Shadows and Sorcery: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Adkins, Heather Marie

  Nothing. I looked at the vial in my hand and then up at the moon.

  “Now what?” I had expected to feel something, either inside or around me, but as I sat there, nothing happened.

  I cleaned up my items and put my robe on before taking the few things I needed to return to the kitchen downstairs. I walked as quietly as I could, but Stephen still heard me. I peeked into the living room as his head swiveled my way. Mom was sound asleep on the couch, and Vampire Diaries was still playing on the TV.

  “What are you doing?” Stephen whispered. I motioned for him to follow me into the kitchen. I turned and shrugged my shoulders as he followed me in.

  “Nothing happened,” I blurted, sadness heavy in my voice. “Maybe the chafing candle wasn’t a hot enough fire for the pot.”

  “Oh, hun, it’s not instant. What did the spell say?”

  I ran through it in my head and repeated, “Drink and wait for your dragon mate to find you.”

  Stephen ran his hand up and down my arm as I spoke. “And where did it say he would find you?”

  I continued reciting the spell in my head until I gasped. “In my dreams!”

  Stephen nodded as he maneuvered me to the stairs. “Right, now go relax and let things take their course.” He smiled. “By the way, Wyatt will love your ensemble.”

  I looked down and felt the heat of a blush rise up my neck. I didn’t realize how low the neckline on my nightgown had fallen. I opened my mouth to say something, but Stephen clucked his tongue at me and shooed me upstairs. I turned and climbed, each step harder than the last.

  “I think the spell is hitting,” I mumbled as I stumbled into my bedroom and fell across my bed, succumbing to sleep.

  * * *

  Once again, I traipsed through the trees on the mountainside to the clearing that was a constant in my dreams. The same spot I had encountered dragons last time. I was fully aware of myself this time though, of how the air warmed the closer I got and caressed my skin as it swirled and almost pushed me forward. The pine scent of the mountainside mixed with wood smoke and another burning smell I didn’t recognize. The heat felt heavy as I stepped through the last row of trees into the open field. The moon hung high in the sky, blanketing the clearing in bright-blue-tinted light. Before me stood a glorious silver white dragon. This one was a bit smaller than the red dragon I had dreamt of before. She—as I felt it was female to my core—gazed upon me with eyes of cobalt blue, lit from within as though holding a sapphire to the flames of a roaring fire.

  I stepped closer, needing to touch her. She lowered herself and lay her head toward me in invitation. With a shaking hand, I reached out and felt the smoothness of her scales along her snout. They lay in layers along her body and were cold to the touch. I stepped closer, wanting to venture farther along her body. She shimmered then, and in moments, a woman stood before me. Her hair, as silvery white as her scales, flowed down her back to just above her elbows, her eyes still a deep sapphire blue, swirled with hints of silver. Her small, pert nose sat above pink lips open in a wide welcoming smile.

  “Natalie,” her melodic voice said. “It is so good to meet you. I had hoped my journal would do its job. My grandson has been waiting his whole life for his mate. So long, I am afraid, he has given up hope and become jaded at the thought the goddess would ever bless him.” She stepped forward and took my hands in hers. Her silver dress swirled about her feet as she moved. Her hands were soft and supple, her touch warm on my hands, and her love and acceptance radiated through me. “Do not let his resistance keep you away. He needs a strong and determined woman by his side.” She winked at me. “The goddess wouldn’t have chosen you if she didn’t think you were the perfect fit to his gruffness.” Her eyes glanced over my shoulder. “Our time is up. He approaches. Go to him, show him your heart, and don’t let him turn away.” She wrapped me in a warm hug.

  I hugged her back, a squeezing-tight feeling like I might never get the chance to do so again. “I’ll do my best,” I whispered.

  “I know you will,” she replied before shimmering out of sight. “Just love him like he deserves.” Her last words floated to me on a warm breeze until I heard a twig snap behind me.

  I slowly turned around, wishing I had chosen something a little less seductive to wear. I felt exposed and extremely vulnerable as I raised my eyes to watch him emerge from the trees—almost like the sacrificial lamb tied to the alter, waiting for the lion to attack.

  His eyes held me immobile as he took me in from the top of my head to the toes on my bare feet. My body zinged to life with awareness. I felt as if his gaze was physically touching every spot on my body. His scent wrapped around me, a deep, earthy smell of the woods coated in a smoky campfire with a tinge of sulfur, like a recently extinguished match. Beneath all that was a musk that was purely male and, I knew, unique to the man standing feet from me. My body reacted with a need deeper than any I had felt before. My nipples hardened and poked through the flimsy material of my nightgown. My girlie bits tingled and throbbed while he continued to gaze at me and slowly prowled forward, revealing his body in the moonlight. Each step he took was measured and purposeful. His body was thick with muscles that rippled with every step. His T-shirt molded to his upper body, leaving very little to the imagination. His pants hugged his hips and then went straight down to his combat boots. Tattoos ran down each arm and up beneath his sleeves. I wanted to peel his shirt off and study each tattoo in detail with my hands and my tongue.

  “Tell me your name.” His voice growled from within his chest, and my eyes snapped to his at the sound.

  “Natalie.” The huskiness of my own voice shocked me. I stood a bit taller, pulling my shoulders back and tilting my chin. I wouldn’t be the weak one anymore. I was chosen for a purpose, to be this man’s—this dragon’s—mate. I would be the woman he deserved. My feet moved of their own volition, and I met him halfway. The air around us charged with electricity, and our eyes never left each other. He reached out to touch my hair and fingered the braid I had thrown it in before performing the ritual earlier. My hands shook as I placed them against his chest, following the line of his shirt until I reached the hem. I placed my hands beneath the material feeling him for the first time.

  He was hot to the touch. I tore my eyes from his and watched my hands travel along his chest and down each arm. He stood still, holding his breath as I did so. As I touched him, something clicked into place inside me. The pull to be closer became stronger and I went with it, stepping even closer, so my body fit against his. My hands skimmed back up, and I wound my arms behind his neck. My fingers delved into the soft hairs at the back of his head.

  “I see you.” His voice quivered, and his eyes flashed to a dark orange ember, his pupils thinning and stretching as he stared at me. He said it again, his voice deep and vibrating from his chest. “We see you.”

  His arms wrapped around me, and his lips descended to mine. “I see you too,” I whispered, seconds before I closed my eyes and gave myself over to the demands of his lips.

  20

  Wyatt

  I felt her pull as soon as I closed my eyes. I knew the time of resisting was over, and I relaxed into the feeling, letting it drag me under and into the dream realm where I knew I would find her. Drago’s excitement coursed through my veins at the knowledge we would finally acknowledge our mate, no matter the consequences.

  Drago urged me to move faster. He felt her and was done waiting. I let his instincts lead the way until we came upon the clearing where the moon shone brightest. I paused, reigning my dragon in when I saw the dragon form of my grandmother illuminated within the circle. Then I saw her, standing so close without fear. I watched as she approached and interacted with Gran. My heart hurt seeing her again after so many years, but joy brought tears to my eyes to see her accept the woman who would become my mate. Gran’s eyes met mine for just a moment before she faded.

  I moved forward, making sure to step on the twigs within the underbrush. The beauty who turned a
nd met my gaze took my breath away. The lost pieces of my soul began to settle into place as I moved toward her, growling for her to tell me her name. The magic of the mating bond began to wind around us in the winds, raising the hairs along my neck and arms and exciting Drago. I could tell it was affecting her too, the evidence clear beneath the thin material of her gown. When she stood tall and pushed those gorgeous breasts toward me in invitation, my cock jumped so hard, the teeth of my pant zipper cut into my flesh. The pain barely registered as she began walking forward. When she responded, her voice calmed the beast within, allowing me to slow my need to take her right there on the forest floor.

  Meeting her halfway, I reached out still expecting her to not be real. Even after all these years to have finally found her, the blessing from the goddess still seemed too good to be true. Her scent was a summer breeze on mountain air, mixed with sugar cookies and a bit of caramel. Her hair was a myriad of shades of brown all shining under the blue light of the moon. I had to touch it to see if it was as soft as it looked. I ran my fingers along the braid hanging over her shoulder and rubbed the ends between my fingers, confirming it felt as soft as silk.

  I froze the moment her hands touched me. Not wanting to scare her away, I let her touch me wherever she wanted, holding Drago back as I barely breathed. The need to take her grew every second we touched. I didn’t know how long I could wait, but I knew what I had to do for the mating to fully settle in.

  “I see you,” I whispered as she touched me, and after Drago growled at me, I added, “We see you.” That was the last piece needed for my soul to be whole for the first time in my long life. She felt it too, I think, because she stepped into me and pushed her lush body against mine, encircling my neck with her arms and burying her fingers in the hair at the back of my head. My resistance was gone, and I bent down to take the mouth she offered me. I heard her whispered response as I took her lips.

  “I see you too.”

  My world rocked on its axis as I explored her mouth. Drago roared his happiness as I tried to pull her even closer. The damn broke, and our hands worked in a frenzy to remove every stitch of clothing we had on in record time. I pulled back, breathing hard, my pulse racing and heart about to explode from my chest. I raised her face until her eyes met mine. I had to make sure she wanted this just as much as we did.

  “Are you sure?” Drago stomped within me. Angry that I would pause to even ask her.

  “Yes,” she said, her smoky voice caressing my inner beast.

  I rested my forehead against hers. “Thank the goddess.” I kissed her again, taking my time to worship the lips I hoped would be on my body soon. I lowered her to the soft grass beneath us, knowing that in this dream world, it would be as soft as any bed I could find. I followed her down and sat back on my haunches to take in the splendor lying before me.

  Her hair had escaped its braid sometime during our clothing removal, and I loved how it splayed out around her head. Her face was alight with excitement, her lips a deep red as evidence of our passion. Her slender neck flowed into a sweet spot between shoulder and neck that begged for my mark—a mark I couldn’t give until we were together in the real plane but one I would not put off. Her skin shone in the moonlight, her ample breasts rounded with nipples erect waiting for attention. I had to touch her and ran my hands slowly down her body, barely grazing the undersides of her breasts, following the flair of her waist and hips down her thighs and back up. I loved the slightly rounded belly she was trying to hide.

  “Don’t ever hide yourself from me,” I chided as I moved her hands, placing them above her head. “Keep them there.” Repositioning her in that pose put her more on display, and my dragon could wait no longer. I descended, taking her lips in another searing kiss before I made my way down her body, kissing every spot and then laving it with my tongue. I gave each nipple ample attention, licking, sucking, and lightly biting before kissing the sting away.

  She panted. “Wyatt, please.”

  “Please, what?” I paused, knowing full well she was close to orgasming.

  “I need… more. I don’t know.” Her skin bloomed a bright pink as she tried to find words for something she probably had never had to voice before.

  “Don’t worry, pet.”

  Her hips rotated beneath me as I worked my way down to the most delicious part of my mate. I spread her thighs wide, opening her to me and the air around us. She moaned even before I lowered my mouth to her. A few strokes of my tongue had her flying over the edge and screaming into the sky. I moved back up her body until my hips met her thighs. I had to pause and fight for control. Drago was done waiting and wanted to take our mate now. Natalie’s hands ran up my arms. I was sure she was wondering why I had gone so still.

  “Hey,” she whispered. Her hand cradled my cheek. “Are you okay?”

  I breathed slowly with my eyes shut, trying to put Drago back in his corner. I answered her in short words. “Yes, give me a moment.” I breathed deeply. “My dragon is impatient and wanting to take over.” Her hands moved and stopped over my heart.

  “Can you let him out and still be in this form?” she asked.

  I marveled at the question and posed it to Drago, basically asking if he could behave himself if I let him see through our eyes. After a minute of internal debate, we came to an agreement. I slowly opened my eyes, knowing they were those of my dragon. Natalie gasped, not in horror but in awe.

  “Hey there,” she said as her hands came back to frame my face.

  “His name is Drago,” I whispered, my heart swelling with happiness at her acceptance of both sides of me.

  “Hey, Drago, now can you behave because I really need Wyatt right now.”

  Drago basically rolled onto his back and lolled his tongue at her. Not the sight I needed in the middle of my first sexual experience with our mate.

  “Enough talking to him.” I leaned down, nudging her opening as I took her mouth. I wanted her focus on me, not my dragon. He would get his time.

  “Oh,” she sighed when I released her lips.

  I reached back and pulled one of her knees a bit higher as I pushed inside her. She was so warm and tight. I took it slowly, stopping to allow her to adjust to my size and girth. She wrapped the leg I wasn’t holding around me, adjusted the angle, and allowed me to make a final push to fully seat my cock within her. The air erupted with roars around us, as if hundreds of dragons were celebrating. Drago joined them, and—

  “What the fuck?” I sat up, jolted from the dream, the echoes of the dragon roars still echoing in my ears. I adjusted the raging hard-on still filling my pants and smacked my hand on the weathered wood of the small porch. “What the hell?” I yelled to the sky and anyone who might be listening. Drago paced inside me just as agitated if not more. My heart raced, and the feeling of loss was a black hole growing inside me.

  The bond that had begun within the dream was still there. I felt Natalie’s emotions alongside mine and it made me calm a bit, knowing she was just as frustrated as I was. With our bond in place, all Drago wanted to do was go to our mate and comfort her. Well, comfort might be too tame of a word for what he really wanted to do. I knew we couldn’t stay at this little shack anymore. I grabbed the pack that had been left, swept the interior to remove any sign I had been there, and backed my bike out of the little lean-to at the side of the house.

  The sat phone vibrated in the side pocket of my new backpack before I could start the engine. I pulled it out and answered it, agitation clear in my voice. “What?”

  “Hello to you too,” Leo said in greeting. “I’ll make this short. Draven has assured me the vampire issue is done. The local chapter of The Resistance will no longer be able to call on them for support. Also, from what I could find, this Valmyre guy is the only true threat. He was one who escaped the very first raid. His followers are weak, and once they see the power you have, they will scatter as long as you take him out.”

  “They all need to die,” I growled. They had threatened my mate.
Sheep they may be, following an evil shepherd, but my inner dragon didn’t give second chances.

  “Wyatt, they are misguided men looking for someone to follow. You can’t kill them for that. I have a team on the way, willing to take them to a rehab facility. Maybe they can give us more information on The Resistance, but they deserve the chance to make amends for what Valmyre has made them do.”

  I took a deep breath. Logically what Leo said made sense, but it was hard to agree to his plan. “So you want me to detain them after taking out their leader.” I couldn’t say his name and stay sane.

  “Cut the head off the snake, and it dies. Yes. I am sorry I couldn’t provide more backup. Most of the men are in Rio helping Casey with an issue down there. I did get confirmation that the local coven has spelled the warehouse, so once they go in, they won’t be able to leave, allowing the team to go in and take them down easily.”

  “Do you have any other info?” I rubbed my forehead as my brain worked overtime trying to figure out how to take out the head of the snake without hurting anyone else.