by Liv Rider
The Sun Dragon’s Mate
(Dragon Sun & The Sun Dragon’s Flight)
Liv Rider
The Sun Dragon’s Mate © 2018 by Liv Rider
Cover design by Scarlett eBook Covers
http://www.scarlettebooks.com/
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, except where permitted by law or for the use of brief quotations in a review.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Table of Contents
Dragon Sun
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
The Sun Dragon’s Flight
Dragon Sun
Chapter One
Griffith Rees knew he should be doing a lot of things other than staking out a night club at one in the morning.
Music spilled out when the club door opened, voices and low laughter echoing across the parking lot until the group turned the corner and their voices faded. Griffith had picked a spot outside the field of orange lights dotting the parking lot, and his Range Rover’s tinted windows hid him from outside eyes. Still, he felt exposed here, guilt at having turned into a stalker mixing with the general unease he’d felt all night.
This night club wasn’t one of Madoc’s usual haunts. Griffith had had a sinking sensation ever since he’d followed him here, even as part of him felt vindicated that he’d been right about him all these years. There was only one reason Madoc was here.
He was a predator. A predator needed prey.
Zach would tell him he was being obsessive, suspicious, and overbearing. In other words: a dragon. Easy for a panther shifter to say—Zach was the most laid back guy Griffith knew. It worked for Zach, just like being a dragon worked for Griffith. They might hunt in different ways, but they were both damned good at it.
But Zach didn’t know Madoc the way Griffith did. Griffith didn’t care if everyone else thought Madoc had paid his dues.
They’re dropping the charges to manslaughter. They can’t prove that there was intent to harm—you know how Rafe was. Always looking for a thrill. Accidents happen.
It’s not the first time. You know Madoc’s done this before.
His sister had shrugged. She’d done what she could. Nothing that can be proven. That’s all that matters, even in a shifter court.
The door opened again, an older couple this time: two flush thirty-somethings probably out on date night. The two men were clearly well familiar with each other, heading home after a night of dancing and probably tumbling their way toward sex. The blond one fished keys from the other’s pocket then leaned in to say something in his partner’s ear, earning a short laugh and a charged look. Yeah, definitely heading for sex.
The scene tugged at memories Griffith had buried deep. To forget for a few hours the evil that was out there, what people like Madoc were capable of…suffice to say, it wasn’t in his nature. Not any longer.
Griffith sat up, all his senses on alert. The man exiting the club door was tall, dark-haired, and good-looking, if not extraordinary. Still, Griffith felt his pull—Madoc was using his charisma to put his victim at ease. That victim walked on the other side of him, and Griffith recognized the bespelled glaze in the pale face topped by a tousled shock of brown hair that owed more to nature than styling gel, attached to long lean limbs that still had a hint of colt to them.
He was hardly older than a kid. Griffith’s hands tightened in anger on the steering wheel. Still, he had a hard time looking away. Madoc had always gone for the unique and strikingly attractive ones, and his current target was no exception.
This is no time for distractions.
Griffith could sense the latent power in the kid, the life force that was like a drug to someone like Madoc. This wasn’t a casual hookup or quick fix. He’d known Madoc wouldn’t be able to stop, and here was the evidence in front of him.
Griffith waited until Madoc’s car pulled out before starting the Range Rover, keeping a safe distance between them as he followed them through the city streets.
***
Noah Tine wasn’t used to being stalked.
The older guy who’d approached him in the club flashed a smile and handed him a drink. “Sorry, I’ve been checking you out for an hour now. Finally worked up the nerve to come over.”
Someone on the edge of the dance floor jostled him from behind, spilling the top of the drink over Noah’s hand when he took it. “Uh, thanks.” He heard the uncertainty in his voice. This club really wasn’t his scene. His roommate Todd had talked him into going out, saying Noah needed to spend Friday night doing something other than studying for a change. As a result, Noah had spent the last hour sweaty, awkward, and wishing he was back in the quiet of their apartment.
He sipped the drink, remembering belatedly that he probably shouldn’t drink anything handed to him by a stranger, but he’d never been that affected by either alcohol or drugs. Besides, Todd was here. Somewhere.
“Do you want to dance?” The stranger had deep blue eyes and dark hair peppered with gray at the temples. It made him look distinguished. Attractive, in an oddly compelling way, like his smile, and Noah found himself unexpectedly willing to embarrass himself out on the dance floor, something Todd hadn’t been able to talk him into all night.
“Sure.”
He left the drink on a table and followed him out onto the floor. His dance partner leaned forward. “What’s your name?”
Noah had to get close to his ear to be heard above the music. Colored lights flashed overhead, adding to the sense of disorientation. “Noah.”
“Madoc.” Madoc held out his hand, and smiled when Noah took it.
An unusual name, but it suited him. Noah didn’t pull away when Madoc danced closer, their hips brushing. The other man had a clean sweat smell, an alluring hint of musk underneath.
The dance floor swarmed with people, but Noah’s attention was caught solely on Madoc, who grinned again when he caught Noah looking. It had been a while since he’d been with anyone. Todd was right that he spent too much time at his books, but there was no one at the university that Noah was that interested in. He had friends, of course, and the occasional hookup—and last year there’d been Justin, who he’d thought might be more until Justin had dumped him because Noah was more interested in going to class than going out.
Madoc was something else.
“Do you come here a lot?” Noah cringed as soon as the question left him—he couldn’t have said anything more clichéd.
Madoc smiled broadly. “No. But I’m glad I did tonight.”
“So what made you come out tonight?”
Madoc shrugged. “An impulse. His eyes flicked over Noah appreciatively. “Or maybe fate.”
They danced through the first song and into the next. Madoc leaned in close. “Would it be too forward if I suggested we go back to your place?”
“No,” Noah said quickly. “God, no.” He felt dazed, which was weird—he’d only had that one sip to drink. Maybe it was from all the dancing. “I mean, no, it wouldn’t be too forward.”
Madoc laughed. It made his eyes crinkle even more enticingly. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
***
Madoc’s car pulled into the parking lot of a red brick four-story apartment complex, one of the older buildings near the university. Griffith turned off
his headlights but left the engine running as the two figures approached the building. Madoc’s hand rested on the kid’s back as the kid swiped a key card.
The key card could be a problem. Griffith’s skills didn’t run to circumventing electronic security systems—he’d need Tse for that. But there wasn’t time to call the other hunter in.
Griffith pulled back out onto the street and let the Range Rover drift past the building, pulling into the alley behind it. A moment later one of the dark windows facing the alley lit up.
Bingo.
He turned off the car, then eased the door open and shut it softly. Madoc might be getting drunk on the kid’s life force but he’d still be on alert for any potential interruptions.
There was even a fire escape. Griffith rarely got so lucky. Dragons weren’t known for stealth—he could have used Zach—but he was a hunter, and hunters knew how to track their target.
He pulled himself up to the first platform of the fire escape, ducked under a window sill, then made his way as quietly as possible to the lit window.
Once there, he crouched, waiting. He didn’t want to put the kid in danger, but he needed to be sure. He wanted Madoc put away for good this time.
***
Noah balanced the bottle of water on his thigh nervously as he sat on the couch, jiggling his leg when water condensed and soaked through his jeans. He wished that he didn’t live in so obviously a student apartment. The living room was a mess with Todd’s Xbox games scattered about, and Madoc’s sleek sophistication looked out of place on the shabby second-hand furniture that was all they’d been able to afford.
Madoc put his untouched water on the coffee table. “You were something out there on the dance floor.”
Noah unscrewed the cap on his water bottle, drinking deeply to hide his sudden nerves. The intense desire he’d felt at the club had deserted him. “I’m not much of a dancer.”
“You could have fooled me. You were pretty hot.” Madoc rested his hand on Noah’s thigh. “I don’t usually pick up people in clubs. I just thought we had a connection.”
Though the words were reassuring, Noah was mildly freaked out. He wasn’t in the habit of inviting men he’d just met back to his apartment. He wasn’t sure what impulse had prompted him to do so now. “I felt it too.”
And was starting to feel again, as Madoc’s hand traveled higher and Noah’s heart beat louder. Madoc moved his hand from Noah’s thigh to his bare forearm. “You’re intoxicating, Noah.”
Madoc’s mouth descended on his, his lips burning where they touched. It didn’t feel like a kiss so much as a devouring.
Noah’s head throbbed, breaking through the intensity of the kiss despite his efforts to ignore it. Probably just dehydration, but he pushed Madoc away when he felt a wave of lightheadedness.
“Sorry.” His heart beat rapidly. He couldn’t seem to catch his breath. “I’m just a little dizzy.”
Madoc leaned against the back cushion of the couch, a small smile on his face. “It’s all right, Noah. It’s perfectly normal.”
Normal how? Noah ran a shaking hand through his hair. But he didn’t stop Madoc from leaning in to take his mouth again. He felt himself slipping, lost in the sensation, ignoring the faint surge of nausea in his stomach.
It had been so long since he’d shared a kiss with someone, he’d forgotten what it was like to lose himself in one. Still, he couldn’t shake the overwhelming feeling that something was wrong. He pushed against Madoc’s chest, needing to put some distance between them—and was too weak to do more than lift his arm.
“What’s going on?” He was scared now.
“Relax, Noah. It’ll be easier if you relax.”
Madoc had stopped kissing him. His fingers traced fire down Noah’s cheek.
“You’re exquisite. I’ve never tasted anything so strong before. I can’t believe you’ve already lasted this long.” Noah tried to pull away from the hand that rested on his cheek, but he was paralyzed on the couch. “What kind of shifter are you?”
“Wh-what?”
“Usually I can tell by now. The taste is different. Give me anything but a wolf—they just taste like wild dog. But you’re like nothing I’ve had before.”
A shadow moved outside the window. Noah fixated on it, a part of him leaping at the thought of rescue even as he knew it was wishful thinking. Even if Todd had noticed he’d left the club and decided to come home looking for him, he wouldn’t come in through the window. Who else would be out there?
“If we had more time, I think I could get even more power from you. It’s like you’ve locked part of it away. But unfortunately,” Madoc said, leaning in again, “who knows when your roommate will be home? I’m afraid our time is up.”
Madoc’s lips were on his again, searing where they touched. Noah’s heartbeat weakened, slowing even as he felt the steady beat of Madoc’s through their joined lips.
He knew with sudden cold clarity that he was about to die.
Chapter Two
The shadow in the window moved again, followed by a thump. Then Madoc was ripped backward, so suddenly Noah felt the rush of air filling the vacuum.
Someone else was in the room. Someone tall and built, with dark blond hair with a hint of curl to it, who held a gun aimed directly at Madoc crouching a few feet away.
Madoc snarled. A red-orange aura the color of fire circled them. Noah had to be imagining things, because for a second the guy with the gun looked like he had…scales.
Hallucinations must be a side effect of whatever Madoc had done to him. Or maybe this was what dying felt like.
“Help,” he managed to get out.
The guy glanced over at him, his eyes blazing with the same orange fire that swirled over his skin. He stepped back, away from Madoc—who scrambled up once the gun was off him—and looked back and forth between them before making up his mind and moving closer to Noah, still keeping his gun trained on Madoc. He asked urgently, “Are you all right?”
“I don’t think so.” He’d never felt this weak before. “I think I’m dying.”
“He’s right, Griffith,” Madoc spoke up. “He’s got a few minutes at most. If you’re going to shoot me, you’d better do it soon if you want to save his life.” Madoc smiled. “But you’re not going to shoot me, are you?”
Something flashed in the blond’s—Griffith’s—eyes. “You think I won’t?”
Madoc shrugged. “I think if you do, you won’t be able to resist shooting to kill. And you don’t have it in you to betray your precious code of justice.”
Noah moaned; he couldn’t help it. It was like every sluggish beat of his heart pulled him closer to the void.
“Fuck.” Griffith pulled up his gun. Madoc’s face flashed with triumph. Fire flared, blinding Noah for a split second before he became aware that Griffith was kneeling next to the couch and Madoc was gone.
Noah felt Griffith’s fingers at his neck, checking Noah’s pulse with a grim look on his face. “Hey,” Griffith said suddenly, startling Noah back to awareness; his eyes had drifted closed. “Stay with me.”
Noah tried, but he was so tired. With an effort he focused on Griffith, whose eyes were no longer orange but a soft warm brown. He was rugged and good-looking in an entirely different way from Madoc’s sleek attractiveness. The lines around his mouth said he used to laugh a lot, and the removed look in his eyes said he hadn’t in a while.
Noah’s vision began to turn black at the edges. His eyelids inched down again.
“Fuck,” Griffith swore. In the next moment, he pulled Noah’s t-shirt up and put his hands just under Noah’s ribs. “This might hurt.”
Noah cried out when flames shot out and licked his skin, engulfing it in heat so intense he was sure he was being burned alive. He looked down expecting to see flames, but there was no glow of fire, no charred skin. It hurt—oh God, it hurt—but it was like a jolt of energy blazing through every part of him, clearing his head so quickly it was painful.
It gav
e him enough strength to pull away from the hands burning his skin and curl up defensively on the couch.
“What did you do?”
Griffith looked dazed, as if that moment of searing contact had affected him too. “I’m sorry. It was the only thing I could think of.”
Whatever Griffith had done, it had worked. Already Noah’s heart was beating strongly again. He felt better than he had in a long time, actually, like everything around him had come into crystal-sharp focus.
“How did you get in?” Noah asked inanely.
Griffith’s mouth quirked; one of the laugh lines creased. “If you’re going to pay for a fancy front door security system, you should make sure your windows are locked.”
“Oh.” Ten minutes ago he’d been deep in the thrall of someone who’d…someone who’d tried to kill him, and now he couldn’t keep his eyes off of a complete stranger. “Who are you?”
“Griffith Rees,” Griffith said, which didn’t answer Noah’s question at all. Griffith stood, looking over at the open doorway of Noah’s apartment, where Madoc had disappeared. “Shit.”
“He knew who you were.”
Griffith’s brown eyes swiveled back to his. “Look, you shouldn’t be alone tonight. Madoc won’t come back, at least not tonight, but you still shouldn’t be on your own. Is there anyone you can stay with?”
“My roommate should be back soon. He was at the club too.” Todd. Shit. He must be wondering where Noah had disappeared to. Noah fumbled for his phone, finding it lodged in the back pocket of his jeans.
He had five texts from Todd, each one with more question marks than the previous. He hadn’t even heard the texts come through, he’d been so absorbed with Madoc. He sent off a hurried note telling Todd that he hadn’t felt well and had gone home, apologizing for not texting him earlier.
Griffith watched all this without comment. Noah knew that every minute he spent here was another minute Madoc was getting farther away. Though by now he had to be long gone.
