by Alexis Davie
It seems extreme, but what other reason could he have for doing this? I press my thighs together, needing to know he hasn’t taken advantage of me while I was unconscious. I feel normal down there, and I breathe a sigh of relief, but the relief is short lived as the reality of my situation floods my brain. I am going to die here. No one knows where I am.
I tug on the ropes that bind me, but they don’t budge so much as a millimeter. I scream out loud, shouting for help until my throat is raw, but no one comes. Even as I screamed, I knew no one would come. There’s no one out here to hear me.
Tears run freely down my face as I fight in vain against the ropes. Frustration and anger fill me and I let out a scream of rage, but even the anger inside of me does me no good. I might as well be trying to push over a house for all of the effect I’m having on the ropes.
My tears turn to full blown sobs then and I sag forwards, letting the ropes support me as my knees buckle and my fear pours out of me in noisy gasps.
8
Koy
My heart soars for a moment when my cell phone rings. I snatch it up, thinking it might be Lacey, that maybe she got my number from someone. It sinks again when I see Cole’s name on the screen. She hasn’t changed her mind. She’s ran home, terrified, and told Cole everything. I debate ignoring his call, but what’s the point? It won’t change anything. At least now he knows it’ll never happen between Lacey and me.
“Cole, I …” I start as I take his call.
“Is Lacey with you?” he demands, cutting me off.
I sit up straight, on high alert as I hear the worry in Cole’s voice.
“No,” I say. “She—"
He cuts me off again.
“Don’t lie to me, Koy. If she’s there, just tell me.”
“I would,” I say, not sure if that’s the truth or not. “What’s going on?”
“Lacey asked me to come over and fix one of her doors. I told her I’d be there at one. She wasn’t home and it’s almost three now and there’s still no sign of her and she’s not answering my calls. I know it’s not that long, but it’s not like her and I’m worried about her.”
“I’ll find her,” I reassure Cole without hesitation.
“Thanks, Koy. Look I’m sorry about yesterday,” he says.
“Forget it,” I say. “Let’s just find Lacey.”
I hang up the call. My first thought is that Lacey has fled town, but deep down, I know that’s not true. My senses started tingling about half an hour after she left, but I ignored my instincts, telling myself it was just because she left me. Now I curse out loud, swiping out and knocking a coffee mug to the ground where it smashes.
She’s in danger and I’ve ignored it for hours. If anything has happened to her…
I don’t let myself finish the thought.
Instead, I close my eyes and force my mind to clear. I take long, slow breaths and focus on Lacey. It’s easy to do, she hasn’t been out of my head since she returned to the village. The sight of her face in my mind’s eye sends a sharp pain through me as I remember the horror on her face when she saw the real me, but I ignore it and keep focusing on Lacey.
Suddenly, I am enveloped in fear. My heart races and I feel sweat on my palms. I don’t feel like I am in any immediate danger, but I feel like death is approaching. I can feel rope around my chest and stomach, around my legs and ankles. Something hard presses against my back and my hands are bound behind it. I feel a cool breeze blowing over me and I open my eyes.
I am in a field, tied to a pole. I turn to my right, knowing instantly what I’ll see. The cave our pack uses as a holding cell if one of us is getting consumed by the beast. The place we go to center ourselves and find inner peace. And now, the place Leighton is holding my girl.
I breathe out a long breath and my vision clears, showing me my lounge again. I roar in anger and rush for the door. I burst through it and bring about the change. It starts with my eyes, a blink and they’re my dragon’s eyes, seeing everything in vivid detail, the colors brighter. My nose picks up on the scent of every flower, every animal within a ten-mile radius. My skin starts to itch uncontrollably as scales emerge over my body.
I scream in agony as my spine snaps and my limbs bend themselves into unnatural angles as my human form becomes my dragon form. Two gashes open up on my back as my wings sprout. The scream stops as the pain recedes. I am free, powerful. I lunge myself into the air and fly toward the cave.
I know what’s happening. Leighton has done exactly what Cole predicted would happen. He’s taken Lacey to draw me out. I knew it was a risk, but I thought it was a risk from an enemy, not one of my brothers, not one of my own pack.
I knew Leighton was gearing up to challenge me for the pack, but there are ways to do those things, and this isn’t the way. This is barbaric. We don’t hurt innocents. Dragons get a bad rap in mythology, but we have never gone after innocents; in most cases, we protect those around us. Leighton has crossed a major line here.
I have two options. I can go in and surrender the pack to Leighton and reclaim Lacey. That would be the easy way out. I would have no commitments and Lacey and I could leave, go off and be together.
Or I can kill him and retain control of the pack. I don’t want to kill him for challenging me. As much as it angers me that he’s challenged me, it’s a part of being the alpha.
I am going to kill him though. Not for challenging me, but for using Lacey as a threat. For making her feel fear like she’s never felt before. As the cave comes into sight, I give myself over completely to the dragon in me. This isn’t a fight the human half of me can win.
I roar loudly, releasing a plume of flames as I come in to land beside the cave.
9
Lacey
I don’t know how long I’ve been tied against the pole. Long enough that my hands feel numb and my stomach growls with hunger, but not long enough that I feel ready to give up. I alternate between tugging fruitlessly at the ropes that hold me, and sagging against them, glad of something to hold my weight when I exhaust myself fighting.
I see something in the sky, something bright red. It’s just a speck at first, but it gets bigger as it comes closer to the ground. It’s big, and it’s not an airplane, but I have no idea what it actually is. It distracts me from my plight for a moment, and as it gets clearer, I feel my jaw drop. It’s a dragon.
I must have been here longer than I thought. My mind is delirious from dehydration or something. It must be. But I don’t feel dizzy or in pain. I don’t even feel thirsty. I watch as the dragon lands, giving out a ferocious roar and breathing out a blast of flames.
Before I can even begin to make sense of what I’m seeing, I hear another roar, this one echoing out of the mouth of the cave and a slightly smaller bright green dragon steps out of the cave. I don’t know if it’s possible for dragons to smirk or not, but if they can, then I swear this one is.
The two dragons face each other for a moment, and even with no idea what is going on, I can feel the tension between the two of them. I hardly dare to breathe as the red dragon glares at the green one. Finally, the green dragon makes its move, throwing a plume of flames at the red one.
The tension breaks and I can breathe again. The red dragon jumps into the air just in time to avoid the flames. The green dragon gives chase, but the red one isn’t running, or more accurately flying, away from it. Instead, it circles back and again, the two dragons face each other, their wings flapping almost lazily, holding them in position.
They both move forward at the same time, and their bodies seem to lock together. They go rolling through the air, roaring in anger and pain as they both send out plumes of fire, both clawing at each other.
Their scales flash in the sun as they roll, fire scattering in all directions. A shower of red blood droplets fall to the ground, standing out on the green of the grass. I watch in fascination, still unable to believe my eyes.
They move so quickly I just see flashes of red then green then red
again. I have no idea which dragon is winning the fight. It’s all just a blur to me.
Finally, one of the dragons makes a sound filled with pain that makes me wince. The green dragon drops from the sky, landing a couple of meters away from me, blood pouring from an ugly gash on its side, where one of its wings has been pulled almost free from its body. The sight makes me want to retch and I look back up to the sky.
The red dragon circles twice and then lands gracefully beside the green dragon. The red dragon puts its claws gently, almost tenderly, on the throat of the green dragon, and instinctively I know what’s happening. The red dragon is giving the green dragon a chance to surrender. The green dragon doesn’t take it. It snaps its jaws, trying to bite the red dragon. The red dragon runs its claws across the green dragon’s throat and stands back as a flood of blood pours out.
The green dragon’s body shakes as its life force rushes from it, and then it’s still, its eyes closing. The red dragon looks up to the sky and lets out a keening sound so full of pain that I feel it in every part of my body.
Finally, it turns its attention onto me. I swallow hard as it walks towards me. I still feel no fear, only bemusement, even when it reaches out its claws towards me. It doesn’t hurt me. It reaches around me, and with an angry roar, it slices through the ropes, freeing me.
I stumble slightly as I am freed, but I stay on my feet. I flex my hands, trying to get life back into them as I stare up into the face of the red dragon. It stands much taller than me and it slowly lowers its head, its eyes meeting mine.
The eyes are familiar, yellow with black slits, and even as my mind tells me I’m crazy, I know the dragon before me is Koy. I reach out and stroke his face.
“You’re beautiful,” I whisper, my voice filled with awe at the majestic creature that stands before me.
I watch, fascinated as the dragon begins to shrink before my eyes. His scales fade and his shape becomes more recognizable. Within seconds, Koy stands naked before me and I feel the familiar stirring in my core.
“Now you know what I am, but I swear Lacey, I would never hurt you,” he says.
I don’t need his words. I need his touch. I step into his arms and kiss him. I don’t care that Koy is a dragon. I only care that he is mine.
10
Koy
As Lacey kisses me, I feel like I will explode. Sparks of pleasure run through my body, I am alive from head to toe. All too soon, I feel my inner beast taking over and I go to pull away from Lacey, but she holds me tightly. I turn my face to one side.
“Let me see,” she whispers.
I turn my head back to her. What other choice do I have? She smiles when she sees my reptilian eyes. She reaches up and strokes my face.
“I’m sorry for how I reacted earlier. It was just a shock and I handled it terribly. Can you ever forgive me?” she asks.
I smile at her.
“Lacey I could forgive you for anything, but there’s really nothing to forgive. I should have warned you before I lost control.”
My mouth is back on hers almost before I finish my sentence. She presses herself against my body and her hand moves to my cock. This time, I don’t pull away. I moan into her mouth as her fist encircles my length, moving up and down, her expert touch applying just the right amount of pressure.
I kiss down her neck, pushing the strap of her dress aside with my tongue. I grab her dress and she releases my cock long enough for me to whip it over her head. I admire her for a second, my heart slamming in my chest. We come back together, both of us desperate for what we know is coming.
I get to my knees before her, kissing my way down her flat stomach. I pull her panties down and she kicks them to one side. She moves her feet, opening her legs to give me easy access. I take a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her desire. I push my fingers between her lips and find her swollen center. The warm wetness of her almost pushes over the edge but I hold myself back, concentrating on her.
I move my fingers in a circle, pressing down on her clit. She sucks in a sharp breath and lets it out in a long moan. I reach up with my other hand and push two fingers inside of her tight core. It’s my pussy now. Lacey is mine.
I work her clit and g-spot simultaneously, the sound of her ragged breathing pushing me closer to the edge. I can feel her tightening, clenching around my fingers, and then she goes over the edge. I feel her go rigid as her orgasm rips through her body.
She makes a drawn-out sound that sends shivers running through my body. Her knees buckle and she tumbles forward. I catch her and pull her into my lap. She wraps her arms around my shoulders and her legs around my waist. Her face is flushed, her orgasm leaving its mark on her skin.
She leans closer to me and our lips meet again. I can feel how wet she is, how ready. I lay her on her back and get on top of her. I tease her, rubbing my cock against her opening.
“Fuck me Koy,” she says.
That does it. If there was any question of turning back, that simple request has pushed it away. I slam into her, filling her, stretching her, claiming her as mine. I move inside of her, enjoying the heat of her. Her hips move with mine, matching my thrusts. She clings to me, her nails digging into my shoulders as she squeezes her legs tighter around me, pushing me further inside of her.
I kiss her neck and down her body, sucking a hard nipple into my mouth. I nibble it gently and the sweet pain pushes her over the edge. She screams my name as she comes. I can feel my own climax hovering, and I stop holding myself back. I slam into her, hard and fast, as she screams my name again. I feel the heat wash over me and my cock goes nuts, twitching and spurting my warm seed into her.
I pull out of her and roll onto my side, pulling her with me. We hold each other until we get our breaths back and then she smiles at me.
“How are you going to get back home with no clothes?” she asks.
I tell her about the cave, how its pack territory and how there are always clothes in there to fit all of us. I leave Lacey to get her own clothes back on and I go to find something to wear.
“We have cell phones in there too. I’ve called Cole. He’s coming to pick us up,” I say as I move back towards her. “He knows what I am.”
“Good,” she smiles, sitting down on the grass.
I sit down beside her and kiss her again.
“Lacey listen. I know this is moving fast, but I need you to know something. I love you and I want you to be my mate. Forever.”
“I love you too,” she says. “And I want that, too.”
“Wait,” I caution her. “You don’t fully understand what that means. It means we take part in an ancient mating ritual. And once you become my mate, you will become immortal. Are you truly ready for forever?”
“As long as you’re by my side through it all, then yes,” she says.
I marvel at the woman sitting before me. She isn’t in the least bit phased by any of this. We lay back on the grass and I tell her more about me, about my history and the pack. She takes it all in. She asks the occasional question, but nothing seems to scare her.
I sit up, suddenly on high alert.
“I can hear someone approaching,” I say.
Lacey frowns, clearly unable to hear the footsteps from so far away like I can. I relax when a familiar scent assails my nostrils.
“It’s ok, its Cole,” I tell her. “Let’s go meet him half way.”
I stand up and help Lacey to her feet. She slips her hand into mine and we go to meet Cole. I’m waiting for the argument when he sees her hand in mine. As soon as he’s close enough to us to see us properly, his eyes go to our joined hands. His mouth opens, but Lacey gets in first.
“Koy has told me everything Cole, and I’m ok with it. We’re going to perform the ancient ritual and I’ll become immortal. Do you have a problem with that?” she says, in a voice that no one with any sense would argue with.
Cole shakes his head slowly.
“Nope,” he says.
“Good,” I say. “Because you�
��re my best friend and I want you by my side when we do it. And Cole? I know the dangers, but I will never let anyone hurt Lacey. Ever. I’d give my life to see that she is safe.”
Cole smiles, a genuine smile and without warning, he pulls the pair of us in for a hug. My best friend has forgiven me, and the most amazing woman in the world has agreed to be my mate forever. I have never been happier, and I will spend every day of forever making sure Lacey feels as happy as I feel in this moment.
* * *
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