The Dragon Shifter’s Duty

by Roth, Mandy M.

  He intended to.

  Dickhead set his sights on Sammy. Ezra caught the man’s gaze and held it. He let his eyes change colors quickly, knowing the man had seen the act.

  Dickhead gasped, lurched back, looked around wildly, and then scrambled for the door.

  Sammy tipped her head. “What was that about?”

  Shrugging, Ezra grinned. “I’m sure I have no idea, but if he shows his face again, grab me or the guy greeting people near the door, okay?”

  Dawning shone on her face, and she glanced at Holland, then the girl who was in the barely-there dress. “Wow, Louise, you picked a real winner, didn’t you?”

  “He was hot and loaded, so yes,” replied the woman, sneering as she stared at Ezra holding Holland’s hand.

  “Someone want to tell me what is going on?” asked Holland.

  “Nope,” replied Sammy. She gave Ezra a thumbs-up and then she and the rest of the young women she’d arrived with headed in the direction of the bar.

  Ezra glanced over Holland’s head, and found Bhaltair watching him closely. Ezra smiled so wide he thought his face might break. He used his free hand to point to Holland, much like he was a fledgling and new to being around beautiful women, rather than centuries old and a seasoned pro in the art of seduction.

  Bhaltair’s expression spoke volumes as he drew back somewhat, as if whatever had come over Ezra might be contagious.

  Holland put her free hand to his chest, and smoothed her palm down the front of his torso. Her tongue darted out and over her lower lip. Ezra’s dragon unfurled, surging forward so fast, and with so much power, that his eyes burned with the change. His gums tingled a second before he felt his teeth lengthening.

  Panicked at his complete loss of control, he looked up desperately to find Bhaltair suddenly there. Concern was in his friend’s gaze as Bhaltair reached for Holland.

  Ezra knew Bhaltair was only trying to help, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself as he snarled, his breathing harsh and his pulse racing. “Mine!”

  Both men froze for a fraction of time. The stunned state gave Ezra the opportunity he needed to gain control of his dragon side. With measured breaths, he eased Holland closer, and she sank against him. It was as if she knew he needed her there, needed her comfort, her touch, to soothe his dragon half.

  Bhaltair slid up alongside him and lowered his voice to the point no humans could hear. “Och, are we going to have an issue, Ezra?”

  As much as he wanted to tell the vampire no, he wasn’t entirely sure. Instead, he merely stared at him. It was the first time in Ezra’s long life that he’d ever experienced anything like this. He didn’t know what the next five seconds would bring, let alone if he was going to lose his shit and shape-shift in the middle of a crowded club.

  Holland inclined her head, her forehead brushing Ezra’s chest. She kneaded the material of his T-shirt as she spoke. “Who’s the Scottish guy? What issue? And what do you mean by ‘mine’? What is an ezra?”

  She’d heard Bhaltair?

  Even Bhaltair appeared impressed. With the volume level of the shitty music playing, and the barely audible whisper Bhaltair had spoken in, no one, other than a fellow supernatural, should have heard. The questioning look on Bhaltair’s face said he was wondering the same thing as Ezra.

  Was Holland more than human?

  If so, why did she only smell of human? Granted, she smelled amazing, but still, she didn’t carry the scent of a supernatural. At least none Ezra had encountered, and he’d been alive long enough to meet just about everything out there at least once.

  He cleared his throat. “There is no issue. The Scottish guy is Bhaltair. Ignore the ‘mine’ bit, and ezra isn’t a what, it’s a who. It’s my name.”

  Chapter Three

  Holland Sandoval couldn’t seem to stop caressing the man near her. Her emotions waged a war within, confusing her. She couldn’t seem to step out of his embrace. Not that she wanted to. It wasn’t as if she did this often. In fact, she’d never let a man hold her like this before. Heat rushed over her body, and for a fraction of a second she worried her darkness was going to come out and play.

  With as much as she’d had to drink throughout the day, it was a real possibility that her darkness could get away from her. A flicker of anxiety rushed over her. If her darkness did break free, people would get hurt. That wasn’t acceptable to her.

  She knew she’d had far too much to drink, and the fear of what she could do and of her power getting away from her caused her to panic. It was as if she’d suddenly been dunked in a bath of icy water. She began to shake, and the next she knew, Ezra had his powerful arms wrapped around her tighter and was holding her as if they were longtime lovers. He soothed her fears with nothing more than his touch.

  She didn’t push him away or make any attempt to step out of his grasp. Instead, she leaned into him, enjoying the feel of his body, and of the security he provided. Pressed against him, she felt like she could take on the world, that anything was possible, and that her darkness would not get the better of her.

  “Can I keep you?” she blurted.

  “Yes,” he said, his voice deepening even more.

  She didn’t know what it was about Ezra, but if she could have bottled it to take as a pill later, she would. People would pay good money for the feeling of bliss and safety.

  When his lips pressed against her forehead, she melted. Because of what she could do, Holland had made it a point in life to avoid physical contact with others. She’d never trusted herself enough to have a boyfriend or to date. But here she was, in a nightclub, wearing a blindfold, letting her best friend plan her evening, all while permitting a man she didn’t know to comfort her. The strangest part was how she wanted his kiss to move from her forehead to her lips.

  That wasn’t like her at all.

  She didn’t know anything about him other than he was ripped, smelled awesome, was named Ezra, and had a deep, sexy voice. And Sammy trusted him. If she didn’t, her friend wouldn’t have dared to leave her alone with him. Sammy’s trust meant a lot to Holland.

  “You open to me keeping you in return?” he asked.

  Strangely, his voice was also somewhat familiar to her, but she’d never met anyone by the name of Ezra before. She’d have recalled it. She would have remembered him.

  Hell yes, I’m open to being kept!

  She didn’t verbalize as much. She couldn’t. It was all too weird.

  “Is Sammy gone now?” she asked, being a good sport and keeping the blindfold on even though she very much wanted to see what the man looked like.

  “She is,” he replied.

  Sammy, her roommate and best friend, had made it her sole mission in life to be sure Holland had a good time on her birthday. Unfortunately, that had meant that upon rising at the crack of dawn, Sammy had had alcoholic beverages waiting on the table, with a birthday cake and an entire day of “fun” events planned.

  Holland wasn’t much for the party scene. She’d never developed a taste for alcohol and didn’t like to go clubbing, so she wasn’t having the time of her life. Her tolerance level for alcohol continued to make Sammy’s sorority sisters give her funny looks. They’d never been fans of her from the start, especially when she’d refused to make any attempt to join the Greek system. Within four shots, they’d begun to act foolishly. It had taken Holland considerably more drinks before she began to feel the effects.

  Tipsy, tired, and unsure just what her friend had in store for her, Holland had been ready to call it a night and head back to the dorm before they’d entered the nightclub. Now that she was close to a man she hadn’t even looked at yet, she was beginning to change her mind.

  However, finals were next week, and she’d wanted to get a leg up on studying for exams. She’d worked hard to overcome her past and get into college. She didn’t intend to screw up the opportunity. New York City hadn’t been where she thought she’d end up, but she wouldn’t change it for the world. She loved the hustle and bustle. L
oved her university. But mostly, she loved her major.

  Journalism.

  Throughout her life, she’d been told that she asked too many questions. What better profession than journalism, where she could ask all the questions she wanted? Right now, she wanted to know more about the man she was standing close to.

  “This is nice,” she said.

  Ezra stroked her back tenderly. “It is.”

  The song changed from the loud, obnoxious techno music that had been playing to something soft and slow. Holland made a move to step out of the man’s embrace, but he pulled her tighter to his body. The move was bold, but welcomed. With one caress, she was under his spell once more.

  “Thought the next stage of your birthday night was dancing with a stranger,” he said, the timbre of his voice making her inner thighs tighten.

  “But are you a stranger?” she questioned, unsure if he really was. His voice was that familiar to her.

  He chuckled. “Trust me when I say I’d never forget someone like you.”

  She really wasn’t sure how she was still upright. Between the alcohol and the man’s deep voice, her knees were weak. She’d always been annoyed with Sammy’s sorority sisters, and how they always seemed to go crazy whenever the subject of guys came up. Now she got where they were coming from. It would be easy to go bonkers over Ezra, and she didn’t even know what he looked like.

  He swayed their bodies slowly to the beat of the music. Lifting her arms, he draped them over his shoulders, and she realized just how tall he was. She was hardly short for a woman, but he had her beat. Ezra artfully moved their bodies, swaying to the music. The urge to put her head to his chest again came over her, and she gave in. She smiled as she thought about how silly she must look, dancing in a busy nightclub, wearing a blindfold.

  Sammy had tried to keep their location a secret, but the cab driver had spilled the beans upon their arrival—announcing they’d made it to said destination. Holland had continued to play along with the game Sammy had going, more to please her friend than because it made Holland happy. She’d met Sammy in high school, and they’d become instant friends. Sammy knew about Holland’s past. Knew most of her secrets, and she loved her all the same. Besides, Sammy wasn’t exactly run-of-the-mill ordinary, which made the friendship perfect.

  Sammy’s sorority sisters were another matter entirely.

  They weren’t privy to the fact Holland was more than human, or that Sammy was more than met the eye, either. And no one intended to make them any wiser. Holland knew the consequences of people finding out about what she was or what she believed was real in the world. She’d suffered them when she was younger and had no intention of going through that again.

  Sammy understood, and didn’t want to have the same thing happen to her. Sammy was the one person Holland could trust and count on. She was her rock. And aside from one Good Samaritan who had helped her when she needed help most as a little girl, Holland didn’t dare put much faith in others.

  Newt.

  It had been years since she’d last thought of him, but as she stood slow dancing with a stranger on her birthday, Newt came to the forefront of her mind. It didn’t matter how many doctors or nurses told her that he wasn’t real, that men who could turn into lizards didn’t exist, and that she just had an overactive imagination and had been in shock, she knew what she saw. The man who had rescued her had changed forms, and he’d had scales on his skin. His eyes had reminded her of the same eyes her kindergarten classroom pet had had. It had been a newt. That was how she’d come up with the name for the man.

  When it had been her turn to take the classroom pet home with her, the newt’s life had been cut unexpectedly short. Holland’s father hadn’t liked it from the minute it entered the home, and she knew he was the cause of its death.

  Leaning more against Ezra, Holland did her best to push away memories from her childhood. They led nowhere good, and would only leave her depressed on an already sad day.

  Sixteen years ago, on her birthday, she’d been given a present she’d never forget. It had come in the form of gasoline, fake promises, and an evil smile. She’d lived, but wore her scars on the inside, where no one could see them.

  Battle-tested, school-of-hard-knocks approved, Holland didn’t need to dwell on her childhood. She’d turned her life around and was only looking forward, not back. She was graduating soon, and she had a great entry-level job lined up at a rocking newspaper. There was a lot to look forward to.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking,” said Ezra.

  Holland smiled. “I was thinking that there’s no point living in the past. The future is the only thing that matters, and that it’s what you make it.”

  “Good thought.” His hands skimmed down her torso, coming to a rest on her hips. He squeezed gently, and additional heat moved through her, centering on her nether regions. Sliding her hands into his hair, she lifted her head from his chest, facing him despite being unable to see him. He had long hair that was pulled back—she could feel that much. She wondered if his hair was dark or light.

  “This blindfold is getting old,” she said with a sigh.

  She was about to say more, when his lips pressed to hers, making her forget everything around her. Her only focus was him—the feel of his mouth against her, the hard press of his body to hers, and the taste of his kiss. She parted her lips, wanting more, and he delivered. As his tongue swirled around hers, a low growling sound came from him. The sound of it tickled her insides, making her want to throw him to the ground and have her way with him.

  The urge to do all the things the sorority girls giggled and whispered about over glasses of wine hit Holland hard. She wanted those experiences with this man. Her traitorous nipples picked then to harden to pebble-like points. Her breath caught, and she cringed, wondering if he could feel her hard nipples through the thin material of his T-shirt. All she felt was how chiseled he seemed to be all over. The man’s body was a masterpiece. She didn’t need to see it to know. She was getting a great “view” with her hands.

  He cupped her face and then slid the blindfold up, removing it slowly.

  She blinked and found herself staring into a pair of emerald-green eyes. Instantly, she thought of Newt once more. If she didn’t know that he would have been considerably older than Ezra, she might have thought it was him. While the man’s hair was very long, it was dark like Newt’s had been. And while Newt had been clean-shaven, and Ezra had a full beard, there was something about the man before her that continued to make her think about the one who had saved her long ago.

  Because you were just thinking about him. This isn’t Newt. It can’t be. You just want it to be him.

  He shook his head slightly. “This might sound like a bad pick-up line, but I can’t believe you just managed to get even more beautiful.”

  Holland blushed and bit her lower lip. “Th-thanks. You’re not too shabby yourself, Ezra.”

  The song changed to something with a harder beat, and she scrunched her face. “The music here really stinks.”

  He smiled, the edges of his eyes crinkling with mirth, making him appear even more ruggedly handsome. Oh yes, it would be entirely too easy to hand her virginity over to this man. She’d spent so long clinging to it, living in fear of her darkness seizing that particular moment to break loose, that she could scarcely believe how quickly she was willing to cast all of that aside to be with him.

  He took her hand in his once more and motioned with his head toward the back of the club. Any other time, any other man, she’d have second-guessed following him. She’d have been on guard. But she felt totally and utterly safe with him. Like she knew deep down that no matter what, he’d never harm her or let anyone else hurt her, either.

  Long ago, she’d learned that her darkness often had the ability to sense things about people others couldn’t. And it trusted Ezra.

  Holland nodded and followed close behind him. As she watched him cut through the crowded club with ease, she began to won
der just how tall the guy was. There weren’t too many other men in the place who were his height.

  Someone who looked more like they were hooked to live jumper cables than dancing slammed into her, smashing her against Ezra’s back. It didn’t really hurt so much as it gave her the opportunity to realize everything on Ezra was hard, including his backside.

  And it was a great butt.

  Twisting, he released her hand, his gaze snapping to the guy who had slammed into her. Ezra drew her around his body, putting himself between her and the jumper-cable guy. He then grabbed the man and yanked him in close.

  Holland sucked in a breath, concerned there would be a fight. Though she wasn’t sure how much of a fight it would be. It was fairly clear Ezra would wipe the floor with the guy.

  “Apologize,” Ezra said, his voice even deeper than before.

  Suddenly, there was a man who managed to be as tall as Ezra there. Holland hadn’t seen him approaching. His dark gaze moved from her to Ezra, and for a second she could have sworn she saw him smile.

  “Ezra, I cannae take you anywhere,” said the man. She recognized his voice as the man Ezra had called Bhaltair.

  Ezra released the jumper-cable guy and faced Bhaltair. “If that asshole doesn’t watch what he’s doing, I’m going to handle him.”

  Bhaltair cast Holland a sympathetic look. “Lass, I’d tell you he isnae normally this way, but I’ve a strong suspicion that around you, this is exactly who he’ll be.”

  Her lips quirked. “Yeah, I’d have known you were lying.”

  He inclined his head, and then touched Ezra’s shoulder lightly. “The back office is free. Why don’t you take yer new friend there? I feel it's best for all the patrons if you do.”

  Ezra’s nostrils flared.

  Holland moved against him quickly, putting her palms to his chest.

  Instantly, he calmed, and then draped an arm around her. “You all right with that plan?”

  Sammy emerged through a throng of bodies. She looked back at a man who had his hand up the skirt of the woman he was dancing with. “Get a room.”