by Julie Wetzel
Why did life have to present a mate right now? Why couldn’t it have been six months ago, before the whole issue with the solitary dragons list started? Then he could have quit Eternity and set about courting his mate properly. No one would have even questioned him for giving up his job. All of the men he had gone through training with were already retired. The only person who had been in the service longer was Daniel, and he was the king’s right-hand man.
Over the last few years, Alex had been drifting away from the men he worked with. Their social gatherings didn’t appeal to him as much as they had in the past. He just didn’t feel any real connection with the younger crowd rising up through the ranks. Hell, if it hadn’t been for his job, he would probably be on the solitary dragons list already.
That thought stopped Alex. The solitary dragons list. All of the missing people had been on that list. Stepping back into motion, Alex moved the tomatoes to a cutting board and started to slice them up for sandwiches. His thoughts churned over everything he had learned about the list of victims he’d been given. Other than being on the list, there wasn’t much they had in common. They ranged in age between just over a hundred to just under five hundred. Their backgrounds were different. Their habits were different. Their dragon types were different. There were both males and females. It boggled Alex’s mind as he tried to figure out what they all had in common. Just that blasted list.
Alex paused again as another thought struck him. Maybe that was the connection. They had all been on that list. He worked his battered memories to see what he could recall of the records of old dragons. It took a moment, but something else occurred to Alex. There were actually two lists of solitary dragons—those under five hundred and those over five hundred. The older dragons had lived in a time when it was dangerous to be dragons and preferred to remain hidden away from the world. For their peace of mind, only the highest level of Eternity had access to that list, but Alex was sure he would have heard if one of the ancient dragons had been killed.
There hadn’t been any noticeable increase in disappearances of dragons under one hundred. But these dragons weren’t tracked as closely as the older dragons were. In fact, it was rather hard to tell the difference between a dragon and a human unless someone told you. Everything fell into place as Alex moved on to cutting up the cheese. The individuals who had disappeared had been targeted because they had been on the solitary dragons list. That made sense! Working off the list was the only way to ensure that the people you were going after really were dragons. The answer had been staring them in the face the entire time, and everyone had missed it. Now he just had to figure out how that list had gotten into the hands of the group responsible for the murders.
A squeak from the hall drew Alex out of his thoughts. He looked up from the counter just as Terra screamed his name. Dropping the half-made sandwich, he bolted from the kitchen and skidded into the hall. Rage coursed through his veins when he saw Terra stumble away from a man. Mine! Red filled his vision as he and his dragon roared in anger. The distance to the intruder disappeared as he barreled into the man, knocking him back into the wall. Two quick punches had the man down. A few more made sure he wasn’t going to get up anytime soon.
Alex stepped back and looked at the unconscious man. His dragon wanted to tear the intruder limb from limb, but Alex wanted him alive to find out who he was and why he was there. Pushing down the rage, Alex turned around. There were more important things to take care of at the moment.
11
“Terra?” Alex spoke her name softly as he went to where she was leaning against the wall. She didn’t look good at all. A trickle of blood ran down the side of her neck from some kind of wound hidden under her hand. Her fair skin was flushed, and she was starting to break a sweat. “Terra?” he called her name again as he reached for her. Pulling her hand away from her neck, he checked on the wound. It was only a small tear, and it had almost stopped bleeding already. He pressed his thumb over the wound to apply the pressure it needed to seal.
The steady pressure drew Terra out of whatever haze she was in. She tried to focus on him, but Alex could see there was something wrong with her. Both of her pupils were blown up huge. Something clattered to the floor next to them.
Alex glanced down at the hypodermic needle that had fallen from her hand. His eyes came back up to her. Worry quickened his pulse. “Terra?” he said again as he pulled her into his arms. Her assailant had to have dosed her with some kind of drug, but the question was, with what?
“Alex,” she finally answered as she shifted to lean against him.
A whiff of scent hit him, driving his dragon to near frenzy. He knew this scent, but it shouldn’t have been coming from her. Dragon hormones. And not the ones that had been making the rounds in the clubs. These were the hormones put out by a female dragon at the peak of her fertile cycle. It was one of the few things that could drive a male dragon out of his mind. His body tightened with need. This was not going to be pleasant for either of them. “Come on.” Clamping down on his control, he tried to ignore the physical reaction he was having to the pheromones coming off her. They needed help. Badly. There was no telling what else had been in that needle.
Wrapping his arm around her back, Alex shifted Terra to his side to help her to the garage door. He opened it and slammed it shut again. There were two more men in the garage. He clicked the lock into place and looked back at the man he had knocked out. No wonder he’d gone down so easily—he had been cannon fodder, sent in to dose Terra. Then, when the pheromones bouncing around in her system affected Alex, his buddies would come in and finish the job. Who the hell were these people?
“Come on.” Alex coaxed Terra back towards the living room. Since the garage was blocked, they had to find another way out. The back door should provide a good exit. The sound of breaking glass stopped him. Of course, whoever these people were would have the back of his house guarded as well. Crap.
For half a second, Alex considered taking Terra upstairs, but that would corner them. That was a bad idea. Pushing that thought away, he turned back to the small hall leading to the garage. “This way.”
Terra nodded and followed his direction.
Running his fingers over the knotty pine paneling next to the bathroom, Alex found the seam he was looking for. Digging his nails into the crack, he pulled open the hidden utility closet. Until a few weeks ago, this space had held his ageing water heater. Alex had pulled the damned thing out when it had sprung a leak and ruined part of the wall in his closet. Instead of replacing the damaged appliance with a new one, Alex had decided to go with one of those inline water heaters, leaving the utility cabinet empty.
“Get in.” Alex pushed Terra towards the dark closet.
She nodded again and climbed inside without question.
Aww hell. Terra’s unquestioning response set all of Alex’s instincts tingling. He had never seen the new designer drug in action, but he’d read all the reports on how it affected its victims. They would start out delirious and move on to highly suggestible. That described Terra’s condition perfectly. Alex pushed her farther into the closet and climbed in behind her. Pulling the door closed, he ran through the list of symptoms, hoping he wasn’t right.
Working around her, Alex reached for the wall at the back of the closet. Terra let out a soft moan, confirming Alex’s fears. On top of the female hormones, she seemed to have been dosed with the drug making the rounds in the clubs. The next phase would find her insatiable and demanding. This was the reason getting a rape charge out in court was so hard. You couldn’t really call it rape when the woman was the aggressor. Even if she were being driven by a chemical reaction. They needed to get out of there now. He was barely holding out against the pheromones as it was. It was going to be even harder when they started affecting her. Alex shushed her softly and popped the piece of drywall out of the wall. He’d been working on patching the damaged wall for a while now, but everything had blown up at work, and he hadn’t found time to finis
h nailing the new board in place. Now he was glad he hadn’t.
The new opening led into the back corner of Alex’s closet. Sliding the plaster out of the way, Alex guided Terra out into the open space he had made to work. She moaned again as his hands touched her. It was not going to be long now before she completely lost control.
Sliding the closet door open, Alex looked out into his bedroom. So far, there was no one there. “Come on.” He pushed Terra out into the open space next to his bed. If he could just get her outside, he had a plan that might work to get them away. His hand slid down to the small of her back, driving a much louder moan from her. There was no way they were going to make it out if she continued to make sounds like that. He was going to have to do something fast before the intruders heard her.
Grabbing her in his arms, Alex turned Terra around and dropped his lips to hers. A zing of lust washed through him, driving all thought from his brain. He was already hard with desire, but the taste of her lips drove him to the very edge of his control. He groaned as he pulled her in against him. Her arms came around him, and she pressed into his front eagerly. The feel of her against him was exquisite. All thought of the men invading his home ran from his mind, and they stood together, lost in each other’s passion.
A rustle of scales broke through the lust as the sounds of footsteps on the stairs echoed through the room. Danger to Mine! his dragon growled, reminding him of their situation. They needed to get out of there. He pulled himself away from Terra’s clutching hands just enough so he could think again.
Sliding his hands to her hips, Alex pressed Terra back without releasing her lips. If he could just move them to the other end of the room, he had a plan for their escape. Slowly, he walked her backwards across the room. The hungry sounds she was making were muffled in his mouth. A note of hope crept into his heart as he continued to kiss and guide her towards the far wall. Stepping on the heels of his boots, he worked them off as they went.
As the passion rose between them, Terra started tugging at his shirt.
He moved so she could work his shirt up his back. Alex drew in a gasp of air as her nails scraped over his skin in her haste to get him out of his clothing, but the rumbled warning from his dragon helped him resist the urge to pull her against him again.
Their lips parted long enough for Terra to rip the shirt up and over his head. The cool air on his hot skin made him suck in more air. The thought of danger gave him the strength he needed to resist giving in to his urges.
She threw the cloth to the floor and returned to his mouth with more vigor than before. Her tongue worked against his with a passion that tested Alex to his limits. He moaned as her hands dropped to the waistband of his pants and yanked on the button, ripping it open.
Catching her wrists, he stopped her before she could slide her hand down inside his clothing. If her delicate fingers worked against his hardened length, even the warning his dragon was screaming at him wouldn’t be enough to get them out of there. He was barely hanging on as it was. Lifting her hands away from their goal, he wrapped them around his back and pulled her against him again. Her clothing was coarse against his oversensitive skin, but he held her to him, trying to keep her moving backwards to the far wall. If he just concentrated on reaching that wall, he could push back the desire racing through him.
She made another desperate noise that he caught in his mouth. Her nails bit into the skin of his back, fraying his control even more. Had she been any other woman, he might have given in at that moment. But she was his mate—Mine! —and he had to keep her safe. That one instinct was the only thing counteracting the hormones racing through his system. Giving in to the overwhelming need flowing through them both would only get them caught. Breaking their kiss, Alex glanced behind Terra to see how far they had to go. There were only a few feet left.
Denied access to his mouth, Terra moaned and dropped her lips to Alex’s collarbone.
He groaned as she kissed and nibbled her way down his clavicle. Tilting his head back to give her better access, he moved her those last few steps to the wall. A soft growl rumbled up from his chest as he bent back to her and reclaimed her lips. He kissed her passionately as he pressed his body over hers, pinning her to the wall. She groaned again as he shifted back and pushed the rest of his clothing over his hips. They slid to the floor with a soft thump.
Her fingers ghosted over his back, heading for the newly exposed skin.
Alex caught her hands before they could reach below his waist. Lacing their fingers together, he lifted their hands up over Terra’s head. He pressed his hip into her, unable to resist the pull of his desire. She was warm and solid under him. His crumbling willpower was starting to collapse, but his dragon forced him to hold on to the scattered shreds.
She moaned again and squirmed with desire.
Gasping for breath, he pulled away from her lips. If he didn’t stop this right now, he would be lost to the passion that had risen between them. Staring down into her eyes, he tried to get a grip on himself. The sight that met him drove him to the very edge.
She was gorgeous. A light sheen of sweat made her skin glisten as she panted in need. The blue of her eyes had darkened in passion, and the widening of the pupils made them impossibly deep. Alex would have given nearly anything to stare into those desire-filled eyes for all eternity.
Now is not the time, his dragon growled at him. There will be a time, and soon.
Alex had to shake himself to break the effect she had on him. He kissed her softly, pulling away before she could devour his lips again. “It’s time to be quiet,” he warned as he shifted away from her slightly. He needed as much of his mind as he could gather to plan their escape.
Terra growled her displeasure and leaned into him, placing kisses on the skin she could reach. Shivers of desire raced through Alex, but he pushed them away. When they were safe again, he would take the time to explore the passion that had built between them. Right now, he had things to do. He caught her mouth for one last, hard kiss before getting to work.
Separating her hands, he bent them down behind her and pulled her against his body again. A shiver racked her frame as he held her tightly to him. Turning his attention away from the wanton woman in his arms, he glanced out the glass door that led to the patio. The blinds were turned so no one could see in, but he could make out the shape of a man standing on his back porch.
Alex inched them closer to the door as he weighed his options. One man he could handle. He could rush the guy and take him down with ease. But, that would mean that he would have to turn Terra loose. And with the way she was nibbling on his collarbone, that wasn’t something he was willing to do. Besides, there was no telling how many other people were lurking around his home.
“They’re gone!” a voice yelled from inside the house. “Get in here and help us find them!”
Alex’s heart soared as the man on the back porch went in through the other glass door. Perfect. With the man inside, he had a chance to make an escape, but he was going to have to do it fast. If the intruders were searching the house, it would only make sense that they would start with the rooms closest to where they entered. The master bedroom would be the first door on the right.
Just as Alex feared, the handle on his door jiggled. Grabbing up Terra, he bolted to the glass door and slammed the thing open.
Terra gasped in pain as he bent her arms too far in his haste.
“Hold on, love,” Alex hissed as he loosened his grasp so her arms weren’t twisted at such an odd angle. Racing down the steps, he took two strides across the stone patio before releasing his hold on his dragon. Scales burst out as he shifted into his grand form. Terra screamed in fear, but he ignored her protests as he grasped her tightly in his claws and beat his wings down.
The sound of two shots rang out. The bullets stung as they ricocheted off his scaled hide. He had shifted just in time to prevent major injury, but it still hurt like hell. Letting out a roar, Alex flapped harder, trying to gain altitude.
His grand dragon form was large, but he wasn’t used to carrying the weight of another person… even if she was small.
Alex clutched Terra to him as he aimed for the woods lining the back edge of his property. If he just skimmed the tops of the trees, he could cover a fair distance without his attackers being able to track him.
The tip of Terra’s nails dug into his scales as he flew, but he didn’t stop. The feel of the shivers racing down her body almost made him change his mind. She had to be terrified. Clinging to the underside of a dragon that was skimming along the upper branches of a forest couldn’t be very pleasant. Alex added a few more feet of height so she wouldn’t hit the topmost branches. The feel of Terra’s fingers gripping his scales eased a little, but her shivering didn’t subside. The need to find a place to land ate at him. He had to find out what was wrong with her. Could one of the stray bullets have hit her?
A jolt of fear raced through Alex, and he scanned the area for a safe place to land, but there was nothing close. He followed his instincts as they pushed him to the right. He may be missing some of his memories, but he still trusted his dragon to keep him safe.
***
The sight of an opening in the forest relieved some of the anxiety filling Alex. Terra’s shivers had stopped, but so had the feel of her nails digging into his scales. He had to set down here no matter what. During his flight, there had been several breaks in the canopy, but none of the clearings had been safe for him to land in. They were either too small or had signs of people. With Terra being drugged and possibly hurt, he didn’t want to risk an encounter with an unknown person.
Alex landed in the open field and looked around. Perfect. He even knew where they were. A large, grassy lawn led up to a small cabin set at the very edge of the woods—one of the many rest spots Eternity kept for their traveling agents! Of course his dragon would lead him to a place where they would be safe.