Kassandra's Wolf (The Dragon Ruby Series Book 3)

by Leilani Love

  “You should be able to watch everything from behind this wall,” Damien said through his microphone. “I need you to promise that no matter what you see or hear, you will stay behind the wall and not make a sound.”

  Kassandra took off her helmet and looked around. Clouds covered the moon, and about half the lights around the park were broken or looked to be broken, making the park eerily dark. Kassandra knew Damien looked worried and she tried to give him a reassuring smile. “I promise to be a good girl and stay behind the wall.”

  Damien pulled her close. When she was close, he quickly smacked her ass causing her to jump before he pulled her head down for a quick kiss. “I would never ask you to be a good girl, my Kitty Kat, and I have a funny feeling you wouldn’t even know how. But for now, I’m asking you to stay safe and don’t make me regret bringing you.”

  Kassandra couldn’t help but smile. She cupped his cheek, nibbling on his lips. “I promise to stay behind the wall and be quiet. Scout’s honor.” She held up her fingers in a mock promise.

  He looked at her with all seriousness. “Whatever you see or hear, don’t make a sound and stay hidden.”

  Damien gave her one last kiss, then drove off to the parking lot across the park. Kassandra searched for a comfortable place and found a car-size chunk that had fallen off of the wall. There, she could sit and watch the meeting through holes in the wall, letting her dragon eavesdrop without being detected.

  A sharp pain stabbed Kassandra at the thought of leaving Damien. She had to remind herself that Damien was a wolf—a wolf who was engaging with the enemy. Damien only seemed to have family loyalty to his sister, and never went back to claim his pack. He would never fit in her life. No, the best thing Kassandra could do was to leave as soon as she found out what the two were meeting about.

  She watched as Damien took off his helmet and slowly scanned the area. When he looked in her direction, he paused for a mere heartbeat and she knew with his enhanced sight he might be able to see her outline through the trees. Her lips curved in a small smile. Even from here she could see he was tense, she wondered how much of that was because he was worried about her. She could have put his mind at ease by telling him what she was, but that might have meant he’d cancel tonight’s little meeting.

  ***

  Damien tried not to focus on Kassandra. He knew that if anyone was watching and noticed him continuously scanning that area, it would look suspicious. He shouldn’t have brought her. What if this was a setup? What if Dmitri was going to finish the job of killing him and his sister?

  Yet there was something compelling him to stay. The same thing that compelled him to bring Kassandra along. All he could do was hope that whatever compelled him to be there, was leading him on the right path and not straight into danger.

  His wolf perked up when the wind blew, and he could smell a small group of dragons walking across the park. He could smell three different scents, but could only make out two shapes.

  Dmitri stepped from the shadows first, the tails of his black leather jacket catching the wind. His guard choosing to stay back several feet staying hidden amongst the shadows not enough light for even his wolf to make out his features. He could smell a third but the night was too dark for him to find exactly where he was hidden. Damien got off his bike, slowly stepping toward Dmitri and looked him over.

  The few times he had seen Dmitri, he had been dressed similarly to how he was tonight, black pants and a long black leather jacket. It wasn’t so much how he dressed, but how he carried himself with his back straight and an air of power or confidence surrounding him. He’d noticed when he’d first met Dmitri how men had a habit of averting their eyes. Damien was never one to cower, instead each and every encounter with him, Damien kept his head up letting him know he was as much alpha as the prince, even if he never claimed his spot amongst his people.

  “Damien, I have to admit I wasn’t sure if you’d be here tonight,” Dmitri said, when they were finally standing in front of each other.

  Damien let out a snort and crossed his arms. “Well, you said you had something that both my sister and I would want. I got the distinct feeling you would try and meet with her if I didn’t show up.”

  Dmitri’s smile confirmed that Damien was right. Damien took a threatening step toward Dmitri who smirked and put his hand up in front of him, a knowing grin on his face. “Relax, you’re here and she’s not. No reason for you to get all wolfy.”

  Damien fought the urge to punch his smug face when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, in the direction of the wall. The missing dragon he’d smelled earlier was pulling Kassandra behind him.

  Damien’s lips curved back and his teeth lengthened. He let out a growl. The urge to protect Kasandra was overwhelming, but Damien needed to think. Going up against three dragons would require more than just strength.

  “Kassandra, is that you hiding in the shadows?” Dmitri called. “I expected you to be guarding my brother’s mate Aithne, not slumming with a wolf.”

  Damien’s head snapped toward Dmitri. Not only did Dmitri know her, but he thought she should be guarding his brother’s mate. There was no way the King of the Dragons would have a human guarding the new queen.

  CHAPTER 18

  Kassandra could feel Damien’s eyes burning into her. She knew she was caught when Dmitri’s guard Paul showed up. She had trained with him when they were younger, before Dmitri had decided to go his own way. Paul had always been power hungry, so it was no surprise when he left with Dmitri. When he walked up to her, hiding behind the wall, the smirk told her he recognized her easily and was going to enjoy exposing her.

  When they finally stood before Damien and Dmitri, Kassandra looked Dmitri over. The last few years she had only caught glimpses of him. Standing before him now, she looked him over. His hazel eyes that always seemed to dance with mischief when they were friends now looked hard, his hard jaw set and the smile that he always seemed to have on his face seemed more like a threat, he wasn’t as tall as his brother but still stood over six feet tall. Dmitri used to keep his light brown hair cut short and she was surprised to see he’d let it grow past his shoulders.

  “I never would have pictured you lying with dogs. You may have been able to hide your dragon scent, but it doesn’t hide the scent of sex.” Dmitri gave Damien a smug look and smiled. “Oh, you didn’t know? Our dear Kat here is a dragon.”

  Damien’s eyes glowed yellow, signaling that his wolf was close to taking over. Kassandra winced when she felt Damien’s betrayal, and her dragon let out a low whimper. She had to fight the urge to run to him and apologize.

  Kassandra slowly turned to face Dmitri, her head held high.

  “I take it you’re here for my brother, Kassandra?” Dmitri said. “Usually you show up after I leave, not before. I’m impressed. Maybe my brother is learning he has no choice but to fight before we’re all wiped out.”

  “You divided up your people, stole from them, for what? Power? Why are you here now? To threaten him into joining your fight?”

  Dmitri stood in front of her, so fast she never saw him move. She heard a loud growl before Damien rushed at them. Before Damien could reach them Dmitri’s guard grabbed him, holding him in place and keeping him from being able to tackle Dmitri.

  “I never stole from our people!” Dmitri roared. “I was there to protect them. If you would have arrived sooner, maybe you would have figured it out on your own. We need to use the Earth Witches and have them release our power from the Dragon Ruby. It’s the only way to save our people.” Dmitri’s words were said through clenched teeth his hand fisted at his sides.

  “You’re a fool, Dmitri. You don’t know what could happen to them or us. You stir up trouble like some spoiled child, causing destruction wherever you go. Your parents would be ashamed of you.” Years of anger boiled over in Kassandra’s words.

  Dmitri raised his hand, but Damien stopped it in midair. “If you touch her, I will rip out your throat before your two litt
le bodyguards could get close enough to stop me.”

  She watched Damien and Dmitri eye each other. Dmitri smirked. “At least you picked a loyal dog,” he said to Kassandra.

  He reached into his jacket, pulled out a small package, and looked back to Damien. “Just to show you there are no hard feelings, I’ll give you this still.”

  Dmitri tossed the package to Damien, who caught it without looking away. Damien paused. “My mother’s message was that you have to protect her.”

  Dmitri didn’t move. Not a single muscle and if Kassandra wasn’t watching, she wouldn’t have noticed a quick flicker in Dmitri’s eyes. “Who?” Dmitri asked. “Who do I need to protect?”

  Damien’s lips quirked up, indicating he’d seen the quick flash too. “She said you would know.”

  Dmitri looked at Kassandra. “Kat, tell my brother I look forward to meeting his new mate.” He abruptly turned and walked away, trailed by his guards.

  Kasandra watched them in silence. She could feel waves of anger and resentment emanating from Damien, and she swallowed hard to fight the guilt. Gathering up all her courage she turned to look at him.

  “I want to see your dragon,” Damien said finally, his hands clinched at his sides.

  Kassandra hesitated a moment, then nodded. Slowly, her dragon came to the surface, and her body transformed, her muscles lengthening and her bones breaking and reshaping. Whatever magic the gods had used to change them from dragons to human dragon shifters made this an almost painless process. Kassandra gave in to her dragon’s desire and angled her neck down toward Damien. It was a sign of submission that the animal in Damien would hopefully recognize as a form of apology.

  ***

  Damien watched as a mist formed around Kassandra. A beautiful white dragon emerged from the mist, and he noticed the weary look in her eyes when she dipped her head. The wolf in him wanted to rub along her body and coat her in his scent, and nip at her neck ready to mark her as his.

  The wolf was ready and willing to forgive his mate, but the man was not. A new spark of anger grew, and for once he and his wolf weren’t in agreement. Did she know he was her mate when she bit him? Was she like her sister’s mate? Did she not care?

  Despite his anger, he could not help but walk closer to her. Kassandra’s eyes were more of a green than blue, sparkling like emeralds in the moonlight. The white of her scales almost shimmered under the night sky and when he got close enough, he noticed that they were outlined with a light blue.

  He reached out and touched her, running his hand along the muscles of her sides as he walked around her. Damien had never seen a dragon up close. He knew about them from the Vampire King Lazzaro, but since they were enemies at the time, he had never been up close and personal with them. Knowing and seeing were two completely different things.

  Kassandra was beautiful. Not just in her human form, but her dragon as well. When he came around the back of her, he noticed she was watching him warily from the corner of her eye. Waiting for his reaction.

  Damien pulled his shirt away from his neck, baring his mark to her. “You are my mate and you will never hide yourself from me again.”

  Kassandra rapidly shifted back to human form, and her catlike eyes focused on his neck. A look of shock registered in her eyes. Damien’s wolf hadn’t healed the mark. The look on her face told him she was unaware that she had marked him.

  Damien adjusted his shirt and jacket, looking down at the package he still held in his hand. He couldn’t bring himself to open it just yet. Instead, he stood there looking at the package in his hand until he felt Kassandra’s hand on his arm. “We should go back to your house.”

  Without a word, Damien turned to walk back to his bike, and tucked the package into his jacket. When he noticed she didn’t have the helmet he gave her, he handed her his before starting the bike. The whole ride home, all he could think about was how he’d been wracking his brain on how he’d tell Kassandra about his world. Now, he’d not only learned that she knew all about it, but she was an actual part of it.

  When he pulled up to the driveway, he wasn’t surprised to see Hope fly out the door. Their connection was strong enough that she would have felt his confusion and pain.

  Hope suddenly stopped in the yard, her eyes wide. Damien could tell Hope had picked up on Kassandra’s scent.

  “How?” Hope asked.

  Without looking at Kassandra he knew she had tensed at his sister’s question. Damien rubbed the back of his neck. “Let’s go inside. I think it’s best if we talk in the house.”

  Hope walked in first and Kassandra slowly walked in after. Damien locked the door and walked into the kitchen grabbing three glasses, some ice and a bottle of Bells scotch and followed them into the living room.

  Placing the glasses in the middle of the table he poured them all a drink before sitting on the couch. Reaching into his jacket he tossed the package onto the table. The girls both watched him as he picked up his glass taking a sip, enjoying the slow burn.

  Kassandra picked up her cup and he watched her lean back in her chair. She looked like she was struggling and he was surprised when she took a very healthy drink of the scotch. If his mind wasn’t so preoccupied, he might have smiled at the face she made.

  “So who exactly are you?” Damien asked.

  CHAPTER 19

  Kassandra could feel them both watching her, waiting for answers. For the first time, she prayed for liquid courage. “I am one of the personal guards of the Dragon King, Viktor. My gift as a dragon is to be able to hide myself, unable to be seen or smelled if I choose.”

  “Why are you here?” Damien demanded.

  She looked at her hand which held the glass, debating about taking another sip before finally replying, “When we made a truce with Lazzaro, we learned that you two were the reason behind all the wolf guards he employed. When I did a quick check on you both, I learned that Dmitri was in the area and was trying to meet you. I just came to learn if you were working with him.”

  Damien swore softly before taking a healthy swig of his drink and exiting through the sliding-glass door. Kassandra swallowed hard.

  “You know, despite everything, his wolf still wants nothing more than to claim you,” Hope said, a glint of sadness in her voice. “He’s having a hard time knowing that you’re his mate and that you lied to him.”

  Her sadness reminded Kassandra about how Damien and Hope had lost everything to the wolf that was Hope’s mate. Hope glanced at the package on the table and then out the sliding glass door. “I think you two need to talk. Tell Damien I’ll be back in the morning to find out what that is.”

  With that, Hope got up and left, leaving Kassandra alone in the living room. Her dragon just below the surface, whimpered softly, letting her know it wanted to go out and comfort Damien. She needed him to know why she’d lied and was hoping he might forgive her.

  Kassandra walked outside, following his scent deeper into his backyard. She finally found him pacing under a tree. Between the light breeze and his keen sense of smell, she knew he was aware of her even if he pretended to ignore her.

  When he’d showed her the mating mark she’d left on him, she wanted to say she was surprised but the feeling of pleasure she got when she bit into his neck, deep down she knew. “Your sister said she would be back tomorrow to see what Dmitri gave you. She thought we…” Her voice trailed off when he turned to look at her.

  He growled, a low, rumbly noise, as he stalked over to her. Kassandra straightened, determined not to back down, despite the sparks of anger coming from him. Underneath it all, she could feel his desire. He stood before her and grabbed a handful of her hair forcing her to meet his gaze. “Did you know I was your mate before you fucked me?”

  Kassandra stared into his eyes choosing her words carefully, needing him to understand. “No, not like you knew. It’s not exactly the same for dragons.”

  He stepped closer, forcing her head back further. Kassandra normally would force him to let go, but since
he wasn’t hurting her—just holding her in place she held still. “How is it different?”

  Kassandra licked her lips. The animal in him was close to the surface and she didn’t want to push him. His eyes darkened and she felt his arousal. “We don’t…” Kassandra couldn’t help herself and a moan escaped her. “We don’t recognize our mate by scent. Instead every time we kissed, I had this urge to...”

  He tilted her head and ran his tongue along her neck. “To sink your teeth into my flesh, claiming me as yours,” he whispered, “just like I’ve been fighting since the moment I caught your scent.”

  Did he actually expect her to answer that? Instead, all she could do was pant, her hands coming up to his chest curling into fists and holding onto his shirt as he continued to tease her neck with little bites as he worked his way up and down. “Did you know after you bit my neck and tasted my blood on your tongue, my Kat? Did you know then that I was your mate?”

  She tried to shake her head but his hold on her was too strong. “You were wearing a jacket when you came down,” Kassandra said, breathless. “I couldn’t see if it had healed.”

  The snort he gave her told her he didn’t believe her words any more than she did. He nipped at her pulse a little harder, causing her to shudder. “Do you always get aroused when you’re lying to yourself, Kitty Kat? I can smell your desire in the air, so strong I can taste it. My wolf wants nothing more than to rip the clothes from your body and take you right here, right now…”

  “And what does the man want?” Kassandra asked.

  He released her so quickly she nearly fell. Kassandra almost regretted the words as soon as she’d said them, but she needed to know.

  “Does it matter?” he asked. “Fate decided you’re mine and the animal in me won’t let you walk away. Does it matter what I want?”