by Julia Mills
At the eagle shifter’s comment, the room was instantly silent. Olive wondered if anyone was even breathing. Max was the first to object. ‘The guys will be handling this. There’s no reason for you ladies to be involved.”
“Excuse me, King?” Ettie’s tone was low and menacing as she took a step forward and stared at the Leader of the Big Cats like he’d just called her Polly and asked if she wanted a cracker.
Unaffected by Ettie’s aggression and with a cheeky grin, the Leo also took a step forward and spoke in a tone that Olive didn’t doubt had made more than one woman swoon over the years. “My dear Miss Featherstone, I simply believe this one is better left to us.” Max motioned behind him with a confidence that could only come from years of getting exactly what he wanted in any way he wanted it. Unfortunately for him, he’d never met Ettie Featherstone.
Closing the distance between them, the eagle growled, “We are more than capable of helping out.”
“Madam...” was the only word Max got out of his mouth before Olive slid between the two of them facing Ettie and quickly pushed her cousin towards the door.
Hollering over her shoulder, the little dove said, “Do what you need to do. We’ll be back later. Thank you for breakfast.”
She barely had the door closed when Ettie railed, “What the hell did you do that for? I was about to tell Sylvester there where he could shove his antiquated ideas about women.”
The eagle spun on her heels and stomped down the steps, onto the sidewalk, and headed towards the house they were inhabiting while staying with the Blue Thunder Clan. Jogging to catch up with her much taller cousin, Olive yelled, “Dammit, Ettie, slow down. I was just trying to keep the peace. There’s enough going on without you fighting with the King of the Cats. I mean come on.”
Stopping so quickly that Olive almost ran into her back, Ettie spun around, slammed her fists to her hips, and glared. Their staring contest lasted less than ten seconds but it felt like a lifetime when the eagle finally said, “You had no right to step between us.”
Shrugging to play it off, Olive calmly countered, “You’re right, but I could see neither one of you were going to back down and tensions are running high enough.” Sighing and shaking her head, the little dove continued. “Think about it, Et, the dragons and the cats have been after this Tariq guy for like forty years.” She paused as her cousin reluctantly nodded.
“And don’t get me started about them not having a clue about how to handle strong, independent women. These guys are seriously stuck in the middle ages,” she added a chuckle as she watched the tension drain out of her cousin. There was more at work here than Ettie’s pride but Olive didn’t have the time to play psychiatrist; she had her own crap to deal with.
Snickers and giggles behind her said the other three were discussing stupid men, so Olive stepped to the side a bit to include them in the conversation. “I just didn’t want you and Max having a knock-down-drag-out fight in the middle of Kellan’s living room. There will be time for that later.”
“And besides, you’d have kicked his ass and embarrassed him in front of his bros, or buds, or whatever they call each other,” Karleigh added with a snort.
Chuckling to herself, Ettie finally cracked a smile before saying, “I don’t know what it is about that damn cat but he gets right under my feathers.”
“Might be those dreamy green eyes,” Tilly cooed, as they all locked arms and started walking towards the house.
“Or that cheeky grin. I bet that’s one kitty who finds catnip wherever he goes,” Gabby giggled and waggled her eyebrows.
“He’s sex on a stick,” Delilah, the quiet one of the bunch, matter-of-factly added to the conversation without even a grin on her face.
The other four birds burst out laughing and it only got worse when Delilah innocently asked, “What? What did I say?
By the time they made it to their front door they were still joking and laughing. All thoughts of arrogant cats and backwards dragons had been put on the back burner. While they were changing clothes, it was decided they would make their famous homemade pizza to take back to Kellan’s house. Karleigh and Delilah were sent to the grocery for enough supplies to make twenty pizzas while the others got the kitchen ready. Olive did everything possible to keep her cousins occupied and away from the subject of her stubborn mate.
She’d heard their thoughts. Knew they were all trying to think of ways to insert Kellan into their conversations, and although she loved their concern for her, the little dove simply needed to handle this situation on her own.
Several hours later, the girls had the last of the pizzas in the oven and the others packed in boxes that Karleigh was able to acquire from the delivery boy at the pizza shop. Delilah teased that the falcon had shamelessly batted her eyes, which Karleigh adamantly denied, but the twinkle in her eye told a different story. Either way, Olive was glad to have some way to transport the food back to Kellan’s.
Letting her head rest on the back of the oversized recliner she was curled up in, Olive realized how tired she really was. Between Kellan’s nightmare, the stress of him running out, the confusion over his actions, and now a search for the man that had caused it all, the little dove was exhausted. The thoughts of a power nap were too good to resist but just as she was drifting to sleep, she heard Gabby say, “I think he’s being a jerk. Why not just say he’s sorry and they can live happily ever after?”
“Because he’s a man and they have no sense,” Karleigh added while Olive listened to see who they were talking about, although she had a pretty good idea.
“They have some crazy notion that they’re supposed to take care of us and shield us from anything even remotely subversive. I’m pretty sure they don’t mean to be high-handed, it’s just that they’re old and stuck in the past.” Olive was shocked to hear Ettie being more understanding than usual, especially after her earlier tirade.
“Thank the Heavens Rory isn’t that way. Our Claire would’ve already had him descaled and stuffed and hanging over her fireplace.” Tilly’s joke made everyone chuckle.
But once again it was their quiet, introspective hawk that hit the nail on the head. “Kellan was already afraid he would drag down Olive with his problems. I could see it from the moment he recognized her as his mate. Couldn’t y’all?”
Olive heard murmurs and mumbles of agreement before Delilah continued. “Then the whole nightmare thing that happened this morning just threw the old boy into a tailspin. You could see the terror in his eyes. Feel the remorse pouring off him. He was mortified at what he’d done and even more so that we were all there to witness it.”
There was a pause in which Olive realized she was holding her breath, waiting to see what her wise-beyond-her-years cousin would say next. The hawk did not disappoint. “You know, if you think about it, it all makes sense. They’re old. I mean we’re all old,” she chuckled. “But the guys and their dragons are like really, really old, and like you guys were saying, they have some out-of-date ideas about the whole man-woman relationship thing. I can only imagine that carries over into the way the men feel about their mates, right?”
She didn’t wait for an answer but added, “Anyway, that’s what I think about it, and for some reason I know Kellan will get it together even if Olive has to kick his ass to do it.”
Olive, still pretending to be asleep, had to bite the insides of her cheeks to keep from smiling. Delilah may not be the most talkative of their group but when she had something to say, the little hawk packed a punch.
The sound of the oven timer broke the silence and the dove used that as an excuse to wake up. Stretching, then standing up, she asked, “What are you hens doing sitting around? Shouldn’t we get these pizzas over to Kellan’s before they’re cold?”
“We figured we could take a break since you were sleeping, Drill Sargent,” Ettie teased.
Laughing as she walked past where they sat around the table, Olive grabbed the oven mitts and called over her shoulder, “Yeah, well brea
k time’s over. Hop to it.”
The walk to Kellan’s house was filled with more talk of antiquated ideas and independent women, to which Olive had to say, “I can’t wait till all y’all find your mates. Their gonna tie you up in knots and I’m gonna sit back and laugh.”
The girls promised the conversation was not over as they carried the pizzas into Kellan’s to a rousing chorus of ‘thank yous’. All twenty pies were devoured in less than fifteen minutes, and both dragons and werepanthers went on and on about how good they were. Olive was thrilled they liked them but less than happy with the way Kellan did everything in his power to avoid any type of contact with her.
It wasn’t as if he was upset or angry. He hadn’t cut their connection, even though he was limiting what she could hear or feel from him. It was infuriating. Her dragon was just simply avoiding her. She would catch him staring when he thought she wasn’t looking. Knew he was poking around her thoughts; which she could only assume was to see what her opinion of him and what had transpired in the last twelve or so hours was.
The rest of the evening was filled with planning and strategy. The dragons and werepanthers finally agreed that the birds could be useful. Olive knew the decision had come about after Claire, Audrey, and Kyra had badgered their mates and was happy that the argument had been laid to rest. Had it not, the little dove had no doubt Ettie would have pitched a fit of epic proportions.
Just as the clock struck midnight, Rian, the Leader of the Blue Thunder Clan and the oldest O’Reilly brother, announced, “I cannot look at another map. My eyes have had enough. Audrey and I are gonna head home. How about we meet up tomorrow after we’ve all had some much needed rest and hammer out the remaining details?”
“Sounds good,” was the universal answer and within minutes, everyone but Claire, Rory, Olive, and her cousins were gone.
“You ready to go?” Ettie spoke directly into her mind.
“I’m gonna stay. Y’all go on. I’ll be home soon.”
“You sure?” The eagle shifter sounded less than confident with Olive’s decision but the little dove stood her ground and answered, “Yes, I’m sure. Now, scoot.”
Olive could hear the buzz of Ettie telling her cousins that the dove would be staying behind and saw their questioning looks. She simply nodded and smiled. Looking around the room, she noticed Kellan was mysteriously absent. One glance over her shoulder and she found him standing on the deck looking out over the garden.
Saying goodbye to her cousins and Rory, Olive quietly shut the door and slowly walked towards her mate. Raising her hand to touch his shoulder, the dove gasped when Kellan growled, “Don’t.”
Her hand hovered mere inches from her mate while she tried to decide whether to hug him or slap him. In the span of two heartbeats her decision was made. Placing her hand on his shoulder and attempting with all her might to move the mountain of a man before her, Olive finally spat, “Turn around you bull-headed dragon and talk to me.”
In one fluid motion, so quickly she could barely track his movement, Kellan spun around, grabbed Olive by her upper arms, and set her just inside the house before returning to where he’d been before. Then so low she could barely hear him, he commanded, “Go home, Olive.”
Madder than a wet hen, or dove, as the case may be, Olive flew at her dragon with thoughts of smacking him in the back of the head flashing like a neon sign in her mind. But instead of hitting her mate, the little dove stood as close as she could without touching him, got up on her tippy toes, and shouted, “I. Will. Not. Go. Home,” punctuating every word with a poke in the side of his chest.
It was a little disconcerting that every time she touched him, even though it was through the fabric of his T-shirt, little sparks of their connection shot up her arm and landed deep in her womb. She ignored the delicious sensations in favor of making her obstinate mate understand that he could not and would not be allowed to shut her out.
“Are you listening to me, Kellan Aherne? I’m not going anywhere. You don’t get to blow hot and cold. Show up with flowers then ignore me. Smile at me then shut me out. That is so not gonna work with this girl.”
Stopping to take a breath, Olive thought about kicking him in the shin as he stood there like a statue, showing no recognition that she even existed, much less was standing inches from his face and cussing him out. Never one to back down from a fight, she decided to go ahead and get it all off her chest.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you doing this? I can tell you can hear me. I know you care for me. We’re linked, bonded. Remember that, you big dope? Even if you put up your walls and try to lock me out, I still know you’re there. You can’t change what’s happening between us no matter how hard you try. So what is your problem?”
Shaking with anger, Olive turned away from her dragon and paced the width of the deck, making faces at him every time she passed. Her mind was spinning. She was right and truly pissed and all the man she knew she was falling in love with could do was stand there like a lump on a log and stare into space.
Quickly approaching her boiling point, Olive made one more pass behind her mate just as his cell phone rang. Shamelessly listening to the conversation between Max and Kellan, the little dove lost her mind as the scarred dragon said, “Okay. I’ll be right there.”
Turning to leave without so much as a goodbye, Kellan made it exactly half a step before Olive jumped in front of him, put the palms of her hands flat on his chest, and screamed, “You are not going anywhere!”
Kellan’s eyes opened wide. His mouth dropped open and pure unadulterated shock flowed through their mating bond. Taking advantage of his undivided attention Olive tried to soften her tone, but she was too far gone. Still up on her toes, she leaned closer still and looking him right in the eye, reiterated, “You are not leaving. I heard what Max said and they don’t need you right now. I need you. We have to get a few things straight and we’re doing it right now.”
Closely watching him process what she’d just said, Olive knew the exact moment when her dragon decided he was going to try to get past her. Using a move she’d seen the forward of Ettie’s favorite soccer team use, the little dove moved her head to the left but her hips and legs to the right in a kind of fake-out, just as Kellan tried to slide around her.
Her plan would’ve been more effective had she taken their size difference into account, but as it turned out, she did stop him—just not without a catastrophe. For as Kellan moved to the right thinking she went left, the top of his thighs collided with her hips, which led to their feet tangling around one another in their bid to stay upright.
The world tilted under her feet as she and Kellan tumbled to the ground in a mass of flailing arms and legs. Bracing for the pain she knew was to come when her back smacked down on the hard wooden deck, Olive closed her eyes as tight as she could and held her breath.
Kellan’s arm wound around her waist just as, for the second time in as many heartbeats, her world took a turn. A bone-rattling thud, immediately followed by a loud ‘oomph’, made Olive’s eyes fly open and she found herself laying safely on top of her dragon.
He smiled a smile that made her whole body tingle as he softly chuckled, “I’m thinkin’ this isn’t what you had planned.”
Remembering she was supposed to be mad at him, the little dove took a deep breath to start yelling at her dragon again when his hand was suddenly on the back of her head and his lips were pressed against hers. All thoughts of anything but the wonderful man who was expertly turning her into a quivering mass of wanton desire flew from her brain.
Her fingers slid into his silky locks, holding him close. She opened for him as naturally as the sun rises every day when he demanded access. They devoured one another with lips, tongues, and teeth until Olive had no idea where she ended and Kellan began.
It quickly stopped being just a kiss and soon became the dove and the dragon professing their love for one another, acknowledging their bond and marking each other so there could be no mis
take to whom they belonged. Kellan’s hands moved to her waist. Sparks of their connection flooded her system as his fingers slid under her blouse and gently caressed her ribs, inching their way up her body.
Just as the tips of his fingers reached the underside of her breasts, Kellan tore his mouth from hers, gulped for air, and gasped, “No. Not here.”
Olive’s groan of protest was cut short when his hands were instantly at her waistband and, in a move she thought only Superman could pull off, Kellan had them both on their feet and was lifting her into his arms. Instinctually wrapping her legs around his waist, her dragon kissed her hard and fast before pulling away and walking them toward the house.
The sound of the sliding glass door crashing closed barely registered as Olive looked deep into the eyes of the man she knew without a doubt she was to spend the rest of her life with. Within seconds, they were upstairs and Kellan was once again kissing her as if she was the very air he breathed.
Carefully laying her back on his bed, Kellan stood and stared. She felt his eyes memorizing every inch of her curvy body and was immediately self-conscious. Not sure what to do, Olive bit her bottom lip. The look in her mate’s eyes drove all her insecurities away. It was obvious he liked what he saw.
As if on cue, Kellan’s low, gravelly baritone floated through her mind, “You look good enough to eat, mo ghra’. And I’m one hungry dragon.”
Chapter Five
Kellan could not believe how beautiful Olive was. Oh sure, he knew she was gorgeous. Had looked at her a thousand times; most of them when she was unaware of his gaze. He’d noted all the things that made her perfect, but nothing compared to the sight before him. She was laid out like a goddess, her lips swollen from his kisses, her hair mussed from his fingers running through her silken curls, and love filling her heavily-lidded eyes. Her scent was heavenly. A perfect mix of roses and sunshine heated from her arousal that made both man and dragon frenzied with the need to be one with their mate.