Dragon's Choice

by Juniper Hart

  But if hot stuff over there is doing it, how bad can it be?

  “Wonderful!” the clergyman proclaimed. “Just register at the table with Greta and we will see you inside.”

  Courtney nodded, watching as the pastor went to speak with the man smoking, and she bit on her lower lip. She found Greta, a middle-aged woman, sitting at a folding table, handing out nametags and accepting the fees.

  I can’t believe I’m doing this, Courtney thought, but there was no time to second guess herself now. She spoke with Greta and signed in, carefully applying the adhesive tape to her chic silk blouse. She tried not to grimace as she was directed to the left and down the stairs into the community room.

  Inside, it was just as tacky as she had imagined it, a mingle of awkward people nervously sipping on plastic cups of what Courtney assumed was juice. She immediately sought out Cassie, who eyed her contemptuously as she approached her.

  “I thought you were leaving,” she muttered, and Courtney could tell she was still angry. She flashed Cassie a dazzling white smile.

  “Perhaps I was too hasty,” she conceded, checking out the door through her peripheral vision. “I have nothing against God, after all. Maybe I will meet a nice guy here.”

  She willed the smoking man to enter, as if piercing holes into the doorframe with her eyes would conjure him, but as the bell rang and the pastor called for everyone’s attention, he still had not arrived.

  Courtney’s heart began to race slightly as she realized she may have made a mistake.

  “Attention, everyone!” the reverend called. “I will just explain how this works for the newcomers, if you can all look this way!”

  Is it too late to leave? Courtney thought. But if I do that, I will just be calling attention to myself. Not to mention it would throw off the order of the session. I have to stay here. Cassie would never forgive me.

  She groaned inwardly, wondering how she had allowed herself to be dragged into such a situation.

  It will all be over in a couple hours, and then I will go to the nearest bar, drown my sorrows in a pint, and forget this ever happened.

  “And that’s all there is to it!” the pastor concluded, having explained how the speed-dating worked. “Any questions?”

  Courtney had not heard a word he had said, and she looked desperately at Cassie, who seemed to understand her confused look.

  “Just find the table with your number and stay there. The men will shift seats. You stay put,” the brunette whispered, and Courtney nodded, exhaling in relief. The whole thing seemed easy enough.

  Courtney found table six, still willing the brooding man to enter, but she was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he was not coming.

  I wonder what he was doing here. He didn’t look like the type of man who would speed date.

  She knew she should feel ashamed of the stereotype, but she could not shake the sense that he was not there for dating, or even religious reasons.

  The bell rang again, and Courtney forced a proper smile onto her face as her first “date” appeared before her. He was a pleasant enough man, and the conversation was not unbearable. Still, Courtney kept feeling antsy, and she shifted uncomfortably, waiting for the bell to ring again.

  She just wanted to get out of there.

  Maybe he’ll still be outside when we’re done, she told herself. Perhaps he works here.

  Dozens of thoughts were going through her mind, and as the first round ended, Courtney could not recall a single detail about the man with whom she had just spent the last five minutes.

  Who cares? Courtney thought as he shuffled away. It wasn’t as if I was apt to call on any of these chaps again.

  Still, she knew she needed to at least pretend she was interested. It was improper to act otherwise, no matter how much the mysterious man was on her mind. She desperately tried to push the thought of him out as the next man sat down in front of her.

  “You’re Courtney, right?” he said, and a smirk appeared on her generous mouth.

  “You must be psychic!” Courtney teased, knowing she wore a nametag emblazoned with her name. He laughed and shook his head.

  “I’m Blaine. We met once before,” he explained, and Courtney’s brow furrowed trying to place him. He was not even remotely familiar to her.

  “I’m sorry,” she replied. “I don’t recall.”

  “I’m a friend of George’s,” Blaine said. “We met at the Alpha Ep Christmas party.”

  Courtney felt her blood run cold at the mention of her ex, and her back tensed slightly.

  “Right,” she muttered. “Nice to see you again.”

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Blaine continued. “I’ve always thought you were hot.”

  Courtney’s eyebrows raised, and she stared at him with cold hazel eyes.

  “Charming,” she retorted, sitting back to fold her arms under her chest. Her mind was whirling.

  He’s not bad looking, she mused. And if I were to sleep with him, George would find out and be furious.

  Courtney was slightly ashamed of her thought, but she could not stop finding the appeal to the idea.

  “Want to get out of here?” she asked, leaning forward, and Blaine’s blue eyes widened with interest.

  “Yeah?” he asked, but he nervously looked around, as if the thought of interrupting the flow of the event troubled him. A spark of irritation flowed through Courtney, and she sneered at him. “Sure—yeah,” Blaine stuttered. “We can go, right after we’re done here—”

  “Never mind,” Courtney scoffed, dismissively waving her hand. He’s just like George: too proper. I wager if the bloke outside was here and I asked him to leave, he would have taken me up on it without a second thought.

  “No! I mean, I want to—” Blaine muttered, but Courtney had already tuned him out.

  She was angry at him for acting so indecisive, but she was angrier at herself for suggesting it in the first place. She had no real interest in Blaine. In a way, she was relieved he had refused her.

  He’s doing you a favor. Why are you acting this way, anyway? This is not like you.

  “It’s just—” Blaine tried again.

  Courtney stopped him before he could say anything else.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she snapped. “I was only testing you.”

  He stared at her uncertainly. “Can I… can I get your number?” he asked weakly.

  “No,” she retorted. “Sod off.”

  “But the bell hasn’t—”

  “I said, sod off!” Courtney nearly yelled. Blaine immediately jumped to his feet, his face bright red with either anger or embarrassment, she couldn’t tell.

  “George was right about you,” he growled.

  Courtney’s eyes grew huge. “What did you just say?” she hissed.

  “He said you’re a control freak,” Blaine continued, “and he was right.”

  Heat rushed to Courtney’s face, and she glowered at him.

  “Sod. Off.”

  Her voice was barely above a whisper, but as Blaine rose, so did she, snatching her purse to leave.

  “Excuse me!” called the pastor, approaching her table. “Miss, you can’t leave! You’ll upset the—”

  Courtney was already gone, though, walking out the front of the church and down the steps, away from the reminder of being dumped. She no longer wanted to go to the local pub. Suddenly all she could think about was going home and scrubbing the floors of her kitchen.

  Without bothering to call for an Uber, she began walking back toward the apartment she shared with Cassie, her self-esteem suffering another wicked blow.

  She was sure that she would never step foot outside again until the school year started anew.

  Courtney did not know how long she had been walking, lost in her own misery, when she heard a car slow down behind her. She tried to wave it around, but the headlights stayed firmly on her as she continued across the street.

  “Courtney!” a familiar voice called out to her. “Hey, what
are you doing out here?”

  She glanced over her shoulder and shuddered when she saw the driver.

  Can this night get any worse?

  “No thank you,” she replied, not slowing her gait.

  “Come on, Courtney,” George told her from his car. “You shouldn’t be wandering around out here at night by yourself. I’ll take you home.”

  “No, George,” she said. “Thanks, but I’m good.”

  “Courtney, stop being so immature and get in the car!” he shouted. “Just because we broke up doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”

  Courtney simply kept walking.

  When she thought George had finally given up, she heard him say, “Anyway, I heard you were hitting on Blaine at that speed-dating thing back at the church.”

  There was sheer amusement in his voice, as if he knew she had done it just to get back at him, and it enraged Courtney to no end.

  She spun to glare at him.

  “I don’t have the faintest desire to be your friend, George,” she snapped. “And what or who I do is none of your bloody business. Now carry on your way and leave me in peace!”

  “God, you are such a pain in the ass!” George yelled. He stopped the car, put it in park, and jumped from the vehicle to chase after her.

  Courtney turned to walk away from him, but he reached out and clasped her arm.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded, her face colored in shock. “Don’t touch me!”

  “This is exactly why I had to get rid of you!” he growled. “You always have to be—”

  “I know, I heard, I’m a control freak!” she cut him off, trying to wrestle her arm away. “You should be glad to be rid of me, then!”

  To her amazement, his grip on her arm only tightened.

  “Stop being unreasonable, Courtney,” George snarled, and Courtney felt fear crawling through her.

  He was right in front of her, blocking her view. If she wanted to escape from him, in case he tried… anything, he would have to do it behind her. “You’re—”

  He stopped speaking abruptly, his hand loosening from around Courtney’s upper arm. He glanced over his shoulder.

  “What the…?”

  Confused at the change in his demeanor, Courtney stepped out of his reach and pivoted to look where he was staring.

  Her heart caught in her throat as a pair of glowing yellow eyes peered into the night, right toward them.

  “What is that?” George whispered, but Courtney had no answer for him. She could only shake her head as the shadowy figure ambled closer, a dark beast with a wet snout approaching them.

  It seemed to be baring its teeth at them. Strangely, Courtney was unperturbed by its presence.

  “Courtney, come on,” George breathed, trying to reach out for her.

  Courtney, however, finally managed to wrestle her arm out of his grip, and she moved further away from George, closer to the creature.

  “No,” she replied. “You go,”

  “You’re acting crazy!” George roared, lunging for her, but the animal growled, low and feral, and the clean-cut frat boy froze in his tracks.

  She said no, the beast muttered. Leave her alone.

  The voice was ethereal, even though Courtney (and George, she assumed) heard it as if it was inside their heads and not through their ears.

  Even in the dim lighting, she could see her ex’s face grow translucent with fear.

  “Courtney,” he choked out, but she shook her head.

  She was unafraid of the beast, despite its jutting canines and menacing stature. She sensed that he was not going to harm her. She could not attest to what he would do to George, however.

  “Go, George,” she told him without looking at him.

  Her hazel eyes were fixated on the creature, her heart pounding with nervous anticipation. She felt as if she knew the beast—the wolf.

  George did not need to be told again, spinning to retreat to his car and driving off, tires squealing.

  Courtney continued to watch the glowing yellow eyes in the night as the beast’s face transformed, shifting into a familiar sight.

  She exhaled slowly.

  “You,” she murmured.

  “He seems like a real prince,” said the man she had bumped into at the church, his human face taking full form, a shadow of facial hair a stunning contrast against his green eyes.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded, her mouth suddenly dry.

  He shrugged nonchalantly. “I followed you,” he replied, and Courtney was filled with a combination of excitement and worry.

  “Why?” she asked, although she felt like she already knew the answer.

  “A girl walking alone on the streets at night,” he said, covering the short space between them, “is bound to have trouble chasing after her.”

  He was so close to her now that Courtney felt almost dizzy with his presence.

  “You’re Courtney.”

  The statement caused her heart to race, and she swallowed her anxiety, wondering how a stranger could have such a profound effect on her.

  It went beyond a revenge shag—she felt inherently connected to this man or beast or whatever he was. It didn’t matter.

  Inadvertently, her mind shifted to the last day of exams, when she and her friends had heard Sylvie tell them some bloody tale about strange creatures, and Courtney tried to make sense of what was happening.

  “How did you know?” she whispered, and a grin lit up his face as he gestured at her chest.

  “Your nametag,” he replied.

  Courtney was embarrassed, and she hung her head in shame. “Of course,” she muttered.

  “I’m Beau.”

  “Nice to meet you, Beau.” She nodded, not wanting to meet his eyes.

  “I’ll take you home,” he told her, and her head jerked up.

  “Thank you,” she mumbled. When Beau did not move, though, Courtney asked, “Where is your car?”

  Beau’s smiled widened, and he shook his head.

  “I have something better than a car,” he answered, and Courtney watched in amazement as he shifted back into the wolf-like form. She stared at him in disbelief when he gestured at her to mount his back.

  “Really?” she gasped, looking behind her as if she expected someone else to be watching. But they were alone on the dark sideroad.

  Beau simply waited, and Courtney tentatively climbed onto his back, digging her fingers into the soft, sleek gray fur.

  Without warning, Beau bolted off, and Courtney clung to him as they flew through the night.

  With each stride from his long, strong paws, crunching through the summer leaves, Courtney felt herself growing more nervous, yet also more excited. When he made his way onto her street, stealing away in the dimness of the shadows, Courtney felt as if her body was on fire.

  “How do you know where I live?” she murmured into his silken ear, but he did not answer nor slow his stride until they landed on the front steps of the apartment building.

  It didn’t matter; not really. Courtney was not alarmed that this mysterious stranger knew things he could not possibly know.

  No sooner had she dismounted than Beau transitioned back to his handsome human form.

  Courtney could have never imagined herself doing what she did next: unable to stop herself, she threw her arms around him, pressing her mouth to his almost desperately, as if she was worried he would disappear if she did not hold on as tightly as she could.

  Beau seemed to hold back at first, but Courtney did not release him, her hands reaching up into his dark hair to pull him closer and taste the saltiness of his mouth.

  Soon his body relaxed, melding against hers, and she shivered at the feel of his frame.

  She didn’t know how they landed inside the apartment, but then they fell to the floor, rolling together along the foyer, items of clothes lost along the way until Courtney was atop Beau, staring down at his face. She donned only a bra and pants, her shorts undone as he lay shirtless bel
ow her, his trousers discarded.

  Pinning his arms to the floor, she paused to study his hypnotic green eyes before pressing her lips to his again. Her chin dropped, her tongue snaking along the taut lines of his broad chest, flicking against his nipples but maintaining a steady motion toward his navel. As she journeyed lower, her hands slipped from his, teeth pulling at his pants with the help of her hands.

  Heat swelled inside her crotch, and goosebumps exploded against her arms when she saw his rigid member. Never had Courtney wanted someone inside her as badly as she wanted Beau in that moment, but she was not willing to give it up so easily.

  Teasingly, her mouth darted along the edge of his shaft, feeling Beau’s fingers entwine through her blonde hair, but as she went to take his hardness into her mouth, she was abruptly thrown forward and flipped by the waist.

  On all fours, she turned to look over her shoulder at Beau in shock, although Beau was too busy pulling off her own pants to notice.

  Exposed from the waist down, she tried to turn to stare directly at him, but he was atop her too fast, rubbing himself between the wetness of her center. Strong hands reached around to cup her full breasts over her lace bra, and Beau slid himself inside her without effort, his girth filling her to the point of breathlessness.

  Beau’s breath was hot on her shoulder, and Courtney could do nothing except move her hips back as he began to thrust himself inside her almost furiously. She gasped as he bit into her shoulder, his fingers pinching at her erect nipples through the fabric of her bra and causing shocks of pleasure to course through her body.

  Unexpectedly, he pulled out of her. Courtney cried out in protest, struggling to turn against him, but one hand reached up to gather her blonde tresses and cock her neck to the side while he repositioned himself behind her.

  When Beau plunged into her again, Courtney screamed out, feeling the depth of him inside her most intimate opening. She clenched against him, but he did not slow, grunting softly as his flux grew more intense.

  Her screams filled the kitchen, a mix of ecstasy and profanity, both which seemed to drive Beau harder into her core. She could feel his sack slapping against her bottom, and it brought her to a shivering build up of desire.