by Jane Jamison
The people were changing. Clothes changed along with them as their bodies grew larger, their forms morphing into creatures covered with green scales with long tails and huge heads. Their eyes blazed red as they turned her way, yet she could still see the humanity in their gazes. Dalton and Roman paused, looking back at her once, then started changing along with the others.
In only a couple of minutes, they’d transformed from humans into dragons. The ground beneath her rumbled as they grew larger, giant monsters that dwarfed their human counterparts. They were both magical and magnificent, terrible and frightening. Her fear, however, didn’t last long. In its place came an understanding, a realization that she was meant to be with them.
The dragons spread their wings, sending a rush of air blowing against her, and took flight. She couldn’t wait to see them, their glimmering green bodies against the dimming backdrop. Yet as soon as their feet left the ledge, they disappeared.
“Where’d they go?”
“Look harder.”
She sucked in a hard breath and faced the older woman who had questioned Roman’s appearance in the cave. “What do you mean?”
The old woman fisted her hand to her chest. “Dragoness, look harder. Not with your eyes, but with your heart. Feel your people.”
Not understanding, Peyton faced the outside again, moving slowly toward the entrance. “I don’t get it. How can I see with my—”
All at once, the world around her shifted. Dark became light. Where the sky had been filled with nothing, it was now filled with dragons.
Green dragons sped toward the approaching black dragons. Wings rippled with untold strength as they beat against the wind. Slamming into each other, the dragons extended their claws and sharp talons. Their huge mouths opened with ear-shattering shrieks. Blood flew into the air as they battled, each striving to tear at the other.
Roman whipped his tail around to bludgeon a dark dragon. The dark one screamed then tucked its wings next to its body. He plummeted toward the earth, leaving a trail of blood behind him, before he pulled up and flew off. Roman roared a victory, his long tongue flicking outward with a flash of flame.
Dalton’s cry caught her heart and squeezed it. He was surrounded by three black dragons. Blood ran down his face and onto his neck.
“Roman! Look!”
He couldn’t hear her above the roar of the battle.
“Speak to him with your mind. Think your words,” ordered the old woman.
She didn’t understand, but tried anyway. “Roman! Look at Dalton!”
Roman slashed through the neck of an assailant then twisted around to see where she was pointing.
“Help him!”
When he saw Dalton, he let out a roar and sped toward his friend. Wrapping his curved talons around one of the dark dragon’s tail, he pulled back and flung the attacker away.
Dalton held his own, giving as many wounds as he’d taken. Once Roman disposed of another dragon, he took a nosedive then jerked upward, driving his head into the belly of one of the other attackers. Roman’s flame flashed outward, searing the scales of another black dragon.
Although Roman and Dalton were winning, the battle raged on. Again and again, dragon fought against dragon, their shrieks deafening her, their flames heating the air.
“Only you can stop this,” said the old woman.
“Me? How?”
The old woman gave her a quizzical look. “You’re the Dragoness. You are the queen of us all.”
“I don’t understand.” Her heart broke to see the pain and anguish of both the green and black dragons. Roman’s blue body stood out among the others.
“You must fly into the midst of the battle. When they see you, they will know the Dragoness lives.”
“But I’m not a dragon. I can’t fly.” The helicopter still rested on the ledge, but the pilot had changed into a dragon.
The old woman pressed her hand against Peyton’s chest. “Look inside. You wear the bracelet.” She tilted her head and smiled knowingly. “Feel what you have to do.”
Peyton looked down at the wrinkled hand against her skin. “I still don’t—”
She drew in a ragged breath. If she was indeed the Dragoness, then she had to fly. Moving away from the woman, she put her hand over the bracelet and felt it growing warmer until the heat should’ve burned her flesh. The bracelet glowed, casting a golden glow over her.
Sure of what she had to do, Peyton started running. As fast as she could, she raced toward the end of the ledge. She didn’t look down as her feet left the stone surface and nothing but sky was below her.
Chapter Ten
Peyton fell toward the ground, yet she wasn’t afraid. Instead, she was exhilarated.
She felt the change rush through her. Although her bones broke, growing longer, stronger, she wasn’t aware of any pain. The color of the world around her grew more vivid as though her eyes could suddenly see more hues. Her hair, at first streaming out behind her, disappeared as a harder, golden surface skimmed along her body. Her clothes no longer hindered her movement. Her mind no longer functioned as it had before.
Everything, the past, the present, and the future became clear as though she were reading a book she’d read a million times before.
I am the Dragoness.
Upward she soared into the midst of the battle. Once she was in the middle of the fight, she stopped, floating in air, her gleaming wings spreading outward as she gazed from one dragon to the next. Black and green dragons stopped fighting, turning to gawk at her. Aside from the steady flap of wings, silence surrounded her.
She repeated her earlier thought.
“I am the Dragoness.”
At once, the largest black dragon opened his mouth and let out a horrible roar. He spun around, putting his wings close to his body and dived away from her. The other Dradian dragons were quick to follow their leader.
After the black dragons had gone, the Emeralian dragons drew closer. Slowly, one by one, they bowed their heads.
“The fighting is over.” The whisper came from her mind.
“The battle may be, but the war isn’t. The Dradians will never give up wanting all the power.” Dalton’s red gaze met hers.
Suddenly, the human part of her grew tired and afraid. She turned around and flew back to the cave. As soon as she landed on the ledge, she felt the change begin. Her body changed its shape and size, loosening the gleaming golden scales and bringing her skin rushing back. Her clothes returned, none the worse for the transformation, and quickly covered her body.
She let out a yelp as Dalton lifted her off her feet. “Put me down. Is this any way to treat your queen?”
He did as she said, turning her to face him. “Seriously? Are you going to pull rank from now on?”
“Damn. Give a girl a gold bracelet and make her our queen, and it goes straight to her head,” added a grinning Roman.
“Are you all right? Both of you?” She skimmed her hand along his body, finding what few injuries were still there starting to heal.
“We’re fine.”
The other dragons landed and shifted back to their human forms. Somehow, however, they sensed that she needed time alone with her men. Too much had happened. Too much about her had changed. Her mind whirled with questions. Too many questions made it difficult to bring one to the forefront.
“Come with me, pretty one.” Dalton took her hand and led her toward the helicopter. Rick stood beside it, waiting as though nothing had happened. “Take us to my place.”
“Is that okay with you, Roman?” She didn’t want Dalton making all their choices.
“It’s fine, baby. Wherever you go, I go.”
She boarded the helicopter after Dalton, once more taking the spot between them. As the helicopter lifted into the air, she craned around, hoping to see the others. And yet, she saw only the cave.
“Tell us what you’re thinking, baby. What are you feeling?”
What was she feeling? Surprise, certainly. Trepidation, a little. But
most of all, she felt content. Happy.
“I feel like I belong. Like I didn’t realize I was missing something, but now that I found it, I know I was searching for it all along.” She took their hands. “Like I was searching for both of you and didn’t know it. Does that sound silly?”
“No. It sounds like you’re okay with being a dragon.” Roman searched her face.
She glanced down at the bracelet. It had lost its gleam, but it was still beautiful and she could still feel the power emanating from it. “Am I a dragon only when I’m wearing the bracelet? If I could take it off, would I go back to being merely a human?”
“You were never a mere human.” Dalton squeezed her hand as the helicopter soared toward his home. “I don’t know. Just don’t even try to take it off, okay?”
From the minute she’d put it on, she’d never felt like being without it on her arm. “I won’t. I think I’d feel wrong inside without it.”
“Good.” Roman nodded toward the front. “We’re landing.”
A few minutes later, they were inside Dalton’s magnificent house. If Dalton hadn’t started leading them down the hallway toward his bedroom, she would have.
Laughing, she pushed the double doors wide and rushed toward the bed, flinging her clothes off along the way. She yanked the luxurious bedspread down then hopped on the bed and covered her body.
Roman and Dalton stood at the end of the grand bed. They busily removed their clothes.
“So you guys know I’ve been seeing both of you, right? That I’ve had sex with both of you?”
Dalton’s expression clouded. Roman nodded and answered her. “We’ve shared a woman before, and although I know it must be hard on him to see my hunk of a physique next to his, we’re good with it.”
“The man is full of shit. All you have to do is look at us side by side and you’ll know which of us is the better man.” Dalton’s muscles flexed as he strode to the side of the bed.
She couldn’t decide which of them she craved more. Yet the best thing was that she wouldn’t have to choose. They were both hers. Roman’s thick cock stuck out at her, tempting her to toss away the bedspread and pull him by his shaft into bed.
“If we’re going to be together, then does that make you two my kings?”
“Our clans don’t have kings, and there’s only one Dragoness. Male dragons are called drakes.” Roman crawled on top of the bed, coming toward her like a predator about to pounce on his prey.
“Then who was the big black dragon who called off the Dradians?” Had it really happened? Even now, she found it difficult to believe she’d seen dragons. That she’d changed into one and flown in the air.
“That was Trakor, their Dradian war lord. Dragon clans are democratic in nature, going with what the majority wants. The Dradians, however, want to change our ways. They’ve always wanted power and control, but in recent years, they’ve grown more ruthless and more determined than ever to get it.” Dalton moved next to her. Crooking his finger over the bedspread, he attempted to pull the cover down.
She slapped his hand away. “Was the woman in the casino a Dradian dragon?”
“Yes. She and the man Dalton killed in the hallway of the bathroom were both dragons.”
“What? You killed him?”
Roman leaned over and feathered kisses along her shoulder. “He was going to hurt you and take the bracelet. Dalton stopped him.”
She shivered, not from the pleasure of Roman’s kisses but from the realization that she’d been in danger and hadn’t known it. “Are they still going to be coming after me?”
Roman leaned back and exchanged a look with Dalton before answering. “We don’t know for certain, but if I were a betting man—and you know I am—I’d say they will. They want the bracelet for its value. And they won’t want a Dragoness to bring peace between the clans.”
“They’ll want to take it away from you whether or not it’ll ever work on another woman. And they’ll do anything to get it, including cutting off your arm and killing you.”
“Great. Just great.” She stilled. “Is Shirley safe? What if they come to the suite looking for me?” She began to get out of bed, but Dalton pulled her back.
“Don’t worry. Martin’s staying with her. He’ll keep her safe.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m positive.”
She relaxed, certain her friend was safe. “How am I ever going to explain all this to Shirley?”
“You could let Martin tell her. He knows everything.”
She clutched Roman’s arm. “You’re right. I know she’s serious about him. Does he like her, too?”
“He’s in love with her. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s telling her what he is right now.”
“He’s a dragon, too?”
“There are more of us than you’d think,” added Dalton.
“So much has changed so fast. Only a few days ago, I was an assistant working in a boring insurance firm. Now I’m a Dragoness and able to shape-shift. Can Shirley become a dragoness, too?” The only thing better than having two sexy men would be to have her friend in her new life along with them.
“No. We’re not like werewolves and other shifters. Dragons are born, not bitten and transformed. Aside from you, of course. The bracelet changes you.”
“Damn.” She felt sorry for Shirley. “I wish she could change and go flying with me.” She hugged herself. “I still can’t believe I flew.”
“Hey, don’t forget about having a sexy man and his dull friend as your mates,” quipped Roman.
“I swear, one of these days, I’m going to rip your head off.” Dalton growled, the sound low yet lacking any real animosity.
She closed her eyes. “Am I moving in here or into Roman’s penthouse? Can we have children? Do we even want children? And if we have them, will they be human or dragon? Am I moving too fast? I just have so many questions I don’t know which one to ask first.”
Dalton’s hungry gaze slid to her worried one. “We’ll live in both places. Now that my clan knows we’re friends, his clan will soon find out. Being your drakes will make them accept our friendship. As for children? If you want them, we’ll have as many as you like. There’s a chance they’ll be born human, but most likely, they’ll be like us. Think you can handle kids that can breathe fire?”
“Oh hell. I guess I’ll have to carry around a fire extinguisher.” Her giggle died when she saw Dalton’s solemn expression.
“There’s one more thing you need to know.”
The seriousness of his tone unnerved her. “What is it?”
He glanced at Roman who nodded, but remained silent. “Now that we’ve accepted you as our mate and you’ve accepted us—” He paused, frowning. “You have accepted us, right? I know you have, but it would be good to hear you say so.”
She smiled. How could he doubt it? She sat up straighter, placed her hand over her heart, and acted as though she were taking an oath. In fact, she was. “Yes, I accept you as my mates.”
His eyes glittered with joy. “Now that we’ve gotten that straightened out, you need to know one thing.”
“Just tell me, Dalton. Please.”
“Dragons are immortal.”
She gasped, thrilled at the idea. “Seriously? That’s terrific. Does that mean I’m immortal now, too?” Yet her happiness was gone at his frown. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“No, you’re not immortal. And now that we’ve accepted you as our mate, we aren’t immortal any longer.”
“I don’t understand.”
Roman took up where Dalton had left off. “As dragons, we remain immortal until we take a mate. Now that we have, we’ll start aging like humans do.”
Stunned, she shook her head, trying to deny what he’d said. “No. I won’t let it happen. I don’t want you as my mates if it means you have to give up your immortality. It’s too much to take from you. I won’t do it.” Tears swam in her eyes.
“It’s already happened. But don’t worry,
baby. It’s what we want.”
“Pretty one, we’d rather live a human lifetime with you than forever without you.”
She wiped away the tears, her heart still breaking. “Why didn’t you tell me before now?”
“And risk losing you?” Dalton shook his head. “Not a chance in hell.”
“Isn’t there anything we can do? I’m the Dragoness. Can’t I do something to keep you immortal?”
“Peyton, please, it’s all right. We’re going to age together, the three of us.”
“Yeah, baby. One of these days we’ll be old folks sitting in front of the slot machines and cussing our heads off when we lose.” Roman chuckled. “It’ll be great.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. You love us and we love you. The rest of it isn’t important.”
“For once, he’s right.” Roman grabbed hold of the bedspread and tore it out of her grasp. “Enough talk and tears. I want my woman, and I want her now.”
She swallowed back a sob. They’d given up so much for her. She’d spend the rest of her life making it up to them. Wiping away the tears, she put on a smile and shoved all other thoughts away. “Okay, don’t get your tail in a knot.”
Roman shot her a funny look. “That’s what we always say.”
“Then do as you say.” She clutched him by the shoulder and pulled him forward. Her mouth crushed against his.
Roman kissed her back, hard and long, his tongue diving into her mouth, giving her his flavor as he tasted hers. Her body heated up as though he’d flicked a flaming tongue along her skin.
Dalton’s hungry growl came a second before he spread her legs and put his face against her pussy. He dragged his tongue along the seam of her folds, forcing them apart. A flash of pain struck her like a match blazing to life along her flesh. She moaned, the sound going into Roman’s mouth.
They took the breath from her as one ravished her mouth and the other kissed her clit. Roman growled as he tugged on her nipples, biting, sucking, and licking them.
Did dragons have stronger, better tongues than humans? They were definitely hotter, stoking a fire within her that would match any outward flame. She squirmed under their assault, her body wanting them yet unable to withstand the delicious torture. Crying out, she widened her legs and dug her fingers into Roman’s hair.