Rebel Heart: A prequel to Rebel Alpha (Book 5 in the Aloha Shifters: Pearls of Desire series)

by Anna Lowe

  She nodded. “That wasn’t good. It was amazing.”

  His smile spelled satisfaction, which only set her libido off again.

  Satisfaction? her dragon murmured. I bet we can give him more of that.

  She tugged him forward. “Remember, nothing is off limits.” She spread her legs, surrendering to her wolf.

  My wolf, her dragon hummed.

  Which is when it struck her. That itch she’d felt for the past week didn’t come from an urge to fly. It was destiny, guiding her to Cal.

  Destiny. She let herself believe — truly believe — for the first time.

  He moved into position, holding himself an inch above her body. A long, thin scar cut down one shoulder, hinting at a hard-fought battle. His smoke gray eyes looked silver when they glowed. They flared as he nudged her legs farther apart with one knee.

  “Is that so?” he rumbled. “And what about this?” He rolled his hips, letting his cock nudge her sex.

  She loved — and hated — how careful he was with her. Someday, she’d get him to unleash all his desire. But for now…maybe careful was good.

  “That’s perfect,” she whispered, wrapping her legs around his waist.

  He tugged her hands over her head and pinned them there, making her feel protected rather than trapped.

  “You’re perfect,” he murmured, sliding into her.

  She gasped at the stretch. It burned, but heck. She was a dragon, right? Within seconds, only a fraction of that sensation was pain. The rest was pure pleasure.

  Cal’s face hardened as he pushed deeper, looking totally earnest, like he had to get this exactly right.

  “Cal,” she moaned, dying for more.

  He withdrew an inch, then eased in again, making her hiss. “Yes…”

  He repeated the action, pulling out then plunging in again. Faster and harder than the first time, making her yelp. Soon, he was buried deep, and she found herself bucking in time with his thrusts. Instinct told her to squeeze her inner muscles, and when she did, Cal groaned.

  “Yes. Do that. Keep doing that.”

  She threw her head back as he thrust deeper still, then clenched over him again. Instinct told her what to do and how to do it, and that felt so good. In some ways, it was a lot like the first time she’d flown in dragon form. This felt just as natural and just as inevitable, as much a part of her destiny as that second body she’d been born with.

  Cal withdrew, and she nearly cried in protest. Then he powered back in, turning her words into a gasp. When his movements quickened, she released a throaty cry. Her body was slick with sweat, her hair a mess. But all she cared about was the exquisite pressure inside. That sense of something great hovering just outside her grasp.

  When Cal thrust one last time, coming with a low groan, she climaxed too, shuddering in ecstasy. For a long minute, all she could do was hold on to him. Then her muscles relaxed and she melted back into the futon. Cal’s hard body softened, and his weight pinned her down.

  “Is that okay?” he whispered between panting breaths.

  She smiled so broadly, it hurt. “You’re joking, right?”

  He broke into laughter, and she did, too, marveling at what she’d just done. Starlight poured through the window and over Cal’s chiseled back, giving him an unearthly shine. Tiny ripples of water lapped at the shoreline under the house. The scent of their love making filled the loft, making her feel drunk.

  Drunk was an apt term, because she couldn’t believe herself. She’d just had sex with a near stranger. Without a condom, even. Shifters weren’t susceptible to human diseases, but they could conceive. For a moment, her brow furrowed. Could a wolf and a dragon even produce offspring? She’d never heard anyone talk about it, because it just wasn’t done.

  Well, we just did, her dragon hummed.

  Her eyes snapped open. What?

  Not conceived, her dragon scolded. Just had sex. Really, really amazing sex.

  She settled down again. Just and sex didn’t go together, not when it came to Cal.

  “That wasn’t too tame for you?” she asked when they rolled to their sides.

  He pulled her knuckles to his lips and kissed them, reminding her of the old-timer dragons who still did that. Granted, they did so in prim, social settings, not naked in the tangled sheets of a bed.

  “That was just right. But maybe next time…” His lips curled into a sensual smile.

  She beamed. Cal was thinking into the future, just like she was. Because this was it. Her fated mate. Destiny. What else could it be?

  She exhaled, rubbing her right hand over his chest. With her left hand, she started touching her own breast. Openly. Brazenly. Proudly, almost. Because, hey. She’d just lost her virginity to a complete stud. A wolf shifter, no less.

  “Oh, no.” Cal chuckled. “I’ve already corrupted you.”

  She pressed his hand against her breast, preparing the perfect retort. But the moment his fingers cupped her soft flesh, she went breathless all over again.

  “Cal,” she whispered, dying for more.

  “I am definitely corrupting you,” he murmured, not sounding the least bit repentant as he slid a hand between her legs.

  “You can corrupt me all night,” she groaned.

  And off they went into a second round — one longer and harder than the first. Afterward, she lay exhausted on the bed, holding him tightly.

  “Someday,” she mumbled, thinking far, far ahead.

  Cal smiled and held her close to his chest. “Someday, you and me…”

  She could think of a dozen wonderful ways to finish that sentence, but she was so exhausted, she drifted off to sleep. She dreamed them, though — all those possible outcomes for someday, and all of them amazing, because she had found her destined mate.

  * * *

  When Cynthia opened her eyes, she was back on Maui. Back in the lonely future, living a life so unlike the one she’d had high hopes for back then. Twelve years. Twelve! She could hear the rumble of Cal’s voice as if he were beside her. She could still feel the warm touch of his hands on her skin.

  She swallowed away the lump in her throat, watching the bloody reds and brilliant orange tones of sunset intensify. Twelve years gave a woman lots of time to come to terms with reality — or try to, at least. That rosy version of the future hadn’t exactly worked out as she’d hoped. Was she still foolish to carry on wishing for someday?

  Someday… her dragon whispered, half in hope, half in memory.

  A deep, earthy voice echoed in her mind. Someday.

  Cynthia stared at the fiery streaks of light glittering over the Pacific. Did she dare wish? Did she dare face Cal again?

  A motorcycle revved by on the distant road, and she turned her head in spite of herself. Then she shut her eyes, fighting away tears.

  Fate. Destiny. Funny how those forces worked.

  Not so funny, her dragon wept.

  * * *

  Thank you for reading Rebel Heart! If you enjoyed the story, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are the best way to thank an independent author for a story you’ve loved.

  Rebel Heart may end on a sad note, but I guarantee a happy end for Cynthia and Cal in their second chance romance, Rebel Alpha (Aloha Shifters: Pearls of Desire, Book 5). All the action, emotion, and passion comes to a pinnacle in that book, so order your copy of Rebel Alpha today or click here for a sneak peek!

  EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPILOGUE: make sure you’re signed up for Anna’s newsletter to receive FREE bonus epilogues to each of the Aloha Shifters stories as well as three free books. Signing up also makes sure you’ll be the first to hear about new releases, exclusive stories, and great deals.

  Finally, you can read about the inspiration for Rebel Heart in the bonus materials section of my website, so that is well worth checking out. The website is where you can also check out Anna’s audiobooks. Your first Audible order is free, so check out the links on Anna’s audio page. Audio brings the story to life in a whole different
way and can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime. All that and more awaits you on AnnaLoweBooks.com, so please come and visit today!

  Sneak Peek: Rebel Alpha

  * * *

  Rebel Alpha — Aloha Shifters: Pearls of Desire, Book 5

  Cynthia’s second chance romance!

  All dragon shifter Cynthia “Brown” wants is a safe place to raise her child and heal from bitter betrayal. But when a rakish wolf shifter from her past unexpectedly appears on Maui, he stirs all kinds of other desires. And trouble - as usual - is hot on his heels. Does Cal pose the ultimate danger, or is he her only hope?

  * * *

  Cynthia sat in the rocking chair on the west porch, fingering her pearl necklace. A bee buzzed by, and a bird whistled from a nearby tree. Another perfect Maui day on the outside. She frowned. Another stormy day in her soul.

  She turned to check the mountains, sure there must be dark clouds creeping down the slopes. But there was nothing — not even a foggy crown around the peaks. Just pure, golden sunlight, bringing the colors of Maui to life. So why did she have a feeling of such foreboding?

  She wrung her hands and looked north. Joey, her son, was over on Koa Point, the neighboring estate. A stab of fear went through her, but she chased it away. Joey was as safe there as he would be on Koakea Plantation, their home. Both places were populated with battle-hardened shifters who would lay their lives down for Joey if the need arose, and there was no reason to believe he was in any danger. Just a mother’s paranoia, she supposed.

  Still, it was hard to shake the feeling of something afoot. Of destiny moving pieces across a chess board, preparing for its next assault. After all, the day she’d lost everything had started out just as peacefully as this, three years ago. Then enemy dragons had swooped down out of nowhere, and shouts had filled the air.

  Take Joey. Run! Run!

  She squeezed her eyes shut, but that didn’t stop her late husband’s voice from ringing in her ears.

  I can fight, she’d insisted.

  You have to protect Joey. Now, go!

  She wrapped her arms around her stomach much as she had curled them around her son that day, and though she was barely moving, it felt as if she were fleeing all over again. Her hair whipping behind her, her bare feet racing across a lawn. She could hear the crackle of dragon fire and feel its lethal heat reach for her. The air rumbled with the beat of dragon wings as a battle raged above, and Joey’s panicked cries stabbed at her heart.

  Her eyes snapped open, and she gulped for air, forcing herself to calm down. All that was in the past. Joey was safe. Together, they’d escaped and found refuge under an assumed name in Maui, where fate had given her the toughest, most loyal group of shifters to join — shifters just as much in need of a fresh start as she. Together, they’d turned a temporary safe house into a long-term, comforting home and formed a new weyr. A pack, in other words, if a ragtag one.

  That, at least, made her flash a bittersweet smile. What would her mother say if she saw Cynthia now? The heiress to a once-mighty dragon clan living among bears, wolves, lions, and a handful of dragons from inferior bloodlines?

  She bristled at the thought. There’s nothing inferior about them, mother. If only you knew.

  A sigh escaped her lips, and she shoved the memories into a corner of her mind. She owed it to Joey to look forward, not back.

  She started rocking absently. If only she didn’t have so many regrets.

  The moment she caught herself rocking, she slammed a foot down and stopped. She was far too young to be rocking away her days — even a day off, like today. Normally, the plantation grounds would be bustling with activity. But it was Sunday, and everyone had agreed to keep that day work-free, whether work meant on outside gigs or on the plantation. Which would be great, but somehow, Cynthia couldn’t relax.

  A low hum sounded from the distant road, and she whipped around then cursed herself. It used to be she could identify the sound of a Triumph Thruxton from a mile away. These days, every motorcycle made her head turn in hope. She listened intently, but the sound died away, leaving only the rustling of the bushes and the quiet buzzing of the bee.

  She rose abruptly and walked into the house, looking for something to keep her hands — and her mind — busy. But the parlor was neat as a pin, and the dishwasher was already running in the kitchen. Cynthia glanced in the direction of the whiteboard where she posted the week’s duties. Once upon a time, that duty roster had been a bone of contention between her and the men of Koakea. Now, everyone pitched in without protesting — except for Dell, the lion shifter who still ribbed her about it, if only for show.

  She frowned and looked past the billowing curtains to the sea. Why couldn’t she relax now? She’d barely taken a few steps around the house, and yet her pulse was racing, and her nerves were jittering away.

  What? she wanted to scream. What is it?

  Something… her inner dragon murmured.

  The feeling was vague but so insistent, it was killing her. Should she call Connor, the co-alpha of their pack, and tell him to put everyone on high alert, or was it really just a case of the nerves?

  She banged a fist against her own thigh. Damn it, she was not the nervous and flighty type. Well — okay. She could admit to being a little high-strung.

  A little? the others would joke.

  A little, damn it. But she restricted herself to worrying about real issues, not imagined ones, and she certainly wasn’t prone to panic attacks. So why on earth were her fingers plucking at her shirt? Why did her body alternate between heating up and chilling all over?

  I know why, her dragon murmured.

  Cynthia scowled. So she’d had a few X-rated fantasies last night. So what? She wasn’t even thirty-five, and she’d gone far too long without the company of a man.

  Not just any man, her dragon hummed in a lusty voice. My mate.

  She closed her eyes as emotions roiled and collided inside. Lust. Guilt. Loyalty. Desire. The problem was, each of those emotions was tied to one of two different men.

  You know who I mean, her dragon growled.

  Mate was a term that could be interpreted several ways. It applied to the decades-older man her parents had arranged for her to join in the dragon equivalent of marriage. That would be Barnaby, the father of her son. But while she’d grown to respect and appreciate Barnaby, her feelings never went further than that. The dear man had known and accepted that from the start, and she’d never forget how willingly he’d made the ultimate sacrifice for her and Joey.

  So, yes. Barnaby had been her mate in one sense, but never the mate of her heart, body, and soul.

  I mean our destined mate, her dragon whispered. Cal.

  A hot flash raked her body, and she gripped the bannister that led to the upper floor. She hadn’t seen, heard from, or — more to the point — touched Cal in twelve lonely years. She’d never stopped dreaming of him either, but lately, her fantasies had blown out of control. Every night, she dreamed of racing down a tree-lined highway in the Adirondacks on the back of his bike, surrounded by fall colors as fiery as the passion that still burned in her heart. She dreamed of wrapping her arms around him as they lay in bed, sweaty and satisfied from making love. She dreamed of gazing into dark, mysterious eyes so full of love and hope, they made her ache.

  “Cal,” she whispered into the silent house.

  She closed her eyes, reliving the sights, sounds, scents. So intensely that she imagined the crunch of gravel under motorcycle tires in her own driveway. She even imagined the scent of leather and sandalwood wafting faintly through the air.

  And for a few, quiet minutes, she let herself pretend that it was all true. That she’d never been forced to part with her true love. That everything had worked out the way her twenty year old self had so desperately desired.

  Then a quiet voice broke into her thoughts, snapping her out of her reverie.

  “Cynthia?”

  She didn’t turn until the burn of a blush faded from her cheeks.
As co-alpha of this mixed shifter pack, she wasn’t supposed to act like a cat in heat — or a lonely widow who still pined for her first love.

  “Yes?” She turned when she’d finally composed herself, linking her hands at her waist like the prim lady her mother had raised.

  Anjali stood on the porch, peering in without actually stepping in, which was strange. The first floor of the house was communal space, and everyone came and went as they pleased. Only Cynthia’s private quarters on the upper story were off limits. So why did Anjali — calm, confident Anjali — seem so timid and unsure?

  Anjali glanced back as Dell came up the stairs behind her. His shoulders were squared, his eyes grim. His usual smile was gone, as was the habitual sparkle in his eyes. Another heavy step sounded on the porch stairs, and she could see Tim, the bear shifter, behind him.

  Cynthia stood straighter. Something was definitely up. But what? A flash of panic made her think of Joey, but when she reached out with her mind, she sensed laughter and joy as he played on the neighboring estate. So Joey was safe, thank God.

  “What is it?”

  “There’s… Well, there’s someone asking to see you,” Anjali said.

  Dell shot his mate a concerned look. “I was going to turn the guy away, but Anjali thinks…”

  He trailed off there, and Cynthia frowned. What did Anjali think?

  “You know I would never bring an outsider here,” Anjali explained. “But I think—”

  “I think he’s trouble,” Connor growled from the yard.

  He? Who, he? Cynthia stepped to the doorway, surprised to see everyone there. Hailey and Tim, the bear shifters, were on the porch stairs, looking fierce. Jenna and Sophie were on ground level, shooting Anjali bolstering looks. The women appeared to be in favor of the visitor, whomever it was, and the men were all on alert. Including Chase and Connor, who stood in he driveway, holding another man in place. Each of them pinned one of his arms behind his back like a criminal they’d dragged off the street.

  Anjali moved aside, giving Cynthia space, and she strode to the very edge of the porch, looking down. The visitor — criminal? — stared silently up at her, and—