by Lexi Ward
“It looks like no one has lived here for years,” she observed glancing around the room.
“No one except me,” he said as he took a seat on the large rug in front of the fire. He gestured to his side, inviting her to join him. “There’s no heat either. You’ll get cold,” he explained.
Carefully she walked towards him, her heart pounding in her ears. “How can you live here? No electricity, no heat,” she began once she had taken her spot next to him.
“Is that really the question you want to ask me?” he said to her, avoiding making eye contact. In the warm light of the fireplace his features seem soft. His usually defined face appeared smooth and innocent.
“No,” she began. “It’s not.”
“Then ask,” he insisted, still looking down at the ground between them and not up at her.
“That moment, in my office, what was that?” she asked hesitantly.
“That was something you can’t understand; something that shouldn’t have happened.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” she replied.
He slowly reached out and placed his hand on her leg, letting the sensation run through her body again. “That,” he said quietly, looking up at her. “That shouldn’t happen.”
“But what is that?” she asked, her breathing becoming heavy. When she felt that he was beginning to pull away she quickly grabbed his hand, holding it in hers.
“It’s called ‘the spark’,” he replied almost remorsefully. The air around them became heavy with tension. The burning sensation she felt spreading through her filled her with a dull ache. The feeling she had been trying to push from her mind for the last week became too intense, and she found herself unable to resist the urge to move towards him any longer.
As she leaned forward he did the same. He took his hand from hers and reached it up, wrapping it around her neck and pulling her closer to him. With every brush of his skin her body surged with a pulsing heat, and when he softly pressed his lips to hers she felt a blaze of warmth mixed with a chilling sensation that ran up and down her spine. He moved his hand down, pushing the heavy coat off her shoulders letting it fall to the ground behind her.
She wrapped her arms around his strong, defined body, feeling the muscles in his back flex under her fingertips. He ran his hands through her short, dark hair as his lips moved from hers down her neck. Filled suddenly with an insatiable passion, she let her hands find the edge of his white T-shirt, which clung tightly to his massive frame. In a quick movement she pulled it up over his head, and pushed him back, holding him at arms length to examine him. His chest was muscular and toned, and had an enormous dragon tattoo going across it, with the tail wrapping around his shoulder and down his arm.
He leaned back, clutching her hand to his chest and pulling her down with him. He spun her around in a quick, smooth movement, placing himself on top of her. He ran his hands down her sides, feeling the curves of her body. When he slipped her shirt off over her head and leaned in to press his body against hers she felt like she was melting into him.
Being with him was like nothing she had ever felt before. The warmth that spread through her body when they were together was a mixture of raw passion and a burning heat that seemed to radiate out of him and consume her. The closer she pulled him to her, the more intense the sensation became. His movements were powerful and delicate at the same time, making her feel both safe and terrified. Her heart raced in her chest, and she had to reach up and dig her nails into his back to keep her hands from trembling. When they pulled apart, a cold, empty feeling filled her, leaving her longing for his embrace.
CHAPTER THREE
It wasn’t until four days later that he revealed himself to her completely. They had spent every possible moment together in that time. If she wasn’t at work, she was at his house. That afternoon when he picked her up from her office, it was clear that he had something he needed to talk to her about.
“There’s a lot about me that you do not know,” he explained once they were in the sitting room.
“Then how is it that since that day I’ve had this overwhelming feeling that we’ve known each other for as long as I can remember,” she said. Her question seemed to wash over him, filling him with a sense of joy and sadness at the same time.
“That’s ‘the spark’,” he said, as if she were supposed to understand what that meant. “And see?” he answered the question forming in her mind. “The fact that you don’t know what that is makes this so wrong.”
He reached up and pressed his hand to her cheek, looking deep into her eyes. He let out a long breath, which seemed to produce with it a gust of heat. “Come with me,” he said taking her by the hand. He lead her out of the room and down the hall, through the kitchen, and out a door which led to a large open space surrounded by trees. There were no houses around as far as she could see. His house was completely isolated. “I need you to promise you won’t freak out or anything,” he said as he released her hand and took a few steps away from her.
Taking in her surroundings and noting his nervous, tense movements she became worried. “I don’t know if I can promise that.”
“Jocelyn, you have to. Look, I’m not going to hurt you, okay? Just remember that I’ll never do anything to hurt you.” His words were soft and kind, and pushed some of the fear she felt away. Before she could respond he took off running, heading in the direction of the line of trees not far from them. As he ran, the ground around him began to smoke. When the air rent with a loud bang, she was knocked back, falling to the cold, snow-covered ground.
When she regained her footing and looked up, what she saw filled her with more terror than she had ever felt in her life. Standing there, in the place Kain had been just seconds before was a large, green beast. His entire body was covered in scales, which reflected the moonlight and glistened as he moved. His neck was long and had red spikes running up it. His head was enormous, with two large horns protruding on both sides, and a mouthful of enormous teeth. The most awe-inspiring qualities of the beast were the wings and tail. In all, the creature before her was nearly as large as the house behind her.
Her first gut reaction was to scream, to turn and run as far away from the terrifying sight as possible, but she couldn’t. She was completely frozen with fear. She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat.
“Don’t be afraid,” she heard Kain’s voice say. She didn’t understand where it was coming from. As he continued speaking, she realized that it wasn’t a vocalized sound, but that he was somehow communicating with her through thought. “I know you’re frightened, and confused, and you can’t believe what you’re seeing,” he continued. “But please, don’t run. Give me a chance to explain.”
She didn’t, not that night at least and she left feeling confused. It wasn’t until the next day that she felt prepared to have the conversation with him.
“So, you’re a dragon?” she asked, not believing the words as she spoke them. They were back in their usual spot, on the floor in front of a roaring fire in his sitting groom.
“Yes and no,” he started. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him. The warm sensation helped to relax her nerves, but the light-headed feeling that accompanied the shock she was experiencing remained very strong. “I’m a shifter.”
“A shifter?”
“I am both human and dragon, at the same time.”
“Can you control it?”
“To a certain extent, yes,” he answered.
“Are there others like you?”
“A lot, actually” he sighed softly, trying to decide if he should continue or not. “I have, or really, I had a clan. A group of dragon shifters just like me who live up in the mountains, hidden from sight. They come out, from time to time, to move among the humans, but generally speaking, my kind tends to keep to themselves.”
“What do you mean ‘had’ a clan?”
“My father, Aiden Connelly, was the Dtor,” he looked down at her and smiled,
“which means nothing to you.” She smiled weakly up at him. “The Dtor is the leader of the clan,” he explained.
“Okay,” she waited for him to continue, even though an endless list of questions was flooding into her mind.
“Well, let’s just say that I wasn’t the ideal son or future leader that he had always hoped I would be. So, on my twenty-first birthday, when I was supposed to assume control, he sent me here instead. He wanted me to find my way, get my shit together, and when I was ready to be responsible, I could go back.”
“You’re still not ready?”
“It’s not that. I wish I could go back, honestly. I returned to the clan as soon as I got the news that my father had passed away. But by the time I arrived Delaine, the first born of House Moloney, our rivals, had already assumed control. His family has long expressed a desire to overthrow mine and take control for themselves. He refused to relinquish the position, convincing the clan that I’m an unfit Dtor. I have dreamed of regaining the trust of my kind, but now that I’ve found you, I’m afraid that will never happen.”
“Why?” she asked.
“The spark,” he said calmly.
“You keep mentioning that, but haven’t explained what it is,” she pointed out.
“It’s something that’s hard to explain, and even harder to find. Not everyone has the chance to experience it, and most don’t expect to,” he began. “It’s a bond, a connection, that’s made between two shifters. And once it’s there, it’s unbreakable.”
“Between two shifters,” she repeated. “Then why, I mean how…?” she stuttered over her words.
“That’s what I don’t understand either. It shouldn’t have happened. It never happens between a shifter and a human,” he said with a hint of confusion in his voice.
CHAPTER THREE
Later that night she had her first experience with Áine, the shifter who had her sights set on mating with Kain. When her voice called out to him from down the hall, Kain insisted that Josey hide.
“It smells like human in here,” Josey could hear the woman’s sultry voice say from her hiding spot in the kitchen. “You brought another one back here again, didn’t you?”
“What do you want Áine?” his voice sounded frustrated.
“You know, Kain, eventually you’re going to have to stop these adventures and accept me as your mate. It’s what’s best for everyone, you especially. If you want to prove to the clan that you’re ready to come back, then you have to give up this life of constantly running around with human women, indulging in their life, and getting into trouble, constantly calling attention to yourself,” she replied.
“You didn’t come all the way here to give me a lecture. So what is it?” He sounded flustered.
“Delaine, he wants to see you. Two days from now, he’ll expect you in the Throne Chamber at dawn.”
Hearing the woman’s words filled Jocelyn with a rush of anger and hurt. Knowing that Kain had been with a long list of women made her feel used and vulnerable. He tried to convince her that she was different; that what they shared was true and genuine. She wanted to believe him, but her natural reaction to protect herself made it hard.
Now, however, standing in her cell, there was no doubt in her mind or heart that he was telling the truth. What they had was real; and what it created was pure. The day she found out set into motion the chain of events that would land her in her current predicament.
When she woke up for work a few days after Kain’s exchange with Áine, her body ached and her head was pounding. Regardless, she pushed herself out of bed, and hurried to the office. It wasn’t until after lunch that she began to feel sick to her stomach. Unable to keep her meal down, she took the rest of the day off and drove herself home.
When she walked into her apartment the room began to spin. Feeling weak, she attempted to make her way towards the couch, but before she made it she collapsed, losing consciousness as she hit the ground.
Awoken suddenly by the sensation of heat rushing over her, she found Kain carrying her down the small hallway to her bedroom. He placed her carefully onto the bed, and sat next to her, running his hand through her hair, pushing the stray stands from her face. “I should have known this would happen,” he spoke compassionately.
“What?” she asked, her voice soft.
“You don’t know?” he looked down at her, his deep hazel eyes filled with compassion and a hint of fear.
“No,” she replied, trying to push herself up. Her arms were weak, and the effort left her feeling exhausted.
“Jocelyn, you’re pregnant.” The bluntness with which he spoke surprised her.
“That can’t be. I haven’t been with anyone except you in months. And it’s only been a week since we…”
“These things happen fast for us. The process is accelerated so to speak.”
“What do you mean accelerated?”
“A normal pregnancy is nine months, correct? Well, for our kind it’s closer to nine weeks.”
“No,” she tried to start. She found the energy to push herself up and away from him.
“Denying it won’t make it go away,” he responded.
“How do you know? How did you know?” she sputtered.
“I told you. We’re bonded. When something happens to you, I can sense it. I feel it. The same would happen to you if something happened to me.”
Back in her cell, she stopped her pacing and leaned back against the stone wall trying to cool her body. She reached down and ran her hand along her belly. Since being brought here, her stomach had grown, protruding out and forming a small bump. The baby inside her had only been there for two and a half weeks, but the rate at which it was growing made it appear that she had been carrying it for five months.
Kain had warned her that his kind wouldn’t accept her, or the baby; that they would try to hurt them. He was right. The same night she discovered was pregnant, they received another surprise. Lying in bed with Kain, his breathing heavy from sleep, she was awoken suddenly at the sound of someone entering the room.
“This is rich,” a familiar voice broke the silence.
“Áine,” Kain said, sitting straight up. The warmth that usually poured from his skin increased to a blazing heat. He pushed himself to his feet, moving in the direction of the voice. In the darkness, Jocelyn couldn’t make out her features, but she could see that she was tall with a tight body and long thick hair which fell to her waist.
“When Delaine told me you didn’t show up for the meeting I couldn’t believe it. With everything you’ve done to get back in his good graces, you wouldn’t throw it away just like that. And to think, he was going to offer you a place in the clan again.” She took a step towards him. “I’ve been following you for a few days now, Kain. I’ve watched you with her.”
“What I do doesn’t concern you,” he shot at her aggressively.
“On the contrary,” she walked around him and over to the side of the bed, hovering over Jocelyn. “This,” she reached out and grabbed Josey’s arms violently, digging her long nails into her skin, “this concerns all of us.”
Kain’s eyes suddenly illuminated, an intense red glow pouring out of them. “Don’t touch her,” he ordered Áine, dashing across the room and throwing her back against the wall.
“You want to do this here?” she challenged him, stepping forward, seemingly unaffected by his attack. In a movement that was swift and almost fluid, she leapt forward, knocking him to the ground. He threw her off him, flipping her over and into the wall across from the bed, leaving an indent.
Áine lifted herself up from the floor as Kain did the same, taking a step forward to put himself between her and Josey. “They’re already coming,” Áine warned, a smile spread across her face. “You have no choice, Kain. You and your human are coming back to The Caves.”
“Stay as close to me as you can,” Kain whispered to Josey. “We’ll find a way out of this somehow”. Not long after a group of shifters landed to ferry Kain and Jose
y back to The Caves.
CHAPTER FOUR
The large stone fortress was the size of an entire city, with caverns and hidden passages everywhere. As she was ushered in, Josey was unable to focus on her surroundings due to the throbbing in her stomach and the gripping fear in her chest. Kain lead her down one passage, and then another. Áine walked to his right, and a small group followed behind.
When they reached a large room, with ceilings reaching over one hundred feet, they stopped. When Josey looked around she saw who she could only assume to be the Dtor. He was seated on a large stone throne at the front of the room. He matched Kain in size, but his hair was a deeper red, and his eyes a lighter green. When he stood to his feet to walk towards them, Kain lowered his gaze to the ground. “Delaine,” he said respectfully.
“So, this is who’s causing all the trouble,” Delaine said, walking in a circle around Jocelyn. “I can see why she caught your eye. She’s very attractive.” He stopped when he was directly in front of her, leaning down to examine her face. “What will we do with you?” he asked in a taunting tone.
