“Let’s put it this way,” Eldrich said. “If you agree to be my mate, I will look after you as only a Dragon shifter can. You will be provided for, protected, and fucked long and hard, whenever and wherever you desire.” With that, his eyes moved up and down her body possessively. Somehow his use of the f-word seemed beyond vulgar, whereas Dex managed to sound sensual when he used such direct language. “If you don’t agree to be my mate, however,” added Eldrich, “I can and will let the entire human population of London know about the existence of my kind, not to mention the existence of the Wolves and Grizzlies among their ranks. I will see to it that the likes of Dexter and his Kindred ilk are hunted until the bitter end, at which point I will assume my position at the top of the shifter hierarchy, and make life generally miserable for many, many people.”
“If you tried that, you would fail. You’d be hunted, just like everyone else,” said Flick, whose insides were twisting into painful knots as she contemplated his threat. This was blackmail, pure and simple, and either choice was horrific. Either way she would lose Dex forever—not that she’d ever really had him.
Eldrich shook his head. “I’d be fine. I would simply make a deal with the powers that be for immunity, you see. I strongly urge you to accept offer number one. Things are about to turn difficult in London, but don’t worry; I plan to take you far away for a time, to somewhere you’ll be safe,” he said. “I’ll look after you, and we’ll return only when things have settled down a little.”
“You have a funny idea of what it is to look after someone. It sounds very much like you’d make me your prisoner.”
“I understand your reluctance,” he sighed. “If you could just see our destiny, you’d understand that this is how things are meant to be.”
Destiny. The same word that wound its way through her dreams each night as visions of a life with Dex swam through her mind. Eldrich had no idea what he was talking about. Destiny was guiding Flick to another Dragon shifter, not to the beast who now occupied her couch.
“What exactly will you do if I say no?” she asked.
“I will go to the newspaper where you work. Oh, I can see that you’re surprised to learn that I know about your work, Flicka Jones. But I know everything about you by now.” His voice was menacing. There was no charm in this man, not even an attempt at kindness. He thought he could seduce her with sheer brute force and devious underhanded tactics. “I will show them what I am. Word will spread like wildfire, and even your big, strong Dexter won’t be able to stop the rumours. I will tell your fellow reporters about the Kindred, about the threat they pose to London’s human inhabitants. The British are not particularly tolerant of threats to their national security, as you well know. I suspect that once the story is out, they’ll make quick work of your dark-haired friend and his ilk.”
“You would really do all this to blackmail me,” she replied. “Put all shifters, including yourself, in danger. Betray your own kind, just to be with me.” She knew, of course, that it wasn’t his only motivation. He wanted to punish Dex, too, for making an arse of him in the club. This was Eldrich’s ridiculous male pride at work. He’d been emasculated when Dex had shown his strength, and Flick had become little more than a pawn in his twisted game.
“Blackmail is such an ugly word. How about ‘persuade?’” Eldrich rose to his feet and strode towards her, extending a hand to touch her face. Flick flinched away, unable to prevent the disgusted expression that tightened her features. “I’ll give you a little while to think about it,” the bastard said, his mouth turning down in a frown as he realized that she was less than excited at his proposition. “Tomorrow, come and find me in Kensington Gardens at two p.m. If I don’t see you there, I will assume that you want me to go public with my information. I’ll see to it that the Monday headlines are very interesting indeed. Oh, and I suspect you’ll be out a job for failing to disclose vital information to your boss, but then again, if you choose a life with me, you won’t need a job ever again. You’ll have all the wealth any woman could possibly desire.”
Without another word, the man strode to the door and walked out, leaving Flick stunned and nauseated.
She had a choice to make.
But it would be an awful one.
Chapter 10
Dex was gliding through the air above London, assessing the city from high among the evening clouds when instinct drew him downward. Something had happened; he could feel it.
Flick was in some sort of trouble.
Never before had he felt so close to a human, so attuned to her needs and emotions. He hadn’t spoken to her in a week, but he’d felt her presence every single day. He’d watched her from the sky as she made her way to work and back each day, his protective eyes shielding her from potential danger.
But it seemed now that danger had slipped by right under his nose. He could only hope that he wouldn’t get to her too late.
When he’d landed in the small park across the street from her building he shifted, staring up at her living room window. A light was on in her flat, but he saw no signs of movement, no evidence that she was home. Only her scent, lingering on the air, told him that he might still find her there.
When he’d crossed the street to her front door, he scanned the list of names next to the buzzers. C. Fitzgerald. E. Morgan. F. Jones.
Jones. That must be it, he thought. The only F in the place.
He pressed his finger into the buzzer and awaited the reply.
After a few seconds, a voice croaked out the word Yes?
“Flicka?” he said. “It’s Dex.”
He was sure he heard a sigh on the other end. Hardly the sound that a woman makes when she’s excited to hear from someone. “What do you want?” she asked.
Ouch.
“To see you. To make sure you’re all right.”
“Come up, then.”
The buzzer droned an ugly sound and the door clicked open. Once inside, Dex jogged up the stairs to the second level, where he saw that the door to unit 201 had been pulled ajar. He ventured forward and knocked gently before pushing it inwards.
Flick was sitting at the far end of the room on an armchair, her face in her hands.
“What is it?” Dex asked, closing the door behind him before slipping over to crouch in front of her. When she didn’t respond, he pulled her hands away from her face, taking them in his only to see that her cheeks were streaked with tears, her eyes pink from weeping. Even so, he thought greedily, she still managed to look as beautiful as ever. “What’s happened here? What’s upset you so much?”
“I had a visit,” she said. “From your friend Eldrich.”
Shite. He’d allowed himself to take his eyes off her building for only a few minutes, and this was the result. If only he’d been closer, he could have stopped the bastard. “He’s hardly my friend, as you know,” he said. “What did he do? He didn’t hurt you, did he? If he did…” Fire burned inside him to think what hell he’d unleash if that wanker laid a finger on this amazing woman.
“No, not physically,” she said.
“In other ways, though. Tell me.”
“He wants me to…” she stopped mid-sentence and stared into the Dragon shifter’s eyes.
His gaze was locked on her own, his pulse throbbing, jaw clenched. The thought of Flick hurting was more than he wanted to bear. He already felt so close to her, so protective. Even if they’d never bonded, she meant more to him than anyone he’d ever met.
“He wants you to what?” he asked.
She shook her head. “It’s nothing,” she replied. “It doesn’t matter. Why are you here?” The words came at him in an icy stream, as though she were accusing him of something.
“To see you. I had a bad feeling. I’ve told you—I feel protective of you.”
“Well, there’s no need to protect me, not anymore,” she growled. “I’m fine.” She pulled herself away and stood up, walking towards the window, her back towards him. “You should go.”
“Flicka,” he said, rising to his full height. “I know what you’re doing. But don’t. Don’t push me away like I’m Eldrich. He’s your enemy. You know perfectly well that I’m the opposite.”
She turned to face him, her cheeks wet with new tears. “How can you be the opposite?” she asked. “What are you to me, if not my enemy? You’re a Dragon shifter. I’m a human.”
“I’m also a man who cares about you a great deal,” he replied. “I’m a man who wants you to be happy. If you understood how much…”
Flick choked back a sob. “I’m sorry,” she said, turning away, her hands gripping the windowsill. “You’re right. You’ve only ever been kind to me. Unlike that selfish prick who walked into my home and…” She paused for a moment, exhaling hard before continuing. “Do you ever wish life were different?” she asked.
“Sometimes,” he replied.
“I wish mine was,” she said. “I wish I had more control over my destiny.”
“You have all the control,” he said, gliding silently towards her. Slowly, gently, he laid his hands on her shoulders. “You do have power over your life. You have power, even, over me.”
When he felt her shudder, he pulled her hair away from one side of her neck. Tentatively he kissed her skin, as she breathed out the most delicious moan he’d ever heard.
“Dex,” she murmured, leaning her head back against his chest.
He slipped his hands down to her waist, pulling her blouse upwards with one hand, dipping the other into the front of her skirt as she inhaled a sharp breath. After a moment he found the tuft of soft hair between her legs, then the sweet slickness of her sex. For a moment she let him touch her, let his finger slip over her bud, her body tensing at the sensation.
“Dex,” she repeated, wrapping her fingers around his thick wrist. “No. I can’t.”
She yanked his hand out of her clothing and spun around, her eyes confronting him. At first he thought that she must be angry, but it was a very different emotion that met his stare.
A deep, awful sadness.
“I can’t,” she repeated. “Oh, God, you don’t understand. I want to. But I can’t.”
“If you’ve decided you don’t want to be with me, I can take it,” he said. “Just tell me.”
Flick shook her head. “It’s not that at all. I want you so badly that it hurts. I just can’t be with you. Not tonight, not ever. Eldrich told me—”
She turned her back on him again, avoiding his eyes.
Rage surged up inside Dex, a force almost powerful enough to bring his Dragon to the surface. “What did he tell you, Flicka?” he growled. “Say it.”
“He told me that if I don’t agree to be his, he’ll tell the whole world about your existence; he’ll reveal the Kindred’s secrets. He’ll tell my paper, everyone. He wants you ruined. All of you.”
“I see,” said Dex, anger roiling like lava inside him. “And you believe him?”
“I believe he means it, yes. I think he means to take all shifters down with him, purely out of spite.”
A growl rolled up through Dex’s chest. “He wants you. His déor, like mine, is convinced that you and he are meant to be together.” He stepped over to the couch and threw himself down, raking a hand through his hair. “Do you know how Dragon shifters mate, Flicka?” he asked.
She turned to face him, her eyes dewy with tears that hadn’t yet fallen.
“I know a little,” she said. “I assume they mate like everyone else, at least physically. Is this meant to be some sort of lesson in sex education? Because that’s the last thing I need right now.”
A cynical smile crossed Dex’s lips. “No,” he said. “You’re right. They mate like everyone else. But there is a bond that forms when one of us finds his true mate. A bond that can never be broken. One that is sacred. I told you that if you and I choose to be together, it will be forever.”
“I’ve heard about shifters bonding. You’re saying I’d be with Eldrich forever if I gave myself to him, I assume.”
“No. I’m saying that I don’t think you’re his true mate. You’re not meant to be with him. What Eldrich doesn’t seem to realize is that the choice isn’t his—it’s yours. He can’t force you, however he might attempt to manipulate you into submission. That’s not how fate works. But if you did find a true mate in a Dragon shifter, no one could break the bond. Not even that traitor.”
Flick stared at him for a moment. She looked as though she was pondering the words carefully. Eventually she spoke, her thoughts coming slowly. “A true mate. Are you telling me if you and I were together, it would be enough to deter him?”
Dex stood up. “Do you think that you and I are meant to be together?”
“No,” she said.
Dex’s heart sank in his chest. “All right, then,” he said.
“I didn’t finish.” Flick edged towards him. “I don’t think you and I are meant to be. I know we are. Every night I dream of you, Dex. You, a little house on a cliff…and something else, too.”
“Something else?” he asked, though he already knew what it was that she spoke of.
She nodded. “I don’t want to tell you, not yet. It’s too much for me to bear, knowing that I may never have it.”
Gently, he took her face between his hands. He wanted to kiss her so badly, to prove that everything would somehow work out. “Flicka—I don’t want you to choose me just to fight off Eldrich’s threats. I’m only telling you that you should listen to your heart. Don’t succumb to pressure. Not from him, not from me.”
“My heart knows what it wants,” she said. “But I’m not so selfish as to think I should disregard the safety of an entire species for my own happiness. If I make Eldrich angry, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”
“When does he want your answer?”
Flick bit her quivering lip. “Tomorrow afternoon.”
“Then we have some work to do,” he replied, taking her hand. “Come with me. There’s someone I need to talk to, but I also want to show you something.”
“Show me? What could you possibly show me?” she asked.
“No more questions. Just grant me this,” he said. “Please?”
“All right,” Flick replied.
Chapter 11
Dex guided Flick outside to street level and crossed over to the small park opposite her building.
“Do you trust me?” he asked, turning to her.
She nodded. “Of course I trust you. Even though I don’t understand any of this,” she said. He looked so determined, so serious. The scent of smoke and musk filled the air, a potent, sensual mix of human and feral aromas.
“I want to take you to a place I love,” he said, guiding her by the hand to lead her to the centre of the small field of grass. “You should climb onto my back once I’ve shifted. I’ll make the ride as comfortable as possible.”
“I don’t suppose I can get away with riding side-saddle,” Flick said, chuckling as she looked down at her skirt.
“No sidesaddle. Don’t worry about being ladylike with me,” he replied, grinning. “No one else will see you.”
A moment later his beautiful silver-blue Dragon stood in the large opening between the trees, reflecting the night sky and disappearing into his surroundings as though camouflaged by a trick of the light. Flick wanted to stare at him, to stroke a hand over his side and to marvel at the curves of his incredible form. But, sensing that time was of the essence, she leapt up onto the back of his neck, hoisting her skirt up over her thighs, and pressed her hands into his scales.
“Where are we going?” she asked before laughing at herself. “I suppose that’s a stupid question. It’s not as though you can answer me.”
“Can’t I?”
The deep voice barrelled through her mind like a freight train, and her heart leapt with shock as Dex’s wings unfurled and his form shot into the sky. Suddenly she remembered watching his altercation with Eldrich in the Underground Club. There had been a moment when Dex had replied to the
other shifter’s déor, when it seemed that they’d communicated telepathically.
“Am I going insane, or did you just talk to my brain?” she asked, leaning forward to hold tight to his neck.
“You’re not insane,” his voice told her. “My déor is capable of speaking directly to your mind, though I’ll admit it’s a bit of a one-way street. I still need you to respond out loud to me if I’m to understand you.”
“That’s amazing. You’re amazing,” she replied, relaxing her body as she straightened to an upright position, the chill night air pushing her hair away from her shoulders. “You’re still full of surprises. Speaking of which, can you finally tell me where we’re going?”
“My cottage,” he replied, “on the coast by the cliffs of Dover. My parents owned it long ago.”
“Where are your parents now?”
“They’re dead,” he said.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right. It happened many years back. They died fighting for Dragon kind, protecting our secrets. If you ever wonder why I feel so strongly about guarding our identities, look no further than their legacy.”
“I’m sorry,” she said again. “Sorry that you have to hide what you are in order to stay alive.” She stroked her fingers over his neck as she looked down at the twinkling lights of houses and cars far below.
“As long as I don’t have to hide it from you, I’m happy,” he replied. “I want you to know everything about me, Flicka. That’s why I want to bring you with me tonight.”
“I want to know everything,” she replied. “I want to hear about your childhood and your family. I want to know all about your life.”
“Then I’ll tell you as much as I can in the time that we have.”
As they flew, Dex told her stories of his first shift into his déor; his first time in the air. Of what it was like to be a child in school, learning to control the beast inside him, to hide his true nature from the other pupils.
It seemed like only a few minutes had passed before Flick felt the Dragon swooping down towards the earth. Far below them she could see the ocean’s lapping waves reflecting cloud and moonlight, the cliff’s edge cutting a hard line across the coast. She was disappointed that Dex’s stories had been cut short until a familiar sensation began to work its way through her.
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