by Terri Lane
As Lucas stepped out of the tent, a little thrill ran through Maria. Dragon! She was with a dragon shifter, an honest to goodness dragon. It was nothing like she had ever imagined. She had expected increased speed and strength, maybe a reptilian appearance, but not that.
Not a dragon that towered over her, breathed fire and roared through plumes of smoke and shimmering scales. Maria realized that she couldn’t decide when Lucas looked better, as a man or as a dragon.
She laughed, the sound happy in her chest. Everything seemed too far away now, the painful death of her parents, the agony of the dragon hunters, the dull thudding of her boring, ordinary life. It all fell away and something far more beautiful took its place.
She could hear Lucas outside, speaking in a strong, commanding voice and she realized that she was proud to be with him, proud to be with a dragon shifter, a biker, a man with more courage than she would have ever imagined.
He’d defied orders, set her free, kept her safe, loved her with passion, and was still taking care of her, even now.
He was everything that she wanted, but she just hadn’t realized it. Hadn’t admitted it to herself. Her parents would have loved him as a man, hated him as a dragon, and she didn’t think Lucas would have cared. She certainly didn’t.
As Maria closed her eyes, she found herself drifting into sleep, a sleep more peaceful and pleasant than she had had in years.
And outside, the sound of Lucas’s voice kept her feeling safe, kept her feeling content. She fell asleep in the den of the dragon. And she was loving every single minute of it.
* * *
The next few days passed in a blur. Maria felt like everything was moving far too quickly, and she loved every single minute of it. She was swept up in the plans from a new leader, the new leader being Lucas. There was talk of a truce with the dragon hunters, of abandoning the war. They still moved from place to place and it was starting to light up Maria’s heart in ways that she didn’t think were even possible. It was perfect, it was breathtaking, it was everything that she could want and so much more.
She loved every second of it, and it made her heart race. She abandoned any thought of ever calling the dragon hunters again. Jake had been kicked out, humiliated and injured. He had been brought to justice.
Maria would never feel right ending another’s life, so she felt that this was a good compromise. She was flying high and she never, ever wanted it to end. Everything was perfect, Maria was happy and she felt like nothing could ever shatter the beautiful joy that was buzzing in her chest and pounding at her spirit. It was perfect, absolutely perfect. She had everything she had ever dreamed of, and so much that she hadn’t even admitted to herself.
It wasn’t until several days later, when she was sitting with Lucas in the headquarters tent, sipping on a warm drink, that disaster struck.
It started abruptly, a man running into the tent, yelling that there were dragon hunters on the horizon. Lucas turned to her, anger and shock etched into his features, “Did you call them?!”
His voice was angry and harsh, but Maria could hear the hurt throbbing beneath a mile away. He felt hurt, betrayed and Maria was reeling.
“No! I’d never do that!” Maria cried, desperation and anger lacing her words, “I wouldn’t turn on you.”
Lucas glared at her with a face full of thunder. “Then how the fuck did they find us?! You’re the only one with ties to them!” His voice was low, but he might as well have been shouting. It pierced Maria’s chest and she felt sick.
Before she could say another word, Lucas had turned, left the tent and was running down the main strip, barking orders.
“Lucas!” She called out after him, but it was futile. There was no stopping him and Maria felt a lead weight sink down her core and shake her deeply. The dragon hunters. How had they found them? She didn’t even have her phone and she sure as hell hadn’t contacted them in any way, shape or form. So how the heck had they been found?
Confusion and panic swirled around in Maria’s head. As she stepped out into the camp, she found it in chaos. Everyone was yelling, bikes were being revved and people were arming up. It was panic, it was pandemonium, and Maria just couldn’t understand how everything had gone from perfect to this in a matter of minutes.
Lucas had turned on her, the camp was in shambles and everyone was in danger of losing their lives. Maria didn’t know what to do, but she did know that she had to stop this. At all costs.
Her heart pounded as she left the tent and fled into the fray. She was horrified to see the fire that surrounded them, the yelling men and roaring dragons, the way they all yelled and fought and swore.
The violence and bloodshed, the screaming. Maria felt dizzy and sick, feeling like she was spinning out of control, losing her grip on reality, everything slipping from her fingers in a spectacular crash. It shattered around her and left her feeling shaken, but still she plowed on.
As she glanced around, she found that she knew so many of these people, the bikers that yelled and roared, the hunters that waved their weapons. She knew these men and women. So she knew who she needed to find. She needed to find Travis. He would be here—she knew it.
She needed to find him and she needed to find Lucas. Her heart pounded as the sky darkened, red blazing across it in a bloody wave that made her feel sick with fear and awe. She weaved between bikes, between dragons and humans.
“Travis!” she yelled, her voice stronger than she could have ever dreamed it could sound. It was born out of fear and panic and the anger at all of this violence, senseless, senseless violence that never had to happen. It was terrifying. She choked up at the blood, but coughed, took a deep breath, and surged forward.
“Travis! Come out, you coward!” she yelled. She was ready, ready to take on Travis if that’s what it took, ready to do anything that she could.
When she rounded a corner, her heart stopped. She felt her blood freeze in her veins, the color and life draining out of her world. She thought she was ready for anything. She wasn’t. She had found Travis, but she wished that she hadn’t. She had found him.
And she had found Lucas.
Lucas was coughing, an expression of shock on his features. A sharp, lethal looking sword had pierced him, and he was bleeding out fast. Travis withdrew the sword and shot her a triumphant look, “You might have abandoned the dragon hunters, but I got what I wanted, in the end.”
“Lucas!” Her voice cracked and she rushed towards him. Travis lifted the sword and pointed it towards her, stopping her in her tracks, “Jake told me exactly where to find you, and how you’d switched loyalties,” he hissed. “I should never have trusted you.”
Maria stared at Lucas, slumped on the ground, barely clinging to consciousness. Her blood boiled and panic fluttered inside of her. She needed to find a way to fix this. She searched hard for the answers, and it hit her in a flood of memories, the way her father had instructed her.
“I invoke my right of ius vendendi pace!” she yelled, and everything seemed to stop. Her voice echoed and the fighting stilled.
The triumphant look on Travis’s face seemed to melt right off. “Your what?!” he growled.
“Ius vendendi pace.” She stared him down, her eyes hard as stone, glaring at him.
Panic pounded in her heart, making her feel dizzy and sick but still, she stared him down, determined not to let this bastard win.
Travis was shaking with fury, but all eyes were on him. He hadn’t banked on her knowing about this right. Most people didn’t, and Travis was powerless against it. The right to end a feud, a battle, unless due reason was given for a fight, and discussed with council.
She stood firm, calm, even as she panicked about the blood that Lucas was losing.
“Fine,” he growled, a dark, sour note in his voice. “Fall back!”
Amongst startled protests and confused men, Travis barked order after order, forcing a retreat on the battle that he had started. Forcing them to back up and leave the dragon shifter
s alone. Many were injured, the dragons having put up one hell of a fight. They probably would have won.
But Maria could not stand the bloodshed, could not stand the horror of the fight for another moment. Besides, she didn’t think Lucas had much time left at all.
She ran to his side, falling to her knees in the dust and looking him over. He was drifting in and out of consciousness, and Maria felt tears welling up in her eyes. She turned, “Someone call 911, now!” Men grabbed their phones and Maria turned back to Lucas.
She took his hand and shivered at how cold he felt. “Lucas…” She murmured, her voice thick with unshed tears, “Lucas, hold on. We’ll get you through this.”
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, voice barely a whisper. “I should have trusted you.” His breathing was labored and he was so, so pale. He trembled, his hand shaking in hers and Maria felt panic cut through her like a knife.
“No, no, it’s okay. It’s okay.”
“You were amazing.” He managed a smile. Then his eyes fell shut and his breathing slowed. Maria felt panic overwhelm her and she fought the urge to grab him and shake him until he opened his eyes again.
“Lucas?”
Nothing.
“Lucas!”
By now most people had filed out, bikes revving and driving away. It was organized, the tents being packed up, the injured being left, tended two by one or two people, the aftermath reduced to some charred ground, damaged bikes and bloody men.
“I’ll handle the PR,” a man beside her murmured. He had dark, serious eyes. “I’ll also handle the police. You just worry about Lucas.” His eyes filled with worry for a second, but only for a second, before he turned and moved through the carnage.
They must have had a plan, for raids, for things like this. That must have been why everyone fled so quickly. It was so organized, like they were expecting to be attacked. Maria could barely focus on anything but the feel of Lucas’s hand.
When the ambulance arrived, she refused to leave his side. She huddled in the back of the ambulance while they stemmed the blood flow and stabilized him. She trembled with fear at seeing Lucas so quiet and so still. He was strong, confident, wild.
He wasn’t like this. This was so wrong. Maria felt the tears well up in her eyes and she fought them back with all her might. If she lost him, she didn’t know what the hell she would do. He had become everything to her in such a short amount of time.
The trip to the hospital was hell, everything moving either too quickly or too slowly. The hours waiting for him to wake were even worse. She stayed with him through the night, arguing with the nurses to be allowed to stay. They asked her no questions—everything was handled, just as the shifter had promised.
It wasn’t until the following morning that Lucas stirred. Maria’s eyed widened, her heart catching in her throat. Hope leapt in her soul and she held his hand tighter.
“Lucas?” she whispered, barely daring to believe.
Then he shifted and coughed and his blue eyes opened wide.
“I love you,” she blurted out, and before he could reply, she kissed him. It was gentle and sweet and everything that their previous kisses were not. Maria wished that it would last forever, and when they finally broke apart, Lucas was smiling, a tired, genuine sort of smile.
“I like the wake-up call.”
Maria laughed and it was like the bubble of anxiety in her chest had finally popped. And as she sat there in the hospital, holding his hand, she realized that the dull lump of misery in her chest was missing.
She finally felt whole.
* * *
The wind blew through Maria’s hair and she gripped the handlebars for dear life. Lucas was behind her, his hand encircling her and stroking her breasts through the fabric of her shirt. Maria moaned, wriggling her hips and backing up into him with a gasp.
Her head was spinning and she felt lighter than air. Lucas was all healed up now, and the club was back and stronger than ever. She’d been accepted as one of them easily, even though she was a human with a dragon hunter past.
Maria gasped with pleasure as Lucas undid the buttons of her shirt. She heard him chuckle as he realized that she had no bra on.
“Naughty. I like it.” He grasped her breasts in his hands and she moaned with pleasure.
He tweaked her nipples and Maria thrilled at the air that brushed their skin. Out here on the side of the road, anyone could see what they were doing. It both thrilled and terrified Maria and she was starting to learn that she really loved that mix. She panted for breath as he lifted her skirt and pulled down her underwear.
She stepped out of it easily and bent over a little more, wriggling her hips suggestively as she moaned, “More, Lucas.”
“With pleasure,” he groaned into her ear. Then he was pushing inside of her, his girth filling her and making her head spin. She groaned with longing as he began to thrust. Her head spun, her body trembled, everything seemed to hum with pleasure and excitement.
Everything was falling into place. Her boring life was behind her, as was her life in shadow and dark mystery. Here there was light and action, adventure and a man of passion who swept her away, mind, body and soul.
She shivered as he increased his thrusts and she had to hold on tighter to the bike to try and keep her balance. He moved harder and faster and the friction against the seat made Maria’s head spin. It was all consuming, overwhelming, breathtaking.
She gasped with pleasure, moaning as he teased her skin. She breathed in his scent, felt his breath on her neck, and the heat inside her overwhelmed her. Pleasure tingled through her every pore, blinding her to everything but the feel of Lucas.
Maria’s climax hit her hard and fast, making her shake and shudder with pleasure. It overwhelmed her, flooding her core, making her gasp for breath as she was blinded by the feeling.
Lucas climaxed soon after, and she heard him groan into her skin, felt him shudder and hold her tight. It was perfect, blissful, overwhelming. Maria sunk onto the bike and Lucas did the same. It was a long while before either of them dared to move.
Lucas shifted first, helping Maria adjust her skirt and do up her blouse. She panted as she caught her breath, turning and doing up Lucas’s belt. He grinned at her and tugged on his shirt, sweeping her into his arms.
Maria felt like she was about to melt, shivers running through her body. He leaned in and kissed her, chaste and sweet, “I love you, Maria.”
Everything was perfect. Just as it should be.
THE END
= Bonus Book 8 of 20 =
Metallic Heart
Friday morning: Breach plus one hour
Reilly pressed the cellphone against her ear, the sound of the ringing line seeming so loud, even over the crashing chaos currently tearing her laboratory to scrap. Ring, Ring. Would it hear the phone? Could it? It didn’t seem to have noticed her yet, focused as it was on annihilating her life’s work. Ring, Ring. “Dammit Maksim,” Reilly mouthed, not daring to put any sound into the words lest she was noticed. “Pick up the damn phone!” Ring... The ringing stopped, and even as the wave of cold relief washed over her mind, a voice began speaking on the other end of the line.
“You have reached the residence of Maksim Sokolov,” said a crisp, professional voice with only the slightest Slavic accent. “Please leave me your name and phone number…” An answering machine. She was listening to Maksim's landline answering machine! It took everything Reilly had not to start swearing. She gripped the phone very tightly, her lips pressed into a hard line as she fumed with anger. What was she going to do now? Maksim had been her only backup plan, but the damned mercenary hadn't answered her call! What kind of Luddite maniac had a landline anyway? BEEP!
Reilly jumped. She hadn’t realized that Maksim’s pre-recorded voice had stopped speaking. The scrabbling, smashing sounds coming from the far side of the lab ceased, and Reilly held her breath, not daring to speak, sure that the thing out there had heard the phone. But then a moment later, it resumed w
hatever foul activity it had been focusing on, and the crashing sounds continued. Reilly breathed out a sigh, and then, realizing that the answering machine was still recording, she said, in as loud a whisper as she dared, “Maksim, if you’re hearing this, please pick up. Please. I need your help.” Nothing happened. The answering machine continued recording. Reilly gritted her teeth with frustration and made as if to close the phone, but then she was struck with a horrible thought. What if Maksim called back? Would the thing wrecking her lab hear? She could just silence her phone, but what if—
There was a loud rattling sound, and a gruff, winded masculine voice said, “Hello?” Reilly blinked. The Slavic accent was much thicker in his voice than usual. Something had his adrenaline up. “Reilly?”
“Not so loud,” she whispered. “There’s something in the lab with me.”
Maksim didn’t say anything for a moment, and all Reilly could hear was his heavy breathing in the background, and a strange, arrhythmic tapping sound, like metal against wood. “Some-thing is in the lab with you?”
“Yes,” Reilly hissed impatiently. “It's a long story, but I need you to-”
Maksim sighed. “Is this ‘thing' man-sized, covered in sticky black shit, with big-ass claws?”
“What?” Reilly replied, forgetting to stay quiet for a moment. She clamped her teeth together and listened for a second, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. A disturbing crunching sound was coming from the direction of the creature, and it had stopped savaging that side of her lab. She continued, whispering, “I didn't get a good look at it. The power went out before it came through.”
Maksim groaned. “I knew it. I knew you had something to do with this. You all and your damned experiments.”
“What?” Reilly’s heart started beating again. She was pretty sure she knew what he was about to say next, and it was…not good.
“A…sort of hole opened up in the street outside my building, and these things started coming out. One came out of my bathroom about five minutes ago, while I was eating breakfast. Tried to chew on my head. You called just as I finished putting it down.”