Tempting Dragon (Dragon Echoes Book 4)

by Rinelle Grey

  Especially not when she kept thinking that when he woke, she’d have to sleep with him again.

  She tried not to think about it. Every time she did, it sent her heartbeat crazy, and Verrian’s followed. He was linked to her now, inescapably.

  Oh, she knew that she didn’t have to be the one to sleep with him. Even if Karla hadn’t explained to her, she should have been able to figure it out. After all, she’d slept with Verrian last time, and she hadn’t been the one to put him into the Mesmer. Did the connection come now, or later, after sex?

  No, she needed to not think about this. She needed to think of something calming, relaxing, sleepy.

  Nothing came to mind.

  It certainly wouldn’t help to think about the fact that after this, she’d be bonded to Verrian. Forever.

  She hoped he didn’t mind. Surely he’d prefer that to being dead.

  He might prefer that she’d let Olivia sleep with him though.

  Her heart sank. She should ask him, when he woke. Before she touched him. That would be the right thing to do.

  How was she ever going to sleep when her mind wouldn’t stop this?

  Lisa heaved a sigh.

  She wasn’t good at this. When Karla had explained it, it had seemed simple enough. Lisa had even thought that a nap sounded nice. After all, she had been running around like crazy, escaping from dragons all day.

  And it was getting late. The light she could see behind the blinds was darker now. It was heading towards evening.

  So why couldn’t she sleep?

  Lisa gave a short laugh. As if the answer wasn’t obvious. Verrian incited a lot of things, but none of them were sleep. Especially not when so much was on the line.

  Maybe if she tried something like sleep? She’d never meditated or anything like that before, but she knew how it worked. She just concentrated on her breathing, and tried not to think of anything else. Maybe that would be better?

  She forced all the other thoughts from her mind, and breathed in, then out, then in, then out.

  Before she knew it, she’d drifted off.

  Chapter 5

  Verrian felt warm and comfortable. He sighed, and moved slightly, feeling a warm body curled around him.

  Nothing had ever felt more right.

  Without opening his eyes, he knew it was Lisa. Her scent had imprinted itself into his memory. He tried not to think, to just let himself enjoy this moment, but despite his best attempts, memories rushed back in.

  His attack failing, Ultrima wounding him. They’d gone somewhere…

  And that was all he could remember.

  He breathed in and out, but the process didn’t hurt. Nothing hurt.

  Which meant Lisa had performed the Mesmer ritual.

  His arms tightened around her, knowing what that meant.

  It didn’t have to, he argued with himself. They could resist, and wait out the time it would take for him to regain his full energy.

  But he didn’t want to.

  His movement woke Lisa, and she stirred, stretching languidly in his arms.

  Her presence roused something else, and Verrian couldn’t help groaning. It was too late to avoid the Mesmer bond. It was her closeness and touch that had woken him. The overwhelming desire to mate with her, half from the Mesmer bond, half just because he wanted to, flooded every part of his body.

  It took all his willpower to pull back a little and say, “Thank you.”

  Her eyes flicked open, and she stared up at him.

  Desire and awareness and hesitation all filled her eyes. “It was nothing,” she said softly.

  Then she swore and pulled back.

  Verrian tried to stop his heart sinking, but he couldn’t help the hurt.

  He tried to explain it away. Of course she was reluctant. If she slept with him now, as every part of her body must be demanding as much as his, they would be bonded for life.

  He hadn’t wanted it to be like this. Oh, he wanted her. Every part of him screamed out to mate with her. The Mesmer bond inflamed what was an already hot desire.

  He could have brushed this away, said it was only because of the bond, but Verrian knew it wasn’t.

  He wanted her more than he’d wanted anything before—but he wanted her to choose him. Not to sleep with him to save him.

  “We don’t have to sleep together,” he said quickly, before she panicked. “We can just wait. So long as we remain close, I will regain my energy in time.”

  Lisa nodded impatiently. “I know that, Karla told me. But I don’t think that’s an option right now. The situation here is such a mess, you need to be at full strength. We don’t know what we’re going to find out there.” She hesitated, then the words came out in a rush. “I’m sorry. I’d planned on not touching you when you woke, so you could make a decision.” Emotions flickered across her face. Reluctance, sadness, longing. “Olivia is here too. You could have… with her, but not now… I’m sorry.”

  Lisa’s suggestion was sensible. Good even. But it made Verrian’s heart sink.

  The thought of sleeping with her friend repulsed him, and not because she was unattractive.

  Because she wasn’t Lisa.

  He needed to take this carefully. He wanted to know what Lisa thought. What she wanted.

  Was it possible she wanted him as much as he wanted her? And not just because of the Mesmer bond.

  “I wouldn’t have woken without you, or someone, touching me,” he pointed out. “Regardless, I could still sleep with her. The Mesmer bond is quite flexible.” He hesitated. “But I’d rather not. I understand that it’s not the best time for us to sleep together again, but I’d prefer to wait than to choose someone else.”

  Lisa’s eyes went round. “You’d prefer to wait than..? I…” She hesitated, then took a deep breath. Her eyes were deep and dark, and there was a hint of determination in them. “I know it’s not what either of us planned, but I’m willing to give it a go if you are.”

  Verrian’s heart gave a leap. Give it a go? Did she mean give waiting a go, or..? He wasn’t quite game to ask, afraid of saying the wrong thing. Afraid of finding out she meant waiting. He stared at her for a while, letting the delicious possibilities hang in the balance.

  Luckily he didn’t have to ask. Lisa kept talking. “I mean, I hadn’t planned on being bonded to a dragon, but, well, going back to my old life would be rather boring after this. Not to mention, everyone knows I’m that girl with the dragons. So it looks like I’ll be staying with the dragons anyway, so I might as well… well…”

  She broke off and her face went red. “You probably don’t want to be bonded to a human though, so never mind, pretend I never said that.”

  “No,” Verrian broke in, shaking his head. How could she think he didn’t want her? Didn’t she know? He reached out and pulled her close. Temptation overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t help pressing a kiss on her open lips, savouring her unique flavour. Then he made himself pull back, and stare at her. “There’s no one I’d rather spend the rest of my life with.”

  “Really?” Lisa asked in disbelief. “You want to mate with me?”

  Verrian wasn’t sure when they went from talking about the Mesmer ritual, to wanting to spend the rest of their lives together, but somehow, it felt right. “Yes,” he said simply.

  Lisa’s eyes lit up with the same emotion that flooded Verrian’s body. “Then let’s do it.”

  Excitement welled up in Verrian, along with a healthy dose of nerves. They were going to do this. In a short while, he’d be mated.

  He’d be able to sleep with Lisa any time he liked. That thought dispelled any doubts he might have had. He wanted that. He needed that.

  He leaned forwards and kissed her, letting her scent fill his nostrils and her taste fill his mind. The fears melted away to be replaced by an overwhelming need. Not just a need for physical connection, though that was strong too. This need was for emotional connection. To never be alone against the world ever again.

  Why ha
d he never realised how awesome mating would be before? He’d been so afraid of being tied to just one person, that he hadn’t realised the security it could bring.

  No matter what happened now, he and Lisa would always have each other.

  Lisa didn’t care that he’d lost to Ultrima. She didn’t think any less of him for it. In fact, no matter what he did, she seemed to think he was wonderful. And he thought the same of her. They were perfect for each other.

  She slid closer to him on the mattress, her body pressing up against his. Verrian barely even noticed the clothes between them, the heat from her skin burned through the thin barrier, heating his own skin.

  This time, he didn’t even try to rein in his impatience. They would have years for slow, passionate lovemaking. Tonight, he just wanted her.

  Her lips were hot on his, her hips bumping up against him, urging him on. She was as impatient as he was.

  Lisa bent down, somehow managing to pull off her pants without parting her lips from his.

  Verrian was impressed, and wondered if he could achieve the same feat. He would have been sure of it, except these human clothes were so much fiddlier than dragon clothes.

  Somehow though, he managed it. He slid his hands up under her shirt, not even wanting to pause long enough to remove it, then he rolled over, covering her body with his.

  Lisa gave a small gasp of surprise, her eyes growing wide.

  A moment of doubt assailed him as he hovered above her. Despite the desire almost overwhelming him, despite every pore of his body crying out to bury himself inside her, he made himself pause.

  “Are you sure?” he asked again.

  Lisa nodded. “I’ve never been more sure of anything else in my life,” she said simply.

  That was all Verrian needed to hear. He buried himself in her, sighing in satisfaction at the feeling of being complete. This was what he wanted. What he needed. To be part of her, one with her.

  He could feel the magic flowing through both of them. With each stroke, his strength grew, and so did his love for her.

  This was what life was all about. Physical pleasure was all well and good, but this, this was so, so much better. Why had he put this off for so long?

  The answer was simple. He’d never met Lisa. He’d been waiting for her, for this moment. For a second, everything was blindingly clear.

  He thrust into her again, as deeply as he could, feeling emotions rushing over him as he buried himself completely into her. His breath came out in one long, satisfied sigh.

  She clung to him, whispering his name, over and over.

  At some point, her whispers transferred from out loud, to directly into his mind.

  “Verrian.”

  As soon as she did it, Lisa’s eyes flew open, and she stared at him. “What just happened?” she demanded out loud.

  Verrian smiled, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “We’re mated now,” he said into her mind. “Apparently that gives you a dragon voice.”

  “Really?” Lisa tried it out. Then she giggled. “Oh, that is so cool.”

  Verrian grinned at her excitement. “There are a lot of benefits to being mated to a dragon,” he purred.

  Lisa blushed. “I’ll bet.”

  She opened her mouth to say something more, but a knocking at the door interrupted. “Lisa, are you guys done in there? I think you need to come out and see this,” Olivia said.

  Her words struck fear into Verrian’s heart. He’d almost forgotten, in his preoccupation with Lisa, his mate, that they were still in danger.

  Chapter 6

  To tell the truth, Lisa was a little glad to be interrupted. The emotions flooding her, the intense connection she felt with Verrian, not to mention being able to speak, mind to mind, well, it was all more than a little overwhelming.

  Not that she didn’t like it, she just… needed a chance to process it.

  Something that wasn’t going to happen right now. As she and Verrian pulled their clothes on as quickly as they could, and opened the door, Lisa felt a sense of foreboding at Olivia’s words.

  What were they going to find?

  Both Raven and Olivia stared at Verrian when he emerged behind Lisa. Lisa glanced back, trying to ignore her body heating as soon as she looked at him. He hadn’t bothered to put the shirt he’d worn earlier back on, it was covered in blood. His bare chest had a few bloodstains as well, but even they couldn’t hide the fact that his wound was completely healed, as though it had never been there.

  “Wow,” Olivia said. “What were you guys doing in there? I can’t believe you’re completely healed, Verrian.”

  Lisa couldn’t help blushing. How was she ever going to explain that to Olivia? And she certainly didn’t want to in front of the band’s singer. What was he doing there anyway? Everything had been so crazy, she hadn’t even thought to ask until now.

  “That isn’t important now,” Verrian said smoothly. He reached for Lisa’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “You said we needed to see something?”

  “Oh, yes. Here.”

  Olivia pointed to Raven’s laptop.

  “TERRORIST ATTACK IN CITY,” the headline read.

  Lisa stared. A terrorist attack? As though they needed more problems right now.

  Something about it seemed off, so Lisa read the article underneath.

  Earlier this evening, an unidentified flying craft was seen above the city. Police are investigating. If anyone has any reports of this craft, please contact police. Everyone is requested to return to their homes or places of work and remain there until notified that it is safe to leave.

  If you have seen either of the people in this photo, please contact authorities. They may have important information regarding the sighting.

  The request was followed by Rita’s original photo of Lisa and Verrian.

  Lisa’s heart constricted. This wasn’t a new problem, it was the same one.

  Of course the police weren’t going to report a dragon flying over the city. No one would believe them. Even if they did, it would hardly make people stay inside.

  Not that the news wasn’t going to get out there. A quick glance at social media showed it was all over there.

  Only one thing was clear—the police were looking for them.

  Verrian, they couldn’t identify.

  She would be far too easy.

  This was a mess.

  Where were they going to hide? How were they going to get back to the other dragons? Lisa wouldn’t feel safe until then.

  At least this time there was no way it was there fault. They’d just been minding their own business when Ultrima had shown up. And he’d chosen to fly, when he probably could have easily walked out of the building.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Why what?” Olivia asked, wrinkling her nose. “I thought you’d want to see it, that’s all.”

  “No,” Lisa said impatiently. “Why did Ultrima fly away? There wasn’t anyone chasing him. We certainly weren’t a threat. He could have just walked out of the building. So why didn’t he?”

  Verrian’s hand stiffened. “He wanted to cause more trouble for us,” he said flatly. “That’s what this was all about. It has to be. That’s why he didn’t just kill me.”

  Lisa patted his hand. “Well, I’m glad he didn’t,” she said softly. “But even so, he’s got to realise he’s causing as much trouble for himself as for us, isn’t he?”

  “Not necessarily.” Verrian shrugged. “His lair is a little further out, he’s less likely to have trouble where he is. Given those pictures of us, it’s reasonably clear where people are going to start looking, and it’s closer to our lair than his.”

  A brilliant idea hit Lisa square between the eyes. It was so simple, she was sure there must be something wrong with it. And yet…

  “Then why don’t we give them a clue?” she suggested, her voice shaking.

  “A clue to what?” Verrian asked, mystified.

  Olivia and Raven were staring at her too. They had no
more idea than Verrian did. Apparently it wasn’t as obvious as she thought.

  “Why don’t we lead everyone to Ultrima’s lair? That would take the attention off us, and maybe give us a chance to get out of the city. Not to mention we might be able to wake the rest of the dragons while he’s distracted.”

  Verrian stared at her, his eyes wide. “That’s a great idea. We should ring Karla and tell her.”

  A warm glow filled Lisa. She wasn’t used to having ideas everyone said were great. “I will. I need to talk to her anyway. We need to get out of the city as soon as possible.”

  “What about us?” Olivia asked quickly.

  Lisa hesitated. The article didn’t mention Olivia’s name, but if they hadn’t already figured out she was involved, they would eventually. “You can always come with us. I’m sure we could find something you could do to help.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Verrian said into her mind.

  “Well, if we’re going to wake the rest of the dragons, you’re going to need more humans, aren’t you?” Lisa reminded him privately.

  “You think of everything, don’t you?” Verrian said admiringly.

  Lisa really was on a roll.

  “I wonder if Raven would like to help out too,” Verrian mussed. “Especially now that Chase is unavailable to help.”

  “You should ask him.”

  “I’d love that,” Olivia said quickly, looking from one to the other.

  Verrian smiled at her.

  “What about me?” Raven asked uncertainly. “I mean, the police might not realise I’m involved, but that dragon knows where I live. If you guys disappear, he might just come looking for you.”

  “It is probably wise if you come with us as well,” Verrian offered. “We may have a job that you could help us with.”

  Raven raised an eyebrow. “I would have thought that you were more than capable of doing any singing for your group,” he joked.

  “They would probably love to learn some new songs,” Verrian said with a smile. “But that wasn’t what I was thinking of.”

  Raven stared at him, and Olivia did too. “What then?” he asked.