sucked in a noisy breath. Cora placed her arm across his chest to prevent him from bolting upright. Her touch seemed to startle him. Stig’s face whipped toward her. For a moment, he looked confused and fearful. In the next instant, his muscles relaxed as he seemed to realize they were safe and alive.
Cora pressed a gentle kiss to Stig’s lips. She nuzzled their noses together and swept her fingertips along his forehead. “Hey there, sleepyhead.”
Stig gripped her hand in his strong fingers. A broad smile curved his sexy mouth. His eyes brightened. The heat of his adoring gaze warmed Cora. They needed no words. She read the depth of his love in his face. Not that she had any doubts. He’d nearly died for her, had thought only of her safety in what might have been the final moments of his life, and hers would never be the same again.
And that was okay.
She’d found her happily-ever-after.
A Preview of RED HOT DRAGON
Chapter One
Awash in adrenaline, Griffin Cadogan eyed his opponent across the sparring cage. He danced from foot to foot as he waited for Mad to make his move. The springy mat was cool beneath his bare soles. Though he and Mad had been at this for nearly half an hour, it wasn’t the physical exertion making him so hot. No, tonight his mating phase would begin. Already his body was beginning to show the subtle signs as his forced shifting approached.
Like a raging bull, Mad charged him. Griff stepped into the oncoming assault but twisted his upper body just enough to escape the brunt of Mad’s impact. He kneed his cousin right in the stomach and slammed his elbow into the other man’s back. It wasn’t enough to slow Mad down and he wrapped his arms around Griffin’s waist. They fell to the mat with so much force they bounced.
Limbs entangled, they grappled and slapped. Anyone who caught a glimpse of them fighting would have assumed they were engaged in a death match. Without gloves or protective headgear, they were breaking the rules of the mixed-martial arts training facility they owned, but since they had the place to themselves for the afternoon, no one would be the wiser.
Griff tried to get Mad in a headlock but the other man twisted and arched his back to avoid being pinned in a bad position. His inner beast snapped to be set free. The primal urge to destroy threatened to overwhelm him but he wasn’t worried about hurting Madoc. They’d been fighting this way for centuries. If anyone had the strength and skill to beat his ass when he was on the verge of going into heat and unleashing his dragon, it was Mad.
But today his cousin seemed off his game. Quite out of character, Mad let Griff get the upper hand. It was only a fractional slip but enough for Griff to wrap his legs around Mad’s waist and clamp his arm around the other man’s neck. Though Mad kicked and smacked, it wasn’t enough. With a frustrated howl, Mad slapped Griff’s forearm three times and tapped out.
Griff let go immediately and rolled Mad onto his back. “You okay, man?”
Mad shot him the finger and dragged a long, shuddery breath into his lungs.
Laughing, Griff plopped down on his backside and stretched out his aching legs. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Leaning back on his hands, he studied his cousin. There was no mistaking the tiredness in him and it wasn’t just from this fight. “Are you still having those dreams?”
Mad threw an arm over his eyes and breathed slow and deep. “Yes.”
Concern rippled through him. “Have you talked to Ignatius?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“And he told me sometimes we have to slay the beast.”
Griff rolled his eyes at their leader’s cryptic reply. “What the hell does that mean?”
“I don’t know,” Mad said, his voice filled with resignation. “Maybe he means I’m literally supposed to go out and hunt down whoever is filling my head with all these crazy images.”
Griff grumbled softly, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. You could be walking into a trap. It wouldn’t be the first time the Knights used a seer or someone with empathic abilities to screw with a dragon’s mind.”
Mad let his arm fall back to the mat. He met Griff’s gaze. “I can’t go on like this. I may not have a choice.”
“Will you at least wait until I’ve finished this mating phase so I can come with you?”
“Sure.”
Griff opened his mouth to ask him where they would start their search but the wild vibration of an approaching dragon gripped his gut. Every dragon of his acquaintance had a specific feeling but this one he didn’t recognize. The vibrations in his gut filled him with a bright, trembling sensation of excitement. The alien sensation unsettled him.
Griff pushed off the mat and rose to his full height. Mad was a little slower getting off the floor. They climbed out of the ring and crossed the gym to the main entrance. The vibrations in Griff’s stomach pushed into his chest. A pulsing heat burned him. He rubbed the spot just over his heart and glanced at Mad. His cousin didn’t seem to be the least bit affected.
The double doors burst open and a woman appeared. Her scent hit him like a ton of bricks. Swaying on his feet, Griff backed up a step and tried to clear his hazy mind. Alluringly sweet and spicy, the smell invaded his lungs. His inner beast snapped with lust and need. This woman, whoever she was, had ignited his desire.
Griff let his hungry gaze roam her petite frame. He’d never seen a skirt look so good. The hip-hugging fabric outlined her body in all the rights ways. A fitted blouse with the top buttons popped open displayed her curves. She wore her jet-black hair coiled at the back of her head. Emeralds dangled from her earlobes. The glimmering green jewels accentuated her sil
ky brown skin. His fingertips buzzed as he wondered what it would be like to stroke her face.
She turned her dark eyes on him. Something about her was so familiar. When she waved her hand up and down, he spotted the white handkerchief. What in the hell?
“Griffin Cadogan?”
Her gentle voice spilled over him like sunshine. “Yes?”
“I’d like to request we put our family’s little blood feud aside for the duration of my visit.”
Blood feud? The shock of her identity smacked him right in the face. “Avani Monroe?”
Her lips curved in a teasing smile. “They told me you were the smart one.”
Trying to ignore the needful pull tugging at him, Griff narrowed his eyes. “You’re either very brave or very stupid to come into our gym.”
“I assure you I’m neither stupid nor brave. It’s desperation that brought me to my enemy’s door.”
Her somber tone struck a chord in him. Against his better judgment, he asked, “What do you want?”
Her sexy, sinful grin knocked the air right out of his lungs. “You.”
* * *
Feeling anything but confident, Avani ignored the nervousness wobbling low in her belly and tried to maintain the cool, controlled façade that had served her so well in business. Her gaze skipped to Ian Madoc. Griffin’s cousin stared at her with amusement and interest. She glanced back to the man she desperately needed to help her.
Surprise filtered across Griffin’s face. She spotted the briefest flare of crimson in his pale blue irises as that beastly Welsh Red tried to surface. Like her, he was only hours away from going into heat. She figured that was the reason the two cousins had been knocking the crap out of each other in here. She preferred the more enlightened methods of fasting and meditation to ease her transition but apparently these two dragons still clung to the more barbaric old customs.
She examined Griffin more closely. His size still made her nervous. She’d heard he was a big man but hadn’t been expecting this. Nearly seven feet tall, he sported the broadest shoulders she’d ever seen and muscular arms emblazoned with heavy tattoos. She didn’t recognize any of the symbols or markings but they were probably significant to his old tribe or his Welsh homeland.
Griffin lifted one huge hand and crooked a finger. His deep, rumbling voice made her heart race. “Come with me.”
Gulping down the anxiety clogging her throat, Avani followed him across the gym to an office. She glanced over her shoulder and found Ian making his way to an arched doorway on the other side of the gym. The realization that she would have a few moments of privacy to plead her case with Griffin bolstered her courage.
He entered the office and kept one hand on the door for her. Fearful that inhaling his scent would make her brain fuzzy, she held her breath as she passed him. Soothing heat radiated from him in strong, penetrating waves. Her breasts ached and her core pulsed with need. Attraction and lust weren’t emotions she allowed herself to experience very often. Right now, she didn’t have a choice. Griffin’s nearness had inflamed her.
The door shut with a soft click. Hands trembling, she gripped the handkerchief tighter. Coming into a closed space with him had been a terrible idea. His delicious scent curled around her. She eyed him warily as he walked to the desk and leaned back against it. Even in that slight sitting position, he towered over her. Refusing to sit or give him the upper hand, she lifted her chin.
“You realize that I’m about to go into heat. The risk you’ve taken—”
“It’s acceptable to me,” she interrupted. “In fact, our synced heat cycles are exactly why I need you.”
His jaw visibly clenching, he said, “If you’re suggesting what I think you’re suggesting, you are out of your damned mind. I’m not in the market for a mate and certainly not one whose great-aunt stabbed my great-uncle to death.” He pointed to the door. “You should leave. Now.”
“No.” She stood her ground. “And, for the record, my father’s family tells a slightly different version of the altercation that started this feud.”
He snorted. “I’m sure they did. Now why are you here?”
“You’re a member of the Brotherhood of the Green Hide. You’re charged with protecting our species from extinction. You know what the Knights of St. George did to my mother’s family?”
His harsh expression softened. “Yes.”
“Then you also know that after the massacre last fall, I’m the last of my mother’s line.” Her eyes prickled with bitter tears as the memories of the vicious and brutal battle flooded her mind. “My mother’s family had invited us home for reconciliation. It was supposed to be a beautiful family reunion but those bastards…”
She couldn’t finish the thought. Swallowing hard, she touched her chest. “I’m the last of the Naga. I’ve been combing the family trees of my people looking for someone, anyone, with the right genes, but the Knights have snuffed us out.”
Griffin exhaled slowly. “The Knights are frighteningly efficient when it comes to targeting specific bloodlines. Your mother’s line was one of the most fragile and unique of our kind.”
“Centuries of arranged marriages and a closed society didn’t help.” She thought of the horror her mother and father had caused with their scandalous love affair and elopement. Her Indian mother had chosen to marry a Western man from a little-known branch of a British dragon tribe. Both sets of parents had decried the match and ostracized the pair. Avani had grown up as an outcast, never quite belonging in the dragon commune that had accepted her parents as members.
“I don’t know why you think I can help you. My people are lightning makers and thunder clappers.”
“Not all of them,” she said. “Your archivist, Reynard, helped me identify dragons with suitable bloodlines. Your great-grandmother was a water serpent. Like me, she was the last of her kind but she came from a pure and uninterrupted bloodline.”
He let loose an annoyed grunt. “So what?”
Gathering her courage, she said, “It means that our baby would have a high chance of inheriting my Naga gifts.”
Taken aback, Griffin stared at her. “Are you insane? Did you really just propose that we have a child? In case you’ve forgotten, our families are involved in a blood feud.”
Irritated, she snapped back at him. “No, I haven’t forgotten. If you’re not going to help me, you may as well go ahead and finish me off right here. Satisfy your family’s honor, Griffin. Who knows? Maybe the Knights will send you a thank-you card and a nice flower arrangement for tying up a loose end.”
He growled angrily and shot to his feet. “Comparing me to a Knight isn’t a very persuasive tactic, Avani.”
She rubbed her face and sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m on edge and I’m desperate.”
“Why are you in such a rush to have children? You’re only, what, thirty? You haven’t even hit your first centenary!”
“When you’re the last member of a nearly extinct race of dragon, you can stand there and lecture me on biological clocks!”
He studied her intently. “Do you have any idea what you’re asking? I’ve gone nearly one thousand years without taking a mate or fathering a child. There’s a reason for that. My work is very dangerous. My loyalty to the Brotherhood comes first.”
She understood his hesitancy and embraced it. She’d been relieved when she’d researched him and realized how unlikely he was to want a role as an active parent. “I’m not looking for a husband or even a partner in parenting. Don’t worry. I don’t want your money either. My jewelry business is quite successful. I can handle motherhood on my own.”
“Is that so?” An expression she couldn’t place filtered across his face. “It seems as if you have this all planned out. I suppose all you want from me is a sperm donation.”
She winced at how cold it sounded. “It wouldn’t be like that. You’re in heat. I’m in heat. I’m sure our time together will be pleasurable.”
“And when the phase ends?”
&nbs
p; “You leave. I’ll contact you if we’re successful.”
“And that’s that?” He didn’t sound happy.
“Well, I mean, what more do you want?”
He made a disgusted noise. “What the hell kind of man do you think I am? You think I would make a child with a stranger and then walk away from him or her?”
His fury stunned her. Stammering, she said, “I…I thought—”
“No,” he interjected roughly. “You didn’t think. You assumed you could waltz in here smelling like heaven, ensnare me, and convince me to do whatever you wanted. Well I’ve got news for you, Avani. I’m not the kind of man who can be led around by his dick.”
His crass remark made her flinch. “You’re wrong, Griffin. I didn’t come here hoping to ensnare you with my mating scent.” Embarrassment burned her neck and cheeks. “Do you think it was easy for me to come in here and beg a stranger to sleep with me? And not just any stranger, Griffin! You’re my enemy.”
“I am not your enemy.” He spoke the words with such passion it set her back on her feet. “What happened centuries ago is of little consequence to me. No dragon is my enemy.” Looking pained, he rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re asking me to do the impossible.”
“No,” she replied insistently. “I’m asking you to uphold the oath you took when you joined the Brotherhood. I’m asking you to save my family line. I need you, Griffin. You’re the only one who can help me.”
His intense stare unnerved her. Her breath hitched in her throat when he took a step toward her. Instinct took hold. For every one of his steps forward, she scurried back two. Her back hit the door and stalled her flight.
He planted both hands against the door, pinning her smaller body between his and the wooden plank at her back. Her shuddery breaths buffeted his naked chest. His tanned skin tempted her like no other. She fisted her hands at her sides and closed her eyes. When his face lowered, she turned her head.
“Don’t,” he warned gently. Nuzzling her cheek with his nose, he coaxed her to face him. Their breaths mingled as he gazed into her eyes. His mouth brushed hers with such softness. The spark of contact arced between them, setting her skin alight.
