by Alexis Davie
He snickered. “Okay, but if you ever tell anyone else, I will deny it and call you crazy. I still, to this day, have a soft spot for this. Take a guess at what it is?”
She shrugged helplessly. “I can honestly tell you that it would be impossible for me to guess.”
“Animated movies,” the immortal dragon shifter said. “They get me every time.”
Coral’s eyes widened, and she smiled at him. “Really?”
“Really.”
“But you seem so…calm and collected,” Coral said, remembering how he had turned into a dragon and chased away more than fifty armed men in around two minutes.
Kai chuckled. “I can’t explain it.”
She lost control of herself and finally laughed, but she didn’t do so to mock him. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t mean to laugh at you, but that’s both funny and amazing.”
“No, no,” he told her with a half-smile. “I told you that so you’d feel more comfortable with me. I’m just like you. Personality doesn’t change with time.”
The kitchen was large and built for a man who loved to entertain. The black granite counters stood out boldly against the cream-colored walls and stainless steel appliances. Four stools were placed on one end of the large island in the middle of the kitchen. Coral imagined herself eating breakfast at the island with Kai, or fixing dinner together while drinking wine. She quickly put that thought out of her head.
You just met him. It’s not like you’re moving in. This is seriously crazy, she thought to herself, trying to bring her mind back to reality.
He opened up the refrigerator and pulled out some mushrooms, lettuce, and tomatoes. Then he reached into the cupboard for balsamic vinegar, some spices, and hamburger buns.
“Mushrooms?” she asked.
“Portobello mushroom burgers,” Kai answered.
“You’re a vegetarian?”
“Yes.”
Coral frowned. “But you’re a dragon.”
Kai raised an eyebrow at her. “Your point?” he questioned. When she didn’t answer, he smiled and chuckled again. “Calm down. You’ll love it.”
He walked to the stove and put the mushrooms in a pan along with some olive oil and spices, then invited Coral to sit down at one of the stools while he cooked.
“I have some questions for you,” she said. “You defy logic and reality.”
“I don’t hear any question,” Kai said.
“Okay.” Coral looked down at her hands before looking back up at him. “How do you exist, and why don’t humans know about you?”
“They do know about me,” he replied. “They just don’t recognize me. Trust me. You know magic creatures when you see them, sometimes. You merely choose to ignore them because it defies human convention. You’d be amazed. Humans will do anything they can to ignore the possibility that dragons and other legends of folklore exist. Those that know about us are generally laughed at and ridiculed. Isn’t that true?”
Coral thought about it. She had personally watched shows on people that insisted dragons and other such fantastical creatures existed, but she’d thought it was funny. Not so much anymore.
“True,” she agreed, frowning. “And you said only four of you are immortal? You and your brothers?”
“Not exactly,” Kai told her. “Most dragons are immortal. My brothers and I are different because of our parents. Our father is the Dragon King and our mother is Gaia, like I mentioned. Upon our births, our mother gave each of us an element to control. Other dragons don’t have those types of powers or responsibilities.”
Coral crossed her arms over her chest, but it felt more like she was hugging herself. “Must be lonely,” she said.
“Not really,” Kai said. “My family is close. We rely on each other. And now, you will be part of our family.”
Coral straightened her back. “Wait…what?”
“I told you, we’re soulmates. You feel it, too. We will be together for eternity, if you’ll have me.”
She couldn’t believe how casual this conversation had turned, how Kai could still be cooking as if he wasn’t talking about spending eternity with a woman he had met only a few hours ago.
“I’m not immortal, and I’m not a dragon,” Coral said, reminding him of the blatantly obvious facts. Even if she felt drawn to him, could she truly say that what she felt for him was enough to stay with him forever?
“Someday you will be immortal and be able to shift into dragon form,” Kai continued. “When we find our mates, their bodies transform when they become pregnant. The chemistry of your body has to change for you be able to carry a child.”
“Umm…I’m not ready for a baby.”
“There’s no rush. You asked, and I am answering your questions.”
“Is that true for all dragons?” Coral asked, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Kai was apparently completely sure that she was his mate.
“No. Just for my brothers and me. Other dragons came into existence after us, but none of them have the power that we have.”
Nothing seemed to make sense. Nothing should have made any kind of sense, but the more she thought about it, the more it did. In her heart, Coral knew it was true. “So, even after everything that happened tonight, you still want to be with me?”
Kai turned back to her. “Unquestionably, but I want you to know what this entails. Being a dragon’s mate is permanent, just two of us for life.”
Coral sighed to herself. “Eternity is a long time. I can’t say that I am totally convinced that fate exists,” she breathed.
Even she knew her words were not true. Everything felt so right. Coral knew exactly what Kai was talking about, she felt her soul yearn for him. She wanted to take him in her arms and make love until the sun rose. She wanted to explore his world.
She wanted him. Every part of him.
Kai took her hands and stroked them. “I hope to change that.”
Her ears picked up the sound of crackling food.
“The food’s burning,” she told him, although eating was the last thing she could think about at the moment. She couldn’t quite pull her gaze away from him.
Kai laughed at himself with a funny look on his face. “You know, I just don’t care right now.”
He walked back to the stove and turned it off. Then, he picked Coral up from the stool and kissed her.
8
Their lips met passionately. Instinctively, Coral wrapped her legs around his waist as he held her up easily.
The kiss lingered. No need to hurry. If he was right, they had eternity to explore each other’s bodies. She allowed herself to relax. She closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the taste of his lips.
It finally ended, leaving her exhilarated. She felt alive, more alive than she had ever felt before. Kai’s touch stimulated every nerve in her body and felt incredibly erotic.
Kai placed her on the island countertop and moved his hands up her legs, lifting her dress until her black lace thong was visible. He brushed his fingers across the outside of the fabric, across her outer lips. Applying pressure, he began to toy with her, massaging her in slow, sensual circles. Her body reacted strongly as her nectar soaked her thong’s cotton lining.
His hands, strong enough to rip steel, felt her with incredible sensitivity.
She sucked gently on her lip as he fondled her lovingly. “What the hell did I do to deserve someone like you?”
“I wouldn’t know that,” Kai purred. “After all, you’ve been a bad girl…”
“Oh, terrible.” Coral pushed her hips forward against his fingers to intensify his touch.
She reached down to massage the bulge that grew in his pants. After unbuttoning the top button, she slid her hand inside, under his boxers, until she firmly grasped his cock.
“Oh, God,” she murmured. “You’re huge.”
“I won’t make you do anything you’re not comfortable with,” he assured her.
“I didn’t say that was a bad thing,” she
said with a smile as she began to stroke his shaft in a rhythmic motion.
Kai kissed her again and then wrapped his arms around her, cupping her ass. She removed her hand from his pants and then ran her fingertips across his bare back, which was strong and defined. She wanted to feel muscle and power, and with Kai, she did.
She slid her hand down his abs and then back down inside his pants. He let out a low groan.
His pants were tight from his erection as his rod tried to escape its bounds with increasing determination. She wasn’t going to let it be that easy for him.
“You’re a tease,” he accused her with a moan. “Let’s see how you like it.”
“I’m all yours.”
Kai kissed her neck before he moved to her slender jawline and then down her chest. He slipped her dress off. The fabric caught on her full breasts for one moment before he lifted it over her head.
Coral couldn’t help blushing. She had never felt so exposed before, and the last thing she wanted was for him to reject her now.
It turned out that she didn’t need to worry about anything.
“You’re breathtaking,” he whispered before kissing the very top of her breasts. She arched back as he moved his lips across her bare skin down to her nipple. He grazed her nipple with his tongue before putting his teeth around it and lightly biting her. Every touch made her want him more.
Coral slid off the counter and onto her knees on the floor.
She ran her index finger along the distinct imprint of his cock, hesitating a moment on the head. She looked up at him and saw that his eyes were wild and excited, and she couldn’t wait to do what she wanted.
She unzipped his pants and pulled them to the ground, exposing all of him to her. Kai stepped out of his pants and kicked them to the side. She grabbed his cock in her hands and applied pressure to his shaft with deep, long strokes. She placed the tip in her mouth and gently sucked before stimulating him by swirling her tongue around the head.
Taking as much of his length as she could into her mouth, she expertly moved her lips over him. Her hand worked in perfect unison with her mouth, massaging him while simultaneously licking and sucking his throbbing manhood.
A loud growl from deep within Kai’s throat let Coral know he was on the verge of climaxing, so he lifted her up and laid her back against the cool, hard island countertop. She wanted it all, and she wanted it right then. No waiting. No slow, drawn-out process. Now.
Kai ripped off her panties with his teeth and inserted two fingers into her sex. He bent over and applied pressure to her clit with his tongue while massaging her g-spot. The intense sensation sent her over the edge within moments. He didn’t allow her body a second of relaxation before removing his fingers and thrusting his cock into her core.
Coral couldn’t suppress her loud moans as he moved in and out of her, over and over. He grabbed onto her hips and guided her movements to his, sending him deeper within her.
She met his eyes and saw a storm begin to form. Rain began to pour down outdoors as lighting crackled all around the house.
He continued to ravage her until once again she felt her body tense and she shattered around him, as her unrelenting orgasm pulsed throughout her body. One more thrust and Coral felt Kai spill his seed inside of her.
He pulled out and wiped her clean with a warm wash cloth before helping her off the counter.
They walked to the living room and sat down on the couch. Kai pulled her into his arms and she rested her head against his shoulder.
“So what now?” she asked.
“You’re mine. I want you to stay with me, and become part of my world.”
Coral looked up into his blue eyes. “Stay here?”
“Yes,” Kai said. “And I will bring you to my kingdom, which is where I spend most of my time. I only keep this house to protect the Tree of Life.”
She smiled at him and laid her head on his chest. “This feels right. It feels like you are supposed to be in my life. You really want me to stay though?”
“I have no doubts,” answered Kai. “I’ve been alive more than five-thousand years and I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
“Yes,” said Coral. “I want to stay with you.”
“Soulmates,” he repeated, and Coral felt the word ring true down to her bones. “I will cherish you for every moment you grace me with your presence. Every morning, with you beside me, my world will become more alive and joyful. And when the time is right, you will become like me.”
Now Coral realized that meeting him at the bar had only been the beginning of their journey. She realized that she had specifically chosen Kai for a reason. Smiling, Coral kissed him on the lips. She knew, without a doubt, that she’d made the best choice of her life.
* * *
THE END
Scarlet Oak Shifters
Short Tales of the Scarlet Oak Shifters
1
Brother’s Best Friend
He had no reason to be excited as the car pulled off I-95 and made its way through the cedar-lined backroads.
They were closer to their destination than he realized, and his apprehension was mounting.
I shouldn’t have come back here, he thought angrily, eyeing Branson with disgust.
As if sensing his annoyance, his best friend turned to him, removing his starch white hat from atop his blonde head, and grinned disarmingly.
“It’s only for three weeks,” Branson said optimistically. “What else were you going to do while we were on leave?”
“I don’t know, Bran. Maybe go to Europe? Maybe Vegas? Maybe anywhere but back to the trailer park in Scarlet Oak, Georgia where I’ll be scraping my mama off the floor when she’s passed out from too much bourbon again.”
Branson half-smiled and shook his head.
“Ah,” he replied with understanding. “Does she know you’re coming home, or did you conveniently fail to mention it again?”
Rocco scoffed and turned back to watch as they fell further into the country with each passing mile.
“What’s the point of telling her? She would only forget, anyway.”
“Good,” Branson said, clapping his best friend on the back. “Then you can stay with me. No need to tell her anything. She won’t leave her trailer long enough to hear that you’re here, and even if she does, she’s apt to forget, anyway.”
Rocco glanced back at Branson, a spark of hope growing in him for the first time as he considered the offer.
Do I really want to stay with the Carringtons? Rocco asked himself. Don, Cindy, and Zoe watching my every move?
The Carringtons had been like a surrogate family to him since he and Branson had attended grade school, but they were still exactly like family. Rocco was not sure that he had the energy to endure the platitudes and small talk.
Instantly a mental picture of his mother’s bloated, tearful face popped into his mind.
“Shouldn’t you check with your folks first?” he asked, and Branson laughed.
“Nah,” the slightly smaller man replied, extending his fingers to examine his nails. “The family is so happy that I’m home that they wouldn’t care if I brought the enemy to stay at this point.”
Rocco wondered what that was like, having a family who missed him after being gone for three years.
He reasoned that the Carringtons would be happy to see him, too.
It had been the appeal of joining the military to Rocco, leaving behind the oppressiveness of Scarlet Oak and the pack, putting his natural killer instinct to good use.
But he couldn’t deny that a fire burned inside him, a longing for something more than shifting and war.
What it was, he couldn’t say exactly, but as the years passed, the conflagration grew hotter, and Rocco did not know how to calm the flames.
“Lieutenant Carrington, Lieutenant Burnaby, we will be in Scarlet Oak in twenty minutes,” the driver announced, and Branson turned to him expectantly.
“So? What do you say? You coming to s
tay with me?”
Rocco found himself nodding in agreement. What else could he say? Neither of his options was appealing, but at least staying with Bran would be the lesser of two evils.
“No need to stop at Burnaby’s location, Bryce,” said Branson. “Just straight to Pine River Drive.”
* * *
“The balloon fell, Zoe! Pick it up!” her mother screeched, and Zoe rolled her blue eyes skyward.
“Mama, this is unnecessary,” she moaned, but she leaned forward to reclaim the fallen red orb, taping it to the streamer against the Roman column.
The front of the colonial-style house looked as if America had thrown up on it, red, white, and blue assaulting Zoe’s eyes from every angle.
“Shush,” Cindy Carrington retorted. “Your brother hasn’t been home in three years! The least we can do is show that he was missed.”
Zoe did not respond, although several thoughts crossed her mind.
Branson doesn’t want a production, she thought, stifling a grunt. He just wants to come home and relax. And he certainly doesn’t want a faux-patriotic display to remind him that he’s on leave right now. This is a terrible idea. I can’t wait to see his face and then tell him I was against the decorations the whole time!
It didn’t matter how long Branson had been gone; Zoe still felt she knew her brother better than anyone else in the world.
And she knew he would hate the gesture.
As if on cue, a black sedan pulled up along the long, pine-edged drive, and Cindy squealed with delight.
“Don! Don, Branson is home! Branson is home!” Zoe’s mother shrieked into the house, clapping her hands together like a small child.
Again, Zoe swallowed a groan and watched the vehicle approach, flopping indifferently onto the front steps to put her chin in her hand, a short blonde strand of hair resting at her wrist. She had no interest in bombarding her brother with the theatrics her parents had prepared, but she did want a front row seat to his disdainful expression when he arrived.