Shadow on the Water

by Katya Moore

  "This isn’t going to work, is it?" he chuckled.

  "No, it’s really not," I laughed. "Put the top down."

  "Yes, my queen," he said with a wink.

  With the top folded down, I could perch on the back of the rear bench, feet resting on the seat. I flashed him a saucy smile and leaned on one hand, trying my best to look sexy.

  "My queen," he sighed longingly as he clambered up and pulled me close.

  "You know it," I whispered. I could feel his arousal as our bodies pressed into each other. I slipped a hand around the back of his neck and pulled his lips to mine forcefully. His breath caught in surprise, but I could feel him smiling as I devoured his mouth hungrily.

  His hands coursed over my body, tracing gently over my shoulders, down my arms, over my breasts. He cupped them gently, running his thumbs over my erect nipples. I moaned softly into his mouth, urging him on. He traced circles over the nubs. My back arched slightly.

  "Shirt off," I gasped.

  He slipped his hands under the hem of my shirt and lifted it off of me in one swift movement. He paused for a moment, gazing at me in awe and adoration, then moved to kiss me.

  "Bra too," I ordered. "And your shirt. I shouldn’t be the only half-naked one here."

  Cass grinned. "Yes, my queen." I arched my back again to give him access to the clasp. He pulled the satin fabric away from me reverently, like my breasts were some sort of rare jewel to display. His gaze was unwavering as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off, revealing his nicely sculpted swimmer’s body. I leaned up on my elbows and ran a finger down his sternum. His eyes closed dreamily at my touch.

  "Come here," I whispered, voice rough with desire. He bent his head and gently kissed my lips, then my chin. I tilted my head back and let him continue kissing along the pulse of my throat, down to my collarbone.

  "May I?" he asked, nibbling gently at my tender skin.

  I stroked his lush red hair. "You may."

  His lips traced lightly over my flesh, teasing at the tops of my breasts. Finally, he drew my left nipple into his mouth. I gasped and arched, pressing my breast against his lips. He caressed my nipple with the tip of his tongue, alternating teasing it and suckling at it tenderly. His fingers toyed with my right nipple, tracing tantalizing circles around it until both were aflame with sensation.

  As his tongue flicked over my nipple, I felt a vibration in my pocket. I groaned and fumbled for my phone. Cass looked up at me quizzically. I chucked the offending piece of technology into the driver’s seat and leaned back.

  "Shouldn’t you check that?" he asked. His eyes were dark with desire.

  "No."

  His tongue flicked over my nipple again. He stopped and looked up. "It might be Chase. It might be McKinnett’s."

  "Damn you and your common sense," I muttered. I slipped down, knelt on the bench, and grabbed my phone off the passenger’s seat. "Unknown number. Obviously not important." I started to throw the phone back on the seat.

  Cass sighed. "It might be the Elders."

  I groaned again. "Goddamn it." I flicked the screen and raised the phone to my ear. Happy now? I mouthed to Cass, then sighed a "Hello" into the phone.

  "Miss Bellmont. I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time?" Dario’s voice, smooth as silk, made me stifle another groan. "I wanted to touch base with you about meeting up with Alpha Squad. We’d like to set up a schedule with you to bring you up to date on your duties as an Elder."

  "Can’t think of anything I’d enjoy more." I glowered at Cass as I slumped into the bench. He cocked his head, then closed his eyes as he realized who I was talking to.

  Sorry, he mouthed. I squeezed his hand. Forgiven, but not off the hook.

  "Excellent!" Dario glossed past my sarcasm and continued. "Why don’t we meet you over at my parents’ place tomorrow morning at nine to have a quick assessment of where you are in your training, and what we’d like to accomplish?"

  "That works. We’ll see you then."

  "Omega Squad won’t be needed."

  "We’ll see you then," I repeated firmly.

  Dario paused. "Of course," he replied brightly.

  I threw the phone a bit more forcefully. It bounced off the leather seat and slid under the gas pedal.

  "I am so sorry." Cass gripped both my hands. "I forgot Alpha Squad was calling today."

  I grabbed his hands and pulled myself back up to standing. With a tug, I hauled his lips to mine. "Now you have to make it up to me," I intoned in my best teasing Angry Queen of the Dragons voice.

  "Yes, my queen." His lips nibbled at my collarbone as he pulled me into his lap.

  Chapter Six

  "I can’t do this with them watching me," I hissed at Chase.

  He put his hands on my shoulders. "Forget them. Focus on me. You can do this. You did it for the Elders without even realizing it."

  "I dragoned out on them and almost killed a senator. I was kind of riled up." I blew a strand of hair out of my eyes. "I don’t like having an audience. And my audience is growing."

  I glanced over my shoulder. They’d even brought lawn chairs. I could feel their eyes boring into me. Dario leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, looking all the world like he could use a bucket of popcorn. Kane leaned forward on his elbows, his eyes piercing holes in the back of my head. Quinn sat, legs crossed, a notebook on his lap. Great, he’s taking notes. Even better. Jared’s chin leaned on his fist as he nestled against the armrest of his chair.

  Watching. Judging.

  This is hell. This is actually hell.

  My boys were there, too. Galen sat cross-legged in the grass not far from us, fiddling with my water bottle as he watched. Cass leaned against a nearby tree, ruffling his hair and trying to look casual. Aric made himself scarce after breakfast, muttering something about reviewing security protocols at McKinnett’s. Dario’s presence had him rattled in a bad way. Annoying though he could be, his absence ached a little. I needed all the allies I could get, even asshole allies.

  "Come on, Sia. Focus." Chase’s voice brought me back. "We almost had it yesterday. We can do it today. Together."

  My dragon was tied in a knot. I reached inside myself and prodded her. She coiled tighter, refusing to budge. I couldn’t blame her. She didn’t want to be on display any more than I did. I hate attention. Attention rarely brought anything good my way. When I was a kid, attention meant being picked on. It meant getting yelled at for being in a home that wasn’t mine. It meant trouble. Even when it was good attention, I couldn’t count on it to last, so I stopped seeking it. I liked living in the shadows.

  No shadows to be had today. The sun was shining, I was standing in the middle of the Beauvais’ grounds, it was hot, and I was cranky as hell.

  Chase leaned in and rubbed my shoulder. "What can I do to help you?"

  I smirked. "You could take your shirt off. That might help." He cocked a brow. "For science?" I added hopefully. "I mean, that one time you and Cass…" I blushed. The first time I’d had any success shifting, Cass and Chase had taken a direct hand in the matter. Four hands. All over me. Suddenly, I was a lot warmer.

  Chase snorted and rubbed his jaw, eyeing me and trying not to laugh. "We could try that. You cool doing that in front of our guests?"

  My eyes widened, then narrowed. Dammit. "No, probably not."

  Chase raised his hands. "But you’re on the right track. Hold that thought. Go back to that thought."

  "Hmm?" I raised an eyebrow.

  He stepped alongside me and began to whisper in my ear. "Remember how I caught you from behind? How I bit the side of your neck? How my cock pressed into your ass, hard as hell because I wanted you so badly?"

  My breath caught in my throat.

  He continued. "How my hands ran over your body as Cass pulled you close and started kissing you? His lips on your lips, his tongue on yours? His cock pressing into your pussy, catching you between the two of us. Both of us aching for you? Both of us wanting to pleasure you in
any way you wanted us to?"

  My pulse was racing. I could feel my dragon unfurling, flexing her wings, stretching her tail. I reached for her and felt my hands shifting. My nails drew into talons. My arms lengthened. Black scales shimmered over my forearms, rippling toward my biceps.

  "Just try to relax into it," Jared suggested in his most therapeutic tones.

  And just like that, we were done. Mood dead, shift goes kablooey.

  Chase and I turned to glower at him.

  "I had it," I hissed. "I fucking had it. And you had to open your mouth."

  Jared’s eyes grew wide. "I was only…"

  "Interfering." Dario shot him a disapproving look. "We’ll go back to observing. My apologies." His voice was annoyingly placating.

  I took a deep breath and turned back to face Chase.

  "I know I’m going to have to be able to do this on command. I know I’m going to need to be able to do this in combat." I closed my eyes. "Hell, it’s easier in combat. I’m scared in combat. But this…" I gestured vaguely at Alpha Squad. "I can’t do a demo. Not like this. Not with them."

  "Maybe I can help." Kane was walking toward us before I could turn and growl. I looked at Dario, who looked ready to deck Kane but did nothing to stop him.

  "What the fuck do you want?" I sighed.

  He smirked at me. "Hit me."

  I stared at him. "Beg pardon?"

  "Hit me. You know you want to. I know you want to. Punch me. Square in the face." He spread his arms wide, pecs rippling beneath his skin-tight t-shirt. He tapped his jaw with one hand. "Come on. Do it."

  I looked at Chase. He looked ready to do it for me.

  "Come on, Shadow Queen. Give me your best shot."

  So I did. Right hook, meet left nostril.

  He yelped at that, more in surprise than pain. "Nice one. Again. Maybe not the nose, if you can avoid it."

  "Why am I doing this?" I backed away from him a step.

  He leaned in close, nearly nose to nose with me. "I want you angry."

  I backed up another step. "You’re getting me there, trust me."

  He leaned in again. "Get pissed. Get really pissed. I want you spitting blood and nails and fury." He poked me in the sternum. "Hit. Me."

  I had a momentary flashback to all of the schoolyard bullies I’d dealt with in my life. The powerlessness flooded through me, as fresh as it had been five, ten, fifteen years ago. I felt weak. I felt alone. I felt… angry.

  The second blow sent him back a step. Uppercut to the jaw. To my credit, he actually looked a little dizzy. The third blow caught him off guard. Shot to the nuts. When you’re tiny, you can’t afford to fight fair. I learned that young, and Chase had been reinforcing it. He growled at that one, and gave my shoulder a shove. I kicked him in the shin, right below the knee.

  "You call that a kick? Come on. You hate us. You hate that the Elders might be right. That your boys here might not be up to the task." He leaned in closer, eyes dark. "Or maybe you like it. Maybe we’re not as repulsive as you thought." His lip curled in a smarmy smile. "Maybe you feel it too. That desire. That pull. That call to mate." His hand reached for me.

  The next punch had a shimmer of scales to it. I clenched my talons tight and landed a punishing blow right beneath his diaphragm. The muscles of my half-form were more powerful than my regular wispy build. The air rushed out of Kane in a very satisfying way.

  "Good." Kane sounded incredibly pleased with himself. I punched him in the jaw again. He reeled back, then laughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "You’re a feisty one, I’ll give you that. Take a look at yourself."

  I did. From the waist up, I was sculpted of shimmering black scales. The sunlight made me glint like chips of onyx, and beneath them, the unearthly amber glow of the shadow dragon. I ran a talon over my face and felt my elongated snout, my sharpened teeth.

  I looked at Chase. Emotions warred on his face. When he realized I was watching, he beamed at me proudly. But I’d seen what he was really feeling. I could feel it, washing off him in waves. Frustration. Disappointment. Anger. I swallowed hard, fighting back tears.

  I’d betrayed him. Kane had done what Chase had been trying to do for weeks, in one moment of bravado. And it was killing him.

  The scales faded as quickly as they’d arrived. I felt exposed.

  "Great job!" Kane cheered and raised his hand for a fistbump. I walked past him, past the Alpha Squad, toward the house. "Good idea. Take five. We’ll come back to this later," he called after me.

  As the door closed behind me, I started sobbing.

  Chapter Seven

  Chase

  I had Kane by the front of his shirt before he could look away from the mansion’s back door.

  "What did you think you were doing?" I snarled, hauling him down to eye level.

  Kane smirked and shoved my hand away. "Aww, did I make your baby dragon cry? Good. She needs to toughen up, and fast. We’ve got a war on, if you hadn’t noticed."

  "You fucking sack of shit." My fist caught him in the precise spot Sia had already tenderized for me on his jaw.

  "Bring it, washout," he roared as he shifted to half-form and slammed his shoulder into my chest.

  I sailed back a few steps, but caught myself and shifted, beckoning him closer with my talons. "Got a lot to prove, Kane? Got to pick on a girl who’s been a dragon for a few weeks to show you’re a man?"

  "Pick on her? I got her to shift. More than you could do." He found the nerve and plucked it. "I bet there’s a lot more that I could do to her that you haven’t been able to do. No mate bond between you two, I noticed. Just her and the geek. Not man enough to close the deal?"

  I roared and charged at him. A flash of green darted between us. Jared braced himself between us, hands planted on our respective chests.

  "Enough." Jared shook his head at Kane. "Arysia will not thank you if you kill someone she loves. Did you even read her profile?"

  "He started it." Smoke puffed from Kane’s nostrils. "And I’m gonna finish it."

  "The hell you will, Haydon." Dario sauntered over casually. "Jared’s right. You harm one hair on that pretty little head and that girl will never let you touch one on her pretty little pussy."

  I glowered at Dario. "Classy."

  He shrugged amiably. "Simple facts. You know the score. We’re going to win. We’re going to fuck your girl. We’re going to take over her training. And you’re going to pack your shit and go back to whatever hole you were hiding in before the call went out to find her."

  I laughed. "And what makes you think Sia’s going to go for that?"

  "She’s a woman. She’s weak. She’s damaged." He smirked. "I can work with that." He spread his hands wide. "Show her a little kindness, do her a few favors… that’s how you got in, right?" Another smirk. "Or, you didn’t. But Mr. Higgins over there did. For some unknown reason, though, she wants you too. And the rest of your Omegas."

  "Primacy effect," Jared spoke up. "People tend to favor the first choice they are given. You got to her first. You made a good impression. She favors you." He shrugged. "There’s also the latency effect. People choose the last option." He smiled. "We’re the last option she’s going to need."

  Dario chuckled. "Can’t argue with science. Once we convince her that she doesn’t have to settle for the first dragons who were nice to her, by being nice to her and showing her that we are, obviously, far superior to you four…" He gave a little thrust. "We’re in. And she’s ours."

  "She’s not some damned science project. She’s a dragon. She’s a person with a mind and a heart of her own, and I’ll be damned if you try and stomp all over that just for shits and giggles." Galen stormed over and jabbed a finger in Jared’s chest. "Whatever happened to doing no harm, fucker?"

  Jared sniffed. "How is it harming her? We’ll treat her well. We’ll treat her like a queen. Unlike the four of you, who treat her like one of your Saturday night bar wenches. Fondling her in public. Getting her drunk. Letting her associate with hum
ans like they’re her flesh and blood. Coddling her is not going to make a queen of her, Galen. We have to mold her into one."

  "So you want to suck out everything that makes her who she is, to craft yourselves the perfect puppet princess." Disgust filled Galen’s face. "Reprehensible, even for you four."

  "What the Elders want, the Elders get." Dario shrugged. "And I want what the Elders want. My cock in the Queen of the Dragons." A repulsive grin crawled across his face. "And she’s a sweet little thing, too. It’s going to be a pleasure taking her from you. I was afraid this little orphan piece of ass was going to be an uggo, but damn… that sweet little mouth is just begging for my…"

  His head slammed forward. Aric stood behind him, fists balled. Asshole though he may be, he knew how to make an entrance.

  "You are such a repulsive piece of shit, Dario," he hissed.

  Dario rubbed the back of his head and turned to face him. "Well, well, Ricky. Nice sucker punch. Still too much of a coward to hit a man in the face?"

  "I’d need a man for that. You don’t qualify." Aric cracked his knuckles. "Anyone who’d talk about Sia like that…"

  Dario’s eyes lit up. "Oh, my Eldest. My baby brother has himself a crush. This just got ten times sweeter. I get to fuck your dream girl. Again."

  Aric’s face darkened with anger and shame.

  "Oh no. Don’t shut down now, Ricky. This is too rich. You, leaping to defend the honor of some damsel in distress…"

  "She’s the Shadow Queen, asshole. She could swallow you whole if she wanted to." Aric crossed his arms and stared Dario down.

  Dario smirked. "Oh, she will. Every inch. And she’ll love it."

  Aric started to swing again. Dario caught his hand easily and twisted his arm around, pinning it between his shoulder blades. Aric grunted in pain.

  "Tell me, little brother. With your winning charm and renowned kindness to those around you, how far have you gotten with tender-hearted Miss Sia? I’d be amazed if you’ve gotten prolonged eye contact."