Her Dragon Lover

by Roxie Ray

  Jamison thrashed and rolled around, but Eros was determined. We had to get him to concede for the sake of our unborn child.

  We nearly let go once, but I encouraged Eros, bolstering his resolve to keep his jaw clamped shut, and he persisted.

  Eventually, both of us began to tire, but thanks to his age, Jamison tired faster.

  Concede. Eros spoke directly to Jamison and only they and Michael and I could hear it.

  Jamison growled in response.

  Eros bit down harder. He could’ve killed the other dragon a while before, but the goal was to get his concession and our freedom. If we killed him, we’d become the leader of the Alabama clan. As beta, any alpha in the vicinity would feel the responsibility to challenge us. That was the last thing we wanted. We’d be dead before we accepted the role.

  It only took him a few more minutes of tired thrashing before he went limp. Blood ran into our mouth. Eros had broken through.

  We concede. Jamison’s admission was enough for Eros to release him. Dragons considered words in battle to be a vow, and his fellow dragons would kill him if they found out he broke his word.

  They’d likely kill him anyway, as soon as they found out he was bested by a beta.

  Jamison rolled onto his feet as we backed away. He let his head hang, then shifted back to human. I followed suit and grabbed my pants to at least wear that much clothing.

  Michael didn’t bother. He sat down in the grass and panted, blood still dripping from the wound that hadn’t healed completely yet.

  Maverick’s growl made my gaze swing from Michael to the other two dragons. Part of the porch railing was broken and hanging off the side. Richard’s dragon stood on the porch, barely fitting, with Abby behind him.

  And Harley stood in front of him with his claws at her throat. Eros exploded, roaring inside me with such force that I nearly shifted again. It was all I could do to keep myself intact and formulate what my next move should be.

  Maverick’s dragon, Zephyr, paced on the ground by the broken piece of porch, roaring his displeasure.

  Zephyr shouted so loud that anyone in the vicinity would have heard him.

  Coward!

  That was loud and powerful enough that Jury, Maddox, and James might’ve heard it a mile down the road.

  I reacted without thinking. Launching over the railings, I vaulted toward the silver dragon that had my mate and our baby in his grip.

  Were my actions the safest and smartest option? Probably not. Did they work? Fuck, yes.

  Throwing myself on the ground as my momentum carried me forward, I reached above my head and slid underneath the coward. Eros shifted just my hands, with perfect timing, into razor-sharp claws. I sank each claw into the soft, vulnerable flesh at the crux of his front legs, one higher than the other since his claw was at Harley’s throat, and yanked as far as I could with the constraints of his hard armor scales surrounding the area.

  Few people knew that Hollywood movies lied about arteries. The fastest way to kill someone was not by cutting the throat. It was the artery in the armpit.

  And I happened to know, thanks to random facts I’d picked up along the way, that same artery ran through our armpit area when shifted as well, making that soft tissue there even more vulnerable.

  My slow-motion inner thoughts about what my claws had just severed sped up as I yanked my arms back and pushed myself forward with my toes. Maverick had seen my trajectory and by the time I slashed, he was shifted and running forward to yank Harley out of the way as Richard’s dragon roared and began to shift.

  We always died as human. We figured it was a defense mechanism so that if we died alone, whoever found us wouldn’t find a dragon where dragons were believed to be mythical.

  The roar turned into a yell as Richard changed back into his skin and lurched backward.

  Abby ran forward and caught him but staggered. I helped her lay him out on the ground. Out of respect for both his daughters, I grabbed the damp throw blanket from the small sofa on the porch and threw it over his lower body.

  He gasped as blood poured down his arms, his face paling. Harley walked forward, drawing my attention. She was safe. Thank goodness. My relief overwhelmed me, bringing tears to my eyes.

  “Are you okay?” I held my arm out for her to step into my embrace as she looked down at her father.

  Abby dropped to her knees as Richard’s gaze moved from Harley to Abby and back. He coughed, and as his body clenched, more blood gushed out but it was beginning to slow.

  Richard gasped, and Abby inched closer. “Do you want to say something?”

  He nodded his head as his lips paled. It was almost over. “I’m sorry, and—” He gasped again, and then it was over.

  Harley sucked in a shocked breath as Abby sobbed, her shoulders hunched over. I didn’t know if she was upset about losing her father or relieved it was over.

  A car coming up the driveway alerted us that we still had more to deal with. Maverick, who had put his pants back on, stepped off the porch to meet them. I soon recognized the heartbeats of my clanmates, but there were strangers in a car behind them.

  Jury, James, and Maddox got out of Maddox’s truck followed by three strangers. I took Harley’s hand and followed Maverick down the porch steps, but she pulled away to help Abby to her feet.

  When I saw the faces of the strangers, my throat tightened. Not strangers. My cousins.

  Eyeing Michael, who had dressed while Richard lay dying, I wondered if he would uphold his honor. The consequences would be dire for him if he didn’t, but it was hard to tell with the man.

  Jury, James, and Maddox approached us, and Jury started to go toward the porch, but James put a hand on his arm. They stopped behind us, a show of force.

  My three cousins approached Michael. He held up a hand. “Stefan Murphy is no longer an enemy of our clan, as long as he never sets foot in the state of Alabama again. This is my word and shall be upheld for all of Stefan’s life.”

  They looked from Michael to me in shock. I’d hoped to never see them again and prayed after today I never would. Eventually, they closed their mouths and nodded. Michael walked stiffly to their car. “Let’s go.”

  They stared at me with eyes full of hatred, but followed my uncle to the car, then backed down the driveway until out of sight.

  “Take the girls home,” Maverick said. “Maddox, Dad, and I will deal with Richard’s body.”

  Jury and I nodded. There wasn’t much more to say. We went to the porch and I put my arms around Harley again. “Come on, let’s get out of here. Maverick will bury Richard.”

  She wrapped her arms around mine and squeezed. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Jury collected Abby as I walked us to Madd’s truck. It would be a tight squeeze with all four of us, but we’d make it work. Maddox held out his keys as we passed by, so I put Harley in, then slid in the driver’s seat. Abby got in beside her and then Jury pressed in, all of us tight against each other.

  When I got the truck turned around and headed down the lane, Harley took my hand and rested her head on my shoulder.

  Thankfully, the truck was an automatic, so I was able to lean back and put my arm around my sweet mate, who was silent. Probably in shock.

  Abby kept looking over at her and opening her mouth, but then closed it. Jury had himself pressed against the far door and window, but his eyes were glued to Abby with a terrified expression.

  Maybe he was in shock, too. I couldn’t worry about him or Abby right now. I focused on holding Harley and driving us safely to the manor.

  25

  Harley

  The first thing I did when Stefan and I got a minute alone was ask about the pregnancy.

  “Is it true?” I asked.

  “What?” He pulled me close in one of the manor’s spare bedrooms. Claire had agreed to spend the night with Nana so that we didn’t have to leave the safety of the clan. The danger was over, but we all felt vulnerable and upset.

  I’d asked Ava to
take care of Abby until she could make arrangements to go home, but otherwise, I didn’t want to talk to or about her. She’d betrayed me and nearly gotten me and everyone I cared about killed.

  “Am I pregnant?” I still didn’t have any real feelings about it. Probably because I didn’t believe it.

  Stefan sat down on the bed and patted the covers beside him. “Come here.”

  We scooted back against the headboard. It was amazing how comfortable I was in his arms after such a short time together. “You’re really pregnant,” he said. “I wanted to let you have that moment of discovery for yourself, and especially wouldn’t have wanted you to find out this way.”

  I explained what Richard and Michael had said about it. Stefan’s arms tightened around me. “I’m so sorry. If it weren’t for me and my background, this wouldn’t have happened to you.”

  Turning, I tightened my arms around him and buried my face in his strong chest. “Oh, Stefan. You’re the best thing to ever come into my life. And finding out that way sucked, but now we know and now it’s over.”

  He kissed my head. “It’s over.”

  I fell asleep not long after, not waking until the next morning. After breakfast, I smiled at the Kingstons, but my heart beat heavily in my chest. “Thank you all so much. For protecting us and caring about us. And for letting us stay here last night.”

  Maverick, across the table, smiled. “It is my pleasure to have you both in my family and clan. We’ll be here for you no matter what.”

  Stefan took my hand. “We have to go tell Harley’s Nana about Michael.”

  Charlotte leaned over and hugged me from the side. “Good luck, darling. That’s not going to be easy.”

  She was right. After saying our goodbyes, Stefan drove us to Nana’s, where we let Claire leave since she’d taken on the overnight shift for us. The day nurse was due any time, too. I gave her a big tip and thanked her repeatedly, then walked into the living room where Nana sat watching the morning news.

  She shut it off and smiled. “Hello, kids. You’re here early.”

  I sat in the chair beside her recliner and grabbed the remote to shut off the TV. “We have some bad news, Nana.”

  Nana sighed and leveled her gaze on me. “What is it?”

  “Richard is dead.” I knew she wouldn’t want me to beat around the bush. Her relationship with her son was complicated, but she was a strong woman. “And he wasn’t the man Abby led us to believe he was.”

  Sucking in a deep breath, I steeled myself to tell her the whole story. She took my hand and the whole time, rubbed her fingers on the back of my knuckles, something she’d done when I was a little girl and couldn’t sleep. When I finished telling her what Richard had done and how he’d died, she sighed and pressed her arthritic fingers against my cheek. “I always knew his greed would be his downfall,” she said. “He coveted…power, money, and objects. I don’t know where he got it. I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” she whispered. “You deserve so much better than my son.”

  “Oh, Nana,” I broke down, a sob escaping me. “I have you. I have the best.”

  We held each other for several minutes and cried. When she calmed, I handed her a tissue. “I have more news,” I said.

  “What more?” she asked weakly. “I’m not sure how much more I can take.”

  “This is good news,” I said. Stefan grinned at me across the room. We’d decided to tell Nana since all of the Kingstons knew anyway. I would’ve chosen to wait until the second trimester to tell anyone, but the cat was well out of the bag.

  “Well, out with it,” she said.

  “You’re going to be a great-grandmother.”

  Nana’s face lit up and she laughed and clasped her hands together. “You’re serious?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Stefan said. “I can sense it early.”

  Nana nodded. “Yes, Richard’s father knew before I did.”

  We stayed with her for several hours and she told us about my father before he went bad. What he was like as a child and teen. “I think his father’s death is what did it,” she said. “He was never the same after that.”

  The next few days passed in a blur of eating and crying, being excited about a coming baby, scared about being parents, and sad at the loss of a family member we didn’t really know.

  Nana and I were both sadder about losing the Richard we’d hoped he’d become, not the Richard he was.

  Stefan stayed with us the entire time. On the second night at Nana’s house, we told her goodnight and went to my garage apartment. We’d solved the bathroom problem by simply not using that one, instead, we went into the house to use the toilet in the hall.

  When we snuggled into bed, I left the bedside light on. “Can we talk?” I asked.

  “Of course,” Stefan rolled over to face me.

  “I’m struggling with grieving my father,” I said. “Because he was horrible, but him being dead means there’s never any hope of reconciliation or having a real father.”

  He smiled a sad, weary smile. “I understand that more than anyone.”

  Taking his hand, I continued. “I’m still a little shocked about the baby, but I’m so happy.”

  This time, his smile was genuinely thrilled. “I know I should be more worried because we’ve got to figure out where we’ll live, what we’ll do for work after the baby comes, money, the whole shebang. I just can’t stop being so happy.”

  Joy filled my heart, pushing the grief away, if for a short time. “Me, too. We’ll tackle the hard part together, and it won’t be so difficult.”

  “But there’s still one thing. The claiming.”

  Surprise flashed across his face. “Yeah?”

  “Is it safe to do while pregnant?” I asked.

  This time his smile was full of hope. “I asked James, and he said it’s been done many times and there is no known adverse effect to the children.”

  The joy inside me spread, and I scooted closer, tucking myself into Stefan’s arms. “I want you to do it.”

  “Okay,” he said. He cupped my cheeks and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “We’ll plan a nice dinner. Make a date of it.”

  “No,” I said. “Now.”

  Stefan’s eyebrows flew up. “Now?”

  I nodded. “If the last few days have taught me a lesson, it’s that anything could happen at any time. If we’d already been bonded, I would’ve been harder to hurt or kill, right?”

  He nodded. “Yes, and a dragon will think twice about harming a bonded mate. If he’d killed you, for example, I would’ve gone into a berserker rage and destroyed him.”

  “Do it.”

  Eros growled in my head. Mate. Are you sure?

  I grinned, delighted to hear Eros in my head. “I’m sure, Eros.” His voice set my core on fire, and I was pretty sure he knew it.

  Stefan kissed me with a level of passion I hadn’t felt from him yet. Desire coursed through my body, pulsing all other emotions to the side. “Don’t take your time,” I begged. If I didn’t get him inside me soon, I’d explode.

  Eros’s growl burst into my head again. This time, I was able to feel the sexual energy coursing through him for a brief moment.

  Stefan slipped the spaghetti strap of my nightgown off my shoulder and pressed a kiss on my collarbone. I sat up and shimmied the silk gown over my head, leaving me in only my matching panties.

  I grabbed his upper arms and pulled him close, urging him to put his hands on my breasts. “You seem reluctant,” I said.

  “No,” he breathed. “I can’t believe I’m so lucky. It’s like I’m dreaming.”

  Moaning, I ran my hands along the thick muscles of his chest. He liked to sleep without a shirt, to my delight. The only thing between us was his underwear and my panties. I slid my hands down to find him hard and ready. “Not so reluctant there,” I whispered.

  Pushing his boxer briefs, I helped him slide them down his hips, then missed him when he rose up to kick them off. I used the time to shimmy my pant
ies down, frantic to have him inside me.

  When he was close enough, I wrapped my hand around his hard dick. No need for a condom now. I couldn’t get pregnant twice. Without giving him much of a choice on our next movements, I guided his cock to my entrance. “Now, please, Stefan, now!”

  He thrust inside, settling the ache deep inside me. Crying out as I wrapped my legs around him, I pulled him close. “I feel like I need to be as close to you as possible,” I whispered.

  “It’s your instinct,” Stefan said. “You want me to claim you.”

  “Yes,” I moaned as Stefan flexed his hips, pulling his dick in and out of me tantalizingly slow. “What are you waiting for?”

  “It’s best if I do it as you climax,” he said. “Even better if we both climax at the same time.”

  “How close are you?” I asked between gasps as he thrust. “I’ve already got one building.”

  He grinned. “I like hearing that.” He leaned on one hand and massaged my left breast, teasing my nipple.

  Increasing the speed of his thrusts, he grunted. “It won’t take me long. Not since I know what’s coming.”

  My orgasm built, taking me closer and closer to the edge. I slipped my hand between us and pressed a finger to my swollen nub.

  Stefan looked between our bodies and watched me touch myself as his cock thrust in and out of me. “I love you,” he whispered. “You’re amazing.”

  That did it. Crying out, I pressed my head into the pillow and let his words take me over the edge.

  Without warning, Stefan bit my neck. He’d been right. The initial bite was painful, but as soon as his teeth broke through, it turned into pure ecstasy, an orgasm like I’d never felt—Almost an out-of-body experience.

  The time stretched out until I was sure we’d been connected, body and soul, for hours, but at the same time, passed by in a flash of seconds.

  However long it lasted in reality, I wasn’t sure, but when it finally passed and I came to myself, I felt him with me. In my mind and in my heart.