Dragon Warrior

by Shéa MacLeod

  She flushed. “Um, not that. I mean emotional shit.”

  “Ah, you mean you don’t get attached.”

  “Yeah. That. I don’t get involved.”

  A smile quirked the corner of his mouth. “Are you feeling involved now?”

  She glared. “Yeah. I know its bullshit. I know you probably don’t feel the same way, but I can’t help it.” Her cheeks were on fire. She felt like some kind of idiot. She was so not good at this stuff.

  “Ah, Rain.” He wrapped his hands around her shoulders, tugging her to him. “All I’ve got is emotional shit.”

  “What do you mean?” Her voice was muffled in his chest, his smooth skin hot under her cheek. She liked the feel of him. Warm. Solid. Strong.

  His hands slid up and down her back, then down to her ass, shaping. Kneading. Sending sparks zipping along her nerve endings.

  “I mean, I’ve spent God knows how many years feeling nothing. And now that’s all I can do. From the moment I laid eyes on you, all I’ve done is feel.” He nuzzled the side of her neck.

  She shivered at the sensation. This was nothing like the wham-bams she’d had in the past. There’d never been any of this touching and talking. She suddenly realized she was hungry for it. Hungry for him and everything he could give her.

  And that scared her. Hunger equaled need and needing meant giving away your power. Rain would never give up her power. Not even to the man she’d dreamed about for years. She started to back away, make an excuse, but his arms tightened around her.

  “No you don’t.” His voice was a rough whisper in her ear. “You don’t get to run away just because you’re scared. If you’re scared, imagine how I feel.”

  That stopped her like nothing else could have. She’d never thought that Lieutenant Micah Caine could feel fear. He was a hero. Heroes weren’t supposed to be afraid. Were they?

  “What are you afraid of, Micah Caine?”

  He leaned back a little so he could see her face. “That you won’t see me, Rain Mauri.”

  She frowned. “See you? Of course I see you.”

  He shook his head. “No, not as Lieutenant Micah Caine, the so-called hero of Caine’s Last Stand. Not as the freaking zombie Dragon Warrior created by the Marines. But as a man. I want you to see me as a man. A man who wants you. A man who’s falling in love with you.”

  And sitting there, looking into his eyes, for the first time she did. What she saw broke her heart and put it back together all at the same time. So she did the only thing she could think to do.

  She leaned in and kissed Micah with everything she had. No holding back.

  He made a sound deep in his throat, half growl, half groan. His arms tightened around her even more, plastering her against his body until she didn’t know where she ended, and he began. And she didn’t care.

  She smoothed her hands over his back, loving the feel of his velvety skin, the muscles bunching underneath. His mouth crashed down on hers, lips and tongues and breaths tangling together.

  Micah hauled her onto his lap, and she could feel the hard length of him pressed up against her most intimate flesh. She couldn’t help it, she rubbed herself against him, heat pooling low in her belly. This time the sound he made was definitely a growl.

  He sprawled them both across the bedding, so she was flat on her back with him nestled between her thighs. It felt incredibly good, but it wasn’t enough. Her fingers worked at the zipper of his jeans, but she couldn’t get it down over the thick bulge of him.

  “Here, let me.” He leaned away just enough so he could get his own zipper down. Then she helped him shove the jeans off his legs.

  Sweet lord, he’d gone commando.

  She didn’t have time to savor the moment as Micah was busy getting rid of her clothes. They were both finally naked.

  Micah reached for her, pulled her against him. She sighed as their bodies tangled together.

  She loved the feel of his bare skin against hers. The heat of his mouth. He savored her body. Every inch of it like she was a goddess from the old myths. She urged him to hurry up, but he refused, instead drawing out every bit of pleasure until she thought she’d go mad from it.

  His lips skimmed her breast before latching onto her nipple and drawing it into his mouth. The flick of his tongue over the tight bud sent her writhing against him.

  “Micah, please.”

  “Micah please what?” he murmured as he turned his attention to her other breast. His fingers slipped down over her belly, toying lightly with the curls between her legs.

  “Micah!”

  A smile curved his lips. A smile which fled the minute his fingers slipped through her folds. “Oh, my God,” his voice was low, raw. “You’re so wet.”

  “Uh huh.” She reached her own hand down and wrapped it around the thick, velvety length of him. “I want you inside me. Now.”

  The laugh he gave sounded strangled, but he didn’t need any more urging. He lifted her hips slightly and slid in nice and slow.

  He was so thick, it was almost painful. She dug her fingers into his tight ass to hold him still. “Give me a minute,” she whispered, her body needing to adjust to accommodate him.

  He nodded, but his forehead was beaded in sweat. She could tell it was taking everything he had not to move.

  “Okay, now.”

  It was all the urging he needed. The thick thrust of him inside her sent Rain arching off the floor, clawing at his back and moaning like a wild woman. She couldn’t help it and she didn’t care. She’d never felt anything like what she felt with Micah. Ever.

  His mouth, his hands, were all over her body; touching, caressing, driving her mad, but all she could focus on was the pressure building low in her belly. She urged him faster.

  Rain’s entire world receded to the single pinpoint that was her and Micah and the intense pleasure of the thrust and slide of their bodies. And then ...

  “Micah ...” Her head snapped back as she rode the orgasm right over the edge. For a moment she forgot how to breathe.

  Then she felt him tense. A final thrust, and he joined her.

  She had no idea how long they lay there, the sweat cooling on their bodies. All she knew was that at some point he tucked them both inside the sleeping bags and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  “Micah?” she mumbled, half asleep.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m falling in love with you, too.”

  He said nothing, just pulled her even tighter into his arms as he kissed the top of her head. She wasn’t sure, but as she drifted off to sleep, she though she felt him smile.

  FOSSIL LOOKED EXACTLY the same as she’d left it. As if no one had lived there in decades. This time, though, she knew exactly where to go.

  She glanced at Micah. The smile he gave her reminded her of everything he’d done to her the night before. Everything she’d done to him. It was enough to send her heart pounding and heat pooling between her thighs.

  She swallowed hard as he reached down to take her hand, threading his fingers between hers. She wanted to laugh and cry and dance in the streets like a lunatic all at the same time. In her whole life she didn’t remember ever being so happy, feeling so much. Being with Micah was better than a new track.

  Rain led Micah through streets strewn with tumbleweeds and littered with chunks of broken bricks from tumbled buildings. As they walked, she played the trip with Albie in her mind, remembering each turn until she came to the corner store where Hank kept his bar. She pounded on the door.

  Micah’s sharp eyes took in everything. Including the fact the building looked deserted. “You sure this is the right place?”

  “I’m sure.” She pounded on the door again. “Come on Hank, open up. I know you’re in there.”

  She heard a faint shuffling from the other side of the boarded-up door. “Who’s that?”

  “It’s Rain Mauri. From the other week? I came through looking for the Marine base.”

  There was a flurry of scraping and cursing
and then the door opened a couple inches and half of Hank’s face appeared in the crack. “Well, I’ll be. It is you. Who’s that with you?”

  “His name is Micah Caine.”

  “Lieutenant Micah Caine?”

  “The same,” Micah spoke up from behind her.

  Hank frowned. “Can’t be. Micah Caine is long dead. And even if he wasn’t, you’re far too young.”

  “Hank, I promise this is Micah Caine. Please let us in. We need your help.”

  Hank seemed to mull it over for a minute. “All right, then. Come on in. Sit a spell.” He opened the door wide enough to let Rain slip through, Micah behind her.

  “Uh, Rain.” Micah’s voice had a funny tone to it.

  Rain turned. Hank had an old revolver pressed right up against Micah’s temple. “Hank, what are you doing?”

  “I’m surprised at you, Rain Mauri. Consorting with the enemy.” It was Albie stepping out from behind the bar.

  “Albie, what are you talking about?” Rain let her frustration leak into her voice.

  “We know he’s a Dragon Warrior. I mean, look at the boy. What else could he be? And I’ll just bet there’s a diamond edged on that blade he’s carrying. He may be Micah Caine, but he ain’t one of us. Not anymore.” The old woman frowned fiercely.

  “You’re right. I’m a Warrior,” Micah said, his chin tilted at an angle that told Rain he would offer no excuses.

  “See. He admits it.” Hank’s hand tightened on the gun.

  “Hank, Albie, please listen. You’re right. Micah’s a Dragon Warrior. They ... did something to him. Wiped his memories, altered his DNA. Something like that. But he remembers now. He remembers who he was and what the world was like and he wants to help us.”

  Rain could only hope the two would listen to her. There was no way Micah could do anything with that gun pressed against his temple. He might be a fast healer, but a bullet through the brain was something even he couldn’t recover from.

  Albie’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know he’s telling the truth? Could be a trap.”

  “Could be,” Rain admitted, “but he’s been with us at Sanctuary for weeks now and he’s done nothing but help us.” She looked Albie straight in the eye. “I believe him. I believe in him. I ... I care about him.” She could feel her cheeks heating, damn them.

  Albie stared back as though she could stare right down into Rain’s soul. Or maybe read her mind. The seconds ticked by. Finally Albie nodded. “Okay, Hank, you can let him go.”

  “Aw, Albie ... “

  “Shut it, Hank. Let the boy go.”

  Reluctantly, Hank lowered his gun. Rain breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Drink?” Albie asked, heading for the bar and Hank’s stash of home brew.

  Rain nodded. “Hell, yeah.” After that she needed the biggest drink they had.

  Chapter 17

  “SO AFTER ALL THAT THEY kicked you out?” Albie sounded horrified.

  They were gathered around one of the bar tables, sipping Albie’s powerful home brew. Albie and Hank had been thrilled to hear all about Rain’s adventures at the Marine base and finding Micah in the desert. They were not so thrilled to hear about Elan’s reaction after the Marine raid.

  Rain felt the urge to defend the people of Sanctuary. Defend Elan. “It was for the good of the compound. There are children there. Pregnant women. The elderly. Marine raids are bad enough as it is, but if they keep coming back looking for us ...” she trailed off. They all knew what continued raids meant: More deaths, more destruction, and not enough supplies to last the harsh winter. “It will be our fault if anything happens.”

  Albie nodded. “Well, it makes some kind of sense, I suppose. But still, here in Fossil we believe in protecting your own. No matter the cost. We’ve yet to lose anyone or anything to those damned Marines.”

  “Hear, hear!” Hank raised his glass and drained it, then poured himself another.

  Rain refrained from pointing out the fact that the Marines didn’t know anyone lived in Fossil. They thought it was long deserted, hence the lack of raids. It also meant it suited her purposes perfectly.

  “Listen, I know this is a lot to ask. It could mean increasing the risk to the people here in Fossil, but we were wondering ... we need somewhere to hide, to set up base. Somewhere close to the Marines. They have information we need. Supplies. Weapons. We need to start taking back what’s ours.”

  “You want to start a resistance.” Albie nodded as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world.

  “Yeah,” Rain glanced over at Micah. His smile warmed her to her toes. “I guess we do.”

  “Well, then, you’re right. Fossil is the perfect place to set up camp. There’s plenty of room in the old church. Lots of places to hide, and the basement is secure. We use the bell tower as a lookout, but I bet it would be a great aerial for a ham radio or something, too. I bet some people out there still got ‘em. We could start some kind of underground radio station, get in touch with folks.” Her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. “Yes, I think that would work very well.”

  “Are you sure? It could put the town in danger if the Marines discover what we’re up to.” That was Micah all over. Always the protector.

  Albie waved her hand airily. “Don’t you worry, young man. This town is used to danger. We’ve been living on the edge for quite some time now and we thrive on it. Hank can get you set up at the church. We’ll introduce you around later tonight. Everybody stops by after dark.”

  Rain restrained a smile over Albie calling Micah a young man. After all, he was nearly as old as Albie in actual years, though he didn’t even look thirty.

  “Come on then, you two. Let’s get to gettin’.” Hank stood up and drained the last of his beer before heading to the door. A quick glance outside to make sure it was clear and he motioned at them to follow.

  With a wave at Albie, they slipped out after him. They followed Hank down the street to a ramshackle old house. The thing looked ready to fall apart, but Hank hurried around behind the house and onto the back porch. It was either follow him or stand on the street looking like idiots.

  The interior of the house was hot and dusty. Odd shapes loomed out the darkness. Rain realized the shapes were sheets draped over furniture. She’d seen other houses like it in her travels. The owners, thinking they’d return one day, had carefully preserved their precious stuff before fleeing for their lives. Probably all that precious stuff had rats living in it by now, and she doubted any of the owners had ever returned.

  Hank led them through a couple of rooms and then down into a cellar. He fiddled with something and a lantern flared to life illuminating the large room.

  Unlike the upstairs of the house, the cellar was pristine. Someone had gone to the trouble of painting the floor, walls and ceiling in a rich cream color. Even stranger, it was kept clean, completely free of the grime and cobwebs in the rest of the house. The reason was obvious; the place was some sort of storage facility for the town.

  Crates of canned goods and bottled water lined two of the walls, stacked from floor to ceiling. Home-canned foods, dried goods and medicines filled shelving units in the center of the room. Racks of clothing draped in plastic and giant tubs filled with blankets and pillows were crammed against another wall.

  “Wow.” Rain couldn’t think of anything else to say. It made their storerooms back at the compound look pathetic.

  “Now let’s see if we can find you two some decent bedding.” Hank poked through a couple of the tubs before coming up with some pillows and an armload of blankets and sheets. He thrust them at Micah and Rain then led them back up the stairs and into the backyard.

  The yard had likely once been covered in thick, lush grass. Now it was covered in dry, dead grass, thistles and some kind of pricker bush. Hank led them to the back fence where he removed a section so they could duck through. On the other side was the church.

  The basement of the church had been converted into classrooms sometime in the distant past.
Each tiny, windowless room covered in carpet and painted in bright colors, complete with chalk boards and the occasional Bible picture.

  “Back when the Wars started, we turned this place into a sort of communal hostel until the worst of it was over.” Hank showed them to a room with a double bed, plastic carefully wrapped around the mattress to keep it safe from dust and vermin. The cupboards would have originally been stocked with Sunday school materials, but now held candles, matches, bottles of water, and other necessary supplies.

  “When we spread out we left it as-is. Just in case. Should be fairly comfortable. The outhouse is ‘round back. Be sure and let us know if you need anything else.” Hank left them to get settled, in reminding them to stop by the bar after dark for a bite to eat and a chance to meet the rest of the town.

  They got down to business, lighting candles so they could see before removing the plastic from the mattress and making up the bed. Micah stored their packs in the cupboard after taking out what was needed.

  It was a cozy place. Quiet. Secluded. Secure. Rain glanced at the bed. Then over at Micah.

  “You know,” he said, moving toward her, “it’s a least an hour before dinner.”

  She grinned. “Think that’s enough time?”

  IT HAD BEEN ALMOST enough time. Rain felt her body heat, remembering their particularly enthusiastic lovemaking.

  They were just a little late arriving back at the bar which was already crowded with people. It was an interesting group with a much larger age range than Sanctuary. Back at the compound there weren’t many people who remembered the Before. Here she’d bet at least half of them did.

  “You alright there, Rain?” Albie gave her a knowing look.

  “Um, yeah. Thanks, Albie.”

  Albie chuckled. “Quite a tasty specimen you got there. If I was twenty years younger I’d give you a run for your money. Bet he’s hell on wheels in bed.”

  Rain tried to keep the shocked look off her face. Thank goodness the bar was dim and Albie was distracted. “Good thing for me, I guess.”

  Albie grabbed her arm. “Come on. I want you to meet Dave Dugan.”