His Scorching Desire

by Kyl, Celia

  So she’d done the hardest thing she’d ever attempted in her life. Shutting off her brain and emotions from everyone, including Grizz, almost caused physical pain. Pretending this was just another arrest hurt, but both of their lives were at stake. So she fell back on her training and acted her ass off.

  The other Wildridge specialist would have had no reason to doubt her motives or actions. Half the time, Elektra usually made the arrest anyway. She’d dredged up the way she used to feel during collars of criminals with big bounties on their heads—as shallow and self-serving as those emotions now seemed in the face of losing her mate—and used them to seem like herself when she was anything but. She’d changed fundamentally, maybe even on a cellular level, over the course of a few hours. But they didn’t need to know that. Now right now.

  And as she’d hoped, they’d assumed she once again had swooped in and beat them at their own game. And in a way, she had. But it wasn’t a game to her anymore. It wasn’t about the chase or the capture or the pay-off. Her priorities had violently shifted. Grizz had almost instantly become the focus of her world upon which all else hinged, and everything she did from that moment would be about him. About them.

  So it had pained her all the more to pretend to be against him, even for only a few minutes. Not because her teammates might feel betrayed by her—though that was a factor—but it didn’t come close to comparing to the all-encompassing emotion she felt for her mate. Her loyalties no longer lay with the company. She was not on their side anymore, not when Grizz stood opposite them. Which was why her heart had nearly shattered over the pain she knew she’d caused him with the little charade, but she couldn’t let them see the bond she’d formed with the man they were all so keen to take down.

  Not until now, as they clawed at their faces, coughing and spluttering with the dragonsbane dust she’d blown at them. Bile rose up her throat, but she choked it back down. Each and every one of them were like family to her—the only family she’d ever had until she met Grizz—so to betray their trust like that made her sick to her stomach. But she’d do it again in a heartbeat because it had worked.

  She needed time to prove Grizz’s innocence, to figure out how to save him from an otherwise grim fate. Once the team realized her connection and loyalty to Grizz, she would lose all credibility in their eyes and all hope of saving him would be lost.

  While the five dragons were distracted by the dragonsbane, Elektra turned to find Grizz had followed her command and shifted. An absolutely glorious grey dragon stood on Harlow Shelton’s manicured lawn, watching her carefully with bright amber eyes as he unfurled his great, leathery wings.

  Elektra’s heart soared because in that instant, she knew. She knew he knew she’d been putting on an act so they could escape. Without so much as a glance back at her teammates, she sprinted toward him and took a running leap as his wings kicked up eddies of air to help lift him into the sky. She landed with a hard thump on his broad back and wasted no time scrambling up between his wings to find some purchase. Her legs and arms clung to him as he began to beat his wings harder and more purposefully—the tell-tale tingle of his magic shielding them from any prying human eyes.

  They lifted off the ground and took to the sky, leaving the Wildridge crew still wiping the dust from their faces in the driveway below. Elektra held on tightly as they rose higher and higher into the cloudless sky. It would be at least a good ten minutes before the others could shift and give chase, but they still needed to move quickly if they wanted any chance of escape.

  Once they’d reached a comfortable altitude, Grizz leveled off his ascent and they glided on warm zephyrs. Elektra dug her toes under his scales and stretched her body as far as she could, her face pressed close to his ear.

  “I’m sorry for—” she started, but he interrupted her.

  Not with words, but through some kind of telepathic link they now shared. Warmth flooded her body and soul, easing her worries about his hurt feelings. Without words, he assured her she had nothing to be sorry about, that she’d saved his life. The thick emotion behind his message poured like liquid gold straight into her heart, unexpected and utterly welcome.

  Soft images of love and forgiveness surfaced in her mind. Fragile rose petals. A warm smile. A kiss to the forehead. All of these things slipped through her mind as they communicated in the way only fated mates could. His love and adoration heated the pads of her fingertips. It was almost too much to comprehend.

  Elektra almost felt the urge to cry, it was so…so much. But she bit back the tears and simply clung to his scaly, powerful frame tighter as they soared through the air. The wind ruffled through a few loose tendrils of dark hair that had fallen free of her braid. Her lungs filled with so much air they nearly ached. The exhilarated smile on her face wouldn’t budge. She’d never experienced this kind of flight while in human form. Everything felt so grand, like she was much tinier than usual.

  Before long, they were flying over the ocean, the tips of Grizz’s wings skimming the water’s surface. The briny fragrance of the open ocean invigorated Elektra’s senses. Her mate sent her another telepathic message, this one packed with dense imagery of a dark cave carved into the face of a cliff, a forlorn location on some distant island. She understood without having to question at all that he was showing her his emergency lair. The instinct to keep some kind of hidden, secret lair somewhere—a place one could retreat to in times of duress—was unique to dragons. It was in their DNA.

  Maybe that was the life they would always have to lead—hopping from one lair to the next in the secret of night. It was a hard future to imagine. Gone were the comforts of the city life she was leaving behind. After everything she’d accomplished, her life was just as forfeit as his.

  Elektra pulled her cell phone from her pocket, giving it one sad look before flinging it away. It plummeted hard and fast into the water with a resounding splat. She had no need for it anymore. It was only a liability, a way for the others to track her.

  Elektra looked back over her shoulder at the city disappearing into the fog far behind them. All those years building up a life in Los Angeles, only to give it all up in the end. She wondered if this was truly goodbye.

  Chapter Six

  Elektra didn’t want to close her eyes even for a moment. She stared intently at the shores of the island as they approached, listening to the rhythmic beating of Grizz’s gigantic wings as her eyes watered from the stinging wind. They gradually made their descent and Elektra’s ears popped with the altitude change. The island loomed like the promised land before them, and Elektra couldn’t help but imagine that they flew to their own makeshift Eden, where they could Adam and Eve their way forward.

  She pictured them nakedly wandering the scrubby, barren island hand in hand, seeking out new exciting places to lie down in the grass and make love as though not even God was watching.

  From the sky, the island had a sort of pale green, burnished gold tinge, and Elektra noted there didn’t seem to be an extreme overgrowth of trees. It was mainly scrubby vegetation, growing knee-high, like the gnarly, thorny stuff that often grew in the sloping dunes of the shores near LA.

  This place, however, looked uninhabited. That much was clear even from the sky. It wasn’t the most hospitable landscape, not suitable for anything besides the hardiest, least-edible vegetation. Which meant the island was not especially beautiful to behold.

  All in all, it was the perfect spot for a lair. No one wanted their secret lair to exist in a place with heavy foot traffic. It was meant to be a relatively undesirable location in order to reduce the number of people who might accidentally stumble across the place. In that way, there was no better spot for a hideout. She wondered what the cave would look like. Was it just a rudimentary shelter from the elements and not much else? Or was it tricked out and furnished the way many dragons tended to do with their lairs over time?

  As they glided lower and lower, Elektra spied more trees on the island than she had originally thought. It was
still fairly sparse, but enough of them were scattered about to provide some cover as they moved across the island. Grizz descended quickly but carefully, never tilting too far forward so Elektra could easily hang onto his back as his talons alighted on the rocky earth. His wings beat a few more times, kicking up sand and dust in every direction.

  Elektra patiently closed her eyes and waited for it all to settle before deftly sliding off of his back. She stepped out of the way while her mate shifted back to his human form, his scales fading into smooth skin and his face becoming more human by the second. When he was fully transformed back into his human shape, Elektra almost knocked him off balance when she threw her arms around him.

  They held each other for a long few moments, just swaying gently and soaking up the relief of their escape. They were brand-new mates, and yet they had already been through so much together. Elektra’s heart pounded with deep love for Grizz. It was crazy how rapidly her priorities had shifted to center him in her world, but she didn’t mind. It didn’t feel like a burden. After a lifetime alone, it felt like a gift.

  “Come on,” he murmured. “I’ll take you to my place.”

  “Can’t wait.”

  As they walked, Elektra’s hand linked with his. His muscles bunched and moved as he walked, a light sheen of sweat making them glisten in the afternoon sun. She tried not to stare… Okay, total lie. She totally stared and wasn’t shy about it in the slightest. Her mouth watered for him, and her body ached for him. Keeping her hands to herself was in itself one of the most Herculean efforts she’d ever made. Every inch of her wanted to lie down right there in the dirt, ready for him to take her again.

  The biological imperative was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. More potent than hunger. More intoxicating than sleep. More distracting than thirst. Her body needed his like it was an essential medicine. Every now and then, she had to bite back the urge to just pin him against one of the trees they passed. She wanted to jump his bones…badly. They needed to get out of sight first, just in case, but patience had never been one of her virtues.

  They trekked through increasingly dense vegetation, the trees growing taller and broader and the flora bursting with harsh vitality all around them. They moved closer and closer to the cliffs that rimmed the island on all sides. A very narrow, totally obscured rocky path led downward, seemingly to nowhere, but before long they reached an opening in the jagged, rocky wall. Long, green tendrils vined across the opening, hiding in from view.

  “Home sweet home,” Grizz said with a smile as he pulled back some of the vines to allow Elektra to pass.

  She looked around the wide entrance, littered with grit and rocks and little else. “Homey.”

  Grizz chuckled as he led her deeper into the cave. “It’s not the Ritz-Carlton, but it’ll do. I’ve got some supplies too.”

  “As long as we’re together, I don’t give a damn where we are,” Elektra said and threaded her fingers between his.

  “The feeling is mutual,” he replied with a warm smile that soaked her panties.

  As dragon shifters, they possessed better sight in dim situations than humans, but it soon became so dark, Elektra was having a hard time seeing the next step in front of her. Grizz stopped abruptly and told her to wait there for a minute. After some random bustling noises, a light bloomed in the darkness.

  Grizz was illuminated by a lantern he set on the floor, and then he moved out of the circle of light. Soon another lantern fired up, giving her a good view of the space. It was almost a sub-cave of the original, tucked around a slow corner and down a smaller tunnel. The location provided excellent protection from the elements as well as prying eyes. No one on the outside would ever see the lights this deep in the cave.

  Piles of stuff were neatly stacked all around space—crates of nonperishable food, blankets, spare clothing—though it was far from a furnished space. It reminded her of those old fallout shelters from the fifties, totally utilitarian with no frills or luxuries. Grizz was laying out a couple of sleeping bags in a corner, adding blankets and pillows to the makeshift bed.

  “I thought you said this wasn’t the Ritz?” Elektra teased.

  “The height of luxury, baby.” He sat down and held his hand out to her.

  Elektra took it and sat next to him. They faced each other, gazing intently at one another in the flickering lamplight. For the first time since meeting, they were in a safe space with time to spare, and they both intended to make full use of it.

  Without needing to speak a single word, they reached out and began to explore one another’s bodies. They touched softly, following every curve and line that formed their equally powerful bodies. Elektra marveled at how they seemed to be the perfect match in every way—mind, body, and spirit. He was strong, and so was she. He was determined and focused, and so was she. Neither of them possessed the capacity to give up, their tenacity so fierce it was damn near an unstoppable force.

  “I can’t believe I found you,” Grizz murmured, nibbling on her ear lobe.

  Elektra turned her head and kissed him, their bodies moving closer together. She looked at him with lidded eyes, inviting him to touch her more.

  “Not to be nitpicky, but I found you, actually.”

  Grizz smiled as he eased her onto her back. “Either way, I’m glad we’re here now.”

  Heat blazed between them so fiercely she was almost surprised they didn’t spontaneously combust. The chemistry between them was simply a fact that couldn’t be ignored or denied. Flames of lust reached for them both, a bonfire of desire taking over their bodies. Even if she wanted to—which she didn’t—there could be no fighting it. All she could do was surrender.

  “You know,” he whispered against her lips, “it should be illegal for someone to be this delicious.”

  Without giving her the time to reply, he started peppering her chin and neck with soft kisses, his lips taking a lazy path toward the valley between her breasts. He dragged the tip of his tongue over the rising curve of her left breast, and then wrapped his lips around her hard nipple. He sucked her tender bud into his mouth, his tongue dancing around it, and Elektra felt the roar of thunder inside her head.

  She was no stranger to the pleasures of the flesh—far from it—but she had never experienced the onslaught of sensations that Grizz could make her feel. Was it because they were fated mates, or was he just that good? She thought it was a little bit of both but, in the end, it didn’t really matter. What mattered was that they were together, and the night belonged to them.

  “Grizz,” she breathed out, her eyelids fluttering.

  Her whole body relaxed. A couple of pebbles underneath the sleeping bag dug into her back, but that only heightened her awareness, allowing her to feel the electric crackling going on under her skin.

  When he released her nipple, the hard bud slipping out from between his lips with a wet pop, she exhaled sharply. Her spine arched, and her breath turned into a sigh as his tongue slid down to her stomach. His mouth caressed her naked skin with a tenderness she wasn’t used to, and her hands unconsciously shot up, her fingers threading into his hair.

  A pleasant warmth spread from between her thighs to the rest of her body, and the dragon inside her stirred. She felt her inner being flex its wings, all of its power filtering into her human shape. There was a tension, anticipation building in her core as his mouth kept traveling downward, and she felt her blood simmering inside her veins. She was going crazy and loving every second of it. Gently, she tried to guide him with her hands, urging him to go to where she needed him the most, but he resisted.

  His lips whispered along her inner thighs, their touch gentle, and she held her breath when the pressure inside her became almost unbearable. If it came down to it, she wouldn’t be above begging.

  “Please,” she whispered, a low humming sound settling inside her mind as all of her nerve endings bloomed like sunflowers opening themselves to the sun.

  Finally, he relented.

  Parting his lip
s, he reached out with his tongue and brushed against her entrance as she became as wet as she had ever been. Her inner thighs became slick with her juices, and a wicked smile spread across her lips. She could almost feel the hormones coursing through her, her body and mind drowning in an ocean of pleasure. Waves of it lapped at the edges of her consciousness, the feeling growing with each passing second, and her heart felt as if it was about to burst.

  She was intimate with the savage adrenaline of lust, and she had forgotten more about pleasure than most women would ever know in their lifetimes. This, though, was different. She didn’t feel that tug of the body demanding its needs to be met. Instead, she felt nothing but warmth, a tender feeling that told her things were exactly as they needed to be.

  What they were doing wasn’t sex, nor it was making love. It was something else entirely, something that went deeper than she ever knew existed.

  “So fucking delicious,” Grizz repeated, reaching with his tongue for her clit.

  He pressed down on it, causing thunder and lightning to explode up Elektra’s spine and throwing all of her thoughts into disarray. Her brain started to overheat as it struggled to process everything that was happening, its rational side giving way to raw instinct.

  Without even knowing what she was doing, she pushed her legs up and then hooked her knees over his shoulders. She felt exposed like that, even vulnerable, but she felt strength in that. For the first time in her life, she was strong enough to be vulnerable.

  Seizing the opportunity and the new angle of her body, Grizz pressed his whole mouth against her aching wetness. Carefully, he slipped his tongue past her inner lips, tasting her as if she was the most delicious thing he had ever experienced, and then he took a deep breath in. When his tongue finally returned to her clit, he sucked it into his mouth and held his position there.