“Yes. I made it clear to your ex-employer that if he thought of revenging himself against your grandmother or you, I would finish the job.”
“The nursing home called to ask me if I authorized two men they caught lurking around the outside. I assume those are your dragons?”
“They are. Even though Edgar knows he will die should he harm your grandmother, I thought it best that she be guarded at all times. Unless you wish for her to move in with us?”
I hesitated, but shook my head. “She truly is happy where she’s at. I will bring her here if she gets so far in the illness that she no longer enjoys the people at the home, but since she still takes so much pleasure with everyone there, and the awesome programs they have for the residents, I’d prefer for her to be stay where she’s happiest. I do appreciate you keeping the guards, though. They earn you serious brownie points when it comes to you having your wicked way with me.”
“She is now my family,” he said matter-of-factly, but the sentiment behind it melted me into a puddle of goo. “Her welfare is now as vital to me as it is to you. The guards will remain until such time as you desire her to live with us.”
“If I weren’t so worn out by your fabulous self, I’d lick every inch of you in reward for caring so much. I do have another question, though. Why was Ioan pretending to be your trusty tribe member? Just to spy on you?”
“I suspect he reported to Xavier about me. Hunter said one of his dragons was missing as well. No doubt Xavier planted spies in our tribes in order to keep track of us.”
“That bastard. He really chafes my chimes. Back to the manuscript leaf…”
His lips curved. I tipped my head and nipped his chin. “I thought the tales of the Raisa Medallion were nothing more than that—just tales. Imagine my surprise when it turned up, and you deciphered it.”
“Will we see Bree again, or will she stay a sword spirit? And can I say just how devious she was?”
“Doing what?” he asked, his voice rumbling around in his gorgeous chest.
“You said she was hanging around just to see if you were worthy of her help. That’s devious. Although I do have to admit, she was pretty helpful. Why did her sister Sasha have to be there when she sworded herself, though? Bree, that is, not Sasha.”
“I imagine part of her job is to oversee spirits binding themselves to dragon hunters and their élan vitals.”
“Huh. Okay, next question: now that you’re a dragon hunter, you must have demon in you, too, right? What does that feel like? Does it hurt? Or is it not really an issue because you’re a superhero dragon who can call up lightning? I know if I were a demon, I’d be a bit wary of you.”
“Hunter and I are balanced, yes. By bringing us together, I lost some of my dragon self, but I gained some of his darkness.”
“A demon?” I asked, horrified and thrilled at the same time.
“Not really, no.” He looked thoughtful for a minute. “Just a form of dark power. I feel it, but it does not control me. It is just…there.”
“I’m glad to know I won’t have to buy stock in a holy water company,” I said, relieved despite my irreverent words. “Although I could have sworn that Miles said dragon hunters are half demon.”
“They are. But they are not the children of the sire, as Hunter and I are.”
“Oooh, gotcha. You guys are the superhero version. That makes sense. So, what are you and Hunter going to do about your father? What did he mean about unmaking what you did?”
He sighed, rolling us over so I was underneath him, his hands immediately possessing themselves of my breasts. “I have answered countless questions, flower, and will answer no more but one.”
“Really? What question?” I asked, my toes curling at the steamy look he was giving me.
He nuzzled the spot behind my ear that made my legs turn to wet noodles. “Do you want to be on top, or should I?”
“Oooh,” I said, his heat flashing through me as I moved against him in provocative anticipation. “You’re ready to go again? Really, Archer, I’m not going to be able to walk if you keep this up…Wait, I think it’s my turn on top. Prepare to be pleasured as you’ve never been pleasured. Although don’t think I’m going to forget my questions when we’re done, because I have a lot more, a whole lot more.”
He let me push him onto his back, the sound of his laughter rolling around the room, filling me with utter joy. I was confident that Archer would make all right with the world.
He certainly rocked mine.
About the Author
For as long as she can remember, Katie MacAlister has loved reading, and she grew up with her nose buried in a book. It wasn’t until many years later that she thought about writing her own books, and once she had a taste of the fun to be had building worlds, tormenting characters, and falling madly in love with all her heroes, she was hooked.
With more than fifty books under her belt, Katie has written novels that have been translated into numerous languages, been recorded as audiobooks, received several awards, and are regulars on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. A self-proclaimed gamer girl, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her dogs and frequently can be found hanging around online.
You can learn more at:
KatieMacAlister.com
Twitter @KatieMacAlister
Facebook.com/Katie.Mac.Minions
Also by Katie MacAlister
Dragon Fall
Dragon Storm
Dragon Soul
Memoirs of a Dragon Hunter
PRAISE FOR KATIE MACALISTER
Memoirs of a Dragon Hunter
“Bursting with the author’s trademark zany humor and spicy romance…this quick tale will delight paranormal romance fans.”
―Publishers Weekly
Dragon Fall
“An instant classic!”
—RT Book Reviews
Dragon Storm
“Along with the action, MacAlister packs oodles of humor and offbeat situations into her stories.”
—RT Book Reviews
Dragon Soul
“Dragon Soul is one entertaining read full of great characters and emotions…Katie MacAlister proves why she is on this reader’s auto buy with this latest book. It had me laughing out loud at times and betting on love at others.”
—Fresh Fiction, Top Pick
To my husband, for believing in me when I wasn’t ready to believe in myself.
Chapter One
A few minutes past eight and Declan Reed couldn’t take his eyes off the windows in the building across the street.
“You remember our shift ended two hours ago, right?” Cole drawled. The pain-in-the-ass tiger shifter was his partner for this operation. Eh, the dick was his partner in most operations. Declan ignored the man.
Their shift had ended at six, and the other men on Shifter Operations Command Team One, Ethan and Grant, had taken over, but Declan couldn’t force himself to leave. He couldn’t force his wolf to leave.
Not while she still occupied the building.
Abby Marie Carter. Twenty-eight years old and five feet eight inches of tempting cougar shifter. She had long golden hair with a hint of a curl at the ends, bright blue eyes, and curves that made his palms tingle with the need to stroke every one of them.
“Not that I’m against keeping my eyes on a nice ass,” Cole continued. “But since neither of us is getting in her panties, I don’t see the point.”
The tiger was a good ally in a tight spot and handy with a block of explosives. Declan would trust him at his back on any assignment. But having faith in the man didn’t mean his wolf was okay with Cole thinking about Abby or her panties.
“Fuck off, Cole.”
“We’ve been watching this place for four days and you’ve barely slept. Do you want to go through another psych evaluation? Because ‘obsessive behavior’”—Cole formed air quotes with his fingers—“is a sure-as-shit way to end up on the doc’s couch.”
&nb
sp; “Do you feel like being thrown out a window?” Declan pulled his attention from the building across the street and leveled a glare on the tiger shifter. “Because ‘dickish behavior’”—he formed air quotes, mimicking Cole—“is a sure-as-shit way to end up hitting the pavement headfirst.”
“Play nice, kids.” A third voice joined their conversation—their team alpha—his order transmitted through the com device each member of the team wore in their ear. “Tighten up.”
Declan glowered at Cole and his partner did the same to him, but they kept their mouths shut. Birch was a hard-ass bear shifter, and when he spoke, they all did their damnedest to listen. Sometimes it happened. Sometimes it didn’t.
The men of SHOC Team One weren’t known for their respect for authority, and they sure as hell hadn’t been recruited because they played well with others.
“Aw, Birch. He started it…” Cole whined in his best impression of a five-year-old. Declan rolled his eyes, tuning out his partner’s voice while he refocused on Abby.
Technically, their target was FosCo, the multinational company headquartered across the street. Except from the moment Abby walked into FosCo’s lobby four days ago, he’d had a hard time tearing his attention from her. Staring at the cougar shifter was a lot more fun than watching the other staffers.
No one else popped in earbuds while they worked. They didn’t get up from their chairs to stretch and add a little shake of their ass. They definitely didn’t kick off their shoes and dance when the building emptied and no one was watching.
Abby did. She appeared professional when she walked into the office building every morning. Her blond hair was usually twisted in some girly knot that he wanted to run his claws through, and she wore a tight skirt suit with a pair of low heels. She fit right in with all the others in FosCo’s headquarters.
Even if she wasn’t a FosCo employee…or even human.
According to the file they’d compiled, she’d been employed by the accounting firm Ogilve, Piers, and Patterson for six years, landing the job straight out of college after earning her bachelor’s degree. She still worked toward her master’s as she studied for the CPA exam. Smart. Dedicated. A hard worker if her schedule was anything to go by. In at seven thirty every morning and out at nine thirty every night. In bed by eleven. His knowledge of her sleeping habits wasn’t something he shared with the others.
“Obsessive behavior” and all that shit.
The team still wasn’t sure what she was doing at FosCo, but Declan found he cared less and less about the reason as each hour passed. He just liked looking at her.
“Declan, you listening?” Cole’s deep growl pulled his attention from Abby again.
The asshole wanted to lose his tongue before Declan threw him out the window.
“What?” he snapped.
“Guys.” Cole groaned. “He’s already pussy whipped even though he’s never gonna get any.”
Declan would tell the man to fuck off—again—but he figured more was called for at this point. He didn’t let his attention stray as he reached to his left and wrapped his fingers around an unopened can of soda. His next action was a blur—a single fluid move—as he whipped it at Cole’s head.
Unfortunately, Cole’s reflexes rivaled Declan’s, and he snatched the can from the air. The tiger popped the top and guzzled the soda down in a couple swallows before crushing the container in one hand and tossing it over his shoulder.
“Thanks, man. I was thirsty.” Cole grinned, but there was something else in the tiger’s gaze. The man’s body language said he was at ease, but the flicker of yellow in Cole’s eyes revealed the feral beast just under the surface.
“Cole…” Birch growled over the com.
“I’d like the record to show that Cole is the one causing shit today.” Grant, the other werewolf on the team, broke in. “It ain’t me.”
The crunch of chips and the smack of Grant’s lips followed his words. The wolf was eating again. The man’s stomach was a bottomless pit. Grant claimed junk food kept his mind sharp, which was a necessity as the team’s tech operative.
“Or me.” Ethan, lion shifter and genius with transportation, spoke up as well. Then he popped his gum, which had Birch growling some more. Ethan had what the doc called an “oral fixation.” Declan knew better. Ethan just liked annoying Birch, and someone popping his gum while talking over the com pissed him off.
The alpha bear liked them to at least pretend to be professional like the goody-goody council Trackers, but that wasn’t SHOC Team One. Declan wasn’t sure why the bear shifter even bothered. Their backgrounds were varied, but they all shared a few traits—they were loners, reveled in pissing people off, and had a penchant for breaking the law.
All right, laws.
Violate enough of ’em and the council would send their Trackers after a shifter. Break those guys well enough and a shifter was given the choice between council punishment or “using their evil powers for good” with SHOC.
Declan’s team was the best of the bad.
“Can someone remind me when I get to shoot someone?” Declan broke into their bickering.
“Or blow something up?” Cole added hopefully.
Birch sighed, and Declan pictured the big bear shifter closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Does no one remember the mission objective?”
Declan grunted and repeated the words from memory. “Observe. Confirm rumors. Eliminate the threat.”
They were supposed to report in to SHOC headquarters, too, but in their tight group, they tended to get things done first and tell higher-ups about it later.
Right now Declan was ready to skip to the elimination step. After he got Abby out of there, of course. His wolf bristled at the idea of anything happening to the little she-cat.
“Get paid,” Ethan tacked on. “I’ve gotta pay for that new Porsche in the garage.”
“Exactly,” Birch reminded them. “Right now we’re still observing.”
Cole grunted. “Observing is boring as fuck.”
“We can’t go in there and shoot everything to shit until we can definitively tie FosCo to Unified Humanity,” Birch reminded them.
Unified Humanity was the oldest, largest anti-shifter organization in existence, bent on seeing shifters destroyed, even though the general population didn’t know of their kind. Declan couldn’t remember the whole story of its formation. It had something to do with a shifter wanting to mate a human woman back in the 1700s. Her transition had gone sideways, and when the dust had settled, she was dead and her family was out for blood. That one event was the catalyst for Unified Humanity’s existence and the destruction they constantly wrought on his people.
“We could sneak in there and pop off a few rounds…” Declan’s wolf yipped at the possibility. It’d been a while since they’d gotten to enjoy some large-scale destruction.
“No.” Birch’s voice was hard and deep, the bear’s presence pushing forward to make its wishes known. “Quit whining like a bunch of teenagers and—”
“Looks like our kitty is about to get up and shake her tail.” Grant sounded way too excited about Abby’s nightly office-dancing habits.
Declan pushed to his feet, giving his left ear a double tap to shut off the com and silence the chatter of his team. He didn’t want their voices filling his head. He was off duty.
“I’ll see you later,” he murmured to Cole, and ignored the tiger’s cackling laughter.
Declan strode from the room, steps silent on the worn hallway carpet. They’d set up in an empty building across from FosCo. It’d been repossessed by the bank and sat empty for months. He and Cole watched from the top floor while Grant and Ethan had settled in on the seventh. Ethan had a thing about the number seven. Declan had a thing about being on top.
This time of night he liked the roof—cool air, soft breeze, and a better view of Abby.
He pushed open the exit door at the end of the hall, tromped into the stairwell, and took the c
oncrete steps two at a time until he reached the door to the roof. He nudged the security door, broken panel swinging out, and trod onto the graveled surface. His boots crunched over the small rocks and debris, leaves and sticks dropped by birds snapping beneath his feet.
The night air rushed forward, the chilled breeze bathing him in the briny scent of the nearby ocean. He’d been locked up in that room for more than fourteen hours and it felt good to be outside.
And a little closer to Abby.
Declan followed the same path as he had the four nights prior, moving carefully over the flat roof to the brick railing. He threw one leg over the side, straddling the twelve-inch-wide concrete, and settled in to watch the one bit of brightness in his life.
Abby.
She kicked off her shoes, black pumps tumbling across the worn carpet and into the darkness beneath the desk. Then she pushed to her feet and nudged the office chair away. Her hair was next—she tugged on whatever held that uptight knot in place. Golden strands tumbled down her back, a little bounce now that they were freed. She shrugged, and her midnight jacket slipped down her arms to reveal the pale, snug blouse underneath.
All those curves…
Curves he dreamed about when he managed to convince himself he wasn’t a violent piece of shit who didn’t deserve to even think about her.
Chapter Two
Abby’s cougar tolerated being stationary during working hours—cats were nocturnal creatures, after all. At night her cat was ready to play, hunt, chase…basically, anything but sit on her ass and stare at numbers.
Which was why she had her evening playlist that included “O.P.P.” by Naughty by Nature as well as “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. She popped in her Bluetooth earbuds and snatched her smartphone. A few button presses and the opening beats of one of her favorite songs filled her ears.
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