by Eliza Gayle
“Not as much as you seem to think. I met Kenzie at Dark Moon yesterday. I tried to take her to dinner but her brother, Galen, interrupted my plans. So we met for breakfast instead.”
Rafe laughed, his face transforming. “You’re already dating her? Jesus, Simon. You kill me. Is there any woman you won’t seduce?”
He didn’t know whether to laugh or take offense. Yes, he had a reputation with the ladies. In the past. Ever since he’d gotten involved with the Blackwood Pack, his extracurricular activities had come to a grinding halt. To his surprise the desire to go back to that had disappeared.
“I haven’t seduced her, if that’s what you’re thinking. Although I don’t deny that I am interested in her.” Could that be more of an understatement? He was more than interested, but he wasn’t sure how much he should confide in Rafe at the moment. He trusted him more than any other shifter he knew, but this situation could turn volatile. Hell, it was already prickly as evidenced by this sudden inquisition.
“No duh,” Rafe snickered. “And I assume it’s reciprocal if she’s here. I swear I don’t think there’s a single female alive who is immune to your charms. Unless she has an agenda that neither of us is aware of.”
“I don’t think it’s like that. Kenzie is—different.” Simon clenched his jaw against the sound of his own voice. He probably sounded like a bitch defending a woman he barely knew. But he believed in instincts and his were screaming at him to protect her at all cost.
Rafe’s right brow lifted and that concerned him. He’d tried to keep this light and obviously failed. That brow was more telling than any other gesture Rafe could make.
“Different how?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I need some time to figure it out.”
Rafe pushed off the wall and sauntered closer. “What is there to figure out? You either want to sleep with her or you don’t. That’s your deal.”
Simon bristled at Rafe’s assessment. Not once in all the years of his friendship had Rafe ribbing him about his love for the females ever bothered him. Until today.
He needed to take some time and analyze why that was. It was easy to believe that Kenzie’s mating cycle was going to his head, but he had a feeling it went deeper than that.
Problem was, he was a scientist and a gut feeling wasn’t enough for him to hypothesize. He needed hard facts and evidence. Neither of which he’d had time to gather.
“You’re thinking too hard about this, my friend. That’s unlike you. At least when it comes to women. You aren’t thinking she is your mate or something crazy like that, are you?”
Simon blinked, unseeing for a moment as the sound of his blood catching fire and rushing through his veins filled his ears.
“Oh shit. Judging by the look on your face that’s it. isn’t it? Fuck, Simon. Are you crazy or something? She’s a goddamned dragon. Who we know nothing about. Shit. This cannot be happening.”
He scrubbed his hands over his face and tried to push the idea of mating the red-haired beauty out of his head. But dammit, Rafe had planted the seed and now it didn’t want to go away. The idea had been there all along, he’d just been ignoring it. Now, he couldn’t.
Of course there was also her taste still lingering on his lips and tongue, contributing to his madness. He’d thought a taste would settle them both. He’d been wrong.
“I’m well aware what she is and all that implies. Unfortunately, I can’t be of much help to you about it because I know very little. You’re older than I am. How much do you remember about them from before?”
Rafe frowned. “It’s been nearly a century since they left. In fact, it’s hard to believe sometimes that much time has passed.”
He nodded. While shifters weren’t immortal, their magic-infused genetics meant they often lived hundreds of years. It was the one facet about his kind that drove the science loving geek inside his mind absolutely mad. Magic. He ground his teeth together just thinking about. That little element of their DNA was the hardest to pin down and he hated it.
“Many of the details have been long since forgotten,” Rafe continued. “I suppose since most of us still living back then were quite young. Dragons were loners. I remember noticing that a lot. They kept to themselves most of the time. And there weren’t a ton of them. Thanks in part to the witches that were thriving back then. They were the sworn enemies to dragons and were always fighting against their rule of this region.”
Simon recalled some of the tales. He’d been raised on them. Dragons were arrogant and controlling and the witches were vain and vindictive. It didn’t make for a great combo and led to constant battles. And after the dragons abandoned them, the witches tried to drive out the rest of their kind.
It was one of the reasons the councils elevated the Guardians to more than simple protectors. The black cougars were stronger than most shifters, cunning and fast. And their rarity meant they were shrouded in just enough mystery to create fear in the entire region.
“The dragons were also quite violent when it came to how they ruled the Tail of the Dragon. At least the royal family had a reputation for being blood thirsty.”
“The Fergusons?”
Rafe nodded. “Yes. And let me guess. Her last name is Ferguson.”
It was his turn to nod. “It is. Mackenzie Ferguson to be exact and it’s her brother Galen Ferguson who first returned not long ago.”
“And the rest of the family? What do we know about them?”
“Nothing. She hasn’t made mention of anyone else. But if they are going to rebuild that run down castle at the top of the mountain, then it’s probably a safe bet more of them will be coming.”
Rafe’s jaw clenching was the only hint he got that his alpha was not taking that news well. That and the clenched fists at his side. This situation was about to blow up in his face.
“Fuck. They’re already rebuilding?”
“Kenzie mentioned it. Again, I haven’t had much time with her yet so there are very little details to share.”
“You’re going to have to find out.”
Simon swore. He knew exactly what that little declaration meant. “I’m not doing this again. We agreed.”
“Well, the world just fucking changed. We’ve got dragons popping up out of the blue and knocking at our door and we need to know sooner rather than later what the hell they are up to. We aren’t going to be able to contain this and the councils are going to demand answers.”
“Then ask her yourself. She’s down the hall in my office. I’m not going to be your spy.”
Rafe’s brows pulled together and Simon sighed. His best friend was about to pull rank on him and give him no choice.
“This situation needs a subtle hand, not a bulldozer. And we have shifter relations to consider. We have no idea how delicate this situation might be and we can’t afford to offend the royal family the minute they arrive.”
“This is bad.” And the sensation of his chest constricting and cutting off his breath only reinforced his belief.
Rafe lowered his voice. “I’m not asking.”
Simon’s wolf balked at the command despite the thread of power that came with it. It always did when he was challenged directly by another alpha. He could continue to fight it, but it would ultimately get him nowhere. He loved his clan and respected and loved his alpha. To refuse would be tantamount to treason whether Rafe pushed it that far or not.
He was also right. One or two dragons they could handle. Anymore than that and things might get dicey. If their intentions were less than honorable the sooner they realized that the better.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m not thrilled with putting you in this position again. I’m very aware how unfair it is. But you are the only one who has already made a connection. Galen is tight lipped and prone to disappearing the minute anyone gets too close. We’re having trouble keeping up with his whereabouts let alone what his agenda might be.”
“It’s going to be nigh impossible if they rebuild that
fortress. No one else can reach it without days of treacherous climbing, which they would see coming a mile away.”
Rafe nodded. “So you see my dilemma then? We can’t sit around and do nothing. Not when you have an obvious way in.”
Simon’s wolf growled, only this time not just in his head.
Rafe’s eyebrow quirked again, but other than that he didn’t respond. They knew each other well enough that he didn’t have to.
He pushed back at his wolf, forcing the beast to recede. This was not the time to start a fight dammit. “You know I do. But that doesn’t mean I like it.”
“Duly noted,” Rafe said. “Although I feel the need to caution you nonetheless. Getting too close to this woman is almost a guarantee for serious trouble. She’s forbidden fruit. That’s enough to make you think something that simply isn’t true. I implore you to guard your heart. If at any time you think you can’t, I want to know about it. We’ll figure it out together. It’s what we do, right?”
Rafe strode forward and they grabbed each other’s right forearm in their version of an embrace/hand shake.
While Simon nodded, his inner turmoil ratcheted to an all new level. With that simple flip of his head he’d already lied. In a matter of less than twenty-four hours, Kenzie had already cracked the barrier he used to protect himself. And at this point he wasn’t sure if he could or even wanted to stop it.
Chapter Eleven
Simon returned to his office to find Kenzie no longer sitting in his chair waiting for him. Heavy disappointment crushed down on him despite the logic in his brain telling him that she was smart to leave.
His attachment to her didn’t feel entirely natural and she didn’t yet seem receptive to the whole thing yet. It was possible that like him, she needed some time to digest what was beginning to happen between them as well.
As he backed out of his office to go and check on his surgery patient, a low moan snagged his attention making him freeze.
“Kenzie?” He stepped back inside and breathed deep. As before, he scented her lingering aroma but this time as he filtered beyond the mating heat that filled his head with dark and dirty thoughts he found something else.
Pain. And lots of it.
He searched the office including the attached bathroom and the small, private lab he knew she didn’t access because the door needed a retinal scan to get through to no avail. There was no sign of Kenzie beyond the scent of her anguish.
This resulted in a near blinding rage from the animal inside him to the point his vision blurred and fur pushed painfully against his skin. A change he could normally resist, but this fight was harder. The wolf sensed trouble and he wanted free.
“Calm down. I’ll find her.” He didn’t know whether he was trying to soothe the beast or the human, although both were an integral part of him.
He rushed back out of his office and followed the pain filled scent. Luckily, he didn’t have to go far. He turned the corner into a corridor that led to the back door where he found Kenzie on the floor, slumped against the wall.
Simon rushed forward, her pain becoming his pain the closer he came. He dropped to the floor and began searching for the source. “What happened? Did something or someone hurt you?”
“No,” she moaned, clutching her middle. “Right after you left it started,” She hissed a sharp breath as another wave of whatever assaulted her.
“Can you describe it to me or at least tell me where it’s located?” Although with her arms wrapped around her torso the where seemed pretty obvious.
She shook her head and moaned again, no more words coming out.
“I’ve got to get you to an examining room so I can help, okay?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. He got the impression that time was of the essence. However, the minute he got his arms under her shoulders and legs and attempted to lift her, a deafening anguished roar filled the corridor. The likes of which brought Simon back to his knees as the walls of his clinic shook violently.
Her dragon was fighting for release and he couldn’t hold her for long. Not with her skin heating up and burning through his clothes. He called on his own animal for extra strength and pushed to his feet, and sprinted for a room. If she shifted, she’d destroy the building and bury everyone in it alive.
He lowered her on the closest bed as gently as he could then ran for the small refrigerator across the room and grabbed one of the syringes always on hand for these kind of situations.
While most shifters he dealt with wouldn’t cause his entire building to collapse, a shifter out of control in animal form could be dangerously destructive to anyone in its angry path.
Unfortunately, he’d never treated a dragon or even studied their DNA so he had no idea if this would work, but at this point it was his only chance. If he couldn’t sedate her then they were all going to die.
He turned back to Kenzie to see much of her skin had turned to scales. They were dark and armor-like with a fiery red glow around the edges. Shit. Now where was he going to stick the needle?
He locked onto her face, still human for now, although the eyes were the slits of her dragon and he had no idea if he could get through to her at all.
“Please, Kenzie. You can’t shift here. If you do, this building is going to come down around us all. There are a lot of people here I don’t want to see hurt. Can you understand that?”
She stared at him, the look of her eyes wild and untamed. In any other circumstance, he would love to watch her transform. The magic of the shift was a little different for each person, but with her he imagined it would be spectacular. An original dragon would have to have enormous magic at their disposal.
Finally, she nodded her head. That motion revealed a small part of her neck not covered by scales. He moved swiftly and plunged the syringe and needle into the one soft spot still visible.
Her body jerked up and another ear splitting roar filled the clinic. The vibration rippled through the walls, so hard plaster crumbled and began to rain down. He watched in horror as Marci stumbled through the door and fell to her knees under the violence of it all.
“What in the hell is going on?” she cried, which barely registered above a whisper against a dragon’s anguished roar.
“Dammit, Marci. Why didn’t you run?”
She struggled to her feet, her eyes going wide at the sight of Kenzie’s partial shift. “Holy shit. What is she? Is she a—?”
The question was cutoff when Kenzie thrashed, flipped and fell from the bed to the floor. He rushed around the side to help her and breathed a marginal sigh of relief when he discovered more human than dragon struggling to stand.
“I’ve got to get out of here,” she cried. “Now!”
“You’re in no shape to go anywhere.” He reached down to help her up and was relieved to find her skin no longer burning as more of her scales receded. The medication was working.
“You said it yourself. If I shift, everyone here dies.”
“What?” Marci shrieked. “Why would we die? Does she not have control? What exactly is going on?”
He tried to ignore Marci, but she’d gotten her bearings and was now attempting to get in his face. He was used to her bossiness in the clinic, but there were times like now where he wanted to eject her from the situation.
“You’re not helping.” He lifted Kenzie and helped her back on the table. “I’ve given you a sedative that should keep you from shifting.”
“Should?” both women asked in unison.
He ignored their question and continued his directive. “Marci, you need to go clear everyone out of the clinic who doesn’t need to be here. And then cordon off this section. I don’t want anyone else in this wing of the building. Is that understood? And for Goddess sake, move everyone else as far away from this room as possible.”
She clenched her jaw and nodded her head, but he could tell from the expression on her face it was killing her not to tell him what she really thought. He imagined that was a doozy. However, they didn’t have
time for him to indulge her need to give her opinion. Not this time.
“Simon, you need to get me out of here. I can’t risk being here. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
He studied the woman who still looked white as a sheet. He may have been able to sedate the animal side of her, if only temporarily, but the pain still remained. He saw every ounce of it reflected in the harsh lines across her forehead and around her mouth as she tried to hide it and failed.
“Can you tell me what happened?” he asked. “You seemed fine when I left you.”
She shrugged and turned her head away from him, a clear indication that she didn’t want to talk about it.
“Don’t shut me out. I need to run some tests. Eliminate whatever I can. You up for that?”
“No,” she said, turning back to him. “I’m not consenting to any tests. Not now, not ever.”
Simon frowned. “Wasn’t that the whole reason you came here? To talk about my research and how you could possibly help.”
“No. I came because I was an idiot. I was curious about what you do here. That’s all. Now I need to leave.” She patted her pockets. “Where’s my cell phone? I need to call my brother.”
“I don’t know. In my office maybe. I was too worried about you to bother with your phone.”
She struggled to a sitting position and he moved forward to stop her. “You’re not going anywhere right now. Not until we figure out what’s wrong.”
“I need my cell phone. That’s what’s wrong.”
Simon sighed. “Goddess, you are stubborn. If I promise to go look for it, will you lay back down and rest?”
She stared at him in silence for several long moments before a loud sigh finally escaped between her lips. “Fine,” she relented. “But I’m still not letting you run any tests. Just bring me my phone and I’ll get out of your hair.”
In the midst of her mysterious onset of pain and the near destruction it had caused, he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to throttle her or kiss her. Although with her taste still lingering on his tongue, he was leaning heavily towards the latter.