by KD Jones
He pushed her gently away from him. They both moaned. “We need to leave. Roll around in those grass and leaves over there.
Callie had to take a moment to process what he said. Her body was on fire and now he wanted her to do what? Get even dirtier?
“Why?”
“The grass, dirt, and leaves will also help with the scent, but it will keep you from being too slippery for me to hold in my claw.”
“Why can’t I ride on your back?” She pictured herself as Khalesi in Game of Thrones. Oh yeah, I want to do that.
“I fear you might fall off if I get into a battle with one of the rogues or if you fall asleep.”
Okay, that made sense. Reluctantly, she crawled over to the grass and leaves then, rolled while he watched. This day was getting weirder and weirder. He told her she had done enough. She climbed to her feet.
Viper moved a little away and then he shifted into his dragon form. She was utterly amazed. Slowly, she walked closer to his gigantic body. His scales were a dark maroon. Curiosity had her reach out and lightly touch one smooth scale. The dragon’s body rumbled, and she pulled her hand away in fear that she angered it somehow.
The dragon’s head leaned down and gently nudged her nearer. She looked into its eyes and swore she could see two creatures looking out at her, one was the dragon and the other was Viper. He was in there and he was aware.
“You’re cool. I have a ton of questions I want to ask.”
The dragon snorted, and she laughed. “Yeah, I know, the questions will have to wait.”
The dragon’s claw was suddenly there, wrapping around her gently and protectively. She felt safe. Once the large wings lifted them back into the sky, Callie realized that Viper was right about falling asleep. She was utterly exhausted and within minutes she had passed out to sleep.
Chapter 17
Viper had to find a place for them to rest. He wasn’t sure how long he had been flying, but his wings were tiring. His dragon scented fresh water up ahead.
They were near another mountain range and at the base was a lake surrounded by tall trees. This would give a chance to wash, possibly find fish they could eat and water. The trees would provide cover for them as well while they rested. As he lowered to the ground, Callie roused from her sleep.
“What’s going on? Where are we?”
He waited until she was stable on her feet before stepping backward and shifting to his human form. “I’m not sure of the exact location but we are still in New Mexico, I think. I thought we would take the moment to clean ourselves, find something to eat and rest.”
“We can keep going. I’m not that hungry.” She tried to deny, but her stomach made a loud growling noise. He chuckled.
“Well, I’m tired and need to rest my wings.” He stepped into the lake. “Come, the water is cool and refreshing. I know you are dying to get clean again.”
Callie frowned but followed him, kicking off her shoes. She stepped in and pulled her foot back out. “That is not cool, it’s freezing.”
“It will feel warmer once you get in and get used to it. However, I would suggest you take off your clothes first. The weight of them wet will drag you under.”
He watched her bite her delicate bottom lip as she had an internal debate on what to do. His mate was modest. Viper couldn’t understand how humans could be so shy about their bodies, but he would make this a little easier on her.
“I’ll turn around.”
“Thank you.”
Viper turned his back to her. He could hear the sounds of her clothing as she struggled to get out of them. Then came the sounds of her footsteps as she entered the lake. He turned back around to see that she had kept on her bra and panties. Grateful that he was standing waist-deep, the water hid his instant erection at the sight of his mate’s pale, silky skin.
“You’re right, it feels better once farther in.”
He gave her a smile. “I would never lie to you.”
“You don’t lie but you omit the truth and hide things, big things.”
Moving closer, careful to keep his bottom half underwater, he reached up to rinse mud from her beautiful face. Somehow she had lost her glasses. Her eyes seemed even more expressive.
“The secret of my people is one that we all must keep. I’m sorry.”
“Is everyone from your ranch a…”
“Drakonian? Most are except for the newly mated females, Valorie, Gema, and Emily.”
“But their husbands, mates, are all like you? Drakonian?”
“Yes, they are like me. We originated from a planet many galaxies from here called Drakonia. We were an advanced race already space traveled, had mages who could teleport us from one location to the next on our planet in an instant.”
“What happened? How did you end up on Earth and why didn’t our government know about you?”
He ducked down to wash his hair, thinking about how much to tell her. Viper told her everything. There was no point in keeping things from her now. She was his mate. He no longer fought it. He wanted her to know him and hopefully accept him.
“An enemy race called the Votens attacked our planet. We were in the middle of negotiations when it happened, so they caught us off guard. Usually, we used the portals to transport our people from one location on the planet to the next, but it had to be modified so that our people could leave the planet entirely. We split up the destinations to make sure that if one route turned bad that we would not lose the entire race. Most of our people used the portals, but we still had warriors engaged in battle with our starships cruisers.”
“You left warriors behind?”
“We had no choice.”
“Were they killed?”
“Not all of them. At least two cruisers survived, and they used mage magic and wormholes to find us here on Earth.”
“You mentioned mage before. Are you talking about wizards?”
“Similar. For our people, mage are Drakonians unable to shift, but they have magical abilities in place of that defect.”
Callie dunked her head next and when she came up, she pushed her locks back behind her. “So the mage adapted your teleportation portals to bring you here.”
“They also sent some tribes to other planets.”
“Why didn’t our government detect something? Especially if your battle cruisers orbited us.”
“We arrived hundreds of years ago. Your governments as you know them didn’t exist. We were stranded here, in a lesser-developed world, cut off from everything we had ever known. Our people spread out so we could keep our existence hidden from the human inhabitants.”
“But you didn’t always remain hidden, did you? That’s where the stories of dragons came from.”
His mate was smart. “Yes. Sometimes one of our kind would show themselves. Stories would circulate. Our people had to remain in human form to protect ourselves.”
Callie shook her head. “I don’t know how you all did that. I’m not sure if I could survive being forced from my home, taken to a new scary place surrounded by people who didn’t understand me.”
Viper shrugged as he moved closer to her, little by little. “We learn and adapt. I think you did amazing with what happened to you. I am sure few females would handle being kidnapped by dragon shifters half as well as you are taking it.”
Callie laughed, a sweet tingling sound that stroked over his body. “Oh, I am planning a full meltdown as soon as it’s safe.”
Viper placed his hands on her waist and dragged her closer to him. The feel of her naked flesh against his made him and his dragon growl with a fire of need. “You can melt in my arms.”
His face pinkened a little and her response was a whisper. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Does my being different bother you?”
“Of course not.”
“Good, because I can’t resist you any longer.”
Leaning down, he claimed her lips in a deep passionate kiss. When he pulled back, he smiled at the desire in her
eyes. Then she jumped up into his arms and claimed him back.
Chapter 18
Callie had never been kissed the way Viper kissed her. It lit a fire inside her she was tired of denying. Life was too short. She should take what she wanted and not worry about every little thing. Tomorrow would come soon enough.
She launched herself at him and kissed him with everything she had been holding in. It was unlike her, but screw that. Callie wanted Viper, and by the feel and size of his erection, Viper wanted her too. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Callie rubbed her slick body against his.
“You are so damn sexy,” he growled between kisses.
She was impatient as his hands worked to remove her undergarments. He tossed the material to the lakeshore. Once her breasts were free, his hands cupped her, massaging gently. His hands were large, strong, warm, and had calluses from years of hard work. They were very manly hands, and his touch was heavenly. She wanted his hands on her entire body.
"You’re sexy too,” she groaned as he nibbled her neck. Callie was impatient for him. She reached under the water to stroke him.
“Careful, I don’t want to lose it too soon.” Viper stroked down her back, then squeezed her butt.
She felt her body’s response to him and knew she was ready for him. “I want you inside me now!”
He growled. “That’s good, because I can’t wait any longer.”
Viper gripped her hips and raised her, positioning her opening directly above his shaft. Then he slowly lowered her. They both moaned as their bodies fused with his penetration.
He paused long enough to ask her. “Are you okay?”
Callie released a breath she was holding. It had been a while, and he was damn big. “Yes. I need you to move.”
Viper did as she demanded of him. Cautiously at first, moving her up and down on him. Up, down, in, out, harder, and faster. She gripped his shoulders, holding on for dear life as he took her. She had never felt so… wanted and desired as she did with him.
“So perfect,” he growled.
She wanted to deny that she was anywhere close to being perfect, but no words could form. As a librarian, that had never happened before. Callie found a different way to express what she was feeling.
Leaning down, she licked the spot where his shoulder and neck met. Mmm. Salty and delicious. A fire was building inside her in the form of a tight coil, winding and winding. Just as she was about to come, she bit down on his skin. Her inner walls clamped down like a vise. She didn’t know where the aggressive need was coming from, but it seemed to set something off in Viper.
“Mine!” he growled out as his seed shot inside of her. He came and came.
Then he leaned down and bit her shoulder, which caused the pleasure, and pain combined caused her to orgasm a second time. By the time they came both came a third time, Callie was near unconsciousness. Her head dropped against his chest and he wrapped her in his arms protectively, kissing the top of her head and whispered something that sounded like, my mate.
Chapter 19
Viper carried his female to the shelter he had built while she was sleeping. He wanted to take them back to Arizona, but it was too soon. He had to wait long enough to make sure they were not followed. That meant they would need somewhere to stay for a day or two. After making love multiple times, Callie had fallen asleep. It seemed to be the perfect time to build.
As a Drakonian shifter race, his people could elongate their nails into claws even in human form. It allowed him to cut the trees needed to construct the frame. He then used branches and leaves to provide the cover for the top and the sides of the shelter. Vines were used to help tie everything together. A small opening was created on the front side as the entrance. It wasn’t perfect, but it would keep them dry and hidden from prying eyes.
As he laid her on the bed of leaves he set up, she stirred.
“What? Where are we?”
“I built a shelter for us to rest in.”
She blinked, looking around. It was dark except for the opening where the light from the rising sun shined through. “You’re like my personal Robinson Crusoe.”
He frowned. “I do not understand.”
“You have never read Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe?”
“I do not read. What is it about?”
“Oh, it’s about a guy who gets stranded on an island and has to survive, like building a shelter.”
Nodding, he lay down next to her and pulled her against him. “Are you cold?”
Callie snuggled closer, sighing. “Not now. You give off a lot of body heat.”
“It’s my Drakonian nature. We all run hot.”
“I can’t imagine the things you’ve seen, the adventures you must have had through all these years.”
“Some were good, some not so good.”
She turned to face him. “I’m sorry about your home world. Did your family survive?”
He hesitated. Rarely did he talk to anyone about his family. She seemed to really care, so he took a chance and confided in her.
“My mother died when I was still young. My father did not handle the loss well. He didn’t have time or use for me, so he took me to the king’s castle to have me start my warrior training early. That’s when I met King Reichardt, well, Prince Reichardt. He didn’t become king until later.”
Callie shifted to sit up and stare in shock at me. “Reichardt, the owner of the King R Ranch is a king?”
“Yes.”
She smacked her forehead with her palm. “King R… stands for King Reichardt.”
“Yes.”
“Wait, does that mean that Gema is queen?”
“It does, but we no longer use those titles officially.”
“What title do you have?”
“I am a Warrior Class III Enforcer.”
“Enforcer is like a police officer or security, right?”
“Yes. As level three, I am head of security. I make sure the ranch and all the occupants are secure. I oversee security for when the royals meet and I also lead in tracking and bringing to justice rogue Drakonians.”
“Rogues, you’ve said that before. You called Spider and his buddy rogues. What does that mean?”
“Rogues are Drakonians who leave their tribes to live on their own. They do not abide by the laws of Drakonians or humans. They kill without mercy, steal, and abuse others. Their actions expose us to humans and that is the number one law, not to expose our existence.”
“So your king sends you after rogues and you bring them back for judgment.”
“If I can. Most rogues refuse to be captured and will fight to the death, their death.”
Callie shivered. Would she look at him as less now? Was she afraid of him?
She climbed on him and kissed him. “You are so brave. Thank you for coming after me.”
He would have said that no thanks were needed, but he got caught up in the feel of her on top of him, sliding against him, arousing him. She was all that mattered. His dragon purred with contentment, and he let himself get caught up in the web of desire.
Chapter 20
Later that day
Callie stood at the lake’s edge, watching Viper wade in the waist-deep water. He moved quietly and smoothly for someone so big. Then, like a flash, he struck. Plunging his hand into the water and pulling it out with a fish in it. She couldn’t help but laugh.
“I think I’ve seen that in a movie or something.”
“I’m just catching fish the easiest way I know how.”
“You’re not trying to impress me or anything?”
“Maybe a little. Is it working?”
“Oh yeah. You might even get lucky later,” she teased, placing her hand on her hips. She was wearing her bra and panties after rinsing her clothes in the lake and hanging them by the fire to dry.
That made him drop the fish he just caught. She giggled. “That’s too bad. I was looking forward to you cooking that for me.”
He reached down with both ha
nds and pulled out two fishes. “I will feed you then I’ll eat… you for dessert.”
She shivered with anticipation. “I’ll let you do that. How are you going to clean the fish?”
“There are advantages to being a dragon shifter.” Viper gripped both fish in one hand while holding up his other. She watched in stunned silence as his nails elongated about an inch. He used his nails like knives to clean cut the fish.
“Wow.” She was grateful he had such excellent control and didn’t release those suckers while they were making love.
“I need some long thin sticks to poke through the fish. I’ll use them to hold the fish over the fire. It shouldn’t take long to cook.”
“I’ll go look for the sticks,” she said, walking toward the wooded area. As she did, a wooden sign caught her attention. “Viper!”
He was at her side in seconds. “What’s wrong?”
“I know where we are,” she said, pointing to the sign.
Viper stared briefly at it, then turned away. “I don’t read. What does it say?”
That was the second time he said he didn’t read. Callie wanted to ask him about it, but the way he stiffened made her halt her questions.
“It says Lake Peak offers fishing, hiking, but doesn’t promote swimming. Caution for wild animals.”
“Do you know how far Lake Peak is from Arizona?” he asked, not looking at the sign at all.
“Not sure. At least six hours, maybe.”
“Come, I want to cook the fish and then put out the fire.”
“Why do we put it out at night? It will get cold?”
“The fire will be easier to spot at night. We’ll sleep for a few hours, then we’ll fly out while it is still dark.”
“Shouldn’t we be flying during the day?”
“A dragon in the daylight would be easily seen.”
“Right. You can’t be seen in your dragon form by humans. Number one rule.”
“Yes.” Viper grabbed sticks and headed back to their fire.