by Anna Lowe
He looked so serious. Did that mean a brand was bad?
“What if I liked it?” She ran her leg along his. “What if I want you to do it again?”
“It’s a brand, Jenna. Do you understand what that means? My dragon wants to claim you.”
She took a deep breath. “What if I want to be claimed?”
His throat bobbed, and he looked down at the tangled sheets. He ran a thumb gently over her collarbone as his brow furrowed.
“Or don’t you want me?” she asked. A prompt, not an accusation.
His head snapped up, and his eyes were fierce. “I want you more than anything, Jenna. I want you so much it scares me.”
She stared at him for a moment then got her trembling lips to speak. “Doesn’t scare me.”
Which was a bit of a fib, because he was a shifter, and that was a whole different world she hadn’t truly explored yet.
He looked deep into her eyes, and finally, a faint smile spread on his mouth. “Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.” Then he relaxed into the mattress, tugging her back until they were comfortably spooned. He cuddled her close, nuzzling the back of her neck, making her want to purr.
“That was just a little puff,” he said at last. “If I bit you and branded you deeply, we would be mated.”
She covered his arms with hers, pressing them tightly against her chest.
“But you didn’t bite me,” she said. Or had he? She’d been flying so high, who knew?
“No.” His fingers circled a spot on her neck absently.
She pressed into his hand. The idea of a vampire biting her was terrifying. But Connor biting her to make her his mate?
Hell yeah.
“So it doesn’t count?” she asked, let down for the first time that night.
He kissed her shoulder. “Yes and no. It’s like a mark. Like…saying you’re mine. Keeping other guys away.”
She laughed out loud. “I don’t want any other guy.”
He squeezed her closer, like even if she wanted, he wouldn’t let her go.
A quiet minute ticked by, and when she moved, she heard a little sound of surprise.
“This is nice,” he whispered, touching the tattoo on her lower back.
She grinned. “You like it?”
One coarse finger traced the blue dolphin, and he chuckled. “A mermaid with a dolphin tattoo.”
She laughed back, pointing to the design that curled around his arm. “A dragon with a dragon tattoo.”
That made him laugh outright, and she touched her chest, then his arm. “A mermaid…with a dragon. A real one.”
He didn’t reply right away, and when he did, his voice was mournful. “Yeah. A mermaid and a dragon.”
Well, okay. So they weren’t the world’s most conventional couple. Who cared?
“Hey,” she whispered, turning in his arms. She popped a kiss on his lips and smiled, ready to lighten the mood. “We don’t need to figure everything out tonight.” Then she tilted her head to the bonfire that still crackled away. Not quite as high as before, but the embers in the center glowed as brightly as she did inside.
When he raised his hand to touch her shoulder, the bonfire crackled, and she spotted a long, jagged scar on his upper arm. There was another scar on his ribs and a thinner line closer to his hip, but not a mark in between.
“Shifters heal fast,” he whispered, catching her looking.
She touched his shoulder. “Even from this?”
He shrugged. “Wasn’t too bad.”
She wondered if those scars came about in human battles or shifter wars, though she didn’t dare ask.
“No big deal,” he said, pulling her closer.
“No big deal?” She shook her head. “Surely some things can kill a dragon.”
His eyes drifted to the bonfire, and she wondered if he was picturing a near miss. When he spoke again, his eyes were darker, his voice huskier. “We’re pretty tough. Maybe not so much around here…” He smiled faintly as he pressed her hand to his heart. Then he pointed to the center of his chest and went grim. “And here. Get a dragon right between the chest plates here, and, yeah. That would pretty much end it.”
She gulped as he pressed her finger to his sternum, showing her the spot. She patted his chest, trying to lighten the mood. “Plates, huh?” She used the excuse to touch his hard pecs, then teased. “Or do you mean scales?”
He huffed. “Snakes have scales. Dragons have plates of armor, like thick leather.”
She grinned. For all his disdain of the dragon elitism, Connor had a pretty strong streak of dragon pride.
“And here I am, all defenseless,” she murmured.
He laughed — a genuine laugh that made her grin from ear to ear. “I’d hate to be the guy who thought that.”
For a minute, they grinned at each other like a couple of kids. Then she sighed, closed her eyes, and settled in against his big, bare chest. “God, this is nice.”
“Better than nice,” he growled, holding her close. “Good night.”
She giggled and peeked up at him. “Oh, I’m not going to sleep, mister.”
He stiffened. “You’re not going to leave, are you?”
She snorted. “Leave?” Never, she almost said. But she’d told herself to keep things light, so she flashed him her best smile instead. “Hell no. Just resting up for a little more fun.” She wound her leg around his, already feeling the first tingles of lust rekindling in her core. “Unless you’re too tired…”
He snorted and turned her in his arms again, snuggling her close while gently cupping her breast. Hinting at more to come very, very soon.
“I’ll show you too tired,” he whispered, kissing her ear.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jenna woke to the sight of morning light dancing over the Pacific. In the foreground of that glorious view, Connor’s hand was still clasped around hers. Her cheeks were tired as if she’d spent the whole night smiling in her sleep. Well, maybe not the whole night, because she and Connor had woken up a couple of times for a little more fun, and she hadn’t smiled so much as cried his name as he came inside her again and again.
She lay still, watching the waves sparkle, wondering if she’d ever felt this good. Her body seemed aglow with more than just physical satisfaction, her mind a blur of emotions, and a little voice inside her hummed.
With one thumb, she stroked a tiny scar on Connor’s forearm. It reminded her of those on his torso, which scared her, because what if something had happened to him back then? What if they had never met? She would never have known this joy, this sense of completion. This deep-in-her-bones feeling that he was the one.
We just knew, her dad had always said of meeting her mom.
Jenna stroked the fine hair of Connor’s arm and closed her eyes.
Destiny, Connor had said in a choked, faraway voice.
It had to be. No other morning-after had ever made her feel as if the earth had tilted on its axis, and none ever would. She’d bet she could wake up with him for the next thirty years and still feel this incredible radiance. In fact, she didn’t just bet — she knew. Deep down, she knew.
She smiled, wondering if someday she’d be telling her kids, We just knew.
Then she took a deep breath, because those seemed like pretty heavy thoughts for a girl who’d been so sure she wanted the freedom to play for a while. To be a kid the way she hadn’t always been able to. Of course, that was before experiencing everything Connor had opened to her. Now, a different kind of freedom and deep-seated peace filled her.
She slid around slowly to watch Connor sleep. Responsibilities and concerns had faded from his face, giving her a hint of the man as a boy. A boy with a lot of ghosts in his closets. A man determined to make it in the world. A dragon shifter who—
Her breath hitched. A dragon shifter.
For a moment, the thought frightened her, but a second later, she found herself gently cupping his cheek. No, she wasn’t crazy to want what her parents had shared.
Her sister must have gone through the same thing, but she’d never been as happy as she was with Cruz. And if Jody could live with a tiger, Jenna could live with a dragon, right?
If I bit you and branded you, we’d be mated, Connor had said.
It ought to be scary, but somehow, the idea had a lot of appeal.
Then she frowned. Vampires also bit. Were they really out there, too?
She pushed the thought away and let herself melt back into the warm cocoon of Connor’s arms, wishing she could stay there all day. But she needed the bathroom, so she slowly slid out of bed, careful not to disturb her sleeping dragon. She grinned, remembering the previous night.
Is that your lair?
That’s the bathroom.
So she knew exactly where to go. Like the rest of the place, it was still a little provisional, with a curtain for a door and a mirror balanced on an outcrop in the natural rock wall. But the shag rug kept her feet warm, and the shower taking shape in an alcove would be spectacular when it was done. That was true of the whole place, actually. Connor’s new home reflected his character perfectly — dark and edgy. Secretive, mysterious. But it still managed to keep a straight-up, what you see is what you get quality. The natural beauty of the place had been left to speak for itself. It was quirky too, and as genuine as the man. So it needed some finishing touches — okay, a lot of finishing touches — and some throw pillows for sure. But on the whole? It was all too easy to picture herself living here.
She thought it over. Her dad was having a ball, being a granddad and working alongside his brother. So that feeling of responsibility was eased from her shoulders. And as for her life in California — well, she could migrate all her favorite parts to Maui in a flash. Surfing, beachcombing…
She walked out to the edge of the rocky shelf and looked out at the ocean. Sunlight glinted off the waves, promising another bright, sunny day. The swell swirled around the little bay below, and farther to the right, she could just see the tiny beach and the ancient fish pond sheltering it.
“Beautiful,” she whispered.
She could see for miles — a dragon’s eye view of the coast — and the ocean stretched out in bands of rich color. The higher the sun rose, the more the water sparkled. Each of those sparkles called to her like diamonds in a crown, and the whole world seemed to hum. Jenna hummed too.
The entire watery world rippled and moved in a delightfully unpredictable way. But in one spot… She squinted toward the beach. One spot shone brighter and bolder than anything else.
Jenna sheltered her eyes with a hand. Was that the same golden glint she’d seen before?
Come. Come and find out, the shine said.
She pulled her gaze away to scan the surrounding waters. The previous day, she’d nearly grasped that shimmering something, but she’d been spooked out of the water before she could. It had been terrifying at the time, but from up high and on a perfect morning like this, it was hard to believe in anything evil lurking out there. So maybe later that morning, once Connor woke up, they could meander down to the beach and take a dip together.
Why not now? The water sparkled, inviting her in.
She wanted to laugh and go back to bed, but somehow, she couldn’t pull herself away. She tilted her head, listening. Was that hum in her ears, or was it coming from the sea?
If you listen really closely, you can hear the ocean sing, her dad liked to say.
She closed her eyes, listening.
Over here…
The call seemed closer now, and more distinct. She strained to understand it, finding her eyes drawn back to that one spot again and again.
Well, whatever it was, it could wait, right? She had a warm bed and a hunk of a man to make love to.
But even as she started to turn to Connor, the mystery pulled her back toward the sea, and she began to worry. What if a current rolled the object away? What if she never found out what it was?
Another ray of light bounced off that part of the water. Come. Come and find me.
Damn it. What was so important down there that every one of her senses pointed to it?
The more she looked, the more tempted she was to go down and find out what it was. It wasn’t that far from shore, after all, and the ocean was calm as ever.
She looked back at her sleeping lover, equally pulled in that direction. She could slide back into bed beside Connor and watch him sleep. And when he woke up…
She giggled quietly. Oh, yes. She had a few ideas about how that could go.
And yet she couldn’t drag herself away from the ledge, and she couldn’t get that niggle out of her mind. All the other sparkles came and went, but that one spot flashed in the same way every time.
“Damn it.” She didn’t want to go looking for undersea treasures. She wanted to get back into bed.
Finally, she huffed and grabbed her knife, her panties, and the T-shirt Connor had left by the bed. Fine. She’d have a quick look and come right back. Connor was sound asleep anyway. She could get down to the beach and back in no time.
“Connor?” she whispered, peeking over to the bed.
He didn’t stir, and she was hit by a pang of regret. All along, Connor had been the one helping her. She hadn’t so much as made him a cup of coffee. She could at least do that — and while it was brewing, she could have a quick look at the beach. Even if that were just a piece of sea glass out there, she’d know.
So she kissed Connor on the forehead — still wiped out, the poor guy — and retraced her steps of the previous night. Through the lava bubble rooms, up the spiral staircase, and through the two-room building at the top. There was a coffee machine in the unfinished kitchen, and she hit the brew button on her way out. There. On her way back, she could pick up two mugs and bring Connor coffee in bed. That would make it a perfect morning, right?
She walked down the hillside with her flip-flops smacking against the soles of her feet, wondering what was drawing her on. Maybe this was one of those We just knew things that couldn’t be explained. A feeling she just had to follow. Maybe even a mermaid thing. Who knew?
The palms lining the beach swished and swayed when she stepped out onto the sand, and the sun glinted in the same spot, more insistently than ever.
“Easy. Nothing to it. Here we go,” she murmured to herself, standing at the edge of the water.
But her limbs refused to budge as she recalled what had happened the previous day.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she muttered, kicking off her flip-flops.
The water was perfectly still within the shelter of the fish pond, and fairly quiet beyond, as well. She’d never been afraid of open water. Why start now? Especially with that hum sounding in her bones, leading her on.
She looked out to sea. Had there really been something out there yesterday, or had she freaked out over nothing? Connor hadn’t seen a thing, and he’d flown over the entire area. Meanwhile, the glinting object was right there, so close. Begging her to take it away.
She kneeled quickly and strapped the knife to her leg, muttering to herself the whole time. Then she waded in, one quiet step after another, barely stirring the water. So slowly, it felt silly, so she finally just dove in to get it over with. Any moment now, she’d solve that damn mystery and get back to Connor. Afterward, they’d end up laughing about how silly her fears were and get back to where they’d left off last night.
She came up for a quick breath, then dove a second time, kicking hard, aiming for the bright spot. The water magnified the effect, shimmering brighter the closer she came. Up close, the source of the glow was only marble-sized, but golden light seeped out of it like a lamp. What was that?
One more kick took her close enough to snatch the smooth, pebble-like ball, and she held it in one tightly closed fist as she kicked for the surface. Connor’s oversized shirt ballooned around her body as she swam, slowing her down. When she sputtered to the surface, all she had eyes for was the object in her hand.
“Gotcha,” she murmured as she t
readed water, looking at it.
When she opened her hand to peek, her jaw swung open. A pearl?
In the old days, pearls were harvested from the wild, the woman at the jewelry stand had said.
Her heart beat a little faster, and she swam forward until finally, her toes touched the rocky bottom. She looked down around her feet. Might there be more pearls down there?
She raised the pearl higher and rolled it over her palm, murmuring the whole time.
“Perfect.”
And she really meant perfect. The pearl was round, smooth, and black with an overtone of gold. The sun shone off its unblemished surface, making it wink. She grinned, imagining what Connor would say when she showed him. When she glanced up at the ledge that sheltered his home, she broke out in a smile because there he was, standing at the edge.
“Look at what I found!” she shouted, though he wouldn’t hear over the sound of the waves. The beach was calm except for the little bit of a ripple sneaking in around the collapsed edge of the fish pond, but his ledge stood above a nearby surf-washed cliff.
Connor waved back, and she half swam, half waded to shallower water, still admiring the pearl. Back at home, she’d come across the occasional discarded tire or shopping cart. But, wow — a pearl? Of course, this was Maui and not the densely populated California coast.
She marveled at her treasure, tuning in to the hum. A reassuring tune like a lullaby that came from the pearl, not the sea. She closed her eyes, listening hard. Warming inside, because it sounded like a lullaby her mother used to sing. A lullaby she’d completely forgotten until now. Which was probably a case of her mind filling in too many blanks — but still, bittersweet tears filled her eyes. She had so few memories of her mother, and to have one more emerge from the mists of her memories was a gift.
She cupped the pearl in both hands and let the tune play out in her mind. A song of love and comfort and goodness in the world, all coming from the pearl. As if that pearl were a friend — or maybe a guardian angel, or even a sign from heaven sent by her mom. When she held the pearl up to the light, it looked all gold — the color of love, life, and passion. But then something flickered, and a cloud slid in front of the sun.