“Have you heard anything?” Carrie asked. “About Caleb.”
Her sister sighed. “I’m glad you called. The people I had keeping an eye on him lost his trail two days ago. I called in to his work and they said he’d gone on vacation. I’m not sure he’s found you, but I’d be very careful until he turns up again.”
Her blood went to ice in her veins. “Someone was here last night,” she whispered.
“Tell me where you are,” her sister said. “I’ll fly in tonight.”
She shook her head even though Lia couldn't see her. “No. I can't risk him hurting you. If it’s him, I’ll take care of it.”
“Carrie,” her sister said, her voice shaking. “The last time he saw you, he injured you enough to cause permanent damage.”
It was true. Carrie’s wrist ached when it rained and she didn’t have full motion in it. No one except her was able to tell, but she hadn’t been able to go to a real hospital when it happened for fear he’d find her. She left that day and went to a friend’s house to get patched up. Carrie took only her personal documents on the way out the door. She stopped at the bank, withdrew every cent she had and closed her account. After that, she went to the drugstore, bought a burner phone and called her family to tell them she loved them.
They begged her not to go. She told them if she didn’t, she would die.
In response, they wire-transferred her several thousand dollars to await her at the Western Union in Maui. One day, she hoped to see them again.
It was all coming to a climax. She knew it. “This has to end,” she said. “I have to get my life back.”
Her sister was silent over the line. “Do you have someone with you?”
Carrie wanted to tell her there were four warrior dragons who would protect her, but she would sound insane. “I do,” she said instead. “Tell Mom and Dad I love them.”
“I will.” Her sister exhaled a sad breath. “Carrie?”
“Yeah?” A tear spilled down her cheek.
“I love you to the moon and back.”
“I love you more than sprinkles on cupcakes and cappuccinos.” Carrie held in a sob and disconnected the line.
She waited a few seconds before she snapped the burner in half.
8
Edvard
A quick search of the Google led to nothing odd on Carrie, except for something that was odd because it…didn’t exist. One thing Daegal told him when they got to this Earth and he started researching humans was they loved the internet. They put all of their personal information online. Daegal was disgusted by this, especially when he found out all humans were numbered. Edvard couldn’t remember what it was called now, but it was a number a human used to identify themselves to the faction in charge.
All the dragons were appalled by this and vowed to roam the earth with their mates before they ever allowed the human government to tie them down like that. Sara, Jillian and Ella all used a website where they put silly pictures of their food up.
Edvard was still confused by this because food was for eating. The admiration of it should be temporary because it comes right out the next day. Or a few hours later, if it came from the restaurant down the road. The odd thing Edvard just discovered was odd was Carrie was not on any site. She had no places she posted food pictures. She was not on any online forums complaining or trolling people. She didn’t even have an account on Yelp, a website which Edvard probably should have looked at before he went to that restaurant.
He stepped through the forest and into the open space surrounding Carrie’s tree house. Edvard exhaled a breath and stared up at her home. It was quiet inside but he could sense her presence inside, humming with life. He didn’t want to disturb her right now, so he busied himself with getting his things ready for nightfall.
Setting up his tent was a pain in the ass, so he didn’t bother to do it tonight. He unrolled his sleeping bag but kept it zipped up until he was ready. He pulled out a notebook full of paper so he could jot some of his thoughts down. The humans called it journaling. Edvard found it to be an almost meditative practice. Almost every evening, especially when his thoughts were heavy, he pulled out his journal and wrote the thoughts that weighed most on his mind. After Sebastian had discovered it, Edvard started writing it in code.
The bastard was smart, but he was lazy sometimes and wouldn’t go to the trouble of decoding it.
He pulled out a pen Ella had given him a few weeks ago and tucked it into the front cover of the journal. Edvard laid it on top of the sleeping bag and did a sweep of the perimeter. He’d researched all the things she’d need for a security system, but it would be a while before they could get out here and do it. Until then, he meant to keep her company in whatever way he could.
It was only when he sat down to write that the front door opened. He looked up and Carrie took his breath away. She wore a pair of grey lounge pants and a white tank top. Her feet were bare and her hair, unbound, spilled like liquid silver down her shoulders.
She’d been crying. He sensed the salt of her grief on the tops of her cheekbones.
Edvard hurled himself to his feet, intent on slaying all of her monsters. “Carrie?”
She wrung her hands. He didn’t miss her gaze flicking all around him, searching for something that wasn’t there. Rage filled his belly and his fists clenched. She should never be this scared. He would make sure she never was again.
“Would-” She stopped and took a deep breath. Edvard watched as she squared her shoulders. “Do you want to come in?” Her voice was shaky but she spoke with conviction. “I have dinner ready.”
This felt...different. “I would,” he confirmed. “As long as you want me to.”
A smile ghosted across Carrie’s features. Her eyes softened as she looked down at him. “Of course I do, Edvard.” She stepped back inside and left the door open for him.
After one last perimeter search, Edvard jogged up the steps and into Carrie’s home.
Candles burned in the lower light, scenting the air with the smell of freesias. Edvard smiled. He liked the scent of flowers. It was one of the first things he missed when he woke up after so long in the sea.
Carrie was busy setting the table, her hands quick and practiced. Edvard never understood why humans did this. It was going to get all messed up again as soon as they sat down.
“Can I help?” Edvard asked.
Carrie nodded and pointed to the kitchen. “Can you bring the main dish out and set it on the hotplate here?”
Edvard went to do as she bidded. As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, the scent of meat hit him and set his primal impulses off. There was little better than the scent of fresh meat. Maybe the smell of a woman’s perfume or the sweet press of her lips.
But it depended. This meat almost had that beat. Unless it was Carrie’s lips. Then the meat could go screw itself.
Tonight he had the best of both worlds. Meat and Carrie. Hopefully Carrie’s lips, too. That would make it heaven.
He carried the heavy pan out and sat it where she told him to. A few minutes later, they were seated and Carrie was dishing his plate out. It was a nice, domestic moment and reminded him of home. He stilled Carrie’s hand as she dished an obscene amount of meat onto his plate.
“What is this?” Edvard demanded. “It smells divine.”
“It's called roast beef,” she said. “There are potatoes, carrots, onions and all kinds of herbs in it.”
“Roast beast?” Edvard said, spearing a piece with his fork. “I will enjoy this.”
Carrie laughed and gave him a little extra. “There's mashed potatoes in the other dish.” She took off the lid and handed him a spoon. Edvard took enough to feed an army.
Carrie’s eyes were beginning to sparkle again. If he knew all it took was his manly appetite to get her to smile again, he would have eaten all of her food stores a long time ago. A dragon’s appetite was rarely satiated. If he came over here too often, he was going to have to give her gold so she wouldn’t starve.
Edvard dug in with the eagerness of a teenage boy after football practice. A few bites in and he was grunting with pleasure over how good it was.
Carrie was a much better cook than Sara and a kind friend if she never let that secret slip.
Carrie picked at her food, eating a bite here and there, but her heart wasn’t in it. Edvard set his fork down, even though he really didn’t want to and studied her.
“You are not okay,” he said. He didn’t phrase it as a question anymore because she would lie to him.
She shook her head. “I’m not.”
He exhaled, relieved she admitted it. “What can I do?”
She stood from the table, set her napkin down on the top of it, and glided over to him.
Edvard was not a stupid man. He thought something might happen, but since he never thought it would happen, he was having trouble believing it was happening now.
Carrie stood over him, forcing him to have to tilt his head up to look at her. A vulnerable position for him, to be sure, but it was Carrie. He would be vulnerable for her any time she needed him to.
Their eyes caught and clashed, her amber eyes burning a hole in his heart. A breath escaped him, one of surprise and relief and awe. All she had to do was reach out and touch him.
Her fingertips came to touch his cheeks. She stroked them gently down his face until she cupped it in her hand.
Edvard’s heart pounded like a blacksmith’s hammer against an anvil. He’d craved her touch for so long and now that she was freely giving it to him, it humbled him. He sat, stock still in his chair, their eyes burning into each other.
He was a man who liked touch. He liked to give it and receive it, but he sensed Carrie needed him still. She needed to be allowed to explore him at her own leisure.
So Edvard sat, his hands clenched at his sides even though all he wanted to do was drag her down to his lap and claim her. He sat while she stroked her thumb over his lips.
He sat while she ran her fingers through his hair.
And he sat while she climbed onto his lap and straddled him.
“I want to touch you, Carrie,” he rumbled.
She blinked, her fingertips trailing down his powerful chest. Her mouth parted, the rosebud lips so open and inviting. “Then touch me.”
Edvard's hand slid up her thighs and landed on her tiny waist, his fingers so large they almost touched behind her. His thumbs caressed the underside of her breasts. She hissed in a breath of pleasure and Edvard’s heart raced. He’d never seen her touch another man, and he wanted to roar it to the world that he’d been able to elicit that kind of response in her. Carrie tilted her head downward and kissed him on the side of the lips. He stilled, against all of his dragon instincts and he allowed Carrie to claim his lips.
She was fire and ice and fear and hope all combined in one. When she touched him, Edvard felt his protective instincts well up. He wanted to roar to the world that she was his.
Except...according to everything that made him who he was, she wasn’t his in a way that gave him the right to claim her from anyone else.
But it didn’t matter. At least for tonight. The way she was touching him told Edvard in a way more definable than words that she was giving herself to him.
He ran his fingers through her silky hair and pulled her down to him again. His tongue touched the entrance to her lips, and she opened them willingly. Carrie groaned against his mouth as he plumbed her depths, his fingers sliding up to palm her breast. He toyed with the nipple and with great delight realized the bra Carrie wore had no wires.
He slipped his fingers underneath it. Carrie squirmed against him and tossed her tank top off, along with her bra.
Edvard’s eyes went wide as he was quickly presented with the most fantastic set of breasts he’d ever seen. “Unngh,” he said.
Carrie's laugh was husky as her greedy fingers trailed down to his waistband. He raised his arms over his head and allowed Carrie to take his t-shirt off. She pressed a kiss against his collarbone, but he gently pulled her back up because he wasn’t a man who could be presented with a gift like Carrie had just given him and not explore them.
He took one of her breasts into his mouth, suckling gently. Carrie moaned and tilted her head back. Her hips ground into his. Edvard’s hands strayed down to her hips to hold her in place because for the gods’ sake, he’d just woken up from thousands of years at sea and hadn’t seen a woman for years before that.
Her laugh was husky, but she stilled, instead trailing her fingers down the powerful lines of his back.
With one powerful move, Edvard stood, hauling Carrie with him. She gasped in surprise and delight when he pushed her against the dining room wall.
Her legs wrapped around his waist and she strained against his mouth. Her fingers went down to his waistband and when she realized he was wearing a belt, she groaned in dismay.
With a quick whisper of breath, Edvard used his magic to get rid of it.
While he was at it, he rid Carrie of the rest of her pesky clothes and his own.
A husky laugh escaped her. “That trick. I like it.” She reached down and cupped his ass. Edvard bucked and threw his head back. Wings, iridescent and the color of night burst from his body, sending the roast, mashed potatoes and all of Carrie’s dishware crashing to the ground.
“Oh,” Carrie breathed out a laugh, not giving a shit about the destroyed crockware. She reached up and touched the edge of one of Edvard’s wings and his nostrils flared. Shivers of desire rocked him. Few knew of the sensitivity of a dragon’s wings. Carrie's touch drove him mad and when she ran her fingers down the edge of his right wing, he roared his desire.
He held her, firm against the wall, their eyes locked. He wanted to do nothing more than drive into her, but he needed to be careful. Carrie needed to be cherished.
His fingers found the core of her, moist for him. He shut his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers.
“Oh my God,2 she choked out. “Edvard.” Her eyes were squeezed shut and her mouth was open, her breath coming in short pants. His fingers stroked her gently but firmly. Goosebumps broke out on her skin and her hips moved against him. Edvard was so close to her core, all he had to do was move a few inches.
“Edvard,” she whispered.
He shifted her and plunged into her depth. Carrie screamed her pleasure, the sound driving him mad. His hips slowed to allow her to accommodate him. As soon as he moved, Carrie whimpered. His shaft was enveloped to the hilt inside of her. She bucked her hips and Edvard lost control. He held Carrie up as he pounded within her. Her short pants became moans and a series of “ohgodohgodohgodedvard,” until she threw her head back and moaned.
Edvard fell over the precipice as soon as he felt the beginnings of her climax, pleasure roaring through his body.
He slipped from her and carried her into her bedroom. She snuggled against him, a smile of pleasure on her face. It wasn't until he’d climbed into bed beside her that something happened.
A shimmer of gold traced across her cheek and coalesced into a bright and brilliant mating bond.
Edvard sighed against her hair and shut his eyes tight, knowing that in this single moment, his dreams had come true.
9
Carrie
Insomnia plagued Carrie the entire time she was married to Caleb, simply because she was too afraid to sleep around him. It didn’t go away when she left him, if anything it became worse because now Carrie had to look over her shoulder.
She slid out from underneath Edvard’s heavy arm and quietly padded into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. He barely moved. She smiled as she quietly put a tea bag in her mug and ran the coffee machine to get the water hot.
When she finished, she walked out to the balcony. The moon was lower in the sky tonight, on its way to becoming dark. She’d have to see about installing motion detectors soon. The moonlight would come back around, as it always did, but she didn't want to be vulnerable for those few nights when it was p
itch black out here.
Her thoughts drifted back to the man in her bed. A smile curved over her lips as she remembered their nocturnal activities just a few hours ago. She could get used to having someone like him around. Her expression sobered. She already was used to having him around, but this was going to change things.
A rustle in the forest sent an alarm up her spine. She was just about to step back inside the house when a man stepped out from the shadows.
A gasp clawed its way out of her throat.
Ludovic.
He held a hand up. “I am not here to harm you. I merely wish to speak.”
Carrie glanced back toward her bedroom.
“He will not wake up until I release him from my spell.” His lips curled. “It’s not so easy to bespell your dragon when he is awake. We are all much more vulnerable when we are asleep.”
The shadows hit the sharp panes in his face, highlighting the dark area where his eye used to be. She couldn’t make out the damage, but Ludovic smiled when he noticed her attention. The smile didn’t look cruel and Carrie felt like the world was shifting under her feet.
“Your beautiful bookworm friend did this to me.” He pointed to his ruined eye. “I suppose I deserved it.”
“What do you want?” Carrie held her tea cupped in both of her hands, ready to toss it at him if she needed to.
He spread his arms out. “Like I said, I’m merely here to talk. That’s all.”
This entire thing felt like a trap, but Carrie didn’t feel threatened. Wariness spread through her veins. “Then talk,” she said.
“I’m afraid my intentions have been misconstrued,” he began. “I did not come back here to subjugate humans. I merely wish for dragons to have a place in their world.”
“Then why did you kidnap Keanu?” Carrie demanded. “Or Ella?”
The Alpha Dragon's Protection (Dragon Shifters 0f Kahului Book 4) Page 7