by Ashlee Sinn
“They’re coming,” Viktor stated coolly.
And just as the words left his mouth, I heard the roar of a very pissed-off tiger. The humans screamed and most of them started running passed us. The grizzlies, tigers, and wolves funneled them into a large, open field where the front of the building was. It didn’t take long for them to corral the humans into a small clump, but even though the shifters were shot at, they didn’t attack.
“What are they doing?” Sutton asked.
Viktor picked up Zane again and Sophia helped pull me to my feet. “She’s coming,” I whispered, realizing now exactly what the plan was. And even though I was surprised Danika would expose herself, I knew at this point there was no turning back.
“Come on,” Viktor yelled to us. “We need to move!”
“Why?” Sutton questioned. “Calvin’s been shot.”
Viktor stopped, looked up at the sky, and pointed into the air. “That’s why.”
Sutton and I followed his gaze to notice a large, black shadow hanging over the tree tops and coming this way. I heard the wings and the distinct rumbling I’d only seen one other time in my long life.
“What the hell is that?” Sutton screeched.
But it was the humans who were in trouble. “She shouldn’t…” I said.
Viktor shook his head. “I know, but she can’t stop herself now.”
As much as I knew what the consequences might be for her, I understood what Viktor meant. Dragons were stubborn. And once their animal took control, there was no stopping their natural instinct to hunt and kill.
“Holy fuck, is that a dragon?”
I almost laughed at Sutton’s unlady-like vocabulary, but I was too enthralled with what was happening in the sky. Danika’s massive dark blue iridescent form glided close enough to the trees to create a jet trail of destruction. Branches flew, the fog curled up behind her, and birds fled the scene.
The humans screamed and ran toward the lab. At first the shifters wouldn’t let them pass, but as Danika neared, they once again funneled them into the space they wanted their prey to go. A massive screech filled the night sky a second before Danika let the flames erupt from her jaw. She scorched the land in a straight line from the last tree on the edge of the opening right up to the front door of the lab. Several humans fell, rolling and screaming as their skin burned. Danika swooped low but pulled up just before slamming into the building. She circled around, readying for another pass. Her deafening howl warned of more destruction, her wings beating loudly like a war drum.
Sutton pulled me close. “I can’t believe I’m seeing this.”
“I know. She’s pretty magnificent.”
Sutton huffed. “Yeah, and deadly. Shouldn’t we stop her? I mean…that’s a lot of killing…”
I squeezed her tight. “That’s not how this works,” I replied solemnly.
Danika opened her jaws and blew her flame once again. Only this time, she targeted each and every human still standing until there were none left. The she flew over the top of the building, blasting it with flames, making sure this lab would never be used to torture shifters again.
Viktor set Zane down just as Julia rushed over in her grizzly form. The rest of the shifters stayed back, still watching the dragon—a species they probably thought was extinct—rain down her destruction and revenge.
Julia didn’t shift back. Instead, she stayed in her grizzly form, licking Zane’s wounds and nudging him awake. When Danika flew our way again, Julia turned with a snarl. I followed her gaze to see Danika set herself down on four large, dragon feet and take a moment to compose herself.
“Wow,” Viktor breathed.
I totally understood his statement. Danika sat at least three stories high from head to foot and another three stories long. She wrapped her tail around her left side and shook her head a few times.
“What is she doing?” Sutton asked.
“Changing into a dragon takes a lot of energy. And expending that much fire…that must have seriously drained her.”
“Wow,” Sutton copied Viktor.
Danika lifted her wings once, and then snapped them back against her sides. She stood, moving our way and shaking the ground as she did. Just a few steps away, she morphed back into her human form and jogged over to Zane. We watched as the woman made of ice and stone sobbed next to the man she apparently loved.
“Wow,” Sutton breathed again. “Zane’s going to be so happy.”
I laughed, as did the rest of the shifters sitting close enough to hear her. But when Danika stood and whipped her long, dark hair behind her shoulder, her glowing red eyes let us know who was still in charge.
“We need to get him home,” she snapped.
“I can get a helicopter here in twenty,” Viktor said, removing his cell phone from his back pocket.
“Make it ten,” Danika snapped before kneeling back down and speaking softly to Zane.
Sutton and Sophia lifted me from the ground again, and then Sophia gave Sutton all of my weight. I did my best to not crush her, but with one good leg and one good foot, it was a little hard.
Sutton wrapped her arms over my neck and pushed her face close to mine. “You missed our date.”
“I know,” I said with a smile. “Can you ever forgive me?”
She kissed my lips and I savored the feel of her soft skin against mine. “That depends,” she teased. “Will you apologize like you did the other day?”
I laughed, for the first time in several days. “Oh, you have no idea.”
And as we heard a chopper in the distance, I melted against my Sutton, my mate, and vowed that I would never let go of her again.
Something crashed in the kitchen and Calvin let out a curse. I heard him shuffling along the old wood floors, refusing to use his crutches and simply being stubborn in the process.
“You okay?” I yelled to him from the bedroom.
“Yeah, I’m great,” he groaned.
If I’d learned anything over these past two weeks, it was that man cougars didn’t like to be sick. Or hurt. Or weak. And this one certainly didn’t like to have someone else take care of him. It was a character trait I actually admired, as I often felt the same way. But I also did my best to show him that being loved didn’t mean he had to give up his independence.
Another crash. Another curse.
I laughed to myself as I finished making the bed in the guest room. Calvin had a quick closing on his new place, so now we were doing our best to make it comfortable until he was healed and we could start ripping down walls.
I heard the distinctive sound of crutches squeaking down the short hallway followed by the familiar grunts of my mate. Mate. I’d only recently learned exactly what that meant to a shifter. Calvin had explained that once their animal finds their match, they will never be whole until they’re together. It was a nice sentiment—perhaps a bit much for me to fully understand—but if that meant I now had a partner in life, then I was okay with that. I loved Calvin, I really did. And even though it had all moved so fast these last few weeks, it felt right.
“I’m finished,” I said when Calvin entered the room.
“I thought that bed was going in the master?”
“It will, once construction is done in there.”
Calvin rolled his eyes and my heart melted at how much he let me see of him now. “I’m slowly regretting buying this place.”
“Why? Remodeling is fun,” I said with a smile.
“Then I officially put you in charge of it.”
“You already did that,” I reminded him.
“Well, then I’m the smartest guy in the world.”
“And the sexiest.”
He grinned at me and hobbled into the room some more.
“Does it still hurt?” Brandt had told me that shifters heal faster than humans. But since Calvin had his toe cut off, got shot in the leg, and had one of his kidneys removed, he was healing slower than usual.
“I’m fine,” he grumbled.
I stepped forw
ard and cupped his face. He’d let the scruff grow a little and I was starting to appreciate it very much. “You always say that.” I kissed his nose.
“I’m tough.”
“I know.” Pushing my breasts against his chest, I slowly rubbed them back and forth. Since I’d been unpacking and organizing, I had nothing under my sweatshirt and it felt great to let it all loose.
“Woman,” Calvin moaned, “you know I’m supposed to take it easy.”
“Then take it easy,” I said while I grabbed his hard bulge pressing against his jeans. “Maybe you should sit.” I suggested with a wicked grin.
Calvin cupped my ass and squeezed me tight against him. “I can’t believe you’re all mine,” he whispered.
“I said sit.”
He laughed and fell back on the bed. I grabbed the crutches and leaned them against the wall, and then I liberated my amazingly chiseled mate from his shirt. Taking a quick glance at his scar, I brushed my fingers over the large incision that wrapped around one side of his torso. When I felt Calvin tense beneath my touch, I bent forward and kissed every inch of that scar.
He shivered beneath me and tried to pull my head toward his. But I refused and instead pushed him back into the bed so I could relieve him of the rest of his clothes.
“What are you going to do with me?” he said with a feral, and hungry, gaze.
“Shh,” I told him, before stepping back enough to take off my shirt and pants. I let him watch in slow torture while I removed every last piece. By the time I was standing before him, totally naked and loving the way his arousal waited for me, I smiled.
“You need to come over here. Now,” he said.
I shook my head and rubbed my hands over my breasts. Watching him watch me was such a turn on, it was my new favorite game to play. And even though Calvin shifted on the bed with need, I told him to stay put. As my fingers slid between my legs, I thought Calvin would pop some stiches with the way his muscles bulged underneath the pressure of wanting me. After a few minutes of torturing my poor mate, I slowly climbed up onto the bed.
“Tell me how much you love me,” I said.
“You have no idea, woman,” he growled.
“Tell me how much you want me.”
He nipped my neck. “I want to fuck you so bad right now…” His voice trailed off when I smashed my lips against his. Ever since finding Calvin, I’d opened my heart to someone in a way I’d never been able to do before. And that freedom had released a whole other animal inside of me. Dominating a dominate male like Calvin made me wet like nothing else in this world.
I pushed him away and straddled his hips. His mouth found my breasts and he worked his magic on my hardened nipples. I threw back my head in pleasure for just a moment before grabbing his shaft and squeezing it hard. It tightened and throb underneath my touch, just like I did each time his skillful lips or masculine hands brushed against any part of my body. A few drops of moisture helped serve as a lubricant, and while he worked my nipples, I brought him closer with my hand.
“Fuck, Sutton,” he breathed. “I can’t get enough of you.”
“Good because you’re stuck with me now.”
He laughed and I took that moment to guide him inside. My body opened up for him…like it always did. As though we’d been meant for each other, we fit together perfectly. He filled me up, large and slightly uncomfortable, but instantly hitting that spot deep inside that only he could. I rode him, slowly at first, allowing his fingers to roam along my body.
But when he grabbed my ass cheeks and slammed me hard against him, I screamed out and increased my speed. My hips slapped against his as though he wasn’t injured, and we enjoyed the feel of each other. Our slick skin eased the movement, my breasts pushing against his chest and rubbing my tight nubs. I found my orgasm came fast and hard, as did Calvin’s. We came together, called out together, and enjoyed every last wave of pleasure as though we were one.
When finished, I looked down at his flawless face and smiled. “I love you.”
He kissed my nose and held me tight. “You are the best mate I’ve ever had.”
I slapped his chest and pretended to be offended. “Thanks.”
In a split second, he flipped me over on my back and flicked his tongue against my lips. “You are the only mate I’ve ever wanted, and I will protect you forever.”
“I wasn’t the one that needed protected, remember?” I teased.
He wrapped his hand under my thigh and pulled it up over his hip. “I was just playing with you.”
“Sure.”
He maneuvered my other leg over his hip and pressed his already hard cock back against my sensitive folds.
“Again?” I asked.
“I can’t get enough.” The purring sound rumbled through his chest and I smiled at that now familiar feeling.
“Well, I’m not ever going anywhere.”
That got me another kiss on the nose. “Good.”
“And you should probably rest.”
“No way.”
“Stubborn.”
“Yep.”
I giggled, but when the tip of his dick pushed into my opening ever so slightly, the laugh caught in my throat. “I am a slave to you,” I breathed.
As Calvin caressed my skin, I closed my eyes and smiled. Moving to Alaska had been the best decision of my life. And while the fight with those who hated what this man was would never end, I knew that I would always have Calvin by my side to stand up for what’s right.
Calvin. My man. My mate.
And the love of my life.
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