Baby for the Dragon (No Such Thing as Dragons Book 5)

by Lauren Lively

  I throw my head back and cry out as the dam inside of me breaks. I feel my cock pulse and throb as I fill her up with my warm, wet seed. Monica moans, slowing her pace, clinging to me and kissing my neck softly.

  I kiss her softly on the top of the head as I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close to me. She leans into my embrace, and as we listen to the sounds of the sea together – our bodies still intertwined – we enjoy the last of the sunset.

  Chapter Eight

  “I want you to stay as far away from the fighting as possible,” I say. “Understand?”

  “I can take care of myself, Juran,” she replies. “I'm a big girl.”

  I shake my head. Even now, after all she's seen, she still doesn't quite grasp it all yet. These aren't human muggers she can fight off. These are Dragons. Warriors. They are trained to fight. Trained to kill. And in dragon form, they can make short work of her – something I cannot allow. Won't allow. My feelings for her are complex, but in the few weeks we'd been in hiding together, I've come to feel something for her – something deep. Something abiding.

  And something I want the opportunity to explore further. But that's not an opportunity I'm going to get if she gets herself killed.

  “I do not question your toughness, Monica,” I say. “I know you're tough. But we're not engaged in an ordinary fight. The Shadowlords do not take prisoners. They are ruthless. And I don't want to see you hurt.”

  She gives me a small smile. “And I don't want to see you hurt either.”

  “Trust me,” I say, giving her a roguish little grin. “I have a plan.”

  “Famous last words,” she says and rolls her eyes.

  I press down on the accelerator as we rocket out into the desert. I wanted to be as far away from human civilization as possible when this fight came. And I knew the moment I dropped the magical warding that the fight would be coming soon.

  Once I dropped the warding, the vibration of the Heart was going to picked up by the Shadowlords' Seers. It wasn't going to take them long to zero in on the location. So, I got us as ready as possible and headed for open land in the desert, well outside of Los Angeles.

  With as many Shadowlord agents as Thysel told me were active and in the area, I didn't think I'd make it back to our stronghold before they ran me down. So, instead of leading the Shadowlords to our doorstep, I chose our battlefield.

  The engine roars as we race across the vast swaths of nothingness inherent to the Mojave Desert. It's a harsh and stark environment, but it's beautiful in its own way. I had no real destination in mind. I was simply driving until the Shadowlords caught up with us.

  And when the shadows darken the road in front of us, I knew the time had come.

  I slam on the brakes and bring the SUV to a halt. I turn to Monica and she hands me the bag containing the Heart. She looks at it longingly, like she's reluctant to part with it. And after what she's told me about what she does, I don't really blame her. But this isn't what she thinks it is. The only thing the Heart is going to bring her is misery, despair, and ultimately death.

  I can't have that. And I won't let the Shadowlords have the Heart.

  “Trust me, Monica,” I say. “This is for the greater good. It's for the good of all humanity.”

  She sighs and nods. “Yeah, I'm a regular superhero.”

  “Exactly right,” I say. “You're just like the Terminator.”

  She laughs and shakes her head. “We're going to need to work on your pop culture references.”

  “I'll look forward to it.”

  Opening the door, I jump out of the SUV and jog out into the desert, leaving the car behind. My hope is to draw the attention of the Shadowlords away from the car – and Monica. I have a plan and if it all goes right, we're going to come out of this okay.

  Chapter Nine

  Monica

  I appreciate the chivalrous attitude, but Juran needs to know that I'm not some delicate little flower who needs to be protected. I watch him run out into the desert and see the shadows on the ground swarming around. I look up, but the sun is so bright, I can't see much. All I know is that it can't be good news.

  I grab my bag and head after Juran. There's no way in hell I'm going to let him face this down on his own. Moving between scrub bushes and piles of rocks, I carefully pick my way toward Juran, keeping a wary eye on the sky overhead. The shadows are circling him like a pack of sharks and I feel a knot in my stomach tighten painfully.

  Slipping my gun out of my bag, I check the safety and make sure there is a round chambered. There is a powerful wind that sends dust and debris flying. I lower my head and shield my eyes, needing to make sure my vision isn't obscured.

  The wind dies and I peek over the pile of rocks I'm hiding behind. And when I do, I feel the bottom of my stomach drop out and a bolt of fear unlike anything I've ever felt before shoot through me. I can't believe what I'm seeing.

  “This has got to be a dream,” I whisper to myself. “This cannot be real.”

  Juran is still standing there, but surrounding him are six black – dragons. Wide wing spans, black scaled armor, long snouts with a mouth full of long, vicious looking teeth, and segmented tails that end in wicked looking stingers.

  But then, things get even stranger.

  The dragons begin to – change. Their bodies grow smaller, the wings disappear along with their tails and a moment later, Juran is surrounded by six large, muscular – completely naked – men. I shake my head and rub my eyes, making sure that my eyes are not playing tricks on me, but when I look up again, they're all still there.

  I know what I'm seeing, but I still can't believe it. My fight or flight instinct kicks in and I have to fight off the urge to run back to the SUV and take off, putting these nightmare creatures behind me. It's unbelievable. Really unbelievable. I keep waiting to wake up and find that this is all just some horrible, horrible dream.

  I've spent half my life searching for creatures like these – the dragon-people I'd spent so much time researching and learning about – and now that they're standing in front of me, I'm overwhelmed with fear and the desire to run. I fight it and stay rooted to my hiding spot.

  “Juran needs me,” I whisper. “I can't abandon him.”

  Over the days and weeks I spent with him as he healed, I got to know him on a deep, intimate level. He is an extraordinary man and over that time together, he and I forged some kind of bond. Maybe it's being on the run or the chaotic circumstances of our meeting, but I find myself really feeling something powerful and overwhelming for him.

  I am compelled by Juran. Drawn to him. And just as he desires to protect me, I desire to protect him. I won't abandon him to this fate – as terrifying as it is.

  “Where do you imagine you're running to, Juran,” a man with long, blonde hair says as he steps forward. “There's nowhere for you to go out here. Hand over the Heart and we will let you live.”

  Juran laughs and shakes his head. “Does anybody actually believe it when you say that, Merqua?”

  The blonde man – Merqua, apparently – shrugs. “Some do,” he says. “Some don't. It doesn't matter though. Give me the bag.”

  “Come take it,” Juran says.

  I stare at him in stunned disbelief. I can't believe he's egging these men on. He knows what they are. Knows what they can do. Hell, one of them almost killed him. But now, there are six of them staring him in the face.

  “You're outnumbered, Juran. You cannot win this fight,” Merqua says. “I have no desire to kill you, brother. In fact, I want you to join us.”

  “Why would I do that?” Juran asks.

  “Why would you not?” Merqua replies. “This world is ours. We were here long before the humans. We are simply trying to reclaim that which belongs to us.”

  “Yes, it belongs to us,” Juran says. “But it belongs to the humans as well.”

  Even from where I am, I can see Merqua's face darken with anger. “We are the rightful rulers of this world,” he hisses. “Not them.
They are fit only to be our servants.”

  Juran shrugs. “I disagree,” he says. “Humanity is capable of amazing things. Look what we've seen in our time in this world. All of the innovations. All of the miracles they've performed.”

  “Look at all of the wars,” Merqua counters. “All of the chaos, death, and destruction. These people are more concerned with killing each other than protecting the world they call home. They're a plague that destroys everything they touch.”

  “And what are you, Shadowlord?” Juran spits.

  “We are the balance,” Merqua says. “We restore order. Bring calm to the chaos.”

  “You bring enslavement and death,” Juran says. “Nothing more.”

  Merqua shrugs. “You can either join us or die,” he says. “Either way, I'm going to have that bag at your feet.”

  “If you want it,” Juran says. “You'll have to kill me.”

  Merqua looks at him for a long moment and sighs. “So be it.”

  Knowing I have moments to act, I stand up from behind the rock pile and take aim at the man closest to me. I squeeze off a shot and watch as his head snaps forward, a red mist drifting through the air. He falls to the ground – dead – before the echo of the shot even fades. I take aim and fire off another shot, catching the second man in the torso. He falls to the ground, howling in pain as blood flows from the gaping wound.

  “To battle!” Merqua calls.

  I watch in stunned disbelief as Juran – changes. His body transforms, blue wings sprouting from his back, his neck elongating, his head becoming the snout of a beast. In the span of a heartbeat, the beautiful man I'd gotten to know is gone, replaced by a blue armored monstrosity – a dragon. My breath catches in my throat and all I can do is stand and stare at him. His eyes, yellow and reptilian, fall on me and though they look so foreign, they also look strangely familiar.

  The rumbling sound of his roar breaks the paralysis that gripped me and I'm suddenly aware of the chaos surrounding me. Gone are the men who'd surrounded him – minus the two I'd dropped with my pistol. In their place are the black dragons that had surrounded Juran before – and all eyes were turned to me.

  The combined roar of the beasts is deafening and threatens to turn my insides to jelly. Juran though, steps forward, opens his giant maw, and lets out a blast of flame. It ignites the dragon that had taken a step toward me.

  The beast howls in agony as its skin begins to crack, the flames consuming it entirely. The dragon falls to the ground, suddenly shifting back into its human form. It's horrifying to watch as the man screams in agony while his body burns. It's not long though, before his screams fade and he is still.

  Juran's howls draw my attention and I see that one of the black dragons has latched onto his arm with its jaws. Juran tries to shake it off, but the beast holds fast. I raise my gun and fire. I know the bullet found its mark, but it has zero effect.

  My heart feels like it's about to explode when the other three dragons turn to me, their snarls low and menacing. But then a sound overhead draws my attention. It sounds like the beating of massive wings. And when I look up, I see a dozen dragons – red, green, blue, and white ones – overhead.

  My blood runs cold as their roars shake the very floor of the desert. I have no idea what's happening – whose side they're on. The black dragons howl in challenge to them, their wings beating furiously as they take flight.

  The black dragons meet the newcomers in the air, their furious roars reverberating through me. The smell of fire and blood saturates the air around me and the battle is over before it even begins. The newly arrived dragons tear the others apart. It's not even a fight.

  The torn, battered bodies of the men Juran called the Shadowlords fall back to the earth, hitting with a wet, meaty thud. I have to turn away, unable to believe I'm witnessing such a horrific spectacle. I was so caught up in the battle in the sky that I forgot there was another one on land not far from me. I quickly turn and find that Juran has his fight well in hand.

  His jaws are clamped around the Merqua's neck. The black dragon roars in both agony and frustration – he can't break free from Juran's grip. The other dragons, having claimed victory, land and shift back into their human form.

  “It's over, Merqua,” says a tall, broad shouldered man. “Shift into your human form and we will spare your life.”

  The black dragon looks at him balefully, his eyes narrowed. The dragon stops fighting and lowers his head. Juran opens his jaws and Merqua shifts back into his human form, kneeling before the twelve newcomers.

  Juran shifts back into his human form and rushes over to me, pulling me into a tight embrace.

  “You stubborn, foolish woman,” he says. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”

  “You could have too,” I say, burying my face into his shoulder. “And I couldn't let that happen.”

  We stand there for a few moments, taking comfort in the fact that we're alive. We survived. Taking comfort in each other. It's then I notice that he's bleeding. I touch my fingertips and look at the blood.

  “You're hurt,” I say softly.

  “It'll heal.”

  The rest of Juran's men walk over to us, pushing Merqua along in front of them. He's wearing shiny silver shackles on his wrists and ankles.

  “Silver,” Juran says, answering my unspoken question. “In our human form, binding us with silver prevents us from shifting.”

  I nod as if I understand – which I don't. Not really. I don't understand anything about this world. It's nothing like what I uncovered in my research. This world of the dragon-people is harsh. Brutal. And it's far more complex than anything I'd read. These aren't just mindless beasts bent on destruction – I'm finding that they're far, far, far more than that.

  “You're late,” Juran said.

  The tall man who'd ordered Merqua to shift into his human form shrugs and smiles. “Think of it as making a grand entrance, that's all.”

  Juran shakes his hand and the two men share a quick embrace. Having gone through what I just went through, I realize the fact that I'm standing there, surrounded by a group of men gorgeous enough to be exotic dancers – naked, at that – is about the least strange thing on my list. In fact, I'm still so shocked by everything that happened, I'm not even fazed by their nudity. And clearly, they're not, either.

  “We carried the day,” Juran says. “Well done, everybody.”

  The man hands the bag containing the Heart to Juran. “For safe keeping.”

  Juran nods. “We'll get it back to the Citadel and lock it away. Forever.”

  Four large, black SUV's arrive, pulling in behind Juran's. I watch as the drivers all get out and stand next to their open doors, waiting.

  “Looks like our ride is here,” the man says and slaps Merqua upside the head. “We're taking this one back for some interrogation. Should be fun. Want to join us, Juran?”

  He shakes his head and looks at me. “Not this time,” he says. “I think I'm going to go enjoy a little downtime for a change.”

  The man looks from Juran to me and back again, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Well then, enjoy your – downtime.”

  We watch them walk over to the waiting SUVs and dress in clothes the drivers provide. They climb in and the cars pull away, leaving us alone. Juran looks down at me, smiling.

  “Shall we go home?”

  “I'd like that,” I say.

  Chapter Ten

  It's been a week since the battle in the desert and I've barely left Juran's side. We spend just about every waking moment together, enjoying each other, getting to know one another on an even deeper level. It's been amazing.

  Given that my place burned down, I've been staying with Juran in his Laguna Beach condo. We fall asleep and wake up to the sound of the ocean – and it's glorious. I've never lived so close to the ocean before, so I never knew what I was missing. Now that I've been exposed to it, I never want to leave.

  I'm up as dawn breaks, casting the s
ky in soft hues of orange and red. The morning sunlight sparkles off the surface of the ocean, making it shine like liquid gold. I stand at the large sliding glass doors in the bedroom, looking at the water, listening to the sound of the crashing waves, and inhaling the salty scent of the sea.

  “Beautiful, isn't it?” Juran says from the bed behind me.

  “I can see why you're so fond of the ocean.”

  “Come back to bed,” he says.

  I turn and find him laying on his side, propped up on his elbow, staring at me with his gorgeous eyes. As the sunlight begins to filter into the room, it makes his skin glow with an ethereal light. I can't believe a man this beautiful would be interested in somebody like me.

  I walk back across the room and slip into bed – the coolness of his sheets feels amazing on my naked body. Juran rolls over so his chest is laying flat against mine. He looks into my eyes and smiles before leaning forward and kissing me. His lips are soft, his kiss gentle – but passionate enough to light a fire inside of me. As our tongues swirl together, I feel the heat blossom between my thighs.

  Our kissing grows more urgent, insistent, passionate. Juran kneads my breasts, teasing my hard nipples with the tip of his tongue. I'm growing wetter and hotter by the moment and when he slips down my body, parting my thighs with his big, strong hands, and burying his tongue inside of me, I scream. He licks and sucks on me, slipping his finger inside of me and moving it in and out.

  I arch my back and grind myself down on his fingers and mouth, the sensation of him going down on me makes me feel like I'm about to explode. He keeps his tongue and fingers working in a smooth, steady rhythm, and it isn't long before he builds me to a climax I can't control.

  My body stiffens and then begins to shake as the dam inside of me breaks. I cry out, calling his name as my orgasm tears through my body. My heart is racing and my breathing is ragged as I come hard.

  I reach down and grab his hair, pulling him up and mashing my mouth against his, kissing him with all of the passion I can muster. I wrap my thighs around his waist and grind myself against him. Taking his hard cock in my hand, I squeeze and stroke him as I guide him to my warm, wet opening.