I 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 t
There is only one place the bastard can be and it's the last room at the end of the long corridor. I've tried sending a telepathic message to Laryn but there's been no response. It's just me and Pepper. I can't think about Ashrac right now. Rage doesn't help you keep your cool and defeat your enemy. I refuse to give into the overwhelming sorrow that waits when this is over."Ladies," the whisper comes from behind us and we both jump a foot in the air. It's the vampire, Dmitri. "I have your backs. Can you sense him?"The vampire is a warrior like me and even though I'm not entirely comfortable around him, I trust him. "Only the smallest bit, something interferes with our magic."Pepper breaks into our discussion. "I must get to him before he harms my son. We must hurry."She charges the door and it flies backwards when her body slams into it. Dust flies in all directions when the door hits the cement floor. There's movement in the farthest corner of the room.Drakon sits with his b
Bastian's cry moves everything into slow motion. I know his son or mate are gone, possibly both. I get just a touch of Roxy's magic so I know she's alive. This doesn't ease my fear. I'm almost at the door where the children were kept when Bastian walks into the hall with blood covering his chest. I glance into the room and see Ashrac's body. Rage fills me. Bastian reaches the room at the end of the long corridor first with me at his heels. I take in everything at once.My brothers and their mates surround Drakon. He's actually hissing and lunging at each of them in turn. Roxy's face is covered in blood but she's up and ready to kill him. I catch her eye and almost throw the halberd her way. I meet Acasia's gaze and without another thought toss her the halberd. In one motion she catches it and swings.After all the pain he's caused, it seems almost anticlimactic when Drakon's headless body slumps to the floor. Acasia goes to her knees and her wails are as heart wrenching as Bastian'
Betty stands above us on the stairs to watch as our son is born. It's been several hours since the egg began cracking. Tahr is beside me as we behold our miracle. At first, a small claw working against the shell is all we see. Our boy is chipping away at the egg from the inside. The small chirp like noise our son makes warms my heart. The hardest thing to do is to keep from tearing the outer shell away and pulling him against me.Roxy and Acasia warned me of this. As always they were right. The process seems to take forever and this impatient mother is barely holding it together.It's thirty minutes before our son lays inside only half of his egg and pushes the other half away. He's beautiful. I lean in and nuzzle him with my nose sending my warm breath over him. Tahr's rumble is sweet as he moves his own nose closer and sniffs our child to gather his scent.The baby is silver. He spreads his small wings and I see just a hint of yellow on the underside. Our laughter fills the tower.
PART FIVELooking down at the small white business card in my hand, I can't help wondering what I'm doing here. I've sunk so low even my best chess strategy won't save me. I glance up at "ODA" etched in white block letters on the glass door in front of me. Otherworld Dating Agency. Shrugging, I decide to go for broke. What the hell do I have to lose at this point? I open the door and shove it forward a little harder than I meant to. It slams against the far wall with a thud. A woman behind a large oak desk looks up and scowls. I grimace inside my head because I'm accustomed to that exact look from my mother when she's unhappy about something I've done. This won't go well."Mr. Ashrac?" she questions in a sturdy, direct voice, her blue eyes boring into mine. Her white hair is cut in one of those unattractive short styles that many women wear now. A boob, it's called or something like that.A low growl escapes my throat. "The proper title is Ashrac of the Red Dragon Clan," I correct.
The blade slices a centimeter from my brother's face, causing him to jump back with a grunt. "That's what you get for letting your guard down, brother dear," I say without hiding my satisfied grin."I might need to use the flat of my blade across your derri鑢e," he huffs back with a grimace. He lifts his T-shirt displaying a lean torso and a nice defined six-pack. He uses his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow. He probably drives the ladies nuts with that move.The last thing I want is a mate like any of my brothers. They're womanizers, stuck on themselves, and quite selfish if I'm being totally honest. I love them but feel sorry for the poor women who fall for their crap. They each need someone special to show them what love actually is."You may try," I tell him while trying to remember to breathe. He's one of my toughest battle partners and I can take him easily but it's still a workout. I advance and beat his blade with mine to provoke him. It works and he charges. With a flic
She reminds me of one of my college professors whose nickname was Battleax. Flora is younger than my professor was, but she has the same look and demeanor. When I say "Sleep," she falls unconscious and slips into my embrace. I rarely use my ability to make someone sleep and often forget I have it. Thankfully it came in handy. I really didn't want to waste time listening to her whine. I'm on a schedule. I lift her higher in my arms. Her stocky body is actually as light as a feather, which makes me think she may be inadequate to carry my child. I rest her on the bed, ignore her ugly socks and footwear that flash when her skirt rides high, and quickly pack her a bag using a small tote from her closet. I barely look at anything while grabbing jeans and shirts that look comfortable. I finally locate her undergarments in the top drawer of her dresser. I hold up one of her bras-a black lacy thing.The woman on the bed draws my attention. She doesn't fit the image the bra invokes, but I tos
It takes me a few minutes to understand what's happened. Plain, stone, white walls surround me in a round room with one large floor-to-ceiling open doorway that leads to a balcony, which I can see because there's no covering to keep the light out. The bed I'm on is a canopy with gauzy pink material over the top. It flows gently with the breeze coming through the window. When I move, dust rises from the white comforter and I sneeze. It may be pretty but it isn't clean. I'm in a tower and the damn dragon kidnapped me.I leap from the bed and rush to the door. It's locked. I head out the door aka window and stop on the balcony, which appears to be a landing perch for a very large dragon. Rolling mountains eat up the landscape for as far as I can see. I remove my glasses, which thankfully made it through the kidnapping. There's a touch of blue to the east, or at least I think it's east, and I see what must be a large pool of water about a mile away. Nothing in the distance looks like home
"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, decisions.
My 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 to g
I'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 at my
A 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 batteries
Botan 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
I 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 gooey
She'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 they wou
He'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 with ama
I 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 green pen