Somewhere in the last few minutes he’d decided death be damned. If he was going to die mating with her, then so be it.
He’d take a few hours of living with her, being with her in every way, than not having her in his life.
He only had to convince her that this was also the right thing for her.
Which meant he had to let her go, give her the freedom she craved, then seduce her to coming to him.
He could be charming when his lion was not too busy being dominant and overpowering.
He was charismatic, he could win her over, he just had to catch her off guard and get under her skin.
He got to his feet.
Without bothering with his clothes, he went outside and sniffed the air. Following the scent of water, he found a small pool that had been replenished by the recent rain. Wading in, he ducked his head under and rinsed off the dust and dirt. The back of his head no longer hurt, and he realized the wound must have healed itself.
Back on shore, he shook himself off. Entering the hut, he wore his now-dry clothes.
By the time Eve returned he had a fire going and had gathered wild fruits growing around the hut.
A rummage inside had produced coffee grounds, which he’d brewed in a makeshift mug.
A sound had him looking up.
Eve glanced from him to the fire. “I explored the island. The tides came in and submerged the bridge completely, cutting us off from the bigger island.” She drew a circle in the dirt with the tip of her boots.
“What are you not telling me, kitten?”
She was obviously putting on a brave front, but something was troubling her. She scraped her hair away from her face, twisting it up into a knot. “I still can’t shift. I can feel my dragon, but she’s not ready to fly. It’s like she’s waiting for a sign.” She clenched her hands into fists.
She was clearly anxious and on edge.
He needed to stay calm to find a way out of this. “You’re getting stronger by the second, Evie. Your dragon will fly when she’s ready.” Reaching for the pot of simmering coffee, he poured out the drink and offered it.
“I was hoping to fly us out of here and search for Serena.” She huffed. “Now we have to wait for the tide to recede, to walk to the next island. There should be a way to get to Seychelles from there.”
Cain thought of his sister at the mercy of the Elysians. A surge of anxiety twisted his gut. “We need to eat and rest up before we set off. It gives us the best chance to rescue Serena.” He said it to calm her but also to reassure himself.
The best he could do now was to make sure he had all his wits about him when they reached the Elysians. “We are more than halfway to our destination. If we get to the larger island and find a boat, we should be not more than a day’s journey away.”
Her gaze fell on the fruits he’d laid out on a banana leaf between them.
“You were supposed to rest and recover.” A smile played around her lips.
“I am much better thanks to you.” Reaching behind, he peeled off the bandage.
She walked around. Sinking to her knees, ran her fingers over the back of his head where he’d been hurt. It felt tender but otherwise there was no pain.
“You sensed me on the psychic plane.” She dropped her hand but didn’t move away.
He could feel the warmth of her body. Her scent crept up on him, sending a ripple of desire thrumming through his blood.
He turned to glance at her over his shoulder. “You saved my life.”
A spark in the fire flared up.
She cleared her throat. “We should eat.” Snatching up a blueberry, she curved her lips around it.
He couldn’t take his focus off her mouth.
Some of the juice dribbled down her chin.
Closing the distance between them, he placed his arms on her shoulders. Lowering his head, he licked her lips.
She stiffened. Her pupils dilated, the black bleeding out into the violet. “What are you doing?” Her voice hitched.
He trailed his tongue down to the base of her neck where a pulse leaped.
His lion sniffed the first signs of nervousness.
The thrill of the chase streaked through him.
Licking his lips, he straightened. “You ever hunted, kitten?”
She blinked, tossed her head. “I’m a dragon, of course I hunt.” The faint edge of arrogance in her voice had him rising to the challenge.
“You have five seconds, I’ll give you a head start.”
“I really don’t know you at all, do I?” Her eyebrows came down to form a V over her nose.
“Four and a half.” He didn’t take his attention off her. Dropped his arms to his sides.
His lion was super tuned in to her. He tracked her. Every quiver of her lips, every flick of her eyelids, the way her breath shuddered out, her chest rising and falling.
Somewhere along the way, the lion had moved on to stalking its prey.
“Do you really think this is the time for silly games?” She raked her fingers through her hair. The curls came loose and fluttered around her face. Her hand shook.
“Who said anything about a game?” He canted his head.
He knew his lion was peeking out from behind his eyes but he was too far gone in his animal to rein it back.
These were their last few hours together before they returned to searching for Serena. His lion had decided that was it. He was done with being reasonable. His lion wanted to play a different kind of game. A mating game.
Adrenaline punched his gut. His hair prickled, and his canines sliced through his gums. If he glanced down he’d see his claws were out.
Her legs tensed, elbows tucked into her sides. She straightened. A quick movement.
He didn’t miss it. “One second.”
“You forgot to tell me one thing.” She leaped to her feet. “Who’s the prey?”
“You.”
23
Eve
Before he’d completed his sentence, survival instinct had her on her feet and running.
Heart thudding, her pulse pounded at her temples. Adrenaline pumped in her bloodstream. She picked up speed, even as the human part of her told her this was insane, that they were here after a shipwreck, had to find their way to the mainland and rescue his sister.
Yet the dragon energy that had begun to awaken had jumped to the forefront. Her dragon knew when it was facing a predator every bit as deadly as herself.
This wasn’t just a game. It was something more. She didn’t want to examine it too closely. If she did she would find a kernel of truth in it that would simply make it impossible for her to come to terms with exactly what he meant to her.
Right now, she couldn’t think of the future or the fact that she couldn’t take him as her mate. The thrill of the pursuit…no, she was the one being pursued. The thought made her stumble.
She was used to being the hunter. The one who chased, to whom others normally pledged their fealty. No one…no one had dared to challenge her to being the hunted…not since she’d seized the title of alpha.
The lion shifter had come along and shown himself to be more than her equal. This was not a game. This was a challenge. Dominant to dominant.
Her dragon quivered with nervous energy.
Fire burst to life in her chest. It was not only the high of the chase, it was the thrill of being hunted by a predator as powerful as her. It was not her life at stake but herself.
The thought sent fear pulsing to her brain.
A slow craving unfurled in her belly. She wanted to find out how it would be to be truly possessed by him. But if she did that, it would not be casual.
She sensed an intensity in him that made it clear that if she touched him it would burn her.
That part of her that liked to live dangerously, that had her taking every alpha challenge and winning, wanted to find what it would be like to take on this man.
The alpha female in her knew he’d need to catch her first.
She’d fought too long and hard to get to where she was. She was proud of what she’d achieved. She had defeated dragon shifters far stronger than him.
She wasn’t giving in to him that easily.
Her dragon surged against her skin. She pumped her legs, picking up speed.
Her vision focused to find the best route forward. Years of training kicked in. Jumping over bushes, ducking under overhanging branches, leaping over a lean stream of water, she kept going.
Her feet found the best path between fallen leaves, making sure she kept her run silent. Her chest felt like it was going to burst. Her senses sharpened, straining to track the predator stalking her.
She couldn’t hear him. Couldn’t feel any living presence other than the smaller creatures who scurried away as she ran.
She slowed to a stop under a massive mango tree at the edge of a clearing. Hands on her knees, she bent over, chest rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath. Sweat pooled under her armpits.
A sound had her head coming up. Hands balled into fists in front of her. Ears on alert to catch any other noise.
A deer walked out of the undergrowth, pausing to look at her, delicate nostrils flared. A toss of its neck, then the animal continued on her way.
Silence.
The sound of crickets rose again, telling her she was alone.
Had he given up already? Disappointment seeped into her heart, surprising her. A part of her had hoped he’d find her.
The hair at the nape of her neck went stiff. Her throat closed. He was still out there stalking her. Even with her enhanced dragon sight she couldn’t see him or scent him. Her senses insisted he was not far.
She turned toward the direction where she’d come from and peeked around the tree.
On the psychic plane her dragon’s energy flared. A pulse of nervousness skittered down her spine.
A whisper of air over her skin had her spinning around. The hackles on her forearms hardened.
He brushed past her, taking her to the ground as he dropped down from the tree.
24
Cain
He managed to get his body under her before they hit the ground.
She landed on his chest.
The breath wheezed out of him. He wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her to him.
Her hair skimmed his chin, and the scent of lilies and wildfire tickled his nose.
She snarled and pushed at him, her breath hot and heavy against his neck.
Raising her head, she snapped her gaze on him.
Those eyes, slit vertical and burning with flames had his muscles going still. He couldn’t look away. This close he could see the shattered violet of her irises glittering between the fire. Desire licked his groin. In that moment, as she struggled in his arms, he fell even more in love with her.
This wasn’t about who was more dominant. This was about winning the respect of an alpha female.
“Let me go.” She gripped his biceps, nails digging in.
He glanced down to find her claws were out.
The shock of her transformation held him immobile. Her dragon was beginning to reveal herself.
“Do you realize what’s happening to you?” His voice came out dazed.
“Yeah, you’re trying to subdue me. Well, I have news for you. It’s not that easy.” Pushing into his chest, she strained against his hold.
He didn’t budge.
She kneed him in the groin.
“Putain.” Sparks of red exploded behind his eyes. “Kitten, if you want baby dragon-lions, you’d better treat my balls with more respect,” he said through gritted teeth.
She hissed in his face and squirmed, bending her knee again.
“Oh, no you don’t.” He flung one leg over hers to make sure she didn’t repeat the same action again. He wanted all of him intact and functioning for when he made love to her. Which they would, he had no doubt of that.
She made a noise of frustration in her throat, the growl rumbling up her chest.
Feeling his dragoness in his arms, her eyes darting fire, lips curled in frustration, tenderness filled him. He’d gone feral when his parents died, had become more beast than man to survive and had stayed that way since.
The wounds that had marked his soul from his growing-up years began to fill up. Leaning in, he brushed his lips over hers. Just a touch.
Her body tensed, muscles quivering.
His heart thudded. “Yield,” he whispered against her lips.
An answering growl rolled up her throat. She sank her teeth into his lips. White pain crackled at his nerve endings. His grip loosened, just a fraction.
Enough for her to twist her body and break his hold.
She moved so fast she seemed to blur. Catching his forearms, she forced them up and over his head, shackling them there. At the same time, she kicked off his leg, then locked her thighs around his.
Her strength took him by surprise.
No more was she the woman who’d clung to him helpless, drawing strength from him. She was almost in peak form. On the psychic plane he could feel his lion urge him to mark her, claim her as his own. Make love to her so his essence was immersed in her cells.
Her skin whispered over his. In this position she was all but plastered to him. He couldn’t stop his body from reacting. The blood rushed to his groin.
He couldn’t move… Hell, he wasn’t even trying to.
Her breath came in pants, her breasts rubbing against his chest. Her nipples pebbled through the material of their T-shirts. Her core grazed his hardness as she placed the full weight of her body on his.
His skin tingled. He was instantly hard. He was at her mercy.
There was more than one way of being subdued.
This was insane. He didn’t dare move for fear he give away his arousal. He worried it was disrespectful to her, for this was more than just a game. A dominant submitting to another was not a matter to be taken lightly.
She brushed his hardness again.
Heat sizzled up his nerves. He was sure the neurons in his brain had just short-circuited. Sweat broke out on his brow with the effort of holding himself back.
Her breath was a searing burn across his lips.
The curves of her breasts were a perfect fit to the hard planes of his chest.
Desire pooled in his mouth. He wanted to lick her in that hollow between her legs, thrust his tongue into her and watch her writhe with pleasure.
Dense heat shot through his veins, going straight to his head. He gave up all pretense of resisting and simply concentrated on holding his desire in check.
“Yield.” Her voice was guttural; the edges of it held the echoes of the woman she was.
Her hair fell over his face in a curtain.
Those dragon eyes held his captive. Her body cradled his. Her heart thumped, matching his in rhythm, until he couldn’t distinguish the beats.
Dense heat from her swirled around him and sank into his skin. It sent a pulse of such wanting through him that he needed to take her right there.
Her dragon was so close to the surface.
His skin felt like it was on fire.
Leaning up, he captured her lips with his.
25
Eve
When his lips touched hers, desire punched her gut, and her stomach fluttered. Her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest. With her still caught in the excitement of the chase, adrenaline laced her blood.
The need to get closer to him pooled between her legs.
The combined effect of it sent her over the edge.
A part of her had been waiting for this to happen, had known it would happen since they’d boarded the boat.
The storm that had capsized their cruiser seemed like a metaphor for her life since she’d first set her eyes on him.
Even though she’d defeated him, had shown she was as dominant, she hadn’t thought he’d accept it, that he’d resent her.
She’d expected him to be rough,
to use the kiss to punish her for showing she was as powerful as him.
She was sure he’d swoop in and take what was his. She almost hoped he’d do it so she could use it as an excuse to pull away from him.
Instead, his lips teased hers.
He licked his tongue across her lower lip, sending ripples of pleasure shooting to her core.
It drove her half out of her head with lust.
It also caught her by surprise. Doubt pierced her sexual haze.
She didn’t want him to be gentle anymore. She wanted him to just take and not give her a choice. That way she would not be responsible for her actions—or whatever came after.
Mind buzzing with arousal, pulse racing, she bit down on his lower lip. Gripping his arms tighter, she thrust her tongue into his mouth and ravaged his lips.
When she rubbed her breasts against his chest, a shudder ran though him.
Instinct made her thrust her hips, cradling into his hardness.
A groan rumbled up his throat, and she swallowed it.
She was surrounded by him, drowning in his scent. The taste of him was intense and deep and so damn sexy that it made her wet.
She squeezed her thighs around his waist, slamming his body to her. Getting as close to him as their clothes would allow. She let go of his arms, only to plunge her fingers into his hair.
When her nails scraped his scalp, his body jerked.
It wasn’t enough, she wanted more. To melt into him so she didn’t have to face who she had become.
She wanted him to possess her, to break her, so she could find that female essence of her that she had hidden away. To reveal who she really was...all woman.
She was sobbing, tears running down her cheeks.
He held her as she collapsed, burying her head in his shoulder and weeping.
Eve never cried. Not when she’d lost her mother. Even at her father’s death she’d been dry-eyed. She’d been angry then and channeled those emotions into winning the alpha challenge and becoming the leader of the dragons.
When even that sense of victory had not filled the emptiness inside her, she’d decided to lose her virginity to a dragon shifter. The man had left her, claiming her dragon was too powerful for him.
Obsession: Paranormal Romance : Dragon Shifters, lion shifters, immortals and wolf shifters (Dragon Protectors Book 2) Page 9