by Eva Chase
West released me just as abruptly. He backed up, folding his arms over his chest in a familiar standoffish pose. “Let’s go then,” he said gruffly, holding my gaze for a moment before jerking his away.
The sharp taste of him lingered on my lips. I let out my breath, feeling as if I’d finally fully settled into my body. The body of a dragon shifter, surrounded by the four alphas who’d be my mates. “Yes,” I said. “Let’s.”
After a brief delay while Nate and West swapped out the shot tire with the spare from the back, we set off down the road again. The mountains pulled back around a wide valley with a glittering river down its center. Sunridge lay on the south bank, a small town of a few thousand inhabitants. I peered out the window as we cruised down the main street, waiting for something to hit me.
Aaron glanced at me expectantly. I shook my head. “Nothing.”
“They’ve got a town historical museum,” Nate said, pointing. “That seems like a good place to start.”
West parked outside the repurposed house. The woman at the front desk looked at us curiously as we walked in. Her badge marked her as a volunteer for the Sunridge Historical Society. How much history could a town this size have?
We wandered between the displays: weathered newspaper articles, old black and white photos, pieces of clothing belonging to some particularly exceptional mayor who as far as I could tell had simply built a new bridge over the river. Not exactly gripping stuff. I was about to call it quits when my gaze caught on a painting that filled one corner of the back wall.
My pulse stuttered. I walked up to it, a strange feeling of recognition prickling through me. I’d never seen the image before, but somehow I felt as if I knew it.
It was a simple design showing the sprawl of the snowcapped mountains. But in the center, between two of the ridges, a spark shot up like a flame toward the sky. I reached for it, catching myself just short of touching the canvas.
“Do you like that?” the historical volunteer asked, coming up behind me. She gave me a soft smile. “It’s an interpretation of a larger piece in the town square, if you want to see the original.”
“Yes,” I said, so enthusiastically her eyebrows twitched up. “Where’s that?”
“It’s a quick walk from here,” she said. “Just take a left when you go out, walk two blocks, then another left and you’ll see the square.”
“Thanks!” I rushed for the door. The guys fell in behind me.
“Did you find something?” Nate asked.
“I think so. Come on.”
I hurried down the street along the route the woman had given me. We stepped into a tiny cobblestone square with only a few buildings on each side and an inn at the far end. In the middle of the square stood a dark gray stone obelisk, twinkling with specks of mica. It towered at least half again as tall as me. The same image from the painting was carved into its flat surface.
It drew me to it until I was close enough to touch. This time I let myself lay my hand on the cool stone surface. It seemed to tremble beneath my palm.
A crash of memory swept the world away.
No, not memory. Because the image of my mother that rose before my eyes wasn’t one I’d ever seen before. She was standing in front of that obelisk, her brown hair shining in the sun, wearing the same dress she’d had on the last time I’d seen her. My chest squeezed.
She’d left this message for me seven years ago, when she’d stood in this exact same spot.
“Serenity,” she said, her bright voice wavering from right inside my ears. “I wish I had more time to say everything I should, but I don’t know how far ahead of them I’ve managed to stay. So all I can tell you is this: I want to give you everything you need to survive the many challenges I know are ahead of you. Our people left a power in this place centuries ago. If I haven’t returned to bring it to you, there’s still a chance you can retrieve it yourself. For you to have made it this far, you must be so strong already.”
She touched the image of the flame between the mountains. “Here is where you’ll find it. Your dragon nature will help you follow the path.” Then she gazed straight into my eyes. “I love you. Never forget that.”
The image wisped away. I found myself braced against the stone, my eyes swimming with tears.
“Ren?” Nate said tentatively.
I inhaled shakily and swiped at my eyes. “I’m okay,” I said. “I know what we need to do. I know why my mother sent us here. There’s something here I need if we’re going to fix all the damage the rogues have caused.”
I backed up, looking at the picture and then the mountain ranges around us. There. I stopped when my gaze settled on a matching pair of peaks. The sun was high above them now, but it would gleam between them like a flame when it was first rising. I raised my hand.
“We’re going up that mountain.”
DRAGON’S TEARS
THE DRAGON SHIFTER’S MATES #2
CHAPTER 1
Ren
IF SOMEONE HAD TOLD me a week ago that soon I’d be shopping for camping gear with the four hottest guys in existence, I’d have called up the loony bin to collect them. But there I was, in a little shop in a town I’d never heard of until two days ago, doing my best not to melt as one of those gorgeous guys helped me into a down-filled jacket. His fingers skimmed my chest, sending a pleasant shiver over my skin.
It wasn’t just Aaron’s touch that had me on the verge of puddle-dom. The late June sun was shining brightly through the shop’s windows, and the still air between the racks of outdoor clothes, backpacks, and other gear was thick with warmth. I squirmed inside the jacket.
“Are you sure I need to be this suited up?”
Aaron smiled at me with a mischievous glint in his bright blue eyes. Between those baby-blues and his golden-blond hair, he could have passed for a Disney prince. Although I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen a Disney hero quite that buff. I’d definitely never seen one who could make me tingle between my legs with just a glance.
“You said you’re not sure how far into the mountains we’ll need to go,” he said, with the faint rasp that gave a little flavor to his even voice. “It’ll be a lot colder at the higher altitudes.”
“And we wouldn’t want our Princess of Flames getting frozen,” Marco drawled, leaning against a rack with his usual crooked grin. It fit the rakish playboy vibe he already had going on with his spiky black hair, the little scar through his arched eyebrow, and his refusal to take any situation completely seriously. His indigo gaze swept over my body, sending a fresh wave of heat through me. His grin widened. “As sad as I am to see you covered up, of course.”
I glowered at him as I shrugged the jacket off. “I’m sure you’ll survive without a view of my cleavage for a few days.”
Marco chuckled. “I do have the rest of my life to appreciate it after that.”
Oh, yeah. That was the detail I’d have found hardest to swallow before my life turned upside down about a week ago. The four guys doing their shopping with me were all shifters—and not any old shifters, but the alphas of their respective kin-groups. Marco could turn into a sleek black jaguar. He ruled over the feline kin. As leader of the avian shifters, Aaron’s animal side was an impressive golden eagle.
And me? I’d discovered I was a dragon shifter. One of only two left in the world, if my mother was still alive. If she wasn’t, then I was the very last. And my job was to unite shifter kind by taking all four alphas as my mates. No pressure or anything.
There were worse things than being expected to hook up with four completely smokin’ guys, don’t get me wrong. But for a girl who’d never gotten past second base in the first twenty-one years of her life—and who’d had no idea shifters even existed—all that attention could feel a little overwhelming.
I slung the jacket over my arm. “It fits and it’s comfortable. And I want to get going. I’ll take this one.”
It had been seven years since my mother had passed through Sunridge, Wyoming and left her message fo
r me with an enchantment on the town monument, but I didn’t want to wait a second longer than I had to before I found out what had happened to her after.
Nate ambled over, a couple of rolled sleeping bags tucked under his brawny arms. His bear side came through in his tall, well-built body and his chestnut brown hair. But his expression when he looked at me was all gentle warmth. He might be a grizzly when we were under attack, but with me he was a total teddy bear.
“Do you figure we’ll be up there over at least one night, Ren?” he said. His rich baritone voice never failed to warm me up too.
“I’m... not really sure,” I admitted. We’d ended up here in Sunridge after following a trail of clues my mother had left me. When I’d touched the obelisk in the town square, I’d gotten a vision of her telling me there was something I needed to find up one particular mountain. Some kind of power she’d gone to retrieve seven years ago.
She’d never come back. I’d spent all those years with no idea where she’d gone or what had become of her. Really, getting some answers about that mattered more to me than any special powers. I could transform into a dragon—a big, fast, fire-breathing dragon. Wasn’t that enough?
The thought sent an anxious tremor up my arm. Before I’d quite realized what I was doing, my hand had snatched a metal karabiner out of a basket and tucked it into my sleeve. Damned pickpocket instincts. They always kicked in when I was nervous. I pulled it out and set it back in the basket with a flush of embarrassment, but thankfully none of the guys commented on my slip.
“It’ll be better for us to bring more supplies than we need than not enough,” Aaron said to Nate. He was the most practical of my guys, which I appreciated a heck of a lot when I had so much still to learn about shifter abilities—and limitations. “Sleeping bags will be a lot more comfortable than just the blankets we’ve got in the SUV.” He turned, looking toward the fourth member of my alpha squad. “Didn’t you say there’s a tent in the trunk, West?”
The wolf shifter nodded where he was lurking near the shop’s front door. The sunlight streaming in caught on the silver strands mixed with his light auburn hair. Like his animal, he was all lean muscle, on display now with his arms crossed over his firm chest.
West was frowning, but that didn’t mean much. He frowned at pretty much everything, especially if it had anything to do with me. He’d made it very clear that he wasn’t on board with this whole “destined to mate with the dragon shifter” idea just yet. I guessed I couldn’t exactly blame him, considering the chaos that shifter tradition had apparently thrown the kin-groups into when my mother had disappeared from the community with me sixteen years ago.
I wouldn’t have minded him remembering that I’d had nothing to do with the decision to leave before he turned his gruffness on me, though.
“I’m not sure the tent we have is big enough for the five of us, but with the trouble we’ve had getting here, we’ll probably want a couple of us on watch at any given time anyway,” West said. “There’s nothing to carry it with, though. We’ll need to grab some packs. I’m assuming we’re not going to be able to drive right up to this dragon shifter treasure.” His dark green eyes slid to me with that last sentence.
“I don’t know,” I said. “This trek wasn’t my idea. Believe me, I wish my mother had given us more detailed instructions too.”
“We’re all following you in this, Sparks,” he muttered. “Keep that in mind.”
“I think it’s a safe assumption that we’ll have to go part of the way on foot,” Aaron broke in, calmly. His practical side made him a good peacemaker too. “And we’ll want to pick up food for the trip, since we can’t be sure of the hunting.”
“I saw a decent-sized grocery store on our way into town,” Nate said.
“Perfect.” I carried my jacket over to the counter. “I hope you all have good credit.” Especially since I didn’t even own a credit card. I’d only just gotten off the streets a couple months ago.
Marco chuckled. “Don’t worry, princess. Money is not an object for any of us.”
He paid for our new gear, which thankfully Sunridge had in large supply, being so close to prime hiking and camping ground. Then we drove over to the grocery store. I stayed in my seat as the guys started to clamber out.
“Grab me some spicy beef jerky and Doritos if they have them,” I said. “Otherwise I trust your judgment. I want to give Kylie a heads up before we’re potentially out of cell tower range.”
Nate’s head snapped around. “You shouldn’t hang back alone. I’ll stay in the car with you.”
I was tempted to tell him I’d be fine, but the fact was I might not be. We’d already been attacked by a group of rogue shifters on our way into town—presumably the same group that had killed my fathers and my sisters all those years ago. That was what had sent my mother on the run with me. You couldn’t really blame her, considering the circumstances.
I’d managed to complete my shift into a dragon for the first time to fend off today’s attack, and I’d totally fried their apparent leader, but a few of them had gotten away. And we didn’t know for sure how many others there might be around.
The rogues didn’t play by shifter rules. They were willing to use weapons on their own kind, even guns, which the alphas had told me was strictly forbidden. Shifters healed quickly, but the sealed wound on my arm where I’d caught a bullet still ached.
So I smiled at Nate and said, “Sure. Just don’t be offended if I’m giving all my attention to my phone.”
Nate reached over the back of the seat to squeeze my shoulder. “I wouldn’t get in the way of you talking to your friend.”
The bear shifter stayed behind me while the other guys headed into the store. I pulled out my phone. Hey, Ky. How are you feeling?
My best friend had been with us a couple days ago during the first attempt the rogue shifters had made on my life. They’d nearly killed her. Which was why I’d insisted she head home to Brooklyn once she’d healed up instead of coming along with us.
She texted back almost immediately. I’m doing good! I’d say 95% at this point. She added a winking emoji. Should be 100% by tomorrow. What have you been up to? Did you make it to Sunridge? What did you find there? I need answers!!!
I had to smile. Kylie’s hyper energy came through clearly even in text form. I could picture her so easily, lounging on one of the porch chairs in the shifter village where she’d been recovering, grinning as bright as her neon pink pixie cut.
As I tried to decide what to say, my smile faded. I didn’t really want to worry my bestie by telling her about the second attack, especially when she was too far away to do anything. She’d already come running to my rescue once. Right now she needed to focus on making sure she stayed okay. But there was one thing I had to share.
I managed a full shift this morning. You’re talking to a bona fide dragon now!
Holy shit! That’s amazing, Ren. I so cannot wait for you to demonstrate for me.
First thing when I get back. But we might be gone for a while longer. My mom left another message for me here. There’s this stone with a picture on it that seems to be tied to the dragon shifters somehow... Another trail for us to follow.
Any sign of your mom herself? Kylie asked.
I bit my lip. No. It doesn’t really look good. The way she talked in the message she left... It sounded like someone was after her. And that she planned on coming back to me if she could. So since she didn’t...
I’m so sorry, Ren. But maybe it’s not as bad as it looks.
I wanted to think that, so badly. That Mom was imprisoned or forced into deeper hiding or something else that had stopped her from returning to New York City—something other than her being dead. But the farther we came without finding any recent trace of her presence, the harder it got.
I’ll keep hoping until I know for sure, I wrote. But anyway, we might be out of service range for a few days. So don’t worry if you don’t hear from me! Just keep looking after yourself.
I’m on it. You take care of you too. Although it’s hard to be too worried when I know you’ve got those four hunks of manliness chomping to defend you. And get it on with you. Any progress in that area? Devil emoji.
I rolled my eyes, but my cheeks had flushed at the same time. There had been, actually. I’d taken my first major step toward claiming my destiny as leader of the shifters last night—by officially claiming Aaron as my mate.
In other words, we’d had sex. Really, really good sex, that still sent a giddy quiver through me when I thought back to it.
But talking about my first time via text just felt wrong. That kind of girl talk, I wanted to have face-to-face with my bestie.
More on that when I get back, I wrote.
Aw, way to leave a girl hanging! I want all the deets the second I see you.
I promise.
There might be a lot more details by the time I got to hang out with Kylie again. To take on my full role as dragon shifter, I was supposed to be getting fully intimate with all four of the guys. And Marco and Nate, at least, had shown plenty of enthusiasm in that area. But just losing my V-card had been a big step. As much as I was drawn toward all of the guys—even West—I wasn’t about to jump in the sack with all of them at once just like that.
As appealing as that image suddenly was. Exactly how many guys could you get it on with at the same time?
I was feeling a little hotter than I could blame on the sun when the other three alphas returned with their haul. They tossed the grocery bags in the back with the rest of the gear and piled in. I’d taken the front passenger spot since I was the one with the best idea where we were going—as shaky as even that was. Aaron, who’d spent the most time eyeballing the maps, took the wheel.
“The road goes about a quarter of the way up the mountain before taking a sideways route around it,” he said. “Let me know if you sense anything along the way that tells us which direction we should take, or where we should stop.”