“Oh, are you going back home then?” His question caught her off guard. Stella glanced around before meeting his questioning gaze.
“Excuse me?” Stella raised an eyebrow. She didn’t like the way he studied her.
“Well you have been staying here a while, and I thought you were trying to live here.” He shrugged which made the pendant glint in the sunlight.
Does he know he’s talking to a dragon or has he just dealt with wolves?
Her dragon breathed fire in the back of her mind, ready to spring into action when needed. Stella thanked the stars for her dragon not jumping forward and giving her away to the hunter. She didn’t need him to see her eyes change color then attack. Stella was almost positive he didn’t know what rested below the surface of her human body.
“Oh, I think I’m actually going back to the states. Unless my friend can offer me a place to stay.” Stella shrugged trying to keep him talking, because if he kept talking he wasn’t trying to hurt her. “I can’t stay here though, I’m kinda broke now,” Stella whispered and smiled. He laughed for a moment.
The longer they talked the more certain she leaned toward him not knowing about her dragon side, but she still paced in the back of Stella’s mind. Her fingers itching to shift into claws.
“I know how that is.” He nodded. “Well I’ll let you get back to packing. Have a good day.” He smiled at her and the way his eyes sparkled made her stomach uneasy. Stella closed the door and sighed heavily. She studied her room and started doing a mental inventory of what she really wanted and what she could leave behind.
After she relaxed on the bed another tap on the door filled her room. Stella fumbled to her feet and moved to the door. She pulled it open ready to fight the hunter but found Gerald instead. His black hair jostled from the wind.
“What are you doing here?” Stella asked. Damn it, he’s sexy even with clothes on.
“I’m here to help you.” Gerald leaned against the doorframe.
“Oh, um, excuse the mess.” Stella motioned for him to come in. She rubbed her face to make sure the tears were gone. Her unease from a moment ago settled. If the lone hunter came back, it would be harder to hurt both of them on his own.
“It’s not too bad.” A light smile touched his lips then he sniffed the air. “Listen about last night…”
“You don’t need to explain.” Stella couldn’t bear to hear his excuse of why he didn’t bite her. She swallowed hard.
“I do, Stella. My mother is already furious at me.”
“Please, don’t mate with me because your mother told you to.” Stella clenched her fists.
“You need to talk to me. I can’t exactly read your mind. I don’t know what you’re thinking or feeling.” Gerald seemed defeated. Stella reacted before she even thought through it. Her body moved into his arms. She kissed him tying to pour all of her feelings into the kiss.
Her body vibrated against him as she silently prayed to the goddess to bring her strength. His hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. Her tongue entered his mouth. Excitement tore through her body filling every inch of her.
“You need to be naked.” Gerald rumbled. His hands pushed off her coat.
“Well if you want it, then come and get it.” Stella nibbled on her lower lip.
She didn’t know if he would mark her this time but she hoped it happened today.
CHAPTER NINE
Gerald
This woman is going to break down every damn barrier. Gerald focused on Stella with her red hair splayed like a fan above her head. Her gorgeous breast cried out for his attention and he couldn’t deny it any longer. Slowly he moved his tongue over one nipple making his Stella moan. His dragon pushed inside his mind, he wanted to bite Stella and make it forever. I’m waiting for her to be ready.
He didn’t know if he was truly ready for forever, if he was being completely honest with himself. Forever seemed so finite, there would be nothing else that would matter to him other than his mate and future dragonlings. He closed his eyes, and focused himself, right now he needed to make Stella scream out his name.
He trailed kisses to the other nipple, and she pushed them into his mouth. His teeth grazed across her nipple. Her lovely thigh moved against his frustratingly hard shaft. A small bead of pre-cum slipped out to trail down her inner thigh. Slowly he inched down her body and placed his head just above her small patch of hair. His tongue swiped along her seam and he enjoyed hearing her moan again.
Gerald slowly moved his tongue over her sensitive area, her body vibrated under him. Swiftly he stood and flipped her over so her ass faced him. He lifted her hips up and placed his tip at her entrance.
“Ready?” Gerald leaned down, her nice soft hips in his grasp. The scent of arousal filled the air. His dragon nudged the barrier in a subtle reminder to mark her but Gerald pushed him back. Not now!
“Yes,” Stella’s lust filled voice met his ears. He inched his cock into her tight folds, every moment filled with pleasure. Her core wrapped around him so tightly, he almost released himself too soon. He leaned down and kissed her back making her shiver. Her lovely floral scent filling his nose. Being inside her completed him in ways he didn’t expect.
Before he could really figure it out, Stella moved her own hips in his grasp. He steadied her and picked a steady pace. Her moans grew louder while her head tilted back. The fiery red hair moved over her shoulder and Gerald’s sharp teeth itched to mark her. He barley pushed down the urge by picking up the pace.
“Gerald,” Stella gasped between moans. He leaned down next to her ear and nipped at her lobe. He barely managed to keep himself from marking her. Instead he forced himself to focus on her pleasure.
“Cum for me,” Gerald whispered. Her body shook under him then her walls clamped down on his cock. Stella reached her climax seconds before Gerald’s balls tightened. He spilled himself into her warm body. Once again, his teeth inched to mark her, his dragon howled with rage for waiting. His human side wanted something before giving himself over to her but he wasn’t even sure.
He kissed her back before standing up and pulling up his boxers.
“Let’s go flying together.” Gerald kissed her back. She turned and looked at him.
“I thought…” Her eyebrows scrunched together.
“It’s my territory, being the alpha has its perks.” Gerald finished pulling on his clothes and glanced around the room. He couldn’t meet Sella’s questioning gaze because he didn’t have her answers.
“What about my stuff?” She motioned to the piles of clothes and miscellaneous items.
“I’ll have my brother come get it.” He leaned down, only inches away from her face. “I want to see every inch of your dragon.” He growled with excitement. His dragon rumbled with agreement but he still wanted to mark Stella.
“Alright, but he’ll only have an hour or they will charge me another night.” Stella grabbed a blanket once she dressed.
“I’ll take care of it.” He dressed and kissed her before leaving the room. The idea of seeing her dragon again kept him calm as he walked away. He heard her moving around in the room and wondered what she would find more important. The woman was a mystery he wanted to unfold.
When he descended the steps, the creepy sensation of someone watching him crawled over his flesh. His beast raged forward to protect Stella making his eyes change. Gerald stopped walking and closed his eyes. Damn it! If a human or hunter sees it could risk Stella more! He reprimanded his dragon and pushed back.
After a few deep breaths, he opened his eyes. A younger male in his early twenties stared at Gerald with his mouth hanging open an inch.
“What?” Gerald asked making the man jump.
“Nothing. I need to go see the doctor about my eyes.” He played it off but Gerald knew by his souring scent the man lied. See, you stupid dragon, now Stella might be in danger. He mentally shook his dragon who just blew black smoke.
“It might have been my colored contacts chang
ing.” He had no clue if they had been created yet but he couldn’t think of anything else.
“Oh, those would be sick to have.” The man relaxed. “But you have some company just so you know.” He pointed over Gerald’s shoulder. When he turned he expected to see Stella. Instead he caught sight of an older- mid forties man glaring at Gerald.
“He’s been staring at your room since your lady friend came back.”
“Why would you help me?” Gerald asked but didn’t look back at the first guy. Instead Gerald studied the man glaring at him.
“To be perfectly honest, the other guy gives off a creepy stalker type of vibe. And I wouldn’t want that evil near my kids or my woman.”
The older male turned and walked away, Gerald thought he saw a cell phone being pulled out but couldn’t be certain.
“Thanks.” Gerald shook the young guys hand. “The world needs more men like you.” Gerald knew of hunters in the area. I need to get Stella out of here.
CHAPTER TEN
Stella
Watching Gerald walk out of her room felt like a punch in the gut. The passion between them when they were in the heat of sex was extreme and amazing. Yet as soon as they each climaxed he froze up. She nibbled on her lower lip and picked at her nails making them tender.
She pulled on her clothes and started to pack again to give herself something to do. Something caught her eye as she lifted a piece of paper. Her mother’s ruby ring rested in the small black box. She opened the box with a small pop, the ruby shined in the low light. When you find your mate, make sure you put this ring on. Her mother’s voice filled her mind as Stella played with the ring on her finger. Stella still didn’t understand why her mother had been so determined to give her the ring instead of preparing for the hunter’s attack. No matter what digit she placed it on, the ring never fit right.
While still holding the box, she moved to the bed and sat on the rumpled blankets. Her fingers rubbed over the smooth stone, a small vibration fluttered under her skin. The door opened again and Gerald moved in with a key card in his hand.
“Is that what I think it is?” Gerald crossed the room in two quick steps. He shoved the card in his pocket.
“It’s my mother’s ring.” Stella couldn’t bring herself to look up at him. Her bruised ego prevented her as the mental demons reminded her he didn’t mark her for some reason or another, all of which had to do with her being inadequate.
“You never said you were part of the fire clan.” Gerald sounded amazed.
“What do you mean?” Stella glanced at the ring in her hand.
“Dragons have a diverse existence. Unlike other shifters, dragons have long lines of special abilities. Most of it has to do with the four elements. You might be one of the last from the fire clan.”
“My father always said I was special.” Stella swallowed hard at the memory of her father. Find a man who is strong and who will both love and cherish you. She wanted to talk to Gerald about him freezing but her tongue wouldn’t work right.
“You’re special even without being part of the fire clan.” His voice sounded sincere, all she could manage was to lean into him.
“Are you ready to fly?” Gerald seemed overly enthusiastic.
Her dragon perked up at the idea of getting out again. “Sure.” She slid the box into her pants and stood.
He led the way out of the hotel and into the parking lot. A Christmas tree outside caught her attention, she hadn’t realized it was getting so close to Christmas already. Four more days till Christmas and three more days of nightmares. Stella tried to push back the memories of her parent’s deaths but the anniversary of their death inched closer. Her eyes stayed on the tree as she walked.
Her body collided with Gerald, tears were falling from her eyes. She cursed under her breath while she wiped them away. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders to bring her into a hug.
“I’m sorry. I’m normally not this damn emotional.” She took in his woodsy scent which held a bit of her own scent from sex.
“Would you like to talk about it? It might make you feel better.” Gerald rubbed her back.
“Sure, but we can do it while you drive.” Stella tried to steal herself a few moments of silence while she captured her thoughts while they walked out of the room. Gerald placed one of her bags in the pick up before they climbed in. Once they were on the road, Gerald turned to look at her. She could feel his hard gaze on her skin.
“It happened on Christmas Eve, I was eighteen when it happened. That year I had been a bit of a brat because I couldn’t go with my friends to their cabin. My mother reminded me over and over that Christmas meant family time. We went on our normal flight on the Winter Solstice like we did every year. Only this time, a hunter from the awful group saw my dad and me somehow. I think we shifted early because I was too impatient.” Stella shoved a hand through her hair.
“The Devil Hunters?” Gerald asked as he pulled out of town heading north.
“Yes, those guys. I had no idea they would track me down. At first, they thought I might be some kind of prisoner in my parent’s grasp. When they saw me extend my claws to escape they realized they were wrong.” Stella smirked when the memory of their shocked faces came flooding into her mind.
“Did they hurt you?” Gerald’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.
“No, but one of them tracked me to my home. They wanted their attack to be symbolic or some bullshit so they came on Christmas Eve.” Tears fell freely as she remembered her mother on the ground with her throat cut. She swallowed hard to help clear the lump forming.
“My mom hid me and made me swear not to come out no matter what happened. My father killed two of them before they found a weak point. My mom ended one of them before…” Stella’s voice died as her mother’s scream filled her mind.
“Did they find you that night?”
“No, my mother somehow convinced them I had left for my friend’s house up north. They took their dead and left an hour before Christmas day.” Stella rubbed her hand over the ring in her pocket.
“I’m so sorry, Stella.” He parked the truck where the road ended following an endless white tundra. He slid over the bench seat and pulled her into another hug. She let his warm body comfort her, even with her emotions and her dragon all warring against each other she took solace in him. The only people she had told about that night where Eve and Wally.
“We found them and I burned their home to the ground.” After a full day’s recon, Stella had made sure only pure evil resided in the house. She shifted in the dead of night and burned the home down in two minutes flat.
“Did it bring you any peace?” Gerald kissed her head. Her dragon wanted to burn the house again.
“Only a little bit.” Stella glanced around, finding nothing for miles.
“Is this where you come to shift?” She needed a change in topic.
“Yep. It’s my own space where I can fly without humans or hunters. Just follow my lead.” They climbed out of the truck and started to un-dress. Gerald collected their clothes and placed them in the truck then put the keys behind the tire in the snow. She almost asked him why in the snow but he walked away from her, tension rolling off him in waves so she pushed it back.
Stella moved a few yards away from the truck, her feet hurt from the snow biting at her flesh. Before she let the cold take over her body, she let her dragon loose. Her core temperature rose while her flesh turned to scales. She turned to see Gerald’s black dragon shaking out his wings.
Every scale on his body glistened even on the cloudy day. Snow would soon fall again. Stella could feel it in her bones. Her eyes met his gaze and she could see an emotion she didn’t expect. The affection in his red eyes made her heart beat faster. With a grin, she spread her wings and took to the sky. He followed for a minute then seized the lead to head farther north.
His wing span stretched a foot longer than Stella’s. He glided through the air with power and elegance. With the wind under her wings she
let her worries fall to the side. I can deal with my problems when we land. Flying was her time to be at peace.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Gerald
Gerald turned around to see Stella fly, her eyes were green against her dark red scales made her look stunning. He tucked his wings in and did a barrel roll to show off a bit. His body a few feet from the ground he swooped up and caught a human scent. He lifted his body into the air to scan his land. His territory stretched for another mile.
Werebears and a pack of wolves lived farther north and to the east. They had issues with humans so they kept to themselves. Gerald didn’t understand the need to live in a freaking cave.
Gerald liked the vastness of the tundra, it gave his dragon more freedom than a confined city.
Flying with Stella made his beast ecstatic as they rose into the clouds before swooping down. Her grace as a flier reminded him of her strength. He still wasn’t sure what he would do about having her as a mate but he knew his beast loved the idea.
Stella did a tight flip straying a little too far to the east. Gerald quickly corrected her course with a nudge and she tipped her body to the west. He caught sight of a great
He landed with a solid thud still in his dragon form and caught the human scent again. This time he caught at least a dozen male scents lingering on the snow. Stella landed next to him, her face lit with joy until her nose wrinkled. Her head moved around in a fast sweeping motion.
A reddish-black smoke left her mouth and nose, melting some of the snow in front of her. Gerald’s body tensed as he heard feet trudging through the snow. He turned to see a rope flying toward him. His throat burned as the fire rose in his chest. The rope burned to a crisp before it reached his scales.
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