by K.N. Lee
“Damn you! Breathe!” She summoned her magic, bringing the strands together and forcing the energy into her hands and then into Kyle's chest. His skin glowed in the emerald light and faded. No! She was not going to be responsible for someone dying. Not if she could help it. Quickly, she forced air into his mouth again. Then with all her strength, she brought both her fists down on top of his sternum. “Live!”
He jerked as he coughed out water. Relief spread through her and she sat back, her body quivering from the use of so much magic and adrenaline snapping through her veins.
“Thanks.” He grunted and pushed into a kneeling position. “Don't know what happened. One minute I was right behind you, the next…” He shook his head. “I couldn't get my bearings or even move. It was like fighting a waterfall under water.”
She met his stare and her insides churned. “I'm so sorry. I-I should've realized that Luke would have added protection.”
“What? You saying your brother tried to drown me?”
“Yes.” She bit her lip. “In case someone other than family tried to breach his home.”
“Next time, let's call your sibling and tell him to put out the welcome mat.” He rose and held out his hand. “Shall we? Or are there other traps I should prepare for?” He winked and she stood, taking his hand.
“Only one way to find out.”
Together they climbed down the path to an underground cave. Inside was Luke's home; dark and made of rocks and enchantment. No light was on, which meant her brother was still out of town. Was that a good or bad thing? Would her brother have implemented more safety measures? What if the next one killed Kyle? Her heart pounded in her chest, making her breath lodge in her throat. It was only her case and needing Kyle to bring down Diego that made her worry. Or the binding making her care more than she should.
“Okay, let me go first.” Did she have enough magic left after bringing Kyle back to life to sense a hex? The last one had been a surprise, but she should've known better.
“No, we go together. Last time you went first I got a gallon of water in my lungs.” He squeezed her hand.
The gesture reassured her. She waved a shaky hand across the front door. A tingle shot through her, then nothing. Was it safe? If there was a trap, she didn't think she had enough to fight it. The windows were spelled, as was the metal door. Above them was a dome which kept the water from crashing in on them. Even a magical blast couldn’t penetrate her brother’s home.
“Mind if I try?” Kyle pulled her closer to him. After she nodded, he took a breath then shot out fire, encasing the doorway.
“Are you gonna burn my brother’s house down? I thought only big bad wolves did that.”
The flames cracklING along the sides turned bright blue, the rest stayed yellow and orange.
“See? There's a spell on the threshold. My fire will pause it for a few seconds.” He glanced down at her. “Think you can get the door open and us across in that timeframe?”
“Sure. Just give me a moment.” Despite not having a key, her brother's lock read palms. Or rather palm lines and energy signatures. If it detected distress from her, it might backlash against Kyle, marking him as a threat. But if she calmed her aura down and Kyle’s dragon fire was enough of a distraction, then maybe this could work.
She forced her panting to slow and brought pleasant thoughts forward. The image of her kissing Kyle popped into her head. “Okay. I'm ready.”
Shuffling forward, she laid her hand on the brass plate beside the door. A whirling sounded as the security system checked her. When the door clicked open, she pushed it forward. “Now!”
She ducked inside. Heat burned through the magical ward and Kyle dove inside. Thorns covered his flesh. Shit! Melody slammed the door shut.
“Son of a bitch!” Kyle roared. “I'm gonna love meeting this brother of yours.” He pulled at a thorn, but it buried itself deeper.
“Stop!” Melody knelt beside him. “Trying to get them out will only activate them.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “What am I supposed to do? Walk around and pretend I'm a cactus?”
“No. Just let me take them, and no evil thoughts about my brother.”
“Can't promise you that, sweetheart.” He cringed and half the spikes burrowed deeper.
“Try. At least until I get these out.” She raced to the bathroom and brought back the first aid kit and removed a large pair of tweezers.
“Why not use your fingers?” As though to demonstrate, he yanked on the head of one and black ooze shot into his skin. “Fuck! What the hell was that?”
“Poison. Don't touch any more. These are nasty things I thought up as a kid; I guess Luke liked them so much, he stole the idea.” She removed one of the thorns and set it aside on the tile floor. “You’re lucky to only have gotten about a hundred. My guess is your fire burned up a lot of them. There should've been a thousand.”
She removed a thorn from his collarbone and he cringed. “Isn't a hundred enough?”
“Not when you have two pesky older brothers. I named it ‘a thousand points of terror’.” She shook her head. “At the time, I thought it was the coolest name ever.”
Kyle laid his hand over hers. “How old were you?”
His touch made it hard to think. “Seven?”
“I would've known not to mess with you, even then.” His free hand traced the edge of her bottom lip with his thumb. “But I'd have risked it for a kiss.”
Leaning in, she lightly brushed her lips across his. Tingles of pleasure shot through her. She grasped his shoulders to get closer, need and desire swirling inside her. The silver tweezers clattered to the floor and she gasped, pulling back.
“Sorry.” She snatched them back up.
“Don't be sorry for being amazing.” He cupped her face, and she cleared her throat.
“Right. Let's get these out before they release any more poison.” Damn her brother and his paranoid traps. “You're lucky you're a dragon shifter or that one shot of poison would've made your arm swell up. But let's not press fate and have any more go off, okay?”
“Deal.”
She removed five spikes from his chest. “Is your sister a shifter too?”
“Nah,” he answered. “She took after Dad. Human all the way, but fire doesn't hurt her, though.”
“That's handy.” Melody took out another thorn. “Wish I had that.” She rolled up her right sleeve, showing him her burn scar along her wrist. Gently, he grasped her forearm and gazed at the old injury, then brought her wrist to his mouth, and kissed her slowly and softly. His lips felt like satin against her skin.
She cleared her throat. “We had better get all of these out before they do any more damage.” Her fingers brushed along his collarbone for another thorn and her fingers tingled. She stared up at him, seeing the pain in his eyes as she eased the spike out. Longing filled her and she wanted to take away all the hurts he’d ever had and curl up with him. Listen to his voice as he told her more about his childhood. More about who he was.
Kyle
Kyle gritted his teeth as another magical booby-trap spike, courtesy of her brother, was removed from his flesh. Bastards hurt like a demon bite coming in and going out, but he'd never tell Melody that. Her brow furrowed as she wiggled the thorns out in slow motion. She concentrated so hard, he doubted she realized how adorable she looked. And he couldn’t stop thinking about their earlier kiss. How her satin lips tasted like strawberries and cream. How he wanted more. Except, he was certain it was just the mating spell, and he couldn’t let himself get carried away.
Another barb fell to the tile floor and he stared up at the vaulted ceiling in the foyer. There hadn’t been time or the ability to move any further than the entryway with these fucking thorns blasting into him from every angle. Yes, he was going to pay her brother a special visit when all this was over.
“You need to remove your clothes,” Melody said in a breathy tone that made his cock stir.
Was the temptation too much for he
r? The temperature between them had increased already. “Are you coming onto me?”
She blushed but lifted her chin. “You wish. A lot of the points got through your shirt and shorts, and I need to get them out.”
“Look, I’d gladly strip for you any time.”
“Dude, I don't need to make up excuses to get you naked.” She batted her eyelashes. “Strip and bend over.”
“Never had anyone say that to me before.” He removed his shirt, then stood and took off his shorts. Some of the bristles came off with his clothes. “‘Cause anyone else who did, I'd fry their ass.”
She chuckled. “I'll count myself lucky then. Now be still. Some of these are deep.”
With gentle hands, she removed the thorns from his lower back, ass, and back of his thighs. Each brush of her skin against him ignited an inferno inside him. It was only the agonizing pain that kept him grounded and stopped him from kissing her until they forgot everything else except each other.
This exquisite torture was beating at his resistance. For her to be so near. He could smell her strawberries and cream scent. Her hands were on the flesh of his inner thigh and her hot breath was against his back as she worked. When she paused, he looked over his shoulder at her.
“Okay, now you can at least sit down.” Melody shook out her hands. “Turn around so I can get the rest on your front.”
He obliged, and she didn't meet his eyes as she tugged out another spike. “If you need to take a break, I can do some of these myself.” Her hands had to be cramping.
When she didn't respond, he placed a hand over hers.
“Wha—?”
“It's okay. I can get the rest.” He smiled at her frown.
“But this is my fault.” She didn't relinquish the tweezers. “First, I nearly got you killed and now you've still dozens of poisonous quills stuck in you that might release their toxin any moment.” Her hand shook under his. “My magic hasn't replenished enough to save you if that happens. And we're too far from a hospital to get an antidote.” She hiccupped.
“Hey, hey.” He cupped her cheek. “It'll be okay. I promise. Takes more than a few nasty pinpricks to take down a dragon.”
“I guess.” She let out a shaky breath and gave him the tweezers. “How about I find us some beer?”
He nodded, then jerked out a spike from his shoulder as she left the foyer with her cute ass snug in her black pants. Three barbs dug into his flesh to punish him for his thoughts. Son of Bitch! This spell was complex and still working. He needed to stop thinking about her, and get their mating enchantment reversed then move on - after she helped him bring back his lost memories.
After taking out five more of the pesky splinters, he looked up as she handed him a bottle of beer.
“Thanks.” He took a long swig and set the drink aside to continue working.
“Sorry it took a while.” She knelt beside him. “I hunted for another pair to help, but couldn't find anything that would work.”
He glanced up at the remorse in her voice. “It's okay. Some of these are superficial and I can remove them with my fingers.”
“Don't!” She bent forward, her dark hair brushing his arm. “The spell will trigger if you use anything but silver to get the pieces out.”
“Part of your early brilliance?” he asked.
“Of course.” Her blue eyes brightened. “Can't make it too easy.”
“You were twisted as a kid.” And someone who'd have intrigued him in his youth - and even now. “I take it your brother’s only pissed you off this badly once?”
She laughed and his pulse sped up with the rhythm. “Put it this way, their teasing me about boys suddenly stopped when they ran into this enchantment.”
“And it still works for most.” He yanked out the last two splinters from his shoulder. “But it would take more than this to stay away from you.”
She snatched the tweezers from his hand. “Not so fast, Romeo.” Her voice was light and teasing. “You've got some deep ones left. Want me to use vodka or whiskey to help the pain?”
“Just get them out quick. I can't stand being this close to you and not kissing you.”
“That's just the blood binding you're feeling.” She scraped the edge of the tweezers over one of the embedded thorns. Even though she was gentle, Kyle still hissed out a breath.
“If that helps you sleep at night.” True, the link between them made him want to have sex with her, but there was something else beneath the surface. He longed to be around her. Hear her laugh, kiss her senseless, listen to her voice as she talked about whatever she wanted. As far as he knew, dragon mating rituals couldn’t care less about all that stuff. It was created for the procreation of the species. Nothing more. As soon as the female was pregnant, the lust-filled symptoms would evaporate. And once the offspring was born, the two lovers could part ways and never see each other again. His grandmother had explained the ritual, but not how to do it. She thought it barbaric and refused to pass along the knowledge to her children and grandchildren.
Kyle's mother had fallen in love with a human and they didn't need the ceremony to link them together. Otherwise, Kyle wouldn't have his sister.
“You're quiet. Is this hurting too much?” Melody asked.
“No, you're fine.” When the last thorn was gone, he was gonna finish his beer, then get intoxicated from kissing her.
“Two more left.”
He didn't answer, but nodded.
Sweat beaded across her brow as she dug one out. His blood dribbled down his leg.
“I can do the last one.” He held out his hand. “How about another beer for us?”
She frowned and wiped a hand across her forehead. “You haven't even finished the first.”
Snatching up the bottle, he downed the liquid and gave it to her. “Maybe you should finish yours too?”
“Right, right.” She stood back and took slow sips.
This bastard in his thigh had been the first one to embed itself and release the poison. The spot on his leg was swollen around the barb. It would take more doses to knock him down. As soon as he removed the thorn, Melody came in with two more beers.
He rose. “I've changed my mind.” Taking both bottles from her, he set them aside on the entryway table cluttered with unopened mail. “I need something more right now.”
Without questioning, she didn't resist and he hoisted her to his chest.
She grabbed his head and pulled him down until their mouths met, her tongue teasing and dancing with his. He trailed his hands up her sides and brushed his fingertips along the bottom edge of her bra. When she moaned against his mouth, he growled and she jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist.
He broke the kiss to locate a bed. As he carried her deeper into the house, she kissed his neck. “I can’t wait any longer. I need you inside me.”
A huge kitchen with an island was to the left. He set her on the marble counter and she tore off her top. Her bra was a red satin number. Nice.
“Leave it on for now.” He unhooked her police utility belt and removed her boots and stockings. Her skin was cream-colored with a hint of color. He wanted to touch and kiss her everywhere. Taste her. Dive deep inside her and connect with her core. Make love to her until she never desired anyone else. When she brushed a hand across his stubble, he slid her black pants and underwear off.
“What about you?” her voice soft and whispery.
“Nah, I'm good for now.” He spread her legs wide then gave her one long kiss on the mouth that made her claw at his shoulders and wiggle her booty across the marble toward him. Gingerly, he pulled away from her. Kneeling down, he fingered her opening while he licked and sucked her clit. Her hands dug into his hair as she writhed beneath his hands.
His dick strained so hard against his shorts, he thought he might break through his zipper. Goddess, he wanted her so damn much. But he had to ensure she was ready, that she wanted this as deeply as he did. How he’d stop if she asked he didn’t know, but fucking shit, he
might explode before he even entered her. No one had ever rocketed his libido like she was doing, just absorbing his touch, his presence. He kept his fingers stroking her. “Is this what you want? Tell me.” He twirled his thumb over her clit. “I can make you come like this if you want.”
“No.” She shook her head then met his stare. “I need you inside me.”
He stepped back and the cool air swept between them. He removed his shirt and shorts, and he was glad he always went commando after shifting from his dragon form. Running his hands along her inner thighs, he moved forward, his cock brushing against her folds.
“I want to taste you everywhere.” Kissing her neck, he pushed down the cups of her bra, freeing her breasts. Did she taste like strawberries and cream all over? What would make her orgasm? He moved down and took a pink nipple into his mouth, sucking on it as his hand kneaded her other. With her head thrown back, she pushed herself onto his erection. Sooner than he planned, he slid inside her tight wetness. Her body sheathed him.
She squeezed his cock inside her and he panted, leaning his forehead against hers. Staying like this forever wouldn’t be a bad idea. But the ache to move shot through him. He thrust in deeper and she grasped his shoulders. His hands moved to her hips, supporting her. His pace sped up with hers. The counter pressed against his thighs as he plunged into her again and again. His pace increased with her pleas and kisses. Had to wait until she came… wait until she was sated and satisfied. Sweat beaded across his forehead. Hold on, don’t fucking cum yet.
Suddenly her body tensed. He roared, feeling her body constrict around him. After three more beats, he came inside her.
He leaned his forehead against hers, panting. Fucking hell, he was lost. This woman was sliding into his heart, despite his defenses. “Guess it's too late to talk about birth control.” He kissed her nose.