by Amber Kallyn
She brushed the accumulating snow from his face, moving to lean over him so no more could reach. He moaned, his hand rising, then falling back onto his chest. She gently shook his shoulder. “Hey. You’re going to be all right.”
Though she had reservations, she would have to take him home and get him warmed up. Then, he could be on his merry way and she would have to think about finding a new hiding place before this one was compromised.
Damn it.
Wolf appeared, a blanket trailing from his jaws. It took her a few minutes to get the stranger rolled on top of the blanket, and many more to drag him even a few inches.
What seemed like days later, they reached her cabin. She pulled him up the stairs, biting her lower lip when his head banged the wood. Hopefully, he wouldn’t feel it when he woke.
Once in the living room, Anna dragged him to the fireplace, then built up the fire. Removing his wet, stiff clothes, she did her best not to notice his too-sexy body. She covered him with every dry blanket in the place, but he was still cold. Too cold.
With an exasperated glare at Wolf, she said, “You got me into this. Don’t think I’ll forget it.”
He lay down, covering his muzzle with a paw, and stared at her with sorrowful gold eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. But you’re not the one who’s going to have to share body heat.”
Gritting her teeth, she stripped to her underwear and slid under the blankets, pressing her heated skin to his coldness. The stranger was hard in all the right places, his skin smooth. He fit against her perfectly, bringing to mind once more her dream warrior.
A pulse of desire spiked deep inside. With a loud sigh, she curled closer to the strange male, ignored her rampant lust, and tried to sleep.
Chapter Two
Garreth woke with panic clawing the back of his throat. He remembered the cold, drifting to sleep in the blinding snow. Yet now, warmth and darkness surrounded him. Wood smoke filled the air. As did a sweet, flowery perfume. Honeysuckle.
His body came awake slowly, his fuzzy thoughts further behind. A soft, curvy body lay against his side. Breasts pressed into his ribs and long, silky hair covered his arm.
A woman’s fingertips drifted across his chest. Against his skin, her nipples puckered into tight little nubs. She moaned, the sound full of need. Their entwined legs slowly came apart as she rubbed her damp panties on his thigh.
He blinked, trying to see in the dim light. He reached to touch her shoulder, but his hand found a lace covered breast instead. As if they had a will of their own, his fingers grasped the fullness.
He didn’t know where he was, who she could be. This shouldn’t happen. His caution tried to rise, but she cried out louder, pushing into his touch. Her hand clutched the back of his neck, tugging him closer. The scent of her dragoness swamped his senses, and inside, his dragon woke, ready to answer her desire.
Ability to think lost, he turned onto his side, sliding one of her legs over his hip. Finding her mouth, he slipped his tongue into heat, tasting her sweetness. He flicked a thumb over her tight nipple.
She gasped, hips jerking. Her hot wetness rubbed against him harder.
Little squeaky sighs erupted from her and she tilted her head back. Garreth licked her throat, nipping her collarbone before tugging down the bra and taking one nipple into his mouth, sucking hard.
Nails scraped along his back. She grabbed his ass and pressed her dampness against his cock, demanding. Happy to oblige, he reached down. With a quick jerk, he tore her panties away, baring her slickness. As he stroked between her nether lips, she shuddered, hot heavy gasps caressing his shoulder.
When she was ready, he jutted his hips, pushing inside her tight little opening. She let out a half-moan, half-scream. Her nails dug into his ass. Garreth slammed home while finding her mouth and capturing it. He kissed her, holding fast as she writhed in his arms, panting against his lips.
“Finally,” she whispered before grabbing a fistful of his hair. The kiss turned hard, fast, as he moved his hips in time.
“Oh baby. I’m here,” he gasped as she twisted her hips to give him better access. He felt like a youth about to burst, unable to hold on.
Her hand inched down his ass and cupped his balls. She rolled his sac between her fingers. It took every ounce of fuzzy control he had not to come violently inside her tight heat.
Pushing her onto her back, Garreth made it to his knees. He grabbed her thighs and jerked her ass off the floor, pushing deeper inside her tight heat.
She screamed in pleasure, her nails raking down his forearms as her body spasmed around him.
* * *
Anna rode the climax, relishing every moment. Her dream warrior was finally filling her completely. His grip on her thighs was tight, almost painful. And she loved it. His hard pito plunged into her, touching her most sensitive areas.
She wanted this dream to last forever.
He kept up his relentless pummeling, one hand leaving her thigh to rub her clit. Unable to stop her cry, it burst from her throat as his jerky movements knocked her over the edge again.
Waves crashed through her trembling legs. Her belly quivered as the climax rampaged through her body. His thumb tweaked her clit, tugging and twisting the soft throbbing flesh, leaving her gasping for more even as the orgasm still made her clench around him.
Her dream warrior slowly lowered her hips to the floor as he bent over to capture one nipple between his lips. He licked her breasts before sucking her other nipple deep into his mouth.
Anna arched her back, giving him fuller access. The position allowed his cock to hit new places deep inside. He moved slickly in and out, hard, then slow. He prolonged the sensations, holding her on the edge of the abyss.
Then his hips slowed further. He raced his tongue over her breasts, up her neck and forced her mouth open. She kissed him back, their tongues twisting, teeth nipping. He was ambrosia to her starving needs.
Rising, he rammed into her so hard she thought she might burst from the exquisiteness of the fire ripping through her.
Her dragon tried to rise, to dominate and master. But his dragon’s scent filled the air, commanding and in charge.
Dimly, Anna realized her dream warrior was one of her kind. He was dragon.
He pushed her higher, then over. She screamed out her pleasure in unison with his hoarse cry, as the climax plowed into her, sweeping down every inch of her skin, through every nerve. She couldn’t think, only feel, as her dream warrior slaked her desires so completely.
* * *
Anna woke to arms wrapped around her. Hard, muscular male arms. A calloused hand gripped her breast. The scruff of his chest tickled her bare back. The scent of the long ago fire blended with the smell of sex. From the stickiness between her legs and the soft dick nestled between her butt cheeks, her dream had been reality.
Slowly as to not wake the stranger, she slid out from beneath the blankets and hurried to her bedroom. Her legs shook like unformed Jell-O and the sweet ache between her thighs made her face flush as she remembered how damn good, how loving, the stranger had been.
God, she didn’t even know him. Thankfully, dragons didn’t get diseases. And her body wouldn’t allow conception without being mated, so there were no worries there.
Letting out a deep breath, she turned the shower as hot as it would go before stepping beneath the stinging spray. It awakened her body fully, making her wish the stranger’s hands caressed her rather than the water.
Before she finished, Anna turned the water to icy. It didn’t help much.
Dressed, she headed to the kitchen. Her poor, confused brain needed coffee.
Wolf met her near the back door. He snuffled, shooting an accusing golden glare. Though her cheeks heated further, Anna could only shrug.
Done was done.
Outside, snow piled high over the ground and the windblown whiteness prevented sight more than a few inches in front of her nose.
“Hurry up,” she whispered as Wolf darted ou
t. “And don’t get lost.”
As the coffee brewed, she sat at the table, chin on her hands, and stared into nothingness. Her thoughts swirled as viciously as the blizzard outside.
A fluke.
That was all.
Just two people satisfying bodily needs. Sleepy needs at that.
It didn’t matter that even in the light of day, the man sleeping in the other room seemed to be her dream warrior come to life.
It couldn’t matter.
Because until she found a way to destroy the master, she had no life of her own.
They didn’t even know each other.
Hells, he wouldn’t even be around very long.
Wolf scratched at the door and she moved to open it. The storm had grown worse in just the few minutes he’d been outside. It forced her to review her previous thought.
So the stranger might be here a day or two. They’d stay out of each other’s way. No need for small talk or prying questions. Then he’d leave and she’d get back to running and hiding. And hopefully, finding the key to destroying the monster chasing her.
After pouring a cup of coffee and adding the requisite cream and sugar, Anna peeked in on her guest.
He snored lightly, one arm thrown over his eyes. Long midnight-dark hair fanned out from his head. The blankets were thrown off, except for a small corner doing nothing to hide his stiff member.
Stumbling back into the shadows of the kitchen, she tried to ignore the flash of how he’d made her feel. Arguing with her raging hormones, she sat at the built in desk and powered up her laptop, her fingers twitching restlessly. Soon, she was able to push the world away, as she immersed herself in emails and research. There had to be a way to destroy the master. And she would find it.
She had to, before the evil mage found her. Captured her and took her back to the dungeon she’d grown up in. Anna refused to go back. Especially after all it had cost to escape.
All who’d died to ensure her freedom.
* * *
Warmth blew over Garreth’s ear. He cracked his eyes open. A gold feral gaze and sharp white teeth hovered only inches from his face.
A wolf.
Catching himself before he acted like prey and jerked back, he called to his dragon. The beast was lazily sleeping. Frack it.
He tried to bare his teeth, but the only thing he could do was offer the wolf a weak smile.
Surprisingly, the wolf snorted and stepped back. He sat, tail wagging almost imperceptibly, though the golden gaze stayed watchful.
Garreth took his eyes off the animal long enough to glance around. He was in a cozy living room, lying on some furry rug in front of a fireplace covering most of the wall. A long couch took up the middle of the room, butted against a shorter sofa along the opposite wall. No trappings of technology lay around, though a television might be hidden in one of the three wooden cabinets facing the couch.
Between the dark coals in the fireplace radiating warmth, and the cocoon of blankets piled around him, he was in danger of sweating to death. But it was better than the bone chilling cold of the storm he’d been lost in.
As the scent of honeysuckle, out of place in this hunting lodge, hit him, his memories sped forward. Soft curves. Tight heat.
Garreth cringed at the remembered sensations waking up parts of his body best ignored.
He never lost himself like that.
In his line of work, such a thing could be deadly. He’d wait and see what the outcome of this lapse proved to be.
Movement came from the arched entryway behind the monstrous couch. The wolf barked sharply. Seconds later, a woman hustled into the room carrying a white mug.
She spied him and came to a full stop, cursing in what sounded like Spanish. Liquid sloshed over her hand. A scowl marred her lovely heart-shaped face as she brought her fingers to her lips. She was short—though with his own height, most people were. But this woman was tiny, her features and coloring exotic and dark. Long, blue-black hair, slightly wavy, hung down to her waist. Her curvy body was everything he remembered. The daggers she glared his way said she knew exactly what had happened, too.
Pushing himself up on weak arms, Garreth struggled to keep his lap covered. Then he gave her the same hesitant grin that made her wild pet back off. At least this time it was on purpose.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work.
“Hmph.” She took a step closer. “Who are you and why were you in my woods?”
Scratching the stubble on his chin, knowing he must look like a fool and reprobate, he tried to buy time. This woman wasn’t his quarry. The picture he’d been given was nowhere close. Yet, though she sounded and looked confident, his training caught the slight tremor in her voice.
He would have thought nothing of it, except for the hint of fear shining from her light purple gaze. Lavender it would probably be called.
She might not be the one he was looking for, but she was hiding something.
“Well?” Her foot tapped impatiently.
“Um, I’m Garreth. Dragos.”
Her mouth thinned, but her foot slowed. “Of Dragos Pyrotechnics?”
Surprised she’d heard of them, Garreth nodded. “That would be my family, yeah.”
Her eyes softened the slightest bit and when she spoke, her voice was kinder as well. “What are you doing in Canada? Isn’t your family base in Arizona?”
Putting on the most sheepish expression he could, he replied, “I got lost.”
Her scowl returned. “What were you doing in the forest to get lost in the first place?”
Blinking innocently, he opened his mouth, then shut it again. “Um…” He hated lying, but sometimes it was part of the job. A gray part he never accepted, but did anyway.
One of her eyebrows rose.
“I can’t seem to remember,” he answered.
“Hmph.” She stared at him for a long minute, suspicion coloring her eyes a darker purple. Finally, she strode back through the doorway, only to return with a different mug.
“Coffee. You want sugar or milk, it’s in the other room.” She pointed to a door on the far wall. “Bedroom and bathroom. You can wear the clothes I put on the bed.” Then she stomped away.
“Thank you,” he managed to croak. Normally after a night in bed with him, women were in a slightly better mood. He thought back, wondering if he’d been selfish, or too rough.
Banging came from what he assumed was the kitchen. Taking the opportunity, he stood and headed through the bedroom, into the bathroom.
* * *
Anna furiously tapped on her laptop as soon as the shower turned on. Dragos Pyrotechnics was a familiar company to her, but the man in the shower wouldn’t like to know the reason why. As their website came up, she thanked the fact her internet still worked. Scrolling down the page, she clicked the link for “Family.”
Sure enough, a picture commanded her attention. Though younger by at least five years, it was definitely her houseguest. A relieved sigh came out on her next breath. The man wasn’t working for the monster hunting her. After what happened to the eldest Dragos brother, no one in the family would willingly choose the dark path.
When Eric Dragos came begging to the master, Anna had been there, chained to the stone wall in nothing but a sheer bra and panties. Eric could barely keep his eyes off her, despite the fact she’d only been fifteen. Of course, back then she’d also been whole. A sharp piercing pain rose up her throat.
She’d been unmarked. Yet to be branded for being stubborn and uncooperative.
The master had been smooth, like always, wrapping Eric’s mind around the power he could achieve. Only after hours of discussing greatness, and many glasses of a potent brew laced with stolen magic, did the master tell Eric what he would have to do to achieve it all.
Last Anna heard, he’d done it. Killed his own madre—Garreth’s mama too—and taken her soul. Become an Other, a magical creature filled with black powers. For a brief moment, Anna wondered where he was now, but pushed it out of
her mind. It didn’t matter. And thoughts of corrupt magic and Others only led her down a depressing path, wondering what she herself would become now.
No, her unwanted houseguest wouldn’t willingly work for the master.
But she couldn’t feel pity for the man in her cabin. She’d caught his lie when he said he didn’t remember why he was there. He might not be working for the master, but there was still much to be cautious about.
Chapter Three
Garreth entered the kitchen, smelling distinctly of her shampoo and body wash, which did nothing to hide the stronger scents of musky maleness and the smooth tinge of dragon. Inside, her dragon stirred, interest perking. Heat flushed her body as she stared at the man, his masculinity and power filling the small room and making her all too aware of his sexuality.
He’d tied his hair back. It fell softly halfway down his back. The sweatpants were ridiculously small, enhancing every muscle in his thighs, including the thick one between his legs. The bottoms barely reached below his knees. The shirt must have been beyond uncomfortable, she figured, taking in his bare ripped abs and defined chest. A sprinkling of hair ran across the muscles. It had tickled her palm when she’d touched him.
Biting the inside of her cheek, she waited for him to speak first.
He stepped forward, shooting her a sexy grin. “Thank you, by the way. For saving me. And everything else.” He paused, the words probably not easy for a man like him. “Can I get your name?”
Anna watched him carefully. “Call me CeCe.”
He didn’t even blink, though he obviously saw through her statement. He nodded slowly. “All right.”
His blue eyes flashed as he grabbed a chair from the table near the fridge and moved it to her side of the kitchen. Without hesitation, he sat, though the sweatpants tightened to what had to be intolerable levels.
His nearness wreaked havoc on Anna’s senses. It disconcerted her.
It didn’t matter he claimed to be some poor lost traveler, the look in his sapphire gaze gave away the fact he was so much more. His watchfulness was calculating. Someone who took everything in—sights, sounds, smells—and dissected it, figuring out which needed his attention the most.