“I can’t hold back,” she gasped as he bore more deeply into her, his hardness coupled with the soft way in which he pushed apart her folds time and time again until she felt on the verge of orgasm. Then, there was no turning back as her body completely took over, shaking with the force of her first climax and continuing to quiver with the aftershocks that followed behind it until she felt she had nothing left to give.
“I love making you quake like that,” he whispered, continuing his slow but deep strokes inside her, his hips rolling into hers to penetrate her fully as he brought his lips to hers once more, kissing her tenderly. She was close to tears – something she couldn’t explain. He was doing something to her, touching her on a level that she had pushed down into the darkness long ago.
Their bodies danced a slow tango; one their combined shadows cast against the back wall of the tent with the help of the nearby flames of the camp fire. The smell of the wood wafted toward them, and combined with their passion to create something new, it was earthy and amazing. Owen pressed into her again and again, his hips grinding deeper and faster as he approached his own climax. His fingers sank into her back, pulling her tightly as he let go and filled her with the fruits of their passion.
A loud groan filled the tent as he came and then lay there against her, resting his head against her breast as they began to relax after the intensity of their coupling. Neither spoke. There was nothing to say – no promises to make. This was simply what it was, two adults caught up in their desires. Tomorrow, they would go their separate ways and become a fond memory to one another. Amy felt a sadness that it might be the only time she had felt so much with someone, but that was just the way it was. She was a big girl and knew a one-night stand might be all there was to it.
After a while, Owen got up and dressed to go stoke the fire, adding more wood to keep them warm through the remaining hours until daylight. Amy took the opportunity to get dressed and tucked in under the blanket. When he returned, he pulled her against him, wrapping an arm around her waist and holding her back tightly against his chest so that they were curled up like spoons. Warm and content, she fell into the most peaceful sleep she had experienced in a very long time.
Chapter 7
The sun was shining through the small opening in the tent, easing the chill of the night air into the warmer spring day that was sure to come. Rolling over, Amy reached for Owen, only to find herself alone. She crawled from beneath the blanket, slipping into her shoes that were still damp from the rain the day before and stepped out into the sunlight. There was no sign of him other than the fact that his camping gear was all still present.
A sound from above caught her attention and she squinted up toward the sunlight, her eyes adjusting to the light. There was something there, but she couldn’t quite make it out. Then the sun went behind a cloud, clearing her vision, and her eyes widened. There it was – a large red dragon flying directly over her head, seemingly in a circle above the camp. She stood marveling at how majestic it looked. It seemed so real, and yet it couldn’t be.
“Incredible,” she breathed aloud, unable to take her eyes off the incredible creature.
Slowly, her childlike wonder turned to terror as she realized that the dragon was descending, heading straight for her as it dove closer. She stood terrified as it grew larger and larger on the horizon. Then it landed, dropping with a heavy thud on the ground not far from where she was. Though her mind told her to run, she found she couldn’t move.
“Okay, I’m still asleep. It’s a dream,” she said aloud as she watched the dragon begin to lumber toward her, it’s heavy body slowly changing. It seemed to grow smaller, then become somewhat misshapen, distorting into something else. She looked on in disbelief as it began to take a different form – a familiar one. Suddenly, he sprang forward, catching her as she fainted.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
His voice seemed to be coming from far away, from somewhere in a dense fog. Her eyes fluttered open as she realized she was back in the tent, tucked into the blankets. His voice sounded closer now. So it had been a dream. This dragon nonsense had gotten completely out of hand.
“Yes, just a weird dream,” she said quietly, her mind still somewhat confused by what she had imagined.
“What did you dream?” he asked softly.
“It was crazy. I dreamed I woke up and you weren’t here. I stepped outside and saw the dragon overhead, and then it landed near me. Only it wasn’t a dragon; it changed into you.”
“What makes you think it was a dream?”
“What? Of course, it was a dream. The only thing crazier than dragons must be thinking dragons can turn into men. I’m still in bed. It was just a dream.”
“You are in bed because I put you here after you fainted.”
“No. This is insane.”
“It’s not insane, Amy. I’m a dragon shifter from a very old clan in Ireland.”
“A dragon shifter? No. Impossible,” she replied, shaking her head as if it would help this make sense somehow.
“It is not impossible. You saw it for yourself. I wanted you to see it rather than trying to explain it to you.”
“I…I,” she began, struggling to find any words beyond that.
“I get it. It’s not an easy thing to digest if you haven’t lived with it all your life.”
“No,” she managed to say.
“Just take a moment and let it sink in. I managed to fly out to get to a phone and notify park services that I’ve already found you and will get you down to safety.”
“Thank you. Barb must be worried sick.”
“Yes. They said she was quite livid that they couldn’t come up after dark to look for you. I asked them to call her and let her know that you are okay and will be on your way back to the cabin today.”
“I really appreciate that. I appreciate everything,” she said, her heart still beating out of her chest.
“I know you have a hundred questions, and I’ll answer them for you, but you can’t tell anyone about me.”
“How am I supposed to report a story if I can’t tell anyone about what I know?”
“You can’t,” he said simply.
“What makes you think that I’ll keep it to myself?”
“I know you will.”
“How?”
“It’s just who you are, Amy. You didn’t come here to break open some story. You might have told yourself that, but you came here because you wanted to know the truth. I will tell you the truth, but it can go no further.”
“I don’t understand why. People would be so excited to know that someone like you exists.”
“Yes, some people would be content with just that knowledge. You are naïve if you think that everyone would respect my privacy, though. Some would want to pick me apart, literally. I would have no peace, and I know that you aren’t the kind of person that would set me up for that kind of existence.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” she said, understanding, though she felt disappointed.
“I’m glad you understand.”
“I do. Now, tell me your story. How did you come to be here? For that matter, how did you come to be?”
“I’ll tell you what. It’s a long story. Let’s get packed up, and I’ll tell you on our way down the mountain. Okay?”
“We can’t get down the mountain. It’s blocked by snow on this trail.”
“I’m a dragon. I can get anywhere I need to go,” he said with a smile.
“Oh, of course,” she said, feeling foolish.
“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s a hard thing to grasp. I know.”
“Yes. Okay then. Let’s get packed up and get going.”
Chapter 8
On their way down the mountain, Owen began to tell her his story. Amy was riveted at what he had to say, listening intently to every word while trying not to ask too many questions until he was done. Still, a few things just couldn’t wait.
“First of all, I was born a dragon shifter. It’s not like those crazy movies where you’re exposed to some chemical or event in nature and develop into some sort of freak. Dragon shifters have been around since the dawn of man. Who knows how we started. Maybe we are some sort of hybrid between when there were only animals that roamed the earth and humans began to form. I don’t know.”
“There is no history for that in your clan?”
“There is, but it is all legend. It’s much like your culture, where many people are guided by the bible and others are guided by science. Some of us believe in the tales that are handed down where we are born of fire or ice and others believe we evolved somehow. At the end of the day, no one is certain.”
“That makes sense. So did you always know what you are capable of? I mean, were you flying around your nursery on little wings while you were still in diapers?”
“Diapers?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t follow.”
“You don’t know what a diaper is?”
“No,” he laughed.
“Like the white things babies wear so they don’t poop and tinkle all over themselves.”
“Oh, nappies.”
“Nappies?”
“Yes. We call those nappies.”
“Strange.”
“As strange as a dragon shifter?” he teased.
“Well, no. I guess not,” she laughed.
“No, I didn’t fly around my room like that. I knew what I was from an early age. I had seen family members shift and knew I would too, but it takes a while to develop the ability. I was about thirteen when I first began to shift.”
“So it’s like puberty then.”
“Puberty pales in comparison to going through the usual rites of boy to manhood topped off by being a dragon. Of course, when you live in a clan full of them, at least you don’t feel any more awkward than the rest of guys your age. Bullying can be a lot more violent though.”
“Were you bullied?”
“Me? No, but I knew kids that were. It was brutal. I got in trouble for defending them more than anything else.”
“Somehow, I’m not surprised by that.”
“It’s just how my parents raised me.”
“Are your parents still alive?”
“My mother is. My father died when I was younger. He was killed by another dragon so that he couldn’t take the leader’s spot at the head of the clan.”
“That’s horrible! What happened to the man that killed him?”
“Nothing, yet.”
“He wasn’t tried for his crime?”
“No. It wasn’t information I knew until recently. When confronted, he exiled me from the clan. He is the leader, and I had no proof, so there wasn’t much I could do.”
“If you had no proof, how did you find out?”
“A man that used to work for him told me. The man was dying and wanted to clear his conscience, so he told the truth about what he had seen.”
“That is terrible. I’m so sorry, Owen. How awful that you not only lost your father, but were sent away from your family. Where is your mother?”
“Right now, she is on extended travel, but I fear for her safety when she returns. I came here to prepare myself to go back and set things right.”
“Set things right? How will you do that?”
“That is something you don’t really want to know the answer to, I’m afraid.”
Amy studied his face, which now looked pensive but dark, even with the bright daylight around them. She had no concept of how hard his life must have been already. Now, he was here alone. It must be overwhelming at times. She wondered if he had anyone back home he was missing on top of everything else and found that she felt a twinge of jealousy, though she had no right to do so. She changed the subject a bit.
“If you don’t want to be found out, why fly about the city where people can see you?”
“The simplest answer to that is I need the exercise. I go out when it’s nearly dark or nearly light so that I’m less visible and people aren’t quite sure what they are seeing.”
“Why risk it?”
“No choice really. I must fly, and there is nowhere that people won’t see something as large as a dragon. At the end of the day, most will chalk it up to an elaborate hoax or their eyes playing tricks on them.”
“I didn’t.”
“No, but you aren’t exactly the average person.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” she replied.
“You strike me as much more curious than most folks, unwilling to let something like the sight of a dragon pass without investigating its true origins, hoax or not.”
“True. I honestly didn’t expect to find a real dragon – only the mastermind who could create such a realistic looking creature.”
“Yes, it doesn’t get more realistic than this,” he laughed.
“No. I would say not. I almost suffered heart failure when you landed.”
“I have that effect on women,” he joked.
“I’ll bet you do,” she replied. “Speaking of that. Do you happen to have someone back home?”
“No, no one.”
“You wouldn’t lie to me about that, would you?” she said.
“No, never. The truth is that I’ve been alone for years.”
“How is that? Great looking guy like yourself?”
“I lost someone when I was younger. I’ve had a difficult time moving on.”
“Oh,” Amy replied, stopping and looking at him thoughtfully.
“It’s okay. It’s been a long time now.”
“Still, that must have been hard.”
“It was just sudden. My high school sweetheart. We were young, and she was injured in a fire. It was my fault.”
“How was it your fault? I mean, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that. Forget it.”
“No. It’s okay. I just wasn’t there when she needed me most. I should have been. I could have saved her.”
“It’s been my experience, Owen, that we always tell ourselves these things. We find it easier to bear the brunt of the blame rather than to accept that it couldn’t have been changed no matter what. You have to be fair to yourself.”
“Maybe you’re right. I don’t know. It’s just been a regret that I’ve held on to for a very long time. I guess it’s somewhat like an old friend by now. I don’t know how to let it go.”
“We all heal in our own way. You will get there when you’re ready,” she told him softly, her heart full of empathy.
“Yes, we do,” he said quietly, his eyes cast downward. “Anyway, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I told you all of that. You’re just easy to talk to, I suppose.”
“Always happy to listen. I guess we should head on up the trail if we are going to get where we are going,” she said.
“We should. It’s not much farther to the ranger station. They will be able to fly you out from there, back down the mountain to where you are staying.”
“Good. I think I’m ready for a hot bath and some serious relaxation,” she told him.
“I’m sure you are.”
They continued on in silence, each lost in thought as they ascended a good portion of the mountain. After more than three hours, they finally arrived at a rough wooden structure on a ledge to their right. Amy could see the dirt helicopter pad that sat to one side, but there was no helicopter to be found.
“Are you sure they are expecting us?”
“Yes. Oh, you mean because there is no ride? They won’t send the chopper until they know you are here. We’ll have to go inside and radio them. It’s an unmanned station. The only time it’s occupied is if they are out on the mountain looking for someone or working up here. They wouldn’t have sent anyone out since I told them I would bring you in.”
“You must know the rangers pretty well.”
“I know a few of them, but I wouldn’t say very well. I’ve jus
t run across them up here from time to time, and they’ve told me what to do if I have problems.”
“Ah, I see. I guess that’s good enough.”
“I sure hope so. Come on, let’s get inside and find the radio,” he told her, heading up the small set of steps leading to the front entrance of the station. Inside, he made quick work of powering up the radio that communicated with the main ranger station elsewhere. She listened as he read the ranger station number and coordinates that were posted on a nearby wall.
“We copy. En route in five minutes to pick up two passengers,” a voice crackled on the other end.
“Negative. There will only be one passenger,” Owen replied.
“Ten-four,” the voice replied before the radio went silent.
“You aren’t coming down with me?” Amy asked as he finished up and turned to face her.
“No. I’ll be up here for a couple more days.”
“But the avalanche has the path down blocked. If it doesn’t clear, how will you get down?” she asked.
Owen looked at her with a raised eyebrow and laughed, spreading his arms outward and flapping them slowly.
“Oh, of course. What a stupid question,” Amy said, flushing bright red.
“No. Don’t be embarrassed. I know it is a hard thing to wrap your head around,” he said, walking over to her and pulling her into a big hug. She was surprised when he didn’t pull away, but wasn’t about to complain.
“I just feel silly,” she admitted.
“Don’t. There’s nothing to feel silly about. Listen, I just want you to know that last night meant a lot to me. I had forgotten how nice it was to hold someone – to be with someone.”
“You don’t have to say that. I know you aren’t in a place where you’re looking for a relationship.”
“You have no idea, Amy. There is so much more to it than all that. I wish I could explain it all to you, but we’re short on time, and I don’t know if it’s even something worth hearing.”
“I really do understand, Owen,” she told him softly.
Saved by a Dragon (Paranormal Shifter Romance) (Exiled Dragons Book 1) Page 4