by Bryce Evans
Before she could regain her senses, Nolan had her up, flipping her over onto her hands and knees, and before the aftershocks were finished he stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Skylar could barely talk.
“I need a few seconds to get some control or I’m going to…” Nolan laid his head on her back, but the fiery dragon wasn’t going to have it and pushed herself backwards onto his cock. She needed him now.
Both of them groaned as she slowly pulled out and waited for him to continue. This time he pushed inside of her again.
“You’re so wet and tight.” Nolan grunted as he pulled back out, then slowly pushed back in. He continued to do that until Skylar thought she was going to die.
“More… Harder,” Skylar mumbled, and it was on. Her body wanted everything he had and Nolan didn’t hold back as he shoved inside of her again. “Yes, yes, yes!” she screamed into the mattress.
Grabbing her hair, Nolan pulled her head up. “I want to hear you.”
She could feel another orgasm coming fast. “You like it when I fuck you hard like this, my mate?”
Skylar could only mumble something incoherent as Nolan continued his punishing pace. She didn’t want him to stop, but he slowed down when she didn’t answer.
“Yes, please don’t stop,” Skylar pleaded.
“I want to see you come.” Nolan pulled out and flipped her onto her back then shoved back in and never let up. And that was all it took one look at the love in her mate’s eyes to shatter her into pieces again.
Nolan pulled her closer to him as he shouted out her name. His body jerked her to him, biting down into the same spot as Skylar licked his neck and then bit into him, making him hers. They both held each other tight until the aftershocks were finished. Then Nolan moved over to the side, pulling her against his chest.
“I love you, Nolan Banks.”
“And I love you, Skylar Banks.”
“Hmm, that sounds right.”
Chapter Twelve
“What made you change your mind?” Skylar asked. Nolan was playing with her hair as they lay in bed. For the first time in her life her dragon felt content and happy. You better be, she thought, because you’re mated to him now. She couldn’t lie, because the human part of her was just as content and happy.
“My heart broke when I said that to you. I couldn’t keep the charade up. My tiger was fighting me tooth and nail when I said it. It’s like something you say thinking it will help the other person, but once it slips out of your mouth you know it’s the stupidest worst words you could have spoken. I loved you, and the thought of being without you crushed my soul. Plus, I thought Thea was going to shift and pluck out my heart with her claws.”
Skylar giggled.
“I love that.”
“What?” she whispered.
“Your giggling. You sound happy, Skylar. Are you happy?”
Looking up at him, Skylar smiled. “Yeah, I am. Are you?”
“Yes, I am. I’ve never felt this way before. I feel like I’ve never felt love before until now.”
Skylar couldn’t believe how good she did feel. Her body felt different inside. She was a dragon shifter, the strongest, and most feared of them all, but tonight was different. She had mated with a tiger shifter, and nobody knew how that would affect either of them.
“Nolan?”
“Hmm?” That was his only reply as he twirled her hair around his finger.
“Do you feel different?”
Nolan placed Skylar softly on the bed and moved over her. “I feel complete for the first time in my life. It’s a feeling that I never knew I was looking for. I was happy with my life, but now I know what I’ve been missing, and it was you.”
Skylar laughed. She couldn’t contain how she was feeling. If anyone had tried to describe to her how it was going to feel to meet her mate, she would’ve bit Nolan the first day.
“What?” Nolan asked, smiling over her.
“You… You make me happy, Nolan Banks.” Kisses and more kisses rained down her body.
Raising his head, Nolan glanced around the room. “I want to shift and see what happens. Do you think I’ll turn into a dragon?”
“I don’t know. I’ve heard that it does happen sometimes, but sometimes it doesn’t. Let’s go ahead now and say that if it doesn’t we’ll be disappointed but we won’t let it ruin this beautiful moment. I really want to see what my tiger looks like, though,” Skylar answered, smiling crawling off the bed. She frowned. “What do I do first?”
“Well, first you need to clear your mind. Think of your tiger and what it would look like, and then shift,” Nolan said, sitting on the side of the bed and watching her. Before he could blink, she shifted into a beautiful white tiger with black stripes. He couldn’t take her eyes off him. She was simply magnificent and he couldn’t stop looking at her in this form. “You’re…you’re beautiful.”
Skylar padded forward and licked the side of his face, then sighed against his cheek as she rubbed against him.
When she shifted back, Skylar was on her hands and knees. Looking up at him, she smiled and said, “Next time I want to stand in front of the mirror so I can see what my tiger looks like. Now you, big boy. This I have to see.”
“Okay, I can do this.”
“Let’s go stand in front of the entrance in case you make a mess flapping your wings everywhere.” Skylar winked and walked out.
“Hey, what are you saying I’m going to be a clumsy dragon?”
“Yeah, pretty much. Come on. You’ll be the first dragon who hates heights.” Skylar pulled him toward the front of the entrance.
“What if I don’t shift into a dragon?” Nolan asked, worried now. He had heard that sometimes the change never took place because the dominant shifter side wouldn’t allow it.
“You will, but if you don’t that will be okay too. Remember, we’re not going to let it spoil our moment,” Skylar answered, but he could see how nervous she was. “Really, Nolan. Most dragons are mated with other dragons, and there aren’t a lot of us, so…”
“So you think the possibility of us mating and me having a dragon is slim. But I felt the change inside me.”
“I know, but don’t get mad if it doesn’t happen. I just don’t want this to change how you feel about me.”
Nolan grabbed her and dragged her toward him. “I love you, whatever happens. I was just hoping it would help…you know, with what Carina said.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Skylar’s pupils slitted, and he knew her dragon was close. She was scared, and he was too. But he had to try.
Skylar nodded and backed away. Nolan closed his eyes and thought of his dragon, but every time he did his tiger came forward. “Stop doing that. We need the dragon!” Nolan yelled out.
“Nolan.” Skylar voice was worried but he had to keep trying for her. He had to keep her safe.
Blowing out a breath, Nolan closed his eyes again and pictured a dragon. Again his tiger leaped forward. “Dammit.” He walked over to the side of the wall and leaned against it.
“Maybe he needs time to get used to it. Don’t give up, okay?” Skylar wrapped her arms around his waist. “Just give it some time.”
“We’re running out of time.” Nolan whispered.
Nolan eased out of bed. The sun was coming up, and they would have to leave soon. They only had three days left before the flowers changed colors and fall began. It would also mark another full moon, and Jamal would be able to come out. Nolan needed to be able to shift into a dragon so Carina’s dream wouldn’t come true. Not just for him, but for Skylar. He had to protect his mate.
He wanted to try and shift while Skylar was still asleep, hoping he could surprise her. He stood at the entrance and concentrated. All he could see was his tiger. Trying again, Nolan called his dragon, but only the face of his tiger appeared in his mind.
Frustrated, Nolan hit the side of the wall, putting a hole in it.
“Please. Don’t hurt your hand. Just give it som
e time, baby.” Skylar stood at the entrance with tears in her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I wanted to try again, but it’s no use. I didn’t get a dragon. Like you said, my tiger is more dominant.” Nolan sighed loudly. “We need to get back. We only have three days before the leaves turn, and I still need to do some stuff before we meet with the pride. I need to prepare everyone in case we don’t—”
“Dammit, Nolan. We’re going to make it. All of us, including you.” Skylar pointed at him.
Sighing, he walked over and hugged her to him. Inhaling her scent, he replied, “I know we are.”
Nolan couldn’t get rid of the sick feeling that it wasn’t going to be okay.
Chapter Thirteen
Skylar flew higher into the sky above the clouds and watched as Nolan pushed his hands out. “This is something I never thought I would be able to see or want to do. I’ve always been afraid, but now, I can’t see myself not being able to be up here with you.”
“When this is over I’ll take you to some of my favorite places,” Skylar announced, slowly turning for home and falling lower to the ground. Once they landed, Dag walked out on the front porch and handed Skylar her clothes.
“Why is everyone here?” Nolan asked, looking down the driveway at all the vehicles.
Dag shrugged like he didn’t care either way. “It’s a mating celebration. The princess and Alpha have mated, and it’s something to celebrate. Your friends wanted to throw you both a dinner before the meeting tonight.”
He could tell Dag wasn’t happy about it, but they might as well get it out on the table now before Nolan ended up punching him in the mouth. “What do you think about your princess mating with a tiger shifter?” Nolan watched as Dag’s eyes changed colors. His pupils elongated, and Nolan could tell his dragon was close to the surface. That was what he noticed about all the dragon shifters; they were always close to bursting out of their skin.
“Does it matter now?” Dag answered, and walked off the porch toward the back of the house.
“What was that all about?” Skylar watched as Dag stalked off.
“Nothing.”
“Dag is my guard, I know when something is going on with him. I want to know what he said,” Skylar demanded. He could see his mate getting agitated, and she had enough to worry about.
“He said that everyone came over to throw us a mating party. Let’s go eat and then make out,” Nolan said, wagging his eyebrows.
“Your friends sure like to hang out a lot,” Skylar commented.
“You’ll get used to it.”
“Maybe.”
“Plus they always bring mating gifts for the females,” Nolan answered.
“Let’s go.” Skylar hurried into the house without waiting for him. He would make sure he got his mate something every day. She obviously wasn’t used to this, and had probably never got any kind of gift from anyone.
“Surprise!” Nolan smiled as his friends rallied around his mate, hugging her and giving her a gift bag. The smile on her face made him happy. There were only five of the dragon shifters, and they’d never had this kind of support or friendship. It would be a lot to get used to, but she would eventually.
He watched as London and Zoey gave her a big box with lots of ribbon on it. Skylar smiled and carried it over to the table, then sat down and slowly started opening it. He wanted to laugh when Skylar pulled out a big basket full of fingernail polish, lotions, and smelly stuff for the bathtub. His mate looked like she was about to cry, but MJ pushed another box in front of her.
“I’m not good at this kind of stuff, but I thought about how you said y’all moved around a lot, so I didn’t know if you had time to clothes shop. It’s turning into fall, so I thought you would like these.”
Skylar pulled out a bunch of scarves, gloves, and hats. The girls all leaned in and smiled. “Those are pretty, MJ. Where did you get them?” London asked.
“Online. I found this store that I just love. I hate going to the stores and trying stuff on.” MJ sat back in her chair. “If you don’t like them you can send them back and get whatever you want. There’s gift receipt inside.”
Skylar nodded as a tear slid down her face.
“I love them, MJ.” Skylar slung one of the scarves around her neck, which made MJ smile.
“Here’s mine. I hope you like it,” Maggie told her next.
“I’m sure I will, Maggie. Thank you.” Skylar used one of her claws and tore the box open. Looking inside, she smiled and glanced up at Maggie. “Oh Maggie, it’s beautiful. I love pottery.”
The bowl she pulled out of the box was huge with many colors inside of it.
“I know.” Maggie glanced over at Nolan and smiled. “Your mate told me you did. Janice in my pride makes it, and I had a fit over it. I thought it would be nice to start putting your own touch to your new home.” She glanced around the living room and noticed that nothing was sitting on the table when you walked in from the front door.
“I think it would look good right there.” Skylar pointed at the table.
“Maybe put your keys in it that way you’ll always know where they are.” The bowl was deep enough that the keys wouldn’t fall out.
Skylar teared up again. “Thank you, it means so much to me.”
His mate had probably never had many friends before; being the princess, they probably kept her away from a lot of people. Now she would have people in her life who would protect her like one of their own. That’s what his family was like; when one had a problem, they all had a problem. When you messed with one, you messed with them all.
“Hey, we’re not done yet,” Sage said, putting her arm around Skylar. Nolan watched as the girls motioned for him and the guys to leave. They sat down at the table and passed around chips and dip. He walked out of the room so the girls could give her the lingerie they had for her. He knew the girls wanted the guys to leave so they could surprise her with it.
“Come on guys, let’s go fire up the grill,” Nolan said. Before he left, he kissed his mate on the top of her head and walked out. He smiled and nodded his thanks to the women who meant the most to him.
Skylar needed this, and he needed it too, to forget about what was coming, just for a couple of hours. This was normal, but in a couple days, things would be anything but normal. Claudia would rain Hell down on them, and they would have to fight to stay alive and win. If only he could shift, it would help them out.
Fisher already had the grill started when they walked out back. Dag, Cry, and Xavier were all sitting around drinking beer. Once he got outside, all three stood up and bowed to him. His friends all stopped and looked over at him.
“What?” Nolan asked.
“We bow to our new Alpha and Alpha’s mate,” Cry answered.
“And to the newest dragon on the block,” Xavier said, holding his beer up. Nolan couldn’t stop the frown from showing on his face.
“Show us, Nolan. We’ve been waiting to see what your dragon will look like,” Ryder said.
Sighing, Nolan grabbed a beer out of the cooler and sat down. “Well, boys, it didn’t happen for me. I tried to shift into a dragon, and my tiger wasn’t having it. I can’t do it.”
Silence filled the air. He couldn’t let his news spoil the evening. “But you should’ve seen Skylar. She has a beautiful white tiger with black stripes. Her tiger is breathtaking, just like her.”
All of his friends smiled, trying to make him feel better. They even put their hands on his shoulder for support. He could see the sympathy in their eyes, and that wasn’t what he wanted. He was an Alpha tiger, and that was good enough for him. But as time slipped by, the pressure mounted more on his shoulders. It just wasn’t that he couldn’t shift, it was the possibility that having another dragon would’ve helped them.
“On another note, Mick called earlier and said that Locke was in town,” Judd announced breaking the silence.
“I don’t know how you do it, Judd. I can’t even call him a man, he’s just evil and he deserv
es to die,” Kayden said.
“I do it for all of you, because I know what it means to keep him thinking we’re all on the same side together. I do it for our families.” Judd explained.
Shaking his head, Kayden put arm around him. “I’m sorry. I know that, but I hate the fact that we all have to play nice.”
Judd smiled grimly. “Only for a while, brother.” Nolan and the others knew what he meant by that comment. When the time came to kill Locke, Judd would be the one to do it.
Skylar pulled her jacket off. The room was getting hot as everyone stared at the vampire called Locke. Judd and the other Alphas were on one side of the table, and Maggie’s father, Locke, and his guards were on the other side. The tension in the air made her dragon stand up and get ready to fight.
“Okay, let’s get this meeting started,” Mick said. It had already been decided who would say what, so it was like watching a play unfold. Locke had arrived in town along with forty of his guards, and was staying at the hotel in the city. Apparently they had cameras placed all around the place, including in the flowers and on roof. MJ, London, and Zoey had done a great job of making sure they knew exactly what the vampire was doing.
“I guess we don’t need to go over who everyone is. So far, Locke, we feel that when Claudia strikes she will come in with all of her forces, trying to use the women and children of the city as a way to lure everyone out. But that will not work.”
“Mick, no!” Judd growled.
“He needs to know if he’s going to be part of this, Judd.” Mick glanced back over to Locke and asked, “You are on our side?”
“Why, of course. The vampire community has just as much at stake as the shifters. I don’t intend on being that witch’s slave,” Locke answered with a frown. Skylar didn’t know much about this man, but after the girls told her what he had done to Judd’s mother, she agreed that Locke deserved to die.
Leaning forward across the table, Judd had a look on his face that promised murder. “You better hope you don’t betray us.”