Dragos: The Complete Bundle (Books 1, 1.5, 2, 3 and 4)

by Amber Kallyn

  A predator’s gaze, beyond that of just being part dragon.

  Anna shivered from fear that he would see right through her.

  It didn’t help that a mere look at his body brought back memories from the night before, his hands on her, his dick deep inside. Maybe it had just been too long since she’d had sex. Dreams didn’t count, nor did self-pleasure.

  Unable to deal with the oppressive atmosphere any longer, Anna grabbed her coffee and stood, fleeing to the kitchen doorway. She felt like a cold bitch, but she couldn’t afford to pretend casual politeness with this man who enticed not only the woman she was, but her dragon as well.

  Without turning, she stated, “The storm blew in. It’s supposed to last a few days. Please stay out of my way.”

  * * *

  That evening, after a tense, stress-filled day with either her houseguest or Wolf constantly beneath her feet, Anna sat alone in the kitchen at her laptop, clicking from website to website. The creators were mostly delusional or insane, though on occasion she found a site with useful information based in reality.

  It was hard for some people to separate truth from fiction. Mortals rarely came across mythical creatures such as her. She’d faced disbelief and terror from humanity. Unfortunately, the majority of humans who encountered the supernatural either tried to harness it for their own use, or went a little loopy until they could push it out of their minds and pretend such a thing never happened.

  As Anna clicked on a site that looked somewhat promising—about mages and earth magic—a shiver crawled down her neck. She froze as Garreth’s musky scent filled the kitchen, wrapping around her and plunging deep into her core.

  “Can I help you?”

  “I’m bored,” he replied, his tone sulky yet still hard.

  “Then find something to do.”

  “I can’t.” He came closer, hovering right behind her chair.

  Closing her laptop with a click, she turned in the seat, staring up, and up, his tall, enticing body. His nearness, having his scent constantly catch her off guard and drive desire pulsing through her body, affected her as bad as just looking at him.

  He was too big, always seeming to take up the majority of whichever room she happened to catch him in. His intense gaze stayed alert, as if he was mentally preparing for a battle to begin at any given moment.

  Meeting that smoldering blue gaze was the worst of all. Anna could drown in his presence, engulfed by the charismatic energy around him.

  It made her, and her suddenly hormonal dragon, edgy.

  Gritting her teeth, she replied, “I’m not your fun assistant. If you’re bored, figure something out. I don’t have the time—or the desire—to keep you occupied.”

  He grinned, raking his gaze over her body, announcing exactly how he thought she could keep him occupied. But he didn’t speak, just grabbed his chair and pulled it closer. As Garreth sat, the wood creaked, threatening to splinter before finally settling down.

  Anna glared at him. “What are you doing?”

  “Watching you. I saw what you were looking at. Don’t you know enough about us, you need to find more online?” His eyes sparkled with mirth.

  “I hope this storm lets up soon,” she mumbled, turning back to her laptop. She opened the lid and continued to scroll through the page, trying to concentrate on the information claiming the original mages were good and only used earth magic.

  “Hah!” Garreth growled bitterly as he read over her shoulder.

  She drew back. Her shoulder banged into his chin and he moaned theatrically in pain.

  “Then don’t sit so close,” she replied tartly before continuing to skim the website.

  Or try to.

  She was acutely aware of his nearness. Though he scooted back a few inches, his body heat radiated out, slipping over her skin and putting images into her mind that had absolutely no business being there.

  A few minutes later, feeling half-crazed, she slammed the laptop shut again and spun to face him. “Do you mind?” she almost shouted, barely restraining herself.

  “Oh, are you done?” One dark eyebrow rose as a grin teased his lips. “Does that mean maybe we could talk now? Conversation is good for the soul, I’ve heard.”

  She furiously chewed on her lower lip. “Five minutes. Then go away so I can work.”

  Garreth settled back in the chair, making the poor thing creak again, and folded his arms over his tanned, rippling abs. A second later he cleared his throat. Anna jerked her gaze from his enticing bare chest to his amused eyes

  Her face flushed warmly. “What do you want to talk about?”

  He grinned, flashing even, white teeth. “Well, one normally begins with the weather, but I think we’re both clear on that one.”

  “Only slightly,” she said, unable to prevent a slight smile.

  “Just last week I was in the tropics. Warm, sunny. I’m half wishing I was back there.”

  “That would be nice.” A beach, the calming sound of the waves crashing to shore. A gust of wind shook the cabin. “Guess we’re nowhere close though.”

  Garreth smiled, leaning back and relaxing.

  “So, we’ve talked about the weather. What’s next?” Anna asked, surprised she suddenly felt so comfortable, and almost playful, talking to him like this. She’d never experienced such a thing before, not in the master’s dungeons where everyone huddled in fear.

  Ignoring the memory, she settled deeper into her seat, trying to make this newness last. Pushing a smile to her lips, she blinked at Garreth. “I don’t talk about politics or religion. You up for philosophy?”

  He winked and leaned forward. Close enough his heat enveloped her. A shiver worked down her spine, not of fear, but of desire. From the growing bulge unhidden by the thin sweats, he felt it too.

  “Plato, Socrates, or Paracelsus?”

  Eyes widening, Anna realized he was well versed. Few knew of Paracelsus. Then again, Garreth was a dragon and Paracelsus was thought by some to have been one of them.

  “You just want to get into a debate, don’t you?” she asked.

  “Maybe.” He glanced around the room, then asked, “How about your pet?”

  “Wolf?” she replied, startled. Leaning back, she peeked into the living room. Her wolf was still curled up in front of the fire napping. “What about him?”

  Garreth’s amusement seemed to flee as the watchful predator came back to his sapphire gaze for a brief second. Then, as if a mask shuttered over his face, his grin returned.

  Her skin itched and she wanted to scoot away. Far, far away. Though he once more looked genial, she wasn’t buying it this time. His eyes flashed, showing how hard he was thinking, how hard he tried to appear other than who he was.

  It scared her.

  Because she didn’t know what else this man was hiding.

  “So, your wolf?” he prodded.

  “He’s my companion,” she replied cautiously, trying to figure this enigma out while inside, her dragon didn’t care, only wanted to draw closer, take in his scent.

  “He doesn’t act like a normal wolf.”

  She struggled to control her inner urges. “What exactly does a normal wolf act like?”

  Garreth’s lips thinned. “Wild.”

  Her dragon calmer, Anna focused on their conversation. “Well, I’ve had him since he was a pup. He’s more than tame. He’s a friend, part of my family.”

  “But where did you get him?”

  A tight band clamped around her chest. Averting her gaze, she stared at the wooden floor, concentrating on the happiness of the memories, rather than the deep pain overlaying them. “Mi padre gave him to me a long time ago.” Her voice came out thick, catching in her chest.

  “So the wolf is your protector?” he asked soft and low.

  “Something like that.”

  His eyes softened, both the false playfulness and the hard predator fleeing. He looked like any man, confident, maybe a bit lonely.

  “I had someone like that, o
nce. Boyo was a shepherd. Got him from my dad when he was a bitty pup and raised him until he was ten.” He blinked and the softness disappeared. “Canines make wonderful companions.”

  “Yes,” she replied slowly, confusion swamping her. Just who was this mysterious man? “They do.”

  “Where did your papa get him?”

  Anna blinked, controlling her emotions, and stared blankly at the man sitting so close. “I don’t know. But your five minutes are up.”

  Slowly, Garreth got to his feet. He scooted the chair back and ambled out to the living room.

  * * *

  Garreth didn’t want to leave her. True, he was bored. He’d been over almost every inch of the cabin and found no indication she might be hiding his quarry. Snooping without raising her suspicions had been fun. But now, cooped up in this cabin with a beautiful woman—he could still remember how good she’d tasted—was driving him nuts.

  It didn’t help her unique scent of honeysuckle and dragoness filled the whole frackin place. It teased his senses, inflamed his lust.

  He needed to do something.

  Anything.

  But the place was so small.

  Finding her researching mages and magic piqued his curiosity, but she was obviously not going to let him keep watching. He slumped on the couch, staring at the wolf pretending to be asleep. A glint of gold peeked out partly open eyes, before promptly disappearing.

  “You don’t fool me, you know,” Garreth whispered.

  The wolf stayed perfectly still.

  Garreth itched to be on his way, to find the traitor who must be near and bring her in. This interlude was a distraction he didn’t need. The woman in the other room a distraction he didn’t need. Jumping to his feet, he strode to the door and glanced out the window, dismayed at how thick the blizzard had become.

  He wasn’t going anywhere. Slowly, his thoughts began to coalesce on the woman. Perhaps, he could talk her into less work. A little more fun would do her good.

  The wolf suddenly sprang to his feet, staring at the door and growling, muzzle showing long sharp teeth. Garreth glanced at the door. Scratching came, sharp claws on wood.

  Howls arose out on the porch, met by the lupine within the cabin.

  Anna raced into the living room, her lavender gaze bright as she stared from her pet to the door. “Just wolves or something else?” she asked.

  Garreth opened his mouth to ask what she meant when her pet let out a sharp bark.

  “Good. Then we’ll take care of them quickly.” She approached the door, opening it to stare out into the darkness.

  “Now wait just a minute,” he growled, pulling her back. “I’ll take care of them.” He tugged her from the doorway and stepped out onto the freezing porch, staring at the shadows and the blowing snow. A patch of darkness jerked beside him, hurtling through the air.

  Spinning, he faced the leaping beast head on, waiting until the last second. He ducked, twisting at the same time. The wild wolf landed, claws scrabbling on the porch, then turned, yellow eyes flashing as it faced him.

  His dragon rose up inside, demanding they protect the treasure in the house. It startled him, but not as much as his beast straining for a fight. The musky scent of predatory brimstone filled the air.

  The wolf cowered, looking left and right, but did not back off. It must be starved beyond rational thought. Pity. He hated to harm helpless creatures such as this one.

  Garreth took two running steps and jumped from the porch, shifting his form in mid-air. He landed in the snow his true size, towering over the cabin, his vision enhanced to see even through the white night. Small shadows darted around him, six or seven in all.

  He bellowed, urging them to flee, not fight. But the shadows crept closer to his talons sinking in the packed snow rapidly melting from his body heat. One dark blur raced forward, jumping at his side.

  Garreth unfurled his dark blue wings, raising them and flapping. The gust sent snow and shadows rolling over the ground. He blew fire at the feet of the dazed wolves.

  Yips and howls rose in the air, before the group finally came to their senses and dashed away.

  The cold penetrated his scales. He trudged to the porch, shifting back to his human form as he went. The frackin tight sweatpants seemed in worse shape than before, though he usually had full command of his clothing when he changed.

  As he climbed up the steps, he caught the woman’s amused gaze.

  “What?” he demanded, slamming the door behind him and hurrying to the fire.

  “Why didn’t you just kill them all? They’re beyond saving.”

  He shrugged, unwilling to figure it out, even for himself. “They left. That’s all that matters.”

  “Hmm,” she said softly as she turned to look out the window. “And if they come back?”

  “We can deal with them then.”

  * * *

  Anna sat at her laptop and tried to get back to work, but the image of Garreth’s softness kept floating through her mind. The gorgeous, dark blue dragon was complicated.

  Was he the predator, the jokester, the lost lonely boy, or the compassionate person that wouldn’t kill deranged wolves, and instead gave them the chance to flee?

  Some combination of them all, most likely.

  It threw her. He didn’t seem anything but a hard man, based on his rough exterior. Garreth even looked like some wild mountain man, albeit a clean-shaven one.

  Most men with his huge bearing would use it to their advantage. Take what he wanted and ignore others’ needs. That’s what she was used to.

  This man confused her. Too much.

  Shaking her head, Anna stared at the laptop screen. She didn’t have time to contemplate the stranger in her living room. She needed to get to work. Yet, her concentration was shot. She continued to stare blankly at the laptop, ruminating over him.

  The way he made her feel, but shouldn’t. A woman could be attracted to a stranger, sure. He enticed her dragon in shocking, confusing ways.

  But it went beyond that. In such a short time, he seemed as if he belonged.

  Anna shook her head.

  Not even she belonged, much less Garreth. Yet she’d been aware of his every move in the small cabin all day long.

  Giving up on work for the moment, she decided she needed to clear her head of all this foolishness.

  None of it mattered.

  She couldn’t allow it to.

  Chapter Four

  Hurrying through the living room, Anna stepped outside. Her breath caught in her throat at the icy air, and her skin prickled with goose bumps. A long-sleeved shirt and jeans weren’t appropriate attire for the weather, but at least it cooled the lust rampaging inside her.

  Drawing her magic like a mantle to keep her warm, she headed to the rail, staring out at the swirling snowfall. She reached up, grasping the locket dangling at her neck, wishing life could be turned back and redone. Wolf scratched the door, wanting to come out, but she ignored him.

  Gazing up at the invisible night sky, barely seeing the indecipherable patterns the snowflakes made, she tried to figure out what she was going to do. How was she going to last if her hormones flared just thinking about him?

  The door creaked open, making her jump. Wolf rushed to her side, rubbing his head on her thigh with a whimper.

  “I’m not mad at you,” she whispered, rubbing his ear.

  “Just me, huh?” Garreth said, stepping up beside her, a blanket wrapped around his mostly naked body.

  She forced herself to look away.

  “Why don’t you come inside? You’re shivering.” His voice sounded concerned. Worried.

  Yeah, her hands shook, her legs trembled. But it wasn’t from the cold. “I’m fine.”

  He inched closer. “I’m not an axe murderer. I won’t hurt you.”

  That hadn’t even crossed her mind. “I can take care of myself.”

  “Then why run? Is it because of the sex? I’ll apologize if it will make you more comfortable.” />
  Mirth grew in her chest and she glanced at him. “Why? Are you sorry?”

  He grinned boyishly. “Not one bit.”

  “Neither of us were awake. Don’t worry about it.”

  Garreth inched even closer. She wasn’t sure if he was currently attracted to her, or the warmth her magic radiated.

  “Then what is the problem?” he asked.

  “Too many things to list,” she replied bitterly.

  He leaned forward, holding onto the rail. “Try me. I’m a good listener, and an even better problem solver.”

  “Oh? Can you change the past?”

  He crooked an eyebrow. “Not quite.”

  “Then you can’t help me.”

  Silence reigned for a few long but surprisingly comfortable minutes. Garreth inched so close they were almost brushing arms, but they never quite touched.

  He sighed and said, “Then what’s your problem with me?”

  She glanced at him. “For one, you’re lying about why you’re here.”

  His eyes widened and he leaned back. His gaze burned into her face. “All right,” he slowly said. “I do know why I’m here.”

  Anna nodded, her gut clenching as she waited for the truth.

  “I’m looking for someone.”

  Her legs tensed, ready for flight.

  “But it’s not you.”

  Her breath exploded from her chest and she turned to face him. “Then who?”

  “A young girl. You know of any other dragons around here lately?”

  “No.”

  “Figured.” His tone held suspicion, but he nodded acceptance.

  “Why are you looking for this girl?”

  “That I can’t tell you. But you’re not her, so you have nothing to worry about from me.”

  Anna felt his honesty. Curiosity burned her tongue, but she didn’t pry. She knew how hard it was to keep secrets, and how hard it was for others not to try to get them once that gate opened.

  After a moment, Garreth spoke up again. “Answer me this. You’re a dragon. Why would you come to this hellish place?”