Shades Of Dragon (A BBW Dragon-Shifter Paranormal Romance)

by Catherine Vale

  She crouched down in the water so that she could dunk her hair beneath the stream, and as she bent forward he got a full view of her womanhood, wet and pink and glistening. A groan escaped his lips, but thankfully she didn’t hear him, her head submerged under the water. She came up again in a moment, tossing her hair over her shoulder in a wave, water splashing everywhere. He couldn’t help but think she looked like a siren, impossibly beautiful, temptation incarnate. Before he could think twice, he took a step forward, drawn by her beauty.

  A twig snapped beneath his foot, and she spun around, no doubt disturbed by the sound. Her face turned scarlet as her wide green eyes caught sight of him, and she abruptly covered her chest, but not before he saw that her breasts were indeed as perky and perfectly round as he’d thought, with pink, dusky nipples, and that she had a thatch of red curls between her thighs, shielding her womanhood from his gaze. A lust-ridden growl rumbled from his lips, and he took another step forward, but she shied back, a whimper escaping from her lips, and he remembered where he was, and who he was standing in front of.

  He was a dragon shifter. And she was a human woman. The very human woman who he’d just convinced himself, he wasn’t going to touch again. Dammit!

  “I’m sorry,” he muttered, casting his eyes to the ground and turning away. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “N-no,” she stammered, and he heard splashing from behind that told him she was wading for the bank. His hands clenched into fists as he tried to keep himself from turning around to catch another glimpse of her exquisite form. “It’s my fault. I should have moved downstream…or warned you.”

  “Just get dressed,” he ground out through gritted teeth. “We need to prepare dinner before it gets too dark.”

  She did as he bade, and then helped him skin and prep the animal for cooking, not once complaining about the work. To his surprise, he found that she’d done this sort of thing before – he’d wrongly assumed as the mayor’s daughter she would have been above such work, but she seemed to know exactly what to do, and he hardly had to give her any instruction at all. In no time, the animal was roasting on a spit above a fire that he’d fashioned out of rocks and sticks, and they took turns turning it, roasting it as best as they could. Of course, with the amount of time and the size of the animal they would normally have taken hours to cook it, but Tegan sped the process up with blasts of fire from his mouth, and by the time the sun was setting they were happily chomping on the beast’s haunches, the hot juices running down their chins and hands.

  “Mmm,” Ciara mumbled amount a mouthful of meat. “I’m surprised at how good this tastes without seasoning.”

  Tegan smiled at her, unable to help it – she looked stunning, with her wild, fiery hair cascading all around her, juices running down her chin and arms as she held the meat aloft to try not to get any stains on her tattered dress. She looked like a wild woman, fierce and beautiful, ready to take on anything in the forest that got in her way. He couldn’t help the swell of desire in his chest at just how damn gorgeous she was, and how very real. She wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, and she wasn’t above doing whatever she had to do in order to make the journey easier. He found that he had incredible respect for her, and immense admiration.

  You’ve got to stop thinking about her like this, he told himself sternly. It’s only going to get you into trouble.

  “Tell me about your family.”

  Ciara looked up from her haunch, blinking in confusion. “What?”

  “Tell me about your family. About your father, about the villagers. What are they like?” he asked, softening his tone a little. He knew that the question was likely to raise some tears, but he figured talking about her people would distract them from their feelings for one another.

  “Oh. Well, my father’s name is Arthur,” she said, smiling a little as she toyed with the hem of her ripped dress. “He’s a big, strong, blustering man with a tender heart of gold, who loves his people and does his best to care for them. My mother died in childbirth, so he raised me on his own. He’s a kind, loving soul and well, because of him I’ve never felt bereft of love. I’m lucky.” She chuckled a little.

  Tegan smiled at that. “It sounds like you have a wonderful father.”

  “I do.” Tears welled up at the corners of Ciara’s eyes, and she blinked them away. “I… I don’t know what I’ll do without him.” The profound grief in her voice and her eyes made Tegan’s heart ache for her.

  “I promise you that I’ll do everything I can to get your father back,” he repled quickly, wanting to comfort her. “Everything that’s within my power.”

  “Will you really?” she whispered. “You’ll go chase down the men who took my father, and bring him back to me?”

  “If I can, yes.” He nodded. “If I can do something to prevent you from losing him, I’ll do it.”

  “Thank you, Tegan…thank you so much.” She sniffled, then wiped at her nose, which had turned a little pink at the tip. For some reason Tegan found the slight blotchiness to be beautiful. “I know that you told me your mother abandoned you when you were a child, but what about the rest of your family? Did you not have a father?”

  Tegan sighed a little, turning his head so he could gaze into the dying embers of the fire. “I’m a bastard child,” he said quietly. “Born of an affair between two dragon shifters of separate clans. By the time my mother was pregnant with me, my father was already gone, so I never knew him. I’ve heard rumors throughout the years. They say that he is a member of the Blackfire Clan, and that it’s likely he doesn’t even know that I exist.”

  “What? Wouldn’t your mother have told him about you?”

  “Not if her clan instructed her not to. I really don’t know.”

  “But if you think you know the clan your father belongs to, why haven’t you gone to see him? To let him know of your existence? To give him a chance to know you?”

  Tegan sighed again, running his fingers through his hair. It was clear that he was twisted up inside when it came to matters involving his father, and for a moment, Ciara felt as though she may have pushed too far, and regretted asking. But he reached out and took her hand into his own, squeezing her fingers gently. “Grey was like a father to me. I felt it would dishonor him if I were to seek out my birth father. I was – I am – happy with the second chance that I was given.”

  “I understand,” Ciara replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “And your mother?”

  “She couldn’t keep me because of the laws of the clan, and so I haven’t seen her since I was just a boy.”

  Ciara’s eyes were wide, blazing with anger. “Your entire clan rejected you, just because you were born out of wedlock?” she asked, gaping at him. “That’s… that’s horrible.”

  “They probably wouldn’t have rejected me if my father had been a member of their clan, but since he was in a different clan…” Tegan stopped and swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat. “It isn’t so bad,” he added, a little hoarsely. “At least not anymore. You learn to move past these things.”

  “That doesn’t mean they don’t still hurt.” Abandoning the remains of her haunch – which, admittedly, weren’t much – Ciara crossed the space between them, and knelt before Tegan to take his face into her hands. “And it also doesn’t mean that I can’t feel compassion for you. You deserved so much more than you were given.”

  “That means more to me than you’ll ever know.” Tegan closed his eyes as her comforting words washed over him, soothing the ache in his heart. The feel of her soft, feminine hands against his cheeks was like heaven; it was the kindest, softest touch he’d ever known and it made him ache for things that he shouldn’t ask.

  And when he opened his eyes to look into hers, he saw so much compassion in them he had to blink back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes.

  “We should pack the rest of this up and find shelter,” he told her gruffly, not quite ready to confront the intense feelings inside him
, feelings that told him he might just be falling in love with her. Which was preposterous, really, because he’d known her for less than twenty-four hours. Putting aside the remains of his meat, he rose to go, and put out the fire. The carcass was nearly picked clean – he had a monstrous appetite, especially after all that shifting – but he’d left a few pieces to wrap up in leaves so that Ciara would have extra food.

  “Okay.” She looked around, obviously trying to imagine where they were going to bed down for the night. “Are we sleeping under the trees?”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s too dangerous for that. All kinds of interesting animals and beasts come out at night, and it’s best not to leave yourself unprepared and out in the open.”

  They packed up everything, and Tegan led Ciara north, deeper into the forest, and then up on a ridge that climbed steeply. Eventually they found what he was looking for – an opening to a cavern that was large enough for them to enter, but small enough that something huge like a Rhino-beast would not be able to reach them.

  “Oh, this is perfect,” Ciara exclaimed with relief, peering inside. “It’s large enough for both of us and our things.” She started to crawl inside, and then stopped when she noticed that Tegan wasn’t following behind her. “Aren’t you coming in?” she asked, her voice suddenly small.

  Tegan cursed himself for the prick of guilt he felt in his chest, and he looked away from her wide, beguiling eyes. “I’m going to leave you here to heal,” he told her. “I have to go report to Grey before Prophet gets to him first, which is likely considering that I’ve lost so many hours making sure you were safe and could heal.”

  A flush stole across Ciara’s cheeks. “I’m sorry that I’ve been such a burden,” she said.

  More guilt flooded Tegan’s chest. “No, no, don’t worry about that. That isn’t what I meant,” he said quickly, wanting to take her hand and reassure her, but he knew that if he touched her he would go down that raging path of lust and desire again, and he just couldn’t do it right now. “I just mean that time is of the essence, and I need to get to Grey as soon as possible.”

  “B-but you can’t leave me here,” Ciara said, her voice trembling. “You can’t leave me alone in the dark, where animals can find me. I’m defenseless, and I’m also still bleeding from this wound. Something could come and attack me while I’m sleeping.”

  Tegan cursed at the truth in Ciara’s words. It was true; something could absolutely come and attack her while he was gone. And yet… “I’m going to cover the entrance with a boulder,” he said. “So that way we don’t have to worry about anything getting in here with you.”

  “No!” Ciara launched herself at him, clutching his legs and practically prostrating herself to him. “Please, you can’t leave me here in the dark. I can’t stand being alone in closed spaces. Please, please…” she began to sob, her body shaking.

  Frowning, Tegan sank to his knees, sensing there was something more on her mind. “What’s wrong, Ciara?” he asked, taking her into his arms against his better judgment. Instantly his body warmed in reaction to her proximity, something inside him easing up that he didn’t realize was tense, as her body came into contact with his. “Why are you so afraid of the dark?”

  “I… it’s just that I spent so much time in that cellar,” she whispered against his neck. “Huddled between the wine barrels and listening to my people getting slaughtered, to buildings being crushed, and burned, and ruined. I know that if you leave me here in the dark that I’ll be consumed with those thoughts again, and I just can’t face them right now. Just not right yet. Please.” She clutched at his tunic shirt, “Please, I beg you, don’t leave me to my demons right now. I can’t stand the idea.”

  Tegan nodded, knowing that he couldn’t put Ciara through that. “Alright,” he murmured, stroking her hair. “I’ll stay with you. But then in the morning, we’re going to have to leave at first light.”

  “Thank you. Thank you so much.” She squeezed him tight. “You have no idea how grateful I am for everything you’ve done for me.”

  “You’re welcome,” Tegan assured her, and he was. Just seeing her face brighten, the tears clearing from her eyes lifted his mood and satisfied some primal urge inside him. Of course, this would be a lot easier on him if she didn’t also awaken other urges within him…

  Pushing the thought out of his mind, he entered the cave with her, and lit a torch he’d brought with him, checked it for any kind of animals that might be hiding inside. When he was satisfied it was safe, he used several more sticks to create a very small fire close to the entrance so that they had enough light to see, and also ensure that the smoke did not clog up the area.

  “We’d better get to sleep now,” he said to her. “We have to be up as early as possible.”

  Ciara nodded, and sat down on the ground. He could feel her big green eyes on him as he pulled off his tunic and unpacked the supplies in his sack – a small pillow and blanket. These he gave to Ciara, and then he lay down on the ground, and used his own tunic as a makeshift pillow.

  “You should use these for yourself,” Ciara said, and she tried to give them back to him. “They’re yours, not mine.”

  Tegan shook his head and tried to push them away. “No, you need them more than I do. I need you to be well rested, and healed up for the trip tomorrow. Please, use them.”

  “At least take the pillow,” she insisted, pushing it back toward him. “I can make do without that.”

  “No.” He pushed it back, chuckling, and they engaged in a playful tug of war that somehow ended up with her stumbling over herself and onto his chest. “Be careful,” he warned her, thinking about how she still had to heal. She ignored him, cradled against his hard chest. He sucked in a sharp breath, as desire flared hot within him, and they both froze, neither willing to take the next step that would push them over the edge.

  Gingerly, as if he were carrying something extremely hot, he pushed Ciara off him, and then compromised by tucking the pillow in between him, fair game to whomever grabbed it first – which was certainly not going to be him. With a tired sigh, he lay back down on the ground and closed his eyes, hoping to escape the maelstrom of feelings with him, but her sweet scent and the heat coming off her body in such close proximity distracted him to no end.

  “Tell me more about your family,” he murmured, opening his eyes so he could look at her. After all, if he was going to suffer, he might as well enjoy the view.

  She gave him another puzzled frown, but did as he asked, sweeping a curl of her hair behind her ear. “I don’t have any other family by blood,” she told him, “But I consider all of the villagers family. My neighbor is the sweetest woman I’ve ever met. She’s got a houseful of cats and kittens, and she runs the town bakery. She’s been sneaking me cookies since I was two years old. I always considered her to be my Nana” She giggled a little, her eyes bright, and Tegan fell just a little bit harder into them.

  He could watch her like this forever, he realized.

  “That sounds really nice,” he said, not wanting her to stop talking – he loved listening to the lovely lilt of her voice. “How do you usually pass the time? Did you have certain duties?”

  “Well, I did help my father with some of his day-to-day affairs,” she said, biting her lower lip as she thought, and drawing his attention back to the way her mouth felt against his as they’d kissed – silky, smooth, and warm. He bit the inside of his own cheek to stem the flare of desire that resulted, and forced himself to focus on her eyes. “But mostly I just assisted Mr. Brown, our school teacher. He taught school every day, and he’s an elderly man so he often needed help with the more rambunctious children.”

  “So you were a bit like a nanny, then?” he teased.

  She nodded, smiling. “I would help them with their words, and read with them, and I would always play with them during lunch time and make sure they were all getting along.” Tears sprang to her eyes again, and this time a big, fat drop rolled down one of her cheeks. �
�Do you think the children are being treated well by those slavers? I hope they’re being fed and allowed the comfort of their parents. That is, if they’re still alive…” She trailed off.

  Tegan didn’t know what to say; he was at an absolute loss for words. So he simply pulled Ciara into his arms and stroked her back, letting her soak his shirt with her tears. As she sobbed and trembled in his arms, he began to realize just how much worse she’d had it than him. True, his parents had abandoned him, and he’d been kicked out of his own clan, and forced to find refuge in another, but at least he hadn’t formed particularly strong attachments to any of the ones who’d shunned him. Ciara clearly had a very close bond with most of her villagers, and she probably felt each and every loss keenly in the big, beautiful heart that shone through her eyes.

  “Shhh.” He kissed the top of her head, breathing in the fragrant scent trapped within her curls. “It’s going to be alright.”

  She let out a long sigh, and then rested her cheek against his chest. “I know.”

  He froze. “You do?”

  She lifted her chin so she could meet his gaze with her own slightly reddened, but still beautiful eyes. “Yes, I do,” she said, reaching up to touch his face. “You’re a man of your word, Tegan. I have absolute faith that you will take care of me, and help me save my people.”

  He knew that he should be concerned that she placed such a heavy load on his shoulders, but her faith in him lit a warm glow inside his chest that he recognized as pride. It was similar to the way he felt whenever Grey praised him for a job well done, but even more intense, as if it meant more to him.