As Stonefire’s leader left, Nikki came up to them. “I can double-check the supplies and go over the plan again with the Protectors if you want to take Jane for a quick flight.”
Jane answered, “No, we’ll do that later. When he takes me up, I don’t want to rush it.”
Kai turned to Jane and brushed her cheek with his forefinger. “It’s moments like these when I forget how you drive me mad most of the time.”
Jane grinned. “Despite your views to the contrary, I know when to hold back.”
Nikki cleared her throat. “While you two get your kissing out of the way, I’ll head back with Aaron to central command. Come when you’re ready.”
As Nikki walked off, Kai stated, “She’s grown up.”
“Probably because she’s had to deal with my brother.”
Kai sensed that Nikki was hiding something from him about Rafe Hartley, but he’d been so busy planning the attack on the Dragon Knights and healing that he hadn’t had a chance to talk with her about it.
His dragon spoke up. She’s a grown dragonwoman. She’ll talk when she’s ready. We did.
Ignoring his beast, Kai waved goodbye to Aaron and then looked down to Jane. “Sid cleared me.”
Jane tilted her head. “And?”
With a growl, he pulled her up against his front and lowered his head until his lips were less than an inch away from hers. “I want to claim my prize.”
“You’re not quite yet to twenty points and if you expect me to give you bonus points for being fully recovered, then you don’t know me at all.”
“I think your counting skills need a little work.” Jane opened her mouth to argue, but Kai beat her to it. “But I’ll agree to wait for now. However, I’m going to claim what’s mine.”
She batted her eyelashes in a dramatic fashion. “And what would that be?”
“You.”
And he kissed her.
~~~
The second Kai’s lips met hers, Jane’s body burned for much more. She wanted to feel his hands on her skin and his cock inside her.
Kai threaded his fingers through her hair and explored her mouth slowly. No matter how many times he’d kissed her over the last two weeks, she never thought it was enough. His taste and heat were addictive.
Kai gently tugged her head back and broke the kiss. She frowned. “Why did you stop? That’s unlike you.”
He murmured, “Because if I keep kissing you, I’ll take you here on the landing area in front of everyone. And no one deserves to see your naked body except for me.”
Jane tilted her head. “You deserve it, huh? I would think it’s a privilege.”
He squeezed her waist. “Bloody woman, can you not challenge me for once? I was being chivalrous.”
“If I know you at all, that’s crap. You’re probably going to propose taking me to that hidden field you keep talking about and I’m supposed to be grateful for your thoughtfulness.”
Kai blinked. “I’m not sure I like how well you’re getting to know me.”
Jane grinned. “Someone has to keep you on your toes. That’s one of my jobs on Stonefire. Bram and Evie said so.”
Her dragonman grunted. “I think I need to chat with Bram about minding his own business.”
She ran her fingers through Kai’s chest hair and his tension eased a fraction. “It’s good because it means they care about you.”
He grunted. “Forget Bram and Evie. I want to know if you’ll let me take you in a field.” Kai nuzzled her cheek and she melted against him. “It’s going to be too cold soon to do it.”
“It’s already too cold. October in northern England isn’t exactly tropical and I’m only human.” She moved until she could see Kai’s eyes. “But I do have a proposal.”
“You and your bloody proposals.”
She raised her brows. “Hey, if you want to take me naked outside before June next year, then you might want to listen.”
Kai’s pupils flashed to slits and back, and Jane smiled wide. Whenever Kai’s dragon was on her side, she tended to win.
And judging by Kai’s irritated look, his dragon wanted to hear Jane’s proposal. “Well? Are you ready to listen?”
“You already know the answer to that.”
“I do, but it’s amusing to hear how your dragon likes me better.”
“Not better. He just does whatever it takes to get inside of you.”
Jane looped her hands behind Kai’s neck. “Well, my proposal is this—come back alive from the Dragon Knights’ attack and—”
“Done.”
She tilted her head. “I wasn’t finished.”
Kai’s hands moved to her bum and he pressed her against his lower body. It took everything she had to ignore the hardness of his dick or she might give in and let him take her in the freezing wind.
Her dragonman whispered, “I’ll agree to anything if I can take you outside any way I want.”
The huskiness of his voice sent a rush of warmth through her body and she nearly forgot her idea. But then she checked herself. “Good. Because you just agreed to come back alive to me and go visit your mother and sister on Snowridge before that happens.”
Kai frowned. “What?”
She poked his chest. “For a head Protector, you should know better than to agree to something without hearing all of the details.”
He grunted. “I was distracted by your hard nipples pressing into my chest.”
“That doesn’t matter. Will you agree? If so, we can take a mini-holiday somewhere warm and you can do whatever you want to me for twenty-four hours.”
Kai fell silent and Jane wondered if she had pressed him too hard.
Yet Kai had mentioned taking Jane to Snowridge several times over the last few days. It wasn’t as if she was demanding it out of the blue. She just knew he’d put it off indefinitely if given the chance.
And Jane couldn’t allow that. Things were good between her and Kai, but there was something she needed to do before she decided to stay on Stonefire or not.
Jane wanted to meet Maggie Jones.
She trusted the human half of Kai with her heart, but his dragon’s instinct was something else. It was best to see if his dragon had truly moved on or not because Jane was falling for her growly dragonman. She might not survive the rejection if Maggie Jones showed up in three years’ time single again and wanting Kai. Even if the man was over her, the dragon might demand their true mate.
And since mate-claim frenzies always resulted in pregnancy, Kai would have no choice but to take Maggie as his mate. He wasn’t the type of dragonman to abandon his children, no matter the circumstances of their birth.
Kai finally answered, “Provided everything is safe here, then yes, I agree to your proposal. But with one condition.”
Relief coursed through her body. Kai’s response had made her decision about staying on Stonefire that much easier. “What condition?”
He hugged her tightly. “You let me tie you to my bed for the next hour without complaint.”
“There are more important things to be doing right now. Tomorrow is a big day and could determine the future of our clan.”
“Our clan is ready and can spare me an hour.”
“Thirty minutes.”
“Forty-five.”
Jane nodded. “Done. But your forty-five minutes start now.”
With a growl, Kai released his hold on her, dropped the blanket around his waist, and tossed her over his shoulder.
Jane squeaked. “What the hell are you doing?”
He lightly slapped her backside. “Shush. You agreed to forty-five minutes and I’m using it how I see fit. Part of that includes me getting you back home as soon as possible. Carrying you is the fastest way.”
She tried to be outraged at his behavior, but as her dragonman caressed her arse and wetness rushed between her legs, she forgot why she was outraged. After all, it wasn’t as if she were naked.
With another light tap on her bum, Kai ran toward their cotta
ge. Everyone gaped as they made their way and Jane couldn’t help but laugh. Kai was destroying his stony, badass image and didn’t seem to care.
Yes, her dragonman had come a long way from issuing orders in Newcastle.
The second Kai stepped foot inside his bedroom inside his cottage, he tossed her on the bed and covered her body with his. As he kissed her, Jane forgot about everything but the man above her.
Chapter Sixteen
The next day, Kai beat his wings as he glanced over his golden shoulder to check on his team. All ten dragons were in a V-formation behind him, creating a rainbow of colors in blue, green, purple, red, black, and gold.
Turning his head back around, he focused on their target in the distance. He’d soon know if Jane’s contact had been successful in leaking Stonefire’s “training location” to the Dragon Knights.
His beast spoke up. They had better be there. I want to take care of these bastards once and for all.
Me, too, dragon.
Good. Then make this quick. The longer we’re away, the more our female will worry.
Kai signaled with his wing and put his team on high alert.
It was showtime.
Kai barreled to the side and the dragons behind him alternated in dropping to the left and right before beating their wings and heading straight toward the ground. The objective was for each dragon to pick up a log or boulder, simulating a rescue mission. With any luck, the knights would be waiting in the nearby forest.
Of course, what the knights didn’t know was that Aaron and his team were also in the forest in their human forms, waiting to pounce.
Since Kai always joined in his team’s drills, he dove toward a fallen log near the edge of the forest. The knights might try to attack him, but if it gave away their position, the pain would be worth it.
He swooped down, snagged the hunk of wood with his talons and flew back up. As he hovered in place about five hundred feet in the air, he watched as one by one the rest of his team seized their intended targets and returned to their respective places in formation.
When all ten beasts were back in position, Kai scrutinized the tree line. Yet nothing emerged from the forest or shot into the air.
His dragon spoke up again. If they’re clever, they’ll wait until the dragons are tired and then attack.
You have a point.
Our female must be wearing off on you because you never used to mention when I was right.
Shut it, dragon. I need to concentrate.
With a huff, his beast fell silent and Kai roared out the code for his team to do an attack drill.
Each of the ten dragons dove down and released their logs and boulders against an exposed rock face. Wood splintered and rocks broke into pieces, but there still wasn’t any sign of the knights.
Since Kai believed in Jane, he spent the next twenty minutes putting his team through one drill after another. When their reaction times slowed and their wings started missing beats, Kai knew they needed to rest.
Guiding them to a nearby lake, it hit him—the best place to attacks a team of dragons would be when they were tired and playing in the water.
For once Kai wished he could communicate beyond wing and leg signals. But since that was all he had, he fisted his back talon and then touched it to his other back talon, which meant everyone should follow his lead.
As they made their way toward the lake, Kai only hoped Aaron understood his message.
~~~
Nikki watched as Kai took his team of dragons through a basic set of training maneuvers. Her job was to radio the Department of Dragon Affairs when Kai signaled it was time for them to capture the Dragon Knights.
Despite the cool October air, Nikki’s hand gripping the two-way radio was sweaty. If the Dragon Knights had somehow gotten word of their plan, Jane would be devastated. Kai’s female took things nearly as seriously as her male.
And Nikki wanted Jane to stay on Stonefire. Not just for Kai, but for the clan as well. The female had grand ideas of how to help the dragon-shifters. If Jane paired up with Melanie and Evie, the trio of humans would become unstoppable.
Her dragon chimed in. Stop fretting. Kai is ready for any situation, not just the easy ones.
I know that, but it’s been nearly twenty minutes. Something should’ve happened by now, unless Jane’s contact is unreliable.
Then Kai and his team turned away from the open field surrounded by trees and changed directions. From experience, Nikki knew there was a lake nearby. But would Kai really take them away from the leaked location?
Her dragon growled. Look.
Sure enough, Kai touched his back talons together, which meant to follow. Even if the knights had cracked the dragon signals, they wouldn’t think anything of the order.
Yet Nikki’s gut told her the order was for her, Aaron, and the others too.
Looking around, she spotted Aaron about ten feet away. Careful to move without making a sound, Nikki approached Stonefire’s second-in-command. Aaron frowned, but she motioned for him to lean down. When his ear was in front of her mouth, she whispered, “We should follow him.”
Nikki moved her head and Aaron whispered back, “The plan is to stay here. Unless you received a different order from Bram or the DDA, we should stay in position.”
Nikki replied, “I mean no disrespect, Aaron, but I’ve been working with Kai for nearly two years. He wants us to follow. There’s a lake nearby. The dragons are tired and need a rest. If the knights are aware of dragon training patterns, they’ll know to wait until the dragons rest at the lake before they attack.”
Aaron moved to study her, his brown eyes scrutinizing her own. Finally he moved back to her ear and whispered, “Take two others with you and follow him. I have a spare two-way radio in my pack and can call the DDA if need be.”
With a nod, Nikki moved through the forest, tapping Seb and another Protector, Brenna, to follow her. Since Nikki had seniority, they obeyed without question.
They moved as quickly as they could without making much noise. A car engine turned over in the distance. Meeting Seb and then Brenna’s eyes, she mouthed, “Dragon Knights.”
They had no hope of catching them on foot, but Nikki wasn’t about to give up. She’d trained in this forest for years and knew every shortcut they could take to reach the lake.
As she blazed a path, Nikki only hoped they could make it in time. Kai might be skilled, but without DDA support, Kai and his team could be taken if the knights had any sort of weaponry.
Picking up her pace, Nikki pushed away her doubts. If there was an attack, Kai would hold off until help arrived. She would radio the DDA now, but a false alert might damage the tentative trust Stonefire had earned with the agency.
No, Nikki needed to be 100 percent certain the knights were near the lake, so she pushed herself harder. The dragon hunters had bested her once and Nikki wasn’t about to allow the Dragon Knights to win.
~~~
Kai stood on a rock at the edge of the lake and kept one eye on his team and his other eye on the trees. Even though the ten dragons on his team were all well-trained and seasoned fighters, he still didn’t like putting them in danger. If the knights had a gun that could shoot electrical blasts, they could all be taken out in a matter of seconds.
His beast grunted. Stop worrying. You’re not acting like yourself.
Kai was tempted to brush off his dragon’s words, but decided to tell the truth. Our possible future with Jane is riding on the success of this mission.
She will stay.
He paused and added, She’d better. After having her fire and sass in our life, I don’t want to go back to the way it was.
At least you’re admitting it now. That’s progress.
Bloody dragon. Do you have to throw everything back in my face?
Of course. Otherwise you’ll get too cocky.
Before Kai could reply, an engine in the distance caught his attention. Motioning for his team leader to take charge, Kai jumped int
o the air and beat his wings until he had a clear view of the surroundings.
One road wound through the forest to the lake. Yet the road was empty.
The engine noise drew nearer.
Scanning the lake, Kai didn’t see any boats, either. That only left one possibility—the knights could be riding dirt bikes along the edge of the forest, out of sight.
Just as he began to descend, a shot fired from the trees at his team below. While dragonhide was tough, armor piercing bullets could cause a lot of damage.
He glanced down and saw his team leader, Quinn, giving orders. Trusting Quinn, Kai swooped toward the road and landed.
With no bikes, cars, or men nearby, he imagined his legs and forearms shifting back into limbs, his snout shrinking into his nose, and his wings merging with his back. The second he was in human form, Kai dashed toward the trees and headed in the direction of the sounds of gunfire.
Due to years of training, Kai didn’t so much as flinch at the rocks and sticks under his bare feet. The hard part was not running full tilt so that he could retain the element of surprise.
Even if they saw him land in the distance, they had no idea he’d shifted and was in the forest.
The sound of guns drew nearer until Kai could make out some light-colored t-shirts. For all their planning, the Dragon Knights weren’t soldiers and had overlooked camouflage.
A dragon’s cry roared out, but Kai pushed aside his worry. If he didn’t take down or distract the shooters, more dragons would be injured.
Kai jumped and took hold of the branch above before swinging his body up. Crouched on the branch, he took in the position of the three shooters. They were close enough together that he could easily take them, provided they didn’t shoot him down first.
His dragon snorted. They don’t stand a chance against us.
Swiftly yet silently, Kai flung himself toward the nearest shooter and tackled him to the ground. Taking the strangely shaped gun out of the human’s hand, he flung it behind him. With a punch to the back of the head, the male went still.
Reawakening the Dragon Page 20