BOX SET: Shifter 4-Pack Vol 2 (Wolf Shifter, Dragon Shifter, Mafia, Billionaire, BBW, Alpha) (Werewolf Weredragon Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection)

by Candace Ayers

  That’s when it sunk in. That’s what he had been saying- you, you, you. And I had been saying me, me, me. He was looking instead for a ‘we,’ and I hadn’t mentioned it. Yet.

  “You fool,” I cried out in disbelief. Benjamin stopped with a dark look as I stomped over there and pulled him in for a kiss. He was hot against my flesh as I kissed him hard, bruising our lips. If he could have tasted like anything, he was a juicy apple on a summer day.

  He mumbled something but I didn’t let his words out as I pulled him even closer, refusing to let him break from me. Ben was reluctant, but I wasn’t going to give up that quickly. After a moment, he gave in and returned it with just as much fervor, wrapping his arms around my waist and intertwining our limbs. All of my pain disappeared when I was engulfed within Benjamin’s touch.

  8: Benjamin

  It was easy to get lost in Remy’s lips, and every time she touched me it felt like fire engulfing me whole. She chuckled, calling me a fool over and over and I forgot why I had been upset. I could feel her lips smiling against my flesh and she sighed, finally pulling away.

  Taking a deep breath, I cleared my throat. If I was going to make a stand, then I need to stay on my feet and out of the clouds. “If you’re saying what I think you mean, I need you to say it.”

  She grinned mischievously. There was a long scar down the left side of her face, but it seemed to only make her more beautiful. “Say what?”

  My stern look was damaged as I rolled my eyes and pinched her side. Automatically she squealed, trying to pinch me back. “What?” I scoffed. “Don’t pinch me.” Laughing at her expression of disbelief, I gave her another kiss on the nose and stepped back. If I wanted to have this conversation, I couldn’t touch her or else I would never be able to focus.

  Crossing her arms, she took a deep breath before putting on a stern look. “Fine. I… I want…” she huffed, halting to gather her words. “I don’t know how- Ben, I’ve always been on my own. After everything that has happened to me, it was just safer. For years, and- you know what I mean, don’t you?” She stretched out an arm to me but I shook my head, taking a step back with my hands up in the air. To be positive, she needed to say these words. I needed to hear them, to be sure. Remy groaned and it took all of my self-control to avoid her pout.

  “I don’t want to be alone anymore,” she muttered grudgingly, staring at the ground. “If they want me, I’m going to stay. But… but only if you stay, too.” My heart buzzed within my chest, watching her and waiting. Everything that had transpired between us did not need to be said. But this did. And as she said them, the whole world turned to color.

  “What did you say?”

  “I said-” but she stopped when she met my gaze as my grin broke open wide. Remy ran forward, hitting me on the arm. “Benjamin!”

  My hands pulled her over and I trapped her in another kiss of celebration. “Good. I’m not a fan of going anywhere else if it doesn’t have you.”

  “You’re mushy,” she grinned, standing on her toes to peck my forehead with her lips. Her body pressed against me and my entire body flooded with warmth as I draped my arms around her before settling them comfortably around her waist. “So you’ll stay with me?”

  I nodded thoughtfully. “We had to stop sometime. If anything, we need a few more days to rest. And if… if they will work together, then I think staying might be a good idea. But only if you’re the Alpha,” I nudged her.

  She rolled her eyes. “Only if that includes you. I couldn’t believe my ears when those rambling pups thought they had a shot with me. What were they even thinking?” Remy let out a deep, aggravated groan but I found the drama appropriate.

  “They saw you,” I teased her some more. “They saw you and thought they had to have you.”

  It made her laugh again and I could feel it in her shoulders. “As long as you’re around, they haven’t got a shot. And you will stay?”

  Kissing her forehead, I nodded in reply. “I’m not about to stop after all the fun we’ve had. I think our adventures are only just beginning.”

  Nodding thoughtfully, her mind wandered. “Good. They have a lot to do. I mean, we need to change the old ways, don’t you think? Not how Jereth wanted, but… the pack needs to have more of a voice, a decision. And we can lead them together, not one higher before another.”

  “I like the sound of that,” I agreed.

  She was the first one to move. Stepping back, she looked me over for a moment and I watched her, wondering what she was thinking. She held me at arm’s length and taking a deep breath, she tugged me towards the water.

  “What are we doing?” I asked quizzically.

  Remy smiled. “Let’s wash that dirt off.”

  Frowning, I glanced around, looking for the grime. “What? What dirt?”

  But she didn’t answer as she led me further into the river. My breath caught in surprise, finding how cool it was as opposed to yesterday. Gazing back to her, her skirts billowed and then sunk, revealing the suppleness of her body. After everything she had been through, and though she tried to deny it, she was still soft.

  Remy walked confidently backwards into the water, and it made me smile in finding she no longer feared the sway of the river. She tugged me by the hand and the dull aching inside my body slowly grew numb as my body adjusted to the new temperature after a final twinge in my shoulder.

  It made me think back to that night. I thought my live was ending, that I would die while lost out in that thunderstorm. The pain had been blinding and I had trudged clumsily through the trees and brush until I couldn’t go on. I had collapsed and thought I was on my last couple of breaths. There was no way I could have foreseen that my eyes would open once again, and that they would have landed on this beautiful creature.

  The sun peaked through the trees, shining down on Remy. The light caught just right, reminding me of the red undertones that shown so brightly in her other form. Everything about her was brilliant. She was soft, beautiful, and strong. Not only had she nursed a stranger back to health, but she had kept me safe for everything that had followed.

  “What are you thinking?” She whispered, stopping and drawing me close. The water rose to our chests and melted our clothes against our bodies. Her cleavage peaked out, firm and warm. I took a deep breath and once again wrapped my arms around her. “Benjamin?”

  “That first night,” I murmured, lowering my voice just so I could hear that hitch in her voice. It happened, and her breath caught in her chest, making me grin. She bit back a smile but it sparkled through her light blue eyes and I continued. “You, me, in a dark cave. We were both bleeding, injured, dying…”

  She paused. “We weren’t dying.”

  “Close,” I countered. “Very close. In pure agony. But not for long.” My fingers trailed from her waist, slipping downward to find that tender flesh of hers. I thought back to then, finding her caught beneath the tree and struggling for breath.

  Remy nodded. “It was a… night to remember,” she murmured, pressing herself against me. With one hand, she guided my hand around in the right direction. She had lost her clothes, and she was a stunning woman. I had huddled in the cave for only a short while before heading back out to find her, before running out to save her. I hadn’t even noticed any pain in my shoulder when I had carried her back to the cave.

  My thumb traced her hip bone thoughtfully. I had wrapped her in whatever we had with us, and tried to help her out. Her leg was bleeding terribly and I wasn’t sure what to do. I had only tried to mimic what she had once done for my shoulder. Back then, I hadn’t believed her about healing so quickly.

  Her other hand slipped beneath my shirt, tracing the outline of my ribs. Remy’s fingers were gentle and it reminded me again how every part of her was truly sensuous. Even that night, I could barely breathe just for looking at her. She had looked at me with such big blue eyes, filled with fear and pain that I wanted to take away to make her smile.

  She smiled, and I found her lips. Our b
odies melded as we worked around our wet clothes, slowly exploring one another’s bodies. We took our time to enjoy every touch, every skip of the heartbeat, every small moan.

  It was different than our first night, driven mad by hunger and pain. From the first time we touched, it was like electricity coursing through my veins. I couldn’t get enough of her and couldn’t get her close enough. She knew her way around and was ravenous there in the cave, in a way I hadn’t understood. But I did now, and it only made me want her more. All I wanted was Remy, inside and out. We stayed by the river, forgetting the rest of the world. Nothing else mattered but the two of us. It lasted forever.

  THE END

  VIRLEK

  Dragons of Plarizakian

  STORY DESCRIPTION

  Native American doctor, Cheyenne Skye, is dedicated to finding a cure for the mysterious illness plaguing her impoverished people. When she stops to tend to the wounds of a ruggedly handsome stranger lying naked in an alleyway, she finds that her very touch heals him. Yet, that’s not the oddest event of the evening. Instantaneously healed, the man transforms before her eyes into a dragon and flies off into the night sky.

  Can the stranger be a Guardian, one of the dragon-men her tribal elders speak of whose blood will save her people?

  Virlek Z’and has returned to Earth to rescue his closest friend, Zarek Rav from captivity. When Virlek is gravely injured during the rescue attempt, a beautiful raven-haired, dark-eyed woman heals his wounds, a woman he has been dreaming of since childhood. He knows with no uncertainty that he has finally found his mate.

  Reformed bad boy, Virlek is caught between love and duty, Honor dictates he rescue his friend and fellow warrior, and guide his people to their newly discovered home planet. His choice is made.

  When Virlek returns to find his intended mate ripe with a child in her belly, will his dreams of claiming her as his mate be destroyed for good?

  Chapter One

  Virlek Z’and lunged for the Gen-Ex Labs soldier who was pointing a gun at the Plarizakian’s best friend, Zarek. As Virlek shot out his wings, one of the bony tips made contact with a glass aquarium. The glass exploded, shards flying through the air of the lab to mix with the glass of the other broken aquariums. Water cascaded to the floor in a waterfall. Virlek beat his wings again before sinking his teeth into the soldier’s torso. The dragon tried to release the torn and bleeding human, but his tooth was caught in the man’s utility belt. Virlek growled. He felt the heat build in the sack between his chest and throat. The man struggled, trying to free himself despite his fatal wounds. His grasp on the gun was firmer than his grasp on life. Still, he held onto both.

  Finally, Virlek had built up enough heat. He took a deep breath in around the man’s body once more then released his fire. The soldier screamed briefly, but the screams ended as the flames engulfed his torso, throat, and head. With a flick of his neck, the dragon sent the soldier’s body flying toward the hole in the center of the room. Virlek, thinking the still-burning soldier was dead, turned his attention to the large group of living, fighting soldiers. The man was not dead yet, though. Just before his body fell through the hole, the soldier fired his gun at Zarek, the bullet imbedding itself in the tender flesh of Zarek’s throat. Zarek fell to the floor transforming from a green-scaled dragon into a tan-skinned human. Blood poured from his wound.

  Virlek started toward his friend, but at that moment, the soldiers all turned their attention to the two remaining dragons—Virlek and Jandric. Bullets ricocheted off Virlek’s scales as his clawed hind feet crunched over the glass on the floor. He growled, building up more heat in his throat before spewing fire at two of the shooting soldiers. From the corner of his eye, Virlek saw a door open. Aubrey Moss, Zarek’s human mate, entered the lab, crouching low and crawling her way to Zarek’s body.

  Virlek drew back his arms, extending the talons of both hands. He drew them together with the force of a beast, crushing the skull of a soldier who had gotten too close. When he looked up from the headless, slumped body, Virlek noticed there were no live soldiers left.

  “Thanks for all the help,” Jandric, a black dragon, growled at his friend. While Virlek had been distracted, the soldiers had bunch together, intending to take the dragons by storm. Instead, Jandric had taken the group out with a few well-placed bursts of fire. The mass of bodies was still aflame, the smell and smoke from burning flesh, hair, plastic and heated metal filled the room making Virlek’s eyes water.

  “Put it on my tab,” Virlek responded as he held back a sneeze. He closed his eyes, trying to sense Zarek and Aubrey. The couple had disappeared into the next room. He made mental contact with Zarek immediately. Zarek’s wounds were serious, but not life threatening. Still, Virlek and Jandric would have to clear a way out of the building for them. Zarek was not in fighting condition, and Aubrey was, well, human.

  We’ll meet you back at the ship, Zarek projected his thoughts into Virlek’s mind.

  Virlek nodded and turned back to Jandric. Jandric transformed from a stocky black dragon to a well-built man. Virlek transformed, too, his dark blue scales becoming tan skin.

  The men made their way through the lab door and to the elevator. Virlek expected to encounter trouble on the way back up, but as they exited the elevator, the lobby was empty. They had just reached the door that led out to the dark, empty street when the sound of booted footsteps filled the room behind them. More soldiers were making their way down the halls and toward the lobby.

  “They’re here!” a soldier shouted after peering into the main room.

  “Split up!” Jandric shouted to Virlek.

  The dragon-men ran out the door, Jandric turning right while Virlek went left. Just as Virlek was about to transform, though, a shot hit his human back. He stumbled, then fell, his face smashing onto the pavement.

  Virlek held his breath, hoping the soldier would think he was dead. If the soldiers turned away, he could attack them from behind. He felt a hand on his back. Virlek stiffened his neck just a little, figuring the man would try to check his pulse next. He was right. The soldier put his fingers on Virlek’s throat, but after a few fumbling tries, withdrew them.

  “He’s not breathing,” the soldier shouted back to his group. “No pulse, either.”

  Virlek heard the rush of fire that could only be coming from Jandric. The flap of the dragon’s wings was right overhead.

  “Let’s go!” a soldier hollered. “We’ll come back for this one.”

  When the soldiers’ footsteps faded, Virlek tried to get up but immediately fell back to the ground, his head spinning. He reached his hand behind his back, then withdrew it, bringing it up to his face. His vision was blurred, but he could see the blood that was dripping from his fingers. He tried again to rise. His attempt was unsuccessful and his body flopped back onto the hard ground with a thud. Though he couldn’t stand, struggling to hold on to consciousness, he gathered enough strength to drag himself into a nearby alley.

  Where he collapsed.

  Chapter Two

  “In closing,” Cheyenne Skye said, trying to make eye contact with as many of the bored-looking audience members as possible, “I want to leave you with some raw statistics. This unnamed disease has affected 75% of the members of my tribe. One little boy has a boil the size of a half-dollar on his eye. He will likely lose the eye, and there are worse cases. One of my patients, a little girl, had boils covering both her legs. The boils ran so deep that the infection began entering her blood stream. I had to immediately amputate both of her legs.”

  Cheyenne paused, holding back the sob building in her throat. A tear rolled down her face. Still, she continued. “I had to cut those legs off. I have had to treat the disease and its after effects. Worse, I have to tell the families of twenty-five percent of the people who suffer from this disease that a family member and loved one is dead.

  Dead. My people are dying.

  I’m trying to help them, but I’m unable to do it alone. We need researchers. We need
staff. We need your help… Please.”

  There was an uncomfortable silence as Cheyenne took her seat at the panel table. The moderator of the session took the microphone. He invited audience members up for questions. An older man wearing a battered suit and sporting a white beard stood. The moderator brought him the microphone.

  “Yes,” the audience member said. “I’m Dr. Walker. I’ve had a practice in New York City for years. When the government began giving incentives for private practices to merge with larger hospitals, I merged with New York General. I’ve gotten more funding than I know what to do with. Can’t you do the same?”

  “Yes, Dr. Walker,” Cheyenne began to answer. “We could merge with a larger hospital, but our reservation is over a hundred miles from the nearest hospitals covered by those grants. I would have to move my practice over a hundred miles away from my patients because the government refuses to pay the transportation costs required for delivering supplies to the reservation. My patients are unable to afford the travel expenses. Many have to be seen weekly; some must be monitored daily. Additionally, only one in ten residents of the reservation even owns a vehicle, and there are no buses where I come from.”

  Similar questions followed, all of which offered solutions that were not feasible for her people. When the session ended, Cheyenne made her way into the lobby.

  “Dr. Walker and her ‘people’ just need to come to terms with modern times,” she overheard one man say.

  “I agree,” another said. “We’re not hunter-gatherers anymore. She could save her people if she could talk some sense into them. They need to get out of their tee-pees or wigwams or whatever and move into civilization. That would solve all their problems.”

  She snuck through the lobby before anyone could see the tears streaming down her face. She punched the elevator door as it closed. She had to get out of here, away from these crude people who didn’t understand… no, refused to understand her people or their ways, but her flight didn’t leave until morning. So, she decided she would do what she always did when she was completely overwhelmed and needed to let off steam. She would go for a run.