Protected by the Dragon (Banished Dragons)

by Leela Ash

  “I will love her like my own and protect her as fiercely as I protect you, and our child as well.”

  He continued pressing light, sensual kisses against her skin, and her eyes fluttered closed as she allowed herself to release all worries and tensions under his doting care.

  Her body was trembling by the time he lifted his head and fixed an intense stare upon her. How could she ever have doubted this man? She had always, on some level, wanted him. And now he was hers.

  She closed her eyes, allowing herself to open up to him fully. He seemed to sense her willingness and let out an appreciative moan, his body suddenly virile and alert.

  She sensed the change in him immediately and caught his smoldering gaze. Her heart hammered hard in her chest as she prepared herself to accept his love fully.

  A deep heat emanated from her core as Rhett’s lips caressed her skin, and he slowly, gently, stripped her, his movements tender and full of love and concern. He cherished her body, treating her as if she were a delicate, priceless artifact. The way he touched her both warmed her heart and stoked the fire within her loins until it was smoldering.

  “I want you,” Rhett said, his eyes intent upon her as he finally finished removing her clothing. “Is that okay for our child?”

  “It’s okay,” Mia said softly.

  Rhett grinned, and Mia allowed herself to scan his beautiful, chiseled body. They didn’t make men this good-looking on Earth. Why hadn’t she suspected him of being an alien shapeshifter sooner?

  He climbed over her, the muscles in his abdomen rippling as he carefully pressed the urgency of his member against her. She accepted him readily, her body aching to feel him again. She had never had a better lover, and she trembled, anticipation causing her to draw shuddering breaths.

  Rhett tightened his grip around her and she closed her eyes, swallowing hard as desire consumed her. The languid movement of his body left her speechless and she moaned softly as he found the sensitive bundle of nerves between her legs, massaging it expertly as if it was built into him to know exactly how to please her.

  Her legs were guided apart gently, and she inhaled sharply, gasping as she felt the firmness of his muscle make its way to her ready opening. She gripped onto Rhett’s shoulders, finding his eyes and giving a slight nod, indicating that it was okay for him to proceed.

  Rhett dropped a tender, loving kiss against her lips, deepening it and filling her mouth with the sweetness of his tongue as he filled her body with the fulness of his member. A jolt of electricity surged through her body, from her fingers to her toes as they became connected, really and truly, mind, body, and soul, for the first time. There was no doubt, anymore, who they were to each other, and that made her more than eager to accept him, both into her life and inside her body.

  Mia moaned deeply at the incredible satisfaction, holding onto Rhett’s shoulders tightly as he began to move his body in maddeningly slow thrusts that stirred the fire within her until it was a raging inferno. She tried to hold back a moan of rapture but found it nearly impossible, instead, succumbing to the overwhelming pleasure that Rhett’s body was invoking within her.

  She shuddered violently as he began to speed the rhythm of his hips, his lips working still as he appreciated every curve of her body, both with his hands and with his mouth. The pleasure she was receiving was incomparable to any she had ever felt before. While their first encounter together had been eager and intense, this one was agonizingly slow and mindful. And it made her want more.

  Her hips bucked involuntarily, signaling that she was nearing the end of her patience with this patience-wearying game, and Rhett caught her eye, a sudden and deep intensity present. She knew exactly what this meant and let out a low moan of pleasure as Rhett sped the rhythm of his hips and began to put more power behind his movements.

  The power awakened a raw, almost animalistic need within Mia and she cried out, urging him onward with his body. They were moving together with flawless synchronicity and she let out a fevered moan as he submerged himself suddenly and fully within her, all traces of his initial tenderness gone and replaced by something primal and full of need just like hers.

  Suddenly, the world was upside down as Rhett unleashed his full power upon her, his impressively muscled abdomen moving intensely to please her, his own body submerged and consumed by her heat. He let out a grunt of pleasure, speeding his work along as she writhed beneath him, her body too consumed with the act for thoughts or words. All she knew was this desire. She ached for release.

  Rhett was relentless in building her toward her climax, and she cried out hotly as he gripped her by the hips, holding her steadily in place until she was nearly screaming in ecstasy. Never had her body been satisfied in this way, and a deep growl rolled in Rhett’s throat as he sensed her nearing her peak.

  Another hot, searing thrust of his member inside her, then another brought her to her limit, and Mia began to quake in rapture. He tightened his grip on her, sliding his hands up her legs and tugging her forward, the momentum of their bodies together creating a sinuous friction that sent jolts of pleasure all throughout her body and ushered her rapidly to climax.

  She could feel herself squeezing and contracting Rhett’s muscle and his jaw tightened, his own pleasure obvious on his features as he knit his brow and worked his body to carry out her orgasm. She felt him shudder inside of her a moment, and then a sudden hot torrent of his fluid erupted thunderously inside of her.

  Mia cried out in pleasure, shaking as their peaks merged and intensified each other’s. He continued to thrust inside of her, easing the power of his hips as they began to float back down from the height of their rapture and come back into themselves, spent and satisfied.

  Rhett laid down in bed, gathering Mia into his arms and kissing her tenderly on the temple. “Everything is going to be all right now,” he said, bringing her close. “And I am going to protect you and love you for the rest of our lives.”

  He pressed his hand against her abdomen gingerly, and Mia felt warmth spread through her entire body. “And you, little one.”

  She smiled, resting her head against Rhett’s shoulder gently. “Somehow, I knew that from the moment I met you. I love you.”

  “And I love you,” Rhett said, closing his eyes. “We will conquer the world together, you know.”

  Mia nodded sleepily, her eyes fluttering closed. She was suddenly exhausted. “Mm.”

  She fell asleep like this, holding the man she loved close, comforted by the knowledge that all this time she had been right all along. Everything happened for a reason, and now, she had finally found hers.

  The End

  SHIFTER HEAVEN BOX SET PREVIEW

  Dragon Protector

  Dragon Dreams Book 1

  Leela Ash & Tabitha St. George

  Chapter 1

  Golden and mysterious, the coin in Hannah Stiles’ hand hinted that there was hope. That, maybe, just maybe, there was a path out of this disaster.

  From downstairs, she caught snatches of her parents’ hushed debate.

  “…extremely generous offer… we won’t see another like it…”

  “…but we’ll lose everything!”

  “Everything except our son.”

  Silence fell. There was no arguing against that last point. Four months ago, a hit and run driver struck her seventeen-year-old brother Danny as he walked home one evening. Bills mounted. Insurance, that had promised the world, delivered far less protection than they needed. Hannah didn’t know the details. Even though she was six years older than her brother, her parents still treated her like their little princess. They tried to shield her from life’s ugly truths.

  But things had come to a head and there was no hiding now. Her parents owed the hospital $72,300. As much as their small farm made in an entire year! With their savings drained, a ‘savior’ had appeared, a real estate developer who made them a very generous offer for their farm. Enough money to cover their debts and set up somewhere else…

/>   …if they were willing to abandon their home. A house that had been in the Stiles’ family for centuries. The place where she and her father had grown up. Her parents hated the idea – but there was no other option.

  Except this coin.

  Hannah took a deep, shaky breath and prayed it was as magical as Grandpa had said. “When things are darkest,” he’d told her, “when there’s no hope at all, show this to the Protectors. They are bound by blood and honor to aid us.”

  Unfortunately, he hadn’t told her how to find those ‘Protectors’. His grandfather hadn’t bothered to pass that important detail along. Being a modern girl, Hannah didn’t believe in ancient debts and magic coins. But if this thing had truly been in her family for 300 years, it must be valuable. Maybe valuable enough to save their home. And she had a good idea where to find a ‘Protector’ of her own.

  Online.

  A quick image search didn’t turn up anything that looked similar. The coin itself didn’t offer many clues about its origin. No date, no sign of what country it came from. One side was blank. On the other, a dragon curled around the edge, circling two words: “Noraste Mel.” Google couldn’t translate that. When she posted on a rare coins forum, no one had ever heard of anything like it.

  Until yesterday, when an email arrived:

  Ms. Stiles,

  I am keenly interested in the coin you describe. If I am right about its origins, it is priceless. Though, surely, its Protector has told you that?

  I need to see the coin to be certain. I will arrange a video conference tomorrow night at 6:00. Do have the coin with you.

  Sincerely,

  Brandon Lorde

  Two words sent butterflies winging through her stomach. ‘Priceless’ – because that could save them. And ‘Protector’ – a strange echo of her grandpa’s own words. Quickly, she’d agreed to speak to Mr. Lorde tonight.

  Her computer’s clock read 5:58pm. Hannah set the coin down and ran a hand through her long blonde hair. Nervously, she swept a wrinkle out of her sleeve and worried that perhaps jeans and a faded state fair t-shirt weren’t the best choice to impress a stranger.

  Nonsense, she scolded herself. This isn’t a date. He’s interested in your coin, not you.

  The exact moment the clock ticked over to 6:00pm, a soft ping announced that Mr. Lorde wished to begin a video chat.

  Hannah licked her lips and clicked ‘accept’.

  She had expected some little old man surrounded by cats, coins, and dusty antiques. Instead, a Greek god appeared on her screen.

  Black hair, thick and light as a raven’s wings, framed his strong, angular face. Everything about him radiated strength, from his muscular arms to the sharp cut of his jaw and his full, firm lips. And his eyes…!

  They caught her and held her as tightly as a hare in a hawk’s grasp. She had never seen eyes like them before. Rich, sapphire blue. For a moment, she swore there were lights in them, tiny flecks of purest gold that swirled around the pupils’ dark center.

  Hannah’s breath caught in her throat. She simply stared, like a deer in headlights, wishing, once again, that she’d changed clothes after coming in from the barn.

  For a moment, those luscious, mesmerizing eyes scanned her, drinking in every detail of her face, her clothes, her hair. Perhaps it was crazy, but he seemed… eager? Anxious? No, nothing that weak. But clearly, whatever this coin was, it held great importance to him.

  “Ms. Stiles?”

  Even his voice thrilled her, a deep, rich bass that transformed her plain, boring name into something enchanting.

  He cleared his throat. “Ms. Stiles?”

  Oh heavens! He expected an answer? Blood rushed to Hannah’s cheeks as she realized she’d been sitting there staring at him. “Yes? Uh, yes! I’m, uh, Hannah. Hannah Stiles.”

  “Good. Please hold the coin up to your computer’s camera.”

  No small talk? No ‘Hi, how are you, nice to see you?’ For the first time, she felt a twinge of uneasiness, but she ignored it. Of course, he was all business. A wealthy, elegant man like him would never care about a plain farm girl like her. Still blushing, she raised the coin, so he could see it.

  Immediately, he gasped. Some bright emotion lit his azure eyes. Hope? Joy? She couldn’t tell. For one moment, a dazzled smile brightened his face and he began to speak in a deep, musical language.

  What it was, she had no idea. Certainly nothing like her high school Spanish. He fell silent, awaiting an answer. Hannah winced. “I’m sorry. I don’t know that language.”

  At once, clouds of suspicion darkened his handsome face. He repeated the last sentence, his smile fading.

  “Sorry, I really don’t have any idea what you’re saying.”

  “Marakeen?” Those brilliant eyes bored into her now, seeking traps and deceit. “This word means nothing to you?”

  Hannah shook her head. “Is that the name of the coin?”

  His eyes closed, freeing her. Every muscle in his lithe body tensed, as if some fierce battle raged inside him. When he opened his eyes again, they were as cold as glacial ice. Chin raised, he stared through the computer at her with chilly disdain. “So, tell me, where did you steal the coin from?”

  Steal?!? Now her eyes flashed. “Excuse me? How dare you accuse me of theft?”

  “How dare I?” he sneered. “You have no idea what you hold in your hand. Clearly, you are a thief.”

  “This coin has been in my family for hundreds of years!”

  “And yet, you know nothing of the Marakeen?” She glared back at him, unwilling to answer, and he gave a short bark of laughter. “Then let me correct myself. You are not a thief – you are the descendent of thieves.”

  “I think this conversation is over,” Hannah hissed. Gorgeous or not, he didn’t get to sit there and insult her family like that.

  As she reached for the mouse, his lip curled in mockery. “Don’t you want your money, thief’s child?”

  Hannah froze, and now it was her turn to fight back anger.

  Money. That was why she was here. She couldn’t forget that. Couldn’t let her anger… her disappointment, cloud her mind. Yes, her ‘Greek god’ seemed to be more of a devil. Yes, he was arrogant, and dismissive, and…

  She swallowed and scrubbed her eyes, quickly wiping away any trace of the shamed tears his taunts had summoned. None of that mattered. What mattered was that, judging from the luxurious furniture she saw behind him, he was rich. And he wanted her coin.

  “Well?”

  His scornful gaze burned through her, hitting her soul like a hammer’s blow. Yet she forced herself to meet it. To lift her chin and defy his unjust accusations. “Yes. $72,300. That’s what this coin will cost you.”

  He didn’t even blink at that crazy price tag. “An oddly specific price.”

  She held her tongue. He didn’t deserve an explanation.

  “Very well.” Clearly, his interest in the subject had died. “$72,300 it is. I will mail you my address. Send the coin to me and I will give you what you want.”

  “I want the money first!” Her lips pinched. “I don’t trust you.”

  “Well, I don’t trust thieves,” he countered, “and I have the money. You will not be paid until the coin is in my possession.”

  As she opened her mouth to argue, he waved dismissively. “We’re done here,” he said, as the video conference ended.

  For a moment, Hannah sat there, shaking with shame and rage. How could someone so heavenly, so gorgeous, be so cruel? What had she done to deserve that kind of treatment?

  By all rights, she ought to be dancing with joy. She’d done it! She’d found the money her family needed to save their land! But all she could think about was his eyes, and the way the hope and joy they held had died. She hadn’t done a thing wrong, and yet here she sat, feeling vaguely guilty. Sure that, somehow, she’d disappointed this stranger.

  Rude stranger, she reminded herself. He was in the wrong, not her.

  A ping announced the arriv
al of his address. New York City – not so far from her upstate home.

  She stared at it until her mother’s voice called her to dinner. And when she rose, she had a plan.

  Mr. Brandon Lorde of New York City would get his coin alright.

  But not the way he expected.

  Chapter 2

  A day later, Brandon Lorde was still stewing about that treacherous thief as he jogged through Central Park.

  Normally, he drew attention on his runs. His dark charisma, as well as his relentless pace, caught the eyes of everyone he passed. By the time sweat plastered his shirt to the hard lines of his muscled body, he would turn the head of any woman in the park.

  Not today. Today, a fierce anger burned inside him. Nothing was worse than a thief, a person who stole what another had claimed. Humans and animals both despised anything that took what was not theirs.

  Their displeasure was a pale shadow of his own fury. For, while he looked like a perfectly sculpted human man, he was much, much more. He was a Dragon Shifter, a Marakeen in the Old Tongue. An ancient guardian who resided half in this world, half in the Other Side. To mortal eyes, he was nothing more than a strikingly handsome man. Only those with Shifter blood could see the majestic Dragon of his soul.

  Once his breed had been guardians, protectors of the Wellsprings that brought magic and life from the Other Side to this world. But Earth had turned from magic. The Wellsprings dried up, tearing a hole in the souls of all Dragonkind. They were Guardians of Nothing. Protectors of the Past. No matter how much wealth they gathered and hoarded, no pleasure ever filled that gaping rift.

  Yesterday, for one exhilarating, terrible moment, he had dared to dream of finding his purpose at long last. Hannah Stiles’ ‘coin’ was a piece of Blood Gold, the token that a Dragon gave to someone who saved his life. He, and all Dragons, owed its owner a debt of honor. A debt that honor demanded be repaid, even at the cost of the Dragon’s life.