He catches the blanket and turns to face me fully. My breath hitches and it takes every bit of willpower I have to keep my gaze above his chest, but I do it. It's not polite to stare, Ivy.
"How was I to know there is a child here? I do not even know where here is. Or when it is."
"When? What do you mean, when?" Again, I wonder if he's telling the truth. He doesn't seem like he's lying, but he could just be very good at it. I bite my lip as he wraps the blanket around his narrow hips. You could wash your laundry on his abs.
"Ivy! Everything okay in there?" Jem calls.
I start and eye the stranger still standing in the middle of the room. "I'm not sure. Keep Kay in the kitchen, but come out here."
"You're named after a plant?" the large, sexy man asks and I scowl at him.
"So what? What's your name? Brutus?" I mentally give myself a pat on the back for the quick retort before I feel Jem's presence behind me.
"My name is Beck the Mighty." He puffs out his chest at his words and my hormones do the happy dance at the same time my inner skeptic tries not to laugh.
"Uh, Ivy, you didn't tell me you were inviting a friend over." Jem's voice is filled with trepidation.
"He's not a friend. He appeared out of nowhere. His name is apparently Beck the Mighty." I try not to chuckle.
"Not a friend, but he's certainly mighty, all right." Jem steps closer to Beck, but not close enough to be within easy grabbing distance. "And why did he decide that now is a good time to appear?"
"I have no idea. He was naked when I walked in here and he doesn't seem to know where he is, or when it is."
"When?" Jem asks.
I nod. "When…"
"So, Beck the Mighty, eh? What's your story?" Jem questions, sarcasm dripping from her tone when she speaks his name.
"I just told the small female this."
Jem snorts. "Small female."
"Shut up," I mumble under my breath. I've always been the short, stumpy one and Jem has always been the tall, willowy one. "Let's stay focused on why he's here, who he's working for, and why he's naked in our house. He says that a 'he-witch' cursed him to live inside the stone."
"I work for no man. Much less ones who harm females and children," Beck adds and Jem and I share a glance.
"Then who are you working for?" I ask.
"No one. I was cursed into that wretched stone you've got clutched in your hand, as were my siblings. I've spent gods only know how long trapped inside it, listening to the world around me change."
"He really meant when," Jem whispers.
"I guess he did." I bite the inside of my cheek and look him over once more. "It's 2017. What year was it when you were, uh, put into the stone?"
"Twenty seventeen?" He roars. "I've lost over eight hundred years!"
"Holy shit, you're old," Jem deadpans.
He looks at her, his crystal-blue eyes wide, and I fear for her safety. "Uh, so that's a long time. Sorry about that. Any idea how you got out of the necklace?"
"The only way to break the curse was by the blood of a witch who's pure of heart." Beck looks between Jem and me and raises an eyebrow. "Which of you bled on it? Or was it a child?"
"It was me. I cut my finger on the metal on the side."
"And you're pure?"
I try not to be offended at his inference, but I still frown at him. "I'm no virgin, but it's not like I'm off doing evil deeds every day just for kicks."
"I'm sick of waiting. What's going on out here? I can hear you guys talking to someone." Kay rounds the corner only to stop short and throw her hands up over her eyes. "Oh, dear. I'm s-sorry. I d-didn't know there was a guy out here."
"It's okay, Kay. He surprised us too." I sigh, frowning at the heated look Beck is giving me.
"Is he here to help?"
"I think so. We're still figuring out how exactly he can help us." I smile at her, hoping she won't ask any more questions that involve me explaining that magic really does exist and that she's a witch.
"Oh. Okay. Um… I'm going to go clean up in the kitchen. Let me know when it's safe to come back out here." Kay backs up a step, bumping into the doorjamb before turning on her heel and practically sprinting out of the room.
I look to Beck. "I'm assuming you're a witch? Is that why you were trapped inside that stone? You pissed someone off?"
Beck scoffs. "I'm no witch. I'm a dragon."
Jem and I burst out laughing.
"Light my fire!" Jem snickers.
I clutch my stomach and keep an eye on Beck, who looks less than amused as a scowl twists his full mouth. "I'm not sure he's amused."
"I'm not a fire dragon."
"Are you defective?" I blurt out.
Beck rubs a hand across the back of his neck before answering me. "I'm an ice dragon."
"How are you a dragon if you don't breathe fire?" Jem asks.
Beck doesn't respond. Instead he holds out his hand and purses his lips, blowing a breath into his palm. Slowly, a figure forms. It's an intricate crystal. I step forward, drawn to the object. "See? Ice."
"Wow." The word slips out of my mouth and I step forward again until I can touch the figure. It's cool to the touch and as smooth as marble. I go up on my tiptoes, peering at every angle, dipping my finger inside of it and tracing the swirls of frost on the inside. Beck's hand shakes, and I stumble, catching myself with a hand on his side. His skin is cold but hot at the same time. Like when you're touching ice for so long and the heat from your hand radiates.
Beck clears his throat and I step back. "Sorry, I was just curious."
"I could see that." His voice is low, like he just woke up, and desire curls through me at the tone.
Warmth rises to my face and I pray that for just this once my fair skin doesn't give me away. Beck reaches a hand out and I flinch back but that doesn't stop him. He traces a finger across my cheeks, his chilly finger cooling the heat gathered there. "Interesting."
"Am I interrupting something?" Jem asks, and I feel the blush in my face deepen.
"Nope. Not at all." I take three giant steps back from Beck, my insides tangled up in desire for this strange man who appeared naked in our sunroom out of a pendant that's supposed to save Kay's family. Talk about complicated and completely crazy. I couldn't make this shit up.
"Well, good. Let's figure out how Beck can help us get Kay's family to safety, find some clothes for dragon-boy over here, and find the rest of the stones."
Jem leaves the room, muttering about clothes somewhere, and I bite my lip, trying my damnedest to not drool over Beck's naked chest.
"You have the other stones?" Beck asks, his face slack.
"Some of them, yes. We just have to find them. Why?"
"My siblings were also trapped. I must awaken them."
I try not to laugh at the thought of awakening the dragon. Talk about a bad pickup line under normal circumstances.
"Are they also dragons?"
"Yes, of course." Beck steps closer to me and his scent envelopes me. He smells like crisp winter air and a hint of evergreen. "Why, do you want to use them for their power, little witch?"
"Of course not. I'm not a mage. I don't practice dark arts. Why were you all trapped in there again?"
"Because we are the last of our line. The last of the elemental dragons. They wish to control us and use our powers to gain power of their own. Both magical and tangible." His jaw hardens and I wonder what it would feel like under my lips before mentally slapping myself. Focus. I need to focus.
"So they want to use you for what? Taking over the world?"
Beck nods. "From what I can remember, yes."
"I was kidding…."
"I am not, tiny female." Beck wipes the palm that was holding the ice bowl on the blanket and I blink.
"What happened to the bowl? And my name is Ivy."
"I dissolved it. And I know your name."
"Then use it," I snap. I feel like a stage-five harpy with my mood swings around this man. Or dragon, or w
hatever you want to call him. He's gotten under my skin and I have no idea how.
"What if I wish to call you something else?" Beck lowers his voice and invades my space.
I step backward, both of us shuffling until he's got me pressed against the wall. My chest rises and falls as my breathing picks up speed. "That depends. I don't like being called tiny."
"But you are tiny." Beck whispers the words against my forehead, his breath cool, as he bends so his face is at my level.
"No, you're just abnormally large," I huff.
"What if I wanted to call you…" Beck trails off as he drags a finger down my neck, his lips following the same line.
"Call me what?"
"Mine," he growls before he nips at my neck.
My head spins between his actions and the word mine. "I'm not yours. You don't even know me."
"Not yet, my little witch, but I will." He nibbles at my neck again and I can't help but crane my head to the side to give him better access. It's like he's put me under a spell of desire for him. I've never been this brazen with a man before.
"How do you know I want to know you?" I whisper the words against his cheek, my fingers digging into his muscled hips.
"Because you're my mate. I can feel you inside my chest. I don't know how I was lucky enough to find you so soon, but I will not let you out of my sight from now on." He bites down hard on my neck and I yelp, pushing him back.
"Hey! That hurt." I rub at the sore spot on my neck and try to wiggle free from him.
"Now you bear my mark and no one else can claim you." Beck smiles smugly and I want to reach up and wipe the smirk off his face. How can I go from desiring him one second to wanting to hit him the next? I feel like I'm giving myself whiplash.
"I'm not anybody's but my own, mister. So just slow your roll. You just woke up from being trapped for a while. I'm sure you're horny and all, but I'm not just going to jump into bed with you because you bit my neck and claim I'm your mate."
"But you are my mate." Beck reaches for me again, and I slap at his hands.
"I'm not so sure about that."
"You don't trust me?" Beck scowls.
"I don't know you," I retort. I've heard of mates between shifters, and of course, witches have life mates, but I never thought I'd have the chance at one. And a shifter and a witch, this wasn't going to go over well in the magical community.
"We can change that, mate." Beck reaches for the blanket wrapped around his hips and I spring forward, placing my hand over his.
"There is a child here. None of that. No flashing your bits!"
He growls and palms the back of my head, leaning down and inhaling a breath. "Mmm, you smell like cinnamon sugar. I want your taste on my tongue."
"Whoa there, ease up, buddy. You're not alone," Jem calls as she walks back into the room holding a stack of folded clothes between her hands.
Thank god.
"You two getting to know each other?" Jem raises a brow and I cringe. She must think I'm an idiot.
"Uh, kinda…" I step away from Beck just to put some space between us. He follows me, closing the distance between us again.
"She is my mate," Beck states and I wince.
Jem coughs up the sip of iced tea she just drank. "Come again?"
"She is my mate," Beck repeats matter-of-factly.
"Oh, boy." Jem blinks quickly, looking between the two of us.
"I think he's delusional from being kept inside the stone for so long." I can't deny that I feel some sort of pull toward Beck but I'm not going to let it distract me from what's at stake here—Kay and her family.
"I am not delusional. We are mates. And I will prove it to you." Beck grips my hip and my insides turn to mush, my knees weakening as his strong fingers rub up and down my side.
"None of that." I bat at his hands, but he ignores me.
"Uh, I don't think he's wrong, Ivy. There's something there." Jem nods.
"There is not," I reply breathily. Even I don't believe my words.
"Don't deny it, mate." Beck kisses the back of my head and my eyes flutter closed. "I will make it better soon."
"Make what better?" I ask without thinking.
"The ache. It will dull once we complete the mating ritual."
Mating ritual? I don't even ask about that. I just let the feeling of calm mixed with desire flow through my veins.
"Can that wait until we've finished looking for the rest of the gems and gotten Kay's family to safety?" Jem asks.
I shake my head, not wanting Beck to stop touching me, but he steps away and I whimper at the loss of his touch.
"It can wait, but not long. I've marked her." Beck shrugs.
"You did what now?" Jem shouts.
"Yeah, he bit my neck." I frown over my shoulder at him.
"I marked her so no one else could take her from me."
"That's barbaric!"
"It is our way." Beck shrugs again. "Where should I start looking for the rest of my siblings?" He walks to the couch and plops down, tossing the clothes Jem had handed him to the side. I watch as he moves, the way his muscles ripple and contract, and I want to trace each of them with my fingers and then my tongue.
"Beck, I need you to put some clothes on." I clear my throat, trying to breathe deeply and clear my head. I feel like I'm on a high-speed train with no brakes. I know I need to help Kay but all I can think about is Beck and getting my hands on him.
He looks me up and down before standing up and turning around, whipping the sweat pants and T-shirt on before I can even think to tell Jem to close her eyes.
"Oh, well, hello there," Jem says and I want to growl at her.
What the hell is wrong with me?
"Did you just growl at me?" Jem asks.
"Uh… I didn't think I did out loud." My control has gone out the window and down the street at this point.
"I'm going to take a few boxes and look through them in the kitchen with Kay. You and Beck can look in here. And I'm going to call Mom and see what she has to say about this."
I nod. "Sounds good." I start to pace and watch her closely, frowning any time she gets too close to Beck. As soon as she's removed a few boxes, I whirl on him.
"What in the ever-loving hell have you done to me?"
Chapter 4
Beck holds both hands up in front of him in a defensive gesture, and I want to throw things at him. "I haven't done anything to you…"
"Oh, yeah? Then why am I swinging from wanting to jump on your dick to wanting to throw things at you, to wanting to harm my sister?" I'm normally calm, cool, and collected. But since laying eyes on this sexy dragon, I'm all over the map.
"That can happen when mates meet." Beck eyes me. "I'm sorry if I've upset you. It goes against every instinct to make you unhappy." He stands and I place my hands on my hips. "How can I help?"
"Make it go away. I don't have time for this right now. That girl in there needs my help, and an off-kilter witch is of no use to her."
"There is only one way to dull the ache for a time until we've gone through our mating ritual."
"What's that?"
"You're not going to like it."
I already don't like his answer and he hasn't even spoken yet. "Spit it out, dragon."
"A release would dull the ache, but until we are fully together, I'm afraid you'll be a bit on edge."
"Why did you bite me if you knew this would happen?" I bite the words out through clenched teeth.
"I didn't know it would affect you this strongly. It must be the magic running through your veins."
I throw my hands up in the air and glare at him.
"The magic flowing through mine is very old and very powerful. Hence the witches trapping us inside the stones. They needed time to gather the magic they would need to tap into it and control us. Someone must have stolen the stones from them before they got the chance."
"So you're really powerful. And you just decided to bite me without asking me first."
"I cou
ldn't help it. It was more instinct than anything else. Your taste was on my tongue and your smell was all around me. I just reacted." Beck holds out his arms. "I'm sorry that I've distressed you."
I soften at his words but don't get any closer to him. "Fine. Whatever. It's done. We'll see what Ann has to say about it. Maybe you can be useful in helping save Kay's family."
"Tell me what has happened and I'll see if I can help."
Hours later we've rehashed everything we know about the men holding Kay's family and Beck is sure it's the same witches who captured his family to try and use their magic for their own.
"How are they still alive over eight hundred years later?" Ann asks.
"The same way that I am alive. They are very powerful."
"Witches don't live that long unless they've turned to the dark arts." Ann shakes her head. "If that's the case, then we need to tread carefully."
"Back then, dragons were being hunted. My family and I were on the run. It was a magical war. Witches against dragons. Unfortunately, they had captured multiple dragons and were able to steal their powers and use them as their own so the playing field was closely matched at times."
"And why would they have used Kay to get the stones instead of themselves if they are so powerful?" I ask, still trying to make sense of her involvement in this.
"She must have some connection to a dragon. Only those with dragon blood would be able to sense the stones and find them."
"Kay doesn't know that she's magical. We haven't told her yet either," Ann states.
"It could be that her family is now dormant. Magic is like a muscle. If you don't use it often, it can become weak." Beck tilts his head. "I can tell you if she's got dragon blood if you'd like me to. All I need is a drop of her blood."
"I'm not sure how we can ask her for that without telling her she's a witch." I look to Ann, who nods.
"I don't think there is going to be any perfect time to tell her that she's a witch. It would help if we know for sure that she's connected to the dragons so we can teach her to protect herself."
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