Rebel fell to his knees, his clothing and shoes gone in a flash. Bones cracked and popped. Human morphed into beast, revealing a flawless white wolf growling down at her. She froze, completely mesmerized by his size and the glow of his fur in the swaths of moonlight hitting him from above. Mystical and powerful. At her five foot and some change height, Rebel in his full-on fur mode stood at eye level.
A-MAZ-ING.
Thank the goddesses she was on his side. Or was it that he was on hers? She bit the inside of her lip and tried to focus. Either way, the dragons had a worthy adversary. She flexed her fingers. Make that two.
Although there was nothing she could do to stop the shifters if they really wanted to have a go at it, she sure as Hades could stop them from trashing the place.
She pushed forward with both hands extended and ablaze with indigo flames. “Stoooooop.” The single syllable word rushed out, and she forced all her will into her magic. If they thought she would sit by like some damsel in distress while three testosterone-pumped men duke it out, they were sorely mistaken.
“Maybe you forgot, but you’re all guests in my place.” She let the flames recede then jacked a thumb around to encompass their surroundings. Snow flurries trickled in through the door that stood ajar. With slow steps, the white powder crunch underfoot as she walked up to Rebel’s wolf, who currently stood with his lips curled back and fangs on full display, and softly rested a hand on his neck. A low rumbled growl held the dragons in their place, but anything could set off the tightly wound tension when it came to them enforcing their laws.
“Easy, Rebel. The dragons mean no harm.” She shot them with a pointed glare, her hand at the ready with her witch’s fire. Hopefully, Rebel could read her energy as well as hear her words better than his human counterpart and feel she was in no danger with the dragons. They only gave an uninterested shrug in answer.
“I think you should be on your way before something we all regret happens here tonight. We can handle our arrangement at another time.”
“Out of respect fer yer kind, we’ll take no offense through the actions of yer mate.” Clairvoyants were regarded with high reverence by the dragons. Her aunts had taught her they believed her kind as blessed guardians of the otherworldlies. A role she took too lightly until tonight.
Both dragon shifters took a step back to mirror their words. Their eyes were bright with an ancient power that rolled off them in waves to smash against everything in its wake. If she didn’t know any better, she’d bet they did it on purpose.
She gave a half-smile. They thought Rebel was her mate? Ha! What a hoot! The minute she spied his cruiser beneath the old willow tree earlier tonight she knew there would be some fast-talking to do in her immediate future if she didn’t want the sheriff’s cuffs to clink around her wrists for real this time. Lovers or not, he had a job to do for the town and keeping the peace between species sat high on that list. He also had no idea she was working with the dragons to begin with. A truth she knew he wouldn’t agree with, so she’d kept it to herself.
“Good, because you two are the cause of this ruckus. Your fly-by show did nothing but give him good reason to bite y’all in the asses. You could have kept it simple, like walk drive here, walk through the door like normal people.” That brought a smile to dragon boy number two’s face, making her palm twitch.
Dragon boy number one dipped his head in acknowledgment.
“Forgive us. It’s been a long while since we’ve interacted with any outside of our kind. We’ve come to inquire about the matter we spoke on the other day.”
“It’s been dealt with.” She gave a slight nod to the half-empty vial on the counter. Her well-meaning sidekick, as it were, deepened his growl when they moved to where she signaled. “Let them be, Rebel.” Her hand slipped from the scruff of Rebel’s neck to rest on his back and caused him to settle, if only slightly.
The one with long black hair picked up the vial, twisting it around. “An’ the substance?”
She cocked a brow. “There was an accident, and we all know you already know this.” When a shifter’s blood was used in spell-work, they knew. Just like they knew when one of their own was in mortal danger or dead. It pulled at an invisible connection they shared that linked them all together. Much the same way all dragon folk could communicate on sound waves that no other being—otherworldly or otherwise—could tune into for a listen. Not mind to mind, just a different frequency of hearing.
Their expressions turned grim and the way they made eye contact told her they were using their secret radio now. Dragon boy number one, turned slowly to face her and Rebel.
“Before you go getting your wings all bent outta shape, it was an accident.” That she conveniently left out that her coven sisters used a few drops tonight too, did no harm, no foul. “The way I figure, the tally of favors is about even, but if I need bail money after tonight,” She gave a chin nod toward the sheriff. “You two better be ready to dive into your hoard. Oh, and by the way, virgin maidens aren’t considered currency. Just sayin’ sugah.” She gave a curt smile and waved. “Ciao, boys.” The faster she got rid of them, the faster she could defuse the situation and get back to what mattered most. Right now she couldn’t tell if that was Rebel handcuffing her or seeing him naked after he shifted back. Both sounded like fun.
“Before we go, lassie…” The midnight black-haired dragon shifter stepped forward and extended his hand to her. With the movement, long lengths of hair shifted to the side to reveal a wide strip of color buried beneath a few layers of hair.
She clasped his hand, which pulled another bestial growl in protest from Rebel. “Easy, wolf, I only mean to bestow a gift.” The dragon returned his attention to her. So focused on keeping Rebel from taking a bite out of them, she’d missed the streak of color in his hair that matched his eyes. Wicked cool.
The burst of unexpected color added a fun layer to the otherwise lethal vibe he put out. “Name is Xierrah.” He fell to one knee, still holding her hand. “As long as yea require, my brother, Dakan here, and I will defend yea against any maliciousness brought on yea by this task. Yea only need to call on us and we’ll come.”
The Draegon’s fully black assembles encased perfect bodies beneath. With the way the moon poured in through the skylights and the soft yellow light from inside, every contour in their bodies shifted with the shadows and denoted fierce strength. No doubt, they were a force to reckon with. Now she saw up close what had women falling at their feet to be their consorts. How their race was dying out made no sense to her but she’d seen the proof behind the rumors. To see a dragon was rare, to see a coupling rarer. To hear of a birth more so. In fact, rumblings through the paranormal community have it close to two decades since the last offspring was born.
Xierrah rose to his feet. Towering over her he leaned in a fraction. “I only have one more question. Did yea find out a name? A location? Anythin’ we can use on how the human came in contact with our blood to give to the warlocks in the first place? It is imperative we find her.”
She flicked a glance over her shoulder at Rebel’s wolf. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple. When I arrived at the warehouse you told me about, I sensed a powerful warlock in the vicinity so I moved fast. It’s obvious she played the middle guy and gave it to them, but I couldn’t find out why. All I know is that she wasn’t there anymore. Something felt off from the start. I have never seen the Circle work with humans like that before, but you know what, I didn’t stick around to ask questions. I just took what I could find on the tables and left.” She gave a slight shrug. She didn’t mean to sound edgy or impatient, but the tension grated along her nerves and Rebel didn’t look as if he fared well either.
“Sorry some of the vial’s contents went missing, but you do need to know this. The human had some of your blood on her. Why? I don’t know, that’s all I have.” If they wanted more of an explanation about the missing blood, though, they’d better find a looser-lipped witch. Like Hades she’d give up her sis
ters.
They stared at her for a long moment, then at Rebel, who stood sentinel between them and her. With a shallow bid farewell, both said in unison, “We’ll be in touch, lassie.”
Great.
Both Draegon warriors stepped clear of the door and pushed off the ground. Seconds later they were gone, their dragon forms melting into the cold night.
Where the hell did their clothes go? How did they expect her to contact them? Did dragons carry cell phones? That made her laugh and earned her a pointed look from a wolf that made her laugh harder. She tucked her questions in a little mental box to look at later.
Thunder quaked the ground seconds later. Not even their shadows lingered and they were gone just as fast as they’d shown up.
“That could have gone a helluva lot worse.” Aleaha turned on her heel and aimed to do anything that got her away from Rebel and the way he shot her a dirty sideways look now that the threat he perceived to be real had gone.
How he did that in wolf form and make her feel three inches tall was beyond her. No man ever made her doubt her actions, but the sheriff had an uncanny way of making her uneasy when she toed the line of the law.
Swaths of energy flowed through the shop and seconds later and the sheriff stood in all his beautiful glory. Her eyes caressed every groove and bulge on his body.
He slowly prowls closer and her insides turned to jelly.
“You care to explain what the hell all that was about, Aleaha McKenna? Breaking and entering? Stealing?”
There was heat in his voice that took her breath away.
“Hmm. Not if I don’t have to.” He thought the power of her full name would get her to talk? When her mama used it on her, she knew trouble brewed, but with Rebel it just meant… Hades she didn’t know what it meant, but what she did know didn’t help defuse the situation any. If anything, it added fuel to the fire.
One hexed alpha who didn’t know why he couldn’t get a hold of his senses or emotions and the reason, she bet, why he couldn’t control his shift.
She hid her cringe behind a box of dried mushroom roots and started the task of cleaning up. If she delayed long enough, maybe the goddesses would take pity and let his metabolism work it out of his system. A wicked thought crossed her mind and she dipped her head to hide the smile. Or, she could help him along with a bit of cardio.
Soft padded steps drew up beside her, and she rolled her eyes at the thought of him never forgiving her of the small breaking and entering, even if it was for a good cause.
She gave up a silent prayer. For the love of all that is magic… give me the strength to not jump his bones. With a quick look over the rim of the box, the full view of every inch of exposed man caught her attention. Scratch that. From the tousled hair to his sculpted chest and abs and long well-shaped legs, no way she could escape her inner minx demanding a tumble in the sheets with her man. Checked power rolled off him and he had a dangerous vibe about him that was almost dark. His piercing eyes looked right through her shroud of lies and she almost caved.
Almost.
The rest of his body got in the way of her spilling the beans. And yes, that made her slightly shallow, but she was horny and seeing him naked didn’t help.
His thighs, goddesses divine they were made to be straddled. The way they parted hers and left her open for him the other night made her wet even now.
Then her attention roamed over everything in-between as if seeing him for the first time. Fevered heat flamed across her skin and she could do nothing to hold back the flare of desire that warmed her skin and caused her to take a deep breath.
He scented her need and approval glittered in his eyes. At least she hoped. From the look he pinned her with and his hardening cock, he left little room for doubt.
Her gaze caressed over his delicious contours and the sweet dip to his hips that led to the real treasure. Precum gathered like a pearl on the fat head and she was suddenly ravenous.
“Is that because of the full moon or are you happy to see me, sheriff?” Aleaha flashed him an angelic smile, left the box she’d stuffed random bottles in on the floor and cocked a hip against the end of the shelf. A glint of humor flashed across his face for a second and she saw a glimmer of hope with her change in topic to a more favorable one. Like all six foot something of pure naked male not three feet from her reach, and her mouth.
She’d had the pleasure of tasting the man a time or two. He made her mouth water despite the serious tone he wanted to keep. Little did he know the stern face he wore like a shield only served to tempt her naughty side.
She might be prone to fantasies about the man and his handcuffs, but that didn’t make her an outlaw. A smile spread across her face.
“What devious plan are you scheming now, witch?” He growled in a rough baritone, pinning her with a hard look.
“One that will get you between my thighs and your mind off the dragon shifters and their little hissy over spilled milk. Or blood in this matter.”
A small tilt in his lip caught her eye. “Straight to the point, as always. You ever worry about saying the wrong thing, getting caught in your own truths?”
“Not really.” Her gaze fixed on his lips, her tongue jutted out and licked along her lower lip. “Not when what I say, I mean.” His brows pinched at that. She pushed up. “Rebel, tell me we’re okay. That tonight didn’t cause anything bad between us.”
“You’ll have to be punished, but I’m sure we can work something out.” He took a deep breath that relaxed his shoulders and visibly worked down the length of his body, but the real story hid from her in the brewing depths of his bright red eyes. All she needed to do was look deeper for the answers she really wanted.
“Now to figure out how to punish you, my naughty witch.”
As much as she might need to, she couldn’t summon the strength to resist.
Chapter Six
Rebel’s voice was a bare whisper laced with a lusty intent. When he shifted back to human, his eyes remained preternatural. Still crimson with shafts of molten lava with gold specks and fogged over with enough emotion she didn’t need to read the future or be psychic to tell he was all over the place internally.
Fear easily coiled in her belly, ready to strike out and poison her heart with doubt.
Not for fear of the man, but of what might become of them. Her actions could tear them apart before they really came together.
When called to help others, it was part of her as much as her abilities. Couldn’t he see that? That she would be there for him just as much if he ever needed her. “What’s going on in the beautiful mind of yours, Aleaha? What has you so loose-lipped one second and shy the next?”
She could ask the same.
He raked a glance over her. Her heartbeat spiked from the shot of lust that filled her system as if he’d reached out and touched her. Angled toward her, she worshipped his body with as much heat. Blood rushed south and set a blaze so hot in her core he had to feel it too with how his cock hardened in response, the veins thick and the crown swollen with the same need that throbbed against her clit.
She licked her lips and took a step back to keep from slipping into his embrace and losing herself to the primal need to claim the man. She may not be a shifter, but everything in her screamed to mark him and let the world know he was hers.
“Everything is what is going on in my head right now. For starters, why the red eyes?” Her mama always said she was too straightforward. She found it helpful but understood how the truth could sound ugly.
She continued anyway. “Or, if you can’t answer that one, how about the way you jumped in to protect me like a mate would tonight. The fact the dragons noticed it and said as much also put questions in my head. How you abruptly left me after our last all-nighter without even a thank you or a call later. And a little tip, sweetheart—don’t you know that hurts a girl?”
Frown lines formed around his lips and across his brow.
A long moment passed and an uneasy silence desce
nded over them. “I think it’s all starting to add up, Rebel.”
He stood there; breathing through his nose, jaw clenched as if he had something to say but didn’t know how. Or maybe, she figured, he had nothing to say after all.
She angled her head to the side. “Wow, you look so different under the waterfall of moonlight cascading over you. Supernatural. Determined and hurting.” She took a step closer, raised a gentle hand and then took another step until her fingers buried in the unruly lengths of his hair, his hardened length pressed against her abdomen. “I can help you if only you open up and let me in, sweetheart.”
His frown deepened, but he didn’t turn away from her. In fact, he did the opposite. With three steps he had her pinned against the end of a shelf, pressed between her thighs, just as she loved. With one leg supported around his waist and a firm grip to her upper thigh, she balanced on the other and sweet goddesses, how the delicious pressure against her pussy made her weak in the knees. The thick ridge of his cock pressed into her midriff.
Subtle, he was not.
With his free hand braced beside her head, his thigh the only part of his body that touched her, he ran the tip of his nose along the shell of her ear and inhaled. One little touch had her panties soaked with girl-cum.
It excited and made her crazy all at once. Rattled to the core, she reveled in the feel of him flush against her and melted under the soft murmur of appreciation next to her ear.
“Exotic and wild, you make me crazy with lust.” His hardness pulsated between them. Breathy, she splayed her palms against this chest.
“I don’t think you need my permission to follow through with the promises in your eyes, Rebel.”
He anchored one hand on her hip and rocked her over the flexed muscle of his thigh. “But I like to hear it. Tell me, Aleaha. Tell me you want me to fuck you long and hard.”
Her head fell back against the wood and her world narrowed down to only him. Every nerve between her breasts and pussy lit up like a landing strip that led to the Promised Land. In this position, even through the rough denim of her jeans, she could fell his feverish heat.
Cuffed and Mated Page 4