by Siren Allen
How? His creature yelled. How is this possible?
Kaede couldn’t answer that question.
She’s the one. She’s ours. She has awakened me.
That was true. Perhaps the problem didn’t lie with her. Perhaps it was him.
It’s us. It has to be. We’re the problem. Fix us.
How could he fix a problem he didn’t understand?
You spoke when she touched you at the train station. I heard it. I felt it. It was her voice that pulled me up from the dark abyss. Get her to touch you again.
“Good idea, dragon.”
He just needed her to put her hands on him. Simple as that. She did plan on torturing him anyway. They could start there. He’d known couples here who’d started their romance in worse ways.
It would be something to laugh about with their kids years from now. First, he needed her to come inside, away from the cannibal who was trying to convince her to turn him over to him.
Kaede couldn’t call out for her. However, he could remind her that she had him strung up in her living room, butt ass naked. He roared loudly, a sound he knew could be heard by her and the creatures surrounding her home.
It was a warning roar. Even his mate should fear it. He was tired of playing around. He needed to be free so he could destroy those creatures outside. Once that task was done, he’d take care of his mate.
First things first, let her touch him to see if he was able to speak. Then tell her how thankful he was to have found her. Then tell her that if she puts his ass to sleep again with her magic, he was going to spank her until she couldn’t walk.
Spank her, his demon purred.
It was a strange sound that Kaede wasn’t used to hearing. “Yeah, I’m going to spank her if she tries this shit again.”
Even if she doesn’t, spank her anyway.
“What... oh...” Kaede grinned. “You’re right, I should spank her anyway.” He’d never spanked a female before. There were a lot of things he’d never done with a female before.
We’ve never kissed.
True. Twenty-seven and he’d never been kissed.
Not twenty-seven anymore.
Right. He’d been on this plane for sixty years. That would make him eighty-seven now.
Haven’t aged a day.
He’d never age a day. He’d reached his immortal peak at twenty-seven. That’s when he became his strongest and fit to become pack alpha. Most immortals didn’t reach their peak until their late thirties, some even their forties.
His father had reached it at forty-two. He’d been eighty before he finally found his mate and a year later, Kaede was born. Many had thought Kaede would follow suit and be a late bloomer.
When he was a teen, his traitorous cousin, Onaku, often joked and said that since Kaede’s father was getting tired of being the pack leader and wanted to step down, maybe he should step up until Kaede matured and reached his immortal peak.
Though Onaku was twenty years older than Kaede and had already reached his immortal peak, Kaede’s father would never allow him to be alpha. Only those born with the alpha gene in their DNA could be alpha.
This was why his dad’s oldest brother, Onaku’s father, hadn’t been able to assume the role. Yeah, his father was tired of politics and the bitching that went on behind the scenes. And his dad had wanted nothing more than to travel the world with his mate and explore places neither of them had gotten a chance to see.
Though he was ready to be free of the restraints that came along with ruling over an unruly den of dragon shifters, his father would’ve never turned his den over to his immature nephew.
Even as a teen, Kaede had been taught never to trust Onaku. He’d heeded those warnings and steered clear of his cousin. He only dealt with him when he had to. Despite his carefulness, he was still betrayed by him on the night of what would’ve been his alpha initiation.
That was the same night he was banished to the Frostlands. That was the same night he’d been branded as a traitor to his pack. A title he couldn’t clear up because he was trapped on a frozen plane with no way to return home. Unless of course, he completed his tasks.
We will not turn her over to them.
“Of course, we won’t, if she’s ours.”
If she wasn’t theirs, he’d figure out a way to free himself and turn her over as soon as possible. If she was his...
We’ll protect her. We’ll cherish her. We’ll finally get a chance to do all of those things we never could. Like spanking. Like kissing.
Spanking and kissing. Two things he was yearning to do to the witch who was standing outside, ignoring his roars. As the future alpha of the den, he hadn’t been able to live a care-free life like some of his friends.
For him, kissing had been forbidden. Sex had been forbidden. Growing close to a being of the opposite sex had been forbidden. An alpha had to live up to the title in every aspect of his life.
He had to be true to his people and true to his mate, even if it took him a hundred years to find her. An alpha’s mate was the only female allowed to bring him pleasure. It didn’t matter if she’d been with others before meeting him.
It didn’t matter if she’d fallen in and out of love a dozen times before meeting him. A dragon alpha was only allowed to love one woman. He was only allowed to make love to one woman. His mate.
Kaede thought he’d spend the rest of his life never knowing what it felt like to be loved and to love. He thought he would never know what it felt like to make love to his chosen female.
We were wrong.
“I hope,” Kaede told his beast. “Normally, a shifter’s inner animal would tell him when he was near his mate. But...”
I’ve been dormant for too long. I can’t be sure... I apologize.
“Not your fault. That witch, Onaku’s wife, silenced both you and me.”
But this witch has awakened us. Me for sure. If we prove she’s given you back your voice also, that means she’s ours. That means these feelings she’s stirring within us are real. It means you didn’t imagine it earlier. You did speak.
His dragon sounded so hopeful. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d heard the creature sound this way. In the past, he’d rarely spoken. And when he had, it had been to warn Kaede of suspicious activity happening around them.
Or to tell Kaede of the vibes he was getting from strangers. Or to roar and tell Kaede to let him out so he could destroy those who pissed them off.
Are you saying I’ve changed?
“I thought being locked up for this long would’ve made you worse. It seems to have mellowed you.”
Fire erupted inside him as his dragon roared, showing off its strength. Clearly, Kaede had offended him by calling him mellow. Smoke billowed from Kaede’s nose as the windows in the cottage vibrated from the force of his dragon’s roar.
After being cold for so long, he welcomed his dragon’s heat, even if it did feel like his beast was burning him alive from the inside out. The fire wouldn’t hurt him. No fire could. He was born of fire.
As his dragon’s flames filled him, he felt himself becoming stronger. He was starting to feel like the old Kaede. The beast he was before his cousin poisoned him, before he was cursed and then banished here. He was starting to feel like the rightful alpha to the Shikoku dragon den.
I can melt these iron clamps with no problem. Then we’ll be free, his dragon told him just as the door to the cabin opened.
“Not yet.”
Why? We should be free when we touch her.
“I don’t want to scare her. I want her to feel she’s in control.”
But...
“I want her to be comfortable around me.”
I don’t understand.
“Don’t melt the clamps yet, beast.”
His dragon obeyed, but he still roared his displeasure. His curvy witch stepped into the cabin and closed the door behind her and locked it. A smile spread across Kaede’s face. She was locked inside with him.
She sighed be
fore saying, “Can you please stop roaring, you’re giving me a headache.”
His beast instantly obeyed. Didn’t mean to hurt her.
“I know, beast. I think she’s exaggerating.”
Her shocked gaze flew to his. “You actually stopped. I didn’t even have to use magic.”
Kaede winked at her.
She frowned. “Don’t do that.”
He smiled.
“That either.”
The smile remained.
“Ugh, between you and the cannibals, I don’t know what to do. Do you know I almost sold you for some fur?”
Her mentioning the cannibals wiped away his smug smile.
“Oh, you’re not smiling now, huh? I guess you fear those hungry bastards. You’re lucky I have my own plans for you, dragon. I could’ve used some of that fur.”
Our mate needs fur. We have fur back at the compound. We can give it to her.
“If she’s ours, we’ll give her whatever she wants. We have to test it out first.”
The witch sauntered in his direction. “You ready to talk yet?”
Yes. Yes, he was. He just needed her to touch him. Her gaze dropped to his chest, then lower. A blush crept into her cheeks. He’d almost forgotten he was naked. He had nothing to be ashamed of.
Though he wasn’t an experienced man, she wasn’t the first woman to see him naked. Neither was she the first woman who’d been unable to tear her gaze away from his cock. The blush in her cheeks was proof that she approved.
That made him proud of his cock. Given the chance, he was sure he could bring her pleasure. If she was his. If she wasn’t, well, he wouldn’t touch her. He belonged to one woman. And he’d be faithful to her, even if he hadn’t met her yet.
She’s her. No one else has ever made us feel this way.
Kaede watched as she slowly approached him. Inwardly, he groaned when she stopped near the window, leaving a huge gap between them. He wanted no space between them. He wanted her hands on him.
She folded her arms over her chest. “I’ve got some questions for you before we get started. When are you scheduled to check in with The Deciders? Don’t y’all have to check in every three days or something like that? No, it’s two, right? Every two days?”
His eyebrow raised at that question. It was every two days. Apparently, she knew how The Deciders worked.
That must mean they’ve sent others after her before us. If we don’t update them on our progress by tomorrow, they’ll send someone else.
That could pose a problem.
She snapped her fingers. “Ignoring me will only make things harder for you when we get to the torturing part.”
When she says ‘torturing’ her hands shake a little. She’s never tortured anyone before.
Unlike him, she was an innocent. She didn’t know that torturing another damaged you just as much as it damaged the person you were hired to torture. If you did it too often, you became numb to the pain you were causing others. It became second nature.
“So, it’s like that? You’re just going to continue ignoring me. Okay, if I can’t make you talk, I’ll make you scream.”
She eyed him for a second, gauging his reaction. He winked at her. Her lips thinned as she clenched her teeth. She was even more beautiful when she was angry. Turning her back to him, she stalked over to a chest and began rummaging around inside.
“Not this,” he heard her say. “Or this. I need something that will flay his skin.”
She doesn’t sound so innocent.
“I just need her to get close enough for me to touch her. Then you can use your fire to free me from these chains and we’ll see if she’s ours or not.
“Not this,” the curvy witch rejected another weapon. “This one won’t bring enough pain. This one could, but.... His smug ass deserves worse.”
Kaede smiled.
This female is unique. Even if she’s not ours, do we have to turn her over to The Deciders?
“I told you you’d become tame while dormant. The old you wouldn’t hesitate at a time like this.”
I’m not tame. But, look at her. She’s beautiful.
The witch pulled an item from the chest then faced him. A gorgeous smile lit up her face. Damn, she was even more stunning when she was playing with weapons.
“I found it,” she exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. “The perfect weapon to torture you with.”
I want her.
“So, do I, beast. So, do I.”
Chapter Seven
HER CHOICE OF WEAPON was perfect.
The veracity dagger.
Thanks to the previous owner’s journal, she knew this weapon would get the job done. In the journal, there were pictures of all the weapons and their uses. The veracity dagger forced its victim to tell the truth.
One slice would have the victim spilling not only blood but the truth. Unfortunately, one slice only got you one truth. She had a few questions she wanted to ask dragon man. She didn’t need his screams drawing more attention to her cabin.
She whispered a spell that would keep sound from leaving the room. Then again, there were a few banshees living in the woods behind her cabin. Those chicks could hear even the smallest scream.
They couldn’t hear normal conversations. But screams would definitely draw their attention. Her wards would keep them out. She simply didn’t want to put herself back on their radar. Not after her last run-in with them. It had taken two weeks for her ears to quit ringing.
The only thing that would drown out his screams and keep them from hearing them was music. Those hoes hated music. Sin looked across the room to where her radio was. She snapped her fingers.
The light on the radio turned green. Static noise filled the room. The thing didn’t work. But, with a little magic, it would sound like new. With a few whispered words her favorite Christmas tune filled the air.
Let It Snow. The R&B edition. With the deep sultry voices of the quartet filling the room, she faced her dragon captive. His confused expression was slightly adorable. Depending on how long he’d been on this plane, he’d probably never heard this song before.
Even though he had an accent and she could tell they weren’t from the same part of the mortal plane, she knew he understood the words that were being sung. When she first arrived here, she’d been shocked to learn that everyone here understood each other.
There were no language barriers. Though she spoke English, Rhen heard her words in Japanese. And vice versa. Her captive’s accent was similar to Rhen’s. Both had tan skin, sexy slanted eyes, and tattoos.
Except, her captive’s entire backside was covered with tattoos. From his neck, down to his back, over his fine ass and down his legs and ankles. She loved tattoos. And on him, those tats were sexy as hell.
A growl from her beast pulled her out of the la-la land she’d drifted into. Her eyes connected with his, only to find that his were now blazing with an intensity that made her tingle in places that shouldn’t be tingling.
Either her nipples were frostbitten or they were hard because of him. It was the latter of course. Still, frostbite would’ve been better. She forced herself not to look down. Seriously though, how long could a dick stay hard?
This had to be a world record or something. He inhaled deeply then shivered. Could he smell her arousal? Probably. Shifters had a high sensitivity to smells. She’d just pretend she didn’t know that and that she wasn’t attracted to him.
Clearing her throat, she raised the veracity dagger and turned it from side to side so he could get a good look at it. He didn’t need to worry about what she was feeling. All he needed to worry about was the pain he was about to experience.
“Do you know what this is?”
She approached him slowly, trying to figure out where to begin. She’d never tortured anyone before. Rhen and his gang always handled this for her. It was part of their deal. Blood for protection.
Yet, with this guy, she’d wanted to do it herself. He was someone Rhen had a deal with.
Rhen wouldn’t have been able to make this guy see that she was off-limits. Not the way he had with the others.
None of the others ever came after her a second time. Whatever Rhen and his crew did, it got through to them. She was thankful for that. With this guy, that wouldn’t have been the case.
It was up to her to make sure he never returned to try and complete his pointless task that wasn’t going to gain him freedom anyway. Stopping a few steps away from him, she cocked her head to the side.
“You do know that killing me wasn’t going to gain you your freedom anyway, right?”
He growled. It wasn’t an angry sound though.
“Oh, right, you weren’t going to kill me. You were just going to capture and turn me over to TD, right?” She’d heard that before as Rhen was carrying off the last tracker who’d been sent by TD, The Deciders.
“They want me for my blood. Which means they probably would’ve set me up in some type of room, chained me up, sort of how I have you chained up,” she stared him up and down. “And then they would’ve hooked me up to a machine that wouldn’t kill me.”
Feeling her anger rising, she stepped closer to him. “No, they wouldn’t have killed me. That would’ve been a waste of a good commodity. A waste of a priceless product. Because to them, that’s all I am. A product. Something they can use, over and over again.”
She didn’t miss the flash of emotion that crossed over his face. Regret, possibly? It happened too quickly for her to know for sure. If he did feel regret, she didn’t care. Just like he hadn’t cared when he’d tried to shove that needle into her neck.
“They were going to hook me up to a machine that would drain my blood. Because to them, my blood is priceless. I would’ve spent the rest of my life hooked up to that machine, being used. While you continued to complete tasks for TD in vain.”
A low growl rumbled through his chest. She took another step forward.
“How long have you been here?” He didn’t respond. Just kept staring at her. His eyes never strayed from hers. Not once. She stepped closer. “How many tasks have you completed for them?”