Dragon Lords Blood Contract

by Rylee Winters

  “Don’t be such a sourpuss, Derek. It’s unbecoming of a noble lion.” My lips curled back into a fierce snarl at that, but the faintest of shimmers across the park stole both mine and Todd’s attention. Stiffening next to me, he leaned forward, and my nostrils flared as the still wind of late Spring settled on the flat field. “Shit – that little bastard was right. I see a wolf – two wolves.”

  “Scouts? They must know we know.” Mumbling softly, I squinted but couldn’t make out more than broken silhouettes, and my heart twisted in its cage. I wasn’t meant to be on recon; my talents were best used in full frontal assaults.

  Not only was this a shitty post, but I was stuck with Todd. Super.

  “They’re not doing anything…” My ears twitched at that, and I pursed my lips into a thin line as my mind churned. “Why aren’t they doing anything?”

  I had no answer for Todd’s rhetorical question, and he wasn’t really expecting one, too focused on the scene I couldn’t see clearly. This was a moonless night; it was a brilliant move, since wolves could see much better in the dark.

  But the problems with having a pack of just wolves far outweighed that advantage. Their attack, from what I knew, was sloppy and hasty and doomed to fail. Their assumptions were based on prejudices and numbers. I had heard their female Alpha was stupid, but I never imagined she’d be this stupid.

  “There are more –” Pointing towards the opposite end of the park, Todd drew my focus from my own thoughts as he spouted his. “I think 30, maybe. Aren’t there supposed to be more?”

  “Yes.” The soft breeze brought a barrage of scents, just about as many as Todd had suspected, and I lifted my lips to suck them into my memory. “A lot more.”

  A bare, delicate smell clung to my nostrils, and I tore my eyes off the silhouettes across the park to gaze down the street. None of the street lights glowed bright enough to reach this far deep into the sparse trees, but I could easily make out the figure weaving between them. Narrowing my gaze into slits, my mind turned out explanation after explanation, but none of them seemed right.

  The shimmer of a long, toned, tan leg caught the yellow glow of the lamp, and I tensed as the obviously feminine figure stepped under the flood of light. She wore nothing but booty shorts, her body glimmering even as my gaze went right to her small, perky breasts. Saliva pooled in my mouth, my tongue tingling to drag up the long, slender column of her neck. Arousal flooded my veins and seeped from my pores, and I took a short step out from behind the oak only to be held back by a firm grip on my forearm.

  Tearing my eyes off her, I glared at Todd even as he shot me a confused look.

  “The fuck are you doing, Derek? There’s nothing over there – you couldn’t see it anyway.” Panic caused my heart to stutter at his harsh whisper, and I whirled back around – but she was still there. Standing, tall and alert and poised, she stared at the ground even as she lifted her arms. The shadows of her fingers danced across the pavement, and I ground my teeth at the urge to see them spasm in pleasure.

  “Derek!” Todd’s angry snap reverberated up my spine, and I forced my eyes off her a second time to gnash my teeth. He jumped back, stepping on a pinecone whose crunch echoed across the park like thunder in the silence. “Shit!”

  Even as I turned back to the street, my heart pounded hard not because of the possibility of being made, but the wide, hazel eyes that were staring right at me. Adrenaline surged through me, replacing my blood with a tsunami of hormones that gorged my cock. Despite the distance between us, I could see the shock that flittered across her features; the shock that parted her lips and caused her eyelashes to shudder when she struggled to blink.

  “Dude – what the fuck are you looking at?” Todd’s angry grumble sounded in my ears, but this time, I couldn’t look away. She held me trapped, and I sure as fuck wasn’t going to try to free my stiff muscles. The coarse hairs on my body stood up on a thick layer of welts, and my cock strained against my jeans with a painful pulsing that begged for relief.

  “You don’t see her?” My eyes widened as my mind finally started to work again, and I licked my lips heavily under furrowing brows. “You can’t see her…”

  “Who? There’s no one there, Derek. What happened to keeping your eyes peeled, huh?” The relief that hit me was a punch to the chest, and the woman cocked her head in silent question. She was so graceful, just with that one movement, and I clenched my hands into fists at my sides. Blood blossomed a metallic plume in the air, but even that wasn’t enough to scrub her light scent from my nostrils.

  “Beautiful…” Purring the praise, my lips stretched into a wide smirk at the red tinge that spread across her skin. She can hear me. “I see you…”

  “See who – you crazy dick – fuck this.” I barely registered Todd’s grumble as the woman stiffened, and for just a fraction of a second, I wondered if I had gone crazy. My partner couldn’t see her; in fact, I didn’t think anyone could if no one had by now. She was standing under the only light source available for twenty yards front and back.

  What’s more, she was practically naked and not trying to hide it – holding herself with confidence that struck me as more than skin deep.

  “Derek’s finally lost it, Alpha Jackson – he says there’s a woman, but I can’t see her… No – he’s totally gone – he probably can’t even hear me right now… There’s just thirty or so of them – No…I don’t know where the rest are. These guys don’t seem to be intent on doing anything. I don’t know why they’re here – I got no idea.”

  “What do you know, huh?” Mumbling more air than noise, my lips trembled with the need to find hers as they came together. Her bright gaze left mine only for the briefest of seconds as she looked around, and my cock strained as her long hair rustled in the breeze. Long legs carried her with firm strides towards me, and only by some miracle was I able to keep my eyes on hers.

  “Woah – woah – Alpha… I’ll call you back.” The closer she came, the more detail I could see – the perfection of her nose even as scars ripped down her outer thigh. A strong fist beat on my back, and I whirled around to snarl only to stop short at the grave sneer on Todd’s face. “They have humans. Look.”

  Snapping across the field, I squinted, but there was no need when a huge flood light blared down on the group. The white light designed to illuminate a baseball field changed the direction of the shadows, but they no longer mattered.

  There couldn’t have been more than a dozen wolves, and they surrounded a group of scared humans still in their pajamas. Fear that had been masked by the darkness filled my still lungs, and all thoughts of the woman fled from my mind. Standing in front of the group, Alpha Liza stood like one of those fanatical church pastors with a holy, righteous expression painting her face.

  “Shit – this is bad.” Todd and I were trapped in the shadow of the oak; Liza knew we were here, but she obviously didn’t know where as she scanned the area. Her trying to act smart would’ve been hilarious if it wasn’t dangerous, and I ground my teeth as my fingernails dug deeper into my palms.

  “No shit, Todd.” My mind whirred at a dangerous pace as I snapped back at Todd, and he lifted his lips in a snarl that simply rolled off my shoulder.

  “What are we going to do? She’ll see us coming no matter which direction we go.”

  “Is that the human Chad?” The soft, melodic voice caused both of us to freeze, and my eyes flew to the woman to find her staring blankly at the group. Casting me a sidelong glance, her beautiful lips dragged in a frown under furrowed brows. Unease swirled in her gaze, but a clamor across the field stole all of our attentions.

  A rather brawny man tried to strong arm his way to the front of the group of terrified humans, and he looked pissed.

  “Hey! If you don’t let us go, I’ll fucking bitch slap you into next week – you crazy cunt! You messed with the wrong motherfucker!” Loud and obnoxious, the human Chad – shouted above the scared whimpers of the humans around him. I counted at least three childr
en, but there were probably more in the middle – and every other person was a woman or teenager. Flickering to the woman, an intense shot of adoration rushed into my chest at the absolute shock that rippled across her expression.

  She was so cute.

  “Did you hear me, you bitch! I said – ” Chad was cut off, and I turned my attention back to the scene to watch him crumple to the ground. My sensitive ears picked up his curses, and my hard on shriveled as realization slammed into me. He’d been rammed in the balls, and I couldn’t help but sympathize.

  But my eyes should’ve stayed on the woman.

  SNEEK PEEK: PROTECTING MY MATE

  (Shifter Mates Book 2)

  Read Now on Amazon!

  Excerpt:

  ‘This is not a bad end, Derek the Lion.’ Muss’ voice rang inside my skull as I stared down at the contract through narrowed eyes, my frown twisting into a grimace.

  Scribbling down my signature, I passed the singular piece of paper to Alpha Jackson next to me with a low grunt.

  ‘This is not why you are in a bad mood, is it?’

  “I’m in a bad mood because you can’t seem to leave me the fuck alone, you damn bird. We need to figure out a way to get Linne to see and hear you again so you can stop fucking with my head every second of the day.” Scowling at Muss as he cocked his head, shuffling slightly on the table top, I leaned back in my seat to drag my palms down my face. “This isn’t important. Have you found anything out on the other side?”

  ‘No. We have precious little information about the human realm. My accumulated knowledge these past eleven months since Linne was banished is more accurate than all that was compiled… There is a bigger issue, though, Derek the Lion.’

  Shiny, abyssal orbs trained on me, and my scowl darkened as Muss blinked his biggest eye, his apprehension vibrating inside my skull. ‘Kaslni has instructed me to warn Linne that Bareiijnr has been conspiring heavily to take control of the Council. She believes he will make his move soon. Taking the time difference into account, I suspect that Bareiijnr will attempt a coup within the next months.’

  “I thought that hours here were like a month there or some shit…” Narrowing my eyes on the glittering, ethereal figure before me, I sucked in a harsh breath as he ducked his head in a sharp nod. My mind worked furiously, no longer even processing the goings on around me, and I held the air inside my lungs as my chest tightened around them. “What else did Kaslni say?”

  ‘She is making contingency plans in the event that she is expelled from the Council, but there is the entire possibility that she will flee to this realm. Bareiijnr will not dare follow unless he believes he can kill her while she is still disorientated. His megalomania is wildly out of control, but – as you know – leaping across the Veil even voluntarily is a violent process. Kaslni is very powerful, and I will give you my best warning…’ Trailing off, Muss ruffled his feathers as a flash of uncertainty struck his eyes, and I pursed my lips into a thin line. ‘There is every potential for disaster. I – ’

  My silent conversation with a being not from this realm was interrupted as an elbow nudged my side hard, and my gaze whipped to Jackson. But my Chief wasn’t paying any attention to me.

  Lips lifting into a snarl, goosebumps began to race down my skin, even as I spotted the person standing just beyond Jackson.

  Jordan was at the entryway of the conference room. His mere presence making me stiffen in my seat.

  My eyes narrowed into slits as the need to shift prickled up my spine, my gaze scanning Jordan from bottom to top, a sour taste coating my tongue.

  Jordan looked like absolute shit; I’d only met him once, years ago, but I wouldn’t have recognized him if it wasn’t for the pungent stench that clung to the roof of my mouth.

  Thick, bulging muscles wrapped around his bones, and he carried himself in an invisible ball of hatred and rage that was white-hot in its intensity. The hairs on my body grew thicker as my jaw and gums ached from the pure threat that washed off him in waves. His sparkling, angry gaze met mine for the briefest moment as he took in the room, and I held back a growl at the vengeance I found there.

  But Alpha Jackson seemed to be the one that really brought out the animal in Jordan, and the two stared at each other with growing animosity for the longest three seconds of my fucking life.

  ‘That is unnatural wild magic, Derek the Lion.’ Muss’ ominous curiosity flittered softly, quietly, into my ears, and my eyelid twitched in agitation.

  “It’s called doping, you damn bird. He’s pumped full of drugs. Like what Linne took to sleep without nightmares, but for building muscle and being an absolute fucking douchebag.”

  “I’m sorry I’m late. Traffic.” Jordan’s deep voice blocked out Muss’ surprise that performance enhancing drugs were a thing, and he smirked broadly as he spread his arms. Every move he made was strong, sure, but his eyes gave him away; they sparkled too brightly – almost feverish.

  “It’s good that everyone is here. That gives us time to talk about the fact that Jackson didn’t even destroy my sister and the pack, but tamed some sort of angel to do it for him because he’s too much of a pussy to sacrifice his own clan in a battle he knew he wouldn’t win.”

  “Oh my fucking God – ” Groaning loudly in the ensuing silence, I went to stand up only for Jackson to physically shove me back into my seat as he beat me to the punch.

  Biting back a growl, I sneered at his glare but made no move to disobey, and he stepped out from between his chair and the table to puff out his chest in threat. Two wolves going at it, even such powerful ones, was almost always amusing; they usually only fought in their wolf forms, so anything in their human forms was a display.

  The keyword being almost.

  “Do you have proof?” Karina’s annoying voice gyrated against my ear drums, and I tore my eyes off the two males to watch her prop her chin in her palm. She was just as unimpressed by this show as everyone else at the table, but she was obligated to investigate. Jackson had no rights to negotiate if he wasn’t the cause of ending the conflict, and the contract we’d just signed would be voided.

  “Everyone knows angels don’t exist, Jordan. This better not be another one of your grandiose ‘visions’ about wiping out the humans by getting rid of the clan protecting them…”

  “I saw it! I don’t need to prove that I know what I saw.” The most childish fucking answer I’d ever heard burst from Jordan’s mouth, and I stiffened as Muss tossed his head back and forth in silent laughter.

  “There was an angel, and she did something to the pack – killed them all at the same time after she gauged Liza’s eyes out. They all just dropped like flies, and then Jackson came to mop up the mess.”

  “So, you let your sister and your pack take the fall for your decisions and then ran away – that’s what I’m hearing.” Disgust laced Karina’s voice, and she shot Jordan the nastiest glare possible as a tiny tether of tension dissipated from my shoulders. No one would believe Jordan even if he wasn’t hopped up on drugs, and I glanced at him to find him turning a purplish-red color in the face. “Well, maybe if you’d bothered to get cooperation from us for that stupid stunt of yours, you’d have proof. But you don’t, and the treaty is signed.”

  “You won’t even make an effort to believe me even after all I did for this clan!” Jordan’s attention shifted from Jackson, and the hairs on my body thinned and hung back down as the threat jumped from one person to another. The deranged wolf couldn’t hang on to his dwindling attention span, and I took the moment to breath as he practically roared in fury at Karina.

  The reptilian shifter’s eyes flashed a bright green, and she stood up in a flurry to slam her palms down hard onto the table. Muss jumped in front of me, flapping his wings wildly, while I only watched the scene from under furrowed brows.

  This wasn’t how I’d expected this to go; no one had heard hide or hair of Jordan until now. We’d all expected to never see him again as he ran away in disgrace, pack-less and family-less.


  “Don’t you dare act like you did us a favor! We’re intolerant of humans, and the world would be a better place without them – but you can’t just murder them because you don’t like our neighbors, Jordan! Now, we have to mop up your fucking mess, and you made a big mistake waltzing in here like you still have a right. You put everyone else in danger by egging Liza on. Our entire clan was in danger of collapsing because you decided to kidnap and bait a dozen human kids and women.”

  Karina wasn’t angry because Jordan kidnapped and baited humans. She wasn’t even angry at the hyper-radicalism of his decision. She was pissed he did it in a way that endangered the clan, and she wasn’t wrong. Jackson had forced them to give up businesses and just under half of their side of the city because he’d come out the victor of the battle.

  “What are you gunna do about it, punk?” Grabbing Jordan’s attention, Jackson took a threatening step forward, and my knee bounced at the sudden spike of tension in the atmosphere. “You disrespected the wrong fucking person here.”

  “Fight me, you weak, parading piece of shit – when I win, they’ll know I’m telling the truth. That’ll be proof enough.” Stunned silence met Jordan’s declaration, and a harsh bark of laughter burst from my throat. He growled at me, the deep, carnal noise causing reverberations to rattle the table as I slammed my palm down on it. The threat washed off him in waves, and sent me flying from my seat.

  “What the fuck are you laughing at, you retarded invalid?” Jordan stuck out his chest.

  The baffled amusement building inside my rib cage turned into white-hot rage faster than the time it took me to blink, and I lunged for Jordan without thinking. Chairs rattled as they hit the wall, but Jackson stuck out his arm to stop me.