by Maia Starr
But he silenced her with a single finger to his lips, pointing at the egg closest to them. There, the first hatchling came out, a round, plump baby with scales and a tiny tail, along with little horns protruding from its forehead. Stunned, Eliza watched in silence, her mate’s arm coming up to hold her shoulder.
The first hatchling blinked open wide eyes and stared at Eliza first, its mouth parting to reveal a tiny tongue. It made a gurgling sound and reached towards her.
“Do dragon shifter babies usually come out so...developed?” Eliza asked, noting the fact the baby could open its eyes and gurgle. Before Ethan even answered, the baby was crawling out of its eggs shell, making its incredibly slow way directly to her.
“Yes,” he whispered, a massive smile on his face. “We can talk about that later. Go on, pick him up!”
Hesitantly, Eliza reached out and plucked the tiny dragon baby up in her arms. He was slimy, and smiley, eyes still locked intensely on her as she pulled it closer to her torso. Pulling her legs around to sit cross-legged, she found herself staring right back into the baby’s dark brown eyes.
“Here’s another one!” Ethan suddenly announced, picking up the second baby, a girl, and placing it in her lap.
“Hey!”
“Oh, come on, you know you’re loving this!” As he spoke, Ethan gingerly picked up the other two, two more boys, and placed them both in his wide arms. “See?” he said, as one pulled at his cheek. “They’re great!” Eliza laughed and then noticed the tears welling in her mate’s eyes. His smile wavered, and he sniffed. “They’re great,” he repeated, kissing each on the forehead.
Her heart thrummed, and so she looked him in the eye with a smile. “Yeah, they’re great.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Ethan
It was strange to see how only a single month could change everything, and how another month could feel like a lifetime.
Two months ago, Ethan had been continuing his search for Arthur, the friend and mentor he had never thought he’d ever lose. Instead, the impossible happened, and Ethan was left alone. Alone, because Maia had simply left him even before that. Outright up and joined an entirely new dragon shifter clan to be with another male shifter. Neither had said goodbye in person, or even allowed him to see them off; a single letter from each had changed everything.
Back then, he’d forgotten how to smile, how to feel happy. With four eggs and no mate, practically forced into becoming the next alpha of the Cave Dragons, he’d never had felt so alone before.
But now, as he peered out over the town of Salem from an oversized, smooth rock that jutted out from a hill, Ethan couldn’t stop smiling.
“...and that’s when I told her she needed to stop getting pissy at her lab partner,” Jesse said, his voice energetic and fevered with the excitement of sharing his story. His tawny eyes swung to Ethan, arms splayed wide as if trying to visualize the breadth of how awesome his story had become. “But she told me to screw off! Can you believe it? She’s been complaining and complaining, not doing a single thing about trying to fix the situation at all, and then the one moment I try to give her advice, she gets mad? Are you kidding me?”
Ethan simply shrugged, but Gabriel cackled. “Youth these days. It doesn’t seem like any of you want to deal with adversity, even the small stuff,” the old dragon shifter said, waving the notion off. “It’s all too dramatic for me.”
“Don’t lump me in with your class, Gabriel,” Ethan said, grinning from the old dragon to the younger bear. “I’m not rowdy like Jesse claims to be.”
He stared incredulously at Ethan. “Hey! I’m not one of those people. There’s a select few that are...less than ideal students, but I’m certainly not one of them. Right, professor?”
Both sets of eyes swung to the old dragon shifter, and he sighed. “Well, you could start picking up the slack, kid. Maybe get that grade of yours bumped up a letter…”
“Professor!”
Chuckling, Ethan eyed the bear shifter. It had been a whole month since Jesse had come to fill one of those voids for Ethan, the void left by Arthur. At first, Jesse’s first impression had left Ethan with a sour taste, just another shifter eyeing Eliza. But, after the events surrounding Seth, he and Jesse had become more than simple friends. Jesse had risked everything, his future, his life, to help protect both Eliza and then his dragon eggs. The Cave Dragons didn’t usually make friends with members from other clans around Salem...but this time, Ethan made an exception. Even a smelly bear could be more than enough for Ethan nowadays.
“Maybe I should take some classes…” Ethan murmured as he took a swig of cold water from a flask. He’d been staring out at Salem once again, admiring how the sun’s rays showered down on the many houses and buildings when silence caused him to turn around to the gawking of the two other shifters. “What?”
“It’s just...you, going to school?” Jesse shook his head. “I can’t see it. Can you sit still for more than five minutes at a time.”
“Of course I can!”
“What would you even study?” Gabriel asked. “If you’re serious about it, I’d like to know. Salem University is the only college close by, and I know you can’t leave your clan, or Eliza and the babies, simply to go off to some college besides Salem. The majors we have are limited, and the ones we do have are extremely specialized.”
Ethan grunted and scowled, hunching over. “Whatever. It was just a thought.”
Then the other two shifters burst out laughing, with Gabriel patting him on the shoulder. “We’re just messing with you, Ethan! No need to get so down over it. If you’d like, I can inquire about getting you an application form. But you’d probably have to give up your metalsmithing job for the time being.”
Smiling, Ethan nodded. “I’ll think about it. Seriously.”
“So how’s Eliza these days?” Jesse suddenly asked. His head of light blond, curly hair was tousled in the wind. “Since she doesn’t attend classes anymore, I rarely see her. In fact, I spend more time with you than her now! Weird.”
Ethan pictured the last time he’d seen Eliza, just hours prior, her hands full with breastfeeding the four dragon babies. Her golden hair had been sticking up in every direction, her skin scorched and hot from the heat radiating from the four babies mouths. Eyes, still bright as a clear ocean. A smile as dazzling and sexy as the first day he had been introduced to her. She’d flung a pillow at him as he had left just hours ago, her giggle still echoing in his mind.
Dragging his mind back to the present, he eyed the bear shifter. “She’s good. Just taking care of the kids right now.”
“And you help her out, yes?” Gabriel said, his weathered hand coming up to grip Ethan’s arm. “If not, I’d be sorely disappointed in you.”
Ethan snorted. “You know, I’m not even going to answer that.”
Smiling, Gabriel smacked his shoulder once again, the brunt of the blow stinging his skin, even through his shirt; Ethan was convinced the elderly shifter wasn’t as weak as he claimed to be.
After managing to survive Seth’s final assault, Gabriel had supposedly ambled to the first cave he found and roused Ethan’s more hot-blooded men and women. He was treated by a local healer, and soon after Jesse had been brought in as well, and with Gabriel’s good word, both had been treated properly. It was amazing, even to Ethan, how well both shifters looked now, a month later.
“What about the kids?” Jesse continued. “You know, I haven’t heard the names yet.”
“Me neither, actually,” Gabriel mused. “After those four hatched, you and Eliza stayed cooped up in your cave for a while there. Come on; you must have decided on names by now! Tell us, please.”
Chuckling, Ethan nodded. “Alright, alright! Calm down; I wasn’t planning to just leave without telling you all about them. And, before I give you the names, I’ll have you know two of them were Eliza’s ideas.” That got an eyebrow raise out of Jesse, who shared a smile with Gabriel. “You two ready?” They nodded. “Good. So, the f
irst quadruplet we named Arthur...for obvious reasons. The second, another boy, Eliza wanted to name Gabriel…”
Gabriel, surprised, sat up straighter. “Truly? She named one after me?”
Laughing, Ethan nodded. “Yeah, she’s told me you’ve been like a father to her ever since she arrived in town. And you’ve always been there for me too...so we figured, why not? It’s a nice name.”
Jesse leaned in then, his expression betraying his emotions. If Gabriel had been chosen…
“Yes, Jesse, we named our third boy after you.”
He threw his fist into the air in triumph, a wildly happy expression etched into his face. “Sweet!”
“And the fourth?” Gabriel asked, leaning in.
“A girl,” Ethan said. “We named her Rose. Her mother’s name. We both thought it suited her perfectly.” He relaxed a bit, leaning back. Raising his arms, he pretended to hold her. “You should see her! She’s the second smallest one, but she’s so gentle and sweet, just like her mother.”
“Just like who now?”
All three men turned at the sound of the female voice, spying none other than Eliza standing behind them. Eyes sparkling, and hair in the clutches of the two smiling boys clinging onto her shoulders, she grinned weakly at the group. “Hey, Jesse, Professor Allard.”
“Call me Gabriel, Eliza,” the elderly shifter said. “I’m not your professor anymore.”
Sighing, Eliza knelt, revealing the other two children tucked away into her arms. “Okay...Gabriel. Do you mind taking Jesse from me? He’s a bit of a hassle...not you Jesse, I meant baby Jesse.”
Gabriel easily took the baby Jesse from Eliza, his touch gentle and rocking. “Well, he’s certainly much quieter than the older Jesse…”
But Jesse didn’t respond as Eliza came over to place the baby Rose into his arms. Ethan saw that she smiled up at him and giggled, and Jesse smiled just as wide, even making a funny face down at her. “Wow! She’s just like you said, Ethan! As beautiful as her mother already.” He looked between Ethan and Eliza and winked.
Giggling herself, Eliza came over to place the biggest of the brood, Arthur, into Ethan’s lap. “So, this is where you’ve been hiding?”
“Not hiding...just chatting,” Ethan said, rocking Arthur in his arms. Baby Gabriel was silent in Eliza’s arms, which Ethan thought was a miracle at the very least. “How have these little guys been? You doing okay?”
“Yeah...they’re just needy. They only give up at trying to pull my hair out maybe once a day.”
“And now’s that time.”
“Exactly.”
Ethan and Eliza were silent a moment, with Ethan’s mind wandering to Maia for a split second. He wondered how life would have been if Maia had stayed with him, and the next second he shook his head, not even bothering to dig that deep. It didn’t matter and wasn’t worth it.
Seeing the shake of his head, Eliza peered at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just love you is all.”
Smiling warmly at that, Eliza leaned in and kissed him, her lips sweet and savory. Ethan was unable to get the tingling sensation out of his mind
Want MORE sizzling alpha shifter romance? Check out the FIRST BOOK in Maia Starr’s Alpha Mates Of Salem Series “Sold To The Alpha Bear”
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Dragon Shifter Island (Sneak Peak)
(A Dragon Shifter Series)
By Maia Starr
Chapter One
Hailey
There was always some amount of excitement when your work day came to an end, but when you had something to look forward to, your impatience and excitement mixed becoming a sort of anxious and overwhelming need to count down every last minute until quitting time. For me, work was fluid and constant. Bartending where I lived was regular work because there were more nightclubs than grocery stores. It was a party state, Florida, and while some things in the world had changed, there were those constants. The nightlife being full of partying, drinking, and dancing bodies was one of those constants.
I couldn’t wait for my shift to end and as I wiped the counters of the bar, a few of my regular patrons noticed the anxious way I was working.
“What’s up, Hailey?” one of my regulars, Paul, called out to me. I smiled, looking up just long enough to make eye contact with him but still wiping at the counters diligently.
“Oh, just doing the usual chore list so I can get out of here. It’s been a long day for this old girl.” I smiled and paused briefly, “Jesse should be in any moment to take over from here. I’ve been running all day through lunch and into dinner,” I explained. He gave a shrug as if he didn’t believe me.
“Nah, I am not buying, Hailey. Something else has got your feathers ruffled. What’s going on?” he asked me. I smiled. That was the thing about having older generation customers. They were wise enough to know when someone was throwing them a line of bull.
“I’ve got a date tonight, and I’m kind of nervous about it,” I said nonchalantly. I didn’t usually like to share my personal life with my customers, but Paul was the old pops figure that always looked out for me and all the other girls who worked the bar.
“Ah, well, you know this guy well?” he asked me, narrowing his eyes slightly, “I’d hate to have to come lend a fist to someone’s face because they messed with my favorite drink-maker,” he said, half-joking and partially serious.
“You’re sweet, Paul, but I can handle myself. Don’t worry; I’ve got this,” I said. It was true; I ran a bar damn near nightly, so I couldn’t afford to be too soft. Not when there were drunks to put in order and drinks to create.
“Well, she said she didn’t need your help, bud,” another regular, Jason, piped up. The two of them usually came in to have a couple of craft beers together, and over the years I had learned they had retired to Florida to fish, drink, and enjoy the tropical atmosphere that Southern Florida provided. It made sense. It was why most folks moved here. I chuckled.
“You two should probably get on out of here soon, shouldn’t ya?” I asked, knowing their wives would call them up any moment to inquire about their whereabouts. It was a usual occurrence.
Jason grunted in annoyance. His wife was a spender, and she liked to go out on the town regularly. I knew that he could afford her pampered life, but it seemed like an odd match. Jason usually dressed in Miami-style flyboy shirts with Palm trees printed all over them and paired those with cut off old jean shorts or a pair of cargo khakis. And shoes? Forget them; he donned a pair of leather Birkenstocks nearly every day I had ever seen him. I also knew he had served in the Airforce and was nobody to mess with—according to the stories I had heard him and Paul exchange.
I learned the two were nearly like brothers and lifelong best friends. It made me wish I had someone like that to pass the time with. Maybe by later that night I would. This thought only made me want to clock out even more. Damn, why was time dragging so slow tonight?
“Meh, don’t you worry your head with that. Suzanne knows where I’m at tonight. She doesn’t care either because we made a deal. She got to go off on a spending spree with her friend Annette, and I get to match her spending limit here at the bar. Thing about it is, I lucked out over here because I can spread the spending limit out over several visits. She’s going to be over hers about thirty minutes into the trip!” Paul chuckled. Jason chuckled too, shaking his head.
“Mine’s usually the spender, but everybody has their moments; looks like it’s Paul’s turn,” he turned to look at me directly in the eyes, “Just you remember, Paul and I are here to hand a can of good old-fashioned whoop-ass out to anybody who messes with you, Hailey. Can’t be losing the best bartender in town.” He winked, lifting his beer and tilting the neck toward me.
“You two are a riot.” I took a peek over my shoulder and noted the time, “And it’s time for me to get out of here!” I said, turning to clock out and smiling as Jesse walked in. “You’re just on time, enjoy. Paul and Jay are in a great mood,” I added
, as I gathered my things and strode out the door. I loved my customers, but there was a limit to how much I could handle. I found my way across the parking lot and crawled into my car. I only had about an hour to get myself ready for the date, and I was anxious to get my drink on. Everybody deserved a little pick-me-up or a nightcap from time to time; I was no different.
I walked into the bar section of the restaurant and sat, waiting for my date to meet me. It was odd that he had insisted we each drive our own cars, but that was fine with me. I didn’t intend on having more than one drink with dinner anyway. A cocktail or something was all I needed.
“Hey,” I smiled as he sat down beside me. He was a handsome man, and I was finding myself gawking like a high school girl.
“Hey, have you been waiting a long time?” he asked me, sitting down and looking at his watch quickly.
“No, not really. Do you know what you want to order?” I asked, ready to get down to my one drink, maybe two. I could make a little wiggle room, I thought.
“Sure,” he said, smiling and waving to the waitress. She approached and tilted her head.
“What can I get for you two?” she asked him. He looked at me and shrugged.
“I think we’ll have some champagne,” he said. I nodded in agreement.
“That sounds good to me,” I smiled. So far, it seemed like he was pretty nice, and that was a plus. I couldn’t stand an arrogant jerk or anyone who behaved smugly. Trouble was in the town I lived in, those types were a dime a dozen. Most certainly not in short supply. A girl had to make exceptions, I’d been told by a few of my friends, but now that things like wolf-shifters existing was a known fact to the world, the dating scene had gotten even stranger. Especially for me.