Ranger Knox (Shifter Nation: Werebears Of Acadia Book 1)

by Meg Ripley

  "Your mate?" she asked, "So I'm part of a breeding program? My father pimped me out to try to make, what, an army of tiny dragon hybrids?"

  She was trying to climb off his lap, but Arach held her firmly.

  "No. It's not like that," she wriggled again and Arach pulled her tightly up against his chest so she couldn’t move, "Listen to me. It's not like that. You were made for me. My father just recognized that and made the agreement with your father that we would be the link that would maintain peace between our worlds. Unfortunately, one of the rogue groups found out about it and threatened a war if you weren't given instead to their efforts."

  "Oh my god, Greyson," Aurora said, realization dawning on her painfully.

  "Yes."

  "So, you're telling me that I've been a pawn since birth. My own father essentially sold my ass to Greyson to keep peace that I promise you would not last anyway. He lied to me and he tried to take away my future because he got himself in the middle of –what? Dragons and dragon slayers?"

  Her mind was spinning. She was confused, furious, and deeply saddened all at the same time.

  "Yes, but he changed his mind."

  "What?"

  "Your father. He changed his mind about the arrangement. My father had a meeting with him just a few weeks before—"

  "That's why he was murdered," Aurora said quietly.

  Arach nodded, releasing some of the tension on his grip so he could stroke her cheek.

  "The hunters heard of his change of heart before we could properly protect him."

  "Did Greyson…" she trailed off, unable to even ask the question that burned in her throat.

  "Yes," Arach replied carefully.

  A botched break-in, the police had called it. Aurora and her mother had come home to Lee in a pool of his own blood in the living room, the cards for the speech he was working on spread on the marble floor around him. Aurora remembered dropping to her knees beside him and dragging her father's head into her lap. He looked up at her with terror in his eyes, his face streaked with blood, and took her face in his hand. Greyson, he had whispered. Aurora had reaffirmed her promise to him then, committing herself unknowingly to her father's murderer.

  "Arach?" a voice from the doorway broke through the tense moment between them.

  "Yes?" Arach said to the young man standing just outside the doorway.

  "They are coming."

  Arach nodded and the man ran away. He lifted her off his lap and placed her on the bed beside him, immediately starting to button his shirt again.

  "Who's coming?" Aurora asked.

  Arach didn't answer, but stood and started toward the door. Aurora chased after him, following him out of the room and into a cold stone hallway.

  "Aurora, go back in there," he demanded, not stopping, but glancing briefly over at her.

  "Who's coming?" Aurora repeated.

  She had to run to keep up with his long strides and the stone floor felt rough beneath her feet.

  "Go back."

  Aurora reached out and grabbed onto Arach, yanking him to a stop and shoving him back against the wall to the hallway. She was nearly a foot shorter than him, but she looked up at him without intimidation.

  "I have had enough of men telling me what to do in the last few months. Today has truly been the wedding day from hell. At least, I think it is still today. I honestly have completely lost track. I'm still standing here in my fucking wedding dress after finding out that the man I very nearly married murdered my father. So, stop telling me to go back and instead try telling me what the hell is going on."

  Arach looked startled and took her carefully by the shoulders to guide her a few steps back from him.

  "My clan took your father's murder as an act of war. That is why I connected with you when I did. I needed to bring you to me before the fighting began."

  "You connected with me on purpose?"

  "Of course. When a dragon has a human mate, he has the ability to connect with her in her dreams so he can spend time with her without being near other humans."

  "So, those dreams were real?"

  "They were both dreams and real."

  Aurora decided it was futile to try to understand any further.

  "Who's coming, Arach?"

  "The rogues did not take my removing you from your wedding well. They have made it known that they take it as a sign of aggression and are coming to take you back."

  Arach started walking again and Aurora chased him.

  "Greyson?"

  "Yes."

  "How did he explain you to the guests?"

  Arach led her through a massive wooden door into a room filled with weapons. He reached up and pulled a heavy-looking sword from the wall.

  "People only see what they think they should. By tomorrow it will have all been explained away and only those who already knew about us will have any idea that they saw dragons."

  Suddenly Aurora heard screams from outside. Arach muttered an obscenity and pushed past her through another door. Without a second thought, Aurora wrapped her hand around a crossbow and followed him.

  ****

  Outside, a brilliant sunset was dying behind the horizon, sending tendrils of deep purple across the sky. Aurora looked around and saw dragons at every side. She heard another scream and took off running in the direction of the sound. As she ran, the terrain became more familiar. Soon she found herself in the forest where she had walked in her first dream.

  She ran until she came to the edge of the woods and saw a group of men slashing with knives at a dragon far smaller than Arach. The dragon made another of the screaming sounds and sent a weak stream of fire toward the men. Aurora didn't understand why the other dragons hadn't come. She started running again and as she approached the group she saw Arach rise out of the water and knock several of the men to the ground with his claw.

  To his side a man pulled a long sword from a sheath at his hip and raised it above his head. She immediately recognized him.

  "Greyson!" she called, stopping a few yards away.

  Greyson turned sharply and before he could say anything, Aurora lifted the crossbow and let the arrow fly. The sharp metal tip burrowed through his throat, tattering the skin as he collapsed to the ground. Everything went silent around her. The other men fell to the ground one by one, torn and burned. Within seconds, the battle was over. She dropped the crossbow to her feet and walked toward Greyson's body.

  Blood poured from the wound in his throat and he stared with blank eyes up at the sky. Sickness rolled through her as she looked at him, not because of the blood or even because he had died at her hand, but because of the trust he had so horrifically betrayed.

  No longer in dragon form, Arach walked toward her and gathered her in his arms. She hugged him back, burying her face in his chest.

  "Are you real?" she asked into his shirt.

  Arach pushed her back gently.

  "Yes," he said.

  "Was I really made for you?"

  "Yes," Arach repeated.

  "Prove it to me."

  Before she knew what was happening, Arach had shifted and she was on his back, riding him over the trees back toward the house. The dragons that had swarmed the area when she first emerged were gone. She would later learn about their rules of battle and why they had stayed behind while Arach and the other dragon fought. For now, all she cared about was him.

  Arach landed just outside the massive stone house and waited until she slid from his back to shift back into human form. He took her hand and led her along another stone hallway back to the bedroom. She noticed that the walls of the hallway featured swathes of purple velvet, a sign of royalty.

  When they reached the bedroom, Arach swept Aurora into his arms so he cradled her against his chest as he walked toward the bed. He set her on her feet at the edge of the bed and she felt his hands come to the back of her gown. The corseting strings released and he peeled the dress away from her body, letting it fall to the floor at her feet. She wore on
ly white satin panties beneath and he lowered himself to his knees in front of her so that he could draw the damp cloth down her thighs and guide them off her feet.

  Taking her hips in his hands, Arach dipped his head forward and used his tongue to mimic the skilled movements of his hand the first time she had seen him in human form. The tip focused intensely on the swollen pearl of flesh at her peak and Aurora tossed her head back to let out a cry of pleasure. Stopping just short of her completion, Arach climbed back to his feet and undressed, tossing his clothes aside. Aurora drank in the beauty of his naked body in front of her. She reached for his erection and wrapped her hand eagerly around it.

  Arach drew in a sharp breath and Aurora took the sound as encouragement to continue. Still stroking him, she knelt in front of him and let her tongue slip past her lips so that the tip of his penis stroked across it with each long glide of her hand. He let her continue this way for a few strokes, then took her by her shoulders and brought her to her feet.

  Aurora complied willingly with his hands as he led her onto the bed and turned her body so her head rested on the pillows. He climbed up toward her and she could see the dragon in the power of his movements. Bringing his lips to hers, Arach stretched his body over hers so they touched from their chests to their toes. Aurora put everything into her kiss, letting him coax her further and further into her overpowering desire for him.

  She drew her thighs apart beneath his, causing him to settle between them and the tip of his erection to touch her opening. The sensation made her gasp and she looked into his eyes, holding his gaze as he pushed slowly forward, sinking deeply into her until his hipbones rested against her and her body felt full and fulfilled. She pulled the leather strap from his hair, releasing the silken strands so they fell around his face and onto his shoulder blades.

  Aurora buried her fingers in his hair and brought his mouth back down to hers. She flicked the tip of her tongue against the inside of his bottom lip, encouraging him. His hips rolled against her and she whimpered, relaxing against the feeling to let her hips open further to him. Each long, deep stroke massaged her and she used her hands on his lower back to guide him into a faster rhythm. As he thrust into her she could hear growls of pleasure in his throat.

  Sweat beaded on his skin and Aurora lifted her head to lick the drops off his shoulder before bringing her mouth close to his ear.

  "Let go," she whispered.

  Arach released the sounds from his throat and started moving at a faster pace, each stroke hard enough to elicit a cry. Aurora felt herself spiraling out of control and just as her body contracted around him, Arach gave a final, intense thrust and groaned loudly. She could feel him pulsing within her, spilling hot stream into her body as her tremors milked him.

  Aurora kissed along his shoulder as he dropped down onto her and tucked his head in the curve of her neck. War was coming. She knew it. All that mattered to her in that moment, though, was his heartbeat against hers and knowing that when sleep overtook her, she would remain in his arms, just where she was made to be.

  THE END

  Fated Mate Of The Dragon Princes

  A Story By Eva Pierce

  As an avid student of Renaissance era literature, Sarah dreams of dragons. But when these dreams become particularly vivid--showing her two mysterious dragon princes who also assume irresistibly gorgeous human forms--she knows somehow that her nocturnal imaginings are far more real than she imagined.

  Regal princes of the Planet Vertania, an emerald gem flying high in the universe, Lachan and Gabriel enjoy a carefree life in both their dragon and human forms. When their father commands them to find their fated princesses, however, they are dismayed to discover that they are both destined to wed the same woman: an enchanting Earthling named Sarah Coleman.

  Invading her dreams and reality with their romantic charms and seductive ways, the brothers are forced to compete for the affections of witty, spirited Sarah. Could it be, however, that both of the dragon princes are tied and bound to one particular princess?

  Only in flight did they discover true freedom.

  Although the brothers Lachan and Gabriel reigned as the crown princes of Vertania, they gladly exchanged their royal silks and lofty gold jeweled crowns for the regal beauty and divine strength of their nature made forms.

  As often as possible the brothers abandoned their daily duties and took leave of their home palace; a sparkling, towering structure of mint hued domes, towers and turrets, bordered and encircled by sprawling balconies and porches and topped with a royal flag that depicted a mighty dragon king in all its mystical glory.

  Assuming their form in a single smooth flourish, the brothers launched their newly morphed bodies—enchanted concoctions of majestic wings, long contoured tails, lengthy noses and gleaming eyes, and claws that cut the air before them—high into the air, looking down upon the crystalline kingdom that they called home.

  The world was theirs and they knew as much; their green second skin fitting much like a king’s coat as they raced with a whisper soft bank of billowing clouds beneath a glowing golden sun.

  Yet as much as the brothers savored their freedom and reveled in their singular strength, they never did lose sight of the fact that they did not rule and reign as the kings of their land. Indeed, that title belonged only to the man who occupied the throne room of their lustrous home castle.

  No matter how high they ventured to fly, their mighty forms traversing the vast expanse of a pure gem green sky, they knew that the call of a single bugle could send them careening in a downward spiral in the direction of the ground beneath them, landing finally before the gold double doors that fronted their emerald castle.

  Returning with frustrated sighs to their more conventional, more manageable human forms, the brothers slipped on the long bejeweled tunics and sleek black leather pantaloons that comprised their earthbound wardrobe.

  Wincing as the tenor of their father’s calling bugle grew louder and louder by the moment, the brothers rushed inward into the vast tiled entryway of their grand childhood home, rushing headfirst down the long winding corridors that would take them to their father’s throne room.

  Soon they found themselves crossing the arched entryway that would take them to the glowing centerpiece of their shining regal residence; a room whose walls glowed with a layer of bejeweled forest green tapestries, exquisite artworks overseen by a lush vaulted ceiling and a glimmering bank of candle-lined chandeliers.

  Forming the head of this illustrious room was a velvet-cushioned golden throne, the sitting place of a stoic silver-haired man who looked down upon his two sons with grave, concerned eyes.

  “My sons,” the good King Dracor spoke finally, his loud booming voice filling the room as his sons stood just a bit straighter in response. “You missed our meeting of council this morn, an important and relevant event that passes just once per moon on the Vertanian calendar.” He paused here, leaning forward on his high seat as he continued, “Where, may I ask, were you?”

  Gabriel, the golden-haired dragon, shuffled his feet beneath him as he considered this question.

  “Well, dear Father,” he began, raising his golden head to look his father straight in the eyes. “We each respect and acknowledge your role as the head of this kingdom. And we trust your judgment in overseeing and administrating any and all matters of state. As such, we do not see it as our place to claim seats on the royal council, permitting our youth and inexperience to taint the font of your endless wisdom.”

  Lachan had heard enough.

  “We were flying!” the sable-haired prince interrupted his brother, making a broad gesture between them as he continued, “We’re nothing more than young dragons, Father, enjoying our lives and kingdom in the guise of our most natural form.”

  Dracor sighed.

  “As a nature made dragon myself, my sons, I know all too well the pull of the magic, the manner in which our true and natural forms constantly call out to us,” he acknowledged, stroking the stran
ds of his long grey beard to reflective effect. “I know also, however, that I myself am no longer a dragon of youth and virility—and I am certainly not immortal. All too soon for any of our liking, dear boys, I shall be forced to retire from my place on the throne, leaving it to the two of you to rule our world and kingdom.”

  The king paused here, his old withered hand gripping his forehead as he considered this most unsettling, even petrifying possibility.

  “You two must prepare yourselves for the massive responsibility that awaits you on your thrones,” he informed them. “You must attend every session of our royal council, as well as our full schedule of intergalactic conferences and diplomatic ceremonies and events.”

  The brothers looked at one another, then nodded.

  “Yay,” they agreed as one.

  The king nodded.

  “Very good,” he allowed, adding quickly, “Of course, I also will expect you to study and formulate opinions about the rules and laws that govern our land. I require your thoughts on existing matters of state, as well as your plans and ideas for new programs and enterprises that could benefit our people.”

  The brothers again looked at one another, then nodded.

  “Yay,” they agreed as one.

  The king nodded.

  “Very good,” he allowed. “Of course, I also feel that the time has come for the two of you to find and wed your respective predestined mates.”

  The brothers looked at one another, then shook their heads. Hard.

  “Nay, Father, you must grant us more time to enjoy our youth,” Lachan insisted, his muscled arms making near desperate gestures in the air before him. “Our freedom! Oh, of course we both wish to marry and have children—to raise future kings and queens. First, however, we have so much of this world, and other worlds, to explore and discover.”

  The king had heard enough.

  “Lachan, just last month we celebrated the passing of your 23rd summer—and your brother, he is two years older,” he reminded them both. “It is time for both of you to commence and embrace your intended roles as the future kings of Vertania.” He paused here, adding as he pointed an authoritative finger straight in the direction of his scowling sons, “And as such, you each must find your queen.”