by Sophie Stern
For wolf’s sake, focus!
Deep breaths, and then I reach his feet.
“I hope this doesn’t tickle,” I tell him. I try to explain what I’m doing every step of the way, especially since I know he can hear me. When I go to the doctor’s office and they don’t explain what they’re doing, I feel uncomfortable, almost violated. I don’t want this guy to feel that way.
He’s a stranger.
He’s not a monster.
I rub the cream on his feet. Then I dig out a pair of socks from my bag and somehow manage to get them on his feet. They barely fit, but they fit. Then I return to his head.
“It’s a waiting game now,” I tell him. “I don’t want to use too much more of the ointment just yet. There are still some darts left. Not that I’m planning on shooting you,” I quickly add. “But if there are other bad guys out here, you know…we’re going to want some of that fucking cream, am I right?”
He smiles at me, and I realize that it’s definitely, absolutely, positively working.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, and I pet his hair.
“Everything’s going to be okay, dragon dude,” I tell him.
I just hope it’s the truth.
Chapter Eight
Natalie
I roll over, snuggling against my mate.
My beloved.
My Donald.
“What’s going on, princess?” He whispers, kissing my forehead. “Trouble sleeping?” He’s sitting up beside me in bed reading. One thing I’ve learned from living with Donald is that he’s not only a light sleeper, but he also barely sleeps at all. There’s no cell service in Fablestone, but dragons come by the house at all hours of the night. It’s not every night, but when someone needs him, Donald never says no. He always gets up and goes to assist with medical emergencies or problems. Donald looks tired, though. He got back late tonight after making a house call to someone and now he’s reading in bed. I suppose I dozed off waiting for him.
“I could ask you the same question,” I murmur, running my hands over his legs and up, up, up. He smiles at me gently and starts to stroke my hair.
“Princess,” he says again.
“Dragon,” I retort.
“I’m pretty tired tonight, baby. Mrs. Montgomery has quite the bout of pneumouaiz.” The dragon form of pneumonia, I’m guessing. “And there’s a chance I’m going to have to go back out.”
“Well, then,” I whisper, climbing onto him. I straddle him, running my hands up and down his chest. “I guess I’ll just have to do all of the work.” I raise an eyebrow, questioning, and he smiles and sets his book down.
“Aren’t you the prettiest girl in the clan?”
“That’s what you tell me,” I say.
“Only because it’s true.”
I lean down and kiss him. Donald and I haven’t had the easiest time of things. I’ve known him since I was a kid, but he left the clan shortly after my little brother passed away. It wasn’t Donald’s fault, but he blamed himself. Now, after an incredible journey, we’re together at last. We’re living in Fablestone and I’ve never felt happier.
We take things one day at a time because around here, you never know what’s going to happen. Things can be rough, especially with certain members of the community still recovering from the terrible illness Lucky unleashed on us. I know the clan has a long way to go when it comes to healing emotionally and physically, but I know that with Donald’s care and the guidance of the clan leaders, we’re going to be okay.
All of us are going to be okay.
I lean down and kiss my mate. Donald quivers as I kiss his neck and nibble on his ears. This is one of my favorite ways to start teasing him. He’s so rough and tumble and masculine, but sometimes he lets me have my wild way with him, and I love that, too. My hands roam his chest and abs as I kiss from one side of his neck to the other and back again.
Donald groans, reaching for my hips, holding me tightly as I kiss and play with him. I can feel myself growing more and more wet as the moments pass. The problem is that I want this moment to last forever. I want to feel this for an eternity. With us, sex isn’t a goalpost. It’s an experience, and I want to enjoy it for as long as possible.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” I murmur, nibbling down his throat and to his clavicle. I kiss, making my way to each of nipples and swiping my tongue across them. Then I move lower, lower, lower. Donald groans as I start kissing his length and moving down to his balls. Then I continue to run my hands up and down his chest as I lick, taking my sweet time.
I savor him.
I treasure this moment where I’m being allowed, for a little while, to worship his body with my own. My hands slide down his thighs and then back up again. Then I begin to stroke his length while I continue covering him with kisses and nibbles.
Just before I start to move, just before I’m going to lower myself onto him, we both hear a knock at the front door. I look up at him sharply and Donald sighs.
“Duty calls,” he shrugs. He looks at me like he’s nervous I’m going to be upset or angry, but I’m not. I knew what I was signing up for. If having a dragon doctor in the clan means that sometimes, I get cock blocked by sick old ladies, well, I think I can deal with that.
“It’s okay, baby,” I tell him, kissing him once more. “There will be plenty of time for fun later on.”
He smiles at me and reaches for my cheek, touching it softly.
Then he gets up to leave, and my man goes to save the world.
Chapter Nine
Lawrence
She’s quirky.
That much is certain.
Julie sits beside me as the feeling slowly returns to my body. I go from feeling nothing at all to feeling pins and needles. It’s like my body has just been asleep. The ache of those muscles awakening bothers me, but I bite back any sort of response.
“Can you speak?” She whispers. “Your eyes are open a little wider.”
I open my mouth and lick my lips.
No words come out, but I feel thirsty.
“You need a drink,” she seems to be able to understand, and gives me a sip of water. The liquid feels cool against my dry throat, and then I try again.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
The smile that lights her face is more beautiful than anything I could possibly imagine.
“You can talk,” she says. “It’s working.”
“Yes,” I whisper.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to take for your entire body to return to normal,” she says. “Hopefully soon. We need to get you back to your family, right? You have a group of dragons waiting for you? They’re going to be worried.”
That’s what she’s concerned about? Talk about a heart of fucking gold.
“My clan,” I tell her. “It’s my clan.”
“Your clan,” she repeats. “Is there any way to contact them? I mean, what do we do with her?” She jerks her head toward Nicole. “Do you have like, a prison for people who try to hurt shifters? How does that work? Sorry, I’m babbling, but damn, this has been quite a ride.”
I realize it’s late. It’s well past midnight. I don’t know how long I was incapacitated for, but I turn my head to see Nicole lying, bound on the ground. Even though she still looks pissed, she also looks really tired. Eventually, she’s going to pass out. I think we all are. We need to get to Fablestone before that.
“I can’t shift yet,” I whisper. I keep trying, but nothing happens.
“That’s okay,” she says. “We can camp here. I’ll stay awake. We can build a fire if we want to?” She says it like it’s a question.
“No,” I choke out. “No fire.”
“You’re probably right,” she says with a sigh. “Don’t want to attract anything dangerous. You know, like a bear.” She winks at me, and I realize how nice it is to be around someone who isn’t afraid to make jokes in the middle of a terrible situation. “But seriously, what do you want to do about Little Miss
Evil?”
“We can bring her to the clan.”
“Are you sure about that?” Julie seems unconvinced. “Is your dragon lord going to be okay with that?”
I stare at her blankly.
“Dragon king?”
What the fuck?
“Dragon sorcerer?”
“Please stop.”
“Okay.”
“We don’t have any of those things.”
She just shrugs.
I sigh. “We have a clan leader. He’s going to be fine with it because we won’t let her know where anything is.”
Julie looks doubtful.
“We’ll blindfold her.”
Julie just stares at me.
“And we’ll keep her bound.”
“Are you sure that’s going to be enough? She seems kind of tricky. No offense, but are you sure you’re up for that? What if you lose your powers again?”
“My powers?”
“Yeah, your dragon powers. You have powers, right?”
“I can change into a giant beast, if that’s what you mean.”
“Can you do anything else?” Julie cocks her head, studying me. I like her eyes on me more than I’m willing to admit, but she’s not looking at me like I’m a piece of luscious man-meat. She’s looking at me like she wants to study me.
Like she wants to learn everything she can about me.
“Like what?”
“Can you breathe fire?”
“Not all dragons breathe fire.”
“Can you become invisible?”
“No.”
“What about flips?”
“Flips?”
“Yeah,” she smiles and twirls her fingers. “Like when you’re flying in the air. Can you do air flips?”
I chuckle. I can’t help myself. Who the fuck is this girl? She’s freaking delightful. If any other person was here trying to help me make sense of this situation, I’d be stressing out. Even the human girls I like being around, like Peggy or Natalie, wouldn’t have me in stitches over what’s basically a horrible situation.
I like that she’s trying to make me laugh.
I like that she’s helping me to keep the focus off the inevitable danger.
If Nicole has more friends in the area, they could already be hunting us. Somehow, I don’t think that’s what’s happening. I’ll have to interview her – or Cameron or Wilson can – and discover what secrets she’s still holding close. Whether the clan will release her or imprison her, I’m not sure.
“Is that a yes?” She asks. “Because you know, I’ve never seen a dragon do an air flip.”
“Have you seen a dragon do anything before?” I’m curious about her. Who is she? Where is she from? Why is she so comfortable around me? I suppose part of me thinks she should have run off the moment I showed up and distracted Nicole. Part of me thinks it would have been smarter for her to just take off in a move of self-preservation, but I don’t get the impression that Julie is actually worried about that.
“Nope.”
“Never?”
“Not unless you count cartoons. Sorry, buddy boy, but you’re my first.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “I hope that doesn’t bother you.”
“I’m honored,” I tell her honestly.
Honored indeed.
Chapter Ten
Julie
This banter is getting me fucking wet. Am I seriously doing this? Playfully flirting with a guy that’s actually a shape shifting monster? Okay, get it together, Julie. It’s been awhile, but has it really been so long that you’re going after a guy that’s…okay, well, he’s built like he was carved out of fucking stone. So, yeah. I really am. I really am flirting my damn heart out because right now, laughter is the only thing keeping me going.
I know that if I stop to think about what’s really happening, I’m going to completely freak out. If I take too long to consider that I was this close to dying, I’m going to lose my damn mind. Nicole could have turned her weapon on me and shot me. She could have gotten me with one of those darts. She could have gotten me with a fucking bullet.
The fact that I’m alive right now is kind of a joke.
I should be grateful, but right now, I am so fucking tired.
I sit with the dragon guy, laughing with him, telling jokes and stories. Minute-by-minute, his feeling begins to return. I ask him if he wants me to put more of the ointment on him. Maybe it would speed the process. He tells me no, though. He thinks it would be best to try to save some of it. If there’s a chance we’ll need more of it in the future, he wants it to be available.
Who knows how long it will be before the dragons can collect more?
“Lucky is a terrible organization,” he says.
“I figured.”
“No,” he whispers, and I get the feeling he doesn’t want Nicole to hear what he’s going to say. That’s fine. She’s basically asleep, anyway. How someone can pass out while they’re completely tied up and gagged, I don’t know. She is, though, and while there’s a part of me that knows she could be faking it, there’s another part of me that’s deeply satisfied with this knowledge.
I don’t want her listening, either.
“They’re really bad,” he repeats.
“They hurt you,” I whisper, realizing what he’s trying to say. “No,” I clarify. “They hurt your clan.”
He just nods.
I reach for his cheek and I stroke it softly. The dragon looks at me, his eyes softening at the touch, and I realize we’re both enjoying this. Perhaps it’s wrong to be offering physical comfort to this stranger in the woods, but I think we both need it.
I’m sorry,” I whisper.
A single tear slips from his eye, and I wonder what it is that these monsters did to his fellow dragons. More importantly, I wonder how long the dragons have been fighting Lucky. This man seems tired. He seems done. He seems like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, and I don’t like that he has to feel that way.
“Tell me your name,” I whisper. It’s not a request.
“Lawrence,” he says. He doesn’t hesitate. It’s the truth.
“I’m Julie.”
“I know,” he smiles softly. “I heard you.”
“You were watching?” I ask, cocking my head. I suppose I didn’t realize he might have been following us before the altercation back at camp. Maybe that’s how he got to me so quickly when Nicole found me. He was following us. Of course. That makes a lot more sense now. I’m not mad that he was watching me. I’m more curious than anything.
“I was watching the stone tower,” he corrects me.
“Why?”
“Dragon secret,” he whispers.
“Well, Lawrence,” I use his name for the first time, testing it on my tongue. It sounds nice, smooth. I like it. I like him. “I’m going to protect you. While you’re healing,” I clarify. “So if you want to fall asleep…”
“You’ll watch over me?”
“Yes.”
“Like my guardian angel.”
“Yes.”
“I’m not going to sleep, little human.”
“I’m not little, dragon dude.”
“You are to me.”
“I’m actually a little bit tall for a woman,” I point out. At 5’9”, I’ve never been accused of being “little” before. The fact that Nicole and Bernie were both taller than me speaks volumes.
“I don’t care about your silly human traditions,” he says. “If I say you’re little, then you are.”
“Ah, that logic, though.”
“Hush now.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“I’m not going to sleep,” he says. “I’m feeling better every moment. When I have enough strength, we’ll return to Fablestone.”
“You mean you will,” I point out. “Me? I think I’m cutting my camping trip short. I can go home and do something terribly monotonous and boring, like grade papers. Who needs a vacation, anyway? Apparently, they’re overrated.”
&nb
sp; I might be mistaken, but Lawrence looks almost sad when I say I’m not going to return to his clan with him.
“You don’t want to come back with me?”
“I didn’t realize I was invited.”
“Consider this an invitation.”
“Why?” I whisper. “You don’t know anything about me. Why would you invite me to come visit the dragons?”
There’s a part of me that thinks I should jump at this opportunity. What other girl has been invited to come hang out with a group of people who can literally shift into different creatures? It would be incredible. I’d get to learn firsthand exactly what shifters are like. I’d get to see up close what their world is like.
But there’s another part of me that thinks I should hold back.
I’ve already had enough excitement today to last me for a damn year. Do I really want to go to a dragon clan? Do I really want to risk something else bad happening? What if I get there and they never let me leave? What if I become some sort of dragon slave?
“Because you’re sweet,” Lawrence says. “And because you saved me.”
“I bet you say that to all the pretty girls,” I whisper.
“No pretty girl has ever saved me before, but I think it’s fair to say you’re the prettiest.”
It’s a line if I’ve ever heard one, but my heart moves faster than my brain, and I find myself leaning down and pressing my lips to Lawrence’s.
“Okay,” I whisper against his mouth. “I’ll come with you.”
Then I kiss him again, and to my delight, Lawrence kisses me back.
Chapter Eleven
Cameron
I roll over, wrapping my arms around my beautiful wife. After an incredible night together, my hopes are high that it worked. If everything goes according to plan, she’s going to be growing our baby really, really soon. We’re going to have a tiny Peggy or a tiny Cameron running around, giving us hell, before a year has passed.