Dragons of Cadia - The Complete Dragon Shifter Series

by Amelia Jade

  “Now that’s chemistry,” Miranda said with a happy clap of her hands. “What’s he look like?”

  “Well, he’s tall. Not like grizzly tall, but you know, that height where you can just melt into them and still get lost in their arms, with your head resting on their chest, and—”

  A dreamy look had crossed Miranda’s face, and Riss knew her friend understood it all too well. Though the owl wasn’t mated, she was a bit of a…social butterfly, she supposed was a polite word for it. Most shifters had little to no reservations when it came to sex, but Riss had a bit of her mother’s sense of propriety still, no matter how outdated it might be in the modern world.

  Not that I think I’d be able to maintain it if Zander tried anything.

  For a guy who she’d known less than twenty-four hours, he certainly had weaseled his way into her mind quite easily. Riss wondered what would happen if she were to see him again. The concept scared and thrilled her. There was still something about him that irritated her, perhaps his lack of boundaries, or something. And the way he had to be forced to explain his thoughts, that definitely irked her.

  So there were a few things she didn’t like.

  The back door chimed, interrupting her mental list of pros and cons of Zander, sending them all into a jumble. She wasn’t sure which list was longer.

  “Riss?”

  It was her boss.

  “Yes Mr. Barnesworth?” she replied, moving out of the tailor’s room.

  “Why is the store not open?” he asked, gesturing to the dimly lit front of the shop.

  Because we still have ten minutes till opening, and it takes me exactly three to get everything done, you pompous asshole.

  “Just getting started on it right now, sir,” she replied with a fake smile. “I just wanted to ensure that Miranda had those suits ready for this morning. I thought that if I—if we—could make Zander, er, Mr. Pierce, happy with our service, perhaps he’d recommend some of his friends our way,” she said, trying to distract him with the idea of more money.

  It was, in hindsight, not the best move. Even as she spoke, Riss wanted to hit herself. If Zander was right, if Mr. Barnesworth had arranged for her to get mugged, then talking to him about money was a bad idea.

  “Ah, yes, of course. That would be excellent. I’m sure we could all use more money,” he said, pausing expectantly.

  He’s waiting for me to tell him about how I was mugged last night! To say yes, I could use it after losing what I made yesterday. He doesn’t know!

  That all but confirmed to her that Zander had been correct: her boss was behind it all. That seemed petty even for him, but there was no denying the way he had asked the question or paused to allow her to say something. It couldn’t have been more obvious if he’d worn a sign himself.

  And if I’d been mugged, I would have fallen for it easily, without thinking twice! I would never have suspected a thing. I owe all of that to Zander.

  It irked her to be even more in the big shifter’s debt, but she was. There was no doubt about it.

  “Yep, more money would definitely be appreciated,” she said instead, pitching it as if she wished he would give her a raise.

  Ire flashed through his eyes, but he was canny enough to conceal it before it manifested on his face.

  “You had a good night, I assume?” he asked, probing slightly deeper about her after-work experience.

  “Oh yes, it was a great night,” she replied, only letting the grin slide across her face, tugging her thick cheeks upward after she’d turned away from Mr. Barnesworth. She headed into the shop’s front, flicking on lights and adjusting clothes as she went, straightening the place up. It was Saturday, and she was expecting it to be slightly busier than normal.

  At the exact moment the clock on the wall above the register flicked to nine, she unlocked the front door and turned the sign from closed around to open.

  “And another day begins,” she muttered.

  Riss had gotten two steps toward the counter when there was a swift rap on the door, followed by the sound of it opening.

  “Good morning, welcome to—”

  Her voice died as she found herself face-to-face with two deep brown eyes, filled with brass metal flakes that seemed to act as magnets to her gaze, pulling her in deep until she was lost in the pools of liquid that seemed to be focused right back at her.

  “Hi, Zander,” she heard herself say breathlessly, the sounds so quiet she wasn’t sure he’d pick them up.

  “Good morning,” he replied in his trademark rumble, the earthen power reaching out to caress her, ripples of electricity making their way down her spine.

  The hair on her neck stood on end as the electricity between them grew. Through her peripheral vision she could see he was wearing jeans, though darker this time. A white T-shirt, no logo or anything on it was all that covered his upper half, where it fit tightly across his shoulders and arms. Not because it was a size too small, but simply because that’s how large he was.

  Who is this guy, and why am I so attracted to him?

  Then, just like that, there was a noise at the back and the moment was over. Zander bestowed a smile upon her, his eyes coming to life with humor as he slipped past her, waltzing into the store as if he owned the place.

  “Ah, hello, Mr. Pierce,” her boss said, coming from around the counter to shake Zander’s hand profusely. “So good to see you again. Did you need anything more today?”

  She watched as Zander’s arm flexed while he shook her boss’s hand, forcing Mr. Barnesworth to grimace as the handshake went on for several moments longer than necessary.

  “No, my good man,” Zander said with false sincerity. “I am perfectly good. If I have any needs, which I am sure I will, you will have Riss assist me, yes?”

  “Ah, of course,” Mr. Barnesworth said, his hand falling to his side where he flexed it discreetly several times, red marks easily visible on it.

  “Good.” Zander said, and then simply stood there, staring her boss down.

  “Well, I think I have some things I should take care of,” he said, gesturing to the back, eager to be away from the dragon shifter.

  “Of course. I’m sure an honest businessman like yourself is always occupied,” Zander said.

  Riss winced as he laid the sarcasm on a little thick for her liking. She strode over to him after her boss scurried into the back.

  “Don’t you think that was a little much?” she asked. “He might pick up on the fact that we know he was behind the mugging attempt last night. Which, by the way, he doesn’t seem aware has failed yet. Whoever it was hasn’t reported to him.”

  Zander looked at her and she explained the morning’s events to him. To her surprise, Zander appeared thoughtful, as if there were more to it.

  “Or, perhaps the mugger wasn’t reporting to him at all?” he suggested. “Perhaps there is a third party.”

  Riss shook her head. “Can’t be. Who else would know of it? Nobody else was here.”

  Zander looked at her, but he didn’t say anything more. Clearly he didn’t believe her, but Riss knew she was right. Why else would anyone be involved? It was already crazy enough that her boss had called someone to mug her. But a complex plot involving someone else? Now that was just crazy.

  So instead, she busied herself by getting his suit and the shoes she’d set aside from the back and thrusting them, along with Zander, into a changing room.

  “Now, let’s see how it all fits,” she ordered, stepping out and pulling the door shut behind her quickly.

  Not fast enough though, because as she closed it, Zander had already been pulling his T-shirt up over his head. She practically fainted from blood loss as her core warmed and sent it all rushing between her legs. The sight of his rippling abs, disappearing below the waist of his jeans, made her knees tremble. She rested heavily on the doorknob for a moment as it finished closing.

  Holy hell he’s hot.

  But he was more than hot, wasn’t he? He was courteous
and polite, smart, well-traveled.

  So why the hell was he interested in her?

  Her mind scrambled itself with thoughts as she waited for him to change.

  But when he stepped through in the black suit, black dress shirt, and shoes to match, Riss nearly hurled herself at him. He looked good. There was no other way to put it. His broad shoulders stretched the fabric of the suit just enough. The arms and chest filled it out as well, draping over his Herculean body with delicious appeal.

  “How do I look?” he asked her.

  “Good,” she squeaked, eyes devouring the way the pants hugged his ass as he turned in place. “It fits well,” she added.

  “So it will suffice then?” he asked, squaring up in front of her.

  “Suffice for…what?”

  “As my outfit while I escort you around town this evening,” he stated, as if it was already a given.

  “Pardon?” she asked, eyes blinking rapidly. “Did you just ask me on a date?”

  The big dragon shifter’s eyebrows narrowed. “I did. Is that acceptable to you?”

  Riss rocked back on her heels in surprise, both at the offer and the forthrightness of it.

  “Ah, well, I don’t normally date customers,” she said lamely.

  What are you doing?! Say yes, you fool! Right now!

  She wanted to, but there was still that little tingling at the base of her skull, as if something about it all was wrong. Why was he showing so much interest in her, a nobody human working at some little store in Cadia?

  But then he smiled and the radiance of his grin blasted away the last of her reservations.

  “I can return all of this, if you would like?” he joked.

  “No refunds on altered products,” she recited by rote.

  Heat burned its way across her cheeks as she realized what she’d just said and how silly it sounded.

  “I’ll pick you up from the store,” he told her.

  “What?” She began to panic. “No. I need to go home, to change. I mean, if you’re wearing that, than I need to—”

  Riss froze like a statue as Zander placed a finger to her lips, quelling her protests instantly. Energy sizzled from the contact of his skin to hers, hardening her nipples under her shirt, despite her best efforts to keep calm.

  One touch. All it had taken was one touch and he’d awoken desires in her that had been quiet for some time now.

  Well, except for last night, in the bath, after he left.

  Whoever Zander was, he certainly had awoken a need within her, one that she’d long ago learned to live with. Now she wasn’t so certain she could go on that way, as the gnawing ache slowly awoke deep inside of her.

  “Your current outfit will be more than sufficient,” he told her, his eyes roving over the black pants and deep red of her blouse.

  “Zander, I—”

  “It will be sufficient,” he repeated, his voice like iron, firm and unyielding to her.

  “Okay,” she said, giving in with a sigh that was mixed parts terror and excitement.

  “I shall see you this evening,” he said, and with that, he snagged his other clothing and was gone.

  “Unreal,” she muttered, heading back to the register to close his file.

  It wasn’t until later that she realized he’d never even tried the other suit on.

  Chapter Five

  Riss

  Once again she was out in the alleyway, fiddling with her key in the always not-quite-working-properly lock of Challer’s. Footsteps sounded behind her, and she realized it must be Zander, coming down from the street in front of the store.

  The sound of fingers snapping echoed between the buildings.

  “Did you just snap at me?” Riss asked, turning in disbelief.

  “What? No,” he said, at a loss for words, looking around as if unsure why she was mad at him.

  “Why are you snapping then?”

  “I was trying to make enough noise so that you didn’t try to hit me with your little electricity gun. Again,” he said, as if to say, “Wasn’t that obvious?”

  “Oh,” she said. “Sorry, I’ve just been really jumpy ever since I got mugged. Or, almost mugged. Whatever.”

  “So, for any future occurrences like this, how shall I best approach this?” he asked cautiously.

  “Hmm, well, try this one out,” she said, finishing up with the lock and walking toward him. “Hello Riss,” she called out. “Feel free to try that one,” she said, patting him on his extremely firm chest.

  “I’ll try,” he replied dryly, before deftly snagging her arm and putting it between the crook of his elbow. “Now, if you’ll follow me?”

  Riss tried to hide her grin, failed, and then decided not to bother. “You didn’t give me much of a choice, so lead on,” she said with a gallant wave of her left hand, the free one.

  Somehow he’d managed to not only convince her to go out with him, but also to accept that her work clothing would be acceptable attire, and on top of that, she still had no idea where he was taking her.

  A day ago she would have said such a thing would have been flat out impossible. She would never have agreed to let someone have such control over her. Yet she was already having a hard time imagining her life without Zander in it, as crazy as that seemed.

  His chiseled jaw, still shaved smooth, and those locks of hair that fell over his forehead, like they were now before he pushed them away.

  A sudden impulse surged through Riss as they walked slowly.

  “You’re slacking,” she said and reached up to brush the hairs away for him.

  Zander stiffened and his other hand came up automatically, grabbing her wrist before she could complete her action. It happened so swiftly she barely even noticed him move, before vise-like fingers tightened around her.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked cautiously, trying not to make any sudden movements.

  Then, just like that, his hand was gone as swiftly as it had come, falling back to his side. Her hand hung there for a moment, until he dipped his head into it.

  “Sorry,” he murmured, his lips now dangerously close to her ear.

  Warm breath washed over her skin as he did, sending goosebumps shivering their way down her back and along her arms. He was so close. All she would have to do was turn her head, and then his lips would be right there. It would be so easy.

  Riss swallowed the lump in her throat as her fingers finished brushing his hair away. His head lingered nearby for a moment, then another. She twitched slightly, and then his head was back level once more.

  “What was that all about?” she asked, trying to disguise her relief as the tension ebbed slightly.

  It was still there, at a much higher level than before, but there was no instant decision that had to be made. She could walk, looking ahead without getting sucked into those brass-brown eyes once more. They were so different, even more so than her own misty-gray ones. The effect he had on her, with his woodsy smell tinged with just a bit of…something, was powerful enough to overwhelm her if she spent too much time close to it.

  What if he does try to kiss me? Will I be able to kiss him back?

  She noted in a remote corner of her mind that there was no question about whether she would let him kiss her or not. That was past. She would, if he made a move.

  “Training,” he replied in his usual information-lacking way.

  Riss elbowed him in the side.

  “Right. Elaborate,” he said with a chuckle, showing her that he at least knew why she was elbowing him, even if he hadn’t corrected the underlying reason.

  “Something something old dog, new tricks,” she muttered under her breath with a smile, knowing full well his dragon hearing would pick up on it.

  “My mind was…elsewhere,” he started, his tone indicating he wasn’t going to discuss what he meant by that. “The motion startled me, as did your hand coming toward my face. It has been…some time, I suppose, since I last let anyone get that close to me, into my space. So, co
mbine that with my distraction, and my reflexes just took over.”

  He stopped walking and looked at her. “I am sorry, Riss. Truly. It won’t happen again. I did not mean to scare you.”

  She smiled. “You startled me, big boy, but it takes a little more than grabbing my wrist to scare me.”

  Especially because of the shock I got when you touched me, which may or may not have distracted me from any fear I should have been feeling.

  “Good,” he continued, his voice like a boulder gathering speed down a mountain. “I promise, you will never need to feel fear with me around.”

  Riss looked up at him, noting the sheer intensity of the look he was giving her. Whatever had happened, even though it wasn’t a big deal to her, had been one to him. She saw that now, and realized that joking around with him was not what was required right then. He felt like he’d offended her, and cheap quips weren’t what he was looking for.

  “It’s okay, Zander Pierce,” she said softly, meeting his eyes unflinchingly. “You have my assurances on that. As you do that, so far, you have made me feel comfortable and safe more than you have anything else. I don’t know how, but you have.”

  “Good.”

  “But if you wish to make me feel even safer, there is a way,” she replied, shocked at her own forwardness.

  Easy girl.

  “How is that?” he asked, eager to do whatever she wished.

  “Take this,” she told him, grabbing the arm that was linked through hers, “and put it here.” She draped his arm over her shoulder, her grip lingering to the point of inappropriateness on his bicep.

  His fingers wrapped around her and pulled her in tight, deep into his protective shell.

  Riss had never felt happier.

  ***

  Zander took her to dinner at the newly rebuilt and reopened Morrte’s Delicatessen. The owner, Morrte, had been the victim of that same shifter from Fenris who was to stand trial. The town as a whole had rallied together to help rebuild his shop after it came to light why it had been burnt down. Riss, as a human, hadn’t taken part, but she was proud and happy to know Morrte was back on his feet. Nobody deserved that sort of treatment in her books.