Hakona: Dragon Warrior (Scifi Alien Dragon Romance)

by Jamie Phoenix

  “You should take the rest of the day off,” Carlos put in. “We can handle things down here, and it’s...well, to be frank, boss, it’s a frenzy out there.” He jerked his spatula in the direction of the dining area.

  “And that’s exactly why I can’t take the rest of the day off,” Artemis pointed out. “Do you think any of them are going to calm down before they’ve asked me all their questions?”

  Tammy and Carlos both hummed thoughtfully at that. “Okay, good point,” Carlos admitted. “Good luck, then.” He saluted Artemis and went back to his cooking.

  “Thanks,” Artemis said dryly and then sighed before striding forward and pushing out of the kitchen.

  Carlos hadn’t been exaggerating about the frenzy. Every table was full, the counter was packed, and there were more people milling about between them and outside. All of them were talking at once, and Artemis’ headache flared to life once again.

  As soon as someone spotted him, the din fell silent. For about two seconds before it started up again, louder than before. He winced and held his hands up, hoping that people would heed him and stop yelling.

  “Excuse me!” he said loudly. “I know you all have questions and concerns about what you saw, and I’ll do my best to answer them all, but I have a terrible headache, and my body is pretty low on energy, so if you could make this easy for me, I’d be eternally grateful.”

  And it really was a mark of how much the people of Honey Ridge cared for their resident dragon that they all fell silent and looked up at him.

  The sudden quiet was a relief, and Artemis smiled around. “Thank you. Now, for reasons I’m sure you can understand, I’m not going to go into too much detail about what happened here today. Some of it was personal and honestly, I don’t think raking it over will help. I don’t transform often, as I’m sure you know, and it’ll probably be another decade before I do it again. I’m getting too old for this.”

  There was a ripple of appreciative laughter at that, and then someone in the back spoke up. “Is Holly okay?”

  That was the million dollar question, wasn’t it? Artemis sighed, looking around to see if he could see Holly lurking at the fringes. “I’m not sure,” he said. “If any of you see her, maybe you’d be so good as to send her back here? I’d very much like to speak with her.”

  They assured him that they would and gradually the crowd dispersed in twos and threes, some of them calling out questions, others just patting him on the shoulder and telling him he’d done the right thing.

  “I didn’t like the look of those boys,” said old Mr. Habershaw. “Rough and mean looking. Glad you ran them out. Holly’s a good girl.”

  “She is, yes,” Artemis replied, nodding.

  Even though he was still a bit ticked off and hurt that she’d used him, he could understand the fear response. He could understand how she might not have seen another way. More than anything he just wanted to talk to her, and he spent the rest of the day worrying about where she might be and if Dante and his goons had somehow convinced her to come back with them.

  As he cleaned up alone for the second night in a row, he mused that things had certainly changed. This used to be his routine every night, cleaning up alone, humming to himself as he worked before going to spend the rest of his night alone as well.

  But in the few weeks since Holly had entered his life, he’d become so used to having her with him that the new routine felt more familiar than the old one. Now the old one just felt lonely.

  Sighing to himself, he flicked off all the lights and climbed the stairs, letting himself into the apartment.

  When he walked in to see Holly sitting on the couch, he frowned. He hadn’t smelled or heard her go past him, and she would have had to go through the kitchen to get into the apartment. She looked tired and subdued but otherwise alright, and he was relieved to see that she was back and hadn’t been talked into going back with Dante and his pack of idiots

  “How did you get in here?” he asked abruptly. What he meant was how did she get in without him noticing, but he was sure it didn’t come out sounding like that because she flinched and looked at the floor. “No, I mean, I was looking for you,” Artemis soothed, not wanting to start this conversation with accusations or by making things even worse. He didn’t know where they stood, and some of that was definitely his fault.

  “I know,” she said softly. “I was walking around town and about five different people told me you wanted to talk to me. I slipped in right before the dinner rush.”

  “Ah,” Artemis said. “Well.”

  Neither of them spoke for a moment, him looking at her, and her looking at the floor. There was an awkwardness between them now that hadn’t been there since the first night when he’d brought her in, and he found himself longing for their usual comfortable banter.

  “Thank you, by the way,” Holly said after a bit. “For standing up for me. For not letting him take me.”

  “Of course,” Artemis replied. “I could tell he meant you harm. I meant it when I said I would protect you.”

  “I know, I just...you were so mad. At least I think you were. You weren’t really talking to me, so I wasn’t sure.” She looked up suddenly, meeting his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Artemis. I really am. I didn’t know what else to do, and it was the first thing I could think of, and it was really stupid, I know that now, I just didn’t want him to come here and make me go back because I was so happy here, and I just. I got ahead of myself, and I hurt you, and I’m sorry.”

  It all came tumbling out of her in one breath, and Artemis found himself smiling and stepping further into the apartment, going to sit in the chair near the couch. “It’s alright,” he said softly. “Will you tell me now? What happened?”

  Holly nodded, drawing in a deep breath and wringing her hands together in her lap. “Yeah. He was...he wasn’t always horrible, you know? At least, he didn’t seem like it. I worked at this grocery store as a clerk and stocking shelves, and he would come in nearly every day and talk to me while I worked. Sometimes he would bring me things, and the attention felt really nice. I was always really shy and quiet, but he said that he saw something in me. I should’ve known then that he was lying probably, I dunno.”

  “I don’t think that’s necessarily a lie. There is something about you that’s wonderful,” Artemis couldn’t resist pointing out, and her smile was small, but grateful.

  “Thanks. Anyway, he talked me into going out with him, even though my parents didn’t approve. They knew he was a shifter and were firm that shifters were nothing but trouble. A lot of people felt like that. But I stood up for him. I told them they were just being closed minded and that Dante was different. He’d take me to his house and we’d hang out there all the time. He told me that I was his, and I just. It felt nice to hear that. That he wanted me.”

  “He took advantage of you.” And it wasn’t a question.

  “Yes. I know that, now. I just. We were together for five years, and it didn’t start getting back until the second year maybe. He convinced me that if I didn’t leave with him I’d end up just like my parents. And he convinced me that shifters had to be mean and hurtful because that’s just how they were. I didn’t know any better, and I was still so starry eyed from the fact that someone like him could be interested in me.” Her voice was soft, but Artemis could hear the bitterness in her tone. “It went on like that until I ran away. I was just so mad. He was always having other women over, flaunting them in my face, but if I even looked at someone else he’d yell at me for hours about how I was ungrateful and rude and how he deserved better than me. He made me clean the house while he went out. I had to cook for his friends and clean up after them. Nothing was good enough, and then I’d just had enough, so I left. And found you.”

  To Artemis’ alarm, when she looked at him again, her eyes were large and filled with tears. “I didn’t mean to ruin everything. You’re so much better than Dante. You’re worth a million of Dante, and part of me wanted you to keep me safe, b
ut the other part just wanted to know what it felt like to be actually cared for. I’m so sorry I used you, and I completely understand if you want me to go. I was afraid of that before, but I think...I think I’ll be alright now, if that’s what you want. So you don’t have to worry.”

  Artemis believed her. He believed that she was sorry and that she would be alright on her own. She was still quiet and a bit meek, but there was a strength to her now that hadn’t been there when they’d first met.

  Unsurprisingly, the thought of her leaving made him unhappy, and he let out a messy exhale, leaning forward in his chair.

  “Before you came along,” he said. “I was perfectly fine. I ran my diner, I lived my life. No upstart werewolves came in barking orders at me, and the most I had to contend with was the tourists who wanted to pay me to transform for them. It was how I preferred things. And then you showed up, and all of that went to hell.”

  “I’m sorry,” Holly said again, hanging her head. “I...I can go. I’ll go.”

  “Look at me,” Artemis said softly, but firmly. “I’m not asking you to go. I’m trying to say that...that things were fine before you came along, but they were dull, they were lackluster. I didn’t have anyone to look after or anyone looking after me at the end of the day, and while I thought I was fine with that, I realize now that I was lonely. I threw myself into my work because it was better than sitting around wishing for things I didn’t have. And then you came, and I started to care about you from that first morning when you decided you trusted me. I don’t want you to leave. In fact, I’d be very pleased if you would stay.”

  It was the most honest he’d been with anyone in a very long time. Since back when he was younger and he’d told his parents that he didn’t want to go into politics like the rest of the family. But he knew this was important.

  “Really?” Holly asked, hope written all over her face.

  “Really,” he replied, nodding. “You may have noticed that my inner dragon is a bit attached to you.”

  She smiled and nodded back. “I noticed. It was...weird.”

  “I apologize for that. I know the last thing you need is another possessive shifter breathing down your neck. If it had’ve been someone trustworthy and not a complete cocky dick, I’m sure I would have been more willing to let you go.”

  That was untrue, but he didn’t need to scare her off with the truth about how his dragon considered her a part of his horde.

  “You’re nothing like him,” Holly reminded him gently. “And...I don’t think I’d mind the possessiveness if it’s you. I can be possessive right back, you know. And someone has to make sure you eat and take care of yourself. Someone has to hoard you right back.”

  No one had ever offered anything like that before, but when he thought about it, Artemis couldn’t deny that it sounded lovely.

  “Are you saying you’ll stay, then?” he asked her.

  Holly grinned and nodded eagerly. “I’d love to. I think if I’m choosing where to be now, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here.”

  Pleasure and happiness at her words leapt in Artemis’ heart, and before he really knew what he was doing, he was out of the chair and taking a hold of Holly’s hands, pulling her to her feet. He searched her face for a moment, pleased to see that the haunted, hunted look was nearly completely gone from her eyes. He cupped her face with one hand and tipped her chin up, leaning down to press his lips to hers in a kiss that sealed the deal.

  Chapter 11: Treasure

  Resolution, Holly mused as she pulled her hair up into a bun to keep the damp strands off her back, was a beautiful thing.

  She hadn’t anticipated how good it would feel to be free of Dante and free of guilt and just...free. She could do whatever she wanted, go wherever she wanted, be whoever she wanted, and there was no one who could tell her otherwise.

  At the moment, it was still a bit overwhelming. Sometimes she still caught herself looking over her shoulder, waiting for something to happen, for the other shoe to drop, but nearly a month after Dante and his pack had gone away and she’d resolved everything with Artemis, and there hadn’t been a sign of trouble, so she was starting to relax.

  Humming under her breath, she dried off from her shower, tired in that good way that came from a long, but fulfilling day of work. After all the time she spent working in the diner, she was a natural, and it was fun and rewarding.

  Of course, there was nothing better than the end of the day when it was just her and Artemis in the apartment together, curled up on the couch that always stayed a couch now or cuddling in bed together. Or doing other things in bed together, which was what Holly had on her mind at the moment.

  They’d both been working hard, and she figured they deserved a little time to themselves to do something they wanted to do.

  And so she went without a towel as she padded from the bathroom into the bedroom where Artemis was already stretched across the bed. He was shirtless and wearing just his boxer, draped out comfortably as he read something on his phone. Or pretended to read something. Holly had been delighted in her process of learning more about Artemis to discover that he was a bit addicted to playing games on his phone, going so far as to spend money on power ups and levels when he didn’t think anyone would notice.

  It was nice to know that he had little quirks to him like that. That he wasn’t just some perfect, handsome, massively powerful shifter that she didn’t have a real chance with. Some days she worried that he was going to realize that she was just a human and not a very interesting one at that and get bored with her, but it didn’t seem like it was going to be happening any time soon, so Holly was resolved to just enjoy it.

  She grinned at Artemis and took a flying leap onto the bed, laughing delightedly when he caught her up in his arms and pulled her to chis chest. “You’re a menace,” he said, but his voice was warm with pleasure and good humor. “A naked menace.”

  “Going to punish me?” Holly asked, batting here eyes at him and leaning up to kiss his jaw. “For being so menacing?”

  “Mm, I should,” Artemis hummed, amused. “You’d deserve it.”

  Quick as a flash, he rolled them over, ending up on top of her, hands on either side of her head as he loomed over her with a grin on his face. It was predatory and full of intent, and Holly shivered at the sight of it, knowing that it meant she was going to get her way.

  His eyes were heated, and he dropped his head, kissing from her neck to her collar bone, mouth warm and tongue flicking out to chase the last lingering drops of water from her skin. She made a soft, pleased noise, and arched up a bit, legs already open.

  It seemed that he was in the mood to take his time, and that was more than fine with Holly. She loved laying there while he tasted her, kissing her from head to toe.

  That was the way things were going at the moment, apparently. His mouth found each of those sensitive places on her body, starting with her neck and then moving downward. He had a habit of leaving marks behind, but he’d checked to make sure that she was alright with it first, which was more than Dante had ever done.

  Now those vivid eyes glanced up at her, and he raised his eyebrows in a clear question.

  Holly nodded, and Artemis grinned again before applying his teeth to her shoulder, biting down and sucking a bit, making her squirm.

  From her shoulder his kissed her collar bones, trailing his tongue over the hard ridges of bone under skin and scraping his teeth against them lightly. He kissed away the sting and made his way to the center of her chest, kissing between her breasts while he hands came up to cup each one, thumbs flicking over her already hardening nipples.

  “You,” he said, voice low and compelling. “Are so beautiful.”

  Her skin flushed, and Artemis smiled, head dipping to kiss the swell of each breast and then each nipple. When he closed his mouth around one hard bud and sucked, Holly moaned, fingers flexing in the covers as the sensation moved in a hot line straight to her crotch.

  One of those la
rge hands slid down her stomach, fingers warm and sturdy as they found what they were looking for, slipping into her folds and rubbing lightly, spreading the wetness that he found there.

  Holly moaned again, his name, this time, legs spreading wider and hips canting upwards, trying to urge those fingers to where she wanted them.

  Artemis just chuckled and pulled his fingers away, bringing them up to her mouth with an expectant look.

  She knew what he wanted, and she lifted her head, sucking his fingers into her mouth in a slow slide that she knew he’d like. It was the same way she took other parts of his anatomy into her mouth, and she savored the taste of herself on his fingers, tongue flicking out to lick each digit, making sure to clean them thoroughly.

  It felt good to be able to make him look at her like he wanted to devour her whole, though being bold like that had her blushing. It was taking some getting used to, being able to do things like this and not being laughed at or made fun of. On the contrary, Artemis encouraged her to take control when she felt like it, and it was going a long way towards making things easier for her when it came to sex.

  Not that they had a problem with that to begin with.

  “You are a minx,” Artemis growled, skimming his nose down between the valley of her breasts again as he continued down, pulling his fingers from her mouth to trace them, slick with her saliva over her nipples and then down. His fingers followed his mouth, feather light over her stomach after he had kissed down it, making a detour to her hip bones, tongue flicking out to lave at the juts of bone there.

  His hands gripped at her hips and then slid down her outer thighs before sliding inward, pushing her legs even further apart. With a smirk on his face, he kissed over her belly button then pushed himself further down the bed, hooking his arms under her hips and butt so he could raise them up off the bed and closer to his face.

  With one last feral grin, he buried his face between her legs.