Shifters in the Shadows: Seventeen Paranormal Romances of Sexy Shifters, Dangerous Vamps, & Things That Go Bump in the Night

by J. K Harper

  Or written down, because they were dirty as hell.

  “Fuck me,” she whispered hoarsely, completely uncaring of how it made her sound.

  For once in her life, she knew exactly what she wanted, and she was going to get it.

  “With pleasure,” he snarled, diving back on the bed and spreading her legs with one thigh as he assaulted her mouth with his once more.

  She sucked on his tongue like she wanted to suck his cock, grinding her body against his. His cock rubbed up and down her wet slit, making her shudder with expectation. Sabrina practically shoved herself on top of it, any bashfulness completely forgotten. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anyone, and she was going to have him.

  Donovan breathed in deeply as he pushed the head of his cock against her opening and then slowly, excruciatingly slowly, forced into her. Sabrina’s breath caught in her lungs and she went rigid for a moment, staying in place, still, as he entered her. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and when Donovan had filled her only halfway, she let out a guttural, breathy moan.

  “Yes, please,” she whimpered, hushed quickly by Donovan’s finger on her lips.

  “Shh, my precious,” he murmured, planting a kiss after he retracted his finger. “You’ll need that voice of yours to scream my name.”

  With that, he pulled back and then thrust deeper into her this time, making Sabrina twist and wail in his arms. The pleasure and pain contorted, making her mad with lust and need. It hurt so bad, so good.

  She clung to him for dear life, her nails raking his back. The sounds he emitted were somewhere between snarls and growls—music to her ears. Looking up into his eyes, she could see the wild gold swirl and twist as his muscles tensed. Just looking at him was amazing. Though she wanted to let her fingers trace the lines of his jaw and neck, it took all she had to keep hold of what little sanity she had when he fucked her into oblivion with such untamable passion.

  When he filled her completely, Sabrina saw stars in front of her eyes. Her lids fluttered closed and she groaned, her back lifting off the sheets as Donovan grabbed her by the hips. He pounded into her, any pretense of gentleness seemingly forgotten, and she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

  Her pussy milked him, clenching around him the same way her body tensed under his touch, always wanting more. Donovan dropped his head against her shoulder, dotting it with erratic kisses as his fingers pushed into the soft flesh at her hips. He was losing control.

  And I’m the one doing it to him, Sabrina thought with a tiny moment of glee.

  She loved being the one who could bring this proud dragon to reckless abandon.

  Though she wanted badly to get lost in her own enjoyment, a thought raced through her. Suddenly, she put her hands flat on Donovan’s chest and pushed him, staring up at him. He frowned slightly but gave into the motion, allowing Sabrina to flip him on his back and straddle him.

  Her hair fell in long, loose curls on her shoulders and breasts, and Sabrina bit her lower lip, smiling, when she saw the way Donovan was looking up at her.

  “You’re a vision,” he murmured, lust and affection in his gaze.

  “You’re pretty okay yourself,” Sabrina countered with a smile, beginning to move her hips with a slow rhythm.

  Donovan sucked in a breath and Sabrina couldn’t pretend to be unaffected by it. He filled her so perfectly that even the tiniest motion brought immediate flashes of intense pleasure that were so damnably inviting. She bit down harder on her lower lip, willing herself to last longer, to back away from that inviting cliff she wanted to tumble over.

  Donovan’s hands grabbed her hips once more and he took over her rhythm, moving her on top of him with forceful jerks. Sabrina gasped, throwing her head back. Wherever their bodies touched, she felt fire, and she got the feeling that this was something that would not change with time.

  The dragon would always be hot enough to melt her.

  “Donovan,” she mewled, feeling the inevitable orgasm creeping up on her fast and hard. “Oh my … Donovan!”

  “That’s it, Sabrina,” he said, his words slithering, that same tone in his words that she’d heard when he’d been a dragon and talking in her head. “Say my name.”

  “Donovan!”

  He pounded into her hard now, lifting both of them off the covers with each stroke. Sabrina buckled over on him, her hands clutching at his biceps and her head buried in the crook of his neck. She whimpered his name over and over again as the orgasm swept across her, taking her completely.

  Her body seemed to be wholly on fire, shaking and shuddering. He snarled a groan beneath her, and when Sabrina reached the peak, Donovan followed her into it.

  She could feel his hot cum shoot into her, and for one mad moment, she couldn’t help but want more.

  Sabrina shuddered on top of him, the shock of the intensity wrecking her. His arms coiled around her and she felt immediately safe, as if nothing could harm her or even touch her unless he allowed it.

  “Donovan,” she purred one last time, snuggling against him.

  The sleep that engulfed her, tucked safely in Donovan’s arms, was the most restful she’d ever had. For that night, she wouldn’t have to think about the future and how fairytales could so easily turn into nightmares.

  Donovan

  Morning came far too soon in Donovan’s opinion.

  Though there was no sunshine or dawn deep down in the catacombs beneath the mansion, his internal clock woke him without fail. It told him that he had spent too much time away from the hoard.

  As soon as Donovan’s eyes shot open, his first instinct was to throw the covers from his body, dress swiftly and rush to make sure that all was well with that which he had vowed to protect with his life. But when his hand moved to grab the edge of the sheets, it stopped, suddenly aware of the heat next to him, a warmth that seemed to burn hotter than he ever could.

  It was not usual for a dragon to really be affected by any outside source of heat. When he looked to his side, the night came flooding back to him as his gaze drifted over the elegant, sleeping form of the woman who had bewitched him so thoroughly.

  She’s gorgeous, he thought once more, the dragonfire torch’s light making Sabrina’s auburn hair twinkle. And so damnably sharp and smart. How could she have wandered into my lair…

  He imagined some things were better left unknown. Unthinking, his body conformed around the borders hers set, and his arms pulled her closer while he kissed her on the small spot of exposed skin on the back of her neck. He could have stayed that way forever.

  Even the gold was forgotten, for once.

  Sabrina stirred slightly in his arms, a soft yawn following the movement.

  “I did not mean to wake you,” Donovan said, his voice low and soft as velvet.

  “I don’t mind. It’s not a bad way to wake up,” Sabrina answered, twisting around to face him.

  She remained in his arms as she slowly awoke, taking time to open her eyes and stretch. He drank it in like it was oxygen that he needed to live.

  “Good morning,” he said finally, as her lovely hazel eyes blinked up at him sleepily.

  “Mornin’,” she murmured, leaning forward and placing a peck on his lips.

  It tasted sweeter than any honey.

  Donovan’s tongue licked absently over his lips, savoring the remnants of the kiss, before he moved in to steal one from her in return. When Sabrina giggled, Donovan broke into a smile. He loved that noise.

  Hell, he loved any noise he could coax out of her, really.

  “We better get up. You said there was someone coming for you?” Donovan said, frowning at the last bit.

  He didn’t like the thought of her being with some other man. He hated it, in fact. His reaction was so viscerally negative that it took him by surprise, feeling the dragon lash out violently as if faced with some great foe.

  “Oh. Right. Yes! The truck,” Sabrina said with a nod.

  Before Donovan could add anything, she uncoiled herself
from his grip and scampered out of the bed, gathering up her clothes and putting them back on. Donovan watched her for a moment, enjoying the view despite the turmoil that had spun in him unexpectedly.

  Why am I reacting this way? he asked himself, ignoring the only real possible reason as soon as it managed to sneak into his mind. There is no way…

  Silvertips always married dragons. Donovan could recall only one ancestor who had found a human mate, and that had ended in disaster as far as the family history books could tell. No, for a powerful dragon, another dragon could be the only sensible choice. He had known that all his life.

  So why was he suddenly so disappointed by it?

  Slowly, Donovan got out from underneath the covers as well and dressed, finding his sense of urgency somewhat lacking. Sabrina was already in the bathroom, brushing her teeth with a fresh toothbrush left there for any unexpected guests, when Donovan was still buttoning up his shirt, frowning in confusion at his mismatched thoughts and emotions.

  While his head was telling him that he had to get this woman out of his lair as fast as possible, his heart was telling him to practically tie her down in the vaults and never let her go. A dragon could recognize treasure immediately, and Sabrina was definitely the greatest fortune he’d ever found.

  But could a treasure Donovan could not expect to claim as his own outweigh that which was already his?

  From there, the morning lumbered on. After getting dressed and ready, Donovan took Sabrina into his spacious kitchen and sat her down at the island. He whipped them up some egg-white omelets and fresh-squeezed orange juice, as well as Kenyan coffee and strawberries for dessert.

  The way Sabrina watched him cook and prep made his heart thud hard in his chest. Her bright hazel eyes were so full of life and adventure that he felt almost small in comparison, cooped up in his mansion and finding joy from things that would only bring him solitude. It was nice to share some of his skills for once.

  “That’s amazing,” Sabrina said finally as they were finishing eating, sitting right next to one another at the island.

  She popped one last strawberry into her mouth, and her eyes rolled back a little.

  “I have those flown in from a special little farm in New Zealand,” Donovan said absently, loving the way she licked her lips to scoop up every last bit of the taste.

  “How do you get all this stuff up here without anyone knowing?” Sabrina asked, cocking her head to the side slightly as she picked up her coffee cup, the drink decorated with one of those silly little foam pictures.

  Donovan had made a dragon for her.

  “Well, it used to be harder,” he said with a shrug. “But when Shifter Grove popped up and the airport came back to life, it got easier from there. Slate’s a smart guy, so getting stuff past him is no simple matter, but the more people came to Shifter Grove, the easier it was to slip my shipments into the mix. At this point, one of my servants has a deal with Pearl—Ares’ wife, she runs the general store—to put aside crates that are sent to her but specially marked.”

  “Does she know they’re for you?”

  “No,” Donovan chuckled. “I think she thinks they’re for the ‘eccentric billionaire’ we have in Shifter Grove that everyone apparently whispers about.”

  “Another eccentric billionaire?” Sabrina queried with a laugh.

  “Yeah, apparently. I haven’t looked into it, but whoever brought the Shifter Grove Shovelers here has to be dealing with some money, and he hasn’t revealed who he is. It’s a regular small town mystery.”

  “A small town mystery dealing with billions of dollars and professional hockey teams getting relocated,” Sabrina countered with a roll of her eyes. “Odd little town, if you ask me.”

  “I wouldn’t know,” Donovan added gently, and for a moment, he thought he could hear a note of sadness in his tone.

  “Do you think it’s another dragon?” Sabrina continued curiously, though Donovan didn’t miss the small scowl that passed over her expression as she studied his.

  “No, I would know if it were a dragon. And buying athletic teams isn’t exactly something most dragons would do. Ares Goldplains is already precariously on the verge of seeming odd for a dragon for being so personally involved in his mining business.”

  “For a man who doesn’t know anything about Shifter Grove, you sure do know a lot about the people living there.”

  “Well, a man has to keep his ear to the ground,” Donovan said with a chuckle, taking a sip of his coffee.

  It turned out to be his last, and Sabrina was finishing up hers as well. The time was well past noon and both of them were well aware of that, with Sabrina checking her phone and Donovan glancing at his watch. He hadn’t told her that there were a few spots in the lair where she could get decent cell reception. In retrospect, he had to wonder how selfish that was of him.

  “So I guess I should start going,” Sabrina said, her voice softer than it had been before.

  “Oh,” Donovan said with a start, practically jumping off his seat. “I didn’t realize,” he stuttered.

  Sabrina smiled lightly and slipped off her chair as well. She was so small compared to him that Donovan couldn’t help but think how easy it would be to just scoop her up, carry her back to bed and never let her leave.

  “I guess it is getting late. The weather is still rather fowl, though,” he said, tipping his chin upward and looking at the stone ceiling as if there were a window there that gave him a view of the outside.

  “How would you know?” Sabrina queried.

  “A dragon always knows when he can or cannot fly,” Donovan said with a rueful smile.

  “I don’t want to impose. I think I’ve taken up enough of your time, Donovan,” she said, though there was hesitation in her voice.

  Turmoil spiraled through Donovan. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and tell her that he never wanted her to leave again, that her only rightful place was there with him. But his rational part reminded him that she was little more than a hostage at the moment, someone he had forced to stay, not asked.

  Though the lines had blurred a little, the truth was still the truth. Even if his dragon was clearly of the opinion that what they had done had been the only correct thing to do.

  “I’ll show you out,” Donovan said, slipping an arm around her shoulders as they walked.

  “Thank you,” she said, and her sweet voice was balm to his soul.

  They strolled through the expansive underground lair slowly, and Donovan caught himself showing her all the other rooms that were in any way on their path, just to keep her there longer. The thought of letting her go and not knowing what happens to her from there on gnawed at him like nothing else. It felt worse than when he strayed too far from his hoard, the feeling of panic setting in deep within him.

  When they came to one of the three spiral staircases that would take her up and out of the rooms, Donovan stopped with a frown on his face.

  I can’t let her leave like this.

  “What is it?” Sabrina asked, taken aback.

  “Wait here for a moment, please,” Donovan urged her, before turning around and setting off quickly down the hall.

  He was practically running through the maze of stone that was his home. When he finally came to his private quarters, a large bedroom, study and gilded bathroom, his anxiety had grown to a fevered pitch.

  Donovan rushed straight to one of the large chests in the bedroom, throwing it open and diving in. There he kept his most prized possessions, family heirlooms that had been with the Silvertips for more centuries than humans could ever know. But he wasn’t looking for the gold or the silver, the diamonds or the sapphires.

  Instead, Donovan pulled out a small, dusty box from the bottom of the chest. It was made of simple rosewood, barely any adornments on it. When he opened it, the ghostly glow of the pendant made him let out a small breath of relief. He wasn’t sure why he had worried, but for some reason, for a moment, he had been certain that the dragon stone necklace wou
ld not be there, as if fate had been toying with him all along.

  He took the simple silver chain out of the box and slipped the necklace into his pocket, putting the box back in the crate and locking it. Then, he ran all the way back to Sabrina, who was still standing where he had left her, looking a little bit lost and confused.

  “Sorry,” Donovan said, coming to a stop before her. “I wanted to leave you with something.”

  He pulled the necklace from his pocket and held it up so she could see it. The chain was really very simple, but the pendant was something entirely different. It seemed to both glow and suck light into itself, like the tiniest black hole. It was matte black with a slight silver shimmer to it, and Sabrina’s eyes went wide as she looked at it, her mouth dropping a little.

  “What… What is it? It’s gorgeous, Donovan!”

  “It’s a dragon stone pendant,” he explained briefly, not wanting to tell her more than he had to.

  His hands shook as he unhooked the clip and slipped the necklace around her neck. As soon as the pendant touched her skin, he let out a sigh of relief. His dragon quelled within him, sated for the moment now that something of his was on her.

  Something as important as a dragon stone.

  His rational mind screamed at him, of course, questioning his every move. A dragon stone was meant for a dragon’s chosen, the woman he was certain was his and his alone. Sabrina had no way of knowing this, but Donovan saw the small shudder that went through her body when the stone met her skin. It was hot to the touch, just like he was.

  “I can’t accept it,” she said, her voice barely a whisper as her fingers slid over the stone.

  “You will have to,” Donovan said with a smile, pulling her in for a hug. “I must insist.”

  “Okay,” she replied, her voice small and light.

  Donovan couldn’t resist the urge and kissed her on the top of her head, feeling the silky strands of her hair as they brushed against his face.