by Meg Ripley
“You don’t have to go to all this trouble for me,” she said with a small smile as he handed her a mug of hot chocolate, piled high with marshmallows.
God, he hoped she liked marshmallows. Garrison looked down into those alluring eyes. “Yes I do, Maren. You’re absolutely the person I have to go to trouble for. You’re the person I want to go to all this trouble for. I’ve been waiting for you all my life.” His throat had tightened to the size of a pin, hardly letting any air in or out. He’d already said it, though. Might as well go on, since there was no turning back now. He sank slowly down to his knees in front of her, taking her free hand in his own. “I knew I was missing something, but I didn’t even realize what it was. And then I met you, and even though we’d hardly said a word to each other, I just knew. I know you and I are meant to be together. I’m sorry if that isn’t what you want to hear or if you don’t agree. But it won’t change the fact that I’m convinced you’re my destiny.”
“Garrison.” She set down the mug on the coffee table, her eyes glistening with tears. “I know. I mean, I know now. That was why I kissed you. I’ve been having all these feelings since you arrived, and it’s like my body isn’t even my own. I don’t know what to do with it, because it’s just doing everything on its own. Not that I mind.” She smiled at him then.
His heart lifted inside his chest, making Garrison realize just how low it had been riding. “I can’t say that I mind, either.” He kissed her then, and the hot chocolate and the preparations he’d been trying to make to be a good host were completely forgotten. Garrison gently pulled her down to the soft rug in front of the hearth, their lips and hands taking over all reason. He dared to explore the smooth skin on her lower back just under the edge of her sweater. Once he’d started, he didn’t want to stop. He needed to feel the rest of her, to see the rest of her, to truly know her down to the last fiber of her being.
She responded to him in much the same way as she fumbled at the buttons on his shirt, her fingers shaking as she strove to strip it from his body. They were like two nervous teenagers, knowing what they wanted, yet not entirely certain how to get it. But they’d managed with the shirts and boots, and then the socks and pants, frustrated with the number of layers the cold weather demanded when they were in these physiques.
When he sank inside her, Garrison felt his entire body turn to molten metal as he conformed to the shape of her body. He closed his eyes and moaned as her hips moved enticingly against his. It was enough that he’d gotten to see the smooth planes of her stomach against the sweet curve of her hip, the soft heaviness of her breasts and the long lines of her legs. But to be joined to her like this was something else altogether. His mind burst with colors and shapes as they moved together, and he clenched his fingers in the rug against the intensity of it all.
Maren was showing him that other side of herself again, the one that wasn’t a shy recluse living in the middle of the woods. Her palms blessed the muscles of his back, gliding upward to run through his hair and clutch it with just enough strength to let him know she meant business. Her thighs braced against him, welcoming him and keeping him where he belonged.
Their hips, their breaths, even their heartbeats lined up like the planets, and when he felt her body convulsing beneath him, he could hold back no longer. Garrison roared his satisfaction as he emptied himself into her, and the two of them in that moment were molded together in a twisted and pleasurable knot of body parts.
They lay together afterwards on the rug, catching their breath. Garrison rested his hand on her face, his other arm encircling her and keeping her close. “You’re incredible,” he breathed as he kissed her once again.
Maren’s smile was slow and languid as she cuddled in closer. “I could say the same about you.”
7
Maren was sitting on the shore. The sun was bright and her toes were warm where they were buried in the sand. She watched with a smile as the others headed out toward the water, their arms and legs turning shorter and more reptilian as they showed their true sides. Some of them walked forward into the small waves, their long bodies arcing up over the blue surface before sinking down to the depths again. Others pushed off from the beach and into the air, launching themselves into the sky on confident wings that made angular shadows on the sand.
She was content simply to lay back and watch them, knowing they were there. The sun had heated the top layer of sand, but the further she dug herself into it, the cooler it got. It was like a natural cocoon that she never wanted to get out of.
When footsteps neared, she didn’t jump upright and disappear into the woods. She simply smiled up at Garrison, who now stood next to her. His muscular body was sexy in a pair of dark green swimming trunks, the dark hair on his chest tapering to a narrow line that disappeared into the waistband of his shorts. Even his strong legs were something to be admired, and she couldn’t help but reach out to trace her fingers over the bones of his ankles. “Hey, you.”
He looked down, smiling as warmly as the sun. “I told you I would get it all set up.”
“What?” Maren was feeling lazy and relaxed, something she’d experienced so rarely over the last few decades, but it was becoming a more common occurrence now that Garrison was around.
“That would be fine. Yes, I understand you’ll want a little bit of time to prepare yourselves. So will she.”
Pushing herself up onto her elbows, Maren studied his face. He was talking to her, but none of it made sense. “Prepare myself for what?” The sand caved away from her body, then, refusing to support her any longer. She fell straight through the beach as though she was being sucked from the underside of it by some great vortex. Her body stretched, leaving some of itself behind as she came to on a thick rug in front of a fireplace.
Maren blinked. She was still completely naked, although someone had put a blanket over her. The rug and the fireplace felt an awful lot like the sand and the sun, but there were no dragons freewheeling overhead. As her senses adjusted to being awake instead of lost in that fantastical dream, she realized Garrison was in the kitchen, talking on the phone.
“Great. I’ll see you then. Thank you.” He hung up, staring uncertainly at his phone for a minute before he glanced across the room. Garrison startled when he saw she was awake. “I’m sorry. Was I being too loud?”
“Um, no. No, of course not.” She sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her. Sure, he’d already seen her body—both of her bodies—but that was in the throes of passion. Now it was daylight, with the shivering pine trees dropping dustings of snow against the windows. The smell of breakfast filled the air. Maren couldn’t help but feel that she’d done something wrong and that she wasn’t supposed to be there. “I’m sorry I stayed so long. I guess I was just sleeping so well, that…” She trailed off as she remembered lying next to Garrison, his body stretched out next to hers, their fingertips caressing each other’s bodies until they fell asleep. It’d been one of the most pleasant things she’d ever experienced, and she didn’t like the idea of having to return to reality once again.
“No, no. Don’t be sorry.” Garrison set the phone on the counter and picked up a mug. “Coffee?”
“That’d be great, thanks.” She felt the urge to be so stiff and formal with him, a notion that juxtaposed against what they’d done the night before.
He brought her the coffee, along with a plate of bacon, eggs, and biscuits, arranging it all on the coffee table so she could eat without getting up. He seated himself in a nearby armchair.
“What about you?” she asked. The scent of the food reminded her of just how hungry she was, and she picked up her fork.
“I ate earlier. I had a hard time sleeping once the sun was up. I’m still not used to the time difference. Plus, I had a few phone calls to make.”
The bacon and eggs had been fried to perfection, but her compliments to the chef died on her tongue. “I take it that means you’ve set it all up, and we have to talk to them today.”
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p; He ran his hand through his hair. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”
Maren shook her head, and she was now only eating out of obligation. Imagining herself talking to a room full of clan leaders who were rightfully pissed wasn’t an appetizing thought. “No. I have to do it. Not just because you want me to,” she quickly amended, “but because it’s the right thing to do. That doesn’t make me any less nervous about it, though.”
“Nothing to be nervous about,” Garrison said. “I’ll be right there with you, and the only thing we’re going to do is talk.”
She felt the corners of her mouth continuing to tug downward. “That’s not always been my strongest suit. I’ve been mostly trying to avoid having conversations as much as possible.” It was easy talking to Garrison. Maren knew he’d understand her, even if for no other reason than that they were alike on the inside. But with anyone else she was out of practice, and she doubted other types of shifters would be any more compassionate than humans were.
“It’s all going to be very informal. I think they’re pretty nervous about it, too, if that makes you feel any better.” He rubbed his hands together between his knees, trying to look as casual as he sounded. “It’ll all be okay.”
Maren tipped her head down to stare at the breakfast he’d put before her. Garrison knew what she’d done. He’d listened to her about her life and the struggles she’d been through. It hadn’t driven him away yet, nor had he balked when she’d accidentally stayed the entire night at his cabin. She had no reason not to trust him, but this task that was now looming before her felt like marching straight into enemy territory without a single weapon in hand.
She thought of her grandparents, as she had been doing a lot lately, and wondered what they’d think of Garrison. Sure, he was the only other dragon she’d ever met, but would they think the two of them were a good match? Would they look at his life and military history and deem him a good man? Or would they tell her there was something suspicious about a dragon who just showed up out of nowhere?
But no, that last thought wasn’t even one she could convince herself of. She saw that look of certainty on Garrison’s face. She’d felt the way their bodies and souls had melded together the previous evening and the way they were still connected now. Even before they’d touched, they’d been so completely in tune to that they’d managed to find each other at the lodge. It was the kind of things humans chalked up to coincidence, but Maren knew it was so much more than that.
Still, what she’d agreed to do wasn’t a task she looked forward to. “And if it’s not all right?”
He leaned forward and his hand closed on her wrist. It wouldn’t have been an intimate gesture from anyone else, but from him, she felt all the intention and emotion that came along with it. “Then we’ll figure it out. Nothing is ever set in stone, Maren.”
She recalled some of the snippets of conversation she’d heard while still in her dream. “You said I’d need time to prepare. Is there something I’m supposed to do?” Maren had no idea how these other shifters lived, but Garrison had implied that there was some sort of formal grouping. If there were ceremonies or rules, then she knew nothing about them. A renewed sense of anxiety burned in her stomach.
Garrison raised an eyebrow. “I thought getting dressed would be a good start. I mean, I don’t mind what you’re wearing right now, but it might give a better impression if you’ve got your clothes on.” He tugged on the edge of the blanket playfully.
She laughed and slapped his hand away. “Okay, fine. If you insist.” Garrison was determined to make her feel better about all this, and she wanted nothing more than to give him that.
Maren stepped out of the cabin and toward the car uncertainly. She’d seen plenty of humans do this. In fact, they were so determined to ride in cars instead of walking anywhere that she’d even seen them do it just to go down the street. But she wasn’t like them, and something as simple as a trip down the mountain to someone else’s house was enough to remind her of that.
Garrison swooped in to save her from her doubt, opening the car door for her. She lowered herself onto the cold leather. Neither hot nor cold weather bothered her much, considering she always had a fire living inside her anyway, but Maren felt a painful shiver down her back that could’ve just as easily been from the chilly upholstery as from nerves.
“Do you have anything you want to talk about? Or ask me?” Garrison offered quietly as he pulled out onto the road.
They’d already been over everything several times, and even if she hadn’t asked the questions out loud, she’d at least gone over them in her head. Maren felt she knew as much about what was going to happen as she possibly could without living through the experience herself, and she was about to do that shortly. “No.”
His hand slipped over the center console to rest on her thigh. It wasn’t a gesture of possession or even innuendo, but simply of being there for her. Maren lowered her own hand to rest on top of his and focused on the sense of peace and security he brought to her. It was almost ironic that she hadn’t had another dragon to rely on for the longest time, even though there were plenty of moments when she’d needed someone, and now he was suddenly there. Garrison was like a knight in shining armor straight out of a fairy tale. Even his name spoke to her of protection, bringing to mind images of knights guarding a castle.
The car paused in front of a large gate that swung open seemingly on its own. “Don’t let any of this intimidate you,” he said quietly as he pulled the car through and around the curve of the driveway. “It’s a nice house, but that’s not an uncommon thing. The way the clans usually operate, there’s plenty of money to go around. I get the feeling that Brad’s house also serves as their clubhouse, which gives it even more of a chance to be big. But they’re very down-to-Earth people.”
“I think you already told me that,” Maren replied with a smile.
“Did I? I’m sorry. I just want you to feel comfortable.” He pulled the car to a stop and turned off the engine.
Maren stacked her right hand on top of her left so that both of them were on Garrison’s. “I know you do. And just the fact that you want that helps a lot. For the longest time, I’ve never had anyone so willing to stand at my side like this, especially considering what I’ve done. I can’t thank you enough.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” Garrison got out of the driver’s seat and came around to the passenger side of the car to let her out. He took her hand and rested it in the crook of his elbow as they walked up to the front door.
Maren’s body was confused with emotion. The concern in her stomach mixed with the comfort of having Garrison at her side in a way that wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
The front door opened before they had a chance to knock or ring the bell, revealing a tall, slim man who looked down at them with a glare of disdain.
“Maren, this is Shane, one of the black bears.”
She knew he was analyzing her, as all of the shifters who waited inside would be. Maren never thought of herself as being a particularly rude person, but there was no better time in the world to be polite than right now. “It’s very nice to meet you.” She held out her hand.
Shane glanced at it but made no move to take it. Instead, he simply moved back to hold the door wider and allow them entrance.
“Don’t mind him,” Garrison whispered in her ear. “He’s not the talkative kind.”
“So I see.” But at least being snubbed and still allowed entrance was better than being kicked out before they even got inside, and Maren knew she had to take what she could get. Her stomach swirled as Garrison led her through the entryway and into a large living room. It reminded her of the lodge at the ski resort, with its tall ceiling and monstrous fireplace, but it was also clear that no expense had been spared in there. Her own little cabin that she’d cobbled together over the years was something she could be proud of when the roof kept the rain off her head at night or when she didn’t need to worry about snow getting in duri
ng the winter, but it was a shack compared to this.
A heavy man covered in dark hair was already on his feet and approaching them. His eyes were just as wary as Shane’s had been, but at least he was making an effort to be polite. “Good afternoon, Garrison.”
“Good afternoon. This is Maren. Maren, this is Brad, Alpha of the local black bear clan.”
At least this bear was willing to shake her hand. His grip was strong and firm, and his dark gaze bored into hers. “I appreciate you coming here today.”
Did he really? She couldn’t be sure of that, and Maren had a feeling she wouldn’t be until it was all over. Maybe not even then. “And I appreciate you having me.”
The brawny man spoke to Ethan. “We do have our guards here, but I thought it would be best to have them occupy themselves in other parts of the house for now.”
Maren didn’t know if she should be grateful that she didn’t have an entire assemblage of shifters staring at her or terrified at knowing they all might come rushing in to attack her, but since Garrison seemed satisfied with this, she figured she could be as well.
“This is Tracy, the coyote Alpha.” Brad indicated a slim woman standing near the fireplace with a whiskey glass in her hand. The coyote, at least, gave her a genuine smile as she waved her fingers in the air.
“And this is Ethan. He heads the mountain lions.”
The man in the far corner of the room made no move to come forward. He watched her with an alertness in his eyes that told Maren he was convinced she was going to gobble him up for lunch right then and there.
“Please, have a seat. Uh, do dragons prefer to be closer to the fire or further away from it?” Brad glanced from Garrison to Maren and back again, for the first time displaying a bit of insecurity in his skills as a host.
“Either is fine.” Garrison led her to the two chairs that were free near the fire.
“I’ll get you some drinks.”