The hired guns all seemed to shrink back, their eyes wide as they pushed backward through the scattering crowd. Others seemed to have suspected there might be a dragon involved (perhaps given the egg) and they surged forward and drew their guns as people ran and shouted that somebody should call the cops.
Jack lowered himself to the ground and Lucy snapped to attention and stumbled as she climbed up his wing, grabbing onto his flank before straddling his back and holding on for dear life. She held on tight, the egg safe in the bag around her neck. Jack threw his head back and she gasped as he breathed a blast of fire into the sky above his own casino; a warning shot.
But the hitmen started shooting anyway, the bullets harmlessly bouncing off of him. He lowered his head again and breathed thin shoots of flame at the men shooting at them, who ran off, screaming before they could catch fire.
When a man who was bigger than the others and wearing a black suit appeared, Lucy knew it was the guy in charge. The mysterious Mr. Marco was here, and he didn’t look nearly as afraid as he should have.
“Jack,” Lucy whispered. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
Then all at once, Mr. Marco was shifting too. Lucy gasped and held on yet tighter, feeling Jack tense up beneath her, the heat of his fire overly warming her legs as he reared back. The entire sidewalk was deserted now, the casino clearing out too as the two dragons faced each other at the casino entrance, the bright red neon sign that said “Jack’s Joker” flashing high over their heads.
There must have been a tell from Marco that Jack had noticed first because suddenly the two were simultaneously breathing fire straight at each other, a brilliant clash of flame blazing in mid-air and Lucy crouched over the egg, although she doubted it could be harmed and even now, though she felt the heat of the fire, she was not being burned. Marco reared back and roared his rage into the sky.
That was apparently a stupid move because Jack surged forward and Lucy screamed and held on tight to him, shutting her eyes and clenching her thighs over the bulky scaled vertebrae she was riding as Jack attacked Marco. The attempt to show his wrath and power had only left him open to Jack, and he howled now as Jack took a chunk of his neck, a gush of dark blood spraying out in a fountain on the sidewalk.
Somehow, Lucy thought, Marco must not have expected Jack to actually attack and Jack had taken him by surprise. Jack mercifully lowered himself to the ground as Marco faltered but breathed fire in their direction. Lucy spun around so she was facing Jack’s behind and slid down his tail like riding a stair banister, neatly trotting down to the ground and running to get out of the way, her arms around the egg in its bag.
Marco rallied and with some surge of strength bolted straight up into the air and Lucy watched in awe as Jack took off after him, the two of them now going for each other, their leathery wings flapping as they attempted to attack with tooth and claw. Lucy was standing up against the next building and she saw the moment Marco looked toward her as he hovered above the casino, his massive head turning and his maw opening with a stream of doubtlessly raging flame that would kill her and leave the dragon egg unscathed. In a split second, she realized she couldn’t possibly move fast enough to escape the blaze. Her breath caught and she closed her eyes. She braced herself when an unworldly scream sounded and she opened her eyes again to see Jack’s great wing blocking the flames even as he took another massive chunk out of Marco's neck, his teeth sinking into the flesh until the scream faded into silence and Marco plummeted to the ground, cars veering out of the way to avoid getting crushed by a dead dragon.
Lucy watched, her jaw hanging open, as Jack landed again and ducked down. It took her a moment to get her bearings and she ran forward, again climbing up on top of him and she’d hardly gained a handhold before he was taking off into the night, away from the strip and the dozen or so cop cars that had just arrived and back to safety.
* * *
The flight was short. Jack flew Lucy in a beeline up to the roof of his own hotel and shifted back quickly. She supposed he was hoping nobody would have seen exactly where they had gone and when he shifted back, there was no longer a dragon to look for. Lucy slid down his tail and hopped down to the ground, clutching the messenger bag, the warm wind blowing around at the top of the tower, making her hair whip her face.
“Are you alright?” Jack asked once he was human again. He ran up to her and gently held his palm to her cheek and her eyelashes fluttered as she nodded.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
“Come on,” Jack said, nodding firmly. “Let’s get inside.” He took her hand and led her to the stairs; it was just a couple flights down to a door where he waved his key card. They went out into a hallway, through a heavy side door into Jack’s penthouse and he tossed her a wink. “This is my secret entrance. It’s not the first time I’ve landed on the roof.”
“Whoa.” Lucy’s eyebrows shot up as Jack led her inside to the spacious living room with the floor-to-ceiling windows of thick glass that looked out onto the city below.
There was something about the luxurious ostentation of the penthouse that took Lucy aback. It looked like any other luxury suite at Jack’s Joker, just bigger and more lived in.
“Yeah,” Jack said, looking a little sheepish. “I’ve never really personalized this place. It’s just like the other rooms.”
“I don’t know,” Lucy said. She walked down the carpeted steps into the seating area of the living room as Jack went straight to the wet bar to pour them both drinks. “Your mansion is decorated really nicely, but this place feels more like you than your house does. Maybe because you spend more of your time here. Or maybe it’s because you are this place.” She sank down into the oversized purple velvet sofa and sighed. “I mean it’s gaudy, sure. But I think it’s kinda homey in a weird way.”
“Drink?” Jack asked.
“Yes, please.”
He brought over two highball glasses with a finger of whiskey in each, sitting down next to her and they each took a sip, shooting each other shy smiles. Lucy wasn’t used to feeling this way around a man; like everything she hadn’t known she’d wanted was right there at her fingertips. It was frightening and exciting.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Jack asked in a low voice.
“I’m fine now,” Lucy replied, taking a long sip of the drink. The burn was pleasant, and she set down the glass and feeling just a bit of heat between her and Jack when their eyes met, she popped back up to her feet, feeling restless. “I’m just going to put the egg in a hot bath. Since we don’t have the heat lamp. Don’t want him to get cold.”
“That’s thoughtful,” Jack said. He was smiling slyly. He could tell she was a little apprehensive, but they were also both riled up from the fight, she felt. Downstairs there was a dead dragon lying in the middle of Las Vegas. That was going to be...an interesting newscast. Lucy wondered how many people would just put it down to Las Vegas being “weird.”
She smiled to herself now, her cheeks burning as she trotted off to find Jack’s huge bathroom with its jacuzzi tub. In a few minutes, she had a nice hot bath going, and she carefully eased the egg into it. It was still a good color of blue by her measure. In fact, it was brighter than it had ever been before. But according to that book she’d read that had told her to dance with Jack and the egg, bright was good.
“Rest awhile, little buddy,” Lucy murmured. “I’ll be right back. Just going to hang out with your new dad for a minute.”
Lucy found Jack sprawled on the couch with an empty highball glass. He looked so relaxed. No one would have thought he’d just taken out a mob boss. Lucy regarded him for a moment and when he looked up at her sleepily she smiled.
I love him.
The hat and sunglasses she’d been wearing in an attempt to get by Marco’s men had fallen off a long time ago while riding on Jack’s back. She took off the jacket she’d been wearing and tossed it on the sofa and climbed on top of Jack, her long, wavy bl
onde hair a little messy from the wind and excitement. He smiled and twirled a lock around his finger.
“Be my mate,” Jack whispered. She felt a thrill and leaned down to kiss him, feeling the promise of their future as his mouth met hers. “Be with me. Be my love, my family…”
“Yes,” she murmured. “Yes, Jack.”
That seemed to spur him on and he turned them around, pinning Lucy underneath him on the couch and she popped her fly and shimmied out of her jeans with his help. It had been terrifying to see Jack in a fight like that but at the same time, she had felt so protected. She knew it wasn’t just the egg he’d been protecting either. He loved her. She could feel it now as he peeled her shirt off and looked down at her adoringly, cradling her cheek and pressing the pad of his thumb to her lip.
“You’re mine,” he whispered.
“Yes,” Lucy whispered, sliding her hands up his back.
“And I’m yours,” Jack said, before covering her mouth with his again.
Jack’s kisses were hot and she trembled beneath him as his tongue licked inside her mouth, the stubble of his beard a pleasant sting along her skin when he turned his head to kiss and lick at her neck, his teeth grazing the most sensitive part of her throat. She helped him remove his shirt and he scrambled to take off his pants and she marveled once again at his powerful body as they writhed together on the couch. He kissed her breasts through the lace cup of her bra and she arched into the touch, humming her pleasure. He seemed to know intuitively where to touch her and just how softly or firmly. She clutched at his shoulders and he surprised her, growling under his breath as he took her hands and pushed them back to the arm of the sofa behind her.
“I want to make you feel everything,” he whispered as he removed her bra. “I want to make you feel so good you think you’ll die.”
“Jack,” Lucy murmured, a little overwhelmed. “Are you…”
“I’m gonna taste you,” he said, before she could ask. Lucy bit her lip, blood rushing to her cheeks and all at once, Jack was down at the other end of the couch, pushing her legs apart and sliding her panties down and off her feet before burying his head between her thighs.
Lucy yelped in surprise and blushed yet again, covering her mouth as Jack wasted no time, plunging his tongue inside her, his big, meaty hands clutching her ass and squeezing as he licked and sucked and tasted to his heart’s content as if it was just as pleasurable to him as it was to her. She doubted that. She already felt herself quivering with pleasure, her legs wide apart, wanton and bare before this man she had thought she would hate forever but who instead she had come to love more than anything. Perhaps, she thought, she had sensed that about him. She knew he was her future and had been afraid of it. But reward couldn’t come without risk and this reward was…
“Aaah!” Lucy cried, gasping as Jack’s two fingers slipped inside her even as he continued to eat her out with abandon. “Jack…” She gasped and moaned and her song of ecstasy drove him on until she was hot and shaking and on the precipice of uncontrollable pleasure. “Jack, wait-”
He stopped abruptly, so abruptly that Lucy jerked in surprise at the sudden absence of those warm and probing fingers and slick tongue.
“I need you,” she said, so desperate that tears slid down her face as she lay there naked before him.
“Okay, darling,” Jack said, leaning down to kiss her lips so that she tasted herself on his tongue. “Okay, my love…” He climbed on top of her and she was breathless at the sight of his cock, thick and hard and leaking. She reached out and gave it a few cursory strokes and he moaned, lurching towards her.
He wrapped an arm around her and grabbed her leg and she moved to get a better position but quickly, he was sliding inside of her, crying out so loud, she might have been worried someone would hear if they weren’t in a penthouse. He gripped her thigh harder, almost painfully, and the contrast of that and his hard cock filling her was itself enough to send a long, slow roll of electricity through her body. He attached his mouth to her breast and bit gently as he thrust into her and she wrapped her arms around him, the two of them becoming one body, one soul.
“You’re my mate,” she whispered, crying now as he raised his head to look in her eyes.
His mouth hung open, and he too seemed overwhelmed as they rocked together. He pushed a lock of damp hair out of her eyes and nodded. “I’m your mate. I’m yours...you’re mine. Forever.”
The promise of it sent her careening over the edge and Jack howled into her neck, his body hot with the fire of his dragon as he pulsed inside her, filling her. For a long time, they kept rocking like that together, slowing down into an easy, bliss-fueled rhythm, until finally they stopped and Jack carefully slid out of her and lay beside her and they breathed, sweaty and clinging to each other.
“God, I love you,” Jack said, still catching his breath as she laid little kisses along his chest.
Lucy propped herself up on her elbow and blushed, biting her lip. “I love you too. Glad that’s settled. Thanks for, ya know...saving my life from that murderer and everything.”
He chuckled into her neck and they snuggled, happy to rest there in each other’s arms when they heard a splash from the bathroom.
“What the hell?” Jack murmured. They scrambled to get dressed, or mostly, and ran to the bathroom to see how the egg could possibly be making a splash.
In the bathroom, Jack and Lucy stopped short and their mouths dropped open when they saw the egg tipping back and forth in the water as it bobbed on the surface.
There was a crack forming along the middle of the egg.
“Oh my God,” Lucy whispered. “It’s hatching.”
“Oh shit,” Jack said. He spun on his heel and looked at the door behind him as if he’d forgotten something before turning back again and then he ran to the tub, kneeling on the floor. Lucy joined him, her gaze glued to the egg as it tipped forward and back in the water. “Shit, what do we do? I read all of Sean’s notes but I don’t remember… What do I do?” He turned to Lucy with wide eyes.
“Aw,” Lucy said. “Papa has cold feet.”
“Oh my God,” Jack said, rubbing his eyes. “I don’t even have a crib. What have I been doing all this time? I need a crib and formula and all that baby stuff and-”
“Hey, cool it,” Lucy said softly, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “We’ll be fine. Not hard to find that stuff. There’s been so much going on and I’m guessing you didn’t think the egg was going to hatch this quickly.”
“No,” Jack whispered. “I didn’t.”
She kissed his cheek, smiling against his skin. “It’s okay, babe. We’ll figure it out. Besides, I read that whole book and it talks about what to do when they hatch. Which is nothing. The warm water is helping it along. All we have to do is sit and wait and when the baby hatches out, we pick him or her out of the water and wrap the kid in a towel.”
“Right,” Jack said, nodding and still looking alarmed. “Okay. Right.”
It didn’t take long.
Jack and Lucy knelt by the tub, watching the egg bob and crack, as they encouraged it along.
“C’mon, baby!” Jack said. “We can’t wait to see! Here we go! Let’s go! Hatch away!”
Lucy tried to contain her laughter but soon enough she was snorting into her hand, leaning against Jack, helpless to stifle her amusement. “You sound like a football coach.”
“I’m just trying to help!”
Just then the egg cracked apart completely and a slightly slimy little dumpling of a hand peeked out. Being a human, it was incredibly strange to watch what appeared to be a human baby appear from out of a big blue egg. Jack leaped to his feet to grab a towel and Lucy cooed as she carefully helped to rid the crying newborn of the rest of the egg and take it into her arms.
“Jack!” Lucy cried just as he handed her a towel and she carefully swaddled the little shifter. “It’s a boy.”
“A boy!” Jack said, gasping, and Lucy handed over the crying baby, now caref
ully wrapped in a towel. The kid had dark hair like Sean’s and dark eyes. “He looks like Sean,” Jack whispered.
“Does he really?” She leaned against him, unable to contain the grin on her face, much less the tears sliding down her cheeks.
“Well, I don’t know,” he admitted, his voice a little shaky. “I think so. It’s hard to tell. But I think he does.”
“You have a son now,” Lucy said, kissing the baby’s head and wrapping her arms around them both.
“I have a son,” Jack said thickly. “And I have a mate. I’ve got everything.”
Epilogue
Delilah
Delilah bit her lip and placed a stack of chips at the intersection of four digits on the roulette table.
Her couple was coupled, the baby had been born, and all was well. Of course, a dead gangster dragon shifter had been left in the wake of the happy new family but Delilah had taken care of that. Even if Jack and Lucy never discovered the identity of their mysterious friend, Delilah had swept things up neatly for them in the end. With one request to her Oracle device, the mess had neatly vanished and any humans nearby were left with memories that made no sense and would probably lead them to wonder if dragons were real after all. Then again, most bystanders on the strip were pretty drunk at any given time, and anyway, incidents like that were bound to happen from time to time in a world full of magic.
Now the street in front of Jack’s Joker was clean and the strip had gone back to its business.
The dealer spun the wheel and two of Delilah’s numbers came up and she pumped her fist as some chips slid across the table in her direction.
“What are you still doing here?” Katz appeared next to her and Delilah jumped before her lips split into a grin. “I do believe your mission has been completed.”
Vegas Baby Dragon: Guardian of Mates Agency Page 12
