The Dragon and the Vampire

by A. K. Michaels

  Ronan saw her eyes widen again, at the implication of his words. He guessed they should talk.

  He pulled away from her, laying at her side, facing her and placing his hand on her belly, gently rubbing in circles, as he tried to figure out how to form the words. Starr seemed nonplussed and fidgeted under his touch. Ronan knew he had to speak soon, or she would begin to think something was wrong, he took a deep breath then started.

  “I think you’re my mate. Esther told me...”

  Immediately Starr interrupted, “Esther? What’s she got to do with ‘this’” her small hands were fluttering around her, trying to take the two of them in.

  Ronan reached forward and grasped both in his, holding them still as he said.,“I had already felt something, that very first time I saw you and you called me a bloodsucking leech, before running away. I couldn’t get you out of my mind and it just got worse after I saw you the second time. Of course, that time I got to see your Dragon too, and well, shit, I felt kinda lost, weird, I didn’t know what was going on and when we brought you back here, Esther, well, she said you were my mate and I said, no, ‘cause, shoot, I thought you deserved to have family, kids and I’m a Vampire and couldn’t give you that so...”

  Ronan was surprised at Starr’s reaction, she moved with surprising speed, straddling him with her finger on his lips. “Shush. Now I get why you were asking me all those questions. I get it, I do, but I’m a little pissed you didn’t ask me sooner! I’ve had no idea what’s been going on either. My mind is full of you, all the freaking time! I’ve even been dreaming about you! Now I know why. Looks like we’re meant for each other, Fang, so guess you’re just gonna have to accept it. All that other stuff, ‘bout kids ‘n family–I gave up any hope of that many years ago. So, what do ya say we ‘get to know’ one another a little better?”

  Ronan had already grown hard again, Starr wiggling her ass and positioning herself over him, before she slowly lowered herself. A soft moan escaping her throat as she did so. Ronan’s eyes never left her face, as her pleasure began to show, the violet of her unique eyes brightening, her skin flushing, her breathing becoming shallow and quick.

  His huge hands grasped her hips as she moved atop him, his own pleasure overtaking his senses. This was a perfect way, in his opinion, to ‘get to know’ his mate.

  Chapter 10

  Starr lay on her side, her head propped up on her elbow, as she stared down at the man...or Vampire if she was being exact...that was her mate. Her fingertips on her free hand slowly and gently running down the side of his face, down towards his tattoo, then following the lines of the ink. Her heart was swollen with the feelings that the past few hours had caused.

  She now knew why she had been feeling the way she had. Her mate was predestined, all Dragon mates were, and her soul had recognized Ronan for what he was. It had just taken a bit of time for her to process it...even after he had told her. Starr smiled down at his sleeping face, her happiness bubbling up inside of her, as she realized she was no longer on her own.

  Starr had been alone for so many years, always running and trying to stay one step ahead of the hunters. Now? Well, looks like she wasn’t going anywhere. She had found her mate and a home. She wasn’t actually quite sure how she felt about either of those. She couldn’t deny the attraction and feelings she had for this massive Vampire, and it was very obvious he felt that too. However, she had been on the run for so long, she wasn’t sure how she was going to feel being tied down to one place.

  Starr looked around the bedroom, taking in the decor and furniture. She was surprised to see that it was rather tastefully done, and she was darn sure that the dresser opposite the bed was an antique–a very expensive antique it looked too. The bed they lay in was enormous, the biggest she had ever seen. Although looking at Ronan, she guessed he had it custom made to accommodate his size. Starr was quite tall for a woman, but she felt small, even petite, next to Ronan.

  She found she quite liked that. Somehow, it made her feel a little more feminine, something she hadn’t felt in so very long. She was a kick-ass Dragon shifter who was always getting into scrapes–either with those hunting her–or with some dumb-ass men who thought she was an easy target. They soon found out she wasn’t.

  Yes, she could take care of herself. Yes she could fight, both in human form and as her Dragon, however, she didn’t think she had ever, not ever, felt as womanly as she did with Ronan. He seemed to bring something out in her that she didn’t even know was there. A small giggle escaped her throat as she thought on buying herself some sexy lingerie!

  Her giggle was cut off as Ronan grabbed her and pulled her to him, holding her close.

  Ronan whispered into her hair as his strong arms enveloped her easily. “What’re you giggling at mo chroi?”

  Starr pulled her head back a little so she could look into his eyes. “First tell me what that means?”

  “My heart,”

  Starr’s fingers traced his lips as he spoke. “My heart...I like that.”

  Ronan tried to nibble on her fingers and she pulled them away quickly. “Your turn, what had you giggling?”

  Starr felt the heat of a blush creeping up her neck, but kept her eyes fixed on his. “I was wondering what it would be like, to have a mate, a home and to be something other than someone fighting to survive. I was also wondering what it would be like to go shopping for, uhm, well girly things, like, nice lingerie ‘n stuff.”

  Ronan’s eyes darkened as she watched, crinkling at the side as he smiled. The smile completely lit up his face and his eyes seemed to actually sparkle. “Oh, I think I’d enjoy that! I can take you shopping tomorrow if you want? I would love to help you pick out some lingerie!”

  Starr tried to punch him, but he was far too quick for her, catching her hand easily before it landed. “Hey, what’s that for? I’m just saying I’ll take you shopping, and help you pick some things out.”

  Ronan had such a serious look on his face as he spoke she tried hard not to laugh. “Yeah, okay, okay, we’ll go shopping together. I certainly need some more clothes and underwear, but you know what I need more than that? Something I really need?”

  Starr saw the playful look on Ronan’s face, his eyes widened a little as a rather dirty chuckle came from his mouth. She darted forward, placing a soft kiss on those delectable lips of his, before pulling back. “No! Not that! What I really need is for you to meet my Dragon. It’s dark out. Can we go to the roof?”

  *****

  Ronan’s heart leapt as the words left Starr’s mouth. Her Dragon! She wanted him to meet her Dragon! He could think of nothing more he would like to do right then...well, apart from making love to her again. His mind couldn’t quite clear, from the thoughts of the last few hours, that they spent ‘getting to know’ each other in his bed.

  Ronan smiled. “Hell yeah,” he moved so quickly that he knew Starr wouldn’t have been able to keep track of him, “Come on, what’re you waiting on?” He asked as he pulled a pair of jeans on, going commando, then a t-shirt over his head. He was dressed and pulling on his boots before Starr was even out of the bed.

  As Starr moved to grab some clothes she smirked at him. “Hey, Fang, I don’t even know your full name? Mine is Starr Hi-ryuu, our surname literally means Fire Dragon in Japanese. It’s our family name since the beginning of, well, our family.”

  Ronan watched as she pulled on some pajama bottoms and a tank, leaving her feet bare, he tried real hard not to envision her writhing beneath him with pleasure. He had to swallow twice before he could reply. “Really? That’s kinda cool, seeing as you can breathe fire. My full name is, Ronan Patrick Kelly, a good Irish name for an Irish boy, though I left Ireland over four centuries ago when I was turned.”

  Starr walked to his side, reached up and ran her fingertips down the side of his face. “I’m sorry, Ronan, it was because of my family that your town was destroyed...”

  Ronan hissed at her touch, pressing a finger of his own against her lips. “Shush, it was
n’t you or your family’s fault. It was the hunters, specifically, the Witches that used dark magic. They could easily have gone around the town to get to the mountains, but they didn’t. They just destroyed what was in front of them, with no thought to the folks who lived there. If Josef hadn’t found me when he did, I’d be dead too, then we wouldn’t have gotten the chance to meet. So, yes, I’m sad at the destruction that was wrought, but I’m glad I survived, so that I could meet you.”

  As he looked down into Starr’s face he was sure he saw a tear or two pooling in her eyes, she nodded and said a quiet, ‘Thank you’, before grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the bedroom.

  As they reached the front door she stopped. “Is the roof large? I mean is there lots of room, I’ll need a lot of space to change and I don’t want to hurt you if you’re standing too close.”

  Ronan chuckled. “Oh, I think the roof’s big enough. You’re really going to have to come out of the apartment more, get a feel for just how large our offices are. Plus the apartment block we’re attached to is ours too, so the roof area is pretty huge. We’ve got another few apartment blocks around the area too. A lot of the staff live there, which means we’ve got a small army of supernaturals at our disposal, in case of any hunters appearing.”

  Starr opened the door, only realizing at that moment that it hadn’t been locked or chained. Her heart rate sped up for a moment before she got it under control. She was safe. Ronan would keep her safe...she knew that...deep down inside, she knew he would keep her from harm.

  As they passed through she turned her head towards him. “An army, huh? Guess I’m safe after all.”

  Ronan heard the way she spoke, as if it was a joke, but he knew different. He had no illusions of how insecure and unsafe she felt, every single time she locked and chained the door. He was going to do his god-damn best to make sure she did feel safe. Whatever it took, he would do it, and more.

  Ronan’s tone was the opposite of Starr’s, serious, cold and hard, as he replied, “You’ll always be safe with me. I’ll make damn sure you are.”

  Starr stared for a split second then turned to continue into the hallway. “Okay, Fang, I believe you. Now, how do we get up to the roof?”

  Ronan moved forward, taking her hand in his, leading her to a doorway at the opposite end of the hall. “Here, its stairs up to the roof, just one flight though.”

  He pushed the door open and carried on into the semi-dark stairway, pulling Starr after him. They moved quickly, both anxious to get to the roof. The door at the top was an emergency door, Ronan pushing down on the bar to open the heavy steel door, using a block of wood to stop it from closing again. He sometimes came up here for some solitude and the wood had been used many times before.

  Starr followed behind, their footsteps loud on the gravel that covered the roof. Ronan took her to the middle then stopped. “Is this big enough?” he asked her, moving his arm in an arc to take in the size of the area they stood in.

  Starr nodded. “Yes, first I need to tell you, my Dragon is made for a rider, not a lot are but mine is. There are large horns on my head and smaller spikes leading down towards my back, then there’s an area with no spikes which has two small indentations for hands to hold onto. After that the spikes start again and continue all the way down the middle of my back to my tail. The end of my tail also has a cluster of spikes–which come in real handy in a fight. I’m not sure if you got a good look at my Dragon before, but I’m real big. I have two very large hind legs and two smaller forelegs–both have large feet with claws that can rip through most things–also handy in a fight. So, are you ready to meet it? If you’re not scared you can also go for a ride, that is if you want? I’ll understand if you don’t, it is kinda scary up close...”

  Ronan placed a finger on her lips. “Of course I would. I may be surprised, not having met a Dragon before, but I’ll never be scared of you Starr...no matter what form you’re in. So, Puff, what’s say we get this done. I’m in the mood to go for my first Dragon flight.”

  Starr seemed to relax at his words and gave him a small smile, motioning with her hand to move him backwards. He took several steps back and she continued to move her hand so he went even further away, almost back to the doorway, before she nodded.

  Ronan stood very still, his body tight with excitement, his eyes never leaving Starr’s violet ones, waiting. She kept her eyes locked to his, her body literally shimmered for a nano-second, then the massive Dragon stood before him. A gasp escaped him as he could not have told the exact moment she changed. Only that one moment Starr stood before him and the next the enormous beast.

  Ronan’s eyes raked over every inch of the Dragon, taking in the vicious looking claws on her feet, to the sharp spikes on her tail. The beast’s head nodded, as if beckoning him forward, his feet moving slowly as he still tried to take in every detail. Drawing closer, his Vampire eyes noted the small space on her back that held no central spikes and he guessed that’s where he was going.

  In awe of this magnificent creature as he stopped in front of it. Ronan tilted his head all the way back to enable him to see its head. Staring down at him, the Dragon’s mouth moved, showing rows of razor sharp teeth, in a parody of a smile.

  “Hell! You’re freaking huge! How do I get up there? I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Starr’s Dragon lowered its head, shoulders, and forelegs, so low that Ronan had no difficulty jumping onto the scaly back. His hands running over the jet black scales as he shook his head in wonder. For some reason he thought she would feel cold, but the scales beneath his fingers were warm to the touch, even if they were rock hard.

  The long neck in front of him raised up, turning to watch him closely. As if she was gauging his reaction. He moved a hand forward, motioning with his finger in a ‘come here’ gesture. The long, scaly, thick neck strained until the massive head was very near to his, Ronan leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her nose, his hand gently stroking the side of her face.

  The beast’s violet eyes widened a fraction before a snort blew out of its nose, almost knocking him backwards. Jeez, a large breath out of this nose and it almost had him reeling backwards! Just how powerful was this Dragon? He had no idea, but guessed he was about to find out.

  Ronan’s hands grasped tightly to the two small handholds in front of him. The neck snaked away from him and the large wings unfurled from the side of its body. His eyes took in the immense size of them as they stretched to their limit, almost reaching the edges of the building’s roof. No wonder Starr had asked how big the space up here was, he thought.

  His grip tightened as the wings began to slowly beat up and down, creating a huge downdraft as the Dragon took a step forward. The long neck lay low as the wings beat faster, another step then another...then they left the roof behind and plummeted downwards.

  The first gust of air nearly unseated him, his hands hanging on tightly as he leaned forward, so that he was almost laying atop the beast. A second later the Dragon swerved upwards, a rumbling echoing through its body. Ronan almost laughed aloud as he realized that’s exactly what Starr’s Dragon was doing...laughing.

  Ronan felt surreal, laying on a Dragon’s back as its wings beat to take them higher and higher into the night sky, as its body shook beneath him in laughter. As its body leveled, out he sat back up, his head swirling all around to try and see where they were. They were now too high for him to make out much more than the lights of the city beneath them and he realized it was rather cold. He would remember to wear a jacket next time.

  Next time? Hell yeah! He didn’t think he would ever get tired of riding on the back of a Dragon, high in the sky. He had never felt weak, never felt as if he couldn’t take care of himself, but this, this had him feeling invincible! He threw his head back and yelled in glee as his Dragon picked up speed, faster and faster it flew as he held on and enjoyed the ride.

  Far too soon he realized they were heading back towards home. He felt a little sad that soon his feet would be
back on terra firma. The feeling of complete and utter freedom he was experiencing, was so breathtaking, he didn’t want it to end.

  Ronan felt the speed of flight decrease, as if the Dragon was trying to delay the inevitable end of their flight. He had ‘found his seat’ so to speak and felt comfortable releasing one of his hands to gently caress the scales in front of him, At his touch a shudder ran through the body beneath him. He continued to touch the tough skin all the way back, changing hands and the spots where he touched.

  Ronan found a spot, at the base of the long neck, where it morphed into strong, muscular, shoulders, that was particularly sensitive. The shudders that accompanied his touch making him smile. He leaned forward, his mouth almost touching the area, bent some more and placed a gentle kiss right on that spot.

  The resulting shiver that ran through the huge beast’s body had him almost hard. He couldn’t wait to have Starr in his arms once more. Ronan knew he would need to talk to her, properly, about them being mates. His fangs erupted in his mouth as he had a glimpse in his mind of drinking from her. He had no doubt the taste would be exquisite.

  Starr had been running for years from hunters...Vampire hunters. She wore those thick leather cuffs and choker with titanium studs to protect her from their bites. How would she feel at him feeding from her? He had no idea, but guessed she would be, at best, skittish, at worse, scared.

  As he pondered on that he realized they were hovering above the roof. He held on tight as the beast lowered, landing quite heavily as all four legs came into contact with the hard, gravel covered, concrete. Ronan released his hands and easily jumped down. Getting off was a lot easier than getting on! He landed on sure feet, his knees bent slightly, then he stood straight, turned and smiled into those violet eyes.

  The Dragon’s head was right there, on the same level as his as he stared. Once again there was a slight shimmer and Ronan concentrated hard, wanting to see the exact moment of the change...and failed.