Dragon Fixation

by Amelia Jade

  That realization—that she not only wanted him to live, but needed him to, so that he could stay with her—had opened her up to the acceptance that despite her initial proclamation way back when, she had in fact fallen for the dragon shifter. And fallen hard. Harder than she’d hit the Outsider even. It was a complete and utter thing that had needed the spark of a life-or-death situation to get her mind to accept that it was not only real, it was amazing.

  She was scared, still, but with Thorne at her side, she felt they could accomplish anything.

  Together.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Thorne

  After letting the private finally go, ensuring he would spread the tale of Carla’s heroic actions far and wide, Thorne waited for his mate to catch up with him before they headed on to the colonel’s office.

  “Try not to get in a fight before I can speak this time, okay?”

  He glanced at her with a wounded look. “I’ll have you know that the odds of that have gone way down since last time.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yes,” he said, lifting his chin with a disdainful snort. “By a large factor. Huge. I’d say at least eight percent. Maybe even ten.”

  Carla, standing next to him as they waited for Colonel Mara to join them—she wasn’t in her office apparently—jerked slightly at the low numbers before realizing he was joking.

  “Very funny, Thorne. Haw haw,” she fake laughed. “This is important to me.”

  “I know it is. That’s why I worked so hard to decrease the odds I would go all caveman and try to fight someone just because they checked out your assets.”

  “If you ever do that, it’s the last you’ll check out my assets, mister,” she admonished, taking his hand for the reassuring squeeze she knew he would give it.

  “It’ll be okay.” He spoke quietly, the words just for her now, despite the half-dozen other members of the colonel’s staff who were also outside her office. A pair of secretaries, two guards, and two others who all appeared to be waiting for her. There was a conspicuous space between the dragon and his mate and everyone else. It might have had something to do with the way he glared angrily at everyone as they entered, though he would never admit it to Carla.

  Being tall and intimidating had its perks sometimes. If he could give her some space to remain calm and collected before pitching their idea, then he would. Anything to help her succeed, whether she knew it or not.

  “You two, my office, let’s go.”

  He snapped up straight as Colonel Mara entered the outer part of her office like a whirlwind, barking orders and pointing at the pair of them to precede her into her inner office.

  “And Thorne?” the colonel added as he opened the door.

  “Yes, Colonel?”

  “Try not to get into a fight this time.”

  He hung his head as Carla laughed from next to him. It wasn’t his fault, dammit!

  The door closed behind them and Colonel Mara sank into the chair behind her dark cherry-brown desk, the leather hissing as it adjusted to her weight.

  “Okay. You two had some sort of idea you wanted to pitch to me before that whole shitshow went down. Now that you’re recovered, I suppose, let’s hear what was so important you couldn’t tell me over the phone. Be brief. Don’t sugarcoat shit either. I am so not in the mood,” she said with a wry smile.

  “Sure. Brief backstory is we were looking for ways that the two of us could be together while I rejoined the military, and my old unit in particular,” Carla said without preamble. “We came up with one, and thanks to the Outsider’s attack, we actually got to demonstrate part of it in front of you.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Carla said.

  He saw the way his mate’s spine straightened, falling back into military patterns as she talked to a superior, even though she was now a civilian. Thorne knew it would take longer than a couple of weeks for her to rid herself of that, but even more than that, he saw how much it meant to his mate to be back in this world. She needed this, and he promised Colonel Mara silently that if she vetoed the idea, she would regret it.

  “We’re going to form a unit of dragon riders, composed of dragons and battlesuit-capable warriors. We could—”

  “I’m sorry,” Colonel Mara said, interrupting, “did you just say dragon riders?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Pairs of dragons and battlesuit soldiers, a fusion of human technology and old-world strength. Think about it, ma’am: We could mount some serious weaponry on them. And while they fought their battles, we could watch their backs, ensuring they were never caught by surprise by the Outsiders. It’s simple force multiplication, ma’am.”

  Colonel Mara arched both eyebrows. “I may not be a combat leader, Corporal, but I’m aware of what you’re suggesting.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Carla said, reining in her enthusiasm just a bit as it started to get out of hand over the idea.

  “Dragon riders,” the colonel mused thoughtfully to herself. “Interesting idea. I suppose we could fold them into the existing chain. Maybe as a cavalry unit.”

  Thorne spoke. “No.”

  Mara looked up at him sharply. “No?”

  “No, ma’am. We’re independent. We’ll fight with you, but not for you. We’re not willing to put ourselves in a position where your government one day might order us to attack other humans.”

  Colonel Mara nodded. “It saddens me to admit that the possibility of that is very real. There are far too many idiots in the chain of command who would just love to have a unit like that to play with. You’re correct. So how do we do this then?”

  “Mercenaries,” Carla said, speaking up again. “You’re already paying them to fight, essentially. This would just be a more formal unit. Some dragons could choose to stay on their own, others may wish to join the dragon riders.”

  “That could work,” Mara agreed. “That could definitely work. Good thinking, Corporal.”

  Thorne saw his mate beam, and he wondered if she had noticed the way Colonel Mara had started referring to her as Corporal again, instead of Miss Giannone.

  “And the riders themselves? What would they be?”

  “Mercenaries, working with loaned government technology.”

  “Your suits would be your payment?”

  “Exactly, ma’am. At the end of the war, we would be given the option to keep the suits and return to the military at our prior ranks, or return the suits and be given a one-time monetary payment as thanks for our service.”

  Colonel Mara leaned back in her chair, looking at the two of them. “You two have put a lot of thought into this.”

  “Carla has,” he said immediately. “The initial idea may have been mine, but she was the one who brought it to life.”

  “I see. So the two of you wish to lead it?”

  “Yes.”

  “No.”

  Thorne smiled, answering the implied questions from both of them. “I can fight,” he explained. “And I will fight, with Carla at my side. She can be in charge of the humans, if you deem it. But I am not a leader of dragons.” He smiled. “I think you already have someone suited for that job.”

  Colonel Mara looked at him, and then slowly began to smile.

  She punched a button on her desk. “Mary? Get Vanek on the phone, and tell him to get out here. Now.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Carla

  Light from under the curtains eventually woke her, and with a big stretch she rolled onto her side, knowing that Thorne would hear her and come back to bed for their usual morning cuddles. It was a pattern that they’d established shortly after they started sleeping together on the regular. With him unable to sleep much, he often would nap during the day for small stretches.

  To her surprise, when she rolled over she was confronted by Thorne’s slack face. His eyes were closed and his mouth hung slightly open, a small dribble of drool pooling between his lips and the pillow. Normally she might have laughed it off, but right
then her reaction was shock.

  Thorne was in the bed. And he was sleeping.

  Not only that, he was sleeping peacefully. His entire body just screamed calm and relaxed, as if a giant billboard had been erected above it. Carla wasn’t sure what to do. Her excitement at the fact he’d been able to fall asleep in the bed without having nightmares was overwhelming, and she wanted to share it with him. Doing that would mean waking him up, and the last thing she wanted to do was prevent him from getting as much sleep as he could.

  Two weeks had passed since the battle with the Outsider, and the two of them had been busy working with the new leader of the dragon riders, creating the framework, strategies, and even the beginnings of a training plan. It was going to be a huge undertaking, and they wanted to do it right.

  Propping her head up on an elbow, she stared at him, memorizing the lines of his face and the expression of pure tranquility. And the drool. A wicked idea came to her and she gently rolled onto her side, reaching out to her night table until her fingers brushed what she was looking for.

  Pulling the object into her grip, she aimed it at him.

  “Say cheese,” she whispered.

  Thorne’s eyes popped open.

  “Oh shit.”

  It took a second for recognition to flare in his eyes at what she was doing, and another for him to realize he’d been drooling profusely.

  “Were you just trying to take a picture of me?” he rumbled dangerously, sitting up in bed and wiping his arm across his face in an attempt to clear up his mess.

  All it did was smear it even more, and frustrated, he used the sheets to make himself more presentable.

  “Of course not, darling,” she said with false sweetness, batting her lashes at him and squeezing her arms together while she looked up at him.

  The added effect of that was something akin to super cleavage, and Thorne’s eyes were predictably drawn downward to her chest, lingering there for a moment before returning to look at her.

  “Do you really believe me to be so simple that you can seduce your way out of this?”

  Carla thought about it for a moment. “Yes.”

  His eyes lit with laughter as they both enjoyed the moment. “Very well,” he said, coming closer as she fell onto her back, baring her complete nakedness to him. “But since you wanted to take pictures so badly, why don’t I take a few…” He reached for the phone.

  “Oh you think so, do you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Not today,” she said, pulling him back down before he could do anything.

  They kissed briefly as he lay on top of her.

  “You were sleeping,” she said softly.

  “Yes.”

  “Beside me. Peacefully.”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you have any nightmares at all?”

  “No.” He kissed her cheek. “They are gone now, I believe, my love. I still feel guilt, but having finally told my story to everyone, and apologized to Corde, I feel more at ease with everything that has happened. We are working in our spare time now to find any descendants of people who may have survived the attack.” He smiled happily. “The internet is a wonderful resource.”

  Carla ran her hands up his arms, feeling the taut muscles there as he supported himself above her with careless ease, the sheer strength present in them awe-inspiring as always.

  “I’m glad that the two of you are working together now.”

  He leaned down to kiss her again, his face beaming with happiness. “Me too. It feels good to reconcile things.”

  Carla’s hand caressed his cheek, feeling the stubble there. “I love you.”

  She could have sworn his cheeks grew a little pinker. “I love you too, Carla Giannone. I love you too.”

  They embraced some more, before he rolled back onto his side. Carla frowned at that; she’d been expecting them to have sex. Had he changed his mind?

  “Would you do something for me?” he asked suddenly, sitting up with one hand on top of the other, palms together. Fingers touched to the opposing wrist as he held his hands crosswise against his body, like a magician about to perform a trick.

  “Maybe,” she said cautiously, wondering if this was going to lead to a request for some sort of naughty sexual activity.

  “Will you wear this?”

  He slid his hands apart, and Carla gasped as she realized what they contained.

  “Thorne,” she said, gazing down at the onyx choker. “It’s beautiful.”

  The glossy black material sparkled and reflected the light, and as Carla looked at it closer she saw the sides ripple as if they were water.

  “Wait, is this what I think it is?”

  “If you think it’s a necklace made from my acid and scales embossed with my crest upon it, then yes?”

  That wasn’t entirely what she’d thought it was, but it was close enough. “Is it safe for me to touch?” she asked cautiously. “It’s not going to burn, is it?”

  “No,” he assured her, lifting it up with one hand. “It’s very safe. I can control that.”

  “I see.” She reached out nervously and picked it up. There was a thick round-edged square at one point, that had the outline of a winged dragon with two vertical swords worked into the wings themselves, and a flowing script across the bottom that she didn’t recognize.

  “What does that say?”

  “It says Giannone, in dragonscript,” he explained, pointing out the various symbols that formed her name.

  “Thorne, it’s gorgeous,” she said, dumbfounded. “But there’s no clasp. How do I put it on?”

  “It stretches. I figured that would be easier for you, so I made it to simply stretch.”

  Testing the band she realized he was right, it easily stretched and then reformed back to its original shape. It didn’t snap back like an elastic, it just slowly shrank.

  “Will you try it?” he asked.

  “Of course,” she assured him, having heard the nerves in his voice.

  Lifting it up, she stretched it over her head, settling it around the middle of her throat. While she’d never worn chokers before, it fit perfectly, and was loose enough she didn’t feel constricted, but was tight enough she knew it wouldn’t bounce. It practically molded itself to her skin in fact, and in seconds she only felt it if she touched it.

  “Remarkable.”

  Thorne picked up the phone once more. “Now can I have a picture?”

  Carla rolled her eyes and let the comforter fall away. “Only because you asked so nicely, and also only if you finish what you hinted at after you’re done.”

  The look she received promised all that, and more.

  The camera flashed.

  ********

  This concludes Dragon Fixation, Onyx Book 1.

  I hope you enjoyed the adventure. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on the book, anything from characters, to plot, to even the formatting of the book itself. I appreciate all feedback, whether it be reviews, on Facebook, or via my website!

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  Wing Her Over

  A Fated Mate Romance

  By Amelia Jade

  Wing Her Over

  Copyright @ 2017 by Amelia Jade

  First Electronic Publication: June 2017

  Amelia Jade

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or
print, without the author’s permission.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.

  All sexual activities depicted occur between consenting characters 18 years or older who are not blood related.

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  Wing Her Over

  Chapter One

  Karri

  He never stood a chance.

  It wasn’t his fault, though. Well, okay, it was his fault. It just wasn’t completely his fault. She was already in a foul mood before he even entered her office, so it didn’t matter what he’d said; she was still just as likely to skewer him.

  Not that Karri knew that ahead of time. All she knew was that the text message on her phone had ensured her day was going to be just full of fun and joy and happiness. She glanced at it once more, rolling her eyes and trying not to feel hurt. It was easier than it should have been, but only because of practice, not because she was so strong mentally and emotionally that she could just shrug it off.

  After all, a father has a special place in a girl’s heart. Even if he sent her text messages like that on the regular. To her, that was “just how Dad was.” She knew it was wrong. But it didn’t really matter. Not that it stopped her from locking the screen of her cell and tossing it down on the desk harder than she would normally treat it. Not hard enough to mark the wood though. That would just bring on another round of messages…or more likely in that case, shouting at her about how much his precious imported hardwood desk had cost him.