PepperClaws scraping against the outer perch wake me from dreams of kissing Tahr. I can feel his magic and know he has come for me. Tahr's magic is slightly different from Ashrac's and Ashrac's is different from Cantor. There's no time to process my feelings right now because a large silver head pokes through the window.I have a voice now, though I'm not yet ready to communicate with croaky words while I learn to use it properly. Telepathic words are much easier. "What are you doing here, Tahr?" I manage to keep my tone level without strong emotion coming through.His head disappears and I feel a more intense burst of magic as he shifts. He enters naked. I can't talk to him this way. I crave touching him. I want to throw myself into his arms. I do exactly the opposite and jump from the bed and march into Sarn's garment room. I storm out and toss a dusty pair of pants at the wide-eyed dunderhead."You've seen me unclothed," he says in consternation while his eyes travel over every in
TahrI miss Pepper terribly. She has stayed away for a month. Bastian and Laryn informed me that their mates are helping her. I should be angry, but I'm actually relieved. I don't want Pepper alone.My thoughts are all over the place. I miss Meagan so much and I will admit to missing Pepper just as badly. It makes no sense. She has been in my life for such a short time.It's after midnight and I've given up trying to sleep. Each night is longer than the last and I can't control my heart any longer. I need my mate. I know I hurt her. I'm hoping that charcoaling my face and giving her time has dispelled some of her anger. A broken heart is different. I saw it in her eyes and I have no idea how to fix it.I gave her away.She won't come to me so I go to her. Pepper doesn't fly out of Sarn's castle as I half expect. I shift on the perch and enter the bedroom. She's sleeping. I stay still and take time to admire her beauty. Her headpiece is waiting at home and for just a moment I wish I'd
PepperHe stays away for a week this time. He hasn't given me what I need. He's such a stubborn dragon. If it weren't for Acasia and Roxy, I would be as crazy as he accuses me of being. With each visit, his taunts become more hurtful. I alleviate his pain by offering my body. And he is in pain. I see it in his dull and listless eyes. He holds me tighter than he should and I don't complain. He needs me and deep in my heart I know that eventually he will accept that he loves me and allow his fear to drift away forever.He steps into the room and I lift my arms beckoning. He slides into the bed and I wait for his kiss. Tonight, he keeps from my lips and travels my body with his gentle nips from his teeth and the languid slide of his tongue. I cry out when he breathes against my special place-the place that sheaths his cock. His tongue flicks out and I gasp his name."I can't stay away from you," he breathes against me before kissing me there. He presses two fingers inside of me. I buck m
TahrShe's killing me slowly and I can't stop thinking about her-her scent, her silky skin, her tight warmth. It all drives me crazy and there is nothing worse than a crazy dragon.Betty doesn't help. I had to banish her to the human tower because of the angry looks she constantly gives me. I was also afraid she would bash my head in while I slept.Women!This last time, I made it a week between visits. Each day was a nightmare. I can't do it again. How can I miss her like this and not love her? And how can she stay away when she professes such love for me?I'm soaking in a bath when I feel two dragons cross into my realm. I would know Pepper's magic anywhere. The other dragon is closely connected to Bastian. It could be Acasia or Ashrac. I jump from the tub and dry off quickly. Pepper is coming here. What does this mean? Has she come to her senses and decided that her place is with me? Or does she plan to torture me further?I don't care. She's here and I'm not letting her go.I watc
Twelve months later,PepperOur son's birth. Or I guess laying his egg. Acasia and Roxy tell me it isn't so bad. Roxy has two sons now, so I guess she would know. Sadly, I don't want the baby out of my body. In my belly, he's safe and warm where I can protect him. Not that Tahr would let anything happen. He's been the perfect father if not the perfect mate.He loves me and still he won't say the words. I rarely think about it anymore.I gasp as another cramp rolls through my gargantuan yellow stomach. I'm sitting in the middle of the large nest that Tahr built. His silver wings flash from above as he circles me. I've told him if he touches me again, I'll bite. He's smart to keep his distance."Should it be taking this long?" he asks for the third time in an hour.I growl and Tahr continues to fly as close as he dares. I feel constant pressure now and I know the birth is imminent. "Tahr," I cry out when a stabbing pain tears through my stomach.Uncaring that I might actually bite him,
TahrI'm so proud of my mate. In twelve months, we will have a son. Our egg is beautiful and a miracle. For months after Pepper returned I wallowed with mixed feelings. Meagan's loss continued to hurt, but the joy of having Pepper as my mate and the pending birth of our child brought great joy.Bastian, Laryn, and Sarn found love before mating. I don't know why things with Pepper are different. Now though, I love her with everything I have and realize I loved her long before I knew it. And I haven't said the words, which shames me. The truth is... I'm intimidated by her. Ashrac questioned what makes her special long ago. I've wondered about it too. The Goddess granted Pepper transcendence. She is a miracle. What have I done to deserve her? For giving me Pepper, I owe the Goddess everything.I enter Bastian's realm and see blue and red wings in the distance. Laryn and his family must be visiting Bastian. They know why I'm here. The males approach me first and like we did when young, we
PepperMy injuries are healed. And I'm worried about the conversation I must have with Tahr. The other dragons have moved their families and humans to our castle. Bastian, Acasia, and Ashrac occupy the north tower using Tahr's rooms, with Laryn and his family in the east guest tower. Tahr and I remain in the nesting tower with all humans in the west tower. An adult dragon is always guarding the castle from above. I've been excluded, until now. I'm more than capable of keeping watch even if Tahr doesn't approve."No," Tahr says softly. "You will not leave the nest.I speak softly too because we do not want to disturb our son. The glow from within the egg is low, which means he sleeps. "I am not your captive and I have a say. Don't make me bring the women into this. And by the way, they fly guard duty and even Ashrac does and he still can't breathe fire."Tahr runs his fingers through his hair letting me know how disgruntled he is. "You have barely recovered from childbirth and then my
TahrI feel him.It's that same sinister dark cloud of magic I remember from childhood. Drakon has caused nothing but death and heartache to the dragons and our realms. For this, he forfeits his life and will never cause harm again. At least after today.I look around at my friends and their mates. I understand Sarn's willingness to give up everything for the love of a woman. I will give my life if that's what it takes. Losing my ability to shift would be a very small price.We each have a job and primary position to guard but I hope to deliver the deathblow. The waiting is the hardest part.***AshracI want to be in the fight but they give me the job of hiding beneath the castle and guarding the egg and children. I'm so close to adulthood I can feel it. It doesn't matter that I have twenty years before I should breathe fire; the heat in my smoke lets me know it's time.And I'm stuck here while the action takes place above me.Cantor comforts baby Lex and they both remain close to th
Flora "I'm Acasia." She gestures behind her. "This is Bastian. We're very pleased to meet you. We just didn't expect you after what Jewel told us." I drop her hand and interlock my fingers in front of me so maybe I won't strangle her son in front of her. "I didn't expect to be here either," I reply honestly. "Mother." We all turn to Ashrac. "I'm in the middle of a kidnapping here and it would be better if we had this conversation another time. I haven't gotten to the having my wicked way with her part yet." My elbow slips and lands directly in his ribs. My cheeks burn. Boiling oil's too good for the ratfink. His father steps closer, his expression filled with concern and more than a touch of anger. "Flora, I will take you back to Earth if you wish to return." A loud rumbling growl leaves Ashrac's throat. "She is my mate, Father. No one will be taking her anywhere but me." Bastian's eyebrows arch. I'm guessing Ashrac doesn't usually speak to his parents this way. Decisions, dec
FloraMy eyes peel open to sunshine. I'm in Ashrac's room, in his bed, and he isn't. I look around and still no Ashrac. I stretch my arms and I'm about to rise from the bed when a shadow passes in front of the window from the balcony. Dragonbreath went for a flight without me. We'll be discussing this after he comes back to bed and welcomes the new day with me like he should have.The dragon's shadow shifts to a smaller human than Ashrac and before I can put together what human it is, Jewel pops her head in the window. She looks at me questioningly. I pull the cover over my bare breasts that were perky and waiting for my mate. "Come in," I say because what else can I do? The strange expression on her face isn't what I'm expecting, and for a moment I wonder if I should have read more into her friendship with Ashrac.She sits on the end of the bed and continues staring at me."Is there something you need?" I ask.She gives a small smile that in no way reaches her eyes. "Ashrac sent me t
FloraI've chosen my mate and so has my eagle. I can no longer fight that he's the one. Seeing Ashrac with the kids melted my heart and changed something deep inside me. Ashrac caring about the humans and trying to make their lives better blew my world apart.He's about to do it again.His body against mine is firm, powerful, and incredibly sexy. His muscles ripple beneath my touch. I'm barely able to think and what I'm thinking is that I should tell him I've never done this before. Then, he releases my mouth and his lips travel down my body, kissing every inch of flesh along the way. I stop thinking at all and just feel. His tongue circles my bellybutton before dipping inside. I actually giggle over the sensation. My fingers go to his glorious hair and I pull slightly to make him stop. His head comes up and he's grinning. There are also flames dancing in his eyes and all I can think of is sensual fire.He lowers his mouth back to my flesh and continues on his merry way. Flames lick a
AshracA light bulb went off in my brain at the table. It was the strangest feeling. The bulb then exploded into a million shards and sent an electrical current throughout my body. The feeling's been described to me many times, but I had no idea how instantly my world would change.Flora is my mate.My mind knows and my body knows. It no longer matters what her clothes hide. It no longer matters that she turned me green or that she hasn't told me about being an eagle shifter.She's mine.I have no idea how or why it happened, but it did and nothing will stand between me and this woman. No mountains or dragons or Goddesses.Flora follows us as we walk to the lab. The kids don't bother shifting to fly because she's here and they have no idea she has her own wings. I'm actually proud that they're considering her feelings. We enter the lab and I walk over to my latest experiment. The electrical circuit is within a plastic shield made up of melted cell phone glass. I have cell phone batter
PepperBotan gives me sad eyes and says, "Something smells really good and I'm a very hungry growing dragon."Cute is not a good enough word. I like this little guy."No," Ashrac says with a frustrated look. "Your mother will expect you home."Inside my head I'm calculating how much more food I need to make. "Okay," I say aloud, "I'm not cooking this alone so if you help, you can eat with us."Cheers go up at the same time Ashrac raises his hands in defeat. "It's on you," he says to me. "They'll eat me out of house and home and leave a huge mess behind."Kettle, black? "Why don't you run off to your little lab? We'll handle dinner.""Fine." He spins and marches off grumbling."Botan and Rotan, you're in charge of setting the table. Drayce, Ejder, I need you peeling potatoes. Zara and Zora you're backup and will be doing what's required to get this meal on the table. Right now I need more meat and potatoes brought up from the cellar."The kids hop to it and we have a meal for six growi
FloraI slog into a dense part of forest and remove my sopping clothes. I tie them into a small wet package that I can carry in my beak. My shifting powers are different than conventional shifters because I need words to start the process. I whisper the sacred words in my head that my mother taught me and her mother taught her. The world goes from blurry to crystal clear. In human form, without my glasses, I can see for miles if the view is unobstructed. Close up is another matter; all eagle shifters are far sighted when in human form. Shifting to eagle brings everything into focus."Stupid dragon," I mumble in my head as I scoop up the bundle and fly out of the tree line. I can't help turning and flying over the lake. There he is deep in the water bathing, thank the goddess. At least when he flies me back to my realm he won't smell like a dirty old shoe.I don't think about what I'm doing, it just kind of happens. He plunges his soapy head into the water and I swoop back around. My g
AshracShe's been hiding from me. Now that I've seen her eyes I know there's more. Taking her to the lake to bathe is the only way I can think to see her naked body and decide for myself if she's worthy of mating a red dragon. I catch sight of myself in the lake as we fly over; Flora is riding in the saddle. Maybe the green will wash off.She's right about bathing, though. I do smell. I would say it's not a normal condition, but when I'm engrossed in a project, I forget about everything, including food and especially bathing. My mother still smacks me upside the head when she visits and I'm filthy. She also feeds me.Flora has no fear of being on my back. She's an eagle and I'm still flummoxed that I didn't know she was a shifter. I sensed her magic from the beginning but there are so many kinds. From precognition to witchcraft to vampires and weres it just never occurred to me that she could shift. Our children would be double shifters and could choose which form to take. Not that th
FloraHe's consuming me-his mouth, his touch, his very presence. The world around us stops revolving, or at least it feels that way. It's as if I've been waiting for his lips my entire life. They're firm where mine are soft. I consume right back. He plays with my mouth and I realize he understands the finer finesse of kissing. Who would have guessed that an egotistical megalomaniac would take the time to learn to kiss a woman properly? He explores my lips like they're an exotic treasure. When he bites my bottom lip, I open for him and he accepts my invitation. His tongue twirls and parries with mine. His head moves slightly and he pulls me closer to deepen the kiss. I swear my brain rolls out of my head, across the floor, and out the door.There's something else going on too. His incredible body, which is now fully pressed against mine, burns a trail of fire everywhere we touch. My hands go to his forearms and they're as big as my thighs but not soft at all. He's pure corded muscle wi
AshracI haven't provided any and maybe that's what this woman is upset about. Interesting. I'll have to think more on it. Without the glasses, she's passably pretty. Maybe if I could see her entire body, she would be a lot more interesting.Bowls hit the small side table off the kitchen. Eating in this room should be done by servants, which I don't have, so I guess I can lower myself to eating in the kitchen as long as the woman will be here too. Flora, that's her name. She might like it if I called her by her name."Flora," I say louder than I intended to. She jumps and turns in my direction. "Does it bother you if I eat like this?" I make a motion with my hands to show her I mean my naked body. Her eyes go straight to my big green appendage that isn't at its most attractive at the moment even with its great size. She keeps staring until I startle her again. "You like it?"Her eyes snap to mine and her face goes from yellow to red in mere seconds. "It's, um, very nice as far as gree