by Kimber White
Are you going to kill me, brother?
Xander could form full thoughts. I couldn’t. I answered with a burst of fire. It couldn’t touch Xander. I pushed back, getting him on his back.
One blow. One slash of my talon across his throat. I could end him. I could keep Ash safe. Xander’s eyes widened. He saw. He knew.
I closed my eyes and let my heartbeat slow. This was the test. He’d been aiming for this all along. I let my breath come easy. My dragon fought back. The beast wanted to do this. My dragon wanted to end Xander and the threat I felt.
I clawed my way back, letting my pulse become steady. My talons receded and I slowly stepped back, letting my brother up off the ground.
He sat there for a moment, sweat beading his brow as he completed his own shift. Our eyes met. I don’t know if he fully grasped what was happening with me. But, he knew enough. I extended my hand, helping him to his feet.
Xander slapped me on the back and brought his lips close to my ear. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
I still couldn’t find words. I simply nodded and we turned and walked back to our mother.
“Loch’s right,” Xander said, shocking me. “We need to let him finish what he started. He’s in control.”
Avelina tapped a foot and crossed her arms. “You’re done?”
Still panting, Xander doubled over and put his hands on his knees. He laughed. “That? That was just a little fun.” He straightened and slapped my back again. I hoped Avelina didn’t notice I couldn’t even speak yet.
“Come on, mother,” Xander said. “Let’s leave Loch to his job. I’ll come back and check on him in a couple of days.”
She didn’t look convinced, but I got the impression Xander had forced an agreement from her before they got here. It’s what I would have done. He probably convinced her to let him decide whether I was in control or not. After all, only my brothers and I knew what it was like to lose it.
“Hmph,” she said, still not convinced. She walked up to me. I stood stock still as she circled me, watching for signs of my dragon. Finally, she cupped my chin in her hand and put a hard kiss on my cheek.
“We’ll be back,” she said. “And next time, you better have news I’ll like.”
I nodded. It was all I could do. My brother’s gaze found mine as he and Avelina backed off and headed for the clearing.
Don’t make me regret this, brother. Loch’s words echoed through me as he and my mother let their dragons out and took flight. As soon as they were out of sight, I dropped to my knees. Pain shot through my heart and my limbs went frozen.
Chapter Eleven
Ash
“I don’t know what to tell ya,” Rick said. His legs poked out from beneath the dozer. The good news was, things weren’t as bad with it in the light of day as he thought. The bad news was, it would be a whole day before he’d get the thing up and running again. “I wasn’t here last night. I didn’t see him this morning. Stinky says he was gone before he left for breakfast.”
It was ten o’clock in the morning. The crew had been working since five. All except one. Loch had never shown up.
“Damnedest thing though,” Rick said, pulling his head out from beneath the machine. “Last night was even colder than the night before. They’re even calling for snow later this afternoon. I swear, Ash, if it weren’t for bad luck, you’d have no luck at all. Except...Hal and the boys said they were cutting through ground like butter this morning.”
“Good,” I said. “That’s real good. Keep at it. We’ve got to figure out how to make up for lost time. Tomorrow’s cleanup needs to be our best yet.”
Rick started whistling and tucked his head back under the dozer. I scanned the site. I’d done it about a hundred times. Loch was nowhere.
How could he just disappear like that? Maybe I’d dreamt the whole damn thing. Loch was a dragon. A dragon.
I got back in the four-wheeler and headed up to the trailers. I knew it was useless. He flat-out wasn’t here. But, I couldn’t stop myself from checking his trailer one more time.
His bed was made. He didn’t have much gear. Just a couple of shirts and some jeans hanging in the closet he shared with Stinky. I sat on the bed, heart racing. My heel came up against the metal footlocker he kept beneath the bed. I knew the right thing to do was just leave. No matter what else happened, Loch was entitled to his privacy. Still, I found myself pulling the footlocker out. The latch hung open.
“Shit,” I muttered as I scooted off the bed and knelt in front of the rectangular box. What I found inside made no sense. Loch just had a pair of extra work boots and a cell phone. The phone was locked. Even if it wasn’t, I didn’t think I could cross that particular line. The last thing in it was a brown envelope laying flat against the bottom. I hated myself for doing it, but I took it out.
My jaw dropped. Loch had a 5x7 color photo of my father. On the back, he’d written Dad’s name and the main office address.
It could be anything. Maybe someone gave it to Loch before he came out here so he’d know who to talk to about asking for a job. That made some degree of sense. And yet, an eerie chill went through me. No matter what else happened, my need to find Loch deepened.
I put the photo back and headed out of the trailer. My crew was humming. Since yesterday, they’d been getting along. It was good. I had a good feeling about how much gold I’d weigh. Still, my heart felt pulled in two directions. As much as I didn’t like hearing it, my brother had a point. The crew worked better when they weren’t stirred up by Loch. They sensed something different about him, and now I understood what it was.
If they ever found out…
I was just about to head back to the cut to check on Rick’s progress, when I felt a jolt. For an instant, I thought my heart might explode. Pain shot through me, and my fingers went numb. As soon as I caught my breath, I heard someone call my name. It was just a whisper. Maybe it was just the breeze. Except, I knew who it was.
Loch.
Instinct burned through me. Loch was out there. Loch was hurt.
Stinky came toward me. He tipped his hardhat. “You heading back out?”
“In a few,” I said, breathless. I ran toward the ATV. “I’ve gotta check on something. Hold the fort down until I get back.”
I don’t know what Stinky asked me. My vision tunneled. Once I’d made the decision to go, something else took over. Nothing on this earth would stop me from tearing down that hill and heading for the woods.
I made sure no one watched me go. I veered off the well-worn paths and went deeper into the wilderness. A few hundred yards in, the four-wheeler became useless. Sweating, I jumped out of the seat and started running, letting my heart lead the way.
I found him by the stream, lying face down, naked. At first, I didn’t think he was breathing.
“Loch!” Screaming his name, I ran to him. His skin burned as I found the strength to roll him over. I had his head in my lap. Loch’s eyes rolled. His skin was gray. Scales covered his shoulders.
“Loch?” I smoothed the hair from his eyes. Loch took a gasping breath and arched his back. He coughed and fire spewed out.
He seemed trapped, half shifted. I lowered him gently to the ground and pressed my ear to his chest. His heart was beating, but erratic.
“Let me get help!” I shouted. Then, I realized I had no idea what kind of help he needed.
Loch reached up, gripping my arms. He pulled me down to him, close enough so I could hear.
“Can’t…”
“Can’t what?” Except I knew. With each labored breath he took, I began to understand. I knew this. I’d heard of it. A cousin of my mother’s lived over the ridge. He got trapped in his wolf after the woman he meant to marry died before they could mate.
“You have to let me help you,” I said. Desire and fear blended in my heart.
“They won’t understand,” he croaked. “I tried.”
This was crazy. Impossible. And yet, as my pulse quickened, I knew what I
wanted and what Loch needed.
I hovered over him for a moment, watching him try to focus. Time stood still, then seemed to rush forward all at once.
I kissed him.
Loch’s back arched. His arms slid around me. He kissed me back. God, he tasted so good. Like sin and heat and everything I’d ever desired.
A day ago, in the middle of the cut, Loch had sparked a fierce need in me. Here, deep in the Yukon wilderness, that need took over. It lifted me, consumed me, drove out all reason. The world fell away.
“Loch,” I gasped, coming up for air. The scales over his shoulders had disappeared. His color was back to normal. Red fire still lit his eyes, but he had control of his dragon again. If just one kiss could do that...what could…
“Ash,” he said, his voice sultry and low. My pulse quickened. Heat skittered along my spine and settled between my legs. Now I was the one losing control.
My nipples chafed against the fabric of my shirt. Every inch of my body felt like it was on heightened alert. Every hair follicle tingled. Goosebumps covered me. My core turned molten. I was like a rocket about to launch. The countdown had begun, and no power on earth could stop it now.
I lunged at him. Loch caught me by the elbows. His lips curled into a smirk. I clawed at my shirt, pulling it over my head. Loch’s fingers found the zipper on my jeans. I wriggled out of them. I straddled Loch’s lap wearing nothing but my bra and panties. His rigid cock pulsed against me. I was already completely soaked with lust.
“I want you,” he whispered. “I don’t think I can…”
“Don't,” I said. “I mean...don't hold back.”
I slid my hands up his chest, feeling every hard ridge of his abs, his pecs, his shoulders. Loch trailed his fingers down my ribcage, making my breath catch. I quivered as his thumb found the waistband of my silk panties.
Then, he ripped them off.
I spread my legs, as I knelt over his legs. Loch laced his fingers through my hair as he kissed me. With his other hand, he found me. He teased me, coaxing the hard little bud between my legs with his thumb. Oh, God. He had me gushing. Shameless and gushing.
“Fuck,” he whispered. “You’re so wet. So needy.”
I was. I pulsed for him as Loch worked me. I kept on kissing him. I found the clasp to my bra and opened it. The straps fell down my shoulders. I wriggled out of it. Now, Loch had me naked and writhing in front of him.
His lips found each nipple and he swirled his tongue over them. It sent the most delicious, aching pleasure all through me. I threw my head back, arching forward. On my knees, I undulated, drawn into the rhythm Loch set with his fingers as he worked me from inside.
“Are you sure?” he whispered. How could he even ask me that? Every cell in my body was tuned to his. He had me dripping. Rocking back and forth.
“Yes!” I cried.
“Lay back,” he said. “I need to look at you.”
He made me so bold, so wanton. I’d never ever gone this far. It wasn’t easy in Blackfoot. There was never anyone but shifters around. I had never wanted to give myself to one before. But Loch...he was no ordinary shifter.
And he was mine.
I knew it. With each lust-filled beat of my heart I knew this is what I was meant for. All rational thought left me. All the questions I had yet to ask just melted away as Loch gently lowered me to my back. Instinct took over and I spread my legs wide for him and arched my back.
“Baby,” he said. “Good God, you’re beautiful. Are you real? Am I dreaming?”
He was the dragon and yet he asked me that.
I reached for him, gently circling my fingers around his cock. He was so big, so thick. But, I knew he would fit me perfectly. I knew I was born for him.
“Please,” I begged. Oh, yes, I’d do that too and so much more.
Loch crawled forward, hovering over the length of me, he kept his weight on his elbows. I stroked him. Loch’s eyes rolled back. He wasn’t the only one who knew how to tease.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said. His skin began to glow. His fire rose.
Something clicked in my heart. I was the lock. He was the key. We fit together.
“You won’t,” I said, knowing to the marrow of my bones it was true. Whatever fire he brought, it would never hurt me.
“I need you,” I said. “Now.”
Loch started to thrust in my hand. His skin went from deepest tan to brightest gold. His eyes snapped open. It was like staring into twin suns. His dragon came just to the surface. Sparks skittered across the ground.
My own heat grew. I felt my lips open for him, beckoning him forward. I drew my legs up, circling them around his waist. I pulled him to me, guiding him toward my slick opening.
Loch kissed me hard and deep as he slipped inside me. My eyes snapped open and I caught my breath as he pressed deeper. I felt split open, but in the best way. He was so deep inside me. He hesitated for a fraction of a second as he felt that tiny band of resistance and then he knew.
It was him. It was only him. He was all there would ever be.
“Ash,” he whispered. Then, I demanded more. Locking my legs around him, I arched my back. Loch picked up the rhythm, driving himself into me as deep as he could go.
It was pure heat. Elemental fire. Lightning. Hot wind. Flames swirled around, engulfing our joined bodies. It poured in me, through me, became part of me. But it couldn’t hurt me. It made me stronger. It opened my eyes.
Loch was mine. I was Loch’s. And this was meant to be.
We came together that first time. Desire, Loch’s fire, my heart.
Chapter Twelve
Loch
I understood. Oh, God. I understood. Xander, Gideon, and Finn had tried to explain to me how it felt when they found their mates. The chaos that had ruled their hearts for so many years went quiet. In its place, a strength of purpose, the power of control.
If Ash were purely human, she would not have been able to take my fire. It would have burned her from the inside out. Xander’s mate Shae was protected by a spell. Gideon’s mate Grace was the daughter of a wolf shifter. Finn’s mate Gemma was a fire mage. Now, there was my Ash. She lay cradled in my arms in the drowsy afterglow of our coupling.
She was special. She had the blood of a wolf and a tiger flowing through her veins. Now, she had my fire along with it.
“That was…” Ash opened her eyes. My glow reflected back at me in them. She reached up, trailing a lazy finger over the curve of my shoulder.
“Just...wow,” she said, coming up on her elbow.
I leaned down to kiss her. Her tastes were already etched in my heart. Her lips were sweet, like cinnamon. The space between her breasts, salty. Then, there was the heady nectar between her legs. Just the thought of it made my loins stir and my dragon rumble.
“You should have told me you were a virgin,” I said.
She blushed a little. “Hmm. What would you have done differently? Would you have treated me gently?” She wore a sultry smirk as she curled her fingers around my cock. I twitched in her hand, so ready to take her all over again.
“God, no,” I said, growling.
She giggled. “Good. I should hope not.” Her lips found mine. Her heat enveloped me. She was wet again. Primed. Ready.
I couldn’t resist her. I shifted her so she straddled me. Her hair fell between us. She smelled so good.
“Loch,” she gasped. I held her up, my hands solid on her hips. She wriggled a little, only driving me that much more mad.
“We’re running out of time,” I said.
“I know.” Her eyes were closed. She bit her bottom lip.
“I don’t think I care,” I said.
“I know.”
“Do you want this?” I asked.
Her eyes snapped open. The tip of my cock teased her. Her thighs quivered. She opened for me. I lowered her over me, rooting deep.
“Oh...oh...oh!” Ash’s legs were still shaky from the last time. But, she found her strength as I began
to thrust.
“Like that,” I whispered, spurring her on. I wanted to watch Ash take control. I loved the way she moved her body. She became a wild thing. Her breasts swung. They were so big for as thin as she was. In my mind’s eye, I saw them grow even heavier, the nipples darkening like red wine. Oh, God. Yes. I wanted to plant my seed in her. Claim her. Make her mine forever.
But, she needed to understand. Desire and fate were one thing. She still didn’t understand who I was.
As Ash took her pleasure and mine rose along with it, guilt washed over me. I was lying to her. I was lying to everyone.
“Oh, God. Oh, Loch. Oh. Oh!” Ash fucked me hard and deep. I hooked my fingers through hers, supporting her as she ground out her pleasure. I leaned forward, lapping at her nipples as they swung near my face.
I might be damned for what I’d done. In that moment, I didn’t care. I wanted her. I needed her. She was mine. She was born for me. Born for this. It had to be right. Fate brought me to her. It didn’t matter who her father was or her brother. It didn’t even matter who my father was, though I was ashamed to think it. It only mattered that I’d found her. Now, I would never let her go. No matter what. I would find a way to be with her.
But first I had to find a way to tell her the truth.
When Ash finished, I gently turned her. Instinct drove her. She went on all fours. She dropped her head, showing the back of her neck. Oh, God. Instinct indeed. She presented herself, the way a mate should. I could do it. I could claim her now. Mark her. Brand her to me forever. It’s what we were both meant for. My dragon burned. Fire rose, sending a circle of sparks around her.
“Ash,” I whispered, my voice ragged with lust.
Ash lifted her head. She realized what she’d just done. What she’d almost invited me to do. I could feel her hunger for it. If she’d stayed that way a second longer, I wouldn’t have been able to stop.
Ash turned. She kept her thighs spread but invited me into her this way. For now, it was safer. I couldn’t claim her just yet. Once she knew why I was here, maybe not at all.