by Sophie Stern
Declan held Zoa all night. Long past the time he should have fallen asleep, long past the time when she had fallen asleep, he held her, and he wondered why it was that she made him feel so damn good. He had never felt this comfortable or protective of a female before. Even when he’d been in relationships with other dragon shifters, he hadn’t felt like this.
When Declan was with Zoa, he felt a certain sense of peace. It was as if everything in the world suddenly made total sense. He felt like he could fly, which was true, but he felt like he could soar. She looked at him like he was her hero, and that was a damn good feeling. That was the kind of feeling a guy like him could get used to if he wasn’t careful.
He wanted to keep her.
She wasn’t his, but that was what he wanted. Declan was going to keep his promise. He’d kill Kellen, and he’d keep Zoa safe, but when it was all over, he wanted her. What would she do if he asked her to stay? It was too fast and too soon, but he found himself wondering what the chances were.
If Declan were to ask Zoa to be his girl, would she agree?
Or would she panic?
She’d been through so much that he didn’t want to push her. He didn’t want to give her something she couldn’t handle. The truth was that his entire world was something he couldn’t handle, though. He’d been alone for what felt like an eternity. Oh, he was a dragon shifter, okay, but that didn’t mean much when you were alone. The work he did was great, but it didn’t satisfy him the way taking care of Zoa had.
When he’d hidden her away in his basket, tucking her safely beneath his clothing, he had felt something. He’d felt good. For the very first time in his life, Declan had felt like he made a difference. He was important to her, and that feeling was something he never, ever wanted to forget.
Declan held Zoa tightly. She curled up against him, wrapping her body around him like they were meant to be together. The sensation was comforting and perfect, and he loved it. He liked the way she seemed to fit just right against him. When he finally closed his eyes long enough to let sleep claim him, he dreamt of her.
Only her.
DECLAN WOKE TO SOFT kisses on his neck. He kept his eyes closed, and he stayed perfectly still. She was here. Zoa was still here. She slid her tongue over his neck and down his chest. She licked his nipples, and then his muscles, and then she made her way lower, lower. He had to fight not to groan as she slid his cock between her lips and started sucking. She teased him, taunting him, until he was harder than he’d been the night before.
“I know you’re awake,” she whispered. “So, start making some noise before I get disappointed and stop.”
“You want me to be noisy?” Declan asked, looking down at her. She looked so fucking perfect sitting by his dick. She reached out, stroking it, and nodded.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“My brothers are downstairs,” he warned her. Was she embarrassed? Shy? Did she want them to know that Declan had made love to her? Oh, they probably already knew. Dragons were tricky that way. Still, he would give her the choice as to whether or not she really wanted to reveal that they’d been together. Who knew? Maybe she was more of a show-off than he’d given her credit for.
“Good,” she shrugged. A smile spread across Zoa’s face. “They can be jealous.”
She leaned back down, once more taking Declan’s dick into her mouth, and this time, he didn’t hold back. He closed his eyes and let the feelings of pleasure wash over him. She sucked until he was aching, until he was needing more, and then, just before he was about to come, she climbed up onto him.
Zoa sank down onto his cock. She rested her hands on his chest, balancing, and then she started to grind down on him. Any thoughts of being quiet vanished, flying from his head.
“Fuck,” he whispered. It felt so good. Everything about this moment felt so damn good.
“I might be wrong, but I think you like this,” she giggled. The sound was perfect. She was perfect.
“You feel so damn good.”
“Your cock feels pretty good inside of me,” she admitted. She squeezed him. He could feel it. Then she smiled. “Really, really good,” she added.
He grabbed her hips and held her in place. They both needed more than this slow, gentle pace Zoa had set. She was teasing him still. He wanted the real thing.
“Then take my cock like a good little human,” he growled, and he started thrusting up into her. It was moments before she fell apart.
It was seconds.
She cried out, throwing her head back as the orgasm swept over her. Declan tried to hold off. Really, he did, but the sight of Zoa coming was too damn sexy. He came, too, filling her with his seed, and then she collapsed on top of him, tired and spent.
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to himself. Oh, she was a sweet little thing, wasn’t she? She was sexy and seductive and sassy. She was charming, and he had her all to himself. Soon they’d have to go downstairs and face the day, but Declan didn’t want to.
He wanted to stay right here with Zoa. He wanted them to enjoy the time they had together. As soon as they left the safety and the comfort of the bedroom, it would all be over. They’d have to go talk to Christopher and Brian, and they’d have to make a plan for going to Kellen’s place. Declan didn’t want to do any of that. He just wanted to stay here and have sex all day with the woman he...
Well, it wasn’t love.
Not yet.
It was too soon.
There was something there, though. There was something between them. It was like an invisible thread pulling them toward one another, and it was the kind of thing he didn’t think he could get away from. Declan’s mother was always talking about mates and true love and how everyone found someone to adore them above all others.
Zoa was a human, though. She was sweet and wonderful, but she was a human. Could a dragon shifter and a human be mates? Could it be destiny? Could it be fate?
“You look like you’re thinking really hard.”
“Oh,” Declan looked up. Zoa was straddling him now, looking down at him. She had a concerned look on her face.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive,” he murmured, cupping her face. “You were perfect.”
That was a lie. She was so much better than perfect that a word for what she was simply didn’t exist. There was no way to explain what she was. He simply couldn’t.
“You too,” she smiled at him. Zoa kissed him again before she slipped off of Declan. She stood beside the bed and stretched. “I should take a shower,” she said. “Do you have an additional set of unicorn pajamas I can wear today? I think I got mine a bit dirty last night,” she giggled.
“I’m afraid that was my last set.”
“Why do you have those, anyway? Do you have a secret wife around here somewhere?” Zoa looked around the room playfully.
“I hope not,” he said. “If I did, she got quite the show.”
“So, what’s the story?”
“My brother bought them for a girlfriend,” Declan said. He, too, got out of bed. He stretched. His muscles felt good, but sore. It had been a long time since he’d had a workout like that.
“I’m guessing the girlfriend is out of the picture.”
“Something like that. She kind of threw the pajamas and stormed off.”
“Classy.”
“I thought so,” Declan grinned. He guided Zoa into the bathroom and started the shower. Together, they climbed in and washed away everything: their sweat, their sleepiness, and their tenderness. When they were finished, Declan dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, and he handed a set of sweatpants to Zoa, as well. He had a pair that had a drawstring, so she was able to tie them tightly enough that they stayed up.
“What do you think?” Zoa spun in a circle.
“Perfect,” he laughed. Declan grabbed a t-shirt and held it up. “But I think you forgot your shirt.”
“You mean, not everyone w
ants to see these pretty things?” She bounced her breasts a little. The gesture was so cute and so sexy that he got hard again. Zoa noticed, and she chuckled. “Okay, I’ll take the shirt.”
She reached for it, tugging it over her head. The outfit was complete, and she was lovely. He was amazed at how comfortable he felt with her today. Usually, when Declan was with a woman, he was uneasy after. There was always a strange sort of pressure as to whether or not the relationship would continue on the path they’d started to wander down.
Sometimes, sex was just sex. Sometimes, sex was a clear indicator that nothing else could happen. Often, sex was one of the first tastes of what a relationship would be like. With Zoa, the sex had been incredible, and now Declan felt like he’d been given his first taste of ice cream on a hot summer day. He didn’t want just a tiny taste. He didn’t want to stick his tongue out and get just a little smidge of the cone.
No, he wanted the entire thing.
That was what Declan wanted more than anything else: everything. Could he have that with Zoa? Could he pursue her? Chase after her? He liked her a lot. She was cute and interesting and quirky, and she made him feel alive. Sometimes Declan worried that the women he slept with only did so because of his money. With Zoa, he didn’t have to worry about that.
He didn’t have to worry about a lot of things when it came to her. There was a certain softness to Zoa. Oh, she was rough and tumble. She had to be. To have survived the ordeal that she did, she had to be strong. Buried deep inside of the tough exterior, though, was a tender heart beating.
He wanted it to beat for him.
“Let’s go downstairs,” he finally whispered. He knew that if he didn’t invite her to start moving soon, he simply wouldn’t. If he didn’t hurry up and suggest that they get started, he would yank her back to bed. He’d spend the entire day ravishing her, touching her, worshipping her. He would do so many wonderful, different things to her simply because he could, and because he liked her, and because to Declan, she was perfect.
“Do we have to?”
“Yes,” he said firmly. He wanted to add that he didn’t want to. He was tempted to say something about how unfortunate it was that they needed to get going, but he didn’t. Instead, he tried to stay strong, and eventually, Zoa nodded.
“You’re probably right,” she said.
She led the way down the stairs. Declan watched carefully as she lowered herself down the ladder. He followed suit, and soon they were both downstairs in the treehouse. Brian and Christopher were sitting on their respective couches. They both looked wildly amused. Yeah, it was safe to say they’d heard Declan and Zoa’s special “alone time.”
“Good morning,” Zoa said politely. She obviously hadn’t noticed that the men were amused with the situation.
“Morning,” Christopher said.
“Good morning,” Brian added.
“Did you eat?” Declan asked, striding toward the kitchen area. He needed coffee. He needed a lot of coffee. If he could get enough inside of him, then the day wouldn’t seem so wild or terrible or overwhelmingly awful.
“We ate,” Christopher told him.
“We can get going in five,” Declan said, starting the coffee. “This won’t take long to brew. As soon as I down it, we’re out of here.” They had to get to Kellen’s. Declan worried that it would already be too late, that they would be walking into some sort of ambush, but he didn’t say that out loud. He didn’t want Zoa to feel bad if something did go wrong.
It wouldn’t be her fault, after all. She hadn’t asked him to save her, and she certainly hadn’t asked him to go back and face Kellan. There was something else that was making him do this. There was a fire deep inside of Declan now, and it wasn’t something he could easily get rid of. He needed this. He needed to do this for her.
In some ways, it felt like he was giving her a gift. In Declan’s mind, he was going to give Zoa the knowledge that she was safe. That was the gift. Once Kellen was gone and dead, she would never have to worry about him finding her or hurting her.
There was something else, though. There was a part of Declan that worried he was acting like a cat bringing its owner a dead rat. Sure, the cat always felt proud of its work. Catching rats was no easy task. The owners were never that appreciative, though. Was that what this situation was really like? Was Declan doing nothing more than carrying a dead rat to Zoa?
“Brother?”
Declan looked up sharply to see Christopher standing almost directly beside him.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”
“Yeah, I know. It looked like you completely spaced out.”
“I did. Sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“Are you sure you’re good for this?”
“Going to Kellen’s?”
“Yeah,” Christopher nodded. Then he lowered his voice. “It’s okay if you aren’t. We don’t have to go today, Declan. We don’t even have to go this week. There’s no reason it has to be now.”
“It does have to be now,” Declan insisted.
“Why?”
“Because I need her to be safe. I need her to feel protected. I need her to know that I did everything I could to take care of her.”
“So that’s what this is really about, huh?”
“Yes. It’s about keeping Zoa safe.”
“You already rescued her. Isn’t that enough?”
“No. I don’t know if it’s ever going to be enough.”
Kellen had done more than just capture Zoa. He had ruined her ability to trust in herself and in the future. At least, that was the vibe that Declan had gotten. He knew that whatever happened next was going to be telling. He felt that if he could kill Kellen, if he could destroy the thing that had hurt Zoa, then everything else would be okay.
“We need to go,” he said. “And it needs to be now.”
Chapter 8
Zoa sat on the couch next to the giant dragon gentleman. He was big. Tall. Wide. He smelled good, but not as good as Declan. That was who she really liked, who she cared about. Still, she couldn’t exactly complain about being assigned a dragon guardian.
“So,” she said, looking over at Christopher.
“So,” he nodded.
Christopher had been given the task of babysitting her. It was kind of strange, really. She didn’t think she needed to be babysat, and she’d requested that if they weren’t going to bring her along to kill her captor, that they would at least let her stay alone. After all, Zoa argued, there was safety in numbers, and she wanted Declan to be as safe as possible when he embarked on this quest. It was her fault he was going, and she didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.
Declan and Brian had firmly told her no. They’d left Christopher to guard her and keep her safe while the others were away. She wasn’t sure how long the entire ordeal was going to take. Maybe it would be a few hours. Perhaps it would take all day. She’d have to find a way to entertain herself, though. If she had to sit on the couch next to Christopher until Declan came back, she’d go crazy.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad, she thought, looking at the dragon.
“So, you’re triplets,” Zoa finally said.
“Yep.”
“Did you always get along so well?”
Christopher looked over at Zoa and raised an eyebrow. He didn’t seem to understand what she was asking. Zoa had never had siblings, though, so she didn’t understand the dynamics of how things worked. For years, she’d imagined that brothers and sisters tended to fight a lot. To argue. That didn’t seem to be the case with the Monster brothers. That was their last name, she’d learned. Monster.
“Not always,” Christopher finally said.
“Who was the wildest out of the three of you?”
“Probably Declan, to be honest.”
“Was he impulsive? Or a troublemaker?” Zoa didn’t have any interest in judging her dragon boyfriend – if she could call him her boyfriend – for his childhood escapades. She was mostly just curious. She want
ed to know more about the shifters, and she wanted to know more about their world. Learning about where Declan came from seemed like a good start.
She’d grown up in a world of humans. Shifters had been talked about, sure, but it was always more of a whispered rumor than anything serious. Until she’d been kidnapped, she’d never really considered that dragons or shifters might actually exist outside of someone’s imagination.
“Declan? Neither. He just goes after what he believes in. He thinks things through perfectly well, and then he goes for it. Brave. He’s brave.”
“I wish I was brave,” Zoa muttered.
“I don’t know. Sounds like you were pretty brave, going off what Declan said about you.”
“You mean with Kellen?”
Christopher nodded slowly.
“I don’t think that was brave. I just did what I had to in order to survive.”
“Not everyone could have done that.”
“People don’t know what they’re capable of until they’re in a situation where they have to fight to survive,” Zoa said, looking over at Christopher. “It doesn’t mean that I was brave. It just means I didn’t want to die.”
“Sometimes wanting to live is the bravest thing you can do.”
She thought about what Christopher said for a moment. Was he right? Maybe he was right. She didn’t want to argue with him, nor did she want the conversation to get too deep. Maybe she’d try to change the subject a little bit. After all, they had all day, or at least, however long it took Declan to accomplish his task. She didn’t want the conversation to get too deep too fast.
“So,” she finally said. “Declan says you have a crazy ex-girlfriend.”
Christopher laughed.
“Doesn’t everyone have a crazy ex?”
“Not everyone.”
Zoa didn’t. Zoa didn’t have much of anything. She didn’t have a wild past. She didn’t have a slew of ex-boyfriends who cared about where she was now. She’d lived her life very safely, very carefully. That hadn’t really worked out too well for her.
It didn’t matter that she’d always been cautious. She’d been abducted anyway, and she’d been hurt. Zoa was the kind of person who had always tried to play by the rules. Apparently, that hadn’t really worked out too well for her.