She raised her brows. "But you are family now, Ryan."
"In a way. But I'm also a newcomer, and a human. That might work to my advantage with your cousin."
"Try if you want, but don't get your hopes up," Gaby muttered.
He did his best not to smile.
His dragonwoman motioned ahead of them. "There's the landing area."
The shielded section was probably about the size of two football fields, with low rock walls surrounding it. He noticed little cubby holes in the walls, which explained why it was there—to store their clothes and other belongings. After all, dragons didn't blink twice at nudity, according to Gaby, and they were always naked right before shifting.
Not that he wanted any male to see his woman naked.
Gaby stopped next to a cubby and took off her shoes. He growled. "Do you have to be naked for everyone to see?"
She unbuttoned her jeans. "If we try to shift with clothes on, they rip and get destroyed. And not only is that super wasteful, it would get really, really expensive." He grunted, and she paused to take his hand again. "Don't worry, you're the only one I give a private show to, Ryan. To everyone else here, it's the equivalent of wearing a different outfit. Well, mostly. The teenagers get curious at some point and start paying attention to older dragons for a short while. But from what I've heard, humans do that, too."
True, but he still didn't like it. Maybe he was more like a possessive dragon-shifter than he'd thought. "It'll just take some getting used to, is all. Although it does explain why you don't have any tan lines."
She smiled slowly. "Sometimes, during a break for my job, I shift back to a human and lay in the sun. Another bonus to being a dragon-shifter—we don't get cancer, not even skin cancer."
Thinking of his aunt during his childhood, who'd always plastered everyone with sunscreen to protect against the Texas sunshine, he sighed. "That would be nice."
"Ah, but do you burn or tan? You're not super pale, but pale enough."
"I tan. But between work and my home gym, I didn't spend much time outdoors, even when it wasn't a million degrees outside. Summers in Arizona aren't the best for walking, let alone hiking or running, any place that doesn't have air conditioning."
Leaning over, she kissed his neck and whispered, "Pale or not, you're still the sexiest male alive to me."
Her words, combined with the heat of her lips and her delicious scent of woman and vanilla, blood rushed south.
Thank fuck he didn't have to strip right now in front of everyone.
Gaby glanced down and snorted. "Yeah, that takes some training, too, for the males."
He lightly slapped her ass, and she giggled before shucking the rest of her clothes and stowing them into the cubby.
She walked toward the center, most definitely exaggerating the sway of her hips, and Ryan resisted adjusting himself.
Damn, what he wouldn't give to have their own, private room for a short while. Did dragon-shifters have hotels? He had no idea.
Gaby turned to face toward him and shouted, "Come over anytime after I've shifted, Ryan."
He nodded and waited. A few seconds later, Gaby's body glowed ever so faintly before her nose elongated into a snout, wings sprouted from her back, and her arms and legs morphed into fore and hind limbs. Within a matter of seconds, Gaby stood in her tall dragon form, the sun glinting off her golden scales.
Even though she was big in dragon form—at least to him—she wasn't scary but rather beautiful. The shimmering scales, her slitted pupils, and even the points of her ears were all like a work of art.
She tilted her head in question, and it snapped Ryan out of his trance. He rushed over and tried not to feel too insignificant standing next to her. "You're so beautiful."
She butted her snout against his middle, but obviously not at full force since he barely stepped back at the contact.
Because, after all, she was a freaking dragon who could probably send him crashing into a mountain if she wanted to.
Not that she ever would. He reached up to tentatively touch her snout, loving the smoothness under his fingers. The scales weren't cold to the touch, but not overly warm either. They felt a lot like hard leather. "I bet these get nice and toasty once you've lain in the sun for a while."
She huffed, probably the dragon equivalent of a laugh.
He decided to tease some more, never ceasing the wandering of his hands. "When it gets cold, you could set up a few heat lamps, get some dragons toasty, and then put them in a big room to warm everyone right up."
Gaby's dragon poked him in the back with her tail. "What? There are so many possibilities you haven't thought of. You could probably make a fortune with tourists, if you wanted. 'Feel the inner fire of a dragon today!' Or something like that."
The tail wrapped around his middle and lifted before turning him upside down. Gaby's beast brought him close to one of her big, brown eyes—the same color as when she was human, except the pupils were permanently slitted. The surface reflected both him and the building behind.
Maybe someone would think the large, slitted eye was scary, but he'd seen her dragon enough during the frenzy that it would be strange not to see slitted pupils ever again with his woman. "If you're trying to glare, it's not going to scare me, Gaby."
A female voice behind him said, "Maybe not with her, but with anyone else, it sure as hell should."
Gaby set him down on his feet and he turned, spotting Cris. Before he could ask what she was talking about, the head Protector continued, "And stay in your dragon form, Gaby. Today's all about training your human to defend himself as best as he can with a dragon-shifter in their dragon form."
Ryan frowned. "Is that even possible?"
Cris crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, and we're going to keep at a few key things until they become second nature."
He glanced at Gaby's golden dragon form. "I'm not going to hurt Gaby, no matter what you say."
Cris grunted. "No one's going to get hurt, but I suppose this means I'm going to need another dragon for you to practice with, then. Should I go bother Wes?"
Gaby bumped his back lightly, and he glanced at her again. She shook her head and tapped her chest.
His woman wanted him to practice with her.
He touched her snout. "Are you sure?" She nodded. "All right, but you better not use it against me later to win an argument."
The dragon did its best shrug and he snorted. Nothing would be off-limits, it seemed.
Still, if he wanted to fight for his future wife and child, he needed to seriously up his game. Defending against a dragon-shifter was just the first step.
He turned back toward Cris. "Okay, I'll do it."
"Good. You won't get everything down in one session, but you'll have lessons with me or Wes every day until we think you're ready. Only when you get the green light from me will you be able to mate Gaby, provided Wes and ADDA can work that out."
Talk about the most important form of motivation. While not a guarantee, it was still the best offer he'd received so far.
Keeping a hand on Gaby's snout, he asked, "So, what's first?"
As Cris put him in position and began his lessons, it didn't take long for Ryan to end up on his ass. Repeatedly.
But as he improved a little each time, his confidence grew. He'd learn this as best he could, for both himself and the woman he loved.
Chapter Nine
Two weeks later, Ryan stood next to Gaby inside PineRock's main landing area. He brushed a few strands of hair off her face. "I wish you didn't have to go back to work. Not because of your job, but because I'll miss you."
She smiled at him. "It did take some convincing for you to accept I won't rush into a fire at the first opportunity, just to prove I'm capable of doing things while pregnant."
He grunted. "I don't have to like something to still support you. Besides, your brother already contacted your bosses to extract a few promises."
She shook her head. "Don't remind me. If you
had done it, we may not be talking right now."
He chuckled. "I wouldn't go that far. Although I'd be lying if I didn't say it brought me some peace of mind."
Gaby sighed. "Males—it doesn't matter if you're human or dragon-shifter, you act the same around your females."
Pulling her against his body, he cupped her cheek and leaned closer to her face. "Just come back to me safe and sound, Gaby. That's all I ask."
She placed a hand on his chest. "I will do everything in my power to. But you have to promise to watch your back. Just because it's been uneventful the last two weeks doesn't mean there still isn't a threat."
They both had figured that if someone wanted to harm Ryan, the perfect time to do it would be when Gaby went back to work.
He gestured toward the two Protectors standing off to the side. "That's why I have them." And the special dragon Taser and emergency call button in his pocket. But he wasn't about to reveal that secret out loud, just in case someone was listening. "But if you don't leave, you'll be late." He kissed her gently. "Call me on your lunch break, if you can."
She bobbed her head. "So I can check up on you."
He smiled. "I think we'll be checking up on each other."
As she grinned at him and made his heart skip a beat, Ryan itched to tell Gaby how he felt. But if he said he loved her now, she'd probably put it down to her returning to work.
However, in the next week he was going to pull out all the stops for a romantic dinner and tell her. Wes had allowed him to stay two weeks so far, but it could change at any moment. And he wasn't going to regret not telling Gaby about his feelings.
She pressed her mouth to his again, and he parted his lips at the feel of her tongue. As soon as she stroked against his, he did the same, the two of them tangling, caressing, possessing one another, as if they couldn't get enough.
Ryan never would, and made sure Gaby could tell from his kiss.
When she finally pulled away, they both breathed heavily. She murmured, "I really do need to leave."
Taking a deep breath, he stepped back. "Then go. The sooner you do, the sooner you'll come home to me."
If Gaby's cousin Luna had been around, she would've made one of those gagging sounds, but Gaby beamed at him, and her reaction was the only one that mattered.
He watched her strip methodically, move to the center of the area, and slowly morph into her golden dragon form. She stared at him for a few beats before crouching down and jumping into the sky.
Even though he'd seen the same maneuver a dozen times by now—all he had to do was ask, and Gaby's dragon loved to come out—it still made his heart skip a beat at her dragon's sheer power and beauty.
When she was finally out of sight, Ryan headed toward his two guards. One of the men was a regular. The guy in his mid-twenties with dark, curly hair and dark skin was named Andre Carter, who was not only Dr. Carter's younger brother, but he'd also been guarding the Santos's house since day one. However, the pale, brown-haired male with blue eyes was new to Ryan.
Despite the fact there was no reason to suspect anything, Ryan barely resisted reaching for the special Taser gun in his pocket.
He stopped just in front of the two men and said, "As exciting as it is, I just need to get back to the Santos house to do some work myself."
Andre motioned toward the security building. "I need to stop by there first, to change shifts. My sister's about to give birth and Cris gave me permission to go see her."
The way the unfamiliar guy stood a little taller didn't go unnoticed, but for all Ryan knew, this would be the man's first non-grunt work assignment.
Still, his gut said something was off about the guy. His expression was neutral, but every time Ryan moved forward a little, he inched backward, maintaining his distance.
Ryan answered Andre. "Okay, I should check-in with Cris anyway."
Andre motioned with a hand. "Then let's go."
Ryan and his entourage assumed the usual position with him in the center and a Protector in front and behind him, the weight of his Taser in one pocket and the special emergency button in the other.
While he hoped he was only being paranoid, he couldn't be too careful. With Gaby gone, it was time to prove he could live on a dragon clan's land and try to hold his own.
Ryan stood waiting in the reception area of the main security building, doing his best not to tap his foot or show impatience. Cris was a busy person and had more than generously donated her time to train him over the last couple weeks.
And yet, she was one of the few he trusted and he yearned to discuss the new Protector guards with her. He had a bad feeling about the blue-eyed Protector guy—he'd found out his name was Leon—and wanted to ensure he'd been vetted by Cris.
However, when Cris's second-in-command returned with a frown on his face, Ryan knew the dragonwoman wasn't in the building. The Protector stopped next to him and said, "She's not here. Something about a teenager trapped in a cave she had to rescue. I can check to see if Wes is available, if you want."
Wes was even busier than Cris most days.
Thinking of his training and the secret weapons in his pockets, Ryan shook his head. "No, it's all right. But I'll be at the Santos house. Just have Cris call me when she can spare a minute."
"Will do. Feel free to call me if you need me, Ryan."
As the second-in-command walked away, Ryan did his best to school his face into a neutral expression. The walk wouldn't take more than ten or fifteen minutes. As long as he could survive that, then he could work on his latest code and forget about danger for a while. Two of Gaby's uncles should be at the house, along with a few of their children. They'd act as a buffer, and if it came to it, the uncles would protect him.
Ryan approached Leon, who was standing with another new face he'd never met before—a male with black hair, golden beige skin, and brown eyes. They stopped talking as soon as he reached them.
For all he knew, they could've just been discussing regular dragon-shifter duties. Ryan couldn't let his imagination get the better of him.
Be smart and it'll be fine. Ryan smiled and motioned ahead. "Come on, let's get a move on. The sooner I get home, the sooner you two can watch videos on your phone or do whatever it is you do while standing outside the house."
Neither elaborated or even smiled. Okay, so there'd be no charming or building rapport with the two dragon-shifters.
As they walked the usual route toward Gaby's parents' house, Ryan remained on edge. Something was going to happen, he was sure of it. But without any sort of proof, no one would believe him. Hell, accusing two Protectors could make the few dragons he'd won over turn against him.
So he just kept walking. However, some of his fears were confirmed when a giant pile of firewood, enough to probably keep a house warm for an entire winter, blocked the path going through the center of PineRock's land.
Leon grunted. "We'll go the long way."
Ryan gestured toward the pile. "We can just climb over it. The rock walls to either side aren't that tall."
Leon shook his head once. "No, I can't risk you breaking your neck. A few extra minutes walking won't kill you."
Ryan eyed the ginormous wood pile. "Then let's clear it. I could do with some exercise."
"You're supposed to be home, and that's where you're going. Now, come on," Leon stated.
Given the warnings Ryan had received over the last couple weeks, the whole situation was suspicious, for sure. And Ryan was tempted to climb the wall anyway.
However, Leon grabbed his upper arm and tugged. "This way. If I'm forced to babysit some human, then I'll do it. But it also means you're going to listen to me."
Okay, that statement kicked up his unease. Between Cris's absence, the suspicious roadblock and the new guards manhandling him, something was definitely up.
He couldn't outrun a dragon-shifter, though. And given their training with the US Army before becoming Protectors, they probably could incapacitate him before he could shout a word.<
br />
Ryan's best option was to go along with the pair and try to take them by surprise.
Sure, he'd have to be quick to use the Taser on one and then the other, or tase one and then press the emergency transmitter before the other attacked, but they were the only options available to handle the situation.
So Ryan let the Protector guide him down a different path, one that wound through some trees situated at the edge of the clan.
Trees he'd rather liked before as he'd escaped with Gaby a few times to them. But now he saw them for the threat they were—under their cover, the two dragons could do anything to him, with no one the wiser.
And if his gut was right about them, Ryan had no chance once they reached the tree cover.
When Leon tugged him harder and dug in what had to be talons into his bicep, not caring if he drew blood, Ryan decided to play it safe even if he didn't have any proof beyond his gut. Their behavior wasn't normal for Protectors he'd met before. Not to mention how Cris had ordered for Ryan not to be harmed under any circumstances.
He had to act soon, while he still had the chance.
Taking a deep breath, Ryan tried to focus as Cris had taught him. Ignoring his pounding heart wasn't easy, but the image of Gaby smiling at him helped.
Because he'd never see that image again if he died.
Eventually the Protector released Ryan's arm, which throbbed like hell at this point from the talon marks, but only to stay at his side. The other Protector, who had been walking behind him, moved to his other side.
If Ryan was going to make a move, it was now or never.
He casually put his hands inside his pockets. Leon reached for him, but Ryan managed to press the emergency button with one hand and took out the Taser with another. He ducked, rolled to the side, and then jumped for the nearest dragon-shifter—Leon—his Taser at the ready.
Once he tumbled to the ground with the dragon-shifter, he pressed the device against his opponent's skin, dug in the special barbs to keep it in place, tried his best to untangle himself, and pressed the button.
He had two seconds to move, and he rolled away just as electricity raced through the dragon-shifter and he stopped moving.
The Dragon's Need (Tahoe Dragon Mates Book 2) Page 8