by Milly Taiden
“Stay in the car. Don’t go anywhere.”
Really? Like she’d get out to investigate. She wasn’t some dumb blonde in a B-rated horror movie. Did she look stupid to him? Her gut screamed to arm herself. She glanced around the inside of her car but all she had was her cell phone and her big ass file bag. Fuck!
Something scraped across the metal top of her car, making a thin screeching sound she winced at. Her ears felt like they’d started bleeding from the high-pitched shriek of something scratching at the metal. Worse than fingernails down a chalkboard.
She yanked off her seatbelt and dove down, searching under the seat for something, anything, to use as a weapon. Her glasses slid off her nose and fell into the damn spot between the seat and the cup holder she could never get to.
She hadn’t even worn her heels today or she could have had that at hand. Now all she had was her cell phone and foul language, neither of which would impress whatever was opening her car like a sardines can.
Another swipe on the left side of her seat and she found nothing. A quick scan of the back seat and she saw the metal statue of an angel a client’s mother recently gifted her.
She gripped the cold metal with one hand and the moment massive claws slid through the roof, she bashed them. Adrenaline buzzed through her body, making her hyper aware of everything. Like the fact the claws were still in the roof of her car and it looked like they were going to pull the roof off. She watched the metal bend and whine.
The whole car shook as if the animal were grappling with the roof. She unlocked the door, ready to make a run for it the minute the metal above her came off. No fucking way she’d stay in the car to be turned into a late night snack.
The metal jerked above her, sides peeling away. She held on to the metal figurine and the door handle. The top of the car wrenched away and she scrambled out and ran blindly for the trees. The sound of a massive thump and the ground shaking made her look over her shoulder.
Bright moonlight showed two giant animals roaring. One shot up into the sky. Though it was nighttime, the full moon gave her the ability to continue watching the dark figure as it fought to get away from the other.
They swooped down and she got a clear view of them. One was a black dragon, his eyes bright red. The other was a white and gray dragon. She couldn’t make colors out exactly but she knew those wings and those bodies.
The black flung his tail at the white, but the white was faster. He dodged every one of the slams at his wings. She gulped back the stone in her throat. Her emotions were pulled left and right by the white dragon. Oh my god! This was the same dragon from her dreams. The one that saved her. He was there now, doing exactly what she’d dreamt.
The black dragon backed away and blew out a long red line of fire at the white dragon. It looked huge and for a second, her heart stopped but the white one was once again faster and dodged the fire. In turn, the white roared and his scales appeared to change from white to blue before her eyes.
He flew up, then down, avoiding the black’s tail. Flying higher, he put distance between them and made a circle. Then he sent a giant plume of fire that followed the black dragon as he tried to dodge it.
The black went higher into the sky and the fire cloud followed him as if having locked onto the enemy via GPS.
The fire slammed the black, sending him on a dive back to earth. She watched in horror as he almost hit the ground before his wings spread feet above the road and shot back into the air.
He didn’t get a chance for another attack. The now blue dragon was ready and roared another cloud of fire straight at the black.
The fire cloud, much bigger this second time, zeroed in on the black dragon. It followed him as he tried to shake it. Nothing worked. She covered her mouth with her hands to muffle her scream.
The fire burned a massive hole into the black dragon’s side, taking his wing in the process. He hovered over trees in the distance before freefalling back to earth.
She gulped and stood, shaking. Her mind had frozen on the moment she saw that hole in the black dragon. Her stomach clenched like it’d been filled with acid. She doubled over from the pain, falling to her knees. He was dead. She could feel it in the coldness seeping to her bones.
The pain she felt from the black dragon as he passed was too severe to stand. There wasn’t a chance to find out about her white dragon, she fell to the ground and let darkness take her.
SEVEN
Tor carried Morgan into his bedroom and laid her on the bed. She looked good there, perfect. Like that was her spot. He ignored his dragon and watched her, but she was out. She’d passed out shortly after he’d killed Sayeh’s man.
It was exactly like he’d thought. They’d sent someone to kill her. He didn’t know how they knew she was a Drachen mate, but now that it was clear they wanted her dead, he’d never let her out of his sight.
“Hey, Tor,” Ker said from the bedroom door; his eyes widened. “Is that her?”
Tor growled, hating that Ker was there at all, but the kid worked on computers so he spent his life in the house. “Yeah.”
“If you need me, just call,” he said.
Tor was shocked the kid hadn’t gone on about her being cute or possibly his mate, but he was too concerned with Morgan and the fact she’d lost consciousness to think about it.
The sound of buzzing from her bag got his attention. He’d taken her belongings when he decided to take her to his home. She’d be safer here. Her cell phone was ringing. Ten missed calls.
He didn’t like looking at someone’s personal stuff, but he knew she had a roommate. Sure enough, the calls were all from her friend Lexi. While he held it in his hands, it started ringing again.
“Hello?”
“Oh, thank god,” she choked. He could hear the tears in her voice. “Who is this?”
“This is Tor. You must be her roommate.”
“Yes! Tor. I know about you. She’s supposed to see you tomorrow, but that doesn’t matter right now.” She sniffled. “How do you have her phone? Where is Morgan?”
“She’s with me. Her car had problems and I picked her up.”
Another loud sniffle. “Is she okay?”
“Yes. I’m keeping her safe,” he said, glancing at the woman on the bed. His dragon was keen on staying near her. She needed his protection.
Lexi gave a sigh. “Okay. Listen, please tell her to call me when she wakes.”
“How do you know she’s not awake now?” he asked.
“I know a lot of things. Like the fact her being with you is the best place she can be at this moment. Take care of her,” Lexi said.
They hung up and he turned the phone off. He didn’t want her battery to run out in case she needed to make calls. He knew nothing of her and yet he felt completely at peace watching her. It was unusual and should worry him, but strangely enough, it didn’t.
He glanced out the window at the main house. The castle-like structure sat at the edge of a cliff high on the Piedra Mountain. Nobody went up there unless they were in a helicopter. There was a solo road up the mountain and they had enough security to know when someone was coming their way.
He wanted to talk to Morgan and ask about her gift. He’d seen her fall to the ground, a wild scream coming from her. It tore him up to know she’d been in so much pain.
He pulled up a chair and sat by the bed, watching her. It was an hour before her lids fluttered open. She sat up in a rush and rubbed her stomach.
“How do you feel?”
She met his gaze, a world of pain visible in her eyes. He wished he could take it all away. “I’ve had better days.”
“What happened?”
She gulped. “Could I have some water?”
He scented her wariness and immediately got up and marched to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. When he returned, she was still sitting in the same spot, her face pale and her lips pinched.
She gave a soft smile and took the glass, drinking greedily. “Thank you.”
�
�You’re welcome. Feel any better?”
She nodded. “I’ve never felt anything that strong before. It was like the pain the dragon was experiencing was passing through me.”
“I saw you fall and I didn’t understand what was going on,” he asked.
“You were there,” she raised her gaze to his. “The white?”
“Yes.”
She slipped her tongue over her bottom lip. “How were you able to go from white to blue? I didn’t realize your scales could change.”
He gave a wide smile. “You paid a lot of attention when it was so dark.”
“The moon gave me enough to work with. What happened to my car?”
“I had it towed since it was totaled. My guys will get you a new one.”
She frowned. “Your guys?”
“I ordered you a new car. Better than waiting to see if your insurance would believe you were attacked by dragons.”
She nodded slowly. “Yeah. That’s really nice of you. Did you find my glasses in the car?”
He smiled. “They’re in your bag with your cell phone.”
She sighed. “Thank you so much. You’ve been incredibly helpful.”
“Whatever you need, just ask.”
She grinned. “I still don’t understand how your scales changed colors. Can you tell me?”
“The Drachen have unique fire powers, as do their mates after they receive the mark. We are all fire breathers, but the color of our scales will determine the fire type.”
She frowned and turned to face him more. “I don’t understand. I saw white and then blue.”
“As a white and gray dragon, I am limited to small puffs of fire. They won’t cause enough damage when attacking.” She stared at him so intently that he wanted to run a hand over her face and see what her reaction would be. “The more energy needed for the attack, the more likely my dragon’s scales change color. Blue allows him to fire clouds of fire that seek and target the enemy.”
“Yes!” She nodded and bounced a little. “I saw the fire follow him until it got him both times.”
“Right. If the scales are red, the attack is worse and the dragon will shoot out fire balls that divide into smaller balls seeking their target.”
She opened her mouth in obvious shock. “But how do they know who the target is?”
“They’re mentally controlled by the dragon.”
EIGHT
Morgan couldn’t believe her ears. She’d seen something nobody else probably had. “Is there another color?”
“There’s a third color for the height of a life-threatening attack. If the scales are orange, the dragon will breathe fire blades. They shoot out fast, seek targets, and explode on contact.”
“Holy shit. You guys are like war machines.”
Had she not seen some of what he said, she would have a hard time believing it. “Who was the black dragon?”
His features turned dark and serious. “He’s someone you don’t have to worry about anymore.”
She had a feeling he didn’t really want to discuss the other guy, but she was curious. She grabbed his hand and held it. “Were you hurt at all?”
His gaze traveled down to their joined hands and stared at them for a second. The heat of his warmth helped calm the trembling she still had inside. He squeezed at her fingers, massaging each and a soothing sensation relaxed the anxiety from before.
“I wasn’t. I’m fine.” He lifted her hand to his lips. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re not in danger again.”
She blinked the hazy sexual fog away and frowned. “How do you plan on doing that?”
“I will keep you by my side at all times.” She had to stop herself from laughing at his words. While she appreciated his help, she couldn’t depend on him being her bodyguard. She had things to do and he probably had a life.
“You can’t do that, Tor. I have a job.”
He glanced at her lips. “You were coming to spend time here in the next few days, right?”
She searched his eyes and sighed. What was she getting into? “Yes.”
“Then we will worry about the next few days first. We’ll handle the rest as it comes,” Tor said.
She made a motion to get up but he pressed her back into the bed. “Stay. You still look very pale. Do you want something to eat?”
She scrunched her nose. “A sandwich would be good.”
He grinned and her belly did that butterfly effect it had perfected. “Anything in particular?”
“Grilled cheese?”
He laughed, the growly sound making her nipples hard. Damn, he even laughed sexy. “I think I can manage grilled cheese. You’re very low maintenance.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Lexi used to joke that when we went out in college I was cheap and easy because I only drank water. I now drink wine so she says I’m just easy now.”
Another bark of laughter from him and she couldn’t help smiling herself. His reaction made her heart sing. His overall relaxation passed on to her and she swore she lost the anxiety she’d woken with, thanks to him.
He got up and headed for the door. Before he got there, he turned and tossed her something she would be lost without—her cell phone. She exhaled a sigh and gave him her brightest smile. “Thank you.”
“Lexi called. I spoke to her. I knew she’d be concerned. She doesn’t expect to hear back from you until tomorrow.”
“That’s great. Thanks. She’d be so worried if she hadn’t heard from me by now,” she said and turned the phone on. He walked out and she glanced at her messages. Her mother had sent several text messages asking where she was, what was going on, and finally, was she okay.
The last one did something to Morgan. Her mother didn’t send messages asking if she was okay. She replied telling her she was fine and with Tor. That should calm her. She then told her she’d be with him for a few days in case she needed to reach her. Her mother wasn’t a warm and cuddly type of person, so for her to ask this many times shocked Morgan. Her mother had built a lot of walls around her heart and emotions, so Morgan never really knew what her mom felt or thought.
She glanced around, her gaze taking in the really large room, and wondered where the hell she was. By the height of the ceiling and the bedroom size, she knew the house was huge. It didn’t look like a guest room, though. She picked up the pillow next to her and brought it to her nose.
It smelled just like him. Tor. Her body heated at the idea of being in his bed. Dirty images of them doing things together flicked through her mind. She had to stop right now before her body started doing weird stuff. That’s the last embarrassment she needed. She’d heard about shifter’s incredible ability to smell the littlest of things.
She put the pillow down quickly when she heard footsteps. A tall man with tattoos and piercings all over stopped at the door. He had green eyes like she’d never seen. His hair was shaved at the sides with a long mohawk-like strip flowing down to his shoulders.
A wide grin curled his lips. She wasn’t useless without her glasses, but damn how she’d like to see him clearer. Unlike Tor, he had a dirty bad boy thing going that even came across from his devilish grin. Tor had the quiet, possessive personality that soaked her panties.
“Hi,” she waved at the guy at the door. “I’m Morgan.”
“Hello, Morgan,” he said with a European accent she couldn’t place. “I’ve heard your name all week. I’m Clacher,” he said and leaned against the doorframe. “I heard you passed out earlier. How ya feeling?”
“Good, thank you.”
He nodded. “Glad you’re okay. I’ve gotta go. I only came to change before I head out, but I wanted to tell you that you’re in good hands with Tor. He’ll take very good care of protecting ya.”
She didn’t really want to burden Tor with so much. She was there to help them. Or try, anyway.
“It was nice meeting you,” she smiled.
“You, too.”
There was little time to think about what he said. Tor returned
with two grilled cheese sandwiches and two different glasses on a tray. He placed it on the night table next to her and stood back, his massive body feeling like a warm blanket beckoning her to snuggle.
“I didn’t know if you liked your grilled cheese with milk or iced tea, so I brought both.”
She nodded and picked up the plate with the sandwiches. “Iced tea is fine, but thanks for the thoughtfulness. I don’t actually need two sandwiches, though.”
He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure how hungry you were and decided you being full was better than you being hungry.”
Being near him made her feel so aware of her sexuality at the same time it electrified her hormones. It was so weird. She hadn’t felt sexual in too long. Hell, even her mother noticed. But with her ability to feel people’s auras and emotions, it was hard to date men. Regular men.
They usually carried around emotional baggage or were detached, which made things awkward. Lexi had tried to get her to go out with some of the guys that volunteered at the shelter, but she’d refused. What was the point? It was like her sexuality had lain dormant.
Her past relationships were always lacking something. She’d dated some nice guys, but none had ever broken down the door to her heart and made her feel like she was in love. Instead, she had allowed her need to figure out what was wrong with her dictate her relationships.
She’d gone through four men that had given her sex, but not once made her heart feel full with love. Nothing. They’d always broken up with her, telling her she didn’t know how to open up.
“I can’t thank you enough for the food,” she smiled. “I’m feeling much better now.”
“I didn’t realize you could feel emotion so deeply,” he told her. She watched him pull a chair up to the bed so close, she could reach out and touch him. She had to mentally chastise herself to keep from doing something stupid like running her fingers over the top of his hand to see if his skin was as soft and warm as she imagined it would be.
“Yes. I’m an empath that’s emotionally and physically receptive to humans and fauna.”
He scrubbed a hand over his beard. She wanted badly to offer to do it for him. “That means you connect emotionally with people and animals?”