Tempting Treasure (Ashland Pride Book 10)

by R. E. Butler

  Like almost a hundred percent.

  But there was something about the look in the dragon king’s eyes that said he was sure she would.

  “Bring it on, King,” she said, squaring her shoulders and snapping her wings.

  The dragons with him moved away suddenly. Ladon’s clothes shredded as he shifted into a large dragon. His obsidian scales glittered under the torches that lined the top of the wall. His wings were broad and tipped with spikes, and his eyes glowed bright yellow.

  Treasure craned her neck to look up at the towering dragon. As she stared, she mentally spoke to her dragon, curious about what the king thought he could accomplish by shifting into his form. She felt nothing except a general curiosity at the fact that his scales were so very different from hers.

  Then he lifted his head and opened his jaws wide. A deep roar came from his throat, making the ground shake. A blast of flame came from his open maw, and his black claws curled and dug into the earth.

  The call was so odd, but also familiar, and to her horror, her dragon wanted to respond.

  No!

  Her stomach ached sharply, and she felt her fae side weaken as the dragon within her roared.

  Her cheeks heated. She felt scales appear and recede on her skin, and her vision sharpened as her dragon started to come forward. She fought internally, begging her beast to stay put and not shift.

  But then something flashed in her mind – a message from her dragon. She wasn’t planning to shift, but she was going to give him a call of her own, and to do that, she needed to be a little bit more dragon, and a little bit less fae.

  Relaxing as much as she could, Treasure straightened her shoulders and planted her feet. Her dragon rushed up from within her, filling her with heat and power. A call erupted from her throat, tearing the tender tissue as the wordless threat filled the air.

  I dare you to take me from my mates.

  She gasped as the call left her, her teeth curved into fangs and her fingers tipped with deadly claws. She took a menacing step toward the big dragon, who eyed her with a snarl and a puff of smoke from his nostrils.

  Drayce stepped in front of his father. “You’ve made your case, Treasure. You resisted the call of the most powerful dragon in the realm. Not only did you resist him, your dragon has made it very clear that you’re not going anywhere.” He looked up at his father, who nodded sharply and then took to the air, great wings flapping and debris flying with the motion.

  He snapped his fingers and the warriors with him dropped to one knee. Drayce lifted a hand with clawed fingertips and cut his palm. He squeezed his hand until blood dropped on the ground. “With my blood, I declare that you’re not a part of the dragon clan, and no longer welcome in our territory.” He looked down at his hand and then smiled at her. “I wish you and yours a happy life.”

  Treasure opened her mouth, but she couldn’t speak; her throat hurt so badly she wanted to cry.

  Brian slipped his arm around her waist and anchored her to his side. Kevin joined them, lending his support.

  “You swear on your life that no dragon will come looking for Treasure or any of her descendants, forever?” Brian asked.

  “I swear,” Drayce said. “She resisted the call. My father wouldn’t want her here in the realm anyway. He only likes dragons that respond to his orders.”

  Rhett joined them and put his hand on Treasure’s shoulder. “Good. Let’s go home.”

  Treasure nodded at Drayce, who gave her a small smile and then turned, ordering the warriors to return to the palace. She looked up into the dark sky and saw the darker shadow of the king as he circled his territory.

  When they were alone, Treasure swooned, her adrenaline leaving and her body reacting to the near-shift and furious roaring that had been necessary to keep her mates by her side. Brian swung her up into his arms.

  “Just stay awake until we’re back in our realm,” he said as he walked swiftly toward the portal. “We can’t get home without you.”

  Her voice squeaked, and she grimaced.

  “Don’t worry about talking,” Kevin said. “You saved the day, badass dragon fairy.”

  She smiled and rested her head on Brian’s shoulder. The males with them talked quietly as they made their way back to the portal. She was thankful for their support and their willingness to fight for her right to stay in the mortal realm. But she was mostly thankful that the dragons hadn’t tried to fight. She opened the portal and her mates carried her through. When the last member of their group was through, she closed it and broke the stick circle.

  Her voice wasn’t working at all, and even the thought of speaking made the pain worse. She nudged her mates and they both looked at her.

  Kevin smiled. “Treasure wants to say thank you to everyone who came with us. Things could have gone so differently than they did. We could’ve needed to fight for her freedom, for our own lives. Brian and I are in debt to all of you for your support. Thank you for coming to our aid.”

  Brian nodded. “Thank you.”

  One by one, the males shook each of their hands and left, until only Rhett, Aaron, and Grant remained.

  “We’re so thankful you’re all safe,” Grant said.

  “We want Treasure to stay with us tonight,” Brian said, looking at Rhett.

  “I understand,” Rhett said. “We’ll see you all tomorrow.”

  He gave Treasure a big hug and she smiled at him, wishing her voice worked so she could thank him for standing by her side.

  He tweaked her chin with his fingers. “I know you want to say thank you, and you don’t have to. You’re my daughter, and I’d lay down my life for you in a heartbeat. I want you to be safe and have a long and happy life with your mates here in Ashland. Lisa and I are looking forward to having two sons, and some grandbabies in the future.”

  She blinked at the tears that stung her eyes and nodded, giving him another fierce hug. After hugging Grant and Aaron, Brian carried her into the house and straight up to their room. He set her on his bed and went to his dresser, returning with a shirt for her to sleep in. Every bone and muscle in her body ached, and her throat hurt each time she swallowed. The rush of her dragon’s strength through her had felt almost like shifting, but now her body needed to recover from the strain of her dragon calling the king out. Brian helped her strip and put on the comfy shirt, and then tucked her into bed.

  Kevin walked into the bedroom with a steaming mug and handed it to her. She inhaled the scent of herbal tea and honey. Sipping it gingerly, she sighed as the hot liquid soothed her raw throat. Her phone buzzed and Kevin handed it to her from the nightstand.

  A text from Lisa read, I’m so thankful you’re home safe and the dragons won’t be bothering you anymore. How are you feeling?

  She responded, My throat hurts and I’m tired, but it was worth it to know that I won’t hear from the dragons again.

  I’m glad. I was scared for you.

  I was a little scared for me, too.

  Sleep well, sweet daughter. I’ll see you later in the day after you’ve rested. Love you to the moon.

  And back. Treasure typed. She handed the phone to Kevin and he put it on the nightstand.

  He climbed into bed with Treasure while Brian pushed his bed next to them and settled on it. When she finished the tea, Brian put the empty mug on the nightstand.

  “Do you want some more tea?” Kevin asked.

  She shook her head.

  He looked at Brian and then smiled at Treasure. “When Sam first mated our dad and Aaron, some of the female lions hired thugs and tried to kidnap us. She took our place, even though she knew that the kidnappers planned to kill her. Once she knew we were safe, she tried to get away and one of the kidnappers choked her into unconsciousness. The pride came to her rescue, but when she woke up in the hospital she couldn’t talk for a few days because of her bruised throat. We gave her this tea with honey for her throat; and she said that it was the best thing for it.”

  Treasure hadn’t heard that
story before. Sam was human, so she wasn’t equipped with the fast healing most shifter types enjoyed. Treasure was pretty sore right now, but after a good rest she knew she’d be good as new. If she wasn’t so tired, she could change into her dragon and the action of shifting would heal all her injuries. But being overly tired meant she didn’t have the strength to shift.

  She kissed Brian and then turned to Kevin, brushing her lips over his until she heard his cat purring, which made her smile.

  “Love you, sweetheart,” Kevin said.

  She pointed to her heart and he nodded with a smile. Snuggling down between her mates, the last thing she heard before she drifted off to sleep was Brian saying that he loved her, too.

  There were no words to describe how much she loved her mates. When she’d faced the dragons, so much could have gone wrong, but they’d come out on the other side victorious. If it was possible, she loved Brian and Kevin even more than before. She was one lucky dragonfae, and she couldn’t wait for their lives together to begin.

  Chapter 11

  After sleeping for twelve hours, Treasure woke with her throat healed and her voice back to normal. Kevin was thankful that she hadn’t had any long-lasting issues from the altercation with the dragons. As he kissed her and cuddled her close, he thought about the call her dragon had made. His cat had recognized the sound immediately and been thrilled. Her dragon had stood up for their mating, daring the dragon king to try to force her to do anything she didn’t want to do.

  He’d loved her since they were kids, from the moment she’d come into his life as a scared twelve-year-old with no family. Rhett and Lisa had adopted her, but he and Brian had a connection to her that ran deeper than a parent’s love. They were mates, and in some ways he thought they were fated to be together; that their lives had always been destined to twine together.

  “You’re looking thoughtful,” Treasure said, brushing her fingers through his hair.

  “I’m just glad you’re okay. It’s good to hear your voice again.”

  She brushed her lips over his forehead with a sigh. “Can I tell you a secret?”

  “You can always tell me anything.”

  “I wasn’t entirely certain that my dragon could resist the king. I could feel her trying to come forward and I pushed back because I didn’t want to shift. Then she kind of showed me a picture in my mind of her calling out the king and telling him to piss off. I let go, and she filled me with power. When her call came out of my throat I felt like I could blast that whole palace to the ground with my fire. I think the king and the other dragons knew that. It’s why they didn’t push back.”

  Kevin agreed. He’d seen the dragon males’ surprised looks. They’d expected Treasure to shift and bow down to the king.

  “Was it all your dragon, or did being part fae help you to stand against him?”

  “It was all the dragon. She eclipsed my fae side.”

  He kissed her. “I was positive you’d be able to do it.”

  “That makes one of you.” She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling.

  “One of you what?” Brian asked as he walked into the room carrying a tray.

  Normally, Kevin was the one who would be in the kitchen making a meal for their sweetheart, but Brian had wanted to let them rest together, so he’d gotten up to take care of things.

  “He was certain I’d be able to fight my shift.”

  Brian sat on the bed and set down the tray. “I was sure, too, so that makes two of us. Plus, there was no way in hell that either of us would have let the dragons force you to do anything you didn’t want to do.”

  Kevin and Treasure sat up. The tray was laden with food, from breakfast sandwiches to a bowl of mac and cheese. Kevin took one of the water bottles and cracked it open.

  “Yum,” Treasure said as she picked up the bowl of mac and cheese and dug a fork into it. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Brian said.

  They ate and talked, each of them planning to take the rest of the day off to spend together. When they finished eating, Kevin joined Treasure in the shower, where they kissed and touched as much as they cleaned up, and then he left her in there for his waiting brother. It was nearly dinner by the time they dressed and made it downstairs.

  Grant, Aaron, and Sam were in the kitchen, and the scent of sugar and chocolate hung heavy in the air. A timer beeped, and Sam smiled at them.

  “You guys have good timing,” she said as she put oven mitts on and took a tray of cookies out of the oven, setting them on the stove.

  “How’s your throat, Treasure?” Grant asked.

  “Back to normal, thanks,” she said. The three of them sat on stools at the island. Aaron was an Ashland police officer, and he was dressed for work. Grant looked as though he’d just come from the farm in his dusty jeans and dark t-shirt.

  “Did you want some tea?” Sam asked.

  “I’m about all tea’d out,” Treasure said.

  Sam laughed. “I can relate. I had so much tea with honey after my throat injury that once I was healed, I didn’t drink a cup of it for at least a year.”

  “What are your plans for the night?” Grant asked.

  “I need to get home,” Treasure said. “Today we were supposed to work on the table settings for the ceremony, and I basically slept right through that.”

  “We’ll run you home,” Brian said.

  Sam walked around the island and gave Treasure a hug. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

  “Me too,” Treasure said.

  After dropping Treasure off at Rhett and Lisa’s, Brian and Kevin headed back to the boarding house. Kevin got out of the truck and stretched, looking up at the sky. He could hear people out in the backyard. The boarding house was a hive of activity at any time of day or night. It was a place of growth and renewal, where mated groups had children, and everyone supported everyone.

  He’d spent a good portion of his young life in King, Pennsylvania, and although the pride there was quite large, they weren’t as close as the Ashland pride, and he suspected a lot of that had to do with how so many shared one big home. He’d loved living in the boarding house, and there were things he’d miss about it, but he was looking forward to having the privacy of their own house.

  As he walked into the house, he heard laughter and chatter coming from the family room. He headed in to see his cousins playing video games with some of the younger cubs.

  “You want in?” Nathan asked just before he cursed at nearly dying on the screen.

  “Sure.”

  “You can take my place,” Owen said. “I want to grab a drink.”

  Kevin took the controller and sat between his cousins, laughing as everyone called out drink orders to Owen as he walked away.

  “Treasure all right?” Ben asked.

  “Yep. She’s strong.”

  “It’s a great quality in a mate,” Nathan said.

  Kevin agreed one hundred percent.

  * * *

  As their mating day drew closer, Kevin’s nerves increased. It wasn’t that he expected something to go wrong; he just had an odd feeling. Not that Treasure would pull a runaway-bride on them, or that she’d say no when asked if she wanted to spend the rest of her life with them. There was simply a feeling deep in his gut that he couldn’t shake. It was wariness, but also an odd sense of danger that his cat was attuned to. He felt like his spine was always tingling, his cat’s whiskers constantly twitching in warning. He’d mentioned it to Brian, who had confessed to feeling something similar.

  Treasure, on the other hand, seemed unaffected. She wasn’t worried about anything; excitement was always coloring her cheeks pink, as each new dawn meant they were one day closer to being mated and together full-time.

  He drew his attention back to the task at hand – packing up the rest of his things and taking them to the house. They were three days from their special day, and while Treasure was busy working on decorations with Lisa, Hope, and some of the other females, he and Brian
were packing up their bedroom and making trips to the house with their things. It was starting to feel more real to him now that their room was nearly empty, and they were days away from making an official commitment.

  “I think we should go out to eat tonight,” Kevin said as he closed the box.

  “Yeah?”

  He nodded. “Someplace nice.”

  “So not the diner?” Brian asked with chuckle.

  “Definitely not.”

  “A movie would be cool, too.”

  “I’ll plan it. Say seven?” He glanced at his watch. That left him about an hour to drop his things off and clean up.

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Kevin grabbed his phone and picked up the box, carrying it out of the room and down the stairs. In minutes he was across town, pulling into the gravel drive that led up to their home. He saw the lights on in Treasure’s workshop and decided to ask her out on their date in person after he put the box in the master bedroom.

  He climbed the stairs to the second floor and went down the hall to the last room on the right. He flipped a switch and smiled as the ceiling fan began to circle slowly and the lights illuminated the room. They’d decorated it together, from the blue quilt on the king bed to the watercolor paintings Treasure had made after doing a wine-and-paint class with the pride females.

  He put the box in the walk-in and closed the door.

  Turning off the light, he headed downstairs, his cat rumbling in happiness at seeing their mate.

  As he hit the bottom step, he heard Treasure scream.

  * * *

  Treasure became aware of a presence in her workshop when a chill descended on her and the smell of fire and coal filled the room.

  A scream erupted from her throat as Ladon stepped through a portal with two males behind him. They were dressed casually in leather pants and tunics, but their dragon wings were out. The wings were different shades of camouflage colors – olive, brown, black, white – and had thick membranes that reminded her of bat wings.