“How clearly can you read my thoughts?” Jace asked cautiously. He tensed as images of him and Beau fucking Devon in every position possible tumbled uncensored through his mind. He’d been dreaming of this day for months and couldn’t stop the flood of images that raced through his mind.
Devon glanced at Jace’s face. “I caught that last thought. I think it’s time to be honest with me and tell me what the hell is going on.”
Where should he start? Another poor choice could send her reeling. “Devon, I want you to know you’re special to both Beau and me. This is special. We’re a different kind of deal with our own rules and boundaries. I hope this will work for you. We’ll try to be respectful of the fact that this is all new.”
Devon’s eyes widened. “Jace, you’re scaring me.”
“I’m scared too.” Jace smiled and tried to relax. “We’ve waited so long for this and always hoped you’d say yes. I think this is the right time and the right place to start our adventure. Everything up until now was just testing the waters.”
Beau lowered his face and brushed a kiss against Devon’s nape. “We’ll help you to understand, and we’ll start slowly.”
Devon lowered her gaze. “I lied when I said I didn’t want to get involved with coworkers.”
Those were the most beautiful words in the world. “That’s what I’ve been hoping to hear.” He’d been the mastermind behind the whole scheme to get Devon to travel to Africa. The personal expense had been huge, but if it paid off as he hoped it would, it would bring a lifetime of happiness for all three. “I think it’s a good thing we’re far away from our day-to-day lives. This has nothing to do with anything you’re used to.” Moving closer, he brushed his fingertips against her face and lifted her chin. Devon had the most heart-melting, innocent eyes. They took his breath every time he looked at her. “Can you trust us and relax, and see what happens?”
Chapter 7
Gunfire blasted into the air.
Devon’s attention had been floating but instantly snapped to the present. “What was that?” She leaped away from Jace with her pulse racing.
“Miz!” a man shouted from the thick brush, then fired round after round of bullets into the misty air. “Miz, where are you? Come out!” He paced the edge of the pool. “We return to camp. Kibo sorry!”
She started to answer, but Jace covered her mouth with his hand and shook his head with a stern expression on his face.
How dare he? Anger coursed through her. Kibo was her guide and he had a right to know she was safe. She swatted his hand away. “What the hell is going on?” she hissed.
Jace shook his head and held a silencing finger to his lips.
“Miz Day-voon, where are you?” Kibo called out as he fired another shot into the air. “Come with me, miz, and we’ll leave now!” He sounded terrified. “This place no good.” He fired again. “Miz!”
Now she was livid. “That’s my guide,” she mouthed.
“I know.” Jace quickly herded Devon behind a thick copse of trees and motioned for Beau to follow.
“Gather all the clothing and Devon’s camera gear and bundle it together.” Jace’s expression was deathly somber as he addressed Beau, and that worried her. “We can’t allow the guide to see us together, not after what happened earlier.”
Something was terribly off and she didn’t like it. “What happened to Kibo earlier?”
Jace blatantly ignored Devon’s question. He placed his palm on Beau’s shoulder. “It’s not ideal, but we have to do it. Stay at mist level until we’re out of firing range. The mist will cloak us.” He paused. “I’ll take Devon.”
Her gaze darted between them. This cryptic talk was unsettling. Were the guys involved in illegal activities? Poaching? Drugs? Diamonds? Did she really want to know? “Take me where? I’m tired of the secrets. Tell me what you’re up to.”
“Not now.” Beau darted toward the brush. “I’ll try to distract him.”
“Beau, don’t!” Jace brought him to a halt. “We stay together and stay safe. It will be sundown soon. Most of the mountain will be in shadow. Let’s go.” He covered Devon’s eyes with a hand and muttered a few words below his breath, then waved his palm in front of her face. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I promise I will only do this once.”
“Do what?” Devon swayed precariously on rubbery legs and instantly crumpled, unconscious, into Jace’s waiting arms.
BEAU STARED IN ASTONISHMENT at Devon’s slumbering face and rag doll—limp body. The swoop spell worked like gangbusters, but was it safe? As a beta, he’d never used one and likely never would. “Did you just do what I think you did? Goddammit, Jace, you’re so rash.”
“I had to put a good, old-fashioned swoop spell on Devon,” Jace muttered. “Just like our great-great-great-grandfathers used to do. It’s for the best. This way she won’t have to see where we’re going.”
He had to admit, Jace was likely right, but it bothered him that a mate’s personal boundaries were not always the first thing on Jace’s list. With all his heart he wanted Jace to succeed as their alpha and form a mated trio with Devon, but they had their differences of opinion. “I guess it’s a good idea, but don’t you think it would have been better to warn her? She has a right to know. Devon is going to be pissed when she wakes up.”
Jace shot Beau a meaningful look. “Devon will be safe when she wakes up, and then we can take our time explaining the situation.”
Again, they were going to clash. What if their trio was doomed before it even fully formed? There was no room for error. The rare opportunity to take two loving mates and bond for a lifetime would only be offered once, and they were off to a horrible start. Beau struggled to hold his tongue but couldn’t. “Stop and think! This is kidnapping. An American woman can’t disappear on safari and not have repercussions.”
“Miz!” Kibo fired a bullet overhead. His frantic footsteps in the brush were headed their way. “Where are you?”
JACE TENSED. BEAU’S worrywart ways were starting to irritate him. Was there a less shocking way to tell the woman he’d chosen as his life mate that he and Beau were shape-shifting alien beings looking for love? No. This was going to be dicey however they approached the topic. Hopefully, his instincts had been right in choosing Devon and she really was the sort of open-minded woman an adventure like this required.
“Beau, I’m in charge. Listen to me. Shift!” Jace commanded as he hoisted Devon into his arms. “Let’s get out of here.”
In a rush of breath that sounded like a guttural hiss, he shifted to dragon form, proudly spreading his wings wide. A burst of wind caught the leathery skin like massive sails flexing. God, it felt good to take dragon form. He never tired of it. Those first ecstatic moments of transformation were almost as satisfying as an orgasm. Unable to control his joy, he ignored Beau’s accusing stare, lifted his pointed muzzle, and shrieked at the sky.
Flapping his powerful wings he rose from the ground and became airborne. Jace carefully carried an unconscious Devon in his hooked talons as he flew into the mist of the falls.
Beau shifted too, snatched the backpacks from the ground in his talons, and took flight.
As they glided above the mist, he gave himself a harsh chiding. Beau was right to question him. His stupid stunt at the falls could have gotten them all shot. He’d allowed his hormones to get the better of him and behaved like a frat pledge show-off instead of a wise Marduko patriarch. Taking dragon form and chasing Kibo away from the pool had been a stinking bad idea. To his shame, it was now crystal clear to him that a terrified guide firing randomly into the brush could have seriously harmed or killed Beau or Devon. A single foolish act could have cost him the people he cherished most. He knew he’d better rein himself in. That level of stupid just couldn’t happen again. The trio couldn’t afford it.
These weren’t the old days when awed and reverent villagers brought humble offerings to the falls, hoping to catch sight of a fabled dragon. This was the day of the camera phone, the in
ternet, Glocks, radar, and laser-sighted, shoulder-launched missiles, and as archaic as they were in their thinking, even the goddamned Order of the Knights of Saint George were a well-armed and ever-present threat to the Marduko. Add to that it was fucking risky business flying over an open plain with an unconscious woman in his talons.
No wonder his kind was nearly extinct, especially coupled with the dismal fact that a lone, unmated male could expect to die before his thirty-fifth birthday. If fate spared a Marduko male and he was lucky enough to find compatible mates, it better be true, fully committed love for all involved, or else a sneaky little trick of nature hit the self-destruct button anyway. Only true-mated trios survived to breed. The unlucky ones withered and quickly perished, but that was something he hoped he’d never have to face.
Carefully interlocking his talons around Devon, Jace created a secure cage to hold her. He had no idea how Devon would respond to any of this. His future was so uncertain. His thirty-fourth birthday had already come and gone. No pressure there.
In his desire to have Devon and the sacred waterfall all to themselves, he’d deliberately scared the bush guide to the depths of his soul and run him off. To his credit, Kibo had faced his fears and promptly returned for Devon. It took balls to turn around and face an enraged male dragon alone. Damn Kibo and his selfless heroics. Why didn’t the guy just piss his pants back to camp like most people would, instead of regrouping and coming to the rescue with guns blazing? But now and then it was nice to be surprised by someone’s behavior in a positive way. Kibo was looking out for Devon’s safety, and any man who did that earned his begrudging respect.
Beau flew at his side, soaring with grace on a rising stream of air. A faint blue iridescent sheen glistened on his armored scales. He seemed to effortlessly ride the mountain updrafts with barely a beat of his wings, but then Beau was lighter in build and wasn’t carrying a grown woman. He couldn’t coast the updrafts the same way Beau did, and labored at the edge of his limitations. He gazed ahead with determination and focused on the goal. Mount Kilimanjaro at sunset was a stunning and formidable sight. The eastern sky was indigo, and the mountain’s glaciers were bathed in peachy light. A pale sliver of moon rose behind.
Jace hoped he could find the mountain cave his ancestors had once taken shelter in as easily as he and Beau had found it the night before. They had provisioned the cave high on a rocky ridge as a cozy retreat where Devon could be safely exposed to the truth.
Tuning in to his instincts, he let himself be guided higher up the slope. He wanted to be there already and was concerned for Devon. The air was much thinner and cooler here, and only the toughest, spikiest senecio trees flourished at this altitude. He was eager to get to the cave and light a fire to keep her warm.
Devon stirred restlessly in Jace’s talons.
Damn. Jace glanced at Devon. The swoop spell was wearing off and she was beginning to move. He gazed warily at the jagged ravines below as they rushed past. What if Devon woke midflight in a panic and struggled violently or wriggled free of his grasp? He was terrified of crushing her ribs or puncturing her skin with a firmer grip, but hell, it would be so much worse to drop her.
He willed Devon to be still. Please, sweetheart, don’t wake up.
Beau released a joyful shriek and dove toward the mountainside.
A moment later Jace sensed the cave as well. He drew his wings back and pointed his snout downward in a steep but controlled dive. The cave was straight ahead on an inaccessible cliff, partially buried behind the shale debris of a landslide. At this angle the cave appeared to be a dark gash in the steep mountainside, but he knew much more lay beyond.
Flying toward the lip of the precarious ledge, he gazed toward Beau and sent the focused mental image to be ready to quickly shift to human form. He didn’t dare set Devon down in her disoriented state with dragon wings beating above her head. She’d freak out and bolt for sure. If she slipped and fell, it was a lethal drop to the rocks below. He wanted to be sure a steady pair of loving arms was waiting to pull her safely inside the cave before he would risk setting her down on the narrow strip of level rock.
Beau flung the packet of clothing he was carrying toward the mouth of the cave. He latched on to the stone and shifted. With a few crunching sounds his body and bones regained human form. His steel-gray scaly skin smoothed, and his wings gracefully retracted back into his shoulder blades. He hunched forward with an exhausted gasp, then rose on shaking legs.
“That shift kicked my ass.” Beau lolled his head, making the vertebrae in his neck pop. He secured his footing and opened his arms wide. “Hand Devon to me. I’m ready to catch her.”
Jace flapped closer to Beau, hovering in front of him and making his fair locks blow straight into the air from the beat of his wings.
“Let her go.” Beau took hold of Devon’s arms. “I’ve got her.”
He glanced at the sharp rocks below. Suddenly he was too nervous to release his hold on Devon, and couldn’t relax his grip. “I can’t.”
Beau moved closer to the edge. “It’s cold up here. We need to get Devon inside and start a fire.”
His talons locked and refused to let go. He’d already done so many risky and stupid things. What if one of his rash acts got a mate killed?
“Come on!” Beau shouted. “You’re exhausted. I can see it. You have to set Devon down and shift. You can’t keep hovering.”
Devon woke with a scream. “Oh my God!” She writhed wildly in Jace’s hold and glanced downward. “Holy fuck!” Her screams echoed across the mountainside.
Beau frowned. “Jace, there’s a hiking party on the next ridge. I saw their campfires last night when I was flying in provisions. What if someone heard Devon scream?”
Devon gasped and struggled. “Beau, tell me right now what the hell this is about!” She stared upward at the dragon flapping above her head. Her face blanched. “Why are you calling that monster Jace?” Her eyes flew wide. “Have I been drugged?”
Finally, he realized he had to trust Beau to catch Devon. This wasn’t all on him, even if he’d scared himself into believing it was. This was a dual venture. The mate bonding could only be successful between equals who trusted each other completely.
“Don’t be afraid.” Beau stretched his arms forward. “Devon, grab on to me and don’t let go.”
Devon reached toward Beau with straining fingers. Tears of panic streamed down her face.
Fighting his fears, he willed himself to relax his grip and allow Beau to carry Devon to safety.
“It’s all right.” Beau latched on to her waist and drew her near.
“Help me!” Devon’s arms twined around Beau’s neck and clung tightly. She buried her face against Beau’s chest, refusing to look toward Jace. “Is it leaving?” she asked hopefully. “What does it want from us?” Her voice quivered.
“I promise the dragon won’t hurt you.” Beau turned and walked Devon safely inside the cave.
His heart dropped. This was bad. Devon sounded terrified, and worse, repulsed by his dragon form. He landed on the tiny ledge and shifted, but this time the cracking in his bones was painful. Beau was right; the shift did kick his ass. He almost screamed in agony when his wings retracted with a rib-splitting crunch. The shift took longer than normal and seemed especially hard to endure. Chalk it up to a harsh combination of adrenaline, mating excitement, and exhaustion—he’d certainly never attempted anything as strenuous as alpine flying with a mate in tow. It was no wonder that forming a trio was a young dragon’s game.
Jace walked past a naturally formed entrance that twisted at sharp right and left angles and protected the cave from roaring mountain winds or prying eyes. He stepped into the domed chamber just as Beau lit a lantern. The warm glow of the lantern flickered against the curved walls, distorting everyone’s elongated shadows.
Devon sat huddled beneath a pile of blankets beside an unlit fire pit. She looked at him with suspicion burning in her eyes. “Beau said that flapping creature out the
re was you.” She tensed. “What are you? Why did you befriend me and trick me into coming here? If you were decent, if you truly meant no harm, shouldn’t you have warned me what I was getting involved with?”
Shame pierced his heart. “You’re right. I should have.” He strode naked across the cave toward a duffel bag filled with clothing. “I’ve made a lot of stupid mistakes, and I want to apologize for that.” Digging through the bag, he retrieved a pair of jeans and a heavy flannel shirt and slipped them on. Then he reached for a warm, dry shirt and tossed it to Devon. “Get out of those wet clothes and set them by the fire.”
“I trusted you!” Devon’s anger grew as she clumsily tore at the buttons of her damp shirt. “I respect you at work. I was dumb enough to think or hope that maybe you had loving intentions toward—” She looked away in discomfort. “I feel completely insane saying this.” She paused. “And then it becomes apparent that you’re already intimately involved with another of our coworkers, a man, but wait, there’s more. It turns out you’re some sort of prehistoric flying lizard that abducts me to a mountain cave. I find all of it highly disturbing.”
Jace looked at Beau. “How much does she know?”
“Not much.” Beau lit a pile of logs stacked in the fire pit. The fire crackled to life. “You were only outside the cave for a couple minutes. I wanted Devon to know the dragon posed no threat to her. So I told her it was you.”
Devon turned on Beau. “I suppose you’re a dragon too?”
“Yes, I am.” Beau’s gaze sank.
“Don’t look away so guiltily!” Devon snapped. “I want some answers right now. Can you even understand how deceived and vulnerable I feel? This is not normal for me. I’m on fucking Mount Kilimanjaro huddled in a dragon lair! That’s why everyone says never get involved with coworkers.” Devon’s sarcastic laugh echoed through the cave. “This is so weird and so wrong. I hope to God I am dreaming and that tomorrow none of this will be real.”
The Lady Prefers Dragons Page 11