by C. D. Gorri
“Kitten?” Rei waited for him to leave before turning to Cora.
“Yes?”
“I, uh, think you should leave,” he said frowning even as he spoke.
“What? No way.”
“Look, I don’t know who did this. But if they want what’s in there, then it is not safe for you to be here right now-”
“I said no,” she walked right up to him and poked him in the chest with her finger. Was it wrong if he got turned on by the aggressive gesture? Too bad if it was. He licked his lips and watched her ocean eyes flash blue fire at him as she spoke angrily.
“Look, we are mated now, my place is with you. Besides, who could protect me better than you can?” She said and smoothed her hand over the place she’d viciously stabbed at him with her pointy nail. Ouch.
“Kitten, there is something you should know about my Dragon,” he began and took both her hands in his before she could poke him again, “I am a Gold Dragon, King of the Golden Flame to be exact. In that safe is a detailed memoir of my lineage.”
“A family history? Why would anyone besides you want that?”
“You see,” he said drawing her over to a chair that had miraculously survived the attack. He sat down and pulled her atop him, loving how she readily went to him. She looked adorable perched on his knee, face all business as she waited for him to explain.
“The Golden Flame is a coveted prize. As its King, I am the only one who can wield it. Witches, Warlocks, and Demons alike, most Dark magic practitioners actually, have coveted my talent for a very long time.”
“Go on,” she said rubbing his shoulders and soothing his beast. Funny, he had not even realized he was getting agitated and there she was calming him. He couldn’t help himself. He dropped a kiss on her lips before he started back up with his story.
“The memoirs were written by my descendants, elders of my Clan who have since passed on. It describes a way to harness my powers, to bleed them from me, if you will.”
“You mean whoever did this wants to steal your golden flame?”
“Yes. It is the only thing that makes sense, but until I can discover who is behind this, I can’t guarantee your safety-”
“Oh hush. Of course you can,” she said, her firm belief in him pulsing through their bond. It humbled him to know she trusted him so implicitly.
We will keep our mate safe, his Dragon vowed, and Rei knew both man and beast would die for her.
“Has anyone ever tried this before? To steal your flame?” Rei looked down, pondering her question.
“The only person I can think of is a Witch, but I killed her myself before I went to sleep.”
“Are you certain she died?”
CHAPTER 12
Cora bristled as her mate told her all about his former lover. Some bitch, excuse me, witch, named Tricia Cadela.
The slut had wanted Rei to freely give her his flame, even went so far as to claim she was his mate in order to convince him to hand over his powers. Cora wasn’t exactly sure what his powers were, but they were his damn it. And he was hers!
If that Witch were alive, Cora would hunt her down and tear her a new asshole for even looking at her mate. Anger and the need for revenge coursed through her. Some of it was his, but mostly what she got from him was an overwhelming need to protect her.
Awe, she thought happily. He does love me.
“Of course, I love you, kitten,” he said and nipped her fingertip between his sharp teeth.
“Mm,” she inhaled and looked around the now cleaned office space.
They’d spent the first few hours tidying up the room. First, they’d gotten rid of everything that was broken. Second, they sent the rest of the antiques off to Mrs. Grayson at Merlin Banking where she’d have several experts appraise the items and seek proper experts to restore them to their original grandeur.
For the past ninety minutes, Cora had been pouring over his accounts to see where he’d been accessed over the years of his sleep. Unbelievably, she found ten instances of withdrawals, and a dozen more of attempts to access his private vaults.
“Shit,” she growled, jumping when she felt his large hand settle between her shoulders.
“Easy, kitten, what is it?”
“Okay, first I need to apologize on behalf of my employers, you see your accounts are very old, some of them spanning centuries-”
“Yes. So what, my love? No need for you to apologize.”
“Well you see, because they are so old and have been mainly inactive, they weren’t prioritized for our most recent security upgrade. Look, you’ve been accessed here and here, ten times in total with over ten million dollars removed in today’s market.”
“Flaming balls,” he muttered. She knew Dragons loved their treasure, but they loved being secure even more.
“Luckily, the person who did this messed up!”
“How do you figure?”
“Well, let me ask you a question first. How did the interviews with the staff go?”
“The staff? Fine, I guess,” he said narrowing his dark eyebrows and watching her with amber eyes highlighted with the gold of his Dragon. Gods, how she loved his eyes.
“Did anyone not show up?”
“A few of the contractors had the day off. Oh, and Celia hasn’t come in yet, but she does come in late sometimes,” he shrugged. Sweet easily duped man.
“Alright, well, why don’t we get ready for dinner and I will tell you more of what I found out.”
“When you say get ready, were you thinking of perhaps a little appetizer first?”
“Maybe,” she grinned.
She loved the fire in his eyes when he dipped his head and claimed her lips. Would sex always be this explosively good with her Dragon?
“Yesssss,” he hissed as he pulled her up and carried her up the stairs.
A few hours later, Cora and her mate emerged from their bedroom. Alameda had sent a note up to say the contractors were finished, the staff had gone home, he and his grandfather were in the guesthouse, and Celia had not come in at all. But the dinner she’d ordered was waiting for them below.
She’d read the note and tucked it away before her mate could read it. Cora loved her possessive Dragon to pieces, but she’d literally carve his ass up if he ever suggested she leave his side again. It was time for her to prove she could handle whatever came their way.
She might have been reluctant to admit it at first, but now that she was matebonded to Rei, she never wanted to be without him. Yes, it scared her to think that way. Especially after witnessing firsthand what happened to the surviving mate when one of a pair died early.
Cora decided she was made of stronger stuff than that. The universe had blessed her with a mate, and she was going to fight for him. Even when he didn’t want her to.
“What is that wonderful smell?” Rei asked as they walked hand in hand to the dining room.
The staff had done a great job getting rid of the broken glass and dishes. They even got the wine stain out of the carpet! Sweet.
“I ordered us a special dinner from the village. A fish stew,” Cora began.
“Ah, moqueca,” Rei smiled at her and she knew Alameda had been telling the truth about it being his favorite. They sat down to eat, and she never felt so happy.
Cora lifted her glass for Rei to pour some more chilled white wine. They talked and laughed enjoying their quiet meal. All the while she kept her senses alert for any change, any interference in the atmosphere.
“Here, you have a little something,” Rei grinned and leaned forward, wiping a dollop of sauce from her chin.
She turned her face and smiled at him, stopping when she heard the sound of someone walking towards them. Rei heard it to. He was about to jump up when Cora stilled him.
“Well, isn’t this cozy? And such a sweet gesture, Rei, I didn’t think you were capable of that,” Celia, the young woman who had served them dinner just the night before clapped her hands slowly as she came into the room.
&nbs
p; “Celia?”
“No, not Celia, this is just a glamour Rei. And you were too stupid to see through it!” She threw her head back and cackled.
Right before their eyes Celia’s young, lithe body transformed into a shorter, older woman with long gray streaked black hair. Rei jumped up this time, shielding Cora from her view.
“Tricia,” he growled her name.
“Yes, Tricia! I kept you asleep for a hundred years after you burned my house down.”
“But why? I will never give you my flame, Tricia never.”
“No? not even to save your mate?”
Flames exploded in a tall ring around where Cora had stood up the second the Witch had entered. She growled in frustration as the heat licked at her skin and threatened to burn her. She hadn’t planned for this.
“Cora!” Rei started, but the flames grew taller, closing in around her body.
“Another step and I will burn her to a crisp,” Tricia yelled.
“Let her go,” he said grimly, the gold in his eyes promising retribution.
Cora gasped as the oxygen grew thin, the flames eating it up in the bubble of fire that surrounded her. She knew Rei would be angry with her for keeping this from him, but she’d guessed it was his ex all along. Who else would have had access to his ledgers and accounts? Only someone he trusted and thought insignificant.
Arrogant Dragon. But he was her arrogant Dragon dammit!
“You fool,” Tricia wailed, “I would have given you anything you just had to cooperate. It’s too late now Rei. I will have your flame if I have to gut you for it.”
“How do you expect to do that Tricia?”
“I will kill your mate if you don’t cooperate,” she threatened, ignoring the harsh snarl coming from Rei’s lips.
“You never even suspected. All I had to do was make myself younger, sweeter looking and you never knew! I thought after a hundred years you’d wise up, Rei, but you are the same cocky bastard as ever. You never even suspected me. I’ve been searching for your Clan’s memoirs for a way to siphon your flame from you, but I am through with waiting!”
“Never, Tricia. You will never have it and I will kill you before I let you harm my mate,” he promised.
“Ah yes, your mate. How does the little Shifter slut like the heat? Maybe I should turn it up?”
The flames engulfing Cora turned blue and she felt her hair burning and skin boiling at their nearness. Dammit. Why wasn’t the stew working? She wondered. And then she felt it. Rei’s thoughts reaching through their bond to her brain.
Brace yourself, kitten. This might hurt.
Through their connection Cora felt Rei harness his fury. He took his rage and anger and brought it into one tight, flaming circle inside of him. He held onto it, using his own special Dragon Shifter magic to change it. He molded the flame within him, using his unique Dragon magic to turn it from orange to a bright white gold.
“This is your last chance, Tricia,” he growled opening his eyes and focusing on her with laser beam accuracy. They glowed intently in her direction and the Witch stumbled. She raised her hand and Cora felt all the air leave the vacuum where she was trapped.
“Too late,” Rei said.
Then he unleashed hell.
A white-hot flame of pure gold flashed across the entire first floor of the castle like a miniature atomic bomb. The Witch’s eyes opened wide for a split second before she exploded in a mist of vapor and ash.
Nothing was left of Celia, or rather Tricia, or whatever the heck her name was. Who gave a shit anyway? Not one speck of skin or hair after her mate breathed his Golden Flame vanquishing their enemy from their midst.
Cora stumbled to the ground, sucking in greedy gulps of air as Rei vaulted over the table to her side. Hands gripping her arms he held her up, concern etched all over his face as he held her up.
“Kitten? Can you breathe? Are you okay? What were you thinking not telling me she was behind this?”
“What? How?” She hacked and coughed again, relieved when he handed her a glass of cold water.
Cora lifted the glass with ash streaked hands and swallowed. It felt good, really good. She swallowed some more, soothing her raw throat with the cold liquid.
“Easy,” he cooed and took the glass from her hands, “I heard your thoughts as soon as she walked in, but it was too late by then to warn you. Are you hurt? Let me see you,” he demanded.
“Just winded,” she said and smiled.
“I don’t understand,” he frowned, confusion and relief flowing through him to her as he checked her over, “Your clothes are a mess, and the tips of your hair, but that’s all. You should have burns and blisters all over you?”
“Your mate is a lot cleverer than you think, Mr. Dorado,” she said and snuggled onto his lap, grateful for his strength as he held her against him.
“I knew she was a Witch, so I had a local practitioner of White magic from the village make our dinner. She laced it with protective herbs,” Cora grinned at his astonished expression.
“Cora, you are a constant surprise, but I swear to the gods if you pull a stunt like that again so help me,” he growled, wrapping her in a tight embrace.
“So that was it,” she asked, “Your Golden Flame? It’s like a super, supernatural weapon.”
“yes,” he agreed, “Many covet it, but personally I have always regarded it as a great burden. It has the power to annihilate millions as easily as one.”
“Why isn’t the castle destroyed?”
“I’m a Dragon, kitten, I like my treasures. My focus was on the Witch alone and she became the target of my flame. Nothing else.”
“Holy cow. No wonder everyone wants to get their hands on your flame.”
“There have been some attempts, but it takes a lot to control such a force. Many cannot handle it.”
“Mm, but you can, my fierce mate,” she nuzzled his neck, loving his strength and protectiveness.
“Cora,” he growled capturing her lips with his own.
“Rei?” She broke the kiss reluctantly.
“Yes, mate?” He nipped her neck and shivers ran down her back.
“Take me upstairs,” she whispered.
“Yessss,” he hissed, barely in control of his Dragon.
EPILOGUE
“Cora, are you sure you packed enough underwear? Cause you’re gonna be here a whole month. Maybe I should stop at the mall and get you some more? You still wear those string things that go up your crack?”
“Oh my gods, Mom! Yes, I packed enough underwear. Hush, the bride and groom are coming,” she whispered frantically at her mother who was practically shouting her wardrobe across the entire reception.
Her ex-roommate and other BFF, Leandra, giggled from her seat next to Cora’s mom and Cora blew a raspberry at her. Her attention turned back to Rei as he brushed her mind through their matebond.
“You should tell your mother you don’t wear underwear anymore, kitten,” Rei smiled as he whispered. It always amazed her when he shared his thoughts and carried conversations with her through their bond. He squeezed her thigh under the table, and she trembled in response. Heat and desire flamed to life in the fiery amber of his eyes.
Moisture pooled between her legs. Dammit, why’d he have to go and get her all worked up when they wouldn’t be alone for hours yet?
She glared at him then stopped as she recognized the sizzle in his gaze. Oooh. Tonight, is gonna be awesome.
“Yessss,” he agreed.
She gasped as she felt his claw tipped fingers trace delicately up her inner thigh, the soft scrape bringing forth more of her slick juices.
She needed Stephanie and Avail, her new husband to hurry the heck up, she thought trembling from her mate’s touch.
To her surprise, one of her BFFs was now married and mated to a Shifter herself. A Jersey Devil, apparently. Cora never even knew they existed! And apparently that wasn’t the only surprise. The new bride was expecting. Cora could scent her friend’s hCG levels and
they were off the chart.
Probably twins, she thought. Happy for her sister from another mister. She smiled as the music swelled and the blonde bride entered the room on the arm of her tall, dark, handsome mate. Rei growled and Cora rolled her eyes at him.
“Get out of my head,” she whispered.
“Don’t think about other men.”
“Never, my love. Only you.”
“Did I mention what I was thinking this morning?” She spoke aloud this time, but still only in his ear.
“What’s that, kitten?” He said and indulged in a small kiss at the base of her throat.
“I was thinking we should do this,” she nodded at the happy couple who were now dancing in each other’s arms as if no one else in the room existed.
“Do what?” Rei asked nibbling her ear.
“Get married,” she said, surprising them both.
“You want to marry me, Cora?”
“Do you want to ask me, Rei?”
“Corrra,” he growled.
She grinned wickedly, winking at her fierce mate in that special way he loved. He was a sucker for her long lashes and unusual eyes. Told her often they looked like the ocean or some such nonsense that made her blush and mewl and then eventually beg.
Well, he wasn’t the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve. He knew how to drag moan after moan out of her. Knew how to make her smile without even trying. He even knew how she liked her coffee. But she’d just gotten the drop on her sexy mate with that little bombshell.
Marriage. Who knew she’d want to enter that permanent state of wedded bliss so soon after her mating? Well he did for one.
Sure, he’d mentioned it a time or two, or a dozen since they had mated, but she always changed the subject.
Afraid to take that final step. Well, not anymore. Not since he’d given her the sweetest gift of all. His trust in the form of one magical golden flame.
The night before they left for Stephanie’s wedding, weeks after the incident with Tricia Cadela, Rei had come into their bedroom with a large leather box. He’d placed it at her feet and waited until she sunk down into the plush carpeting next to him.