Immortal Heat (The Guardians of Dacia Book 1)

by Loni Lynne

  A subtle quiet disrupted them again.

  "So. All is good then? I guess I'm free to roam?"

  "No."

  "No? But why not? I know who you are and there aren't any Vamiers around, right?"

  It was absurd. She hadn't done anything wrong, and now that she was out and about things should be fine.

  "You need to be kept safe at all times."

  "From who?"

  Draylon stood up from behind his desk and walked over to where she sat. He hunkered down so that his blue, fathomless eyes were level to hers. His scent intoxicatingly close, her body responded, tingling between her legs. His hand came up and cupped her chin.

  "From me."

  The shock of his touch electrified her, but the heat in his eyes had her heart melting. Closing her eyes she gave into the feel and nuzzled his hand. The need to be petted, caressed had her nearly purring in pleasure. He didn't disappoint.

  Draylon stroked her jaw, reaching up under the massive weight of her hair. His fingers tangled into it, pulling ever so slightly. The sting of the nerve endings shot straight to her ultra sensitive nipples. Slithering from the chair she found herself on the floor in front of him, craving more of his touch. His lips traveled along her jaw, leaving his hot breath trailing along her skin.

  He nipped her ear and spoke words she didn't understand but sounded so erotic, she didn't need to understand them to know what they might mean. She gasped before his hand clutched her hair, and he devoured her mouth in one hungry motion.

  It frightened and elated her at the same time. He was fierce. A low moan turned into a growl. Excitement over knowing she had this effect on him had her giving back as good as she got. Rising up onto her knees, she straddled his lap and took his face between her hands, forcing the kiss back on him, finding herself more dominating than she'd ever been or ever thought she could, not after Daniel.

  Draylon Conier wasn't Daniel. This man had years of experience and knew how to touch, taste and set a woman to find her own easy response. It was the first time she didn't think. She knew what she needed to do, and he appeared to be enjoying it.

  He tasted of warm spiced ale as she inhaled sandalwood and his musk. Were these pheromones, those elusive chemical essences scientists talked about which attracted two people?

  Her body shifted as he stood with her still clinging to him. Wrapping her legs around his hips, not wanting to let go, Marilyn clutched his hair as he broke the kiss briefly. Sudden contact with solid surface had her sandwiched between a wall and his hardness. His animalistic maleness overwhelmed as his hands roamed her body, pressing her closer, grasping her tighter.

  Struggling for breath, she sucked in a large gulp of air in excitement as his erection pressed against her lower abdomen. Tingles of awareness shot through her and instinctively her hands smoothed down his sides, over the placket of his slacks, tracing the length and girth of him through the fine Italian linen.

  He broke the kiss and stared at her. It was a hard, fierce gaze as his eyes changed color and shape. Blue the color of the hottest part of a flame dominated his irises and turned the pupils into narrowed slits of black. His lips quirked in an uncontrolled sneer as a deep throated growl erupted. It didn't frighten her, in fact she became more aroused. The scent took on a stronger fragrance, overpowering, yet it only caused her to hunger for something just out of her reach.

  Pushed to the side, Draylon bounded from the office as if hell itself were at his heels. Marilyn followed. What had she done wrong? She chased him through the long wide corridors of his palace fortress. Pieces of men's clothing littered the floor, trailing behind Draylon as he ran. She didn't stop but continued the chase, his scent strong in her senses.

  Something dark and wild forced its way into her mind. Various beasts and formations, each one fighting the other until she saw the image of a wolf imprinted in the illuminated recesses coming to life in her brain.

  Her clothing joined the cascade of tossed linens in the hallway as she kept a few paces behind Draylon. Busting through the heavy front doors, they both leapt naked down the wide front steps. Marilyn's breath caught in her throat as a kind of weightlessness forced her leap to stretch. Her body contorted mid stride, and she landed on the ground at the foot of the steps on all fours.

  Growling sounds alerted her and she turned. A large blue/black furred wolf stood with its haunches squared and its teeth bared. She returned the stance, snarling and growling in reply.

  What the hell?

  The beast attacked without any warning. She countered and a fierce dominance for control hit her like a fatal blow. Teeth gnashed as canine bodies tumbled into the snow covered field. She yipped as teeth came down into her throat and shook her like a chew toy.

  Draylon? Help. Where are you? she screamed in her mind as the wolf pawed at her.

  Fight me. Come on, Marilyn. Put me in my place.

  W…what? Are you…sweet Jesus! Was it true? Was this great wolf attacking her really Draylon?

  I'm going to dominate and tear the hell out of you if you don't counter. You're not ready for this, and I'm in no position to control myself. You have to do something to stop me.

  She didn't know how to fight a wolf. Hell, she'd been the laughing stock of her Karate class because she was too clumsy and naïve. She hadn't wanted to hurt anyone. She hadn't been able to fight off Daniel's advances either because she didn't want him mad at her. That's why she'd let him have his way, why she hadn't fought him.

  The wolf backed off. He sat back on his haunches, his canine head cocked at her as if trying to understand what she was. Slowly his body morphed back into the naked image of Draylon, sitting modestly in front of her, still studying her.

  "You let someone take advantage of you…without wanting him to?"

  The truth hadn't hit her until now. She hadn't wanted Daniel mad at her. She'd given in to his demands and then… "It was a while ago. It was nothing—"

  "Nothing," he echoed. "Is that how you perceive the physical act? Sharing of bodies should not be taken lightly."

  She looked down and realized she'd morphed back into her human form, too. "I'm freezing my ass off, literally. Can we talk about this later?" She crossed her arms over her chest, knowing the rest of her was bare, and that her nudity shouldn't matter. She'd exposed herself, laid herself open at a deeper level than nudity could ever go, to someone she wasn't sure she could trust.

  Draylon stood. Standing before her he offered her his hand. Tentatively she took it and he helped her to stand.

  "Gods breath, Marilyn." He cupped her face, holding it in his large hand. "When I told you to do something to stop me, I meant in a physical way. You managed to do the one thing that would take me down in any form. Not for one moment would I try to dominate you without it being mutual. I don't care how fast, how far we go, I won't go any further than what you are okay with. And never, ever give yourself to a man without feeling the strongest of desires to do so."

  She shivered, but not from the cold, alpine winds against her naked skin. Draylon's sultry voice touched her exposed soul. Her heart thudded inside against her breast and she felt the sudden urge to be wrapped in the security of him—nothing more, nothing less.

  He shook his head with a sad smile. "Only when you feel you can trust me."

  Donovan met them at the base of the stairs, undeterred by their nakedness and handed Draylon large, thick blankets. Wrapping one securely around her first, Draylon kissed her forehead gently as if placing a blessing upon her. Donovan escorted her up the stairs into the warmth of the fortress. She turned to watch as a black wolf darted off into the distance.

  Draylon ran as if demons were nipping at his paws. His heart ached with every labored breath. He couldn't run fast enough or far enough to get the image of what she hadn't realized she'd portrayed in his mind. She'd not only revealed the thought but the memory of the episode with the bastard she'd been dating.

  He had taken her without gaining her permissio
n. He'd taken her virginity without even preparing her for the pleasure it could have given her. She'd been unsure, only wanting to do whatever it was to please him, because she didn't want to lose him.

  He saw the smug face of the asshole as he'd taken her innocence, felt the sharp pain of her discomfort and disillusioned disappointment in an act that should have made angels weep, and then the heart wrenching fracture of the relationship, what there was of it, as he railed at her for being a virgin.

  The shit-head should've been honored she'd given herself to him. Instead he'd made her feel less than honorable by cursing her out and claiming she'd tried to trap him. He'd left her lying there in her dorm room bed with the stain of embarrassment and the natural stain of her innocence to keep her company as she'd cried herself to sleep.

  Her pain, too intense even for him, had every creature within, fighting to get free. He finally let go and morphed into his natural form. The darkness of the tall pines sheltering from every view, he was able to slither among the tree trunks on his short, strong reptilian legs. His spaded tail lashed out taking down small saplings in his path. Hot breath snorted out from his nose and mouth, thawing the winter white all around.

  Making his way up out into the tundra, the thinner air was much more to his liking. He looked down from the edge of the mountain crest into the empty snow filled valley below. It was his private valley. No one resided or traversed its boundaries of the two ranges. It had been awhile since he'd felt the need to spread his wings, but if there ever was a day, this was the one.

  Taking a leap, Draylon's leathery wings unfurled from his scaly back and he soared down between his private mountains. Screaming, like a giant hawk, reveling in the freedom of flight, he cast off the image of Marilyn's defeat on the wind. And just as the wind carried the image away, he would find a way to wipe every memory of "Asshole Daniel" from her consciousness as well.

  Rick's instructions to help Marilyn with her transformation were vague. Draylon had helped moroii through their transformation as they shook off their blood addiction, but that was different. Every other wolf he knew was ancient enough to have learned the change eons ago. How did one go about teaching a human to control and enjoy the change? And a woman at that? Not even Therron or Kurren would have any idea how to instruct a female, there weren't any.

  Zamolxis really messed them up good. The god had only changed the warrior faction, not the women. Over the first century the Dacian women died off of natural causes, died during child birth with their new breed of children, or left in fear of becoming a wolf mate and dying with child. Now after centuries without female wolves, one showed up out of nowhere.

  Draylon rubbed his jaw, knowing that in a few moments he'd have another full day of instruction with Marilyn. The past week she'd begun to accept her new change, and he'd even helped her to find the best way to enjoy the physical aspect of the biological transformation.

  "So what are we doing today?" Marilyn came forth, wearing what looked to Draylon like a white linen bed sheet strategically wrapped around her.

  "Is that one of the bed sheets?"

  "Yes. I've managed to ruin nearly every shirt and pair of slacks I have trying to morph, so I figured something easier to divest while shifting would be a plus. You must go through a ton of clothes."

  "Truthfully, I don't transform as much as you think. I'm only doing so for your benefit. The human form is easier to adapt to than my oth…wolf form." Draylon caught himself as he put down the file he'd been reading, hoping she didn't notice his faux pas. He was able to block his thoughts from her more so than she could with him, but she was learning.

  No, it wouldn't be a good idea to let her know of his other transformations. He was a shape-shifter because of his race. But she had just begun to accept the fact he was part man and part wolf. Explaining flames, dragons and other fabled entities to her might be a stretch.

  Draylon sighed. She had so much to learn, and yet he knew he didn't have the proper materials to teach her. "Let's go for a run, shall we?"

  Marilyn shrugged. "Sure."

  He'd shown her all there was to running and learning to shift. He'd even taught her how to hunt and forage for shelter, most animal training was based on natural instinct.

  He'd learned it was easier to morph if he was already naked. Nudity to him was no big deal, but Marilyn seemed shy still. He tried to be as modest as he could until he could become the creature. She'd wait until he'd morphed before disrobing and making the connection. Draylon loved watching her morph. Today he let her take the lead and watched her throw off her bed sheet dress as she switched positions with her naked, pale beauty into the auburn colored wolf with Gypsy gold eyes.

  The recent snow had led to a deeper field for them. Jumping and tossing snow with their snouts at one another was a simple snowball fight. Nipping and lunging like a couple of friendly dogs, they tussled and rolled in the snow, shaking each other off.

  Draylon led her on a hunt, chasing after a wild hare bounding through the forest. He knew it was littered with all sorts of wild animals indigenous to the European mountains. It was his land, an animal retreat where human hunting was forbidden.

  She needed to learn her place and a female wolf mate had to learn to hunt and care for her young—though she may or may not ever be able to have any. It would be a damn shame. Marilyn would make beautiful children and pups.

  He let up on the hunt and had her take over the pursuing. Attacking the large hare, she killed it and started to feast. Draylon approached and she growled at him. He backed away. He would let her finish and then take what was left.

  Good. You are learning. Draylon laughed.

  She paused only a moment to acknowledge him and returned to her feast. Eating her fill she stood up, pushing the remaining carcass over towards him and took a stance to protect their surroundings.

  The sound of rustling through the trees brought her ears up, and she turned as a pack of female wolves lumbered towards them. Their eyes narrowed in on the carcass he chewed on. But one female in the pack showed interest in him by licking his chops and nuzzling up against him. He growled low in his throat. But that didn't stop her.

  Marilyn growled at the alpha pack leader, not liking the other female's advances. Draylon continued to gnaw on the carcass. This wasn't his fight. Marilyn would need to learn the ways of the wolves. The female would either take her growl as a warning and move on or challenge Marilyn to prove herself.

  The wolf didn't heed her warning. With her head lowered the alpha growled back, challenging Marilyn to a fight of the fittest.

  Sounds of snarling wolves echoed off the trees. Lunging for the nosy female, Marilyn latched onto her throat. The aroma of female musk and blood saturated the area.

  Draylon couldn't get a good mental bead on Marilyn. She wasn't in communication. This was all her, all wolf.

  Moments later the alpha lay beneath the red wolf, dominated with a bite wound to the side. There was a new alpha now. Marilyn stood, howling her victory over dominating the pack as alpha female.

  She too suffered from the fight. Patches of fur were matted with blood—hers or the former alpha, Draylon wasn't sure. Her pheromones were heavy with her musk. She'd marked the territory as hers and watched patiently until the last of the females had gone. Lying down, she licked at her wounds.

  He ventured forth. Marilyn? Are you okay?

  At first there was no response, but then she laid her nose down on her front paws and whined.

  What…what happened? Draylon, I'm hurt, I think.

  Her body morphed into her human form, revealing a bloody mess.

  Draylon crept towards her in a non-threatening way while her body formed. Her auburn hair lay in tatters, blood oozed from various cuts and tears in her thighs, arms and chest. He morphed while kneeling on all fours. Checking on her vitals, she had a strong heartbeat as her adrenaline still raced high, but she could also be going into shock. As an immortal wolf, it would take her hours to heal from
the wounds. She could lose too much blood in the meantime. They were a long way from the safety of the house, and he had nothing to use to stop the flow of her precious life essence.

  Marilyn, I need you to sleep. Sleeping will help slow the flow of blood.

  How bad is it? I'm so weak.

  I know.

  This wasn't a good lesson, Draylon.

  He gave a half laugh. This wasn't my lesson. You took on an alpha female wolf…and survived.

  No shit? Really? She smiled up at him wearily.

  Really. Now sleep. I've got you. He could see the shock trying to settle into her conscious self. He needed to get her home…fast. And there was only one way he knew to do so. Her mental lethargy served two great purposes. One, it slowed down her heart rate so her blood didn't flow as fast and two, she wouldn't have to witness his true form.

  Chapter Nine

  "Do you think Draylon will let me get in touch with my mother? He has internet connection. It wouldn't be difficult to send her an email just to let her know I'm all right," Marilyn asked as Donovan cleared away her breakfast dishes.

  She tried to remember how long she'd been here by calculating days and nights of routine and skills she'd learned. But the days seemed so short she wasn't sure time was a factor. For her time appeared to stop while she'd been here. If Draylon would just allow her access to media or even a calendar or clock, she wouldn't feel so disassociated with the real world.

  "I'll see what I can do, miss. He's more concerned about your health. You took a real beating yesterday with that wolf."

  Her brain tried to process the afternoon. "I guess." He left her, and she managed to find a pair of jeans that she hadn't shredded yet. Looking through the rest of her belongings, she found her Ravens jersey she usually wore for pajamas. A wrapped bundle fell out, exposing her medallion. She'd somehow forgotten about it and that frightened her. But now, it was safe in her protection.

  Odd. The image of the wolf head had more meaning to her now. It was one of the sacred symbols of the ancient Dacian people. Whether it was because of their fierce wolf-like warrior tribes or how they worked as a clan, much like a wolf pack, she didn't know all historical facts on the symbol's true meaning. But she had a deeper education now.