Scales and Flames

by Catherine Banks

  Kyran motions for me to get in first.

  “Thank you Tim. Please take us to The Harris Suites.” He slides onto the back seat with me.

  Entirely too close for comfort, I try to scoot away as far as possible. He frowns.

  Tim pulls away from the curb, after a few minutes. The tension has reached an uncomfortable level within the car. Tim is shifting in the front seat; which, if I had to guess is unusual for him.

  The silence gets to me and I turn to feast my eyes on Kyran for the first time since we left the club. A gasp escapes my parted lips. He’s staring at me with almost solid gold eyes that are glowing, overtaking the hazel color of his irises into slits.

  “I need you, amica mea. All of you.” His voice is husky, pleading and so full of emotions.

  How do I respond to that when all I want is for him to take me here and now?

  He has weakened my defenses and brought me to an edge that no one before him ever has. There’s a burning drive within my body, and I need more too.

  He reaches over unbuckling me, pulling me into his lap and devouring my mouth.

  I start grinding on the already growing bulge in his pants. We are both moaning, losing ourselves in one another, when I remember that Tim is in the front seat and can see everything.

  “No, come back to me amica mea. Stop thinking. This is as it should be.”

  That brings everything to a halt. I know he wasn’t speaking that time. Our mouths were still fused together.

  I break away, giving him a suspicious look. “Why did I just hear you in my head? What is going on?”

  His eyes remain almost solid gold, the heat emanating from him increases the temperature in the car. Causing my already wet and aching core to clench.

  Damn, I need to get my body under control.

  “Hmm...I personally prefer your body out of control.”

  I cross my arms drawing his attention to the cleavage pushed up from the movement.

  “Get out of my head, Kyran. Now.” I raise my voice with that last word, hoping to get my point across.

  He chuckles.

  I’m pissed, and growing more agitated by the minute. What he says next pushes me over the top.

  “Not possible, amica mea. The bonding has already started.” He has a sexy, content look on his face, looking completely at ease.

  As for me, I’m anything but relaxed after that statement.

  “What the hell did you do?”

  To be continued…...

  ABOUT NICOLE KELLEY

  Nicole Kelley is a paranormal romance and urban fantasy author. She released her debut paranormal romance series in 2018, along with several anthologies. She was born and raised in TN, where she currently resides with her husband and three kids. Being an avid reader she never planned to write until the daydreams in her head needed an outlet. She focuses her writing on giving readers an escape from the ordinary and mundane with an element of soul stirring romance. Behind this creativity is a love of coffee, dark chocolate, popcorn and private car karaoke.

  Https://www.authornicolekelley.com

  ASH MAKER’S SUNDRIES BY L. ALEXANDRA LONG

  Ash Maker’s Sundries by L. Alexandra Long

  She's hot and hot under the collar. Mako is a fiery redhead by day and a bronze dragon when she's tired of human problems. She’s now stuck in L.A. with Akor, the grumpy old dragon, and his 'son' Erik. She's not sure if she's walked into a trap or not, but she's going to do everything in her power to get away from these two. Even if there's an electric connection between Erik and her. She's been able to talk her way out of worse situations than this.

  Ash Maker’s Sundries © Copyright 2018 L. Alexandra Long

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Created with Vellum

  One

  Mako leaned forward against the counter. This was not going well.

  “Look buddy. I just want to trade in this PlayStation 4. There is nothing against the law about doing this. I give you the game system. Then, you give me the cash.”

  The young man behind the counter stared at her for a moment trying to form a sentence. It wasn’t entirely his fault, though. She was a walking distraction. Mako had walked in here with no bra under her light ocean blue, low-cut, So-Cal tank top and it didn’t hide much. Her cut off shorts showed off her butt. The white, mock athletic, thigh high socks she wore with her tennis shoes completed her provocative image.

  Mako also had supernatural ways to make people do what she wanted. She couldn’t help it. She was a dragon in the form of a human. This meant normal people were affected by her latent power. As a dragon, she could rely on brute strength. Her massive size, a full wingspan, and a tail helped with that, among other things. The power she wielded could let her talk someone down off a ledge, or she could wheedle her way out of jail if she so desired. Eventually, it took more and more of her energy to persuade them to do what she wanted. It wasn’t worth the effort after enough time. She could not directly control the person’s actions or change their inherent beliefs. So, as a human, she relied on her sex appeal and fast talking to help when it could.

  Now she was standing in front of this young man trying to trade in a PlayStation 4 she had acquired from last night’s date. Her persuasion usually only lingered for a few hours once she was gone, so he’d have probably noticed it was missing by now.

  Stupid pawn-shop rules, she thought. Hopefully, the frat boy she stole it from hadn’t woken yet. Mako knew this was taking far longer to get her cash than necessary.

  “I will see what I can do,” he told her. He left the PlayStation on the counter and went to the back. Probably to confer with the owner who did not like Mako.

  He had good reason since many of the things she brought in ended up reported stolen. Mako sighed and pulled her luscious red hair back into a loose twist, securing it with a hair tie from her wrist. The pawn shop owner was not completely immune to her charms. He was just old and grumpy and followed rules like a military officer. She had burned her bridges with other pawn shops. This was her only legal option left, and it looked like she was losing it too.

  “I need to run the serial number and then you are all set,” the young man with plain brown hair and a skinny face said. He walked up to the computer. His Rams jersey hung loosely on him since he didn’t have the muscle to fill it out. Mako knew she could take him in a fight, but that wouldn’t get her any cash. The old guy would immediately call the cops if he heard a scuffle.

  Mako batted her long eyelashes and leaned on her forearms over on the counter. Her smile became genuine when she noted how he stared. And why shouldn’t he? Her tank top was cut low enough that she wasn’t hiding anything from him. He had no chance now that his eyes were locked on her ample breasts.

  “You don’t really need to do that.”

  “Do what?” he asked stupidly.

  “I was given this as a gift. So, I don’t even know where it was bought. Can’t you just catalog it as a used PlayStation and help me out? I need the cash, not a reminder of my ex.” She stood slowly, his gaze moved to her dark green eyes, and she saw the idea click into place. He realized she said she was single. His typing was hurri
ed on the keyboard, possibly making extra mistakes, trying to help her faster.

  “I’m supposed to check the serial number, but I guess I can just not put it in the system,” he said with his stupid grin still plastered on his face.

  Mako flashed him a smile back and hooked her thumbs in the back pockets of her jean shorts. She leaned on one hip against the counter, turning to expose the extremely open sides of her tank top. He was a sucker. Now if only he could hand her cash before the owner walked out front. Time manipulation was not something she had figured out entirely, and she still couldn’t get it to work consistently. The dragons who were good at time manipulation had all gone to sleep, as far as she knew. Her parents had told her that most of them had been killed while dreaming.

  Hurry up, she thought again as if it would help to think it instead of say it.

  “Give me a minute. I have to fill this out.”

  He was counting back cash, not filling anything out. She knew her powers still worked on him. If she could make him speed up, then she could get out of here. It might be easier to trade in a game system at the retail game shop for cash because they didn’t ask questions. Yet fifty dollars was a lot less than the couple hundred dollars she could get at the pawn shop for the same thing.

  Mako fought the urge to tap her fingernails on the counter and kept her hands fisted, thumbs firmly planted in her short pockets.

  “Here you are. Two hundred for the system. Another twelve for the controller. Games are two dollars apiece so that’s twenty-four. Would you like me to count it all back to you?”

  “No. Thanks,” Mako was struggling to keep the smile on her face. She took the cash from his outstretched hand, wondering why she was on edge. The pawn shop owner rounded the corner from the back and she realized why she was agitated.

  “Oh, here we go,” Mako muttered under her breath. She pocketed the cash quickly, watching the owner. If she could catch his eyes, she could convince him she wasn’t doing anything fishy. She only had to meet his eyes.

  “You.” He didn’t look at her but a second. “I thought I told you not to come back here.” Mako had missed her chance. He was already looking down and pulling out his phone to call the cops. He had warned her last time. Apparently, he was going to make good on his promise. With his eyes on his phone, she had nothing to bargain with. It would be best to simply disappear. If the cops stopped her, she could deal with that when it happened. Mako finally gave in and turned to run. He had cameras. They all had cameras. Even when they weren’t following all the rules, pawn shops were all the same. She hadn’t done anything illegal… except steal the PlayStation and they couldn’t prove that. This would be handled in-house, like all the others.

  Out on the street, she ducked back down the side alleyway. The faster she moved away from the main streets, the better. A cop car would only bother to look so far from the street for something this petty.

  Being a dragon gave her greater stamina and she was much quicker than any human. She took off at a fast-paced walk down the sidewalk. When she cut through an alley with no people around, she could run through it. Then she would slow back down to a quick walk in public. She didn’t want to look suspicious by dodging behind fences or jumping over a trash can. That would get her noticed.

  Sirens echoed off the buildings, just long enough to get through traffic, and promptly cut off again. They sounded three or four blocks away. They would not find her. This was Los Angeles, they had more important concerns than a pawn shop delinquent.

  Mako ducked into another side street…. and another… and another... She didn’t know this part of town as much as she would like to. It didn’t take long for there to be no sirens, as she guessed. Unfortunately, Mako found that she had made one too many turns down random alleys.

  “Crapbaskets,” she said to herself. She was lost. She would have to go back the way she came. Then she would have to find a sign that told her where she was. Mako took a deep breath to calm herself. She was still on edge. Something about that last pawn shop hadn’t felt right to her. From the moment she walked in she wanted to leave. Mako took it as a good sign that she was kicked out.

  Over the last couple of centuries, Mako had found her way to southern California. She had abandoned her home when her parents didn’t return after the conquistadors’ arrival. After the last of the humans that lived in her village had passed, Mako realized she was going to be all alone. She started working her way north to avoid being taken as a trophy herself. By the time the gold rush hit, Mako had made it to California. She spent the night wherever she could. Every time she thought she found a place she loved within the city, she found herself driven away. Yet for some reason, she couldn’t seem to leave Los Angeles.

  Now, where was she going to go? She had cash and didn’t have to find shelter until dark. Mako found it much easier to spend her nights in parks or anywhere else there were fewer people. In California in mid-spring, it wasn’t like she was going to freeze to death.

  Two

  It was about dinner time and she was hungry. She could worry about where to go later. She saw the back of a dingy restaurant. The side of the building she chose to walk around was obviously not meant for foot traffic. Only one person at a time could walk beside it. The front door was all the way on the far side of the parking lot from where she came out. She looked at the sign above the door that said, “Erik’s Diner”.

  “At least they have food,” she told herself as she took in diner. How were they located back here? Apparently, you had to know it was here to come to eat here since the parking lot appeared to connect to another alley. She was only sure cars could get in and out because there was one car in the parking lot. Still, the opening was about as big as some single car driveways she had seen in this city.

  The inside looked like a standard boxcar diner. Bar stools that lined the counter had peeling red upholstery. The sign on the door said they were open from noon until midnight. It was almost evening. Still, the whole place had a lifeless feel to it. Where was everyone?

  Mako wandered around towards the cash register. She peeked in the kitchen and saw that there was someone in the back, standing next to a running sink, preparing food.

  “Hello?” Mako called.

  The water stopped for a minute and Mako waited out front. Then the water started again.

  “Hey, I want to buy some food,” she tried louder this time.

  Again, the water stopped. This time a guy’s head popped out. She smiled when she realized he saw her.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were out here,” he said politely. “Take a seat wherever and I’ll get you a menu.”

  Mako sat on the closest bar stool and twiddled her thumbs. It felt weird in here. She couldn’t explain it, but something was off. There was no one in here, except the one worker that she could see or hear so there was nothing to worry about, right?

  “Hey, my name is Erik,” he said.

  Erik, like Erik’s Diner? That’s what his diner t-shirt and nametag said. His plain dark brown hair, green eyes, and wiry frame didn’t scream owner of this establishment to her. He looked like a kid. Then again, at a few centuries old, everyone was a kid.

  He set out a glass of water and handed her a laminated menu.

  Mako reached out to take the menu from him. The moment her fingers touched it, something in her body reacted and it felt like lightning arced up her arm from the tips of her fingers. Mako froze. That had never happened before. She pulled her hand back quickly and shot a glance at Erik. He seemed unfazed and stood there holding her menu out to her. He raised an eyebrow at her as if to say ‘take the menu’.

  She hesitantly reached out and took the menu a second time. Again, lightning shot up her arm. This time the shock was not as strong as before. She took the menu and dropped it in front of her as soon as it left his fingers. If he had felt anything, he wasn’t letting it show.

  “I’ll come back to get your order in a minute,” Erik said turning away to finish his pr
ep.

  Mako knew she shouldn’t be aggravated at him but taking a menu from him caused an electric shock. Therefore, it was his fault he didn’t feel anything. As far as she knew, dragon abilities didn’t cause lightning to shoot up your arm. Unless he was a lightning dragon, but then he would have known he was doing it. The lightning dragon she’d run into in Mexico could make lightning shoot out of his mouth instead of flame. His brother could manipulate water. Mako took a sip of ice water to calm herself. As long as it didn’t happen again it wasn’t a problem. He couldn’t be a dragon, right?

  Mako wasn’t sure how many dragons there were left in the world. In her youngest years, she had been told that they had once been worshiped as gods in temples. Mako, herself, had been raised and revered by humans in South America. All too soon, dragons were reduced to living in caves when the temples were destroyed. The days of knights going into mountain caves to slay dragons were long gone. Even in those times, there were few of them left. To save their race, the Red Dragon Council cast a spell on all of dragon kind. Human forms had to be taken to blend in. She found out early on while her special abilities worked well on most creatures, it didn’t work effectively on other dragons.

  Mako glanced down at the one-sheet menu without touching it. She might as well get something to eat for lunch before other people start coming in here. If there were even other people who knew this place was open.

  Burgers and fries, there was nothing new about that. There was a burger joint on every corner out here in Los Angeles. It was up to you what kind of burger you wanted though. Fast food burgers were cheap, but they tasted cheap. If this little diner was selling a nine-dollar burger, it had better be really good. Mako picked the bacon and avocado cheeseburger.

  Now that she was paying attention to her surroundings again instead of the menu she noticed Erik was talking to someone. At least it sounded like Erik. Maybe it was the cook. Why he would need to talk to the cook before he had taken her order was beyond her. Since he wasn’t paying attention though, Mako took the opportunity to test the lightning effect. She had to know if it was this place or if it was Erik. Keeping her eyes on the doorway she touched one hand lightly to the menu. Nothing happened.