by Julia Mills
“Who was she? We’ll just go track her down,” Wiley suggested.
Turning on his brethren, Hayes retorted, “I don’t know her name. Don’t know where she’s from. I didn’t get that far.” Angry with himself but taking it out on his friends, getting more furious as they snickered, he ranted on, “All I know is that she’s a lioness and… she’s my mate.” He stalked towards the still open bar doors. “Now, leave me the hell alone.”
*****
“Why are we even here? It’s a dispute between the lions and the jaguars, two groups of friggin’ cats, what do they need us for?” Hayes grumbled, looking around the huge conference room he and Kayne had been shown into by a tall, older lion.
“I would think you of all people would want to be in the Pride Lands,” Kayne smiled. “Since your luck has been tits-up where finding your mate is concerned.” The demi-god took a sip of coffee. “And since it was the jaguars who cut your first night with her short, this is a perfect way to find out who to blame and get a little payback.”
“Yeah, well, apparently, she doesn’t want to be found. This is my fifth trip to this wretched place and the first time I’ve been let through the gates. Talk about knowing where I stand.” He shook his head. “Besides, I feel underdressed. That vase,” he pointed to the beautiful blue and white piece of art on the credenza, “Is fourteenth century Ming Dynasty.”
Looking shocked at Hayes’ knowledge of art, the demi-god immediately smirked, “How the hell did you know that?”
“The benefits of a liberal arts degree from Oxford,” the blue and gold dragon chuckled. “Not something my father would’ve condoned, but my mom always wanted me to have an education. So, I did it in honor of her memory.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Kayne nodded. “Merida was such an amazing teacher.”
“Yeah, she really was.” Hayes looked away, unwilling to let his brethren see how much his parents’ deaths still haunted him then quickly changed the subject.
“So, what do you know about this Queen? I’ve obviously never met her, but I hear she’s a real pain in the ass.”
“Savannah?” The demi-god shook his head. “Naw, she’s good people. I knew her parents before my time in Hell and then met her after I got back.” He took another drink of coffee, before going on. “She’s not had it easy. I mean none of us have, but she’s had it tougher than most. Her parents died when she was just barely eighteen. Poisoned at a party, right here in this very mansion.” He pointed at a huge portrait of the former King and Queen. “To the best of my knowledge, they never found the culprit, and as the oldest of five or maybe six sisters, I can’t remember, Savannah not only became mom and dad to those little girls, but also took the crown a week after the death of her parents.”
Opening his mouth to respond but stopping when the door at the far side of the room opened, Hayes plastered on a smile as the same tall, thin, older man who had shown them in walked in and held the door silently. The sound of heels tapping against the marble floors echoed in Hayes’ ears as the scent of fresh flowers filled the room.
Stepping forward as the lioness from The Sundowner, the woman he knew was his mate, stepped across the threshold and stopped dead in her tracks. Begging with her eyes for him not to blurt out what he was thinking, Hayes simply nodded.
Grinning from ear-to-ear as the lioness literally squirmed where she stood and the tall, thin man who finally announced himself as Jacques, began the introductions, Hayes snidely snickered directly into the Queen’s mind, “Well, well, well, what’s the matter, mo milis, dragon got your tongue?”
Chapter Five
“A dragon? Really?” Savannah threw her arms in the air, flopping back onto Mack’s couch. “I mean, I guess I knew that night.” Letting her head fall back, staring at the blades of the ceiling fan going round and round, she went on, “But he was so handsome and such a good dancer…”
“Not to mention, a helluva kisser,” Mack snickered, taking a seat on the other end of the sofa.
“Shut up,” Savannah glared. “You didn’t pick up on the fact that he was a dragon either.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t the one with my tongue down his throat.” Mack winked over the rim of her glasses.
Blowing out a long-suffering breath, the Queen knew when she was beaten and sighed, “Yeah, I know.” Then turning her head to the side, “But, oh my Goddess, that man has all the right moves. He is just so…so…”
“I believe the words you’re looking for is freakin’ irresistible.” Mack set down her glass of tea and scooted closer to her sister. “And I also believe this is the second time you’ve made a hasty retreat, leaving him in your wake. So, tell me, great and wonderful Queen Savannah, what are you going to do now?”
Hating when any of her sisters teased her by calling her ‘great and wonderful’, Savannah groused, “Don’t call me that. You know I left the bar with the hopes of drawing the jaguars away from all those innocent shifters. It’s me they’re after, me who they’ve been trying to kill since the day they murdered mom and dad.”
Getting to her feet, Savannah began to pace. “Today, well, it was just too much to handle. That blasted dragon has been on my mind every minute of every day since that night. I can’t get a moment’s peace. Everywhere I look, I see his face. I sleep and dream of his kisses.” She turned towards her sister and growled, “It’s absolutely driving me crazy.”
“Then give in.”
“What?” Savannah spat, looking at Mack like she had three heads.
“Give in.” Mack shrugged. “Go to him. Call him. Have dinner with him. Do something. You obviously want to spend time with him.” Her sister stood, closed the distance between them and put her hands on Savannah’s shoulders. “You deserve to be happy. Deserve to have a man who completes you in every way, someone who loves you, and you love back.”
“Love? Have you lost your mind?” The Queen pulled away from her sister, taking a step back. “I can’t be in love. I have responsibilities, a Pride to run, lions to keep safe.”
“And you have done it very well for many years, but it’s time you have something, someone, for yourself. You know it just as well as I do, you simply refuse to admit it…at least out loud.”
“But he’s a dragon, and they are so….”
“So what? What the hell do you know except what other people have said? Tessa is mated to one and I’ve never seen her happier.” Mack stepped up to Savannah again, this time smiling as she added, “What is that saying mom used to always recite? The Universe doesn’t make mistakes. Fate won’t be denied.” She patted Savannah’s arm. “This is Fate, Sis and for once in your damn life, you gotta go for it. You’ve faced way bigger obstacles than a head-strong dragon without batting an eye.”
“Maybe…”
Sighing and shaking her head Mack backed away, suggesting, “Tell me about the meeting. How did you handle it after you heard his voice in your head? After you knew for sure that he was the one?”
Snickering despite the stress she felt, Savannah plopped back down on the couch and answered, “I ignored him. I kept it very professional and when we were done, I made an excuse then hightailed it over here like a young cub scared of her own shadow.”
Sitting up on the edge of the couch, turning towards Mack who had also taken a seat, Savannah agreed, “I know you’re right. Have no idea what I’m so scared of or why I’m stalling. It’s obvious we belong together. And the Goddess knows, I’m so damned jealous of our sisters with their mates and their kids and their happily-ever-afters that there are days I can’t see straight.”
“Then for all the catnip in the world, do something about it.” Mack swatted her arm. “Be that take-charge woman I’ve always looked up to and go get your man. This wishy-washy, mamby-pamby bullshit might work for other girls, but you, my lovely sister, are the Queen of the Jungle and as such need to get off your lazy ass and go for it.”
Jumping to her feet along with her little sister, Savannah hugged Mack before agreein
g, “You are absolutely right, and I know just the way to do it.” Pulling back but keeping her hands on her sister’s upper arms, the Queen grinned, “Put on your best shit-kicking boots and your favorite jeans, tonight’s Country Music Night at The Sundowner and I’m going to lasso me a dragon.”
“Yeehaw!” Mack shouted with a fist pump.
*****
Somewhere between getting dressed and driving out to the bar, Savannah’s courage went from a hundred to nonexistent. Gripping the steering wheel of her champagne-colored SUV, she lamented, “I’m doing the right thing, right?”
“Of course, you are,” Mack emphatically agreed in a matter-of-fact tone, touching up her lipstick before adding, “And please dear Goddess, tell me that wimp that was in my house earlier this evening isn’t rearing her ugly head.” She shifted in her seat. “Because that chick makes me want to throw up. You are not a withering, little flower, so just shut the hell up and get us to that bar.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.” Savannah mock saluted. “Maybe you should have been the Queen,” she added with a snicker.
“Oh, hell, no. I would’ve had us in a war within an hour of taking the crown. Someone would’ve popped off in a meeting, and I would’ve gone all ‘Queen of Hearts’ on their ass, screaming ‘Off with their heads’!”
Laughing out loud, Savannah teased, “What does that make me, the White Rabbit?”
“No way, the Mad Hatter, my love, definitely the Mad Hatter.”
Still chuckling when they arrived at The Sundowner, the female lions got out of the SUV, the honky-tonk sounds of country music filling the night air. Walking past a row of Harleys, Savannah breathed in the warm, succulent aroma of burning cedar and male dragon. Determined to take what she deserved, what the Universe had made for her, what Fate was offering up on a silver platter, the Queen walked taller and with infinitely more confidence than when she’d stepped out of her vehicle.
Side-by-side with her sister, Savannah opened the huge, oak doors of the bar and marched in like she owned the place. Her eyes panned the crowd, a nearly packed house, until they landed on Hayes. Handing Mack her keys, she winked, “Don’t wait up,” and headed towards the tall, muscular man who made her heart beat fast and her lioness purr.
With his back to her, Savannah took the opportunity to let her eyes roam his mouth-watering physique. The longer she looked, the more her fingers tingled and her thighs trembled just remembering what it felt like to close to him.
Her breath came quicker as visions of their first kiss filled her thoughts. Her body warmed as her eyes roamed the wide set of his shoulders stretching the cotton of his plaid shirt to its limit. Taking in the long lines of his torso narrowing to his waist and the way the worn denim of his jeans lovingly caressed his ass before perfectly outlining the powerful muscles of his thighs, she couldn’t help but smile.
Reaching out to tap her dragon on the shoulder, Savannah gasped when Hayes turned, spearing her with his brilliant blue gaze. Not willing to let this moment pass, the Queen dropped her hand and smiled, “How about a dance?”
With a shit-eating grin and a twinkle in his eye signaling he was most definitely up to something, the blond Guardsman bowed before looking up and answering in an extremely exaggerated Southern accent, “Why I’d be delighted, Miss Savannah.”
Placing her hand in his, electricity raced through her veins, landing in the center of her womb, heating her body to near boiling. Leaning into him, loving the feel of being wrapped in his arms, Savannah shivered as Hayes’ voice once again flowed through her mind, “Sweet Goddess, mo chroí, you smell like Heaven.”
Mom was so right, Fate will not be denied…
Chapter Six
Every ounce of anger and frustration Hayes felt over being left high and dry on the night they met and Savannah’s disappearing act during their meeting evaporated the second he looked into her eyes. Nothing could have prepared the Guardsman for how he would feel once he held the woman meant to be his in his arms and the second time was infinitely more powerful than the first.
Sure, he’d heard all the stories, listened to the old dragons telling tales of the first time they’d gotten a glimpse of their mates, but absolutely nothing compared to the real thing. Savannah was the light to his soul, his reason for being, simply everything he and his dragon needed to live a long, blissfully happy life.
He’d seen in her action, running the meeting with not only her Guards and Trackers in attendance but also, he and Kayne. She was smart, cunning and from what he’d witnessed, had more than earned the respect she was given. Her quick wit and sarcastic sense of humor, even when discussing strategies for protecting her Pride, was absolutely intoxicating.
Holding her close, their hearts beating as one, Hayes worked hard to control his instincts as his dragon roared in his mind, demanding he whisk Savannah away and claim her as their own once and for all. But that wouldn’t do for his Queen, nor for the Guardsman. He wanted a partner, an equal, someone with whom he could share every aspect of his life down to the most minute detail.
Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, “You are driving me mad, mo ghrá.”
“Then do something about it.”
Leaving nothing to chance, Hayes took a step back, gave his mate a playful wink as he slid his fingers through hers, immediately leading her out of the bar when he saw that she was just as serious as he. Pulling Savannah into his arms the second they reached his jet-black Harley, the Guardsman crushed his lips to hers, pouring everything he already felt for her into that single, life-affirming kiss.
Smoke flew from his dragon’s snout as their lioness opened completely, baring not only her body but also her heart and soul to him. Craving more, needing to mark every inch of her silken skin with his scent, Hayes reluctantly broke their connection.
Looking down at Savannah, his heart soared. Not only was she the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, but just the sight of her kiss-swollen lips, the lust in her eyes, and the flush on her cheeks once again assured the Guardsman that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.
“Let’s get outta here,” Hayes suggested, not waiting for her answer, instead placing his hands on her waist and lifting her onto his motorcycle before climbing on in front and starting the engine.
Racing towards home, the wind in his face, his mate’s arms wrapped around his waist and her body pressed tightly to his, Hayes was in heaven. His erection pushed hard against the zipper of his jeans as Savannah placed butterfly kisses behind his ear and down his neck.
Roaring through the back entrance, the Guardsman sped to his ranch style log cabin at the far corner of the Blue Thunder Lair. Parking next to the house, Hayes shut off the engine, jumped off the bike and had Savannah in his arms within seconds.
Fumbling with the doorknob as his mate tortured him with whispered innuendos and more kisses on his neck, in his haste, the dragon pulled the brass fixture from the wood.
“In a hurry there, big man?” Savannah chuckled against his skin.
“Yes, ma’am,” Hayes growled lovingly as he threw the doorknob over his shoulder and crossed the threshold.
Letting Savannah’s feet slide to the floor, Hayes could wait no longer. Slamming his lips to hers, he dominated her mouth like he one day hoped to dominate her heart. He could feel her desire growing, racing like a roaring fire through every fiber of her being.
Deepening his kiss, Hayes slid his hands between their bodies, pulling at the buttons of her western style shirt. Tearing her lips from his, Savannah looked him right in the eye, playfully batted away his hands and with a sexy growl sending shivers up his spine, purred, “This is how it’s done, dragon man.”
Buttons flew in every direction as his lioness ripped the plaid material from her body and threw it to the side. Winking, she added with a sexy smile, “Now, it’s your turn.” And within the span of a single heartbeat removed his shirt in the same fashion before passionately returning to her lips.
The arousal already racing th
rough his veins caught fire. Hayes was a man on a mission. He would have his mate or die trying. Grabbing Savannah by the waist, the Guardsman was shocked when she spun away, instead grabbing his hand and heading down the hall.
Walking straight into his room, turning towards him as she approached the chair beside his bed, Hayes’ heart beat double time as Savannah pulled him close and with a twinkle in her eye, murmured, “Sit down, lover,” before lightly kissing the tip of his nose.
Shoving aside his need to be buried deep inside his beautiful mate, as well as the growls and snarls of his dragon at having to wait, Hayes did as he was told, loving his mates’ adventurous spirit and strong will. No sooner had he landed on the soft leather than Savannah was reaching behind her back.
The silk straps of her bra slid lovingly off her shoulders and the band around her ribs went slack as she held the cups in place with her free arm, her hand lightly cupping one of her full, round breasts. Hayes’ watched with rapt attention as Savannah’s hips erotically swayed to the sensual beat of their hearts.
Fists clenched at his side, his cock so hard he had no doubt it would rip through the denim of his jeans at any moment, Hayes nearly jumped from the chair when almost faster than he could track, Savannah tore the silk from her breasts, raising her arms above her head, teasing him with her hard, rosy nipples. His heart beat stuttered as she danced closer, lowering her hands and placing them over her breasts, following the images racing through his mind, massaging them lovingly, letting those tantalizingly swollen tips peek through her fingers.
Unable to move, caught in the snare of Savannah’s seduction, Hayes’ eyes followed her long, elegant fingers skimming her ribs and gliding across the swell of her stomach, working their way to the snap of her jeans. Lowering the zipper with the maddeningly precision, revealing more of the silken skin he wanted to touch, to kiss, to mark, his lioness continued her deliciously erotic torture by slowly rubbing the tips of her fingers in and out of the lacy waistband of her panties, whispering, “Like what you see?”