by Maia Star
I collapsed in the front door, my adrenaline pumping like crazy, my heart thundering. I clutched my chest and stared at the spot where Hunter had been. He’d known where my new apartment would be and had come straight for me. My thoughts were wild, all over the place, and I didn't seem to calm down until Felix came and sat down next to me in his birthday suit.
His expression was hard as he looked at me, but he managed to sneak in a grin. “I’m staying the night with you.”
“We can argue about that in a bit,” I wheezed, bringing up a shaking hand to scratch my shoulder.
Felix nodded, and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, leaning me over to rest my head on his shoulders. I closed my eyes and waited as the sirens grew louder and louder.
Chapter Sixteen
Felix
When I heard Lily’s screams as I was walking away, I didn’t even think before rushing back to her new apartment. She was in danger, and that was all that mattered.
I wasn’t even surprised when I saw that it was Hunter, naked and looking feral, that was causing havoc for her. Just the fact that he was there at all made my blood boil. Seeing Lily cower, helpless against his wild rage nearly made me lose my mind.
But Hunter was a pushover; once I threw him out and smacked him around, he ran like a coward, like the insect he was, leaving Lily to shake violently against my shoulder.
The police came minutes later, pulling up in front of the apartment. While one officer came up to speak to us, two others went around to talk to Lily’s new neighbors, most of whom stayed inside their houses, peering out at us. A single woman walking her dog couldn’t stop staring at me and I realized I was still naked. I shrugged at the woman and held Lily closer.
After the officer was done speaking to us, she let us go and tossed me an extra pair of pants to wear. “Make sure you always have extra clothes with you, sir. And don’t shift again in plain daylight; you’ll scare the humans around here.”
As I clothed myself, I winked at her. “Oh, come on! My body should be immortalized in a statue, right?” The officer blinked at me. “Or not. Just a joke!” When she was gone, I steered Lily back inside, keeping myself near here in case her wobbly feet came back, and shut the door. “Well, that was a doozy.”
“You can say that again.”
“Okay, well that was a doozy!”
She rolled her eyes at me, but a small smile tugged at the edges of her lips. “Felix...thank you for coming back.”
I softened and grinned down at her. “I’m always going to come back for you. So never fear guys like Hunter, cause none of them will ever get past me, okay?”
She nodded, tears welling in her eyes. She tried to look away, but instead, I used a finger to drag her chin around to face me again. “You don’t need to feel embarrassed about crying, okay? Just cry, and I’ll be here for you the whole time.”
Before she could nod again, the waterworks came. She wept, pressing her forehead against my chest, using her fist to lightly pound on my arm and shoulder. And I just held her gently, becoming the anchor she needed. I could only imagine how hard the last month had been for her. She lost her home, her income, her husband, and all her friends. And then, as if the world decided that wasn’t enough, it sent her ex-boyfriend to bump into her and set this off.
I doubted Hunter would stop all this nonsense...he seemed like he was going over the edge. There were a lot of shifters that did go crazy like that, especially when they didn’t find a mate in time.
Lily gazed up at me, her eyes red and frowning. “I just don’t get it? Why is Hunter so obsessed with me? I mean, we haven’t seen each other since college! And we didn’t even date that long.”
“Some shifters go a little nuts if they can’t find a mate,” I said. “It’s unfortunate, but that’s probably what’s happening to Hunter. He must have chosen you back during college, but when you walked away, he couldn’t stop thinking about you, so he went nuts.” I curled a lock of her hair around my finger. “I don’t blame him. I mean, you’re beautiful. Kind. Gentle. You’ve got curves to stop any man’s heart instantly. You can keep up a conversation.” She began to blush.
She exhaled hard, her breath tickling my chest. “Is he ever going to stop?”
“Probably not until he’s either locked up or killed.” She blanched at that, but I grinned. “Don’t think about that, if it makes you feel better.”
She laughed suddenly, her voice echoing in the living room. “I guess I should be glad I met you too, huh? I don’t think I know anyone else that can take on a wolf shifter like that.”
“Exactly, so like I said before, I’m going to stay the night, and probably every other night too, until Hunter is dealt with.”
With that, she came alive. “Now wait just a minute! I don’t need you to watch over me. I can handle myself, and besides, Hunter won’t come around to attack me every single day.”
I shrugged. “We can’t know that for sure, but wouldn’t you rather be safe than sorry? Like you just said, I’m the only other shifter you know, and the only one that can protect you. What’s wrong with getting the added benefit of sleeping with me every night?”
She burst into laughter. “That could be taken way out of context.”
I grinned wide. “I would love to take it out of context.”
She blushed. “But you’re right...as frustrating as it is, fine. Stay the night with me, and every other night until Hunter is caught by the police.” She leaned in closer to me, pressing her hand just over my heart. “You’re so warm.”
“It’s all the fire swirling inside me,” I said. I clamped my hand down over hers. “It’s like a firestorm, a blazing whirlwind! Feel that? That thundering beat? That’s the beat of my heart, desiring every inch of you.”
Now she couldn’t quite handle her fluster, moving away quickly, her face as red as blood. “Okay, enough with the poetry! Let’s just...relax now. My heart is still racing after that whole thing.”
I peered down at her, watching as she batted her lashes. She gazed out the window, towards the setting sun. “Want to see something cool?”
She raised a brow and peered up at me. “Define cool.”
I shook my head. “You’ll just have to come see for yourself.” I moved away from her, still holding her hands in mine. “Let’s go to the beach! We can have some fun there. Play in the water...play with each other.”
“What about Hunter? He’s still prowling around. What if he attacks us?”
I bellowed out a confident laugh. “He wouldn’t dare challenge me again, not while he’s still sane. Come on, you’ll be right next to me the entire time. Plus, the place I’m going to show you is where he can’t reach us.”
Her fingers tightened in mine, and she gave me an excited smile. “A surprise, then? Well, I do like surprises...the good kind, obviously. Then show me.”
Taking her by the hand, I led her outside. She quickly locked the door, and then she hung on my arm as we sauntered down to my car. We climbed in, letting it purr to life, and then we took off into the night, flying down the streets.
“We’re going to my private beach,” I said as Lily hung on for dear life. “It’s quiet, close to my house, and most of all, it’s got a wonderful view of the Golden Gate Strait.”
“How many other women have you brought there?” she said.
“Ouch! And I thought my fire stung.”
She rolled her eyes but continued to smile as we got out of downtown San Fran. “Trust me; you’re going to love this. I’ll make it all worth it, I swear.”
But she still seemed to be a mix of joy and skepticism, sitting on the edge of her seat, waiting to see what I had in mind. As long as she ended up smiling, it would be worth the wait.
Chapter Seventeen
Lily
A break from all the stress of the past month was what I needed, so I was excited to see what Felix had in store for me. I was a bit skeptical, too, since I didn’t imagine him having any secret on the beach. Unless he did
have something mind-blowing to show me. Maybe he had an underground dragon base with the entrance hidden on the beach?
I was suddenly excited about seeing what was in store. Even if it was just a regular beach and there was nothing Felix was hiding, I wouldn’t mind just spending the time with him. Felix knew how to lift my spirits.
So as we drove and drove, Felix’s wide smile never dying, I couldn’t help but forget about what just happened. Hunter was becoming a distant memory again, and I gave myself to feeling safe around him. In this car, sitting just inches away, there was no place safer for me, and no place more out of reach for my stalker ex-boyfriend.
Finally, we drove past his house and onto the winding road that led down to the beach. We came to a stop just in front of the steps that led down to the long stretch of sand. Felix got out first, coming around to my side, opening my door with a bow. “My lady,” he said.
Laughing, I took his hand and climbed out, Felix locking the car once my door was closed.
“Here we are!” he said, motioning to the beach before us. “This is my private beach. I come here all the time to relax, stretch, shift, and spread my wings.” I raised an eyebrow at him. And when he noticed, he grinned. “Dragons do have wings, you know. How else would we fly?”
Rolling my eyes, I took the lead and started down the steps. “Of course, I know that!” When I got to the bottom, I placed my purse on the last step. “This really is your private beach, right? I’d rather not lose my purse to some scoundrel.”
He flew down the steps to join me. “Scoundrel, she says! I don’t think I’ve met a true scoundrel in my entire life.”
“Maybe that’s because you are one yourself.”
His hearty laugh made my heart jump in my chest. He spun around in the sand, kicking it up with his heels. Once he took my hand, I was pulled into his wild dance. I giggled and let myself go, spinning and smiling and laughing. Sand got into my shoes. I tripped over a tree branch I didn’t see in the dark of the night. Every time we spun, Felix’s face was lit up by the moon’s light, and then suddenly darkened when he turned his back to it. Fire escaped on his breath to light the air between us.
Stopping to pull off my shoes and socks, he did the same, coming close to whisper in my ear. “You don’t mind if your clothes get wet, right? You don’t have anything valuable on that could get water damage.”
“Uh, no, but—”
“Too late!” He was swooping low to sweep me into his arms. I yelped as I was thrown into the air and then landed firmly in his arms. He grinned down at me as I hugged myself, eyes wide, a nervous smile creeping into my lips. “Ready to be plunged into the water?”
“Now hold on, you miscreant!”
“Ha! Miscreant! That’s a good one. Now, one, two…” Before I could protest further, Felix suddenly vaulted forward. I let a gasp go as he sprinted to where the waves lapped at the sand, stopping to toss me forward. I screamed and curled up as I soared through the air, crashing into the water, splashing it everywhere. The water was cold, consuming me as I went under. My skin prickled with goosebumps, and my feet touched sand. I stood, bursting out of the water, coughing and wiping the water out of my eyes.
A few feet away, Felix had begun to wade into the water, the waves lapping at his waist. “See? Doesn’t going under feel good? It’s like you’re being cleansed or something.”
I shivered and threw him a glower before making my way over to him. His smile faded as I didn’t let up my expression. “What? Did I go too far? Oh, Lily—”
But I didn’t give him a chance to explain as I slapped the water next to him, showering him from head to waist. He stood, glancing at the growing grin on my face. “Oh, I see. You’re on.”
We were in a splash war, slapping the water to spray each other, cupping our hands to pick up and pour water over each other’s heads. I was laughing so hard I nearly wheezed. We slowly made our way closer to each other, diving this way and that, sending out ripples of waves. And then we came together. It happened so quickly, I almost didn’t know how we were suddenly in each other’s arms.
Not that it mattered. Our damp clothes clung to our skin, and I could see the outline of his pecs. I traced them with my finger before he took my hand and kissed it. His lips were red hot on my skin, and I sighed at the sensation. Then he cupped my chin and brought our mouths together. I closed my eyes, felt the heat on my lips, felt his tongue dance around mine. We kissed, waist-deep in the water, my hair in knotted clumps, his strong arms embracing me under the moonlight.
Nothing could convince me this wasn’t right, that this moment wouldn’t change my life forever. I wanted to meet a dragon shifter, and I had. This was the man I was waiting for.
Breaking apart, my heart thumping in my chest, we stared into each other’s eyes. I could see the urge in him, his wild focus on me. “Now, how about I show you that cool thing I mentioned, eh?”
Nodding, I let him take me by the hand and lead me to shore. On the sand, he shook off the water like a dog, letting those droplets fly everywhere. He stripped until he was naked, and I never looked away. “Have you ever flown on a dragon’s back before, Lily?”
I shook my head, smiling at the thought. “It seems like it would be...dangerous.”
He grinned, motioning for me to stand back. I stepped back until he gave me the thumbs-up, and then I watched him shift. This time, there wasn’t a rush to protect me, so Felix took his time, allowing me to watch with wide eyes as his skin turned coppery, scaly. His body elongated, grew three times its size. Wings sprouted from his back, and a tail formed, swishing this way and that. His eyes became reptilian, wild, yet I could still see the human in them as they peered at me.
I took gentle, careful steps forward until I reached him, running my hand over his scaly hide. He bristled, and then lowered himself, allowing me to step on his front paw and climb up. It took a great effort, but I got there up all the same. Once I was firmly planted on the base of his neck, I nodded to him, grabbing onto his neck with my hands to support me.
He started by flapping his wings, creating sandstorms on either side of us. Slowly but surely, we climbed into the air, and I forced myself not to look at how high we were getting. Soon, Felix was gliding forward, slow at first but picking up the pace every ten seconds or so. I found myself clinging on for dear life as he was angling up, soaring higher and higher. And then, without warning, he took off at a blinding speed, making me squeal as my hair whipped behind me.
In the distance, I could see the Golden Gate Bridge, the headlights of dozens upon dozens of cars driving along. Felix angled towards it, and before I knew it, we were flying underneath and then circling up to soar over the structure. My curiosity got the better of me, and I slid over to get a better look at the cars below. It was amazing to see the bridge from above. I couldn’t stop myself from grinning like a fool as the wind whipped into my face. But when I nearly slid off, I quickly righted myself and clung on even tighter.
Then we were heading back, flying low so that Felix could skim the water with his belly. He roared as he did a barrel roll, managing to somehow keep me on his back. I couldn’t help myself from screaming out too, even going as far as to raise my fists to the air, feeling the wind wash over my body. Felix made a harsh sound that sounded like laughing, and then we were slowing down.
Felix landed on the beach, though it didn’t seem real that we’d stopped, or even landed. I felt like we still should have been flitting through the skies or gliding just above the water.
When I slid off his back, I nearly fell over, but I managed to keep my feet square on the sand. And when I turned, Felix was back to human again.
Chapter Eighteen
Felix
I couldn’t control myself when I shifted back to my human form. My animal instincts were taking over, spiking my lust and desire.
After Lily slid off my back, all I could think about was her touch, her kisses. I wanted to consume her, to make her scream in ecstasy. Running over to her,
I picked her up in my arms, making her gasp, pressing my lips to hers. I smothered her voice, getting lost in her lips. I spun her around and around and around, and when I stopped, squeezed her against my raging muscles.
She squirmed in my grasp, laughed into my mouth. She never let up, didn’t give in entirely to me. I loved that. Her golden hair flowed in the breeze, and she huddled against my hot skin, seeking my warmth. When we broke apart, we stared into each other’s eyes. Hers sparkled, reflecting the moonlight, mesmerizing me.
Her cheeks burned at my touch, and she breathed down my neck, sending chills up my spine.
“You want me, right?” she said, her voice teasing and quiet. She brushed a finger down my chest, sending off fireworks in my body. I shivered. She looked me up and down.
“Of course I want you,” I said, leaning forward to nibble on her ear. She inhaled, grabbing my biceps. “I always want you. You make me feel amazing.” I whispered into her ear, “I’m going to rock your world again.”
“Right here?” she breathed, her eyes darting around the beach. “I know it’s your private beach and all…”
“I’d screw you in the middle of San Francisco. I’d take you on the pier if I could,” I said, reaching down to grab her waist. I kissed her neck. “There isn’t a single place in the world I wouldn’t stop to make you scream in pleasure.”
Lily sighed as if she just heard exactly what she wanted me to say. “Then take me. Let me ride you. That’s what you want, right?”
I tore at her clothes, hungrily trying to get at her bare skin. I wanted to kiss and nibble her entire body. She gasped with each tear, when my wild hands scratched her or my scorching hot lips pressed against her skin. I planted kisses on her collarbone, down her chest, to her stomach, on her waist. Soon, she was as naked as me, and I picked her up in my arms, placing her on top of me.