Mad About The Dragon: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Dragon In My Heart Series Book 1)

by Selene Griffin

  “No, seriously.” He laughed, smiling as he shook his head slightly. “Come on, it’s not that far of a walk.”

  “Alright, lead on then,” Maia said as she shrugged with a smile and began to walk with him, the two of them heading out into the late-afternoon desert.

  They walked for a while, enjoying idle chatter about the desert as the sun slowly crept its way across the sky, inching ever closer to the horizon. They shared bits and pieces about themselves. Maia told him all about her career as a dancer and the life that came with it. Ignacio shared some details of his life in the desert and his friendship with those on the Reservation. With each change of topic and each moment that passed, the two grew more and more comfortable together. Laughter and smiles coming easily and with frequency.

  “So, I brought along some drinks and snacks for us.” Maia offered at one point in their journey. “Maybe we can have a little impromptu picnic together?”

  “That sounds like a fantastic idea,” Ignacio said in response, a happy little smile coming to his face. “I think I know the perfect place.”

  “Of course, you do,” she said in a tone full of admiration. He was shaping up to be the perfect guy in her eyes. Even little things like knowing the perfect picnic location hit all the right spots for her.

  He just flashed her a smile and offered his hand to her. With a giddy thrill running through her chest, she slid her hand into his with a smile of her own. The touch of his skin against her own was electrifying and the wave of goosebumps that ran up her arm confirmed it for her. She really liked this guy.

  Ignacio was feeling much the same. When he had offered up his hand, he was a bit nervous at what her reaction might be. But when she took it, he felt as though his heart had burst into flames. The warmth of her hands, the smoothness of her skin, it made the fire within him feel complete, powerful and as it should be.

  They held hands, walking in silence for some time as they both lost themselves in the feel of each other’s touch. It was as if all that mattered in the world was that single point where they came together. Everything else simply, faded away.

  Eventually, they came to the pace Ignacio had in mind for their picnic. A long, high ridge of red rock and earth rose up alongside them and ran for some miles to the north. They came up alongside a sloped portion of the ridge where it faded into the flat ground of the desert around them. Here is where Ignacio stopped them.

  Moving to stand before her, he smiled and gave her hand a gentle squeeze before letting it go. She gave him a strange look, glancing around them at the landscape. It was nice, of course. She had always loved the rock formations in this area of the Mojave. But she wasn’t quite sure what made this the perfect place aside from an OK view of the soon-to-be sunset.

  “Should we bust out a blanket?” She asked, wondering if this was the spot or if they had further to go.

  “Not just yet,” he answered, the smile on his face looking a bit mischievous. “First, I have a gift for you.”

  She couldn’t help the smile that went across her face. A gift? She tried to imagine what it was. She watched, chewing on her lower lip with a smile still plastered across her face, as he reached into his satchel bag and pulled out a piece of desert glass nearly the size of her head.

  Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Looking up to him, she was at a loss for words for a moment before finally managing to stutter out a response.

  “Oh… oh my God! Ignacio, this is amazing! Thank you!” She gushed, reaching out to take the massive piece from him. “How did you manage to find one this big?”

  She cradled the piece in her hands, looking over the impressive, deep amber color of it. How it looked as though a small red flame danced deep at its core due to a smear of darker silica. It was gorgeous and unlike any other piece she had seen. The sound of his voice finally pulled her away from admiring it.

  “That’s not even the best part,” he said, sounding almost giddy. “Will you close your eyes?”

  She arched one eyebrow at his request for her to close her eyes. But she couldn’t hold back her amused smile for long. With a shake of her head, she threw up her free hand and decided to indulge him. She had already thrown caution to the wind by coming out here with him in the first place. Besides, look at the gift he had given her!

  “Alright, why not?” She said with a subtle laugh as she closed her eyes. Clearing her throat, she waited for him to lead her to wherever it was he was taking her.

  When he was sure she wasn’t sneaking a peek and couldn’t see, he gently took her hand and began to guide her towards and around the sloped edge of the ridge. He made sure she didn’t trip or fall, maneuvering her gently until she stood in the perfect place. He turned towards the west, the sun just beginning to reach that point where its colors started to bleed across the sky. With a smile, he stood beside her and reached down to take her hand once more.

  “Ok. Open your eyes,” he said, holding his breath.

  When she did, she almost couldn’t comprehend what she saw before her. With the sun setting above through wispy clouds, the smooth and shining glass of Ignacio’s desert shimmered like a lake of fire in front of them, looking as though it went for miles. Ripples of what was once sand, now looked like waves of lava frozen in time with islands of both smooth and jagged glass dotting the surface.

  Maia stood there for a moment, utterly floored. It seemed as though the entire world around her had become her beloved amber glass. Just a handful of feet in front of her, the sands turned to smooth, solid glass and just went on…for what looked like miles. As the reds and purples of the sunset colored the sky above, so did the glass change. Reflecting the colors above it like an ocean forever frozen. A looking glass for the Gods.

  She finally turned to Ignacio, her eyes still wide with amazement and shock at what he had shown her. He looked proud. With a wide grin and a look of joy in his eyes, that she found endearing. When she managed to find her voice, she could only manage a single word. One question.

  “How?” The word came out on a breathy voice. Part of her wondered if she wanted the answer.

  “I can show you that, too,” he said after a brief pause and in a soft tone, like he was sharing a secret.

  He dropped the satchel from his shoulder and took a dozen or so steps away from her onto the glass floor of the changed desert before them. With the fiery light of the sunset illuminating him, he shifted for the first time in front of her. His body growing and changing, clothing ripped to shreds as his scales bloomed and rippled down along his massive form.

  Maia stood there, her body not sure what to do in that moment as the man she had come to spend the evening with turned into a blood red dragon out of some fantasy novel. When her mind finally processed what she was seeing, she stumbled back a few steps, tripping over a lump of earth and falling flat on her ass. With the wind knocked out of her, she simply sat there, staring.

  Ignacio shrank back a bit, not wanting to frighten her in any way, though the look on her face said he had already failed at that. He lowered his head closer to the smooth, glassy ground, watching her and making sure to remain still. Maia simply sat there, staring at him in awe for a moment or two before slowly climbing to her feet. She didn’t feel the urge to run, which was odd to her. Instead, she wanted to be closer to him.

  Slowly, she stepped closer and closer to him. Ignacio brought his massive head up slightly, allowing her to make the first official move. She made it, reaching out to place a hand against the scales of his foreleg. The warmth coming from him was like that of a hot stone. Warm enough to make her flesh tingle but not so hot as to burn.

  “Well. This makes a lot of sense,” she said, that sassy attitude barely missing a beat. “I have to be honest, though. I never expected this.”

  Ignacio made a low, rumbling sound in his throat…almost like a purring noise. He brought his head up once more, stretching his massive wings out for her o
nce before those large amber eyes closed and his body began to shift back into that of a human. Maia’s eyes went wide once more, but she did not back away or find herself put off by his transformation. If anything, it fascinated her.

  When his eyes opened once more, he stood close before her, fully human...and fully naked. His clothing did not change with him, of course. Maia bit her lip, fighting the urge to look down. Ignacio simply stood there, his intense eyes looking over her face to gauge her reaction.

  “So… is that your way of telling me you’re responsible for all of this?” She murmured. Speaking low and soft, her body tense and exhilarated at how close he was. Even as a naked human in the cooling desert, he radiated a warmth that beckoned her to come closer.

  “I suppose it is…” He responded in turn. His voice hovering low with an alluring rumble of base behind it.

  “Well, you make a very handsome dragon,” she offered, a light smile on her lips.

  “Thank you,” he rumbled.

  Though she was still a bit unsure, she once again threw all caution to the wind and stepped fully into him. Her arms rose up to wrap around his neck and shoulders as her lips smashed against his. The explosion of what felt like sparks between them caught the breath in her chest and caused her heart to skip a beat. Ignacio felt it, his own heart keeping in pace with hers as it stuttered at their passion.

  He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her close against his naked body. She felt soft, welcoming and perfect under his hands. His fingers sought to feel her flesh and they worked their way under the hem of her buttercup yellow shirt to trace across her hips and the curve of her sides.

  Their kiss was long, passionate and by the time they broke free for air, Maia had been freed of her top. Her hat and sunglasses tossed aside as the sun gave way to the moon above them. Their hands explored every inch they could find of one another as Ignacio’s lips found their way to the slope of Maia’s jaw line, working their way to the crook of her neck. Maia moaned softly at his touch, her hands clutching at the muscle of his shoulders as if she couldn’t grasp enough of him at once.

  They entangled themselves, shedding Maia’s clothing piece by piece until it littered the glass beside the destroyed remains of Ignacio’s own clothing. They continued to explore one another through touch, through taste. Maia’s hands sliding along Ignacio’s back, one gripping a handful of his gorgeous hair while the other took hold at his lower back. Ignacio let his hands fall to the curve of Maia’s ass and his arousal at the feeling of her in his hands did not go unnoticed. His hand gripped those two pert, firm cheeks in a gentle grasp that made his desire for her all the more obvious.

  Again, their lips came together, both of them breathless as they lowered to the glass floor of the transformed desert around them. Ignacio lay on his back, his view of Maia framing her as a Goddess against the star smattered backdrop of the night sky. She straddled him, her hands running across his chest as her hips shifted and she took him fully inside of her. He was ready and more than eager, and the desire flowing between her thighs welcomed him…warm and wet.

  They made love intensely. Their passion carrying out across the glass desert that spread out before them as they thrilled in one another. There was not an inch of one another that they did not come to know that evening. Even in the cold night air of the desert, the heat of their frenzied ecstasy kept them warm and glistening from their efforts. Once spent and collapsed upon one another, they lay there beneath the night sky simply enjoying the safety within one another’s embrace.

  Their embrace lasted for hours, laying there upon the glass Ignacio had created just for Maia. All felt right with the world as their eyes watched the stars above, as if seeing them for the first time. Perhaps they were.

  Chapter Five

  Had it all been a dream? If so, it was a hell of a lot better than the other one she had been having lately. She would trade a blood thirsty yet stone-dead silent crowd for a giant dragon any day, hands down. When she had finally gotten back home last night it had been late, but she hadn’t cared in the least about the time. Still floating on cloud nine, she had tossed herself onto her bed and laid there for quite a while…just thinking back on her time spent with Ignacio. It had all been so perfect, she still couldn’t find the words for it. Even the wild and wholly unexpected fact that he was a massive, fantastical dragon didn’t deter from the amazing evening they had shared. How could it? It made their… relationship? ....all the more thrilling!

  When she woke the following morning, she felt more refreshed and well-rested than she had in ages. Her sleep had been deep and apparently exactly what she had been needing. Her very bones felt lively as she bopped around the kitchen, making a pot of coffee and a bagel to get her day started. With mug and plate in hand, she meandered over to plop down on her couch and get comfy while she had her breakfast. Sipping at her coffee, she stared up at the beautiful piece of glass Ignacio had given her that now sat proudly atop her TV by itself. A statement piece that had her smiling as she turned on the TV and began flipping through the various channels to see if anything good was on.

  She nearly spewed out her coffee when she saw it—the camera panned wide, showing a massive stretch of the desert across the screen. A desert made of glass. Her and Ignacio’s desert! She nearly dropped her coffee mug as she sat forward abruptly on the couch, her eyes wide and glued to the screen in a frozen look of panic. As the camera continued to move across the landscape, a news anchor rambled on about when the glass desert had been discovered, that top people were currently investigating the cause and what it could all possibly mean. Maia ignored most of it, only listening for some mention of Ignacio as her eyes scanned the video footage for any sight of him. So far, all she saw were various news crews and a seriously impressive number of what she assumed were scientists, covering the area. No sign of him.

  After watching for a few more minutes to be absolutely sure Ignacio wasn’t mentioned, she finally leapt up from the couch and started to run around her apartment in a panic. Her head spun as she tried to figure out what to do. The only thing she knew for sure was she needed to find Ignacio.

  “Ok… get dressed, pack some essentials and then go find his ass,” she said to herself as she ran back into her bedroom to thrown on some clothes and pack a bag.

  With no time to worry about looking cute, she pulled on a random band t-shirt and a pair of cargo capris, scanning the room for where she had tossed her backpack while shoving her feet into her hiking sneakers. She found the bag half under her bed and yanked it out. Without really thinking about it, she shoved a change of clothes into the bottom of it before carting it out into the kitchen to grab more bottled water.

  It took her all of 5 minutes to get herself ready before she was running out the door and down to her car. As always, Celia was sitting in her lawn chair in the main lobby when Maia came bounding down the stairs. The frantic look on Maia’s face caught the old woman’s attention immediately.

  “Maia! Goodness, girl, calm down! What’s the matter?” She said with a bit of shock in her voice. It was hardly past breakfast and Maia looked as if the world was ending. “Is everything alright?”

  Maia paused at the sound of Celia calling her name. She took a breath, turning to the woman as if to answer her…but nothing came out. What could she even say to Celia that would make sense? None of it would sound even remotely real no matter how she explained it. But she had to say something.

  “A… ah… a friend of mine is in trouble and I’m a bit worried about him. I’m gunna go try and help him out.” She didn’t quite lie, since everything she said was true. “I might be gone for a little bit. Bye, Celia!”

  She didn’t give the woman a chance to say anything back and instead just bolted right out the door and made a beeline for her car. She had no idea what she was about to go charging into, but she didn’t care. The only thing that seemed to matter was making sure he was safe. She drove as fast as she could, but she wasn’t the on
ly one heading out to Crystal that morning. Even with it being a half an hour north of the Vegas city limits, a ton of lookie-loos had hit the road with her to see the new wonder of the Mojave.

  It took her over an hour to get there and she was furious about it. She was lucky to find a space for her car in the plaza parking lot when she arrived as it was utterly packed to the brim with people and their cars. What looked like an army of news vans, was clustered together close to the plaza building itself, but the crew gone. Off to record the massive expanse of glass a handful of miles to the east.

  Swearing under her breath, she fought her way through the crowds, her eyes constantly scanning for any familiar face there was to find. When she finally made it into the plaza was when she saw Johnathan. He stood behind the main counter with two women, one middle aged and one young, trying to cash out and take care of as many people as possible. It was barely 10 in the morning and the shop looked like an apocalypse had run through it. Shelves were empty, displays ravaged and the people working the plaza looked like they were ready to snap.

  Fighting her way to the counter, Maia caught the Johnathan’s attention. They spoke no words, just sharing an exchange of looks that plainly said, ‘we need to talk.’ Maia moved to wait nearby, milling around like she was shopping until Johnathan got her attention. He nodded his head for her to follow and she did.

  She followed him outside into the blazing sun of the late afternoon. Her chest felt so tight she found it hard to speak and so they walked in silence towards an old, beat up looking blue pick-up truck.

  “Hop in.” He invited, gesturing towards the passenger side of the cab.

  She did just that, pulling open the door to climb into the passenger seat as Johnathan got in behind the wheel. They continued to share their silence as Johnathan slowly inched the truck out of the packed parking lot, scooting across route 15 and onto the official Moapa Reservation lands.