A Mate for Kai (The Program #6)

by Charlene Hartnady

  “I’m hoping that they won’t know what a dragon shifter smells like. I didn’t know what you were and neither did my subordinates.” He shrugged. “Vampires are hugely attracted to human females, it won’t be too much of a stretch for them to buy my story.” He had to chuckle. “Although it seems that our attraction for dragon shifters is far more pronounced. Who knew? Maybe we should organize a meet and greet between our species?” He meant it as a joke.

  Her expression changed from relaxed to horrified. She shook her head. “No way. It wouldn’t work. There are so few females of our species.” Then she squeezed her eyes shut, like telling him was a bad thing. What difference did it make to the vampires? It’s not like their species interacted.

  He tried to lighten the moment. “Then I guess I’m one lucky male to have spent some time with you. I’m sure you are highly sought after.” She stiffened against him.

  The female tried to pull away from him but he tightened his grip on her. “Shhh.” He ran his hand up her back. Slow and easy. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Kai thread his fingers into the hair at the nape of her neck. He leaned forward and tried to kiss her but she turned her head to the side at the last moment and he caught just the edge of her mouth.

  “I need to go now,” she stammered.

  “One kiss.” Kai didn’t like the idea of her walking away. Of this being over. He realized, realistically, that it needed to happen. The female was right; they couldn’t be together.

  She shook her head, her eyes refused to meet his. The female didn’t explain further. Who was he to push her? Instead, he forced himself to release her. To step away.

  Their time was at an end.

  “I wish you well.” Kai touched the side of her arm. “I hope you have a good life and that all of your hopes and dreams come true. You are a sweet female. You’re going to make some male very happy one day.”

  Her beautiful eyes turned stormy. “If only that were true. Thank you and I’m so very sorry.” She gave him a teary smile. Her lip quivered.

  Before he could reply, the female moved away from him, simultaneously there was a cracking noise and her body stretched out. Scales appeared on her skin. Her jaw elongated. Her teeth erupted. Seconds later, a dragon stood before him staring at him with those sad, amethyst eyes. She lowered her head and leapt into the air, her magnificent wings sprung open. With minimal effort she took to the sky and moments later was gone. Swallowed by the night.

  Kai felt more tired than he’d ever been in his whole entire life. Drained. Wrung out. He had meant what he said, he would miss her. He would remember their time together. With the shake of the head, he made his way back to the vehicle and climbed inside. His heart felt heavy. It was worry over what his future would hold. Of the shit storm he was facing back home.

  The SUV was pretty banged up. He put the key into the ignition. “Please start. Please.” The engine turned over on the first attempt. Thank fuck. He didn’t relish the thought of a long-ass walk.

  Kai found himself driving on autopilot, it was wrong of him but he couldn’t face his kings right then. Instead of going straight back to vampire territory, he pulled in at the only hotel in town and got himself a room for the night. After a quick shower, he fell into bed and was asleep instantly. He dreamed of a beautiful female with amethyst eyes. If only he knew her name.

  ****

  The office interior was spacious. No expense spared. Then again, that’s how Brant rolled. Deep mahogany wood, gleaming wooden floors, Persian carpets. Formal, intimate, professional. His king sprang to his feet the moment he was ushered in. His eyes blazed. “Where the fuck have you been?” Brant snarled, he bashed his fist against his desk.

  “I—” The door behind him flew open, it banged against the wall. A chip of plaster crumbled to the floor.

  “Firstly, are you okay?” Zane’s voice was relatively calm considering his entry to the room.

  The male’s eyes were dark. They gave nothing away. His face was passive. His forehead glistened with perspiration.

  “I am fine.” Kai assured him.

  Zane narrowed his eyes, his nostrils flared. “You were with a female,” he snarled. His nostrils flared again. “That scent, it’s familiar to me.” His brows drew together in confusion. “I can’t quite place it.”

  “Maybe you know the female Kai spent the last few days with,” Brant spat. “Why is a human female’s scent familiar to you?”

  “I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense,” Zane growled. He paused for a few beats. Why would the scent of a dragon shifter be familiar to Zane?

  Before he could think on it, his king continued with a slight shake of the head. His dark eyes settled on Kai once again. “What would possess you to give up your place in The Program? Maybe you should explain that to me.” He folded his arms across his chest. By the tension in his jaw. Make that the tension in his whole body, Kai could see that he was pissed. Beyond pissed.

  “I met a female in a bar.” It sounded weak. He normally had a solid willpower. Kai clasped his hands behind his back. “There was an instant attraction. Although I left with Jenson and Stuart, I couldn’t stay away. I couldn’t just leave her. It was unsafe in that environment for a female such as her.”

  “You didn’t think to inform anyone that you were going back to help her?” Zane ground his teeth for a second.

  “It should’ve been quick. Go back, get the female and drop her off at a place of safety. It should’ve taken no more than 15 or 20 minutes. It was stupid of me to go alone, especially considering my attraction to her.” He huffed out a breath. The excuse was thin. Yet, it was what it was.

  “Very fucking stupid.” Brant sat back down on his chair and even leaned back into it. It looked like his rage from earlier had passed.

  “You picked her up and dropped her off but what then, decided to stay? Hang out with the female for a bit? Surely you realized we would have scented her? Why didn’t you contact us after you decided to stay with her?” Brant played with the cufflinks on his shirt.

  No cellphone reception. You see, I was actually abducted by her. The female was no human, she was a dragon shifter. A huge one at that and strong too. The female picked up my SUV. She kept me a prisoner in a cave in the middle of the mountain somewhere. I was a sex slave for the last few days. A willing sex slave I might add. There was no fucking way he could say that, besides, he had promised the female he would keep her existence a secret. That he wouldn’t reveal her people. He still didn’t know why he had done that. Maybe he was feeling possessive in the heat of the moment. That had to be it. Whatever the reason, he was a male of honor. They would never believe him anyway. Not a chance in hell.

  “What the fuck happened?” Zane snarled. “I’m losing my patience. Do you have any idea how many teams were out scouring for you? We informed the president of the United States that you had been abducted by a fascist group. The FBI sent reinforcements. Titan is heading up a team whose sole purpose has been to find your sorry ass instead of doing his assigned task. It’s a fucking embarrassment. You had better have a good explanation. It had better not involve your dick inside some human female. Although, by your scent, I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what it means.”

  Shit.

  This was bad.

  Worse than he thought.

  Kai raked a hand through his hair. He made a noise of frustration. “I’m sorry.” He looked Zane straight in the eye. “I don’t have any good explanation except that she drove me crazy. I couldn’t turn her down. Couldn’t leave if my life depended on it. It was a crazy two days…I should have called.” Lame. Stupid. Downright irresponsible.

  Zane cursed a whole string of hard words. His reaction was to be expected.

  Brant chuckled. “I told you.” He growled, his gaze on Zane. “You owe me money.”

  Nice. It looked like his kings had been placing bets during his disappearance.

  “You’ve been so dependable in the past. One of my best. You’re young but I�
��ve always been able to rely you. Fucking hell, Kai.” There was such disappointment in Zane’s voice. “I was convinced you had been taken, that you would never actually choose to take a path like this. I can smell you didn’t use protection.” Yeah, two days of rutting with condoms would’ve made him smell like a rubber factory. He shook his head, looking solemn.

  “She wasn’t in heat.” He ground out between his teeth.

  “Was she at least on birth control?” Brant asked, looking bored.

  Kai could recall how the female had said that her species very rarely went into heat. That they always knew when it was going to happen. “Yes,” he finally mumbled. It wasn’t like he could offer more than that.

  “If we get slapped with a lawsuit so help me…it could turn nasty…” Brant stood up from the chair, a finger pointed in Kai’s direction. “What if she accuses you of rape? Did you think about that? Maybe she’s connected to one of these groups trying to taint our name. We have to always be on our guard and assume the worst.”

  Kai shook his head. “She won’t do that. She is a good female. There is nothing to worry about. There won’t be any repercussions.”

  “What the fuck happened to the SUV? Also, you said two days yet you were gone for three.” Zane crossed his arms over his chest. His voice was deadly calm.

  Fuck! How did he explain this one? “I was involved in an accident.” Try and stick to the truth as much as possible. “I was exhausted after our…two-day session and I wasn’t paying attention, so I had a run in with a street pole.”

  Zane frowned. “Those deep scratches were not from any street pole I’ve ever seen.” His brow was raised. His bullshit detector clearly on high alert.

  “There was a tree next to the pole and a couple of bushes.” So thin it was laughable.

  Zane sighed. The sound loaded with frustration. “I wish you would just tell us what fucking happened.”

  Brant snorted, he was looking at Zane. “He met a human, fucked her from here until next Sunday and then wrapped his vehicle around a pole.” He shrugged. “I believe it. Fucking idiot.” As he said the last, his eyes turned to Kai. “I must say, I’m interested as to your whereabouts on the third night.”

  “I checked into the local hotel so I could recover.” He didn’t elaborate, they could check.

  “Were you hurt?” Zane was looking at the far wall.

  Kai shook his head. “No, just exhausted.”

  “You could’ve called.” Zane’s voice was barely audible. “Well…” He seemed to have calmed down. His arms were relaxed at his sides. The tension had eased out of him. “I hope it was worth it. You are off The Program. There will be no human mate for you.”

  It was strange. He had been so thrilled to be a part of The Program. Beyond excited. Yet, the thought of being out didn’t bug him as much as he thought it would. He bowed his head slightly in a show of respect and acknowledgement. “I’m—” He had been about to apologize but Brant assumed it was to argue.

  “Shut the fuck up,” his king snarled. “We need males that can follow directions. Human females are too fragile.”

  “I can follow directions,” Kai said on reaction. Feeling like an idiot as soon as the words were out. His actions had shown otherwise. He chewed the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying anything more.

  “No, you can’t.” Zane shook his head. “You’re out. I can’t have you on my team either.”

  “You’re kicking me out?” He knew for a fact that others had messed up. York had rutted a human. Gideon had done the same. He shook his head. “No… Please. It’s not fair…”

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Brant chimed in. “You’re not the only male that has taken a human without permission, am I right?”

  Kai nodded. “Yes.” Why him? He wouldn’t name names but they both knew who he was referring to.

  “You’re the only male to have disappeared for days on end. We look like a bunch of idiots. As soon as we are done here I have to call the president of the United States, to inform him that one of my males couldn’t keep his cock inside his pants. We’ll look like a bunch of idiots. There are repercussions to this. Big fucking repercussions. Not just to you but to our whole damned species.” Brant’s eyes blazed.

  Zane took a step forward. “You will receive 15 lashes and will spend the rest of the week in the dungeon.”

  “I understand about The Program.” There was still no feeling of disappointment. For whatever reason, a human female didn’t seem as important anymore. “Whip me, humiliate me. Lock me away. I don’t care, but please, I worked so hard to make it onto your team. Please don’t strip me of that.” His hand shook. His throat felt thick. “Anything but that.”

  Zane looked him deep in the eye. “You should’ve thought of that before. I’m not saying that you can never be an elite again but right now, no fucking way. You have a lot to prove to me and have a lot to make up for.” He shook his head. “I had big hopes for you and in many ways this has stung more because of that.” Then he walked away.

  Kai took a step towards his retreating back but he knew instinctively there was nothing he could do or say.

  Brant cleared his throat and Kai turned back around. “Do I need to call a couple of guards, or can you make your own way to the dungeon?”

  Kai felt like he was ten years old. “I can do it myself.” He tried to keep the growl from his voice and failed.

  “Zane was worried. He will get over himself. Take your lashes, do your time, work harder than you’ve ever worked and I’m sure he’ll take you back given time.” Brant fingered the end of his tie. “You’re lucky it’s not me…I would write you the fuck off.”

  Kai nodded. “I hope you are right…about Zane.”

  “I know the male.” Brant rolled his eyes. “I know him better than I ever thought fucking possible. Don’t ever repeat this, but he is soft on the inside. You disappointed him greatly. He took your actions personally, like you were slighting him.”

  “That’s not the case.” Kai felt more frustrated than he’d ever felt before. He wished he could explain things. It was better this way, he’d given his word. He would stick it out. If he’d made the team once, he could do it again.

  He walked out and headed down the stairs. Kai walked through the lobby. He ignored those around him. He’d never felt so unsettled. Then he opened a door that lead to another set of stairs. This time, they would take him to the bowels of the castle. The dungeon. Frustration ate at him. Just a few short days ago, his future had been before him, clearly mapped. Right now, he didn’t know where he was headed. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted.

  Fuck.

  Kai clasped the back of his neck. Maybe a few days of solitude was exactly what he needed. There was a driving force inside of him. He felt full to the brim of energy, only, he didn’t know what to do with it. Or what to make of it. Fuck! Why was this happening to him? Why had he met this female with amethyst eyes? Why was he so damned cut up over losing her? She wasn’t even his to begin with. She never would be.

  In a moment of frustration and anger, he punched the wall. In the past, something like that had always hurt. He’d cracked a bone or two and had torn open his skin on the knuckles. The release had always felt good but he’d also felt stupid because he didn’t actually achieve anything. It was one of those heat of the moment things. Something to laugh at later.

  This time, the wall exploded. They were underground alright because well, with a piece of the wall missing - it was reduced to rubble at his feet – he could see earth and lots of it. What the hell? Kai looked down at his fist. There was no sign of bruising or bleeding. The wall must have been old. He would need to request that the foundations of the castle be checked. He shook his head and continued down the stairs.

  Chapter 6

  Blaze paced to her four post bed. He gripped one of the dark wood columns for a beat or two before pacing back. “I cannot even begin to believe you did this.” Her brother was so angry he struggled to talk
. His hand shook. His whole body vibrated with his rage. “You care nothing for your people. You think nothing of me.”

  “I’m sorry.” She tried to stand tall, to hold her head up high.

  “Don’t lie to me. You’re not sorry.” He walked away from her and went to go and stand at the window. Although he looked like he was staring out at the view, she knew better. He was lost somewhere deep in his thoughts. She had known that he would be torn up but she hadn’t expected it to be this bad. Blaze was a plan B kind of guy. If things didn’t follow the chosen path he was quick to change course and forge ahead. She relied on his doing just that.

  She took in a large breath, held it for a moment or two before slowly releasing it. “No, I’m not. I’m not sorry at all.” She shook her head and tried to touch his arm but he yanked it away. With a barely audible snarl, he spun and paced to the other side of the room.

  “I’m pretty sure Thunder will already be receiving news of this. It’s a travesty.” His hands curled into fists which he used against the wall, in sharp punches. Their lair was built into the side of a mountain. The wall onto which Blaze beat, was hundreds of feet thick. Layer upon layer of volcanic rock. He may as well try and move the entire mountain. Still, Blaze raged on. Only once his hands were bloody and his breathing labored, did he stop. Males.

  His beautiful emerald eyes were laced with red, they were narrow slits, showing his dragon was just below the surface. “I made promises. You were supposed to carry the future heir.” His voice broke and he sank to his knees before her. This is not what she had expected. The rage yes. This level of pain…definitely not. She grit her teeth to keep from crying.

  “He will not be pure.” Her brother looked up at her, his green eyes were overly bright. He said it like it was the most despicable thing imaginable. An abomination instead of a child. Her child. Even though the little one would carry his blood as well. “He won’t be a true royal.”

  “No, he won’t be pure but the baby will be mine…our family.” Ruby grit her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut for a second. When she opened them, his jaw had tightened.