ROMANCE: SHIFTER: Shifter to the Max Collection (Dragon, Bear, Wolf and Panther Shifter Romances) (Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection)

by C. J. Ayers

  She smirked when she realized what a selfish compulsion that was. And, God, it felt good.

  Matt grabbed her hand and pinned it to the bed while he positioned himself between her thighs. He used his other hand to grab under her thigh and raise a bit—pressing it against him. His gaze traveled up her body to her face. He stared at her, panting, as he slowly inched his cock inside of her.

  Alisa moaned, her leg doing its best to encircle Matt’s waist. She raised herself to meet him thrust for thrust, his slow pace quickening and stirring another climax in her. He curled himself around her a bit, his pubic hair tickling her now ultra-sensitive clit.

  She cried out and squirmed. It was so much sensation—so much pleasure—so much friction—it was so much and yet not enough. “Matt, more, harder, Matt, please.”

  He groaned loudly, doing as instructed. He pounded into her harder, at various angles.

  Moans came out of her like breaths, her body shaking violently and gloriously. She couldn’t hold her head up to watch him anymore, but she didn’t need to. She could feel him in her, and around her. She could even smell his scent, thick in the air.

  This time when her orgasm overtook her, she arched and gasped silently while ecstasy overtook all of her senses. She felt Matt come a moment later. Hot seed shot into her in throbbing pulses, her name erupting from his lips like a broken prayer.

  She went listless, the aftershocks of pleasures the only thing making her twitch and quiver. She shivered and smiled when Matt gently pulled himself out of her, biting pleasure following in its wake.

  “Was it worth the wait?” she asked breathlessly, eyelids fluttering.

  “Hell, yes,” he croaked, crawling over to her before collapsing beside her with a hand wrapped around one of her ample breasts. He gave her a tired, satisfied smile. “It definitely was.”

  Warmed and grateful, she leaned over and kissed him. And though it was still the middle of the day, she was content to fall asleep like that—him inches from her face, his limbs resting on top of her. She had never known peace like this.

  “You feel right,” he whispered against her cheek.

  “Yeah?” she said groggily.

  “Yeah. I…my instincts…it’s hard to explain, but you…you just feel right for me. In every way. I’ve never wanted anyone else like I’ve wanted you.”

  Her eyes widened a bit, her heart soaring. As she blinked owlishly at Matt Curran, he stared tentatively back at her. He was perfect in every way, even in the ways he made her angry with his stubbornness and—

  “I feel the same way,” she said, placing her hand against his rough cheek. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, Matt.”

  He relaxed, his eyes flashing as his lips spread wide. He was beautiful—in a masculine, rugged way, but beautiful—and she leaned over to kiss him again.

  A shrieking roar pierced the air, followed by several other shrieks and roars.

  Alisa flinched and hugged herself, Matt instantly rolling to cover her with his body. She could feel the tension radiating through her muscles, and the tension worsened when more roars followed.

  “That’s not Ryan,” she said shakily, “is it.”

  “No. It’s Charles and some of his followers.” He placed a hand against her shoulder and squeezed it. Perhaps he meant it to be comforting, but it just made Alisa more aware of the trembles racking his body. It was worse when Matt rolled off of her and rushed for the door. “Get some new clothes on and hide.” He stopped at the doorframe and looked back at her, his face a mask of anger and fear. “Don’t come out until I say it’s safe, you got it? Not until I say so.”

  “I got it,” she said. “But please be—”

  Naked and ferociously determined, he ran out of the room.

  “—careful,” she finished.

  Chapter Seven

  Putting on clothes that she found in the dresser drawers—another unisex outfit, unfortunately—Alisa stumbled out of the bedroom and ran down the hallway. The shrieks and roars continued, and the louder they got, the more the mansion quivered.

  Where was she supposed to hide? Was there a basement or a panic room? Alisa ran down multiple hallways in search of any decent place to hide from dragons. All the while, she thought of Matt.

  He was alone, wasn’t he? His brothers claimed they wanted no part in this mess, so Matt would probably face off against all those monsters by himself.

  He couldn’t die for her; she wouldn’t be able to survive it. It was this thought that grounded her enough to pick a particular destination to run to: the front doors. But when she nearly reached them, multiple maids rushed at her from the door to the kitchen. They grabbed her—dragged her back as she struggled.

  “But Matt,” Alisa gasped out, fearful tears stinging her eyes. The hands tightened their grip on her, making her flesh sting. “He’s alone! We can’t leave him alone!”

  “You are of no use to him, ma’am,” one of the maids said. “I am sorry, but it is the truth. A human cannot even hurt a dragon, much less defeat one.”

  It was this hopeless logic that made Alisa compliant. Grief choking her, she allowed the maids to guide her into the kitchen. There, they opened a metal cellar door and motioned her to follow them inside.

  Alisa considered following them, but the very idea of it made her nauseous. She shook her head. “If I can’t help, then I at least need to know what happens. I can’t leave him behind.”

  All the maids looked exasperated, though some appeared more ashamed than anything else.

  Alisa didn’t argue with them anymore. She turned and ran up to the window that revealed the front area of the property. Shakily, she parted the blinds and peeked through them.

  Three dragons stood on the front lawn, but they faced in the opposite direction of the mansion. Their pointed noses were aimed skyward, their massive feet shuffling.

  “Matt,” Alisa breathed, staring at the green-black dragon in between the other two. She recognized him partially—the dark scales, the horns on his shoulders, but even in just the way his posture was stiff…the dragon moved like Matt.

  The other two…those were his brothers, no doubt. Relief trickled over Alisa’s fear. “Thank God.”

  “What?” a maid asked, tiptoeing up beside Alisa.

  “They are working together,” Alisa said. “I thought…” She shook her head, a huff bursting past her lips.

  “I hope they will be enough for all of that,” the maid said, pointing at the sky.

  Alisa looked in the direction the maid had indicated. Several large, sharp shapes were on a lightning-fast trajectory toward the mansion. Before Alisa could even inhale a sharp breath at the sight, they all swooped down as one and sped even quicker toward Matt and his brothers.

  In a matter of moments, there were seven dragons landing in front of the three Curran brothers. The dragon up front, white and glistening, grinned at the brothers. “Matt, it is good to see you again.”

  Matt grunted, his shoulders rising a bit. “Charles. I can’t say I share the sentiment.”

  “I heard about your disagreement with your father,” Charles continued, canting his head to the side. “While I am reviled that it was over a human, the mere fact that you would go against your clan speaks volumes to me. I urge you once again to join my clan and assist us in cleansing the world and making it ours once again. Surely, you understand the foolishness of your father and those like him.” Charles glanced at George and Ryan. “As do your brothers, it would appear.”

  The dragon to Matt’s left growled out smoke. “Don’t talk about my loyalty to my clan you treacherous scum!” The dragon—which sounded like Ryan—raised its wings and charged at Charles.

  “Ryan!” George shouted.

  Charles moved rapidly, grabbing Ryan’s neck—claws piercing into it—and flinging him back to the other dragons.

  Matt and George roared and leaped forward, fire bursting out of their mouths.

  Alisa reeled and pressed her hands over her
mouth. The earth and mansion shook, glassware and other kitchen utensils jittering in their places before falling and shattering on the floor.

  A maid grabbed Alisa’s arm again, but Alisa shoved her away and kept her eyes glued forward—on the bloodshed, the fire, the ash, the roars, the screams—

  Matt.

  Matt shot up in the sky—avoiding being tackled by another dragon—before shooting himself down at two of his opponents. He dug his claws into their backs, making his enemies shriek in agony. They twisted and bit Matt’s legs, but Matt twisted with them, and they tumbled.

  Ryan was breathing fire everywhere, even scorching some areas of George’s mansion.

  Ash overwhelmed Alisa’s senses—black smoke billowing in front of the window and blocking her view of the battle. Coughing, she backed away with reluctance. Dread and panic pulsated through her—warring with one another; she feared they would lose, yet her searing adrenaline was screaming at her to survive—to just keep surviving, to run, to hide, to do anything she needed to.

  The walls of the adjacent room shattered apart, a massive body crashing through them like they were made of paper. A tail swiped into the kitchen, nearly hitting Alisa.

  A maid yanked her back just in time, the two scrambling back over the floor covered in broken glass and other items. Alisa hissed as her body suffered cuts, but she didn’t focus on it any more than momentarily.

  The large tail swished its way out as the dragon twisted and rose. It was none of the Curran brothers. Blinking hard a few times, its gaze eventually landed on Alisa.

  Mindlessly, Alisa grabbed the maid, and the two propelled themselves hurriedly towards the cellar door.

  The shadow of a giant claw reigned over them.

  Alisa’s heart went cold.

  Another crash—a roar—erupted beside them, a greenish black dragon zooming in and shoving the enemy dragon farther away.

  Alisa caught glimpses of black scales, of horned shoulders—Matt.

  She spun just in time to see Matt bite his opponent’s neck so hard that it broke. The enemy went limp, its eyes going blank.

  It was a horrifying sight, yet Alisa couldn’t help but be soothed by Matt’s presence—his strength.

  He turned, blood dripping from his mouth, and his eyes locked with hers. The yellow orbs flashed.

  She loved him. The thought was shocking, but it was the truth, nevertheless. Relieved, happy, overwhelmed, she gave him a shaky smile. She loved Matt Curran.

  Matt heaved a breath, his eyelids lowering as he continued to stare at her. He seemed exhausted, but like her, he also seemed relieved and happy. What a bizarre pair they were.

  Another shrieking roar had Alisa snapping her attention back to the front lawn.

  Charles was on the ground, George on top of him trying to bite into his neck. Ryan was dealing with a few other dragons on his own, but based on the corpses that littered the property, he seemed more than capable of handling more than a single opponent.

  George blew fire at Charles’s body, and Charles’s shrieked. Using his long white tail, he managed to shove George to the side—enough so that Charles could twist and fly away.

  “Retreat!” Charles choked out. “Retreat!”

  The surviving dragons scrambled and jumped, flying after their leader.

  Ryan, ever eager, stood on his hind legs and blew more fire in their directions. Then he roared, “Cowards!”

  Alisa panted, covered in soot and ash, as she watched the enemy dragons fly away. She choked every so often on smoke, but the sheer relief of being alive—of Matt being alive—had joy soaring through her. She couldn’t stop the manic grin that came over her even if she tried.

  She turned back to Matt, who was glaring at the retreating Charles. She could tell he wanted to go after him—his muscles tensed, his body leaned forward—but he held himself in check and huffed.

  Another time, she thought. Just stay with me for now—stay safe.

  He looked back at her, and his tension eased.

  Just stay with me, she thought again, still grinning.

  Chapter Eight

  The following days were spent helping George fix up his massive home. Alisa did what she could to help, although it mostly involved cleaning everything with the maids while the dragons worked on restructuring the mansion.

  She and Matt didn’t spend as much time together during the day, but at night, she clung to him like he was her lifeline. And he let her.

  “That was a separate issue,” he had explained the night after the battle. They were lying in bed, the roof above their heads so broken apart that they could see the stars. “It didn’t really have anything to do with you, so in that regards, we should be alright for the time being.”

  “What about your father?” she asked, hugging him closer her to her. When Matt didn’t say anything for a long moment, she sighed. “Maybe…maybe you should just let George buy me. It sounds like it will resolve this issue quickly, and then you guys can focus on not getting killed by Charles.”

  Matt pressed his mouth against her head, his hot breath streaming from his nostrils. “I don’t want to do that. No one should be bought.”

  “I don’t like it either, but…”

  “We’ll figure something out.”

  “You keep saying that, and then dragons suddenly appear to try to kill me or you.”

  She felt his smile against her head. “Touché.”

  Even though she clearly won the argument, they fell into a peaceful silence. She drifted off to the feel of him around her—the scent of him crisp in her nose. The next day, they made no plans to have George buy her. Matt told her they needed to focus on fixing the mansion, and then they could work out the other issues.

  She had to hand it to him, he was good at prolonging the inevitable, though it was partially because she was letting him get away with it. She didn’t completely regret it until the fourth day after the battle when she heard the inconsistent motion of the wind beat against the mansion.

  Having been in the kitchen—putting away the new dishes George had bought—Alisa froze, a small pile of plates in her hands.

  The maids in the room with her froze, as well, all of their gazes snapping to the newly fixed windows.

  Swearing, Alisa put the plates on the counter before dashing to the window and peering out of it.

  “Why does she always do that?” a maid whispered harshly.

  No one answered her.

  Once again, Alisa watched the Curran brothers rush to the front of the property. But this time, she got to witness each of them transform; Matt, as always, transformed in a fluid motion, and his brother George did, as well. Ryan was the only one who transformed jaggedly—some parts of him growing faster than others, making him wobble a bit until the transformation was complete.

  Alisa squeaked when dragons—seemingly out of nowhere—landed on the ground before the brothers. Their shoulders and their wings low, they didn’t appear threatening, but Alisa refused to trust their body language. She tensed and held her breath.

  “Matthew Curran,” a red dragon said, her voice sweet yet authoritative. She nodded at him. “We have come here to acknowledge your actions against our enemy, Charles Adnet of the Adnet Clan.”

  Matt didn’t blink. “I didn’t do it for you, or for any cause. He attacked me and I defended myself.”

  “Matty,” George reprimanded before stepping forward. “Forgive my brother. He means well.”

  Matt snorted, but otherwise remained quiet.

  “We also know about the human,” the red dragon continued, eyes still on Matt. “And as we have come to understand it, the human was a major source of motivation for all the actions you have taken the past few weeks.”

  Matt raised himself a bit, his wings flickering and his teeth showing.

  Alisa quivered, dread stabbing into her.

  “In light of this,” the red dragon said, “and in light of the changing times, we are here on behalf of our respective clans to grant th
is human a pardon of sorts. She can be an exception to our law—maybe even a trial run for potential future relations with humans.”

  Matt loosened up so quickly that he looked on the verge of passing out.

  Alisa felt exactly how he looked, a shuddering breath leaving her. She blinked hard and tried to comprehend the fact that she was safe now—that things were okay.

  “Wherever your path leads you, Matthew Curran,” the red dragon said, “we hope it leads you back to your kind. You are clearly a warrior of great value.” She glanced at Ryan and George. “You all are. Farewell.” She nodded once more before turning around and shooting up to the sky.

  The other dragons copied her exact movements, and then they all flew away into the sunset.

  A happily ever after? It didn’t seem possible after everything she had been through. Shaking, Alisa sank to the ground, her body sagging back against the wall.

  The maids beamed at her, some of them giggling.

  “You are free!” one of them said, cheering a bit. “God blessed you this day, miss Gartner!”

  “Congratulations,” another said.

  “We are so happy for you!”

  Alisa gave them a watery smile. Peace flowed through her—calmed her. It really did turn out well. Remarkable. Choked up, she managed to whisper, “Thank you. For everything.” She wiped at her eyes and took a few deep breaths. “I’ll be up in a minute, I just…I need a minute.” She chortled, shaking her head. “It’s just all so much.”

  Another maid opened her mouth when her attention snapped to the side, along with the other’s.

  Alisa followed their gazes just in time to see Matt rush into the room. His gaze darted about everywhere until it landed on her. His eyes flashed, and he smiled.

  “Alisa,” he said, hurrying over to her and sinking to his knees. “The—”

  “I heard,” she said, pointing up at the window. “I heard it from here. I can’t believe it.”

  “Do you realize what you’ve done?”

  “What I’ve done?”