Rogue Wolf

by Terry Bolryder

  Deep down, he still wasn’t sure that he could have controlled the dragon blood if he hadn’t had her.

  She was everything.

  Harrison sat back in his seat, looking relieved. “Well, I’m just glad to hear it’s all settled now and the basilisks will be moving in with y’all. More off my plate.”

  Reno nodded. “For now, we’re really just waiting to hear from the double dragons, Troy and Jack.”

  “What, about the big, bad basilisk squad?” Dani asked excitedly.

  Reno frowned. He was not a fan of the name, though as soon as Dani had said it, Gunnar, Diesel, and Ajax had taken to it immediately.

  “Big, bad basilisks? Nice name, but why do they need a squad?” Clancy had tuned into the conversation, his southern drawl as plain as the sun in the sky.

  Reno nodded at the basilisks. “I’ve been thinking it’s about time that we put their protective instincts and desire for a mate to better use. They’re getting used to the world, so it’s time they get out and help it.”

  “What will they do?” Clancy asked.

  “Protect people, obviously. With shifters coming out of hiding, more and more people are finding out about them. Evil shifters are gettin’ bold.” Beck chimed in gruffly. “With some of the bigger creatures, it would take more than even a dragon to protect their potential targets.”

  Clancy shook his head. “Basilisk protectors. It damn well makes sense, but who would have thought?”

  “I would have. It was a basilisk that helped me save you. It was then that we realized they aren’t so bad,” Billie, Clancy’s mate, said.

  “True,” the swamp dragon replied, chuckling.

  Dani frowned. “By the way, has there been any word from your family, Remi?”

  “Drenton still doesn’t remember much at all, but that’s a good thing.” Reno shrugged. “My parents are old. Without their son to lead the uprising, they’re probably just gonna hide in their mansion in Colorado. I don’t think they’ll be causing any more trouble, at least not on this scale.”

  That suited him fine. If he ever had to see or hear from them again, it would be too soon. All he wanted was to start his life with Dani, and nothing would stop him.

  He took her hand in his and pulled it up to his lips, kissing her fingers lightly and enjoying the way the light danced across the sparkling, light-blue diamond ring that sat on her finger.

  She had said that the mating was enough, but he wanted to get her something to remind her, every day, of how much he loved her.

  Suddenly, Beck looked around. “I’m surprised Gary isn’t here. He should have smelled this much food by now.”

  Reno was about to say that he wasn’t sure where the raccoon was, but almost as if on cue, the telltale scuttling of paws could be heard from under the porch, and a raccoon appeared. Then another, slightly larger, raccoon trailed out.

  “Well, I’ll be damned. Gary’s found a mate!” Beck exclaimed as everyone at the table turned to look.

  “Gary’s the smaller one,” Dallas said quietly.

  Beck frowned. “How can you tell?”

  “I recognize the markings around the mask.”

  “Huh.”

  “The smaller one? That must mean that Gary is a female.” Dani cocked her head, smiling amusedly. “You named a female raccoon Gary?”

  Suddenly, the table went silent and everyone turned to stare at Dani, especially Beck, whose mouth had fallen open.

  “Gary’s a girl?”

  Dani nodded. “Yeah, I had a friend who was a wildlife photographer. Told me female raccoons are generally smaller. It’s the only easy way to tell.”

  Beck sat back in his seat, dumbfounded, as Sierra, his mate, laughed. “It’s okay. I’m sure she’ll forgive you,” she teased.

  “For years, I called her Gary. For years.” He looked devastated.

  “Yeah, and if they’re mated, that must mean…” Reno paused, and everyone looked back toward the porch where Gary and the other raccoon were standing, watching everyone at the table for a second.

  Then, slowly, a few small kits crawled out from under the porch to cuddle next to their parents and eye everyone tentatively. They were tiny, small enough to be held in one cupped hand but big enough to walk and see clearly.

  Reno had to admit that they might just be the most adorable things he had ever seen, with their tiny masks, paws, and beady eyes.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Reno saw Beck grab a cracker from a platter and lean down, holding it out for Gary, who watched him for a second, then gingerly picked up one of her kits in her mouth and scampered over to Beck.

  She stopped in front of him, standing on her hind legs and eyeing him for a second.

  “I think she wants to propose a temporary trade,” Sierra said.

  Beck’s eyes widened for a second. Then he carefully held out his hands, one empty and one holding a cracker.

  Gary stared at him for a second, then stepped over and placed her kit in Beck’s hand where it lay still, looking up at Beck curiously. Then she moved over and took the cracker from him, munching on it but still keeping her eyes on him.

  He looked like he’d been handed a lump of pure gold, and he tenderly ran a finger over the baby raccoon’s head.

  Reno didn’t think he had ever seen his friend look like this.

  Clancy broke the silence, shaking his head. “Damn, and to think she once couldn’t stand you.”

  “Jealous much?” Beck looked up, grinning happily.

  Clancy just laughed at that.

  Beck held the kit until Gary was done with her cracker. Then she took the kit back over to join the rest of them, where she nuzzled and cleaned it for a second.

  Damn, even things had turned out okay for Gary, it seemed.

  Just like they had for Reno.

  “So how long will you be at Thunderwolf Ranch?” Harrison asked as conversations resumed around the table.

  “Once the dragons have a mission for us—or, more accurately, the basilisks—we’ll be moving wherever that takes us.” Reno’s eyes caught Dani’s, and they shared a smile before he looked back at Harrison. “She’s my home, so as long as I’m with her, it’ll work out okay.”

  “Aww. You’re my home. You always have been,” Dani said, blushing and leaning against him.

  He smiled and looked up at the homestead. Though, if he had to choose a second home, it would be here, at Dragonclaw. It would always feel special because it was the place they found each other and fell in love again.

  When everyone was done eating and they had cleaned everything up, Beck stood from his chair and pointed a finger at Reno, cocking an eyebrow imperiously. “You up for a rematch? Shifter horseshoes?”

  Reno laughed. “Tempting, but I’ll pass. I’m gonna stay with Dani.”

  “I knew it. I knew you were too scared to face me, wolf.” But from the look on his face, Reno could tell that Beck was just happy for him.

  “Shifter horseshoes? What’s that?” Gunnar asked.

  “Sounds fun,” Ajax said.

  Diesel nodded. “I will win.”

  Beck walked around the table, grabbing the three large men around the shoulders like they were a few teenage boys and pulling them off toward the empty field where the large pole awaited.

  “Oh, you’ll see. Let a mountain dragon show ya how it’s done,” he told them, chuckling.

  Reno smiled as he watched them walk off. Then he felt a nudge in his side.

  “You’re not going to join them?” Dani asked.

  He shook his head. “Maybe in a moment, but for now, I want to be here… with you.” He laughed. “Sometimes it still feels like a dream. A wonderful dream so perfect that I’m afraid to wake up.”

  She gave his hand a squeeze. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Me neither.” He stared deep into her eyes, loving their green depths, loving even more that he would get to look into them for the rest of his life. “I love you, Dani. So much.”

&n
bsp; “I love you too.”

  They shared a kiss, and when they broke apart, Reno felt peace in knowing that wherever the world took them, they would always have each other.

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  Zach, Isaac Morningstar III, touched the chunky iron chain around his neck as he caught his reflection in one of the dingy shop windows he passed. Anger contorted his expression as he withdrew his fingers and started again down the street of the bad neighborhood he’d been dropped in.

  He was still getting used to the modern world since he’d been woken up some months ago, but even he knew this wasn’t the type of place he would ever have chosen to go back to when he had full access to his dragon powers and a massive treasure trove that allowed him to live in comfort whenever he felt like being in human form.

  And yet here he was, leveled, humbled, shackled by this collar until the oracle who watched over shifters was sure he could be “trusted”, barely able to partially shift, with no money and nothing but the clothes on his back.

  Despicable state of events.

  Not that he blamed the oracle. In his day, hundreds of years ago, dragons had been more akin to powerful, despotic demigods who terrorized humans when it pleased them and roamed the countryside freely. In human form, they were often dukes or lords with power to match, able to hide in the countryside in a massive estate if they so chose. To hell with caves.

  Here, dragons had been remodeled to become something much more civilized. Now they worked in pairs, enforcing the laws of the shifter community and protecting shifters and humans in their area.

  Protecting them.

  The thought was ludicrous. Zach had never in his life met someone he wanted to protect, and he doubted anyone here in the selfish, petty human world was going to change that for him.

  Thunder cracked overhead and he looked up with an annoyed scowl to see dark clouds overhead. A few more steps and he felt the patter of rain on his shoulders and shook his head in disgust. He looked around him to gain his bearings and saw a shop across the street that seemed friendly.

  A human woman stood in the front window, smiling as she chatted with a man in front of her in a low chair. She had long hair, a mix of dark brown and red that shimmered over her shoulders. Soft, pale skin with rosy cheeks. A sweet mouth.

  She was touching her male client’s hair, and Zach felt an odd rumble of jealousy at the sight of it.

  She was providing some kind of service. Zach would go over and see what, and get out of the rain at the same time.

  When he pulled open the heavy glass door, all eyes turned to him. Various men and women with striking colors of hair looked up at him in shock. Their clients, all arrayed in black cloaks, stared as well.

  He saw seats to the side of the door and sat in one, glaring at the humans to try and deter the stares he was receiving.

  He was a dragon, a powerful one. The world could rise or fall on the whims of him and his friends. They should show him respect, not this mixture of shock and disgust.

  The girl he’d seen from the window turned to him with soft blue eyes. Kindness. That was unexpected. “Did you want to make an appointment?”

  He pursed his lips and leaned back in the chair. “For what?”

  “A haircut, of course,” she said, a smile touching her full lips.

  Zach sat up a little straighter as a little bolt of warmth coursed through him. Most unexpected. He touched his shoulder length mop, tangled from the trip here and damp from the rain. “No. I do not need one.”

  She smiled and shrugged. “Okay.”

  Other customers sent nervous glances around and Zach ignored them. He picked up a magazine from beside him and pretended to hold it in front of him while he studied the people.

  He wasn’t wholly ignorant of the modern world. He’d been living on a shifter-only island, but they had all of the technology. Just none of the humans.

  As he assessed the people around him, he realized when this place closed, it would be evening, and time to find lodgings. He’d been walking all day, and would need somewhere to stay at night. If he could still take his full dragon form, he could go out into the woods and sleep there. His dragon form was impervious to cold. But his human form would probably freeze.

  Drat.

  He stared at the human again, narrowing his eyes. The man in the chair in front of her stood as she removed his cloak and took him to the counter where payment was taken. On the way there, he turned to Zach with a scowl.

  “You could stop staring, hobo,” he said, before turning his back on Zach.

  Zach gaped. Hobo? As in, a homeless beggar? For a moment he was speechless at the audacity of it. He was the furthest thing from that. Or was he? After all, he had incredible wealth but none of it was accessible. Incredible power but no way to use it.

  He was kind of a hobo, wasn’t he?

  “What is he smiling about, anyway?” the man muttered.

  “Shush, Gerry,” the woman said. “You know I welcome anyone here.”

  Negative one point for humanity for Gerry, Zach thought. Plus one for the girl with the kind eyes. He glanced around the shop. Probably not going to be any more positive points around here.

  The oracle had said she’d remove the collar when she felt she could trust him with humans. He had no idea what that meant, but probably it meant hating them a little less. Being less aghast at the thought of protecting them.

  When the man had left, the girl with kind eyes removed her black apron, revealing a soft, curvy body in a short pink dress with black leggings underneath. She sat next to him, just a chair away, and gave him a kind smile. It made him tingle slightly.

  Dragons did not tingle.

  He shifted uncomfortably.

  “My name is Erin,” she said, leaning forward with a smile.

  “Okay,” he said curtly. For some reason, this little human set him off balance. He was still considering what that meant.

  “Can I help you with something?” she asked. “I can call a shelter or maybe someone you know…”

  He pursed his lips. “How about you just let me stay here and continue my observation? Or is that too much trouble for you?” His tone was slightly sarcastic and she raised an eyebrow in amusement.

  “No, it’s no trouble at all,” she said sweetly. “You’re welcome to just stay in out of the rain as long as you like.” She looked at the clock. “Well, until we close. I was just making sure you didn’t need help.”

  “I don’t,” he said flatly. He was frankly a little offended that she thought he was some kind of invalid seeking help. What about him was giving her that impression?

  He flinched back when she reached for a lock of his hair that was falling over his face. “At least
let me give you a wash and a shave,” she said. “On the house.”

  He frowned. He didn’t want to accept this human’s pity, as in his other form he could eat her in one bite. But he’d seen her hands in the other man’s hair, and he wanted that. Wanted her touching him. Looking at him.

  “All right, human.” He bit his lip and ignored the way he’d referred to her as she let out a light, tinkling laugh and led him over to her chair.

  He sat down, sinking into the soft cushion with a sigh. She had to put the chair all the way down to work on him because he was extraordinarily tall compared to most humans. And good-looking, and muscled, if he said so himself.

  As he faced the mirror, he admitted he was a little the worse for wear after his travels. He had an overgrowth of black beard, but that was manly. And his hair was tangled from wind and the slight rain.

  He’d worn a long black trench over his clothing because it would provide shelter from the rain and elements and he didn’t know how long it would take to find lodgings.

  But he didn’t see anything wrong in the mirror. If anything, he just looked masculine. Strong.

  She leaned him back and helped rest his head on the sink. “I bet you’ll be a whole new person after this,” she said with a wink.

  His eyes skimmed her curvy body, so close and warm, and then came back to her eyes, a beautiful clear blue like wildflowers.

  Her hands worked through his hair, soaping and kneading, and he relaxed into her touch, her scent, the soft sound of her voice. The look of her kind face. The press of her body as she leaned over him. Even being a dragon, and very impervious to heat, he was on fire.

  He stared at her, feeling shock unlike anything he’d felt as she finished washing and wrung his hair dry. Then she reached for a razor and foam to start the shaving.

  As she carefully glided over his face, dipping in and out of a bowl, rinsing and wiping the razor so as not to cut him, he found there was a great deal of eye contact to be found in a shave.

  What was she doing to him, the minx? His body felt warm. His throat tight and dry. Every touch was hot agony.